Rose nodded. "These all are." She suddenly appeared to reach into her back pockets, pulling what to Steve looked like a giant purple fire hose out of her pocket.

"What is that?"

Rose smiled. "You'll see, soon." The sun finally dipped below the horizon, and all around Steve a fantastic transformation occurred. He watched in awe as the statues cracked, shining bright eldritch energy through the damage to their skins, and revealing the multicolored creatures within the shells.

"Incredible." Steve turned toward Rose, but suddenly saw that she was in some kind of convulsion. He approached her, panicked.

"Rose! What's wrong?"

"GET BACK!" Rose's eyes glowed bright red as she roared the command at Steve. Fearful, he pulled away from her, and watched, shocked, as the young woman tore through her clothes, pushing out a giant pair of wings, attached to her back. She doubled back, facing out toward the sky, as the rest of her clothes shredded apart, revealing the magnificent gargoyle within the frail human.

She had grown nearly two feet taller, and had deepened in her facial features. She now had four small horns, barely portruding from her forehead, framing her hairline around the rest of her face. Huge, pointing ears stuck out from the sides of her head, ears that twitched. By her face, though, there was no mistaking that this was Rose.

"It is. Speak."

=I have a proposition for you, Ms. Destine. A business proposition.=

"Unless you tell me who you are, I have no interest."

=I think you will want to hear me out, Ms. Destine. Or should I call you by your other name ... Demona?=

SNARL! "What do you want, mortal?!"

=I wish to offer you your greatest dream.=

"You know nothing of my dreams! Who is this?!"

=I know of your hatred of humanity. I too have this hatred. If we join together our forces, we can bring about the end of all human life on this planet. You and your kind can rule again, as is your proper birthright.=

"I'm listening ..."

The alien turned toward the human man. =I have learned from experience, Mr. Bluestone, that the gargoyles are ... formidable opponents. If you have any chance at all of defeating the invasion, it will be because of gargoyle involvement.=

=Yes.= The tall man turned to look at the younger woman, sprawled on the floor next to the elevator. =Why attack me?=

"Please forgive my daughter, sir. She didn't know you were coming." The older woman quickly picked up her daughter, bringing her back up on her feet. "And since you never gave me a name for formal introductions ..."

=My kind have no names, as your kind used to be. You may refer to me as Rokkan, as this is the true name of my people.=

"Very well, Rokkan. May I present my daughter, Angela Destine."

Angela smiled sheepishly, extending a hand. "Sorry about that, sir. I didn't know."

=You are forgiven. It is good to know that secrets cannot leave this place.= Rokkan brusquely shook Angela's hand, then turned back to the older woman, Dominique Destine.

"You had better be right about this. We can't threaten our secrecy just for your pet project."

"It's not just my pet project. This half-breed could pose a threat to us, that is if we don't recruit her first. And don't lecture me about secrecy. I know our gospel. 'Above all else, secrets rule the Illuminati.'"

"What do you know?"

"You know the rules, Rose. I can't tell you anything I learned while I was lost in time. You have to find out for yourself."

"But Brooklyn ..."

"I can't! My heart aches a lot about this, because you guys are my family, but I can't say anything about the invasion that could corrupt the timeline. My family is too important to me."

=It arrives!=

All present turned their eyes heavenward, scanning the skies, until they saw it. The alien armada, after a quick approach, flew close overhead. They stayed in tight formation, soon spreading across the city. As soon as they assumed their positions, they began sheet- bombings on the buildings and people below.

In stunned silence, the gargoyles could only watch. Quietly, forebodingly, Nokkar voiced one sentence.

=The invasion has begun.=

=Our first demand is thus. We demand that all planetary political control be turned over to us. We have attacked your city of New York, due to its powerful position in global politics. Rokkan governors will take over the leadership of all nations and countries.

=Second demand. We demand that control of all military forces on this planet be turned over to the previously mentioned Rokkan governors, to do as they see fit. Your military installations, technology, and manpower will be used to serve the Rokkan.

=Third demand. We demand that all unnecessary human manpower be taken off of this planet. The Rokkan are not a cruel race: we will provide ships to send your civilization to another life-bearing planet. Those humans that serve our needs will not be allowed on the ships.

=That concludes our demands. Human transplantation will begin in three days. If these demands are not met, humanity at large will suffer, in great quantities. Resistance to Rokkan rule will prove useless. We are your rulers now.=

"Angela, are you all right?!"

The voice was unmistakeable. Angela slapped her forehead. "Broadway."

"I need to know! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. That's all you need to know."

"I'm serious, Angela. This is important! The invasion is ..."

"I know all about the invasion, Broadway. I do live in this city too, you know."

"But ..."

"Thank you for your concern. And say hi to our son for me."

Angela quickly hung up the phone before her mate could get another word in edgewise. Ex-mate, she reminded herself. When you chose to work with Mother, you left everyone at the castle behind. Your father, your friends, your mate ...

... your son.

Tears welled in Angela's eyes, as her head dropped in sorrow.

"GRANDMA!!"

She jumped down to look closer at the body, and suddenly she saw it. The lifeless, limp form of Diane Maza, trapped under a ceiling beam. She had been struck in the face by the beam, and was probably killed on impact.

"Rosanna! Over here!"

Rosanna stood up, fighting the smoke once again to see two more human forms running out of the hallway. Happily, she realized they were both family, and both alive.

"Grandpa! Aunt Beth! Come on, this place isn't going to remain standing for much longer!"

Another Rokkan, a massive, 11-foot robed alien, approached the questioning gargoyle. =Demona, you need ask nothing else.=

The alien unhooded himself, to reveal his face and head. Demona could only suck in a breath of unadulterated joy.

The Rokkan were gargoyles. Just like her.

Steve approached her, slowly. "But what about your grandmother?"

Rosanna turned to face Steve. Sighing shakily, she looked up at him. "She was killed in the bombing. Their apartment collapsed, and she was caught under a beam ..."

Rosanna closed her face into her hands, heaving sobs shaking her body. Steve placed an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

His attempts only further fed her rage. She suddenly tossed Steve aside, stretching her wings skyward and roaring her animal fury impotently into the night air. Her eyes glowed, their brilliant red a strong counterpoint to the gloom of the evening.

"I swear to you, the Rokkans will pay dearly!"

Rosanna scoffed at him, turning back to her task. "Like you would really care. You're too busy wallowing in self-pity to come out of your cocoon and start taking action." Frustrated, she turned back around. "She was her mother, Goliath! She's family!! You should have at least helped me!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize ..."

"No, you didn't. Give it up, Dad! If you do nothing but mourn her for the rest of your life, there will be nothing left of her to remind you!"

Rosanna huffed a loud breath, turning back around to see the city's skyline.

"Rosanna ..."

"I don't have time for this, Goliath. I have a world to save."

He couldn't help but smile. He crouched down to eye level with her. "You do understand, this will be dangerous. I can't guarantee your safety if we do decide to stay and help fight."

The girl hugged her father, tightly. After she released him, he brought himself back up to his full height, turning to his mate.

"Well, in for a penny, in for a dollar." His mate squeezed him tightly, then kissed him tenderly.

"Let's go, Lex."

Lexington nodded, and roared out as he and his family leaped off the observation balcony, catching the right updrafts to bring them to the Aerie building, up to Castle Wyvern.

He looked up at one of the sides of the stone. There were fresh flowers there, not maybe four days old, planted into the holder. Rose must have been here recently, he thought.

"I know I usually only come here on our ... special day, but it may not come this year. Nokkar's invasion is upon us."

Goliath sighed, heavily. "Our daughter is a fine leader. The clan is in good hands. She will be known as a great warrior." His eyes dropped, down to his hands, which were folded in his lap. "I just wish you were here to see her. I wish ... I had been quicker."

He fell to the ground, lying in a near-fetal position. "Oh, God, Elisa, I miss you so much. I used to be so strong with you, and now danger is all around and I can do nothing to stop it. I haven't the strength of body, nor spirit, to continue."

A fourth silhouette appeared behind the giants, smaller but more commanding. When it spoke, though, the voice chilled Goliath's blood in horror.

"Do what you like to him, but keep him alive. I want him to deliver a message."

The three giant silhouettes rushed toward the gargoyle. His eyes suddenly glowed white, lashing out toward the giants to no avail. The first swing from one of the giants took him down six notches in the fight. His vision clouded over, he tried to put up some defense, but could not. The three giants continued to beat him savagely, until they were sure he was hovering between life and death. The fourth silhouette then approached him, eyes glowing red.

Demona.

She picked her ex-lover's chin up, so that she could face him in the eyes. "Take this message to the clan. The Rokkan will place gargoyle-kind in its proper place as rulers of this planet. There will be no room for dissenters."

She dropped his head, turning to see whose grave he was by. Chuckling, she spit on the headstone.

"Or half-breed abominations, for that matter."

"Oh, my God ..."

Her father lay in a small dip caused by his fall, nearly broken in half. He obviously had some broken bones and internal injuries. He looked close to death.

Elisa pulled her service pistol out of her jacket. "Let's go, Matt!"

"Cool! Take me with, I'm not missing this!"

Goliath shot a glance at her. "Why?"

"I am half-gargoyle, Daddy. Wouldn't you like a spare set of wings?"

"Oh, God, I know what that means, Maza."

"Dad! Mom's in the middle of the crossfire!"

Goliath's face took on an expression of unadulterated horror. He pulled himself up to full height, beginning a suicide dive toward the love of his life.

"ELISA, GET DOWN!!!"

At that moment, another burst of weapons fire erupted from the top floor.

It was aimed perfectly.

"You'll be all right, Elisa. I'll get you to a hospital."

She gasped a weak breath, gave her mate one last kiss, then breathed a short message to Goliath.

"With your shield or on it."

Her eyes closed. Her chest sank. Her entire body relaxed.

Goliath and Rosanna were lost in their grief. Tears flowed freely from the eyes of both father and daughter, tears which were followed by outraged roars. Leaving the body where it lay, the two gargoyles savagely punched through the roof, scratching and clawing at the band of smugglers, a mere six men, savagely tearing into them, letting all their fury loose on the cop-killers. Finally, all six were unconscious, carried by Rosanna out the front door of the warehouse.

The cops were more than grateful to the two gargoyles, but they didn't care. Goliath climbed back up the side of the warehouse, coming back down with Elisa's body cradled in his arms. Bluestone approached them cautiously.

"Are you ..."

Goliath glared at the detective, handing him the body. "We are physically well, Bluestone. But my soul has been hurt beyond repair."

Goliath turned away, walking out toward the next warehouses on the pier. Rosanna jogged to catch up with her father. When she finally caught up with him, he dropped to his knees, consumed in grief. Rosanna could do nothing more than wrap her arms around her grieving father.

Goliath smiled. "It's been too long since you've called me that."

Steve came up behind Rosanna. "I need to know, Goliath, what happened? We need to know."

Goliath sighed. "I went to Elisa's grave." He gave an embarrassed look at his daughter. "I'm ashamed to say this, but I went there to die."

Rosanna sobbed again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ..."

"It wasn't just what you said tonight, my daughter. You were right. It's just ... I've felt so weak since her death. I wasn't fast enough ..."

"And I shouldn't have kept you from leaving so long. It's nobody's fault. We have to let it go. If we don't the Rokkans will surely defeat us."

The pilot turned around to face his employer. "May I remind you, sir, that they've never been too receptive of your assistance."

"They don't need to know I'm helping them, Vogel." The black-clad man sat back further in his seat. "I know she's with the Rokkans. They are going to find her. And when they do ..."

