Fan Fiction ❯ Power of the Elements ❯ Right in the Eye of the Storm ( Chapter 5 )

Power of the Elements

 

By Ranitagoyle

 

Feedback to RJDolphin7@aol.com

 

Website: 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

“Yes…” denote television/past events

“…” denotes regular speak

`…' denotes thought speaking

 

~8~8~

 

Chapter 4: Right in the Eye of the Storm

 

December 13

Castle Wyvern - 5:45 a.m.

 

“Brook!” a voice called. The voice was so far away, but Brooklyn knew it was familiar. “Brooklyn, wake up!” This time the voice was closer. Slowly, things started coming back to him. There was something he'd promised to protect…no…someone! A friend…

 

“Come on, Red! Time ta wake up, bub,” another gruffer voice called. Through, the voice wasn't familiar, the name it called him was. `Red? Nobody, but only Ranita call me—` “Ranita!” Brooklyn's body shot up, and he realized his mistake when a blinding pain drummed through his skull. “Ow!” he winced.

 

“About damn time. Ya woulda thought someone had knocked your brain right outta your head as long as you've been out,” said the same gruff voice from earlier coming from Brooklyn's right. Before Brooklyn could hit back with a comeback, he opened his eyes. Right there in front of him was a man with the weirdest hairstyle Brooklyn had ever seen on a human in a Quarryman uniform!

 

With a roar, Brooklyn pounced from his bed, grabbed the human by the front of his uniform and hoisted him up three feet in the air, eyes glowing white with rage. “Where is she?!!” Brooklyn growled into the man's face. The man didn't even flinch at Brooklyn's threatening appearance as most humans would have. Instead, the man returned Brooklyn's growl with one of his own.

 

“You have `bout ten seconds to let me down, bub,” the man said. “You think you can scare me, Quarryman?” Brooklyn balled up his fist and lifted it up to punch the man when he felt a strong grip on his fist, stopping its descent. For a moment, Brooklyn expected Goliath's voice to boom a reprimand; instead a soft voice greeted him.

 

“Ah don't think you want ta to do that, sugar.” Brooklyn looked over his right shoulder to see a young female human holding his wrist. The female's attention wasn't on him, but rather on the man in his grasp. As if sensing his eyes on her, she shifted her focus to him. Brooklyn saw something in her eyes. Those green eyes had a kindness to them, a kindness backed by steel. She was ready to finish a fight if he started one. There was also the fact that she certainly didn't have any problems restraining his arm that made Brooklyn hesitate.

 

“Brooklyn, calm down! They're on our side!” Lexington said after coming out of his shock. Sure, he'd seen Brooklyn mad before, but never this mad with someone other than Demona. Not to mention that a human, a woman especially, had stopped Brooklyn's fist mid-punch without any problems, who could blame him for temporary shock.

 

Brooklyn looked from Lexington to the man in his grip and slowly set the man down on his feet, back away from him. Once the woman seemed satisfied that he had indeed calmed down, she released him and went to stand next to the man. “Can somebody please explain to me what the heck is going on here?” Brooklyn asked. Now that the rage had subsided, his headache was returning.

 

“Come on, it's almost sunrise. I'll fill you in,” Lexington offered, hoping to distract from the obvious tension between Brooklyn and the man. Looking warily at the two humans, but trusting Lexington's judgment, Brooklyn nodded and allowed his rookery brother to lead him out of the infirmary. As he was being led out, Brooklyn head a quiet `snikt' sound coming from somewhere, though he wouldn't find out until later exactly where that sound came from.

 

Once the pair had exited the room, the woman turned to the man and gave him a disapproving look. “You shoulda let me teach that punk a lesson, darlin',” the gruff man, also known as Wolverine, said.

 

“He was injured, Logan! Ah'm sure Ranita wouldn't want you slicin' into her new friends. Besides, they're kinda nice.” Seeing Logan raise his eyebrow at that, Rogue quickly added, “I mean after they got pass the `you're not a Quarryman' part.”

 

Though, that part was still hard for her to believe. Logan had decided to not wait for the police to do their jobs. He went down to a well known Quarryman recruiting center (though Rogue had no idea how he found that out). After doing a preliminary background check, he was accepted, and given his Quarryman uniform and hammer. Though he wasn't given the information out right, there was plenty of talk of Castaway finally getting his mutant that night. The hardest part of the whole thing was the call to Elisa Maza and explaining to her that they needed to get to where she had hidden Ranita and her friend immediately.

 

“I still think that punk shoulda been taught a lesson. He lost Nita and the girl,” he growled as he went to follow the adolescent gargoyles. Though the gargoyles were nowhere in sight, Rogue jogged to her husband's side, trusting in his sense of smell to led the way.

 

“And Ah'm sure he feels bad about that, Logan. Besides, from what we saw on the security tapes, he's lucky to be alive,” she deduced. Logan nodded, his face grim. “Yeah, the mutant could've taken out everyone in this place if he wanted.”

