Her tension was broken by the sensation of a gargoyle approaching from behind. She looked over her shoulder quickly, then sighed.

"What is it, Chaz?"

"Oh, not much, really. Was enjoying the night air ... and the view."

Lina came close to taking offense at the remark, but then words spoken to her months ago echoed through her mind ...

"I knew as soon as you two arrived, that they would be together. I saw it in his eyes. He never liked you, and you know it."

"LIAR!!" Now she was crying louder. "I found him! He had no memory, I told him all about the clan!"

"And what good did it do you? You come to New York, and he goes to shack up with a beautiful hybrid, who I might add is much easier on the eyes than you are."

She weighed Samson's words from so long ago against Chaz's remark. She suddenly smiled sweetly.

"Why thank you, Chaz!"

This made the Outklaw stop short. His bewildered look was not lost on Lina as she glided off, a smug smirk on her own face. Chaz slowed more and more, until Grim-Rok pushed him.

"What're you doing hangin' around like that? Come on, let's go!"

Taking a slow drag off of his cigarette, Chaz subtlely flicked an ash in Grim-Rok's direction. "Yeah, yeah."

"This is a cakewalk. I wasn't expecting it to be this easy."

David, gliding close behind the Timedancers, nodded in agreement with Brooklyn. "This isn't the apocalypse that Rosanna was warning us about."

"Be on your guard, David-san. In our experience," Sata began, pitching a stern look at her mate, "when it seems easy, that is when your enemy is most likely to strike."

"Speak of the devil ..." Brooklyn's startled shriek cut Sata off effectively, as a large party of Rokkans rose to meet the team. Lina, at the point, screamed behind her an almost unintelligible command, which everyone translated into an attack command.

And the night skies lit up.

The din was suddenly broken by the radio call. "Flynt! Come in!"

Flynt, the SteelClaw leader, waved his hand at everyone for quiet, then picked up his radio. "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."

Flynt looked up, looking at his clanmates. "On our way."

Diamond's eyes suddenly took on a dark shade. "Hybrid, huh? Are we talking about their leader?"

Flynt carefully stroked his chin. "I don't think so. She'd probably be on one of the attack teams, if her lineage is as Demona claims. Regardless, we have our orders. Move out!"

Diamond nodded, following Flynt out of the room. Sabrina and Mad Brooklyn were close behind.

Jake Laughton came up behind the elderly Detroit gargoyle, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If it were up to me, Dodge, you'd be comfortable back at your junkyard. But everyone's gotta do their part."

Dodge smirked. "Thank you, Herr Goebbels. Come on, let's go back to the others."

Teri Laughton stopped them before they could rejoin the rest of the party. "Guys, there's something wrong with Lili!"

The two males looked over to where Lili was standing, a Rokkan held in her hands by his ears. Wild-eyed, she was screaming in the Rokkan's face, punctuating her words with an occasional kick in the alien's midsection. Before long, Dodge and Jake were at her side, trying to break up the confrontation, with Lina and Chaz not far behind.

"What's going on?!"

Lina's demand finally registered after a moment with Lili. "This haole says he knows where our eggs are!" The Hawaiian gargess growled louder, kicking the alien again. "Where are they? Tell us, and we might let you live!"

The Rokkan replied by spitting in Lili's face. She was close to losing control until Lina held her back.

"I've got a better idea. Chaz, let me see that cigarette of yours."

Raising an eyebrow, Chaz obligingly handed Lina the cigarette from his mouth, which she placed in the Rokkan's. She then pulled out her Avalon stone, holding it over the Rokkan's head.

"Figured you might want a last cigarette before I cook your head into flambe with a fireball. Now tell us where the eggs are, jerkface!"

This finally caused the Rokkan some distress. His eyes showed his fear at last. Sputtering while holding the cigarette in his teeth, he finally confessed.

=T-t-two miles up th-th-this street. They're all there.=

Lina smiled sweetly, putting the glowing stone away. "Thanks." She pulled the cigarette out of the Rokkan's teeth, pulling a drag off before handing it back to Chaz. "And thank you, Chaz. Let's go, team!"

Lina led everyone away from the Rokkan, who Lili had finally dropped. All except Chaz, who stood there with a shocked expression on his face. An expression that was finally replaced with a wide grin.

"Wow ... what a woman!"

