A French Exodus

A French Exodus By: Tim "Nigeria" Daniels daniels@naplesnet.com

This is a short compared to my other fanfics. It's short of a prelude chapter if you will for the next fanfic I'm writing in this series. If anyone want to use the Tim Daniels, Dragon, Crysta, or Intel characters, you may, so long as you e-mail me your ideas and make sure you have my approval. Also, I'd like to see a copy of the story before you publish it. Other than that, here's Chapter 4!

***

Tim logged into his computer at the Nightstone server. He had several tasks to complete before he had to take that flight to Paris. Dominique Destine had personally invited him to her main office in Paris, in order to tell him of what she had planned for him. He told the gargoyles about this development, and they said there good-byes. Then, they went to stone sleep, and Tim caught some sleep before work.

Now he was about an hour away from his flight. It was close to noon, and he would not have a chance to see the gargoyles before that time. He went into his personal database, and worked on the project he was assigned to do. Now that he was getting paid, he was doing what he was told to do. No freelance anything. He was given an assignment to refine his AI override device, and make into something that was 100% guaranteed. He was head of the computer department, which was odd since he was relatively new to the company.

He quickly went over the schematics of the AI device he had created. This device had helped him many times in the past weeks, getting past Xanatos's robots while trying to rescue Crysta. However, Xanatos and he were friends now. Xanatos made a promise not to touch anymore of his clan, but would like to know what is going on. Tim made a deal with him to get information on his gargoyles in exchange for information on Tim's gargoyles. Xanatos added a joke to his final message agreeing to this deal, "And please, don't destroy anymore of my labs!"

Tim never thought Xanatos would be a humorous man, only business. There must be a lighter side to him, even though he was all business. Tim adjusted a few points on the schematics in order to optimize his device further. Time passed quickly as he worked, and soon, it was time for him to go to Paris. He logged off, said a few good-byes to various employees, and went outside to his car. He become known down in this building, and seemed to be really popular. He took his car out of the parking lot, and headed towards the airport.

About 15 minutes later, he made it, and locked his car up. He was going to be flying an exclusive plane, not a public one. He wondered why Dominique would do this, but she probably wanted him to work on something not for anyone else's eyes. He walked down the main walkway towards the gates, where they were calling final boarding calls for various planes. Tim's was not among them for a reason, for the airport would not mention a corporate plane for one person.

Tim looked at a small note. It said "Gate 4B". He looked up, and found he was at Gate 4B. "Must be the place, " he said, as he walked into the opening.

A women greeted him, and asked him to stop. "I just need to check a few things first," she said in a French accent.

The women looked down at her terminal, as it flashed various information. Then, she looked up at Tim. "Everything seems to be in order, go right on ahead."

Tim shook his head and entered the door. The hallway took him down to a small plane. As soon as he boarded, the door closed behind him, and a person came up to him.

"I'm the pilot for this one. Miss Destine wants you to work some more on your AI device while we're flying. Please, feel free to look around the plane if you want, but don't go to the back. This is Miss Destine's personal plane, and she doesn't want you snooping around where she keeps her private stuff."

Tim nodded, and took a seat in a comfortable chair. The pilot went into the front, and took care of pre-flight checks. Soon, Tim could hear the engines turn on, and the plane start to move down the walkway. A very solid door came between him and the pilot, locking tight. Tim was a little shocked by this. Miss Destine obviously liked her privacy...darkened windows, locked doors, the works. Tim wondered what she had to hide.

He put on his seat belt as the plane took off he runway. The ground flew away from him, and soon they were over open water. Tim took out his laptop he had brought along, and made a satellite link to the Nightstone Building. He logged in and got his AI device schematics, and went to work.

Dominique Destine was a mystery person to Tim. She was the CEO of the company, but never had he seen her. He thought he had seen her at the lab, a red-haired woman who was talking to Dr. Rou later that day. But never had he really knew if that was her. He was going to find out though. He never asked Xanatos about Dominique, only getting information on what the Gargoyles have done in the past week.

Time passed slowly, as Tim went over various programs for the device. He was playing around with it really, since he knew that only a prototype could really test these programs. He had to get past this meeting if he was to get funding for this project. It was apparent that Miss Destine took interest in this device. But for what purpose? He didn't want to use his device for destruction, which has what it had been used for in the past few weeks. Still, Tim was pretty sure he would get the OK on making another, more advanced prototype from Dominique. His last one had been obsolete when he saw the technology at his disposal when he was hired for this job.

Tim started to get tired. There was a beautiful sunset outside, and he was still a couple hours from Paris. Tim put his laptop away in his pack, and looked for a pillow. Oddly, there was none. It looked like Dominique didn't sleep in her planes. Tim sighed, and leaned back in his chair. At least the chair was comfy. He closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

The sun set over the land, spreading darkness across the city of Miami. There was a calm about the city, except for one place in particular. One place, where stone statues came to life, roaring from a good day's sleep.

