DevilSpawn, Part Four: The Conclusion
A 'Gargoyles' fanfic by Matt 'Mer' Little           (myrlynn@execpc.com)


	Here it is, the conclusion to the 'DevilSpawn' series! I'll make this
short and sweet, to get on with the story!
	The fourth 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!
	Thanks goes out to all those people who e-mailed me! Thanks, all! I'd
list ya, but it'll take too long! But for those that did, thanks a lot!
	Special thanks goes out to Rebecca "RHowell" Howell and JEB for being
nice enough to proofread for me. Thanx!
	One last thing: Since I keep forgetting, extra-special thanks goes
out to Chris, the Chief Web Guru, for letting me place my stories on his
archive to start. Thanks a great deal, Chris!
	The story continues the next night after 'DevilSpawn, Part Three.' To
understand how the series and the other new characters fit in, you will need
to read both: 'Of Dragons and Gargoyles I-III,' and the first three parts of
DevilSpawn.
	Warning!!!!!!! This story WILL include graphic violence, and more 
than likely profanity; remember, you were warned! Anyways, on with the
story!
****************************************************************************
Prologue	2647 A.D. Manhattan

	3G dodged quickly out of the way, neatly missing the burst of hot
plasma that was shot toward him. "Damn it! Alpha squad, pull back! Regroup
in Chelsea Park! Beta squad, sustain cover fire!" he shouted into his mike.
"Excaliber! How's Delta and Gamma team doing?"
	Over the headphones 3G heard heavy weapons fire, and Excaliber 
shouting commands. "Not good! We're pinned down in the Metropolitan Museum
of Art! Xanatos's robots won't fire inside here, but there's too many of 
them to force back! Epsilon Squad is attempting to break through as we 
speak, but suffering heavy losses!" The next couple of sentences were 
drowned out by pulsed-plasma fire. Then he got back on. "Don't know how
much longer we can hold..."
	"Roger... We'll try to send support ASAP...." 3G cut the comm link
after that. Sonofabitch! Nothing was going according to plan! They had spent
the better part of three months preparing this strike! There was a spy in
the midst, he was sure of it!
	3G dodged as another blast was aimed his way; he barely made it in
time. I'm getting too old for this, he thought to himself. Leading the front
Iridium Clan robot, the old gargoyle squeezed off a shot from his rifle, 
taking it between the eyes. The headless Clan robot started firing crazily,
taking out two others before it was destroyed.
	His SIC (second-in-command) motioned at him; it was the prearranged
signal to pull back. The remnants of the strike team threw down withering
cover fire as it drew back to Chelsea Park. Managing to cripple or destroy
the defenders for awhile, they stopped and took stock momentarily.
	3G pulled out an old map to Manhattan; the remaining members crowded
around the map as the old gargoyle tactician went over how the plan to get
the other strike team. "Jordan," he said addressing the leader of Beta 
squad, "take the rest of your team around to the north of the museum, while
my team comes from the south. Between the combined fire of all five squads,
we should be able to take them out."
	"Aye, Captain, then what?" the dark-green gargoyle asked.
	3G looked with surprise; "Why, we take out Xanatos, of course." From
the muttering that he heard, it was not a popular choice. He held his
hands up to stop the grumbling. "No, we aren't going to kill him. If we do
take him alive, he'll be locked up. I won't turn into him or Duke, not even
for this. Now, back to the plan...."

	Excaliber popped off a few shots from his rifle; none of them 
connected with the enemy. Looking down at his weapon, he noticed he had
three shots left in the power magazine. Damn! He looked over and snapped
his fingers, the signal for attention, to his SIC. Thank goodness 3G taught
us those old SWAT team hand signals, he thought, as his second responded.
	"What's the sit-rep?" he whispered.
	"We have seven dead, four wounded out of both squads. Epsilon was
forced to disengage because of casualties. We lost communications with both
Alpha and Beta squads a half-hour ago." she said. His mate was, next to 
3G and himself, was the most experienced warrior in the group. She drew him
into her arms momentarily. "This might be it, my love."
	He placed a claw to her lips. "Hush, my love. Don't talk like that.
3G will find a way to get here. I promise."
	A sudden movement off to his left caused him to throw his beloved away
from him; an Iridium Clan robot, moving quickly and quietly, had snuck 
through the outer perimeter, and attacked him.
	Snarling, the immediate area lit up from the glowing white eyes of
Excaliber and the burning red eyes of the 'bot, the two struggled. The 'bot
had an advantage in strength and weight; Excaliber had the finest reflexes
in the whole gargoyle clan, along with being taught hand-to-hand combat by
one of the best.
	Excaliber managed to throw the 'bot over his shoulder, then leapt at
it swinging his rifle like a club. The 'bot extended a high-frequency blade
from its forearm and sliced the rifle in half.
	Dodging back and forth from the swinging arm, Excaliber waited until
the powerpack, damaged by the blade, was ready to blow, then threw it at
the 'bot, dodging around a nearby statue. 
	The Iridium Clan robot started to sweep it off to the side when it 
detonated, destroying the arm and crumpling the armor like a beer can. It
went down, sputtering as it short-circuited.
	Excaliber jumped on it, pulling away the tough armor plating to reveal
the inside workings. He quickly disconnected the power supply, and the
backup. Motioning to his mate, he switched power cells with her to bring 
her rifle up to full power. 
	"Now, my love, you are even more of a force to be reckoned with!" The
two gargoyles nuzzled together briefly, then she resumed her post. Excaliber
didn't know what he would do without her.
	His comm unit sputtered; "This is Alpha Squad to Delta squad, come in
Delta squad... Excaliber, you there?" a voice whispered.
	"3G, that you?" he whispered back. He snapped his fingers again, then
motioned to his mike. She nodded, then switched hers on.
	"Affirmative... How's your position holding?"
	"Not good...." He proceeded to fill 3G in on the recent events, and
how badly pinned down and almost out of power they were. Once the weapons
ran out, they would probably be easy pickings.
	"Hmm... that might be a probable...." Muttering was heard for a few
seconds, then 3G replied, "Ok, here's the plan..."

	Daemon Xanatos sipped his champagne as he flicked between different
views from his robots. With the placement that he had, a flea wouldn't be 
able to crawl in.
	From the shadows, a dark shape broke away from the wall and drifted
over quietly behind Xanatos. "You said that this 'problem' would be taken
care of... It's been almost a quarter of a century, and they still exist.
Granted, time passes differently on this plane of existence; but, that still
doesn't excuse gross incompetence on your part, nor that weakling gargoyle
leader you have under your thumb."
	"Well, these things take time..." he stammered.
	"Obviously. I have a message from my lord.... You have one more week,
your time, to wipe out the rebellion. After that, your contract is null and
void. My lord will then bring his army onto this plane and conquer it. You
will be one of millions of his subjects, instead of the immortal duke you
would have been." The dark figure moved towards the shadows.
	"Wait! I can prove to you that I hold the upper hand!" The figure 
stopped. Daemon quickly typed in a series of instructions on his master
console. "Now you will see that I have no mercy." The Iridium Clan robots
all piled into the museum, a solid wall of force, destroying everything that
stood in the way of their objective. The defenders would have been 
overpowered and slaughtered like mice in a trap....
	....had they been there.
	"Wha....?" Xanatos quickly diverted all power from the units, except
for four guarding units, to the sensor units. A broad band sensor sweep in
all sectors, using ultraviolet, infrared, light-magnification, radar, sonar,
and other things (still classified) revealed nothing.
	"Damn it all to hell!!!" Xanatos screamed. A slight chuckle from the
dark figure caused him to wheel around and face him. Glowing red eyes
stared out from a hideous likeness of his own face, scarred over and 
disformed.
	"Yes; damn it to hell, indeed...."
	
	Excaliber and the rest of his force walked quickly through the slime-
filled sewer system that they had escaped into. 3G and the others had sprung
them almost a full half-hour before Xanatos had moved the troops in.
	Excaliber pulled 3G off to one side. "Thank you, my mentor, for 
helping us escape. What do you intend for us to do now?"
	"Ever since Xanatos perfected his barrier system, I've been trying to
locate a way into the complex ever since I knew about it. And I found a way,
although it won't be the most pleasant," the big midnight-blue gargoyle
said.
	"You don't mean...."
	"'Fraid so, my friend. Through the sewer system. And if he's found a
way to block that off, god help us all."
**************************************************************************
Chapter One

	With a thundering explosion, the gargoyles atop Castle Wyvern broke
free of their stone prison. With a few seconds stretching and preparation,
they readied themselves for battle with their enemies.
	A shout from behind caused them to all flip around, angry at being 
held up with rescuing Goliath. "What!" snarled Brooklyn.
	"My friends..." started Saburo, before Bolt cut him off.
	"This isn't your fight, Saburo. They've captured Goliath, and are
right now subjecting him to god-knows-what. We will mount an attack and
take back our leader, or die trying. Clan do not abandon clan, no matter
what!" The others nodded their agreement.
	Another voice broke the confusion. "You would be killed before you 
even got close to their fortress." Xanatos walked out from the entryway.
He was dressed in his new and improved exo-frame.
	"No matter, Xanatos, we won't leave him there 'ta die!" Hudson 
replied. The gruff old warrior had a hand on his sword, and was even now
scanning the horizon for enemies.
	"Xanatos and I have worked out a plan, my friends; one that should
free Goliath and return the hated demons to the pits of hell where they
were spawned!" Saburo said. He was trying to keep them as close as they
were to angry, but also trying to get through to their minds. Mixing the two
would give them an edge they couldn't possibly overlook.
	"Besides... If they wanted to kill Goliath, they would have done so
already, without blinking. We have to figure that the chances are good that
Goliath is still alive, considering that Demona was instrumental in helping
capture him,"  Owen said, cradling Alexander in his arms. He had just 
returned from giving Alex a magic lesson.
	"At least hear the plan out before charging off into battle; that's 
all I ask." Xanatos asked the clan. After a bit of grumbling, Brooklyn
agreed to hear him out.

