When Clans Collide -- Team Charlie

When Clans Collide!

"Team Charlie"

"Scramble! Scramble!! Get yer asses in gear!!"

With that admonition from Monika, the assembled gargoyles in the courtyard rose to face the threatening Rokkan patrol approaching. From the battlements, the windows, even leaping over the Castle's walls, they swarmed over the attacking alien forces.

Clearly, the attackers had been caught off guard, expecting everyone to be gone to face them down at home ... but the defenders were ready. And like a master conductor, Monika guided the forces about her into the attack. On her word, Castor and Pollux had leaped into the fray, and before anyone could look twice had taken out three attackers. Kyryn, the sorceress in their midst, already had taken down her fair share.

But they kept coming.

Turning her head from her own fight only momentarily, Monika looked back to the door to the Great Hall.

"I hope that Ariana chick's got something good up her sleeve ..."

Ariana stood at the door of the rookery, looking inside to admire her handiwork. Not just hers, though ... flanking her were the two gargoyle sorceresses who had laid the trap she had just set, Angela and Eden. They looked between themselves, then back inside the room where Solomon and Nudnik stood.

"You're sure about this, right?"

Angela nodded. "I know enough sorcery to know this will work. Mother taught me well." She sighed, remembering her years of servitude under the same spell they were hoping to break. Eden placed a hand on her shoulder.

"And now we have to start Part 2." Ariana turned around to face the halfling human-gargoyle who now joined them at the rookery door, Stephen Edwards. She handed him a tightly wrapped bundle.

"Take this to the address I told you. He should be there." She motioned to Angela. "Do the honors, mom."

Angela sighed, approaching the side of her daughter-in-law. Closing her eyes, she focused her energy and effort toward the bundle. At the same time, Eden's pendant, the mystic Dragon Gate, began glowing as well, making Eden quite nervous.

When Angela's eyes opened once more, they glowed with an unearthly white flame. A short time passed, then the glow had passed from Angela's eyes to the bundle in Edwards' hands. She briefly shook her head to clear her senses, then turned to Edwards.

"Go now, Mr. Edwards. He'll be waiting."

"In the air as we speak." He jogged over to a window, launching himself outside into the night.

Safely away from the battle, two pairs of eyes scanned the action over a large bank of screens. The only Earth-born pair belonged to Demona ... the other to the otherworldly mystic Nox.

Demona watched carefully as a figure streaked out of a higher window of the Castle, spreading its wings and gliding off into the night.

"Kee-rist ... not another freak!"

Nox gave a sideways glance at Demona. "Concern yourself not with this man's lineage, but more with the bundle he carries. If he succeeds in delivering it, it could mean your doom."

Demona allowed her eyes to glow briefly. She swiveled her chair so that she faced away from the screens, then reached for a commlink.

"Flynt! Come in!"

The crackling voice of the SteelClaw clansman came over. "You called?"

"Take yourself and your clan and follow the hybrid that just left Castle Wyvern. Make sure he never makes it to his destination."

"On our way."

The giants in the courtyard were soon joined by their otherworldly reinforcements in their attack. The defenders held their ground as well as they could, though, weapons blazing into the night.

Another spell from Kyryn had busted through another Rokkan line. Rushing up behind her, Teak jumped on the fallen attackers to clear them away.

"These guys aren't so tough."

Kyryn gave the Clutch male a narrowed glance. "Yeah, they aren't if I'm knocking them down for you!"

Teak had no time for a snappy reply before another Rokkan patrol bore down on the both of them. A war screech behind them drew their attention away from the fight for a brief moment, though, as Ariana came screaming out of the Great Hall, bo in motion, swinging away at the attackers. Right behind her came Angela and Eden, rushing out to enter the fight.

Deep within the Castle, in the Resistance's communication center, General Maria Chavez kept her ear to the radio, tracking the progress of the various teams. Worry crossed her face as Team Bravo went to radio silence, but her determination kept her from showing too much emotion.

Helping her to keep track of the radio traffic was Cadillac and Sotanax, which was really mainly a way to keep the two of them involved ... Cadillac was worried about her parents, and Sotanax really didn't look to be in very good fighting shape.