Dragon came out of his stone slumber. He looked around for Tim, but realized he would probably be in Paris right now. Tim had helped through a lot of problems. He gave them a new home at a warehouse he had rented. He helped rescue Crysta, who took off from her perch on top of the warehouse and went on patrol. He even taught Intel a few things about computers, who was hacking away on one right now. Most importantly, he had kept the clan alive and free.

Tim insured that Xanatos was out of the picture, but he couldn't guarantee factions inside of Xanatos would go after the clan. Sevarius, for one, was the person who was in charge of the Miami labs that captured Crysta. Xanatos, according to Tim, had taken care of Sevarius, but he still wasn't completely gone. Sevarius knew gargoyles were in Miami, but didn't try and go after them just yet. He had to find us first, though Dragon.

Dragon walked over to the display case showing the various artifacts the clan has collected over the generations. They had been living in Southern Florida for the past couple of centuries, after there ancestors had been teleported here by a Magus in Scotland. Their clan used to live in Europe, but were not liked by the humans there. Eventually, the clan had gotten into bad favor with the locals, and a mage came along and sent them here. Now, they lived in Florida for a long time, being successful in surviving. Only after the Spanish came did they have problems. They were nearly obliterated. But, the clan managed to survive, and here they were.

Their most prized possession was the armor of a young noble in Europe. The man hadn't been known, but displayed magical prowess and seemed to deserve the title in which he was named, "Paladin". His real name was unknown, for he would not tell. Perhaps he had gotten into bad favor with someone, or perhaps he didn't want to be known for his deeds. Whatever happened, the man was teleported by an evil wizard, and the only thing left was the armor which he had left. No one knows what happened to this man. Dragon stared at the eagle on the center of the armor. Whoever it was, he must be long dead....

Dragon headed outside, and leapt off the edge. He had a patrol to attend to.

A jerk of the plane landing woke Tim immediately. It was still night, but they were in Paris now. He could see the lights of the city, and the French signs. Tim smiled...he had always wanted to visit this city, but he wouldn't get the chance this time. He was going to visit Dominique then leave. The pilot unlocked his door leading from the cockpit, and came into the main area of the plane. "Miss Destine has informed me that you won't be seeing her just now. However, tomorrow evening she will be able to fit you into her schedule. It looks like your also going to get some personal time to explore this city."

This was a twist. Dominique had told him that he would not get a chance to visit the city. He looked out at the pale moon above the city. Well, luck had to be with him. He would sleep for tonight, then get up early to explore Paris. The pilot gave him a pass to the Nightstone Building in Paris, where he would be staying. Tim sighed...at least he had lodging, but he would rather stay at a hotel. He headed out to the terminal, where a women in a blue suit was waiting for him.

"Hello, I'm Robin. I'm the personal assistant to Miss Destine. She had me come down here to pick you up."

Tim nodded. "OK, let's go."

Robin headed into the driver seat, as Tim got into the back of a long limo. Apparently, Miss Destine liked to go around in style. The trip was a quick one, as they came in front of a tall building. Tim got out of the car, as Robin took him inside.

The guard at the door asked for his pass, not asking for Robin's since he was familiar with her face. Tim took his out and showed it to him, getting access into the building. Robin escorted him to a elevator that required a key to open. "Miss Destine is taking good care of you, as she sees you as a valuable resource to this company. Here is the key to this elevator, which is Miss Destine's private elevator. The rules are you can use it anytime except at night. Right now is an exception, since Miss Destine knows you've arrived."

With that, Robin nodded and said good-bye. She left out the front door, probably heading off to do other business for Dominique or possibly a personal errand. It was not Tim's concern to intrude, so he inserted the key into the keyhole next to the elevator. The door opened, and Tim stepped inside. Then he remembered that Robin had not told him which floor to go to.

Apparently, there wasn't much choice. The elevator took Tim somewhere, for it was starting to move up. Seconds later, Tim saw the door open to a small apartment. It looked like they had specifically made it for him, for a computer could be located on a desk nearby, and there appeared to be no evidence of this also being "Miss Destine's Private" whatever. He put down his pack, and took out his laptop. After a quick connection to the Nightstone server in Miami, he downloaded the things he needed to continue, and transferred it to the computer by the desk. He'd work on it later, perhaps if he had some spare time. Meantime, he had to get some sleep. It was around 11 p.m., and he was very tired. He went to the bathroom and washed up, lied down onto the bed, and fell asleep.

Dragon was having a boring time patrolling. There was hardly any crime in the area, and probably wasn't going to be any. He sighed, and headed back towards the warehouse. He had done his job for tonight. Perhaps the other clan members had found something to break up or stop.

