Alternative Lives, Part 1
By Jake Denton ([email protected])
Author's note: This fic is designed to revolve around Brooklyn as he realizes what it would be like if he had never been born. This one is my favorite, and I worked hard on this one, so if you must flame me for it, flame me gently. Okay?
Warning: This latest example of my work houses Homosexuality, and Profanity. Rated X.
Castle Wyvern
Manhattan, New York
November 15th, 2001.
Sailing in at low flight, the clan swooped down low, growling angrily, their faces shining with the white glow that came with their anger, chasing after the man who had the Phoenix Gate. The man ducked quickly into the alley behind Mike's Pizza Haven, and Goliath growled angrily at the absence of the stranger, then looked at Lexington and Brooklyn, an unfriendly scowl stretching his face.
"Find him. At all costs!"
"We're on it, Goliath," Brooklyn replied as he and the smaller Olive skinned gargoyle soared downwards into the alley. The muscular clan leader watched them go, an emotion of fear and dread forming up from his belly and rising through his circulation until it reached his brain. Goliath had wished that he had gone after the Phoenix Gate, instead of sending his weaker acquaintances.
But he had been weak. He had been afraid, as much as he tried to deny it to himself.
Several months ago, 5 years in fact, He had seen a terrible world. A future in which Broadway was blinded and later killed by one of Thailog's shock troops. Where Matt and Claw, both aged 40 years, and Bronx had been assimilated. Where Brooklyn, Angela, and Demona had been destroyed. Where Lexington had turned traitor, turning his back on the clan to gain his own twisted and unfathomable goals of wealth and power.
Goliath, upon waking up, had gotten rid of the talisman, calling up a portal and chucking it into the fiery mist, never to be retrieved by mere mortals who would seek to change the world, for the better or the world. He thought he had gotten rid of it for good.
He PRAYED he had gotten rid of it for all eternity.
But apparently he was wrong. The Phoenix Gate had somehow resurfaced in the mortal plane, and was now placing the Manhattan Clan, if not the entire world, in dire jeopardy.
* * TWO DAYS AGO * *
"Come on, Lex, try and keep up!" The rust-colored Gargoyle laughed as he twirled and dipped through the Manhattan atmosphere, his wings flapping rapidly as, fifty yards behind him, his smaller friend, flailed his flying squirrel-like wings tiredly. "Come on, Brooklyn, I'm getting exhausted. Can't we PLEASE go back to the castle and finish the race tomorrow night?" Lexington pleaded, a faint glimmer of hope echoing in his voice.
Brooklyn laughed. "No way, bro. I could run a marathon with the way I feel!"
Panting, his tongue lolling out, Lexington decided he had enough and soared downwards to rest for a few minutes. Brooklyn noticed the green shape shoot earthward and flared his wings to soar after him, finding his younger brother sitting on his butt on the roof of Gen-U-Tech, holding his sides and breathing hard. Brooklyn shook his head disdainfully, squatting down to kneel by his associate's side, a sarcastic emblem burning in his eyes. "Don't tell me that little game took the wind out of you!"
Still holding his sides, Lexington looked over, unable to speak, and simply nodded.
Brooklyn snorted in contempt. "Let me guess. It also hurt your ribs. Am I right?"
Able to breathe enough to speak, Lexington stammered, "Y-yes, B-Brooklyn..."
Sighing in aggravation and pity, Brooklyn glanced behind him at the Castle known as Wyvern which, although it looked so close, was actually so far away, then back at his sibling, feeling remorseful for his enforced iron grip on Lexington's involvement in the nightly races the two often had. Brooklyn had always won those races, because of his bigger wing span, and that suited him just fine. It helped heal somewhat the hole he felt in his soul whenever he saw Angela and Broadway together.
Feeling that hole start to eat at him, Brooklyn forced his thought to shift back to the lean bat-like creature that he had spent his entire life with and who was breathing easily, his panting lowered to a minimum level. Brooklyn, feeling apologetic, placed his hand on Lexington's shoulder.
"Lex, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
Blinking quickly, Lex looked up at his life-long friend and smiled, a smile forming on his stocky face.
