Title:  Mutatis Mutandis (Everything Changes)
Written by Ryan Stout.  Please send all comments, suggestions, critiques
or questions concerning this or any of my other stories to
proteus@prolog.net or stoutjb@iu21.cliu.k12.pa.us

If your web browser has trouble viewing this entire story, as it is rather
large, please feel free to contact me at the above address and I will be
happy to attach a copy to an e-mail.  If you've read this or any of my
other fan fiction and thought that they were pretty good, really lousy, or
somewhere in between, please drop me a line.  Feedback is *greatly*
appreciated and encouraged.

WARNING:  This tale is the culmination of various other fan fictions, and
is basically part four of my "Athena."  If you haven't read "Athena,"
"Resurrections," "Toil and Trouble," or "Gemini," you may find yourself
scratching your head in confusion at this story, as it won't make much
sense.  You'll also want to read "Full Moon Rising" by my partner Scott S.
Mercure and our joint projects "Old Surprises, New Friends," and "Demona's
Love Reborn."  This is *not* a scheme to get you to read all of Scott's
and my stuff, it's just that there's actually an ongoing plot line here.

*Disclaimer*
As always, I am obligated to give credit to where credit is due. 
Obviously, as any fan knows, the original gargoyles are copyrighted by
Disney/Buena Vista.  I'm not out to infringe on their hard-earned
copyrights;  this is strictly a non-profit hobby of mine, and I pray that
Almighty Disney does not sue me for taking their wonderful toys out for a
test run.  However, while the animated television stars may be theirs, the
characters and ideas of Gemini, Minerva, the Shadow Clan, the Dark Ones,
Lazarus, Orpheus, Dr. Daniel Ares/Straussmore and, of course, Athena are
all my original creations.  Professor James MacGregor, Professor Scott
Mercure, Venus, Mistra, Eric, Cassy, and the BioClan are the ideas of my
colleague, Scott S. Mercure, writer of "Full Moon Rising," "Old Times,"
and the inventor of our co-projects "Old Surprises, New Friends," and
"Demona's Love Reborn."  While I can't speak for Scott, I would please ask
that other authors respect my ideas and copyrights.  References to
Christine and Davida are from the fan fiction of Jewel Faulkner (one good
plug deserves another, Jewel) and Rowan is mentioned with permission from
Tara O'Shea.  There, that should take care of the legal-types...

Special thanks to Scott S. Mercure for letting me be the co-author of
"Demona's Love Reborn" and "Old Surprises, New Friends," to Merlin Missy
Wilson for inspiring me to do this in the first place, to Nancy Brown for
such *darn* good stories, and to all the people who thought enough of my
previous work to write me about it.  Thanks a lot, guys.  I mean it. :)

This is based shortly after "Hunters Moon," and has been rated PG-13 for
violence, language, and romantic innuendoes that, while not what I believe
to be offensive, are more than you would see on the television show.

*     *     *

*Whew!*  My introductions are becoming chapters...  Anyhow, I would like
to cordially welcome you to my latest piece of fan fiction in the
Stout/Mercure corner of the _Gargoyles_ universe.  I've been waiting to
write this for a long time, since "Athena" (Jeeze, has it really been that
long since I first submitted fanfic?).  It's a major turning point for all
characters involved, and I hope you enjoy it.  I'll try not to disappoint
anybody :)

Ah, now that all that stuff is out of the way <rubs hands, cracks
knuckles> on with the show!  We start off with an old friend...

*     *     *

"The only constant is change."
          --Anonymous

"When you become obsessed with the enemy, you become the enemy."
          --The First Rule of Fanaticism

"You think you're alive and safe, but you're already dead."
          --Linda Hamilton

*     *     *

     She awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed and clamping a
hand over her mouth.  The nausea hit her hard and she rolled out of the
covers and stumbled hastily towards the bathroom, wishing she could run
but knowing it would only make her stomach feel worse.
     The sunlight filtered slightly through the window curtains, for
lately they had taken to sleeping during the day; when your worst enemies
and greatest allies were nocturnal, it was inadvisable to stay dormant
while they were up and running around.  The sunlight warmed her where it
struck her bare skin, but she didn't have time to notice that now. 
Stumbling into the washroom, she fell over the toilet and abruptly lost
the previous night's dinner into the bowl.  After several minutes, she
rose shakily to her feet and swept back her hair, looking at her
bedraggled face in the mirror.
     "Athena, girl," she muttered to herself.  "You look like hell."
     The face of Elisa Maza stared back at her, hair frizzed and eyes
bloodshot.  Athena, goddess of war, who had slain dozens of men in battle
and could lift and eighteen-wheeler, was not a morning person.  Of course,
it wasn't really morning -- closer to dusk, but the effect was the same. 
She much rather preferred to sleep in late with Daniel at her side,
listening to his breathing until it lulled her back to unconsciousness. 
The synchronization of their heartbeats, a slight side effect of her
secondary programming, was really rather comforting.
     Sighing, she waited for the nausea to pass and wished that aspirin
worked on her.  However, when one didn't have a bloodstream, most
conventional medicines were useless.  For the past five days it had been
the same thing, and truth be told, it scared the hell out of her. 
Androids weren't supposed to get sick.  There was no such thing as a
bacteria that attacked steel, and she didn't have a cellular structure for
viruses to destroy.  She was not used to feeling such miserable
discomfort, and while it was not nearly as bad as, say, being torn to
shreds by hails of bullets and laser blasts, the very fact that she didn't
know what was causing it made it all the worse to bear.
     There was only one thing she could think of:  Minerva.
     That had to be it.  A few weeks ago, when the Dark Matrix had
absorbed and then rebuilt her, something must have went wrong.  Some
microscopic flaws must have been left, some invisibly small seams not
quite sealed.  Athena hoped that her own nanotechnological 'immune
systems' could handle the damage; if this didn't stop soon, she didn't
know what she would do.
     Luckily she had managed to hide all this from Daniel, at least so
far.  It was best he not know that his lover was afflicted with some
unknown ailment.  She didn't need to worry him, and for the time being
there was nothing he could do.  No reason to upset him; they had enough
troubles on their minds.
     They knew about the Gathering.  They knew of Oberon's assault on the
Eyrie Building, of how he'd put all of New York to sleep (killing hundreds
of drivers) and how Cyberbiotics and Xanatos Enterprises, along with
Goliath's clan of gargoyles, had warded off the elven king's fury.  At the
time, of course, all of Athens Incorporated had been asleep.  However,
security cameras and super-military surveillance equipment did not rest. 
They had recorded all that had transpired, both inside and out of the
world's largest building.
     So Owen was Puck...  And Anastasia was the legendary Titania.  And
Fox had magical powers.  The Xanatos family just kept on getting more and
more interesting.  But the biggest problem was that new force field. 
True, it was destroyed at the moment, but as soon as Xanatos rebuilt it
the Athens Incorporated Headquarters' guns would be rendered useless. 
Anything that could ward off a thousand-foot colossus would have no
problem deflecting a few hundred gigawatts of laser fire.  And besides,
there was no way that she and Daniel could blow off the top of the Eyrie
Building with Goliath and his clan staying there.
     Athena sighed and splashed water on her face.  Well, enough worrying. 
At least AIHQ had not been damaged in the battle.
     The android shook her head, and turned on the shower.

     Cautiously, he opened one eye and glanced around.
     Nothing:  Excellent, she had already gone to the shower.  Daniel
Straussmore, known to the world as the enigmatic Dr. Ares, sprang up and
scrambled across the hard wood floor.  Normally he might not have felt so
energetic in the morning -- Since Xanatos had learned that he was still
alive, there was no reason for him to continue life in secrecy.  After
having been a complete mystery to the public and the media for months,
Daniel Ares had come out of seclusion.
     For the last two weeks, he and Athena, the owners of Athens
Incorporated, had become overnight stars.  Suddenly two of the top ten
richest people in America, right up there with David and Fox Xanatos,
Halcyon Renard, and Bill Gates, came out of hiding.  The newspapers jumped
at the sight of the never-before-seen celebrities, and within days the
names Ares and Maza were household names.  Owning one of the largest
multinational companies on the face of the planet had its advantages.  He
had been transformed from a lab-coated scientist to a fashionably suited
playboy.  Contact lenses had replaced glasses, his skin had a deep tan
that he'd never dreamed possible before, and his hair had been
close-cropped into a stylish crew cut.  Athena said that he'd never looked
better.
     But despite the lightning pace of the last few weeks, he had no time
to be fatigued now.  It was imperative that he got this done right, and
speed was the key.  Nothing could go wrong.
     "Lazarus," he said quickly, punching the intercom button.  "We've got
maybe ten, fifteen minutes tops.  Can you give me a hand?"
     "Of course, milord," came the polite reply.  "Orpheus and I do not
require much, if any sleep.  I am on my way."
     "Excellent," smiled Staussmore, rubbing his hands together. 
Everything had to be perfect:  Nothing could go wrong.  Not today.
     Nothing.

     Shrugging into the thick robe, Athena slicked back her wet hair,
which trailed to her waist.  She glanced at herself in the mirror and was
pleased to see some marked improvement.  She ran a tongue over her white
teeth and thanked God for Scope.
     She turned, opened the door... and gaped.
     The room had completely changed.  The windows were drawn with velvety
curtains, all electrical lighting was dimmed or nonexistent, candelabras
were all over the room, and a table set for two was in the middle of it
all, a bottle of wine chilling in the ice bucket.
     For an eternal second she could only stand there with her mouth
hanging open, shocked at the complete transformation of her bedroom.  Then
Daniel emerged from the shadows, dressed in a spotless well-ironed tuxedo. 
One hand was held behind his back, and as he approached her he pulled out
a stunning bouquet of flowers, presenting it to her.
     She took them from him silently, then realized her jaw was still
hanging.  She shut it abruptly.  "Wha... What is all this?" she managed at
last.
     In response he pulled her close, and smiled down at her.  "I need a
reason?"
     "I...uh, that is..."  Her face split into a grin.  "I'm overwhelmed." 
Athena gestured with one hand at the romantically lit table.  "How did you
manage all of this?"
     "I had some help from a friend," he said softly.
     "Lazarus," concluded Athena.  "He certainly is handy to have around,
isn't he?"
     "Indispensable," he replied, though he obviously wasn't thinking of
Lazarus at the moment.  He leaned over and kissed her.  It took awhile,
but he broke away eventually.  She savored the sensation, nuzzling his
cheek.
     "You didn't shave," she said softly.  Straussmore winced.  Blast, he
knew he'd forgotten something!  And he had wanted this moment to be
perfect....
     She interrupted him in mid-thought.  "I like it."  He raised his
eyebrows, surprised.
     "Athena," he whispered.  "You've given me everything.  You've given
me enlightenment, salvation, life, friends, a company, billions of
dollars, a bed to share, companionship, and love.  I wish I could repay
you... but there's nothing I have that can make up for what I've received
from you.  And so I must selfishly ask you for one more thing..."
     Before she realized what was happening, he had released her waist and
was suddenly on one knee before her.  He lifted her wrist gently. 
"...your hand."  Her eyes widened as he pulled out a small box, and she
stood wordlessly as he opened it.  "Will you marry me?"
     There was a full five second lapse before her mind fully grasped what
was going on.  He stared up at her, hopeful and more than a little
nervous.  Her eyes focused on the ring before her, blurred, and then
refocused on his face.  Unshed tears welled up, glazing her eyes.
     Without warning, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms about
his neck and burying her face against his chest.  "You have to *ask* that
question?!" she cried out joyfully.  Revealing a strength that defied her
slight feminine frame, she lifted him off the ground effortlessly despite
his larger size.  "Yes, yes, yes!!"
     He burst out laughing with relief as she spun him around, and then he
carefully placed the ring on her finger.  It was a perfect fit.  She
smiled down at the ornately set diamonds, the intricate gold settings.  It
must have cost a fortune...  Which was no big deal, considering their
wealth.  It was the symbolism of the ring, rather than its monetary value,
which forced a few tears to streak her face.
     She embraced him again and pressed her body against his.  She was
getting married!  She was getting married to *him!*  For some reason she
had never dreamed of this moment...  Why?  Was it because she could never
imagine that he would want to wed a machine?  Of course, that was stupid. 
He knew she was not a robot, not a mindless construct.  She was a living,
breathing, human being...  Well, depending on your interpretation of
'living,' anyway.
     "When's the date?" she said, eyes shut and face pressed against him.
     "Whenever you want," he said tenderly.  "Whenever you want."
     "As soon as possible!"  Her words were enthusiastic.  She grabbed him
by the collar and pulled his face gently but swiftly down to her level. 
"I want to have it immediately!  This weekend -- Yes, that'd be perfect!" 
She suddenly stopped herself, noticing her wet hair.  "Oh, look, I'm
messing up your tux," she said, trying to wipe some of the water off.
     He pulled her close.  "What makes you think I care?"
     She returned his playful grin.  "A shame," she purred.
     "What's that?"
     "That you got all dressed up in that tuxedo for me..."  She pushed
him back, towards the bed.   "...and now I have to get you out of it."

*     *     *

"GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
     Possibilities!  New friends, old acquaintances play role.  Highlights
on danger, chance, risky business.  Emphasis on learning, ancestral lore. 
Focus on trust, given and taken:  Don't let them down!  Illness strikes
loved one, confide in family.  Marital status changed.  Aries figure
prominent."