He landed heavily on the top of the warehouse, and went inside. The other member of the clan had seemed to have disappeared. They must all be out doing something. Even the elder gargoyles were not here. They were probably giving Atlantic, the name of their gargoyle dog, a walk in the park. He walked over to see what Intel had been working on. He read what was on the screen, but didn't understand a word of it. Something about "HTML". Perhaps it was some important abbreviation. He would ask Intel when he got home.

A small rustle in the back alerted him. He turned around, and saw nothing there. However, the source of the rustle could be seen. The glass door to the artifact case had been broken into. Nothing appeared wrong, except that the armor with the eagle on it, the one of the young noble, had been stolen. Someone must have been wandering around and found this place. He quickly ran outside, and launched himself off the warehouse roof. He had to find that armor.

Tim slept peacefully. Unknown to him however, someone was watching him from the window. The figure quickly left after a moment, letting Tim sleep unbothered.

Dragon swooped around the city, trying to look for some sign of the captor of the armor. However, the person could not be found. The robbery had to have taken place a long while before Dragon had gotten back, else Dragon would have seen some sign of the crook, or a car leaving. He reluctantly went back to the warehouse. No one was there yet, but there was a sign of somebody having returned home. Possibly one of the gargoyles came back and noticed the armor missing, joining in the hunt too. They would be back soon, for after a long night, the sun was starting to rise.

Crysta was the first to return. She looked healthy, thus having no problems with tonight's patrol. She greeted Dragon with a nod, then saw the robbery. "What happened?" she asked, a little shocked.

"The armor was stolen while we were away patrolling...someone must have found this place by luck. There is no chance that someone knew we were here, and came after it specifically. I wonder why he didn't steal anything else though? The armor is by far expensive, but everything else here is just as costly. Tomorrow we keep searching for the armor. We cannot let it leave our possession."

Crysta was a little confused by the last statement. "Why cannot we let it leave our possession? It is just something we have collected. A gargoyles has need for money or a need for wealth. Why must we not let it leave us?"

Dragon frowned. "Crysta, this relic has been in the clan for generations. Even though the warrior has died, our ancestors made a solemn promise to take care of it. They thought he might return someday to claim it! I really should tell you the story about the armor. Sometime soon....but for now, we must get the armor."

Other clan members were returning with the coming of the sun, and all was informed of what had happened. There was nothing they could do now, as they got into their places and assumed their positions. The sun rose, freezing the gargoyles in stone sleep.

Tim woke to a beautiful sunrise, only hampered by the fact that he was still tired. He wearily got up out of bed, and put on his clothes. Then he remembered he had some free time in Paris! He got some of his American cash, and headed into the elevator. The machine zoomed him down to the lobby. He asked a guard if he could get some francs. Suprisingly, he was told that Miss Destine had left him some francs to use. Not a lot, but enough to have a good time in London. Tim's view on Miss Destine was improving day after day. She seemed so nice! Perhaps she was just pampering him so as to get him into the company for sure. Heck, Tim thought, if she keeps this up, she must just well get me!

Tim walked outside, and began his tour. He visited many places of interest, including the top of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. He had a really fun time, getting some French food at it's best. He got a laugh when he found that a restaurant had no French Fries! He toured Paris on his own for the entire day, having a wonderful time. Soon, afternoon came, and he had to get back to the Nightstone Building. He was pretty close, and he got into his apartment with enough time to go see Dominique Destine for the first time. He put on a suit, which he had brought, and went to the elevator to head to the lobby.

He inserted his key, and got into the elevator. Instead of the elevator going down, it started to go up. The door opened to reveal a small office with a door leading into another room. He saw the plaque "Robin Carree" on the table. This had to be Dominique's office. Tim sat down outside, waiting for someone to invite him in into Dominique Destine's office. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal a petite women with stunning red hair. She looked to be around 25, with a tight, red business suit and shoes to match. Tim stared at her figure. This was Dominique Destine? He swore slightly to himself...this was truly a beautiful woman. She looked at him with a smile. "Oh! You are Tim Daniels. We met in the elevator at the Miami Nightstone Building. Remember?"

Tim quickly shut his mouth, which was gaping open. It took another minute for him to compose himself. He thought he had seen this face before, but not at the elevator. He stood up, saying, "Yes, I remember. I thought I had seen you before that, but I guess I was wrong."

Dominique nodded. "Let's get down to business, shall we? I have a really tight schedule....in fact, I have to be somewhere right before sunset."

Tim was admitted into her office. It was quite small for a CEO of a major company. Still, a large window was to the west, showing the sun low in the sky. the rest of the office seemed mundane. She must be all business, else she would have some form of entertainment in here! Dominique sat down and crossed her legs in her chair, which made Tim almost hit himself. He sat down, as the interview began.