A flashing light on the security control panel drew everyone's attention. Chavez focused her gaze on the monitors on the panel.

"We're gonna have company, people." She stood up, cocking her weapon. "Keep tracking the radios, guys. This is my gig."

Just as she spoke, the door burst in, knocking her against the communications console. A wingless gargess ran into the room, coming forth to meet Chavez. She wrestled with the human commander, thowing her against the side wall of the communication center and leaving her unconscious. Her eyes began to glow as she narrowed them toward the two remaining conscious occupants of the room.

Cadillac was the first to speak. "A ... Angela?"

The gargess chuckled. "No. But an amazing simulation." She roared and lunged.

"One group with me, get in the Castle!" Foxglove gathered a group of gargoyles to follow her inside the structure to pursue Rokkans who had breached the inner walls. The signs of fatigue were starting to show ... breathing was heavy, sweating profuse, and some were on the verge of collapse. Three Macgonagall clansmen fell at the rear as the Rokkans came up behind Foxglove's group, at their lead a grinning cyborg.

Foxglove narrowed her eyes at the newcomers, growling. Before she could react, though, Skadi had already leaped for him, weapons blazing.

"Skadi, no!"

Jueru's warning came too late, as Skadi was caught in mid-air by the cyborg, catching her by her throat. He roughly threw her across the Great Hall, then trained his own weapons on the party.

"Prepare to die, outworlders!"

Samson's own attack was distracted by both Ariana and Monika coming behind his party and attacking. The two gargesses roughly fought with the Rokkans he commanded, soon joined by Foxglove's party, all forgetting about Samson.

Monika popped her head up. "Don't let him get to the rookery!!"

Ariana looked up herself, then followed him toward his destination.

And her trap.

Lower in the Aerie Building, though, another trap was being laid. A red, beaked gargoyle looked cautiously around the garage area, clutching a large box to his bosom. Making sure all was clear, he placed the box on a worktable, taking away a matching toolbox so that nothing seemed out of place. Swiftly, he made his way out of the garage, closing its door behind him.

"There. That should satisfy her."

Looping the toolbox with his tail, the gargoyle known as Ares started a careful ascent up to the summit of the building, to re-join the battle.

Cadillac had barely avoided the mad gargess' lunge, jumping into Sotanax' lap. Using her current place to launch herself, she put her own attack toward the newcomer.

"What are you doing this for, Angela?"

The gargess roared. "I'm not that little bitch Angela! I'm Lilith!" The mention of Angela's name seemed to only infuriate her more, as she caught little Cadillac in mid-air, grasping her and throwing her out of the room. Cadillac landed roughly in the passageway, hitting hard against the opposite wall.

Lilith now turned her attention to Sotanax, who was desperately trying to get away from her. To no avail, though, as she grabbed him by the head and picked him up.

"And what have you to say about anything, little man?"

Sotanax' features hardened, as he pulled a pistol out of his coat and put it between Lilith's eyes. He almost cracked a smile as he pulled the trigger.

"Who's little now, ya punk-ass bitch?" As Lilith's life faded from her, her grip released on Sotanax' head, allowing him to get both feet on the floor again. His injuries didn't seem to faze him much, as he turned back to the communication console, picking up where he left off. At that moment, General Chavez chose the opportunity to stand back up.

"'Punk-ass bitch?' From Xanatos?" Her amazement was showing on her face as she looked back and forth between Sotanax and the now-deceased Lilith, who now faded into a sulfuric-looking mist.

Samson's trek into the depths of the Castle continued quickly ... not even the memories that the stone passages should have triggered could stop him from his final destination.

However, just as he crossed a door passage, he heard a thunderous voice coming from the door. "ATTACK!"

A huge party leaped through the doorway and out into the passageway, meeting Samson and stopping him short. At its head was the one who had yelled the command, Link ShivenHeart. Behind him stood a number of gargoyles ... among them being Chimura and Ruby.