     The young woman smiled and shook her head, putting down the
newspaper. Did it mean Aires, or Ares?  She really had to stop reading
these horoscopes.
     The red-headed girl reached over and took another spoonful of her
Frosted Cheerios, chewing thoughtfully and leaning her chair back on two
legs.  It looked beautiful outside, the wind at just the right temperature
and the breeze quite comfortable.  She yearned to leap off into space, to
feel the wind beneath her, but alas, she could not.  Not yet, anyway.
     In another few moments the sun would set, and she would be
transformed.  She did not particularly enjoy feeling her flesh rending
itself apart and her bones cracking and elongating, but it was worth it. 
For by the time she was done she would be able to blend into the night and
glide on wings of velvet.  Not that being human didn't have its
advantages, but she preferred to have the best of both worlds.
     "Evening, milady," came a somewhat-familiar voice.  She glanced up at
the figure that glided out of the shadows.
     "Lazarus," she nodded.  In her short life span, Gemini had learned
one crucial lesson the hard way:  Trust no one.  Everyone she had ever
opened up to, confided in, or looked to for protection, companionship, or
friendship had turned on her.  Though she had the body of a mature woman,
she was still young but the naivete of youth was lost to her.  Since
coming to Athens Incorporated only a few short weeks ago, she had only
trusted one person explicitly:  Daniel Straussmore, the one known as Ares. 
However, she was growing more and more to respect the luminous-eyed cyborg
before her.  Lazarus was the epitome of a gentleman, despite his large and
rather intimidating frame.  Easily as tall as Goliath, his bionic
components made him all the deadlier.  He was a fierce warrior and a loyal
ally.  Like Gemini herself, he was but a guest at Athens Incorporated,
with no obligations whatsoever.  Yet he and his 'soul mate' Orpheus chose
to serve Athena and Ares unquestioningly, their ever-present sleepless
sentinels, guarding the building day in and day out.  She had only seen
such blind devotion and sense of duty once before, from Xanatos' henchman,
Owen Burnett.
     Suddenly the pain stuck, and she screamed out in shock.  She had
forgotten to watch the sky;  dusk had crept up on her.  She threw herself
to the middle of the kitchen floor, pushing furniture out of her way, and
lashed about in pain as wings sprouted from her back.  Vertebrae cracked
and expanded, tearing out by her posterior into a tail, and her hands
fused and stretched into murderous talons.  Her eyes seemed to bleed as
they glazed to a uniformly red color, and her skin blackened as if burned.
     After a few short moments, the figure of Demona stood up shakily,
clearing the cobwebs from her mind.  Lazarus' eyes narrowed.  Despite
Gemini's impossibly black skin (which seemed darker than night itself,
absorbing all light) and her scarlet, pupil-less eyes, she still bore an
uncanny resemblance to Demona.  That made sense, of course:  Gemini was
Demona's clone.
     She seemed to be coalesced shadows, for the black body suit
Straussmore had had tailored for her blended quite admirably with her
skin, and was designed to fit both her human and gargoyle physiology.  He
shook his head, wondering when he would get used to her transformations. 
Soon enough, he supposed.
     "My condolences, milady," he intoned.  "But as you seem to be
unharmed from your nightly transformations, I must be off."
     "To patrol the roof...?" asked Gemini.  Of course she already knew
the answer.  The top of Athens Incorporated Headquarters was spiked with a
modern penthouse, and a ledge rimmed the sides upon which Lazarus made his
nightly rounds.  After a slight pause, she added:  "May... may I come
along?"
     He looked back, one eye smoldering red and the other blazing
yellow-white.  Both looked mildly astonished, which was not common for one
as stoical as Lazarus.  The surprised expression only lasted a moment,
then flickered into nonexistence.  "I would be honored to have a lady's
company this night."

     It was actually rather pleasant.
     They spent most of the night rounding the building, sometimes
climbing down the sheer face of the skyscraper and sometimes gliding off a
little ways.  He had offered that if she became bored, she could leave at
any time, but instead she urged him to tell her of this new world she had
been born into, and of the old world of her gargoyle heritage.  They
talked for hours.
     Later, they sat on the ledge of the building, feet dangling over the
edge thousands of feet above the bustling city.  Her respect for him grew
considerably that night, and he ceased to become a dark stranger and
became...a mentor, of sorts.  A wise, experienced warrior teaching the
next generation of gargoyle.  Before long she found herself confiding in
him.
     "You mean he set the *entire* tower aflame?!  Incredible!"
     Lazarus allowed himself a half-smile.  "Yes, but Lord Straussmore
fought back admirably.  The Eyrie Building fared little better than did
our own stronghold.  However, after Oberon's assault not long ago, it
seems milord has been a bit worried.  Xanatos revealed a new type of force
field, one with impossible strength.  It makes me wonder if there isn't
some magic involved in its operations."
     Gemini winced at the sound of her host's name.  She looked down
silently at the moving lights beneath her.  Lazarus noticed her
discomfort.  "Something troubling you, my dear?" he inquired softly.
     "It's just..."  She licked her lips and swallowed, thinking.  Should
she trust this cyborg?  "It's just that...  Well, I find myself
developing..."  She groped for the rights words.  "...certain *feelings*
towards Dr. Straussmore.  Whenever he walks into the room, I just..."  She
sighed in exasperation -- She didn't know how to explain it.  "He makes me
feel...warm."
     Lazarus leaned back slowly.  This was not what he expected.  Such a
situation must be handled delicately.  "I must say that...  Well, you
should know that Lord Straussmore is quite loyal to his current partner,
and very much in love.  To be completely honest, I do not believe that
there would be any real hope for... the two of you."
     Gemini looked at him, shocked.  She tried to picture herself mating
with the doctor... and quickly pushed the unnatural scene from her mind. 
"No, no, no, it's not like that," she protested.  "I don't want to *sleep*
with him."  God help her if she did!  Athena, though a kind and gracious
hostess, was most intimidating.  She had shown nothing but kindness
towards Gemini, but the young gargoyle didn't want to imagine what the
android would do to her if she tried to steal the doctor from her.  "It's
more like...  Well, I look up to him.  I can't really explain it.  But I
am *not* sexually attracted to him."
     "Ah, I see," replied Lazarus thoughtfully.  That was a relief.  A
love triangle with the android goddess of war and an immortal clone of
Demona at each other's throats...?  Not a pretty picture.  "The good
doctor was the man most responsible for the Thailog Project," said the
cyber-gargoyle.  "Save perhaps Anton Sevarius.  And you were a product of
the Thailog Project.  Could it be..."  Lazarus looked up curiously. 
"...that you view him as your father?"
     This time Gemini's mood seemed to lighten.  Her eyes widened in
realization as she pictured the idea in her mind...  Walking up to him,
having him hold her, calling him father...  It seemed so *right*!  "Yes!"
she breathed.  "Yes, that's it:  He's my father."  She turned to Lazarus,
a hint of joyous hope behind her eyes.  "My father...!"  How good it felt
to say that!
     But suddenly her happiness quailed, and she slumped her shoulders. 
"Oh, who am I fooling?" she muttered with a voice that seemed aged beyond
her years.  "Biologically we're about the same age.  How would you feel if
out of the blue some vat-spawned genetic construct from a failed project
designed years ago walked up to you and professed to be your child?"  She
sighed.  "I don't want to scare him off... I don't want to lose him."
     "Well, Gemini," said Lazarus softly.  "I do not believe I can truly
advise you in matters like this.  Gargoyles have no mother or father, save
the entire clan.  However, no one ever said that you were a gargoyle." 
She raised an eyebrow at him and he pressed on.  "Think of it.  Demona has
been a gargoyle since birth, but ever since the day your were created you
have spent equal amounts of time as human and gargoyle.  Whether you are a
human who turns to a gargoyle, a gargoyle who turns to a human, or a
hybrid blend of the two is really up to you:  It's a matter of opinion. 
What I would recommend is this:  Spend some time with him.  Get to know
him.  First, become his friend and colleague.  Then..."  Lazarus smiled. 
"...become his daughter."

*     *     *

     Elisa Maza sighed happily as she leaned back on her sofa.  God, it
was wonderful to be home again.  After all those endless *months* of being
stuck in that insufferable little gondola, only able to take a shower,
drink a nice cup of coffee, or simply use the ladies' room whenever they
were lucky enough to stop by a civilized town.  The gargoyles were lucky: 
Their stone hibernation not only healed and refreshed them, but also they
shed their old, soiled skins in a type of self-cleaning.  Plus the fact
that their tough skin eliminated the need for much in the way of clothes
to protect themselves from the elements.
     Not that she was complaining, really.  Spending a long time on a
small boat with Goliath in a loincloth almost made fighting all those
Children of Oberon worth it.  Why couldn't that miserable lout Oberon have
discovered contraceptives?  If only Angela, Goliath's daughter, hadn't
been there, who knows what would have happened between Elisa and the
gargoyle leader...
     She shook her head.  But now she was home, in the Big Apple!  No more
faeries, no more time travel...  Of course, that wasn't really true.  Now
she knew that Owen Burnett was Puck, but that was almost impossible for
her to accept.  Owen and Puck?!  When had two people been any less alike? 
She remembered the Owen which had aided Xanatos in trying to enslave the
gargoyles, mutate her brother, dunk Hudson in the Cauldron of Life...  And
then pictured Puck, the little hobgoblin who had taken her whisking
through time to fulfill her destiny and had playfully transformed Demona
into a shape-shifter.  Her trip through time, before the Phoenix Gate was
lost, had probably saved her life as she knew it.  And Puck had been
playing by the rules because he never once tried to deceive her into
giving him the gate --  Though he had pulled that trick on Goliath shortly
before they returned to New York.
     Come to think of it...  When Puck had taken Elisa back through time,
when she was still a gargoyle shortly after she and the others had fought
Anubis in Egypt, he took her back to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  It
had been the night that Demona stole Titania's Mirror.  Puck had told her
that he had been imprisoned in that mirror...  But now she knew that
wasn't true.  So why had Puck lied to her...?
     ~Oh, of course,~ she thought, half-smirking.  ~I wasn't fated to know
yet.~
     Alas, her life just got more complicated.  Owen was Puck, Anastasia
was Titania, Fox and Alexander Xanatos were both part Fey...  It seemed so
long ago, two impossibly long years ago, that she was just another cop
doing her duty.  No Illuminati, no clones, no look-alike androids of
walking statues...  At least she had slept through the entire Gathering
incident.  Perhaps Oberon had a heart after all, she mused with a smirk.
     Elisa's thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ring of her phone. 
Startled back into reality, she reached over and lifted the receiver. 
"Hello?" she asked, somewhat groggily.  She couldn't waste too much time
-- She had to go see 'the guys.'  ...Oh, and Angela, of course.  Now that
they were living back with Xanatos (Ugh!  Living with Xanatos!  She still
wasn't used to that idea...) she took every opportunity to check on them,
to make sure they were alright.
     "Elisa!" came the friendly and familiar voice from the other end. 
"So good to speak with you again."
     The detective's eyes widened in surprise.  "Venus?  Is that you?"
     "I'm here, too," came a man's voice.  "You're on speaker phone."
     "Professor Mercure!" grinned Elisa.  "How are you two newlyweds
doing?  And how's Mistra?"
     "Everybody's fine, just fine," came Scott Mercure's pleasant voice. 
"But there is a point to this call other than just saying 'hi.'  Have you
been watching the news lately?"
     "Uh, no, can't say that I have.  I've been off in a gondola
patrolling the world."
     There was a brief silence.  Elisa could almost hear Venus shaking her
head.  "Brooklyn said something about King Arthur telling him of you guys
teleporting around from Avalon, but...  Well, we weren't sure what to
think.  We'll have to discuss this over dinner later."
     "Yes," agreed Scott.  "We just wanted to know if you saw who was all
over the media lately."
     "Oh?" asked Elisa.  "Who's that?"
     "You."
     Elisa paused for a moment.  "Excuse me?"  Then it hit her.  "Oooooh,
you mean Athena, don't you?"  That had to be it.  Puck had been right; the
android was still alive.
     "Well," said Scott, "they *call* her Athena Maza, but she looks like
you, sounds like you, *walks* like you..."
     "We figured you were undercover or something," put in Venus.
     "Long story," grinned Elisa.  "You might say she's one of my
sisters."
     "Yes, well, in that case," said the professor, "we were wondering
about her boyfriend."
     "Boyfriend?"  Elisa frowned.  Since when did Athena have a love life? 
When she and Goliath were still on the world tour, Puck had dropped by to
'borrow' the Eye of Odin...  But when she asked Brooklyn what had happened
he just rolled his eyes and said he'd tell her later, after she'd
recuperated.  Something about a guy named Ares... the Greek god?  She'd
met enough gods across the world already.  "I didn't know she had a
boyfriend."
     "Oh, it's all over the news," replied Venus.  "The two can barely
keep their hands off each other."
     "I can sympathize," said Scott in a low, sly voice, and Venus muffled
a giggle as they did something that Elisa was glad she couldn't see.  She
rolled her eyes.
     "What's his name?"
     "Dr. Daniel Ares.  He's the co-owner of Athens Incorporated."
     "Athens *what*?"  Jeeze, thought Elisa, you leave for a few months
and you fall behind on current events.
     "It's only one of the largest companies on Earth," said Venus.  "You
know, it's in the tower across from the Eyrie Building?  It burned awhile
back, when that freak hurricane hit New York?"
     Elisa's jaw dropped.  "Hurricane?" 
     On the other side of the line, Prof. Scott Mercure sighed.  "I see we
have a lot to talk about."

*     *     *    

     "Ah, Owen, it's good to be alive."
     Xanatos leaned back in his luxurious leather recliner, cracking his
knuckles and lacing his hands behind his head.  Life was good;  Thailog
was dead, burned in a fire;  Coldstone was finally free of his
schizophrenia;  Professor Mercure and Venus owed him a favor;  Goliath and
his clan were back where they belonged, in Castle Wyvern;  And most
importantly, Xanatos' own wife and son were safe.  "My life has been
getting a lot easier lately," he grinned to his stone-fisted butler. 
"After years of patience and scheming, everything is finally falling into
place.  There's just one more piece of the puzzle that needs to be taken
care of..."
     Owen Burnett pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up to the bridge of his
nose.  "Athens Incorporated."
     Xanatos nodded.  "Indeed.  Once I take care of them, everything will
be as it should be."  He turned, grinning, to Owen.  "So what's our
current status involving the good Dr. Straussmore?"
     "Better than anticipated, sir," Owen replied flatly, gazing down at a
thin video-pad which displayed a progress report.  "The tailored
biologicals are spreading rapidly through his system, according to the
latest spy's scan.  At this rate, the pathogens will ravage his body by
the end of the month."  He looked up at Xanatos.  "Daniel Straussmore has
less than two weeks to live."
     Xanatos swiveled about, steepling his fingers and gazing out through
his picture window at the distant silhouette of Athens Incorporated
Headquarters, outlined in the city's nighttime lighting.  "Excellent," he
smiled.  "Even if he knew about the disease, there's no way that even *he*
could combat it.  It's some of Sevarius' best work.  Which means the only
place he can get the cure..."
     "...is Xanacorp International," finished Owen.
     "Exactly," nodded Xanatos.  "Don't you see, Owen?  They're all coming
back into the fold.  Soon the infamous Dr. Ares will be in my employ once
again."  He shook his head.  "It just doesn't get any better than this."
     "Actually, sir," replied Owen calmly, "it does."
     Xanatos raised an eyebrow.  "How's that?"
     Owen handed him a computerized diagnostic report.  "This is the
latest report from our deep-cover agents in AIHQ."
     The multibillionaire's eyes widened in shock.  "This is impossible,
Owen," he said softly.  "There's no way..."
     "On the contrary, sir," the butler replied, "it is *quite* possible. 
I had the data checked and re-checked before I passed it on to you.  I
have no idea how, but it *is* happening."
     "Does she know about this?"
     "Apparently not, sir.  Though I don't see how it can be kept a secret
for long."
     "Impossible," Xanatos muttered again, quieter this time.  This was
it!  This was exactly what he had been looking for!  For almost year he
had been waiting, pondering, scheming to find an answer to one of the
greatest thorns in his side.  And now he had it.  "With this," he said
softly, "I can do it."  He turned to Owen, his face still in shock.  "I
can get her back.  After all this time...  I can regain control of Athena! 
And all along I thought I'd have to kill her...  It's all falling into
place, Owen!  With Ares under my control and now *Athena* in my power,
Athens Incorporated is mine for the plucking!  And with the assimilation
of AI into Xanatos Enterprises..."  His face split into a smile.
     "The world is mine!"