Suddenly realizing he was holding a lit cigarette in the palm of his hand when the burning smell hit him, he dropped it quickly, running after the rest of the party.

A group of gargoyles appeared in his path, rising to meet him. He pressed his radio headset toward his mouth. "Identify!"

The gargoyles didn't reply. They just continued toward him. Stephen pulled himself vertical, trying to glide over them. They followed, flying just as fast and equally as skilled.

"Not good ... not good at all ..." Stephen pulled out his weapon, turning behind him and firing blindly. The gargoyles chasing him split up quickly, avoiding his shots and collecting back together to catch up.

A female finally grasped his ankle, digging her talons into his flesh. Stephen let out a shocked yelp.

Lina's watching prevented her from noticing the Rokkan swooping down on her from behind. She almost had fallen herself until Chaz had caught the alien in mid-air, headbutting him. The Rokkan landed on his back, dazed, as Chaz landed at Lina's side. Her confidence level started growing again with the Outklaw next to her.

At another area of the battle, Dodge and Leisheng fought back-to-back against a horde, helped occasionally by Colleen catching some of the aliens from behind, strangling them down and keeping them away from their objectives. The grin on her face was starting to make her teammates wonder about her.

"Don't you ever realize what kind of danger you're in?" Dodge accompanied his question with a shot, taking down another Rokkan.

Colleen laughed. "I live for danger, Dodge!" She let out a screech, diving back into the fray. Dodge rolled his eyes and resumed his own fight.

Brooklyn and Sata kept close to the center of the group, making sure everyone stayed within sight, that no one was kept unaccounted for. Turning to the halfling next to him, Brooklyn quietly admonished, "stay close, Drew. We don't know what we're looking for, or what will come for us."

"Right." Drew unconsciously turned his gaze to the other halfling in the group, Maia Reynolds-Harrison. Her familiarity was unnerving ... and he couldn't place it.

On the other side, next to Sata, Maia tried her best to keep her gaze from Drew, her time-displaced father, afraid that he might recognize her. Weapon at the ready, her face showed her worry. Sata placed a hand on Maia's shoulder, the Japanese gargess' expression reassuring the younger girl.

A thunderous rumble erupted from behind the door. Lili jumped back, screaming her rage and raising her weapon at the ready, firing into the crowd. The Rokkan defense party swarmed out of the building, yelling their battle cries and advancing, their weapons blazing.

As soon as they had reached the light of the street, they were jumped upon by Lina's party, which had converged on Lili's position. Standing on a Rokkan's head, Lina grinned widely and waved.

"Hi honey, I'm home!" Her expression turned deadly serious. "This is no time for entrance jokes!!" She turned on her heel, stone at the ready, focusing her concentration on her targets. The stone glowed in her hand.

"FIRE STREAM!"

A streak of volcanic flame blasted from the stone, ripping through the Rokkans' numbers rapidly, the aliens unable to stand up to her firepower. When the fire and smoke had cleared, charred skeletons lined the path into the building.

Lina embarrassedly giggled. "Oops ... maybe I got carried away. Come on!" She grabbed Chaz's hand and ran down the passage, the rest of her team following. Under his breath, Sycamore muttered, "carried away?"

As they moved further inside, more and more had come out to greet them ... so many that at one point Jazz had wondered aloud, "how are there any above to attack? They all seem to be in here."

Lina looked toward her. "We have no idea where they all are coming from, really. It seems like there's too many to be real ..."

Just as she had finished her thought, another six Rokkans had jumped out at them, running toward the Harrisons, who had wound up too close to each other. Drew quickly pushed Maia behind him, his weapon drawn.

But he was unable to fire in time ... a Rokkan blast made sure of that, ripping through his abdomen and spinning him completely around to face Maia, whose expression changed from horror and shock to rage, pulling out her own weapon and blasting furiously into her father's killer. Her blasts had finally felled the great alien, and she dropped to her knees and came to Drew's side.

Around them, the battle continued. Nightwing and Kyffin Dalgorath, being fellow clanmates and knowing each others' strengths, were able to team up to take down two more Rokkans, while Jake Laughton and Roosevelt blasted down another with Little Demon's help. But this was all lost on Maia, holding Drew's hands in what she knew was his last moments.

"Hang on, Drew ... you'll make it, you have to ..."

Drew's breaths became labored as he looked up at her. "Why ... are you here with me? You ..."

