A Guardian Born
Evil Overlady (evil_overlady@excite.com)

Summary: The sequel to "Wheels and Wings," a crossover with the TV show "Viper."

Author's Notes: Gargoyles is owned by Buena Vista and Disney. This story and any others in the "Wheels and Wings" universe come before and in place of "Hunter's Moon" and the whole Goliath Chronicles. Viper is owned by Pet Fly (the car by Dodge) and this story in that universe occurs in the 1994 season, disregarding the whole syndicated continuation. All characters mentioned in either universe belong to their respective creators. Haile O'Connor belongs to Marvel Comics. "It's the End of the World as We Know It" belongs to R.E.M. All other characters and this story idea, specifically the Gárgola mythology including Leviticus and his kind belong to me. Please, do not use them without permission.

Warning: There are a few gruesome cult scenes.

Wheels and Wings Part 2:
A Guardian Born
Evil Overlady

~ Prologue ~

Scotland, 996 AD

"Cythraul, Lord of Darkness, I command you..." The dark mage held a gold goblet, decorated with Celtic-designed demons. Firelight reflected off its surface and cast hellish shadows over the mortal servant's face and black robes. Behind him, Leviticus watched, eyes aglow. "...On this most unholiest of nights the walls between our dimensions grow thin, the means to eliminate them once more presented to us after a thousand years of patience..."

Wavy-red hair fluttered in the wind as Cassandra Fleming, last of the Scottish guardians, struggled to free herself from her bindings.

One of the circle of robed followers stood beside her, brandishing a ceremonial knife.

"...May the sacrifice of the blood of Gárgola incarnate unite our two worlds and relinquish Earth once more to its rightful masters."

The figure with the knife took up Cassandra's wrist and waited for the goblet to appear beneath it.

"Please, for pity's sake," she pleaded. "Don't do this."

Leviticus spoke, "Your time is up, Guardian. Your gargoyle friends have abandoned you to our mercy. The Age of Mortals has passed. Become one of us or share their fate."

"As long as there are gargoyles and as long as there are humans, there is hope that the sun will continue to rise, and I would rather see the sun than become one of you and yours."

"So be it."

The robed figure raised the knife.

* * *

The tire iron landed near Frankie's hand with a clang. "Yow! Hey! Watch the fingers!"

"Hmph!" the blonde lady sniffed before stalking off.

"California banshee," Frankie grumbled underneath the hood of the car.

Joe snuck up on Frankie from the other side. "Hey! How's it going?"

Thunk! A few inaudible curses. Slowly, Frankie emerged rubbing his head where it hit the underside of the hood of the car. "Peachy."

Joe grimaced apologetically. "Sorry."

More grumbles.

Julian approached them, a tray of coffee and donuts balanced on the handles of his wheelchair. "Hey, Joe! Didn't see you come in."

"I'm here with Elisa." Joe scratched the blue patch wrapped around his elbow unconsciously. "She's supposed to be upstairs interrogating a suspect in the holding cells."

"Ooh." Julian waggled dark eyebrows, then raised one, noting the patch. "Giving blood?"

"Huh?" Joe blanched. "Oh, the patch... Uh, yeah. Seemed like a good idea. After what happened to Elisa's partner..."

"I'm sure someone will appreciate it," Julian assured him.

Frankie shivered. "Gah! Needles. Brr..." He turned to Julian. "Hey, that my latte?"

Julian handed him one of the coffees off the tray.

Frankie took it gingerly, rubbed the back of his head once more, and sat down at a makeshift desk nearby.

"Donut?" Julian offered.

"No, thanks." Joe leaned up against the tarp-covered car they were putting together. "Anyway, as I was saying... I've never seen a woman so steamed. I think even Gerraro was mild in comparison."

"Ouch." Julian winced, looking like he'd burnt his hand on one of the coffees.

Assured he hadn't, Joe continued, "We're not getting anywhere trying to find the Outfit, and that incident at the night club certainly didn't help matters."

"What night club?" Frankie interjected.

"The, um... The Witching Hour on East 54th, owned by a..."

"Irwin Dunstan." Frankie nodded knowingly, taking a cautious sip of his beverage.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

Frankie shrugged. "Got a website by the same name. I visit it now and then, sponsored by some sort of Watcher Society. They keep tabs on all the weird stuff in the world."

Joe raised an eyebrow. "What kinda weird stuff?"

"Oh, you know... vampires, witches, Fay folk... Did you know Oberon's Children can be stopped by more than just iron?"

Joe blinked. "Oberon's who?"

Julian faced him. "You do this as some sort of hobby?"

"Hey! There's a lot of bad mojo going on, if you know what I mean. Project Blue Book, witchcraft, Jamaican voodoo dolls..."

"What do you know about guardians?"

"Guardians?"

"Or a 'gathering'?"

"There was the Gathering of Oberon's Children not too long ago. Yeah, everyone and everything with an ounce of mystical energy's supposed to report to ol' Avalon for an undecided length of time, so things are theoretically cooling down on a magical level..."

"Avalon," Julian repeated. "Like in King Arthur...?"

"Avalon's been around a lot longer than King Arthur, Julian. Did you know..."

"Frankie, you said something about a 'watcher society'," Joe interrupted. "Do you suppose you could find out a little more about it, maybe even what they mean when they talk about guardians?"

"Uh, yeah, sure."

Julian frowned at Joe. "What's up?"

"Something doesn't sit well about this Dunstan character. I can't put my finger on exactly what, but he knows something about Elisa that she doesn't want people to know. That alone makes me nervous."

"Think there's any connection to the Outfit?" Julian wondered.

Joe shook his head. "I don't know. ...but I intend to find out."