He pulled out an ancient weapon, a heavy broadsword bearing a family crest: MacBeth.

"... oblivion comes for me at last."

"Where are we, Lex?"

"Don't know. You were hit pretty hard, we're on a convenient rooftop."

Broadway sniffed. Something very familiar in the air ... a fragrance ... orchids ...

"We're at Nightstone."

Lex looked up at his rookery brother. "Are you sure?"

"I can smell her, Lex. I can smell Angela here."

The shorter one looked at the woman sideways. "Angela?!"

"Broadway. Lexington." She walked up to Broadway, cold-cocking him and making him drop Samson.

"What was that for?"

"Who the HELL do you think you are, bursting in on me like this?! Don't come to me just because one of your clan is injured. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am not your mate anymore, Broadway. Gather your things and get out of here before I call security and have you removed forcibly. And believe me, Nightstone security can make your life very miserable."

Broadway's face crossed into an anger that Lex had never seen before. He stood over his fallen son, facing down the woman.

"You listen to me, Angela. I was shot down over here by folks working with your mother, the same guys who decided to make a jigsaw puzzle out of our son." Broadway suddenly grabbed Angela by her shoulders, turning her forcibly to face her injured son. "Now, are you going to help us, or are you going to watch your son ... our son ... bleed to death in your office?!"

The bubbles came up for a short time.

Then they stopped.

She turned her attention back toward the silhouettes through the lights. "No, I'm Zsa Zsa-freaking-Gabor. Tell me something I don't know."

The Rokkans mumbled between themselves. Obviously, her sarcastic burst had caught them by surprise. She allowed herself to smile slightly.

=It would be wise of you to cooperate, Rosanna.=

"And do what? Betray my clan, betray my planet? I don't think so, tall-dark- and-ugly. Find somebody else to be your stoolie, it's not gonna be me."

A smaller silhouette came forward to join the other Rokkans. Before recognition could sink in, a blue talon lashed out at her, leaving a bright red mark across the young gargess' face.

"Your wit is well known, Rosanna. But trust me, it is wasted here. It's only a matter of time."

Rosanna's eyes glowed, turning back to the owner of the talon. "Right, Demona. I'm really going to be afraid of you."

"You had better be, freak. Once the clan learns of your capture, they will do anything to rescue you. And that's when we will deliver the death blow."

"Can you see me better now?"

Caught unawares, the guard stammered for a moment. It was clear to Rosanna that this was a young Rokkan. Maybe a teenager.

=I apologize. You are just quite fascinating.=

"Thanks, but I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment, coming as it is from a Rokkan."

Goliath nodded. "He is powerful."

"Goliath ... nobody's seen Rosanna come back."

A shadow of concern crossed Goliath's face. "Samson is her second- in-command ..."

Lexington turned around. "Samson's not here, either. He's with Broadway, they're laying low until sunup."

"Goliath," Steve levelly pleaded, "the Rokkans aren't going to let this slide for very long. They're sure to counterattack. Whether you like it or not, this clan needs a leader."

"The clan can go on without me. Rosanna's made sure of ..."

"I don't mean the clan. I mean us. Me and Samson."

Angela turned her head slightly to see her son, lying prone on the next exam table. She sighed quietly, sadly.

"I heard that, Angela."

=Help me! Help me!=

The other Rokkan, a male by Rosanna's calculation, simply looked at the helpless guard. He pulled a small item out of his belt, pointing it an firing at the fallen guard.

=Good death, friend.= He ducked back out the door, into the passage, and continued on his way.

"What did he do to you?!"

The guard heavily supported herself on one arm. =It is ... a Rokkan tradition. He shot me with a poison dart, so that I cannot be captured.=

The guard looked up, puzzled. =Why would you help me? I am ... Rokkan, you are a gargoyle.=

"Because we have one thing in common. We both know our duty. We both have honor. Let me help you, and I swear to you my clan will not try to harm you."

A human crouched down to her eye level. He was strangely attired, and much too calm for her own taste.

"I just saved your life ... I hope you appreciate it."

Rosanna extended her hand. "You fell unconscious while we were flying back here. I asked Alex to save you life, and he did. He took the poison from your system."

She began hyperventilating. "What have you done to me?!"

Rosanna's face took on a look of desperation. "I'm sorry, it's the only way we could save you. Your injuries were too severe ... Alex didn't know what to do with you ... so ... he kind of ... sort of ... turned you into a gargoyle."

She stood up, horrified.

"What?! You've turned me into a gargoyle?!"

The furious blue gargoyle leaped into the face of her Rokkan escort, eyes glowing an angry red. She had nearly destroyed her penthouse office at Nightstone, her fury was so great.

"She was HELPLESS! She was under CONSTANT GUARD!! And that jerk MacBeth attacks, and everything goes straight to HELL in a HANDBASKET!!"

"As ready as I get, brother." She turned her eyes downward, he could see that through her mask. "I kinda wish Jonny had been here."

"No, you don't. He'd go on some kind of sanctimonious head trip, and start trying to kill our allies. Remember, we're only chasing the Demon."

She turned to her wheelchair-ridden brother. "How are we so sure that the others didn't join her?"

"Because I know, Robyn. They never would. She never would."

"This is about the Maza woman again, isn't it?"

He turned, angrily, toward her. "No, it isn't ... yes, it is. I made a promise to her at her grave. I swore I would not harm her clan, not a single one. I made that oath before God, Elisa, and her daughter."

"Oh well." Robyn turned back to her displays. "Coming up on Manhattan, Jason."

"Signal the fleet. Let's finish this." Jason pulled on his own mask.

The Hunters and their party descended on the city.

Rose looked at him, eyes wide. "You don't mean ..."

"Indeed I do, Rose. Come on, Owen, it's time for the Steel Clan to fly again."

"I made a promise. If I have nothing else, I must at least have my honor."

Rose nodded, the cumbersome Steel Clan armor barely allowing her to move her head. "We have forces waiting behind you, Jason. We'll follow your lead, but we must fight watching toward sunset."

The other Hunter came up behind Rosanna at that point, turning with concern to her brother and the hybrid. "We must be careful about your winged reinforcements, Rose. Some of our troops are old-school Quarrymen."

"Leave them to me. If they threaten the clan in any way, they're mine."

Robyn nodded. Rose turned back to Jason. "Whenever you're ready."

Jason nodded. "May God fly with us this afternoon." He turned toward his troops. "QUARRYMEN ATTACK!"

... but then her mind returned to her family. To Samson, the son who she had just treated for his injury the day before. To Rosanna; true, her enemy, but no matter, she was still her sister. To her father, sinking further into his depression with each passing night ...

... to Broadway. Poor, blinded, abandoned Broadway. And now she was helping her mother kill him. As if she hadn't done enough by leaving him.

Her head fell to the desk, her tears unsoothable.

Suddenly, she breathed a shallow word. "Mom."

He seemingly lost control of his power. Suddenly, Alex and Rose were fully bathed in light, surrounding them completely. When he finally was able to pull away, he saw Rose standing there, bereft of her armor but none the worse for wear.

Then he saw the glow.

"Rose?"

She turned to look at Alex. The glow in her eyes, bright white, intensified. When she spoke, though, was when he knew something was very wrong.

"No. Not right now."

She ran off the edge of the battlement, launching herself into the heart of the battle ... but without armor. Still, she was able to fly into the faces of the Rokkans and do what none of the present technology had done; destroy a Rokkan.

Owen alighted next to Alexander. "What did you do to her?"

"I wish I knew." He turned to his old teacher, fear in his eyes. "Owen, something terrible has just happened to Rose. She's possessed."

Owen arched an eyebrow.

"It gets worse. She's possessed ... by Elisa Maza."

Then she saw the shadow. It approached slowly, at a calm walking pace. The shape of the shadow was human, but Rosanna had no way of knowing whether it was someone she could trust.

As the shadow came closer, Rosanna could make out some features. It was a woman, that was clear. She wore modern clothing, somewhat similar to what Rosanna herself preferred when she was human. The eyes beckoned to her. Dark brown eyes ... familiar eyes ...

"Mother?"

Finally, the shadow came right up to Rosanna. At this distance, it was easy to see who it was clearly.

"Hello, Rosanna. My daughter."

"You would ask me to destroy my own son! I can't do that, mother. I just can't!"

Angela turned on her heel, storming toward the office door. "Farewell, mother. Stay well."

From a secret panel under Angela's desk where it had been hidden for six years, Demona produced an extremely old document, unfolding it and raising her hand toward her daughter.

Against her will, Angela felt herself stop in mid stride. Demona allowed herself to smile slightly, returning to her spell.

Although Demona spoke no Spanish, she pronounced the spell with the accent of a native speaker. Angela put down her retreating foot, turning back around to see her mother sitting there.

"Oh, hello, mother. I didn't know you had come back."

"You're unsure of yourself, Rose. You don't know if you'll be able to lead the clan to victory. But that's not important." Elisa sighed. "Do you remember what I said to your father before I died?"

Rosanna nodded. "'With your shield or on it.' I still don't know what it means."

"It was a blessing for a Spartan soldier. At that time, they carried very heavy shields, which hampered their speed. If a soldier was to flee from battle, he would have to drop his shield to run. The blessing commands the soldier to stay and fight, no matter what, that he should come home either with his shield, meaning he was the victor, or on it, which meant he was killed in battle."

Rosanna nodded. "I see. So, to defeat the invasion, we will have to fight until the bitter end, no matter what happens."

Elisa nodded again, this time taking her daughter's talons in her hands. "When your father went to my grave the other night, he went there to die. I couldn't let him do that, so I kind of helped his healing process along. And now I have things to tell him. To tell the whole clan, including the Rokkan you brought home last night." Elisa approached Rosanna closer. "Can I borrow your body for a while? I'll leave as soon as I'm done with it."

Rosanna stood up, with her mother. "But I don't want you to go." The gargess' eyes began to water.

"I never will." Elisa pushed Rosanna's hands meaningfully into her chest. "I'll always be there, in your heart. I'll be watching you. Always."

She could take it no longer. Rosanna pulled her mother into a tight, tearful embrace in the landscape of her own mind.

"Leave behind your guilt, my love. It wasn't your fault. You don't have to punish yourself, you've suffered enough. Your sense of guilt will be your downfall if you let it dominate you." She pulled his head down toward her. "Remember that I love you. Now and forever."

She tenderly kissed the hulking gargoyle. In the brilliant flash around them, the others in the room could almost see through to the old times, see Elisa and the younger Goliath together, as they were meant to be.

Finally, the flash subsided. Rosanna stood there in her gargoyle form, tightly clinging to her father. When they finally disengaged, they looked upon each other with newly discovered eyes.

"Father?"

Goliath sighed. "Rosanna." They hugged once more.

He approached her slowly. "I wasn't. You ran right past me, Lina." He produced a small, flat stone from his belt, handing it to the girl.

"Take it. You can probably make it work better than I can."

The light shining from its surface gave it a mystical glow. She smiled widely. "What is it?"

"A stone I found in a cave not far from here. Like everything born of Avalon, its power is great."

"Uhhh ..." Lina hesitated for a short time before coming up with the answer. "This is Rain. I found him last night."

"Rain?" he whispered.

"Found him, you say? Where?"

Lina turned and pointed. "Over by the hot trees. Why?"

Tom slowly approached the male, looking at the peculiar pendant by his collarbones. "Because this is one of the pendants of those newcomers who brought the hot trees." He looked up at the gargoyle. "It allows him to avoid his stone sleep."

