"Crossroads Of Life" by Ryley Breen A.K.A Shadow Master
E-Mail Address=ubreen@fox.nstn.ca

	Well so far I have created two masterpieces and sent them to "The Gargoyle
Home page" for you simple mortals to enjoy. In the past two stories I have
told you of tales concerning the magical protectors of the city called New
York, the people known as Gargoyles. Though they are by far the most
isolated citizens the gargoyles aren't the only protectors who make it
their business to keep the citizens of that fair city safe.  Nor are they
the only people who have to keep their abilities and appearances a secret.
In this story we will see what is probably the most important meeting
between the two most powerful teams in all of New York State.  I mean the
teams of your ever popular Gargoyles, ancient protectors of Scotland, and
the X-Men(the ones from the cartoon show not the comic book), humans who
because of an abnormality in their DNA have been given miraculous powers.
Here they will meet and from this confrontation they shall both learn how
alike they really are.  Also I invite any who read this story or any of my
other stories to use any elements they wish.  If they wish to write a story
based on the changes I've made(ie-Elisa becoming gargoyle for keeps)they
are free to do so so long as I am given credit for my work.  I would really
like to see what other writers can do with what I've done.  Without further
chatter let us journey "once more unto the breach."


"Crossroads Of Life"


	"What's up Beast?"asked Jubilee as she entered the laboratory.  She had
spent most of the morning in the danger room running through some training
sessions with Rogue and Jean and was glad to be out.  She knew that they
had to train their powers to battle psychos like Sabretooth and The Friends
Of Humanity but did they have to train four hours a day!  After the over
stressed work out she decided to check out what was going on in the rest of
the mansion.  In the main living room she found Gambit and Wolverine
playing a game of poker and she could tell from the look on Logan's face
that he was five minutes away from cutting the deck in his own style.
Storm was tending the backyard and the professor was in the war room using
cerebro.  "That leaves Beast, knowing him he's probably down in the lab
working on some way cool gadget" she thought as she walked down the stairs
to his private work area.  She had been right of course, he was in his lab
but instead of working on a machine of some sort he was scrolling through
something on his computer.  As she walked closer she could see that he was
looking at some sort of techno ad by a company called Xanatos enterprises.
It took Dr.Hank McCoy only a few minutes to notice her presence and he
immediately swivelled his chair around to greet her.  "Ah, to what do I owe
the extreme pleasure of seeing yon beautiful maiden Jubilee?" he asked in
his usual Shakespearean dialect.  She could never get over how he always
seemed to surprise her with his very large dialogue, just how many words
did he know?  "I just finished up in the danger room and wanted to see how
things were going down here" , she replied as she began to read parts of
the article on the screen, "I thought you'd be working on some weird new
gadget but it looks like I was wrong."  Noticing where her gaze was
directed he made two quick clicks on the mouse and a large diagram of a
high tech mirror appeared.  "True enough, I had decided to give mine eyes a
rest so as to catch up on the latest scientific achievement made by various
monolithic companies" , said Beast as he continued to bring up more and
more pictures of things she couldn't make heads or tails of, "All were
extremely satisfying but I found the discovery by Xanatos Enterprises to be
most entertaining."  As she looked at the screen full of writing she could
just barely understand the idea of it but she decided that it would be for
the best if she let Beast explain.  "What've they done, hopefully not more
killer robots?" she asked.  She didn't mind when companies made stuff to
make their lives easier but it seemed nowadays that all they seem to be
doing is making more and more robots to kill mutants or take over the
world.  "They have made a major breakthrough in the field of temporal
mechanics and tacheyon manipulation" said beast as he brought up a detailed
drawing of what she guessed was supposed to happen when they flipped the on
button, "in fact the C.E.O of Xanatos Enterprises is going to be showing
off a finished model tomorrow night."  It was obvious that Beast was way
interested in this, he would probably give his eye teeth and some of his
greatest gadgets to be able to attend.  Come to think of it she'd like to
see this high tech closet herself.  "Time travel, just one among the many
things that we have to deal with in this world" , thought Jubilee as she
listened to Beast ramble on in geek talk about this time portal, " I wonder
if there's anything that those corporate hotshots can't make a reality?"
	"Time travel sure would come in handy right about now" thought Xanatos as
he leaned back in his chair.  Owen was just going over the basic security
and seating plans for the unveiling of the temporal gate.  He had organised
a long evening of entertainment as well as discoveries for tomorrow night
and he was already beginning to regret it.  He knew that it was necessary
to hear the security arrangements for the party, showing off one of the
most potentially devastating tools of all time was not something to be
taken lightly.  In the wrong hands he could risk losing everything, his
company, his family and even his life would be fair game.  "I will have
metal detectors as well as infrared sensors placed at all entrances" , said
Owen in his usual humming tone, "I also have the radar antennas operational
and twelve steel clan robots prepared in case of aerial assault."  "Good,
good,  that should be satisfactory" he said as he flipped through the
security status reports on his computer.  There were definitely a lot of
them but they were all necessary to protect what was inside his tower.  He
had been surprised when the Illuminati gave him the loan he asked for
without so much as a warning of impending death.  It had cost nothing short
of two hundred million dollars to repair the castle and replace all of the
electronics that had been destroyed by Loki a week ago.  If it hadn't been
for Detective Maza and her magical ability the entire tower may have been
laid to ruin.  "Sir, forgive me for saying but you seem to be a bit less
than ..content with the security measures being taken" said Owen as he
pushed his glasses up farther on his nose.  He had always valued Owen, from
the first day he walked in the door for the job as his assistant.  He liked
him even more now that he had found out that Owen was also an all powerful
child of Oberon named Puck.  "Oh it's not that, I'm sure that the security
measures are the best" , he said as he got up from his seat and looked out
the window behind his desk, "It's just that it seems to be all so futile, I
mean our past encounters with Oberon and Loki show just how insignificant
and useless any security measure is."  "I realise that those two
confrontations were a rather deep blow to your ego sir but I very much
doubt that 'lightning will strike in the same place' a third time" said the
tranquil form that was Owen.  "I know but still, if someone really wanted
this device they might be able to get the means to steal it" he said as he
looked at his trustworthy confidant.  "If it will make you feel any better
I'll see about adding some 'special' security to the event" said Owen with
a small grin forming on the edges of his lips.  "Whenever he does that I
know that it's going to be bad news for whoever is on the receiving end of
it" thought Xanatos as he resumed looking at the screen of security
systems.
	Night was falling once more on the city streets of New York, the end of a
day and the promise of a new one.  High above the city streets, high above
even the top of the Xanatos Enterprises building sits the stone Castle
Wyvern. Resting on the main tower of this ancient tower rests nine statues.
Some of them as old as the castle itself and others somewhat newer.  On
the lower half of the tower rests six while on the top lay three others
stand ready to fend off whatever horrors and dangers threaten their home.
Not two long ago there had been a mighty battle atop the Xanatos
skyscraper, though the police and the people had been told that it had just
been an experiment that had gotten a bit out of hand.  The truth was that
the defenders of this antique home repelled and attack forces not of this
earth.  As the light of the sun is extinguished by the watery horizon and
the light of the moon replaces it forces that are actually of this earth
are about to be released from their thirteen hour sleep.  An eerie light
falls over the statues, the silhouette of their winged forms being
highlighted.  At first it begins like a  slow tinkle of stone hitting the
ground, like a far away train that was slowly getting closer and gaining
speed.  Soon the air was filled with the sound of cracking and falling
stone but those were not the only sounds that would reach the ears of the
citizens.  They would also hear the groans and roars of the cities secret
protection against the forces of evil and chaos.  One by one the strange
creatures would erupt from their stone shells and announce their awakening.
With eyes glowing and sharp teeth bared there are few who would challenge
their right to soar through the city skies on their bat like wings.
Tonight surprisingly they have a guest to greet them as they wake, or
rather to greet those on the top portion of the tower.
	Goliath awoke from his stone sleep as intimidating as ever and the only
difference he felt was the fact of the new gargoyle in their clan and the
fact that the castle had returned to its usual appearance.  It had almost
been completely obliterated by the god Loki's attack last week.  It had
also been last week that he discovered Elisa's true feelings for him,
though he pretty much had know them all along.  When he turned around he
was surprised to see Owen standing next to the staircase waiting for them.
"So Owen, what's up?" asked Elisa as she did one final stretch and then
hopped off her perch.  "Mr.Xanatos is having a social gathering tomorrow
night to show off his companies latest invention in the field of temporal
manipulation" said the four-eyed assistant.  "How does that concern us?"
asked Goliath as he crossed his arms in front of him.  He had never really
liked it when Xanatos had made some new machine, especially one such as
this.  He had heard Lexington talking about it the night before and from
what he could make out it was an artificial Phoenix Gate.  "Mr. Xanatos is
worried that his own security forces will not be adequate to keep the
device safe" , Owen said as he took some papers out of his pocket and
handed them to Goliath, "in an effort to eliviate his worries I would like
to hire you and your clan to provide additional security."  Goliath was
rather surprised that Xanatos didn't have any faith in his own security
forces and Owen would wish to ask them to help.  It was true that they had
aided Xanatos in aiding in the defence of the city and the world but
Xanatos had never asked them to provide protection like this.  Still, if
such a device were to fall into the wrong hands it could prove devastating
to all, human and gargoyle alike.  "Very well, we will attend this
gathering but what is that you have?" he asked pointing to the papers in
his hand.  "I felt it would be best if Xanatos Enterprises had written
documentation concerning your temporary employment" , replied Owen as he
unfolded the papers to reveal the words of legal context, " I would prefer
that you remain out of sight until you are needed and in the event that
anyone discovers you or you are needed we will have the law on our side."
	Elisa was a bit worried when she heard the word temporal mentioned, the
thought of time travel always scared her a bit.  She had seen all three of
the "Back To The Future" movies at the theatre and learned that time is
just something they weren't meant to have control over.  As Owen's
explanation of their involvement concluded she felt a bit more comfortable
in the area of time travel, it was the way he said "law on our side" that
worried her.  Though he wasn't specific she knew that the assistant to
David Xanatos didn't have to be.  Things must be getting steadily worse
down in the city below, bad enough for people not to take the word of David
Xanatos seriously.  She watched as Owen passed out the contracts for the
others and herself to sign.  She briefly skimmed over the contents of the
agreement and found that it was actually half decent.  She had thought that
it would have been written up so Xanatos would be legally in the clear if
anything went wrong but it protected them as well as the company.  With a
feeling of reluctance still vibrating in her mind she took a pen and signed
the contract, but instead of using her real name she wrote down "Donna
Wyvern".  She didn't want people to know that the once and former human
detective Elisa Maza was now a taloned gargoyle.  When she passed her
contract back to Owen she noticed a slight rise in his eyebrow as he read
her signature.  She noticed that the others had waited until she had begun
to sign her contract before beginning on theirs.  "With their legal
knowledge several hundred years out of date I'm surprised they know what a
contract was" she thought with a smile as she watched them write on the
dotted line.  It took her a while to notice but she saw that Luna hadn't
left her perch, she was just sitting there gazing out into the night sky.
"Hey Luna, are you going to join us for breakfast?" she asked after walking
up behind the lavender gargoyle.  Luna had hardly said a word in the past
few nights, though losing two of your sisters and being punished in such  a
cruel way could do that to a person.  "I shall join you later, I just want
to be alone for a little bit" Luna replied as she twisted her head around
slightly to look at Elisa.  Elisa knew better then to bother someone in
mourning so she began to walk towards the opposite side of the tower.
"Okay, maybe after we can go catch a movie or something" she suggested to
the newest member of the clan.  "Perhaps" said Luna and with that she
returned her gaze to the open air.
	They have treated her amazingly well considering the harm she and her
sisters had thrown their way in the past.  At the mention of her sisters
tears begin to trickle down the side of her face.  She missed them greatly,
it seems as if it were yesterday that they were battling Loki here atop the
Xanatos building.  Where she had saved Goliath, the leader of the gargoyle
clan, from certain death at the hands of Loki.  It was here that Loki was
defeated by Elisa Maza and confined for the rest of eternity in the shell
of a mortal man.  A fitting punishment, he will undergo much suffering and
pain in trying to adjust to a life without magic.  In a way so would she,
after violating the supreme law made by Oberon so long ago she had been
banished from Avalon and confined in the form of a gargoyle.  Her magical
abilities, which over a week ago were strong enough to best almost all her
brothers and sisters, were now as restrained as Puck's.  She could only use
them in the supervision and teaching of Elisa on those rare occasions when
the gargoyle absorbed any magic.Elisa's new abilities intrigued her, to
have the ability to absorb and rechannel that magical energy into anything
she wanted was definitely useful.  Unfortunately as she knew all to well,
the chances of another magical confrontation so soon after Loki's escape
from the Kjolen Mountains was highly unlikely.  Perhaps sometime in the
future she would get to use her abilities once again but for the time being
she would have to be content with the natural abilities and duties of a
normal gargoyle.  Those abilities and duties weren't all bad, being strong
enough to tear metal apart with her bare hands and having claws that could
rip through solid stone were definitely some of the positive perks of her
new form.  Being able to fly was alsoa joyful distraction from the mundane
world to which she was now confined.  True, compared to the abilities she
once possessed these were about as useful as being able to feel and to
sense certain sensations on her skin.  Insignificant if compared with the
awesome abilities a child of Oberon had at their disposal.  "Still there is
nothing I can do about it so no sense crying over spilt milk" , she thought
as she gracefully stepped of the perch where she had slept during the day ,
"If I am going to live in the mortal world I might as well learn to live in
like everyone else."  Looking out into the night for a final time she
jumped over the side of the tower and glided down to the entrance to the
castle.