	Goliath roared as he flexed his muscles, breaking free of the stone
sleep. His head pounded; as he leaned back a bit and raised his hand to
touch his forehead, his arm was abruptly stopped by something attached to
his wrist. Looking down, he saw chains attached to his wrist. Then he
noticed that there was one over the other one, along with his ankles and 
a broad one around his waist. 
	Flexing the gigantic muscles he was known for, the huge lavender
gargoyle pulled with all his strength against the chains, first one way, 
then another in an effort to loosen them all. But the chains never even 
budged.
	Realizing that for the time being that he wasn't going anywhere,
Goliath peered around the chamber he was in. It was a enormous room, 
obviously being at one time a training facility. Hurdles, medicine balls and
weights littered the far side of the room. The chains holding him were 
placed in solid metal of some sort, of a type he wouldn't even be able to 
guess at. The chains themselves were attached in a fashion so as not to 
give him barely any movement, effectively confining him to the corner of the
room he had been placed in.
	He tried straining a bit more, to try and feel any give at all. He was
grunting with the effort when a laugh from behind him caused him to start.
He knew that laugh, knew it quite well in fact...
	Goliath craned his neck around to pinpoint the source of that laugh.
A section of the wall had fallen away to show the owner of the voice
standing with two others he didn't recognize.
	"Goliath, you fool, those chains are made of a special alloy that has
been tested to resist pressures of up to one million foot-pounds of pressure
pulled against one link. Even your renowned strength will not move them!"
the owner said.
	"Demona! I cannot believe you would throw in your lot with these
butchers! They care not for humans, nor gargoyles! They are simply demons,
nothing more!" Goliath said.
	"Ah, Goliath," the blue-skinned gargoyle responded, throwing her
usual laser rifle up onto her shoulder and cocking her hips. "You are so
naive! I know the true intentions of WetWorks Labs; is to buy outsell and
out buy Xanatos Enterprises; To help them in this endeavor, I have become
partners with them! WetWorks Laboratories and Nightstone Unlimited are now
the most powerful corporations in the world!" 
	She thumbed a finger towards the prominently-dressed businessman on
her right. "This is Martin, CEO of WetWorks Labs. He has so wanted to meet
you, for a very long time. And this human," cocking a thumb at the obvious
warrior on her left, "is known as Bane." Bane gave Goliath a precise salute
before coming up to the mic.
	"Goliath. I personally have nothing against any member of your clan;
In fact, I would have very much liked to have meet them. The only one I want
is the one called Bolt." At the mention of the blue dragon's name, the tall
myrmidon caressed the enormous sword strapped on his back.
	Goliath said nothing. He wouldn't give into his mounting anger and
lash out verbally at his tormentors. Only his glowing eyes gave evidence of
his displeasure. Let them try to get information out of him.
	"Ah, Goliath, I see your temper hasn't improved as of late." Demona
walked out of sight for a few moments; the side wall opened up and she
strolled through. She threw herself into a sexy walk, one that reminded
Goliath of the old days, back in Scotland. 
	Demona walked up until she was just out of Goliath's reach. "Did you 
ever realize that your anger, getting worse and worse, might be because 
someone was controlling it?" She smiled as Goliath glanced her way for a
split second. "Yes, Goliath, I've been attempting to manipulate your 
emotions for quite awhile now." She started pacing in front of the big
lavender gargoyle, swaying her hips in the sexy way she KNEW got him 
excited.
	However, instead of getting him horny, all her revelation did was get
him extremely pissed off! His eyes popped open, covering the room with an
unearthly white glow. He threw back his head and roared, venting his 
frustration at the ceiling and room. Spinning his head around, he locked
his gaze onto Demona's, and for the first time in centuries, she felt true
fear; Goliath had surrendered himself fully to the berserker rage.
	Swinging his huge fist her way, the female gargoyle nimbly backflipped
out of his reach. What she didn't plan on, however, was the strength he 
threw the punch with; Even though she heard an audible "snap" as he broke
his arm, he ripped the chain out of the wall and sent it whistling toward 
her head.
	Reacting with reflexes born from centuries of combat, Demona dropped
into a crouch and sprang away from him. Landing a few yards away, she 
flipped around and looked.
	Goliath was pulling at the chain holding his other arm. Martin was 
talking into a cell-phone, watching Goliath, while Bane leaned against the
wall, arms crossed against his chest. Considering that they didn't want
Goliath to die, Demona fiddled around with the power setting on her laser
rifle for a few seconds, then lined up and shot Goliath in the chest.
	With a roar of pain, Goliath arched his back as the high-voltage pulse
coursed through his system. Shaking it off after a moment, he again attacked
the chain. It was almost free....
	Another bolt caught his side, and his vision went dim; grunting, he
fought it all he could but succumbed into unconsciousness after a few seconds of growling. 
	Demona dropped the rifle off her shoulder, breathing heavily. The raw
strength, combined with the berserker rage, was more than she had ever
expected. Several of Martin's security personnel ran into the room, running
over and putting restraints on Goliath. Two of them broke open a medkit and
quickly set and bound Goliath's arm.
	Martin and Bane were in deep discussion when Demona walked back into
the side room. She didn't enough appear to notice Martin as she walked up to
Bane. "Why weren't you out there helping me, human? You have the look of an
accomplished warrior, although, after what happened, I'm now having doubts
about it."
	Bane crossed his arms again. "You took him down without needing my
help, Demona. I'm after only one target; why get myself involved with a
gargoyle clan when all I want is one member?"
	"You fool! You mess with one member, you mess with the clan, or 
haven't you been reading my reports? It's a wonder you humans ever managed
to pull yourselves upright!" Demona said, exasperated. She turned and paced
back over towards the doorway to watch the security personnel work on 
Goliath.
	Martin leaned over towards Bane. "She still cares for him, you know."
	"What do ya mean?"
	"Demona. She still cares for her brutish ex-love Goliath. You can see
it in her eyes, only she won't admit it. That's why she can't kill him."
Martin explained. He started cleaning the edges of his nails.
	"Martin, I don't care one way or the other who loves how or why. I'm
only here to kill a dragon; then I'm outta here. If you think she's gonna
be a problem, then deal with her." Bane got up from leaning against the wall
and walked out of the room, leaving Martin sitting by himself.
	As he walked towards the far door, he glanced over towards Demona.
She was working out on one of the exercise machines, her lithe muscles 
gleaming with sweat already. Bane moved partially out of her vision to watch
her. Every once in a while she'd glance over at him, but then shift her gaze
back in front of her. He couldn't help but notice that almost directly in
front of her Goliath was chained to the wall again. Love's grand, he thought
to himself, as he walked out the doorway....
****************************************************************************
Chapter Two

	Tiffany and her two siblings, Velvet and Renee, strode steadily toward
the sound room. Ever since Xanatos and Saburo told the rest of the clan that
it would be a bad idea to attack WetWorks Labs. without a plan, and then
outlined a plan they had come up with, the clan had split up and gone to
separate parts of the castle.
	Hudson and Bronx were keeping watch in case Goliath managed to make
it back to them. Angela was crying in the library, mourning a father that
no one knew if he was even still alive.
	Xanatos and Saburo had dragged Elisa down to the medical facility to
give her some tranquilizers; she had gone berserk when she learned that
Goliath had been captured and the clan wasn't trying to rescue him right
away. She had flow off the hilt, accusing Brooklyn of poor leadership 
qualities for allowing Xanatos to talk him into waiting. When they tried to
calm her down, she had punched Bolt, kicked Lex across the room and had 
leaped on Brooklyn. It took Broadway and Hudson to pull her off. After that,
Brooklyn, Bolt, Broadway and Lexington had stormed off.
	But Tiffany knew exactly where the four headed off to. Whenever they
all had time or needed to vent some frustration, the four blew off steam in
one place..... the sound room.
	The four had actually gotten rather good since the first time that 
Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington asked Bolt if he could teach them how to
play instruments. Bolt went through each instrument in order to find ones
that suited each.
	Broadway was extremely impressed by the drums. After listening to the
raw beat that a good drum set produced, he easily made his choice. 
Lexington, to the surprise of no one, favored the keyboard. His talons
simply flew over them as if it was a computer. And, finally, Brooklyn chose
the bass guitar, for the notes that he could strum out of the guitar. With
Bolt playing the lead guitar, they made a fairly good try at performing
old bands like The Doors really well. In fact, when the three went into the
control both, they heard the four start up one of The Door's most memorable
tunes, Light My Fire, including Jim Morrison's Graveyard Poem:(my 
suggestion; if you have the 2 cd set of The Doors: In Concert, play the song
while listening!)

	You know it would be untrue
	You know that I would, be a liar
	If I was to say to you
	Girl, we couldn't get much higher

		Come on baby, light my fire
		Come on baby, light my fire
		Trying to set the night on, fire

	The time to hesitate is through
	No time to wallow in the mire
	Try now we can only lose
	And our love become a funeral pyre

		Come on baby, light my fire
		Come on baby, light my fire
		Try to set the night on fi-yer

	The four gargoyles jumped and gyrated in time with music, letting 
it take over their souls. The very essence of the song flowed throughout
the studio. The females also moved to the rythmn of the music in the 
control room. When Bolt strode up and caressed the microphone, Tiffany
had to forcibly restrain herself from running in and caressing Brooklyn in
the same way!
		
		Graveyard Poem:
			It was the greatest night of my life
			Although I still had not found a wife
			I had my friends right there beside me
			We were close together
			We tripped the wall
			We scaled the graveyard
			Ancient shades were all around us
			The wet dew felt fresh beside the farm
			Two made love, in an ancient spot
			One chased a rabbit into the dark
			A girl got drunk and balled the dead
			And I gave empty servants to my head
			Graveyard, cool and quiet
			Hate to leave your sacred lay
			Dread the milky coming of the day

			(note: some of the words might be off;
			I did this off a cd, and couldn't understand
			all of them; hope you still enjoy it!)
	
	The time to hesitate is through
	No time to wallow in the mire
	Try now we can only lose
	And our love become a funeral pyre

		Come on baby, light my fire
		Come on baby, light my fire
		Trying to set the night on fi-yerrrrrrrrr

	Know that it would be untrue
	You know that I would be a liar
	If I was to say to you
	Girl we couldn't get much higher

		Come on baby, light my fire
		Come on baby, light my fire
		Trying to set the night on fi-yer
		Trying to set the night on fi-yer
		Trying to set the night on fi-yer
		TRYING TO SET THE NIGHT ON FI-YERRRRRRRR!

	The song ended. With the verses, the poem and the instrumental, it
took almost ten minutes. The four gargoyles, drenched in sweat, replaced
their instruments and went to go take a shower. The female trio, moved by the
powerful lyrics and the song itself, sat there a few minutes before 
realizing that the song was over and their mates had left. They left quickly
to go and find them.

	The usual bantering that followed one of their sessions wasn't there
this time. They needed to blow off steam and wait until the plan could be
implemented.
	Brooklyn walked out of the shower, his wet hair plastered across his
face. He blindly sought out a towel for a few minutes, until one was throw
into his face. "Thanks, Broadway," he muttered, knowing the green gargoyle's
penchant for practical jokes.
	No answer.
	"What? No laughter? That's too bad; we could use some at this point,"
he replied to the air.
	Still no answer, but he could sense he wasn't alone.
	Relying on his other senses, Brooklyn dropped into a somewhat defense
stance, still looking a bit casual, but wary. "Hello? Someone there?" Now
Brooklyn felt worried. He knew someone was there; whoever it was had made a
slight scraping noise over the tiles on the floor.
	Now Brooklyn dropped into a full defensive crouch, ready to respond.
He couldn't see because of the hair in the way, one of the few times that
he cursed himself for having such long hair. A growl started low in his
throat, and his eyes lit up.
	His warrior's senses were lit up, and his adrenaline pumping. Because
he was battle trained and hardened, he could sense his opponent was close by
now, so he prepared himself for the attack.
	Sure enough, whoever, or whatever it was, leaped at him. Using the new
techniques that Saburo and Bolt had taught him, he grabbed the arm of his
attacker and tossed the intruder in a classic shoulder throw at the wall.
With a loud "oomph" and a crash,, the intruder hit the wall and fell to the
ground, groaning.
	Only problem: the intruder was female, and familiar......"Brook? What
was that for?" she asked.
	"Tiff?" Brooklyn said. Slapping his forehead, he flung his wet hair
out of the way to see his mate slumped against the wall, holding her
shoulder. He rushed over and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, my 
love! I though you were an intruder!"
	"I suppose I didn't exactly announce myself. I was just looking over
my man..." She winced, rubbing her shoulder, but still managed to throw one
of Elisa's patented half-smirks at Brooklyn.
	He blushed, his already-red coloring not hiding it. Feigning 
embarrassment, he moved to put on his loincloth. As he reached for it, two
arms wrapped around his waist. "My love, what say you leave it off, hmmm? I
think we could all do with a little.... relaxation." Brooklyn could tell she
was already nude behind him; how she managed that so quickly he didn't have
time to ask as he turned around and they embraced....

