DevilSpawn, Part Three
A 'Gargoyles' Fanfic by Matt 'Mer' Little          (myrlynn@execpc.com)


	The third part too my DevilSpawn series is here! With the exception
of Bolt, Bane, Martin, Renee, Tiffany, Velvet and Saburo, all other
characters are the property of Walt Disney/Buena Vista Productions. The 
Guyver is the property of U.S. Renditions and Manga Video. My stories are
strictly non-profit, just a hobby of mine.
	The main story takes place approximately three weeks after 'DevilSpawn
2', which in turn is placed after the end of, season two. It does take a few 
elements from season three, but does not follow season three's storyline.
	WARNING!!!! This story contains graphic violence and adult situations
that may be unsuitable for young viewers. There, did my part, now you do 
yours and enjoy the story! Also, I started using a map of Manhattan in my
stories, so, please, bear with me on this!
****************************************************************************
Prologue   2646 A.D.  Manhattan

	The old warrior walked around the training center, giving advice here,
showing a move there. He was pleasantly surprised at the level of skill his
apprentices were showing in learning the finer arts of hand-to-hand combat
techniques. Must run in the blood, he thought to himself.
	A hand on his shoulder had him turn around. A big lavender gargoyle
was standing there with a big grin on his face.
	"Ah, Excaliber, my young friend. How goes the fighting today?" It had
been over twenty-two years since the old clan leader, Duke, had started a
civil war between the gargoyles. The action was slowly depleting the ranks
on both sides, with no one coming out the clear victor.
	It had all started when 3G, the old warrior-mentor, began telling
stories to the younger gargoyles about the old days of the original
Manhattan clan. What had turned into a way to pass the time for hatchlings
and the elder had become a way of life. Duke didn't like the fact that the
old warrior was showing the others the old ways of fighting, and thought
that, being extremely paranoid, that this would lead to one of the younger
gargoyles trying to overthrow his rule. So he plotted with the current
owner of the Eyrie building, Daemon Xanatos, a direct descendant of David
Xanatos, to shatter the old one during his stone sleep.
	But, somehow the old one learned of the plot on his life. He survived
the attempt and brought evidence on the plot on his life to the clan, 
showing Duke's involvement with Xanatos. Not only did he produce information
on his attempt on 3G's life, but on what REALLY happened to the old clan
leader, before Duke took over.
	The clan rose up in waves in rage over how they had been mislead. Only
the intervention of Xanatos' new Iridium Clan that Duke kept his head. In
the fighting that ensued, a full quarter of the clan were killed, with the
rest that fought with 3G's group fleeing into the night. Eighty percent of
Xanatos' new Iridium Clan was also destroyed; but with his economic capital
and production base, he had the new ones on-line within a month's time.
	Excaliber had grown up to be almost the spitting image of the old clan
leader Goliath, except for one fin that stretched from his brow to part way
down his back. Because of the guidance of 3G, the reading on the world's
greatest battlelords, and his own fighting prowess, made him a perfect
leader in these times.
	3G shook off the old memories, and focused on the ones now. He smiled
at the big gargoyle, then urged him to repeat what he said.
	"We pushed them back all the way past West 46th street, into the old
Grand Central Amtrak Terminal! A few more victories like this, and we can
push old Xanatos and the traitors off Manhattan!"
	3G clapped Excaliber on the shoulder; maybe the young leader was 
right, and the war could finally stop. He looked around, and seeing that
none of the others were around, pulled Excaliber into a nearby alcove.
"We have a problem, lad." he muttered.
	"What could be wrong, my mentor? We have Xanatos' forces in retreat;
soon the island will be ours again, and we can live in peace again!"
Excaliber saw that his mentor was holding something back. He gripped his
old friend by the shoulders. "What is it?"
	3G dropped his head down a bit. "Last night when I went on patrol,
three of Xanatos' Iridium clan ambushed me and took me to a meeting with
Duke and Xanatos. They told me about a legend, and after they let me go
and I was able to check it out, verified it."
	Excaliber followed 3G up to the top of the headquarters. It's ironic,
the rebel leader thought to himself, that our headquarters is the very same
building that the original Manhattan clan spent so much time all those 
centuries ago! He just shook his head at the realization.
	The two arrived at the top of the old clock tower; in the years after
the clan moved back to Castle Wyvern, Xanatos had the building completely
repaired, at the gargoyle's request. They then proceeded to the side room,
where all the rebel's weapons and valuables were stored. Excaliber looked
around at all the stuff they had accumulated here; the pulsed-plasma weapons
that no one else except Xanatos had been able to manufacture, but was one
of the most powerful handheld weapons at the time; two of the Iridium Clan
that the rebels had managed to capture fairly intact. Through them they had
been able to pinpoint the weakness that allowed the rebels to pierce the
super-strong alloy.
	And, of course, the tome that detailed the history of the clan, from
when Lexington of the original clan started writing down what happened. 3G
walked over to the book and opened it up to a very well-worn picture: One
of the original clan, standing atop Castle Wyvern, with everyone happy;
even Goliath had a big grin on his rugged face. 
	3G pointed to a large, midnight blue gargoyle who had an arm slung
over the shoulders of a lavender female. 3G pointed to the two gargoyles,
asking "Do you know who those two are?"
	Excaliber took a quick glance at them. "Sure! The female is 
Goliath's daughter Angela, and standing next to her is her mate, Bolt.
Every hatchling is expected to know who the original clan was. I would 
imagine that they are your ancestors, considering how much you look like
a cross between the two. Why?"
	3G looked at his younger friend, smiling. "They're a bit more than
my ancestors, lad."
	"They're my parents."
**************************************************************************
Chapter One   October 1997 A.D. Manhattan 

	Three weeks had gone by since the 'incident'. Goliath and Bolt had
Finally started talking again, mainly because of the efforts from Angela
and Elisa. They still wouldn't voluntarily take patrol together, but at 
least the two wouldn't ignore one another.
	Goliath and Bolt glided through the air lazily, scanning for any
crimes. The temperature was starting to get colder, although neither one
really felt it. Most of the crimes that happened were vandalism, because 
of the proximity to Halloween.
	They landed upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and watched as the
cars went by on 5th Avenue, or went into Central Park from the E. 79th 
street exit. Their patrol route was finished for the night, so they got a
quick breather before returning to the castle.
	The two gargoyles stood side by side for a few minutes, taking in 
the view. Goliath cleared his throat, then turned to his rookery brother.
"My brother, we must speak. WE have not spoken a kind word to each other 
since before the... incident. We are clan, and must discuss this." 
	Bolt turned so that he was facing Goliath, then narrowed his eyes
before speaking. "For three days, I was too injured, even with sleeping,
to be able to move around much, and you want me to forgive and forget so
quickly? Is that and order, 'leader'?!"
	Goliath winced. They had gotten in an argument over Bolt's 
involvement with Goliath's daughter, Angela, and Goliath had berserked,
severely injuring the polymorphed dragon. Only Elisa's intervention had
stopped Goliath from outright killing Bolt. For a full week afterward,
Brooklyn had assumed leadership of the clan, while Goliath struggled with
what had happened to him.
	As Goliath was deep in self-loathing, Bolt scanned both the ground
and air for targets. Not only did he have to worry about Quarrymen popping
up to try to destroy him, he had a dragon hunter after him and a group of
demons that didn't seem to be too happy with the clan's involvement. He
hadn't seen any of them in a few weeks, and he was starting to worry that
a major offensive was going to take place soon. He remembered the same
thing happening in nearly every war that he knew of: a lull before the 
battle.
	Bolt caught a red beam out of the corner of his eye; he turned to
see where it was and watched it crawl slowly up Goliath's chest till it 
reached where his heart was; Bolt's combat instincts took over.
	He reached over and pushed a startled Goliath out of the way as a
red laser beam shot into the night, right where Goliath had been sitting.
Bolt was already tracking the position from where the beam had originated
from, and with a loud roar, launched himself off the roof of the museum.
	Alex and Phil rushed back into the bushes. They had missed their
assigned target; Mr. Castaway would be very upset with the two of them.
They had taken the job because a few weeks ago the had attempted to mug
two gargoyles out for a romantic stroll and had nearly gotten severely
hurt doing it. So they wanted payback, and Castaway promised them that
the would get some as soon as the gargoyles started terrorizing the city
again.
	They ran quickly into the brushline, where, earlier, they had hid 
two motorcycles. Alex and Phil were not the usual, stupid criminals; they
actually thought ahead in preparation. Unfortunately, fate had another
plan in mind...
	With the roaring getting louder every second, the two men whipped
off the brush that they had covered the bikes with. They reached down,
groping for the handlebars so they could escape.
	However, a surprise awaited them; the motorcycles had been stripped
down, and were worthless to them. Alex groaned as Phil slapped his 
forehead.
	"Now we're sunk!" Alex whispered.
	"Shh! I think I hear 'em! This way!" Phil brought up the bulky 
particle beam gun, thanking god that he had the presence of mind to fully
charge it beforehand. He pulled back a piece of brush...
	...just in time for the barrel of his particle gun to be bent straight
down by a upset gargoyle!
	Phil jumped back, startled by the angry look on the dark-blue 
gargoyle. A glance behind him showed that the big lavender one was landing 
right behind him, also quite upset! 
	"I recognize you, human! You interrupted me when I was in the park
another time with a friend! I was lienient last time," and he grabbed Phil
by the front of his armored jacket, then lifted him in the air, "But NOT
this time!"
	With a growl from Bolt and a shriek from Phil, the polymorphed dragon
lofted Phill into the air and launched him into a tree, resounding in a
sickening *thud*.
	Alex leaped up and tried to make a break for it, but Goliath easily 
jumped in front of him. Alex took one look at the lantern-eyed gargoyle...
and passed out. Goliath brought his anger under control, and picked up the 
human, who had...soiled himself. With a growl of disgust, Goliath wrappped
a nearby hose left there by a groundkeeper, and securely wrapped up Alex.
	Bolt walked over and ripped up a section of the hose to wrap Phil up
in. When he looked up, he noticed Goliath staring at him. Flashing a quick
grin, Bolt grabbed the hose and wrapped up the burly human.
	Picking up the two, Bolt and Goliath sprinted for the nearby Obelisk,
thankfully free of people at the moment, and climbed it to get the altitude
so they could glide over to the Central Park precinct, to drop off their
'new' acquisitions. After dropping them off on the roof, and making enough
noise so someone from below would HAVE to investigate, they winged back 
over to the museum to watch and make sure someone came to get them.
	Inspector Randolph Humphrey, of New Scotland Yard, decided to go up
to the roof to have a puff from his briar pipe. He was on an exchange
program from Great Britain to New York for a few weeks to see how things 
were going on the American side of the ocean. As he opened the door, the 
first thing he noticed was the two beefy individuals tied up with gardening 
hose sitting on top of the roof. Checking around to see if there was anyone 
else on the roof, he calmly walked over towards the two, lighting his pipe 
along the way.
	From the marks around where the two were lying, and the force of the
knots tied in the hose, there was only one explanation for the wily Brit.
	"Wait 'till I tell the missus that gargoyles have come back to the 
Americas! She'll be tickled to hear that!" he murmured. He looked into the
sky, and saw two winged shapes gliding away from the station.
	"God speed, lads. You'll need it in this time," he whispered. Then,
finishing his pipe, he hauled the two unconcious criminals downstairs to 
the lockup.