	"Alright, not a authority figure in sight" , thought Jubilee as she
tip-toed her way towards the front door of the Xavier Mansion.  For the
past few nights she had been grounded for going into Beast's lab without
anyone else there and nearly blowing everyone sky high.  She didn't mean
for anything to go wrong, it had just seemed so easy for Beast to whip some
way cool chemical or gadget that she thought she could do it.  She reached
out for the door handle, feeling the joy of freedom well within her grasp,
but then felt her feelings hit rock bottom when she felt a restraining hand
fall on her shoulder.  "And just where do you think you're going Jubilee?"
, sang Jean Grey's lovely voice, "If I remember correctly your still
grounded which means late evening excursions are out of the question."
Jubilee turned around to see the green bloused slim figured form of her
friend and teammate standing there with her hands on her hips and a stern
cross look on her face.  "Ahh c'mon Jean, you know as well as I do that
this the professors punishment was way too severe" , she pleaded trying to
push Jean's 'sympathy button as hard as she could, "besides I'm only going
out to see a movie!"  "What's playing now?" Jean surprisingly asked.
Jubilee was definitely a bit uneasy now, people giving you the punishment
lecture rarely worried about the little details.  "It's called
'Independence Day', its about aliens coming to destroy the earth and Will
Smith has to stop them" replied Jubilee as she waited for the 'No' answer
that was the usual response to any violation of the rules of Xavier.
"Sounds like fun, let's go!" said Jean as she opened the nearby closet to
get her coat.  "What, your actually going to let me go?!  What about my
punishment?!" exclaimed Jubilee in disbelief.  She couldn't believe her
ears, Jean was actually breaking a rule that she had just drilled her on a
few hours ago.  "Sure you deserve a little reward for your workout in the
danger room this morning, besides Wolverine is in another one of his moods
and I think it would be best for all concerned if we weren't around to
bother him" , she said as she began walking toward the door, "unless of
course you want to stay home and avoid Logan's tantrum all by yourself?"
"Not a chance! Let's go"exclaimed Jubilee as she ran out the door towards
the garage.
	"So it's a done deal then Owen?" asked David Xanatos as he looked at the
signatures of Goliath's clan.  He had to admit that he was a bit surprised
when Owen revealed that he had hired the gargoyles to provide extra
security but he was even more surprised that Goliath and the others agreed
to sign the contracts.  "Yes sir, Goliath has agreed to provide security of
the perimeter of the building and to remain hidden from the guests" replied
the blonde clean cut butler.  He didn't really like going over the mundane
details of security again but Owen insisted that they go over it again to
accomadate the gargoyles.  To make it a bit more informal David said that
they would do in down in the arboretum.  David had always been impressed at
how clean cut Owen had been able to keep himself, even under the most
'physical' of circumstances.  Of course that impression did waver a bit
when it became known that Owen Burnett was actually the changeling Puck.
He was a bit disturbed when he saw Owen's eyes look over his shoulder to
the elevator behind him.   He turned around to see a fairly well dressed
man dressed all in black and with a pointed black goatee.  "Excuse me but I
don't remember having an appointment scheduled at this time, do you Owen?"
he said as he tried to deduce the mans 'profession' by his clothes and body
language.  "No sir, you don't have any appointments schedules for the
entire evening" replied Owen as he began to walk toward the mysterious
stranger.  "It is true that you do not currently have an appointment with
me but at least wait until you have heard what I have to say before your
assistant attempts to throw me out" , said the man as he removed his
gangster like fedora, "Mr name is Mr.John Essex and I am very interested in
your latest discovery."  "So I have been told by a great many people, how
does that concern you?" asked Xanatos as he managed to place a reputation
to the name.  Essex was a very recluse scientist and investor in the modern
business world, He was rarely seen in public and definitely had a few
skeletons in his closet.  "I have an interesting business proposition for
you, one I am sure you will find most intriguing" Essex said as he took a
portfolio out of his trench coat pocket.  "Well I might as well find out
what he's offering me" , thought Xanatos as he reached out for the papers,
"it might just prove useful."
	"I have you now you horned showboat!" exclaimed Lexington from in front of
the television set.  The trio had been at that video game since after
breakfast and showed no signs of giving it up any time soon.  Goliath
didn't like the fact that they were spending so much time in front of the
television, no matter how 'awesome' it was.  Being lazy like that dulled
the fighting skill they had built up through the nights they had lived.  He
had tried to pry them away from the video game once before but they just
brushed him off with a "just one more game" and "awww, just one more game"
and more excuses like that.  He figured that he would have to take more
drastic measures later on but for now he would let them have their fun.  He
had more important matters to attend to, mostly concerning the gathering
that Xanatos was holding tomorrow night.  According to what Owen had given
him it would be held down in the arboretum, which would definitely have
some advantages since there were skylights on both sides.  "The windows
will make it difficult to keep a close eye on the proceedings but there
should be enough room on either side of the windows to stay hidden and keep
an eye on things" he thought as he turned to the next page.  Out of the
corner of his eye his spotted a form moving towards him and turned to meet
whoever it was.  "Hi Goliath, how's my favourite lavender hunk?" asked
Elisa as she draped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
"Goliath my boy, things are definitely taking a turn for the better
nowanights" he thought as he returned the hug and folded his wings around
her.  He had been quite a bit more comfortable with things like this since
they both made their feelings known to each other, though he wished that
Elisa's had been revealed under somewhat less 'tense' circumstances.  "What
have you planned for tonight my angel?" he asked as he lowered Elisa to the
ground and eased her out of his leather cape-like wings.
	"'Independence Day' that's what" replied Elisa as she showed him the
advertisement in the evening paper.  "A movie eh, are you going alone or
would you like some 'company'?!" Goliath asked in a mocking tone.  "Maybe,
I thought that I'd take Luna to the movie to help get her mind off her
sisters for a while but I'm not sure if she wants to go" she replied as she
looked over to Luna who was sitting by Hudson near the fireplace in an easy
chair.  "Well I'd love to join you but I  must familiarise myself with
these security sketches" he said as he picked one of the countless sheets
in front of him.  "Hey no need to explain to me, I used to have to do it a
lot of times when I was a detective" she said as she briefly looked at the
sketches that Owen had left.  "You still area detective, you're just
working undercover" he said with a crooked sly grin on his square-like
face.  "Yeah, so undercover not even Captain Chavez can get a hold of me"
she said with a small chuckle.  It had been almost two weeks since she had
become a gargoyle and almost as long since she had seen the Captain.  The
last time she had disappeared for a long time Chavez had half the prescient
out looking for her along with a few agents from the federal government.
It had surprised her that one missing cop and a missing prisoner had caused
this much fuss.  She had already met up with Matt soon after her species
change and told him to try and keep things halfway calm at the prescient
and to tell Chavez that she was okay but that would only work for a little
while.  Sooner or later Chavez would want to see her and find out what she
had been up to, but for now she was going to keep things under wraps.
"Well I'd better get going if I want to catch the start of the movie" , she
said as she started toward the door, "Hey Luna, are you going to come with
me or are you going to stick around here?"  It was a few seconds before the
white haired gargoyle did anything but she soon got out of the chair and
started for the door as well.  "I believe I shall go with you, it has been
a while since I last witnessed mortal entertainment" Luna said with a
slight smile.  "How Long exactly has it been?" asked Maza.  "About one
hundred years, give or take a decade" said Luna and with that they were
both out the door.
	It hadn't taken Elisa and her more then five minutes to get outside and
airborne but it still seemed to take forever for her.  That wasn't
surprising since she was used to much quicker methods of travel, like
teleportation among others.  Still she did kind of enjoy the restraints
that had been placed on her, it would help to toughen her and get used to
mortal life.  Gliding through the air was definitely one of the few
pleasures that this form offered, having the wind in your face created such
an unbridled sense of freedom.  As she looked down to see where Elisa was
leading her she was puzzled to find that they were not heading for the
theatre but rather for her apartment from when she was a human.  "Elisa,
why are we stopping here?" she asked as they landed outside her large
rooftop window.  Looking inside she saw that Elisa did have quite a unique
style when it came to interior decorating, her special personality was
shown off everywhere.  "I just want to pick up some cash before we go" she
said as she opened the window and stepped in.  "Why do you need money, from
what the young ones have told me you have your own private 'box seats' "she
asked as she entered behind the black haired gargoyle.  "I know but I just
couldn't go there and watch the movie without leaving something to make up
for the eaten popcorn and the movie itself" , she replied as she opened a
drawer in the kitchen, "I guess I just can't go back on what I was taught,
I just have to obey the law, even if it is inconvenient."  Luna could see
that she wasn't the only one who was facing new challenges by a drastic
change in her appearance.
	Elisa couldn't help but feel a bit out of place among all the human
trappings within her apartment.  Even the clothes she wore seemed a bit out
of place, they seemed different and yet the same.  All the other gargoyles
wore nothing but the loin clothes that they had worn since almost birth.
Sure every couple years they had to make a change in size but aside from
that they stayed the same.   Still deep within her she knew that she would
stay wearing these clothes for as long as she could.  They were a symbol of
her past, of the humanity still within her.  While the wings and the talons
of her new gargoyle form would remind her of the new beginning in her life.
It would remind her of the sacrifice she had made and the price that went
with it.  "Enough of the philosophical talk Maza" , she thought to herself
as she put what money she could find into her pocket, "that's Goliath's
department, besides you've got more important thingsto worry about."  As
she began to make her way to the window she began to hear footsteps in the
hallway and they were getting closer.  "Oh no" gasped and she immediately
ran for the window.  "What is wrong Elisa?" asked Luna as she tried to
deduce what was happening.  "There's someone coming!" she whispered with
authority.  Immediately they jumped through the window and hid among the
stone pillars of brick and cement on the rooftop.  There Elisa waited,
listening for any signs that her apartment was being entered.  Slowly she
could hear the door lock clicking back into it's housing in the frame of
the door and the door sliding open.  At first all that could be heard were
the pitter patter of big feet on the tile-carpet floor of the apartment.
Elisa first thought that it might just have been the landlord just checking
in to see if she had returned but she was soon proven wrong.  "Well looks
like she didn't come back today Peter" , said the sorrow filled voice Elisa
knew as Diane Maza, "Oh where do you think she is, why hasn't she called?"
It pained her to the very core of her gargoyle being to hear the sadness in
her voice, so much so that she just wanted to run right in there and tell
them everything but she didn't.  She couldn't tell them right at the moment
what had happened to her, maybe some other night but not right now.  With
one deep breath she leaped off the building and glided into the night.
Glided off and thinking not about the events that happened in the past but
what was going to happen in the near future.
	"Ohhh, this line is taking forever!" exclaimed Jubilee as she leaned a bit
over the guard rail.  They had already been waiting for ten minutes already
and they weren't even close to the front of the line.  "Take it easy
Jubilee we'll get there soon enough" said Jean Grey as she pulled Jubilee
back into the line.  Jubilee didn't like the catch of having to have a
chaperon but it was definitely better then having to stay at the mansion.
It was a nice place to live and relax but not all the time, there had to be
some time off from looking at the same scenery all the time.  The line
started to move quite a bit quicker as she was gently pushed forward by
Jean.  Apparently there had just been one large group at the front.
Jumping to see over the heads of the other citizens of New York she could
just barely catch a glimpse of the group as they went in.  She couldn't see
their faces very well but they were obviously slobs, that much she could
tell by the stains on the back of their jackets.  "I hope I don't have to
sit next to those creeps" mutter Jubilee as she took a few more steps
forward.  Jean's face twisted as a frown came over her face, she obviously
didn't like that comment very much.  Jubilee had always been told from the
very beginning of her stay at the Xavier school for the gifted, not to call
people names no matter how much they might deserve it.  That was how people
like the Friends Of Humanity and Magneto thought and the X-Men were
supposed to be better than that.  Just as she was about to resume looking
over the heads of the people in front of her, for a few seconds she saw two
shadows dart across the ground and the back of the person in front of her.
Jerking her head to look up she tried to see what had made those two
shadows but all she saw was what looked like a flapping piece of cloth and
then it was only for a split second.  "What is it Jubilee?" asked Jean as
she followed Jubilee's gaze skyward.  "I thought for a second that I saw
something fly over us just a minute ago and land on the roof" she replied
shaking her head.  Jean gave out a slight giggle at her statement and
Jubilee agreed with her.  "Must have been just the shadows playing tricks
on me" she thought as the line surged forward.  As she dismissed the
thought from her mind, had she only looked up for a little bit longer she
might just have seen two glowing pairs of eyes looking down at her.