	'Angela? Where are you?' Bolt thought. He opened his mind to try and
locate her. Probing... probing... probing... located. Even though she 
wouldn't respond, he could locate her through their psychic link. He had her
position and crept towards her location. She was hiding in the library,
sitting on Goliath's reading stool.
	'Angela, my love? Can we talk?' he thought.
	'Go away...'
	'Please, my love. I know how hard this can be!' he replied. With her
current mood, be didn't want to anger her at all.
	'HOW WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE?!!!' she mindscreamed back. 'I'VE
LOST MY MOTHER, MY FATHER AND ALMOST EVERYBODY ELSE I TRULY CARED FOR EXCEPT
FOR YOU!'
	In a flat tone he answered, 'I lost my entire clan in a day of battle
while I was left for dead. For a thousand years I was alone. I guess I'm 
fated to always be alone.' Bolt turned and made to leave.
	"NOOO!!! Don't leave me too!!" Sobbing, she leapt over and tackled him
to the ground, where she pinned him. For a second, Angela was like old, 
swift and sure of herself. Then she collapsed, crying, on his chest.
	"Shhh... It's ok.... everything will be all right, my darling," he
said, stroking her hazel mane of hair. He closed his mind to her, so she 
wouldn't hear him worrying about Goliath, and her.
****************************************************************************
Chapter Three

	"Demona, why did you join up? Is there no love lost between you and 
perhaps the only remaining gargoyles left in the world?" Bane asked. Demona
had come into the armory and was checking out their assortment of weapons.
Bane was already in there, taking care of his equipment. He was working oil
into his chain mail, and onto his flamberge. The huge two-handed sword
glistened in the light, reflecting light from the lamps.
	"None of your business, human. Stay out of my way, and you might keep
your head after this business is concluded." She hefted a pulsed-plasma
battle rifle, checking on its weight and heft. She discarded it and grabbed
a lighter one, but one that had a quicker rate of fire. Nodding her head,
she attached the strap from her old laser rifle and threw it on her back.
	An eyebrow went up. "You think so, do you? And why don't I think that
you'd be able to defeat me in combat?" He finished up and slid his chain
mail over his specially-crafted armor, then attached his sword onto his 
back.
	"Pick your form of death, human, and I shall prove to you that humans
will never be the match of gargoyles!" she sneered.
	Bane glanced over her form, kept quick and powerful from many years
of action. "Would melee combat suffice?"
	Demona glanced over at Bane's monstrous sword. Of course, he had no 
idea that she was immortal; unfortunately, dying was always a pain. So she
decided to compromise.
	"Arms courteous or arms extreme?"
	"I think we should go with arms courteous, considering that this is 
just practice," Bane replied. He went over to the practice weapons and 
looked them over, trying to find a match for his flamberge.
	Demona stomped over and grabbed one for herself. It was a practice 
mace, which was her preferred melee weapon. She walked over to the training
ring and easily jumped inside, then started berating Bane from taking too
much time.
	"Easy for you to say, Demona. You already have yours." Bane grabbed 
the nearest equivalent to his weapon, a two-handed wooden sword. Hefting it
easily in his huge paw, he slipped a wooden dagger into his belt as his
back-up in case the main weapon broke.
	He sprinted over to the ring, and flipped himself over the top ring.
The two combatants went through a few warm-up routines in order to loosen
up tight muscles. After a few minutes, they squared off.
	For a couple of seconds, the two stood apart, at ready. Then, with 
loud roar, Demona leapt.
	Jumping into the air using her powerful legs, the female gargoyle
came down in an attempt to crush Bane with one blow. Bane brought up his 
sword to parry, then grabbed Demona's weapon arm. Using the strength in his
enormous arms, the dragonslayer threw Demona off into the turnbuckles as
easily as one would throw a chunk of wood.
	Demona flared her wings and landed in front of the corner. Her eyes
flared blood-red in the lighting. How easily that human had cast her aside!
She hadn't been prepared for his almost-supernatural reflexes and strength;
sure, she had seen videos of him in action, but it still wasn't like seeing
the real thing in action. And he just stood there, grinning at her! 
Growling, she came in low, attempting to kneecap him with a quick shot.
	Bane, sensing her battle plan from her movements, tucked his sword in
sideways and leaped over her. Coming down behind her, he gave her a quick
*thwack* on her ass with the flat of his sword, then jumped away.
	Demona roared with the sting and swung her tail. It managed to catch 
Bane's leg and throw him off balance long enough for her to spin around and
pop him in the ribs with her mace.
	Bane winced, thanking himself that he still had on his chain-mail and
the new armor that Martin had provided. Still, it did hurt a bit; Demona was
still a lot stronger than most men. He went defensive, swinging the huge
wooden sword around with ease, blocking all her shots. He passed up more
than a few opportunities to strike back; he wanted to see exactly how her
fighting style worked.
	She was good, he admitted to himself. She did manage to bypass his 
defenses another time and caught him a good one on his left thigh. Her 
mace might have been a practice weapon, but it was still a big hunk of wood
to be hitting someone with!
	Demona couldn't believe herself. The human was parrying her best moves
and hadn't even broken a sweat yet! She had been away from constant hand-to-
hand for so long that her muscles had a light sheen of sweat covering them,
and her arms couldn't swing the now-heavy mace for much longer. Growling,
she threw her whole body into a power blow, going for the human's head.
	Bane used both hands and swung the practice weapon up in an attempt to
block the powerful shot going for his head. He managed to parry it, but a 
loud *SNAP* signified the end of his sword. The last two feet of the huge
wooden weapon broke off from the blow and clattered into a corner of the
room. He cursed under his breath; if this would have been his sword, the
mace in Demona's hands would have shattered like glass from the impact.
	Demona couldn't believe her fortune! The human's weapon was broken, 
and he was defenseless! Roaring in triumph, forgetting that this was just a
training session, she lifted her mace up high and swung with the remainder
of her strength in another attempt to brain him.
	Bane dropped the sword; it was useless anyway. He reached out and
grabbed Demona's mace as she started her swing, stopping it in mid-air.
Demona hissed and tried to use her tail to knock him off balance again, but 
he was too firmly anchored and her tail twitched back and forth as it 
wrapped around Bane's leg.
	The two sat, locked in a test of strength, teeth gritting and the
sickly-sweet smell of sweat filling the air. For long moments they didn't
move, Bane's enormous arms and legs possessing the same strength as Demona's
shapely ones.
	Bane suddenly came up with an idea. He had been merely holding the 
mace in place, trying to outlast Demona. Now, his arms reddened with the
sudden surge of blood as he shifted his direction and pushed the mace up
into the air.
	Demona wasn't prepared for that move. She had been ready for any 
quick side movement, or maybe for the weapon to be pushed back, but the
sudden move UP into the air took her completely by surprise. The human was
as tall as Goliath and she kept her grip on the mace as he lifted her 
straight off the ground!
	The female gargoyle looked at the human's face, and saw the laughter
dancing in his eyes, as if to say "I won, you lose!" She snarled, then
smiled. Letting the light die from her eyes, she brought her legs up and
wrapped them around Bane's waist, then wiggled provocatively.
	Bane almost lost his grip! Here he was, holding his own against a 
mighty warrior for a time long dead, and she was coming on to him! To test 
the feeling, he leaned forward and licked her nose, then reared back so her
fangs wouldn't have anything to lock onto.
	When the expected result didn't happen, he leaned forward and kissed
her full on the lips. Demona responded, dropping her hands off the mace and
gripping him tightly across the back, her tongue darting in and out of his 
mouth.
	The two proceeded at a feverish pace, ending up ripping their clothes
off and dropping to the mat. Grunts, groans and roars filled the gigantic 
room, echoing off the walls from the volume.
	Forty minutes later, exhausted, the two dropped into a quiet slumber.

	"Boss, I just got this from the security room. The watchers said some
pretty funky shit was going down in the gym, and that you might wanna have
a look-see."
	Martin glanced up to the security guard standing with a laser disc
in his hand. Apes, he thought to himself, that is all these 'cretins' are.
Grabbing it from the guard's hand, he placed it in a player attached to his
desk and went back to work. When he didn't hear the door open, he looked up
to see the guard still standing there. "Well, why are you still here?! Get
back to work, you buffoon!" The guard fled.
	"Incompetents," he muttered. He made a mental note to watch the disk
after he finished his work. Running a multi-national and multi-billion 
dollar corporation wasn't easy, and he needed this time to catch up on some
work.
	Later he would regret that decision...
***************************************************************************
Chapter Four
One hour previous...

	"Well, Owen? Did you manage to make contact?" David asked.
	"Yes sir. Lord Oberon strictly forbade me to use my abilities in this
matter. And if I would ever try to contact him again without his permission,
he would..... do unspeakable things to me, very REAL things." the majordomo
replied.
	"Damn! I was counting on Oberon's help in this matter! By all recent
reports, WetWorks’ personal army is half-again stronger than mine! His 
technologies are up to par, and, to make matters go from bad to worse, I
just learned that Nightstone Unlimited has merged with them!" David said.
	He jumped up from his chair and went around to the front of his desk.
Leaning against the front of the desk, he folded his arms and dropped his
chin onto them in a thinking position. Think! he told himself. You've gotten
ahead of worse situations than this before!
	But he was kidding himself. The worst was when Oberon had come for 
Alex; and that really didn't compare to this situation. He needed a way to
even out the odds, but couldn't think of one!
	"Might I make a suggestion, Mr. Xanatos?"
	"Of course Owen!" he replied.
	"Perhaps, as we have said, 'The rule that may not be broken, can 
surely be bent,' might still be of some advantage here."
	"Explain."
	"Considering that if this threat becomes real, I would have to say 
that Alex's life would become endangered, would it not?"
	"Yes...."
	"Then, Mr. Xanatos," Owen said, reaching up and placing his glasses in 
his pocket, "Puck would be using 'preventive measures' in order to keep 
young master Alex safe, would he not?"
	"Owen, you're a genius!"
	"Of course, Mr. Xanatos. Why else would you have hired me?" Without
further adieu, Owen spun like a top, only to be replaced by the hovering,
grinning form of Puck, master trickster.
	"Got yourself in a bit of a spot, eh Davy?" the fae asked. Laughing, 
he zipped around the room a few times before resuming his hovering state
in front of Xanatos.
	"Puck! Would you be able to help us?" Xanatos asked. Dealing with Puck
sometimes had serious repercussions, but he couldn't afford to wait.
	"Fill me in, Daddy-O, and we'll see what the Puck can do!"
	"First, I need to see where Goliath is being held."
	"Is that all? I though I would be needed for something important!"
With a sniff, he whirled his hand at David's big-screen tv in the corner. It
turned on, the picture tube showing Goliath slumped over in chains.
	"Can you get him out?"
	Puck studied the screen. "If those chains aren't made of iron, it'll 
be a snap!" He snapped his fingers. The chains glowed bright white for a
second, then faded back to their dull color again. "Drat! They are!"
	"Is there anything that you can do?" Xanatos asked the frustrated
fae.
	"Weeeeell, I could just pop over and get him, but I don't........ wow!
Hey Davy, look at this!" The screen shifted to show Demona and Bane coupling
on the floor of the ring. "Ewwwwww!"
	Hmmm, that might work to our advantage, thought David. "Puck! Go and 
get him now!"
	"I don't want to disturb the two lovebirds!" Puck whined.
	"Just do it!"
	*Sigh* "Fine! Be back in a jiff!" Puck disappeared, only to reappear
on screen. Xanatos watched as the Puck poked Goliath a few times, keeping
clear of the heavy chains surrounding him. After a few seconds, he looked
straight at the screen and shrugged his shoulders. Reaching behind him, he
pulled out a huge sign that said, "Now what?" on it in big letters.
	Xanatos thought for a split second, then came up with a brilliant 
idea. "Enlarge the chains, or something!" he shouted at the screen. The 
gaily-clad fae covered his ears and wagged his finger back and forth. 
Another sign popped up, "DON'T SHOUT!!!!"
	Puck waved his hands and murmured under his breath(author's note: I'm
no good with verses, sorry!) and the chains produced the unearthly white
color again. Shaking his head, he reared back to kick the chains. In fact,
he was halfway there when he paused, kick suspended in midair. A slow smile
stretched itself over his face, and he threw back his head and laughed,
unmindful of the two writhing in pleasure a few yards away.
	He looked back to Xanatos, and waved his hands one more time. Goliath
suddenly disappeared from the chains, and Puck stuck his tongue out. A few
moments later, he reappeared sitting on Xanatos' desk, eating a Hershey bar.
	When Puck didn't say anything, Xanatos lost his composure long enough
to spit out, "Well? Did you free him?"
	Puck looked disgusted. "Of course I saved him! Why else would I be
sitting here munching on a candy bar? Geez, Davy, sometimes I wonder about 
you..."
	"Where is he?"
	"Right here!" Puck reached into his shirt and took out a miniature
Goliath, sleeping in his palm. From head to toe, the once-enormous gargoyle
measured only seven inches!
	Xanatos reached over to grab Goliath, only to have Puck snatch him
back and stick him in his shirt again. "Naughty, naughty! No Mer treat for
you!" In a blink of an eye, the trickster disappeared.
	Mer treat?! What the hell is that? Xanatos wondered....