Maia unsuccessfully fought her own tears. Sniffling, she lightly kissed his forehead. "I love you, daddy."

Finally realizing now, Drew smiled. "I thought ... that you looked familiar ..." His breathing ceased, and his body dissolved into mist.

Maia's eyes became focused on her objective ... the remaining Rokkans, who had by now laid waste to many of the team ... five Macleoid and another four Macgonagall clansmen, as well as Sierra had fallen either dead or injured. She stood up, reaching for her weapon again, and blasting shots into the Rokkans, savagely mashing down the trigger of the gun and not ceasing, even after both of the aliens had been sufficiently killed. Her scream over the gunfire was not so much rage as it was sorrow, a scream which continued even after the gun's magazine had expired. Sata quickly came to her side, pulling the gun out of her grasp.

"She's shaking, Lina-sama." Sata held the girl in a gentle embrace, trying to help her down from her rush of emotions, looking down at her. The wild-eyed expression on Maia's face showed all.

"Can you continue, Maia? You can go back if you want ..."

Maia's breathing was shallow and quick, but she was able to bark a "NO!" Brooklyn came over to the scene, looking at the girl closer, then back to Lina.

"Don't let her get into a fight unless absolutely necessary. There's no telling how well she'll do in an attack."

Lina nodded. "Let's keep going. Nightwing, Colleen, if you could stay with Maia in the rear ... you're our last line."

Colleen nodded, seeming to be more happy with the assignment than Nightwing, leading Maia from Sata's arms and to the back of the team's marching order.

Chaz spoke finally, his voice breaking the tension. "Lina ... I have to ask something."

She turned her head to him, barely able to see him in the dark corridor. "Go ahead."

She could tell he was nervous about something ... the sound of his breathing, shallow and quick, belied his normally cool appearance. She could hear him swallow, take a deep breath, and then continue.

"Do you believe ... that a relationship that starts with a war could work out?"

Now it was Lina's turn to be nervous. "Did you have anything in particular in mind?"

Even though she couldn't see it, she could feel Chaz's smile as he replied. "Yeah ... yeah, I did."

Impulsively, she put an arm around his waist, putting herself side-by-side with him. "Well, anything's worth a try at least once."

Chaz's nervous breathing finally slowed, relieved. The sound of Brooklyn clearing his throat behind them, however, brought them out of their mood, as he came up between them. "If you two lovebirds don't mind ... we have a war to win. Let's move."

Brooklyn took the point of the team, with Sata close behind him. Lina looked up at Chaz, grinning. "All right. Let's win this battle first ... then we'll talk about ..."

She jumped up and whispered something almost unintelligible into Chaz's ear, then jogged up to catch up with Brooklyn and Sata. Chaz smiled again, stopped short by her words. He quickly pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a deep puff.

"I've said it before, I'll say it again ... what a woman!" He eagerly jogged to keep up.

Brooklyn was hesitant. "All right, but take Sata with you just in case. We've found that they don't seem to care too much about immortality or such."

"As you wish." White Crow pulled out his katana as Sata did the same, both flanking the doors. "Ready when you are."

Sata nodded, letting out a loud kiai and smashing down the door. When they entered, though, they were not prepared for the sight which greeted them.

The room was warm and damp, several stories high, and all the walls were covered with nests ... nests which contained gargoyle eggs. On the floor of the room there were several baby gargoyles, some sparsely dressed, others naked, intermingling and playing with each other. And at the room's center stood a brown-eyed human girl, not more than a teenager, holding a hatchling in her arms.

Lili pushed her way to behind where Brooklyn stood, looking in on the scene, seeing the hatchling in the girl's arms ... and having a sudden expression of recognition wash over her when the hatchling turned to look at her ...

... with Ka'auna's face ...

"My baby ..." Brooklyn could barely hold the Hawaiian back, and eventually needed help from Roosevelt and Jazz to keep her from rushing into the room. White Crow and Sata kept their swords at the ready, still facing the child.

"What is going on here?"

Sata's question was quietly answered by the girl. But her voice ... her voice echoed through the room like rolling thunder and breaking glass. "Welcome to the rookery, gargoyle. It is from here that tomorrow's world will be built ... when all traces of the old are pushed aside and the Rokkan occupation is complete."

