Fan Fiction ❯ Power of the Elements ❯ Chase with a Side of Escape ( Chapter 4 )

Power of the Elements

 

By Ranitagoyle

 

Feedback to RJDolphin7@aol.com

 

Website: http://www . gargsmoon . com

 

Series/Sequel: This is the sequel to The Energy and the first in the Elements Trilogy.

 

Timeline: It's been six months since The Energy and six years since the first X-Men movie.

 

Disclaimer: Refer to the prologue.

 

`Italics' denote thoughts

“…” denotes regular speak

`…' denotes thought speaking

 

 

Chapter 3: Chase with a Side of Escape

 

December 11

23rd Precinct - 12:10 A.M.

 

Elisa loved a good mystery, but the way the past few weeks have been going, it seemed like the end was far from sight. Earlier, a call came in that Quarrymen were disturbing the peace at a pizza place. When she and Matt interviewed the cashier, he said the Quarrymen had chased two girls out of the back door. Just as they were halfway back to the station, Matt received a call requesting his presence at the scene of a multiple Quarrymen arrest. When they arrived there wasn't the usual babble about gargoyles being abominations. This time the extremists were screaming their heads off about dragons.

 

While Matt conferred with the on-scene detective, Elisa had gone to the alley to see what she could pick up. Some of the gargoyles had been there, which was evident by the huge holes in the brick walls. Seeing nothing else unusual, she and Matt had returned to the station along with a dozen or so Quarrymen. For nearly two hours, she and Matt had been questioning the Quarrymen. Many of them lawyered up before she could question them, but from the few that didn't she was able to piece together what happened.

 

Apparently, they were sent to `pick-up' the girls and ended up chasing them to that alley. Then one of the girls created a dragon or something and that was all they remembered. `Is this the reason Manhattan's been turned upside down?'

 

“Elisa?”

 

`All of this over one mutant girl?'

 

“Elisa?”

 

`But what does Castaway want her for?'

 

“Elisa!” a voice shouted, jolting Elisa from her thoughts. Looking up from her desk, Elisa realized her partner was the one calling her and it seems that he'd been doing it for a while. “Where's you mind at, partner?” Matt asked, concerned.

 

“It's nothing. What you got for me?” Elisa asked, seeing the file in Matt's hand.

 

“Remember how we told missing persons to be on the lookout for any reported?” he asked. “Well, it seems that a Logan Griffe reported his 20-year-old sister missing.” He handed the file to Elisa. Opening the file, Elisa was met with a shock. The picture in the file was of the girl from last night! Those magical green eyes were replaced with normal brown ones. The girl and the man in the photo with her were wearing work-out clothes and had towels thrown across their shoulders. Elisa quickly scanned through the rest of the file and found one thing off about it.

 

“Matt, where's the contact number?”

 

“That's the other reason it was rushed here. The brother and his wife refused to leave one until they talked to a detective about her case. Guess who wins the prize?” he said, putting his feet up.

 

Sighing, Elisa got up taking the file with her and asked, “Where are they?”

 

“They've been in interview room five for about an hour,” he said. Elisa turned and headed for the interview room. “Have fun, partner.”

 

“Bluestone… get back to work.”

 

 

It's been an hour. A long hour for Rogue as she watched Logan pace the room like a caged animal. After they'd went back to Ranita's apartment, they'd contacted the Professor about the situation. He hadn't had any luck finding Ranita with Cerebro. `That meant one of two things: she was unconscious and guarding, or… Well, the second reason was unacceptable,' Rogue thought.

 

“What the hell's takin' so long?” Logan growled, pounding his fist into the wall. “Calm down, Logan. You saw all those Quarrymen. They're probably just questionin' them,” Rogue said softly, trying to calm her worried husband. The door opened and in walked the female cop they'd seen earlier.

 

“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Griffe. I'm Detective Maza. Sorry, it took so long. It's been one of those nights,” she said.

 

“Did you find the bastards that took my sister?” Logan said in his usual gruffness. Rogue was amazed to see that Logan's attitude that usually had people running wasn't having any effect on Maza.

 

“What makes you think your sister's missing, Mr. Griffe?” Elisa questioned.

 

“She and a new friend were suppose ta meet us at Toni's for a late night dinner, but they never showed. We went to her apartment. The doorman said they'd already left. So, we came here,” Rogue answered.

 

“I'm gonna be straight with you. Tonight, we just arrested about a dozen Quarrymen. Eyewitnesses say they saw two girls being chased by them. Also the cashier at Toni's said that the Quarrymen had chased two girls out the back door. So, tell me, is there any reason why the Quarrymen would want Ranita or her friend?” The two looked at each other for a moment. Elisa took that moment to observe the couple. Mr. Griffe was obviously frustrated and angry and so was Mrs. Griffe to a lesser extent. Then, they turned back to the detective.

 

“We don't have a clue,” Logan growled through clenched teeth. Though the angry and confusion was real, there was one thing that Elisa did know. `Either they didn't know that Ranita was a mutant or they're lying,' she thought. Deciding to keep that to herself, Elisa managed to get a contact number and was escorting them out of the station.

 

“I'm sorry again for the inconvenience,” Elisa said.

 

“Don't be sorry. Just find her,” Logan replied. With that the Griffes hailed a cab and took off to where home was for the night. Elisa went back inside to fill Matt in on what the Griffes had told her. Then she decided to make a visit to the castle after her shift. `Maybe Goliath or the others saw what happened or know where these girls are,' she thought as she picked up the phone.

 

 

December 12

Castle Wyvern - 1:18 A.M.

 

“Why aren't they awake yet? It's been five hours,” Brooklyn commented as he leaned against the bed that Ranita laid in.

 

“From what I have been able to gather from what you and Lexington have told me, this young lady performed a summoning” Owen answered.

 

“What's a summoning and what does that have to do with her not waking up?” Lexington queried from his position next to Amiya's bed.