"I'm fine, Brooklyn," was all Lexington would say, putting his hand over Brooklyn's still nestled on his shoulder. Before he knew it, Brooklyn found himself looking into his rookery brother's eyes, thinking thoughts he had never considered before. An uncertain question forming in his voice, Brooklyn suddenly realized that he was wondering what it would be like to kiss Lex...
What?!
Brooklyn shook his head, ashamed at himself for some impetuous thoughts. Lexington looked at him, concerned.
"Brooklyn...what is it?"
Brooklyn looked into those large eyes, the eyes that seemed to mesmerize him intensely. "Uh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something..."
Before he knew it, Lexington was kissing him.
Startled, and yet pleased, Brooklyn wrapped his arms around the smaller gargoyle and kissed back, feeling Lexington's tonsils with the tip of his tongue and rubbing his talons firmly on Lexington's buttocks. The Olive garg returned the favor by running his hands through Brooklyn's flowing white hair, and Brooklyn pulled away, not out of disgust and revulsion, but curiosity.
"Did you hear that?" he looked at his confused and frustrated rookery brother.
Lexington's bowling ball eyes narrowed as he listened concentrating. "No," he admitted. "Now about us..."
Brooklyn smiled inwardly, longing and sexual desire racing through his veins at the thought of being mates with his rookery brother, but he knew that whatever that strange red flare of red was would have to be checked out right away. His own personal feelings for Lexington would have to wait until later.
Brooklyn shook his head again under Lexington's worried look. "We can discuss this later, Lex," he gently touched that spot between Lexington's and wing, sending shivers down the smaller clan member's spine. "after we check out what's going on."
Lexington sighed happily. "Okay, Brooklyn. You're the second-in-command, after all."
"Fuckin A I am," the rusted Gargoyle replied as he spread his wings and took to the skies once again, now starting to feel breathless himself. Whatever it was he had been feeling for Lexington back on that rooftop, it sure as hell felt good. It filled a long buried potion of his imminent life essence, some part of him that hadn't been surfacing since he was a hatchling and he first discovered the concepts of mates. He had been so excited about finding a female mate back then.
But now he wasn't sure he wanted to mate with a female. He only knew that Lexington was something he had looked for his entire life, and until now he had been too blind to notice, seeking companionship in females. First Maggie, then Angie. Every female had scorned him. Had rejected him.
Had hurt him emotionally.
But Lexington hadn't. Looking back at the Olive brother that was following, Brooklyn thought back.
The two had been friends for as far back as Brooklyn could remember, gliding over the skies of Scotland as hatchlings, riding horses together through the hills, even having fencing lessons in the courtyard, an art which neither of them had really picked up on.
Smiling somberly at these memories, Brooklyn's attention was diverted by the flash that originated in the alley. He looked behind him. "It's down there. Let's go!" The two flailed their wings and landed onto the dirty concrete pavement of the back alley, a creepy sense of doom becoming rapidly evident with each passing second the two friends spent searching for the cause of the freaky light show.
"There!"
Brooklyn glanced up, following Lexington's eager response and looking past his green-tinged talon, which Brooklyn couldn't help but notice was attractive and yet fierce-looking, at the street bum facing away from them, holding the what looked like the Phoenix Gate over his head. Neither of the gargoyles had seen it themselves but they had heard descriptions of it from Goliath whenever he discussed his voyage through Avalon, except they both thought Goliath had gotten rid of it. So what was it doing here?
No matter.
Brooklyn lunged forward, sailing straight at the man, and landed on his feet in front of the frightened man. Soothing, he raised his claws to calm down the drunken individual. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," Brooklyn glanced down at the man's hands. Yep, he was holding the Phoenix Gate all right. "I just want that," pointing at the talisman.
The man's terrified eyes glanced down at the item he held in his hands, an item he was going to sell to buy whiskey, but thought better of it and shoved into Brooklyn's chest fiercely. "Take it! Just don't hurt me!" the man pleaded, before he turned and raced off.