*     *     *

     "This is incredible!"
     Gemini gazed in awe around the enormous laboratory, taking in the
amazing sights around her with almost childlike innocence.  The room was
gigantic, plated in steel and lined with myriad computer banks, vats of
liquids, and iron tubing.  Straussmore smiled down at her from his perch
on a platform above.
     "Oh, hello, Gemini.  I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."  He
looked up, gesturing to his surroundings.  "You like it?"
     "The beard or the room?"
     Straussmore winced; he still hadn't shaved.  "Yes, well, I just
forgot to--*"
     "I like it."
     He paused.  "Oh... well, maybe I'll keep it.  But what about the
room?"
     She shook her head in wonder.  "It's like... a science fiction movie
or something."
     Straussmore grinned.  "I'll take that as a yes."  He leapt down from
the platform, a fair drop of thirty feet.  For a split second Gemini was
thrilled with fear as she thought he was plummeting to his death -- but
then she noticed that he was wearing his Wraith Armor from the waist down.
     His metal-clad feet hit the floor with a jolting impact, and the
exo-frame's armor absorbed the kinetic energy.  From the waist-up he wore
a long white lab coat, which swirled around him as he walked.  "You might
say this is my 'play room,'" he grinned.  "I may be the legal co-owner of
this company, but to tell the truth, Athena is the real power behind the
throne.  She's the business woman, the financial genius, the stock-market
wonder.  Me..."  He gestured to some miscellaneous complicated-looking
equipment.  "...I just come up with new stuff to market.  Would you like a
little tour?"
     Gemini chewed her lower lip with some shyness, but nodded.  "That's
why I came down here."
     "To see the lab?" he asked.
     "No.  To get to know you."
     He paused, not quite sure how to respond to that.  "Hmm, well, I
can't turn down an invitation like that, now can I?  Here, take a look at
this."  He reached over behind a steel table and held up what appeared to
be a cat... or at least, what *had* been a cat.
     The feline sported enormous bat-like wings, and its tail was
ridiculously long and supple, almost like a snake's.  Gemini gasped in
surprise.  The cat-thing looked up at her from Straussmore's hands and
meowed.
     "Meet Chester," the doctor smiled.  "He's kind of a pet of sorts. 
I'm using him to test out cures for this..."  Straussmore punched up a
series of numbers on a computer pad, and two holographic images
materialized in the air above him.  One was a DNA molecule in typical
double-alpha helix configuration, and the other was the life-sized
rotating form of a furry gargoyle-like creature.  "This is Talon," he
said, waving his hand at the hologram.  "Elisa Maza's brother, mutated
into a pseudo-gargoyle creature."  He sighed grimly.  "It's my fault,
really.  Xanatos duped me into helping him create the mutagen.  My work,
with a few touch-ups from one Dr. Anton Sevarius, spliced Derek Maza's DNA
with those of a panther, fruit bat, and electric eel.  Unfortunately,
those 'touch-ups' Sevarius added are out of my league;  I can't figure out
how to reverse the effects without killing the subject.  Chester here is
my 'guinea pig,' more or less."
     "You mutated a *cat*?" Gemini said.  "What do your lab rats think?"
     Straussmore chuckled.  "Actually, Chester *is* one of my lab rats. 
The cat DNA is part of the spliced mutagen.  But he's very affectionate,
for a rodent."
     Gemini's eyes widened with interest as she stroked the purring
animal.  It crawled into her arms, its oversized wings curling about
itself, and its supple tail wrapped around her arm.  "He likes you," the
doctor said.
     "What's that?" inquired Gemini, pointing with her free hand.
     "Ah," Straussmore replied.  He walked up to a table and inserted his
hand into a black glove which was studded with sensors and electrodes.  On
the table before him rested what appeared to be a human arm.  As he moved
his gloved hand, the arm moved accordingly.  "Athena is made with a
technology that's decades ahead of its time.  Now, obviously this can be
used to benefit the company, but there's no way in hell I'm going to start
experimenting on my fiancee."
     Gemini nodded.  After Athena had kept him...  "occupied" for the
better part of the evening and into the wee hours of the morning, the
happy and somewhat worn-out couple had announced the good news to all: 
They were getting married.
     Straussmore continued to flex the arm.  "This arm is robotic, based
on a holographic mapping of my own forearm but built with Athena's
technology.  This way I can poke and prod whatever I want without hurting
my beloved."  He peeled of the glove and turned back to the holographic
display, punching numbers rapidly to bring up a new picture;  one of
gargoyles.
     "This," he sighed, "is Thailog, a clone based off of Goliath's
genetic template.  He is... *was* my most heinous mistake."  Straussmore
shook his head wearily.  "Thailog was cloned by me, and programmed by
David Xanatos.  He turned out to be a ruthless killing machine, and the
deaths of his victims are forever on my conscience.  As luck would have it
-- or perhaps fate -- Thailog was seemingly killed by Demona in a fire at
Coney Island recently.  But not before my 'prodigal son' created these." 
New gargoyles appeared above him.  "More clones, based on the work of
Sevarius and myself, grown from samples taken from Goliath's clan.  This
one here -- the woman -- is Delilah, a hybrid cross between the DNA of
Elisa Maza, whom Athena's body is based on, and Demona, whom your body is
based on.  Thailog must have had the same idea that Xanatos did;  thinking
that immortality lies in Demona's DNA.  Unfortunately, this experiment
seems to prove that only *pure* clones, like yourself, retain the full
magical characteristics of the 'parent.'  Perhaps the spells don't
differentiate between the original organism and *parts* of that organism
grown into new individuals.  Regardless, Delilah does not appear to be
immortal.  The idea of a hybrid human-gargoyle genetically engineered life
form such as her is intriguing.  Recent reports from the Eyrie Building
indicate that Xanatos has been experimenting with this idea.  Something
about 'Davida' and 'Christine'..."
     He shrugged, then patted Gemini on the shoulder reassuringly as he
saw her gazing at Thailog's cloned clan.  "It seems that not all clones
turn out as kind and beautiful as you."  She smiled, but looked warily at
the image of Delilah; it looked too much like herself.
     "Oh, you might like this."  Straussmore clanked over to the opposite
end of the room, his metal exo-framed legs clanging loudly on the iron
floor, and pulled back a large white sheet, revealing a gleaming black
helicopter, bristling with weaponry.  Gemini gazed, entranced.  It was
huge.
     "Meet the Eclipse," smiled the doctor.  "It was donated to us by
Goliath and his clan.  Previously it was an attack chopper used by Jackal
and Hyena of the Pack, but I've upgraded it considerably."  He tapped the
glossy black armor.  "You see, both Xanatos Enterprises and Athens
Incorporated have certain advantages which the other doesn't.  Xanatos has
far more resources and manpower, and that blasted force field of his is
far beyond anything I can come up with.  But we've got this armor, which
is resistant to laser weaponry.  I've also modified it to produce a
powerful electric shock if hit by a charged-particle proton beam.  The
result is a lot of flaming hydrogen atoms, but much less damage.  This
protective 'skin' is what I use in my own armor, this helicopter, the
Shadows, and what I'm plating Orpheus with as we speak."
     He ran his hand lovingly over the chopper's cockpit.  "The Eclipse is
what I use as a testing bed for upgrades on the Shadows.  Originally the
Shadows were simply glorified Steel Clan robots, but lately I've been
transforming them into much, much more.  They're far more powerful than
any Steel Clan now, but also much more expensive... meaning we don't have
many of them.  Trust me, Xanatos wouldn't recognize them anymore."
     He smiled as he heard a mechanical chime, and gestured to a large
iron vault built into the wall.  "Ah, just in time.  The Central Computer
Core has just finished upgrading Orpheus!  I couldn't take away any of his
old parts, obviously, for I don't know how they magically contain his
soul.  So I simply added *more.*"
     The door hissed open, and something huge and black and foreboding
lumbered forth, shaking the ground.  Straussmore's eyebrows went up.  "Not
bad.  Not bad at all.  Tell me, Gemini, you're the first one to see his
new look;  what do you think?"
     "My God," whispered Gemini.  "I didn't think he could get any
*bigger*...!"
     Orpheus was rather proud of his new improvements.  His mass had been
more than doubled, taking him from two to five tons.  His skin glistened
with the black protective coating so common of Athens Incorporated war
machines, and his hands ended in large tridactyl claws, talons curved and
sharp like sabers.  Twenty feet tall even when hunched over, Orpheus would
have trouble fitting through your average doorway.  But it was worth it;
turbines still stood on his back where wings had once been, but a supple
ebony tail swung lithely from his rear.  And his legs now seemed more
gargoyle-like as well.
     "Better than ever," beamed Straussmore proudly.  "Black seems to be
the trademark of Athens Incorporated now.  Lazarus is black.  The Wraith
Armor is black.  So are the Shadows, the Eclipse, *you*... and even
Minerva, in her short stay here, was pitch black.  I decided Orpheus
should fit right in like this.  And Athena's new 'combat jumpsuit' is
black also.  We blend right in with the night... can't see each other
worth crap, but we blend right in."
     Gemini walked up and touched Orpheus' hand.  "Lookin' good," she
smiled at him.
     "If he had a face, I'm sure he'd be smiling," grinned Straussmore. 
Unfortunately I *still* haven't found out how to give him his voice back,
and I don't want to go screwing around with his head."
     "This is all so amazing," the Demona-clone marveled.  "I'd love to
learn all about this...  this wonderful science of yours.  Robotics,
cybernetics, genetics..."
     Straussmore nodded, understanding.  "Believe me, I'd be more than
happy to teach you.  In a way, it only makes sense.  You were born through
'genegineering.'  Being a geneticist should be right up your alley."
     ~I was born through *you,*~ Gemini thought, but said nothing.
     "It's kind of out of my league," she said.  "But I do enjoy you
taking the time out to... be with me."
     The doctor finished looking over Orpheus and came over to her,
resting his hands on her shoulders.  "Tell you what," he said.  "What do
*you* want to do?"
     "Hmm?"
     "You may become a geneticist or whatever in time, but right now I can
tell you don't really understand.  If I keep this up I'll bore you to
death.  So, what do you want to do?  I can afford to take the night off. 
I'm sure Athena won't mind."
     "Really?" she grinned, happily surprised.
     "Really."
     "Well..."  She lowered Chester gently to the floor, though his tail
gave her a slight electric shock, and pulled out something she had been
hiding under her wings for awhile.  Straussmore raised an eyebrow when she
held up the basketball.  "One on one?"
     The doctor uttered a short, bemused laugh.  "My dear," he chuckled,
"you're on."


     "Yeeesssssss!  That's seven to three, Doctor.  Care to go for best
eight games out of fifteen?"
     Straussmore fell, panting and sweating, into a sitting position. 
"Gemini," he wheezed, smiling, "where did you get so good at this game?" 
Even with his legs encased in an exo-frame, she was easily beating him. 
In a way, it was excusable:  Obviously her gargoyle anatomy had a lot to
do with it, and he *had* been running some pretty close games there...
     "Guess it just comes naturally," she smiled sweetly.  "I do
appreciate your playing, though.  This is fun, doctor."
     "Please," he said.  "Call me Daniel.  It feels weird to be so formal
with you.  Feels like I've known you for years."
     She paused, then scrunched up her nose.  'Daniel' just didn't...
sound right, or something.  "I...  I think I'd rather call you 'doctor,'"
she said reluctantly.  Please don't let him be annoyed with me, she
thought.
     He shrugged.  "Well, okay then, if that's what you want."  He shook
his shirt to air himself off, cooling the perspiration.  His lab coat had
long ago been discarded, though she wasn't even breathing hard.
     "What do you want to do now?" she asked.
     "Now?" he smirked, panting.  "What makes you think I'm done here?"
     She smiled mischievously.  "Back for more...?"
     "Come on," he insisted.  "Let's check the ball.  Best eight out of
fifteen...."