 

“A summoning is a ritual that allows the summoner to conjure a being using any of the natural elements: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. The reason she is still unconscious is because she used too much energy to summon this Wyndigore,” Owen explained. “This is the first summoner I've encountered in centuries.”

 

“Are these… summoners dangerous?” Goliath asked.

 

“Untrained they are virtually harmless, but one with unfinished training could be a danger to herself and others,” Owen clarified. Goliath, arms crossed over his wide chest, closed his eyes as he tried to sort through the information he'd just been given.

 

“They need our help, Goliath,” Brooklyn said. “Wyndigore wouldn't have asked us to protect them if they could protect themselves.”

 

“I don't know, Brooklyn. If she were truly harmless, then what about the Quarrymen in the alley?” Goliath inquired.

 

“She didn't do that, Goliath. Wyndigore did,” Lexington argued. “Yeah, and even then nobody was seriously hurt.” Brooklyn added. Seeing the unsure look on Goliath's face, Brooklyn decided. “Lex and I'll take sole responsibility of them,” he said.

 

Goliath sighed. He knew that his second was right. Whatever the Quarrymen wanted with the girls, it didn't bode well for them or his race. “Very well. They are your responsibility,” he indicated Brooklyn and Lexington. He turned back to Owen and said “Will Xanatos watch the girls if they awake after sun rise?” Goliath asked the majordomo.

 

“Give me a moment to confer with Mr. Xanatos.” Owen headed out of the room, cell phone in hand. Once he was sure that Owen was out of earshot, Brooklyn asked “What are we gonna do if they can't stay, Golaith?”

 

“We would have to talk to Elisa or Talon and see if they can take them in for the day. If not, the safest place for them may be with the police,” Goliath reasoned. That answer seemed to make both Brooklyn and Lexington more anxious to find out whether the girls would stay. Owen walked in, his facial expression normal, not giving anything away.

 

“Mr. Xanatos wants me to remind you that you have free reign of the castle and that any guest of yours are welcome.” Brooklyn could feel the tension flow out of him at that. `Well, that's one worry down,' he thought. Just then Owen's phone rang. He answered it. The conversation ended quickly.

 

“It seems that Detective Maza is on hold for you, Goliath,” he informed.

 

“Settle this, Brooklyn.” Goliath left them to speak with Elisa.

 

“How long will it be before they wake up?” Lexington restated Brooklyn's earlier question.

 

“With the summoner, I would estimate about 3 or 4 hours. As for her friend, it is hard to determine given the amount of tranquilizer she was shot with,” Owen said, looking at the Amiya's test results.

 

“Then we probably should let them rest.” Brooklyn led his rookery brother out of the room. That left Owen Burnett, also known as the trickster Puck, alone with the girls. `Oh, this is going to be fun,' the Puck within smiled.

 

 

4:50 A.M.

 

Slowly consciousness returned to Ranita. `Well, this place smells better than an alley,' she thought as she opened her eyes. `This place looks like a dungeon, but I doubt they'd put two mutants in the same cell. Even if they're knocked out,' she thought when she saw Amiya on the bed next to her. She went over to check her and see if everything was okay. Other than a bandage on her arm, Amiya seemed fine. Seeing no windows, the only exit in the room was the door.

 

Ranita went to check the door to see if it was locked. Of course, it was. To the right of the doorjamb was an electronic keypad. Ranita quickly over-rode the locking system and unlocked the door. `Remy's gettin' a big kiss when I see him.' She went back to Amiya's bed and tried to wake her up, with little success.

 

“All right, then. Girl, you're gonna owe me big for this,” she said, throwing Amiya over one of her shoulders. Once out of the door, Ranita saw that the dungeon look didn't end there. `Okay, which way?' she asked herself. Feeling something pulling her to the right, Ranita with Amiya in tow went down the hall.

 

“Alex, me boy, that is a genuine summoner. They don't make'em like her anymore, so we gotta be careful not to break her,” Puck whispered to the child in his arms. Alex cooed at his teacher and though he was too young to talk, Puck nodded as if he understood the boy. “Splendid idea, my boy. You are learning.” The two vanished to watch the events unfold.

 

 

It was slow going and she was tempted to stop until she heard voices from ahead of her. Ranita quietly ducked through the unlocked door to her left and listened.

 

“Are you sure it's safe for them to be here, Goliath?” a female voice questioned.

 

“I see little choice in the matter, Elisa. They have to stay here… ” the voices faded as they continued their journey down the hall. Sighing with relief that they'd gone unnoticed, Ranita sat Amiya down against the wall and took a look at her surroundings. With all the toys littering the floor and the playpen, Ranita assume she was in a nursery or playroom. But the room's most important feature was the window! Checking the window for any alarms and finding none, Ranita flung the window open… and saw the reason there wasn't any security.

 

“Damn it!” she said, looking out at the city of Manhattan below.

 

“I'll take that to mean we're in deep trouble,” Amiya groaned as she slowly stood up and walked to the window.

 

“Ya got it in one. We're up way too high for me to get us down. So we're stuck here, unless… ” she said, setting a crucial eye on Amiya. “Do you think you can copy my power and fly yourself?”

 

Amiya tried to shake away the fog that clouded her mind with little success. “I don't know. I'm still kinda groggy, Ranita,” she sighed, closing her eyes.

 

“Well—” What Ranita was about to say was interrupted by a green gargoyle in the doorway. “I found'em,” it said as it stepped toward them.

 

“Go now!” Ranita shouted to Amiya and turned to the green gargoyle. Eyes yellow and with a flick of her wrist, Ranita caught him in a vortex of wind and threw him into the mountain of toys near the wall.

 

“Lex!” another creature, this time red, cried from the doorway. With that, Ranita hurled her body out of the window and allowed the wind to catch and hold her. She floated over to Amiya's position, grabbed her hand, and darted through the sky.