Brooklyn watched him go. "Well, that was easy," he smirked. Holding the magical property carefully, so as not to drop and smash it, Brooklyn tucked the small object into his loincloth pocket, and looked at Lexington. "Uh, about what happened back there..."
Lexington's interest was renewed. "Yeah...?"
Brooklyn smiled and hugged the smaller creature, feeling Lex's arms go around his back as he leaned into the pointed green ear and whispered. "Id like to have a relationship with you Lex."
Lexington grinned happily. Things were already going his way for the first time in a long time. "Really?"
"Oh, yeah," Brooklyn answered suavely. "The only reason I tried to hook up with Angela and Maggie before was because I didn't want the others to know my secret. Lexington, I'm gay." He paused, looking down at his younger brother. "I'd like to be in a relationship with you, Lex. Why do you think I went with you almost everywhere you went?"
Lexington grinned. Things were starting to look up. He had waited for years to hear Brooklyn say that.
They kissed quickly, then separated. "Let's go show this to Goliath. He'll want to know about it."
"Us?"
Brooklyn laughed shrilly. "No. The Phoenix Gate, you little twit."
"Don't call me a twit!"
"Twit!"
Laughing, spinning through the skies, heading back to the Castle, Brooklyn and Lexington laughed and goofed around. They had both worn a heavy burden on their shoulders for so long, and tonight they had smashed the burdens and found each other.
Touching down on the courtyard, Brooklyn looked around for the other clan members. "Goliath? Broadway?"
"They're all out on patrol," they heard a calm yet arrogant voice behind them say and both turned to see David Xanatos standing in the foyer. Brooklyn smirked, his happy mood beginning to falter a little bit.
Xanatos looked down and saw the Phoenix Gate nestled tightly into Brooklyn's pocket. "I don't suppose you'd want to give that to me so I can put it in my artifacts room away from prying eyes, now do you?"
Brooklyn's eyes burned white, but returned to normal as he handed it into Xanatos's expecting outstretched hand. "Brooklyn, you can trust him!" Lexington gasped in silent horror as he watched the millionaire walk away into the castle. Brooklyn shrugged at his new love. "He's proven his worth. He can be trusted. If he couldn't be trusted, he would've smashed us to pieces in our stone sleep, now wouldn't he?"
Lexington nodded. "Yeah..."
Whistling Dixie, happy as a clam, Xanatos' feet stopped in front of the artifacts room door, and the bearded man pushed open the door, stepping inside. Looking around for an empty display case, Xanatos spotted an empty glass door cabinet against the far wall. He smiled.
"Home sweet home, my little Phoenix Gate."
Placing the Phoenix Gate inside, Xanatos locked it up and left, locking the large mahogany door behind him as he exited the room, whistling jovially as he snapped off the lights in the hallway, and disappeared around the corner.
Returning to the courtyard, Xanatos looked up, unimpressed, as the familiar Lavender, Aqua, and Brown shapes touched down, closing their winds around themselves, as they nodded, disgruntled, at their former enemy-turned-ally. Goliath, sensing something was up, stepped forward.
"My instincts are telling me you have something to tell me. You know me well enough to know I always listen to my instincts, Xanatos. What is it?" the clan leader rumbled deep in his massive chest. Xanatos smiled arrogantly as always. Ever the cool one.
"I have a talisman. A magical talisman. One I thought you'd be very interested in, Goliath. Come with me."
Putting his hand on Goliath's shoulder, the billionaire led his Castle Protector to the Artifact Room and showed him the Phoenix Gate, smiling inadvertently. Goliath growled in anger as he saw it sitting in the trophy case.
The Phoenix Gate, somehow retrieved from the space-time plane.
He didn't like it, and roared at Xanatos, demanding to know how he had gotten it and why it was here now.
Xanatos flinched, but remained as steely as always. "Relax, Goliath. You can thank Brooklyn and Lexington for it. They're the ones that brought it to me."
Goliath growled, highly pissed off.
Stepping back into the foyer, Goliath stared at Brooklyn and Lexington, his eyes strict and accusing. He beckoned a finger at them. "You two, come with me. NOW."