	In the pre-dawn mist, the clan gathered forlornly. Whatever Xanatos
and Saburo had planned, it hadn't come to fruition. They had gathered 
earlier to discuss their own plans on getting Goliath out, and, the next 
night, would put that plan into action.
	So, needless to say, the last thing they wanted to see was Puck, 
sitting on the ledge, eating a Hershey bar. The fae brightened considerably,
and jumped down. When the clan glared at him with unbridled hostility, his
smile dropped for a second. "What, can't greet an old friend with smiles?"
	Brooklyn pointed at the fast-rising sun. "Make it quick, trickster!
The sun is approaching!"
	Puck dropped his hands to his sides, shrugging. As he turned to walk 
away, they all heard him mutter, "after all the trouble I went through to
go and get Goliath..."
	Tiffany grabbed Puck and threw him back against the parapet. "What did
you say?!"
	Puck straightened, brushing dirt off his garments. "No need to be 
rude. If you wanted your illustrious leader back, all you had to do was 
ask."
	Bolt reached over and gripped Puck by the shoulders. "Puck. If you 
have gotten my rookery brother free, PLEASE tell us."
	"Finally! Someone said the magic word!" Puck reached into his tunic
and pulled out Goliath. Stepping back, he used his magic to re-enlarge him
back to his seven-foot height.
	No one moved for a few seconds. Finally Angela, screaming, "FATHER!!!"
dropped and cradled his massive head in her lap. With the rest of the clan
looking on, the sun came up, freezing them in their places for yet another
day.
	"May you all find the strength to face the night when you awaken."
the trickster whispered. Revolving faster than the eye could follow, he
disappeared.

	Martin sighed, then wrote his signature one last time with a flourish.
There! He got up and stretched, his back cracking from sitting in the chair
for so long. He walked across the room, deciding to relax by watching one
of his favorite movies, 'The Crow.'
	He had made it as far as the bar when a piercing pain shot through his
head, forcing him to drop to his knees in agony. As quick as it came, it was
gone. He knew what the sign meant. He hobbled over to his chair and 
collapsed into it. At that point, a loud thrumming sound filled the office,
and a shadowy form materialized.
	The figure spoke; "Ah, Desmodus, my faithful subject! You have erred!"
	"M...my Lord? How have I failed thee?"
	The figure turned to face Martin, huddled in his chair. The glowing
eyes burned with a hellish fire. "The Guyver still lives. The gargoyles are
not rubble, and this 'Xanatos' is still around. Need I say more?"
	Martin slid out of his chair onto his knees. "My Master! The final
pieces are in place! I have the gargoyle's leader chained up below! Thy
enemies will surely mount a rescue to rescue him, out of so-called
'loyalty', and then I will crush them! The world shall then feel your 
wrath!"
	A backhand swipe caused Martin to go flying through the air. He 
bounced off the wall, leaving a bloody print on the wall. "Tsk, tsk... How 
frail these human bodies... Hard to believe these pathetic creatures are the
dominant lifeforms!" it mused. With a gesture, Martin's limp body floated
through the air and dropped on his desk.
	Coughing, Martin struggled to sit up, his wounds closing. "My Master,
what have I done to deserve this?" he whined. An upraised 'hand' silenced 
him. It reached over, lightly caressing his cheek before pressing the 'play'
button on the laser disk player. 
	The scene cut to two figures writhing in pure pleasure on the floor of
a training ring. "You're displeased because I have a porno in my laser disk
player?" He cringed when the figure turned and narrowed its eyes.
	"No. What I mean is the fact that your 'captive' has managed to be
rescued, due to your incompetence. The laser disk that was brought in to you
earlier showed the whole thing, only you chose to ignore it." The shadow
reached over and pushed the pause button. On the outer edges of the disk,
a slight glow was evident. Martin typed in a series of commands, and the
screen enhanced the section. Goliath's chains were glowing perfusely. The
shadow hit the play button again, and the two watched as Puck appeared and
rescued the gargoyle leader.
	"Maybe a made a mistake in appointing you to this task, Desmodus. 
Perhaps a few centuries in the Pits of Torment will sharpen your wit!"
	"NO! PLEASE, MY LORD, ANYTHING BUT THAT!!!" Martin screamed. The Pits
were where lesser demons were thrown to be tormented for crimes committed
against their brethren. 
	"Ah, Desmodus. You make me ill. However, I'm feeling merciful right
now. I will spare your life..... for now. You will have until tonight to 
solve these troublesome 'problems' before I get..... upset!" With a hiss,
the shadow dissolved into nothing.
	Martin laid where he was for a few more minutes before getting up.
He wasn't about to piss off the Big Guy by moving quite yet. Finally, he
dragged himself to his feet and slumped into his chair. Straightening his
suit, he keyed his secretary on the intercom. "Monica, call all the heads
together for an emergency meeting. New orders from headquarters. And I don't
care where they are or what they are doing. I expect them here within two
hours."
	Martin leaned back in his chair, thinking to himself how he was going
to pull this off. Suddenly he grinned, and keyed Monica again.
	"And get me David Xanatos on the phone right away....."
************************************************************************
Chapter Five

	David Xanatos replaced the handset. The leader of the demons himself
had just called to make an appointment for later on in the day, so they
could 'discuss' their current situation. So Xanatos agreed, in order to
find out as much information as he could. The appointment was scheduled for
twelve-thirty, so the two businessmen could go out for lunch.
	At precisely twelve-thirty, there was a knock on his door. Owen opened
the door to let a cool Martin into Xanatos' office. "Mr. Xanatos, a 
mister..."
	"Smith. Martin Smith, CEO of WetWorks Laboratories." He extended his
hand. "How do you do, Mr. Xanatos?"
	Xanatos looked disdainfully at the hand. "Cut the crap, Mr. Smith.
What do you want?"
	Martin retracted his hand, then looked at a chair. "May I?" Xanatos
waved his hand. Martin grinned. "Thank you." He sat down into the chair,
the soft leather caressing him. He sighed, then snapped open his briefcase.
He reached in and pulled out a sheaf of papers then slapped them on David's
desk.
	"What's this?" David asked. He shuffled through them for a few seconds
before throwing them back at Martin. "This is a merger agreement!"
	Martin smiled broadly. "Of course! What did you think it would be, the
papers signing over ownership of my company?"
	"Surely you realize that I'll never sign this." Xanatos said.
	"I thought that you wouldn't, but I had to make the offer. Are you 
sure you won't sign these papers? It would be VERY beneficial for the both
of our organizations! Think about it, Mr. Xanatos! We would have more wealth
and power than ANY country in the world! You would be a fool to ignore
this!"  Xanatos just sat in his chair, staring at Martin.
	Martin sighed, then picked up the agreement. "Mr. Xanatos, you are
throwing away the biggest chance for unity that this planet has ever known.
With our combined influence, we would have been able to stop world hunger,
death and destruction. War and devastation would have been a thing of the 
past. It is to my great sorrow that you have decided to forgo this merger
in lieu of your 'petty' ambitions." He placed the agreement back into his
briefcase, snapping it shut. "Now, all we will have to do is... find a way
to come to an agreement about the current 'situation'."
	"What do you have in mind?" Xanatos asked warily. He tapped his desk.
Owen picked up on the prearranged signal, preparing to leap on Martin if he
showed any indication of hostility.
	"Maybe our two factions should meet somewhere. That way, we can
resolve this without involving unnecessary people who do not need to know."
Martin sat back farther into his chair. "If your man even touches me, 
neither one of you will leave this room alive."
	David tapped again, and Owen relaxed. "Mr. Smith, I realize what
possibilities that this merger would bring us. However, I also realize that
this would give your people exactly the foothold that they would need to
enslave the Three Races. The only reason I agreed to give this meeting was
to give you one simple message: clear out. We know all about who, and WHAT
you are. If you continue, we will prove to the people of this world the
truth you are." Xanatos got up and placed his hands on his desk. "Then, not
only will you have the entire resources of my corporation against you, but
those of this world."
	Martin glared at Xanatos. "Mr. Xanatos, are you THREATENING me?" he
asked in a low voice.
	David grinned. Now he had him. "God-damn right I am! Owen, show Mr.
'Smith' the door, please!"
	"My pleasure, Mr. Xanatos." Owen waited until Martin gathered his
items. "This way, Mr. Smith."
	David sat down and leaned back in his chair. As Martin was leaving, he
paused by the door. "Xanatos." David noticed that the 'Mr.' had suddenly
disappeared. "You do realize, you have left myself and my organization with
no choice. We will respond to your accusations with the necessary force, if
required. You will regret your actions today, for when we next meet..."
Martin's face drew an ugly visage as his features momentarily transformed
into something more hideous than anything on the face of the earth. 
	Owen clapped his hand on the back of Martin's neck and ushered out the
door. As they walked away, Martin's words floated back to Xanatos; "...for
when we next meet..."
	"We will crush you underfoot like the insects you are."

	A few minutes after Martin left, Owen returned to Xanatos' office.
"Everything is set now, Mr. Xanatos. The bug has been placed."
	"Good. Because we'll need every advantage we can get to defeat these
monsters!" a new voice chimed in. Saburo walked into the office, a small
device strapped to one ear.
	Xanatos stippled his fingers together, then a wry grin crossed his
features. "I remember a few years ago when a few of my associates muttered
those same words, only against the gargoyles." David turned toward Owen.
"Are my new battle mecha completely fit and battle-worthy?"
	"Tested and outfitted with all your new designs, Mr. Xanatos." Owen
replied.
	"Good. Then have them prepped for combat, Owen. We leave tonight, as
soon as we find out where to attack." Xanatos got up and walked over to 
where Owen and Saburo were standing. "Saburo, I need you to go up and
explain to the gargoyles that we attack tonight, and see if we can enlist
their aid. I think that they will, but I will not force them to fight." 
David said, placing a hand on Saburo's shoulder.
	Saburo shrugged off Xanatos' hand. "I will talk to them. Not for you,
not for me, but for the future of our world." He turned and walked out the
door.
	"There goes a man with a chip on his shoulder," Xanatos said.
	Owen turned and looked at David, then pushed his glasses back up on  
his face. "You would too, Mr. Xanatos, if you knew that you would die in
the upcoming battle, regardless of the consequences. He does not fight this
war because of fame, glory or power. He fights it because that is what he 
has been trained for; that is what he is."
	Xanatos thought this over for a few moments, then agreed. "Yes, of
course you're right, Owen. I would probably act the same way. Well, we
better get everything ready." He headed for the door.
	"Of course, Mr. Xanatos."
***************************************************************************
Chapter Six