 

Logan thought about what the little guy, Lexington, had told them. Apparently, he had been watching Ranita and Brooklyn having a conversation and the next thing he knew, lights out. `This guy is good. He took out the castle security or managed to sneak pass it and took out the only person awake who might raise the alarm before going after his target,' he thought and he said as much to Rogue.

 

“Ah wonder what a mutant is doing with the Quarrymen, especially since they're partnered with the Friends?”

 

“Good question, darlin'. I'll be sure to ask him when I meet the bastard.” With that question between them, they continued to follow the trail of their hosts. The two mutants had finally caught up with the gargoyles just as they turned left and began ascending a stairwell. The two mutants soon found out that the stairs led to the topmost tower, where the clan and Detective Maza awaited them. Just at that moment Lexington finished his tale to Brooklyn.

 

“That's all good to know, Lex, but you haven't told me the plan to get them back,” Brooklyn commented. Goliath looked to his second-in-command. “It is good to see you awake, Brooklyn. We thought you would spend the day in the infirmary.”

 

Brooklyn held himself up taller as he approached his leader. “Thank you, Goliath, but why isn't there a plan to go after the girls?” Goliath looked in the direction of the soon to rise sun and then set his firm gaze on Brooklyn and replied, “There is no choice, but to rely on Elisa and the others to search whilst we sleep.”

 

Brooklyn struggled with whether to argue with that strategy, but Goliath's firm expression told Brooklyn that it would do no good. Then Brooklyn, for the first time since he'd awaken, turned to Logan and said, “I'm sorry that I didn't protect your sister and about what happened earlier.” Logan stared back, Brooklyn guessed that he saw something he liked and nodded his acceptance of the apology.

 

“Don't worry about it, kid. Ranita's always gettin' herself into these situations. And it's always up to her friends and family to dig her out of them,” he said with a grin. A uplifted by Logan's acceptance, Brooklyn nodded and walked to the edge of the tower. He stopped and turned back the group. “Uh, Logan?”

 

“Yeah, kid?”

 

“Ranita and I came up with an idea about what the Quarrymen wanted.” He took a deep breath. “We thought that Castaway wanted Amiya's copy power to a mutant's power, but with Ranita gone...”

 

“You think it was Ranita's power that he wanted all along,” Rogue concluded. He nodded.

 

“Thank you for that. It'll help,” Rogue said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

 

“No problem. Anything I can do to help Ranita and Amiya,” he said and glided down to his position below. Lexington, Broadway, Angela and Hudson followed him, inquiring about what had happened earlier.

 

With only a couple of minutes before the sun rose, Goliath turned to their new human allies. “I hope you will accept my apologies as well. We promised the girls safety and we failed. I hope you will give us another chance to help them.”

 

“Like I told the kid, don't worry about it. Besides, you'll get your chance.”

 

Nodding his thanks, Goliath stepped onto the edge of the tower and struck a frightening pose just was the sun rose above the horizon, encasing him and the other gargoyles in stone.

 

There was a moment of awe for the two mutants. Rogue walked forward and lightly touched the statue of Goliath. `Sure, Ah had heard the stories of gargoyles turning to stone with the rising of the sun, but to actually see it for myself was simply…' “Amazin',” she finished out loud. “They really are stone.” `Hank would give the fur off his back for a chance to see this,' she mused.

 

“All right. What's this plan you've come up with?” Elisa asked, trying to get back to the matter at hand.

 

“I'm think it's time to weed out a weasel,” Logan said. Elisa felt slightly uneasy of the smirk that went across his face as he said that.

 

~8~8~

 

Quarrymen Headquarters - 6:45 a.m.

 

“How long until everything is set?” Castaway asked his subordinate.

 

The woman looked down at her clipboard of notes. “About six hours, sir.”

 

“Good. After everything is complete, activate every elite member within the New York City area.”

 

“Yes, sir.” The woman left to carry out her boss's orders, leaving the two men alone.

 

"What's with the extra manpower, Castaway? You got your mutant and I'm sure my boys can handle anything the cops throw at us,” Greydon Creed boasted.

 

Castaway just grinned at the sheer ineptitude of the man before him. `How such a man became leader of one of the most powerful organizations in the country is anyone's guess.' “It isn't the police I'm concerned about, Mister Creed. The gargoyles are creatures of habit. They will attempt to rescue Ms. Kimble. When they do, I want a proper reception for them,” he enlightened.

 

Creed sank deeper into his seat with a frown on his face. He didn't appreciate the way that Castaway was speaking to him now, nor did he like his role in this venture. Castaway still hadn't told him exactly what this mutie could do… “If you're so worried about the gargoyles crashing the party and if this mutie's soo powerful, why not just use its power now and eliminate them now?”