*     *     *

     Elisa stood, silently watching as the sun began to dip below the
horizon.
     She hated being here.  She hated knowing that Goliath and his clan
were sitting up here in Castle Wyvern, helpless as stone all day on the
peak of their greatest enemy's stronghold.  She hated not being able to
*be* here, to protect him and the clan all day as she had once (or was it
twice?) stood guard over him in Central Park.
     But here she was, nonetheless.  She didn't trust Xanatos, of course,
not after all that had happened in the past two years.  *Especially* not
after what happened to Derek.  Goliath, however, was willing to accept
Xanatos' "end to the feud" and return to his ancestral home.  ~Oh,~
thought Elisa, ~why did he have to be so stubborn?  Why couldn't he have
just let the clan stay at her apartment?  Or perhaps the Cyberbiotics
Tower?  Or Ward Island with the Mercures?  Or Athens Incorporated?  Why
did he insist on endangering himself?~
     Elisa just sighed and shook her head.  She knew why, but it was so
hard to accept that she couldn't be there for him whenever he might need
her.  Xanatos had finally recaptured the gargoyles... and they didn't even
realize it.
     With a roar and the now-oh-so-familiar cracking of stone skin,
Goliath and the six other gargoyles burst forth from their statue forms,
showering the area with granite shards.  Goliath stretched luxuriously and
then brought in a deep lung full of air, savoring the high altitude. 
Every night he awoke refreshed, and every night he gazed happily out upon
his city from his vantage point on the highest building on Earth.  And
every night he hoped he would turn around on his parapet and see the only
thing that could make his joy any greater....
     "Elisa!" he smiled as he alighted to the castle floor.
     She returned his smile warmly.  "Good evening, Goliath," she said
softly.  "Sleep well?"  It was a half-joke.
     He pulled her close to himself and held her momentarily.  "Waking up
to you makes any sleep well worth it," he whispered, quietly enough so
that the other gargoyles' inhumanly-keen hearing would not pick up on his
words.
     She closed her eyes and enjoyed leaning against him for a moment,
then pulled back and straightened her jacket as the others snickered and
grinned.
     "Guess who I talked to today," she said.
     Hudson perked up an ear.  "Who's that, lass?"
     "Venus," she replied, "and Prof. Mercure.  It seems that they wanted
a favor."
     "Anything," Goliath said, without hesitation.  "We owe much to my
sister and her husband.  We are at their disposal."
     "Actually, they didn't want anything from *you,*" the detective
continued.  "They asked *me* to do something.  They wanted a meeting."
     "A meeting?" piped up Lexington.  "With who?  And what does that have
to do with you?"
     Elisa grinned.  "Well, it seems that not just anybody can get an
appointment with two of the top ten richest people on the planet."  She
saw Goliath's mouth begin to form the word "Xanatos" when he stopped
himself; if the professor and Venus wanted to talk to David Xanatos, all
they would have to do is ask.  Who, then?
     "Athena," Broadway concluded.
     The cop nodded; good detective skills.  "Well, yes, but not so much
her as Dr. Ares."
     "Ares?" frowned Brooklyn.  "You don't know Ares.  None of us really
do.  Do you even know what he looks like?"
     "He's on the television a lot," put in Hudson.  "He looks taller in
real life, though."
     "Scott and Venus thought it was *me* he was gallivanting around
with," she said.  "When they called me up, I told them his girlfriend was
my sister of sorts.  So they asked me if I thought it might be possible to
set up a meeting."  Elisa shrugged.  "I said yes."
     "Athena," muttered Goliath.  "So she *is* alive."
     "Uh, yeah," Brooklyn responded, chewing his lower lip.  "We were
gonna tell you more about what happened with the hurricane and all a few
weeks back, but what with the Gathering, and Coldstone, and Hakon's ghost,
and the Hunters..."  He shrugged.  "We've been busy."
     Goliath raised an eyebrow.  "Indeed.  You must tell me of this...
Ares."
     "What happened, Elisa?" said Angela.  "Did you call this Ares
person?"
     "Mm-hmm.  And I got the appointment, for the day after tomorrow.  He
seemed rather eager to see me, in fact.  Athena owes me a debt for back in
France."
     "France?" frowned Lexington.
     "That's something *we've* got to tell *you* about," she grinned. 
"But anyway, I was just wondering if you guys wanted to go along."
     Brooklyn winced.  "Well, uh, someone has to patrol the city," he
said.  "You go, Goliath.  You haven't seen Athena since before your Avalon
world tour.  It's been months."
     "I would like to go, also," Angela added.  "I want to see
this...an-droid."
     Elisa cocked her head.  "What about the rest of you?"
     "I think we'd best stay back from Athens Incorporated," said Hudson.
     "Why?" Elisa asked.  "They owe you guys.  Especially *you,* Brooklyn. 
Athena is very grateful to you."
     "Glad to hear it," the young second-in-command said.  "I'd hate to be
on her bad side.  But the truth is that Gemini might not be too happy with
us right now."
     Elisa cocked an eyebrow.  "Who?"
     Hudson sighed.  "We've got two days to swap stories.  We'd better
make the best of it."

*     *     *    

     "That's check, and mate, my dear."
     Gemini slapped her forehead, wincing.  "I suppose I should have seen
that coming."
     Straussmore smiled, shrugging.  "Nice try, though.  I was especially
impressed with how you took my queen."
     "Yes, well, you should have kept a better eye on my other rook," she
replied.
     For the past three nights, Gemini and Dr. Daniel Straussmore had
taken to putting aside several hours in the evening to spend time with one
another, usually playing sports or board games.  Oddly enough, it seemed
that Gemini's subliminal programming, supplied to her when Xanatos
accelerated her growth to achieve full gargoyle maturity in a matter of
days, included the rules and strategies of most common games.  She was
especially good at Monopoly, but chess was one game her father (the
*doctor!* she told herself, the *doctor!* Don't think of him as your
father yet; if you let it slip out before he's ready...) still had the
upper hand in.  But she learned so quickly....
     She grinned, something she had been doing a lot of lately, and
revealed her ivory-white fangs.  "One more game--!"
     The two were interrupted by the mechanical chime of the intercom. 
They looked up from his desk in the large, elaborately designed office,
catching the tone over the soft trickling of the fountains in the
background.
     "Yes?"  Straussmore addressed the air, and the Central Computer Core
opened the line.
     "Daniel," came Athena's voice, "the TAC has identified incoming
aerials."
     Straussmore blinked, then realization hit him.  "Oh, that's right, I
almost forgot.  Elisa Maza wanted to meet with me tonight, said she was
bringing some friends."  He turned to the game board.  "Sorry, Jem, but it
seems we'll have to finish this up another time."
     She looked up at him.  "Do you need me?"
     He shook his head.  "Thanks for the offer, but I think I can handle
this.  It's just a friendly meeting.  I've been dying to meet the woman
Athena's physiology is based on."  He turned back to talk to the air.  "We
can have the Threat Analysis Computer tone down," he said.  "We don't need
to blow our allies out of the sky with automated defenses."  He paused,
then added:  "Let's keep the safeties on the guns, but maintain target
lock.  No reason to take stupid risks."
     "My sentiments exactly," his fiancee replied.  He leaned back in his
leather chair and looked over his shoulder, but Gemini had already packed
up the chess board and moved to a darkened corner of the room.  In the
gigantic, dim office, she faded into the shadows and disappeared from
sight, a hidden observer.
     Straussmore couldn't help but smirk; she was always so helpful.
     A hidden door by the far wall hissed open and Athena stepped out. 
She leaned over his desk and they kissed deeply, each not wanting to let
the other go.  After a minute or so they broke away, and Straussmore
straightened his lapels as Athena sat in her own chair.
     "Well," he said, "shall we meet our guests?"

     Elisa stepped up to the huge, intricately carved oak doors and
whistled softly, shaking her head.  Even Xanatos didn't have this kind of
workmanship in his office.  She reached forward, ready to strain with all
her might against the twenty-foot-tall wooden doors, but at her slightest
touch they swung noiselessly open on silent hydraulics.  She blinked, then
stepped inside.
     And gasped.
     The room was unbelievable.  It was dimly lit, with beautiful lights
illuminating certain key parts of the architecture.  The office had easily
twice the floor space of her own apartment, and yawed twenty-five or
thirty feet upwards into an arching ceiling supported by elaborate
columns.  A central path ran down the center of the room, lined on either
side by exotic plants and trees.  Small rock-inlayed ponds fed by little
waterfalls and fountains were in amongst the flora, and cobblestone paths
led into the miniature indoor jungle.  She almost missed seeing two or
three Shadows hidden amongst the foliage, dark eyes scanning for trouble
as tireless sentinels.
     Awed, the detective walked slowly down the central carpeted path to a
short flight of four or five stairs.  At the top of the stairs were two
enormous black-oaken desks, placed next to each other at such an angle so
that those seated in the huge leather armchairs behind each of the desks
could simultaneously look at each other and survey the entirety of the
'office.'  Behind the desk-monoliths was a cathedral-sized picture window
with a stunning view of the cityscape in general and the Eyrie Building in
particular.  On either side of the curtained window were shelves upon
shelves of books.
     The two leather chairs swiveled silently and simultaneously around,
and the twin figures of Dr. Daniel Straussmore/Ares and Ms. Athena Maza
gazed coolly at Elisa.
     "Elisa," her look-alike greeted.  "It's been too long.  I haven't
seen you for awhile.  And it's been even longer since I've seen you
*human.*"  The last time Elisa and Athena met, both had been gargoyles.
     "Well, well, well," smiled the doctor.  "So this is the indomitable
Detective Elisa Maza, NYPD."  He stood up and walked around his large
desk, stepping lithely down the stairs and extending his hand.  "I've
heard so much about you.  And I must say that you're beauty is one
unsurpassed, if not unmatched."  He grinned wryly and kissed her hand. 
"My, but you *are* gorgeous."
     Elisa chuckled, looking up at Athena.  "Quite the charmer, isn't he?"
     Athena laced her fingers, crossing her legs through her sleek black
dress.  Elisa appraised her appreciatively; the tight outfit with the high
thigh-slits would not have been something the policewoman would have been
quite daring enough to try out... but if it looked good on Athena, it
*had* to look good on herself.  "He's one of a kind, I'll grant you that,"
the android replied.
     Ares bowed deeply.  "It is an honor to have one so beautiful as
yourself grace my presence."  He grinned, glancing up mischievously at
Athena.
     Elisa was at first taken aback, but then laughed when she remembered
who she was dealing with; Ares wasn't hitting on her -- he was
complimenting Athena, whose physical body was the exact duplicate of her
own.  "Sorry, doctor," she said.  "But I'm afraid I'm already spoken for." 
>From the doorway twin gleams of white-glowing eyes stared piercingly
through the darkness, and Goliath strode softly into the room despite his
appreciable size.
     Athena glided down to her lover's side, and he took her around the
waist.  "So am I, detective," he grinned.  "So am I."
     "Goliath!" the android greeted.
     The gargoyle leader nodded.  "Athena," he said.  "It is good to see
you alive again."  His eyes scanned the room.  "And I am most...
impressed.  Such finery is rare even in the Eyrie Building."
     "So this is the venerable Goliath."  Straussmore appraised the
gargoyle from head to toe, raising an eyebrow.  He had a general idea of
what to expect the gargoyle leader to look like, from photographs and
computer generated images as well as his encounter with Thailog, but in
real life the lavender gargoyle was so much more... regal.  Rather like
Lazarus, in a way.  "A pleasure, sir."
     Goliath returned the doctor's nodded greeting.
     "So," Athena smiled, "what brings you two to our neck of the woods?"
     Elisa sidestepped smoothly and raised an arm to indicate the doorway
behind her, where a man stood darkened by shadows.
     Straussmore's eyes widened in shock.  His jaw dropped and it took him
a moment to regain his voice.  "My... God!" was all he managed.
     Athena looked from her fiancee to the newcomer and back again,
slightly alarmed at Daniel's reaction.  "What?  Who is it?"  The man in
the doorway stepped forward, walking down the central path towards the
others.
     "Daniel...?" he said.
     Straussmore's mouth started working again.  "Scott!"
     Athena was flustered.  "Who?"
     The two men now stood face-to-face, not a meter apart.  Suddenly they
clasped hands and Daniel swatted the other man's back.  "Scott!  You're
alive!"
     Scott grinned.  "Well of course I am."
     "But... Xanatos told me you were dead!  More than a *year* ago!"
     "He did, did he?  Well, that just goes to show how far you can trust
Xanatos.  I've never been better."
     "I can't believe this...  You're alive!"  He laughed, a joyous sound.
     "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Athena cut in.  "What am I missing here?"
     Daniel turned to her, grinning.  "This, my dear, is the famed
archaeologist Professor Scott S. Mercure, the brightest and best in his
field...  And my best friend for over eleven years."
     Elisa looked as shocked as anybody.  "You two *know* each other?"
     "We went to the same high school!" Prof. Mercure said.  "We were the
heads of our class.  Advanced placement, of course."
     "I thought he was dead!" put in Straussmore.
     "And Xanatos wouldn't let me contact him," added Mercure.  He turned
back to the doctor.  "Why, you even missed my wedding night!"
     Daniel blinked.  "Wedding?"
     From the doorway stepped four more figures, all of them winged. 
"Daniel," said Scott, "meet my wife... Venus."  He gestured to the
lavender, black-haired female gargoyle, who held a tiny bundle in her
arms.  She stood by Scott and leaned lightly against him.
     "You know about gargoyles?!" Daniel gasped.
     "Well, of course.  We came here with Goliath, didn't we?"
     "You *married* a gargoyle?!"
     "Indeed I did.  Goliath's sister, in fact.  And I've never been
happier."
     Venus extended a taloned hand.  "Hello, Doctor," she smiled warmly. 
"So nice to finally meet you."
     "Venus..." Straussmore whispered, as if tasting the word.  "The
goddess of love."
     She smirked.  "Yes, that's me.  Scott gave me the name."  She leaned
over and kissed her husband on the cheek.  "He's given me everything." 
Venus suddenly blinked and turned her attention to Athena, who was staring
rather intensely at her.
     Both women stopped short.

     Magical powers stirred within Venus, and while she sensed nothing but
goodwill and honesty from this Dr. Straussmore, she couldn't seem to sense
this twin of Elisa.  She could only grasp... power.  Incredible power.  It
was coiled deep within Athena's body, clear as a beacon to Venus that this
woman was not human.

     Athena's stomach clenched, which hurt doubly because of the sickness
she was experiencing.
     Her survival programming had access to senses she didn't even know
she had, and therefore her subconscious was constantly aware of a much
greater amount of information than her cognitive mind was.  This "Venus"
may have looked like a gargoyle, but there was the unmistakable
*throbbing* of mysterious energies about her.  Athena's survival
programming involuntarily went up a notch.

     Scott and Daniel exchanged quizzical glances as their respective
mates locked eyes and stared in shock at each other.
     "...Hello?"  Straussmore waved his hand between them.  "Ladies...?"
     They broke eye contact and blinked, disoriented.  Venus was the first
to speak.  "What... what are you?"  The doctor smiled, oblivious to the
suspicious glances the women were giving one another, and introduced
Athena.
     "Goddess of war," muttered Venus.
     "You don't know the half of it," he replied.  "What do you figure the
odds are, Scott, of two high school friends meeting up again after all
this time, both involved with gargoyles and both marrying goddesses?"
    The professor snorted.  "Considering we were both foolish enough to get
involved with Xanatos...?  Pretty high."
     Elisa snapped to attention.  "Athena?  You're getting married?"
     She displayed the ring proudly.  "Next weekend."
     A new voice came from behind the three other gargoyles who had come
with Scott and Venus.  "*Another* wedding?"
     Daniel grinned.  "Jacob, is that you?"
     "Indeed it is, sir.  It is a pleasure to meet you again."
      Athena leaned over to an intercom port and hit the talk button,
dropping her voice so as not to interfere with the others.  "Lazarus,
Orpheus, get down here, please.  We've got visitors."
     Gemini coalesced out of nowhere, emerging from the shadows.  She
seemed wary of the newcomers' surprise at her appearance, and sidled up to
the doctor.  "Who are they?" she asked, pointing to the three unfamiliar
gargoyles.
     "Oh, how rude of me," remarked Scott.  "Angela is Goliath's daughter,
from Avalon.  And this is Eric and Cassandra, friends of the family. 
Eric, Cassy, meet..."  He paused.  "I'm sorry, dear, what's your name?"
     The clone stepped more fully into the light.  "Gemini."
     Venus sucked in a breath.  "Why... you look exactly like..."  She
took a step back.
     "...Mistra!" finished Scott.
     "...Angela!" Goliath said.
     "...Delilah!" Angela gasped.
     Venus blinked, hugging her blanket-wrapped bundle closer to her
breast.  "Actually, I was thinking of Demona, but yes, she does look a lot
like Mistra and Angela, too."
     Straussmore shrugged.  "Mistra...?"
     Cassandra shook her head.  "This is gonna be a loooong night."