	"Why did you hide from your parents like that Elisa?" Luna asked as they
sneaked into the theatre through a rusted metal panel in the roof.  "I just
didn't want them to see me like this just yet" , replied Elisa as she made
herself comfortable.  The hole in the roof led right into an apparently
abandoned balcony area, rotted chairs and decaying popcorn buckets
scattered around the floor.  Luna couldn't help but feel a bit
'uncomfortable' with sitting in these surroundings, they were so lewd and
dirty.  "Must we sit in such squalid surroundings Elisa?" she asked the
orangish-tanned gargoyle.  "Yes, unless you would rather take your chances
down in the crowd below" replied Elisa as another small handful of popcorn
went from the bag to her mouth.  Looking down at the people below them she
decided that it would be best to just bear with the 'unsanitary'
surroundings rather then face a potential mob scene.  Within a few moments
the movie started and all was dark and quiet.  The contents of the film
after half an hour or so were your basic struggle against seemingly
unbeatable forces.  It wasn't much different then the battles she had seen
in the past century, except there was a definite increase in dialogue and
bravado.  "Why must humans always see anything new and different as a
threat?" she thought to herself as an action scene began.  It seemed to be
the main thing that filled the thoughts of these mortals, being wiped out
either by themselves or others.  When she turned to Elisa she noticed that
her attention seemed focused on something other then the movie.  "What is
it Elisa?  What do you see?" she whispered to her gargoyle companion.  She
followed the detectives gaze down to the left isle of the theatre and saw a
rather large group of men making their way to the front entrance of the
theatre.  Not giving a word of explanation Elisa jumped up from her seat
and made her way out of the theatre.  "Well, I might as well follow her"
thought Luna and with that she dropped her bag of popcorn and followed her
comrade.
	"Something's just not right about those fellas" thought Elisa as she made
it to the roof of the theatre.  Normally she wouldn't have given those
punks a seconds thought but the fact that more than one person was leaving
a theatre just after paying six bucks to see it seemed a bit stupid which
meant something was definitely amiss.  There were about five of them there
and they were all very large, though it wasn't hard to see that from the
tightness showing on the backs of their trench coats.  Gliding over to the
building across from the theatre she strained her eyes to get a look inside
the theatre but could not see past the front ticket booth.  Suddenly shots
rang out into the cool evening air, screams and cries of pain soon
followed.  "A robbery" , she muttered as she stood up and spread her wings,
"Man are they going to get the surprise of their lives!"  It was only a few
seconds after the first shots were fired that the five figures emerged from
the theatre, each carrying a bag.  "Alright Luna it's time to show these
punks that crime doesn't pay" said Elisa and with a shrill gargoyle battle
cry she dove off from the roof of the building and glided quickly down at
the robbers.  They were shocked out of their wits when they first heard the
inhuman scream and they didn't get any better when they saw the source.
She thrust a side kick right into the rib cage of one of the crooks and
sent him flying through the front doors of the theatre.  After she landed
she saw as Luna rammed at break-neck speed into the side of another and
sent him tumbling in to a brick wall.  "Didn't your mama's ever tell you
that crime doesn't pay!" she said sarcastically as she spread her wings and
lit up her eyes like blow torches.  The adding of the glowing eyes
obviously did the trick as she watched the three conscious thugs take a few
steps back.  "S-s-stay b-back!" stuttered one of them as he took a snub
nosed pistol from his trechcoat.  Elisa could almost admire the kids guts,
even is it was really pure stupidity.  Like a bull whip striking out at
it's target so did her tail lash out and wrap around the hand of the ugly
customer and through him head over heels ontothe top of a parked car.
When the others saw this they began to clumsily try and run away but they
obviously didn't remember that that escape was also cut off by a white
haired gargoyle named Luna.
	"Alright girl, time to show these pieces of pond scum what happens when
they commit a crime in this city" thought Luna as she saw the two remaining
criminals heading her way.  In the past week she had been the basics of the
art of gargoyle fighting by both Goliath and Elisa.  True once upon a time
she would have been able to kill these cretins without so much as a twitch
of a muscle.  Now thanks to her actions considering Goliath she was
forbidden from using her powers in such a manner.  Therefore it was
required for her to learn a somewhat more 'crude' form of dealing with
these villains.  Fortunately she was a quick learner and by her fourth
night of training could pretty much match Elisa blow for blow.  Returning
her thoughts to the task at hand she focused on her prey and spread her
wings and let out a low pitched growl as her eyes became a dark red.  The
first to attack her was not much of a challenge, he threw out a hay maker
that anyone with any skill could dodge.  Taking advantage of the off
balanced fool she grabbed him by the scruff of his coat and rammed his head
into a nearby lamppost.  With a dull thud the body slumped to the ground
and there it stayed, this only left the remaining criminal to deal with.
By this point he was scared out of his wits.  Seeing his fellow sewer rats
taken out obviously left him less then happy about facing two ferocious
creatures.  Suddenly another noise made itself known and it was one that
all members of the clan knew meant it was time to leave.
	"Jean, did you hear that?!" asked Jubilee as the sounds of a pitched
battle rang throughout the theatre.  The telepathic redhead made no comment
as she got out of her seat and began to make her way to the site of the
battle.  "Well I'm not gonna miss out on a fight this time!" she thought as
she followed Jean as she ran down towards the entrance.  From what they
could hear it was like a zoo out there, the sounds of a cougar growling
filled the air.  As they approached the doorway they spotted the
unconscious form of one of the peculiar individuals that she had spotted
earlier.  "What tore into him!?" she asked as she examined the limp form.
Aside from some small slash marks on the front of his coat he seemed
perfectly okay.  Then she heard another growl from the front entrance of
the theatre and from what she could see some creatures were attacking this
guys pals outside.  Neither Jean nor herself waited another moment they
immediately left the fallen thug and went to investigate what was going
outside.  At first all she could see was some sort of winged animal ramming
the head of one of the creeps into a lamppost.  "Ouch, those things have
one mean attitude!" thought Jubilee as the limp form of yet another trench
coated thug fell to the ground.  As soon as they were four feet from the
doors the beast whirled around and looked at them.  They didn't look all
bad, for the most part they looked almost human.  Definitely female in
appearance with large wings on its back and a long powerful looking tail.
With a quick word to another nearby beast like it they both took off across
the street.  "They can't seriously think they can avoid people just by
running through the alleyways" thought Jubilee as she saw the two forms
almost reach their destination.  She found out she was right but at the
moment she wished she wasn't, with a look of surprise and shock on her face
she watched the two winged forms begin to climb the brick front of the
building across the street with their bare hands.  The sound of crumbling
stone shocked her even more as she noticed that the two forms were digging
into the solid brick wall with their own fingers.  Looking at the equally
awe struck Jean Grey she watched as the two creatures leaped from the top
of the building and flew off into the sky.  Fortunately Jean was a might
bit quicker to recover from her state of confusion than Jubilee and was
apparently trying to read the two flying form's minds.
	They had gotten out of there by the skin of their teeth, but not without
being seen by two of the movie goers.  Elisa could already see the
headlines, "Gargoyle attacks innocent movie goer" or "Gargoyle Robbery
Foiled" or some other such piece of gutter trash.  As she flew higher and
began to gain altitude a peculiar feeling came over her, a feeling of an
intrusion.  She could tell that Luna could feel it to, something weird was
going on and she didn't like it one little bit.  When she had been at full
power, when Oberon had first filled her mind with all those thoughts she
could sense the thoughts of the people around her.  What  they were
thinking at the moment, what they had been thinking during the day and even
what thoughts were beginning to take shape.  "Is someone trying to read my
mind?" she asked herself as she tried to identify what the unknown presence
was trying to do.  The alien presence seemed to have no real purpose, it
seemed just to be probing her thoughts, her memories and perhaps just a
little more.  In the past week Luna had taught her many things, everything
from the simplest of spells to how to absorb the magic present when a
gargoyle is turned from a solid stone statue to a living breathing
creature.  There wasn't a whole lot of magic involved in the transformation
and even if there was she knew she couldn't take advantage of it.  That was
one of the problems with sleeping as stone, you have little or no control
over your thoughts until you are just about to wake up.  "Well, this mental
peeping tom is going to get the shock of her life" , thought Elisa as she
began to build the minuscule magic to its fullest potential, "you who
trespass into my mind, whether or not you are the villainous kind, fly from
my thoughts and read the sign, my thoughts are secret my thoughts are
mine!"  As the last words formed in her mind a bright green aura began to
form around her head.  Slowly a contrasting blue aura seemed to be forced
from within Elisa's mind to a point outside the aura and far away.  "That
should keep that phsycic voyeur out of my head for a while" Elisa thought
as she looked to see if Luna was alright.  Apparently she had been able to
fight off the alien intruder as well but with considerably more effort
involved.
	She had never felt such a powerful presence since she had been chastised
by Oberon for involving herself with the Arch-Mage.  Of course it was
significantly harder to fight off now that her magical abilities were
denied to her.  Elisa had apparently learned how to absorb the energy from
her stone transformation quickly.  The former NYPD detective had been able
to call on her small reserve of magic to ward off the attack by the
telepathic warrior but the strain had apparently weakened her a notch or
two.  "We must get back to the castle, if there is some sort of telepath in
town Goliath must be informed" said Elisa trying to mask her fatigue.  Luna
had observed this trait many a time over the centuries of walking the
earth.  It was apparently a primal reflex to try and hide weakness, to
maintain an aura of respect.  Over the ages it had been confused with pride
and dignity but in the end it was all basic instinct.  Nodding in agreement
with Elisa they climbed another few feet and glided in the general
direction of Xanatos tower.  Over the years of watching mankind it
surprised her how much man had become obsessed with greed, with amassing
power.  Upon further investigation she had found it to be a simple wish to
be superior to others, to have a sense of being special.  Perhaps that is
why Elisa had decided not to reveal to the others that if given enough
magical energy that she could transform herself back to her normal human
form.  True that was probably part of the reason but Luna knew that the
main reason was because of Goliath.  The fact that as a gargoyle she would
now be able to have a romantic relationship with him without any fear of
their differences.  "I doubt that even if the sphere hadn't turned her into
a gargoyle, that they would have never eventually showed their boundless
love to one another" , thought Luna as she made a slight turn so that she
brought herself right next to Elisa, "The love between them is so strong it
is almost tangible, I hope they never stop loving each other."  It was such
a delightful sight to see them together, sharing their love with one
another.  Of all the possible matches that may have occurred between them
this one seemed to be almost predestined to become permanent.  In reality
it was, according to the book of time, it had already been foretold.  That
and a great many other things to come that would settle any doubts she may
have.
	The meeting with Doctor Essex had been among the more curious events to
happen in the past two years.  From what Xanatos could make of him he was
definitely a manipulator and a very skilled one.  Already he had
manipulated himself into the swaray tomorrow night and even managed to be
allowed to show off some of his own merchandise.  Of course he realised
this completely and it was only through his good graces that he was allowed
to proceed with his scheme.  The Doctor had left a little more than a
quarter of an hour ago and already he was making plans to turn the tables
on Essex if anything went wrong.  "What do you think of him Mr.Xanatos?"
asked Owen as he looked at the illuminated lights indicating the floor that
the good Doctor was on.  "He is definitely a man of mystery and he
obviously has something planned for the party tomorrow night" he said as he
remembered the conversation they had just had.  The good Doctor Essex had
just made a major breakthrough in robotics and wished to display them to
the cultural elite.  When he had asked why he didn't simply make his own
separate presentation on his own all he got was a look of false modesty and
the familiar "I don't know how" excuse.  It hadn't fooled him in the least
but why not see where the tide took him with this unexpected change in
plans.  "Obviously but the main question is what does he really want?"
asked Owen with the signs of a concerned look beginning to form.  "The only
two feasible goal is that he means to either do exactly what he said he
will or.." he said as he purposefully left the sentence hanging for Owen to
prod and poke at.  "And?" he said in a rather puzzled tone.  "Or he plans
on ransacking the place and he needs to get something inside the building
to accomplish it."  The butler  seemed to be a bit relieved when the last
bit of information reached his ear.  As Puck the trickster of the gods he
no doubt was the one to usually keep people hanging on his every word.  The
opportunity to turn the tables on one so powerful was simply to tempting to
pass up.  "Shall I increase the security at the party sir?" he asked as he
reached for his cellular phone in his blazer pocket.  "No I think that we
have enough security to handle whatever the mysterious scientist has in
mind" he replied as he began walking towards the elevator himself.  He just
hoped that his smug comment rang true, for if it didn't it could mean
another large loan from the Illuminati.
	"The human fool fell for it as I knew he would" thought the dear Doctor
Essex as he left the base of the large skyscraper and into a waiting black
limo.  Once inside he put his long cane beside him and rolled up the dark
tinted window.  He had heard of this scientific achievement of Xanatos
Enterprises quite a while ago but decided to wait for just the right moment
to 'remove' it from that dunderhead's private inventory.  As the limo
pulled  away from the curb and began it's swift journey down the concrete
road an amazing transformation began inside the sleek interior of the limo.