Gabriel turned toward the massed crowd. "Whoever here has the courage to join our comrades, let them step forth and ..."

"We'll go!"

Another loud rustle went through the massed group. Lina approached, dragging Rain behind her.

"Lina? You will go?"

"Why not? I have the courage. I am unafraid of anything."

Under his breath, Rain whispered loudly, "Don't speak for both of us that fast, Lina."

"True. Look around, see if you can find one."

Rain looked straight up. "I found one."

The gargoyle next to Nokkar turned to him. "Why are we sitting here, then? Shouldn't we go in there and drag them out?"

=It is not that simple, Sir Griff. They chose to leave of their own free will. This is an unknown strategem to my people, the Rokkans have never done this kind of act before.=

"Nothing's wrong with a little bit of mercy, right?"

The third member of the group, the mute mutant Slash, looked over at Nokkar nervously. Nokkar shook his head.

=On the contrary, sir knight, the Rokkans showing mercy creates high suspicion in my mind.=

"And where the hell were you?"

Now MacBeth was shouting. "Fighting for my country, fighting against the evil forces that you have aligned yourself with! Face facts, all you're doing right now is repeating the mistakes your old friend Adolf taught you ..."

"SHUT UP!" Demona lashed out at the immortal human, slashing him across his face. However, at the same time she recoiled from the same blow.

MacBeth chuckled. Demona growled in pain, sprawled on the floor. The man tied up next to MacBeth, just rousing, turned to him and smiled.

"Admit it, you enjoyed that."

"I can't lie."

The name of the German dictator beought revulsion from Griff, as seemingly fresh memories of the Battle of Britain raced through Griff's head. "Hitler? What do the Nazis have to do with anything, not that it wouldn't surprise me."

=Near the end of the war, it was discovered that Germany was using much of its resources to systematically eliminate Jewish people in all the nations conquered by the Nazis. The Jews were sent willingly to their deaths by promises that they were going to be placed into camps and simply held. That ... was not the case.=

Griff's eyes began to glow. As did Slash's. "So, you mean ..."

=My suspicions on Rokkan mercy are not ... unfounded.=

Rosanna felt herself catch in the wave, throwing her trajectory off. She closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from getting sick ...

And in one horrific moment, she felt herself drop the girl.

Rain nodded.

"Tell me the name of the street we're near."

He nodded, turning toward the mouth of the alley and reading the street sign. He returned shortly. "Wall."

Her eyes opened widely. Wall Street?! The blast had blown her nearly 30 blocks away from the river!

"Where did the ... Rokkans go?"

He turned his head up the street. "Further down."

"Help the wounded."

He looked over at her. "My priority is to make sure you're all right ..."

She flashed an intense look at Rain. "As long as you're here with me, your priority is protecting this city and all those within it. Tend to the wounded. That's ... an order from your leader."

"Forget about me! Tend to ..."

"Every living thing out there is dead, Rosanna! We're just lucky they didn't find us!"

Her eyes widened. Never had she heard of such carnage within her protectorate. "How many?"

"Rosanna, I have to help you ..."

Ignoring the pain for a moment, she jumped on Rain's chest, grasping his shoulders in a threatening way. "DAMN YOU, I SAID HOW MANY?!"

Rain's jaw set tightly. "29. Are you happy now? Can you now live another night with more misplaced guilt?"

Tears were forming in her eyes. At that moment, Rain knew for sure how dedicated she was to living the true purpose of any gargoyle -- to protect, no matter what the cost to herself.

David raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to call in a favor from the Lord of Avalon himself? Do you even realize how much patience that guy lacks?"

"From what Lina has told me, if we lose this war Avalon is lost. If he wants to save his sorry ass, he'd better pay up when you call in his favor."

But then suddenly, he felt her body shift. He felt her breathing return. Her body warmed back up. She fluttered open her eyes, trying hard to sit up but finally surrendering to her prone position.

Rain was instantly back at her head, grateful that she was still alive. "You're going to make it, Rosanna. Believe."

He clasped her hand in his. A sudden sunbeam caught the clasp in its light, as Rosanna began shrinking down into her human form. A last gasp of pain, and Rose Maza sat where Rosanna once had been.

Rain could not tear himself from the transformation, could not quantify the effect of a four-fingered talon turining into a five- fingered hand ... while he held it in his own.

Slowly, she placed a small electrode near the feet of the cyborg one, the one they had called Samson. Funny, after all these years, they still seemed monstrous to her. But their common enemy was even more monstrous. And that was reason enough to like them.

She tapped a button on the electrode. Soon a thin, electric shield enclosed the three sleeping gargoyles. Satisfied with her work, the woman turned and left. In the new day's light, the name stitched into her dark blue Quarrymen jumpsuit was vaguely visible in the shadow, the red thread blending in.

S. JASPER

The unknown woman's voice startled Cadillac once again. She whirled around to see a purple gargess standing behind her. Cadillac didn't recognize the uniform, but she was more scared of being found out.

"I'm sorry ... I didn't mean to hurt anything ..."

The purple one seemed to calm down, crouching down to eye level with Cadillac. "I didn't mean to frighten you, little one. I was just wondering who was bothering Nudnik."

Cadillac turned back to the dog, then to the female. "That's his name? Nudnik?"

"Yes." The older female motioned to Nudnik. "Come here, boy. It's me."

Nudnik eyed the purple one warily, then acquiesced, trotting toward her and licking her hand. The female responded to this affection by patting him on the head. "That's right, Nudnik, you love me, don't you? Even after all these years."

Cadillac approached the newcomer slowly. "Who are you? I didn't see you with the clan before."

She looked up. "My name is Angela, little one? Do you have a name? I don't recognize you, either." But she looked so familiar ...

Cadillac decided to practice her formal introductions. She stood straight up, proudly. "I am Cadillac, of Clan Detroit. I greet you, Angela of Clan ..."

"... Manhattan," Angela lied. True, she may have been a member of the clan at one time ... lived and loved among them, bore her child with them ... but she could no longer call herself one with her family.

"Are you certain of that, sister?"

Angela's eyes widened in surprise. She turned around to see Rosanna standing there, with a lot of the clan around her. Immediately, Lexington and Pontiac rushed into the rookery, crowding around Cadillac.

"Rosanna ... how long have you been there?"

"Long enough." She entered the room, followed closely by Samson and Ariana. "Long enough to hear you say you wanted to come back."

Angela sighed, sadly. Rosanna continued.

"What ever gave you the idea that we didn't want you back? You would always be welcome here, you know that. Just because Dad got a little obsessive ..."

"You don't understand, Rosanna. For the longest time, all I had was Goliath ... and your mother. When he turned away from us ... I had nowhere to go ..."

Angela started sobbing. Rosanna came over to her side, placing an arm around her shoulders. Samson came to her other side, embracing her as well.

"Welcome back, mother. We missed you."

Angela let herself go further, grasping her sister and son to her as closely as she could. When she released them a bit, Rosanna started giggling a little.

"What's so funny?"

Rosanna looked toward the egg, where Nudnik had gone back to sleep wrapped around it. "I see you already met your grandson."

The two sisters pulled into an embrace. Angela looked out the window, over Rosanna's shoulder ...

She saw the signal. Demona smiled evilly.

"NOW!"

"Sorry, dear sister. But it's your fault. You let your guard down."

"Your mother has corrupted you into this. Would you destroy everyone, everything you love just to serve your mother?"

She stood wide-eyed, the proverbial doe caught in the headlights. She stammered, unable to think of what to do next. Broadway sniffed, approaching her.

"Remember I told you that you were always welcome back? I didn't lie to you. We all miss you."

She suddenly began writhing. She staggered away from her mate, clutching her head like someone in trauma. Broadway held his ground, continuing to approach her.

"Try as you might, you can't forget us. You can't destroy us. You know it to be true in your heart." Broadway put out his arms, finally grasping Angela.

She trembled in his grasp, sweating profusely, almost like an addict coming down. She couldn't escape the grasp of the great blind gargoyle.

"We all love you, Angela." Broadway drew her closer. "I love you, Angela."

It was almost like a fog lifting from her mind. Her expression suddenly enlightened, her eyes stopped glowing red. She sighed loudly, then drew her breath in fast.

"I'm home. At last, I'm home!" Out of sheer joy, she kissed her mate.

Then suddenly she saw the cyborg. She smiled.

"Maybe ..." She pulled an ancient piece of parchment from one of her pockets, unfolding it before her.

Samson stood completely stiff. It was so sudden that Lina was taken by surprise.

"Yo, Sammie! You there?!"

Samson looked at her, cold and stiff. Before she could react, he picked her up with his cybernetic hand, tossing her aside. This act brought the attention of the other clanmembers, especially Ariana, who rushed over to him fastest.

"Samson, what happened?" She turned to see Demona behind him. "Oh, God, what did she do to you?"

David Xanatos, removing his helmet, came over to Angela and lay a hand upon her shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss, Angela. I feel it as much as you do."

Those who looked to Ariana saw her form begin to move, in slow, bouncing, sobbing motions. She finally came upright, screaming her rage impotently into the night air.

"I swear, that blue bitch is DEAD!"

Chavez noticed his distractedness. "Anything I can help you with, Mustang?"

"I see you have already met my rookery sister."

Chavez turned and looked at the photo. Picking it up, she pointed at the blue gargess. "You know this one?"

"Her name is Pontiac. She was with us in Detroit before her mate convinced her to come here with him." Mustang pointed at the photo again, this time at the olive-skinned gargoyle flying closely by Pontiac. "That's him. Lexington."

"Lexington?" She looked at the photo again, seeing Pontiac and Lexington gliding together, then turned back to Mustang. "Lexington is her mate?!"

Mustang nodded, in all seriousness. Morgan stepped forward.

"If we could get back to the point of our visit ... I was wondering if the General of the Earth Resistance would be interested in meeting her gargoyle backup."

Chavez smiled. "Tempting ... I think I'll take you up on that, Morgan. Lead the way." She looped her arm through Dodge's, allowing him to lead her out of the tent. As they left, however, she had to ask one more time.

"Lexington?!"

All eyes turned to Buick ... behind the wheel, driving the huge car like a professional. The spedometer kept a constant speed of near 95 mph, zipping through the devastated streets of the city toward the Aerie building. A street sign came up that Steve soon recognized.

"Buick, turn left!"

Buick growled, yipped once, then banked the car into an 80 mph left turn, throwing the human passengers against the right side of the car. Steve let out a nervous sound that almost seemed like a whimper.

She then noticed the doggoyle leaping out the driver's side window. She laughed. "And this must be Buick. How was his ..."

"Don't ... ask."

The light finally dimmed, and where once stood a fiery ball of light, there was only two gargoyle silhouettes, one male and one female. The silhouettes slowly approached the light, until those parties present could clearly see who it was.

Finally it became painfully obvious: the flash was from the Phoenix Gate.

These two gargoyles were Brooklyn and Sata.

She snarls at you. "Don't make me kill you, Samson."

Ariana, my love ...

"Don't let the blue bitch control you."

Make me whole again ...

Ariana approaches, still in a combat stance. "Come back to us."

You struggle and fight, finally breaking through to the surface.

"Help ..."

Her eyes lighten from anger. "What?!"

"Help ... meee ...."

The magic fights you all the way. Unfortunately, the magic finally wins. You are thrown aside, as easily as your body throws aside Ariana.

You look around, seeing the surviving Rokkan forces regrouping. Quietly, you take to the air.