 

“There is no guarantee that Ms. Kimble's power will affect the creatures while they are in their stone sleep and I will not be caught unprepared again!” Castaway yelled, slamming his fist on the desk. Taking a deep breath, Castaway smoothed back his hair and cleared his throat. “Now, if you will excuse me, Mister Creed. I have much to do before sunset.” Seeing that he was being dismissed like a wayward servant, Creed sneered at the man as he stood. Castaway watched as Creed left, the man answering his cell phone as it rung.

 

Once the door was shut, Castaway turned to gaze out of his window, watching as the new day began. 900 years…900 years have the Canmores hunted the beasts and their Demon. Now he, Jon Canmore, was now one step closer to fulfilling the vow made by his ancestors long ago. `After this day is done, I can finally rest.'

 

~8~8~

 

11:15 a.m.

 

Creed was frustrated. For the past month, he had stretched his resources to the bare minimum. He had also promised his followers the end of the mutant menace and now with Castaway keeping him out of the loop, he could feel control slipping away. `I won't let that bastard reap the benefits of all my work.' That was why he was in the middle of Central Park, sitting on a park bench. The phone call was apparently from someone within the Quarryman organization. Someone who wasn't charmed by Castaway's promises, and who wanted Castaway put in his place. `And I'll use whatever they give me to make Castaway give credit where credit is due.'

 

Creed was brought from his thoughts when he heard footsteps approaching. `Right on time,' he thought after glancing at his watch. He looked to his right to see a figure approaching him. This person turned out to be a young woman with long brown hair with a couple of strips of white hair framing her face. She was little thing in her ankle-length brown trench coat.

 

She stopped just a few feet in front of him. “Are you Victor Creed?” she asked, with a voice light to Creed's ears. “Depends. Do you have the information you promised?” he shot back.

 

Without a retort, the woman dug into her coat's interior pockets, retrieved some folded papers and handed them to him. He looked through the papers to see photos of a destroyed clock tower and articles about its destruction. “How does this solve my problems with Castaway?” he demanded.

 

“The articles mention a missin' sibling, who helped in the bombardment of the clock tower about the police station. He's been missin' since the last night of the Hunter's Moon. The sibling was named Jon Canmore…” she explained, letting that statement linger.

 

It took a moment, but the light finally went on in Creed's mind. `So, Castaway is really Jon Canmore, huh? A wanted man with a new identity. I can work with this,' he thought. “Thanks. What do I owe you?” he asked, pocketing the article and pictures.

 

“Nothin',” she said. With the look on Creed's face, she explained further, “Ah just want ta know where Castaway's plannin' this little bash tonight. He's not tellin' the new recruits,” she explained. Something about what she wanted sent warning bells through him.

 

“I can't say, but here's your payment.” He held out a small packet for her to take. She brushed the packet away, “Ah don't want your money. Ah want to know where Castaway is located, so that Ah can witness the destruction of these monsters.”

 

Creed shrugged. If someone was stupid enough to turn down money, then they didn't deserve it. “Suit yourself,” he said, ignoring the other half of her demand. Turning, he began walking away when he heard a “Goodnight, Sugar.” That was the last thing he heard when he felt a strong pull on his neck. For several seconds, it felt as though he couldn't breathe and then blissful darkness.

 

As soon as Creed's body started to fall to the ground, Rogue pulled back both her hand and her powers from him. She could feel the sliminess of Victor Creed's mind try to wrap around her mind like the snake he was, but she fought off the initial attack and quickly filed his personality away to the many pockets of her mind. Once he was firmly in place, she began to sort through the information in his mind. Though to her this search took several minutes to the outside world, it was more like the blink of an eye.

 

Upon opening her eyes, she saw Elisa putting handcuffs on an unconscious Creed and Logan walking towards her with a look of concern. That brought a smile to her face. No matter how many times she did this, he was always there to worry about her. Logan reached out, touching her shoulders, hoping to ease her. “You okay, darlin'?” he asked.

 

She offered him a smile, saying “Ah'm fine, Logan. We're gonna need help, sugar.” Just then, Elisa stood and turned to them. “Matt going to be here soon to help me take him in,” she jerked her thumb toward the Friends of Humanity leader. “Where do we go from here?” Elisa questioned.

 

“Well, according to Creed, Castaway is calling in the cavalry. There is something about elite members… Creed doesn't know anything about them, but Castaway made a big deal about them. And,” she glanced at her watch, “there is no way we can get to where Castaway's holding her before these elites arrive.”

 

“I think we should go in now. We could sneak in during the confusion of the elites coming. They'll be waitn' for us if we go in later,” Logan argued.

 

“If we went in now without backup, we could be discovered, a lot of people could get hurt and we still may not make to the girls,” Rogue responded. Rogue could hear the growls reverberating from Logan. Elisa nodded her agreement.

 

“She's right. It's better to have a plan, than to rush in guns blazing,” Elisa said. When the stubborn man didn't reply, she further commented, “It could and very likely will get your sister killed, Mr. Griffe.”

