Kindred Spirits -- Part 2
by Oberon's Child (SuperHiro@aol.com)


   Description: Brooklyn has to take his leadership to its fullest when he goes to face Sapphire. 
One problem, though. There is an enemy in the party!
WARNING-slight graphic violence, adult language. Essentially rated PG-13. Older readers only, 
please.


What, you are reading my second story?! Oh my gawd!! Hmm...well, just to make sure, to 
understand this you need to have read my first part, Kindred Spirits -- Part 1. That way, my 
characters aren't unknown.


As I said in my last fanfic...

   READER'S WARNING: I ramble for a little right here, but please, read. I don't want some sort 
of lawyer trying to explain this to a judge.

   Disclaimer: (sigh, this good stuff and most is not mine..) The television show "Gargoyles" and 
all of the characters from Gargoyles are copyright 1996 -- Buena Vista/Disney. This is not 
affiliated with any Disney or Buena Vista project and I am not doing this for money, merely for 
entertainment, so don't sue me!
(the thing below is copyrighted because of "Kinda I Want To)
   "NIN - pretty hate machine" is copyright 1989 -- Trent Reznor and TVT Records.
   "Dazed and Confused" is copyright 1993 -- Universal City Studios, Inc.
   "MacArthur Park" (no, I am not crazy) is copyright Polygram International Publishing Inc, 
written by Jimmy Webb.
   Ted Bentley, Sapphire, Jet, Emerald, Midnyght, Joe and Kyle the rockers are property of me, so 
don't even THINK about using them without permission! (just mail me, and I'll most likely say 
yes...that is, if you even LIKE them ;)

   Everything depicted in this story is my material, and any similarity to anything, being it living 
or dead, fictional or real, is purely coincidental. If any of this had really happened, anyway, I 
would have had a heart attack and died right where I would have discovered any of them. So, this 
is impossible. ...Hey...what's that swooping sound? *GASP* Ahhhhhh, my heart!! ...... ;)

  Note: This story is part of another timeline where only the first two season stories exist (no 
TGC). Besides, my station dropped TGC after ratings drooped, so I never saw them all. Also, the 
episodes weren't too great. I didn't like the outcome of "Genesis Undone, Runaways, To Serve 
Mankind," and the other real cr*p ones. Sorry if you like that series, but just pretend it doesn't 
exist!!!

   If you are less than 18, please regard the message above. The disclaimer is above for sake of 
protection. It is in plain sight, so any jury in the U.S. will favor me in a lawsuit if you sue me 
over damages. Hey, remember: this is my second fanfic attempt. I have read all the rules and if 
you have problems with
this stuff, don't read it. (I know...RAMBLING!!!)

   One more note...this takes place two days after "Hunter's Moon Part III" and is actually set one 
year ahead. This is another addition to the timeline. Just pretend here that the Avalon trip was a 
couple of months longer and this trilogy episode was delayed for another half of a year. Like I 
say, think of it as some more adventures happened after "Possession."

   I talk too much, don't I? ;) BTW if you want to, you can also EM me at:
	cptajrimmer@geocities.com (superhiro@aol.com, all you slow people, you ;)

And finally, a dedication. To:
   Sara, may her warm heart and wonderfulness make others happy and herself always be a true 
friend to us all.


*******
(SUMMARY OF LAST STORY)
	In Kindred Spirits -- Part 1, we see Ted Bentley, your run-of-the-mill kind of boy that is 
related to Elisa. For some crazy reason, Diane Maza tells Elisa to introduce Ted to the gargoyles. 
Elisa is hesitant at first, but she then agrees.
	Elisa has Ted meet Morgan and Matt down at the Precinct. There, he meets Lana 
Chavez, Maria Chavez's niece. Then, she heads for the Aerie, Matt and Ted tagging along.
	After Elisa convinced the clan to let her cousin see them, it seems to be 
uneventful...until Ted brings out a surprise of his own. He knows gargoyles as well!
	Sapphire, Jet and Emerald are the new gargoyles on the block. (Sorry. ;) Ted tries to put 
in a good word for them after suspicions are aroused. It seems that Sapphire's mini-clan is 
honorable, so Goliath officially makes them clan members and heads out on patrol.
	Unfortunately, Sapphire has plans of his own. He betrays the clan with a rogue fey, 
Midnyght, capturing Lana and many others. The only ones who were left unscathed were Ted, 
Jet, Emerald, David X., and Alex.
	Now, the five of them are preparing to go after Sapphire and Midnyght...but little do 
they know that something will happen that will put them at another's throat!


*******
11:30 P.M.
Aerie Building
Castle Wyvern


	The discovery of Sapphire's betrayal had stunned both Emerald and Jet, who had 
thought nothing of his intentions. Ted Bentley, Elisa's cousin, probed a wound inflicted by a 
bullet. He slightly winced as he pressed against it to bring the blood flow to minimal level. 
Brooklyn was looking over the weapons that the others and he had just found. David Xanatos and 
his son, Alex, were simply going over the red exosuit that David had used countless times against 
the clan when he was their enemy.
	Everyone had some notion of hate in their mind. Jet and Emerald were angry at 
Sapphire; Brooklyn at Midnyght, Sapphire, and slightly toward Elisa, for not listening to his 
plight of Ted's introduction; David at Midnyght; and Ted was mad at himself for ever 
introducing Sapphire.
	As the time sluggishly crawled by, the weapons were distributed to the four older people, 
Alex having his magical talent. Ted kept the long sword that lay before him, Brooklyn taking the 
crossbow as a backup, and Jet and Emerald relied on their talons alone.
	Knowing what they were coming up against, nobody was on the immediate offense. If 
Sapphire could take out an entire group of people, they had to think of what could happen to 
them.
	The null void of quiet seemed to make everyone uneasy. Either that, or the fact that a 
nearly omnipotent being and a psychotic person they trusted took out nearly 15 people, leaving 
behind a scant few.
	Ted finally broke the dull silence with a swish of his blade, striking a fragment of stone. 
"I can't believe this. It's like we're cursed to be betrayed by everyone we meet..."
	Brooklyn nodded, knowing all too well after Demona tricked him into nearly making 
Goliath a zombie that hated humans, the Captain of the Guard letting their clan be smashed, Iago 
becoming one of darkness.
	"Sapphire has always been kind to everyone," Jet muttered. "Why did he even join the 
clan before then?"
	"It may be that he was lonely, and he decided to band with someone until he knew if 
Goliath was alive or not," David suggested.
	"Maybe," Ted admitted. "I met him when I was twelve...about the same time that 
Goliath woke up, by my count."
	"That may be why he allied himself with you," Emerald realized, "because Goliath 
would be an open target, and he needed a person who either knew Goliath and his clan or 
someone who knew that person."
	"I just want to get a piece of him," Brooklyn snarled, eyes flaring white. "If he hurts any 
of them, I will strangle him!"
	Ted sighed. "I just hope nothing bad has happened to them."