	Bolt and Goliath soared through the air, heading back to the castle
for the night. Goliath glided close enough to Bolt so that the other could
hear him.
	"Thank you, my brother. If you hadn't been paying attention..." 
Goliath started.
	Bolt waved a hand at him. "Don't worry about it. You would have done
the same." Outside, the polymorphed blue dragon seemed nonchanlant, but
inside, he was very upset. He had watched the laser beam move up Goliath's
chest, and instead of reacting instantly, he had dumbly allowed the 
would-be killer manuever for a better shot. Stupid!, he cursed himself.
Pay more attention, or you might lose him next time! 
	Even with his unbounded love for Angela, Goliath would always hold a
special place in Bolt's heart, although if you tried to ask him about it,
he'd scoff and walk away. Goliath was the only surviving rookery sibling
untouched from the centuries. True, he had learned a great deal more about
leadership qualities, and was even now constantly learning more about the
new world that he had awakened in; but Goliath had always been there for 
Bolt when the two were growing up, always saving him from the predjiduce 
of the other gargoyles.
	It was Goliath that spoke up on his behalf when he ate one of Prince
Malcolm's prize warhorses; it was Goliath that showed how useful the blue
dragon would be to the castle's defenses, with his razor-sharp talons, maw
of piercing teeth, and lightning breath. Just the fact that he was able to
stay awake during the day wa a big bonus for the clan. One of the reasons
that Goliath was so well muscled was because he and Bolt were constantly
wrestling when they were hatchlings, and Goliath was always training to
hopefully defeat the blue (although he came close a few times, the dragon's
sheer size won most of the matches).
	As they neared the castle, Bolt's sixth sense, the natural feeling 
that all successful warriors have, caused him to glance sharply
towards the top of a nearby building. He saw two figures leap off and 
plummet towards them.
	"Ambush!" he cried. Goliath instantly broke left as Bolt broke right;
the two figures hurtled down between them, then extended wings to catch 
an updraft.
	Goliath and Bolt circled around around and tucked their wings in 
close to drop towards the two winged figures. As the two below lazily
drifted back up, the two formidable warriors reached out and grabbed them
on passing, not bothering to stop.
	"Hey!"
	"Goliath, knock it off!"
	The gargoyle leader and the polymorphed blue dragon landed on another
nearby building with their 'prisoners' safely tucked close. When they 
landed, they released them to the rooftop.
	Instead of running away at the freedom, the two smaller figures
embraced the two larger ones. For long minutes, the two pair were 
indistinguishable, and looked like large gargoyles. Finally, they 
seperated.
	Bolt drew back for breath, just in time for a resounding *smack*
straight across his face! Goliath had a similar blow across his rugged
features. Similar expressions of disbelief crossed their faces.
	"What the hell was that for, Angela!" Bolt yelled, holding his cheek
with one hand. Goliath was rubbing his face from where Elisa had slapped 
him. 
	"We had planned that ambush for weeks, and you and your stupid 'sixth
sense' had to go and ruin it all!" Angela burst into tears and ran towards
the edge of the building. Bolt looked over, amazed at Goliath. The big 
gargoyle was being verbally chewed out by Elisa.
	Bolt was still amazed that Elisa was still wearing the medallion that
he had fashioned for Angela. Although he didn't mind much, considering how
much more happier Goliath was, he was put off by the fact that Elisa was
geeting more out of it than the person that he had made it for. When neither
one was on patrol, the two disappeared for most of the night, coming back
all scratched up like he and Angela had that night...
	Bolt watched Elisa also wing into the night, visibly upset. Bolt
propped his foot up on top of the railing, and leaned on his leg, watching
the two females return to Castle Wyvern.
	Goliath walked over to his rookery brother, caping his wings, and
watched Elisa's form merge with that of the Eyrie Building. "Trying times
are ahead for the clan, my brother. It is nearing time for the rising."
	Bolt glanced over at Goliath, then followed Angela's form again. "I
hope so; her mood swings are really starting to test our relationship."
	Goliath placed his hand on Bolt's shoulder. "You are lucky. Rememeber
how bad Demona was in the old days, right before her rising?"
	Bolt chuckled at the old memory. "I remember watching the two of you
walking around, and the way she seemed to lead you around by a leash! What
was my nickname for you..." Bolt squinted as he imagined Goliath back in
the old days; Goliath shuffled around uncomfortably as the midnight-blue
gargoyle eyed him up and down. Bolt snapped his talons together, and a big
smile lit up his face.
	"That's right! It wasn't me that gave you the nickname, it was Hudson!
Oh, I gotta remind him off that!" He leaped off the railing, with Goliath
in hot pursuit to stop him. Laughing, the blue gargoyle flew quickly towards
the castle.
	Bolt outdistanced himself quickly from Goliath, mainly because he had
prepared himself and had left quickly. Laughing, he pulled away from Goliath
and skimmed a nearby building...
	...just in time to be plowed into the building by a winged figure. 
Bolt bounced off the building hard, dropping to the roof of another one
that was nearby, heavily, the wind knocked out of him. The great lungs
reflexively sucked in air, and he watched with a stunned expression as
Goliath's shadow passed over him, on return to Castle Wyvern, before another
shadow loomed in the way. A low-pitched growl, followed by angry red eyes
glowing in the dim light...
	"A-Angela?" he asked weakly, right before a heavy fist dropped him 
into a bottomless hole...
	Goliath touched down on the parapet, looking around and noticing that
no one was out here; usually at least one of the trio was out with his
'girlfriend', admiring the stars, or something like that. Goliath caped his
wings, and headed down to the television room to see what Hudson was up to.
	When he entered the room, he saw Hudson and Bronx at their usual 
positions, watching the television. He noted that his favorite movie was
playing (he never told the rest that sometimes he did watch the television),
"Raising Arizona".
	"Where are the rest, Hudson?" he asked.
	"The Trio be practicing down in the gym; Elisa and Angela have yet
to return from patrol; the female trio haven't been seen since we awoke,
and last I saw of Bolt, he was wit' you, on patrol," the elder gargoyle
replied, not taking his eye from the movie.
	"Thank you." With that, the big lavender gargoyle proceeded to the
gym. Ever since the clan had watched all the Bruce Lee movies, they had
wanted to learn martial arts. Saburo had agreed to help train them, provided
Xanatos stayed out of his way. For some reason, the two never really hit it
off, probably because off Xanatos' shaky dealings in the past, and Saburo's 
code of honor.
	As he got closer, he heard shouting coming from the gym. Thinking it 
was an attack, he paused at the entrance and peeked in so to get a grasp on
the situation. 
	What he saw instead caused him to smile and relax. Lexington and 
Broadway were sparring, while Saburo and Brooklyn were. Lexington was using
his small size to his advantage, dodging all of Broadway's blows. The big
gargoyle had slimmed down some, and was more nimble than ever. A couple of
times Lexington almost forgot, but his sheer agility saved him.
	Brooklyn, however, was getting the crap kicked out of him like a narc
at a biker rally. Saburo wasn't even suited up in his Guyver symbiote, just
using his small well-honed body to throw Brooklyn around like he was a sack
of hay.
	Brooklyn picked himself off the mat again, wincing and putting a hand 
to his side where Saburo had placed a foot before  flipping Brooklyn over
his head. The red gargoyle saw Goliath watching them in the hallway, and
resolved to show his leader how good he was. Growling, his eyes glowing, he
rushed toward Saburo, then dropped low to the ground to spring waist-high
at him.	
	The tiny Japanese man jumped into the air, only to come down on
Brooklyn's back, knocking the wind out of him as he fell to the floor. Then
Saburo calmly did a backflip off Brooklyn, only to offer his hand to the
bigger red gargoyle to help him up.
	Goliath hid a smile, then walked in. The others stopped practicing and
walked over to where the lavender gargoyle was standing. Lexington spoke up
first.
	"Hi, Goliath! Is your patrol done already? We didn't think that the 
time went by that quickly!"
	Broadway elbowed his rookery brother. "That's because I was whipping
the tar outta you!"
	"You were not! You never even touched me!" the small gargoyle said,
indignant. The two started arguing about the practice.
	"AHEM." Goliath growled. The two immediately stopped, grinning
sheepishly. Goliath just shook his head. He gestured to the others, and they
followed him up the stairs. Goliath asked if they knew what was going on 
with the females. They stopped outside the tv room.
	"Well, of course, Goliath! They told us that this would happen! Why?"
Brooklyn asked. Tiffany had turned on him with such hostility that evening,
he immediately had jumped off to get away intact! He shivered at the 
memory...
	Lex and Broadway exchanged looks. The twins had jumped off almost 
beffore their stone skin had broken off. When Lex and Broadway jumped off
to follow, they had turned and hissed at them, causing the two to
immediately backtrack to the castle. On the way back, they had seen Elisa
and Angela gliding off away from the castle, probably on patrol, so they
thought.
	Goliath turned to them. "I was worried that the three of you didn't
understand what was going on. You were very young at the last breeding 
season."
	"Ah, don't worry about us, Goliath! We know all about that!" Brooklyn
said, grinning.
	The big gargoyle looked at the eager faces around him. He sighed, and
turned to walk back up the stairs. The three heard him mutter under his
breath, "That is what I am afraid of," as he walked up the stairs.
**************************************************************************
Chapter Two

	Bolt slowly woke up, his head throbbing. Groaning, he placed a hand
against his forehead, wincing at the contact. What happened, he thought to
himself. He looked around his surroundings. He was lying atop a building!
Instantly he rememebered getting ambushed the second time and driven into a 
building, then falling down and hitting another. He vaguely remembered red
eyes and wings just moments before being struck unconcious...
	He bolted upright, then groaned again at the sudden movement. Angela!
He glanced around quickly, taking in the shadows, the stonework, a door,
a loincloth...
	He glanced down at himself. Sure enough, he was sitting up here, 
naked. Looking around to make sure no one was watching (that'd be his luck;
hauled in to the police for indecent exposure! He didn't think even Elisa
could get him out of that!), then slowly crawled over towards it. As he 
belted on the cloth, he noticed a pain in his lower...extremities. He 
examined himself closer, and now noticed the claw marks on his arms, his
chest, his waist...
	My god! he thought with horror; what has happened to me! Realization
dawned; he heard this happen to humans, had even stopped a few before this
most foul act had been performed; but he never thought it would happen to
him! Starting low in his throat the roar built up until he could no longer
hold it, bursting forth across the city with a volume that rivaled a rock
concert.
	From the shadows of a nearby building, red eyes flared, and a winged
shape glided into the night...