	Elisa and Saburo waited patiently as the sun fell beneath the horizon.
Immediately following the sunset, cracks appeared over all the stone figures
sitting on the ramparts. With a series of loud roars, the gargoyles burst
free of their stone prisons for another night.
	Saburo sat quietly as Elisa ran over to leap at Goliath. The large
lavender gargoyle sat around in a daze; his clan were all over him, and his
true love had just leaped into his arms. Goliath sat for a few seconds, then
beamed one of his rare smiles. He now truly realized how lucky he actually
was.
	Velvet and Renee noticed Saburo standing off to one side by himself,
so then walked over towards him. Velvet greeted him first. "Why don't you
come over and..."
	"...join in the festivities, Master Saburo?" Renee finished. The two
female gargoyles looked back over to where their mates were standing, 
expressing their joy of Goliath's return.
	Saburo shook his head. "I am truly sorry, my ladies, but I cannot. I
must speak with Goliath on an urgent note as soon as he is able to."
	The twins looked at each other, and an unspoken message went between
the two. Crossing to each side, they hoisted Saburo, who was protesting 
loudly, over to where the clan was gathered. "There," spoke Renee. "Now you
may ask..."
	"...Goliath your question. Go ahead, we..." said Velvet.
	"...are all friends here, are we not?" finished Renee.
	"Saburo, you have a question for me?" rumbled Goliath. As much as he
disliked to, he placed Elisa back on the ground. Saburo had an important
question for him, as evident from his facial expression.
	*sigh* "Goliath, the question I have is very important. Xanatos and I
are going to fight the demons.... tonight. I would ask your help in this,
along with the clan." Saburo crossed his arms.
	Goliath placed his hands on Saburo's shoulder. "My friend... In the 
short time that we have known you, you have proven yourself a loyal friend
of the clan. But first I must discuss this WITH the clan, to find out their
thoughts and feelings before I make a decision."
	"Then I will leave you alone to discuss this." Saburo said. He turned
and walked away.
	Goliath turned and faced Elisa. "My love, what is wrong with Saburo?"
	Elisa turned and faced the rapidly dwindling form of Saburo. "Tonight
he faces his destiny... and he's afraid."
	"Afraid? He's a pillar of courage! I find it hard to believe that he'd
be afraid of anything!" Brooklyn stated. He and the clan had moved in after
the heard what Goliath had said to Saburo.
	Elisa shook her head. "No, he's not! I've seen this on rookie's faces
before! He's terrified, because he knows that tonight, his life is over!"
	Goliath nodded. "Then I say we help him in earning an honorable death
in combat. And the rest of you?"
	Brooklyn: "Yes!"
	Tiffany: "You bet!"
	Bolt: "Of course, my brother!"
	Angela: "Yes father!"
	Broadway: "Uh huh!"
	Renee: "Yes."
	Lexington: "Try and hold me back!"
	Velvet: "Yes."
	Hudson: "Aye, lad. We should help."
	Goliath then turned to Elisa. "My love; even though you are part of
the clan, you are still human. I cannot guarantee your safety." He embraced
her.
	"Goliath!" She laughed and took his gruff face in her hands. "I'm a 
New York City police officer! I'll be okay!"
	"I understand that you will be coming along then?" he asked
hesitantly.
	"You couldn't keep me away!" she laughed.
	Goliath grinned. Everyday he was finding more and more ways how he
loved Elisa.
	"Oh, and by the way," Elisa stated, "Talon, the mutates and the clones
will be coming along."
	"The clones are coming with?" Bolt asked. His eyes briefly glowed.
	"Hush, now. I know what happened, but we still need all the help we
can get with the assault." Angela said. She embraced the larger gargoyle,
resting her head against his chest. "Besides, I'll protect you against HER."
	"I still don't like it...." Bolt muttered. But he gave Angela a 
reassuring hug to show he understood. "You and I, my love, need to talk to
Delilah and show her how things go around here."
	Tiffany pointed up into the sky. "Well, you'll have your chance,
because here they come!"
	The clan looked up into the sky as the Mutates and the Clones dropped
from the sky and settled onto the parapet. While the mutates exchanged 
pleasantries, the clones stood off on one side, looking completely out of
place. To make matters worse, Delilah stared at Bolt with a fierce hunger
evident in her eyes, for the midnight-blue gargoyle.
	'Christ, now it begins...' he thought to himself.
	'Shhh!!! It's not that bad, my love! All we need to do is set her
straight on OUR relationship, and she should go away!' Angela mind-thought
to him. Bolt had almost forgotten about his and Angela's mind-link. 
	Bolt reached down and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. 'I hope so.
Otherwise, this is going to be a long night!' He gave her a mind-chuckle,
then reached down and kissed her on the lips. She responded instantly, and
the two kissed long and hard in front of the others for a few seconds.
	The two gargoyles broke away, and cast a guilty look around, seeing
all the stares they had attracted. Bolt looked at others, adjusting his
belt. "What, never seen two people in love kissing each other???" he said
gruffly. As he caught the amused looks of the others, he turned toward the
clan and the mutates and said; "Anyways, we have plans to make! So what are
we going to do?"
	Angela walked up to Delilah. "Uh, hello...err, Delilah... Listen, can
I talk to you for a minute?" She was kinda nervous talking to the clone,
even though she had defeated her in hand-to-hand combat.
	"Yes, Angela, we may speak together." Delilah had made much progress
in the English language since she had been let out of the 'tube. She coolly
crossed her arms and gazed at the female gargoyle. "What do you wish to 
talk about?"
	"What do I want to...? Well, for starters, I want to thank you for
coming along. I know that it isn't your problem, but we all appreciate your
help." Angela stuck out her hand, like she saw on television.
	Delilah grasped Angela's hand, and the two shook. She was surprised,
however, when Angela clenched her grasp and squeezed hard on Delilah's
hand. Delilah looked up and saw Angela's eyes blazing red.
	"Second: Bolt is MY mate, not yours, so in the best interest of your
continuing health; STAY AWAY FROM HIM!!!" she hissed. Angela dropped her 
hand and stalked off.
	"Delilah; what that about?" asked Hollywood. He turned his blank gaze
toward Angela stalking off.
	"Nothing. Stay alert," she mumbled.
	"Uh, ok." Hollywood turned and resumed looking out over the parapets.
He never saw the burning hatred that was flowly out of Delilah's red
glowing eyes....

	Martin returned to the office after his meeting with Xanatos. All of
his people were sitting down at the conference table, including Dominique
and Bane. He quickly strode to the front of the table, set his briefcase 
on the top, and sat down. 
	He started off right away. "Gentlemen! The proposed merger went as
expected...." he started, only to be cut off by Dominique.
	"Of course he turned it down!" Dominique stood up and slammed her fist
onto the table. "We need to take control of all his major corporations, and
shut him down when he's at his weakest!"
	"Miss Destine, please sit down." She shot a gaze that would have 
killed him on the spot, if she could have, but she reluctantly regained her 
chair. "Thank you."
	"As I said, the merger went as planned. We have reason to believe that
sometime tonight, the combined might of the security force of Xanatos 
Enterprises will attack us. Our own security force would easily repel them,
except for one thing....."
	"The gargoyles and their allies." This came from Bane. The huge human
had his feet propped up on the table, and was casually oiling his chain-mail
and his weapons.
	Martin nodded. "Correct. The gargoyles and their allies. However, we
have made sufficient...allies...in an effort to stem this problem. One group,
the Quarrymen, has proven themselves to be unstable and unreliable. We have
ceased and severed any and all ties with them at this present time. In their
stead, we have merged companies and resources with Nightstone Unlimited.
Miss Destine here is the CEO of that company, and now my vice president."
Dominique nodded in agreement.
	"This other gentleman is Bane, a renowned Dragon Hunter. His job, and
frankly, the only part of this job that he wants, is to find and slay the 
blue dragon. After that, he intends to leave." Martin indicated Bane by
waving his hand at him. Bane replied by nodding and saluting with the 
dagger he was cleaning at the time.
	A secretary walked out from an anteroom, carrying a tray of mugs. Each
mug, with the exception of Bane's, had one of the executive's names on it.
As she put them down, each person took a sip and then placed it back down
on the table.
	Bane grabbed his, took a sniff, then downed it in one quaff. Some kind
of tea, he thought to himself. Rather good, too. He resumed cleaning his
weapons.
	Dominique sipped hers carefully also. A strong black coffee, just what
she always drank. Sighing, she took another drink and turned her attention
back to the meeting.
	The discussion kept up for another half-hour. By this time, both Bane
and Dominique were nodding, almost asleep. Bane finally passed out, his
snoring echoing throughout the chamber. Dominique blinked hurriedly, trying
to stay awake. Everything in front of her was hazy, and when she clumsily
tried to grab her mug, she knocked it over. The coffee spilled over the 
table, but no one seemed to notice. She finally grabbed it, and, with a
horrible suspicion, ran her fingers along the bottom of the mug. Sure
enough, a fine sand-like substance coated the bottom.
	She stumbled to her feet, bracing herself on the table. She looked
over in Martin's direction, and slurred, "Wha... what did...youuuu... dooo..
to meeee.....?" She collapsed onto the floor.
	Martin casually got up and strode over to where she was lying, almost
unconscious. "I apologize, my dear, for drugging the two of you. However, I
cannot allow the two of you to alter our plans. Tonight, humanity will 
realize it's new masters, and it is my belief that you will now be more of
a hindrance than help."
	The sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath startled Martin for
a split second. "I think not."
	Martin whirled around to see Bane striking down the nearest of his
executives, then  whirling to gut another. "But.... you're unconscious!" His
hand inched toward the plasma pistol he kept on himself at all times.
	A dagger flashed, and his hand was pinned to his side. "No.... you
THOUGHT I was unconscious. I only took a sip before I noticed an odd taste.
Fortunately, I have an extremely high constitution, and was able to shake 
off the drugs effect quickly. But, I needed to know why, so I feigned being
out. Now, it's all apparent... You aren't human; you're aliens come to take
over our world from another planet!"
	Martin momentarily forgot his pain. His jaw dropped. Then he burst
out laughing. He laughed so hard, in fact, that he fell to the ground. The
sudden moment dislodged the dagger from his side, but he didn't notice.
	Bane looked around, fearing another attack. To his amazement, the 
entire office was rolling around on the floor in laughter. A trick, he 
thought to himself as he took a tighter grip on his sword, it's gotta be a
trick.
	Martin got to his feet weakly. Bane noticed that the wound in his side
had healed! He strode closer to Bane, and Bane took a defensive stance. "My
good fellow, what utter tripe!" Martin snickered. "We are not aliens from
another planet. We are aliens, but from THIS planet. I will show you..."
	Bane's knuckles grew white as Martin's shape wavered, bloated and
exploded. He grew in stature, becoming hunched over because of the room. 
Extra arms grew out of his side, ripping through the flimsy material that
now covered Martin, to give him a total of four arms. Another set of legs
also grew out. The face became even more monstrous, enormous mandibles
replacing where his mouth was. Four other eyes popped out of a massively
distorted head, two on each side. The monster was covered in dark-brown
chitin plating. The whole creature looked as though an ant, a spider and a human were thrown into a blender. 
	Bane's sword fell from nerveless fingers. He gazed in wide-eyed horror
at the monstrosity in front of him. Martin slowly reached over and picked up
Bane, holding him close by the monster’s face. 
	"Pitiful creature; I am Desmodus, commander of my Lord's forces on the
planet. Soon, you and all the rest of the vermin that plague this planet 
shall bow to my Master, and shall swear fealty to him. If not....." One
enormous clawed armed shattered the table with ease.
	The massive demon felt a quiver in his claw, and looked down to see
that Bane had collapsed. Desmodus dropped Bane to the ground, watching the
human bounce off the ground. A chuckle escaped the monstrous maw. "I would
have thought that this human, above all others, would have stayed in my
presence, but I can see now that I was wrong." With a popping of joints,
Desmodus reverted back to the form of Martin, just as security personnel
ran into the room.
	"Pick these two up and take them down to the lab. We must convert them
by tonight. Tell the technicians I expect results as soon as possible." With
not one look at his naked form, the two forms of Bane and Dominique were
quickly borne away.
	Martin walked over to a nearby door. He opened it to reveal a closet 
full of suits like he wore. Dressing quickly, he returned to find the others
seated again.
	"'Scuse me, my lord, but what do we do about the human's weapon?" One
of the security forces started to pick up the flamberge, but recoiled as
an electric spark jumped from the sword to hit the security person. He
recoiled, hand burned.
	Martin cradled his head in his hand. "Use some wood and cradle it, you
fool! It can't hurt you if you don't touch it!" God, these minions were
unintelligent, he thought. No wonder they stayed low-ranking!
	He waited until they left and then resumed. The board meeting went on
another hour, and the final plans set. Martin picked up his briefcase and
turned to walk out the doors. "Then it's settled. We meet tonight in order
to bring reinforcements in. Bring your people tonight, and the world shall
be ours!" he walked out.
	Unbeknownst to the executives, a small rat with glowing eyes crept 
silently in the corner. It's eyes followed the movements of every individual
in the room, and it's ears swiveled as if on servomotors. As soon as they
left, the tiny ratbot, newest technological spy device developed by Xanatos
Enterprises, followed in silence.
	
