This work is a fanfic for the television show "Gargoyles". It is written in tribute to the fine work that went into making such a compelling cartoon. All characters from the TV show are copyrighted to Disney and Buena Vista Television. [Translation: Don't sue, it's meant to be a compliment.]

      This fanfic is a continuation of my Tyger! Tyger! series. I recommend reading the previous works before this one as they build off each other. In the television timeline, this story takes place a few days after the episode "Grief" occured.

      I value the opinion of my readers and enjoy getting feedback from them (both good and bad). For those wishing to comment on this fanfic may email their comments to marlos@spottycat.com and I will reply as promptly as possible.

      Ideas for further stories continue to creep in and becon me to write about them. When these will see fruition is uncertain. As always, Fanfic progress (F) is inversely proportional to Workload (W).

      As always, I'll give this story a C8 rating (Y7 for you americans :P). It's the same level of stuff that appears in the tv show.

* Tuesday night *

Lex lead the way to Claw's workroom. The converted office and lab was located in a far corner of the underground base; Claw had been more reclusive when he'd chosen his quarters. Lex hopped into the chair and started on the computer while Brooklyn looked around for signs of where Claw could have gone.
      "Lex, now that we know everything's ok, I'll be heading back. I should be on patrol." Brooklyn had been hoping to talk to Maggie for a while, but she was out searching for Claw. Maybe he'd be lucky and see her during his patrol.
      "Don't head out yet. I might need some help."
      "Fat lot of help I can be. You know more about this stuff than the rest of the clan combined."
      "I may need someone at the other terminal." He pointed through the lab window to the computer inside.
      "Fine. Fine. I'll go in there and search for clues. Call when you need me."

Brooklyn scratched an eyeridge as he looked over the junk. He barely recognized a third of it, and then mostly as nameless things from television. A lot of it was fancy looking gadgetry, some in various states of disrepair. He sighed and remembered an older rookery sister with a workshop that had been equally cryptic and cluttered to him.
      He glanced over the Post-it notes on the desk and various items, all reminders to do one task or another. He then turned his attention to a notebook and speedily flipped through it. It was filled with technical notes and, more recently, a growing number of comments from when his mind wandered. He stopped reading them. He told himself it was for the sake of their privacy, but they reminded him too much of how lonely he'd been feeling.
      Glancing under a sheet of cloth, he gasped and gave a startled "Hey!" It was the busted guns from the fight with Fang and his goons. "Lex, get in here!" he called out. "What is Claw up to?" he wondered. "What if he's up to his old tricks?" He studied the partially dismantled weapons and scratched his brow.
      It was then that he noticed that they were partially disassembled. Little nameless components had been plucked out of the circuitry. All three guns lacked large components at the base of their barrels. "Claw must have gotten rid of the firing mechanisms and power packs, and is scavenging parts from the rest," he thought.
      He sighed in relief and glanced up. "The tiger's quite a packrat, eh?" he asked Lex. It was only then that he noticed Lex hadn't come when he'd called, hadn't heard him through the closed door which he'd mistakenly shut. He replaced the sheet and was glad Lex hadn't come. He felt guilty for doubting Claw. "But what if..."

Lex clacked away at the computer. Things were going pretty slow. Things that should have been working weren't. He couldn't seem to gain access to any of the systems. When he could find no way to tap into the surveillance systems, he tried some of the other systems. He was locked out of them as well.
      "Perhaps the computer is having problems accessing the central system," he thought. He tried to verify the connection status when suddenly the computer froze and rebooted itself. "What in the world?" he exclaimed. "Brooklyn, anything strange happening in there?" The computer finished its restart and Lex began typing again in search of his mistake. He glanced up and saw Brooklyn examining something on the table. Lex decided not to bother him and continued trying to trace the problem. "Maybe Claw and I messed something up when we assembled the computer. Hmmm... might be in the start-up files."

