"Exactly what are we guarding?" A Guard asked his partner.
"I don't know." The second Guard said. "It suspose to be some top secret software technology that's going to be made for the government to use in controling their weapons."
The two Guards were in a hallway, guarding a large, steel vault-like door, that had a card key door swipe port on the side, along with a finger print identifier. They were both standing there, trying to look all guard-like, even though they were bored.
Things were not going to be boring for long.
ScreeEEEEET!! ScreeEEEEET!! ScreeeEEEEET!!
Suddenly, the alarm went off. Red lights flashed on and off.
"Someone has broken into the building!" The first guard said taking out his gun.
The other Guard took out his walkie talkie. "This is Unit two, come in Unit one, over." He said into the walkie talkie.
No response.
The two Guards looked at each other, confused.
"Let's go and check out the area." Said the first Guard.
Both Guards ran down the hall to the elevator. When they got to the elevator, they looked up at the floor panel, and saw that it was lighting up.
Someone was coming up the stairs.
"Someone is coming!" Said the first Guard. "Get your gun ready!"
Both of the Guards aimed their guns at the elevator door.
"Whoever it is, we'll be ready for him." Said the Guard.
The light panel flashed on the fifth floor.
Then on the sixth.
Then on the seventh.
Then on the eighth.
DING!
Finally the elevator opened. What the two Guards saw inside was not who they expected. They both gasped in shock.
"F-F-Freeze you monster!!" The first Guard said, aimming his gun.
"Freeze is right." Said a smug, booming voice from the elevator.
The intruder fired a weapon, and a white flash came out and hit the first Guard.
He started to turn to stone.
The second Guard look at his partner in shock. Then he looked at the intruder. Seeing his partner turn to stone, and seeing the intruder was, to much for him. He passed out.
The intruder boomed in laughter.
It was nearly sunraise infront of the MATcom building. Police cars were everywhere. Cops were going in and out the building carrying stone stautes of the Guards that were inside, and standing on the sidewalk was Matt Bluestone and Elisa Maza, who was talking to the Guard that passed out. Matt was nodding and taking notes. Elisa had her arms crossed like she was skeptical.
"It was a big winged monster I tell you!" The Guard said, trying to explain. "It came out of the elevator, and fired some kind of a weapon that turned my partner to stone."
"And what did this 'monster' look like?" Elisa asked.
"Um, I passed out." The Guard said. "But he was really tall, and had wings this wide." The Guard said strenching out his arms to show the "monster's" size.
"Okay Sir." Elisa said in a talking-to-crazy-people voice. "Thanks for the info."
Elisa and Matt walked towards the enterance of the building. Just then, two cops walked out carrying a stone Guard that was in a pose like he was about to shoot. Elisa and Matt both turned their heads slowly, looking att the statue as it went by.
"Okay." Matt said finally. "We really do have a problem here."
"That Guard said that he saw a winged monster." Elisa said, thinking about the only "winged monster" she cared about at that point. "It couldn't be who I think it is."
"I know." Matt said. "If it wasn't 'him', then who was it?"
Elisa looked round to see if anyone was in earshot. "Demona." She said. "There is no other explaination. She casted a spell that turnt everyone to stone in the city before. Maybe she might be trying it again."
"It figures." Matt said.
"Hey guys." Chante said walking out of the building. "Have you two talked to the Guard?" She asked walking up to them.
"Yep" Matt said. "And from what he said, it looks like our favorite Gargoyle villianess is at it again."
Chante just shook her head like Matt said something completely wrong. "I don't think so." She said. "I got the tape of the break in. You guys should really see this."
Chante, Matt, and Elisa all walked up to a Police commucations van that had a video tape deck inside. Chante popped in the video. Soon, the video showed a Gargoyle-like figure breaking in the building, and firing his "stone lazer" at his first victim.
"I can't believe it." Matt said, pausing the tape. "That looks like... looks like..."
"I don't buy it!" Elisa snapped. "Enhance that section." She said, pointing to the screen.
Chante pressed a button. The screen zoomed up on the section that showed a close up on the Gargoyle-like figure. His skin was a black-purple, he had white hair, red eyes, and he looked very much like Goliath.