*******
The old clock tower

	Slowly, the world stopped spinning. As his head began to feel a little better, he opened 
his eyes slowly, looking down at the ground. Having been captured a little while ago, he felt in 
better condition than he usually did when he was a prisoner.
	Taking in account that he couldn't see too well, he grunted as he forced his eyes to focus. 
That's when a pair of turquoise feet appeared in front of his face.
	"Well, I see someone finally woke up," Sapphire scorned.
	Goliath groaned as he lifted his head. He tried to stand up, but the shackles on his arms 
and legs held him down. Goliath's eyes flared a white that was the brightest anyone had ever 
seen. Goliath was still weak, though, so he couldn't break the restraints. "What are you going to 
do with us?"
	Sapphire grinned. "Oh, I'm not going to do anything to them. It's you I have to deal 
with." Sapphire's grin flipped over as he began raving over what had happened a millennium 
ago. "I had the perfect opportunity to get all I ever needed in life. Money, friends, and a chance to 
live. Then, you took it all away with a single blow. Now, I may have that same opportunity...but I 
first want my revenge!"
	Goliath glared at the younger gargoyle that was walking away. His stare turned into an 
expression of utter fear as Sapphire returned, only with a variety of items that Goliath had only 
heard about when people were being tortured.
	"Before I kill you, I'm going to have some fun first," Sapphire's insane smile sent a 
shiver down Goliath's spine. He prepared for the worst as Sapphire drew a rather nasty whip 
from his collection.
	Sapphire's laughter echoed down corridors as Goliath's roars of pain followed them.

	Elisa felt the pain of hearing someone scream that she couldn't stand to listen. She had 
been hoping that Goliath would think of some way to escape when Sapphire had Midnyght bring 
him to the other room. She was so tired, though, that she nearly fell asleep as the roars continued.
	"Ugh..." Broadway grunted, "I feel like someone out of Dazed and Confused. Doped up 
to high heaven."
	"You think *you're* drugged up?" Fox muttered. "That fey hit me first with the true 
meaning of his name. I'm the one who's tired."
	"Please! Let's not play 'I'm-More-Tired-Than-You' right now and try to find a way out," 
Lexington interrupted. He tried to move, but he was held firmly in place by a forcefield by 
Midnyght. In fact, all of the people in the room were encased by this miniature cell.
	Puck tried to break through the forcefield (still in his fey form because he had reason to 
believe Alex was in danger), but the magic he used simply fizzled once the power was tried 
against the forcefield. He sighed, then just began to think.
	Elisa sighed. "I haven't heard him howl like that since the time I had to use an electric 
disk to help us chase after Thailog."
	"I hope Goliath's all right," Angela whispered, her lip quivering. Broadway felt 
compelled to go over and comfort her, but his movement was restricted. It seemed that Broadway 
was somewhat closer to Angela than before.
	"Lass, Goliath's been in worse scrapes than this, like the time we fought again' the 
Archmage," Hudson replied, trying to console everyone at the same time. Unfortunately, it wasn't 
helping that much.
	"Well, I just would like to think that the others can still help us," Fox sighed, thinking of 
David.
	Bronx could only growl in agreement. Everyone else simply tried to nod, only getting a 
slight movement. They then sighed, anticipating the next move.

*******
The Castle

	Ted was standing on the ledge of the castle, looking up at the sky.
	"How should we go about our attack?" Ted wondered, eyeing his blade.
	"We need more people. Five isn't the strongest force," Brooklyn noticed.
	"Whatever happened to Elisa's brother? Isn't he a cop?"
	Brooklyn looked uncomfortable. Thinking back to when Elisa couldn't end her pain of 
seeing her brother a mutate, he sighed, wondering how Ted would react seeing his cousin now a 
mutate. *I knew this would happen.* "Well, I guess we can get Ta...Derek."
	"Where does this Derek live now?" Emerald asked.
	Brooklyn sighed, thinking of Maggie at the same time as Talon. "The Labyrinth. 
Xanatos, Jet will carry you, Emerald will take Ted, and I'll handle Alex."
	The trio jumped off the castle, each holding another person. Ted looked down, 
shuddered, and clenched his fists together. David looked up, and nearly laughed, seeing the 
desperation of someone wanting desperately to walk and not fly.
	"Is something wrong?" Emerald asked him.
	"I'm deathly afraid of heights," he said, looking up.
	"But...you rode back just fine to the castle!"
	Ted shuddered, trying to ignore the fact that he was deathly scared. He tried to have the 
same confidence he had the first time, but felt uneasy without Elisa near him. So, he decided to 
lie.
	"That's when I didn't look down. I HATE heights." Ted seemed content with the reply.
	Brooklyn groaned. "Perfect."
	"Just don't do anything to scare me," Ted said to Emerald, clutching onto her tightly.
	"I know the drill. Take off, glide, and don't jerk all of a sudden!" she said.
	"Okay, here we go!" Jet said, diving off the tower with David clinging on for dear life.
	"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!!!!!!" was all that could be heard as Emerald plunged from the 
ledge. Brooklyn shook his head and followed pursuit.
	As the new trio of gargoyles deftly moved through the sky, Ted decided to open his eyes 
slowly. He tried to look away from the skyscrapers and make some idle chatter to keep his mind 
off of the ground below. Nervously, he forced a grin as he turned to Brooklyn. Laughing, 
seemingly normal, he began to think.
	"So, who was that weird little guy that took Owen's place?" he asked Brooklyn.
	"That would be our little friend, Puck," Brooklyn snorted. "He's always doing something 
that ends up getting me in trouble."
	"Wait, wait, wait...not the same Puck from-"
	"-Shakespeare? Yes, the very same."
	"Oh boy."
	Ted began to shake slightly. All this was causing his brain to become jumbled. While he 
tried to calm himself down, David looked around.
	"Hmm...how long till sunrise?" David asked.
	"About 6 hours, why?" Emerald said without looking up.
	"If we don't defeat Sapphire in that amount of time, we have no way of winning this 
battle," David stated.
	Brooklyn icily stared at him. "You certainly inspire confidence."
	"What can I say?"
	"How about nothing?"
	Ted cut in. "Uh, you guys don't happen to know how long it will take to get to the 
Labyrinth?"
	"About another half hour."
	Ted then pointed to a nearby building. "Stop there."
	"Why?" Jet asked.
	"I have some friends here. Trust me. They'll be able to help us. That, and it is really 
close to Matt's apartment."