	The Trio were playing cards when Saburo walked in. The movie had 
ended, and rewound itself to play again. Saburo saw that Hudson had fallen
asleep before the television again; Saburo walked over and gently laid a 
thick woolen blanket over him.
	Lexington and Brooklyn glared at Broadway over the top of the cards;
the pale green gargoyle was beating the tar out of them, again! Broadway
grinned, then laid down a royal flush. Brooklyn groaned, throwing down two
pair; Lexington wasn't as lucky, he threw down a handful of nothing in
disgust.
	Brooklyn leaned close to Lex, whispering. Saburo noticed, while the
two conversed, that Broadway, without even looking, slid an ace into his
loincloth, and another into a specially-made sheath under the table. He
placed a hand to his face to hid the smirk on his lips, then went to join
the rest.
	Brooklyn grinned when he saw the diminuative man join them. "Hey, 
Saburo, pull up a chair and join in the game! It's high stakes night!"
	Broadway laughed, then indicated a chair next to him. "I've already
gotten out of the next three weeks of KP!"
	"Somehow, he's cheating, but we can't figure out how! We've both been
watching him like a hawk, but can't find out how!" Lex whispered in his ear.
Brooklyn nodded in agreement.
	"Hmm...maybe I can be of assistance, then!" he said, sitting down at
the table. "Deal me in!"
	"You'll be sorry," Brooklyn muttered, then started shuffling the cards
to the rest. "All right, guys, the game is five-card stud...."

	Bolt landed shakily on the parapet, almost losing his balance and 
toppling into Goliath. The big lavender gargoyle grabbed hold before he 
fell; Bolt wasn't sure if he would have had the strength to recover if he
fell.
	"What has happened to you, my brother?!" Goliath asked, amazed. The
midnight-blue gargoyle was covered in scratches and claw marks, none very
deep, but numerous. Bolt sagged to the ground, all energy spent.
	Bolt sighed, then whispered in Goliath's ear. Goliath almost smirked,
then frowned at the implications. He picked up Bolt, bracing him against the
side of the wall. "I'll be back soon, my brother," he said then hurried
down the stairs. 
	Broadway threw down his cards again; somehow Saburo knew how he was
cheating, and instead of him winning, he ended up with all the crappy cards,
while Brooklyn and Lexington were getting straights, and flushes, and 
four-of-a-kinds! He grumbled to himself. He ended up with all his KP duty
again, and a bit more.
	Brooklyn and Lexington were grinning, now. They had both given up
hope of seeing the womenfolk in the next few weeks, having Broadway's share
of the work; but Saburo had come in and helped them get Broadway back.
	"I quit! I've lost every hand since Saburo came in, and I'm sick off
it!" Broadway yelled. He got up and headed for the door. The others 
snickered, with Saburo quickly showing off some sleight-of-hand he had used
to win.
	Broadway, muttering how unfair it was, almost missed seeing Goliath.
Only seeing his leader's foot caused the big gargoyle to stop and look up.
At the look on his face, Broadway immediately forgot his problems. "Goliath?
What happened?"
	The others looked over at the two abruptly. The card Saburo was 
flipping between his fingers hit the tabletop, and the three jumped up and
hurried over towards Goliath.
	Quickly, he told the rest what had happened; looks of outrage and
amazement swept through the group, and they all hurried to the top of the
castle. When they arrived, they saw Owen bandaging Bolt up, with Xanatos
standing nearby in his new exo-frame.
	Xanatos looked over and saw most of the clan coming up towards him,
minus Hudson, Bronx and the women. He noticed that Owen was done bandaging
Bolt's wounds, (minus a bit for study, of course; thankfully none of the 
clan saw him do it)so they readied themselves to leave.
	"Goliath! How nice to see you! And are things going with the rest of
the clan?" Xanatos asked, the familiar smirk crossing his face again. Owen
walked over and stood next to his employer, holding the medical bag.
	Goliath strode over to where Xanatos was standing, the rest of the
caln following. "What are you doing here, Xanatos?"
	Lexington piped up, "And what's with the new battle armor? It looks 
neat!" The others glanced over Xanatos' new armor; it retained the size
and shape of the old one, but now, instead of being red, had a dark-blue
coloring to it. The thruster mounted on the back was more micronized, but
had a more powerful than the older one. Goliath's rugged good looks had 
been replaced by a unique one; Xanatos' face as a gargoyle, with a single
horn jutting from the top (kinda reminsce of the Guyver's sensory antenna)
and fading to the back. More pop-up panels were evident on the armor, also.
Two on the shoulders, two on the side of the legs, and two on the forearms.
	Xanatos slowly revolved, showing off the new armor. "It's the latest
in nanotechnology, and what I learned from the prototype. And these," he 
said, pointing at a doorway, as three Steel Clan robots walked out into the
light, "is the new Titanium Clan! Stronger, faster, with more firepower 
than the old Steel Clan!" The three robots bowed low, surprising the 
gargoyles. Xanatos laughed out loud. "Now let's see how powerful those
demon really are!"
	"Xanatos! We have more pressing matters! Have you any idea what has
happened to Bolt?" Goliath growled. His great paws tightened into mighty
fists, and his eyes took on the barest hint of glowing.
	Xanatos looked back over at the wounded gargoyle. He raised an eyebrow
at him. "Oh, him? Not a clue. I was practicing with the new Titanium Clan,
and I saw him stumble in. I radioed Owen to bring first aid to him, and 
landed a few seconds before you all came pounding up the stairway." He 
placed a metalshod fist gently upon Owen's shoulder. "Shall we?" he asked,
and the billionaire and his majordomo went below.
	Brooklyn and Broadway gently grabbed Bolt's sides, one to each, and
gently carried him below, while Goliath scanned the skies, looking for any 
clues to what happened. Finding none, he sighed and went back down below.

	"Mr. Xanatos, are you sure that this is a good idea? Surely you
realize what will happen if the gargoyles find out what you are doing." Owen
asked. He was standing next to Xanatos, who in turn, was standing next to 
one of his trusted research scientists. The scientist, Dr. H. Leigh Cabot,
was a stunningly good-looking woman in her early forties. No one knew what
the H stood for, except for Xanatos himself. But, she was a very good
geneticist, not quite up to par with Sevarius, but good, nonetheless.
	"Is this a joke?" she whispered. She looked close at the odd blood
sample that Xanatos had brought her. She pulled the slide out, and inserted
another one. The blood type was closer to the other one, but slightly, just
slightly, mutated.
	"I assure you, Doctor, Owen acquired the sample himself, just a few
minutes ago. Why, is there something wrong?" Xanatos replied. He held a very
good poker face.
	"Well....this is gargoyle blood, is it not?" She had been told early
on what was going on in the Eyrie Building, and had adjusted accordingly. It
was very hard to surprise the good doctor.
	"Yes, it is."
	"Then this gargoyle has a mutation in his/her DNA, and should be
examined for possible infection. I don't know what's wrong as of yet, but
I'm going to need the subject for more tests." She pulled the slide off, and
shut off the microscope, then rubbed her eyes. Xanatos had awoken her in the
middle of the night to see the blood sample.
	"I think that might be a problem, Doctor. The gargoyles don't trust me
as of yet, and if one of them was hustled down here with a tale of 
'mutations' in it's DNA, well, I don't want to think in that direction."
Xanatos said. It was all he needed, to have one of his new tenants contract
some mutation in his home! He shook his head, amazed at his kind of luck.
	Owen leaned over and whispered in his ear for a few seconds. Xanatos
slapped his forehead, nearly knocking himself out when he forgot he was 
still wearing his exo-frame. Smiling, he said, "Owen just brought up 
something that had slipped my mind, Doctor! Do you think that we...." He
leaned over and whispered in her ear. She stood back, astonishment on her
face.
	"Can it be?" she asked. Xanatos nodded. "Hmmm....this could lead to
a whole new chapter in medicine, right after 'the care and treatment of the
gargoyles'! She looked eagerly at Xanatos and Owen, then went to gather
some note-taking equipment.
	Xanatos and Owen watched her run around the lab, turning various
machinery on, gathering up paper and shoving it in a large metal filing 
cabinet. "I think that I've created another monster!" he whispered to Owen.
His assistant just nodded. "I want twenty-four hour-a-day security around
herr and the lab. No one knows about this!" He turned around and left the 
lab as Owen pulled out a cell-phone.