 

Ranita glanced back to see the red creature jump from the window they'd just vacated. “Come on! If we can just make it to the street…” Ranita said, racing downward. Then, she felt the grip on her hand loosen and finally vanish, followed by a scream. Amiya was falling and there was only one thing she could do.

 

Ranita nosedived.

 

Once she was next to Amiya, she grabbed one of her arms and struggled to use her wind power to slow the girl's descent in a weird tug-of-war against gravity. And gravity was winning. Though what Ranita was doing was slowing the already fast descent, it wasn't stopping it.

 

“Grab my hand!” a voice cried next to her. Ranita opened her eyes to see the red creature from before. “Grab my hand or you both are gonna die!” Amiya raised questioning eyes to Ranita. Ranita took a second and then nodded. She felt the weight lighten when Amiya took his hand.

 

“Can we go back to the Castle now?” the creature asked. Ranita looke up to see that there was indeed a castle. A castle in the clouds.

 

“Um, I don't care where we go, but you guys better decide fast. I'm getting tired,” Amiya said, dangling between the two fliers. Ranita nodded and they began their ascent back to the castle.

 

 

Once the girls were safely back on solid ground, there was really only one thing to say.

 

“Somebody better tell me what the heck is goin' on here, and who y'all are?!” Ranita exclaimed, as she and Amiya backed-up toward the window.

 

“What you gonna do if we don't? Jump again `cause that really worked,” the red one smirked. Ranita blushed, in part from embarrassment because he was right and in another part from anger because he had the nerve to point it out.

 

“Now, looky here. I don't care if you're a gargoyle or not, I'll take you down so fast it'll make ya beak spin,” Ranita said, getting in Brooklyn's face. Amiya stood shocked at how such as friendly, sweet girl had turned into an angry wildcat before her eyes.

 

“I'd like to see you try, short stuff,” Brooklyn baited, poking his talon at Ranita's chest. On the next poke, Brooklyn found himself on his back with his arms trapped at his sides and a weight on his chest. Eyes widened in shock, Brooklyn was dumbfounded.

 

“The name's Ranita, Red. Not `short stuff.' Remember that,” she whispered into his ear.

 

“What's goin' on here, lads? Oh, I see you found the lasses,” a voice with a Scottish brogue called from the door. The gargoyle at the door had tan coloring. He was obviously the elder of the group with his white beard and hair. Ranita lifted off of Brooklyn, allowing him to get up and to restore some semblance of dignity.

 

“Nothing, Hudson. Tell Goliath we found them and that they're fine,” Brooklyn said through gritted teeth. He tried to ignore the grins that both Lexington and Hudson were holding. “Could you tell Goliath that we'll meet him in the main lobby?”

 

“No problem, lad.” He turned and left, with the grin on his lips.

 

Brooklyn turned to the girls and said, “If you want to find out what's going on, I suggest you come with us.” He indicated for the rest of the group to go first. Lex led the group out followed by Amiya.

 

When Ranita was about to walk past Brooklyn, he whispered to her, “The name's Brooklyn, not Red. You remember that.” She continued to walk pas as though he hadn't said a thing, but inside Ranita smiled.

 

`So he wants to play, huh? All right, let's play.'

 

 

Lexington looked at the girl next to him. Though she looked better than she did in the med-lab, she still appeared tired.

 

“Are you okay?” Lexington asked, concerned.

 

“I'm fine,” she said. Then she added, “Thanks for asking.”

 

Again there was silence between them until “My name's Lexington. You can call me Lex for short. What's your name?”

 

Amiya considered his question. She didn't want these gargoyles to know too much about her (in case she had to run for it), but if she got defensive, would they suspect she had something to hide? `Well, my name couldn't hurt,' she thought. “My name is Amiya.”

 

Lexington smiled, pleased that the quiet girl gave him her name. They had arrived at the doors of the Great Hall. Lexington pushed the doors open and allowed Amiya and Ranita to enter. He and Brooklyn followed behind them.

 

In the hall, there were a couple more gargoyles and a couple of humans. The one of the gargoyles was the one Brooklyn had called Hudson. The other gargoyle that stepped forward had a lavender coloring with long dark brown hair.

 

“Hello, ladies. I am please to see that you are unharmed. I am Goliath.”

 

“Well, I must say, the name suits ya,” Ranita said. She stepped forward to act as a shield for Amiya if need be.

 

“You got that right,” Amiya murmured from behind Ranita. Ranita watched as Goliath's grim expression broke into a small smile.

 

“You are not the first to tell me that. Now, if you could please tell us who you are and perhaps why the Quarrymen are after you.” Ranita quickly realized why Goliath was leader. His presence commanded obedience and his physical essence demanded authority.

 

“My name's Ranita Kimble and this is Amiya Johnson,” she indicated the girl behind her. “As for what the Quarrymen wanted with us, other than they think we come from the deepest pit of Hades, we haven't a clue.”

 

“I see. Then, I think it would be best if both of you remain here in the Castle until we can figure it out what Castaway wants with you.”

 

Ranita bristled at the obvious command. “Hold on a minute! We're not gonna be anyone's prisoners. Yours or the Quarrymen's.” Ranita declared. Slowly, the two girls edged away from the group of gargoyles.

 

“Not prisoners, my dear ladies. My Guests,” a man stepped forward.

 

The man wore a black suit that seemed tailor-made for him (and it probably was). He had a beard that was neatly trimmed and his dark hair was gathered in an equally neat ponytail at the back of his neck. Where Goliath commanded one's attention, this man drew it, subtlety. `He's the kind of man Wolvie always told me about. Dangerous,' Ranita thought.

 

“Who are you?” Amiya questioned.

 

“David Xanatos. I am the proprietor of this castle. Goliath has told me of your situation and I would like to extend an invitation to you. You may stay here as long as you need to as our guests,” he explained.

 

“And if we want to leave now?” Ranita inquired.