*     *     *

     "She's adorable," Straussmore whispered.
     Elisa, Goliath, Angela, the doctor and the professor were all sitting
comfortably in the thick leather couches of the enormous living room. 
Venus and Athena stood close to their men, keeping an eye peeled at each
other.  Jacob and Lazarus were talking quietly off to one side, and Gemini
stood perched behind Straussmore, curiously watching Eric and Cassandra. 
Orpheus loomed over them all, as he had to stoop over even in the
high-ceilinged room.
     They had spent the better part of the last two hours exchanging
stories and anecdotes, bringing each other up to speed with the other's
life.  Daniel had been especially interested in the fate of James
MacGregor, a fellow geneticist, and Scott didn't seem at all uncomfortable
with the idea that his best friend was marrying a "synthetic person." 
Then again, he had married a gargoyle, so who was he to judge...?
     Daniel sat cradling Mistra in his arms, smiling softly down at the
silent baby.  "She's beautiful," he said quietly.  The little
gargoyle-human hybrid child stared up at him with large, silent eyes. 
"How old is she again?"
     "Ten months, two days," Venus replied promptly.
     Daniel was taken aback.  "She doesn't look nearly that old!"
     Scott sighed and shrugged his shoulders.  "I know.  Gargoyle children
age at one-half the rate of humans because of their daily hibernation, but
Mistra doesn't turn to stone by day.  We thought that maybe some sort of
inherited immortality from Demona kept her from maturing, but we're
certain she's not immortal.  We can only guess that her body is somehow
compensating for the lack of a ten-year time of development in an egg,
which is normal with gargoyles.  If that's true, then at some point she
should start maturing normally.  But who can say?  Who's ever raised a
hybrid child before?"
     Daniel nodded.  "When Xanatos created Gemini he thought that splicing
immortal DNA with his own might grant him the Demona-MacBeth immortality
bond.  But apparently, while the Weird Sisters' spell seems to encompass
parts of the subjects' bodies grown into clones, only pure DNA seems to
pass on the immortality."  He rocked Scott's daughter lightly.
     Mistra blinked at him with those beautiful round eyes of hers, then
reached up with one tiny five-fingered claw.  Suddenly she seized the
fabric of Daniel's suit jacket in her little talons and held fast. 
Beneath the blanket she was wrapped in he felt a tiny tail coil
tenaciously around his wrist and a foot-claw grasped his sleeve.  Her eyes
slid shut and she burrowed into the crook of his arm, abruptly falling
asleep.
     "Whoa!" he said.
     Venus grinned, fangs glinting.  "She likes you.  Gargoyle children
are very 'clingy' at a young age, a precursor to our kind's climbing
abilities.  If they latch on to someone they trust, they don't let go." 
The gargoyle-sorceress cocked her head and reached over to brush a lock of
red hair from her daughter's face.  "Sorry, doctor, but it seems she'd
rather keep you."
     He smiled in return.  "It's okay.  It's kind of peaceful, having a
baby asleep in your arms.  Hey, I think she's purring...!"  He turned to
his fiancee.  "Look, Athena, I -- Athena?  Honey, you don't look so well. 
Is something wrong?"
     Athena, who had been leaning against his chair fighting a wave of
nausea, blinked the forming sweat out of her eyes and realized the color
was probably draining from her normally-dark skin.  "Er, uh, I'm fine. 
Really.  I just...  I just..."  The nausea hit her again, hard.  "...I'll
be right back."
     She walked away with as much restraint and dignity as she could
muster, stumbling slightly, and as soon as she was out of sight she bolted
to the ladies' room.
     Scott watched her go: "I hope she's alright."  Venus raised an
eyebrow in silent contemplation.
     Daniel's brow furrowed slightly.  "Funny, that's not like her.  I
should probably go and see what's--*"
     "Doctor," broke in someone who came up to him.
     He glanced over to see that it was Cassandra.  "Yes?"
     "I need to speak with you, if I may.  In private."
     "Um, that is... okay.  Here, this way."  Not being able to put down
Mistra with her stubborn grip on his arm and clothes, he got up and
gestured with his chin to the hallway, towards a side office.  To Scott he
said:  "Be right back."
     Once in the office, he turned to the female gargoyle.  "Alright, what
did you want to talk to me about?"
     Cassandra paused, took in a deep breath as if wondering how to put
something into words, and then sighed.  "Okay, doctor, I'll be blunt and
to the point.  You heard the professor's story: Eric and I are sorcerers,
thousand-year-old gargoyles reawakened in an unfamiliar time and place. 
We've no place to go, yet we refuse to leech an existence off of our
friends.  We need to be somewhere where we can pull our own weight, and
that place is, quite frankly, right here."
     Straussmore was listening.  "Really," was all he said.
     Cassandra continued.  "Yes, really.  Eric and I, we have a fair
amount of magical energy between us, but nowhere near Venus'.  We're worse
than useless to the Mercures.  Here, on the other hand, you need people
like us; you said yourself that you're planning on forming a magical
research division of Athens Incorporated.  And you're already shown that
you can be trusted by gargoyles; Lazarus, Orpheus and Gemini prove that. 
We'd be an interesting pair to add to the mix."
     He nodded.  This was a no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point woman,
which seemed in sharp contrast to her quiet, polite, almost shy mate,
Eric.  "You present an interesting point."
     She shook her head.  "Don't stop me now, I'm not through.  We
wouldn't just be boarders, we'd work for our keep.  Besides, there's
something else..."  Her voice trailed off.
     "Yes...?"
     "A while ago... *months* ago, in fact, about the time Mistra was
born, I had a vision; a magical premonition.  It involved you.  And...
this."  She held up her arm and placed her hand against his shoulder. 
Almost immediately he sucked in a startled breath as he felt *something,*
some unknown energy, leap and dance where she touched him.  He could
*feel* some sort of... of *power* flowing, out of him and into her.  If it
thrilled him, it made her positively ecstatic; she hissed in pleasure but
pulled back her hand quickly.
     "What the hell was that?!" he spat, softly enough so as not to wake
Mistra.
     Cassandra began to regain her composure.  "*That,*" she replied, "was
what I foresaw.  There is some sort of bond between us, Ares, some sort of
magical link which allows me to *sense* your presence.  I can *feel* you
from miles away, and I can 'see' an aura of power about you.  I can *feed*
off it through physical contact.  It's like..."  She paused, running a
tongue over her lips hungrily.  "...like a fire.  A beautiful, refreshing
fire."
     "'Aura of power'?  'Feed off me'?  What are you talking about?"
     "Don't you see?" she said furtively.  "It's the Eye!  The Eye of
Odin!  When it bonded to you it made you powerful beyond your wildest
dreams, gave you the abilities of a god!  Well, it seems that its effects
on you are somewhat more than temporary; you've still got all sorts of
ethereal power about you, it's just that you can't use it.  I *can.*"
     "Ethereal power...?"
     "Yes," she smiled, a sparkle in her eyes.  "I can drain it off you,
focus it, utilize it.  With you I could do things which would make a Child
of Oberon look twice!  Don't you see how valuable it would be, to the both
of us?  Levitation, precognosis, fire-starting... and *especially*
teleportation!"
     "Teleportation?!"
     "Usually that is a very difficult spell, one which takes a lot of
power and preparation and effort.  It would exhaust Eric and I together in
order to send just one person a few hundred meters; it's not an easy
spell.  But with you as a power source, a sort of 'magic anchor,'" her
eyes glimmered, "the possibilities are endless.  I could send you anywhere
within five, even ten miles with just a thought!  While teleportating
others would still be difficult, I could yank you in and out of the
time-space continuum effortlessly.  I could send you somewhere, pull you
back to me, pull myself to you, send others with you...  That spell alone
would be invaluable!"
     Straussmore began to realize the possibilities.  With such a woman on
his side, he could have her pop him right into the Eyrie Building, past
shields and all.  "What about Eric?  Or Venus?  They're sorcerers, like
you; do they see me like you do?"
     She shook her head.  "No.  Just me."
     "Why?"
     Cassandra shrugged.  "Who knows?  It's fate, and one thing you learn
when you take up magic is to never, *ever* question fate."  She leaned
closer.  "So what do you say?  Is it a deal?"
     He grinned and angled Mistra so he could hold out his free hand. 
"Cassandra, my dear, welcome to Athens Incorporated!"
     They shook on it hastily, forgetting the bond, and Cassandra fell to
her knees in ecstasy.  As she got back to her feet, breathing hard, she
wondered in amazement what it would be like if her vision came true.  In
her vision, when she had first learned of Ares (even though back then he
wasn't Ares; he was still working as Dr. Straussmore for Gen-U-Tech), she
and the doctor had done much more... *intimate* things than shake hands. 
The pleasure would be... unimaginable.
     She kept her thoughts to herself, concealing a grin, and they went
out to join the others.

*     *     *    

     "You're *sure* this is a good idea...?"
     Straussmore took a deep breath; let it out slowly.  He paused,
looking around in the clear sunshine at the farm which surrounded the
house on whose porch he was standing.  One of the dozens of cats which
wondered about padded by, off to see if there was any food left in the
barn.  Somewhere a cow mooed, and a slight breeze carried the
rancid/wholesome odor of manure.
     It had been a long time since he had been here.  Too long.
     He turned to Athena, who stood on his right, then to Gemini (in human
form, of course) on his left, and finally to the whitewashed front door
before him.  "Yes," he said determinedly.  "I'm sure."  He leaned over and
pressed the farmhouse's doorbell.  "I'm just counting on the fact that
they don't watch much TV.  The shock might give them a heart attack."
     Athena grinned alluringly.  "Especially after what we did on camera
at that charity ball, hmm...?"  He blushed.
     "How much are you going to tell them?" asked Gemini quietly.
     He shook his head.  "No idea.  We'll see how it goes."
     "Do you think they'll take it well?" put in Athena.
     He shrugged.  "Here's hoping."
     There was a bustling sound from inside, and a teenaged boy in a buzz
cut and ratty T-shirt opened the door, a Walkman hooked over his head. 
"Yeah, what--*"  That's when the boy looked up.  "Jesus..." he whispered.
     Daniel Straussmore grinned sheepishly.  "Hi, Michael."
     An older woman came up behind the boy and poked her head out the
door.  When she saw him standing there, her eyes grew wide beneath her
bifocals and her jaw dropped limply open.  She tried to say something, but
there were only odd gasping sounds.
     Straussmore swallowed hard.  "Hi, Mom.  Guess what; I'm alive."


     Michael Straussmore shook his head and leaned back against the sofa.
     For nearly a year he and his parents, Jerry and Loreen Straussmore,
had thought his brother, Daniel, was dead.  Now here Daniel was, sitting
across from him on the love seat of his family's living room, alive, well,
and filthy stinking rich.
     "I can't believe it," the boy muttered.  "I just can't believe it."
     "Believe what?" Daniel said, breaking the awkward silence which hung
about the room.
     "You're alive," his brother replied.  "You're here in a suit which
cost more than this house, with two women we've never met before, one of
which you're *engaged* to, there's an assault helicopter on the back lawn
which I didn't even hear land, and you claim to be the *head* of Athens
Incorporated, one of the largest companies on Earth.  Now you tell me
which part of that might be hard to accept."
     Daniel sighed.  His mother and father were taking all of this rather
well, all things concidered, but his youngest brother seemed almost...
angry.  "I told you, a lot's changed.  I had to alter my identity because
there was a man trying to kill me; I had to lay low.  Now that man knows
I'm alive, so it doesn't matter that you think I'm dead.  In fact, he may
use you to get to me, so I should put you all under guard.  The helicopter
is pretty much stealth, and extremely silent.  It got me here, in
Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, from New York City in less than an hour. 
And I'm not the *head* of Athens Incorporated, I'm a co-owner.  If
anyone's the head, it's Athena here."  He patted his fiancee's hand.  "I
told you all that before."  They'd been here for nearly four hours, yet
his family still did not seem to fully grasp the fact that he was alive.
     His father simply shook his head silently.  "Wait until your siblings
hear about this..." was all he said.
     The redhead on Daniel's left raised a questioning eyebrow.  "Other
siblings...?"
     "There's seven of us," Michael put in.  "Daniel's the fifth.  There's
also Bruce, Merrill, Diana, Jim, and Steve.  Most live in the
Iowa-Illinois area, but Steve's in California.  All are married; all with
three or four kids.  We're nothing if not... productive."  He looked at
the woman more closely.  "What did you say your name was again...?"
     "Geneva," Gemini said.  "Geneva Destine, vice president of AI." 
Michael nodded appreciatively.  Nice legs....
     "You're awfully quiet, Mom," Daniel said softly.  "You okay...?"
     Loreen nodded.  "I'll be fine, Daniel.  It's just... I didn't expect
this.  You must understand that this comes as quite a shock to us.  You're
here, you're getting married..."  She looked up at Athena.  "I don't even
know you."
     Athena half-smiled and took her lover's hand.  "I know.  To tell the
truth, there's probably a lot that I don't know about your son.  But the
fact is that I love him.  Deeply.  And he feels the same way.  We've been
living together almost since he 'died,' and we care deeply for each
other."  She shrugged.  "You'll just have to trust me.  Believe me when I
say that I won't let anything harm him."  She looked into his eyes.  "I
would do anything for him..."
     There was a brief pause, and the Jerry cleared his throat.  "Yes,
well, we can see that you two are rather fond of each other, but... 
Just... give us time.  A lot has changed today.  For the better,
certainly, but even good change can be hard to accept."
     "I understand," the doctor said quietly.
     His mother smiled, eyes wet with tears.  "Welcome home, son."
     Just then the doorbell rang.  Michael got up hurriedly and opened the
door, swinging it wide.  His one eyebrow shot up.  "Who are you?" he
asked.
     The figure at the door was a middle-aged man, probably in his fifties
or sixties, with gray-white hair and a pleasant expression on his face. 
He was Native American.  "Hello," the man said.  "My name is Peter Maza. 
I'm Athena's father."