	Goliath walked in to the rec room and saw that Bolt was relating his
story to the rest of the clan. Even Hudson was awake, vacating his chair so
the polymorphed dragon would be able to rest comfortably.
	"...then next thing I know, I'm waking up naked and all scratched up.
Funny thing is, the creature that attacked me was a female gargoyle; the
only problem, I don't know who!" Bolt sagged back into the chair. He 
couldn't wait until sunrise, to be healed. With his luck, they'd get 
attacked right now! He sighed.
	The others looked around at each other. Sure, the ladies had been 
acting strange; it was because it was so close to the rising. But, one of
them a rapist? It boggled the mind...
	Hudson placed a hand on Bolt's shoulder, "Are ye sure, lad? No
mistakin' what happened?"
	Bolt looked up at Hudson. "If I had been drinking or something, I'd 
haveta' agree; but this? No, old friend, a female jumped me and took me. 
I'll no be mistaking that!" he said, his brouge coming out. He was very
tired, and wanted nothing more than to sleep.
	Goliath walked over towards them. "Uh... can I do anything for you, my
brother?" He felt awkward, considering what happened. He had stopped rapes
before, but had never suffered them in the clan. In the old days, no human
could possibly be able to rape a gargoyle, at least alone. He didn't really
know what to do.
	He turned to the others. "Broadway. Brooklyn. Take the east side, and
look for the others. Saburo, would you go with Lexington and cover the 
west? Hudson, you and Bronx cover the north..."
	"...and my robots will cover the south." Xanatos said. The three 
robots turned and walked out the doorway. From the roof, the faint sounds of
thrusters activating filled the room, and then faded from hearing.
	The others quickly filed out the room; all except Goliath, Bolt and
Xanatos. After the others had left, Xanatos looked over at Bolt, noted he
had fallen asleep, then motioned to Goliath. "Do you really think one of the
ladies took him?" he asked
	"Hmmm...... I do not know. The rising does strange things to the 
females of our clan. I doubt that they did, but...." Goliath shook his head.
With a last check on Bolt, the two walked up to the parapet to see the 
others, when they returned, hopefully with the ladies.
	
	A gargoyle landed against the side of the building, quickly and
silently. It slowly crawled up the side of the castle, pausing for a few
minutes as it saw Goliath and Xanatos looking over the edge. When they 
pulled away, it continued up, slow and sure. Finding a window, it jumped in.
Red eyes glowed, lighting up the darkness all around her. Pushing a lock of
hair out of her face, she panned around the area. A low groan from nearby
caused her to focus on the doorway. Quietly, she crept into the hallway,
pausing to look for the guards. Finding none, she followed the groaning,
stopping outside of the rec room.
	Bolt tossed and turned, the face of his attacker floating above him,
mocking him. She smiled and ran a talon down his arm seductively, whispering
in his ear. It was all so real, he thought, that I could reach out and touch
her! He shifted position, allowing for their forms on the chair as she
mounted him. As the sounds of passion in the room intensified, Bolt realized
something: this wasn't a dream, this was happening....again.
	"Oh no, not again...." he whispered, then he was swept away on waves
of pleasure....

	A little while later, Goliath and Xanatos watched quietly as the rest
of the clan returned. The Trio had found their prospectives, while Hudson
had Angela, and the Titanium Clan found Elisa (minus one robot). Their 
clothes were scraped up and it looked like they had been all playing around
in the mud. The women huddled together, laughing and giggling in low tones.
	The males all gathered around together to talk. Hudson told Bronx to
keep an eye on the females, in case they tried to leave again.
	"What happened to them?" Goliath asked. His eyes kept straying back to
Elisa's gargoyle form. He knew that she wasn't acting like her regular self;
the fact that right now she was in gargoyle form, thanks to Angela's
Medallion of Transmutation, and because of all the other clan female's
reproductive cycles triggered hers in gargoyle form; that was the gargoyle
way. When the first one goes into a breeding cycle, so do the rest.
	"We found them playing football in Central Park, against some humans.
It was the five of them against fifteen human males, and they were kicking
ass!" exclaimed Brooklyn.
	"When we saw them, we hooked up with the others. We didn't know how
they would react, so we waited until we were all is position before we
announced ourselves...." Broadway said. He had been stealing glances at 
Renee the whole time, with her clothes leaving little to the imagination.
	Lexington took up the tale next. "All the humans ran for cover, and
the women took off, jumping into the air in all directions. We split up to
go after them.... It took forever to track them down, but we managed to 
convince them to come back home with us!"
	"Well, most of us, laddie. One of Xanatos' robots dinna make it! You
should be proud, Goliath; 'twas Elisa that took it down!" Hudson said, 
ruffling Bronx's ears. The big gardog woofed in agreement, not taking his
eyes off the females.
	  Xanatos frowned at this last comment, but held his tongue. He could
review the battle footage from one of the others later, and see how the 
female gargoyle defeated it.
	Goliath grinned for a moment, then turned to Brooklyn. "And then...?"
	Brooklyn looked down at his feet. "Uh, well, you see....." he 
stammered.
	"What the lad means 'ta say, Goliath, is that the women weren't verra
happy being brought back here." Hudson replied. He turned and started 
walking down the stairs towards the rec room. "I'll check on Bolt, and see 
how he's doing...."
	"Hmmm.... Brooklyn, go and help Hudson bring Bolt up here to sleep,"
Goliath said. He turned towards Xanatos. "The sun will be up shortly, and
the rest of us need our stone sleep. If you will excuse me, I have to talk
to Elisa before the sun rises." With that, the big lavender gargoyle strode
over and seperated Elisa from the rest. The two walked up to the top of the
tower, where they usually talked.
	Hudson came running up, yelling for Goliath. "Goliath! Blast ye, lad,
where are ye!" He got to where the others were standing. Looking around, he
spotted Goliath on the tower  and made to run for the steps when Broadway
stopped him.
	"Hudson! What's wrong?" the green gargoyle asked. Broadway knew that
Hudson didn't get this agitated over nothing.
	"That she-demon has had her way wit' Bolt agin!" he growled. Pointing
at Broadway and Brooklyn, he told them to go down and bring the injured Bolt
up to his resting place. Then he turned and ran up towards the stairs to the
tower where Goliath and Elisa were now shouting.
	As the others ran around, Lexington and Bronx watched to make sure the
females didn't run away again. Bronx's speed on the ground and Lex's speed
in the air were the only ones capable of having a good chance of grabbing
them if they decided to run.
	Brooklyn's and Broadway's jaws dropped open when they surveyed the 
room's devastation. Hudson's chair was lying in tatters, and the two sofas
had been completely ravaged by claws. The television had a lamp through the
middle of it. Bolt was leaning weakly against the wall, hand clamped to his
side. The two gargoyles could see the blood flowing from underneath the
hand.
	Broadway jumped into the room, Brooklyn on his heels. The two grabbed
the striken gargoyle, and basically carried him up the stairway. Brooklyn
was steadily whispering to Bolt, trying to keep him from possibly slipping
into a coma. They made the top of the stairs, and hauled Bolt towards the 
nearest perch.

	Angela was having problems dealing with the emotions that were flowing
through her. She knew that her hormone level was probably through the roof,
as humans said. The next night would be the night that she rose, she was
positive. And from the looks on the rest of the females, they would also
be rising the next night. However, all she could think of was Bolt. His
visage was always on her mind; Right now, she couldn't get through to him
with the telepathy that they shared, so he must be either blocking her
signals, or injured. The last time that he wouldn't respond to her was
because he had been injured in the fight with the demons.
	She had resolved to go and find him when Brooklyn and Broadway carried
her poor love out into the moonlight, dripping blood. With a loud cry, she
jumped over Lex and rushed over to where Broadway was setting Bolt down.
	Brooklyn, hearing the cry of anguish, let go of Bolt in time to catch
Angela in his arms. At one point in time, he would have been happy with her 
being in his arms, but not anymore. He held her back, even though she was
clawing and scratching at him. 
	Lexington, the only one paying attention, noticed immediately the 
problem that was going to happen. He turned his atention back to the 
females, and, sure enough, saw Tiffany's eyes go red as she saw Brooklyn
holding onto Angela. "Tiffany! Don't...!" he cried, then watched her leap 
over him and sprint towards Brooklyn. He turned to leap at her, only to
be tackled from behind by Velvet. 
	Hudson had finally managed to seperate Goliath and Elisa. The two had
been fighting over Angela's medallion. Goliath said that she should hand it
back to Angela, because the chances of her becoming pregnant when she rose
was multiplied.  Elisa said that would take that chance, because she cared 
for Goliath that much. Hudson told them that they should really talk this 
over later tomorrow, but the chances of them being able to control
themselves long enough to talk was mighty slim.
	Saburo looked aroun him at all the gargoyles fighting. He knew that 
in the time it took him to call the Guyver, the sun would be up, so he 
didn't bother. He turned to watch the confusion, knowing it would be over
in a few minutes.
	Hudson mad sure that Goliath and Elisa were seperated, the took a step
back. "Lad, lassie...." he started. But at that time, the sun rose, locking 
the whole clan in their stone sleep for the day. Xanatos looked around at
the confusion around him. Bolt was slumped against the side of the wall,
while Angela, Brooklyn and Tiffany were struggling together. Velvet had
Lexington pinned down, and Renee had also stalked over and was prepared to
pounce on Broadway. Bronx was looking around at the confusion that was 
going on.
	Xanatos glanced up at the three gargoyles on top of the tower. 
Shaking his head, he turned to Owen. "Make sure that the damage in the rec
room is taken care of, Owen." He turned to walk down to the armory to take
his suit off.
	"Yes sir, Mr. Xanatos. Will that be all?"
	"Yes..... oh, one other thing....." the ghostly voice floated up to
the assistant.
	"Bring me the security tape from the rec room."
**************************************************************************
Chapter Three

