Gargoyles: Clan Manhattan -- Volume #22: "Green"

Volume #22: "Green"

The two gargoyles approached in the medlab. The seated one had just come out of surgery. The standing one, her worried friend.

"Rosanna ... I ..."

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

The two gargoyles briefly kissed, then embraced. From a nearby passage, the young green gargess called Lina watched them. Watched with growing sadness. Jealousy.

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

The evening came too soon, as far as she was concerned. She turned back toward the medlab, seeing nobody there, save Goliath. She shuddered bitterly, running up the passageway.

Just as she reached the mouth of the passage, she saw them. Rain, the male she had found in the deep forests of Avalon. Rosanna, the leader of the clan that they guested with at this moment.

In each other's arms.

She felt the tears rising again. She tried, but failed, to hold back a mournful scream as she leaped out a nearby window and into the cold night.

Rosanna looked up at Rain, her new cyborg eye glowing with life in the darkness. "What was that?"

Rain looked behind him. "I ... think it was Lina."

Rosanna looked at him. "Oh no. Lina?"

Rain looked to his feet. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt her."

She blindly flew through the night, tears flowing. Why? What made him choose Rosanna over her?

"Damn it ... he was mine!" She repeated it over and over to herself. She was the one who found him on Avalon. She was the one who brought him to Manhattan. Sure, he hadn't been too happy about it, but still. And now he chose Rosanna over her!

Lina was so blinded by her anger and jealousy, she didn't realize until it was too late that she had flown right into the center of a Rokkan patrol. As they banked in to attack, she pulled her Avalon stone, the one he had given her, and reared back.

"FLARE CIRCLE!"

A ring of fire spread from the stone in her hand, immolating the Rokkan patrol. Unfortunately, she didn't notice the patrol commander, swooping down on her from above, thereby avoiding the fire.

A swift blow to the head, and Lina was down. The patrol commander easily carried her with one arm, turning back toward the Rokkan central command station. He looked down on his unconscious quarry, his artificial eye glowing red in the night.

"Grandmother will be pleased." Samson continued on his way.

She was roughly thrown into a dark corridor, on her knees. The blue gargoyle behind her picked her up by her waist, tossing her further ahead. She grumbled furiously.

"Keep it down."

"If I weren't in here, Sammie, I'd ..."

The sound of a door ahead of her opening cut Lina short. She looked toward the end of the corridor and saw the blue gargess approaching at a fast clip.

Demona.

"I picked her up with the scouting patrol, Grandmother. She was carrying only this." Samson handed Lina's Avalon stone to Demona. Lina snarled.

"Give it back!"

Demona looked down on the younger gargess, sneering. "I think not, little one. You don't realize the power you carry in this small pebble, do you?"

"I know enough!" Lina focused her line of sight at the stone. "Backfire!"

Nothing happened. Demona laughed loudly.

"And what did you expect to achieve?" Demona focused her eyes at Lina, clutching th stone. "Levitation."

Lina's prone form suddenly began floating in midair. Her cries of panic went unanswered by Samson or Demona, save with laughter. Demona turned back to the stone.

"Gravity."

Lina suddenly dropped like a rock, pressed to the bulkhead like a huge weight had been dropped on her. The force of the fall itself, though, had been enough to knock her out.

"That's enough for play time. Normalcy." Lina's body returned to a normal appearance, save her unconsciousness. "Samson, take her to a holding cell. I have ... plans ... for this stone."

Samson picked up the limp gargess again, dragging her down the passage.

She awakened once more, within a holding cell. She found herself very securely shackled against the wall; her arms, legs, wings and even tail had been chained against the bulkhead. She struggled with her bonds, trying to free herself, but ultimately failing.

The doors opened on the opposite side of the cell, allowing Samson and a Rokkan escort to walk in. Lina snarled at the two.

"What do you want?"

"Leave us." Samson's order was quickly followed by the Rokkan guard. The door closed behind him, leaving Samson alone in the cell with Lina. He approached her, slowly, threateningly.

"Well now ... what on earth would make you assault a whole party without backup? Or better armaments, for that matter?"

"Better armaments? Why don't you ask all those crispy Rokkans out there what kind of 'better armaments' I was packin'!"

"There has to be some reason. Could it be ... something to do with your companion?"

"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.

Samson smiled. She would break easily. He walked out of the cell, letting the door's closing ring out through the cell.

She had cried herself into exhaustion. But through her hazy sight, she could see the light appear.

From within the core of the light came a woman. A dark-skinned, raven-haired woman, wearing a red bomber jacket and blue jeans.

Lina squinted against the light. "I think I know you. Didn't you come to Avalon?"

"I did." The voice echoed further than Lina thought it could. "And now I'm here to help you."

Lina sighed. "How?"

"The Rokkans are trying to break your spirit. Demona thinks that you will turn against the Clan and fight with her."

"Why ... me?"

"I don't know, Lina. But I do know that you can't let Demona win. Resist, with all your strength. The Clan needs you."

Lina drooped her head again. "Why should I believe that? Rain abandoned me."

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."

Finally, Lina smiled. "Okay then. How do I get out of here?"

Elisa smiled. "Leave it to me." Her spirit dissolved into the air again.

Suddenly, Lina felt her bonds open. She clicked her talons on the metal floor of the cell, immediately taking on a defensive stance. Much to her surprise, the door opened easily, as she worked her way into the passage.

The guards were the first to fall. Some quick blows from the very speedy Lina took them out quickly. She peeked around the corner and into the next room, appearing to be an office.

It was empty. Except ... Lina sped into the room and snatched the stone off the table. The Avalon stone.

As soon as she touched it, however, alarms went off all around her. Speeding down the hallway, Demona and Samson were the first to reach the room. Lina took a threatening pose, gritting her teeth.

"Stay back!"

Demona smirked. "Try it, little one."

Lina curled her lip into a snarl, focusing her eyes and her life energy into the stone and the blue gargoyles before her.

"SINKHOLE!!"

A hole popped up in the bulkhead below Demona and Samson, dropping them to the next deck below. Before they could recover, Lina closed her eyes, holding the stone close to her chest.

"Teleport."

She vanished in a brilliant flash.

Rosanna and Rain frantically scanned the horizons, watching, hoping that Lina would return soon.

However, she made her appearance behind them in the courtyard, accompanied by a brilliant flash. Rosanna and Rain turned fast to see her there.

"Lina!"

Lina, for the first time in what seemed like a while, smiled. She eagerly ran into the embrace of Rain and Rosanna. After a while, though, Rain pulled away from her.

"Lina ... I'm so sorry I hurt you. I didn't know ..."

Lina lightly brushed his apology off. "Don't worry about it, Rain. Me and Rosanna's mom had a little chat while I was out, we're square."

"My ... mom?"

Lina hugged Rosanna again. "I'll tell you about it later."

In each other's arms, Rain, Lina and Rosanna walked back into the Castle's Great Hall.

To Be Continued ...

Comments? Questions? Send 'em to the Castle!
Flames? Send 'em elsewhere.