 

“Then you are free to leave,” Goliath replied. “It was never our intention to hold you against your will here.”

 

Amiya could see that Goliath was sincere. She looked at her friend and saw that she was a second away from telling them goodbye.

 

“I don't—” Ranita started.

 

“Can we have a moment?” Amiya interjected.

 

“Of course,” Goliath said as he waved his hand for Brooklyn and Lexington to join him, giving the girls their privacy.

 

Amiya pulled Ranita closer and spoke to her softly, “I think we need to think about this.”

 

“What's there ta think about? They want ta keep us prisoner here. I think we'll be safer back at my place,” Ranita argued.

 

“That's all well and good for you, but you're not the one the Friends and Quarrymen have been chasing!” Amiya exclaimed.

 

Her exclamation stunned Ranita into silence. Seeing no reply coming, Amiya continued, “So, you'll have to excuse me for wanting to stay somewhere safe.”

 

Ranita looked at Amiya and saw that she was determined to fight her on this. But she saw something else when she looked into Amiya's eyes. Fear. With a sigh, Ranita acquiesced to Amiya's request. Ranita turned back to the gargoyles and said, “Okay. We'll stay here. But first I need to call my brother. He and his wife are suppose ta drop by for a visit.”

 

“It's a little late for that,” said the lady with the long black hair and red leather jacket.

 

“What do you mean, uh…” Ranita said.

 

“Detective Elisa Maza. What I mean is that your brother and sister-in-law are already in town and have already reported you missing,” she explained.

 

`Oh, Hades! Now, he'll never let me hear the end of this,' Ranita sighed as she sat down on one of the couches in the room. “What does he know?”

 

Elisa explained her discussion with Mr. and Mrs. Griffe earlier that night. “Well, I better call them and let'em know I'm all right,” Ranita said, though she had a feeling that a phone call wasn't going to placate Logan.

 

“I think it'd be best if I contact your brother. I could tell him that you and Amiya have been placed in protective custody until the end of the investigation,” Elisa offered. Though Ranita knew that phone call was going to be far from pleasant, it was better than what she could've come up with.

 

“If that's settled, please excuse me.” With that Xanatos withdrew from the room.

 

“Lexington, Brooklyn, I am sure that Ranita and Amiya would like to rest. Why don't you take them some place they can rest?” Goliath said.

 

“Sure, Goliath,” Brooklyn said. Together, the group left the Great Hall. Elisa walked from Goliath's side to stand in front of him.

 

“What do you think of them, Elisa?” Goliath asked.

 

“They seem like okay girls. Just in a bad situation,” she answered.

 

“What would Castaway be wantin' with this summoner?” Hudson questioned.

 

“I'm not so sure it's her that Castaway wants. The Friends were chasing Amiya last night, so…”

 

“It could be either one of them,” Goliath finished.

 

The silence lingered between them until Hudson broke in with “Maybe I should see what's on the television,” and left. That left Goliath and Elisa alone. Elisa walked over the large gargoyle. Goliath enfolded Elisa in his arms and wings. Elisa could feel the rumble within Goliath's chest that signified his contentment.

 

“When will this end? First, it was the Negamoon family. It was the hatred and fear of the humans that drew them to us and now these `Friends of Humanity' group is tearing the city apart.” He sighed. “It is beginning to feel like a never-ending war, Elisa, and we are on the losing side.”

 

“You can't think like that, Goliath. You have a right to exist, your clan has the right to exist, and your daughter has the right to exist. Don't let those bigots tell you different. You got me, Big Guy?” Goliath couldn't help, but smile and nod at the determination in her eyes. It was that will that first drew him to her.

 

“Good. Besides, we can't give up when we are one step closer to figuring out what Castaway is up to.”

 

“You are right, Elisa. Thank you for reminding me,” he whispered to her.

 

“No problem, Goliath,” she slowly withdrew from the warmth of his embrace. “I better go. I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.” With that, Elisa left and Goliath went up to his normal resting place at the highest tower to think and to wait for the sunrise.

 

 

2:35 p.m.

 

Ranita awoke and for minute didn't recognize where she was. She knew it wasn't her bed and it sure wasn't her apartment. Seeing Amiya on the next bed asleep, Ranita remembered where she was. Castle Wyvern, home to David Xanatos and the gargoyles. Ranita went to the adjoining bathroom to freshen up and then headed for the door. `Just because we're stayin' here doesn't mean I can't find a way out,' she thought.

 

That is exactly how she spent the next two hours. She found that the elevator needed a key card and had no type of override function. She found that many of the doors were made of steel and were locked. She found that the only way out without being detected was to fly from the parapets, since there were no cameras that she could see. She found that she was in an invulnerable Fort Knox.

 

Disheartened, Ranita decided to make her way back to her room. While walking halls, Ranita was in her own world, not really paying attention to where she was going. Then, she felt something hit her foot. Looking down, she saw a small ball and a small hand wrapping around the ball. She followed the hand and found a little red-haired baby looking up at her. Carefully, Ranita picked the child up. “Where did you come from, kid?” she gently asked. She looked around, expecting to see an adult, but found no one.

 

“All right. Let's find out where you're supposed to go.” Ranita began to walk down the corridor, checking each room, trying to find the one the kid could have come from. Finally, her search was a success. She had come upon the nursery. At second glance, Ranita recognized it as the nursery she and Amiya had jumped from earlier that morning. `That was one wild ride…' she thought. Ranita snapped out of her thoughts when a wailing reached her ears.

 

Apparently, something had upset the baby in her arms. Ranita changed his (she quickly found out it was a he) diaper, he still cried. She tried to feed him his bottle from the mini-refrigerator, he still cried. She tried bouncing him, he still cried. Nothing seemed to satisfy him. Then, Ranita was struck with an idea.