Talon stretched and leaned back against the wall. Maggie was out searching for Claw, so that left him on guard duty. He'd just done a round of the Labyrinth and chatted with the few residents who trusted him enough to talk. They'd thanked him for giving them a safe place to stay. He glanced around and saw no one looking his way. He stretched again and gave a yawn, sharp fangs bared. It felt good, but it always made the natives restless.
      His mind began to wander and drifted, as it often did, to Maggie. He growled deep in his throat. They'd been planning an evening alone together, but Claw had to run off. Maggie was out searching the city, he was here in case it meant trouble was brewing and their steaks were going bad. "Just great. I wonder what else..."
      Ironically, he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. The main doors rumbled and began to open. "Claw!" he exclaimed, thrilled about his friend's safe return. He then remembered that he was angry with him. "Where have you been, Claw?" he asked gruffly.
      Only it wasn't Claw. When he looked out the widening doors, he was faced with a half-dozen large robots. They were hulking brutes with large ovoid bodies and powerful legs to carry them. With the wide slit for their optical sensors, their matte grey armour and ponderous build, they made an imposing sight. Save for a red trim, aesthetics had given way to functionality in their design. The articulated arms were not identical, one ending in a metal hand and the other with the barrel of a gun. They all raised their left arm at him, the ones ending in blaster muzzles.
      His fur bristled and he growled savagely. "Xanatos! It has to be!" he thought angrily. He dove to the side and dodged the blaster fire. He slammed a paw on the door controls, but they'd been over-ridden and wouldn't close.
      The first robot stepped in and got a blast of electricity that threw it aside. As it stood to rise, several small golden flyers swarmed in and opened fire on him.

Lex grumbled to himself. His attempts to access continued to meet with failure after failure. The computer had just finished rebooting itself for the third time when there came a frantic knocking at the door.
      "Help! Hurry! You gotta come quick! Señor Talon needs help!" a male voice called out.
      Lex leapt from the chair, sending it rolling into the corner and pulled open the door. "What's happened?"
      The Hispanic man cringed away from the gargoyle's glowing eyes and took a step back. "Talon... attacked... big robots at... gates. You gotta help him."
      Brooklyn had seen Lex's dash for the door and was in the office to hear the man. "We're on our way," he said as he rushed past them and charged down the corridor. Lex was right on his heels.
      "Man! Cat people, bat things and now loco robots. I need a new place to live."

* Ten minutes ago *

Talon swooped and grabbed one of the flyers by its stubby wings. Sparks danced between his paws, frying its circuitry. He hurled it at the leading robot, the one he'd blasted at the beginning. He'd wounded it earlier and the explosion from the impact destroyed something vital. It stumbled to a halt along the track of the doors.
      The remaining flyers swerved and began another attack. Their golden blasts stung at his sides and legs, numbing him. He growled and swung a paw at the nearest. His claws shattered the glass over the optical systems and he used the grip to hurl it into the wall. It blew in a burst of flame and sparks.
      He banked hard and narrowly avoided the blasts from the ground robots and fell back further. The ground-pounders were slow, but they were too powerful for him to take on straight out. Even wounded, the first robot had been beating him before the flyers forced him to take to the air. He hurled a lance of lightning at the nearest robot, blowing up the blaster pointed at him. He was feeling drained; his blasts were getting weaker quickly.
      He heard a savage roar to his left just before Brooklyn and Lexington tackled a robot from the side. Their momentum tipped it over, barely, and they tore at it with their claws. Those beside it aimed at them, but the gargoyles leapt aside, leaving the robot to be blasted.
      One seized a metal gauntlet around Brooklyn's wrist and slammed him against the wall. It smashed the blasted stump of its other arm across his beak.