"Regroup and fall back! Behind me!"

The rest of the party joins you behind. As you glide off, you can faintly hear the sobbing in despair.

You want your body back.

Ariana ... help me ...

You cannot do it physically, but you shed silent tears of desperation. For all of your strength, you cannot fight this.

You are Samson. You are a Gargoyle.

You are a fish in a bowl, seeing but not experiencing.

And it saddens you.

Rosanna sighed. "As bad as it looks, Brooklyn. Half the city's dead. The other half fights nearly non-stop against the invaders."

"Who are these invaders?" Sata's question brought a sigh from Morgan, clinging to her back. Rosanna stopped short and looked at the Ishimura gargess.

"Trust me on this one, it's better if a friend of ours tells you herself. Suffice to say, they are unlike anything you have ever faced."

"That's a stretch," Brooklyn quipped.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" came from the angry Steve Bluestone, on Rosanna's back.

"Hey, you got a problem, buddy?"

"Yeah, I've got a problem with your attitude, red ..."

"ENOUGH!"

Rosanna's bellow even stopped Buick short. A soft squeal from General Chavez restarted his ascent.

"Arguing is getting us nowhere here. Let's get up to the Castle and sort everything out there, okay?!"

Sensing agreement from the silence, Rosanna resumed her ascent. Sata cautiously looked at Brooklyn ...

... who was chuckling.

"What is so funny, Brooklyn-san?"

"She's Goliath's daughter, all right."

Sata smiled again. "It's nothing, Rosanna-san. It's just ... well, between two females, can I trust you?"

"Completely, Sata."

Sata sighed, relieved. "Good. I fear I may not be able to fight much for a while on our endless journey. If Brooklyn should ever know this, I fear he may not allow me."

Rosanna could see the announcement coming a mile away. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

"Hai. I would calculate it as about the last two months or so. I've wanted to tell him for a while now, but I can't seem to find the time, or the courage." She chuckled sadly. "Imagine that. Ishimura's finest warrior, and she has not the courage to tell her mate she is heavy with egg."

This revelation brought a smile from Rosanna. "You know, Sata, there are worse things to fear. Death, for one."

Sata raised an eyebrow. "I don't follow."

"Tell him, Sata. Tell him what's going on. Even if he doesn't take the revelation well, it's better than letting him find out for himself."

The Japanese gargoyle sighed resignedly. "I shall think it over, Rosanna-san. Thank you for the advice."

The sound of her former title drew General Chavez' attention away from her destination, and focused on the speaker: Peter Maza.

"Peter! How'd you get here?"

"Unimportant. I want in on your attack party."

"Now Peter ..."

"I insist, Maria. I want in. I'm useless just hanging around here." He came closer to Chavez. "I lost Diane to these bastards. I'm not about to go down without a fight."

Chavez smiled. "Fall in, sergeant."

He was smiling, for some bizarre reason.

"Three down ... two to go."

She glared at him, her eyes burning her fury. "You ... son ... of ... A ... BITCH!!"

She viciously slammed herself into her former second, sending him flying across the street. Regaining his sanity for a brief moment of clarity, he rose to his feet, calling the Rokkans to his side and gliding off with them.

She approached her grandfather slowly, the shock only now setting in. She dropped to her knees, by his lifeless side.

Brooklyn and Sata alighted by them. Brooklyn was in shock once again, this time in horror. Sata sheathed her weapon, crouching by Rosanna's side.

"I am sorry, Rosanna-san."

The tears that fell were less tears of sadness than tears of rage. She sat back on her heels, screaming impotently into the night air all her rage and sorrow.

She didn't notice the bright fireball encircling Brooklyn and Sata, making them vanish into the mists of time.

Nor did she notice the older gargoyles that took their place.

"Hi, Rosanna. What'd we miss?"

Shaken from her grief, she looked across from her and saw Brooklyn and Sata, now much older, standing there before her. Her rage could barely be contained.

And finally, it broke free. Manhandling him by the chestplate he now wore on a regular basis, she roughly threw the elder gargoyle against a brownstone, coming nose-to-nose with him.

"All right, Mr. Time Dancer, I want straight answers right now, because TOO MANY people have died because of this whole 'can't reveal the future' line of BULL CRAP! TELL ME!!"

"Rosanna, I can't ..."

"DAMN YOU, TELL ME NOW!!"

Brooklyn set his jaw and his eyes slamming away Rosanna's grip. "Fine then. Wanna hear the whole thing, that's fine with me. The invasion is going to last approximately one year. It goes back and forth like this for about another eight months, and eventually ends with a massive offensive by the Earth forces, where all the gargoyles and the humans attack at once. That attack is easily swept aside by the Rokkans, and the resultant defeat leaves the entire planet under Rokkan control, with all surviving sentients native to Earth being either enslaved or executed. It's not until about twenty years later that a counter- revolution can occur which will succeed."

Rosanna backed away from Brooklyn. He gritted his teeth in a savage snarl.

"In other words, Rosanna, you, me, and just about everyone here will die. There. Satisfied?!"

Rosanna did not take the revelation well. She staggered for a bit under the weight of the new load she now had to bear, as only the fifth person with the knowledge of this future.

Finally, a determined set appeared on her features.

"Fine then. If that's the way it went ... let's find a way to change the future."

=When I was first sent here, our races were in constant conflict.=

"But ..."

=Since that time ... I admit that I have been rather confused. I accused Goliath and Angela of being Rokkan agents. That was ... 26 years ago.=

"That explains it."

=What?=

"How long ago was your assignment?"

=By the Earth measure, over one thousand years.=

"Nokkar ... I hate to be the one to tell you this, but ..."

=What are you saying?=

"Nokkar ... the Rokkans destroyed your people over seventy years ago."

Rosanna nodded numbly, turning back into the castle. Lexington roughly harrumphed, watching her enter. The footsteps behind him shook him out of his own funk and his attention toward his mate, Pontiac.

"She is mourning. Give her time."

Lexington looked at the blue gargess, the pain in his eyes obvious. "But that's the thing. She may not have any time left."

"I don't know." Alexander motioned to Coyote to approach the bones with the light. As the light came upon the remains, their origins suddenly became crystal clear.

"These ... they're the mutants."

Slash turned and looked at the group. Alexander approached him. "I don't know if you remember this, Slash, but we brought you up to the castle because your parents had disappeared. We couldn't find them anywhere."

Slash was starting to comprehend. His face took on a sad hue as Alexander continued.

"We'd heard rumors of gunfire being heard down here, but we couldn't find any of the clan remaining. We'd assumed that they had left."

Alexander looked at the bones, whose owner had finally become clear by the clothes the skeleton wore.

Talon.

"I guess we were wrong."

Slash dropped to his knees, crumpled up in a mournful ball. His grief spilled over into a howl that echoed throughout the tunnels of the Labyrinth.

Rosanna's face softened into a milder panic. "Retro-virus?"

"It works on cellular structural breakdown. They injected it into your right ear." Lexington fought his emotions as he spoke further. "Its gestation period has passed, so it should be at full strength now. Bottom line ... if we don't get the virus out of your system in two weeks, it will kill you."

Now Rosanna's face was even more panicked. "How do we get it out?"

He could hold it back no longer. Out of the one eye he had left that was original, Lexington shed tears. "The only way to destroy the virus is to take away its nourishment. To do that ... you'll have to have almost the entire right half of your face ... removed."

"Save it, dad. The only way I'll feel better is if we get him back." Ariana lifted the egg out of its nest, handing it to Brooklyn. "Want to hold your grandson?"

Brooklyn smiled with pride, taking the egg from his daughter. "It's awfully big, Ariana."

"It's about two months away from hatching. I'm not sure I want him to right now, but if he comes, we'll deal with having a hatchling in a war zone. It's all we can do."

Brooklyn smiled wider as he rocked the egg in his grip. It wiggled, though, and suddenly he lost it. The egg began to fall to the floor.

"HEY!!"

The egg continued its descent to the floor. A strange glow from Sata's left arm distracted everyone from the falling object, just enough that they didn't notice it being caught ... by Sata.

"Cool, Mom, how'd you do that?!"

"Graeme! That was my kid that Dad almost killed!"

"Sorry ... "

Sata set the egg down in the nest. Pulling up her sleeve, she revealed the device attached to her left forearm, which flashed for a short moment.

"I decided that it was time to enter the 21st century."

Finally she spoke. And her voice also showed signs of the retro-virus ravaging her body.

"We've just heard that the Rokkans have parked that mothership of theirs over Times Square. It appears to be the main staging area for their troops. We're taking four parties, and try attacking from all sides.

"But first ... in the absence of Samson ..."

Rosanna looked to Ariana with all the emotion and sympathy she wished she could offer the daughter of Brooklyn.

".. and because of my current condition ... it has become imperative that I choose a new second. I have taken my time in choosing one, because I need a true leader who can take over at a moment's notice should I fall.

"That being said ... I choose Graeme as my new second."

The crowd rustled in the rain, as Graeme stepped forward toward his leader.

"Graeme, do you accept this responsibility I now give to you?"

He stood proudly, defiant against the storm. "I accept, Rosanna. You can place your trust in me."

"I wasn't ..." Rain stammered.

"You don't have to make excuses, Rain. You're watching Rosanna. Admit it."

Rain sighed. "You're right, I am. I can't help it, I'm worried about her."

Alexander smiled. If only he knew ... "Actually, Rain, I'd prefer it if someone would watch her back out there. If she falls, I want her down here at a moment's notice."

Rain looked at the industrialist. "All right."

Unconsciously, he admired her resolve. By his measure, it took a lot of energy and courage to deal with it as she had. He knew he would have never had the resolve.

Or the passion ... He set his eyes firm, finding updraft after updraft in the wet night air, coming toward Rosanna.

Even the nausea had come and gone. Although she hoped nobody had been on the street below when she had been forced by her withering body to vomit while firing. But she had dealt with it.

She steadied the sight of her laser pistol, using her one good eye to aim it. The Rokkan came into her sights.

And suddenly, she couldn't stop salivating.

Her vision began to blur ...

The gunsight wobbled ...

Her muscles failed her ...

And finally, in the midst of the convulsions, her wings inadvertently caped themselves around her, sending her on a fast descent.

And he caught her roughly, nearly sending himself into a death dive of his own. Gritting his teeth, fighting Rosanna's violent seizure, he opened his wings, desperately hunting for an updraft or a thermal to take him back up to the Castle. He watched the ground approaching ... faster ... faster ...

Finally, he found one. A strong thermal, probably created by the severe storm, pushed him back up toward the zenith of the Aerie building. He angled himself into a lazy spiral around the building: with the rain and the gusting winds, it was the safest way to get back to the top.

He became more relieved as Rosanna's seizure subsided. She was still once more. But she was unconscious.

Cradled in his arms, Rain pushed the hair away from her face where it had been thrown by her muscle contractions. He held her tighter to his body as he ascended.

"Hang on, Rosanna. Hang on for me."

Goliath now looked at Alexander. "Soul magics?"

Alexander nodded. "In particular, from you two. Earlier, I informed Rosanna what I would need, and I asked her to choose the two beings for whom she cared about the most. She chose the two of you."

They looked at each other again, then down at Rosanna. Weakly, she smiled, taking her father's hand.

"Father ..."

With her other hand, she took the other gargoyle's hand.

"Rain ..."

Alexander took the hands of the two male gargoyles. Dipping his head and closing his eyes, he began summoning fae magics, which began to swirl about the entire medlab.

He shuddered.