Samson scoffed. "You think that broadswords and weak females will stop me?" Samson roared and leaped into the midst of the defenders, rage unchained, blasting around the passage. Just as he had managed to beat that defense party back, another swarmed upon him, this one led by the three-eyed otherworlder Trinity and Sergeant Goliath. He worked his way through the relentless defenders, swinging and firing without mercy.

Trinity stood in his path, all three eyes glowing brightly red. "You ain't goin' nowhere, not without going through me!"

Samson smiled evilly. "I can oblige you, redneck."

That remark only infuriated her further, urging Trinity into an attack. Samson caught her in mid-stride flinging her over his head. She slammed roughly into the ceiling, falling to the floor. After roughly manhandling the Sergeant aside, and blasting four times into the passage to make his point, he made his way further into the castle.

Chimura, hit by one of the blasts, grasped her injury and pushed her mike toward her mouth. "Ariana, he's approaching the rookery."

Ariana's voice came back over the radio. "Good. It's going according to plan. I'm coming up, get your injured out of there."

"Acknowledged." The Greek gargess stood up, despite her injury, and helped Ruby to her own feet. "Let's gather the wounded."

Samson's journey to the heart of the Castle continued, undeterred by anyone he encountered in the path. His attention was quickly drawn to a room he passed by on his path ... the communication center.

Or more precisely, to the young gargess Cadillac, lying unconscious across from the doorway. His eyes glowed briefly before he tried to continue his trek.

"That's far enough, Samson! Freeze!"

He turned quickly to see two women standing there before him, two very similar-looking women ... Fox Xanatos and her otherworldly daughter Rhiannon, in full battle regalia. He sneered.

"More women? What should I have expected, you can't take 'em on the front lines."

At that, General Chavez came out of the communication center, weapon drawn. "You want to reconsider that, you misogynistic ..."

Samson cut her off by blasting her. Chavez soon found herself flying into the comm. center, a mortal wound sizzling in her abdomen. Sotanax stood up, eyes wide, as he saw Samson aim toward him.

"Holy shi --"

A blast, and he was no more. His body vanished into mist. This only served to galvanize the two Xanatos women, who would have opened fire ...

... had it not been for Fox taking a box wrench in the back of the head. Rhiannon turned to see their assailant, Ares, with the toolbox he had stolen open, throwing tools out of it at the defenders.

"Go, Samson! I've got you covered!"

"Not covered well ENOUGH!" Rhiannon quickly ducked Ares' next throw, sweeping the gargoyle's feet out from under him. Without a second thought, she grabbed the now-abandoned toolbox and slammed it repeatedly into Ares' head, effectively crushing his skull.

Nox spotted this on the monitors. Closing her eyes, she focused her concentration on Ares' quickly withering body ... trying to will it to her.

"And the first of the Familiae Caligorum falls ..."

Demona's attention, though, focused clearly on her grandson, continuing his run into the rookery. Well, maybe not quite so clearly ... she tried to split her attention between him and Thorn, who had now begun her confrontation with Rosanna's team.

Turning back to Samson, she flashed a hopeful look in her eyes. "Make me proud, Samson ..."

The rookery itself was lightly guarded ... only one sentry stood outside. Jacinda assumed a defensive stance as she saw the quickly-moving Samson approaching.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you inside."

Samson rushed up to her, throwing Jacinda against a side wall. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you stop me!"

Allowing himself a short breath, he approached the door.

Ariana made her way through the passage almost as quickly as Samson had. She encountered the injured Chimura on her way.

"What's your status?"

Chimura sighed. "I seriously doubt any of us are battle-ready. We're going to need a huge medevac here."

Ariana sighed. "Unfortunately, this is where the medevacs would be going. Save who you can."

Chimura nodded, limping again on her way and helping the worse-injured Trinity down the passage.

Ariana's next encounter came with Cadillac, just coming to in the hallway. Ari bent down to Cadillac's level, checking her for injuries.

"You okay, short stuff?"

"I ... think so." She looked around her, seeing much of the mist from the dying defenders still hanging in the air ... and the prone bodies of Maria Chavez and Fox Xanatos close to her. Rhiannon Xanatos approached both gargesses.