Vogel watched the battle progress from the control room. An array of monitors along the top of the wall displayed a view from several vantage points, each with digital read-outs across the right side of the screen. Being alone, he indulged himself by leaning back in his seat and smiling; the battle was going quite well.
      The displays showed the battle from the point of view of each of the newly commissioned Cyclops-2 units, the heavily armoured ground troops he'd sent in. They were holding up quite well against the three gargoyles, even without the assistance of the Stirge flyers. The upgrades made them far superior to the C-1's, enough so to be beating the gargoyles.
      His smile broadened as unit 3 bashed its stump across the red gargoyle's beak. He took a mental note that the new pseudo-adaptive coding was allowing them to change tactics as conditions altered. The battle was becoming most informative, both about the gargoyles and the cybots' abilities. Seeing how well Goliath had handled the C-1's, it was good to see their replacements faring so much better.
      The flyers were keeping the tan gargoyle with the webbed wings occupied while the C-2's moved in on the larger pair. Together they'd disabled unit 5, but by that time all four remaining robots were in the room and firing at them. They wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
      As Five toppled over, Three locked its damaged arm around the feline gargoyle's neck and slammed its fist into the creature's ribs. Vogel saw a blip on its display and a corresponding one on Six's. Three threw its captive against the wall and Six fired its blaster into the concrete bracing above. Fist-sized debris tumbled down and covered it. Three and Six kept their sensors on it for a moment to re-evaluate its threat status down to incapacitated. They turned and moved in on the remaining two opponents.
      The gargoyles fell back through another archway to force the slower Cyclops to fall behind and enter one at a time. The floormap of the complex shifted on Three's monitor and a path was plotted in red. Two and Six followed these directions to cut the gargoyles off and surround them.
      A chime from the console told him the elevator had just opened onto the bridge level. He shut down the visual link to the cybots and had the main display show the overall battle statistics. Reynard would not approve of field testing the cybots against the gargoyles. He sipped at his cup of coffee as Reynard drove in.
      "What's our status, Mr Vogel?"
      "They had no success breaching the security net and all attempts to do so stopped soon after the cybots arrived."
      "Have we captured the vandals?"
      "The cybots met resistance upon entering the compound, but they are winning the fight. Besides most of the Stirges, two troopers are disabled but not destroyed."
      "What kind of resistance?"
      "Uncertain, sir. The C-2's report only three 'unclassified' defenders, one of which has been neutralized."
      "Unclassified? You're using the new Cyclops-2's? Activate their optical monitoring so we can see what we're dealing with." Vogel typed in the command and the screens lit up again. "Gargoyles!"

Brooklyn growled angrily as the last flyer's shot stung at his leg. He banked and made a grab for it, but missed narrowly. He received a blast and a numbness on his hand for trying.
      Lexington made a quick dive and folded his wingflaps over the flyer. His claws sank into it and he tore up the metal plates. As his feet touched the ground, he sank his talons into the holes, he pulled out fistfuls of circuitry and wiring. One of the ground robots stomped into the doorway and he tossed the eviscerated husk at it. It reacted quickly by batting the projectile aside with its metal hand. The flyer shattered against the wall in a flash of flames and sparks. "Brooklyn, the big ones have caught up with us."
      "Hey! It's our old pal, Stumpy. Let's take him down while we've got a chance."
      Brooklyn and Lexington lunged at the robot, but screamed in pain and crashed to the ground as blasters fired into their backs. The heavy footsteps from the two robots which had circled around rang out as they approached. The gargoyles skidded to a halt at the metallic feet of the one at the doorway. It reached down and locked its fist around Lex's neck while pressing its heavy foot onto Brooklyn's back.
      The horizontal slit of its eye flared red at Lexington. The metal gauntlet began squeezing his windpipe, cutting off the oxygen to his lungs. Spots swirled in the small gargoyle's eyes and he was certain he was finished. Then the grip relaxed and he fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.
      There was a hiss of static for a moment before the robot spoke in a weak voice. "Why were you trying to tap into our computer network?"
      "Wha... what's that got to do with this? Who are you?"
      "I'm Halcyon Reynard, owner of Cyberbiotics. I assume you are somehow involved in the attempt to gain access to our network earlier." The robot's speaker gave a pained cough.
      "Good going Lex, invite the landlord for a visit," Brooklyn mumbled from beneath the broad, metal foot. There was a slight pause before the foot rose up and let the red gargoyle slide free.
      "Reynard? The human Goliath met on the airship?" Lex asked.
      "Yes. And I'd assume you're members of his clan?"
      The tan gargoyle nodded and gave his red rookery brother a hand up. "I'm Lexington, and this is Brooklyn."
      A stern voice spoke up from one of the robots behind them. "How creative. Why were you trying to access the Cyberbiotics security network?"
      "We... I was trying to get the surveillance cameras working again. With Goliath, Bronx and now Claw missing, we were getting worried and wanted it up."
      "Goliath is not missing."
      "You've seen him? Where is he?" Brooklyn asked quickly.
      "I saw him briefly in Prague."
      Stunned, Lex asked, "Germany?"
      "The Czech Republic," the other voice stated.
      "I met him there a few weeks ago," Reynard continued. "He and your friends are fine."
      "When are they coming back?" Brooklyn asked.
      "He wasn't very clear on that. He said they were on a journey which had to be seen to its end. But I'm sure they'll be back as soon as it's over. Now, as a favour to him, I'll arrange for access to be granted to the security systems in the underground lab."
      "And the maintenance systems," Lex added. "We... we wanted to get them working too... to keep everything running smoothly here."
      Reynard chuckled softly at the little one's boldness. "Fine, Lexington. You'll have access to them as well. The rest will be locked out to you, and any attempt to enter the rest of the system will not be allowed." The robot closed its fist and the eyeslit flared red briefly. "I owe my honour to Goliath and for that I will trust you, but do not betray that trust." The robots turned and began marching slowly out.
      "We won't, Mr Reynard, and thank you."