"It's just that ever since I lost Elisa, my daughters have been all that I had. And Rosanna was ... is ... all I have to remind me of her mother. This blight that her stepmother has placed upon her now threatens to take Rosanna away, as well."

His eyes closed, as a single tear fell from his eye.

"I couldn't live with myself if I were to lose Rosanna. Please ... if you never do anything else for a gargoyle, do me this favor and answer this prayer. Help my Rosanna. Heal ... my Rosanna."

The voice interrupted his own prayer. He looked up to see Angela standing there.

"What?"

"You love Rosanna."

Rain chuckled. "Is it that obvious?"

"It's only written across your face."

"Elisa ..." Goliath struggled for words. "Our baby ..."

Xanatos stood up, cradling the naked newborn in his arms. It appeared as a full gargoyle, but certain elements were strange: one claw, one finger on the wings, the horns weren't nearly as long as a full-blooded gargoyle newborn's would be. The newborn cried its discontent, as Xanatos handed it over to the new parents.

"Goliath, Elisa ... it's a girl."

Elisa took the baby from Xanatos, cuddling her in her arms. Goliath embraced both his mate and newborn daughter.

"Come up with a name yet, Big Guy?"

He smiled. "I can't think straight yet. I'm staggered by the rose of our love."

Elisa smiled, thinking it over. "Rose. That sounds good."

"Help?!" She slapped her hands against her hips. "If I'm dead, how can I be helped?!"

The speaker finally materialized. Coyote.

"Oh, it's you."

"Yes, it's me. And I'm here to help you let go."

She looked toward the dark end of the tunnel, seeing Goliath and Rosanna mourning her.

"My husband ... my daughter ..."

"They will go on without you. You have to know that." Coyote waved his hand, and the scene changed. It was still nighttime, but it was now a large parade of black clad police officers, escorting a horse-drawn caisson carrying a casket, draped in an American flag.

"Mine?"

Coyote nodded. He waved his hand again, letting the scene shift once more. Now it was at the funeral itself. She recognized the speaker at the podium as her partner, Matt Bluestone. She watched as the honor guard fired a salute, gazed as Matt walked over to Goliath and Rosanna and presented the grieving family with the flag, now neatly folded into a triangle.

"How can I leave them?"

"You won't. You'll be in their thoughts, always. And the day will come when they will need your help. Just not today."

"Then when?"

Coyote gave her a stern gaze. "You will know."

Elisa nodded, turning back to the scene. Matt was now embracing Goliath and Rosanna.

"Farewell." She turned to Coyote. "I'm ready to go, now."

=The specimen has been collected.=

Demona smiled, evilly.

The shell finally disintegrated, sending small shards in all directions. And the hatchling made his presence known with a tiny roar of determination. Ariana rushed forward to grasp the newborn and cradle him in her arms.

Her son.

She stood for a minute or so, just cuddling the hatchling tightly to herself. When she turned to face her family, she was smiling widely, as she held the tiny new life.

"Say hello to your grandson ... Solomon."

The crowd rushed in toward Ariana, embracing her and the new hatchling.

"I believe they're ready to bring you out of the trance. At this moment, Alexander should be bringing Goliath and Rain back into the room."

Rosanna smiled. This would soon be over. "I suppose then that I should be thanking you for saving my life ... numerous times."

"No need. Really."

Rosanna placed a small peck on the fae's cheek anyway. "But it's only right."

"Hey come on, now. Save that for Rain."

Rosanna's eyes opened widely. "What?!"

"You can't hide it from me, Rosanna. I know the Mazas too well." With a enigmatic smirk, Coyote dissolved once more. Rosanna felt herself become drowsy, collapsing to the floor of the hallway and falling asleep once more.

At the same time, she went through her own metamorphosis, turning her human once again. She looked up at her other side and saw Rain, still awake because of the pendant around his neck. He was smiling.

And nearly in tears.

"Rose ... I ..."

She sat up, looking up at him. Slowly, she stroked his face, following the traces of the worried tears he had shed.

"Don't say anything. You don't have to."

She brought his head down to her level, approaching him slowly. She placed a quick kiss on his lips before she brought him into her embrace.

A tear rolled down her cheek, just as the sun's rays hit her and forced her into her stone sleep.

"Don't go there, Sammie. You won't like what you find."

"Oh, I'll go there. And I'll like it. Call it ... satisfying my morbid curiosity." Samson chuckled. Lina strained against the restraints again.

"You bastard!"

Samson came nearly nose-to-nose with Lina. "He wound up with Rosanna, didn't he?"

She spit in his face. He didn't move.

"I knew it. I could see it coming."

Lina strained again against the shackles, to no avail. Her struggles were less strenuous this time, though, as her eyes began to tear up.

"You bastard ..."

"I knew as soon as you two arrived, that they would be together. I saw it in his eyes. He never liked you, and you know it."

"LIAR!!" Now she was crying louder. "I found him! He had no memory, I told him all about the clan!"

"And what good did it do you? You come to New York, and he goes to shack up with a beautiful hybrid, who I might add is much easier on the eyes than you are."

"SHUT UP!!"

Lina hung her head, letting her sobs take over.

The woman approached closer. "Then why should you punish Rain for his choice? There's one thing he chooses above everything else, including my daughter, and that is protecting life. All life here in this city. You know this in your heart. After all, you are a gargoyle, and gargoyles live to protect."

Lina's eyes narrowed again. "Your daughter ... you're Rosanna's mom?"

The woman nodded. "She was heartbroken when I died. So was Goliath. There wasn't much I could do for him, but I did guide Rain toward Rosanna. I knew about him. I know a lot about him, but I can't tell you right now."

"Why not?"

"Because you will tell Rain, and he has to find out for himself."

Lina nodded, understanding. "But I still can resent him, right?"

"Please don't. It'll make everything easier, Lina. Trust me, you'll find another, and he'll stay with you."

... to a darkened garage. Pontiac narrowed her eyes against the darkness, trying to make out the vague shapes in the place. Scanning along the walls with her talons, she found a light switch and flipped it on.

The light was weak, but enough to reveal a large vehicle, covered in a canvas tarpoulin. The outline, though ...

"It can't be ..." Pontiac pulled the tarp off of the car and quickly drew in her breath.

It was what she thought it was. A 1958 Ford Fairlane, cherry red with white detail work. Inwardly, Pontiac felt her heart racing with excitement.

The glove compartment suddenly opened. Pontiac looked down at the open box in front of her, then reaching for the object that lay on the door.

Lexington looked at her once more. But now she was armed.

"Where'd that come from?"

"It was in the glove box." An idea flashed on her face, as she rolled down the window. She leaned out the window, holding out the pistol she now held, cocking it.

"Okay, car, get me close!"

"Pontiac, are you nuts?!" But the car responded to her request, skidding around and finding something similar to a ramp. The engine gunned.

"Pontiac ..."

The engine became louder and louder as it built up horsepower. Finally, the clutch popped, laying rubber to the ramp and zooming up it.

"PONTIAC!!"

She was grinning maniacally. The car flew off the end of the ramp, sailing into the thick of the battle. Pontiac took her cue, punching six shots into the arena and taking out three Rokkans. The others on the patrol took that as their cue to leave.

The car landed hard on the cracked pavement, skidding to a halt. Lexington was hyperventilating, eyes wide as Pontiac pulled herself back into the car, blowing smoke away from the pistol's barrel.

"What ... was that?!"

Pontiac giggled, leaping into her mate's lap and embracing him tightly. "That ... was INCREDIBLE!!"

Rain had now joined Rosanna in the medlab, as he had every night since the operation. They sat together on the exam table, Rain with an arm ound Rosanna's shoulders.

"They ... want to make sure that my body doesn't reject the implant."

Rain sighed. "Well, I guess they're doing what's best for you ..."

Rosanna turned sharply. "How the hell to they know what's best for me? I can't thrive in here! I need to be useful, needed. I can't just sit in here on my duff doing nothing!"

"Rosanna ... don't you remember what I told you before the operation? I told you, the Clan is well in hand, and that we need you to get better because you're no good dead."

She finally resigned, nodding. "I suppose. But ..." She pushed herself further into Rain's embrace. "I feel so useless here!"

Rain closed his arms around the vulnerable leader, trying to comfort her.

=The Earth gargoyles took my mate from me. More specifically ... Rosanna took my mate from me. I want my revenge.=

Demona nodded. So Liberty was his mate. "I see. Very well then, let us proceed."

The Rokkan militiaman laid down on a table next to a small tank with some strange genetic material enclosed within it. Without changing his expression, the militiaman allowed the scientists around him to inject a large blade into his chest, extracting huge amounts of blood directly from his heart.

The blood travelled a stretched passage from the blade into the tank, where it mixed thoroughly with the genetic material within. And a bizarre glow began emanating from the mixed materials within.

"Thank you. That will be all." Demona's dismissal was the militiaman's cue to stand up, as the blade was extracted from his chest. He left the lab, still striding proudly. Demona turned her attention now to the tank, watching the materials within merge and combine. Her smile only grew wider.

"I don't know ... the stone won't answer me! Teleport!"

Still nothing. And much to Lina's chagrin, much too late as Liberty glided into her path ...

... and Lina's first attempt finally went off. The stone erupted a huge concussion wave, knocking Liberty senseless and into a death drop toward the street. Graeme saw what happened and immediately dove down after her. Lina floated above the scene, shellshocked.

She was unfortunately not quick enough to react when the stone carried out her second attempt. A long streamer of fire shot out from the stone, sending Lina in the opposite direction and slamming her against the side wall of the Castle. With a loud groan, she slid down the wall, falling unconscious at the base of the tower.

When she landed, the stone finally answered her third attempt, teleporting her into the medlab. Once there, she roused slightly as Rosanna and Rain jumped off the medlab table to her side.

"Lina! What happened?"

Lina's eyes flew open, as she looked at them both, then at the stone. She then started sobbing.

"The stone ... what's happened to the stone ...?"

"Come on, Liberty ... come on, wake up!"

He tried shaking the giant gargess awake, to no avail. He became more and more desperate as the ground approached faster. His wings were fully unfurled, every muscle straining to pull her up.

Finally, he came to a decision. Using his feet, he pulled Liberty's wings open, hoping just to slow them down enough not to kill them both. And he suddenly found himself thanking his luck with all of his might as, just as her wings came open, they caught a strong updraft, pushing them back upward. At that moment, Liberty snapped awake.

"What happened ...?"

"I don't know. But we need to have a little chat with Lina."

There was a lone Rokkan there. A female. She held a shoulder-mounted weapon on her right shoulder. Her eyes glowed, not blue as the Rokkans' eyes did.

No, this female's eyes glowed purple.

As Rosanna focused her cybernetically enhanced vision toward the Rokkan, she gasped in shock and horror.

Her enemy ... was herself.

"So familiar ..."

All eyes turned to the giant as she came forward.

"What's familiar about her?"

"I don't know, it's just ..." The monster threw Rosanna off of herself, and suddenly Liberty saw it: the last two fingers on the clone's right talon were webbed together. She hadn't seen that since ...

... she was a Rokkan.

Liberty's eyes glowed, as she rushed through the group toward the fight outside.

"Greetings, step-daughter."

Rosanna roared. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!!"

Now it was Demona's turn to make her eyes glow. "I'll call you any damn thing I please, freak. I see you've met my Thorn in the rose's side."

"I understand perfectly. The blue bitch can't get to me herself, so she creates a stooge to do the dirty work, using a piece of me!" She looked up at LIberty. "How do you think I feel, knowing I'm fighting something that used to be a huge chunk of my face?!"