 

Sitting him in the playpen, her eyes a light blue, she conjured three orbs of clear water, in mid-air in front of the child. Slowly, the balls started to speed up and weave around each other, sometimes smashing into each other. All the while, the child was giggling and smiling at the orbs' antics. Ranita allowed herself to smile and consciously relax for the first time since meeting up with the Quarrymen.

 

“I'm impressed,” a female voice called from behind her. Whipping around and assuming a defensive position, Ranita saw a red-haired woman leaning against the doorframe. The woman was tall, maybe 5'9, with a slim build, but her most interesting feature was the fox tattoo over her right eye.

 

Though, Ranita didn't normally keep up with the celebrity group, she knew who the woman was. Fox Xanatos, former Pack TV star and wife to David Xanatos. Fox walked over to the playpen. Sidestepping Ranita as if she wasn't there, Fox lifted her son into her arms and away from the orbs that had ceased to spin for him.

 

“Alex doesn't normally take to strangers so fast.” Seeing that her son was content to play with her long hair, Fox turned back to her guest. “I am Fox Xanatos and this little prince is Alex,” she introduced. “Which girl are you? Ranita or Amiya?”

 

“Ranita.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you. Would you come with me?” Fox turned and walked out. She gave Ranita no time to reply, just to follow. “That was an interesting stance back there. Who trained you?” Seeing no harm in the question, Ranita replied “My brother.” Fox led Ranita to a room that from the padded mat and the exercising equipment against the wall was obviously a gym. Fox put Alex in a playpen on one side of the room and turned to face Ranita.

 

“How about a match? The first one to hit the mat six times loses,” Fox suggested. Ranita considered the offer. Fox seemed friendly enough, but then again she was an actress. `Aw, what the heck? It's not like one match is gonna kill me,' she thought. And besides…she loved a challenge.

 

 

Amiya woke to find herself alone in their room. Figuring that Ranita had gone to do some exploring, Amiya made use of the adjoining bathroom. Once she was finished freshening up, she too left the room, though in search of dinner. It took a few twists and turns (one of which led her to Alex's nursery), but she finally found the kitchen. Seeing no sign of any cooking being done, Amiya took it upon herself to start dinner. Soon the steaks were broiled, the potatoes were mashed, the gravy was browned, and the blueberry muffins were cooling. Amiya was just about ready to load up her plate when David Xanatos walked in.

 

“Well, I must say, I didn't think that by inviting you girls to stay that I'd get a home-cooked meal out of it.” He grabbed one of the muffins from their plate, taking a bite. “And a good one too.” Amiya blushed at the praise. “It was nothing. I thought it was the least I could do since you've opened your home to us,” she explained, squirming. “Umm, do you want something to eat? I made plenty.”

 

Before he could reply, Ranita and Fox, with Alex in tow, walked in. “Great! I was starvin'!” Ranita exclaimed, picking up a plate and began putting food on it.

 

“What a nice surprise, David,” Fox said as she walked over to her husband. “It wasn't me, my dear. We owe this wonderful meal to our guest, Amiya.” He turned to the girl and saw her, once again, blushing over her plate.

 

“You know how to cook, Amiya?” Ranita asked. Amiya nodded. “My mother taught me when I was younger.” Realizing that the girl wasn't going to elaborate, Ranita and Fox went back to filling their plates. Fox looked to her husband and saw that he wasn't doing the same.

 

“Why don't you join us, David?” she questioned as she put her plate down and headed to the refrigerator to get to some of the baby food for Alex. “Sorry. I still have some work to do,” he replied. Ranita and Amiya watched the billionaire walk out of the kitchen, his steps resounding on the cobblestone.

 

“Hey, Fox. What time do the gargoyles wake up?” Ranita inquired. Fox paused in eating and glanced at her watch. “We have about half an hour before the sun sets. We have plenty of time.” She turned to her son and cooed, “Does Alex want to go with us to see the clan?” Alex giggled at his mother's silly antics. The three women ate in silence with the occasional cry from Alex.

 

One minute before sunset found the three women and baby on the lower parapets with the statutes of Brooklyn, Lexington, and the others. They watched the sun sunk below the horizon and disappear. The sound of stone cracking and breaking drew their attention to the statues. With roars as loud as thunder, the gargoyles burst from their stone sleep. Once through stretching, the gargoyles realized they had company. Lexington jumped down onto the parapet, and walked over to Fox and Alex.

 

“Hi, Fox. Hi, Alex,” he said, tickling the little boy's stomach. “Hi, Lex,” Fox replied.

 

“What are we, chopped liver?” Ranita frowned, cocking her hip to the side, waiting for his explanation. “Yeah, Lex. What are they, chopped liver?” Brooklyn mimicked, mockingly. Ranita turned her glare his way, but the smirk refused to leave his beak. Lexington couldn't stop the blush that rose to his cheeks.

 

“Sorry, girls. Hi.” Satisfied with his apology, Ranita turned to Brooklyn while Amiya went over to Lexington. “That's an impressive trick. Turning from stone to flesh and blood, but it begs the question,” she said. She imposed her chin between her thumb and forefinger, looking at Brooklyn questioningly.

 

“What question?” he asked. Brooklyn knew by that look she gave him that he was going to regret asking. “Why does your head stay rock hard at when the sun goes down?” she asked innocently.

 

“Ouch!” Amiya winced while Lex drew a number one in the air.

 

“You're not the first one to think that,” said a large gargoyle with blue coloring. “Hi, I'm Broadway.” A female gargoyle with lavender coloring came up beside them and introduced herself. “Hello, I'm Angela.”

 

“It's nice to meet you both. I'm Ranita and that's Amiya,” she waved to said girl. Upon hearing her name, Amiya looked up and waved at the new gargoyles. Angela and Broadway waved back and then looked to Ranita and Brooklyn.