"We're in trouble," Brooklyn whispered, swallowing hard. Lexington nodded fearfully.
Inside the Kitchen, listening intently to what the two gargoyles were telling him, unaware they left out the part of their "activity", Goliath watched his second-in-command and his technological clan mates sternly, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"...And that's what happened," Brooklyn was finishing saying, when the alarms blared. Startled, the transfixed gargoyles looked up as Xanatos rushed into the room panting heavily. "There's a security breach in the Artifact room..."
That was all Goliath needed to hear. With a roar, the clan leader pushed Xanatos out of the way and stormed out, followed by Brooklyn and Lexington. Xanatos watched them go. He knew they would stop whoever was in the artifacts room.
He hoped anyway.
Stamping madly into the stone hallway, blinded by the bright flaring lights and nearly made deaf by the WHEE!WHEE!WHEE! of the alarm system, Goliath growled in contempt, peering into the vicinity of the Artifacts Room, searching for the Phoenix Gate frantically, his fears, which had been gnawing away at his insides, were confirmed when he looked and saw, to his own dread.
The Phoenix Gate was gone. The glass door had been destroyed.
Xanatos appeared. "Whoever stole the Gate is long gone. He knocked out all the cameras, and he disabled the silent alarms. Whoever he is, he's good."
Goliath frowned. "Then why did he not turn off these alarms?"
Xanatos shrugged, befuddled. "Maybe he wanted to make it more challenging. Who knows?"
A few minutes later, the entire clan, minus Bronx, was on patrol, searching for the one who had taken the deadly piece of history. So far they'd had no luck, but that was about to change for the worse.
Flying, soaring over the city now, Brooklyn looked down suddenly and pointed. "There!"
Everyone else looked down and saw a cloaked figure racing through the streets, holding something shiny in his pocket. Fortunately, Brooklyn's eyes were good enough to recognize from a distance that it was the Phoenix Gate and swooped down.
And now, he and Lexington were in the alley, attacking the shadow who possessed the Gate, fighting with him to get it back, but this man, or creature, or whatever he was, was incredibly strong. Strong enough to hurl Lexington into a wall and knock him out. Enraged, Brooklyn leaped at this attacker, intent on ripping his guts out, but their assailant simply dodged the attack and rewarded Brooklyn with a kick to the ribs.
Groaning, dropping to his knees, Brooklyn held his ribs, squeezing his eyes shut as the pain that racked through him began to subside and Brooklyn staggered to his feet wearily. Just as the stranger kicked Brooklyn in the back and sent him sprawling him against the wall to lie in an unconscious heap next to Lexington. The shadow chuckled pleasantly, and holding up the Gate, started to chant.
"Deslagrate Muri Tempi Et Intervalia!"
As a energy field from out of nowhere, covering the two gargoyles and their attacker, Brooklyn cracked open his eyelids, and croaked, "who...are...you?"
The stranger looked down and smiled contemptuously.
"The humans call me Kojak..."
Brooklyn closed his eyes again and slipped back into unconsciousness, the roaring sound of electrical energy ringing through his ears.
They all disappeared in a haze of white light that shined into the alley opening where Goliath waited patiently with Broadway, and Hudson, and the two unconscious gargoyles and Kojak were gone, fading out of existence into an unknown place and time within the white energy from which there was no escape.
And then the field itself was gone.
Goliath, hearing the chant and then the loud sound of electricity, rushed blindly into the alley. "Brooklyn! Lexington!"
There was no answer. Only a dark abandoned alley.
"BROOKLYN! LEXINGTON!" Goliath wailed frantically.
They were gone. With the Phoenix Gate.
And he had no idea how to find them...
To Be Continued.
This is not the end. Part 2 will pick up where this one left off, as Brooklyn and Lexington try to get back to their own world and escape the stranger that holds them hostage. But will they succeed? Will they return to Manhattan? Will the clan find out they're both gay? What will Goliath's reaction be if he does? Will I stop asking these questions? Will you read part 2 when it is posted?
Only time will tell.
Until then!