      * Wednesday, 11:10 a.m. *

The sleek black and red helicopter hovered for a moment before coming to a landing. The pilot touched it down expertly on the helipad at the stonework castle. Hearing the side door open, he glanced out and watched his three passengers disembark. He turned away and began his post-flight checks. He was being paid good money, not just as a pilot, but to keep quiet. The way he saw it, the less he knew about it, the less he'd be tempted to talk about it.
      Xanatos turned to the other two. "Home, sweet home."
      Tara nodded curtly and looked up at the sunny sky. "Yeah. So, how're we going to get home? Claw can't fly from here until it gets dark." Claw nodded. It had been some time since he'd been a face lost in the crowd.
      "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay for lunch? My chefs will prepare a fine homecoming meal for you both."
      They shook their heads firmly. After what had happened in India, they weren't inclined to trust him. They definitely weren't in the mood for any more of his company.
      He shrugged the rejection off with a smile. "Then I'll have Owen drive you home. I'm grateful for what you did for me, Claw. I hope you both will visit again sometime."
      Claw shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Never," he swore to himself.

Mr Chapman took another bite of his sandwich as he watched the street. Things were going slow, so he was eating lunch while he could. A large black car pulled up, a limousine. He slid his other hand to the phone, preparing to call 911 if it meant trouble. It might be Dracon's men finally coming to repay him for helping Matt Bluestone and his partner bust their boss for his protection racket.
      He dropped his sandwich when he saw a passenger get out. It was Tara Collins from the apartment building across the street. His surprise doubled when he saw her dart her head back inside quickly and kiss a shadowy figure in the other seat. She slung a heavy bag over her shoulder, looked nervously up and down the street before heading across to her building.

Tara plodded up the stairs slowly, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. "Jet lag," she mumbled as she stepped into her apartment. She looked at her watch for a minute and tried to figure out when she'd last slept with all the timezone changes, but was too tired. Too long, she decided.
      She collapsed into the sofa and hit the playback on her answering machine. It clicked, rewound and beeped.
      A fuzz of static before the first message replayed. "Hey Tara, it's Janice. Lucy and I are heading out for a coffee at 8:30. Meet us there if you're back in time. Feel free to bring in that mysterious friend of yours. Beep!"
      Tara yawned and stretched out, bumping her feet into the pack she'd carried in. It took her a moment to remember what it was. Besides the little clothes she'd brought with her, she'd put the padded armour and the guns in there. "I'll have to bring this back to Xanatos tomorrow. Hmmmm... the way things have been since I met James, maybe I'd better hang onto this stuff for a while." She stared at the guns for a moment. "And these may just come in handy. I wonder where I need to go to get a permit for them."
      "... that I love you. Beep!"
      She turned and slammed the rewind button on the machine. She'd missed two messages and the second had been her mother. She stopped rewinding and replayed the second message on the tape.
      "Beep! Sally here. Peter called and said you'd be gone for the week. Some kind of family crisis. Calling to let you know I'll cover for you. Hope everything turns out ok. Seeya next week. Beep!"
      That reminded her that she said she'd be gone all week. "Well, that just means I get a little vacation time. Some well deserved rest." She yawned again and rested her feet on the pack.
      Next up was her mother's call:
      "Hi hon, I'm sorry I missed you tonight. Calling to see how things are going in the big city. Everything's fine back home. Mary's back from the hospital with new twins, Shawn and Trevor. They're absolutely adorable. John finished building the new greenhouse and picked up the seedlings for this year's crop. Must be nearly out of time. Just calling to fill you in and to say that I love you. Beep!"
      Tara smiled sleepily. "Love you too, Mom."
      The machine continued on, uncaring. "Beep! Hi Tara, it's Janice. Lucy and I were thinking of going to the movies. Guess you'll have to pass. Too busy with your invisible boyfriend? Call you some other time. Beep!"
      Tara smiled. Janice and Lucy again. She'd rented an apartment across from them at college and they'd been friends ever since. She decided to give them a call. She stretched again and yawned. "After a rest." She started tossing the gear into the open bag and staggered sleepily to bed.