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A Guardian Born
Evil Overlady

~ Chapter 1 ~

He'd shot her partner. Detective Elisa Maza's sepia eyes burned as she recalled that terrible night. As the rain fell mercilessly, Elisa and Matt spotted Mario "Marcho" Rodriguez selling crack-cocaine on the corner of East 67th and Lexington to a couple of college kids looking for a good time. That infuriated Elisa even more.

"Stop! Police!" she'd yelled.

He bolted.

"I'll get 'im," Matt told her, launching out of the car.

Elisa floored it, hoping to catch him before he ducked into the alley.

But she didn't. A blasted blue Chevette pulled out in front of her.

She blasted the horn at him and pulled into the alley as Matt made his way to a parked brown van, where Marcho was evidently hiding out.

Elisa stopped her car and stepped out. "Matt, hold up!"

Automatic gunfire broke out, and Elisa dropped down into cover behind her car. Only then did she register Matt's scream. "Matt!"

Tan fingers curled tighter around the plaid shirt in her hand, and Elisa blinked back the memory as the Hispanic gasped for air. "Wh-what.... do you want?"

"I've got you pinned like a butterfly up against a cell wall, slowly choking the life out of you. What do you think I want?"

"You wanna know who almost killed your partner."

"No, I've got him. What I want from you is just one good reason why I should let you live."

"You... you can't kill me!"

"Look around you, Marcho. The closest uniform's down the hall, and he's more worried about someone taking off with a piece of evidence than what's going on in here. And no one knows what's going on in here except you... and me, and without you..."

"Okay! Okay! Whatever you want. Just name it. Madre de Dios..."

"The Outfit. What do you know, and who are your contacts?"

"I... I can't tell you that."

She shoved him up higher.

"I can't! They'd kill me, lady!"

"Would you rather them or me? Or maybe I should let my purple Arnold Schwarzenegger friend stretch you into a nice little spaghetti noodle."

"All right. All right! Just put me down, okay?"

She considered the request a moment then lowered him to the floor.

He straightened out his collar.

"Talk."

"The Outfit isn't in New York, that I know of, and they don't deal in drugs." He shrugged. "Not their style."

"Then who am I after?"

"Dunstan, Señor Dunstan. He said something about Cassidy's men giving him a headache, so he staged the whole thing to get your partner after the Outfit and both of them outta his hair."

"My partner's in the hospital! How's he supposed to chase the Outfit from there?"

"That was a mistake. My target was you, señorita."

"Dunstan wants me dead?"

"Alive or dead. It didn't matter. Just as long as you couldn't partake in some sort of ritual."

"What ritual?"

"I don't know." He held his hands up defensively. "I swear to God and Saint Mary, I don't know. I don't even know when the ritual is. He wouldn't tell me."

"Great confidence in his employees, eh?" Elisa snorted.

"He's gonna know I told you where to find him at the night club."

"We'll protect you. You have my word on that."

"I believe you, señorita." He gestured towards her necklace, a gold wyvern with a perfect ice-white pearl clasped in its claws. "For you wear El simbolo de la Gárgola... My grandmother from the old country has told me those who bear such symbols are protectors of beneficent creatures of the night. Forgive me for not seeing it before." He bowed his head. "If there is anything I can do to help your friend..."

Something told Elisa, he was sincere, but she didn't let her guard down. "What else do you know about Gárgola?"

"A great goddess, given life with the departure of the sun's rays from her stone form. She greatly loved the people of this world, vanquishing the dark forces who preyed on us to the Underworld, though they occasionally escape. Our people build statues to ward them off."

"You're talking about gargoyles. A female gargoyle."

"Sí,gargoyles. She is their mother, and mother of great human warriors who protect them. They bear the symbol you wear. You are a destroyer of great evil, señorita. Señor Dunstan was wrong to oppose you. I was wrong to follow him. May the gods have mercy on me...." He drew a cross in the air with one finger and bowed.

"Just get off drugs." Elisa rolled her eyes and exited the holding area. A uniformed officer sat on a chair nearby, reading a newspaper. He looked up.

"I want an armed guard on this guy 24/7 till Captain Chavez decides what to do with him."

"Sure thing, Detective."

Joe came up the stairs from the basement and approached Elisa. "What's up?"

"New lead." She paused. "And you're not gonna like it. The Outfit isn't our target. It's Dunstan. Looks like you came all this way for nothing."

"Not necessarily. We came to help build your department a new means to fight crime. The Outfit's secondary, although I doubt they'll stay in the shadows for long. As long as we know the perp Marcho's working for, we can just work our way up the food chain, wherever it leads."

Elisa sighed. "Could you at least sound like you're upset? For my sake?"

Joe put on a cheap puppy face. "Okay." He put a hand on Elisa's shoulder. "I'm really sorry your partner's shooter was working for some lowly night club owner with cheaply-costumed customers instead of an all-powerful technologically-advanced global criminal organization. There. Happy, now?"

She slapped him on the shoulder, trying not to laugh. "You cheese ball."

"Yum. I like cheese."

She rolled her eyes.

"So where do we start?"

"First, I should tell my captain. Then I want to stop by Lenox Hill to check on Matt. By then, Chavez should have a few more facts from Marcho, a warrant, and enough cops to handle another incident at the Eyrie Building. Long story. Let's go."

Joe shrugged and followed Elisa upstairs to her captain's office.

Elisa stopped. "Oh! I forgot to ask about the autopsy results!"

"Don't worry about it. Frankie's taking care of it."

"Frankie...?"

"Officer Waters."

"Oh, right. Your other friend. I haven't gotten a chance to meet him yet."

"Well, we'll have to do something about that, won't we?"

She smiled.

They started walking again and ran right into a woman coming downstairs.