     "Lex, I really don't think we're supposed to be down here."
     Brooklyn moved cautiously about the large silvery room, careful not
to touch anything that looked too expensive or fragile.  The room
resembled an enormous steel vault... or perhaps dungeon was a better word. 
The ceilings were high but the walls were narrow, and against the far
wall, perhaps fifteen feet off the ground, was some sort of "X" formed by
intersecting sections of foot-thick titanium half-pipes with padding on
the underside.  Before the enormous X-thing was a sparse steely table upon
which sat a large, roughly gun-shaped blunted cylinder.  There was no
discernible opening or targeting receptacle at the end, but there was a
rifle-type handle and trigger on the stock.  The rear of the device was
attached via a thick cable to a sort of backpack, which in turn was
grafted to a tight-fitting padded suit.
     "Relax," replied Lexington.  "Xanatos said we have free run of the
Eyrie Building, even these fortified levels."  He tapped a status display
imbedded into one wall.  "Cool..." he muttered.
     "Yeah, but I don't think he was talking about the rooms with
twenty-foot vaults for doors.  Especially the *locked* ones."
     Lex shrugged.  "If he really wanted to keep us out he would have made
the security code harder to break.  Besides, we have an excuse."
     "Riiiiiight," said Brooklyn grimly.  "You think you saw a gargoyle
pass through the wall.  I'm sure he'll by that."
     The smaller gargoyle glared at his clan's second-in-command.  "I
*know* what I saw.  Besides, it was dark, hard to see.  I'm *sure* I saw
some one come in here."
     "Through the wall?"
     "Well... I said it was dark."
     "Okay, so where is he now?"  Brooklyn poked his head under the table
with the gun-cylinder on it and looked around.  "I don't see anybody."
     Lex pursed his lips and frowned.  "It wasn't a he.  It was a *she*...
I think."  Brooklyn shrugged; Lex sighed.  "Maybe I am seeing things..."
     "I don't believe Mr. Xanatos ever authorized you two to be allowed in
here."
     Both gargoyles jumped at the unexpected yet familiar voice behind
them, and they turned somewhat sheepishly to face Owen Burnett.  Xanatos'
personal aide was flanked on either side by members of the Xanatos
Corporate Guard, his private army of goon-commandos.
     "Yeah, well, we were just--*" Brooklyn began.  Lex reached for the
cylinder-thing, about to ask what it was for.
     "Do not touch that," Owen snapped, his voice firm but otherwise
emotionless.  "That is an extremely delicate piece of equipment, and this
is a restricted area.  It would be appreciated if you would leave."  He
pushed his glassed up further on the bridge of his nose.  "Now."
     Brooklyn grimaced.  "Yeah, we were just leaving anyway.  Right, Lex?"
     Lexington grumbled something under his breath, but followed Brooklyn
out on all fours.  Owen watched them leave, then turned to the
red-helmeted commando leader on his right, Bruno.  "I want this room
secured at all times, and a full guard posted both in the hall and in
here."  He paused, then looked around.  "And search the room.  Just in
case our winged associates weren't just seeing things..."
     "Yes sir, Mr. Burnett."  He snapped to attention and then jogged
crisply into the room, his men coming in from the hall and fanning out in
a classic securing pattern.  Owen narrowed his eyes, then turned and left,
making sure to alter the security code on the vault-door.
     No one noticed as one of the shadows in the corner moved... and was
gone.


     "Alright, pal, you want to tell me just who the hell you are?"
     The old man smiled, despite suddenly being dragged out to the back of
the Straussmore's farmhouse by the arm, and looked down at Athena, whose
piercing stare was full of threat.
     Her fiancee was not far behind her.  "Who is he?" the doctor asked. 
"Elisa's father?"
     Athena's vice-like grip tightened on the man's upper arm, which
should have caused him to wince in pain; it didn't.  "How would Elisa's
father get all the way out here?  How would he know about us?  Did Elisa
tell him?  Not bloody likely."  She shoved the man up against the house. 
"Who are you?  One of Xanatos' goons?"
     The Native American chuckled lightly, still grinning warmly.  "Oh,
come now.  Surely you can figure that out for yourself."
     Her eyes narrowed still further.  "No games," she hissed.
     He sighed.  "Well, fine then, but Puck gave me the impression that
you had a much better sense of humor than this."
     Straussmore faltered.  "Puck...?!"
     The old man suddenly youthened before their eyes, his cream-colored
suit transforming into a leather jacket and his whitish hair darkening to
a slick black.  He was still the same person, only about thirty or so
years younger.
     Athena recoiled.  "A shape-shifter...!"
     Straussmore's eyes widened.  "A Child of..."  He swallowed hard. 
"...Oberon."
     "Very good," the now-young-man grinned.  "Can you guess the name...?"
     "Coyote," Athena replied softly.  "Like the robot."
     "Another Coyote..." whispered Straussmore.
     "Another trickster," glared Athena.  "Puck, Raven, Loki, Rowan,
Anansi, and Coyote; the Tricksters of Oberon.  Elisa told me all about the
likes of you."  No reason to show fear; might as well be direct:  "Why are
you here?"
     Coyote made a dismissive gesture with his hand.  "Really, you
mortals.  Always so blunt.  Then again, subtlety isn't a trait one would
expect from the god and goddess of war.  Relax, you two; I'm here to help! 
I'm a beneficial spirit, remember?  The denizens of Avalon wish the pair
of you the best of luck in wedlock, and hope you keep up the good work."
     "Good work?"  Athena was suspicious.
     "Yes, the good work.  You know; fulfilling fate, reinforcing the
time-stream of the future history, keeping the Earth from getting
boring... that sort of thing.  Fey *live* for people like you.  'Focal
points of fate' Puck calls you.  And besides, I am bonded with the real
Peter Maza, Elisa's father.  In an odd way, I *am* Peter, because of that
small part of him within me.  And you, Athena, are, in an odd way, Elisa
Maza.  Which makes you my daughter."
     "In an odd way," the woman said dryly.
     Coyote grinned lopsidedly.  "You're catching on.  All the Mazas seem
to do that quickly."  He shrugged.  "I guess when your family involves
mutants and clones, gargoyles and robots, you develop an open mind."
     Dr. Straussmore frowned.  "So you're just here to... to wish us
luck?"
     "Bingo," Coyote smirked.  "And to tell you to put forth your best
effort; you've caught the attention of the Children.  Don't bore us."  He
snorted a laugh.  "I trust you won't.  The best is yet to come.  And lucky
me; with Puck out of the picture I've been elected your guardian spirit." 
A slight thoughtful pause:  "Oh, and I'm supposed to tell you to take care
of Gemini.  Queen Titania is quite fond of her.  Now, I should probably be
going.  I have my queen's support, but Lord Oberon might not be so happy
to learn I'm skipping out on the Gathering.  Toodles, you two; I hate to
cut this visit short, but I really must be off.  Enjoy your wedding
present!"
     There was a sudden gust of wind, and Coyote swirled up, disappearing
into a small, twelve-foot tornado.  In the center Daniel could almost make
out a canine face.  Above the wind, Athena shielded her face and called
out:  "'Wedding present'?"
     "You've already received it," came Coyote's disembodied voice from
the torrent of wind.  "And you have my blessing.  May your marriage be a
joyous one."  With that, the whirlwind dissipated and they were left
alone.  Their hair was somewhat tussled but otherwise there was no
evidence of the Fey's visit.  They looked at each other, shook their heads
as one, and Daniel put his arm around her waist.
     "Mom's gonna wonder what happened to us.  And Jem's probably
struggling to come up with small talk."
     Athena leaned against him and sighed.  "Never a dull moment, is
there?"  He shook his head.  They headed back to the house.  Once they got
there, they were able to fabricate a semi-plausible story that Mr. Maza
had had to run off quickly, but his parents seemed doubtful.  They resumed
conversation, the Straussmores desperate to learn about their soon-to-be
daughter-in-law, and time passed quickly.
     Eventually, Gemini elbowed Daniel in the ribs, whispering furtively
in his ear.  "Doctor, it's past six o'clock.  I'd better get out of here."
     He put his hand on her knee, keeping her seated.  "Wait a moment."
     "But doctor, the *sun*...  It's going down."
     "I know."  He paused, thinking.  How much should he tell his parents? 
He hadn't told them about Scott or Goliath, Mistra or Venus, Brooklyn or
Xanatos...  "Mom, Dad, what do you think about... gargoyles?"
     His father's brow furrowed.  "Gargoyles?"
     Daniel stood up, walking over to the window, and watched the sun dip
below the horizon.  "Please," he said softly, "try to keep an open mind."
     Behind him, Gemini started to scream.

*     *     *    

     Athena leaned back on the cold metal table, sighing softly.
     Luckily, both of Daniel's parents proved to have a rather open mind,
though it had taken awhile to calm down his brother.  With Gemini's
transformation, Straussmore had gone into great detail about the history
of the clan of Castle Wyvern, and had pretty much told his parents
everything there was to know about gargoyles and the strange world of
super-science, magic, and odd happenings which always seemed to accompany
the winged creatures.
     Except about Athena.
     Which was probably a smart move; he had been worried that his
small-town parents would have a hard time accepting that his bride-to-be
was half black, half Native American, let alone *synthetic.*
     ~Oh, well,~ she thought, ~no time to worry about that now...~  She
relaxed on the med-lab's iron diagnostic bed as probes and deep-scanners
mounted on robotic arms went up and down the length of her body. 
Hopefully the Central Computer Core would be able to isolate and rectify
whatever flaw in her system was causing this sickness.  With any luck it
would be a simple problem which could be--*
     Her train of thought was interrupted by a mechanical chime.  ~Done
already?  That was quick.~  She got up and walked over to a display
screen, punching up a diagnostic readout as she reached over to raise her
coffee mug to her lips.
     ~Okay, skeletal structure's alright, no problems with chemical
transmitters, nanotech immune systems are at optimal rates, lubricant
flow--*~  Her eyes widened and she choked on her coffee.  The mug slipped
from her fingers, shattering resonantly on the floor, but she wasn't
paying attention.  She gagged raggedly, blinking to clear her eyes.  This
couldn't be right!  What kind of screwed-up computer flaw was this?
     "Central!" she called out.  "What is wrong with diagnostic readout?"
     <<Diagnostic readout operating at 98% efficiency.  Readouts
accurate.>>
     "That's impossible," she said, her voice a nervous half-laugh. 
"That's impossible."  The problem must not be with the diagnostic sensors,
but with the whole system.  Yeah, that had to be it.  There was something
wrong with Central.  There *had* to be.  This couldn't be -- this *wasn't*
true.
     "Computer," she swallowed, "display IR scan results."  Her image
materialized three-dimensionally, her heat signature prominent.  It
matched the deep-scan.  Athena paled.  "Display X-ray results."  Her image
changed; the results were the same.  "Electromagnetic signature!" she
said, her voice becoming strained.  The same.  "Physio-musculature
structure!"  The same.
     She staggered backwards, breathing rapidly.  This couldn't be.  This
couldn't BE!!
     "Not possible..." she whispered.  "Not possible..."
     "Oh, it's quite possible."
     She stiffened at the hostile, unfamiliar voice from behind her. 
Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned to face this interloper.  "How did you
get in here?"
     The man behind her snorted.  "That's right, bitch, turn around.  Nice
and slow.  And shut up."  She appraised the man up and down, her survival
programming already calculating no less than fifteen hundred and
seventy-nine ways to kill him in under point seven seconds.  He appeared
to be wearing a uniform typical of some of the technicians of Athens
Incorporated's central technical labs, but over that he was clad in a
padded suit.  Wires ran up and down his limbs, and a thick cable attached
a backpack he had to a five-foot-long rounded-off cylinder.  He held it
like a weapon, and she noticed it had a trigger.
     Subconsciously her survival instincts clicked:  Kill him -- point
three seconds.  Now.
     ~Wait,~ she urged her body.  She had to learn more about this
unwanted intruder.  Best to start off by baiting him, try for the most
likely;  "You work for Xanatos," she stated simply.  She really didn't
know, but his reaction would tell her.
     "No shit," he sneered.  "I said shut up."
     Her eyes narrowed.  A deep-cover agent, hmm?  A spy who somehow made
it into Athens Incorporated.  How much did he know?  Too much, certainly. 
But had he seen the bioscan results...?
She smiled darkly and shook her head.  "You Xanagoons never learn, do you? 
All you need to do is leave me alone, but you never listen."  Her
shoulders relaxed and she dropped slightly into a ready stance, preparing
to rush him.  She could take his head off in less time than it would take
him to pull that trigger.
     "Ah-ah-ah," he admonished.  "Killing me won't do you any good.  This
gun fires ambient pulses of intense ultra-sound, attuned to disrupt
organisms on a cellular level."
     She paled.  He knew...!
He bared his teeth in a wolf's grin when he saw her visibly falter.  "The
suit produces similar sonic bursts.  If I pull the trigger, the wave
discharges.  If you knock the gun from my hand, the wave discharges.  If
you kill me, the wave discharges."  He grinned.  "And if we're not back to
the Eyrie Building within the next few minutes, the wave discharges."  The
spy shook the gun's barrel in her general direction.  "You don't want
that, do you?"
     She swallowed, and could feel her survival programming straining to
come up with a solution to this conundrum.  It was trying to adapt to this
new situation, but for now the only solution seemed to be:  Do what he
says.
     Cautiously, she raised her hands and straightened her back.  "Don't
do this," Athena said softly.  "It isn't worth it."
     "What part of 'shut up' don't you understand?!" he snarled.  He
brought the barrel of the ultrasound gun across the side of her face and
she recoiled.  Instincts told her to lash back, but she simply stood
there, eyes fiery.  "I lost a lot of good men under my command to you. 
I'm sorely tempted to pull this trigger right here and now, just for
them."  He jabbed the cylinder into her chest and glared hatefully at her. 
"...but I won't.  Because I know that whatever Mr. Xanatos has in store
for you is bad enough.  Now, erase the medical logs, your computer
interface records, and any and all security camera/scanner footage of you
or I entering or leaving this room.  Once the evidence of this little
escapade has been erased, you will calmly proceed to the lobby and enter
the limousine waiting two blocks to the right.  I will always be no less
than thirty feet away from you, which is certainly within this baby's
range.  Understood?"
     Athena nodded slowly.
     "Good.  Now let's get going; the timer's tickin'."