 

That slammed it home for Logan. Though he hated waiting or asking for help, he knew the two women were right. With a heavy sigh, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a cell phone, dialing a number he knew by heart. “Chuck, how fast can you get a team down here?”

 

~8~8~

 

`Well, ain't this a bunch of crap,' Ranita thought as she, for seemed like the millionth time, looked at her surroundings. There was a camera on her cage constantly, and there was no way to pick the lock on the cage door. Not to mention that the cot she was sitting on was putting a serious dent in her backside. She was effectively trapped.

 

A sound caught her attention. She walked to the front of her cage to try to discern what the sound was. As the sound got closer, she realized what it was. Footsteps. A lot of them. The door to the room opened to reveal Quarryman, enough of them to match the footfalls she'd heard. One Quarryman took up a position on each side of her cage, their hammers humming.

 

“What's going on?” she asked. When no one answered, she asked again.

 

When still no one replied, she said, “Y'all, I'm not gonna shut up until someone tells me what the heck is gong on?!” `Not that that's any guarantee that I'll really shut up,' she thought, smiling to herself.

 

“It would seem that Mr. Creed has gotten himself arrested, my dear Miss Kimble,” Castaway said, strolling in to stand face to jailed face with Ranita.

 

“Well, that's good to hear. Crazies like him and you need to be behind bars.”

 

“I have taken the liberty of increasing security,” he gestured to the guards by the cage, ignoring Ranita's words.

 

“Afraid your buddy Creed is gonna rat you out?” she asked, smiling. She hoped Creed did rat Castaway out to save his own skin. Absolutely perfect for a snake.

 

“Not only do I think Mr. Creed will turn on me, my dear, I'm expecting it.” He walked over to the equipment. He hit a few buttons and the monitor flickered to life, showing Nicole St. John reporting.

 

“If you're just joining us, I'm here to report that Graydon Creed, leader and founder of the Friends of Humanity, has been arrested. The arresting officer was none other than DetectiveMatthew Bluestone, head of the Gargoyles Taskforce, who had this to say.”

 

The picture shifted to a red-headed man with a serious expression looking into the camera.

 

“Yes, Mr. Creed has been arrested. He will be questioned about his involvement in the activities of the past weeks. Until then, I have no further comment.”

 

The picture shifted back to Nicole St. John. “Creed has suspected in propagating violence against both gargoyles and mutants in —“ The screen went black indicating Castaway had turned it off.

 

Ranita turned her gaze back to her captor. “Creed is talking to the head of the gargoyles taskforce, someone who is paid to hunt down the gargoyles without causing public hysteria. I don't see how that's gonna help me?” she asked, nonchalantly.

 

“That fact isn't going to help you, but the fact that his partner is Elisa Maza is the problem,” he commented.

 

The way he said it, so calmly, sent warning signals down her spine. A light bulb went on in her head when she realized what Castaway was doing. “You planned this. You want them to rescue me,” she whispered. When no words came from Castaway refuting her claim, she was livid. “Why?! What did they ever do to you?!”

 

Castaway moved closer to the bars once more. It took a lot of Ranita's willpower not to just grab him through the bars. She had no doubt that while the other Quarrymen wouldn't kill her, she knew wouldn't be in any condition, if a moment to escape presented itself, to be able to escape.

 

“I want them here, so that I can see the very life fade from those monster's eyes,” he whispered, hatred dripping from every word. With that said, Castaway stormed out, two of his Quarrymen following. The rest remained, surrounding the four corners of her prison. Ranita went back to lie down on the cot. As she stared at the gray ceiling, Ranita couldn't help wondering, `Why does he hate them so much?'

 

~8~8~

 

3:51 p.m.

 

Elisa and Owen stood in the archway leading to the castle's landing pad, awaiting the arrival of the infamous X-Men. Elisa couldn't believe the wild turns the last forty-eight hours had wrought. Then again, since she'd met the gargoyles her life was full of them.

 

Looking at the city's cloudy sky, she thought about what was going to happen when the rest of the X-Men arrived. `A rescue... from the heart of Quarrymen headquarters. Insane!' she thought. `But if it were Goliath or any of the others...' She could only smile. She already knew that she would be doing the same thing.

 

She felt the winds shift violently as an aircraft approached, preparing to land. The aircraft was a sleek black jet, possibly military in design, though Elisa couldn't say for sure. Once it landed, Elisa and Owen made their way toward the aircraft. Halfway there, the hatch opened and three figures stepped down from the jet.

 

The first was a young man in his late twenties with reddish-brown hair. He wore a long, brown trench coat, which conveniently covered his black body armor.

 

The second was a woman whose brown skin and long, white hair made her stand out. Like the man before her, she wore black. Her outfit was a two-piece with long pants and a halter top. Her attire that would have been strange given it was the middle of December, if not for the calf length black jacket that covered it.