"Oof!" she cried.

Elisa winced. "Sorry."

The ebony-haired beauty watched her with dark eyes. "That's okay." A smile softened her features. "Hey, you're Detective Maza, aren't you? Sorry about your partner."

Elisa nodded solemnly. "Thanks."

The woman looked past her to Joe, lowered her eyes to his arm. "Blood donor?"

"Yeah." Joe gestured a thumb towards the window overlooking the darkening street. "The van's still out front if you're interested."

She licked her lips, a move Elisa thought strange. Maybe the woman was just nervous. "I might just take you up on that..." She cleared her throat. "Um, later."

"Nice meeting you!" Elisa called.

"Yeah. You too."

"Strange..." Elisa mumbled.

"What is?" Joe wondered.

"All these years in the department... I don't think I've ever met that girl."

"Looks like a civilian aide," Joe noted.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Yet something about that stare... Gave me the creeps."

"What can I say? It's been a creepy couple of days."

"Tell me about it..."

* * *

Medora Cysgodol stopped at the bottom of the stairs, watching the guardian and her companion continue on, tucking long leathery bat-like wings, hidden in her illusion of an attractive human female, behind her. In truth, she was anything but. Well, the human bit. She was still quite attractive even to humans who looked past her crimson-red skin and dark chocolate wings and makeup.

A guard had been posted outside the door that was her destination, but he was male, little obstacle to her plans.

She altered her illusion before he looked up from his newsprint. "Captain Chavez," she announced, holding up a blank index card. "I'd like to speak to the prisoner."

"Yes, ma'am." He jumped to his feet and unlocked the door.

"I'll only be a minute," she told him.

"Take all the time you need."

Clearly, it hadn't occurred to the guard that the captain was just a little more attractive than usual, the only setback in the illusion, one which didn't raise suspicions from guys at all, as far as she could determine. She smiled. "Thank you."

He closed the door behind her, and she stepped deliberately up to the only occupied holding cell.

"Señora Chavez, I will tell you everything..."

"Why thank you, Señor, but it's not necessary." She dropped the illusion.

"¡Santa María! ¡Una bruja!"

"How flattering... But I think the word you're looking for is demonia."

He scrambled back from the bars, muttering a prayer, or several. She even caught something about "angel of death."

"Oh, stop your blubbering. I'm not gonna kill you. I need you to deliver a message for me, to your boss."

He stopped whispering and looked up tentatively. "Y-yes?"

"Tell Dunstan his turf is our turf. If he values his life, he will leave Manhattan and never be heard from again. Tonight, our world will overtake yours. Try as he might to prevent our taking a guardian for our ritual, he'll fail. Tell him that, and tell him Leviticus says hello."

"And if I'm unable to deliver your message?"

She smiled. "Then, he's dead." She blew him a kiss. "Unpleasant dreams, human." She recast her illusion and walked out, leaving the Hispanic to sweat.

That was fun...

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A Guardian Born
Evil Overlady

~ Chapter 2 ~

Franklin X. Waters straightened his tie as he made his way down the hall. If his perception of time was correct, Joe and Detective Maza had already finished talking to the captain and were on their way to check on her partner at the hospital.

And the opportunity Frankie would've gotten to finally see her was wasted on one last little job Julian wanted finished before he took off attend to the errands Joe had asked to be gotten to. Grr...

But at least he was out of the garage. He thought he'd never be free of the inventor's clutches. It wasn't exactly like he didn't enjoy working on cars. He did. A little oil change here, a break line check there... Even assembling the whole thing from scratch brought an oil-streaked grin to his face, but it was the techno lingo that got to him. Bi-colored hexagonal morphing grid... Can we say, "Huh?" Check scientific-words-for-car-parts index. Nope. Nada.

It wasn't that he hated computers either (unlike Gerraro). The Pipeline as Metropol's records officer, he could hack his way through the back door of Pentagon computers, which was why Joe had asked him to use that expertise to check up on the so-called Watcher Society. But why on Earth was he asking Frankie to visit the morgue?

"I hate dead bodies. Isn't that in my transfer papers?" Frankie had remarked.

"Take it easy, Frankie. I just want to know who's after Elisa, and if they're connected to Marcho."

"Why don't you ask him?"

Joe gave him a look that said that was out of the question.

"All right, all right... But if I faint, don't you tell anyone."

"Promise."

Frankie had grumbled but didn't press the matter further. Yeah, I'll get your autopsy results... Ugh. He shouldn't have eaten that last donut...

"Officer Franklin X. Waters to speak to Dr. O'Connor." Frankie showed the desk clerk his badge.

"Sign here," the man said, handing him a clipboard.

"How long to I expect to be?" Frankie muttered. "What am I? An egg-timer?" He looked up. "You got the time?"

"Are you talking to me now?"

"Yeah, I'm talking to you. ...Everybody's got an attitude..."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," a young woman replied, lowering a slender ivory wrist with an expensive Rolex.

Frankie looked up at the dark-haired, fair-skinned woman. "Uh, yeah... Thanks."

She smiled. "It helps if you write it down."

"Uh, yeah..." But Frankie didn't move.

She turned to face the desk clerk, and for a second, Frankie saw the woman with red skin. Then, her hair changed to zig-zag brunette, her skin to brown, and her voice lowered an octave. "Delia Thorne," she announced.

"Ms. Thorne!" The desk clerk grabbed the clipboard out from underneath Frankie and handed it over. "I didn't see you come in. We've been expecting you. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to sign in, though. Standard procedure."

"Of course."

Delia? Frankie blinked, and saw past the illusion. A red-skinned woman with black hair and lipstick stood there in just a hint of a cloud, like mist, but it seemed more like the mistiness was in Frankie's eyes than really there.