"Judging from your records here..," Dominique said, shifting through some papers. "...you are an expert in most forms of computer technology, and have just invented a AI device which can override computer intelligence. Am I correct?"

Tim wondered where she got that information, but figured she could get pretty much anything. "Yes..."

"We've been looking for a computer expert for sometime, and I just couldn't pass up an offer like this. Your salary should be acceptable for the tasks I require, and maybe even a bonus if you astound me enough with your work." She handed Tim a slip of paper. Tim nearly choked at the size of the number on it.

"I know you have lived Miami for a long time, and don't want to move from it, so you have full access to the computer equipment at the Miami Lab, and any request for more equipment can be made. Now, care to show me your progress on the AI device?"

Tim was absolutely stunned at what kind of technology he was going to have at his disposal. And he was getting paid to do this? He quickly took out his laptop, and brought up the schematic of the device he had put a lot of effort into. As he explained what it could do, Dominique showed an interest in it. "It's quite simple really. The device has several parts. A transmitter and a receiver, plus a very complex computer program. Normally, anyone could make an ordinary scrambler, but this one has that computer program to sort out and figure what the shutdown or deactivation code is for that specific device. It can range from electronic guns to robots. However, physical weapons, like ordinary bullet guns, aren't affected. The transmitter trys and finds a frequency that the electronic device is using. I'm not talking about communication frequency, I'm talking about electronic. Then, the receiver gets the information from the device and immediately transfers it to the appropriate program. Soon, the transmitter sends the information back, and most of the time the device works. "

Dominique smiled, impressed by the detailed explanation. "Very impressive. I could really use a device like that. That will be your first project for now...refining and perfecting this device. Just let me know when you can finish it, and that will be your deadline. And please, if you want to keep your job here, don't give me a long deadline...you have access to technology far beyond the government itself has, and I will not let you have free time on it."

Dominique looked anxiously towards the west. Her face seemed to be in some discomfort .The sun was setting over a couple of buildings, and she seemed almost eager to say, "It has been a pleasure meeting you, but I must really go. Your flight out of Paris is waiting on the roof, where my helicopter will take you to the airport." Dominique looked to be in some discomfort, as she stood up and shook hands with Tim. Tim marveled at the women's strength...she had a nice tight grip. He shook off the notion that it was getting tighter, as he smiled and bid Dominique farewell. Tim left quickly and headed towards the elevator. What was strange was that he didn't see Dominique leave her office to go the meeting. He opened the elevator, and headed towards back to his room to pack. He got into regular clothes, and cleaned everything up. Then, he went to the roof. This elevator was pretty smart! It was taking him exactly where he wanted to go.

A helicopter was waiting as the sun set, bringing darkness to the land. He got in on the pilot's request, and the helicopter began it's ascent. It leveled off and headed towards the airport. Tim sighed as he saw the luxuries in the helicopter...another Dominique Private ship.

A black ship flew above the buildings. It headed toward it's target, a helicopter containing his intended target. For a long time, the pilot had hunted that person. He had finally gotten the advantage, and was going to end it tonight. The helicopter was over the river, and would not cause a threat to innocents.

He rubbed his hand through his gray hair. Tonight, it was finally going to end, and he would be the victor of the hunt. Tonight, he would finally end.

"Tonight....Demon, "Macbeth said. "It ends!"

Tim sat back for what he hoped would be a comfortable ride. The lights of Paris shone, giving a nice display of the city. This peace was suddenly disturbed as an explosion erupted outside the aircraft. Tim was startled, as another explosion was heard outside. He quickly looked in the rear to see a small black craft pursuing them. Another blast came forth, this time closer. That ship was firing on them! Tim had no idea what to do, when the pilot tossed back a parachute. "Get outta here! Miss Destine thought this would happen, and has ensured you your safety. Now get out!"

Tim quickly slipped on the parachute, attaching his computer to the side of his leg. The door of the helicopter opened. Tim was slightly afraid of heights, but he didn't let that stop them. Thank god he had parachuted before! He jumped out yelling, as another missile came forth and blast the ship to pieces. Tim looked in horror...the pilot did not make it. The black ship didn't seem to care, instead pausing in mid-air as if considering something.

Macbeth was not at all pleased. He had felt no pain, and wasn't even dead! Demona could not have been on that helicopter! But who else would be using her private helicopter? Reality struck him. Why would Demona use a helicopter if she had wings? The helicopter had lifted right before sunset, meaning Demona had to be in there. No one else used her personal helicopter except her. He saw someone parachute out of the helicopter, possibly the person who was really in the helicopter. He flew up close to the parachutist, and saw it was not Demona, or even his wife as a human. He snarled....Demona had tricked him into marrying him. Of all things, he wanted a divorce.