 

The third and final figure was a beast of a man. Literally. This man had blue fur covering his entire body. He wore a one piece black sleeveless body suit. Though this `beast' reminded Elisa of the Pack's Wolf, he seemed to lack the feral nature to match his appearance.

 

They walked up the group, waiting for an introduction, which readily provided. “Gambit, Storm, Beast, this is Detective Elisa Maza. Her friends were the ones that found Ranita and her new friend and this,” she indicated the man next to Elisa. “is Owen Burnett. His employer allowed Ranita to stay here under protective custody.” At Logan's humph, she said louder, “And acquired the plans needed for this mission.”

 

Gambit stepped forward, took Elisa's hand. “Gambit appreciates all you have done for the petite. Perhaps after this is over, Gambit can show you his appreciation?” He leaned in to kiss her hand. “No, thanks,” Elisa said, taking her hand away before Gambit's lips could touch it. “No need to play hard to get, chèr,” he said, obviously put-off by the Elisa's harsh refusal.

 

Logan came up and nudged Gambit to the side. “We ain't got time for your flirting now, Cajun,” Wolverine scolded.

 

“Wolverine is right, Gambit,” Storm agreed, putting a restraining hand on his shoulder. She had seen the telling glow of Gambit's fist, signifying that Louisianan wanted to start something with the Canadian. Truth be told, she didn't want this to become another of their classic fights. Storm turned to the man to Elisa. “Mr. Burnett, can you please show us the plans you have acquired?”

 

“Of course. Please follow me,” Owen replied in his normal stoic manner.

 

Elisa and the others did just that. Though she was just ahead of the group of X-Men, she heard Rogue say something along the lines of “big boyfriend” to who she could only guess was Gambit. She then heard a snort and his reply, “Size don't mean anything, ma chère. You'll see.” Elisa raised her eyebrow at that. `So, he's a stubborn one, huh? Well, if he gets too touchy, I'm going to have to burst his bubble. The hard way.'

 

Having decided on her course of action regarding the determined Cajun, she shifted her focus away from their new allies to more pressing matters, such as planning this little siege. She knew that the clan wouldn't awaken for another two hours, and she knew they had to make some type of move before then. She hoped that whatever they came up with would be enough to delay Castaway long enough for the clan to get there, or even preempt his plans altogether.

 

Owen finally turned and directed those behind him to enter the room that Elisa had dubbed the `War Room.' As she entered, Elisa was brought up short. The room was circular in shape with stone walls all around. Instead of windows, the walls were lined with monitors, which were tuned to various news channels. How Xanatos had done that was a question Elisa always wondered. In the dead center of the room was a circular table surrounded completely by chairs. The table was your ordinary table, no. `Nothing Xanatos owned could have a single solitary function,' Elisa mused. The table was also a holographic imager. It could construct three-dimensional models from data inputted into it. Data, such as the building plans Owen had `obtained' from the city's computer database. Though the room was impressive and years ahead of anything she would see in any tactical squad room, it wasn't what had made her stop in her tracks.

 

There looking down at the table's keyboard was David Xanatos. The detective hadn't expected the billionaire to personally involve himself in their planning. It wasn't his usual style. “Xanatos.”

 

He looked up and smiled that billionaire smile at his new guests. “Good afternoon, Detective, Mr. and Mrs. Griffe. Owen, please introduce me to our other guests,” Xanatos said as he maneuvered around the table to greet them. “Certainly, sir. This is Ms. Storm, Mr. Gambit, and Mr. Beast.” Xanatos shook each one's hand as they were introduced.

 

Once that was done, Xanatos returned to the table's keyboard while the others took up sits around the table, Owen choosing to stand beside his employer. “This is the latest surveillance from the location provided by Mrs. Griffe.” He pressed a few keys and the table generated a video. The video showed a general skyscraper, not even that tall by regular standards. On the roof of the building were Quarrymen. There were at least five of them on the roof. The picture shifted down the building, Elisa seeing the occasional Quarryman at a window. When the video made it to ground level, Elisa was stunned by what she saw.

 

A virtual sea of Quarrymen.

 

Their numbers were vast enough to cover the entire city block. Even the smaller building, a small one-level structure, next to the skyscraper had Quarrymen on its rooftops. Never once had Elisa thought that Castaway's way of thinking could influence this many people. It filled her with a strange sadness and anger. Sadness that her city, a city that could be called a mixing pot of different races, could produce such hatred and violence against such peaceful beings as her gargoyle friends. Therein also laid her anger. Anger that Castaway would use innocent people to further his vendetta against her friends.

 

A low whistle from Gambit jolted Elisa out of her thoughts. “What the petit do to get this kind of attention, Wolverine?” he asked, eyes widened as he looked at the immense number of people. He then looked from the image on the screen to Wolverine and Rogue. “You better not be talkin' about going through the front door. If so, you crazier than I first thought.”