Sight, he remembered it being called. I have Sight? No way!

But what other explanation was there? That someone slipped something into his food or drink? That he hated bodies more than he'd thought?

"Delia," Frankie started.

She faced him, smiling. "That's my name. Don't wear it out."

"How long have I been working at Metropol?"

She stuttered. "Excuse me?"

He tightened his lips. "Nothing. I... I thought you were someone else."

She shook her head. "Men..."

* * *

Haile O'Connor bounced his head to the music, scalpel in hand.

High heels sounded hollowly on the cement floor.

Haile turned off the music. "Ah... Ms. Thorne, I've been expecting..."

A woman stepped out of the shadows, skin a perfect shade of blood-red, hair as dark as a raven's wings.

"You're not Ms. Thorne."

Black lips curved in a smile. "I know."

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A Guardian Born
Evil Overlady

~ Chapter 3 ~

Haile could only stare as long black nails scraped one another. "Tân," she murmured, and a ball of fire appeared in her hand.

Shadows flickered across her face, and the medical examiner was entranced.

"Doc, look out!" A weight threw him to the ground.

Flames engulfed both corpses Haile had been working on.

"You all right?" the stranger asked.

Haile finally looked up and registered what was happening. His rescuer was some man with dark hair more curly than his own red hair. "Uh... yeah... Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Haile returned his attention to the blaze and the shelves of specimen jars too close for comfort. "We gotta put out the fire before it hits the formaldehyde!"

"I'm on it!" The man was on his feet and making a mad dash for the fire extinguisher at the other end of the counter.

"Give it up, mortals!" the woman yelled. "You are no match for the hell fires of Medora Cysgodol!"

"Lady, put a cork in it!" Haile yelled, cupping an object in his hand. "Or rather... a film container." He popped the lid and threw the contents at her as he ran to join his new ally.

"Aii!!" She clutched her face where she'd been hit with the white substance.

"Nice!" the man commented. "What was...?"

"Rock salt," Haile explained. "Never know when you're gonna need it. Zombies and all..."

"Wiccan?"

"Some people say so. You?"

"Beginner." He held out a hand. "Frankie Walters."

"Oh. Hi. Haile O'Connor." They shook hands.

"Fools! Now, you'll suffer my wrath!"

The door crashed open. "Freeze, police!" a woman screamed.

Haile and Frankie looked at Medora questioningly.

She growled. "Perhaps another time... Porth."

A black oval-shaped hole appeared behind her. She stepped backwards into it, and she and it disappeared.

Frankie extinguished the flames and breathed a sigh of relief as Captain Chavez and some officers joined them.

"So..." Frankie exhaled. "You do this a lot?"

"More than you'll ever know..." Haile replied.

* * *

"Fool!" Leviticus threw the goblet he'd been drinking from; it landed with an audible clang at Medora's clawed feet, spilling thick dark liquid. "You let them live and retreated before you even completed the mission!"

"Sire, they outnumbered me-"

"Excuses!" He turned his back on her, marching back to his seat at the head of a long dining table.

Nimroy rushed to scoop up the goblet with a napkin and departed.

"You ask the impossible. If I'd had more time-"

"We are out of time, Medora. Cythraul's Night is tonight and Dunstan's people - not to mention this so-called Viper Team - are slowing us down. If I don't have a guardian in my hands by moonrise I will have to wait another one thousand years, and I need not remind you, Medora, how that will affect your health."

The she-demon growled. She knew what he meant. Crimson hands balled at her sides and flattened. "I am doing the best I can, Leviticus. If you would only use me where my expertise lies-"

"In the presence of my men, it is Lord Leviticus! If I have to remind you again, I will remove your tongue."

"Do not threaten me, Lord. A count supercedes your rank, and I can name a couple who are very displeased with how you're treating this guardian/gargoyle infestation. If even one of either kind remains when the worlds merge, it could jeopardize our entire operation."

"That is beyond my control."

"There is one who is not."

"The detective/guardian, I assume you mean."

"It is not."

Red eyes narrowed. "Demona is as much a part of our race as any werewolf or vampire. I will not abandon her just to please some upper class pencil-pushers."

"Need I remind you, she has Oberon's magic within her? Our kind - of any class - would not stand for it while that remains true."

"I'm working on it," he hissed.

"I suggest you work harder before someone grows impatient and sends an assassin after her even her powers cannot defend against." Medora touched a hand to her freshly-scarred face unconsciously. "I know you love her, Leviticus."

"You know nothing of the sort, she-demon."

"Very well," she relented. "I know you're attracted to her, and that I do know something about, no matter what the species."

"What are you doing about our lack of preparations for tonight's ceremony?" he growled, changing the subject.

"I know where to find our offering."

"And where might that be?"

She smiled. "Lenox Hill Hospital, of course."

* * *

Elisa and Joe made their way down the hall to Matt's room. A pair of voices drifted down the hall, one Matt's, the other female and familiar.

Elisa immediately factored in her company, put a hand on Joe's shoulder. "Uh... maybe you should wait out here. I won't be long."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Just then the cell phone in Joe's jacket pocket rang. "Yeah? ...Uh, hold on." He put a hand over the speaker. "I gotta take this."

Perfect timing. "I won't be long. Do me a favor, huh? Wait outside when you're done?"

"Sure."

"Great." She thanked her lucky stars, walking the rest of the way to her partner's room alone while Joe found a seat.

* * *

Joe waited for Elisa to disappear into the room, out of hearing range before returning to the phone. "Whatcha got for me?"

He could hear Frankie pacing, sweeping going on, cameras working, and quiet voices. "Story of my life. You would not believe what I ran into about an hour ago."

"A pole?"