Jake Denton ([email protected])
By Jake Denton ([email protected])
Author's note: This fic is designed to revolve around Brooklyn as he realizes what it would be like if he had never been born. This one is my favorite, and I worked hard on this one, so if you must flame me for it, flame me gently. Okay?
Warning: This latest example of my work houses Homosexuality, and Profanity. Rated X.
Castle Wyvern
Manhattan, New York
November 15th, 2001.
Sailing in at low flight, the clan swooped down low, growling angrily, their faces shining with the white glow that came with their anger, chasing after the man who had the Phoenix Gate. The man ducked quickly into the alley behind Mike's Pizza Haven, and Goliath growled angrily at the absence of the stranger, then looked at Lexington and Brooklyn, an unfriendly scowl stretching his face.
"Find him. At all costs!"
"We're on it, Goliath," Brooklyn replied as he and the smaller Olive skinned gargoyle soared downwards into the alley. The muscular clan leader watched them go, an emotion of fear and dread forming up from his belly and rising through his circulation until it reached his brain. Goliath had wished that he had gone after the Phoenix Gate, instead of sending his weaker acquaintances.
But he had been weak. He had been afraid, as much as he tried to deny it to himself.
Several months ago, 5 years in fact, He had seen a terrible world. A future in which Broadway was blinded and later killed by one of Thailog's shock troops. Where Matt and Claw, both aged 40 years, and Bronx had been assimilated. Where Brooklyn, Angela, and Demona had been destroyed. Where Lexington had turned traitor, turning his back on the clan to gain his own twisted and unfathomable goals of wealth and power.
Goliath, upon waking up, had gotten rid of the talisman, calling up a portal and chucking it into the fiery mist, never to be retrieved by mere mortals who would seek to change the world, for the better or the world. He thought he had gotten rid of it for good.
He PRAYED he had gotten rid of it for all eternity.
But apparently he was wrong. The Phoenix Gate had somehow resurfaced in the mortal plane, and was now placing the Manhattan Clan, if not the entire world, in dire jeopardy.
* * TWO DAYS AGO * *
"Come on, Lex, try and keep up!" The rust-colored Gargoyle laughed as he twirled and dipped through the Manhattan atmosphere, his wings flapping rapidly as, fifty yards behind him, his smaller friend, flailed his flying squirrel-like wings tiredly. "Come on, Brooklyn, I'm getting exhausted. Can't we PLEASE go back to the castle and finish the race tomorrow night?" Lexington pleaded, a faint glimmer of hope echoing in his voice.
Brooklyn laughed. "No way, bro. I could run a marathon with the way I feel!"
Panting, his tongue lolling out, Lexington decided he had enough and soared downwards to rest for a few minutes. Brooklyn noticed the green shape shoot earthward and flared his wings to soar after him, finding his younger brother sitting on his butt on the roof of Gen-U-Tech, holding his sides and breathing hard. Brooklyn shook his head disdainfully, squatting down to kneel by his associate's side, a sarcastic emblem burning in his eyes. "Don't tell me that little game took the wind out of you!"
Still holding his sides, Lexington looked over, unable to speak, and simply nodded.
Brooklyn snorted in contempt. "Let me guess. It also hurt your ribs. Am I right?"
Able to breathe enough to speak, Lexington stammered, "Y-yes, B-Brooklyn..."
Sighing in aggravation and pity, Brooklyn glanced behind him at the Castle known as Wyvern which, although it looked so close, was actually so far away, then back at his sibling, feeling remorseful for his enforced iron grip on Lexington's involvement in the nightly races the two often had. Brooklyn had always won those races, because of his bigger wing span, and that suited him just fine. It helped heal somewhat the hole he felt in his soul whenever he saw Angela and Broadway together.
Feeling that hole start to eat at him, Brooklyn forced his thought to shift back to the lean bat-like creature that he had spent his entire life with and who was breathing easily, his panting lowered to a minimum level. Brooklyn, feeling apologetic, placed his hand on Lexington's shoulder.
"Lex, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
Blinking quickly, Lex looked up at his life-long friend and smiled, a smile forming on his stocky face.