He flew off, remembering that man's face. He would probably see him again, if he was working for Nightstone Unlimited.

Tim saw the face of a old man piloting the ship. That was Macbeth! He remembered him from the report he had seen in Xanatos's files. What was he doing in Paris? He frowned...usually, Demona was around when Macbeth was. Perhaps he thought he was Demona? But how could he possibly think that! Tim started wondering, as he looked around for a possible way back to the Nightstone Unlimited building. Demona must be associated with Nightstone somehow, but in what way? She must be a secret operative, but what gargoyle uses a helicopter if they have wings? Faster Transportation was the obvious answer. There was also the chance that she would use it to remain hidden. After all, people would question seeing something flying in the air that isn't a plane or helicopter.

I'd better get back before someone thinks I'm dead...if I could just find my way..."

Tim set out towards where he thought the Nightstone Building was....Paris was a big city.

Once again, the sun set on Miami, freeing the gargoyles of their stone sleep. Almost immediately, Dragon gathered the clan.

"Everyone! As most of you may know, one of our relics has been stolen. I have no idea who may have stole it, but we must get it back . I want all of you to take appropriate search patterns, and look around the city for the armor. If you find anything, do not try and recapture it. Instead, report back here, so we can get some strategy."

Dragon finished, then went outside. The gargoyles launched from the warehouse, spreading out and getting air currents. Dragon headed towards where he thought he might find the armor if someone had an idea of it's worth. He flew towards the museum in Miami.

Tim walked down the alleys, trying to get a bearing on where he was. He saw the Eiffel Tower, and made that his first destination. If he went there, he could probably find out where the Nightstone Building was from the top of it. The alley was dark, and seemed uninhabited.

"Where do you think your going?" a voice rang out.

Apparently, it wasn't as empty as Tim thought.

Tim turned around to find that three ugly-looking punks were there. One of them was the apparent leader by the small bit of gold he wore on his fingers. The other two seemed like lackeys. Tim could see knife sheathes on their rugged belts. Luckily, there appeared to be no gun.

"I'm trying to get back to town. Perhaps you could show me the way?" Tim asked, trying to avoid a fight.

"I can show you the way....but your going to have to pay a toll to go there," the leader said.

"Oh? You guys are in the way I came, so I don't think I'll be paying a toll. Good-bye, nice meeting you."

The punk leader grabbed his shoulder. "I don't think your going anywhere just yet."

Tim sighed. "Oh, I think so..."

The punk frowned, as Tim quickly grabbed his hand and tossed him into a wall. The other two punks unsheathed their knives, coming quickly at Tim. Tim didn't want to fight, but this was the way it was going to be. Both came at the same time, and were quickly baffled as Tim ducked and knocked their feet out of them. Their knives fell to the ground several feet away. The leader was nowhere to be seen.

One punk grabbed Tim's foot, and yanked on it. Tim fell to the ground, as the other two punks quickly got up. They advanced quickly on him, but not fast enough as Tim got up and immediately pulled off a roundhouse. Both fell to the ground again, one knocked out cold. The other one quickly got up. He was a big brute, and looked to be in somewhat top condition.

He tried and punched Tim, but he grabbed his arm, pulled it back hard, and knocked him in the face several times with the back of his hand. The punk was bleeding in the nose and mouth, but didn't seem to care as he gave an ugly grin to Tim, and grabbed him. Soon, Tim was in a painful bearhug.

Tim tried to break free, but the pain was starting to get to him. His only measure of action was the not-so-obvious one, where he kicked as hard as he could in the family jewels. The punk went bug-eyed, dropping to the ground, holding the region where Tim kicked him. He was out for sure.

Tim wondered where the leader was, as he heard a gun shot. He quickly dived behind a dumpster as another rang out. The leader had a gun! He must have been hiding it on his body. Tim could hear him unload bullets into the dumpster. He had to do something fast, else he would not get out. He saw one of the knives the punks had dropped. He grabbed it quickly, before it was shot away or went out of his grip. Then, he waited for a moment when the bullets stopped. The punk had to reload sometime!

About 16 shots the punk sweared, and started fumbling with something. Tim quickly stood up, and tossed the knife into the punk's arm. He yelled out, as Tim quickly tackled him. A struggle continued, until a bright light shone on both of them. Tim looked and was blinded for a second. The punk took this moment to kick him off and run. Tim hit the dumpster hard, but stayed conscious. He saw the light was the police, who had arrived at the sound of the gunshots. Tim was taken into custody, but he was assured that he would not be convicted of any crime.

Hours later, Tim was freed from the prison after a few question were asked and a few wounds bandaged. The police only needed him to fill out papers and guarantee the punks would be sent to prison. Tim asked if he could get a ride somewhere, which was granted. He got taken to the Nightstone Building, since the airport was on the other side of Paris and not in the district of the police. He thanked the cop, and went up to the door.