*     *     *    

     "So what do you think of the place, professor?"
     "Most impressive, detective, *most* impressive.  Wouldn't you agree?"
     Elisa Maza and Scott Mercure walked out of the lavish elevator and
towards the main office.  It had taken all day to tour just the major
parts of Athens Incorporated Headquarters.  Everybody else was either
hibernating in stone, on patrol, or taking care of children.  "I must
admit I am somewhat surprised that the gargoyles didn't decide to roost
here by day, like Cassandra and Eric."
     Elisa shrugged.  "Well, you know Goliath and his ancestral home.  I
think that, given half a chance, Angela and the Trio would consider
staying here.  I know *I* would feel a lot better."  She sighed.  "But
they've made their decision, and while I'd rather have them staying with
you or Dr. Ares, I won't try and stop them."  She looked at the floor.  "I
just wish...  I just wish I could be *there* for them, especially Goliath. 
Like they were there for me when I was shot.  Back when they stayed at the
police station, before the Hunters nuked the clock tower, I knew they were
safe.  But now they're staying with Xanatos...  I can't help feeling like
that viper has won."  The detective shook her head.  "Change of subject,
hunh?  How are you and Venus doing?"
     "Splendidly," Scott smiled.  "We've got a daughter, a family dog, a
butler who might as well be Mistra's grandfather, money's not a
problem..."  He gestured to the halls of AIHQ.  "...obviously I'm not
*this* rich, but I'm more than wealthy.  One thing's for sure; my life
certainly has changed since I met the gargoyles.  Super-robots,
shape-shifters, magic--*"
     "--Secret societies, Loch Ness Monsters, clones, cyborgs, ancient
gods, time travel..."  Elisa forced a laugh.  "You name it, I've seen it. 
And it all started with the gargoyles."
     "Actually," smiled Scott, "according to Puck, didn't it all start
with *you*?  In which case, I owe all my happiness to you."
     She gave him a partially-incredulous look and then smiled back. 
"Maybe.  Just maybe."
     As they approached the heavy oaken doors motion sensors swung the
hinges open for them and they were greeted by the site of Daniel pacing
back and forth.
     "Hello, Daniel," Scott said warmly.
     The doctor turned to face them and they did a slight double-take at
his features.  In the late-afternoon sunlight he was haggard, tired, his
hair a mess and his eyes bloodshot.  When he saw Elisa a look of happiness
flashed over his face, then vanished.  "Elisa...?"
     "Well, yeah," she responded.  "Who'd you think it -- Oh.  Athena."
     "She didn't come back," he said simply.
     Scott paused.  "What?"
     "Yesterday," Straussmore said, his voice grating, "we went to see my
parents.  Told them I wasn't dead.  Even got a visit from Elisa's friend,
Coyote.  The Fey, not the robot.  When we got back, Athena said she was
going down to the medlab, that she wouldn't be gone for more than twenty
minutes or so."  He turned back to the picture window.  "That was last
night.  She never came back; it's been nearly twelve hours."
     Elisa frowned slightly.  "That doesn't sound like Athena, but still
-- it's only twelve hours."
     "You don't understand," he protested.  "We're *never* apart that
long.  We normally sleep during the day, and we haven't slept separately
since... God, I don't even remember when.  I tried to ask the Central
Computer Core where she was, but it didn't know.  Someone's tampered with
the security records, and the only camera footage is of her leaving the
lobby."  He punched some unseen button pad behind his desk and a
two-dimensional image sprang up as a flat hologram above the floor.  It
showed an enlarged picture of Athena walking briskly out of the building
in a trench coat.  When she turned so her face was towards the camera he
froze the frame.
     She was crying.
     Scott's eyes narrowed.  "This isn't right."
     "I need to find her," Daniel said simply, the weariness in his voice
apparent.
     "You need *sleep,*" Elisa put in.  "Athena looks fine; I'm sure
there's an explanation for this.  Look at you; you look awful."  She
seemed genuinely concerned.
     "It's not sleep," he muttered back.  "These last few hours, all of a
sudden... I just don't feel so well.  Sick.  But that doesn't matter."  He
looked back up at them, his voice insistent.  "I need to *find* her!"
     Scott lowered his face sympathetically.  He knew that this was
exactly how he would be reacting if the situation were reversed, and Venus
was missing.  "Venus might be able to help.  Perhaps she can track her
magically..."
     Elisa crossed her arms.  "Did anyone ever think of Xanatos?"
     Straussmore nodded grimly.  "That's the first thing that came to my
mind.  But back in the medlab I found this."  He held up a flat data pad,
a small thin computer display screen.  It had a chemical analysis on it. 
"It's part of an acidic compound commonly used in certain types of
specialized ammunition.  Ammunition used by Nightstone Unlimited."
     Elisa's brow rose.  "Demona."
     "Exactly."  Daniel gazed up at the hologram of Athena from the
security camera.  "And if Demona has my love, I will tear her company to
the ground to find her."


      "I trust you like your new accommodations?"
     Athena looked down at Xanatos from where she was pinned,
spread-eagle, to the wall.  Her shackles covered almost all of her arms
and legs in enormous foot-thick metal half-pipes, forcing her to be
crucified in an X-shape fifteen feet off the ground.  Her cell was what
one might expect from Xanatos; all metal, all high-tech, all extremely
expensive.  Nothing but the best.
     She gazed down at him where he stood in his exo-frame, so much like
Daniel's Wraith Armor, only without the helmet.  "You're a fool, Xanatos,"
she said, trying to sound vehement but not accomplishing it.  "Remember
what happened the last time you tried to hold me."
     "Ah, but this time I have some leverage, don't I?"  He smiled and
held up a small remote control.  It reminded Athena of the remote Thailog
had once used to trigger the thermite grenade he had planted in her chest
back in Paris.  But this made her more nervous.
     "Daniel will find me," she almost whispered.
     Fox Xanatos walked up to her husband and gave him a quick peck on the
cheek.  "I don't think so," Fox said.  "The good doctor is currently
planning an assault on Nightstone Unlimited, because he thinks that's
where you are.  Besides that, I don't think he's feeling very well at the
moment."  She smiled slyly.
     Athena didn't like that at all.  "What are you talking about...?"
     "Very simple," Xanatos replied.  "A biological weapon; a virus,
tailored specifically for your dear lover and carried to him by Gemini. 
By the end of the month he'll either be dead..."  Xanatos grinned.  "...or
working for me."
     "Virus...?"  Athena's eyes widened in horror.  "No..."
     "Yes," smiled Xanatos.  "But I don't see what you're so worried
about.  You'll both be working for me.  You'd see each other all the time. 
I might even let you touch him now and then, but that'd be rather
dangerous.  I don't want the two of you together for very long; as long as
I hold one, the other won't try to rebel or escape.  With you two comes
your company, which I have been waiting far too long to reclaim.  That
company was built with my money, my data, and founded by one of my
creations along with one of my employees gone rogue.  I must thank you for
doing so well.  Now that Athens Incorporated is such a powerful
organization, the time is right to pluck it.  In a way, it's a good thing
that you escaped from me so long ago."  His smile bordered on wicked.
     "One might almost think I planned it that way from the beginning."


     When the phone line chimed, Daniel immediately answered it.
     The communications were not limited to strictly vocal, though, as the
holographic image of David Xanatos materialized in the air above his desk. 
Straussmore recoiled.
     Xanatos did a similar double take.  With Straussmore's contacts, his
suit, his new tan, haircut and especially his beard, both men realized how
much they resembled each other.  Xanatos smiled; Straussmore glared.
     "Hello, doctor."
     "Goodbye, Xanatos," he sneered in reply.
     "Wait!" Scott called out, laying a hand on Daniel's to prevent him
from severing the connection.  "Xanatos never calls unless he has
something to say.  Something important."
     Elisa stepped up to the desk as well.  "Funny.  We find out Athena's
missing and Xanatos just happens to call.  What a coincidence."
     Xanatos merely smiled.  "Athena's missing?  My, that *is*
interesting.  But not why I called.  Tell me, doctor, have you been
feeling, shall we say... below par lately?"
     The doctor's withering glare was answer enough.
     "I thought so," Xanatos continued.  His image was joined by that of a
rotating form.  "I trust you recognize this...?"
     Scott frowned.  "That's a virus."
     "Indeed, my dear professor, it is.  I didn't know you were staying
with Athens Incorporated.  Well, you learn something new everyday... 
Anyway, this is some of our dear Dr. Sevarius' handiwork; his own
variation on the AIDS virus, only this is transferred through air, water,
and mammalian vectors."  Elisa paled in horror.  "Oh, relax, Ms. Maza. 
I'm not out to start a world-purging plague.  This virus is completely
harmless to most people, gargoyle and human alike.  It is attuned directly
to attack Dr. Straussmore's MHC II proteins."
     The doctor started.
     "MHC II...?" inquired Elisa.
     "Major histo-compatibility complex," the doctor said softly.  "It's
what your body uses to determine between 'self' and 'other,' among other
things.  MHC I is the type which is located on the cells of most of the
body.  MHC II..."  He breathed deeply.  "...is for the immune system."
     "Very good," Xanatos continued.  "Obviously, being one of the most
advanced geneticists on the planet, you would know that.  I just read what
Sevarius wrote down about it.  One way or the other, rest assured that you
can't develop a cure before the disease ravages your immune system, and
you are most certainly infected.  I pumped Gemini so full of the virus
it's ridiculous."
     Behind them someone inhaled sharply in the shadows.  They turned to
see Gemini, who, even in human form, had a tendency to blend unnoticed
into the shadows.  There was a look of shock and horror on her face. 
"I... I... I didn't *know!*"
     "No, indeed she did not."  The hologram swung back towards Elisa,
Scott and Daniel.  "The virus could not replicate in her system, so it's
probably all been expunged from her body by now.  But she *did* have it
long enough to pass it on.  And now, my dear doctor, you will be dead in a
matter of weeks."
     Scott and Elisa recoiled in a mix of horror and fury.  Daniel just
stared.
     "Don't worry, though.  I have no real intention of killing you.  All
you need to do to procure the ready-made antidote is return to Xanatos
Enterprises.  Very simple."  He grinned, exposing perfect teeth.  "Isn't
it nice when things work out like this?  Be seeing you."  The image
flashed out, and the three of them were left alone by the desk.
     Gemini threw herself to the doctor and grabbed him around the chest,
crying.  "I didn't know, I didn't know, oh, God, I'm sorry, I didn't
know!"
     He sighed slowly, an anguished yet quiet sound, and held her.  "It's
okay," he whispered.  "It's not your fault.  It's not your fault."
     Scott shook his head.  "That bastard..."
     "This changes nothing!" snapped Daniel.  "Nothing!  Athena is still
the priority."
     "Are you nuts?" Elisa broke in.  "You're in no shape to do anything. 
We've got to do something about that virus!"
     "You let *me* worry about Sevarius' genetic atrocities," he growled
back.  "I need help getting my fiancee home."
     "She might not even be there!" Elisa protested.  "You can't lead an
attack on Nightstone Unlimited if she's not there!  Your forces would be
too weak for when you need to combat her *real* kidnappers.  And even if
she is with Demona, then there's a good chance that she's already--*"
     "Don't say it!" shouted Straussmore.  "Don't even *think* it!  She's
alive!  And the evidence points to Demona!"
     "But you don't know for sure!" the detective continued.
     "We can find out," came a new voice.  They all turned to see Venus
enter the room, graceful as always.
     "Venus," said Scott.  "How much did you...?"
     "Enough," she said simply.  "If Athena is being held at Nightstone
Unlimited, I can find out.  Give me one night; with my powers I can become
anyone, I can search the building from basement to roof.  If she's there,
I'll find her."
     Scott thrust a thumb at his chest.  "If she's going, I'm going."
     "Absolutely not!" snapped Straussmore.  "I will not let you waltz
into the heart of that immortal's lair."
     Venus' eyes glowed slightly.  "Do you honestly think, doctor, that I
would let anything happen to him?  This is a simple spy mission; I did it
before in the Eyrie Building, to find my brother."
     Straussmore grated his teeth.  He didn't like this; not one bit.  But
this was the most logical choice.  "Fine," he hissed.
     "One night."


     Deep within the Eyrie Building, nestled in a hive of circuitry and
wires, something moved.
     Her body was joined, fused to the hardware which consisted of the
Xanacorp International central database.  Black liquid bonded to
connectors and her mind was hooked directly into the main computer system.
     Minerva allowed herself a sly smile; sometimes it was so easy...
     Her new employers certainly had been more than willing to accept her
services, which could be executed with unnatural ease due to her...
"unique" abilities.  A woman who could literally tap her brain into a
computer system while rearranging the hardware to her will was an
invaluable resource, and they rewarded her handsomely for her services.
     Much had changed since that night which seemed to long ago, when she
was "born."  She had been a different person then, confused and unsure. 
She used to *be* Athena, in every sense of the word; she had the same
memories, same personality, same emotions.  So, when she learned of her
true nature and went through the ensuing identity crisis, she did exactly
what she knew Athena would never do; she opened her mind up, merging her
brain with people and computers alike, gaining information and memories
which made her more and more of an individual, pushing her farther and
farther from her Athena persona.
     Now she saw the world in a whole new light -- everything was
different.  She was no longer Athena, the original or a copy.  She was her
own person, and while there were still some undeniable similarities, she
could never again be mistaken for Athena.  She still held an emotional
bond with Daniel, but it was no longer the sexual love it had been.  Her
current feelings towards him were probably due in no small part to her
memories of Athena's romance with him and the secondary survival
programming which protected him as earnestly as it did its host (be it
Athena or Minerva).
     Hack into Xanatos Enterprises, her employers had said.  Break into
his computer.  Bring us back data.  Valuable data.  Lots of if.
     No problem.
     And so now she sat, half-dissolved in a twisted mass of wires and
connections, feeding off the raw binary coding flooding into her brain. 
She had come to relish the feeling, to revel in it.  Defense specs... 
Gargoyle statistics...  Financial reports...  Commando roster... 
Biological weapons...  She just had to be careful that she didn't download
through her cognitive mind the military super-computer virus that
Coldstone had procured for Xanatos.  That could 'kill' her, by wiping away
her thoughts and mind, destroying all she was.  That would not be--*
     Wait.  Back up.  Playback.  Biological weapons...?
     Normally as she downloaded data she perused it cognitively, like
running your hand through a stream of water to test it.  She paused,
rereading the files she had just downloaded.  A virus (biological, not
computer)?  A tailored one.  One tailored to...
     "Daniel," she whispered.  "Xanatos has infected Daniel."  One of
Sevarius' sadistic gene-freak creations was running rampant through
Daniel's system.  *Her* Daniel!  Perhaps she no longer had the intimate
relationship she had once shared with him, but she still loved Straussmore
on one level or another, be it platonic or sexual, and her survival
programming demanded retaliation.