"I'm fine, Brooklyn," was all Lexington would say, putting his hand over Brooklyn's still nestled on his shoulder. Before he knew it, Brooklyn found himself looking into his rookery brother's eyes, thinking thoughts he had never considered before. An uncertain question forming in his voice, Brooklyn suddenly realized that he was wondering what it would be like to kiss Lex...
What?!
Brooklyn shook his head, ashamed at himself for some impetuous thoughts. Lexington looked at him, concerned.
"Brooklyn...what is it?"
Brooklyn looked into those large eyes, the eyes that seemed to mesmerize him intensely. "Uh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something..."
Before he knew it, Lexington was kissing him.
Startled, and yet pleased, Brooklyn wrapped his arms around the smaller gargoyle and kissed back, feeling Lexington's tonsils with the tip of his tongue and rubbing his talons firmly on Lexington's buttocks. The Olive garg returned the favor by running his hands through Brooklyn's flowing white hair, and Brooklyn pulled away, not out of disgust and revulsion, but curiosity.
"Did you hear that?" he looked at his confused and frustrated rookery brother.
Lexington's bowling ball eyes narrowed as he listened concentrating. "No," he admitted. "Now about us..."
Brooklyn smiled inwardly, longing and sexual desire racing through his veins at the thought of being mates with his rookery brother, but he knew that whatever that strange red flare of red was would have to be checked out right away. His own personal feelings for Lexington would have to wait until later.
Brooklyn shook his head again under Lexington's worried look. "We can discuss this later, Lex," he gently touched that spot between Lexington's and wing, sending shivers down the smaller clan member's spine. "after we check out what's going on."
Lexington sighed happily. "Okay, Brooklyn. You're the second-in-command, after all."
"Fuckin A I am," the rusted Gargoyle replied as he spread his wings and took to the skies once again, now starting to feel breathless himself. Whatever it was he had been feeling for Lexington back on that rooftop, it sure as hell felt good. It filled a long buried potion of his imminent life essence, some part of him that hadn't been surfacing since he was a hatchling and he first discovered the concepts of mates. He had been so excited about finding a female mate back then.
But now he wasn't sure he wanted to mate with a female. He only knew that Lexington was something he had looked for his entire life, and until now he had been too blind to notice, seeking companionship in females. First Maggie, then Angie. Every female had scorned him. Had rejected him.
Had hurt him emotionally.
But Lexington hadn't. Looking back at the Olive brother that was following, Brooklyn thought back.
The two had been friends for as far back as Brooklyn could remember, gliding over the skies of Scotland as hatchlings, riding horses together through the hills, even having fencing lessons in the courtyard, an art which neither of them had really picked up on.
Smiling somberly at these memories, Brooklyn's attention was diverted by the flash that originated in the alley. He looked behind him. "It's down there. Let's go!" The two flailed their wings and landed onto the dirty concrete pavement of the back alley, a creepy sense of doom becoming rapidly evident with each passing second the two friends spent searching for the cause of the freaky light show.
"There!"
Brooklyn glanced up, following Lexington's eager response and looking past his green-tinged talon, which Brooklyn couldn't help but notice was attractive and yet fierce-looking, at the street bum facing away from them, holding the what looked like the Phoenix Gate over his head. Neither of the gargoyles had seen it themselves but they had heard descriptions of it from Goliath whenever he discussed his voyage through Avalon, except they both thought Goliath had gotten rid of it. So what was it doing here?
No matter.
Brooklyn lunged forward, sailing straight at the man, and landed on his feet in front of the frightened man. Soothing, he raised his claws to calm down the drunken individual. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," Brooklyn glanced down at the man's hands. Yep, he was holding the Phoenix Gate all right. "I just want that," pointing at the talisman.
The man's terrified eyes glanced down at the item he held in his hands, an item he was going to sell to buy whiskey, but thought better of it and shoved into Brooklyn's chest fiercely. "Take it! Just don't hurt me!" the man pleaded, before he turned and raced off.