 

Barking came from behind them, they split and let a large doglike gargoyle to pounce forth. Ranita edged back away from the gargoyle. Broadway knelt down and gave the gargoyle a rub. “This is Bronx. He's our watchdog. He's harmless.” Taking his word for it, Ranita inched forward and gave the guard dog a tentative head rub. “Nice to meet you too, Bronx,” she said.

 

“Yeah, we know.” Seeing her puzzled expression, Broadway quickly explained. “Goliath told us about you when we came back from patrol.” Then Goliath glided down from his perch on the topmost parapet.

 

“Good evening, ladies,” he greeted, and then turned to his charges. “Broadway, Angela, I want you paired to patrol by the docks. Bluestone called last night saying there were signs of Quarrymen activity in the area. Be careful. If you find anything, contact Bluestone and myself. Hudson and I shall patrol the university area. Brooklyn, Lexington, you will remain with the castle,” he commanded. Though he wasn't saying it, Brooklyn heard the other command Goliath was issuing. Stay with the girls. He nodded and said “Yes, Goliath.” They were all about to go their separate ways when…

 

“Wait, Goliath. I have something for you.” Fox handed each gargoyle a thin necklace and a small in-ear headphone. She waited until they all had put them on. “Now, please, say your name and nicknames one at a time,” she instructed. They did as she asked. “Good. These are new communication devices that Cyberbotics has developed. The necklace is in the microphone. It's made of adamantium, so you shouldn't have to worry about them being damaged or destroyed in a fight. The earpiece is also adamantium and is designed to fit a gargoyle's particular ear shape, so it shouldn't fall out. It is programmed to respond to basic commands. Lex, go into the castle. Broadway, call Lexington by saying `Come in, Lex,' ” she explained further. He did as she said and Fox watched him nod as Lexington responded.

 

“He says it's like I am right in his ear,” Broadway relayed. “Good. Now…” Fox took the next five minutes to explain the other functions of the communication system. Once she was done, the clan thanked her and began to depart.

 

With their marching orders, Angela and Broadway dove off the turrets, heading for the docks. Hudson was next and Goliath was soon to follow when a thought stopped him. He looked back at his second and their guests. “Wear your communicators If there is any sign of trouble, call.” Brooklyn nodded and Goliath went to join his mentor, who was hovering on the air currents.

 

“Now that's said and done, I think it's time for Alex's nap.” After everyone said good night to Alex, Fox retreated to the castle's interior.

 

“I think I want to check out this new communication systems' network. Fox said I could access it from my terminal,” Lex said, excited at the prospect of new technology. Realizing that he had left out everyone else, he asked “Do, uh, any of you want to check it out with me?”

 

“I think I'll pass on the new tech for now. Maybe later after you've cracked the codex,” Ranita smiled at him.

 

“Me too, Lex. I've been reading this amazing book in the library and I'd like to finish it,” Brooklyn apologized, though he knew how much his rookery brother loved his alone time with his new `toys.'

 

“I'd like to go,” Amiya voiced. “That's if it's all right with you, Lex?” She looked to Lexington, waiting for an answer. Lex scratched the back of his head in a nervous gesture. “S-sure. It's no problem,” he said. Lex grabbed Amiya's arm and the two of them ran off to look at the new technology. It was obvious to Brooklyn that his shy brother had taken a liking to the equally shy girl, especially if he didn't mind her coming along on his tech trip. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, that left him alone with Ranita.

 

“Are you really going to the library or were you just saying that to spare his feelings?”

 

“Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I'm really going to the library,” he said, ignoring the other half of her question. Ranita just stared at him for second then put on a smile. She extended her arm in front of her in the typical `you go first' gesture.

 

“Then, lead the way, Red. I'd love to see what kind of books you guys have.” Together, though one reluctantly so, they headed for the castle library.

 

 

 

10:52 p.m.

 

“Our guests are interesting. Don't you think so, Owen?” Xanatos asked his assistant. Slowly, he rewound the security tape. The tape was of Ranita and Amiya's escape from the infirmary to their daring jump from Alex's window. There was even some footage of what had happened outside the castle.

 

“Indeed, sir. Here are the files you requested.” Owen handed over the files to his employer and stood in front of the desk while Xanatos perused them. Xanatos found Ranita's dossier was interesting.

 

A senior at Manhattan University, Ranita was majoring toward a degree in computer science technology. The next line of the file raised Xanatos' eyebrow. Apparently, Ranita had exceptional intelligence as her grades proved. `An interesting prospective employee…' he thought. The rest of the dossier told general information of her education at Xavier's School of the Gifted. The school where her legal guardian and `brother', Logan Griffe, worked. That wasn't the interesting part of her file. It was the fact that prior to her arriving at Xavier's School, there was no information about Ranita Kimble.

 

Amiya's file was what you'd expect from a runaway mutant. An average life in an average Midwestern town until her mutation activated. She has been missing for the last three months.

 

“The Kimble file is missing information, Owen. Dig deeper. There is something there that someone doesn't want us to find. I just know it.” Xanatos handed the file back to the majordomo.

 

“Yes, Mr. Xanatos.” Owen left to fulfill his orders while Xanatos went back to reviewing the tapes. He zoomed in on Ranita's face, her eyes an eerie yellow.

 

`Who are you and what secrets do you hold?' he asked the screen.

 

 

December 13

2:26 a.m.

 

“Done!” Ranita chirped as she shut the book she was reading. Brooklyn growled, his concentration shattered once again by the announcement.

 

“That's the fourth book you've finished since we've been here,” he growled out.

 

“I can't help it if I'm a fast reader,” she murmured. She got up and headed for the bookshelf to find another book.

 

Brooklyn watched her go with more jealousy than actual anger. The girl has read four 300+ page books in the past eight hours, while he had just finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy after reading for a week. Deciding that it was time to do something else, Brooklyn shut his tome and went over to Ranita. “How about we see what Lex and Amiya are up to?” he suggested.