	Xanatos walked briskly into the surveillance room. "I've just sent
Alex and Fox to Xanadu. Did you find out anything?"
	"Something most disturbing, Mr. Xanatos. Perhaps it would be better if
I allowed you to review yourself." Owen reached up and pushed the 'play'
button on a VCR.
	As Xanatos reviewed the tape, Owen skillfully controlled the actions
of the ratbot. Even though he knew the location of where they were meeting
later tonight, he thought it prudent to continue following.
	"Fascinating! The strength and power of him! Too bad we can't get him
on our side!" Owen looked over; David was watching the lightning-swift
movements of Bane. The grin on his face was replaced by the sight of Martin
as he transformed in Desmodus. "Holy Mary, mother of Jesus! What is that...
THING?!"
	"That, Mr. Xanatos, is Desmodus, the type-five demon and leader of the
demon forces. He is the apparent brains of their operations," Owen said as
he piloted the ratbot down the stairway.
	"Christ, we have to beat THAT?" he asked in wonderment.
	"And the rest of them. I believe it can be done. We know where they 
are meeting, and I can arrange a 'magic lesson' for Alexander that should
manage to get us there." Owen said. He paused for a second; it seemed that
one of the executives, Jacob, had seen the ratbot. "Mr. Xanatos, I believe
that we've been made."
	A second later, Jacob pulled out a pistol and fired. The screen went
to static, then blank. " However, we have everything that we need." David
said. He looked out the window, and saw that sunset was fast approaching.
"I just hope that Saburo and Elisa can convince the clan to go along..."
**************************************************************************
Chapter Seven

	The clan, the mutates and the clones were discussing the type of
opposition that they might be facing when Owen came onto the roof. "If you
would follow me, Mr. Xanatos would like to speak with you all." The 
majordomo turned and walked back down the stairs.
	The others quickly followed, hoping to get some insight on what was
going on. They proceeded to walk down to the great hall, where Xanatos was
once again suited up in his new exo-frame. As he heard them enter, he turned
around.
	"Ah, the cavalry has arrived!"
	"Knock it off, Xanatos! What's the news on those demons?" Tiffany
blurted out. She didn't like or trust Xanatos, and didn't care who knew 
about it.
	"My fair lady; your joy at seeing me is still astounding." He bowed.
"However, we have no time for pleasantries! Owen and I have discovered where
the demons are meeting tonight. With the help of Puck and Alexander, we plan
on taking them by surprise and wiping them all out in one fell swoop!"
	"But there isn't enough of us for a large scale assault! We'll be
massacred unless you bring the entire XanaCorp Security Force with!" 
Brooklyn exclaimed.
	"Hmmmm..... Maybe... But we have a few aces up our sleeve...." The
famous smirk appeared on his face. He reached over and grabbed three small
miniatures sitting on the table and showed them to the others.
	"Uh... These are really nice figurines, but how are they going to
help us?" Lexington asked. He took one and showed it to Velvet. The two
began pouring over the small figure.
	"Oh, they have special.... qualities to them. Be assured that they
will come in handy when the time comes." Xanatos took the figure from 
Velvet (who scowled) and placed them in a metal case lined with foam that
had extended from his leg.
	"So how do we get to this, "meeting place"?" Hudson asked. He idly
brushed his beard, something he did when he was thinking.
	"Puck is going to show Alex a "teleportation" spell. Using us."
	"Sorcery! I'm 'ta having no part of that!" Hudson said, his beard-
stroking stopped.
	"I assure you Hudson, it is quite safe." Owen replied. "Puck knows how
important that this mission is. For if you fail, the demons will take over
Manhattan, then New York, then onto the world. And it will only be a matter
of time until they discover a way to reach Avalon. Lord Oberon has granted
Puck permission to cast this one spell with Alex, using his full power."
	"If you have decided to come along, we intend to leave within the 
hour, my friends," Saburo said, walking into the room. "We will need all the
time we can get to defeat them!"
	"We have all agreed to go along, including the mutates and the clones;
however, we need to know how dangerous it will be." Talon said. He crossed
his arms and glared at Xanatos. He still hates me, Xanatos noted.
	David walked around to the other side of the table. "I'll make no
false claims. This is probably the most dangerous group of foes any of us
have ever faced. Some of us might not make it back alive. Some of us might.
But regardless, we must try, for humanity's sake, for gargoyle's sake..." He
sighed, then looked at a nearby picture of himself, Fox and Alex. "And for
the sake of our loved ones..." he said, clenching his fists.
	The clan, mutates and clones briefly turned and discussed it amongst
themselves for a few minutes. Xanatos took the time to run a systems 
analysis on his newer exoframe. By the time it was finished, they had an
answer.
	"We will go."
	"Excellent! Then we'll leave immediately to go to Xanadu." Xanatos 
said.
	"Why Xanadu?" Broadway asked.
	"Because it's out of the way, and Alex and Fox are there." David
replied. He reached onto the table and grabbed his helmet. After putting it
on, it vacuumed-sealed, making it a completely environmental battlesuit. He
headed for the doorway, then paused to look back at the others. "Coming?"
	The rest of them followed.
*************************************************************************
Chapter Eight

	Everybody set down lightly in the wooded area close by Xanatos' 
upstate retreat, Xanadu. Fox and Alex were waiting for them. Fox was wearing
her 'Pack' battle gear.
	"My dear, why are you dressed like you're coming with us?" David asked
through his exo-frame's external speaker.
	"Because I am, David." She crossed over to him and removed his helmet
with a hiss of compressed air. She leaned up and whispered in his ear after
giving him a peck on the cheek. "I intend to pilot one of your war mecha!"
	Xanatos grinned. "Of course. I almost forgot how much of a warrior you
are, my dear. At least this solves the problem on who is going to pilot
the other one." He paused, looking over the group with interest. "But first,
we have one other problem to deal with before we proceed." He clacked into
the house.
	A few minutes late, he came out holding a suit of some sort. "Elisa,
would you like to wear this? It's a heavy-weapons exoframe which has a
swivel-mounted particle-projection cannon. A very nasty weapon at close
range. Also standard feature in the frame itself is a suit of impact and
claw resistant armor. It should prove quite useful."
	Elisa looked around at the others. With the nods she saw, Elisa sighed
and accepted the suit. "I don't like having to rely on you Xanatos... But
thanks, anyways." she smirked. Velvet and Lexington helped her struggle
into the suit.
	"God, this thing weighs a ton! How is it supposed to help me?" she
complained. Fox reached over and pulled down an armored panel on her chest.
She flicked two buttons, and the suit moved much easier.
	"It helps to turn it on," she said.
	Elisa went through a few movements, and agreed with her. "Ok guys, I'm
ready to go in now!" 
	Goliath stepped up. "Very good, Xanatos, but may we continue? Like you
said, time is of the essence."
	"Of course, Goliath. Owen.....?" David said.
	Owen had been off to one side, telling Alex what they had in mind. 
"Yes Mr. Xanatos." He stood up, and removed his glasses. Spinning quickly,
the majordomo transformed into that fun-loving trickster, Puck. "Hiya, Davy
boy! Ready to go and whup some demon ass?" He buzzed Xanatos.
	"Puck! We don't have time for this!" Xanatos yelled. He motioned the
trickster over. When Puck floated by, upside down, David grabbed hold and
whispered a series of instructions into his ear. "Then," he said, releasing
Puck, you will stay here and guard Alex!"
	"Hrmph! I never get to have any fun!" Puck grumbled. He whisked over
next to Fox; muttering one of his nutty spells, Fox quickly shrank in size
until she all but disappeared. David popped out the compartment in his leg
again, and removed one of the figures. Using his image-magnification, he
watched as the diminutive warrioress climbed inside. Waiting until she 
got in and sealed up, he then picked her up and placed her and the war mecha
back inside his leg compartment.
	"Now Puck, you understand my orders, correct?" David asked.
	"Of course, Dave m'boy! You shall be on your way in two shakes of a
beaver's tail! Or is that lamb's.... Oh bother, I never can tell the 
difference in that stupid saying....." Puck started muttering.
	"Puck!"
	"Oh! That's right..." Puck grinned. "must have let my mind wander
again.... Anyways," he said, grinning while rubbing his hands together and
grabbing Alex. "Ready, kiddo?" 
	"Grubarl, heehehe!" 
	"Uh, I'll take that as a yes. Ok, here we go!!!" Using Alex as a 
channel for more power, the trickster spoke in the language of magic, and 
the group shimmered, then disappeared.
	Alex gurgled and clapped his hands together. Puck drifted over towards
him, and picked up the happy child. "Alex, can you say... fodder?" Alex
burbled, and Puck nuzzled him. "I knew you could!"
	Puck floated over towards the main house, with Alex floating behind
him. "Now, what do you want for supper tonight, Alex? Roast mutton?" A
simmering haunch appeared from out of nowhere. "How about a pizza?" A pie
with all the toppings appeared next, heat drifting off. "Or, the 
ever-popular.... strained pears?" A jar of baby food appeared, and Alex 
pointed at it.
	Puck grabbed the floating bottle, and the two sat down on the couch.
"Sometimes, kid, I think you have no taste.." Alex gurgled again. "Yah, yah.
*sigh* I wonder what's on the telly tonight...." He settled back, remote
control in hand, and flipped through the channels....

	A cool breeze was flowing through Central Park. It was quiet, more
quiet than it should have been. No joggers ran through; no couples came to
enjoy the splendors of the park. No muggers lurked in the shadows, waiting
to prey upon the hapless. So quiet, it was eerie.
	The demons were the reason. They had sealed all the entrances into the
park, claiming a possible health risk. Even the police and the fire station
inside were emptied with calls from all over the city, nearby enough to call
for assistance from the stations. Those left inside were swiftly dealt with,
in preparation with the meeting.
	The force of demons, still clothed in their human disguises, swept
through the park, making sure that nobody was left. Satisfied, they all 
clocked to the Great Lawn in the middle of the park. A stage with a podium
had been erected, and Martin stood behind it.
	"My fellows! Tonight, tonight will begin a new age! An age where WE
are the masters, not just some children's 'horror' story! We will prove that
we ARE real, and we will prove it to the world! In a few minutes, I shall
communicate with our Master, and he will send in all the shock troops that 
we need to take over this planet! And I shall take my rightful place as
ruler of this miserable little planet, in my Lord's name!" The assembled
masses roared, knowing that their time would be at hand.
	Martin turned off the mike, then stepped back. He looked over towards
Jacob, then muttered, "These bastards will believe anything I say. Why can't
the humans be as easy to deceive?"
	Jacob laughed maniacally. "Most of them are, just not the ones that
you deal with, hahahahaha!"
	A backhanded swat sent Jacob flying across the stage. "Do not mock me,
Jacob. You can be dealt with easily."
	Jacob snickered, but held back his comment. Martin walked to the 
middle of the stage, and opened his arms wide. "Mighty Creator! By your will
I will conquer these humans! Open the portal so that my army can come forth
and help me rule this world!"
	It started with a few sparks, then a small hole. In front of Martin 
grew a blue portal, gaining more and more shape until it was a round 
diameter forty feet wide. The wind picked up, swirling the park and refuse
around in a mad tornado. The chanting of the assembled masses, grown to its
max of about seven hundred soldiers, the volume increased to mammoth 
proportions. Everybody was so engrossed in the portal, they missed the flash
of light that appeared on top of the Delacorte Theater, a few yards away
from the Great Lawn.
	The defenders of Manhattan took in the scene before them, all except
one member. While the others looked on, Xanatos quickly opened a comm 
frequency. "Defender 1 to Midnight 1 and 2. What's your status?"
	Over the comm line, a voice that was almost drowned by a high-pitched 
whine. "This is Midnight 1. We're on station, and awaiting orders."
	"Good. Home in on my signal and alert when you're ready."
	"Affirmative." The comm line closed.

	A few of the guards on the outer perimeter were the first ones to hear
the high-pitched whine over head. Looking up, they noticed two huge cargo
planes that were going at a slow rate of speed over the top off the park.
One of the guards managed to get the attention of Jacob, who in turn got
Martin's attention.
	Martin was just about to go through the ritual to open his side
of the portal when Jacob grabbed him. "There's two low-flying multi-engine
cargo planes that are acting really suspicious!" 
	Martin jerked his arm free. "So what?! In a few moments, I will open 
the portal and our army shall come through! Now watch for something that 
might actually cause us problems!"
	"Yes, mi'lord." Jacob grumbled. He went back over towards his post and
watched as the two cargo planes settled into a holding pattern over the 
park.

	"Midnight 1 to Defender 1. We're on station and awaiting the 'go'
order."
	"Affirmative, Midnight 1. On my mark...." Xanatos replied.
	Elisa grabbed his arm. "What if there's anybody in the park?" she
whispered.
	"If there WERE any people in the park, then the demons would have
taken care of them before attempting this." Saburo said, standing behind
her. His eyes were focused completely on Martin. "Xanatos, better give them
the go; looks like some of the guards are getting wind of your idea!"
	"Right... Defender 1 to Midnight 1 and 2... MARK!" Xanatos turned to
the others. "Hold on to yer butts...."