Brooklyn watched him go. "Well, that was easy," he smirked. Holding the magical property carefully, so as not to drop and smash it, Brooklyn tucked the small object into his loincloth pocket, and looked at Lexington. "Uh, about what happened back there..."
Lexington's interest was renewed. "Yeah...?"
Brooklyn smiled and hugged the smaller creature, feeling Lex's arms go around his back as he leaned into the pointed green ear and whispered. "Id like to have a relationship with you Lex."
Lexington grinned happily. Things were already going his way for the first time in a long time. "Really?"
"Oh, yeah," Brooklyn answered suavely. "The only reason I tried to hook up with Angela and Maggie before was because I didn't want the others to know my secret. Lexington, I'm gay." He paused, looking down at his younger brother. "I'd like to be in a relationship with you, Lex. Why do you think I went with you almost everywhere you went?"
Lexington grinned. Things were starting to look up. He had waited for years to hear Brooklyn say that.
They kissed quickly, then separated. "Let's go show this to Goliath. He'll want to know about it."
"Us?"
Brooklyn laughed shrilly. "No. The Phoenix Gate, you little twit."
"Don't call me a twit!"
"Twit!"
Laughing, spinning through the skies, heading back to the Castle, Brooklyn and Lexington laughed and goofed around. They had both worn a heavy burden on their shoulders for so long, and tonight they had smashed the burdens and found each other.
Touching down on the courtyard, Brooklyn looked around for the other clan members. "Goliath? Broadway?"
"They're all out on patrol," they heard a calm yet arrogant voice behind them say and both turned to see David Xanatos standing in the foyer. Brooklyn smirked, his happy mood beginning to falter a little bit.
Xanatos looked down and saw the Phoenix Gate nestled tightly into Brooklyn's pocket. "I don't suppose you'd want to give that to me so I can put it in my artifacts room away from prying eyes, now do you?"
Brooklyn's eyes burned white, but returned to normal as he handed it into Xanatos's expecting outstretched hand. "Brooklyn, you can trust him!" Lexington gasped in silent horror as he watched the millionaire walk away into the castle. Brooklyn shrugged at his new love. "He's proven his worth. He can be trusted. If he couldn't be trusted, he would've smashed us to pieces in our stone sleep, now wouldn't he?"
Lexington nodded. "Yeah..."
Whistling Dixie, happy as a clam, Xanatos' feet stopped in front of the artifacts room door, and the bearded man pushed open the door, stepping inside. Looking around for an empty display case, Xanatos spotted an empty glass door cabinet against the far wall. He smiled.
"Home sweet home, my little Phoenix Gate."
Placing the Phoenix Gate inside, Xanatos locked it up and left, locking the large mahogany door behind him as he exited the room, whistling jovially as he snapped off the lights in the hallway, and disappeared around the corner.
Returning to the courtyard, Xanatos looked up, unimpressed, as the familiar Lavender, Aqua, and Brown shapes touched down, closing their winds around themselves, as they nodded, disgruntled, at their former enemy-turned-ally. Goliath, sensing something was up, stepped forward.
"My instincts are telling me you have something to tell me. You know me well enough to know I always listen to my instincts, Xanatos. What is it?" the clan leader rumbled deep in his massive chest. Xanatos smiled arrogantly as always. Ever the cool one.
"I have a talisman. A magical talisman. One I thought you'd be very interested in, Goliath. Come with me."
Putting his hand on Goliath's shoulder, the billionaire led his Castle Protector to the Artifact Room and showed him the Phoenix Gate, smiling inadvertently. Goliath growled in anger as he saw it sitting in the trophy case.
The Phoenix Gate, somehow retrieved from the space-time plane.
He didn't like it, and roared at Xanatos, demanding to know how he had gotten it and why it was here now.
Xanatos flinched, but remained as steely as always. "Relax, Goliath. You can thank Brooklyn and Lexington for it. They're the ones that brought it to me."
Goliath growled, highly pissed off.
Stepping back into the foyer, Goliath stared at Brooklyn and Lexington, his eyes strict and accusing. He beckoned a finger at them. "You two, come with me. NOW."