"Thailog!" Elisa and Matt said at the same time.
"What?" Chante said. "That's not Goliath?"
"Far from it." Elisa said. "Thailog is a clone of Goliath created by Xanatos...back then. Thailog was made to obey Xanatos, but Xanatos creation outsmarted him."
"He stole two million dollars from Xanatos. Made him look like a fool." Matt added, smiling.
"Whoa." Chante said. "So this 'Thailog' is a evil clone of Goliath."
"Yeah." Elisa said. "But we thought that he died in a fire at Coney Island when we fought him two years ago."
"Well appearently he survived." Chante said.
"Unfortunatly." Elisa responded.
"So Thailog survived." Goliath grumbled, as he looked out towards the skyline.
"And he's using some sort of weapon that turns people to stone." Elisa said.
"What do you think he is up to?" Angela asked.
"I don't know." Elisa said. "All we know that is he stole a proto type weapon program from MATcom."
"And what does this program do?" Lexington asked.
"It controls the aimming and firing systems on warheads, missles, and tanks." Xanatos said walking in on the battlement. "I had Owen look it up. Whatever Thailog is up to, it can't be good. If he makes more weapons that can turn people to stone, he can put it on every warhead in the world. He could then use the weapon program to help him aim those missles to any country in the world. He could hold the world for ransom. Or he could sell his weapons to the highest bidder."
"And how you know all of this?" Elisa asked, giving Xanatos a sideways suspecious look.
"Remember detective when Thailog was created, he was programed to have my slight view on things." Xanatos said. "All I have to do is think about what I might do in his situation."
"We have to find Thialog and stop him." Goliath said.
"You guys better hurry up." Fox said walking in.
Everyone turned around suddenly to look at her.
"Check out the news." Fox said holding up a hand held t.v.
Everyone gathered around her to watch.
"This is Travis Marshall, live at the New Yorker hotel, where the world leaders are staying for the summit meeting at the U.N. Today, the Prime minister of Britain received a package that was opened by a security agent for safety reasons. Witnesses say that when the Guard opened up the package, the package expolded, and afterwards the Guard turned to stone. The prime minister of Britain was unharmed. It is questioned that this attack may have something to do with the break-in at the MATcom building in which the security there was also turned to stone and-"
Travis was cut off as Fox turned off the t.v.
"Oh boy." Brooklyn said.
"See what I mean?" Fox said. "If you guys don't do something fast, we are going to have a crisis on our hands."
"Your attack on the British prime minister failed." Dr. Sevarius said.
"It's just a minor set back." Thailog said smuggly. "But thanks to the technology I brought from a Mr. Daniel Dragnok, my plan will work with no flaws."
"You know that Goliath with try to stop you." Dr. Sevarius said.
"Let him try." Thailog said as he was holding up the weapon that turnt the Guards back at the MATcom building to stone.
"Thailog I have to remind you that the weapon won't work on Gargoyles." Sevarius pointed out.
"And why not?" Thailog asked.
"The transformation device is based on bio-technology, made by yours truly." Sevarius said. "I made it by finding and isolating the gene that make Gargoyles turn to stone by day. If you fire it on a Gargoyle it won't affect them."
Thailog made an angry, disappointed face. "Well that's just too bad." He said. "That means to stop Goliath, I have to get him to come to me."
"So Thailog is going after the world leaders." Elisa said. "We must stop him. But how is the question."
"This Thailog is smart." Chante said walking out on the battlement. She was carrying a Burger King bag. "Three Whoppers no cheese, soda, and fries just for you." She said handing Broadway the bag.
"Thanks." Broadway said, taking the bag and opening it.
"No cheese?" Brooklyn commented.
"Yeah." Broadway said. "I'm trying to keep my fat intake down."
"Yeah sure." Brooklyn said snidely, crossing his arms.
"The world leaders from Britain, France, Russia, Japan, Germany, and of course the United States, are having a summit meeting about what to do about all the problems in the Middle East." Chante continued.
"It's the ultimate target." Xanatos said. "The leaders of six powerful nations? All in one place at one time? Thailog will have a field day picking them off one by one."