*******
The apartments

	"Hey guys!! Open the damn door!!!" Ted yelled, pounding on the door for the umpteenth 
time. Loud music was playing in the background. Ted finally decided to get the key that was on 
the sill above the door. When he turned the key, the music seemed to stop, he opened the door, 
David following him, hoping to talk to his friends as well.
	Then, someone let go of the fast forward button.
	The words "KINDA I WANT TO!!!!!!!!" blasted David's eardrums to hell and he 
stumbled from the room, clutching his ears in pain. Brooklyn strode in, singing along to the beat 
of the CD "pretty hate machine."
	"HEY GUYS!!! I NEED A FAVOR!!!!" Ted yelled to his two friends sitting by the CD 
player.
	"YOU WANT TO BE A DRIVER?" one yelled back.
	"NO, TURN THE MUSIC OFF!!"
	"GET THE WATER TROUGH?"
	Ted simply walked over to the CD player and hit the "pause" button, causing the music 
to halt suddenly as "sin" began playing.
	"Hey, I was enjoying that..." Brooklyn complained.
	"OH!" one of the guys said, rather yelled.
	"Will you shut up?!" Ted yelled back. "Yeesh...I'm surprised your eardrums work still."
	One of the two guys stood up. He looked about 16, covered with tattoos and a carton of 
cigarettes sitting by his shoe. He smiled when he turned to Brooklyn. "Is this another one of your 
friends?"
	"Yeah, Joe, he is. This is Brooklyn. Standing in the door," Ted motioned to the frame 
where the two female gargs stood, "are the two you know already."
	"Cool," the other one said, also standing up, a lit cigarette in his mouth. He looked about 
18, and just about as much as a rocker as Joe. David, Jet, and Emerald walked in as Ted 
motioned for them.
	"Kyle, Joe, I want you also to meet David Xanatos, head of Xanatos Enterprises and rich 
bastard all-around," Ted laughed.
	David simply smiled, turning to Ted. "I'll take that as a compliment."
	"Whoa, it's that rich dude!" Kyle stated.
	Brooklyn rolled his eyes. "Rockers indeed."
	"Boys, I need some help. We need to get some friends back to safety and Ted here says 
you can help us." David smiled, holding up a wad of cash.
	Joe immediately snatched the money. "For that, yeah." He then walked over to one of the 
beds in the room and began reaching for something. At that time, Kyle walked over to Brooklyn.
	"Want a drag?" he asked the rust-colored gargoyle, waving the cigarette in front. 
Brooklyn took the cigarette and puffed on the end. He immediately began hacking and his eyes 
watered.
	"That is disgusting! What the hell kind of crap is that?" Brooklyn coughed.
	"It's because you're not a regular smoker," Ted laughed. "I should have warned you 
about him."
	Jet raised an eyebrow. "These guys are your friends?"
	He shrugged, as if to say, "So?"
	Jet rolled her eyes. She had known Ted for a while, but had no idea that he knew two 
people probably high on drugs. However, she disregarded it as if they were two normal guys.
	Joe stood up, a small device in hand. "Here we go!"
	He then pointed the device at the far wall, clicking a button. The wall began to slide 
away, revealing a stockpile of weapons. Everyone but Ted and the two residents gasped.
	"Where'd you get all that?" Emerald asked, eyeing some of the stuff.
	"Our parents are in the Secret Service. We hold some of the weapons when they run out 
of room. We'd never use the stuff, but if you need it so badly, this is some serious shit," Kyle 
explained. "Hell, we'll help you with your problem."
	"Are you sure you're allowed to sell us weapons like this?" David asked. "I would have 
gotten the ones at my place, but I had no real time. Besides, Owen had the keys."
	"As long as nobody knows that we charged you for use and we use a few rounds, it'll be 
okay."
	Ted's eyes were wide as saucers. "I didn't think you meant THIS! I...I don't really know 
anymore..."
	Brooklyn smirked, looking at some of the weapons. "God, what do you have in there?"
	"Rifles, pistols, chainguns, grenades, bombs, you name it, we have it!" Joe said in a tone 
of voice almost like a sales pitch.
	"I'll stick with the sword, thank you. You guys get as much as you can take," Ted said, 
walking out of the room. He shook his head, smiling, knowing their parents would have a fit 
when they found out what happened to the weapons.
	After a large commotion, the other six came out of the room. Brooklyn was in full battle 
gear, with a bullet-proof vest, ten grenades clipped on, two pistols and lots of ammo. Jet and 
Emerald had loads of bullets and a chaingun each. Joe and Kyle emerged with lots of clips and 
two pistols each also, not to mention a bag full of supplies, like shotguns, more grenades, shells, 
and some rockets. David had the most interesting weaponry. He had a rocket launcher sitting on 
his shoulder, rockets in his bag as well.
	"Jesus, you guys went overboard," Ted laughed. "What's with the two pistols, you 
three?"
	Brooklyn and Joe smiled while Kyle laughed. "It's John Woo style," Joe said. "We saw a 
sneak of the movie Face/Off."
	"Whatever. Let's go."