	A lone figure slowly walked down a dim corridor. He was a tall man,
wearing old-fashioned chain-mail armor under a long black leather duster.
A huge sword was slung over his shoulder. Old and battle-worn, it had seen
much combat in it's lifetime. The practiced way that it was slung over the
shoulder indicated that he knew how to use the blade. He walked silently
down the corridor, pausing at darkened intersections to listen.
	He quietly approached the end, a door brightly lit. He put a 
well-calloused hand on the sword hilt, ready to free it with a single pull
from his powerful arm. He reached for the doorknob....
	....just as it swung open on silent hinges. The room beyond was
brightly lit, a spacious executive office. It had all the qualities of a
well-formed higher executive, including all the newest advances in various
fields. A individual sat behind the enormous mahogany desk, studing papers
and sighing documents. He had one finger pressed down firmly upon the 
touchpad that lined his desk.
	"Please, come in Mr. Bane. And how goes the search for your quarry?"
the man said, still intent on his report. He reached over and picked up a
nearby pen, twirling it around and between his fingers.
	Bane snorted. "He's here somewhere, but I can't find out where." He
collapsed heavily into a plush chair, unslinging his sword first. "All I 
know is that I haven't had any more reports of dragons in the city; all 
I've heard is the various stories on gargoyles flying through the city. My
cousin is taking care of that section of the plan."
	The individual set down the report he was holding to gaze at Bane.
Bane almost squirmed under the gaze; he hated the way that Martin looked at
him, it made him feel like a animal under a butcher's blade.
	"Look, Martin, I was told after our first meeting that you would be 
providing support to me in exchange for information on the police task force
that was formed. So far, I've given you every move they've made, and have 
gotten exactly nothing in return. Either help me or give me my severance 
pay, one of the two." Bane exclaimed. He was busting his ass while Martin's
corporation did nothing. Granted, the money was good, but a vendetta was a
vendetta, and he didn't intend to stop until the hated blue dragon was
mounted on his front lawn as a sculpture!
	"Bane... may I call you Bane now?.... we have some new equipment to
help you on your quest for vengeance." Martin shifted his hand on the
touchpad. The south wall dropped away, revealing a huige television screen.
Another button caused the lights to dim, and the television turned on.
	"First of all, we have designed some new armor to assist you. I can be
worn under your chain mail without any discomfort; it was custom-fitted to
your dimentions, and can be worn as a shirt at any time." A picture of a
form-fitting long-sleeved shirt formed on the television screen. As Martin
explained how the shirt worked, Bane watched the screen. It seemed to go
rigid when some sort of outside force came in contact with it. A bullet
dropped to the ground, a sword bounced right off, and a dagger stuck in the
outside material before abruptly falling to the ground. 
	The screen flashed, and was replaced by a space-age looking helmet.
"This is our new prototype helmet, soon to be standard issue to our troops.
It gives the user access to light-enhancement, infrared, and also something
that our scientists call 'the smartgun link'. When attached to a fiber-optic
cable to one of our weapons, a HUD (Heads-up Display) appears in front of 
the viewer. Simply point the weapon until the crosshairs are on target, and
you shall be sure to hit." Bane wasn't as impressed with the helmet as he
was with the body armor, considering that he never used weapons other than 
melee weapons. But the new views, that would be helpful....
	A gun of sorts flashed into view. "Last, but not least, the newest
version of our pulsed-plasma weapons, the XT-250. Powerful enough to blow
a hole in just about any structure, yet light enough to handle with one
hand, the XT-250 is the most powerful handgun of its time. You WILL NOT 
find a better one anywhere, I guarantee." 
	Bane looked at the small gun. Shaped vaguely like the lightning gun
that Macbeth used, a small cable ran out of the back off screen. The two
electrodes were replaced by a two-inch barrel. The electrical pack on the
front of the gun was replaced by a squat cylinder. The whole thing was just
over a foot long, and weighed about three pounds, according to the specs 
onscreen.
	Martin stood up and placed one of the curious weapons on his desk.
"Here, take mine. I can always get another from the R&D boys." He touched
his desk again, and a nearby panel drew into the wall, and a small shelf
extended out. On it was a suit of the special armor and a helmet. Martin
nodded towards the gear. "Take it, complements of WetWorks Laboratories and
the state of New York."
	Bane crossed over to the equipment, picking up the helmet and placing
it upon his head. He almost panicked as the helmet hissed and the bottom
compressed to his neck. But it stopped at a comfortable pressure, sealed.
The helmet turned on, and it looked clear as day. Bane felt a small breeze
as the cooling fan turned on. 
	From the pile, he extracted a long, thin cable from the rest, and 
plugged it into the back of the gun. He tried to find a spot on the helmet
where the cable plugged into the helmet, but was unsuccessful. Martin
walked over and placed the end into the helmet. A small crosshair appeared
inside the display of the helmet. Moving the gun around, he watched as the
crosshairs moved also. He liked that idea, even if he didn't plan on using
the weapon that much. He grabbed the armor and put it on, all the while
keeping an eye on Martin.
	True to Martin's word, the armor fit like a glove. There was even a 
holster in the side for the gun. Bane slipped the gun into the holster and
replaced the chain mail and sword. He turned to see Martin holding a very
large caliber pistol in his hands.
	"Wha..." he started, just as Martin fired. Bane stepped back and drew
his sword in a lightning move, swinging it in a high arc to seperate 
Martin's head from his shoulders. He would have connected, if Martin hadn't
ducked out of the way.
	"Bane. I had to show you that it wasn't fake. I apologize..." he said,
when a giant paw flashed out and picked him up by the neck. The rest of his
words gurgled out as he lost the ability to speak.
	Bane looked down; at this range, he should be dead. He looked around,
not noticing that Martin was starting to turn blue. He looked down, and saw
a chunk of metal lying on the ground at his feet. He dropped Martin, who
huddled on the ground, heaving in air. 
	Bane reached down and picked up the jagged piece of metal. It was a 
malformed bullet, probably from Martin's gun. He walked over and picked the
gun up from where Martin had dropped it. Ejecting the clip, he pulled back 
the slide and ejected the chambered round. Dropping the gun, he compared it
with the misshapen one that he held.
	Martin finally quit gasping for air. When the security droids came in,
he gave them his access code and waved them off. It wouldn't do to have
his security troops destroyed by Bane right now. He was going to need all 
that he had in the near future, especially when the fighting started. He
readjusted his tie, then walked back over to his desk. Bane was still 
examining his armor and the bullets. Martin eased the newer prototype pistol
from inside his desk into the holster crafted into his armor, then sat down.
	Bane shrugged; the armor seemed to have held, and it was from a very
large caliber. How it would hold up to claws and teeth were another matter,
and one he didn't wish to explore in the very near future. He tossed the
bullets in a pocket and forgot about them.
	Walking over to where Martin was now studying more reports, he uttered
a quick "thanks". He stood in front of the desk for a few moments. "Is there
anything else?"
	"No. You may go," Martin said not even looking up. He missed seeing
Bane shuck off his helmet and reach over the desk. Once again Bane had 
Martin suspended off the floor, and was being throttled.
	"I..am..not..your..lackey..." he growled. Martin nodded once, and Bane
dropped him back to the chair. The big human turned around and left the 
room, grabbing the rest of the gear. Martin watched as the door closed 
behind him, then touched the table again. A panel slid out, and a headset
raised up. Martin placed it on his head, then keyed another button.
	"Monica? Put me through to Jacob...... I don't care if he's in another
meeting, put me through........ Jacob? Class A scrambler..... ready? We
might have a problem with Bane........ I know you suggested him, it's not
your fault..... Listen...... SHUT UP! I GIVE THE ORDERS HERE! YOU OBEY! IS
THAT UNDERSTOOD?......... Good... now, here's what we are going to do...."
***************************************************************************
Chapter Four

	Saburo walked slowly down East 41st, toward the public library on the
corner of East 41st and 6th avenue. He wanted to do some research on demons
and see what he could find. Xanatos had offered him the capabilities of his
corporation, but Saburo turned him down. The sources that he had to check he
couldn't afford Xanatos to know about. He knew the public libraries had
computer systems, so he decided to use them to access the information that 
he needed.
	He took the Amtrak, arriving at the Grand Central. The library had
been only a few blocks away, so he decided to walk. It was a beautiful day
out, anyways. He strolled casually down the street, taking no note of the 
four teenagers with the gang colors that followed him casually.
	He was on the corner of Madison Avenue and East 41st when the punks
made their move.
	"Yo, Jap!" The sound of switchblades cleared the air. "We only want
yer money; give it up, and we'll let ya walk away, unharmed! If not...."
The threat was left hanging in the air.
	Saburo turned around. A quick scan told him everything he needed to 
know about the small gang; not one of them was over the age of eighteen, yet
held the knives with the confidence that one gets with experience. They had
fanned out in a half-moon in an attempt to keep him at bay. Obviously, this
group had learned from experience what to and not to do.
	"'Jap?' That's no longer politically correct..... If I was offended
easily, I might have taken offense at that comment," Saburo said, dropping
into a defensive combat stance. The punks circled him, warily; it wasn't 
often that someone decided to resist.
	"I take it yer not gonna hand over your stuff," one of the punks 
asked, flipping his knife between his hands."
	"No."
	"Didn't think so. Oh well, STBY (Sucks To Be You): Get 'im!"
	The two outermost punks leaped at Saburo, knives leading, one low and
one high. Saburo jumped into a handspring forward, then kicked out towards
one of the other punks. He caught the speaker flat on the chest, knocking
the punk into a nearby car. He dropped, unconcious.
	THe two runners managed to avoid running into each other's blades, and
were able to stop and regroup. The other one flicked his knife into the air,
catching the blade in the classic knife-thrower's position and waited for
his chance.
	Saburo rolled back into a crouch, in anticipation of another attack.
The two knife wielders leapt at him again. Saburo feinted left, then right,
then flipped over their backs as they ran past him, landing gently behind
the two.
	The knife-thrower stopped, sighted, and released in one smooth motion.
Unfortunately, his aim was greatly off; the spinning switchblade whistled
by Saburo's head and buried itself to the hilt into knifer#1's back. He 
dropped almost instantly to the ground, screaming and clutching at the knife
protruding from his back.
	"Sumbitch..." the knife thrower muttered. He grimaced and pulled out
a gun from his jacket pocket.
	Saburo checked his six again. One of the knifers was down; the other
circling for another attack. Another was crumpled against a nearby wall, 
while his friend pulled out a gun and was aiming it at him.
	Saburo burst into action. A flick of the wrist caused a dagger to drop
from the thong on his wrist into his waiting palm. A quick side toss enabled 
him to knock the gun out of the creep's hand.
	The circling punk went to dart in; as he leaped forward, a foot stuck
out in front of him and he went sprawling into the wall. A thud and a groan,
and then silence from him. 
	The last wanna-be criminal glanced around him. Three of his companions
were down, and his hand was injured. He jumped into the nearby crowd and 
disappeared.
	Saburo looked around at the crowd that had gathered. He noticed the
man that had tripped the punk and gave him a hearty handshake and his
profound thanks; amid the cheering of the crowd, he managed to slip away
unnoticed as the police arrived and hauled the unconcious gangers away. 
	Saburo walked quickly down the street, rushing in his hurry to get to
the library. He went in and got directions to the nearest modem/fax-capable
system. He checked to make sure that no one was watching, then logged onto
the internet.
	He surfed around for about a half hour, watching the people coming 
in and what they were doing. The best thing about the computer that he
picked was the fact that he could see in a good area behind him as he looked
up Star Trek on the net. He fiddled around with it for a few more minutes,
then, satisfied he wasn't being watched, logged off the net and dialed up
one of his contacts.
	It took him a few minutes to connect, considering the number he was 
dialing was overseas. He needed to get into his own mainframe to do what he
was attempting to do. All of his hacking programs and codes were locked up
safe and sound inside a junk file inside of the main database; he wasn't
worried too much about them being found.
	He logged on, using his hacker password and identity. From the library
he accessed the files he needed and launched his hacker programming. It took
him a few minutes to break into the target mainframe; even though he had
state-of-the-art codes and programs, the target was just as, in not more
advanced than him.
	It was persistance that won the day, though. After about ten minutes,
he logged in to the target mainframe and begane his snooping around. Saburo
shook his head. Like most places, once you got past the first-line security,
there wasn't any other security to deal with. He would have figured that 
THIS place in the least would have better security than what he was seeing;
once again, he was wrong.
	He pulled the files that he needed, downloaded them onto the floppy
disk he had brought along, then logged out and off. He turned on the nearby
printer, and started printing out his reports on hard copy, to show the
others later. WHen he was finished, he walked up to the main desk. A pretty
brunette asked if she could help him.
	"Why yes; I made a phone call over the modem on that machine there,"
he said, pointing at the computer he used. "I need to know how much that I 
owe for the call... oh, and the paper I used."
	"One moment..... the computer has to total the costs for you...."
She pushed a few buttons, staring at what came up. "Sir... do you realize
that you made an overseas call.... and was on it for over an hout and a 
half?"
	"Of course. I needed some information that I could only get from home,
and I didn't have time to get it faxed to me. So I made a direct call and 
got it myself. How much do I owe you?" Saburo asked nicely.
	The pretty brunette was taken aback. This polite man had just spent
the last 1 1/2 hrs on the phone line overseas, and thought he was going to 
just hand over a wad of bills! "The total is..... two thousand, six hundred
and fourty-four dollars... and six cents. Will that be check or charge?"
Her finger hovered under the desk, waiting to tap the police call button.
	"Cash." He pulled out his wallet and tossed down the exact amount...
including the change fromhis pocket. "Good day, my dear." He walked out the
door, keeping the hard copy he had printed out, while whistling.
	The librarian shook her head, then dumped the money into the safe 
under the desk. She returned to her work.
	A few seconds later, something scampered over her foot. She bit back a
scream, and looked down. There was a fairly large rat sitting under the 
table! She grabbed a nearby book and attempted to shoo it away. She gasped
in fear when the rat turned to her, with glowing red eyes. A smile crossed
it's face, and it shot out from underneath her table as the door opened. 
She watched with relief as it darted past the individual that was coming in.
She grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote down 'call exterminator. rats.'
Shivering, she went back to work, and quickly forgot about the rat.