At about the same time Tara had finished her listening to her messages, Claw had turned the corner leading to the Labyrinth. He yawned and winced in pain. His jaw was still sore from fighting the Steel Clan robot. "I'll just get to bed and sleep it off," he thought to himself. A little rest and he'd be as good as new.
      "That's odd," he thought, "the doors are open." He could see the light coming from inside their sanctuary and the shadowy form of someone leaning against the doorway. When he got closer, he could see that the figure wasn't a person at all, but a machine. He trotted up as quickly as he could and looked at it. The battered remains of the robot lay strewn on its side, several scorchmarks across its ovoid body.
      "Where have you been, Claw?" Talon grumbled as he stepped up behind Claw. Talon had seen his friend entering on the cameras and he'd rushed out to see if he was ok. But his relief at seeing him safe had given way to his anger and frustration before he'd arrived.
      Claw acted as if he hadn't heard him. He looked around the room, quickly taking in the damage done. The human inhabitants seemed more reclusive today, as well. He caught sight of Maggie running up.
      "The landlord came to visit and threw us a late housewarming party. Now where were you? We really could have used you here last night." Talon asked. It was only when Claw turned to face him that he saw his arm in a sling. Claw pointed to it with obvious concern. "Like I said, we could have used you."
      Maggie had joined them by then. "Claw, are you ok? Where've you been? We were so worried about you."
      Claw shook his head and pointed down the hallway which lead to his room. He didn't want to talk about it right now; he just wanted to rest. Actually, knowing how Talon would react, he'd rather never talk about it. He turned and started for the hallway.
      Talon's firm paw grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around. "Where'd you disappear to?" Angered that he'd failed to protect his charges, Talon had been in a bad mood since he'd regained consciousness. And now he wanted some answers.
      "Go easy on him, Derek. He's hurt. He can tell us after he's rested." She'd noticed how he rubbed his swollen jaw.
      "No! He left without telling us. We were attacked last night and he wasn't at his post. I want some answers now!" Talon growled. "Where in the world were you?"
      Claw's shoulders sagged and he nodded. The effects of jet lag making him muddle-headed, he decided to just answer the questions and then he could get to sleep. He scribbled across the pad as neatly as he could in his current state of exhaustion and held it up. "India" is stated simply.
      "India? What were you doing there? How'd you get there in the first place?"
      The tiger-man scribbled two answers across the pad. The first was an illegible sprawl after the M, but the little he could make out of the lower word was enough for Talon.
      "Xanatos!" he growled. "You trusted him? You let him take you to India for one of his schemes? Let me guess, he lied and deceived you?"
      Claw nodded and turned to walk to his chambers, but Talon pulled him back again. "What did he do, promise to turn you human?"
      The tiger mutate's shoulders slumped and he nodded. He'd been feeling a fool all day for trusting Xanatos; for not telling the others; and now, for not being home when he was needed. Talon brought that all crashing down on him.
      "You know what he's like, but still you trusted him. Why in the... It was HER, wasn't it?" The panther mutate shoved the tiger's shoulder. "That friend of yours was involved in this; that's why she was missing too, wasn't it?" Claw nodded. "Well, you'd better get something straight, Claw. You're in over your head here. Like it or not, you're a mutate now. The rules of the game are different. You can't expect to be anything more than one of a hundred other friends she has."
      Claw growled angrily, hefted Talon off the ground by his shoulders and tossed him aside. He charged down the hall, his pained growls and sobs echoing after him.
      Maggie gave Talon a hand up. "You shouldn't have been so hard on him, Derek. She's helped him open up a lot."
      He rubbed his sprained shoulder with a grimace of pain. He watched his friend disappear down the corridor and sighed. In a way, he felt that Claw was the little brother he'd never had. It didn't matter that Claw was almost a foot taller than him. "I just don't want him getting hurt, to end up disappointed."
      "Maybe I should go talk to him."
      He shook his head. "No, he needs some time alone. He's not quite human anymore and he's got to accept that people will never treat him quite the same again," he said cautiously. Maggie was very sensitive about the subject.
      "I think something happened while he was away. A few days ago, he wouldn't have reacted like that. I think I should talk to him about his trip."
      "He needs some time to himself, to rest if nothing else. We'll talk to him morning and I can apologize to him then."