The man who was known as Doctor Essex looked as though his entire body was
shifting in place, like the scales of a reptile move when it slithers along
the ground.  His trench coat seemed to shift as well as though it was a
piece of his skin as well.  If his true identity were truly known this
occurrence would be considered common place.  For as the skin turns a pale
white and his clothes tighten around him and become an alien metal like
skin this beings identity is revealed.  In past years he has committed many
crimes which most people would consider cruel but for him nothing matters
except for his pursuit of the ultimate in genetic evolution.  He, who has
followed the lives of two who will produce the strongest and most powerful
mutant of them all.  He who has allied himself with everyone from the
untamable Sabretooth to the Master of Magnetism himself.  To his comrades
and servants he is simply called "Master" but to all the rest he is simply
known as Sinister, Mr. Sinister.  "Ev'ryting goin' 'ccordin' to plan boss?"
asked the slightly furry chauffeur from the front of the limo.  "Yes
Hairbag, Xanatos fell for it like the fool he is" , he said as he began to
interface on his computer at HQ, "In forty-eight hours we will have a
working time portal to use and millions in riches with which to spend."  He
was pleased with how things had gone but he was still a bit disappointed
with David Xanatos.  He had the reputation for being an underhanded
manipulator but he hadn't caught any of the most common ploys that he had
used.  As he looked through the sun-roof of the limo to look back and smile
he noticed something very odd.  Two winged shapes were approaching the
Xanatos building and they didn't exactly look like a pair of pigeons who
had lost their way.  This definitely peaked his curiosity and made his
smile stretch even farther.  "Maybe Xanatos is not the fool I had taken him
for" , he thought as he continued his observation of the strange
silhouettes as they apparently landed, "What has that boisterous
billionaire have in his possession? What were those things?"  A second
later the mysterious shapes were gone and all he was left with to remember
them by was the single question"what were those things?" dancing in his
head.
	Jubilee was still waiting for a response from Jean when suddenly the red
haired X-Man swooned and staggered back to the brick wall of the theatre.
All she had been able to deduce from watching Jean was that she had been
trying to probe the minds of the flying creatures which they had just seen.
Though from her point of view she wasn't so sure that she wanted to find
them.  So far they had just given five big creeps a ticket to the hospital
with ease and made finger sized holes in solid stone.  "Whatever they were
they are definitely not the kind of creatures you wanted to get angry" she
thought as she rushed to the side of her mutant comrade.  Apparently they
had been able to shake Jean's mental probe eventually which added a
powerful mind to the powerful body.  "Jean are you alright, what happened?"
she asked as she helped her gal pal to stand up straight.  It took a few
minutes for her to regain her thoughts but she seemed none the worse for
wear.  "I-I'm fine Jubilee, I just wasn't prepared for such a counter
attack" replied Jean as the strength in her legs returned.  "What were
those things?" she asked as she remembered the look on the gargoyle's face
a few minutes before.  "I'm not sure, I wasn't able to get much from either
of their minds" , replied Jean as they walked to the Xavier mini-van, "It
was as if they had some sort of protection from telepaths."  This worried
her some, the professor had said on so many occasions that Jean's
telepathic power was almost as strong as his own.  To know that there were
a people that could stop her from dipping into their minds definitely made
her feel uncomfortable.  "Were you able to get anything from them?" she
asked as they got into the van.  "Only a place, a place very important to
them" , said Jean with a look of supreme concentration on her face, "A
castle high above the clouds and I was able to get a name from the dark
haired one."  Eager in anticipation Jubilee awaited Jean's stating of the
name, anxious to learn what was inside the head of one of those one lady
SWAT team.  "The name was Maza, Elisa Maza" , Jean said as she started the
car, "we'll ask Hank to search for any reference to the name whenwe get
back to the Mansion."  As the final bit of information sunk in Jubilee was
startled to remember that nobody knew they had gone in the first place and
that she would be in deep trouble no matter what valuable piece of
information they had recovered.
	They had made it back to the castle with little trouble, apparently the
magical shock she had sent to the telepath had discouraged him from
attempting again.  Still that wouldn't last forever, now that he had a look
inside their heads there would probably be no end to it.  She had been able
to shake it off before anything valuable came to light or at least she
hoped she had.  Last thing she needed was some creep to be giving her
friends and family trouble.  She knew that that wasn't the only problem
that was facing her and the rest of the gargoyle clan.  If the telepath
found out where they slept during the day or even what happened when they
slept it could mean big trouble.  The second she landed in the courtyard
she strode quickly inside to find Goliath and the others.  Surprisingly
they were in the same spot they had been before, even the trio were still
playing the video game.  "Elisa, what are you doing back so soon, I thought
the movie was two hours?" asked Goliath as he noticed her approach.  "We
have bigger things to worry about than whether or not I saw the movie" she
said as she gave him her "We're in deep trouble" look.  "What happened?" he
asked as an all to common look of concern came over his face.  "We had just
stopped a robbery outside the movie theatre when Luna noticed that the
crowd had heard all the noise" , she explained as calmly as she could, "as
we glided away someone was trying to peek into our minds, trying
telepathically to get info from us."  Goliath frowned in response to this,
she knew then that he didn't like where this was going.  The word 'robbery'
had drawn the trio from the game and Brooklyn was the first person to talk.
"What happened then?" he asked with a look of concern forming on his brow.
"Both Luna and I were able to shake loose of the mind probe but neither of
us know how much this person may have gotten." she replied as she saw
Goliath's frown grow worse.
	This was definitely a problem but they had to remain calm and look at this
rationally.  They all looked at him for an answer, a course of action which
they should take.  Obviously since they didn't know who the telepath was
they would have to restrict the amount of time they spent away from the
castle.  Also Xanatos would have to be informed of this development, if the
person had uncovered where they slept he would have to deal with it as
well.  "From now on no one is to leave the castle except for an emergency"
, he said as he looked at their reactions, "we can't afford to give this
mind reader any more opportunities to pry into our minds."  "What if this
telepath has already learned of our home and how we turn to stone during
the day?" asked Angela as she walked up to her father.  The look on her
face showed her concern but most of all her fear.  She had only once faced
such a dire situation, that time being with the Hunters.  "That is why I
must go and speak to Xanatos, if some one comes looking for us it will be
up to him to deal with it" he replied as he made his way to the door.  He
could feel all their eyes focused on his back, their eyes begging for
reassurance that everything would be alright and that they would be safe.
Even when he was half-way down the hall he could feeling their hopeful
gazes.  He hoped that when he returned from speaking with Xanatos that he
would have something reassuring to tell them.  As he approached the door to
Xanatos' office he could hear the multi-billionaire busy at work preparing
for the party tomorrow night.  Opening the doors and stepping in
immediately drew the attention of Xanatos away from the layers of paper
that covered his desk.  "Goliath to what do I owe the pleasure of your
visit?" he asked happily as he got up from his desk to offer his hand.  "We
have a problem Xanatos" , he said at first but then decided to remove Xanato
s from the picture, "that is my clan and I have a problem."  This raised an
eyebrow of interest on Xanatos' bearded face and Goliath hoped that was a
good thing.  Though the pony-tailed businessman had been acting rather
honourable of late that didn't mean that he was no longer the
opportunistic, scheming person he had been once before.
	This was certainly a surprise and an opportunity he couldn't afford to
pass up.  Xanatos had been asked for more favours by just about everyone
around him at one time or another but one from Goliath was certainly a rare
treat.  There had been a few times that he had helped Goliath and his clan
without being asked but having him say those words definitely sweetened
things.  "How can I be of service?" he asked in faux gentleman fashion.
Goliath obviously noticed this which would make him even more reluctant to
ask for help.  "Earlier tonight Elisa and Luna had stopped a robbery at the
theatre they had gone to" , he said in his usual thunderous tone, "As they
left the area they felt as though their minds were being probed
telepathically..."  Rather then listen to Goliath's drawn out explanation
he decided to just cut to the chase.  "...And you want help to prevent the
location of your home from becoming public knowledge." , he finished as a
look of detestement fell over the forehead of the lavender gargoyle, "It
would be my pleasure to aide a good friend such as yourself."  He walked
over to the intercom unit on the wall and called for Owen to join them.
Soon the door opened and the stalwart form of Owen Burnett entered the
room.  "You wished to see me Mr. Xanatos?" he asked in his normal dial tone
fashion.  "Yes Owen, it seems we have a mental peeping tom on the loose who
just recently scanned Detective Maza and Luna" , he explained as he
returned to his desk, "Goliath has asked for aide in the damage control
department and I have agreed to aide him."  "I fail to see how I can be of
service, I am not exactly a telepath" retorted the glass wearing executive.
"I realise that but you are able to become one" he said with a minute
grin.  From the moment that he had discovered Owen's alter-ego he had felt
a sense of freedom, he felt as though another weight had been lifted off
the large stack mounted on his back.  "Sir, you know that I am forbidden
from using my powers except in the teaching or protecting of Alexander"
said the navy-blue wearing stuffed shirt.  "True but it shouldn't be hard
for a master of subterfuge such as Puck to bend and twist things to
accomadate the problem" said Xanatos as he noticed a slight grin form on
the face of Owen.  With no more than a slight adjustment of his glasses the
form of Owen Burnett vanished in a puff of smoke and the maniacal Puck took
his place.
	Puck had always liked the way Xanatos thought, it was so much looser than
Oberon's strict way.  It was in these rare moments that he actually felt
some freedom return to his being.  Oh sure he had been allowed to use his
powers to their full extent once or twice before but even then he hadn't
really been free.  "Alright Xanatos I'll lend my expertise for the job" ,
he said is his usual nonsense fashion, "but if either Oberon or Titania
punish me for this be prepared to receive an unpleasant surprise within the
hour."  The billionaire simply raised an eyebrow at this open threat, that
at least meant that he was concerned a bit and concerned he should be.
Though none of his brothers or sisters had been able to prove it he had
pulled of some of the most humiliating pranks of all time on them all.
"Let's go down and see just how much knowledge was pilfered from the two
bachalorettes" said Puck as he began to float toward the door.  As he left
the room he could hear the heavy footfalls of Goliath and the softer
footfalls of Xanatos behind him.  When he entered the living room the
resounding groans and muttered curses erupted almost immediately.  "Thank
you, thank you and thank YOU!" said the miniature Vulcan as he proceeded
towards Maza and Luna.  It was obvious by the former weird sister's
expression that she would have rathered an agonising death to being in his
presence.  Maza's wasn't exactly the same but the show of bitterness did
not lessen any.  "Alright, let's get this over with." , he said as he
proceeded to do a bit of detective work on the detective, "I still have
papers up to wazoo to look over before the party!"
	Luna didn't relish the thought of having her no-good brother poking around
anybody's head, especially not hers.  Unfortunately it was necessary if
they were to discern how much the telepath had uncovered in their minds.
He went over to Elisa first which came as no surprise considering he felt
the same way about her as she did about him.  "Now Maza, if I am to find
out what was discovered by the peeping tom I can't have your powers getting
in the way" , said the floating prankster named Puck, "So I'd appreciate it
if you practised controlling your absorption ability during the process."
With a slight nod Elisa closed her eyes and began to concentrate, trying to
control the power within her.  Taking notice of her entranced state Puck
began the process of telepathy.  "Your mind has been invaded, and another
mind pervaded, reveal now what has been seen, and sent down a telepath's
beam" chanted Puck and with a small puff of air a purple mist danced
through the air towards Maza.  Soon it touched her and began to surround
her entire head, drifting around her like fog does in London.  Luna looked
closely on the taunt skin of Elisa Maza and watched to see if the spell had
taken effect.  With the opening of her mouth came the signal that Luna had
been looking for, the spell had taken effect.  From the small opening
between her soft lips came the response to Puck's request, in the from of a
slightly greenish mist.  Soon the mist had traversed across the open air
between Puck and Maza and entered the waiting mouth of the the silver
haired fairy.  With a look of puzzlement the floating comedian sifted
through the information he had received.  A minute later his expression
returned to it's normally jovial, comical self.  "Well I have done all I
can and I have to say Maza that you need a real clean-up job in that head
of yours" , Puck said as he turned up his nose in disgust, "but the state
of your mind is beside the point, the fact is that all that was discovered
was your name and whatever you were feeling emotionally at the moment."
The look on Maza's face was one of the most unusual she had seen in a long
time, it was a cross between angry, afraid and relieved.  When you try and
put something like that all on one face it is not a very pretty sight.
	Elisa wasn't pleased with what she heard, not one tiny bit.  Although all
that had been revealed was her name and emotions that still might be enough
for the telepath to find them with.  All they would have to do is ask all
of her friends at the police station and her family and they might have
enough info to deduce that the gargoyles are living in Castle Wyvern.  Matt
knew where the gargoyles were and his conspiracy developing mind probably
had a few ideas as to where she was.  If a telepath began to ask him
questions thoughts of the castle might crop up and that would all the
person or persons would need.  "I have to call Matt and warn him about
this" , she thought to herself, "he's the only one besides me who knows
where the gargoyles live now and that could mean trouble."  Slowly she
sauntered across the room and picked up the phone.  It took about five
rings but eventually the phone at Bluestone's apartment was picked up.
"Matt here, what's up?" said a fatigued voice at the other end of the line.