"Since that attempt on the Britain prime minister failed, security is going to be beefed up now." Elisa said. "There is no way Thailog is going to get in there now. Everyone will notice a Gargoyle walking in a hotel"
"Thailog won't have to get in the hotel." Xanatos said. "Thailog can somehow hire men to plant that stone transformation weapon of his on the limos of the leaders when they are on their way to the U.N. building."
"Then we should have patrols in that area." Goliath said. "When is this 'meeting'?" He asked.
Everyone just stood there, looking at each other.
"The day after tomorrow." Matt said, walking in.
"Matt, how you know?" Elisa asked.
"I use to be F.B.I. remember? I can get infomation you guys can't." Matt said smiling.
"Now if only we could reach those leaders somehow and warn them." Angela said.
"If we just call them up and say that a evil Gargoyle clone is after them, they won't exactly by it." Broadway said.
"Unless we can protect them somehow." Elisa said.
"That means we have to get in that hotel. Or at least the U.N." Chante said. "I can breech their computers so that our names appear on the security list."
"You can do that?" Xanatos asked in a non-believing way.
"Yep." Chante said. "Lex is not the only computer genius around here." She said looking at Lexington.
"I can get infomation from the internet." Lexington said. "I can get the lay out of the building."
"Alright." Goliath said. "Lexington will get the infomation we need. The rest of us will go on patrol around the hotel. To make sure nothing goes wrong."
"There's the hotel!" Brooklyn said as he pointed.
"Whoa!" Broadway said looking down. "There are sure alot of black cars down there."
"Secret Service no doubt." Hudson said.
"How you know?" Broadway asked.
"Secret Service always ride around in black cars. I learnt that from the television." Hudson replied.
"We have to keep an eye on this building to make sure Thailog won't try anything." Goliath said.
*Crackle* "This is Elisa, are you there Goliath?" Elisa said through Goliath's transmitter that he was wearing around his neck.
"Yes, we are here at the hotel." Goliath said talking back in the transmitter. "Everything seems to be in order from up here."
*Crackle* "Matt, Chante, and I are inside the hotel. Chante helped us get pass security." Elisa responded. "Keep a low profile you guys. We don't wan't anybody see you. Elisa out." *Crackle*
"Let's spread out a little." Goliath said, listening to Elisa's advice. "We don't wan't anyone to notice us."
The Gargoyles glided on a updraft and circled around in the area of the hotel in different locations. From the ground, there were Secret Service, and Police everywhere. There was a long line of people at the enterance of the hotel, waiting to get their bags searched. A K-9 team was on the ground, searching around the building for bombs.
"Okay, there is definitely some security around here." Brooklyn said, gliding next to Broadway.
"Every inch of this place is being watched." Broadway agreed.
"There are guys on the roof, guys sitting in cars, guys pretending to be tourists. It looks like Men in Black around here." Brooklyn said.
"Did you just say that someone was on the roof?" Broadway asked urgently.
"Uh oh..." Brooklyn said when he realized what he overlooked. "Goliath!!" He called out, "There is a guy on the roof!"
Goliath turned around and glided towards Brooklyn. "Does he see us?" He asked.
The Gargoyles looked down on the roof. They saw a dark-suited man standing in the shadow of the roof door. He wore dark sunglasses, and he was talking into a handheld radio. He was staring in the Gargoyle's direction.
"I don't think he see's us." Hudson said.
The Secret Service agent looked up again. He saw the Gargoyles.
He pointed.
"Uh oh, busted!" Brooklyn said.
"Come, we must-"
RATTtta! RATTTtttaaa! RATTTttaa!!
Before Goliath could finish his sentence, the Gargoyles were suddenly being shot at with rifles. The shots came from other Secret Service agents that were on roof's on other buildings around the hotel.
"Aw man! They are shooting at us!!" Brooklyn yelled, avoiding the rifle shots.
"Spread out!" Goliath yelled panning off to the left.
"AAAAAGGGRRR!!" Hudson yelled, as a bullet went through his wing membrane.
"Hudson!" Goliath yelled, trying to go to him.
Hudson spasmed in midair, as the bullet went through him. But he recovered, and began to pull off.
"I'm alright lad!" Hudson called out.