"I understand that, Rosanna, but you have to understand that she is no more a gargoyle than I am a human. She may have your genes, but her mindset and, more importantly, her fighting technique, is Rokkan."

=You are a gargoyle.=

"Hate to disillusion you, Thorn, but so are you. Half of you is me!"

Thorn's eyes glowed again. =LIAR!!= Thorn now pulled the sidearm out of her waist holster, pointing it toward the injured gargoyle. =Now you die!=

The sharp CLANG! of metal-on-metal contact interrupted Thorn, as her weapon was knocked out of her grasp. Thorn turned to face her new adversary, a jade green female brandishing a katana at her.

"That is more than enough!"

Now it was Thorn that growled. =Stay out of this, stranger.=

"You attack my friends, you attack me. You attack my leader, you attack me. You attack Rosanna-san ... you are dead."

Before Thorn could react in kind, Sata had dropped the katana and had now taken to whipping a kick across Thorn's face. The hybrid went down hard, barely able to recover before Sata was at her throat. The Japanese gargess' blinding speed now had Thorn in an unfamiliar position ...

... the disadvantage.

Thorn paced nervously back and forth in the stateroom reserved for the gargoyle commander of the Rokkan forces, Demona. Samson, as always, stood ramrod straight at her side.

"Because it is the Solstice, Thorn."

=SO?=

"No gargoyle battles another at Solstice, Thorn." Samson's even tone was unnerving, even to the one who had sentenced him to it. "It is a tradition that has lasted over two thousand years."

Thorn's eyes glowed, the peculiar purple nearly filling the entire room with light. =I am no gargoyle.=

"Maybe not," Demona rose as she spoke. "But you are half-gargoyle, and the Rokkans are pretty much gargoyles. And as your commander, I expect you and all of our forces to honor the Solstice truce. That is an order, Thorn!"

Thorn seethed, baring her teeth at the gargess. This brought even more anger from Demona.

"And don't ever bare your teeth at me, Thorn." Demona's tone became lower and much more sinister. "You might lose one."

The older man, "Captain" Geoffrey Walker, sighed. "I came with Jason and Robyn. I've been here for months, and you never knew."

Rosanna grew angry almost in an instant. "What did you expect? Forgiveness? Want me to greet you with open arms? Think again, buddy. I still have nightmares about Tommy dying in my arms!"

"I know ..."

"Do you realize what kind of damage that does to a girl's self- confidence? To know that her boyfriend died because of her?!"

Rosanna was about to continue, when she saw it.

The tears forming in Captain Walker's eyes. The regretful, painful tears of a father knowing he was the cause of his son's death. At that moment, Rosanna finally saw the lines in his face from the near- constant tears he had shed since that fateful day nine years ago.

"I'm so sorry, Rose. I ... just wasn't thinking when I did it. I was blinded by bigotry and ignorance, and couldn't see you for who you were ... and then hearing that your mother died the next year ..."

Now Rosanna could feel herself shedding tears. She approached the older man, clasping his shoulders, her head lowered.

"Captain ... I forgive you."

Captain Walker finally embraced the woman he had only nine years ago tried to kill unsuccessfully.

Rosanna smiled. "I suppose. Now, where were we ...?"

"We were up to this." Rain pulled a small box out of one of his pouches, handing it to Rosanna. "Happy Solstice."

Slightly confused, Rosanna looked at the small package in her hand, cautiously opening it. The sight that met her eyes, however ...

It was a small piece of crystal. Avalonian crystal, by the way it looked. It glimmered in the night with a magic unknown, that probably never would be known.

"Rain ... it's beautiful."

Rain reached into it, pulling it out by the chain that Rosanna now saw it was attached to. Slowly, Rain put the necklace around Rosanna's delicate neck, clasping it under her hair, allowing the crystal to fall in place just between her collarbones.

"It is one of my prized possessions. I really don't know what it does, but I've always felt a little safer just for having it. Alexander and his father helped me prepare it by supplying the chain for it."

Rosanna closed her eyes again, this time in happiness. For some reason, at this moment, she felt more happy than she ever had been.

More loved ...

"Thank you, Rain. I will treasure it always." The two gargoyles came into a loving embrace by the light of the brightest star in the night sky, as the Solstice came to its climax.

In her hand, she held a bouquet that she had managed to find amongst the ruined streets. Lilies. The elderly owner of another ruined flower stand had given them to her freely, after recognizing who she was and her role in fighting the invasion. Taking a deep breath, Rose began her trek into the heart of the yard.

Pacing up and down the tombstones, she finally found the marker she sought. It was none the worse for wear from the invasion, but it still had a lot of overgrowth around its base. She reached down, pulling the foliage away, until the marker's inscription could be fully read.

Letting out a slow breath, Rose kneeled down before the marker, laying the lilies resting upon the ground before it.

"Hello, Mom. Happy birthday." She sighed. "I suppose there isn't much that I can tell you that you don't already know. You've been such a guiding force to us all through this invasion, it's almost like ... you're with us again. I've never seen Dad so ... lively, since you left us. He always seemed like he was in a cloud, impervious to everyone and everything around him.

"But it's different now. I don't have to assume anything anymore. I know that he loves me, as much as he loves you, or Angela, or any of the Clan.

"And now, there's Rain, too." Rose wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't know why, but I just have this feeling that you wanted me to find him, one way or another. I don't recall seeing him when I went to Avalon so long ago ... but something tells me there's something really special about him, something that you know.

"And it makes me love him all the more."

Rose looked over to the setting sun. "Well, it's been fun, Mom, but I have to go. I have responsibilities, but I wanted to get this out of the way for this year. You know I wouldn't miss it for the world."

The woman leaned forward, placing a light kiss on the headstone before rising to leave. She turned back toward the car, getting in and starting up.

Had she looked back toward the headstone, though, she might have seen a shade still standing there, at the gravesite. A female shade.

A tearful shade. Her eyes shimmered in the light of sunset, as she watched her daughter drive off. She blew a kiss toward the retreating vehicle.

"Be careful, my Rose. I love you."

Una looked up at the younger gargess. "Find ... Griff." Her eyes closed, and the unicorn-like gargess breathed her last.

Brianna found herself with no time to mourn her deceased friend, as another attacker threatened her, pointing a large rifle into her face. Her eyes glowing red, Brianna leaped up, tackling the attacker, and in the same motion pushing off of the giant's body, toward the walls of the manor. Once upon the top of the wall, she launched herself westward, toward the only thing she knew now.

To New York, the center of the invasion.

And to Griff.

Brianna sighed. "I don't think anywhere is safe anymore." She forced herself into a sitting position, supporting herself as best as she could with her arms. "Did I make it to Manhattan?"

The gargess seemed confused. "Uh, yeah, we're in Manhattan. Why do you ask?"

At that moment, Griff burst into the room, with Rosanna and Goliath not far behind. He took not a moment's hesitation to rush to his mate, taking her up in a warm embrace. Brianna finally allowed herself to relax, wrapping her own arms around his neck and shoulders.

"Griff ..."

"my love, why are you here? What's happened in London?"

Her happiness suddenly turned to fear. Sadness. Despair.

"Griff, everyone's gone ... all dead ..."

Now it was Griff's turn to be taken aback. "What?"

"Giant attackers came in the night, they had weapons that we couldn't counter ... Leo ... Michael ... Una, oh God, sweet Una ... they all fell!"

The great gargoyle collapsed at Vinnie's feet. "No time ... my flame dies on this world ..."

"Aww no ..."

Kai reached into his ruined kimono, pulling out a small item which appeared to be like a remote control. He placed it in Vinnie's hand.

"Take this. Find Brooklyn and Sata. Please."

Vinnie nodded, silently. Memories of his buddy Brooklyn, who had moved here about six years ago with his mate, came back to him ... sharing Japanese beers and reminiscing about how Manhattan used to be and was ... the cameraderie that only friends could have.

"I promise, Kai. I'll find them."

Kai smiled at his friend again, collapsing at his feet. Vinnie looked up. From this distance, he could see the attackers, but could avoid detection by them.

He watched them silently, watched them as they raided the temple's rookery, pulling the eggs out and gathering them together. He watched them as they took off, heading back to the east.

There was a slower one among the attackers, who trailed the others. Vinnie saw his chance. He made his way back down to the floor of the temple, sneaking up on the slower one.

However, he crept up on him like a bull creeps up on a matador. The attacker quickly turned around to face the human.

=Stay were you are, human! Hands in the air!=

"Ahh, crud." Vinnie put up his hands, the device Kai had given him still in his hand. The attacker noticed this.

=Drop that device. Now!=

"Sure. Whatever ya say." Before the attacker could do anything about it, Vinnie had pressed a quick key sequence, sending a disrupting signal to the attacker's brain. The scrambled brainwaves were too much for the attacker to take, as he collapsed to his knees.

Vinnie grinned widely. "Now it's my turn!"

"MURDERER!!" Brianna began savagely tearing into Liberty, now prone underneath the attack. Liberty tried to defend herself, the best she could do being toss off the shorter gargess. Rosanna and Graeme rushed over to hold Brianna back.

"I swear to you, I had nothing to do with the attack that killed them ..."

"LIAR! It was your people who killed them! My clan ... my mate's clan ... everyone I love is GONE BECAUSE OF YOUR PEOPLE!"

Graeme slowly approached the giant gargess, splayed on the floor before the appliance. She looked up at him, mouth full.

"I had heard ... that females on Earth ... console themselves with food," she said between swallows. "It doesn't seem to help me much."

Graeme sighed. "I'm sorry, we couldn't have known that she would be so ..."

"Vengeful?" Liberty concluded for him. "And why shouldn't she be? My people destroyed her Clan. For that matter, I'm surprised Griff hasn't lashed out at me yet."

"True ..."

"Let's see things realistically here. I was a Rokkan. As far as anyone is concerned, I am still a Rokkan, despite any magicks or technologies that make me otherwise. And I will always be a Rokkan, even if we win ... despised, hated ..."

"No, Liberty, you won't be hated by everyone. We like you. Rosanna must have, if she saved you."

Liberty sighed, looking at Graeme painedly. "Rosanna's told me of the gargoyles' reason for existence, to protect. She's told me of the time it took for Earth's gargoyles to be accepted. How long do you think it will take humanity to accept me?"

Graeme could only sit there, watching her. And then something Liberty did something she never had done before.

She cried.

Graeme let her lean into him, putting his arms around her, trying to comfort her.

Her breaths came as a great struggle. "No, Zafiro. It is ... time for me to rest at last."

"Just hang on to sunrise. I can take the pendant off ..."

But Obsidiana heard him no more. She slumped lifeless, her wounds finally overtaking her. Zafiro held her close to his chest, one last embrace to his mate.

Delicately taking the pendant from around her neck, he put it around his own. The attackers approached the cave ...

And suddenly, they faced the last guardian of the Green, the rage in his breast uncontrollable as his eyes shone white-hot with his grief and fury. He roared into the night, leaping full-force at the enemy.

One blow later, the battle was over.

"I ... I don't understand ..."

Tom placed a hand on her shoulder. "You wouldn't happen to be referring to Lina's friend from the forest, would you?"

Turqueza stood stock still. From the forest?!

"You've seen him! I knew you had!"

"She means ... Rain? But that's impossible, he couldn't possibly ..."

"Por favor, amigos ... tell me where my son is!"