"Matt, it's Maza.  Look I don't have a lot of time to talk" , she said as
she saw confused expressions sprout up everywhere, "for the next few days
try not to think of the guys at all."  Her former partner was obviously as
confused as the others were, that much could be heard from the quick gasp
on the phone.  "Elisa man am I glad to hear from you, your parents and
Chavez are pounding me for answers and I'm running out of answers!" , said
Bluestones frantic voice, "and what's this 'don't think about the guys'
your talking about?"  She should have expected that he'd ask for more
details but she had hoped that this one time she would stop being a cop for
a minute.  "Look, there's somebody out there with telepathic abilities
looking for gargoyles" she explained impatiently, "she scanned me tonight
and was able to get my name, they might come to the prescient asking
questions so I need you to give them the run-a-round."  With a deep sigh of
realisation her partner said"Alright I'll try but you better talk to your
parents where you've been for the past two weeks or I could be in major
trouble!"  She knew that he would say that, she did owe everyone back at
the prescient and at home an explanation.  The only thing that had stopped
her the past few weeks was fear, fear of how they would react and how they
would think of her.  "This would have been a lot easier if that stinkin'
telepath had just minded his own business" thought Elisa as she prepared to
say goodbye and hang up.
	"What was it you thought you saw petite?" asked Gambit from his relaxed
position.  The second that she and Jean had arrived home they had gone to
tell the professor the unusual news.  At first he was skeptical at her
claims but Jubilee knew what she had seen and didn't care if he didn't
believe it.  Fortunately Jean's word seemed to hold more weight with the
professor than hers.  Following a detailed explanation of what had happened
the professor sounded the emergency klaxon and telepathically summoned the
scattered X-Men.  Most of them were a bit testy when they sauntered into
the war room but they didn't say anything.  They didn't have to say a
single word, the expressions on their faces said it all.  The only one that
didn't seem tired was Gambit.  Though that is hardly unusual for the ragin'
cajun', every night is a late night for him.  "I saw what looked like a
human but it had bat like wings fangs and eagle like feet" she replied with
a tone of bitterness present, "and I wasn't seeing things!"  "Nobodies
saying that you were Jubilee but you must admit that the idea of a bat
winged human is a it hard to swallow" said Cyclops as he adjusted his
ruby-quartz visor.  He was right of course, if she hadn't been there in
person she wouldn't have believed it either.  Beast had been listening the
entire time but hadn't said a word, he was to busy typing in the
information and entering it into the main computer.  Finally he stopped and
a holographic image appeared above the floor.  It was almost exactly what
she had seen except for a few slight differences.  "Is this what you saw
Jubilee" asked Beast as he eagerly awaited her reply.  She simply nodded
and that was all it took for Beast to bring up a news broadcast of a riot
that had taken place a few weeks earlier.  "Then I believe what you saw
tonight was a gargoyle, not of stone but of legend" , he said as he took of
his blue rimmed glasses, "there had been a riot in front of Manhattan
General a few weeks ago concerning gargoyles and that particular gargoyle
was present."  A look of curiosity, caution and wonderment set itself on
the professor's face and he knew that a long standing mission was
forthcoming.  "It seems as though we have a delicate task ahead of us" ,
said the Professor, "we must try to locate these gargoyles and if necessary
stop them."
	They had spent the entire night debating what they could do to further
protect themselves from the probes of the telepath but to no avail.  The
only reasonable course of action was the one he had suggested from the
start, they must stay in the castle until it was safe to leave.  How long
that was seemed to be solely in the hands of the telepath and how
determined he was.  He may just be a child who was just discovering his
unique ability or he could be another Hunter.  Given the choice he
definitely preferred the former to the latter.  "The sun will rise in a few
minutes and then we will be safe for the day" he thought as he gazed at the
brightening horizon.  As stone there would be no mind for the telepath to
penetrate, no secrets to be found.  He remembered the last time his mind
had been under siege, but that time Demona had been involved.  This had
been back before they had been driven from their home by Xanatos after
their awakening.  She had tricked Brooklyn into stealing the Grimorum
Mahknorum and delivering it to her.  Through a spell in that book she had
enslaved his mind and forced him to strike out against Brooklyn, who by
then had discovered Demona's trickery.  Throughout his entire life he had
never quite felt like that, even when he had tried to return to the castle
a thousand years ago he had some comfort in knowing that he would not be
able to witness what was about to happen.  Under the control of the spell
it was like he was asleep but could see everything that his body was doing.
It had been one of the more unsettling moments he had gone through since
he emerged in this strange new world.  True he had eventually escaped that
magical torture but the thought of what he might have done still caused him
to shudder.  Watching as Elisa took her perch on the ramparts next to his
perch drew his mind to quite another subject.  "What is going through her
mind?" he wondered as he followed her example and took his place on the
tip-top of the main tower.  Elisa had far more to lose of what the telepath
had found out came to light.  She might lose all she ever cared about and
that is a fate he would not wish on his worst enemy.
	Things were going a bit fast for her tastes but she could handle it, or at
least she hoped she could.  From what Puck had told them the gargoyles were
safe for the time being.  Though her old life as Elisa Maza was about to
get right in her face if they didn't find out who or what had intruded upon
her mind.  Although all they got was a name, that alone could lead the
telepath to Xanatos and to Castle Wyvern.  A little research done into
gargoyle lore would be the final nail in the coffin that would once again
open hunting season on gargoyles.  "Oh stop worrying, if it comes to that
I'm sure I can handle it" she thought to herself looking at the advancing
blue blanket sweeping over her head.  If the person who probed her is led
to the castle a quick memory wipe spell will solve the problem in no time
at all.  From the right she could already hear a sigh fall from the lips of
Luna, which happened every time she thought about anything involving memory
wipes and things of that nature.  She seemed to keep forgetting that though
she as a child of Oberon that she was forbidden to meddle with the affairs
of mortals while Elisa Maza the gargoyle wasn't.  "Though you are not be a
child of Oberon by birth you might as well be, for it is avalonic energies
which birthed your new form and those same energies that have given you
abilities greater than any other mortal" she had said on the first night of
tutelage in the magical arts.  I suppose that half of that may be true but
what about the other half.  How much of that other half consisted of Luna's
conscious or subconscious desire to gain a sister through her.  The loss of
her sisters at the hands of Loki must have been traumatic for her, so much
so that she is trying to forget about it by building a new group of three
that started with the gargoyle sorceress.  In a way a part of her wanted to
do the same, to build a new family so that she could leave all the coming
troubles in the dust.  She would much rather start a new family than have
to face her true family with all the changes that her life has gone under.
"Luna is probably hoping that I'll give in and leave my old life behind" ,
thought Elisa as she prepared for stone sleep, "and I think I probably
would, if only to save my family and friends some not needed grief."
	"I know what she is thinking" , thought Luna as she gazed up at the
vanishing moon and then to the rising sun, "and then I do not, far from all
powerful am I since the transformation."  It had been only a week since she
had been frozen by Oberon in the form she had chosen.  Some would wonder
why she chose the form of a gargoyle, especially when there are so many
better ones to choose from.  One explanation which people would agree with
is because of the offer that Elisa Maza had made just moments before and
others would say that she didn't choose the form at all.  Truth be known
she chose the form of a female gargoyle because of the way it so matched
her former existence.  The life of a mysterious, lonely, feared and perhaps
even hated species, to be called upon to maintain order and to fight
against chaos each night.  Then there came the reason that she was even
less proud of but one she knew existed , the reason that was the longing to
belong somewhere.  More specifically to have sisters once more, sisters who
shared the same mystical energies that Seline and Phoebe had shared with
her once.  In the short nights she had spent teaching Elisa how to use, how
to harness her abilities to aide the clan, she had seen traits in her that
so well mirrored that of her departed sisters.  Perhaps it was just her
mind playing tricks on her but she actually did see a bit of Seline and
Phoebe in Elisa.  "I should be ashamed for thinking about such things,
Elisa doesn't desire a life as my sister nor a member of a mystical trio" ,
she thought to herself, "still I can't help but wonder what would happen if
Elisa, Fox and myself were to join together to form a reborn sect of Weird
Sisters."  The thought was indeed intriguing, already thoughts of possible
scenarios flipped through her mind and she entertained each and every one.
Pushing those thoughts to the side she struck the fierce pose she would be
frozen in for the day and waited ever patiently for the feeling of stone
sleep to sweep over her body.  She was not disappointed for no more than a
few seconds later the stone cold stiffness began to race across her
gargoyle form and sent her to a reluctant sleep.  As she began to dream the
dreams of dreamers the thought of the possible Weird Sisters resurrection
loomed in her mind, waiting for reality to grab hold and assimilate it.
	Jubilee had tried to get some sleep that night but it had been no use,
images of the gargoyles she had seen just kept flipping through her head.
The way their eyes glowed, the sight of their sharp fangs and their long,
wide wings spread out beside them.  Those images would fill her dreams the
entire night, some would be pleasant and others not so pleasant.  So
disturbing were some of her dreams that she actually got up early and went
to the Danger Room to practise and get her mind of it all.  She pulled up
the Juggernaut program first and fared pretty badly.  Then came the
Apocalypse program then Omega Red, one after another she attempted but to
no avail.  The images of the creep she had spotted at the theatre lying on
the ground, the appearance of the gargoyles right in front of her.  It all
seemed so weird, for the longest time she had thought that gargoyles just
some statues on buildings.  Now all in one night she found out that they
were living breathing creatures, creatures that could create gashes an inch
or more deep in solid stone.  "I believe I may have the cure for your
constant lilt of questions" said a voice from behind her.  She turned to
see Professor Xavier in the doorway of the Danger Room, a look of concern
that all to often was plastered on his face.  He apparently saw the look of
curiousness scrawled on her face because he immediately indicated the note
pad on the arm rest of his high tech wheel chair.  "I was about to leave
with Jean to try and uncover what information we could about the name that
was present in the gargoyles mind" , said the professor as he brought the
floating hover chair closer, "There seemed to be very little about her on
computer other then the basic identification file."  Well she wasn't sure
if it would answer her questions or just produce more but it was worth a
try.  "Sure, so where to first?" she asked as she picked up the note pad
and put it in her yellow trench coat.  "From her file we know what
prescient she worked at so we had best start there" replied the professor
as he turned his chair around.  At the conclusion of the statement her
mouth twisted into an all to common look of puzzlement.  "What do ya mean
'worked' professor" she asked as she began to follow him.  "Detective Maza
hasn't reported in for two weeks, which means she has either been kidnapped
or killed" he replied and with that they left the artificial confines of
the Danger Room and began their quest for the truth.
	"Do you have it?" asked Sinister from his place among the seemingly
organic walls of his aircraft.  "Sure ting bos', got de tape right here"
said hairbag as he passed the black tape to his equally black master.  He
had ordered Hairbag to bring him a recording of the recent uproar of
apparent 'gargoyle' attacks all around the city.  As he began viewing them
the sightings and bits of video clips were sketchy at best but when it came
to the WVRN news broadcast from almost three weeks ago.  The anchor person
was accusing creatures he called gargoyles of being responsible, they even
had some remarkable video clips showing an up close and personal look at
the fearsome creatures.  These creatures of myth and legend were even more
magnificent then their reputation led people to believe.  The one thing
that intrigued him more than their appearance was the possibilities that
their DNA could present him with.  Their strength, speed, agility and
ferocity would definitely increase the raw power of his mutant army
greatly.  Suddenly a picture came on the screen, it showed a red and black
helicopter land atop an abandoned church.  For a while he was as clue less
as the people who had been there in person but when he saw the side door of
the chopper open up to reveal a man in a dark black suit waiting it all
became so clear.  Though he couldn't see the face clearly enough there was
no mistaking it, David Xanatos had been the one to save the gargoyles.
"Hmmm, it may be that Xanatos was not the fool I took him for" he thought
as he watched the tape play on the screen.  This would definitely call for
a change in plans, he would have to add a few things to his already
substantial invasion force.  Hairbag had been watching all the while and
hadn't said a thing.  "So my fur ball of a friend, what do think about
these 'gargoyles', hmmm?" he asked as he flipped off the view screen.  "Dey
don't look so tuff to me!" , said the primal beast as he turned up his nose
at the fading picture, " 'f dey git in my wey, dey be extinct b'fore I'm
trough with dem!"  Though he usually had faith in Hairbag and his brawling
skills he definitely felt that he may have met his match with these
gargoyles.
	Things were proceeding exactly as he had planned them, with the exception
of having to add more security.  Xanatos had already informed the 'human'
security teams that the gargoyles would be assisting them and he hoped that
he could count on them to work with Goliath without much friction.  Some of
his personal 'goon' squad as he remembered Maza calling them, still had
some personal grudges against the 'stone by day' gargoyles.  Add that to
the still present mistrust on the gargoyles side and there is definitely
the potential for disaster.  That is why he had decided to arm his men with
nonlethal ordinance, much to the protest of his men.  He didn't want there
to be the slightest window of opportunity for disaster to rear it's ugly
head.  Currently he was overseeing the placing of the Steel Clan in their
hidden compartments in the room.  Most he had placed in the wall panels and
a few beneath the fountains but he had placed three below the stage just in
case.  "Mr. Xanatos?  I have done what you asked concerning all persons
with telepathic abilities and have produced some possible suspects" said
Owen as he walked up in his yellow hardhat and passed him an envelope.