*******
12:45 A.M.
The entrance of the Labyrinth

	"Damn. We wasted more than an hour getting here. This shit's weighing us down really 
bad," Ted sighed.
	Jet groaned, rubbing her back. "Yeah, but we were also carrying another passenger, 
remember?"
	"That, and I had to drop some stuff real fast after Alex pulled a pin on one of the 
grenades," Brooklyn grumbled as he looked at the toddler.
	"Not exactly what we needed right now," Ted moaned. "Oh well. Let's get Derek, and 
then get the hell over to the tower."
	Slowly, the party of 8 moved along the corridors of the Labyrinth, stopping as they 
reached a large steel barrier. Ted pounded on the door. He patiently tapped his foot as he waited 
for the resounding 'click' on the lock. Didn't happen.
	Ted pounded on the door again, starting to get frustrated. Brooklyn sighed, tapping in a 
sequence on a section of the door. The door slightly opened up, and a deep voice called, "What is 
it?"
	"Talon, it's me, Brooklyn. Let us in," the gargoyle called.
	Slowly, the door opened and everything was in view. Ted had an awed look on his face, 
taking in everything he saw. He walked in, the others following him. As soon as Ted was in the 
door, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
	"Hello. Who are you?" a rather familiar voice asked.
	"My name is Ted. And you-" Ted turned and gasped. It was Brooklyn, or rather a copy 
of him. Ted looked the Brooklyn duplicate over. "Who are YOU?"
	"My name is Malibu," he said. "Um...if you're wondering about me, I'm a clone of 
Brooklyn."
	"Whoa, weird."
	Brooklyn stepped forward. "Malibu is an experiment of a cloning procedure by one 
Anton Sevarius. He duplicated everyone in our clan, except Angela, and even Elisa's DNA is 
mixed with Demona."
	"Elisa and Demona? Isn't that like a genetic hybrid?" Ted asked, perplexed.
	"Essentially yes. When Sevarius created them, they were nearly mindless drones that 
would abide to one of the clones' every command. Now, it seems they have worked on their 
language and intelligence."
	"We have established a level of communication and thought equal to yours," Malibu 
added.
	"They are all good friends, too," Talon said, coming out of the shadows.
	"Cool! Another gargoyle?"
	"No, not quite, but a 'test subject' of Sevarius," Talon replied coldly.
	Ted nodded. "I see you have a particular dislike for this guy. Who put him up to this?"
	"One," Talon said, pointing at David, "David Xanatos."
	Ted looked appalled. "YOU?!"
	David put his hands up. "I did not know that Sevarius would be testing on human 
subjects."
	"Human 'subjects?' You're sick! You treat him like he's nothing!"
	Ted looked around before it sank in. Talon was a human.
	Ted was even more shocked, turning his attention to Talon. "You were once a human??"
	"Yes," Talon simply replied. As he did, he began to think. *I know that voice, but where 
do I place it?* Talon had a look of surprise, joy, horror, and shock when he realized who it was.
	Ted noticed the look on Talon's face. "Something wrong?" As he said that, he looked at 
the once human. He noticed that he had the same frame, speech, and style of Derek. That's when 
it clicked.
	"Derek?!"
	"Ted?!"
	"Oh my god!" Ted turned to David, so full of anger that if he were a gargoyle, his eyes 
would be glowing pure white. "WHY?!"
	"I didn't know this would happen!!" David yelled back, somewhat lying.
	"Ted! It's okay, I've forgiven him!" Talon cried, stepping between the two.
	"Oh whatever! He robbed you of your humanity! Where is the forgive? WHY have you 
forgiven him?" Ted asked, turning away from David.
	"First, he is very sorry. Second, he saved Goliath's clan sometimes. Third, he then let 
Elisa alone, and he has vowed to help us in the future."
	Ted scowled, throwing up his hands. "Fine. Okay." When he calmed down, Ted began 
to bring up the subject of the arrival. "We're here because something happened at the Aerie."
	Talon's ears perked up. "What?"
	"Well, it first happened when we met Ted. It was an int-mmmph!" Emerald got cut off 
by Jet, whispering "Not the whole story!"
	"We have a situation on our hands. Goliath, most of his clan, my wife, and Elisa were 
all taken prisoner," David supplied.
	"Oh no..." Talon groaned. "We need to think of some sort of...hey, who are those two 
right there?" Talon pointed at the gargoyles unfamiliar to him.
	"Oh. Meet Jet and Emerald, Derek." Ted introduced them, and after formalities were 
through, they all began to think.
	"We need to form a plan of attack," Talon stated, looking at Brooklyn.
	"Hey, don't look at just me! We all have to come up with something," Brooklyn 
proclaimed.
	As the group began to talk, the time slowly slipped by, each person thinking something 
different.
	*How am I supposed to lead when I have no idea what to do?* Brooklyn sighed, then 
went back to his thoughts.
	*I should have never brought Sapphire to meet them...* Ted scolded himself for even 
letting Sapphire anywhere near the clan.
	*If anything has happened to Fox, I'll break Sapphire's neck,* David thought, smiling at 
the prospect of cracking some bones.
	*Dada not happy, need Puck for help,* Alex realized.
	*Cool, we get to blow stuff up,* from the minds of Joe and Kyle.
	*How would Goliath handle this? ...if only I could see. Heck, I'd give to be one of them 
so I knew what was happening!* Talon wondered.
	*What would Sapphire be doing?* was running through both Jet and Emerald's heads.
	Talon quickly shot up. "I have an idea!"
	Everyone else jumped to hear a sudden burst of excitement.
	"What do you have in mind?" Jet asked, hopeful.
	"This might sound strange, but if we wait until just a couple hours before dawn, we may 
have a chance."
	"Huh? You lost me," Emerald said quizzically.
	"I'll explain later. Right now, I need to round up just a little bit of help in case we need 
it."