 

“I must concur with Gambit, I'm afraid. The odds don't look to be in our favor,” Beast added.

 

“As much as I'd love to take a slice out of them,” Wolverine popped one of his foot-long claws out to emphasize his point, startling Elisa. “This is a stealth mission. Go in, get Ranita and Amiya, cause as much damage as possible along the way, and get out.” He withdrew the claw and Elisa watched as the skin healed over, no sign of any scar tissue. `His hand healed like a gargoyle's would after a stone sleep,' she thought.

 

“Right,” Rogue said, obviously use to his husband's antics. “According to the memories Ah got from Creed, Castaway is holding Ranita here,” she pointed to the smaller building. “Creed doesn't know precisely where Amiya is being kept; only that she isn't in the same building as Ranita.”

 

“How are we gonna find the other fille? We ain't gonna have time to search the other building,” Gambit said, matter-of-factly.

 

“That may not be true,” Xanatos said. He typed a few keys and the surveillance video vanished to be replaced by building schematics. “This is the original architecture of the main building. This,” he hit another key and an x-ray of the building appeared beside the other. “is the building's current state.” The two pictures were virtually identical until the view reached the top. About five floors from the roof, there was a `hollowed out' area. Where once on the original schematic the hollowed out area represented three floors, it now was one large floor. “I believe Castaway is holding Miss Johnson here. It is as close to an open area without easy accessibility from above, namely of the gargoyle variety.”

 

“Do you have any idea of how many guards on each floor between the roof and this hollow?” Storm asked. A few keys clicks and the current display vanished to be replaced by an infrared view.

 

“Oh, my stars!” Beast gasped, and Elisa couldn't help but share that sentiment. There, highlighted by red body heat, were at least fifteen bodies on a single floor! `Seventy-five people in all between freedom for Amiya and possible death for her friends,' Elisa thought solemnly.

 

Elisa looked to Storm, who seemed to be the leader of this bunch, and she had a thoughtful look on her face. A moment later, Storm asked to see the other building. Xanatos brought up the display. There were few guards on the inside, two for each wall, all surrounding a single figure. Looking at the building, Elisa couldn't shake the feeling that something was up, and then suddenly it hit her.

 

“But why so many guards on the first building and less than a third of that on the second?” Elisa put to herself and others around her.

 

“That's the reason, detective.” The video shifted back to the first building. There in the windows of the floors below and above the hollowed out area were sniper rifles. “They plan to shoot down anything or gargoyle that comes within reach of the roof,” Xanatos stated.

 

“And with his forces on the ground, Mr. Castaway has secured a stronghold that would take a considerable amount of time to breach,” Beast concluded.

 

“Well, we'll just have to make sure we're not seen. Right, Storm?” Logan said, smirking as he looked to his white-haired leader. She nodded, and replied, “Yes, Wolverine. I see no problem with that.”

 

As the rest of planning got fully under way, Elisa got a tight knot in the pit of her stomach. She knew that this was the battle that could end the war Castaway had declared on all gargoyles. Only one would be the victor, and she hoped for all their sakes that it was her friends that won.

 

~8~8~

 

5:43 p.m.

 

Henry “Hank” McCoy, known affectionately by his friends as Beast, was really and truly fascinated. It was moments from sunset, moments before the gargoyles would awake. He was about to see beings thought to be urban legend revive. Ever since hearing about these beings, Beast has longed to meet them, talk with them and find out about their culture. His fellow teammates had already departed in the Blackbird. Detective Maza had left to join her partner on the scene of the Quarrymen rally, in case a riot and to let her partner know just what the plans were.

 

The plan they had agreed upon was two-pronged. Storm, Rogue, Wolverine, and Gambit would attack the second building, freeing Ranita; while he and their new gargoyles allies would approach the skyscraper using a helicopter Mr. Xanatos will provide.

 

That was one thing that puzzled Beast. Why would a billionaire involve himself and his family in this affair? When he asked the man that same question, he'd simply replied, “A debitum licet non persolvo, Mr. McCoy,” and left to attend to other business. ` “A debt one cannot pay.” How interesting,' Beast thought as he watched the sun's last moments over the horizon.

 

As the last rays of the sun vanished, Beast could hear stone cracking. He backed up to give them room and watch their awakening. More and more their stone skin continued to crack and split until finally with eyes glowing and cat-like roars, they burst from their stone hibernation. While they stretched and yawned, Beast thought it was time to make his presence known. “Pardon, me, but which one of you is Goliath?” Beast asked.

 

Beast heard wings shift in the wind before a rather imposing gargoyle landed before him. “I am Goliath. Who are you?” he asked, moving close to Beast. Beast held up his hands, palms out meaning he was non-threatening. “I am Beast, teammate of Wolverine and Rogue. They left to execute the first part of our plan to rescue the girls and stop Mr. Castaway.”