Inside were pictures of three women and a crippled man, not exactly a
motley group but he trusted Owen's abilities.  "The first is Jean Grey, a
resident of a private school in West Chester, New York.  The second is a
thief for hire who calls herself Psylocke, her current location is unknown
but it is believed that she is in Europe" , explained Owen as he watched
his employer flip through the photos, "the third is not a confirmed
telepath but several of her guesses have been known to be unusually
accurate, her name is Emma Frost.  Lastly we come to Professor Charles
Xavier, owner of the school that Ms.Grey lives."  Any one of these could
have been the one that scanned Maza and Luna but unfortunately there was no
way to be certain.  "Oh well, I guess we'll find out one way or another
when one of these people come looking" , he thought to himself as he handed
the photos back to Owen, "if I know anything is that people can't get
enough of the rare and exotic and gargoyles are as rare and exotic as they
come."  With that discussion dealt with for the for the moment, the only
thing he could do now was sit back and wait for the fish to come to him.
	As they left the cop house Jubilee was not at all in a good mood, mostly
due to the fact that she felt pretty much useless.  Jean and the Prof were
having all the fun, looking  into the mind of every police officer they had
spoken to.  The only reason they probably dragged her around with them
because a child helped to keep things honest between them and the cops.
When she looked on the faces of the officers they seemed to instantly put
on their best faces and attitudes, which were pretty pathetic if you asked
her.  For the most part the search had been a complete waste of time,
neither Jean or Xavier had hooked onto anything and if they had they
weren't saying anything.  When they reached the van and got in she knew
that she had to ask now or risk being left out completely.  "So did you
guys get anything from those flatfoots?" she asked as she stuck her head
into the front of the car.  " ' police officers' Jubilee and yes we did get
something" , replied the Prof. as he drove the car, "Apparently Detective
Maza is friends with these gargoyles and is very protective of them."  That
stunned Jubilee for a moment, the thought that someone could actually talk
to those things without freaking was impossible.  She gave herself a mental
slap in the face for thinking something like that, she was beginning to
sound like one of those Friends Of Humanity creeps.  Jean sat in the
passenger seat and seemed to be confused slightly, as if she was confronted
with the mother of all crossword puzzles and only had one word to go.
"Were you able to find out where they are?" she asked eagerly as they came
to an intersection.  "Not exactly but we think we may know who does" ,
answered Jean as she came out of the self-inflicted trance, "the CEO of XE,
David Xanatos himself."  Jubilee was a bit uneasy when the name of David
Xanatos popped up, the fact that he had a major invention up for display
tonight and the gargoyles being connected with him had to be more then a
coincidence.
	It was an hour before sunrise and already guests were arriving, probably
because they had engagements to be at later in the evening.  The Hardy
Foundation had already sent its represenitive, not surprising that it was
Felicia Hardy herself who had been sent.  Her mother had always played
favourites when it came to things of this nature.  Although Xanatos himself
was not scheduled to appear until later he felt it would be prudent to
mingle a bit at first.  Ms. Hardy and he exchanged the normal pleasantries
and began talking about the events that would take up most of the night.
Dr.Essex had arrived only half an hour earlier with his equipment and was
already beginning to set things up on the stage.  Walking towards him he
looked over two of the workers that were assisting him, a white-haired
woman and a white haired man.  They weren't one of his so they had to
belong to Essex.  "How is the assembly coming along Doctor?" he asked as he
jumped onto the stage.  At first Essex seemed to have been oblivious to his
question but then he turned around and smiled at him in a sly manner.  "It
is proceeding most excellently Mr. Xanatos, things should be set up in time
for the presentation" , answered the dark glasses wearing scientist,
"Though I am quite puzzled as to why your people aren't setting up your
invention, is it alright?"  "It is perfectly alright, but no assembly is
needed" , he replied as he began to examine the parts lying on the ground,
"its quite compact for its advance technology but that is mainly because
the power source is independent from the actual portal itself."  This
seemed to produce a slight hint of disappointment in the good doctors
expression but it was barely anything noticeable.  "Well I look forward to
seeing it up close, now if you'll excuse me I have to run a diagnostic on
the main console" said Essex and he walked away down the stage.  Xanatos
was pondering whether or not he should have him followed but before he
could decide signalled him from across the room and indicated he had guests
in his office.   "Well it looks as though the telepathic fish has come to
swim in my pond" , he thought as he made his way towards the elevator, " I
wonder who it is?"  As the doors of the elevator opened he noticed that a
set of eyes were firmly locked onto him but before he could turn to see who
it was the doors closed and he was on his way up.
	The place was kinda a cool, Jubilee thought as Jean the Prof and herself
waited in the CEO's office.  "This is a pretty cool mixture of castle and
computer" , thought Jubilee as she gazed about the room, "but I still
prefer a more modern look to this Camelot motif."  Still she was a little
relieved that they had gotten up here to see this David Xanatos, especially
after the hard time his Frankenstein-like assistant had given them upon
their arrival.  That stone-cold assistant of Xanatos' was definitely
without emotion and seemed totally devoted to his work.  They had been
waiting in this room for five minutes already and still there was still no
sign of any CEO.  Suddenly as if to answer her prayers of future excitement
the door to the room opened and in stepped a guy that fit the bill of a
wall street tycoon and billionaire playboy to a T.  He was of above average
height, had brown hair and a brown beard to go with it and had a poker face
that would fool even Gambit.  "Sorry to keep you waiting, I was just
overseeing some last minute arrangements for the party I am having" said
Xanatos as he walked around them to his desk and sat down.  He was
definitely smooth but she doubted that even he could prevent Jean or Xavier
from finding out what they wanted to know.  "Perfectly understandable, what
we have to discuss won't take long" , said the professor as he opened a
side compartment on his hover chair, "We are looking for a detective whom I
believe you know, a Detective Elisa Maza of the NYPD."  The
multi-billionaire looked at the photos with a glazed look on his eyes and
soon put the photographs down on his desk.  "Its true that Ms. Maza and I
have met on several occasions and exchanged a few words but that hardly
makes me privy to her whereabouts" , Xanatos said with a confused look on
his face, "What led you to believe that I may know where the dear detective
is?"  "It has been noticed by her fellow officers that she made an
appointment to stop by this building almost every night before she
disappeared" Xavier said as he picked up the photos off the glass desk and
put them away.  Xanatos seemed totally oblivious to this news, it looked as
though they had hit another dead end.  Either that or this guy had the art
of bluffing down to a science, either way it didn't do them any good.
	This was not exactly a ideal situation considering the circumstances but
if David Xanatos had learned anything in his years as CEO, it was that
there is always a good side to everything.  From what he could tell by the
expressions on their faces they were determined to find the gargoyles,
perhaps even obsessed concerning their quest.  "It is true that the
Detective did have appointments with me frequently but it was all business"
, he replied as he observed and studied their reactions, "She merely asked
for information that she felt a man of my calibre and power would have
access to."  The red head seemed to be oblivious tothe news as she
continued her stare at his head.  The bald professor seemed to be a bit
more fluent in his facial movements but still maintained a aura of
concentration around him.  The third black haired teenager seemed to be
listening to his voice rather then trying to read his mind.  She obviously
wasn't a telepath but he wouldn't be the one to say it officially.
"Information on what, exactly Mr. Xanatos?" asked Xavier who seemed to be
the most intellectual of the three.  "Mostly information about rival
companies and their supposed black market purchases, nothing illegal." he
said with a slight hint of arrogance to make them suspicious.  If he could
draw their attention away from Goliath and his clan it would make things
easier.  "Did she ask for any significant information before her
disappearance?" asked Ms.Grey whose navy blue eyes never left him.  "Not as
far as I know, there were a few things but nothing that would cause her to
be kidnapped or any such thing" he said as he took a brief look out at the
setting sun and knew that it would be in their best interest to brush these
people away as soon as possible.  "Wait a minute, maybe I should keep them
here" , he thought to himself as he gently stroked his beard, "it would
give Maza a chance to get a good look at them and keep an eye on them as
well, if only for the evening."  He returned his gaze to his three guests
and put on the most sincere and happy face he could muster under the tense
circumstances.
	It was obvious that whatever the rich-man knew he wasn't going to spit it
out willingly.  "I'm afraid I have to return to supervise the remaining
preparations but you're welcome to stay and attend the festivities" , said
Xanatos as he walked to a position behind them all, "I'm sure that Owen can
find some suitable formal wear and it would be quite an honour to have you
all attend, especially you professor."  He obviously wanted them to stay
here so they would waste more time and let whoever he was protecting get
away.  Jubilee herself knew that nobody with half a brain cell would fall
for such a stupid ruse, specifically not the Prof or Jean.  "We would be
delighted to attend, I'm sure Jubilee will find it most interesting" ,
replied the professor in a unmistakable sincere tone, "seeing such an
achievement such as the one you will be showing tonight would be a rare
treat for her."  Jubilee couldn't believe what she was hearing, the Prof
must have gone nuts trying to probe Xanatos' mind.  She didn't know which
to be more afraid of at the moment, the fact that they were falling into
what could be a trap or that she would have to listen to Hank McCoy-like
scientists blab on and on in geekenese.  Jean took notice of her apparent
case of shock and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.  "Don't worry
Jubilee, it's all part of the plan" said Jean's voice in her head
reassuringly.  Personally she trusted Jean with her life but under these
circumstances that faith was being sorely tested.  With a bit of effort she
calmed her face down and tried to put on a happy face for the bearded
billionaire.  It seemed to fool him as a smile also came to his suave face
but that only made her more tense.  That smile either meant one of two
things either a)he thought that she was just a bit nervous due to the party
and was glad that she had gotten over her upset mood or b)everything was
going according to whatever plan he was following.  A few moments later Mr.
"I'm a walking stiff" Burnett entered the room and invited them to follow
him to where they could get their 'formal wear' for the evening.  As they
left she glanced briefly back at the jet setting billionaire and couldn't
help but feel a little bit of fear.
	Everything was going according to plan for Doctor. Essex A.K.A Sinister,
his 'equipment' had been set up and Xanatos was none the wiser.  Now that
his mind was no longer focused on the assembly it was now free to fantasise
on the quarry for the night.  The temporal portal that Xanatos' people had
created was phenomenal in its design as well as its power source.  From what
files he had 'removed from Xanatos Enterprises many installations the power
source was a very rare crystalline material found only below ten thousand
feet below the Himalayas.  It was quite rare and took centuries of
unbelievable pressure to create and Xanatos owned one of the largest
deposits in the world.  Though the reports weren't specific as to the
crystals power output it was safe to say that it made nuclear power pale in
comparison.  "Ahhh, what marvellous experiments could be conducted with
crystals such as those" he thought to himself with a wide mischievous
smile.  Though the power source itself was a wonder the actual invention
was magnificent, it was what every scientist and historian wished he had.
Once before he had the avenue of time travel open to him when Apocalypse
had hired him to kidnap Jean Grey.  For those few hours he had the ability
to begin an experiment thousands of years in the past and see its fruition
over a million years later just with a few simple steps.  Unfortunately the
X-Men and Magneto foiled his plans and in the process destroyed the
mystical nexus of time.  After he and the Nasty Boys had returned to their
own time he had sworn to pay them back for depriving him of such an
opportunity but had up until today failed miserably.  The sound of the
elevator chased those thoughts of hatred away as he saw the fit form of
David Xanatos emerge.  "Well there will be time enough for that later" , he
thought to himself as he smiled at the rich fool before him, "yes, soon
I'll have all the time in the world to explore my whims!"
	Xanatos had been pondering whether or not he should tell the gargoyles
about Xavier and his friends the entire ride down and had come to a
decision.  He decided that he probably should so they don't get the wrong
ideas about his motives.  Looking about the room he could see that most of
his private security forces had been deployed.  Men lined the walls and
were at the prescribed five feet apart which would leave room for the steel
clan to manuever if needed.  As well, most of the guests had arrived and
were already mingling with each other and chatting about the events
scheduled for tonight.  He hoped that they wouldn't receive any unexpected
surprises in the schedule but he was prepared for any inconveniences.
Looking at the stage he could see that Dr. Essex had already finished
assembling his equipment and was waving and smiling at him.  He gave a
polite wave back and walked over to the captain of the commando squad who
was just a few feet from him.  "What's our status captain?" he asked as the
captain stood up straight and saluted.  "Perimeter secured and all other
security details are in position, sir!" said the captain in his best
military commander voice.  "Good, you should be receiving back-up aerial
wise in about twenty minutes" , he said as he looked at his watch,
"remember, they're on our side this time and the unemployment line awaits
anyone who gets careless concerning their welfare, Understand!"  It was
obvious by the locked jaw and audible gulp that the Captain new exactly
what he meant to a tee.  He hoped that it would be enough to keep Goliath
and his clan reasonably safe if something went wrong.  He proceeded across
the floor, shaking hands and smiling, and soon stepped onto the stage to
talk to Dr. Essex.  "Is everything all set Doctor?" he asked as he briefly
eyed the unique components of the large console beside him.  "Everything is
satisfactory Mr. Xanatos, just cue me when I'm on and I'll take it from
there" replied the doctor with a smile.  The smile was a bit unsettling for
Xanatos but he wasn't worried.  After all he had two telepaths attending,
he was sure that if there was anything fishy swimming in Essex mind that
they could spot it and warn him.  At least he hoped they would.