Claw slammed the door to his room and collapsed onto his bed in a heap. Exhausted, he fell asleep in seconds. But it was a fitful, restless sleep. He began tossing and turning, growling in pain and clawing at his sheets.

Knock! Knock! Knock!
      Tara groaned and rolled over. The clock by her bed said it was 8:15pm. She contemplated ignoring it for a moment, but decided she'd had enough rest for a while. "Just a minute," she called out. Never having bothered to change before falling asleep, she opened the door. Not fully awake, Tara forgot to check the spyhole first. When she saw the person outside, she tried to slam it shut, but he pushed his weight against it to hold it open.
      "Hello, Ms Collins. We need to talk for a minute," the man in glasses said.
      Tara stepped back slowly as terror gripped her heart. "No, keep away. Keep..." She stumbled back over the bag in front of the couch and fell down. The black man closed the door slowly, never turning from her. She reached into the bag and pulled out one of the pistols. She pointed it at him. "Get out! Leave us alone!"
      Glasses raised his arms casually and continued. "I'm only here to talk. There's no need for the gun."
      "Get out of here!" she yelled. Using the gun - the tranquilizer pistol she noted with relief - as a pointer, she motioned to the door.
      "I'm here to tell you the feud's over," Glasses said calmly.
      "What?"
      "I've told my boss that we've got no quarrel with the Cat. You two are off the hook. We won't be bothering you again."
      "But... but why?" Her pistol lowered a little, but she pulled it back up. "Mark! What about him? He won't care. He'll be back." The man from the alley, the man who'd kidnapped her and who'd fought them on the rooftop wouldn't give up so easily.
      "That's been taken care of. The lawyer we provided encouraged him to plead guilty on the arson charges. He's not cut out to be a pro." He didn't add that Venito was warned that if he talked to the cops about Dracon or the kidnapping, he'd not live to see the next morning.
      "Why?" she asked again. The gun rested at her side.
      "The Cat wasn't one of the gargoyles interfering with our business," Glasses said.
      Feeling confused and overwhelmed, she mumbled, "He's not a gargoyle."
      "He's not? What is he then?" Glasses asked. "This is an unexpected surprise. Might learn something worthwhile after all," he thought to himself.
      "He... he's special," she recovered before giving away any secrets.
      Glasses opened the door slowly. "He spared me the other day, and that does not go unnoticed. That is my gift to you both. As long as your friend doesn't interfere in our business, we will have no reason to go after him. But if he does, then I will not be responsible for what happens... to either of you," he added ominously as he shuts the door.
      Tara sagged onto the couch, overwhelmed with relief. Her fear of Mark was like a heavy blanket that had now been lifted. Dracon's men weren't going to come after Claw. They were safe.
      Glasses stepped into the car outside with Joey (who'd been keeping watch on the door). "Cat won't get in the way of business. I gave her the message." He added to himself, "and a little more."
      Joey nodded. "That's good to hear. One less of those gargoyles to worry about."
      "That's the strange thing; she said he wasn't one."