"We're in trouble," Brooklyn whispered, swallowing hard. Lexington nodded fearfully.
Inside the Kitchen, listening intently to what the two gargoyles were telling him, unaware they left out the part of their "activity", Goliath watched his second-in-command and his technological clan mates sternly, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"...And that's what happened," Brooklyn was finishing saying, when the alarms blared. Startled, the transfixed gargoyles looked up as Xanatos rushed into the room panting heavily. "There's a security breach in the Artifact room..."
That was all Goliath needed to hear. With a roar, the clan leader pushed Xanatos out of the way and stormed out, followed by Brooklyn and Lexington. Xanatos watched them go. He knew they would stop whoever was in the artifacts room.
He hoped anyway.
Stamping madly into the stone hallway, blinded by the bright flaring lights and nearly made deaf by the WHEE!WHEE!WHEE! of the alarm system, Goliath growled in contempt, peering into the vicinity of the Artifacts Room, searching for the Phoenix Gate frantically, his fears, which had been gnawing away at his insides, were confirmed when he looked and saw, to his own dread.
The Phoenix Gate was gone. The glass door had been destroyed.
Xanatos appeared. "Whoever stole the Gate is long gone. He knocked out all the cameras, and he disabled the silent alarms. Whoever he is, he's good."
Goliath frowned. "Then why did he not turn off these alarms?"
Xanatos shrugged, befuddled. "Maybe he wanted to make it more challenging. Who knows?"
A few minutes later, the entire clan, minus Bronx, was on patrol, searching for the one who had taken the deadly piece of history. So far they'd had no luck, but that was about to change for the worse.
Flying, soaring over the city now, Brooklyn looked down suddenly and pointed. "There!"
Everyone else looked down and saw a cloaked figure racing through the streets, holding something shiny in his pocket. Fortunately, Brooklyn's eyes were good enough to recognize from a distance that it was the Phoenix Gate and swooped down.
And now, he and Lexington were in the alley, attacking the shadow who possessed the Gate, fighting with him to get it back, but this man, or creature, or whatever he was, was incredibly strong. Strong enough to hurl Lexington into a wall and knock him out. Enraged, Brooklyn leaped at this attacker, intent on ripping his guts out, but their assailant simply dodged the attack and rewarded Brooklyn with a kick to the ribs.
Groaning, dropping to his knees, Brooklyn held his ribs, squeezing his eyes shut as the pain that racked through him began to subside and Brooklyn staggered to his feet wearily. Just as the stranger kicked Brooklyn in the back and sent him sprawling him against the wall to lie in an unconscious heap next to Lexington. The shadow chuckled pleasantly, and holding up the Gate, started to chant.
"Deslagrate Muri Tempi Et Intervalia!"
As a energy field from out of nowhere, covering the two gargoyles and their attacker, Brooklyn cracked open his eyelids, and croaked, "who...are...you?"
The stranger looked down and smiled contemptuously.
"The humans call me Kojak..."
Brooklyn closed his eyes again and slipped back into unconsciousness, the roaring sound of electrical energy ringing through his ears.
They all disappeared in a haze of white light that shined into the alley opening where Goliath waited patiently with Broadway, and Hudson, and the two unconscious gargoyles and Kojak were gone, fading out of existence into an unknown place and time within the white energy from which there was no escape.
And then the field itself was gone.
Goliath, hearing the chant and then the loud sound of electricity, rushed blindly into the alley. "Brooklyn! Lexington!"
There was no answer. Only a dark abandoned alley.
"BROOKLYN! LEXINGTON!" Goliath wailed frantically.
They were gone. With the Phoenix Gate.
And he had no idea how to find them...
To Be Continued.
This is not the end. Part 2 will pick up where this one left off, as Brooklyn and Lexington try to get back to their own world and escape the stranger that holds them hostage. But will they succeed? Will they return to Manhattan? Will the clan find out they're both gay? What will Goliath's reaction be if he does? Will I stop asking these questions? Will you read part 2 when it is posted?
Only time will tell.
Until then!
Jake Denton ([email protected])