	"Acknowledged." The pilot of Midnight 1 turned to his weapons officer.
"Ok, boys, let's light up their lives!"
	The AC-130A 'Spectre' gunships, bought from the U.S. Air Force after
they had been retired, went into a portside turn, the port wing drooping
down and pointing down at the assembled masses below. Four 20mm and four
7.62mm, multi-barrel, rapid-fire chain guns were rolled out the port side 
and locked down. The advanced targeting system was engaged, 'painting'
the area where the rain of death would be sent. The powerful Allison 
turboprops went to full military power, and the death began.
	The massive aircraft shuddered underneath the recoil from the eight 
chain guns. A long stream of fire reached down and licked into the midst of
the hapless forces of WetWorks Labs. Two hundred died before they realized
what hit them. Another hundred died as they milled around in confusion. As
the two planes leveled off for a new attack vector, Martin's forces 
regrouped in tight patterns and pulled out weapons.
	As the two planes went on their sides again, weapons fire lanced up
from the ground and struck the two planes. Luckily, the outer hulls had been
reinforced, and the range that the ground targets were attempting to hit
them at diffused the pulsed-plasma fire so that it mostly splashed acrossed
the hull. The return fire, however, was much different, and more effective.
	The tight groups made it a bit harder for the gun crews, but the
advanced targeting systems hooked to them were able to compensate. Again, 
the man-made hellfire raced down and splattered across the polymorphed
demons. Again, another two hundred died where they stood. Another fifty 
fell as they regrouped and grabbed heavier weapons. Soon, the two flying
gunships were peppered with holes, and smoking badly.
	"Midnight 1 to Defender 1.... It's your play now... Both my aircraft
and 'Night 2's are too badly damaged..." Another volley struck the plane,
and his voice faltered. "I'm getting us out of here while there's still
enough of us to fly.... Good luck, Defender!" And the comm line went dead.
	Xanatos quickly ejected the panel in his leg and extracted the two
figures inside. He placed them both on the ground, and tapped them both on
the top, twice. He stepped back, and they began to grow. As they were 
growing, Xanatos turned to the others....
	"Now, it's our turn.... And god help us....."
**************************************************************************
Chapter Nine

	Considering what happened, it was amazing that the human-disguised
demons even had a chance. It could be because of their supernatural aspect, 
supreme leadership....
	.... or they could have been just REALLY PISSED.
	Either way, when the cry of "GUYVER!" rang out over the park, every
remaining demon turned, changed into their true form and attacked except for
those guarding Martin.
	However, the clan was more than prepared, and still had a slight 
advantage. Being as strong, if not stronger than the many type-one minions
that milled around, the defenders hacked through them with ease. Considering
that the fate of their world was at stake, and for the clan their main
purpose was to protect, there wasn't any mercy shown.
	Even though the odds were almost seven to one, the group cut a wide
swath through them, a song on their lips and with light hearts. Most of
them broke up into two-man teams, covering each other's back's as much as
possible, resembling a sort of new-age version of Viking warriors with their
shieldmaidens.
	Saburo was particularly in his element, using the many abilities his
bio-booster armor gave him. He was in rapture, because this was what he had 
trained for all those years, to defend his home against the very creatures
that swarmed at him. And the demons knew it too, many of them throwing 
themselves against him with a thought, just for a chance to destroy their
most hated foe.
	As the demons dropped back to gather for another offensive, the 
defenders took stock; all had suffered minor battle wounds, from the scrape
of claws that Brooklyn had across his chest to the bite on Velvet's leg.
Xanatos' warbot had suffered major servo damage, and he had been forced to
abandon it early on. Fox's was working out much better.
	The defenders gathered in a loose group, to discuss the plan. "We need
to force out way up towards.... what's his name? Martin?.... the head demon
in order to stop them. If we destroy him, the others will have no grasp on
this plane, and we will be triumphant!" Saburo said. His control medal
gleamed with the battle-lust he had been feeling, and his chest heaved as he
fought to keep himself under control.
	"I agree. Cut off the head to kill the body is a common tactic. We
must attempt it!" Goliath responded. He was hurriedly bandaging a slice 
Elisa had sustained across her left leg from a demon that had managed to get
close before she ripped it to shreds.
	"We're cutting through them like they're nothing, lad. Give us another
half 'an 'our, and we should reach him...." Hudson responded. He and Bronx
were covered in the blood of the demons, and both felt all of their years
coming back to haunt them right now.
	"HERE THEY COME AGAIN!!!" screamed Bolt. He and Angela, being the best
off, had been on watch, and when the next wave came rambling toward them,
had sang out.
	With another series of roars, the defenders leapt back into battle...

	"Martin! Our forces are getting wiped out!" yelled Jacob. He had been
nervously watching as the attacking force came steadily towards their 
direction.
	"THEN DEAL WITH IT!" screamed Martin. He was in the middle of
establishing contact, and needed the time to finish. Crackling blue fire
danced around him, and his body began to swell with the absorbed energy.
	With a roar, Jacob and the fifteen guards on the stage lumbered off
the stage to engage the defenders. Jacob shapeshifted in his form, that of
a type-three, while the fifteen other guards shifted into massive type-four
demons. They rushed into combat, swatting aside any of their comrades in
their haste to get to the defenders.
	Lexington and Velvet were the first two that met the new enemies.
Working together, Lex and Vel would rush forward, Lex hamstringing and Vel
taking them out as they fell. But when Lex tried to hamstring the first Five
that he cam up against, his claws scrapped harmlessly across the armored
chitin on the back of it's legs. Velvet pounced and raked her talons across
the front of the Five's chest before springing away. Her claws only left
shallow creases across the breastplate.
	"Oboy... time for a new strategy...." Lex muttered, as he danced around as the lumbering Five attempted to pound him into the ground. Velvet
reached out with her mind and told her sibling of the futility of direct
confrontation with the huge Fives.
	Xanatos and Fox did much better with theirs, until Fox's power supply
ran out of juice. The big battle mecha's main power source was an untested
deviation of Xanatos's current power source. While producing more favorable
results in laboratory tests, under battle conditions it went through the 
power almost three times as fast. However, before the mecha dropped, they
managed to drop two of the big Fives.
	Xanatos laid down some heavy fire from his lasers as Fox struggled out
of the cockpit. It took her a few more seconds to fit into a battle
exo-frame similar to Elisa's, and the two again took up the fight.
	The rest of the clan, the mutates and the clones were meeting similar
results against the type-fives. They fought a stagnant battle with the Fives
simply because the defenders couldn't penetrate the armor effectively, and
the gargoyles and mutates were too quick for the Fives to pin down and
smash.
	The only single team member effective here was Saburo. With his high
frequency vibration swords, gravity-pressure cannon and incredible agility,
he was able to dive in, wound them, and be out before they registered the
pain. He took apart two in less than a minute, hacking through the 
incredible chitin that covered their bodies, to get at the soft flesh
underneath. He took of the head of another with the pressure cannon, 
removing it clean. The body fought on for another few minutes, then crashed
to the ground.
	Angela and Bolt, in the meanwhile, faced off against Jacob. "I 
remember you, gargoyle!" Jacob said, pointing at Angela. "You and that big
blue meanie attacked me and almost killed me! You are bad, very bad!" The
demon cackled as it waggled a talon at the two gargoyles.
	"Yeh, bite me....." Angela said. Using mindspeak: 'Last time we beat 
on this guy, he kept reforming. how are we going to do it this time?'
	Bolt grinned. 'This time, I have a plan...' The two silently 
communicated while Jacob ranted in front of them. 
	'...and I think that it will work. Ready to try it?' Bolt glanced over
at his mate.
	'Yes! Right now, we don't have much of a choice with the big windbag,
do we?' she smiled.
	'Ah, my love, what would I ever do without you?' he thought. He 
reached out and briefly clasped hands with her.
	'Wither up and die, I suspect! Now lets show this hellspawn how we do
things downtown!' She turned and roared at Jacob.
	'Done!' Bolt echoed her roar, and the two broke off and flanked Jacob.
"Now, monster, we'll send you back to where you came from!"
	"What, Denny's? Hehehehehe!" Jacob laughed. He swung a taloned arm in
Angela's direction, which she deftly sidestepped. Bolt came in low, only to
be picked up and thrown from a fast reaction from Jacob's superhuman 
reflexes.
	"NOW YOU DIE!" screamed Angela, and she jumped on him, driving her
talons into Jacob's scaly face. The demon shrieked, backhanding Angela 
across her side, launching her thirty feet away to land in a crumpled heap.
	Goliath caught Angela's motionless form out of the corner of his eye.
"ANGELA!!!!!!" he roared, eyes glowing with a brilliance yet to be matched.
The rage swept over him, but this time he welcomed the battlerage. Grabbing
the Five in front of him, he flexed the titanic muscles in his arms, and
broke it's back over his head before casting it aside like a rag doll. He
rushed over to Jacob, and the two traded punches while Elisa sprinted over
to check on Angela.
	Bolt got up weakly, his vision swimming in front of him. As his vision
came into focus, he noticed Goliath taking a beating from Jacob, as the two
fought. Then he saw Elisa crouched next to another form.... a leaner, 
feminine version of Goliath.... his Angela.
	"NO!!!! ANGELA!!!!!!!!!!!" he roared, shapeshifting back into his true
form, that of a enormous blue dragon. Eyes blazing, he took a step toward
Angela, then refocused back on Jacob. "YOU MONSTER!!!"
	Jacob caught the big lavender gargoyle with another swipe, and saw
with some satisfaction that the gargoyle slumped to the ground. At the cry,
he turned and saw an gargantuan blue freight train bearing down on him. For
the first time, the demon felt true fear at the presence of a mortal.
	Bolt reached out with a speed even he never thought possible and 
grabbed Jacob with one mammoth clawed hand. Even with as much hate as he was
generating for the demon, he still had presence of mind to stick with the
plan he had thought up before. "GUYVER!!!"
	Saburo had just sliced another Five in half when he heard someone call
for him. Seeing Bolt holding the wildly squirming demon in one hand, and
motioning up into the air with the other, he sensed the plan. "GO!" he
yelled, opening his chest plates as the Mega-Smasher charged.
	Jacob was thrown high in the air laughing insanely as he realized what
was in store for him. The Mega-Smasher erupted, shining white light catching
Jacob fully in it's beam. The demon screamed as the flesh sloughed off his
body, the scream lingering as the skeleton left behind was disintegrated.
	Shutting his chest plate, the Guyver turned to take on another Five,
when a razor-sharp sword erupted from his gut. Blood flew from his air vents
as the sword was ripped from his body, leaving him to collapse in a bloody
heap.
	"Excuse me.... is this a private party....?" Bane said, holding his
blood-drenched flamberge with both hands. Demona stood next to him, her
normally red eyes gleaming with an errie lavender light that mirrored
Bane's. She took the cue from him; "...or can anybody join in?" Screeching,
she leapt to attack the clones, while Bane yelled and rushed Bolt.
	The big blue was kneeling next to Goliath when a sharp sting raced up
his leg. Roaring he turned to see Bane yank his sword out and start swinging
again. "AH!!!! Stupid human! Don't you see that I am not your enemy right
now?!" Bolt dodged out of the way, leaping into the air and using the
wind to knock Bane to his knees.
	"Dragon! You will always be my enemy! I am the last of my kind, the
last of the Dragon Hunters! I live only to see you die!" He got to his feet
and blindly tried to attack the hovering blue.
	Meanwhile, the rest of the defenders figured out a way to deal with
the remaining Fives. Simple overwhelming tactics were especially effective
against the slow-moving and -thinking type-five armored monstrosities. All
the defenders that would fit piled on and brought the massive demons down.
Then they would pin it down and slowly rip it to shreds while the rest of 
them held the others off, to wait for their turn.
	Suddenly, tragedy struck. Demona, attacking out of nowhere, slashed
her way through the defenders, all were struck before Xanatos managed to
put her down with a concentrated laser barrage.	
	However, she left her mark. Many had deep slash wounds in wings and
arms... but that was not the worst.
	Broadway noticed that Renee had her hands covering her belly, and was
looking more pale than usual. Ignoring his wounds, he crossed quickly to
where she was. He managed to catch her before she fell to the ground. "Ren,
what's wrong?"
	Tears cascaded down Renee's cheeks as Broadway gently placed her on
the ground. She winced as she moved her hands. "I'm s...sorry, my love...."
	Broadway had seen enough battle wounds to realize that hers was fatal.
Her insides had been slashed to pieces, and she had heavy internal
hemorrhaging. He started crying softly, the battle around the two forgotten.
"No...no, no, no....."
	Renee spasmed briefly, then relaxed. She reached up and pulled 
Broadway down and kissed him with her blood-flecked lips. "Remember, no 
matter what, I will always love you..." she whispered.
	"And I you...." Broadway responded. He tried to keep her comfortable,
not knowing how much longer she would last.
	"But you need to let go of me, Broadway. You will need to find another
in time. Please, listen," she gasped, as Broadway started to disagree with
her. "My time is short, I can see that now. Promise me that you'll learn to
love again, and let go of me!"
	"Ren, I can't..."
	"PROMISE ME!!!"
	Broadway heaved, about to start crying again. But he held it under
control, and grasped one of Renee's hands in his. "I promise, my love. But I
will never stop loving you..."
	Renee laid back down, sighing. "I never expected you too, my love."
She shivered. "It's so cold......" she whispered. Broadway gently pulled her
close, knowing she was going into shock.
	Renee drew a breath...
	...exhaled...
	...drew another...
	...and exhaled... but didn't draw another.
	"Ren? REN?? RENEE!!!! Oh GOD NO!!!!!" he screamed. This time, he broke
down and started weeping, cradling her.
	The rest of the defenders finished off the Fives, just in time to see
human security troops, with lavender eyes and wearing the insignia of
Nightstone Unlimited, come charging into the fray. Since these were still
humans, they simply started knocking them out, holding close to Broadway,
who was obvious to it all. Broadway was so involved with grief that he never
even noticed a stray laser blast blaze across his shoulder.
	Meanwhile, Bane and Bolt were trading shots. Bane's sword had a nasty
bite to it, and his amazing agility bordered on supernatural. However, Bolt
had been fighting for life for over a thousand years, and had picked up a 
few things fighting humans. So it was pretty much a stalemate.
	"Come over here and fight, you giant lizard!" Bane cried out. He was
getting winded faster than he thought, not only swinging his sword, but from
fighting the wind that Bolt kept generating from his wings.
	"No thanks, human... Why don't you try and fight some one else you
have a chance of beating?" He nimbly dodged away from Bane yet again. "Face
it human, you'll never defeat me...." He winced as Bane managed to carve a
shallow groove in his flank. "Then again...." he muttered.
	"Monster! You shall pay for all your crimes against humanity!"
	"What crimes? What the hell are you talking about?" Bolt shifted into 
a defensive crouch. "What crimes have I done against humanity? The most I 
have ever done is protect myself against the humans that have come to
destroy my home! The clan's motto, 'Gargoyles Protect', is my motto! I help
patrol the city, to stop crime, fer god's sake. What does ye expect me ta 
do; lye down an' die?" Bolt was so infuriated, his old accent came out.
	"That I do!" Bane caught Bolt with another minor cut across his arm.
Bolt stumbled and fell heavily; Bane reared back for the killing shot, when
a lavender blur shot across his vision and crashed into Bane, knocking him
across the ground into a tree. Bane struggled for a second, until a fist
connected square with his jaw. In his weakened state, he couldn't keep 
awake, and passed out.
	"There. Now he'll leave you alone," Angela said, brushing her hands 
off.
	"My love! You're all right!" Bolt exclaimed. He picked her up and 
rubbed her against his face.
	Angela squirmed for a minute, then clasped her arms around his head,
laughing. "Of course! That little hit isn't enough to take care of me!"
	Bolt grinned, then thought, 'Be careful... I don't want to lose you.'
	'Don't worry about me, my love. Worry about yourself. You're a much
bigger target!' Angela mindthought, grinning.
	Bolt placed her back on the ground and looked around. The defenders
were moping up the reinforcements Demona and Bane brought in; Claw, Talon
and Maggie were holding down a thrashing Demona, while Lex slowly chained
her up; Goliath bent a bar around Bane, and then walked over towards where
Elisa was changing her weapons power pack. The only person left was Martin.