The lights turned on in the next room. The tiger-man rubbed his eyes and looked through the plexiglass wall. "I wonder what's going on. I hope it's not another session of poking and prodding." It had been nearly a week since they'd brought the woman in and injected her. After what had happened, they'd started being more careful. He knew they were keeping a closer eye on him. But he had to try.
      A lab assistant and an armed guard came in. Claw snarled and bashed his fist against the plexiglass. He recognized this assistant; it was the same one who'd tranq-ed him that first night.
      Dr Nelson - he knew his name now - smiled. "Hello Lucky. Nice to see you, too. Today, we're going on a little trip to get some x-rays. I want to check on your development."
      The guard motioned for him to move away from the door. The creature, once James Maxwell, nodded and stepped back as the door opened. With the weapon trained on him, the tiger-man walked out slowly. He stopped for a moment to glare hatefully down at Nelson and curl his muzzle back into a toothy snarl.
      The small scientist smirked and pointed for him to get moving. "Move it, Lucky. I want to know how well you're turning out." The mutate huffed angrily and moved on; he despised the nickname Nelson used for him. Lucky number thirteen: the only winner in their genetic lottery.
      The trio exited the room and marched down the corridors towards the radiology room. He recognized the path they were travelling. He knew most of the building well from being its janitor.
      The tigermorph turned a corner and stumbled, clutching his side. He steadied himself with the other arm and mewled roughly in pain. The others moved closer to examine him. He collapsed to one knee and coughed hoarsely.
      The moment the guard put his hand on him, he was in motion. He snarled viciously as he rose up and shoved Nelson back, grabbed his guard's wrist and flung him aside. He slumped against the wall, unconscious.
      Crouching low, he growled deep in his throat. His hips twitched quickly and his tailtip flicked rapidly. He lunged on top of the scientist, bearing him down with his weight as the man turned to run. The small man struggled, but being weak by normal standards made it a futile attempt.
      The mutate carried him bodily to the nearby door and pressed him against it, pulled his keycard away and swipped it through the door. It opened with a happy chime. He then opened a door opposite it, a janitorial closet and tossed the little man inside. With a loud snap, he broke the knob off the door and casually flicked it over his shoulder. He grabbed a chair in the conference room the keycard had opened and sent it through the window in a spray of glass. He leapt and followed it out.
      Spreading his wings, he found himself without the strength to use them. Using them as a poor parachute, the three story fall seemed drawn out. Luckily, a car was there to break his fall. He slammed through the canopy of the blue convertible and came to a halt. With the chair through its windshield, the auto was a frightful mess. Its car alarm went off.
      Glancing back, he saw lights coming on across the building and around the grounds. He didn't have any time to enjoy his freedom yet. The guards would be coming soon. Groaning as he pulled himself out of the cab, he scrambled over the hood and then over the fence at the edge of the parking lot.

Unbeknownst to the tigermorph, Nelson watched him charge away from the shattered window. He nodded to the guard beside him, and the guard spoke into his radio. "Subject #13 has escaped, proceeding westward."
      "Very good. Does he suspect?"
      "No, Dr Sevarius. He surprised us, actually; he had an escape plan of his own. We simply allowed it to succeed. The tracking unit is responding and the team is standing by."
      Nelson licked the trickle of blood that ran from his cheek. Touching it, he could feel two deep cuts. The upper one was the longer at about 5 cm long, the other was 3 cm. "Call a tow truck for my car. I'll be in lab four getting this stitched up." As he stomped down the hall, the little man pondered what painful experiment he'd perform first when they recaptured the mutate.

* Thursday Mid-morning *

The tiger-man charged through the narrow alley and across a street. People pointed and screamed in terror as they saw him. He tried to cry for help, but only a loud snarl came out. The pedestrians fled.
      The shriek of brakes and rubber over asphalt startled him for a moment. The Mercedes swerved and skidded to a halt just inches in front of him. He saw a couple inside. The blonde-haired woman berated the brown-haired man harshly before she saw what he had avoided. Upon seeing the beast in front of the car, she shoved the driver towards his door and fled out hers. A second later, he was out and close behind her.
      The tiger mutate charged across the street and through an alley. On the next street he crossed, it was the same. People screamed and fled in terror, with one exception. One old lady drew a pistol from her knit handbag and took a shot at him.
      He dove into the alleys and kept to their shadows. He didn't know where he could turn. There was nowhere he could be safe. Nowhere to hide.
      At one point, he looked up and recognized where he was. It was the apartment building where he lived. Unconsciously, he'd led himself back there, back home. He sighed in relief. There he'd be safe and could rest in his own bed.
      He scrambled up the fire escape to his bedroom window. He tugged to open it, but found it locked. Pressing his muzzle to the glass, he peered through the window. His feline eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness as he looked inside. The room was empty. Everything was gone. Everything he owned, all his personal treasures, all the momentos of his parents were gone forever. He never felt so alone. He slumped against the wall and tears wet his fur as they ran down his face.