"Turqueza?" Rosanna looked at him, shocked. "As in Guatemalan Turqueza, as in a gargoyle that escorted a bunch of trees to Avalon Turqueza?!"

Lina stroked her chin thoughtfully. "So that explains why he was by the hot trees ..."

All was lost, though, as Zafiro approached the gargoyle, his hand outstretched. **I greet you, son of my clan. We have much to discuss, but little time.**

"I think I'd agree."

**Then let me touch you, Rain. All you will need to know will be revealed.**

Coyote's angry demands into the night were finally answered by the appearance of the Weird Sisters. Draped in their vestments of Avalonian royalty, they approached the trickster.

"Why do you call us out here, Coyote?"

"You should be grateful to us."

"We saved you from falling into the mortals' lives."

Coyote snorted, disgustedly. "Oh, you three high and mighty ... just because you have a thing for torturing mortals, does that give you the right to murder them wantonly?"

Luna gave him a sideways look. "Wantonly?"

Selene shook her head. "Everything we have ever done has been in the name of our king."

Phoebe gestured toward the castle. "Come, Coyote. We await your return."

Coyote stood there, facing the three witches angrily. "No."

All three chimed in unison, for once. "What?!"

"You heard me. No. Nothing you have ever done has been in Oberon's name! Everything you create you use to your own ends, whatever they may be. Truth be told, I always thought you were pretty great tricksters in your own right, looking at all of the cruel gags you've laid upon humans."

He turned his back to the Sisters. "And you can't ever convince me that you care for anything but your own selves. But I do. Jade was my friend, and Turqueza still is."

He looked up in shock. Shock great enough to send him falling off the branch again. Turqueza quickly swooped under his fall to catch him.

"Well now, it looks like you truly have swept me off my feet!" The two laughed, then embraced fully, gliding further into the night.

"Oberon's court?!" The horror in Turqueza's voice was evident.

Coyote grew a firm look in his eyes as he spoke. "Never. We must keep him secret from Oberon and the court at all costs. One day, he will bring forth mine and Jade's revenge."

Coyote smiled. "Welcome to my world, my son." He placed Jade's pendant around the newborn's neck. "Remember."

Rain turned to face the gargess he now recognized as his mother. He smiled widely, rushing into her embrace. The mother and son were soon joined by Coyote, as they moved down off the battlement. Slowly, the rest of the group moved off with them.

This only left Rosanna standing there on the battlement. Somehow, she had been able to see Zafiro's revelations to her love, possibly by some magic link created by their relationship. She was now hurt and confused.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she looked after Rain. "My God, who is the one that I love?"

"No we're not, Vinnie. We're going to make it, we're going to get back to Honolulu."

"No, we're not! We're gonna die, just like everybody in Honolulu!"

"What?!"

"You heard me, Lili. I got a call after you guys turned to stone this morning from Mr. Bishop. The aliens attacked just after we left, they wiped everyone out."

"No ..."

"Lili! Help me!"

"Ka'auna, don't move! I'll get 'em!"

BRZZAP!!

"KA'AUUUNAAAAAAAA!!"

FZZZT!

"It's too late, Lili, he's gone! We've got to get to this place!"

She abruptly dropped the book on a nearby shelf, hopping down from her stool. Rain saw her trying to leave. "Wait, Rosanna, I want to talk to you ..."

"About what?" Her eyes, both natural and artificial, flashed with frustration. "About how you've kept your secret for so long? How you kept it from me that your father is a protector of my bloodline?"

"Rosanna, I honestly didn't know ..." He reached for her forearm. She snatched it away from him, using the other hand to rake his face.

"Damn you, Rain!" She ran out of the library, away from him. Rain stood, shellshocked, holding on to the stool for support ... while Rosanna's blow hadn't been very strong, the shock of it was enough to throw off his balance. He sunk to the floor, crouching in a ball.

"God, Rosanna, I'm so sorry ..."

Sata walked up to Brooklyn ... more like stalked up. "And you, Brooklyn, simply encourage him!"

Vinnie replied to this by belching. Brooklyn simply looked up at his mate. "Well, geez, don't blame him, honey. If you want to blame anything ... blame the beer."

She clearly saw that her mate was not just drunk, he was inebriated. "Fine then. I'll blame the beer." Impulsively, she picked up Brooklyn's bottle.

"Uhh, Sata? What are you doing?"

"Since you two are so skillful at avoiding your problems with beer, I thought I would give it a try." She placed the bottle to her lips.

"Uh oh, I don't think she wants to do that."

Vinnie's comment brought agreement from Brooklyn, followed by a last attempt to get Sata to put the bottle down. Much too late, however; Sata pulled the bottle back, draining it.

"Ohh no ..."

The panic attack didn't last, however. Exactly two seconds after draining the bottle, she turned even greener than usual and spit out the contents of her mouth.

"What'd I tell ya?"

She simply growled, tossing the bottle aside. "How on earth can you stand to drink that swill?!"

She looked up at the speaker. Her eyes darkened a bit more. "Go away, Coyote. I don't want to speak to you."

"But you need to. The only way you'll ever pull yourself out of this funk and become a leader again is to speak with me. Please, Rosanna. Let's not keep repeating our mistakes."

She turned slightly away from the window. "Why couldn't you tell me?"

He approached her slowly. "It's not that I didn't want to ... it's that I couldn't. I would have been in serious trouble with Oberon's Court had I told you."

Rosanna nodded, resignedly. "But why?"

Coyote sighed. "It's because Rain's existence absolutely cannot be known by the Court. If it were known that he were a halfling, he would be absorbed into the Court, and neither I nor Turqueza would have ever seen him again."

This brought another angry reaction from Rosanna. "And what about me, huh? When were you planning to let me in on the little secret? Three or four or twenty years on down the line, when I wind up fighting Oberon over my mate?!"

"No. When Rain destroyed the Sisters."

"Don't panic, that's the best way to get killed. Keep it calm. Center your focus."

"I'll try."

"Do it for me, Liberty."

"All right. I'll do it for you."

He brought his arm around her shoulders. "Really? How do I know that if I learn any more secrets, you won't ..."

She interrupted him in mid-thought with a kiss. "I don't care if you ever learn any more secrets. I'll live with them."

Now it was Rain's turn to smile. He brought her closer into his arms, finally knowing what reciprocated, unconditional love felt like.

"Liberty ..."

"Ever since ... the night you caught me ... I knew we were ... meant to be together."

"Liberty ... the lack of oxygen ... I think it's getting to your ..."

"No, Graeme ... I don't think I've ever ... been thinking clearer."

"Well then ... I know now my feelings ... aren't just mine."

Demona growled at Thorn. "You listen to me well, Thorn. I am your master, not the other way around. You follow my orders when I tell you to, understood?"

Thorn growled again. Demona leaped across the desk, swinging her talons into Thorn's face and sending the giant hybrid against the far wall.

"I said, is that UNDERSTOOD?!"

Panting, Thorn made her reply. =Yes ... my mistress.=

"Samson, Samson ... ahh yes, the son of your daughter and that big fat guy from David Xanatos' gargoyle clan ..."

"Get to the point, doctor."

"Yes, I know about him."

"All right. Now, in any of the times you encountered him, did you notice anything strange about him, something like ... he seemed too old?"

"Not really. Because that's not unusual. I do good work."

Had Dominique been in her gargoyle form, her eyes would have glowed with the savage roar she screamed through the phone. "YOU WHAT?!"

"My dear, I thought you knew ... the attack that injured Samson so badly that he needed the cybernetics also delivered a mutagen into his system. Nothing at all drastic, like the Labyrinth mutates, but a little subtle thing that would make him age faster. Makes him age faster than humans do, even."

Dominique stewed as she heard Sevarius chuckle over the phone. "He may look like a younger man, but he's probably only about thirteen!"

Angela closed her eyes. Tinges of regret, the result of her long- enforced slavery under the Obedient Child Spell, crossed her face. "I would certainly hope not. If there's anything that she values more than her vengeance against humans, it's her family. I doubt she would introduce anything into Samson that would make him age fast."

"But didn't you notice anything? I mean, for God's sake, you're his mother!"

"I know, I know!" The pain was showing now in Angela's voice, as its pitch and timbre rose in despair. "I tried to be blind to everything! Tried to keep it from him that I knew he was aging too fast ... maturing too fast ..."

The older sister looked at the hatchling once again. "I swore he was too young to take a mate. And the day I left, I cursed Ariana. Oh God, why did I do such cruel things to my own clan?"

The two sisters huddled together, in the midst of the stone gargoyles in the rookery.

Demona faced down her creation, alone in the elder gargess' office. Demona was now starting to get frustrated and angry, as her calm explanations of the situation to Thorn had apparently fallen upon deaf ears.

"I want you ... and Samson ... to produce a child. Can it get any simpler?!"

=But I hate him. He's a weakling ...=

The smaller gargess lashed out at the Rokkan hybrid again. "Now listen to me, Thorn. I've tolerated this insubordination long enough, I'll have no more of it! You owe your existence to me. Don't make me regret creating you."

=And what are you going to do about it?!=

A low growl appeared in Demona's voice. "I will destroy you if you disobey me on this, Thorn. All I have to do is take away your heart."

=My ... heart?=

Demona sat back down behind her desk. "Your heart, Thorn. At the center of your being is a small chip of a magical stone of immense power. Its origin comes directly from Avalon. The only reason you have life right now is because that stone is part of you."

Demona stood up again, her eyes glowing. "So help me, Thorn, if you disobey this order I am giving you right now ... I will take the stone away and destroy you."

"So you wanna return his aging to normal, huh? Piece o' cake, especially with the amount of magical force you have assembled here. Let's see here ... two fae tricksters, one halfling, and two mortal sorceresses trained in the Way ... one more than the other."

"Wait, what about this?" Lina tossed her Avalon stone over to Puck, who looked at it with glee.

"Yeah ... this might be good, too." He placed the stone on Solomon's forehead. "Great, works as a fine focal point. All right, everybody join hands."

The magic-users standing around the table formed a circle with their hands. Puck nodded.

"All right. Now, everyone focus all of your energy, all your magic ability on Lina's little rock sitting there on the boy's head. You might feel a bit drained after this is done, but believe me, the results will be worth it."

"I certainly hope so."

Alexander's comment was not lost on Puck. "Watch and learn, o ye of little faith. Now focus, everyone."

All eyes rested on the stone, the concentration level increasing instantly as soon as they all began staring. Soon, the magicians' eyes emitted an otherworldly glow. Puck finally broke the intense silence.

"Now I'll begin the incantation. Carry it around the circle, for the only way we can make this work is to make sure it's an unbroken incantation, okay? I'll begin."

Everyone nodded, half-listening, their gazes locked on the stone. Puck's voice began to take on a deep echo as he began the incantation.

Alexander, without prompting, picked up the incantation.

Solomon, the hatchling son
Your fast aging soon to be done
Keep your youth at where it stands
Take your fate into your own hands.

While not too familiar with Avalonian incantations, Lina picked up the chant with ease.

Son of Ariana young,
Your last song is yet to be sung,
On this Earth, you will stay long
Growing to be proud and strong

Another sorceress unfamiliar with incantation magic, Beth Maza kept her part of the incantation as well as she could.

Retain your youth, hatchling fair
Keep your wings in the higher air
Seize the time with claw and tooth
Let this be your moment of truth

The incantation now came around to Coyote. Though he usually made his chants in Hopi, he knew that in order for the spell to work it had to stay in the same language all around the circle. Uncomfortably, he continued the incantation ... in English.