The girl's eyes glowed a demonic red, then turned pitch black. "But for now ... it must be defended." A blast of eldritch energy, otherworldly and bizarre, shot from those hellish eyes, lashing out at White Crow and Sata.

Sata's chi-focusing armband allowed her to narrowly avoid the blast, but the wave still staggered her against one wall of the rookery, between two eggs. The blast hit White Crow full-on, however. While it did not kill him, the strength and origin of the magic it had been generated with was enough to stagger him, as he stumbled out of the room, a smoking burn mark on his chest, struggling to breathe.

"This Alita Hayden girl ... a very good choice, I must complement the Sisters."

Nox absently turned her attention away from the headless gargoyle body before her which had once belonged to Ares, looking up. "Yes, she has great power, Demona. But be very wary of her, for this power is one that even I cannot comprehend, much less control. Temper your enthusiasm."

Demona grumbled, looking sideways at the otherworldly mystic. "Killjoy ..."

Nox selectively ignored the immortal gargess, returning to her work with Ares' body.

"We can't take a frontal assault, she's going to kick our collective asses!"

Chaz's observation of the obvious wasn't exactly welcomed, but acknowledged by Lina. "True, and we can't go in their blasting away, we might hurt the hatchlings and the eggs."

Lili was sounding desperate. "But we can't just sit here and watch her scare us off! We've got to do something!!"

Connor, a Meirleach Sgaith clansman, looked at fellow clansman Qeav, then put in his input. "Then we cannot fight her physically. What we need to do is use our magical resources."

All eyes turned to Lina. "But what can I do? I'm just one little gargess with a really powerful rock and some skills in the Way."

Brooklyn's eyes lit up. "But we have more than that, Lina. I see what Connor's driving at ... we pool our magical resources." He motioned quickly to Maia, bringing her into the group. At the mention of magic, Forfexx Argentum turned his attention to the discussion.

After seeing that all of the magic users on the team were present, Brooklyn continued. "What we need is a joint spell. One which will take care of the girl in there, and at the same time not harm the hatchlings. Any ideas?"

Forfexx looked into the room briefly, ducking another blast from the girl inside, then coming back over to them. "Physical manifestation spells won't work. I suggest something on the spirit level."

Lina looked at him. "Spirit level, what do you mean?"

"There's an aura of conflict around her. It's like she doesn't want to attack us, doesn't want to oppose us ... but something is forcing her to. We can use her resistance to our advantage, and try to force out the influence on a soul level."

Lina finally warmed to the idea. "That just might work. But it's going to take a lot of power to do something like that."

Forfexx nodded. "True. It'll take all the magic we have here with us. My power. Your stone and knowledge of the Way. White Crow's skills, if he's able ..."

Forfexx suddenly turned to Maia. "Your pendant, child. It also has power that will be of great use to us."

Maia stammered, still in her stupor from earlier. "What? This?" She pulled out her pendant, the Star of Ramses, a blue crystal, and dangled it from her fingers.

"Exactly. In fact, that stone should be the focal point of our combined force. Only that way will we ensure that the hatchlings will be unharmed."

Maia's breathing came quickly, but she suddenly realized that this was probably what she was meant to do in this universe. "Count me in."

"Good." He turned to Brooklyn. "Now all we need is a distraction ... this power is going to take a while to muster ..."

Before Brooklyn could get a word in edgewise, Sata answered in the affirmative. "I will."

Brooklyn looked at his mate, his eyes meeting hers and finding the love that they had shared for so many years, dancing through time and in the here and now. His heart swelling with pride and love, he stood alongside his mate. "I will, as well. I'll be with you to the end, Sata-chan."

White Crow, standing but still hurt, looked among his teammates, focusing his gaze longer on Brooklyn and Sata. "Then may the gods guide and protect us."

Maia looked up at Lina, the fear showing in her eyes. Lina flashed her a warm smile, patting her on the shoulder. "It's okay, Maia ... we'll make sure you don't get hurt." She nodded pertly at Forfexx.

"All right. Everyone, one at a time, focus your power into Maia's pendant. Lina first."

Lina clutched her stone close to her breast, her eyes closed. When they opened again, a bright stream of light streaked from her eyes and into the Star of Ramses, making the crystal pendant glow.

"White Crow ... your turn."

The weakened White Crow nodded, closing his eyes and focusing. A similar white beam emanated from his own eyes, and into the pendant.