	Xanatos removed the cyber goggles he was wearing, and turned to Owen. 
"Well, Owen. I think that was a spectacular test of the new ratbot, don't 
you? Not only do most people shy away from it, even someone who gets a good
look at it doesn't realize that it's a minature robot. I'd say the R&D boys
have come up with a winner this time!"
	"I agree, Mr. Xanatos. The idea of using animal forms as robots was
a masterful stroke. Now that we know the ratbot works, I will have the 
scientists start working on the hawk, turtle and dogbots." Owen turned 
around and pulled out his cell phone.
	Xanatos put up his hand. "Wait a minute, Owen. We need to know if
they work on EVERYTHING. I'm sending the ratbot to spy on Wetworks 
Laboratories. With their security net second only to ours, it will be an
excellent test."	
	"Very well, Mr. Xanatos. Is that all?" Owen asked.
	"Yes, Owen."
*************************************************************************
Chapter Five
	
	With loud roars, the gargoyles broke free of their stone prisons. As
they shook off the day's sleep, a strange mood came over them. All the 
female gargoyles hurridly shook off their stone casings, then leapt off into
the night, letting out battle cries. The males followed, all except Hudson
and Bronx.
	Hudson reached down, scratching Bronx's head idly. He watched as the
rest of the clan broke off into seperate flights, one male following his
prospective mate. Even Goliath and Elisa flew; Elisa being too caught up in
the mating urge to think straight to realize she wasn't really a
gargoyle.
	He sighed, eyes glazing over as he thought back to his mate, so long 
ago. A single tear fell from his eye before he managed to get under control.
Patting Bronx, the two walked down to the rec room, to wait for the other to
return.
	Twenty minutes later, as he sat down to watch 'The Godfather', Bronx's
ears picked up. Hudson didn't miss the gesture. He sprang to his feet 
silently, and looked at the doorway. He noticed that Bronx had gotten to his
feet also, but the big gardog was acting as if a friend was coming, so he
relaxed a bit.
	A winged shape filled the doorway, and a winged panther stepped into
the room. "Hudson! It's been a while! And hello to you too, Bronx!"
	"Talon! We were beginn' ta wonder if ye was still in the city!" Hudson
crossed the room and clasped wrists with the leader of the Mutates. The two
went over and sat down, Hudson in his well-worn easy chair, Talon on the 
sofa. Bronx sat next to Hudson. "What brings ye here today?"
	Talon sighed, then fidgeted a bit. "I wish I could have come to you 
under better circumstances, Hudson. I need the clan's help." He looked 
Hudson in the eye. "Fang's missing."
	Bronx growled at the name of the renegade mutate. Hudson grasped the 
hilt of his sword. Fang had tried numerous times to take over the Labyrinth,
almost succeeding a few times before Talon gave up and locked him away. Now,
Talon was telling him that Fang had gotten free?
	"What do ye mean, missing? Did he escape? Turn invisible?" Hudson 
growled. He hated the idea of sorcery; it was sorcery that took his eye, and
he would always be a bit afraid of it. Hopefully Fang escaped be regular
means.
	"His cell was destroyed, his body missing. The two humans guarding him
were ripped to shreds and strewn about the room. The sheer ferocity and 
swiftness of the attack never even gave them a chance!" Talon's eyes were
glowing white, and his hands were clenched.
	Hudson reached out and laid a comforting hand on the mutate's arm. 
"Easy, lad... I know how it can be 'ta lose people. I was the leader fer 
many a year..."
	Talon brushed off his hand. "Oh, really?! How many of them were ripped
apart, simply for being there, huh? How many?!"
	Hudson took a good look at Talon, then hauled off and knocked the big
mutate clean over the couch onto the floor. Talon flashed up instantly, his
big paws writhling with electrical energy. 
	Hudson leaned back into his easy chair. The old gargoyle would never
be able to move in time to dodge Talon's blasts. However, just the stare 
that Hudson gave him broke through the red haze, and his anger disipated.
His chest heaved a few times, then he dispersed the energy buildup back into
his body for later storage.
	Talon walked over and sat down heavily. "I apologize, Hudson. I didn't
realize what was going on."
	"That's alright, laddie. I understand how the bloodlust can overcome
a warrior. Now, the question is, is what we're going 'ta do about it." 
Hudson got up and began to pace the room.
	The two discussed plans for a half-hour before Talon noticed the 
obvious. In the middle of asking Hudson's opinion, he looked around and
asked, "Where are the others? Goliath, Brooklyn, Angela...?"
	Hudson looked over at Talon. "'Tis the breeding time, Talon. They've
all gone up 'ta choose mates."
	Talon's eyes widened in surprise. "Hudson, I have to know.... Did
Elisa go with?"
	Hudson reached over and placed a hand on Talon's shoulder. "Aye, lad,
she did. But dinna worry about the lass; She's more 'an able ta take care of
herself!"
	"I know, but still...."
	"Talon... Don't worry; Goliath will take good care of th' lass, I 
guarantee it!"
	Talon sighed. "That's what I'm afraid of." The big mutate eased off 
the couch and headed for the door. As he reached for the knob, he paused.
"Oh, Hudson, one last problem... I have a problem with the clones."
	"What?"
	Talon turned around and faced Hudson. "It seems one of them has fallen
in love."
	Hudson smiled. "Why would that be a problem? It shows that the clones
are actually breaking free of Thailog's influence and taking control of 
their lives! Who is it, Malibu, Brentwood, Hollywood...?"
	"Delilah."
	"Ah, the lass. Who has she fallen in love with?" Hudson asked.
	"That's what I need to talk to you about," Talon said.
	"Well then, sit down and tell me all about it."
	"Talon walked over and sat back down on the couch. "It started about a
week ago..."

	Slim Mackie tore through the streets in his souped-up Plymouth, doing
about eighty-five. The sirens and flashing lights behind him proved that
the city's finest hadn't escaped their notice.
	God, I love this car! though Slim. He was a professional wheelman, 
someone gifted in the ways of driving. His '67 GTX proved how much he loved
to drive, too. A 426 Hemi with nitrous, positraction rear end and Hurst
4-speed gave him all the control that he needed as he darted down West 
Street, going up on two tires as he took a left on West 10th Street. He
laughed as he saw the cops go whizzing by. He slowed down to a respectable
speed of 40 as he laughed at the folly of the New York Police Department.
	A sudden *thump* in front caused him to wheel around and look around
at the front of the car. The sight in front of him caused him to jam on the
brakes in terror.
	Two winged figures were snarling and spitting at each other no more 
than fifteen feet in front of him! And even though they seemed to be 
fighting, it was obvious to Slim what they were REALLY doing!
	Abruptly, the larger blue male was thrown unto his car. The front
suspension creaked with the sudden weight, then broke as the lavender female
jumped atop him. She ripped away both his loincloth and her tunic, then
bent down atop him.
	Slim was hurled back and forth inside of his Plymouth, the growls and
roars from outside deafening him. Slim couldn't believe that this was 
happening, not right in front of him. Finally, spent, the two gargoyles
leapt onto the roof and into the night, not even bothering to grab their
garments.
	Slim crawled out of his wrecked car, then numbly stood up and stared
at the damage. Both front tires were blown, along with the whole front clip.
The hood was crumbled in quite a bit, and, if the growing oil and antifreeze
stain flowing from under the car was any indication, his prize engine was
an anchor now. The front windshield had huge claw marks through it, and the
roof was smashed useless.
	Slim walked over to the back, and sat on the trunk. A few minutes
later, when the police arrived, he meekly followed them. Two officers
looked over the mangled car, sadly shaking their heads.
***********************************************************************
Chapter Six
Five hours later