*Crackle* "Goliath, this is Elisa again. What's going on out there?"
"We are being attacked by the security!" Goliath responded.
*Crackle* "Oh no." Elisa said. "You guys better get out of there as soon as possible!" *Crackle*
RATTtta! RATTtta! RATTTtta!
"AHHHH!" Brooklyn yelled in pain. "That bullet clipped my arm!"
"YeOW!" Broadway yelled out. "My tail! That was a major ouchie."
"We should go down there, and kick their butts!" Brooklyn yelled, grabbing his arm.
"No!" Goliath called out. "We can't go attacking the security! They are on our side! We have to go, Now!"
"Good Idea." Hudson said, gliding off with a hole in his wing.
The other Gargoyles followed, with rifle shots trailing behind them, feeling that this mission might be doomed. Because as far as they could see, they were beat before they even got started.
Everyone that got shot at were tending their wounds when they got back to the castle. Angela rapped up Broadway's tail, and Brooklyn's arm.
"I'm definitely not going back to that hotel." Brooklyn said rubbing his arm. "Those men tried to kill us! This is the thanks we get for trying to save the world."
"We can't blame them, they were just trying to do their job." Angela said checking out Broadway's tail.
Elisa came running out on the battlement. "Goliath, are you okay??!" She said, running up to Goliath.
"Yes Elisa, I'm alright." Goliath said.
Elisa quickly sighed with relief. "There is no way you guys can get near the hotel now." She said. "Secret Service is all over the roof of the hotel."
"So we got shot up for nothing?!" Brooklyn exclaimed.
"This is good in a way." Angela said.
"How is getting shot up good?" Brooklyn asked.
"No, that's not what I meant." Angela said shaking her head. "If none of us could get near the hotel, then Thailog can't either. Not directly."
"True. But we can't leave the world leaders unprotected."
"I found some useful infomation from the net." Lexington said, walking in while holding a color ink print out. "They are having the summit meeting tonight, and they decided to have the meeting at the hotel, instead of the U.N., after they have a banquet."
"Strange." Elisa said. "I didn't hear about this when I was at the hotel with Matt and Chante."
"They might of wanted to keep it a secret til the last mintue." Lexington said.
"Well someone has to keep an eye on them." Chante said, walking in. "Even if it seems that Thailog can't get in, we should still watch them."
"I don't like this." Goliath grumbled. "We won't be able to get near the building to do anything if something should go wrong."
"Don't worry Goliath." Chante said, patting him on the back. "This is a job for us humans." Then in a low voice she added, "I'll keep an eye on Elisa for you."
"I heard that!" Elisa said, glaring at Chante. Chante looked back at Elisa and shrugged.
"All we have to do now is figure out what Thailog's next move." Goliath said.
Later that night, Elisa, Matt, and Chante were in the banquet hall wearing verious disguises. Elisa had on a black and red dress while wearing a blonde wig. Chante had on a black outfit with dress pants, and was wearing glasses. Matt was basically himself except the fact that he had on a beard that matched his hair color.
"Why do I have to wear this beard?" Matt whined.
"Because..." Chante said like she was explaining it to him for the hundredth time, "We don't know if Thailog hired anybody to come here to try anything, and if he did hire anybody, he would of surely told them about us."
Matt sighed and grumbled under his breath."
"What's the problem Matt, I think you look good in a beard." Elisa teased.
"Egh!" Chante commented, like Elisa said something horrible. "I personally hate beards. I can't understand how guys can let all that fur grow on their-"
"Look!" Elisa interupted, pointing. "They are starting!"
The banquet hall was jammed with hundreds of people. Men in tuxedos, women in gowns. They were sitting at long tables, talking, and leaning over to whisper to one another. Also, standing around a podium were a number of guys in dark suits with sinister bulges under their jackets and had very, very serious faces, as a man stepped up to the podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present..." He started.
After the man finished his introduction, the room burst into applause, and one man stood up, and headed down the table towards the podium.
"That's the British prime minister." Matt whispered.
"Yeah, we noticed." Elisa said.
The British prime minister spoke for about ten mintues, and went to sit down. Another introduction followed, and then the French prime minister headed towards the podium. He began talking, pausing every few seconds for the translator to translate his speech into English.