"Hi. I need to see Miss Destine, or at least get access to this building?" Tim said to the guard.

The guard was the same one from before. "I need to see if you have clearance. My boss informed me you would not be coming back."

"I had a little...trouble."

The guard frowned, and went to a monitor beside the door. An image of a women that wasn't Dominique came up on it. A short conversation occurred, as soon, the guard returned to Tim.

"Miss Destine is really suprised your still here, and would like to see you right away. Here, you can use this console."

Tim nodded, and stepped up to it. "Why are you still here? I thought you left by helicopter!" came a voice. There was no video for some reason, only the sound of a stressed Dominique.

"Some crazed person shot it down! He must have been someone with a grudge, cause he was using some advance black ship, along with missiles! You have to tell me who your enemies are, cause a gray-haired man is one of them."

The voice paused. "I will see you tomorrow afternoon about this matter. Do not come up to my office now. Your lucky I'm still here at this hour."

Dominique seemed a little angry at Tim, but he couldn't blame her. The guard allowed Tim in, and Tim went back up to his room. Everything was still neat, and he plopped down onto his bed. He was very tired from all the activities he had tonight. He fell asleep in minutes.

Dragon landed on the roof of the final museum he had to search. All was quiet, except for the guards walking around on the floor. Dragon looked into a skylight to make sure no one was around, then quickly jumped into the museum. Dragon had been here before, and he quickly went to the area of the museum which contained the records of al new artifacts. Dragon had to recover another artifact that had been stolen and put here a year ago, and he knew exactly what he had to do. This was the only museum he knew however, so it took himself quite sometime to find these places in the other museums he had been to.

Searching thorough the records in the dim light, and looking every so often to see if some guard was coming, he found that indeed, a unknown person had come and submitted the armor for a VERY costly sum. Dragon checked the records to see where it was located....it was still waiting to be displayed at the museum tomorrow night, and it wasn't in the museum. Dragon took his own advice, and flew out of the building and headed back to the tower. He would need the more than just himself to pull off this operation.

The sun was rising, and he was tired. Time was passing quickly in these searches, where he had to spend the entire night just looking for the right place. The clan was there, and after a quick explanation of what he had found, and a mention that he would discuss his plan the next night, all the gargoyles went into position and went to sleep.

Tim woke. He found that the time was not sunrise, but rather close to 2 p.m. He had slept peacefully and long that day, for he had a very tiring night before. He cleaned up quickly, then went for a quick bite to eat outside the Nightstone building. He loitered around for awhile, passing time until 5:30 p.m., where Dominique wanted to talk to him. The sun wasn't that low in the sky, but it would set in a half-hour.

Tim took the smart elevator up to Dominique's office. Whatever technology they had to operate that thing, it sure was advanced. Possibly someone was operating it. Tim waited outside of her office, as Robin announced he was here. Dominique went outside her office, and admitted Tim in. She was wearing the same dress from yesterday, which was odd to him. You'd think it would be a different color.

"Come with me," she said, as she placed her finger on a button. The back slid back to reveal a very large room with lots of stuff in it. A computer sat by the door, along with a bar, closet, and entertainment center. So, Dominique lived here? Probably a bedroom in back. There appeared to be no back however. Tim wondered where she slept as she sat at her desk in the middle of it all.

"Tell me everything that happened last night," Dominique said, with a very stern face.

Tim went into a detailed account of what had happened. He mentioned the pilot's death, but Dominique seemed not to care. He mentioned the loss of the private helicopter, but Dominique seemed not to care. He mentioned what the man looked like, and that's when Dominique cared. The sun started to fall behind the buildings..sunset was in about 5 minutes.

"This man literally blew me out of the sky, and I managed to make my way back here," Tim said, finishing his explanation.

Dominique looked at him with those lovely green eyes of hers. "Do you have any idea who this man was?"

Tim frowned. "Never seen him before in my life."

Dominique smiled. "Don't worry. He was probably trying to get to me," she said, a bit of discomfort in her voice.

Tim was suprised at this answer. "Why was he trying to kill you???? I mean, this isn't something to be taken lightly."

Dominique smiled again, but seemed to frown slightly after taking a quick look to the west. "I assure you, that I won't be killed anytime soon..."

Tim sighed. "Well, I need transportation back to the states. I'm really edgy about a helicopter ride, so could I have ground transport?"

The sun was starting to set in one minute. "I'm really cutting it close here. Everything will be arranged as soon as you get downstairs. Now please, leave immediately." Dominique said, a bit rushed. She stood up and pressed a button, then followed Tim to the opening of the way out.

"By the way, why is that guy trying to kill you in the first place?" Tim said, as the sun started to set.