 

“You mean you've found them?” a young, red gargoyle asked.

 

“Yes, but we must hurry.” Beast looked into the gargoyle leader's face and added, “Ms. Maza also wanted me to tell you that she had to meet with her partner and would she see you there.” The large gargoyle seemed to consider what he had been told. From the frown on his face, it was obvious that Goliath did not like this, not that Beast could blame him. Being rushed into a situation that he had no control over, endangering the lives of his people without all the facts or people he trusted? Goliath had a tough choice before him.

 

With a heavy sigh, Goliath said, “Very well.”

 

Beast unleashed a breath of his own and continued, “Good. Mr. Xanatos said our transportation would be in the courtyard.” Nodding, Goliath delegated duties to his charges, “Hudson, Bronx, you shall remain with the castle.”

 

“Aye, lad. Just you bring the lasses back safe and sound. Right, boy?” Hudson asked his companion. Bronx's answer was a resounding bark.

 

“We will, Hudson.” Goliath turned to his other charges. “The rest of you are with me. Broadway, Brooklyn, bring him with you,” he commanded.

 

Before Beast could ask whom he meant, he felt talons grasp his biceps and the next thing he knew, they were airborne. While Beast has flown under the power of his various teammates before, it was still an exhilarating experience.

 

When they landed in the courtyard, the helicopter awaited them. As discussed, the helicopter was completely black with nothing that would identify Xanatos as a co-conspirator to what was about to happen. Also waiting with the transport was a woman in a pilot's uniform. Her red hair trapped beneath a red and black cap. The little green gargoyle approached the woman and said, “You're coming along, Fox?”

 

“David said you needed the best pilot and, of course, that's me,” she stated, winking at the web-winged gargoyle. She opened the side door, saying “All aboard!” and made her way to the pilot-side door. Once their door slammed home, Fox took off.

 

After some quick introductions, Beast began explaining their part of the mission. “We are going to attack the building Castaway has occupied. Lady and gentlemen, we are, for lack of a better work, the distraction. Snipers occupy the floor one floor down from the rooftop. Unfortunately, these will be your entry points. Mrs. Xanatos will navigate the helicopter to the building, but level off a few feet above it to remain undetected. Then, you will glide down below the snipers and climb back up. At my signal, we will all attack.”

 

“Um, what's to keep them from shooting at us before we make it to the building?” Angela asked.

 

“Yeah. Our hides aren't exactly bulletproof.” Brooklyn quipped.

 

“Hopefully, lack of visibility and the element of surprise will reduce the likelihood of that happening,” Beast answered.

 

“How?” Lexington asked. “I mean, I could see if there was a snowstorm or something, but it's a clear night. Are you doing to do it with some type of machine?” He thought about it for a minute and then looked up at Beast. “So, how are you going to do it?” Lexington further inquired, curious about the methods of these humans.

 

Beast could only smile. Lexington's inquisitive nature reminded him so much of himself, but he understood Lexington and the others' need to question them. After all, they would be the ones in the crosshairs. “No, my friend. No machine could do what we need done in the allotted time, but I can promise you that it is a problem we can rectify,” Beast reassured. After that was said, the other gargoyles remained silent, perhaps mentally preparing themselves or they just didn't have anything else to say.

 

Hank didn't know, but he did know he was nervous. Perhaps anxious was the better word. Yes, he'd been on many missions, but every one of them caused a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know any of his teammates that hadn't felt some version of the same thing. `Well, with the exception of Wolverine,' he thought, a smile forming on his face. `That man is always ready for a fight.' This brought to mind all the times, he and Logan had gone out for a good time and ended up going home with a few more bruises than they started with. Well, him with the bruises and Logan with that all around smirk. His thoughts were ruptured when Fox yelled to him, saying that she would begin ascending in five minutes.

 

Giving his thanks, he touched the X-shaped communicator on his left shoulder, opening a direct line to the other X-Men. “Storm, you may begin. We are five minutes from position.”

 

“Affirmative, Beast. Storm, out.”

 

Once done, Beast just sat back and signed. The plan was officially in motion and with any luck it would all go smoothly. For the brilliant scientist he was, Hank McCoy should have remembered Murphy's Law: Whatever can go wrong will go wrong.

 

~8~8~

 

Goliath, leader of the Manhattan Clan, born a warrior in the hills of ancient Scotland, was anxious. Though he was always a leader, he didn't like the fact that he was putting the lives of two girls, of his clan, and maybe all gargoyles in the hands of virtual strangers. Strangers that were like family to Ranita. The human male, Wolverine, was a fierce man, by stance and appearance. He was notably a warrior in his own right. The human female, Rogue, was also a warrior. Her slight body and kind nature belied strength equal to any female of his race. Now, the man with them, Beast, was a different sort. On one hand, he reminded Goliath of the beings of New Olympus with his strange appearance. On the other hand, he seemed to be a quiet intellectual, someone who thinks very carefully before voicing their thoughts.