	Hudson paced the battlements restlessly. The rest of the clan had
been gone for many hours, and he was starting to get worried about them.
A flurry of wings sounded behind him; he turned to see Lexington and 
Velvet drop to the parapet.
	"Lad! Lassie! Have ye seen any of the others nearby?" Hudson called
out.
	Lexington broke away from gazing into Velvet's eyes long enough to
reply, "Yea, we saw Brooklyn and Tiffany about ten minutes ago, but they
were 'preoccupied' when we saw them." Then he turned back to Velvet.
	Hudson slapped his head. What a night for this to happen on! He could
only hope that his information was wrong, or at least off! He watched as 
the two lovestruck gargoyles made their way down the stairway to the rec
room.
	He resumed pacing, and Bronx joined him a few minutes later. "I see
they kicked ye out, did they boy?"
	Bronx growled, then whined. Hudson scratched him behind the ears.
"I know the feeling." He stared out into the night, waiting for the rest
of the clan to return, Bronx at his side.
	Broadway and Renee came in next, with Brooklyn and Tiffany almost
merged into one body as they sprawled into the castle wall to stop. Hudson
shook his head and sighed, praying that nothing would attack right now; then
again, the enemy would more than likely laugh itself to death with what was
going on.
	Finally, Goliath and Elisa showed up. Goliath had to support Elisa,
as she couldn't walk very well. Hudson quickly walked over towards him.
"Goliath, we 'ave a problem," he muttered in Goliath's ear.
	"Is it urgent, Hudson? Elisa needs, er, help walking..." he said 
lamely. It was obvious to Hudson that Goliath didn't want to be parted from
Elisa at this point.
	Growling, Hudson reached over and ripped off the medallion that Elisa
was wearing. Without its power, Elisa immediately shifted back into her
human form, then collapsed to the ground. Goliath picked her up, then 
turned angrily towards Hudson.
	"Hudson! What do you think you are doing!" he yelled, holding Elisa
close	to him. Goliath still had residual passion built up inside him, and
he channeled it into anger instead. He gently placed Elisa on the ground,
then advanced toward Hudson, eyes glowing and growling.
	Hudson stood there, not moving at all, the medallion swinging on the
chain. He didn't move, not even when Goliath pulled himself up to his full
height of seven feet and roared.
	"GIVE ME THE MEDALLION HUDSON! NOW!" He grabbed at the medallion.
Hudson nimbly jumped out of the way. He couldn't believe that Goliath was
attacking him over the magic talisman, considering that it wasn't even his!
Bolt had brought it back when he went to get the female Trio in Fond du Lac,
Wisconsin. He gave it to Angela when he returned, shortly after the 
Hunter's Moon episode.
	"RROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!!!!!" Goliath threw back his head and howled,
letting go his frustration. He swiped towards the medallion again, and
managed to grab onto the chain. That resulted in a tug-of-war between the
two, with the powerful lavender gargoyle overpowering his former mentor.
	"Goliath! Have ye gone insane?!" Hudson asked, shocked. His leader
had never acted that way to him before, and it was a huge shock. After the
mating urge left him, Hudson was sure that he and Goliath would have a 
loooong talk.
	Goliath turned his back on Hudson, and kneeled down next to Elisa.
He heard a flutter of wings behind him, but paid them no mind. He was about
to place to medallion back around Elisa's neck, when a dark-blue hand darted
out and snatched it from his grasp.
	Goliath wheeled around quickly, a growl low in his throat and
preparing to leap at the offender. As he started to lose himself to the
blood-rage, he was slapped violently across both cheeks. He blinked, then
fell down to the ground.
	When his vision cleared, he saw not only Hudson, but Bronx, Bolt and
Angela. Angela had the necklace on once again. Bolt was standing over him,
concern written all over his face.
	"Goliath? Are you alright now?"
	Goliath shook his head, clearing away the cobwebs. Things were fuzzy
on what just happened. "I... uh.. think so... What happened?"
	"You went nuts again, brother. You attacked Hudson over Angela's
medallion." Bolt reached down a hand and lifted Goliath to his feet.
	"I was just trying to get it back for Elisa... Elisa! Oh, no!" He
turned and sprinted over to where she was. Elisa slept soundly, a huge grin
crossing her features. Goliath reached down and gently picked her up. "If
anything had happened to her..."
	Bolt walked over and placed his hand on Goliath's shoulder. "Nothing
did happen, my leader. We brought you out of it in time..."
	Goliath shook off his hand. Hudson and Angela could see tears 
streaming down his face from where they sat. "My anger has been getting the
best of me for too long... I cannot endanger the clan any longer." He 
turned and walked down into the castle.
	Hudson, Angela and Bolt looked at each other, then followed.

	Brooklyn and Tiffany were curled up together on the couch. Renee
and Broadway were playing cards with Lexington and Velvet. Lewd jokes were
floating around the room thickly.
	The room went silent as Goliath walked in, carrrying Elisa. He
walked over to the couch and looked down at Brooklyn and Tiffany. The two
sprang from the couch as if on springs. Goliath gently placed Elisa down,
then turned to face the rest of the clan.
	"My friends... I have decided, for the time being, to step down as
clan leader." He held up a claw as the rest started protesting. "I have been
giving it thought for the last few weeks, ever since I mauled Bolt. My anger
has been controlling me for too long, and I am afraid what I might do next.
So, after much thought, I am giving the leadership to Brooklyn. We will
wait and see what happens. Unitl then, I will leave the clan for awhile,
until I get control over what has been happening to me."
	"Goliath! You can't step down, let alone leave the clan!" Brooklyn
yelled. With a spring, the red gargoyle leapt next to his leader. "I'm not
ready yet, for one thing! We need you here, with the clan! Elisa needs you!"
	Goliath looked over at his love. She was still sleeping soundly. He
knew that if they had attempted what they did with her in human form, 
chances are that she would have been dead. He clenched his fists together,
his eyes burning with tears. His clan was trying to convince him to stay,
but he was too afraid that something would happen to someone else; he 
WOULD NOT be responsible for that happening!
	With a loud growl, he pushed through the clan and ran up to the
parapet. Reaching it, he leaped off into the night, catching a swift breeze
that left the castle behind. The rest of the clan jumped up, and prepared
to follow.
	"Hold! All of you!"
	The clan turned around at the voice. Bolt walked up behind the rest.
Angela was sniffing. but holding back her tears.
	"Why?! We have to go after him! He needs us!" Renee said. The clan
nodded with agreement.
	Bolt shook his head. "Except for Demona, I was his closest rookery
sibling. There were times that Goliath needed to get away from the rest of
the clan." He gestured out into the darkness, holding Angela with his other
arm.
	"But why? Doesn't he realize that we are here for him, always?" 
asked Tiffany. Her and Brooklyn were still ready to jump off and follow
Goliath.
	"Aye, lass, he does... But sometimes ye need 'ta figure out things
by yerself." Hudson said. He sat gazing off into space, in the direction
Goliath took off at.
	A new voice chimed in. "I agree with Hudson. Sometimes you need to 
get away... to think, if anything."
	The clan turned around to see Saburo climbing the stairs. He walked
over and joined the clan. "I could here you two flights down!" he smirked.
	"As could I! But don't worry, I have a probe following him as we 
speak..."
	They turned and glowered at Xanatos, who had unexpectedly joined the
group. Brooklyn walked over to him and mumbled the clan's thanks to him
before turning his back pointedly on him.
	"Nice to be appreciated..." Xanatos grumbled, then walked back
downstairs. The rest fell back into heated discussion about whether or not
they should attempt to go after Goliath.
	After about forty minutes, Hudson raised his hands and told the rest
to hush up. He turned to Brooklyn. "It was ye he left in command, laddie.
It's yer call..."
	Brooklyn glanced around the parapet, noting all the eager faces. Now
they were relying on his judgement on this matter. He still didn't think
that he was ready to lead, but he would make the best of it, he swore it!
	"We stay."

	Goliath glided listlessly. He didn't want to do what he did, but he
had no choice... It was for the good of the clan... He was so wrapped up
in his thoughts, that he never even knew he was being followed...
	Xanatos' probe was the latest in reconnosaince spybots. With the 
success of the ratbot, They took it one step further; they went with a 
bird's-eye view this time. It took the form of a large eagle, and followed
Goliath. It's large wings allowed it to keep up with the gargoyle, although
sometimes the built-in rocket would temporaily flare, as it closed back in
with Goliath.
	Owen Burnett diligently watched the viewscreen; it was Xanatos'
explicit wish that he watch the screen and find out where Goliath was
going to. The eaglebot performed better than expected; it had perfect
aerodynamics, and flew effortlessly. Owen barely had to touch the controls,
and that was when the 'bot turned a corner.
	A glimmer almost escaped his notice, being off on the far right of the 
screen. It passed out of the frontal visual range, so he pressed a button to
activate the upper camera. It opped up from the back, interrupting the air
flow and making it slightly harder to control, but moved in a 360-degree
radius.
	He panned the camers around to about where he saw the glimmer. Seeing
nothing at first, he activated infrared. A blinding heat source directly in
front of him caused the screen to flare up. He disengaged infrared so he
wouldn't be blinded again, then punched in a flurry of commands, activating
the eaglebot's evasive manuever protocols.
	It lasted about a minute. Even with the eaglebot's alloy construction
and evasive manuevers, whatever it was caught up and smashed it into a 
nearby building. Owen panned the upper camera around, even though it only
moved about fifteen degrees. From another monitor, he watched in amazement
as the one functioning eye camera zoomed in and recorded the battle between
Goliath and the creatures that jumped him.
	The upper cam picked up a shadow. Owen's fingers danced over the 
keyboard, enhancing and magnifying the image. He managed to get a clear
picture before the eaglebot was offline, more than likely destroyed. He 
pulled the image back up and ran it through numerous filters. Finally, when
the image was crystal clear, he had it printed off and walked up towards
where the clan was talking.
	