"I'll explain later! Now leave!" Dominique said, shoving him out. He could feel her nails dig into his back as she shoved with a lot of strength. Boy, those nails were sharp! She seemed really strong for her little frame.

The door closed behind him, and then there was silence. Tim wondered what her rush was. He was about to leave when he heard an explosion from outside. He quickly ran to the window in time to see that same black ship break into Dominique's office! He quickly ran to the desk, and pressed the button Dominique had used to open it. The bookcase slid aside, as suddenly a laser blast flew past Tim. What the heck was going on in there?

Tim frowned, getting a quick answer. It was a warzone! Macbeth was there, struggling with someone Tim could not make out. Soon, they changed sides, and Tim could see that the creature Macbeth was fighting with was Demona! She had to be in league with Nightstone! What would she be doing here if she wasn't? In fact, she had to be in association with Dominique herself. How else could she get up here unless she was hidden or used a secret entrance?

Demona kicked Macbeth in the chest. Both seemed to take the blow, as they grabbed their chests in pain. Tim had to stop this, else they would bring the building down with them. He quickly took off his suit's jacket, and rushed into the fray.

He didn't get to far, as Demona was thrown into him. He landed with a thud, as the gargoyle added extra weight to the fall. She had no idea he was here, but soon she turned around and got a good look at Tim. Her eyes went wide. "What are you doing here???" Demona said quickly, before getting kicked again by Macbeth.

What was I doing here? Why would she care? He had not seen her before in his life. Macbeth stood over Tim after kicking Demona off, gripping the part of his body where he had kicked Demona. "Ye better get outta of here laddie. This is between me and her."

Tim got back up. "What?" Macbeth was about to respond, when Demona managed to make a leap grab onto him. The struggled again, but Tim knew it was a useless attempt. He had read up on the spell that binds Demona and Macbeth. They were immortal, and felt each other's pain. If one killed the other, then they would both die. So if they killed each other right here, it's over!

Tim wasn't going to let them die. It just wasn't right. He quickly tried to pull Demona away from Macbeth, but that rewarded him with a mighty backhand from her. Tim flew across the room, hitting the ground hard. He rubbed his stinging cheek. She had a lot of strength! Tim had seen how strong Crysta was, and she was younger than her! Demona must be 3 times as strong as Crysta! This was going to be a challenge...he would have to take them both out.

Meanwhile, Macbeth managed to kick Demona off him again, this time reaching for a laser gun that had been knocked aside. He got his grip on it, but Demona kicked it away before he got it up to where he could aim it. Demona grabbed her hand in pain. Tim took this time to tackle Demona, while she was distracted. She landed with a thud on the ground. Tim quickly got off her, before she managed to attack him. If he got hit another time, he could be knocked out, unable to help stop this fight.

Demona wasn't out cold, but she was dizzy. Macbeth took this chance to come after Demona. Tim got in his way. "No one's going to die tonight Macbeth."

Macbeth was suprised that he knew him. "You should not talk to your elders like that son."

Tim raised his hands in a defensive position. "Yeah, but I've always been the bad boy in my house."

Macbeth came out him with a swift punch, which caught Tim in the gut. Tim quickly followed up with a combo, punching Macbeth twice in the chest and once in the face. His hands hurt in the effort...he was wearing padded armor! He knew his punches were affecting Demona, so if he could just knock out Demona, he could prevent them from killing each other!

Macbeth tried to pummel Tim, but he dodged out of the way. Macbeth stumbled forward, as Tim did a reverse kick into his back. Macbeth regained himself, then whipped out a large looking gun. "I tire of this. I want to end this tonight, but all your doing is getting in my way. Night night, whoever you are."

Tim could hear a small whiz, as he quickly dodged to the side. Macbeth was firing tranquilizer darts! One hit, and he would hit the ground. Macbeth tried again, the dart whizzing past Tim. Tim leap towards Macbeth, as he fired one more dart. The dart hit him in the leg, as Tim knocked the dartgun out of his hand. Macbeth gripped his hand in pain again, as the gun skidded to the ground. Tim started feeling groggy, and quickly made a grab for the gun. Macbeth tried to stop him, but he was too late.

Tim, although bleary-eyed from the drug taking effect, grabbed the gun and brought it around on Macbeth. It was too late for Macbeth to dodge out of the way, as the dark sunk into his chest, penetrating his armor. He quickly took the dart out in attempt to slow the effect, but already he was dizzy. Tim fired one last dart before falling asleep. The dart's purpose was to make sure that this battle would continue later. The dart sunk into Demona's upper thigh, making sure she was out longer.

Dragon flew to the museum where the armor was located. He had Crysta and a black gargoyle with him, for better insurance they would retrieve it. According to the records, it was not logged into the main account, so if they took it, no one would notice unless they checked the log where they received new items. He landed on the roof near a skylight to the museum. All was quiet, as the slightly lifted the lid and descended into the museum.