"Very funny," Frankie remarked. "It was a she-demon, Joe, like something right off a biker tattoo, shooting fireballs, opening dimensional rifts, the works."

"Riiiight. So, what'd you find out from the bodies?"

"You mean from the charred remains that are left?"

Joe blinked. There actually was a fire? ...In that case, his superstitious friend was probably suffering from smoke inhalation. "You didn't find anything."

"Joe, Joe... Would I call you if I didn't find anything?"

Now that he thought about it, no matter how off-topic Frankie tended to get, he couldn't think of a single time the guy called him without some piece of useful information. "So what'd you get?"

"We still haven't ID'ed the thugs, but we did find a mark."

"A mark?"

"Yeah, a tattoo. It's a circle divided by white fangs, orange on the top half, black on the bottom."

"What's it mean?"

"A thorough inventory of my miscellaneous-phenomena-info database-"

"You have a weirdness collection on your computer?"

"Yeah. Now, can I finish?"

"Sorry. Go ahead."

"Thank you. The tattoo belongs to a cult called the Followers of Cythraul."

"In English?"

"Demon worshippers, Joe, and we're not talking dressing up in capes and partying till the morning light. We're talking black-cat sacrificing, file down the incisors, and actual drinking of each other's blood... Not the kinda people you take home to Mom, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah. So how are they connected to the Watcher Society?"

"They're not, and if I read Detective Maza's report right, the nasty guys want her alive, and the less-nasty guys are willing to shoot her partner. Which means something really nasty's going on."

"What?"

Frankie took a breath. "The cult was formed around a specific day, something called the Night of Cythraul. It happens only once every one thousand years. The last one took place sometime in the middle ages, late 10th Century or thereabouts."

"So you think the next one has happened or is going to happen."

"If it already happened, we should've heard about it by now. I mean, we're talking about something within the last twenty or so years, and the Watcher Society's files wouldn't have missed something that big."

"So, it's going to happen, and Elisa's a part of it."

"Yeah, and I still haven't figured out which part. The details of the ritual seem to have been lost, or at least not on the Internet. I know it has something to do with a sacrifice and an end-of-the-world scenario."

Something hit Joe on the head, and he was out like a light.

"Joe?"

A gloved hand closed the phone.

* * *

"Joe!"

A dialing tone answered him.

"Oh, man..." Frankie turned to look at the cleanup crew - and Haile, standing there without anything to do. "Haile!"

The coroner turned.

"I need a favor."

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A Guardian Born
Evil Overlady

~ Chapter 4 ~

"So anyways, you can tell Goliath not to worry 'cause we pretty much..." Elisa finished explaining when something heavy hit the floor outside the door. "Joe?"

She'd kept an ear tuned to Joe's quiet conversation in the hall. She couldn't make out what was being said, but she was still able to detect the background noise while she assured Matt and Angela that her case was near a close. Now the voice was gone, and that thud didn't sound right. "Wait here."

She drew her gun and approached the door quietly.

A shadow fell over her from the open window, and trained reflexes allowed Elisa to drop and roll aside as a dart hit the wall.

Angela was fast, thick lavender tail wrapping around the assailant's gun, ripping it free.

The door exploded inward, but Elisa was already out of range.

Three men came in, dressed in black from head to toe.

"Freeze, police!" Elisa leveled her 9mm.

The man closest to her fired a dart.

She pulled the trigger reflexively.

He went down.

"Sikes!" The middle man yelled.

Elisa felt for the dart, checking where it'd hit.

She let out a sigh of relief. Saved by the badge again...

The man in the middle, whom Elisa deemed was the leader, leveled his gun on her. "Don't move."

"I could say the same to you," Elisa replied, eyes gesturing to Angela, where the gargoyle held the person from the window in an arm brace Elisa had taught her.

The leader cursed. "I don't care what it takes, Guardian. Alive or dead, I'm not letting Leviticus lay one claw on you."

"The feeling's mutual. Now, what did you do to my friend?"

"He's alive. ...Which is more than I can say for you if you don't surrender..."

"I think we're about even on the hostage taking. You have one wounded, if not already dead, member. That makes it two humans versus a human and a gargoyle and yet another human who's fast with the dial." Matt grabbed the phone by his bed and held it pointedly. "You do the math," Elisa finished.

The leader sighed and lowered his gun. "I can't let you leave here. If Leviticus follows through with his ceremony, he'll merge our two worlds. Armageddon."

"I keep hearing about this ritual and guardians and 'dark forces,' and people seem to know more about gargoyles than I do. What does this have to do with why you people are trying to kill me?"

"You may have had a dream, either a long time ago or recently."

"Yes, I dream. Everyone I know dreams. Does that make them destined defenders of the right?"

"In this dream, you're a red-headed woman named Cassandra Fleming. There's a circle of worshippers."

"I may have had a similar dream."

"One of the worshippers has a knife."

"Okay. Now, I think it's time to change the subject..."

"Leviticus offered you eternal life, but you refused. You would've refused to the end, but a traveling companion, a female white gargoyle you called Ivory, rescued you and left the ceremony in shambles. Can you remember that?"

"I don't know." This man was seriously ticking her off.

"That was a thousand years ago today."

"What are you saying?"

"The blood of Gárgola incarnate must be spilt into the Chalice of Cythraul in exact keeping with the chants of old for Leviticus to bring down the wall that separates our world from the world of darkness."

"Gárgola was a gargoyle."

"Gárgola was a wyvern, by all definitions, and is the Mother of the Gargoyles. But she fell in love with a knight and to be with him, chose to be a mortal human to grow old and die beside him. They had many children together, all possessing some part of her soul, which along with her memories, would occasionally crop up in the human population to protect the gargoyles. These are guardians. You are one of her children, Elisa Maza. You are Gárgola incarnate."