"We tried to hold them off ... he kept going ... I killed some jerk with a toolbox ..."

Ariana took note of the bloody toolbox Rhiannon still had in her grip. Beginning to panic, she continued on her trek.

Samson looked briefly into the rookery, momentarily seeing nothing. Then finally when his eyes made the adjustment, he saw the room's two occupants. And suddenly, his faculties left him.

There, sitting in the darkness, was Nudnik, Ariana's ever-faithful doggoyle. Lying at the feet of a child, who looked up at Samson with little to no fear in his eyes. In fact, a smile broke across his face.

With that smile, the recognition began to take hold in Samson's imprisoned mind. The child was a small, blue thing, with glider-style wings. He had short horns, and a beak that would have made Ariana look like his mother.

Ariana ...

At that moment, Ariana came into the doorway of the rookery, looking in to see the conflict occurring within Samson showing on his face. She saw the one thing she had thought she would never see again.

Samson ... crying ...

She felt her own tears begin anew. "I'm sorry, Samson."

At that moment, Ariana flipped on the light switch, bathing the entire rookery in artificial light. At that moment, the trap she, Angela and Eden had laid for Samson finally came to fruition ... four reflectors in the corners of the room, given enchantment by Angela's spells, focused all of the light in the room upon Samson. Fighting her tears, Ariana pulled out a piece of paper from her belt, reading the incantation that Eden had written for her.

All enchantments, fade and cease
Samson's true heart to beat.

A blood-chilling scream erupted from Samson as the spell took its full effect. A blinding magical flash permeated every corner of the room, as Ariana rushed to the side of Solomon, guarding his eyes from the flash along with her own and Nudnik's.

When the flash subsided, Samson stood there. In utter shock.

"Ariana? Where am I?"

Ariana approached Samson slowly. "You're back at the Castle. Welcome home."

Samson's joy was crushing to him. His face wrinkled into happy tears as he fully embraced his mate once more, after all his months of slavery within his grandmother's spell. Ariana pulled free of his embrace to guide him over to Solomon.

"You've missed a lot in your absence, love." She eagerly presented Solomon to his father. "For instance, your son's hatching."

"My ... son ..." Samson suddenly collapsed, clutching his chest. Ariana came immediatey to his side.

Demona kept her eyes raptly focused on the screen with Samson, her own tears beginning. "No ... not Samson!" Infuriated, she whirled to face Nox. "What is happening to my grandson?!"

Nox pulled her attention briefly away from the now-headless body of Ares, lying on the table before her. "You heard the terms of the spell as clearly as I did. It removed any and all spells over your precious Samson. Not just your puny little mind control spell, it also took off my maintenance."

Demona screamed into the air with all of her sorrow. Turning back to the screen, she blinked tears away from her face.

"Farewell ... my dearest Samson ..."

"What's happening?? Samson, speak to me!"

Samson's every breath came more and more laboredly as he tried to answer her. "Demona's friends ... they put a spell on me ... kept me from aging ... was dying ... am dying ..."

Ariana made a motion to call on her radio, but Samson stopped her.

"Don't try ... to save me. Just remember ... our love to our beautiful son."

Ariana's tears came again. "I will, I promise."

"And Ari ... "

Saamson was fading fast, his aging raging out of control now ... he was nearly at the centenarian range. He brought Ariana's head close to him so that he could kiss her one final time. Pulling her away at last, he whispered into her ear.

"Don't ... let ... Demona ... win ..."

Samson's head fell back to the floor, as he breathed his last. Ariana held him close to her for a moment, before allowing his body to fall to the floor as well. Standing up, she turned to Solomon, clutching him close to her, letting her sorrow flow freely now.

Monika and Eden stood in the doorway, watching the drama unfold. Eden made a motion to enter the room, but Monika stopped her.

"I have to get those reflectors out."

"Give her time, Eden. She's just lost a mate. I think it's time that we returned to our own mates, don't you? The other teams are returning."

Eden nodded sadly, flicking off the light switch in the rookery, leaving Ariana in the dark with the last bit of her mate she had.