 

Ranita, who was beginning to feel a tad bit cooped up, agreed. They walked in silence through the halls. Soon, that silence became too much for one of them. “So, Red, how did you guys end up living in a castle?” she questioned. For a minute it looked like Brooklyn wasn't going to answer, then “We've lived in this castle for more than a thousand years.”

 

“Whoa, really? But this castle has only been in Manhattan for about three years,” she said, confused.

 

Brooklyn stopped in his tracks and sighed. “It's a very long story. The short version is that a thousand years ago, our clan with the exception of Angela was locked in our stone sleep by a magic spell. Xanatos brought the castle and us here, broke the spell, and the rest is history.”

 

Ranita stood there against wall, arms crossed over her chest, processing what he'd just told her. “Are you seriously trying to tell me that you lived a thousand years ago and are here now because of a magic spell?” she asked, incredibly. When he just nodded, Ranita looked for any sign that he might be joking, but it was obvious that he was serious. She shrugged, not quite ready to accept `magic' as being real, and said “If you say so.” She began walking again, Brooklyn next to her.

 

Brooklyn wanted to know what she had meant be that, but resolved to leave it alone for now. He decided to try a different tactic topic. “What about you? What are you doing in Manhattan?” he asked, politely.

 

“What makes you think I'm not from here?” she asked.

 

“Your accent. It has a soft tang to it that we don't hear much around here. So, where are you from?” he asked, his curiosity peeked. There was so little that they actually knew about their guests. `It was high time they found out something', Brooklyn thought.

 

“I guess you could say that I'm a southern gal, but I spent most of my life in New York with my brother,” she explained, but Brooklyn noticed that she never did answer either of his questions.

 

“What is your brother like?” he questioned.

 

She laughed, “Oh, no. If we're gonna play twenty questions, then it's my turn.” She sneaked a glance to her left and noticed that he looked really embarrassed at being caught red-handed, so to speak. “Are y'all the only gargoyles out there?”

 

“For a long time, we thought we were. It wasn't until a year ago that we found other clans in England, South America, and Japan. What is your brother like?” he repeated his earlier question, not to be deterred.

 

Ranita sighed. She had hoped he'd forgotten that question. `But fair is fair…' “Logan is the most extreme guy you could meet. He is very protective and he has a hot-temper. He is always ready for a fight and I pity whoever is stupid enough to get him riled up. I guess the best thing to say is that he is extremely loyal. He would go through hell for his friends and family. For someone who has never had anyone, that's the best thing to have in their life.” She seemed wistful for a moment as her pace slowed. She seemed to shake it off and asked, “Where is Lex's terminal room? In the dungeon?”

 

Brooklyn laughed at that. “As a matter of fact…”

 

“You've got to be kiddin'!”

 

“…it is right around the corner.” Brooklyn watched the expressions on her face change from astonishment to puzzled and finally to anger. Before the anger could fully register to Brooklyn, he felt a fist punch his shoulder. Hard. “Ow! What you do that for?!” he yelled, rubbing his hurt shoulder.

 

“That's for trickin' me.” She continued on around the corner. Once she cleared the corner, Brooklyn drew a point in the air. `Now we're even,' he thought as he too headed for Lex's tech. lab.

 

The lab was more like a central hub for technology than an actual laboratory. There were computer terminals lining the wall, each one running something different. To Brooklyn's left, in the corner, was Lex's tinker station. It was the place Lexington broke machines down to see how they worked. The sight of the room brought a smile to Brooklyn's face. `Lex was truly born ahead of his time. A thousand years ahead,' he thought as he listened to the beginnings of the tech talk passing between the olive gargoyle and the girl leaning over his shoulder.

 

Looking around, Brooklyn noticed something. “Uh, Lex? Where's Amiya?” he asked, interrupting their chatter.

 

“She said that she was still pretty beat from last night and was turning in for the night. She left about 12,” he explained.

 

Satisfied with that, Brooklyn turned to leave. “Okay. Well, I'm going for a flight around the castle.” When he saw the weird look Lexington was giving him, he added “To stretch my wings.” Without waiting for anything further, Brooklyn left and headed for the parapets.

 

Once there, he un-caped his wings and dove into the night's sky. Slowly, Brooklyn left the wind and his instincts take over as he tried to work out his thoughts, which were of the Quarrymen and their guests. He was asking the same question that he was sure the others had asked themselves. `Why? Why these girls?' From what he'd seen, other than the typical first reaction, the girls didn't seem to mind gargoyles. So, Castaway wasn't looking to recruit them…at least not willingly. `There must be something about the girls' powers that would benefit Castaway, but what? According to Elisa, the Friends of Humanity were chasing Amiya and Ranita interfered with them. So, what could be so special about Amiya?'

 

“You know, I'm surprised you haven't flown into one of these towers by now,” a voice interrupted, jerking Brooklyn out of his thoughts. He looked to his right and into the smiling face of Ranita, who was currently flying through the air on her back. Spooked, Brooklyn dropped a few feet before catching an updraft, coming back to Ranita's side. The girl was still flying on her back. What irritated Brooklyn was the slight smirk on the girl's face.

 

“Are you trying to kill me?!” he yelled, eyes narrowed angrily.

 

“Aw! Did I scare ya, Red?” she asked, eyes closed, and still smiling.

 

“No! You just disrupted my thoughts,” he shot back defensively.

 

“Whatever you say, Red. So, what were you thinking about? Pondering the mysteries of the universe?” she asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.

 

“Not exactly. I was wondering why the Quarrymen are after you.” He watched the smile slip from her face, her brows wrinkle, and her eyes open. Brooklyn could only guess as to what she was thinking about.

 

“What have you come up with?” she asked, her normally light voice becoming hard and serious. She turned her face toward Brooklyn, waiting for his response.

 

“Well, the only thing I could come up with that makes any sense is that he wants you girls for your powers. You didn't mention it earlier, but what are your powers?”