	Martin was throbbing with the energy the portal was giving out. The
energy came from his home plane, and he was absorbing it quickly. When he
couldn't contain himself anymore, he shapshifted into his true form in order
to gain more power.
	"THIS WORLD SHALL BE MINE!" he screamed. Normally thirty-five feet
tall, absorbing energy from the portal gave him an additional fifteen feet
in height, along with additional strength. He turned around, mandibles
clacking loudly. "In a few more minutes, the portal will be up to full
strength, and Hell's Army shall stride through and lay waste to this 
miserable little planet! And all of you shall pay for attempting to disrupt
our plans!"
	"I've heard enough out of you, demon! You shall pay for trying to
attack us with your life!" Saburo yelled. His wounds were healed, due to the
incredible healing factor built into the bio-booster armor. He extended his
vibration swords and leaped forward.
	The sword mounted on his left forearm sunk in; with a casual blow, not
even seeming to feel the pain, Desmodus swatted the Guyver away, breaking
the blade off in his flesh.
	Saburo hit the ground, rolling with the blow. With a cry of rage, he
once again leaped into the air towards Desmodus. This time, the demon
simply grabbed the brave Japanese warrior out of the air with two arms.
	As the Guyver struggled and tried using his weapons, slicing and using
his head-mounted laser, Desmodus ignored the minor cuts and burns and flexed
his spindly-looking arms. Saburo screamed as the demon flexed, his claws
digging into the bottom of the chest plate, near the waist. Finally, with a
horrendous tearing sound, Desmodus torn the brave Guyver in half, throwing
him in either direction.
	"SABURO!!" The cry leapt from the throat of seven different gargoyles
and humans. Bolt roared and charged the big demon, locking grasps with the
demon. Desmodus was forced to use all four hands as the muscles lining the
arms and chest of the big blue strained against the supernatural might of
the demon.
	God! I can't believe the strength this demon has! he thought to 
himself. His own toned muscles were enormous, and this demon was actually
starting to WIN! Growling, he pulled his arms down, angling his head down
in an attempt to gore Desmodus with his horns.
	Unfortunately, Desmodus saw the plan. As Bolt shoved his horns forward,
Desmodus closed his mandibles on one of the horns, locking it tight. With
a crunch, he tightened and broke off the horn at the base.
	Bolt shrieked in agony as the horn disintegrated. He released Desmodus
and staggered back. Desmodus jumped back and reached up, fastening his
right arms on the side of Bolt's head. With a jerk, he shredded through
titanium-hard scales, destroying one side of Bolt head, while the other side
clawed through Bolt's side, mangling tissue and bone without much effort.
	As the crippled blue sank to his knees in agony, Desmodus grabbed a
hold of Bolt in all four arms and threw him sixty feet away to land in a
gory mess.
	The clan stood in shock. Not only had they just lost Renee and 
possibly Saburo, Goliath's rookery brother was horribly crippled in front of
their eyes. The battle cries that split the air were horrible. As one, they
charged forward, talons and fangs glistening in the night.
	Desmodus grabbed them as they leaped, his clawed arms catching them in
midair and injuring them before throwing them back. Xanatos, Fox and Elisa
hosed down Desmodus, the firepower enough to level half a city block
barely slowing the huge demon down.
	"Know this, all of you! By your actions, you have proven yourselves
enemies of the New Order coming to your world!" Desmodus spread his arms
wide, his mandibles clicking in the air as the disgusting head swiveled to
watch the area. The mutates and clones were unsure on how to attack this
monstrosity, only knowing that the clan and humans, even the blue dragon,
were ineffective. "You will know pain. You will know suffering. Before your
lives are released, you will beg for us to give you your deaths. Maybe we
will, maybe we won't. But know this; you will pay for what you have done."

	Bolt managed to stagger to his knees, the pain almost unbearable. He
couldn't see or hear out of his left side(the eye had been destroyed, along
with the ear and the majority of that side of the head). The agony that 
lanced through his side, along with the blood he kept coughing up told him
of the massive internal damage he had suffered. 
	He looked around, his one good eye barely focusing. He saw the rest of
his clan lying around the ground nearby, all injured. Tears came to his
one eye when he saw Angela lying on the ground. 'My love, wh...what has he
d...done to you?"
	'Bolt.... I hurt so much....' she thought back weakly.
	
	"In a mere minute, my reinforcements will enter through my portal, and
lay waste to this miserable little island.... None of your pitiful weapons
will stop us, and as long as I remain, the demon forces will always have a
foothold on this plane!" Desmodus stood in front of the portal, laughing as
the portal pulsed.

	In a heartbeat (abeit a fluttering one) Bolt analyzed the situation,
and made a plan. He struggled to stand, almost passing out with the effort,
but making it.
	Angela, her mindlink with Bolt growing faint as she passed in and out
of consciousness, saw what he planned to do. 'NO!!!!! DON'T.....!!!'
	Bolt dropped into a football lineman's stance. His clawed feet dug 
into the ground as he gripped the earth and charged Desmodus.
	Desmodus heard the commotion, saw the gravely injured blue thundering
down upon him. He spread his arms wide in preparation to meet the attack.
	'Angela... Remember always... I love you...' he whispered. Then he
sprang at Desmodus, spreading his wings wide.
	Desmodus realized too late what the blue dragon was doing. Bolt
impacted waist high with Desmodus, just as the first of the horde appeared
out of the portal. Desmodus was picked up as Bolt clasped his arms around 
the waist of the monstrous demon and catapulted forward, the two still 
linked together.
	The two flew toward the portal, disappearing...
	'...Remember...'
	...into the portal.
	The enormous blue portal shuddered, tendrils extending from all over,
grabbing the bits and pieces of the demons that were lying around. When the
blue tentacles touched a piece, it glowed a brief blue, then disappeared.
Finally, the new demons coming out of the portal were picked up and bodily
thrown back inside. With a hiss, the portal collapsed upon itself, and
winked out of existence.
	
	A small breeze wafted out of the northeast. All the rest of the living
defenders, gathered around where the portal disappeared, except for Elisa
and Goliath.
	The two made their way painfully to where the upper half of Saburo's
body had been thrown. Saburo had crawled to a tree and braced himself 
against it, draining his life fluids onto the grass. Both of them noticed 
that the suit wasn't repairing itself.
	"Saburo...?" Elisa asked quietly. She was holding her left arm with
her right, blood staining the armor from a broken arm.
	The control medal flashed, and Saburo's voice was heard weakly. 
"Elisa? Is... is the battle.... won?"
	"Yes, my friend.... we have won..." Goliath said. His right wing and
arm had deep scratches in them, almost to the bone. It would be a few weeks
before he would be able to fly again.
	A sigh escaped the mask. "Good.... And now my friends, I must leave 
you... for my purpose on this plane is over."
	"But... you can't!" Elisa gasped.
	Saburo grasped her good arm with his. "I told you when.... this 
started that I would go regardless.... of the consequences. Don't be sad, I
go on to a better place..."
	Goliath reached down and grasped forearms in the old way. "I wish you
luck, my friend. Travel well!"
	Saburo attempted to respond, but a glob of blood burst from his air
vents, and he collapsed. A few seconds later, he was enveloped in a white
haze, his body mended whole once again. He gave them a salute, one they 
waved to, and slowly faded from view.

	Angela knelt by the portal, tears streaming down her face unabashedly.
"Bolt, my love, I will always love you...." she whispered. She understood 
the sacrifice he made for them all, understood why he did it. It was his
nature to protect his loved ones, without any thought for himself. Leaning
against Brooklyn, she dropped something at the spot where the portal had
been, something to symbolize their love...
	The Medallion of Transmutation.
	Turning away, Brooklyn helped her walk away towards where the others
were standing. Neither one looked back. Neither one saw the medallion
flash briefly, then disappear.

	The defenders gathered around Xanatos. He popped open a small panel
on his wrist. "Owen.... bring us home...."
***************************************************************************
Epilogue

	"This is an NBC Nightly News Break. Top stories tonight; the 
mysterious Central Park blockade. Hundreds of people were not able to get
into Manhattan's Central Park for most of the night tonight. Police officials
claim a plague has required them to cordon the area to prevent wide-spread
contamination. Authorities are just now sending in clean-up crews to deal
with the plague..."
	"On a lesser note, Xanatos Enterprises has announced today their
newest acquisition; WetWorks Laboratories, a multi-million-dollar research
company that had, just in fact, merged with Nightstone Unlimited. This 
merger gives CEO and major stockholder David Xanatos, the title of 
wealthiest private citizen in the world, with a estimated personal fortune
of over two-hundred billion dollars! Our hats go off to you tonight, Mr.
Xanatos...."
	"In other news..."
**************************************************************************

	Well, that's it! The conclusion to the DevilSpawn Saga!
Praises(maybe), comments(likely), and/or flames(great possibility) goes to
the usual place: myrlynn@execpc.com.
	Continuation of the series with continue based on response, so, send
me an e-mail! The conclusion of Excaliber and the next Demon War will be a
separate story by itself.
	Enjoy!

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