*******
1:00 A.M.
The old clock tower

	Goliath sighed in relief, even though his back was searing with pain. Sapphire had 
decided to lay back on the sadist act, saying "I'll get you at dawn." The large gargoyle tried to 
shift his position, and nearly roared when the pain shot through his body. He looked as far behind 
him as he could and saw a glint of green by one of the doorframes. He tried to move, but couldn't 
shift. He looked at what the shackles were chained to and a faint smile tugged at his mouth. He 
realized that the chains were attached to a large, but movable cement slab.
	Goliath began to use all of his force to move the block by tugging on the chains, shifting 
his body weight to make the thing slide around, and he finally turned so that he was facing into 
the room where all the others were being held. It had hurt, but he now had a chance to talk to 
them.

	Angela was standing absolutely still and quiet when she heard a scraping sound coming 
from the other room. She opened her eyes to see Goliath looking at her. She nearly cried out in 
joy but realized that if she was heard, Sapphire might come out to investigate. So, Angela instead 
tried to speak in a loud whisper. "Goliath, are you okay?"
	Goliath tried as hard as he could to hear what Angela was saying, but couldn't 
understand. He mouthed "speak up" to her.
	Angela, this time in a low voice, repeated what she said. That grabbed the attention of 
the others in the room. They all looked over to the doorframe and were overjoyed to see that 
Goliath was okay.
	Okay being figurative for alive.
	"Goliath, what has he done to you?" Angela asked again, just noticing the damage done. 
Skin was literally hanging off of the body, blood flowing in small streams down Goliath's back. 
Muscles were severely damaged from the lashes of the whip, and Goliath tried to look as if it 
weren't as bad as it seemed.
	"Do you have any idea on what to do?" Elisa asked, having noticed Goliath.
	"Elisa. I have been...how you say, through the wringer. Do I look like I had the time to 
plot a way to escape?" he winced as he talked.
	"Okay, never mind. Ted and Brooklyn may have gotten Xanatos to get some sort of 
supplies to help us nail Sapphire and Midnyght."

1:15 A.M.
The adjoining room

	"Yikes, this form is starting to tire me!" Midnyght groaned, tired. The dark mist began 
to swirl, moving into the shape of a human. Slowly, the mist turned into a flesh form, and 
Midnyght appeared human. However, all of his clothes were blackened, and he had a distinctive 
black mark across his forehead.
	"This new form suits you," Sapphire complimented.
	"Why, thanks. This way, I can actually cause physical damage to people!"
	Sapphire shook his head. "You're a sadist."
	"Damn right!" Midnyght laughed.
	"My God, I'm not that bad."
	"You're too weak to do what I like to. Besides, you have no idea what horrors I have 
made people experience in time."
	"Such as?" Sapphire asked, intrigued.
	"Nobody has ever survived the Pit Of Spikes. Even worse, Oberon's power has been cast 
down on some humans, and my power is just as great. However, if I want to truly torture 
someone, I play MacArthur Park' in a continuous loop on max volume setting until the give up."
	"Now THAT'S nasty."
	They both laughed, taking pleasure in the thought of sadism. Midnyght sat back and 
sighed, running his hand through his black hair. His brown eyes were the one color on him that 
were not entirely black.
	"So, what's it like as a human?"
	"Eh, I essentially like it. However, I absolutely can't stand natural light. It makes me 
cringe. I'm practically a creature of darkness, now. Light does a terrible slam to my body," 
Midnyght described.
	"Well, at least when you're fey you can make anyone sleep."
	Midnyght shook his head. "Nope. If they have some sort of iron armament on their 
person, I am helpless. It's odd."
	"One of the disadvantages of the bad side."
	"How come you turned to ransoms and stuff?"
	Sapphire breathed deeply. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later, when we've gotten rid of 
Goliath."
	"Why not now? We have all the time in the world, what with Goliath locked down and 
the others restrained."
	"You have a point. Well, here I go. It all started..."

*******
The Labyrinth
1:30 A.M.

	"Fang, this is a temporary release. We need your assistance in saving Goliath. This is 
the only chance you will have out of the cell, so take it or leave it," Talon stated bluntly.
	"I'd rather have a full parole but a change of venue works," Fang smiled, able to walk 
around the Labyrinth.
	Brooklyn frowned, saying to Fang, "Remember, we have weapons trained on you at all 
times. Don't try anything."
	"Oh sure. I'm going to run off when you have something that could easily blow me to 
bits pointing right at me. I'll just make my escape now," Fang rolled his eyes, the sarcasm 
dripping like a wet rag.
	In the next couple minutes, Maggie, Claw, Malibu, and Delilah had been called forth to 
aid the cause. Claw and Maggie gave Xanatos the evil eye, and Maggie concentrated on Fang, 
not having the nicest thoughts about him either.
	"So, what do we do now?" Emerald asked.
	"We have to be strong and fast in this attack. I'll explain on the way," Talon quickly 
said, running out of the Labyrinth door.
	"Hey!" Ted called, running after. He was trailed by everyone except Maggie, Fang, and 
Malibu.
	"Fang, don't think I'll trust you ever again. You're only here because we have to help 
Goliath," Maggie snarled before grabbing his arm and pulling him out the door.
	"Wait for me!" Malibu called, running after them.
	Now, the Labyrinth was nearly quiet. However, something was wrong. Muffled cries 
could be heard down one of the corridors. Brentwood, who had been watching the others, went 
down there and gasped. He saw Burbank and Hollywood, bound and gagged, trying to break out 
of their bonds.
	Brentwood went over and freed the two from their restraints. "What happened?"
	Hollywood gasped, being able to breathe normally again. "It was Talon!"
	"WHAT?!" Brentwood shouted.
	"He's right, lad. He took us and tied us up he did," Burbank, with his Hudson- like 
accent, responded.
	"Oh boy...this isn't good. Let's go after him."
	As the three ran over to the door, it suddenly slammed shut. All over, a click could be 
heard on every wall. Brentwood pushed against the door, and fell back in surprise.
	"It's locked!"
	Hollywood added his strength, but to no avail. It was securely shut.
	"What do we do now, lads?" Burbank asked.
	"We have to find a way out and let them know something's wrong! First, we need some 
help."
	The three dashed down the corridor, looking for the humans.

