Disclaimer: Here's my second complete fanfic! :) It was nearly half a year in writing, but I finally finished it! :) This has nothing to do with my first fanfic, "Brief Encounters." If you have praise, comments, or (I hope not!) flames, feel free to e-mail them to me at JEB215AlphaZed@aol.com. :) I would like to thank Maradydd, Renn, Siryn, Gabriel, Kellie Fay, Amber, Matt "Mer" Little, and especially A Fan and Chajka for their help and support in making this story. On to the disclaiming... all characters, places, situations, etc. from Gargoyles are the rightful property of Buena Vista Television. All characters, places, situations, etc. of my own are my own intellectual property. They can be used by other fic authors, as long as you ask. :) Additionally, Prof. Johnathan Chansky is a joint creation of myself and A Fan.
Also, thanks to Gorebash for putting together the HTML version, and to ED for his help. :)
Without further ado... let the games begin!
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Nightstone Unlimited Corporate Headquarters in Manhattan
June 17, 1997 3:48 PM
"Miss Destine?" the white-haired scientist said through the in-building intercom.
"Yes, Professor?" an annoyed voice spoke back.
"Two of the devices you requested have been constructed. I shall be here for the rest of the afternoon. If you have time, I will be glad to provide a demonstration."
The voice suddenly lost all of its annoyance. "I'll be down in five minutes."
The intercom clicked.
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~That bumbling idiot Chansky actually did it,~ thought Dominique Destine, also known as Demona, as she got up from the chair in her office and hurried down to his laboratory.
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Professor Chansky pointed to a large, sliver machine in the corner. "This is the temporal displacement apparatus. I wasn't quite able to get it up to the specifications you requested. It should only provide displacement backwards no farther than 15 years."
"What?!" Demona angrily exclaimed.
"Well, it is a problem of the nature of the space-time continuum and power. The amount of power required to displace an object to another point in time is directly proportional to the distance of that point from the present time. As is, the power requirements are substantial. Further, the addition of one person into a past time period alters the present, even if the person doesn't encounter or affect anything in that time. The farther back you go, the more that can be altered, thus stressing the time-space continuum. Going back more than 15 years would be a dangerous stress on the continuum."
Demona began to grumble. "Is there _nothing_ you can do to extend the range?"
"Remember, Miss Destine. When I came to you, you were doubtful that I could even alter the past. Now I have proven that you can alter small portions of it. But I warn you, altering the past is a dangerous business and eventually, you won't even remember having altered it as the continuum realigns itself. I would carefully think out what I wanted to do."
The Professor handed Demona a large bracelet of the same silver color as the large machine. "This remotely operates the machine. It has inputs for the date and time. As for location, it will displace you to whatever your current location is. I have programmed it to be able to go back further than the current maximum of 15 years if such power can be acquired at a later date."
He picked up a similar bracelet. "I believe our agreement covered my usage of the machine? I will make sure that our slightly altered present includes my building this machine for you." And with that, he vanished.
Demona stared at the spot where Professor Johnathan Chansky had stood just a moment ago in astonishment. Shaking her head, she walked away and began to plot.
**************************************************************************** ~Blast!~ Demona thought. ~I needed Chansky's time travel machine to take me back to stop the massacre at Wyvern! Or to annihilate the ancestors of the human race! What event can I repair from the last 15 years?!~
And then- she thought of it. ~Yes... I only need to find her most vulnerable moment... and she's dead.~
Demona smiled an evil smile.
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Nightstone Unlimited Corporate Headquarters in Manhattan
June 20, 1997 9:55 PM
She had spent the last three days studying every aspect of her hated enemy's time of weakness. Demona now knew when and how to eliminate her foe from history.
~It's time,~ she thought, and she pushed a button on the silver control armband, and faded away, into the past.
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Manhattan General Hospital
October 23, 1994, 1:25 AM
"Code blue, code blue! ICU! Flatline, no pulse!"
The medical staff ran in as fast as their feet could carry them. The head doctor, Dr. Sato, quickly took command of the situation.