     It happened so fast that he didn't have time to react.
     From out of the far wall burst a thick spout of brackish ebony liquid
which leaped through the air across the vault-prison and slammed hard into
his exo-framed chest.  Xanatos grunted with surprise and the force of the
impact, falling backwards into the steel vault door.  Owen didn't even
have time to blink.
     The black tar immediately writhed into a shape, taking on substance,
and a four-taloned hand seized Xanatos by the neck, which was unprotected
due to his lack of a helmet.  He was lifted off the ground before he had
time to breathe, and suddenly found himself gazing into the ebony-abysses
of two charcoal-colored eyes.  His assailant's wings furled out behind her
feminine frame, and she peeled back her lips to reveal equally dark fangs. 
Xanatos' brows furrowed more in scrutiny than in anger.
     "M...  Minerva...?!"
     His voice held a certain air of prestige and confidence even though
his windpipe was being squeezed shut.  Both his hands came up to grasp the
techno-gargoyle's wrist, but he made no move to kick her with his
iron-clawed feet.  He knew that if she wanted him dead he would not be
alive right now.
     "Tha... That's a good... look for you, my dear.  How... may I be...
<choke>...of service?"
     "Bastard!" she hissed, tail lashing.  "You infected Straussmore with
a damned virus!  You gave him AIDS on steroids!  Now, I want the cure, and
I want it now."  Her grip tightened and he felt something start to burn at
his skin like acid.  "Otherwise, you'll get to see first-hand just how
well I've learned to control the nanites which make up my body.  Do you
know how painful it can be to be broken down into your basic components,
bit by bit, piece by piece, cell by cell, your entire being dissolving
with only your pain receptors left so you can feel every last nervous
pulse of information-agony overloading your brain?"  She sneered.  "You
will."
     Xanatos was about to say something when Owen stepped in.  "Might I
ask what you care about the fate of Athens Incorporated?"
     She shot a withering glare at him.  "Emotional attachment."
     "Ah," said Owen.  "I see."
     Something in the corner of the room caught Minerva's eye (nanite
visual receptor).  She had not downloaded the specs about this room yet;
she had retrieved enough information for her employers by the time she had
learned of Sevarius' virus.  She had been able to track Xanatos down
almost immediately due to the radio-link his power suit maintained with
the Eyrie Building's security system; she hadn't bothered to check where
she was going.  Or who else might be there.
     "Athena?!"
     Minerva gaped at the figure pinned to the wall by ridiculously
oversized manacles.  The android lifted her head and looked down pitiably
at her.  Athena's face looked weary, and Minerva saw various wires leading
into the foot-thick shackles about her arms and legs.  The imprisoned
woman locked eyes with her counterpart just for a moment, but it was long
enough for Minerva to gasp at the pain and desperation in her gaze.  What
on earth was Xanatos doing to her...?
     Just then something hit her hard in the side, and she rebounded into
a steely table with a *whoof* of air being knocked out of her lungs; not
that it really mattered, for she didn't need oxygen, but the effect was
still stunning.  She dropped Xanatos and blinked in surprise when she saw
a blonde-haired gargoyle with a brownish complexion standing over her.  A
gargoyle -- in the middle of the day?
     "Who -- Who the hell are you?!"
     The gargoyle pulled out a large-barreled gun which seemed to have a
crystal lens in place of a barrel; an energy weapon, then.  He glared at
her, eyes glowing.  "An attack on our master is viewed as an attack on all
of us.  We protect this castle."  He cocked some lever on the gun, causing
the power output to whine dramatically.  "You are trespassing."
     Xanatos was massaging his neck.  "We can't contain her.  As much as
it pains me to lose such a remarkable advancement in scientific
achievement, I must ask that she either submit to a magnetically-sealed
cell..."  He gestured to the gargoyle standing over her.  "... or die." 
He cocked his head at Minerva.  "Your choice, my dear."
     In a sudden blur of motion her clawed hand whipped out, snatching the
weapon from the gargoyle's hand.  She crushed it in her fist as spines
began to sprout out from her skin, and her wings grew razor sharp.  The
gun's power cell was absorbed into her body, and she felt a rush of energy
as exhilarating as any adrenaline high.  "There's always choice C," she
snarled.  "I kill you all."
     "I don't think so," came a stoically nasal voice.
     Without warning a shock wave rolled over Minerva and she tried to
scream as unholy energies coursed through her being.  She was hurled into
the steel wall and splattered, losing part of her solid gargoyle form. 
The monumentous energy blast that hit her laid a massive crater in the
wall, and she slumped in a semi-puddle as repair systems screamed damage
reports into her mind.
     She was hurt.  Bad.  Crippled.
     Gasping for air, struggling to retain a cohesive form, she
half-staggered as the black ooze of ruined nanotechnological nanites
melted and sloughed off of her body.  Hands shaking, she pressed against
the wall and used the last of her strength to flow *through* it, breaking
down its structure to repair herself while simultaneously rebuilding
enough of the material behind her to separate her from her enemies.  Her
mind scrambled and her body in liquidating tatters, she fled as best she
could.

     "Well," sighed Xanatos, "that was most impressive.  Thank you, Owen."
     Owen readjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, his hand still
smoking.  The magical energy burst he had released had been more than
enough to repel Minerva, but not quite adequate to kill her.  "She said
'kill you all.'  I took the liberty of assuming that 'all' included
Alexander, and therefore I was within my rights to defend him."
     "Nice improvisation."  Xanatos clicked on the microphone in his
exo-frame.  "Fox, my dear, would you be so kind as to use the in-house
scanners to locate any unwanted company?"
     "She got in here without being noticed," Owen put in.  "Chances are
she was here to steal data; that's how she learned of Straussmore's
infection.  If that is the case, she may have learned ways to avoid our
sensors."
     "That shouldn't be a problem," interrupted Fox.  "We've got her.  She
just left the building right through a wall, and she's winging a beeline
out of here."
     Xanatos' eyes narrowed.  "If she was here to play hacker, we can't
let her share the knowledge she may or may not have procured."  He
half-shrugged.  "Use the castle guns.  Vaporize her."
     "Um... that part *is* a problem," Fox replied.
     The multibillionaire frowned.  "Why's that?"
     "Because she's heading right towards Athens Incorporated, and if we
fire, any shots that miss will bring retaliation form *their* guns."
     Xanatos swore softly.  "We can't let her contact them!  Is there any
way we could nail her before Athens brings its weaponry on-line?"
     "Too late," said Fox grimly.  "They've detected our power-up. 
They're deploying the cannons."
     "Damn!" he whispered.  "We've got to stop her!"
     "Well, well, Xanatos," Athena said bitterly, but weakly, from her
place of crucifixion above them.  "Looks like it's all about to hit the
fan."


     "Doctor, we've got incoming."
     Straussmore, down in his laboratory, paused and looked up from his
work.  The holographic double-alpha-helix of DNA froze as he hit a button. 
"Gemini, what do you mean, 'incoming'?" he replied to the intercom, brow
furrowed.  He was extremely busy right now; in a few hours it would be
dark, and for this experiment to succeed it must be ready to go by dusk. 
However, even with his genetic abilities, it seemed an impossible task to
accomplish in the waning hours of one afternoon.  Every second counted,
and there was no time for interruptions.  Interruptions like this one.
     "Just what I said, doctor," Gemini said over the intercom.  "Incoming
aerials, bound for this building.  It looks like..."  She faltered.  "...a
gargoyle."
     Straussmore blinked.  "A gargoyle?  In the middle of the afternoon?"
     "That's not all.  The Eyrie Building's powering up its weapons grid." 
Her voice became more insistent.  "They've got a target lock in this
direction!"
     "Impossible," hissed Straussmore, more to himself than anyone else. 
"Xanatos would never risk a building-to-building battle.  He must be
aiming for the gargoyle..."  His eyes widened.  "Jem, open a channel to
him.  Tell him to back the hell off.  Central," he continued, starting to
run for the elevator, "prep the Eclipse.  Launch the Shadows.  And charge
all weapons bays."  His eyes darkened as the elevator doors snapped shut
behind him.
     "If Xanatos wants that gargoyle he's going to have to work damn hard
to get it."


     "We've almost got her," said Fox through gritted teeth as she leaned
over her console.  She had quickly hustled down to the vault-room to help
David coordinate defensive efforts.  "The Steel Clan is closing fast, but
I can't get a clean shot off the castle guns at her without risking
singeing AIHQ."
     "Keep trying," muttered Xanatos as he paced rapidly back and forth,
iron claws clanking on the floor.  "If you can nail her, do it.  But don't
give the good doctor an excuse to use the heavy artillery.  He won't open
up on us because of the virus; there're too many people in that building
of his to go to war for a personal vendetta.  But if we shoot first..." 
Xanatos shook his head.  "He won't hesitate to retaliate."
     "Almost... almost...  Blast!"  Fox banged her fist into the control
panel.
     "What?" Xanatos asked quickly.
     "They've just launched their own Steel Clan."
     Xanatos squinted at the display screen.  "Magnify," he ordered, and
the computer obeyed.  "Those don't look like the Steel Clan," he muttered. 
"What the heck...?"
     Suddenly the screen screeched into a cacophony of static and color,
then quickly re-solidified into the image of an attractive young woman. 
Fox blinked and recoiled in surprise.  "Demona?"
     "Close," the woman glowered.  "This is Geneva Destine, vice president
of Athens Incorporated."
     "Nice to see you again, Gemini," David smiled slyly.  "Dramatic
entrance, overriding our channel like that."
     The clone ignored him.  "Any and all weapons fire directed at or
within the vicinity of this building *will* result in an *immediate*
counteroffensive, wherein I will use any and all power at my disposal and
my discretion to eliminate the threat, even if that means cutting the
Eyrie Building down at its base.  Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
     "Crystal," Xanatos nodded darkly, his smile sinister.
     Gemini paused, then flicked a glance over either shoulder to make
sure no one was looking.  She turned back to whatever camera was
broadcasting her image and leaned forward.  "...And I can give you my
personal guarantee that if you so much as *think* of harming my father, I. 
Will.  Kill.  You."  She pronounced every work slowly, separately, and
emphatically.  "Understood?"
     One of Xanatos' eyebrows rose.  Father?  "Really, Gemini, that's not
like you at all.  I know you may look like Demona, but you don't act like
her.  You're no murderer.  You could never kill anyone."
     Her eyes darkened.  "Perhaps.  But you turned me against my own
father, Xanatos.  You used me as a weapon.  A carrier for his demise.  For
that, you will suffer.  He's the only man I've ever trusted, and the only
one I ever will.  If he dies because of you, there will be no place on the
planet that you can hide."
     Xanatos frowned.  "Oh, please.  Drop the act.  I know you, Gemini.  I
*created* you.  Stop trying to be another Athena."  He waved his hand in a
dismissive gesture to the android who was plastered, unconscious, to the
wall off-screen.  "She's the killing machine, not you.  You're no more
evil than any other naive little girl.  You're bluffing."
     "I'm not the same person I was a month ago," she replied.  "You're
right; I am naive.  Maybe I could never kill someone.  Maybe I am just a
lonely little girl in a gargoyle's body.  But I've finally found someone
who cares for me, who protects me, who I can *trust.*  And if you take him
from me..."  Her eyes flared.  "...we shall see how innocent I truly am."
     The connection was abruptly severed, and Xanatos stood there for a
moment, thinking.  He turned to Owen.
     "She's bluffing," he repeated, though more quietly.
     Owen pushed his glassed further up on his nose with his stone fist
and shrugged emotionlessly.  "Indeed, it would be hard to imagine the
helpless clone who escaped here not long ago becoming a ruthless killer. 
But love does strange things to a person.  It can warp someone's mind. 
Personally, I doubt she could hunt someone down.  She's not spiteful
enough, not vicious enough.  But who knows?  It all depends on how
emotionally attached to Straussmore she truly is.  And she *is* immortal. 
Even she doesn't know what can kill her.  Remember, Struassmore was just a
naive scientist.  Now look at him.  She could be a more deadly enemy than
we anticipated."  He paused, then cocked his head to one side.  "Or a more
useful underling."
     Xanatos nodded.  "Once Straussmore is working for me, do you think
she'll stand by his side?  Or would she rather have her freedom than his
love?"
     Again Owen shrugged.  "Impossible to tell, sir.  As she said, we're
not dealing with the same Gemini of a month ago.  You know what they say:" 
He raised an eyebrow.
     "Everything changes."


     ~I'm dead,~ she thought.
     Minerva strained as hard as she could, pushing her body to its
limits.  She was dazed and damaged, not at all up to normal operating
parameters, and she was in no shape for a fight.  The Steel Clan quickly
began to box her in as they closed on her tail, no less than four -- maybe
five or six -- of them.  She was using wings to catch thermal updrafts and
currents of air, but they were blasting along on trails of exploding
rocket fuel; there was no way she could match their speed.  Soon she would
be at the halfway mark between the Eyrie Building and AIHQ, but the Steel
Clan would have her long before then.  Minerva began to wonder what her
chances would be if she just folded up her wings and plummeted to the
pavement.  Once before she had survived a hundred-plus story fall, but she
was not currently up to snuff.  Heck, she was barely alive.
     Panting hard (a layover from her Athena programming; she did not need
air, but it was a reflex action), she glanced over her shoulder and
prepared for the worst.  The lead robot's right forearm snapped open and
the gleaming barrel of a military-grade laser weapon protruded.  It would
only take a split-second for the weapon to whine up to a full discharge
and spear her boiling body on a column of blazing intense photons....
     Then something exploded in front of her.
     With a piercing scream generated by twin engines spitting
bluish-white fire, a flying ebony automaton hurtled past her in the
opposite direction.  The newcomer's eerily-shrieking engines changed
slightly in pitch as the robot arced around up and behind one of the Steel
Clan.  It came in close, stabilized its flight pattern, and then executed
a lightning-quick barrel roll.  Its gleaming, razor-sharp black wing
sliced easily through the Steel Clan's armor and the silvery robot
detonated in flame as its compressed-fuel cell ignited.
     One point eight seconds exactly.
     Minerva blinked in surprise at her newfound ally.  Was that one of
the Shadow Clan...?
     There was a barely-audible whistle of moving air which brought her
attention back to what was before her, and as Minerva looked ahead once
more she gasped in shock.  Much more silent than it had any right to be, a
pitch-black helicopter elevated rapidly to her level, facing her.  It was
studded with weapons pods and odd-looking protuberances which had to be
guns of some form or another.  She wheeled about in midair and swerved to
the right to avoid colliding with the airship.
     The helicopter ignored her, tilting forward and angling straight for
one of the Steel Clan.  Behind it rose a second Shadow, which caught a
blast from Xanatos' robots but merely wavered, barely damaged.       The
helicopter suddenly burst into a flurry of bright red points of light as
more than a dozen heavy guns pounded out thick streams of
phosphorus-tracer armor-piercing shells.  The hail of bullets swept
through the air, and one of the Steel Clan simply ceased to exist, torn to
ribbons by a wall of glowing projectiles.  The chopper immediately
re-angled itself and a split-second flash of coherent light left an
emerald-green afterimage in Minerva's eyes.  The laser licked across
another attacker, and its jet pack quietly sputtered out as its waist and
right arm fell cleanly away from the rest of the body.
     The two Shadows came in fast and hard, hemming a Xanatos robot in
with quick spears of laser light and then kicking in their afterburners to
close on their prey and rip its engine out with titanium-plated talons. 
It tried to whirl around to fire, but abruptly fell through the cloud
cover and was lost from sight.
     The final Steel Clan reflected an energy beam off the black surface
of the assault helicopter, and with a su