"And why would this Leviticus want Elisa?" Matt questioned. "If Gárgola was the mother of both gargoyles and guardians, why doesn't he just get a gargoyle?"

"Because gargoyle blood is not pure enough. When Gárgola mated with the father of the gargoyles, a jealous girlfriend cursed them so that no two offspring from that union could ever be alike."

"Ouch."

"And he wants her alive because the blood would have to be fresh."

"How fresh?" Elisa demanded, feeling a cold chill run through her.

The man shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess any point before it's decomposed."

Elisa looked at Matt. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"What?" the masked man wondered, not yet understanding.

"Elisa's a blood donor. She gave some just the other day."

Blue eyes widened.

"Where is this ceremony supposed to take place?"

* * *

Leviticus waited in the shadows, Medora beside him with a bag of blood. The doctor who took it began to dress as the ceremonial leader while another follower held the gold goblet.

Leviticus smiled. "It begins..."

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A Guardian Born
Evil Overlady

~ Chapter 5 ~

"It's okay... Don't move," Elisa said gently, helping Joe to a chair at Matt's side.

"Oh... Thanks for the advice..."

"Here." She held the open cell phone for him. "It's for you."

"Ugh... Frankie, don't be too loud," Joe warned.

"Joe-" He cut the volume in half. "I'm glad you're all right."

"That's relative. We need a location on this Night of Cythraul ceremony."

"I'm already working on it. Haile?"

A new voice joined him. "Here. I've got it right here."

"Who's that?"

"That's Haile, I mean, Doctor O'Connor. It's the coroner you sent me to talk to."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Here we are." Something heavy hit what sounded like a desk.

"What's that?"

"A book."

"Oh."

"Out of the library. Did you know there's a library right next door?"

"Hadn't noticed."

"Anyway, this is a journal of a woman named Cassandra Fleming. She was the last person who-"

"Yeah, I've already been briefed." Joe looked up at the shadowy form of a winged woman as she tended to the uniformed man Elisa had shot, tending the bruise left by the detective's bullet hitting his bulletproof vest. She was spooky-looking in the moonlight, but for some reason Joe didn't feel spooked. ...Like he'd encountered someone like her before and no harm came to him.... Weird. "Does she give any description about where the ceremony had to occur?"

"Yeah, hold on... She mentions a clearing on a hilltop."

"Hilltop," Joe repeated to the rest of them.

"A building?" Matt suggested.

Elisa gestured to the window. "Take your pick."

"Can we get a little more specific?" Joe asked.

"I don't know... Wait. She says she's 'the farthest she's ever been from any settlement while still within the confines of Scotland.'"

"Where's some place 'far from civilization' in New York?" Joe asked them.

"Central Park," Elisa hissed. "Let's roll."

"Frankie? I gotta go. Call Julian. Tell him to get ready to navigate the probe as soon as I switch to Defender mode. I can't navigate trees and drive at the same time."

"Defender mode?" Matt wondered.

"I'll tell you about it later, partner," Elisa assured him. She turned to the assault team leader. "You stay here."

"You can't do this without me."

"We'll manage," she hissed.

Joe closed the cell phone and hopped off the chair; put a hand to his head, regretting the fast move.

"You okay to drive?" Elisa asked worriedly.

"I'll be all right. Who the hell hit me?"

"Oh. One of them."

Joe groaned.

They left.

* * *

Evan watched them go. "They won't be able to stop them alone."

"They won't have to," the detective's partner told him, reaching under his bed to pull out a walkie-talkie. "Clan, this is Matt. Come in."

"Bluestone," sounded a gruffly voice. "This is Goliath. What is it?"

"Elisa's gonna need your assistance somewhere in Central Park. I'll try to get more specifics in a little bit."

"Uh, that would be a negative."

The gargoyle called Angela leaned over the walkie-talkie. "She needs your help, Goliath. We're asking for you to help her."

"Yeah," Matt added. "She can blame it all on us, later." He muttered a prayer.

* * *

Firelight crackled in the center of a circle of worshippers.

The doctor/dark mage held the ceremonial gold goblet above. "Cythraul, Lord of Darkness, I command you. On this most unholiest of nights the walls between our dimensions grow thin..."

Another follower held the blood pouch in one hand, a ceremonial knife in the other, waiting.

Leviticus and Medora were spectators, forbidden by the terms of the ritual from participating.

It made Medora uneasy. Just get on with it! She tightened her wings beneath her robe; though physically warmed by the clothing she still felt chilled, the chill of someone approaching who could ruin their plans. "...The means to eliminate them once more presented to us after a thousand years of patience..."

* * *

"How's it coming, Julian?" Joe asked impatiently. It didn't help Joe's mood to have Elisa driving, but when he'd paused from another spang of pain, she snatched up the keys, told him not to argue, and climbed into the driver's side before he was even aware what was happening.

Sure, she was getting better. But it was his car!

"Not that I can remember."

Elisa raised a curious eyebrow.

Joe pretended not to notice. Maybe she'd just think it was a private joke and not press farther. "So, where are we heading?"

"Sheep Meadow. I figure it's as good a place as any. Sacrificial lamb and all."

Joe raised both eyebrows. "You think our villain has a sense of humor?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe it's just a hunch. Or maybe it's 'cause I just saw firelight flicker across our view screen."

Huh? "Julian, pan right!"

He did so.

"Leviticus."

"Hold on!" Elisa yelled, tearing across Fifth Avenue and onto a smaller road.

Joe cringed. "Watch the traffic!"

Elisa shrugged him off.

Joe muttered incoherently.

* * *

"...May the sacrifice of the blood of Gárgola incarnate unite our two worlds and relinquish Earth once more to its rightful masters." The mage reached over with the goblet.