"Epinephrine!" he ordered. An oversized syringe was given to him, and he injected it directly into his patient's heart.
"Still flat!" a nurse reported.
"Get the paddles. 400 watt seconds." An assistant hurried over with them. "Clear!" His patient's body arched as 400 watts coursed through it.
Nothing.
Dr. Sato rubbed the paddles together. He waited for them to charge again, and... "Clear!" 400 watts of electricity flowed through the patient again.
Nothing.
"Increase the voltage!"
"Clear!"
Again. Nothing.
They repeated this a few more times. Finally, it was useless to continue.
"Time of death... 1:27 AM. I... should tell her family..." Doctor Sato walked out sadly.
Detective Elisa Maza was dead.
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Unknown to any of the medical staff, a dark shape was watching their failing efforts with a malicious glee...
...and when she saw Maza die, Demona laughed in triumph. "Finally!" she gloated. "Finally, that accursed detective and all her _human_ influence has been eliminated from my life!"
It had been easy to sneak in and inject the poison into Maza that weakened her enough to ensure her death. But then, she briefly felt a stab of guilt- was it right to be so happy over a person's death?
~Yes,~ she rationalized. ~After all, she's only a pitiful _human._ She has been a thorn in my side for years. But no longer. Now, I can return to a world without Elisa Maza!~
And with that, she pressed her wristband control unit, and faded back into the future.
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Cyberbiotics Warehouse #19, Manhattan
June 20, 1997 9:48 PM
Demona reappeared in an alien place.
~What? Where's Chansky's time machine? Or the laboratory, for that matter?~ Her train of thought was derailed by the sudden blaring of alarm sirens.
"INTRUDER ALERT. INTRUDER ALERT. INTRUDER IN SECTION 27."
"HALT, INTRUDER," a deep, mechanical voice called out to Demona.
She turned, and saw a robot that looked like a cross between a human and a tank. "YOU HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS ROGUE GARGOYLE DESIGNATE DEMONA. SURRENDER IS ADVISABLE." At that, a large laser cannon unfolded from its arm.
Demona reacted quickly. Roaring a battle cry, she grabbed a heavy crate, lifted it above her head, and threw it at the robot, knocking it to the ground. Spying a window, Demona dashed towards it, but a steel plate, too thick for even her to damage it, slid down over the escape, blocking her escape.
She pondered what to do for a few seconds before her sensitive ears picked up the quiet hum of an energizing laser. She barely dodged the blast that flew to her position, which instead blew a hole in the steel window plate. She whirled around to see the tank-robot, back on its feet with the barest of damage.
With a burst of adrenaline, Demona tore the weakened plate from the window frame, and swung it like a bat at the robot's head, creating a sizable dent and a shower of sparks.
The robot teetered, tottered, and finally fell over, inactive.
Before anything else could delay her escape, Demona crashed through the window, spread her wings wide to catch the wind, and began gliding as fast as she could away from the building.
She only got a few dozen yards before she heard a familiar voice call her name.
"Demona!" She turned, and saw who it was.
"Brooklyn!" she growled, tensing for an attack.
Noticing her hostile reaction, he glided a little farther away from her. "Whoa, Demona, it's me. We're on the same side, remember?"
Demona paused. ~I forgot already. This timeline is different, so we probably really _are_ allies. Good, I need someone to tell me exactly what happened.~
She put on her best 'friendly ally' expression, and spoke to Brooklyn. "Yes, of course, we are. Were you following me?"
"Um, yeah. What else am I supposed to do when you spontaneously decide to raid that Cyberbiotics warehouse? You're lucky you weren't caught! In fact..." He looked over her shoulder. "...we're not out of the woods yet!"
Brooklyn pointed at something behind her. She swiveled around, and caught sight of a group of small golden specks that were rapidly floating nearer.
"Cybots! Let's go!" Brooklyn practically flew away, and Demona followed.
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Brooklyn and Demona's Hideaway
June 20, 1997 10:12 PM
Brooklyn entered the main, spacious yet spartan chamber, with Demona behind him, examining the surroundings.