*******
The clock tower
2:00 A.M.

	"Why can't we get Matt?" Ted complained.
	"We have no time!" Talon insisted.
	"No time?" Brooklyn wondered. "It's four hours to sunrise! What do you mean no time?"
	"I just think that we should do this now, that way we have a chance to get the upper 
hand on whoever is doing this."
	Talon slowly ascended the stairs, walking by bits of broken glass and shrapnel from the 
blast caused by the Hunters just days before. The others shrugged as they trailed him. As they 
walked up the stairs, Ted evaluated the area.
	"Not exactly much left, huh...hey Derek, where did Elisa work in here?" he had to ask.
	"Uh...right about here, I think," Talon replied, pointing at a desk.
	"Yeah, that's it. I can see a fragment of her picture," David replied. Alex looked at Talon 
strangely.
	"So what now, guy?" Kyle asked, pulling his guns out.
	"We need to look for the perpetrators," Emerald supplied.
	"How about we look for the bad guys?" Joe wondered.
	Everyone groaned. Joe looked around, as if saying "What?"
	Moving along the coridor, Malibu felt uneasy. He had seen the station before, but not 
like this. Delilah went over to him, and Claw stood by also. Talon took a look at them and 
nodded.
	"Good thinking. We should get in groups."
	"Huh?" Delilah said. "We were just tending to Malibu."
	"Oh, well. We need to split up to cover more ground."
	Brooklyn walked over to David, Alex, and Talon. "We'll go this way. Emerald, Jet, 
Maggie, you go with Ted and see what you can find. You five-" Brooklyn pointed to the three 
Labyrinth-dwellers, Kyle and Joe, "-take the other route."
	Everyone agreed and began to walk off after Ted decided to ditch the sword for a gun. 
Kyle whined, having to give up his movieish gunplay. Ted loaded the chamber and began to go 
after his companions. However, nobody noticed that Fang disappeared...

	Kyle was still moping as he, Joe, and the other three began their ascent up the building. 
Slowly, they made some progress. Claw looked around and made some gestures to Malibu, who 
nodded. Joe looked at Delilah, puzzled.
	"What did he say?"
	"Claw was wondering if we should go left," she replied immediately.
	"Oh."
	As they turned the corner, they all readied anything to attack assailants. Joe noticed a 
shadow and began firing. Everyone else acted as well, only to realize the shadow was cast by the 
fragments of a broken ceiling lamp.
	 "Goody," said Kyle, deadpan, "we just used a bunch of rounds fending off a light 
source."
	Everyone gave him the evil eye, not noticing the other shadow creeping up on them...

	Brooklyn felt along the walls, seeing if he could see anything that could be of use. David 
had his guns at the ready, while Alex eyed Talon. Talon calmly strode down the corridor. 
Suddenly, a sound was heard. David pulled the trigger on the rocket launcher, sending the 
projectile down the hall, and exploding at the end. All that happened was the "attacker" fell to 
the ground, dead. David rolled his eyes, seeing it was a rat.
	"This is not very easy," he muttered.
	"No kidding," Brooklyn breathed.
	"Quit delaying," Talon said, going ahead around the corner. Brooklyn followed, and 
suddenly, David heard a cry. He ran around the corner, only to be hit by a blast of electricity. 
Alex, although shielded by his fey side, was knocked out as well. Talon laughed, saying, "Okay, 
Midnyght! Send me back to myself!"
	Slowly, the laughter started to die, until a blast occured. Something flew out of Talon, 
and the mutate fell over in a heap.

	Ted turned. His ears perked up, trying to listen for something.
	Maggie looked around, saying, "I heard something."
	"Me too" everyone else replied. They decided that if they went forward, they'd be able to 
see if anything happened. Ted groaned, though, as two sets of stairs went around the building. He 
thought for a minute, and pulled out a one dollar coin.
	"What's that for?" Jet asked.
	"This is my lucky coin. I always use it whenever I have to decide something."
	Ted flipped the coin, and it went up high. It then landed on a rafter.
	"Fuck," he simply stated. Maggie slightly laughed. "I'll be right back...damn coin."
	"Not very lucky, is it?" Jet called. The three laughed as Ted gave her the finger. They 
laughed even harder when he called, "SHIT! It's even higher up!"   They calmed down and began 
to go the other way. Little did they know that Ted was about to make a mistake. And so were 
they, as the shadowy Midnyght came atop then and they fell over.

	"*gasp* Stupid...damn...*ugh*...coin!" Ted was climbing higher and higher, slowly 
making his way to the coin. Of course, he misjudged the step, and fell. 
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" A very audible (and painful) thud could be heard at the bottom 
of the clock tower. Fortunately, Ted landed on a bunch of old boxes, cushioning his fall. He was 
soon knocked out, but could faintly hear voices.
	From up above, someone bnegan to laugh. Loud. Maniacally.
	The same voice said, "I'm ready to take his place, Middy. Can you transfer me? Soon?"
	The other one, again in human form, replied, "He has to..."
Then everything went black.