 

As Goliath listened to Beast explain the plan for stopping Castaway, he became worried. He, like his charges, didn't like the mystery source of the decrease in visibility, but he had to trust them. With Castaway making his final move, a move that was bound to destroy his kind, he had to trust them. Though to be honest, he was also curious as to how Beast and his teammates were going to accomplish what he promised. Other than by magic or machinery, Goliath didn't believe it was possible for these humans to carry out the task. When he heard Beast tell someone named Storm to begin, Goliath had no idea he was about to be proven wrong.

 

He and the others watched through the cockpit window as clouds appeared from nothing and began a circular descent upon the building, spreading out as it went. Being relatively new to mutants, Goliath did not know of their capabilities. In the past weeks, he'd heard many things said on both sides of the issue, but to see firsthand the power of one mutant... It was amazing and he was glad they were on their side.

 

With exclamations of shock, surprise, and wonder from his warriors, Goliath had only one thing to say. “Jalapeño...”

 

~8~8~

 

He was exhausted. If he thought the past two weeks were bad, then the last twenty-four hours have been a nightmare and he'd yet to wake up. Matt Bluestone has had a hectic day. With the arrest of Graydon Creed, the day just went from bad to worst.

 

First, the media wouldn't stop hounding him about the arrest. Second, it seems as if Creed's men were determined to protest his arrest right in front of the stationhouse. Then, as if his headache wasn't bad enough, he was getting calls about a “Quarrymen mob” down by the old business district.

 

He quickly jumped into a squad car, and got down there. When he arrived, other officers were already on the scene, forming a blue barrier between the curious civilians, and the Quarrymen. Whoever called this in was wrong about this being a mob. A mob implies a lack of control in a crowd. This was a tightly run army, quiet and ready.

 

Matt went up to one of the officers and asked who was in charge. She directed him to a Commander James Ellison, head of the ESU team. Matt approached and asked, “What's the situation?”

 

“Who are you?” a strict looking, middle-aged man with a close, army buzz-cut asked.

 

“Detective Bluestone, Gargoyles Taskforce. Has Castaway made an appearance?”

 

“No, sir. According to the lady over there,” he nodded towards the lady Quarrymen at the head of the crowd, “they have permits for this rally. Heard her mention something earlier about final retribution and it happening tonight. Do you have any idea what's she talking about, sir?”

 

“No clue, commander,” Matt replied quickly, though it was untrue. He did have some idea about what was going on, nothing he could tell the commander about. Elisa had called to update him. What the woman had been shouting earlier rang true. Castaway was making a move tonight, a big one if he went by what Elisa had told him about the girls was true.

 

Matt looked into the clear, night sky, wondering when he'd hear the shift of gargoyle wings. Then, he remembered there was more than just gargoyles out this night. The X-Men, vigilantes in their own right, had a part to play as well. Only the night would tell whether their involvement would help or hinder.

 

“Sir, what are your orders?” Matt came out of his reverie and looked at the ESU commander. From the expression on the man's fact, it was not the first time he'd asked that question.

 

“Uh, stand-by, but be ready. On my signal, we go in,” Matt ordered, wishing he felt as confident as he sounded. The whole plan hinged on the X-Men and the clan getting to Castaway without attracting a lot of attention from the people and police out here.

 

“Matt!” a female voice called. He turned to his right to see his partner walking towards him, maneuvering around her fellow officers.

 

Surprised to see her here, Matt met her half way. He quickly pulled her aside so as not to be overheard. “What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with the guys.”

 

“They'll be here soon. Besides, there was nothing I could do on their end, so I decided to be here when it's finally time to bring Castaway in,” she explained. Matt understood what she was feeling. After all the persecution on their friends, not to mention the damage Castaway's war had pushed upon the city and its people, it would be great to finally see an end to it.

 

“How long until they get here?” he asked. He then heard people behind him shouting, “Look! Look!” Matt whirled around to face the buildings and looked up. Clouds were rapidly beginning to spread across the night sky, too rapidly to be a natural occurrence. Then just like that, snow began to fall. Not the gentle frosting that was common for that time of year, but a storm of blizzard proportions. The snowstorm seem to surround the buildings, forming a vortex of wind and snow that almost hid the buildings completely from view.

 

As Matt stared in awe at the snowstorm, he could hear shouts of escape and retreat from the crowd. “I'd say about now,” Elisa said, answering his forgotten question and startling him in the process. His eyes widened in shock, then turned back to the storm. `Well, this is certainly gonna be interesting,' he mused, as he and his partner waited on bated breath for the battle to begin.

 

~8~8~

 

That it for now! I hope y'all liked it. I have to say that I'm sooo sorry for the long wait, but school has to come first. Praise and criticisms are welcomed. Please email or review!

 

The title of this chapter came from a song from a cartoon movie in the 80's. Can anyone guess what cartoon movie?