"Brooklyn," Demona asked as pleasantly as she could, "I realize this may sound strange, but I want you to tell me everything that has happened since Elisa Maza's death."
"What, like you don't remember?" Brooklyn skeptically asked.
"Just humor me. Tell me what has happened since then!"
"Fine, fine, don't get cranky." He paused to look at her strangely, then began.
"Okay, after Elisa died..."
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Manhattan General Hospital
October 23, 1994 6:14 AM
Goliath and Broadway landed lightly on the ledge outside Elisa's hospital room. Broadway was still bent in remorse that his actions had had such a dire outcome for his human friend. ~I will make it up to you,~ he vowed, ~no matter how long it takes. Elisa... I am so sorry.~
Goliath anxiously scanned the room through the window. What were the nurses doing? They were disconnecting the unnatural web of tubes and wires from his Elisa. ~Good,~ he thought, ~that must mean she's better.~ But wait... her parents were rushing into the room, their eyes wet with tears. The doctor was explaining something to them rapidly, his head bent. What was that nurse doing? She was pulling the sheet up over Elisa's serene face. ~Stop that, she's not.... NOOOOOOO!~ his mind screamed in agony. ~Not my Elisa...not my lo....~
A cold pain, deeper than anything he had ever felt before began to coalesce in the center of his chest, choking out his breath. Such pain. He gasped for breath that would not come, as numbness filled every corner of his being.
"Goliath, what's happening?" mumbled Broadway uncertainly. "Where are they taking.....? No," he gasped, horror coloring his voice. "It can't be...." His eyes burning, the large gargoyle sprang off the ledge, his wings flapping powerfully, his face buried in his hands. "No, no, noooo!" he roared. The pained denials became fainter and fainter to Goliath's ears, as the younger clan member continued vainly trying to put distance between himself and his guilt.
~Dawn is near,~ thought Goliath dazedly. ~It would be so easy to step off this ledge at just the right second... but no. Elisa would not want that sacrifice, she would want me to...want me to....~
"Eliiiissssaaaa..." he crooned silently as the sun turned his tears and his heart to stone.
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"Broadway's felt responsible for Elisa's death ever since. It nearly tore him apart with guilt. And Goliath- Goliath got even more withdrawn than he already was. It was like when Elisa died, a part of him died too." Brooklyn paused.
"Things just went downhill from there. MacBeth's attack made us realize that we had to leave the castle to be safe, so-"
"MacBeth?!" Demona interrupted.
"Yeah, MacBeth. He was actually after you, if I remember right. Anyway, so we had to leave Castle Wyvern. We started roosting on a different building every few days. Then, Xanatos tried to force us to be under his thumb again with the Steel Clan. That was a bad move on his part. Goliath nearly killed him for that. Truthfully, after that Goliath just started getting more and more out of control. Especially during that business with Coldstone..."
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Times Square
February 12, 1995 8:43 PM
"Destroy them, Coldstone," Demona ordered.
Before the cyborg gargoyle could do anything, Goliath's eyes flared white, and he charged Coldstone, slamming him through the plate glass window of a nearby storefront.
A television news van arrived at the scene, and a camera crew disembarked from it, while panicked citizens ran from the battling "monsters."
Coldstone, dazed, and cut from his flight through the glass, rose. Goliath made to charge at him again, but Brooklyn held him back.
"Wait, Goliath! Look!" Brooklyn pointed at the camera crew. "I don't think we need our pictures all over the ten o'clock news!"
Goliath calmed slightly. "Agreed. We must-"
At that moment, Coldstone flew at him, with the jet engine between his metal wings giving him the impact force of a speeding bullet train.
Goliath was flung across the entirety of Times Square, narrowly missing the news camera crew and slamming into a brick wall.
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Demona started to enter the fray, but Xanatos, clad in his Steel Clan exosuit, placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Now, let's not interfere. Our boy is doing well enough on his own."
Demona grumbled, but silently agreed and continued simply observing.
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Coldstone deactivated his jet engine, and landed. He made to rush over and finish the job. However, Brooklyn blocked his path as he had Goliath's.