Then Elisa got a call on her transmitter.
*Crackle* Hello? Elisa this is Lex" Lexington said.
"Yeah Lex, what's up?" Elisa responded through the transmitter.
*Crackle* "We were just watching the news, and none of the channels mentioned the banquet. Since this involves world leaders, you would think it would be on every channel."
Elisa's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what Lexington just said. "Aw man.." She said. "Thanks for the info Lex."
"What's wrong Elisa?" Chante said, looking at Elisa's expression.
"Lex just called me." Elisa said. "He said that there was no report of the banquet on t.v"
"This could be a secret banquet." Matt said. "They might not tell the media until it's over."
"Matt you forgot to notice all those people snapping pictures. Plus you forgot about the camera crews. If Lex said that none of this was mentioned on the news, then why are all those cameras here?"
Now it was Matt's turn to go wide eyed.
"I suddenly have a very bad feeling about this." Elisa said.
The three detectives looked at each other. Then they looked at the people of the so called "banquet". The three of them knew what they felt, but was afraid to admit it.
They walked into a trap.
They didn't know what the trap was, or where the danger was coming from.
Chante put her hands to her sides, and parted her feet slightly, like she was getting in a battle stance. Matt shifted his weight from foot to foot, jumpy. Elisa thought about reaching for her gun.
For a moment, the detectives just stood there watching the French prime minister's speech, motionless. They couldn't do anything without getting pumped with bullets from those guys in the dark suits. And even if they could do anything, they didn't know what to do.
"This is like sitting in boiling water and not feeling the heat." Chante said.
As the three detectives stood there, ready for some unseen danger, that's when the French prime minister started laughing. He was standing at the podium just laughing, although he still seemed to be delivering his speech. He was looking out at the audience, speaking french. But now, from within the French prime minister, came the sound of laughing.
In one quick motion, Elisa and Chante both took out their guns.
"Have you finally realized the truth?" A familiar booming basso voice asked. "Do you realized what has happened? Come, come, surely you must know by now. Surely such smart detectives as yourselves must have figured it out."
From the very middle of the French prime minister, two dark purple bat-like wings emerged. Then a pair of red eyes, and a head full of white hair.
Thailog stepped out of the french man.
"A hologram!" Chante exclaimed.
The Frenchman kept talking. The audience kepted nodding appreciatively, with applause.
None of it was real.
"We were in a hologram!" Chante said again. "All this time!"
"Right you are." Thailog said smiling.
"But how??!!" Matt asked surpised. "All those people, even the serious looks of the guards...it seemed so real!"
"You didn't make this hologram technology on your own!" Chante raved. "Who is your supplier!"
Thailog rocked his head back and laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know." He said.
Elisa aimed her gun at Thailog. "There are three of us, with guns." she said. "I know for a fact that Gargoyles, even Gargoyle clones aren't bulletpoof."
Chante and Matt caught on, and drew their guns on Thailog.
"You heard the lady." Matt said. "Lift 'em and spread 'em!"
Thailog lifted his hands up in the air in a mocking fashion.
"I think you'll soon change your mind." Thailog said smiling. "Turn off the hologram!"
Instantly the entire room filled with people disappeared. All the world leaders. All the guests. All the sounds of laughter and applause and conversation.
It all disappeared. Instead, the dectectives saw the banquet room itself. It was empty, except for the rows of tables and chairs.
That, plus a solid wall of Thailog clones that completely encircled the detectives, each holding a lazer gun Uzi leveled directly at them.
"He made an army of clones of himself!" Elisa said under her breath.
"I have a army in my own image!" Thailog said gleefully. "Now what was that about 'lifting 'em and spreading 'em'?"
One by one the detectives dropped their guns and lifted their hands in the air. There was nothing they could do.
"If one of you even so much twitch, my little army will fire their lazers instantaneously, leaving behind just the atoms of your remains." Thailog said.
"Only Thailog would use a word like 'instantaneous'." Matt snorted with sarcastism, with his hands still in the air.
"By the way." Thailog gloated, "The real banquet and summit meeting is tomorrow night."
To be continued...