*******
5:40 A.M.

	Ted finally came to. He held his head, groaning. He looked around as the sky was 
considerably becoming a light tinge of blue, and that worried him. Standing up, he looked 
upward at where he was supposed to go.
	He began to walk upwards, wondering what his fate was to be. He knew, by the gut 
feeling, that everyone else was captured. Gulping, he began his ascent.

	"Well, boys and girls, I will have pleasure in destroying you all at dawn. You saw my 
little demonstration, and know that I can be up past dawn. So, I will now tend to my 'friend' 
down there. Bye!" Sapphire mirthfully said as he walked around the corner, disappearing.
	Goliath sighed. "I don't understand. How was he brought back to life in the first place?"
	Puck, now holding Alex, grimly smiled. "It's an old fey technique. If a fey deems 
someone worthy enough to bring someone back to life, they can. This gives them immortality."
	Everyone groaned.
	Puck scowled. "I'm not done. However, immortal by normal strength. They can still be 
killed, but it's much harder. If one dies, they both die."
	"There's a plus," Brooklyn quipped, deadpan.

	Ted looked up. All he could see was a small light at the top of the tower.
	"Damn...if only I were in his shoes, I would know where to go."
	Up on top, Midnyght smiled. That was what he was waiting for.
	"For the spirit to be willing,
	The flesh must first become weak.
	Just long enough for soul in flight
	To pass from cheek to cheek."
	Suddenly, Ted felt his body being ripped away from him. He passed by a blue blur going 
past him as he sailed upward to where Midnyght was. Suddenly, Ted went flying into Sapphire's 
body.
	"Whoa! What was that?" Ted thought as he scratched his head. He looked at his hands...
	...then screamed.

	Before the inevitable transformation, Talon had regained consciousness.
	"It was that gargoyle. Somehow, like it happened to your clan, Goliath, I was possessed 
by that Sapphire guy. Then, when he left me, I was so weak I fell into unconsciousness."
	"No wonder Alex reacted to you..." Maggie said, having been filled in.
	"So...how do we know that one of us isn't Sapphire?" Broadway warily asked.
	"Hey, why are you accusing us?" Angela reacted.
	"For all we know, Goliath may be Sapphire!" Fox claimed.
	"Don't try me!" Goliath said, appaled.
	Everyone began arguing amongst themselves when a scream of fright was heard, then 
the sound of flesh impacting on other flesh.
	Elisa perked up. "Did you hear that?"
	"It sounded like Sapphire!" Kyle whispered.
	"Hey, do you think it's Ted?" Joe wondered.
	Suddenly, Sapphire/Ted (Ted in Sapphire's body) staggered into the room, clutching his 
head. Not before Ted/Sapphire gave him another good punch to his head.
	"You bastard!" Ted/Sapphire lied, continuing to beat up on him.
	"Fuck you!!" Sapphire/Ted yelled back, giving Sapphire a good kick to the groin. 
Sapphire howled, staggering over to the clan.
	"Get him guys!" Ted/Sapphire yelled.
	Goliath, Brooklyn, Angela, and the rest of the clan's eyes flared, and they all responded, 
"Gladly." Brooklyn ran out first, giving Sapphire/Ted a punch and then a kick to the stomach. He 
doubled over, gasping.
	"Brooklyn..." he warned.
	"Fuck you! You son of a bitch!" Brooklyn yelled, kicking him again. Sapphire/Ted 
jumped up, but Goliath knocked him back onto the balcony. Angela jumped forward and gave 
him a flying kick to the chest. He screamed as he fell over the edge. The others dove off in 
pursuit.
	However, they all gaped in shock as he struggled with his wings. He fell onto the rafter, 
a SNAP echoing through the corridor. Sapphire/Ted groaned, unable to move his leg.
	Ted/Sapphire was dropped down by Hudson, and he then went over to Kyle.
	"I need a gun so I can get rid of T..hat bastard Saph," he lied.
	Kyle simply handed him the gun, and Ted/Sapphire went over to his counterpart. That's 
when Sapphire/Ted grabbed the coin sitting there and jumped.
	"Shit!" was what he heard as he descended. He saw the sword he had thrown away 
earlier, and grabbed it. He hopped over to the wall, and decided to put his new body to use. Very 
difficultly, he clawed his way up the wall, and got to the top to see something horrifying.
	The entire group of people were glaring at him. If looks could kill, he would have fallen 
to the ground in shambles. Ted/Sapphire smiled, looking at Brooklyn. "Let me take him. I want 
to do this."
	Brooklyn nodded grimly, eyes ablaze.
	Ted/Sapphire strode over to the wincing gargoyle, trying not to put too much pressure 
on his legs, and keeping his broken arm intact.
	"So, are we having fun yet?" Sapphire/Ted joked.
	"Not yet." Then, Ted/Sapphire threw a nasty punch that nearly cracked his jaw. 
Sapphire/Ted looked at him, spitting blood.
	"Oh, that's *ppbth* wonderful...wait..."
	"What?" the gargoyle said, in Ted's body.
	"Wait! Brooklyn, remember this? 'The one who so delighted in awakening me!'"
	Brooklyn drew back in surprise. "TED?!"
	"That's right! He said that when he woke up!" Lex remembered.
	"So we'll remedy that!" Ted/Sapphire said, knocking Sapphire/Ted back. He fell over 
hitting his broken arm and nearly blacking out. He looked up, seeing the clan leader, rather 
upset.
	Goliath was looking at him with a "Sorry" look as Midnyght smiled cruelly. Everyone 
was being suspended in midair, and they had no way to move from their captivity. Ted/Sapphire 
was slowly going up to Jet, holding the gun up. Jet was crying, trying to get him away. 
Sapphire/Ted looked in horror, then acted.
	"Hey, motherfucker! Why don't you get me first?" he yelled, hiding the sword.
	Ted/Sapphire looked behind him, his hands scant inches away from Jet's rather water-
stained face. Jet shuddered, half of her petrified. Ted/Sapphire smiled, pushing the gun away, 
giving her a look before hopping down. Jet spit in disgust.
	"Well, if it isn't the hapless fool," Ted/Sapphire simply smiled.
	"You say that now, but I have the upper hand."
	"Oh, I don't think so." Ted/Sapphire raised the gun up. Sapphire/Ted gasped. He hadn't 
seen that. He had to pull out his sword and do it now.
	Too late.
	Ted/Sapphire pulled the trigger three times. Sapphire/Ted, what with his leg broken, 
could not dodge. All the bullets struck him in the chest, blood spurting like fountains. He 
screamed in absolute agony. Elisa began to cry, seeing her cousin fall over.
	Ted/Sapphire was laughing now. He walked over to Sapphire/Ted, who was covered in 
blood from the chest down.
	"Don't fuck with me," Ted/Sapphire sneered.
	Sapphire/Ted was gasping for air, trying to keep alive. He looked over to his side, the 
sword still in hand. However, Ted/Sapphire put the gun to his forehead and finger on the trigger, 
said seven words.
	"Time to go to the other side."
	Sapphire/Ted finally snapped. He looked up, and said, "You first." Using all of his 
strength, he reached around and drove his sword through Ted/Sapphire. He screamed as the 
blood gushed from him like a river. Sapphire/Ted pulled the sword out and thrust again, 
watching as both he and Midnyght writhed. He let go of the blade, to see Ted/Sapphire stand up. 
He clutched the handle, and fell. Midnyght withered away, a pained scream eminating before his 
death.
	The clan fell to the ground. Elisa ran over to Ted, crying. She was joined by Jet and 
Emerald. Talon watched from a distance, fighting back tears.
	"Ted?" Elisa sobbed.
	Ted groaned, looking over to the three standing there. "I wish this could have gone 
better."
	"Don't worry about that. The sun's almost up," Emerald whispered, tears streaming 
down her face.
	Ted gasped, and he seemed to slowly breathe. "I...don't...know...if...if...I-" A crackling 
sound was heard as the gargoyles turned to stone, including Ted.
	"Whoa..." David said, staring in awe.
	"Hey, gargoyles only turn to stone if they don't die before sunrise! He made it!" Fox 
whooped.
	"YES!!!!!!!!" Elisa shouted in joy, seeing as he was saved at the last minute by the 
glorious sun.
	Talon finally wept, but in joy. All the other people were also sobbing. Elisa and Talon 
embraced, Fox and David embraced (Puck grabbing Alex so that he wasn't smothered) and Claw 
and Maggie rejoiced.
	"So what do we do now?" Elisa asked after she and Talon let go. "We can't just leave 
them here, and let the Quarrymen find a group of gargoyles ripe for smashing..."
	"I have an idea. Owen, get some crews from the Aerie. Miss Maza, we'll take the body of 
T...Sapphire, and have it moved to a suitable place."
	Elisa nodded.