	As they walked down the hall towards the elevator Jubilee stared at Jean
with her "I hope you know what you're doing" look every five minutes.  The
tall telepath definitely took notice of what she was doing but only smiled
in response to her questioning gaze.  They came up to the elevator and saw
that Mr. Burnett was waiting to take them up to the dining hall where the
party was.  She was sure that he had transformed into even more of a
comatose stiff since she had last seen him but didn't make such thoughts
visible on her face.  Once they entered the elevator she felt a presence
enter her mind and knew that Jean had decided to fill her in on what they
had found out and what their plans were.  "It's about time you filled me
in!" she exclaimed in her mind as she looked at Jean.  "Sorry, but we
couldn't take such a risk of speaking openly" , said Jean's telepathic
voice, "I wasn't able to learn much about Elisa Maza but Xanatos knows
exactly where she is"  "You think he kidnapped her?" she asked mentally.
"No, his knows where she is but I sense nothing that would suggest that he
had her tied up or anything" , said Jean's voice, "more like she was a
guest or friend who was seeking his home for refuge."  "Then she was on a
case two weeks ago and got in over her head" , she thought as she watched
the elevator doors open, "and has been hiding out here waiting for the heat
to die off."  To this suggestion she received a shrug of the shoulders and
a slight "quiet" gesture from the gorgeous telepath.
	Essex was startled for a moment, then grinning with glee when he saw
Charles Xavier and his mutant pals step off the elevator.  This night might
just turn out to be more profitable then he had originally anticipated
which sent his joy even higher.  Not only would he get the temporal window
and the riches of the scientific elite present but he would also have the
tools for his next project.  As he gazed about the room, dollar signs and
genetic symbols danced in his head and he ate it all up.  This was
definitely going to be one of his better nights, no doubt about it.
Suddenly his attention was attracted to a large rectangular reinforced
storage container was wheeled up and onto the stage via a small ramp.
"Ahhh the prize of the night has arrived!" he thought happily to himself as
the container got closer.  From what he could estimate he decided that it
would be no problem for him to steal it once his plan went into effect.
Once the container was opened the exact appearance of the temporal window
became known.  It was not a one piece full length mirror in appearance but
rather one that had to be assembled.  It was made up of four wide sheets of
glass like material that were held together by thick hinges on either side.
As he watched them take it out of the container he saw that once on sheet
was lined up perfectly with another they snapped firmly together and hid
any sign that they had once been separate.  By the time it was fully
unfolded and placed on the stage it stood a startling seven feet tall and
almost two and a half feet wide.  Xanatos obviously saw his fascination and
walked over to enlighten him, which Sinister didn't mind at all.  "I see
you are impressed Doctor but a bit puzzled" Xanatos said as he caressed the
clean flat surface of the mirror.  "Y-yes I am, when I had heard of this I
had expected something a bit more bulky" , he said as he tried to contain
his excitement, "I had no idea that it was so simple to make a time portal
device!"  "It isn't, ingrained in every square millimetre of the glass is
the latest in micro-weave circuitry" , Xanatos Explained as he beckoned him
to look closely at the glass, "Layers upon layers of identical circuitry
are embedded inside, add it all up and you have a very priceless tool."
Essex was about to reply when muffled roars from a few floors above rang
out and filled the room.  Before Essex could ask Xanatos about the noise
the billionaire had already left the room.
	The day of rest had done nothing to soothe the tense nerves of the noble
Goliath.  All the while he slept he dreamt of some dark figure whose
identity was hidden by the blazing rays of sunlight streaming past him
raising a sledge hammer.  He dreamed that as the hammer came down a
maniacal laugh filled the air and was soon striking down on the stone forms
of his clan.  One by one he watched as his friends and family shattered and
fell to the ground, pieces of broken wings and tails everywhere.  It
horrified him so much that he would have woken up immediately and yelled
aloud, sweat streaming down his face.  Even now that he was awake and knew
that they were alright, the horrendous images of Elisa's half shattered
stone form still haunted him.  Seeing Elisa turning to look at him he
quickly stiffened his face and tried to look as she expected him to.  He
found it rather amusing that he was so concerned about what she thought of
his appearance.  He smiled as the thought of such a human habit rubbing off
at him, if Elisa ever caught wind of it HE would never hear the end of it.
Looking over onto her perfect figure he saw that she was annoyed at the
little chips of stone that refused to leave her hair.  Gently he reached
out with his taloned and swatted away a particularly large piece hanging
from a lock of her hair.  To his gesture of concern she turned and smiled
at him, letting her fanged pearly whites show.  "She has such a wonderful
smile, so crisp and live" he thought to himself as he returned the smile.
With a firm grasp of her hand she hopped off the rampart on which she had
spent the day and began to walk toward the stairs.  She stopped in her
tracks when she saw Owen coming up carrying and arm full of techno gear
	It had been a rough days sleep for her but it appeared that it was hardly
uncommon.  As she looked around at the rest of the clan Elisa could see
looks of fear and concern dominating their expressions.  Even Goliath
seemed to be in possession of those same feelings, even though he was
trying his best to camouflage them from her.  When she had turned to walk
down the stairs she stepped back a bit when the blonde flat top belonging
to Owen Burnett emerged from the stairwell.  Owen was apparently carrying
some communication head gear with him though from the size it looked more
like headphones for a walkman.  "Mr.Xanatos has requested that you wear
these during the gathering" , said Owen as he began to pass out the head
gear, "it will allow you to maintain contact with the other security guards
and Mr.Xanatos himself."  "Lucky us" was the only look that seemed to be on
the faces of the others when Owen revealed that they would have to listen
to Xanatos' voice.  She had to admit that she didn't relish the idea
herself but she would have to bear with it at least for half the night.
With the head gear passed out Owen left Goliath to deal out the places
where they would be stationed.  "Lexington, Broadway, Brooklyn, you'll
circle the castle and look for any approaching aircraft.  Hudson, you,
Bronx and Angela will guard the entrances and exits." , he said, looking at
each of them with authority, "Elisa, Luna and I will watch the events from
the skylight windows."  Hudson and his group glided down to the courtyard
entrance and disappeared into their ancestral home.  The trio seem less
thrilled with their assignment, though the idea of flying around the castle
didn't exactly make her jump for joy either.  With them gliding off with
looks of boredom and frustration on their face, that left Luna, Goliath and
herself to leave for their appointed position.  With all the grace of an
eagle she leapt from the the ramparts of her home and descended towards the
lighted skylights below.  As she approached her thoughts drifted back to
the telepath that was on the loose.  "Well that little worry will have to
take the backseat for now",  she thought to herself as they glided closer
to the transparent window below ,"we've got work to do."
	"Professor, did you hear that?" Jubilee as she searched for the source of
the muffled roars she had just heard a few minutes ago.  "Indeed I did and
so I believe that we have found the gargoyles home" , said the Professor
with interest and curiosity covering his face, "it does coincide with the
fact that Xanatos himself rescued them over two weeks ago, but what does he
want them for?"  Her search for the source continued at a much quicker pace
when her ears received this disturbing news.  "There must be at least eight
of these things" Jubilee thought as she completed her visual scan of the
room.  The thought of eight deadly gargoyles in the area didn't do anything
for her nerves, they were all ablaze with energy.  Just as she was about to
freak completely a warm hand fell on her shoulder and when she turned Jeans
reassuring smile filled her line of sight.  "Don't worry Jubilee, I don't
think these gargoyles are that vicious" , she whispered as she put her
cupped hand by her mouth, "in fact according to the gargoyle lore that
Beast dug up they're protectors, protectors of their home and the people
who live there."  That bit of information did tone down her anxiety a bit
but she would definitely be looking up more often from now on.  With the
last invited guest stepping down from the elevator Jubilee knew that the
presentation would begin soon.  Looking at the storm trooper look-a-likes
all around the perimeter of the room she guessed that Xanatos was pretty
serious about protecting this temporal portal of his.  "I wonder what kind
of attack Xanatos is expecting with all these navy seal wannaebes?" she
thought as the lights began to dim and a bright yellow spotlight fell on
the centre of the stage.
	Things were going to get complicated from here on in and Xanatos knew it.
By now Owen had activated all external security systems and Goliath and the
rest of the gargoyles should be in their positions.  Putting on his best
showman's smile he walked into the light and  brought the microphone in his
hands to just in front of his lips.  "I would just like to welcome you all
to this momentous occasion, for now the barrier of time has now been
broken" , he said as his only available hand indicated the temporal mirror
behind him, "with this time travel is possible, quite dangerous but
possible."  This seemed to draw skeptical chatter from the crowd but that
always accompanied such momentous and never before seen discoveries.  "Now
I know what you're thinking, you're thinking 'he's off his rocker' or 'this
is a fraud' " , he said in hopes of silencing a few of his guests, "but I
assure you it is quite possible and to prove it I shall provide you with
this tape recording of the first successful test try."  On cue a large
movie screen was lowered to a place just above the stage, about thirty
seconds later the Xanatos Enterprises logo appeared.  The next image to be
seen was apparently a subterranean testing sight and in the middle of a
large flat surface was the temporal mirror stood.  Soon the camera
recording this event zoomed in and focused on Owen Burnett who was
approaching the mirror like object.  "This test run of the Xanatos Temporal
gateway is classified, only level five and above may view this tape" ,
droned Owen's stone like voice as he removed a block of lead from his
pocket, "In this test run we will attempt to send this block of lead
through the gateway and one hour into the future."  At the mention of the
time interval Xanatos noticed everyone gasp and whisper amongst themselves.
The position of the camera changed and was now was directly parallel with
the side of the gateway.  The view then changed into a split screen, one
side showing a side view the other showing a front view.  "We shall now
activate the gateway and proceed with the experiment" said Owen's voice as
crackles of energy began to develop on the surface of the temporal gateway.
"Now it's time to watch these crowd of disbelievers eat their words"
thought Xanatos as he turned to face the crowd.
	Just from watching the beginning of the video he knew that this test run
was genuine.  Up until the past few weeks he would have been just as
skeptical as the crowd in front of him but thanks to a mole in Xanatos
Enterprises he knew better.  The source had been virtually jiggling with
pride when his report came in, this didn't impress him or convince him but
the source had delivered some very useful bits of information.  Some of
that information would be put to use tonight but for now he would just
watch Xanatos' little slide show and see what he would soon see in person.
On the screen the gateway virtually crackling madly with a purple bolts of
energy, a cage of energy hid the glass surface of the gateway.  For what
seemed ages the energy spewed from the frame of the gateway then suddenly
the entire mass of light and energy thrust itself onto the surface of the
mirror.  At first it seemed that that is the only thing that would happen
and then it happened.  Like a floodlight bursting with light so did a
purple light explode forth from the surface of the gateway.  For a while
all Sinister and the audience did was stand in awe of the spectacle, their
minds struggling to master the concept.  From there a silhouette of a man
in protective, almost quarintine-like clothing, approached the gateway and
slowly but surely pushed the block of lead that was shown before into the
glowing surface.  With a blinding flash of light the block of lead was
gone, it had vanished into thin air.
	Goliath could not believe what he had seen, Xanatos had done it.  Xanatos
had done what sorcerers and wizards had done with magic but had done it
with technology instead.  The shock at this accomplishment was soon
suppressed as a feeling of fear creeped up from the bowels of his being.
It was true that it was a great gift for all peoples of the earth but it
could also be described as a great responsibility.  Before him now was the
technological equivalent of a Phoenix gate and like with the Phoenix gate
he wondered if mortals were ready for it. A few moments ago they had landed
alongside the surface of the skylight and had been watching the proceedings
ever since.  He looked at Elisa's face and was surprised to still see the
same skeptical face she had on before the film had begun.  She apparently
caught his surprised glance and looked at him with a look of sarcastic
disbelief on her face.  "Don't tell me you fell for it already" , she
whispered as she returned her gaze to the film strip below, "George Lucas
could have done that in his studio no problem."  At first she didn't know
who she meant then he remembered the name from a movie that they had
watched one night.  He was apparently a man who created the illusion of
magic through deceit and trickery and with that bit of information now in
his mind his skepticism matched hers.  Still he couldn't help but hold on
to the small shard of possibility that Xanatos had done what he set out to
do.  The crowd and expense prepared for this event was going to be costly
for Xanatos and he was not one to waste money on failures.  Looking at the
screen he saw as the digital clock at the top right of the screen he saw
that already half an hour had passed for the recording and nothing had
appeared.  He looked at Luna who was to the left of Elisa and wondered what
this former child of Oberon thought of all this.  To see before her a
critical point in history such as this  must have her running through the
dozens and dozens of possible futures which now presented itself.  Goliath
was certainly trying to do so, he had to make the same educated guesses
that he had  to make when he had the Phoenix gate.  Looking at Elisa as the
time limit of the experiment drew to a close he wondered if she were
fearing the future as much as he was.