"Look, Coldstone-" he began, but Coldstone swatted him over to his fellow rookery brothers in the Trio.
"Silence, betrayer," Coldstone growled. "When I have destroyed Goliath, then it will be YOUR turn."
Coldstone turned away, and his jaw promptly met Goliath's fist. Stars clouded the vision of his good eye, and static clouded the vision of his robotic optical unit. When his sight became clear, Coldstone beheld Goliath, his eyes like twin stars, with a rage not born of simple anger, or from the heat of battle, but a vengeful, killing rage.
Coldstone faltered, but his own rage soon returned to him, and he opened his arm to reveal a laser blaster. Before Coldstone could use the weapon, however, Goliath tore it from his arm.
The two combatants entered a violent combat. Eventually, Goliath's seemingly infinite rage-fueled might began to defeat Coldstone's cybernetics, which were soon all scratched, sparking, or useless.
Finally, Goliath pummeled Coldstone with a series of shattering punches. Coldstone staggered, electricity arcing from his damage and wounds.
In a last, desperate move, Coldstone swung his robotic fist at Goliath, but he grabbed it, swung him around, and threw his former rookery brother into the news van, whose camera crew had long since moved to a safer distance.
The moment Coldstone impacted with the vehicle, it exploded, throwing flaming debris all over Central Park. The area that the van formerly occupied and its nearby surroundings were engulfed in flame. Coldstone did not walk away from them.
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From across Times Square, Xanatos and Demona observed the destruction of Coldstone.
Xanatos turned to Demona. "Perhaps, my dear, a strategic withdrawal would be in order."
Demona only nodded, then jumped from the roof and caught an updraft towards the Eyrie Building.
Xanatos, and the mindless Steel Clan drone accompanying the pair launched into the sky, and headed in the same direction.
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Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington walked cautiously over to Goliath, who was staring at the burning wreck of the news van that had become Coldstone's burial pyre.
Finally, Lexington spoke up. "Goliath... what have you done?"
Goliath did not answer his question. "Come. We must return to our roost."
He walked briskly to the nearest building. Goliath sunk his claws into its stone wall, climbed to its roof, and glided away.
The Trio followed, just as police cars and fire trucks arrived at the scene of the disaster.
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"And that led to the creation of the Gargoyle Task Force," continued Brooklyn.
"Matt Bluestone and Derek Maza- that's Elisa' brother, you know- have been dogging every gargoyle in the city ever since, as its commanders. A while later, the Pack, with the help of a robot named Coyote, escaped from prison, except for Fox. The Pack tried to get revenge on us, but they barely escaped Goliath. There were other threats after that... MacBeth, the mutates, but especially Xanatos. Things got their worst, though, at Xanatos and Fox's wedding..."
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Castle Wyvern, atop the Eyrie Building
November 7, 1995 10:47 PM
"It seems the honeymoon has begun earlier than expected."
No sooner than the words left Owen's mouth than a sphere of yellow-orange flame appeared in the courtyard in front of him and the judge who married the Xanatoses. It quickly faded away, revealing the forms of David, Fox, and Petros Xanatos, all clothed in medieval garb, and Goliath, with Demona unconscious in his arms.
Brooklyn started forward. "Goliath! Are you all right?" He stopped, and noticed Demona's limp form in Goliath's arms. "Is she-?"
"No," Goliath grumbled. Demona then began to stir. She moaned softly, and then her eyes snapped open.
She glared at Goliath. "Get away from me, you sentimental fool." Demona pushed herself out of Goliath's arms, and stood on her own two feet. "You may have prevented me from changing the past, but you failed too. You see, I have clear memories of your little inspirational about keeping my vows of love. I never forgot it. And it changed nothing! History, it seems, is immutable."
Goliath sadly turned away from Demona and cast his eyes down. "More's the pity." He began to move to leave, and motioned for the clan to follow.
"Goliath!" Xanatos yelled.
Goliath turned to him. "Yes?" Goliath's reply was tinged with hatred and mistrust.
"I'd just like to say one more thing."
"What?"