No one was around, but security was present. Crysta landed softly on her feet as she descended next to Dragon, then straightened up and looked around. The black gargoyle slipped out of view, taking effect of the darkness and his skin color. Quietly, they went down the corridor to where the armor was located. They came upon the medieval times exhibit. It was a new part of the museum, and in one of the cases was the armor. It was too easy. Crysta took up watch, as Dragon took out a little dust. He had practice in being quiet, and new some tricks on how to be a thief. He blew the dust, and it showed several laser beams active in the area. The black gargoyles suddenly appeared next to him. Dragon looked at him, then quickly made some hand motions. The black gargoyle understood, and stealthily moved past each wire. He was a small gargoyle, so it was easy to maneuver between the mass amount of laser beams guarding the exhibit.

One problems presented itself when he made it to the case...how was he going to get the bulky armor out of the case without alarming anyone, then past all these lasers?

Suddenly, the lasers went out. Crysta came back, grinning. She had a couple of torn wires in her talons. "Solves that problem."

Dragon smiled, then walked over and took out the armor. They made it out of the museum, and flew the armor back to the warehouse. There would be some questions as to what happened to that armor, but soon, it would fade and not be a problem. Just another lost artifact that no one will know about until someone brings it up again.

Tim woke, still groggy. How long had he been out? He looked around, to find himself lying in his bed in the Nightstone Building. He shook his head. How did he get here? The sun had risen a couple of hours ago, shining the daylight upon his face. He remembered fighting with Demona and Macbeth....Ack! Tim quickly got up and headed towards the elevator. Then, he remembered he was a wreck right now, and quickly cleaned up before heading taking the elevator upstairs. Robin was not in, as Tim bust into Dominique's office. She wasn't there. Tim frowned, and pressed the button that lead back to Dominique's private office.

That was where Dominique was sitting, going through some paperwork. She looked up at Tim, then quickly frowned. Then, she became angry. "What are you doing here? You were not invited!"

Tim was confused as heck right now. The glass had been repaired, and there appeared to be no sign of damage. "What the heck happened here last night? I have no recollection of how the heck I got into bed last night."

Dominique calmed down. "We did have some intruders last night, but all we found was you when security finally managed to get up here. Now, your ride to the airport is ready. You may head back to New York and get back to work." Dominique then went back to her paperwork, as Tim quietly left.

He felt lucky to still have his job. He tried to sort of everything that had happened as he took the ride back to the airport in one of Dominique's cars. He still had not figured out much as the airplane he had taken to Paris lifted off and away towards New York. And by the time the sun had set, and he landed in New York, he stopped trying to figure it out. He just had no idea.

Tim had mild information on the Demona/Dominique relationship. Xanatos's information had not extended to that far, and the only knowledge about magic that Tim had had was that Demona and Macbeth were immortal. Xanatos had failed to mention that Dominique Destine WAS Demona. At night, she's Demona, the gargoyle who wants to destroy humanity. During the day, she's Dominique Destine, the serious business women with a mean temper and a beauty that strikes in every man's heart. Tim had no idea during the entire time, and as he made it back to his apartment, he found that the latest information of Goliath being imprisoned and then getting sent free from New York was the only information Xanatos had to offer. Tim didn't bother to check the records about this matter...he had some old friends to visit.

The sun was minutes away from rising. Tim made it to the warehouse with plenty of times to say hello. As he walked into the warehouse, he found Crysta and Dragon along with most of the clan there. All turned in his direction from looking at something in the display case. Crysta brightened up. "Tim!! Your back!"

Tim smiled. "Yeah, and here to stay for awhile. So, what happened while I was gone?"

Dragon came into view, as Tim saw the glittering armor that he had seen before in the artifact cases. It looked restored, as if it was brand new. "We had absolutely no problems while you were gone. It's good to see you again."

"Same here." Tim smiled at everyone. The sun was coming up soon. Intel quickly logged off the Internet, while the other gargoyles got into their positions inside the warehouse. Intel flew up, along with Dragon and Crysta. With a quick smile from Crysta, a serious nod from Dragon, and a nonsense look from Intel, all directed at Tim, the all turned to stone.

Tim walked out of the building heading towards work. He managed to get some sleep that night, and had to go to work. As Tim left, the armor hummed. Not like a regular hum, but a sound that came from the armor. The hum intensified, as it became a word. Then, the armor silenced. The word had been....

"Nigeria"

Coming soon! A tale of a Paladin's adventure. How does it involve the gargoyles? You'll see, as Nigeria gets his first shot into fanfic fame! "A Glimpse into the Past, A Hero for the Future!" Coming soon!