	"There is no way that Xanatos accomplished this" , Elisa thought to
herself as she watched the filmstrip, "Oberon and Titania couldn't do it
otherwise they would have saved the Weird Sisters after the first attempt
to stop, which means this is definitely a bluff on Xanatos' part."  She
watched in eager anticipation at the digital clock as the final minutes
wound down and the time of the reappearance of the lead block quickly
approached.  As the clock ticked the final minutes off it looked as though
the entire room full of people, even the guards, were going to go crazy
with the humungous amount of tension in the room.  When the final minute
disappeared there was a bright flash of light filled the room below her.
For a moment she thought that it was just coming from the projection but
then logic clicked on and she realised it was coming from the centre of the
stage itself.  For a few moments she and everybody else with a direct line
of sight to the stage was blinded, everything was out of focus and there
were flashes of purple light appearing all around the room.  "Something
must have gone wrong" she thought as she rubbed her eyes in an effort to
see better.  The effort did help a bit, the flashes of light were
disappearing and things were slowly drifting back into focus.  When she
returned her gaze to the stage below she could scarcely believe her eyes.
There on the stage in front of the temporal gateway was a smoking, glowing
but fully intact block of lead.  "I don't believe it, I just don't believe
it!" she muttered to herself.  There, in front of her own eyes, Xanatos had
broken the time barrier.  For a moment she didn't know whether to be
overjoyed or be quaking in terror but one thing was for certain, things
would be different from here on in.  Looking down below she could see the
crowd reacting in much the same way she was, some of the women had even
fainted.
	Jubilee was glad that she had kept her glasses with her because the laser
light show that Xanatos had just put on had temporarily blinded everyone
else in the room.  Looking at the stage her jaw dropped almost to the
ground when she saw the block of lead sitting there.  "Professor!" she
exclaimed as she reached over and shook the tuxedoed cripple by the
shoulder.  For a moment the Professor didn't seem to understand what she
was yelling about but as soon as he looked at the stage she knew that he
had seen it.  In fact the entire room now saw what had just happened and
stared at the block of lead as if it were the holy grail itself.  She
couldn't believe it either , even though she had met Bishop and Cable and
done some time travelling herself this was still a tremendous event.   To
think that she, Jubilation Lee, was there when the first successful voyage
across time took place filled her with a sense of honour.  Her attention
was soon hook and reeled in by Mr.Xanatos who had since the conclusion of
the test run had returned to the centre of the stage.  "Ladies and
Gentlemen, before your very eyes I have proven that time travel is indeed
possible" , Xanatos said as he pointed to the lead, "it is true that we
have yet to send a biological specimen into the Temporal gateway but I
assure you that one day it will be possible."  Jubilee had no doubt in her
mind that he was right, in only a few days or years from now people could
be taking vacations to mediaeval England or the far future.  A whole new
way of looking at things was now open to the world, a way that held great
promise.  Then for the first time she noticed another well dressed man on
the stage, one that she had the strangest feeling she had seen before.
Nudging Jean in the ribs she pointed to the strange man and said"Hey, who's
that?"  Jean seemed about as clue less as she was and that made the
feelings of unease and tension surface once more.  Looking at Jean's
expression  of concentration she could tell the caring X-Man was attempting
to telepathically probe the unknown man's mind but seemed to be having more
difficulty then the usual scan.  "Great!  Two unreadable people in as many
nights!" she thought with a hint of frustration.
	"So far so good" thought Xanatos as he observed the delighted faces of the
crowd.  The demonstration had gone exactly as planned and then some.
Looking at the faces of his guests he could see that any doubts they had of
his invention had been obliterated.  As he looked around he noticed that
Professor Xavier's friend Ms. Grey seemed to be a bit concerned over the
unknown person he knew as Dr. Essex.  He wasn't overly worried until he saw
her shake her head in frustration, that either meant that she couldn't read
his mind or she was just having trouble.  Either way it didn't comfort him
at all, he had counted on them to be able to warn him if Essex had any
villainy in his motives.  For now it appeared that all he could do was sit
back and hope that he had prepared enough to handle anything.  Bringing the
microphone to his mouth once again he decided that it was time to find out
just what the dear Doctor had in store this evening.  "Now you may think
that this is the only discovery I have to share with you for tonight but
that is not true" , he said as he made a sweep of his arm toward Essex,
"here tonight to show his latest achievement in the area of robotics is Dr.
Essex."  Right on cue Essex walked up to the centre of the stage and took
the microphone from Xanatos' hand.  Now it was only a matter of time before
Essex sprung his trap and when he did he was going to get a very unpleasant
surprise.  Briefly he gazed up at the skylight and could barely see
Goliath, Maza and Luna watching the entire show.  With the reassurance that
they would act immediately if something went wrong he walked over to the
edge of the stage and sat on a chair that had been placed there for him.
	    "This is going to be a most profitable night indeed" thought Sinister
as his false grin continued to show itself to the crowd.  He had been
impressed greatly by Xanatos' invention and felt that he might even do
something to repay him for it.  Taking the microphone and placing it in
front of his lips he decided it was best to get this charade over with.  He
hungered to experiment with this newfound avenue, with this new toy of his.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you facets of robotic technology unlike
anything you have ever seen before" , he said as he began his march towards
the control panel, "before now we have been given only robots that could do
what their told and nothing more but I have solved that problem!"  Pressing
the activation key on the control panel triggered almost immediately
movement from the large crates on the stage.  He had been a bit worried
this afternoon when he had first brought them here, the Xanatos security
system was well known and even feared.  Fortunately he had acquired just
the right devices do deal with that potential threat.  If the insides of
the crates were scanned all they would reveal were normal everyday
techno-gear.  Returning to the task at hand he watched as a bulky but
sophisticated robot lumbered out of its box and took its place at the front
of the stage.  A second crate opened and a significantly slimmer and
seemingly feminine robot walked out and took a place at the right end of
the stage.  Then the final crate opened and revealed a fierce looking
armoured robot that looked like some sort of ninja cyborg from the future.
It made a few martial arts gestures to the crowd and took a position to the
left edge of the stage.  "As you can see I have accomplished through hard
work and discipline what the rest of you have only just now conceived" he
said as he focused his entire concentration on the control panel.  With a
few flicks of a switch he brought the robots to a full upright and military
like posture, they even saluted.  This created a wave of ahhhs and clapping
from the audience which suited his plans perfectly.  "If you thought that
was good wait until you see the finale" he muttered to himself as he
continued to type commands into the controls in front of him.
	Luna had thus far been silent regarding her opinion of the events
witnessed tonight.  Not because she didn't think that this was a
significant stage in human history but because she hadn't been really
interested with it.  Oh she could understand why they were impressed and
excited with such a breakthrough but to her time was the one thing that
bored her greatly.  For she was an immortal, a child of Oberon who had
existed since the beginning of time.  She had been alive for many millions
of years and never really regarded time as anything more than a constant
force in this world that passed without interruption or distortion.  Up
until recently she had the ability to see the past in crystal clear detail,
now she counted herself lucky that she could remember anything clearly.
Looking down at the activities below she could see that another scientist
was making his findings known, Xanatos had called him Dr. Essex.  Looking
below she couldn't help feel deja vu throughout her entire being, so many
times she had seen creatures made of inanimate material come to life.  Some
from stone and some from steel and sometimes from something different all
together.  Gargoyles themselves were virtually stone brought to life by
magic, an ancient magic as old as Oberon himself.  Looking over at Goliath
she could see that he was still getting over what he had seen a few moments
ago.  A look of concern and worry dominated his grim expression, for he saw
not only the potential for good that it had but the potential for evil.
	What he had seen was pure magic, artificial magic that had been created by
Xanatos and his employees.  His amazement great but so was his fear of such
a device falling into the wrong hands.  In the hands of Demona, Anthony
Dracon or the last hunter it would mean utter devastation for all parties
concerned.  Though the knowledge that a living creature couldn't travel
through time eased his feelings of fear it didn't get rid of it completely.
Even an inanimate object sent through the gateway could cause irreparable
harm if it were sent through.  Demona could send a bomb through and destroy
millions of humans, Dracon could demolish his competition with ease.  He
didn't even want to contemplate what might happen if the Hunter , the one
that had fled after the arrest of the remaining Hunters that had been
arrested, got his hands on such a device.  If such a thing did occur then
the entire gargoyle race would be in dire and dangerous trouble.  The
thought of seeing his people being destroyed by the Hunter's advanced
weaponry made him cringe in pain.  He banished such thoughts from his mind
and decided to focus on a more pleasing topic.  Elisa had been doing very
well in her lessons of combat and gliding, every night she amazed him with
her quick ability to learn.  True she didn't need to be taught much thanks
to the sphere of Titania but she still needed to work on mid-air combat and
a bit on her quick landings.  She had done quite well landing in open areas
but when it came to things like window sills and apartments on the lower
floors she was a bit sloppy.  He grinned as he remembered the time she had
landed on an apartment building to stop a cat-burgler and nearly woke up
the entire building with her landing.  Fortunately the landing actually did
some good, it had woken up the apartment owners and scared the devil out of
the burglar.  "She has improved though" , he thought as he watched the
robotics demonstration below, "in ways unique and special to her alone."
Looking over at her he saw a visage of disdain on her face which from what
he could tell was focused on the robots Dr. Essex had revealed.  Though he
was more calm about it she looked as though she expected them to go on the
rampage at any moment.
	Elisa didn't like this one little bit, this little part of Xanatos' party
was not on the program.  All three of the robots looked like something from
"Terminator" or some other science fiction movie.  So far they hadn't made
any suspicious movements but that didn't mean that nothing could go wrong.
So far all the unknown scientist had done was explain each of their
attributes but right now she trusted him as far as she could throw him.
Considering the fact that she had strength enough to bend a piece of metal
with her bare hands and throw the average person fifty or more yards was
quite a bit.  As she scrolled along and studied each of the guests her jaw
almost dropped straight to the ground.  There, standing near the back of
the room, were the same lady and kid Luna and she had seen at the theatre
the other night.  Goliath had obviously noticed her change in expression
because he immediately put his four fingered hand on her shoulder.  "What
is it Elisa?" Goliath asked as he tried to deduce what had caused her mouth
to drop so suddenly.  Careful not to attract attention from the party goers
below she pointed at the two people by the elevators.  "Those are the exact
two people who had spotted us stopping the theatre robbery last night" ,
she said as she herself pondered the reason for their being here.  At first
she feared that her seven foot lover wouldn't understand her shock but he
soon copied her look of concern.  "Do you think it is possible that they
are the telepaths who scanned you earlier?" he asked as he tried to detect
any villainy from their movements.  "It's possible but why would Xanatos
invite them here, when all the rest are the rich and brainy?" she asked as
she pondered her own question.  Perhaps he did it to find out what they
know about the gargoyles, or perhaps to keep an eye on them.  Whatever the
reason the fact alone that they were here definitely called for added
caution.  Before she had been lucky enough to shake loose their telepathic
grip, if they attempted it again she might not be so lucky
	Jubilee had so far been impressed with what she had seen tonight, it was
like being inside a top secret facility and being shown things for her eyes
only.  Jean and the Professor were not enjoying themselves as much as she
was, they had spent the bulk of the past half hour to scan Dr.Essex.  They
hadn't fared very well, such was evident by their disappointed expressions,
hopefully this wouldn't be a problem for them later.  This was definitely
one of those moments when she felt completely useless, felt that she was
better off not being there at all.  Though she never saw herself in this
fashion she knew that all the other X-Men always saw her as a kid.  That
much was proven by the many times she had been left behind while the others
went on an adventure.  She had tried a number of times to get them to let
her come along but every time she was always told that she was too young or
that it was too dangerous.  Though she guessed that a few may have been a
bit too tough for her that still didn't mean that they should leave her
behind.  This mission wasn't exactly a step up but it was better than
nothing, it was either this or die of boredom back at the mansion.  The
robots that this Doctor Essex had made were kinda cool, a bit of
redesigning and they would almost look human.  "As you can see, I have made
monuments advances in the field of robotics" , said Essex as he walked to
the front of the stage, "these androids can pretty much think and act for
themselves once a task is given to them."  That was definitely a cool
addition but Jubilee still felt that they could use some improvement in the
looks department.  For the next few minutes he was probably just going to
go on and on about technical stuff, most of which she wouldn't be able to
understand.  Not surprising, her prediction came true with flying colours
as Essex began spouting out technical stuff by the tons.  "This is making
me wish I had just stayed home and forget I ever saw those gargoyle things
the other night" thought Jubilee as she let out a muffled yawn.  This was
definitely going to be one boring party tonight, she hoped that something
would happen soon to brighten things up.  Perhaps one of those robots would
go haywire and begin attacking the people, then she could at least use a
few danger room techniques on it.
	So far it seemed as though things were going to stay peaceful, Essex
hadn't done anything suspicious the entire time he was on stage.  Though
Xanatos knew that that still didn't mean that he wouldn't he hoped that
things wouldn't change.  The androids Essex had brought here were
impressive to say the least, they were definitely a marked improvement over
the steel clan.  They were not exactly the highlight of his robotics
division, that title belonged to Coyote 4.1.  He was still in development
but already he was a marked improvement, he wasn't as nearly as stupid as
the previous model.  Thinking back to the little 'skirmish' in Flagstaff he
still couldn't b