	"Brooklyn, we should still go after him!" Angela stated. Even though
Brooklyn said that they were not going after Goliath, Angela and the female
Trio still tried to convince him to go after him.
	"No! Angela, Hudson even agreed that to go after Goliath when he was
this way was futile! Please, understand ladies!" Brooklyn said. Hudson and 
the others understood not to go after Goliath, why couldn't they? Looking
out over the sky, he saw that sunrise was not to far away. 
	"NO! IT CAN"T BE TRUE!"
	Brooklyn turned at the cry. Bolt ran off from the small discussion 
that he had been having with Hudson; the elder had told him that he some
pressing news for him. 
	The big blue gargoyle didn't even bother to run up the stairs to the
top of the tower. He jumped up and quickly climbed his way up to the tower.
Angela ran after him, except she used the stairs instead.
	Hudson sighed, then walked over to where Brooklyn and the others were
standing. Nodding up at where Angela and Bolt were at sitting, perched on
Goliath's ledge, he explained what happened.
	"What's with Bolt?" Tiffany asked.
	"Talon stopped by earlier tonight... He came to tell me of a problem
he was having with the clones..." he started. Broadway, Brooklyn and Lex
all shivered at the mention of the clones. They heard from scattered rumors
from Talon and Elisa how they were doing. By all accounts, they seemed to
adapt fairly well to living in the Labyrinth.
	"Anyways, seems that one of them has fallen in love with one of us.
And, unfourtunately, the clone seems like taking charge of the situation."
	"Did you find out..." Velvet started.
	"...who it is?" Renee answered. The two sisters where closely linked,
and had developed strong psyhic ties, and could share each other's thoughts.
	"Aye, lassies, Talon told me who it was..." Hudson stated. He looked
up where a slight sobbing could be heard.
	"It was Delilah AND... Demona!"
	"Demona?! How did he know it was the both of them?" Lexington asked.
He shot a glance over at Brooklyn, seeing his rookery brother clenching his
fists and barely containing his rage.
	Ever since Demona had deceived and used him, Brooklyn had a deep,
overpowering hatred for his former unit leader. It wasn't something that he
would lose anytime soon.
	"Talon did'na say, lad; All he knew was that Delilah came to him and
told him of her love for Bolt... Something about being an avenging angel,
come to save her and her clan. Then she said something about having to 
compete not only with the she-demon's daughter, but with the she-demon 
herself." Hudson replied. 
	The elder gargoyle paced up and down the parapets, looking out over
the horizon. He had one thumb tucked into the wide belt at his waist, the
other hand casually grasping the hilt of his sword. After a few minutes,
he stopped and stared out over the horizon.
	He turned to face the clan. "I think I know why..." He turned towards
Tiffany. "Lassie, tonight, when ye flew, what was on yer mind?"
	Tiffany blushed several shades of color, then started sputtering.
Brooklyn placed his wing protectively around her. "Hudson what the hell
kind of question is that?! You know what was on her mind!"
	"That's me point, Brooklyn! Gargoyle females, when breeding time
is upon them, think of nothing but the breeding process! They secrete a
hormone to tell the males that they are in heat! By me reckoning, neither
Demona nor Delilah could find a suitable mate, so they took 'ta the air
in order to find one. Bolt just happened to be the one they found. By my
guess, 'twas Delilah the first night, and Demona the second..." Hudson
looked around at the horrified faces surrounding him. He pointed up to the
tower where Angela was comforting Bolt at. "Me guess is that he didna' like
what happened, with who it was and all..."
	"Well, I don't think I would be too pleased with what happened, 
either!" muttered Broadway.  Renee elbowed him in the side angrily. Broadway
looked over at her, rubbing his side. "Well, it's true!"
	Brooklyn crossed his arms over, one hand supporting his chin in a 
classic thinker's pose. When it rains, it pours, he thought to himself.
First, Bolt gets attacked...twice... then Goliath takes off, for parts
unknown. Why do these things always happen to me?
	He dropped his arms, then spoke: "Since we can do nothing about
Goliath for the time being, we will keep up patrols, paying extra attention
in case Goliath does show up. Also, keep an eye on Bolt, just in case..."
	"...Just in case what, Brooklyn? Think I'm gonna get jumped again, or
go out looking for the two that attacked me? Angela and I have already
talked about that. She is going to go and talk to her mother, and I will
go WITH Angela to talk to Delilah. Don't worry, my friend," Bolt said,
dropping down from the tower with Angela. He placed a paw on Brooklyn's  
shoulder. "I'll be alright."
	"Good! Because I have some very bad news for all of you." Xanatos
and Owen walked up to the clan. Xanatos was in his new Titanium exoframe,
while Owen stood next to him.
	"What have you got for us, Xanatos?" Saburo asked. He had been keeping
silent; he was now a good friend of the clan, but had no right in clan 
affairs. But, with Elisa still sleeping, he was the only human friend that
the clan had right now to deal with Xanatos.
	"Owen... show them the pictures..."
	Owen unsnapped the briefcase he held in his hand. He pulled out a 
sheaf of pictures and handed them to Saburo.
	Saburo briefly went through the pictures. His shoulders sagged as he
went through them. After he finished, he handed them to Brooklyn.
	Brooklyn went through the pictures. There was only four of them, but
showed one of the worst things they could think off: Goliath been jumped and
subdued by nightmarish creatures, and being trussed up and taken away. 
	It was the last two pictures that caught his attention, however. The
first one was a close-up of a hellish face: a large, elongated face; glowing
yellow eyes, four of them; fangs to rival even Bolt's in dragon form. What
made it worse was the fact that the monster seemed to be SMILING!
	The last picture showed a large clawed hand about to destroy the 
camera. But what caught his attention was Goliath, in the background;
trussed up, looking severely injured. His eyes glowed in anger as he saw
what was happening to Goliath. He never even realized that the other photos
were being passed around between the rest of the clan.
	The only thing that Brooklyn was concentrating on was a figure 
standing next to Goliath, a figure with a shock of red hair and a golden
tiara. She was a blue-skinned gargoyle that was as familiar to Brooklyn as
the rest of his clan was.
	Demona!

	Xanatos watched as the clan fell silent. He was not prepared for that,
not at all. He expected them to lash out in all directions in rage, but not
for them to go completely quiet. That was the reason that he wore his new,
untried battlesuit. If Coyote 9 would have been up and functioning, it would
be up here also.
	A low growl grabbed his attention. Startled, expecting the attacks, he
looked over to see Brooklyn mincing the picture by making fists. His eyes
were glowing, and he was shaking and growling with anger.
	A few seconds later, Angela, then Bolt, then the rest of the clan
starting building up to a full fledged roar. Arms extended, wings full out,
the clan was stretched out to maximun limits.
	"MONSTERS!!! DEMONS!!! KNOW THIS!!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR DEEDS!!!
YOU WILL LEARN TO SUFFER, LIKE YOU HAVE MADE US SUFFER!!! THE MANHATTAN CLAN
DOES NOW SWEAR BY EVERYTHING THAT WE SHALL HAVE... OUR... REVENGE!!!!!!!"
Brooklyn screamed, just as the sun rose above the clouds and locked them in
stone for the day.

	The three humans stood around for a few minutes after the 
proclamation; Xanatos turned to his assistant and the Guyver, and spoke up:
"Well, then, gentlemen: sunset is only twelve hours away! I say we shall 
endeavor to get everything ready for tonight."
	"Very well, Mr. Xanatos. Shall I bring the new warbots on-line, as you
requested?" Owen asked. He began taking notes in a small notebook.
	"Yes Owen. Bring all defenses up to par, have all security troops, 
even those on vacation, brought back and start outfitting them. By the time
that the sun sets, I want everybody ready for a full assault. Saburo, if you
could, watch over Ms. Maza until she awakens, then bring her up to speed on
the current events?"
	"Of course, Mr. Zanatos. I am aty your disposal... until this crisis
is over with." Saburo replied. He bowed, then walked briskly down the 
stairway to where Elisa was resting.
	David jumped up to the tower and sat where Goliath usually sat. He
looked out over Manhattan, the wind blowing his hair around his face.
"Nobody tries and muscles in on the home turf of David Xanatos, and gets
away with it! Nobody!" He scanned the city, centering on the graceful tower
of Wetworks, Inc.
	"Now, it's payback time!"
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Epilouge
	 
	3G stared over the city he had called home for so many centuries.
After seeing Excaliber's dumbfounded expression, the old warrior had
launched into the air, to deal with the old feelings by himself. He flew
around, not even noticing that he had passed over two of Xanatos' patrols
on their routes.
	He had flown to his thinking spot, the one place that the others
knew existed, but had never seen or been to. It was where he had ran to 
whenever he had a problem to deal with. It held his ideas for freedom, for
autonomy; it was the symbol of everything he was striving for in his 
lifetime...
	The Statue of Liberty.
	He perched upon the crown, still whole after all these years. The Lady
had weathered the changing time magnificently; she had been repaired after
the war, and had been declared off-limits during the Gargoyle-Xanatos War.
But people still came to her occasionally, just to take another look.
	He thought back to his mother, Angela, and how much he missed her. She
was the parent that had taken care of him so long ago, made him proud of his
heritage. He would never forget her, nor would he forget his father...
	3G shook his head to clear the racing thoughts. It wasn't right to  
dwell on THAT subject. But it did bring up the war in his mind, and what his
family told him about it. He could use that experience to help with the
current situation!
	He jumped off, easily catching the wind and altitude. He deftly 
steered around the known patrol routes, and flew back swiftly to the 
hideout. He made sure he wasn't being followed, then quickly dived into the
hideout.
	Landing in the middle of the war room, he quickly gathered the rebels
to him. He briefly went over the plan he had, and asked for suggestions.
	"Where did you get this idea, 3G?" Excaliber asked. He was suiting
up, checking his pulsed-plasma rifle, making sure it had a full charge.
	"Oh, you could say that I got it from my family," 3G said, a smile
briefly pulling up the corner of his mouth. "Are we all set to go?"
	"Locked and cocked!"
	"Then let's go show Xanatos what we do to traitors!"

	TO BE CONCLUDED............
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Well, that's part three! Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did
writing it!
	For all of those wonderful people that e-mailed me about my other
stories, thank you! Please keep doing so! Those that are too lazy to go
to the top of the page for my e-mail addy, here it is again!
myrlynn@execpc.com

					We Are Defenders Of The Night!
					    We Are Gargoyle Fans!