Son of Samson, son of stone
Help us ensure your life is not done
Aging, return to normal state
And do it now, before it's too late.

Puck smiled. The magic intensified throughout the room ... then suddenly a huge flash came forth from the stone on Solomon's head. The room was completely bathed in light for a moment, then returned to normal.

Slowly, the participants in the spell came back around. They all looked upon Solomon, still lying upon the table.

Still apparently the same age. Alexander looked up at his teacher, questioningly.

"You want to know if the spell worked?" Puck passed a hand slowly over the sleeping hatchling's head. He then smiled widely. "Congratulations, folks. It worked!"

At about this time, Samson could hold himself back no longer. He nearly leaped out of the chair he had been sitting in, his lustful impulses taking over. The gargoyle and the much larger hybrid wrestled around on the floor in a passionate clinch.

Then just as suddenly as it had started ... it stopped short. Samson had successfuly freed Thorn from the confines of the robe, but other thoughts were taking hold in his mind, blocking his instincts.

... the mating flight ...

=Samson? What's wrong?=

... Ariana's joy ...

=Samson?=

... laying her egg ...

=Samson, you're starting to scare me ...=

... IT WOULD HAVE HATCHED BY NOW!!

Samson's face went from shock to bewilderment to despair in a matter of moments. He let out a primal scream, the conflicting thoughts in his mind driving him mad as he sped out of the room, leaving a completely confused and equally as naked Thorn on the floor of his office.

Rosanna scanned the faces in the crowd, human gargoyle and fae, the weight of Graeme's words falling upon her full force. Back in the day of gargoyle clans, they would have numbered in the hundreds. Now they were but a shadow of what a true Clan should have been.

Rosanna nodded. "Very well, then." She turned to Alexander Xanatos, one of her closest human friends. "Make any and all preparations you have to, Alex. Just bring us some backup. We need it desperately."

Rosanna sighed, looking down. Her eye was suddenly caught by a glint of light from the pendant that he had given her at Solstice. She smiled, looking back up at him.

"I'm not worried, Rain. I've got a piece of you here, I'll be safe."

"Some kind of holding cell. Looks like we're waiting for our fates."

Steve scoffed. "Typical. Of course, I shouldn't be too surprised, after all, they didn't even give my father the benefit of a trial before they blew him to smithereens."

"We didn't kill your father, Steve."

A third man's voice suddenly pierced through the darkness, as he came into view, just on the other side of the bars from the captives. He wore a robe and an obscuring hood.

"Then who did?"

"Certain interests within the Society felt that Bluestone was a threat, and pushed to have him eliminated. Others felt he was beyond use. I voted to keep him alive. We voted to let him live by only one vote ... but someone decided to overrule us."

"Gee, there's an understatement. Somebody overruled you by blowing a midtown Manhattan nursing home nearly to hell!"

"But you have to know it wasn't me." The hooded figure finally allowed his hood to be pulled back, revealing a balding man in his 70s, wearing square-framed glasses. A man who Steve instantly recognized.

"Uncle Martin?"

This made Rosanna jump. "UNCLE?!"

Steve sighed. "Rosanna, allow me to introduce Martin Hacker, my dad's best friend from his FBI days. I always thought you two were too close ... guess I know why."

Hacker nodded. "Listen to me, I know already how they're going to rule. They're preparing to kill you both."

Rosanna's eyes flew open, horrified. "But why?! Don't they know about the invasion?!"

"Yes, we do. Because we allowed the Rokkans to come. Remember the big guy who approached you in the boardroom? He's our Number 3 man, has been for nearly eleven years. We've been preparing for the Rokkans' arrival for that long.

"But at the same time, some of us have been preparing resistance to the invasion. Like me."

Before either of the captives could react, Hacker had opened up the cell. "Now hurry, you don't want them to catch you. There's an elevator at the end of this corridor. Take this key and don't look back!"

Hacker hurriedly pressed a small key into Rosanna's palm. She looked the small piece of metal over carefully, then looked back up at Hacker.

"Thank you."

"No time, just go!"

He looked over at her, and now she could clearly see it. His eyes were as wide as those of a deer in the headlights. "Aren't you? I'm petrified."

Rosanna sighed, coming closer to his side. "It's only natural. However, there are certain times when you have to push down your fear. And this is one of those times. We have to stand tall and together, Rain, otherwise we're dead."

Rain nodded slowly in agreement. "Now that you put it that way, it makes sense." He caught an updraft, raising himself further toward the building. Rosanna followed closely in formation, as did the rest of the party.

Impulsively, Rosanna turned herself to face Rain as they glided toward the building. "Believe me, Rain, there is nothing I'd rather do than not do this, but if we have any chance of surviving, this has to be done."

She put a hand out to stroke his face lightly. "If we ever have any chance of being together, Rain ... this has to be done."

Graeme's eyes flew wide open. "What? How did you ..."

"A father knows, Graeme-chan," Sata's voice drifted up to the earshot of the males. "You have the same look on your face that your father had when he courted me."

"And the same goes for Liberty."

This finally brought Liberty's attention to the conversation. Brooklyn flashed her a big grin. "Relax, Libby, me and Sata couldn't be happier for you two."

Graeme now turned to face her. "Liberty, what say after this whole thing's over with we run away from my parents?"

"What are you doing?!"

"Forcing your hand, madame secretary." Demona turned to the assembly, now shocked into silence by the show of aggression. "I have tried to play the diplomatic game with you fools, but it's apparent you have no sense of self-preservation! Give us what we want ... this planet ... or we lay waste to this whole city, nay, this whole world!"

"Now I get my chance for revenge!"

The Rokkan snarled at Liberty, grinning. =Mine as well, dead woman!=

The two former mates growled, leaping for each other's throats.

"You don't have any idea how far the odds are stacked against you, Rosanna. I have the upper hand!"

"Great! Then you can talk to MINE!" Rosanna swung an open-handed blow, landing it on Demona's face and sending her flying.

=Time to die!=

The Rokkan drew his fists over his head, aiming toward the fallen gargess' face. He would have been successful in his blow, had it not been for the flying green streak that tackled him before he could land it.

Graeme screamed, pummeling blow after blow into the Rokkan, his adrenaline and his fear for Liberty taking control of his actions. He laid a brutal beating into the larger fighter, who could do little more than block the barrage, and then could not block it any longer.

Eventually, the only thing that stopped Graeme, even as his face and forearms became caked with the alien's blood, was Liberty's calming touch on his arm.

"Graeme! Stop it, he's dead!"

Breathing heavily, Graeme finally came down from his rush, bringing his arms harmlessly to his sides. He turned to Liberty ... battered and bruised, but much to his relief, alive.

"He would ... have killed you. I couldn't let him."

"He's killed me once before, Graeme. He will not kill anyone else, ever again."

Graeme now turned his full attention to Liberty, concern in his eyes. "Are you okay, Libby? I came as soon as I could ..."

"I know you did. Thank you."

Overcome with relief, Graeme could do no more than embrace the giant gargess tightly.

And now Rosanna smiled. "Bye bye, blue bitch!"

Rosanna leaped out the nearest window. Demona screamed into the empty room.

Rosanna glided away from the wreckage, looking behind her. Tears formed in her eyes ... it was a shame that such a major part of the city had to be sacrificed, but her tears were of joy, for she hoped much of the invasion force had been stopped.

It bubbled deep from within her. And could not help but be let out. Her eyes glowed as she cocked her head back into the night, her scream evolving into a savage roar.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

More eldritch energies formed around Alexander, finally coalescing within the teenage boy. The magic light suddenly shot itself out of Alex and toward the center of the room.

Rosanna stood behind the Puck, spellbound, as the spell produced results. Results that she liked, for the newcomer ...

... was a gargoyle. The light faded to reveal a tall, green, beaked gargess, in garb similar to that which Brooklyn chose to wear nowadays. She looked around the room, sensing familiarity.

"Hmm ... Castle Wyvern. Interesting." She turned around and looked at Alexander, Puck and Rosanna. "Alexander Xanatos ... well, you're sure different than mine, aren't you?"

Alexander's eyes went wide. "There's more of me?"

Puck nodded. "It is always possible to have multiple copies of one person on multiple planes ... but no one plane usually has multiple copies of one person, Alex."

"The Puck ... don't tell me I've walked in on one of your infamous magic lessons."

Puck grinned. "Sadly, yes, you have, stranger."

The gargess stroked her chin, suddenly noticing the younger gargess standing behind Puck. "Well, here at least is one person I don't know." The gargess extended her arm to Rosanna. "Greetings, young one. I'm Eddie, leader of Clan Winslow."

Rosanna looked up at the gargess. Now she came fully out from behind the Puck, clasping Eddie's arm warrior-style. "I'm Rosanna, of Clan Manhattan."

"Grandmother ... I ... could not ... would not take her ..."

"Who? Thorn?" Demona's gaze turned back to Thorn.

=Don't blame me, I tried!=

"Cannot ... be with her ... can't leave Ari ..."

Demona's eyes widened. Perhaps he was breaking free of the spell. This would lead to disaster if she were to lose his allegiance.

"Come, Samson. We're going to help you, both myself and Thorn. Come."

Demona helped her massive grandson to his feet, supporting him as they all walked toward the ship's medlab. Absently, a recent hatchling started following them.

Rosanna couldn't help but worry about him. As long as she had lived, Alex had always been like an older brother to her, the one she never had. She resisted the burning sensation she felt all over her body, embracing him warmly.

"Save our lives, Alex. I believe in you."

Alex nodded, turning to Owen. Nearly for the first time in his life, Owen's face showed worry. Finally, he could not hold his composure any longer, hugging the younger mage.

"Do us proud, Alex. You will always be my favorite student."

Alex chuckled, nearly making the entire room shake. "+Your only.+" He smiled with confidence. "+You all can count on me.+"

The Weird Sisters.

"You! What are you doing here?"

They approached her with purpose. "Why, we've been here the whole time."

"Observing you."

"Waiting for our moment to make our presence known."

Demona growled. "What do you want of me now? Haven't I suffered enough to suit your whims?!"

Thorn looked upon the scene with disbelief, as the Sisters appeared to her as three Rokkan militiawomen, but the way they hounded Demona screamed insubordination.

"But this time our goals are complementary."

"You seek a world free of humans."

"As do we."

Suddenly, the tone of the Sisters' conversation took a welcome turn for the immortal blue gargess. "Never thought the Children of Oberon had genocide in them."

"Not genocide, Demona."

"Euthanasia."

"The humans have let the Earth decay for too long."

The sisters' voices came in unison. "It is long past time for us to put humanity out of its suffering."

Alexander's eyes suddenly flew open, the eldritch energies collected within him making his eyes appear brighter than any mortal light ever constructed. He focused his gaze solely on Rosanna.

The infusion of magic made it hard for the gathered Clan to keep their footing on the battlement, as Alexander finally released the rushing flood of fae magics he had been collecting like a sponge for the past few weeks ... magic that shot out into the Manhattan night, making the sky as bright as the daylight. The energy finally blossomed and mushroomed high above the Castle, even higher into space, ripping a hole through time, space, and dimensions. The flash seemed to last forever.

The Sisters approached behind her. "Their last resort."

"They call help from other planes."

"But we can interfere."

The Sisters approached the window, their own weird magics flying out of the window, toward the massive beam centered at the very top of the Aerie building.

For Goliath, it was a reason to cry. But for the first time since that horrible night nine years before, his tears were happy ones.

For at last ... at long last ... the skies over Castle Wyvern were once again filled with gargoyles.