Trees and bushes exploded as a metallic car crashed onto the scene, knocking the mage off his feet into the fire. Worshippers scattered.

"Damn it all," Leviticus muttered. "Put him out."

"Yes, my lord." Medora rushed to the dark mage's aid removing her robe to smother him, freeing her wings for the fight to come.

"And finish the damn ceremony!" Leviticus added.

The car spun and faced him head on. Though the windshield was tinted, the demon lord could make out the form of the female detective he sought. "Well, well... If this is all it takes to snatch a guardian, believe me, I would've done this sooner."

"It's over, Leviticus," the woman's voice sounded over the speaker.

He smiled, revealing fangs. "I don't think so." Giant bat wings spread.

* * *

"I don't think he's going to surrender," Elisa muttered.

"Try the pulse projector," Joe suggested.

Elisa took her eyes off the scene in front of her to search for the button. She found it and scrolled down the screen, but by the time she looked back, Leviticus was gone.

Elisa blinked. "Where did he-?"

Something heavy landed on the roof.

Elisa screamed and threw the stick into Reverse, accidentally firing the tunneler missile.

The missile tore through the air and hit a tree dead on, felling it.

"That's a tunneler missile, Elisa! Pulse projector! Pulse projector!"

"I'm sorry! My finger must've slipped!"

"Don't let it slip!"

* * *

Medora was in the middle of dusting off the dark mage when an explosion and the sounds of groaning wood caused her to look up.

A large tree was coming down on top of them.

Medora grabbed the mage and tried to make a break for it, but a branch hit her on the head and she was down, buried under leaves.

The fire crackled, wrapping yellow tendrils around it.

* * *

"Where is he? Can you see him?" Elisa demanded.

"He's right on top of us! Of course I can't see him!"

Something heavy hit the roof, followed by another bang, and the sound of broken Plexiglas.

"There go the solar panels," Joe grumbled.

"There's got to be a way to shake him off. Don't you have something to charge the outer shell?"

"The car wasn't exactly designed for aerial attacks."

Elisa winced. Should've seen this coming...

A monstrous roar shook the air.

Two forms flew off the roof and tumbled to the ground.

"Goliath!" Elisa ripped out her gun and exited the car.

"Elisa, wait!"

Goliath and the demon struggled as Elisa braced her gun, finding her opening.

Demon eyes looked her way and kicked the gargoyle into her.

Goliath and Elisa fell into the car, slamming the door closed. "Oof!"

Leviticus climbed to his feet, laughing. "Foolish mortals... Do you think a lone gargoyle is any match against a demon lord?"

"That's why he isn't alone, lad." Hudson and Broadway tackled him from above, knocking him to the ground once more.

"Brooklyn, Lexington, find the dark mage! We'll handle this!" the former leader commanded.

* * *

 I don't believe this. I do not believe this... Joe worked his way into the driver's seat, hands trembling, head no longer pounding but numb. Frankie's ramblings, I can take. Mysterious dark lady in a cloak that looks like wings, sure. Five of these things flying in to the rescue! It had to be his imagination!

And Elisa called one of them by name.

That's it. I'm seeing a doctor. Something's gone weird in my head... This cannot be happening!

Joe grabbed the steering wheel, planning his next line of attack...

* * *

 Leviticus kicked the two gargoyles off of him with little difficulty. The elder gargoyle leapt back and drew his short-sword.

"Heddwyn!" Leviticus cursed.

White eyes glowed. "Only one lass was allowed to call me that, and you slew her."

"She was a guardian."

"Raa!" Hudson charged him, enraged.

Leviticus swept his feet out from under him and twirled.

Hudson rolled into the fall and came up.

"You've grown weak in your old age, gargoyle. I am a thousand times older than you, and I can still teach you new tricks."

"I'm just warming up, Leviticus."

He smiled, beckoning with slender clawed fingers. "Well, then, come on. The night is young, and I have so many frustrations to work out..."

Eyes glowed white, and Hudson charged him again.

* * *

"Elisa..." Joe said gently, door open, hand tugging on her red jacket.

Elisa moaned. "Ugh... Remind me to wear cushions around you guys..."

The creature beside her groaned, slowly shaking his head, trying to regain consciousness. "Oh..."

"You okay?" Joe asked.

Slowly, Elisa nodded.

"I can think of one who won't be for long..." the creature Elisa called "Goliath" growled.

"Well, you better get moving. I think your older friend's having all the fun," Joe reported.

Goliath nodded. "Watch Elisa."

"Excuse me?!" Elisa snapped, climbing to her feet. "I can handle myself, Goliath. I don't need-"

Goliath just groaned and took off, leaving Elisa to complain to empty space.

Can't say I blame him... I'd rather take my chances with a winged guy over Elisa any day of the week. "C'mon. Get in. They can handle Leviticus. We have a ritual to stop."

"Right."

* * *

Medora held a delirious black mage in her arms beside the burning tree as he mumbled, "May this sacrifice of the blood of Gárgola incarnate..."

"We did this part already..." Medora mumbled impatiently. "Just cut the bag!"

A brick-red tail wrapped around the knife and yanked it free. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with knives?"

"Ooh, baby..." the smaller gargoyle beside her breathed.

Medora batted her eyelashes. She was beautiful by gargoyle standards, although they weren't her preferred prey. Pieces of rock made for horrible indigestion... "Mother also told me not to date boys half my size." She kicked out, sweeping his legs out from under him, caught Red with one of her wings, knocking the knife from his grip.

She shoved the gargoyles back so the dark mage could retrieve the blade. "Finish the incantation!"

"...Unite our two-"

Zap!