"This could be it, Sata-chan ... after all these years of dancing around danger ..."

Sata stroked her mate's beak, bringing his face around to hers. "Every year that we have been mated has been a happy one, Brooklyn-chan. If it were to end here ... then I would not have it any other way than to end my existence here with you, my love."

He held her close to him, reveling in the feeling of her in his arms for maybe the last time, quietly whispering under the magical din created by the building spell nearby.

"Ai stiteru yo."

Watching the scene from the opposite wall of the corridor, Chaz found himself surprisingly moved by the show of love that Brooklyn and Sata were in the midst of. He looked over to where the spell was building, seeing Lina locked into the magical circle. He unconsciously found himself shedding one tear.

"Be careful, Lina ..."

Kyffin nodded gravely, his own focusing of his dragon magic beginning, then manifesting in another white beam going into the pendant. Forfexx looked up to where Brooklyn and Sata stood, then at the rest of the party.

"Everyone keep clear of the door!" As the rest of the team backed away, Forfexx motioned toward Brooklyn and Sata, nodding. They acknowledged him, drawing their weapons as Forfexx focused his own energies into the pendant.

Holding their hands tightly together so that both would have the speed of her implant, Brookyn and Sata roared into the rookery, guiding their attack on Alita, katana and gun swinging. The girl's eyes suddenly took on the demonic look again, firing a blast at the two gargoyles.

Rather than atomizing them, the beam began to play havoc with their bodies, distorting them and causing them great pain. Brooklyn and Sata never lost their grip on each other, not even when the blast was fusing them into a ball of biologic confusion.

While it seemed like an eternity, the blast only kept them for a few seconds. Seconds that were needed to get the magic users into position, to bring Maia to the front, the Star of Ramses glowing with untold energy she had never known. Maia's eyes now glowed, under the influence of the hyper-powered artifact around her neck.

Forfexx's voice was strangled as he gave his last command. "Now ... Maia!"

Maia let out a loud screech, the power erupting from her eyes and the pendant, bathing the room in unearthly light as the combined magics overwhelmed Alita. The blast holding Brooklyn and Sata finally lost its grip, as the magic attack against Alita struck them as well, saving them from the agonizing death the girl was dealing them.

Alita tried to counter the blast, but eventually it was far too much for the evil influence over her. One last deep, thunderous scream rocked the rookery from every corner, shaking many of the eggs loose. Chaz, watching the scene, screamed as the eggs began falling, and hurriedly the rest of the team rushed inside the rookery, catching the eggs before they struck the ground.

The artificial earthquake finally subsided, and once the safety of the eggs was ensured, the team went inside to survey the damages. Alita lay on the floor, unconscious but still alive, the influence controlling her apparently gone. Brooklyn and Sata lay on a different part of the floor, breathing heavily, their hands still in each other's. And most importantly of all, the eggs and hatchlings were safe.

Lili rushed past everyone, finally locating her hatchling, conscious and happly suckling on his thumb. Overwhelmed with joy, she let her tears fall freely as she picked up her baby, holding him for the first time, seeing in his face the love that she had lost when Ka'auna had died in battle. She cuddled the baby close to her, crying in relief and joy.

"My baby ... my little Ka'auna ..."

Still a little dazzled by the effort it had taken to cast the spell, Lina found herself suddenly being supported by Chaz, his hands holding her up by her shoulders behind her. Once she had regained her balance, she turned around and looked at him ... saw in his eyes the worry that he had felt just minutes before.

"Lina ..."

Her own eyes started reflecting his relief ... and his love. She knew then that she'd finally found in Chaz what she had hoped for in vain when she was with Rain. Leaping into his arms, she came face to face with him. He chuckled softly.

"Remember that question I asked earlier?"

Lina nodded.

"I only asked because I've heard ... that relationships started and based on extreme circumstances never last."

Lina smiled playfully, clutching herself close to him. "Well then ... we'll just have to base it on sex."

Finally, Chaz was able to laugh heartily ... a laugh only paused when she kissed him. From a different part of the room, Jake Laughton smiled, looking at them and putting his radio to his lips.

"Team Delta reporting ... Rokkans clear, and we've found the eggs. We're going to need some time to gather everything and bring it back to the Castle ... send a medevac to help."

The home base responded, as the long task of collecting the eggs began.