*******
9:00 P.M. the next day
Aerie Building

	Nothingness. That's all he felt. Nothingness. Then...he felt himself wake up. He was 
trapped. He had to get out. Struggling, he angrily burst out of his stone encasement. He stood up, 
to the joy of everyone else. Jet, Emerald, Elisa, and Talon all came over and embraced him.
	"Wow! That was incredible!" he said, fully refreshed.
	All the gargoyles came over and said their joys and apologies for suspecting him of 
being Sapphire.
	Ted forgave them all, but began to think.
	"What happened to my body?"
	Elisa looked guilty. "Well, it was so badly damaged that it was unsalvageable. Sorry."
	Ted looked surprised. "So...I'm a gargoyle...for the rest of my life?"
	Elisa sadly nodded.
	To everyone's surprise, he jumped in joy, crying out happily. "YES!!! I've always wanted 
to be a gargoyle!!!!"
	"Whoa, whoa!" Angela caught him, hugging him.
	"Well, as long as he's happy," Talon laughed.
	Everyone was surprised to find themselves at the Aerie, anyway. Now, everything was 
close to normal. Except for one thing.
	"Well, Goliath, what a friend I turned out to be," Ted muttered.
	"Nonsense. You showed true courage and compassion when you came to our aid, and for 
that, we are thankful. I would like to induct you into our clan."
	Ted's eyes shone, not literally, but with happiness. "Thank you! I...hey...wait...I can't 
have a name like this! Oh sure, Ted the Gargoyle."
	Everyone laughed, some of the clan giving him suggestions for a new name. Ted waved 
them off, however.
	"If it doesn't bring back memories, I really liked the name Sapphire, but I'd want to go 
by Saph."
	Goliath slightly laughed. "The newest members of the clan, Jet, Emerald, and Saph!"
	Everyone cheered, and there was a party set up by Owen and the others down in the 
Great Hall. They partied for the whole night, having a blast. Joe and Kyle, having 'rocked out', 
returned to their apartment to find that their parents had returned. Malibu, Delilah, Claw, and 
Maggie all realized that Fang was missing, so they decided to do a fast run of the city and look 
for him. Everyone else stuck around to party.
	"Well, guys, this has been one of the most interesting things of my life..." Saph had 
begun, but he stopped short. He turned to David.
	"Yo, David!"
	"Yes?" the billionaire replied.
	"WHERE'S THE BATHROOM?!" he yelled, running down the steps.
	The entire clan burst with laughter as he frantically ran and tried to find a place to go. 
Goliath walked over to Hudson, giving him a look.
	"You know, there are now three female gargoyles in the clan. This means..."
	Hudson's eyes shone. "...that we may once again have a rookery."
	Both of them smiled as they watched Saph run down the halls, screaming.

END

Yeah, I know...cheesy ending. Hey, it took me a long time to write this. Like it or lump it. ;)

Questions, comments, or flames (no, no, no ;) mail SuperHiro@aol.com,
lunarmaniac@hotmail.com, or cptajrimmer@geocities.com.

NEXT STORY

  The pranks are flying as Saph relives his human mischief. Of course, the true
tricker goes a little out of hand...

*******
Copyright 1997 -- Oberon's Child (Midnyght, for you who don't pay attention)