"Got you." Xanatos's infamous smirk spread across his face.
Goliath's expression changed from brief confusion, then to alarm as he realized Xanatos's intention.
"Get out of here! Now!" he yelled to the rest of his clan, and ran as fast as he could.
Suddenly, the sound of a laser blast rang out, and Goliath saw Hudson flung into a nearby wall.
The shot had been fired by none other than Hyena, who was holding a laser rifle. "Never liked that old geezer," she sneered, punctuating her words with an insane chuckle.
"Hudson!" Goliath yelled. He started to run towards his mentor's fallen form, but a beam of blood-red energy blasted a small crater between Hudson and Goliath, stopping him in his tracks. Looking up, Goliath saw that it had been fired by Jackal, who was soon joined by Wolf and Dingo, both similarly armed.
Following them, a tall figure in gold and black armor appeared- Coyote. However, his 'armor' was larger, slightly bulkier, and much more fearsome- looking than his predecessor.
"Are you going to come along quietly?" it asked in the synthesized voice of David Xanatos. "I'd rather you didn't. It would be so much more fun to beat you into submission."
Goliath's response was to leap over to Hudson, pick him up, and dash over to the Trio and Bronx. "I assume that means no. Good," the android said with artificial glee. "Attack."
The Pack opened fire, and charged towards the clan.
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"What happened after that?" Demona asked.
"Well, we were winning at first, but then Xanatos tipped the scales with the Steel Clan, the Xanatos Corporate Guard, and his automatic defenses. We were overwhelmed. During the battle, Hudson reawoke and tried to help, but he lost his remaining good eye to a laser blast from Coyote. Then, Jackal and Hyena killed Bronx." Brooklyn paused, obviously still feeling the pain of this battle.
"Soon, the entire clan was defeated and imprisoned. Xanatos showed us off to the whole world, and claimed he'd ended the 'gargoyle menace.'" His tone became more bitter. "He was hailed as a HERO for what he'd done to us!"
"How did you escape?" Demona asked.
Brooklyn gave her a very incredulous look. "You need _me_ to tell you that?" He began to look suspiciously at Demona. "I'm beginning to get the impression you don't remember any of this. What aren't you telling me, Demona?"
"You finish telling me what happened, and then I'll explain why I want to know it. Continue."
Brooklyn sighed. "It was after Xanatos used Hudson as the guinea pig to test the Cauldron of Life..."
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Gen-U-Tech Research Center, outskirts of New York City
December 4, 1995 11:56 PM
Brooklyn snapped out of a half-asleep state to hear a clanking sound at his cell door. He sprung out of bed, ready to give whoever planned to take him away for some hideous experiment the fight of his life.
He saw a the shadowy silhouette of a female gargoyle at the door. She unlocked the door, and stepped into the light.
"Demona!" Brooklyn growled.
"Ssh!" Demona hissed. "I'm getting you out of here, but if you keep yelling like that, neither of us will escape!"
"What's the deal, Demona?" Brooklyn skeptically asked.
Demona picked up on his tone quickly. "This isn't a trick. Xanatos has gone too far this time. He has turned Hudson to stone- permanently."
Brooklyn's eyes widened in shock. "But- how-"
"There's no time for explanations. I'm going to free you, and your rookery brothers, and in return, we must work together to crush Xanatos. Are you with me?"
Brooklyn still looked surprised, but nodded.
"Good. Then let's go, before-"
"Before you're caught, Demona?" rang out the synthesized voice of David Xanatos. "Too late for that, I'm afraid."
Demona barely ducked Coyote's swinging golden arm in time.
Coyote's right arm opened up, revealing his sense-distortion weapon.
Demona and Brooklyn were both amazed by the stealth of the bulky robot, but Demona recovered quickly, throwing a small mine-shaped device onto the robot's chest.
From the "mine" sprung four tiny claws, which latched it onto Coyote. The entire automaton was briefly bathed in electricity, flailing its arms and spasming. Its glowing eyes faded to darkness, and Coyote collapsed on the floor, lifeless.
"What was THAT?" Brooklyn asked, agape.