 

Ranita considered his question. Though she had only known for a short time, the shear fact that these virtual strangers had opened their home, their sanctuary, to a couple of girls who were bringing trouble to their doorstep made her trust them. Also the fact that she didn't have a clue as to why the Quarrymen or the Friends were after Amiya. After all, she was a sweet girl and she didn't look like she could hurt a fly, but maybe she was too close to the situation. `Maybe Brooklyn can help. Scott did always say that a fresh perspective made for fresh ideas.' “Well, my power is defined as elemental manifestation and manipulation.”

 

“Huh?”

 

She giggled at the look of total confusion and said, “Yeah, that's what I said when the Professor told me that. It means that I can make fire, water, air, or earth out of thin air and control them.” She demonstrated this by snapping her fingers, eyes gave a brief minuscule flash of red, and a small flame balanced itself on her fingertip. Then she cupped the tiny fire in her palm and enfolded her fingers over it to form a tight fist. She opened it to reveal the flame gone, her skin unblemished.

 

“Cool!” Brooklyn exclaimed.

 

“Yeah,” she chuckled mirthlessly, “Come on, let's land. I'm sure those wings are getting pretty tired.” She and Brooklyn landed in the castle courtyard, Bronx running up to them. They gave him the perfunctory pets and hugs, then they continued their conversation.

 

“What about Amiya?” he asked.

 

“The only thing I know about her gift is that she can copy powers…” That reminded Ranita of what she'd told Amiya the night they met. I know many people, both mutants and others, that would love to make use of your power.

 

“That's it! Castaway must want her to copy a mutant's power. But whose? There must be thousands of mutants in this city—” he said.

 

“If not millions and many with powers that could destroy this city if in the wrong hands,” she interjected, thinking of her friends and family in Westchester.

 

“Then how—” Suddenly a flash of white light blinded Brooklyn. He heard Ranita scream. “Come in, Lex! We got trouble up here!” he shouted. He tried to open his eyes, but searing pain coursed through his eyes when he tried. “Ranita, where are you?!”

 

“Sorry. I'm afraid that she's out at the moment.” That was all Brooklyn heard before a sharp pain then darkness.

 

 

Ranita felt like the world was slowly coming back to her. From the fuzziness at the edge of her vision, she could only guess that she'd been knocked out…again. `Damn it! I'm gonna need a CAT scan or something after this is done,' she thought as she sat up to take in her new surroundings. All around her were bars. She was in the middle of a steel cage. Beyond it, she was no one, not even a guard; just crates and machines. `They're makin' this too easy,' she thought as she placed her palms facing the bars. She called to the fire within her to melt the cage. Nothing happened.

 

She looked at her hands, disbelieving. She tried again, yielding the same results. “What the hell?” she whispered, trying not to show any sign of panic. Inwardly, that was all she was doing. `Where in the world are my powers?!'

 

“I see that you have noticed the absence of your abilities. You can thank the Genosanians for that,” a cultured voice from the all directions around her. Ranita knew what he meant when she felt the area around her neck. `Collared. Perfect…' she thought as she fingered the Genosanian collar on her neck. Ranita walked presumably to the front of her prison and took a closer look at the machines that she had neglected earlier. Atop one of the machines was a camera.

 

Ranita spoke directly into the camera, “What have you done with Amiya and why am I here?” she questioned.

 

“I can assure you that nothing has been done to Amiya. Please step forward my dear and let our guest see that you are safe.” At that a figure did step forward, but it wasn't the Amiya that Ranita knew. This girl was dressed in the outfit of a Quarrymen. Ranita looked into the girl's eyes, but found them empty. They lacked their usual shyness and laughter. She stood statuesquely, as if awaiting further orders.

 

“What have you done to her, Castaway?!” she glared at the camera.

 

“Nothing. She is as she was programmed to be,” Castaway said, but this time the voice didn't come from all around, but from the shadows next to Amiya. A man stepped forward into the light. His head mask-less, and his stance confident, as he walked toward the cage.

 

“What do you mean by that?” Ranita snapped at the man. “Amiya has completed the first half of her mission and now awaits the second and final steps,” he explains.

 

“Final steps? What mission?” she said, waiting for him to explain more.

 

“Her ability is a fascinating one, isn't it?” he said as he looked back at the frozen girl. “But Amiya was just the first half on my plan. Her mission was to find a very special mutant and bring that mutant to me, but I needed her to be trustworthy, sympathetic. And what's more sympathetic than a poor mutant girl being chased by the Friends of Humanity?”

 

“If you wanted me, you should have been man enough to come and get me. Not send a little girl to do your dirty work,” she snarled at him. “Anyway, it not like my powers can help you. My powers may cause a little chaos, but they cannot kill a whole race no matter how you try to work it,” she laughed at that.

 

“I'm sure that the four elements that you usually command would do little to help my cause, but I know about the secret you hold. The secret of the fifth element.”

 

Ranita tried to swallow the gasp she emitted from her throat. That was one secret she had vowed never to reveal. The Professor and Logan knew of it, but they had never seen it for themselves. It was the element that she had the shakiest control over and the fact that this madman was going to unleash it. Unleash it using someone who couldn't even handle an easy element like wind was beyond insane.

 

“You really are insane, you know that. If you try to do that, you could kill us all and not just the gargoyles you hate so much,” she told him, still in shock over his plan.

 

“Maybe, but I'll see that the gargoyles are in hell before I join them,” he laughed. He laughed the laugh of the insane. Ranita knew then that there was no talking to the man. As he and Amiya walked away from her steel prison, Ranita felt despaired. Without her friends knowing her location, there was a real possibility that Castaway's plan was going to work, and there was a real possibility that they were all going to die from it. There was only one thing she could do. She prayed. `If You can hear me, we need a miracle down here.'

 

 

Well, I hope you liked this chapter! It took a long time to write. I know there was very little X-Men in this chapter, but I promise that they will be all over it in the next one. Review and/or Email me and tell me what you think.