The cultist was consumed by electricity. He crumpled to his knees. "...Worlds," he gasped, and fell unconscious.

* * *

"Now that's the pulse projector," Joe announced.

Elisa grinned. "I see..."

* * *

"Oh, damn..." Medora muttered.

"You're going down, lady!" Red snapped.

"I don't think so. Porth!" she yelled and disappeared.

* * *

"One of these days, I'm gonna run into a criminal with no magical ability whatsoever..." Elisa sighed, exasperated.

Joe shrugged.

* * *

Leviticus leapt back and looked behind him as Medora disappeared into a dimensional portal. "Medora! You weak-spined excuse for a demoness! We're not through!"

"You are now," the purple gargoyle leader growled, flanked by the elder gargoyle and a turquoise one.

Leviticus snarled. "I will find a way. I will not twiddle my thumbs for another thousand years. You and your human companions do not realize how vulnerable you have become. It's only a matter of time before this world is no longer defendable, and then you'll have no choice but to submit."

"As long as the sun still rises, Leviticus, you will never fully conquer this world," the elder gargoyle sneered.

"We shall see... Porth!"

The gargoyles launched toward him, but Leviticus was already gone.

That we shall... Hudson thought.

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A Guardian Born
Evil Overlady

~ Epilogue ~

Irwin Dunstan was in the middle of a lavishly laid out breakfast at the Witching Hour when Elisa was led up to his table by one of his security men. "Detective Maza," Dunstan greeted. "What a surprise!"

She sneered at him. "You don't act very surprised."

"You did an impressive job. I believe you broke one of my men's ribs."

She placed both hands firmly on the table. "Let's get one thing straight, Dunstan. I know you tried to kill me. I know why you tried to kill me, and I'm even willing to go so far as to believe half of what you've said about me is true, but I'm a police officer first. I protect my friends because it's the right thing to do, not because of some glorious destiny. I am not the individual you and your Watcher Society paint me to be."

"Obviously not..." He lowered his fork to a piece of pancake.

She slammed the table, making him drop the fork. "And another thing. Next time I see one of your people snooping around. I'll kill him." She met his eyes.

"You're taking this much too personally-"

"Damn right I'm taking it personally! You tried to kill me! You also tried to kill my partner. You nearly killed a man I barely met, and you say it's all for the good of humanity?! Let me tell you something. When you're through fighting your witches and vampires, there's another war to be waged, and you're standing on the wrong side, my friend. When the dark is gone, this badge is the only thing holding this city together. The badge is the only thing holding humanity together. Anarchy is the enemy, Dunstan. Leviticus has been using that against us for a long time, and you played right into his dirty hands. I hadn't realized that till now, but Cassandra's memories, and the memories of countless others brought that to light. You lost."

"You can't fight this alone, Guardian. You have to bend the rules. Leviticus knows that. You can't defeat him any other way."

"I don't bend rules. I enforce them."

"Then you are the one who has lost."

She looked past him and motioned to someone. "I don't think so."

Several uniformed officers stormed in and dragged him out of his chair to place him in handcuffs.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Irwin Dunstan, you're under arrest for attempted kidnapping, assault on a police officer, two counts of attempted murder, and possession with intent to sell... We found one of your warehouses filled with several shipments of crack cocaine. I'm sure the Outfit will be pleased to find one of its top competitors out of the action."

"You're making a mistake, Detective Maza."

"My mistake was not arresting you sooner. Get him out of here, Morgan."

The police hauled him off; Elisa paused to give the empty night club a once over and followed them out.

Joe was leaning against the wall beside the door.

Elisa breathed a sigh of relief, watching Dunstan get loaded into the back of a squad car.

"You all right?" Joe wondered.

Elisa nodded. "I'm just glad it's over." She looked at him where a very long bandage was wrapped several times around his head. "Are you all right?"

"Mild concussion. Dr. Sato has me on pain medication for a few days. It's nothing, really."

She touched a finger to his bandages and withdrew it.

"Are you specifically protective of me or of people in general?" Joe raised an eyebrow.

"It's just... It always seems like I'm losing the people around me... After a while you think pushing people aside will make the hurt less, but it never does. I guess... I don't know where I stand when the dust settles..." She looked up.

"You can never know what will happen. No matter how much you know of the past, there's always something unexpected around the bend. You're lucky to have a past. I can barely remember mine. But I guess that's both a curse and a blessing."

"So what keeps you going?"

"The Viper." Joe nodded to the red convertible. "It's the only thing that brings a little bit of light into my world, the only thing that makes a difference, the only thing capable of defeating the dark. I mean, look! It even beat that so-called demon."

Elisa smiled at that. "You don't think he was a demon."

"You do?"

Elisa shrugged. "I know. It's all a bit hard to swallow at first. I've been dealing with it for two years, and I still find it hard to believe. But when a winged creature rescues you from a two hundred plus story fall, there are very few alternative explanations."

"A fall?"

She met Joe's eyes. "You won't harm them, will you?"

Joe blinked, confused. "Of course not."

"Good. Maybe I'll introduce you to them sometime..."

"Uh..." He flinched. "Not anytime soon, I hope."

"What's wrong?"

"Like I said, it's all a little hard to swallow. And I'm not sure my nerves can take it."

"I'll go slow," she assured him.

Joe nodded. "Thanks."

She leaned toward him and put a hand on his back. "No. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being there when I needed you, and for understanding when I didn't."

"Hey. Just trying to help."

"Well, I appreciate it."

They stood there as the patrol cars pulled off the curb.

"You know something..." Joe started.

"What?"

"I still haven't introduced you to Frankie."

She laughed. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

Joe returned the smile, and they stood there, defenders in their own right, ready to face another day and an unknown future...

The End