"An electro-neutralizer disc,' Xanatos called it. It ruins anything electronic, apparently including his robots," Demona responded. "Come on. We've got to get Lexington and Broadway, and leave!"
"What about Goliath?" Brooklyn queried.
"He won't cooperate," she said simply. "Let's go."
Suddenly, a human guard walked into the holding cell room.
"Hey, I thought I heard a-" His mouth dropped open in surprise at the sight of Demona and Brooklyn.
Demona started to dash for the guard's position, but he quickly pulled the alarm switch.
Alarms began blaring. Demona finished her dash and slammed the guard into the wall harshly. He slumped to the floor, unmoving.
"We must leave now!" Demona ordered.
"Not without Lex and Broadway!" Brooklyn countered.
"There's no time! We have to leave NOW!" Demona yelled, her eyes scarlet.
A force of four more guards appeared, and began firing at the pair, choosing their course of action for them.
Demona pulled the electro-neutralizer disc from Coyote's prone form, pressed a small button on its surface, and threw the now glowing device at the outer wall of Brooklyn's cell. It exploded, creating a hole to the outside. Demona ran through it, followed by Brooklyn, and both gargoyles escaped to freedom.
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Demona and Brooklyn's Hideaway
June 21, 1997 12:07 AM
"We've been on the run or in hiding ever since," Brooklyn continued. "You took me back to Manhattan to get supplies, but we found out that between the Gargoyles Task Force and Xanatos's forces, we were staying whether we wanted to or not. Xanatos hired MacBeth to replace you and to lead his Gargoyle Hunters."
"Gargoyle Hunters?" Demona interrupted.
He sighed. "Yes, the Gargoyle Hunters. Wolf, Jackal, Hyena, Coyote... up to 7.0 Beta, now, I think... and soon after, Fang, and Claw. May I continue?"
Demona hated being patronized, but she didn't let it show. "Continue."
"Then Xanatos started sending the Thailogs after us, too. He made all his thugs even tougher after his hostile takeover of Cyberbiotics, adding their technology to his.
We've basically been fighting to survive and to take down Xanatos ever since. We tried to free Goliath, Lex, and Broadway several times, but we got stopped every time. So that's how it is." He sighed again. "So... care to let me in on why you wanted the history review?"
Demona didn't hear his question. ~How could it have turned out so wrong?~ she thought. ~How could that blasted detective have been so important? Surely not _everything_ is this bad!~
"Angela!" Demona blurted out. "What about Angela?"
"Who's Angela? I've never met anyone named Angela." Brooklyn responded.
A thoughtful expression overtook Demona's features. ~He doesn't know of Angela?~
Then she remembered. ~Of course! He does not know of Angela, because she's still on Avalon, which is surely a gargoyle paradise! I must see her! But how?~
She pondered this. "Brooklyn!"
"What?" he replied, in a slightly annoyed tone.
"You said that when you left the castle, you took the Grimorum Arcanorum with you, and hid it. Where is it?"
Brooklyn sighed. "Boy, your memory's worse than I thought. We've gone through this already, remember? But when we went to the hiding place, the Grimorum, with the Eye of Odin, was gone. You assumed some humans stole them, and I didn't disagree."
Just for a moment, as Demona's mind digested the information Brooklyn had just given her, it became muddled. She suddenly remembered that she had searched with Brooklyn, and yet, at the same time, she never remembered it happening. She immediately found she had two sets of memories, many contradicting one another. Two pasts...
She became disoriented, and stumbled.
"Demona?" Brooklyn inquired. "Are you all right?"
The second past faded from her mind, and it was clear again.
"I... I'm fine." ~What's happening to me?~ she thought. ~No matter. I must find Angela! If I can't use the Grimorum, then there's only one more immediate option...~
"Stay here. I'll be back later!" she ordered Brooklyn.
"Where are you going?" he asked. "To find my daughter!" she yelled, as she jumped out the window and glided off into the distance.
Brooklyn looked at her receding form. "Daughter?" he quizzically asked.
TO BE CONTINUED...