After Tara treated them to lunch, the threesome decided to spend the afternoon in Central Park. They'd seen notices advertising an open-air fair there today to sponsor several local charities. During the walk, Janice and Lucy chatted, but Tara seemed pleasantly distracted to them. They exchanged a glance, but didn't intrude.
      Tara thought about all the recent changes in her life. Even with the new worries it brought, meeting James had been the best thing to happen to her in a long time. And things were certainly more exciting now that she'd met him, the mutates and the gargoyles.
      There was so much she liked about him. She even liked the way he looked, in a way. After she'd only known him for a few hours, there had been nothing frightening in his appearance, only a strange, gentle strength.
      She sighed, "But we are what we are."
      "What was that, Tara?" Lucy asked.
      "Oh... ahhh... I just said that 'Here we are'" She pointed up ahead to the tents now visible through the trees. Pavilions had been set up and concession stands sold candied apples and cotton candy. The pathways were filled with people laughing and enjoying the sunny day.
      Lucy nodded. "Uh-huh," she said, not quite believing.
      Tara bought three cones from a nearby vendor and smiled. "Cotton candy?"

The tigerman sat in the shadows of the building for nearly an hour. It was then that he heard two people talking as they came up the nearby street. His rounded ears flicked forward in response to the familiarity of their voices. He moved to the edge of the fire escape and watched them as they passed in front of the alley.
      He recognized them right away. The first to step into view was the only friend he'd made at work. Meeting Vinnie every night at the security gate when he came in, they'd become friends. The second was the person he most wanted to see, his friend Sylvia. She'd been one of his few friends who'd stuck with him after his parents had died; one of the few who kept seeing him even though he tried to turn everyone away.
      He hopped down the stairwell and stood in the shadows of the alley. They were his friends; they'd help him somehow. He looked down at his large, furred paws and sighed.
      When he looked up, he saw them kissing. He staggered back and screamed, "No!" But all that came out was a horrid growl, filled with pain and anger. They started in fear and stepped nervously away from the dark alley.
      "Wha... what was that, Vinnie?" Sylvia asked, her voice quaking in fear. She clung to him tightly.
      "I... I don't know."
      The mutate sighed and rubbed his teary eyes. He stepped slowly out of the shadows.
      Vinnie's face filled with fear. "No... no, not another one. Stay back. Leave me alone!"
      Sylvia screamed in horror.
      The beast which had once been their friend looked at them with tear-filled eyes, pleading for their help. He took a step towards them slowly with his paws spread forward and palms up.
      Vinnie screamed and ran, tripping over a garbage can. He shook in fear as he slid back through the trash. The tigermorph took a step forward to lend a hand. Sylvia started yelling and cursing at him. After calling Vinnie a spineless coward, she started to throw the over-turned garbage at the creature. She called him a monster before he even had a chance to try to explain. But he couldn't even do that without a voice. The pained growling and mewling only made things worse.
      Things began to flow like melting wax. The building changed into a small home, white with blue trim and a small porch. His two friends melted into two other people. The woman with fiery red hair lobbed a bottle at him while the heavy-set man with greying hair yelled at him.
      "Get out of here. Leave us alone. You're no son of ours. Animal! Monster!" the vision of his father screamed. James covered his face and growled in pain. His dead parents screamed and yelled at the monster the son they'd loved had become.
      The bottle struck the side of his head and again everything flowed like a syrupy liquid. The house flowed up into an building of brick and stone, one equally familiar. His mother turned into a woman with long, dark hair.
      "How can you expect me to be your friend? I could never care about you. You're a freak, a monster! Stay out of my life!" Tara bellowed as she bent down to throw a rock at him.

Claw awoke screaming in rough growls. He thrashed his paws from side to side, trying to block the bottles and rocks his friends, his family, even Tara threw at him. He looked at the shredded mass of his blanket in his paws and threw them aside in horror. He shivered and clung to himself, wrapped tightly into a ball by his arms and wings. He couldn't go on like this. He couldn't go on alone anymore. When the answer came to him, he gritted his teeth and nodded to himself. He had to end it, one way or another.

Tara tossed the dart, but it missed the tiny red target she was aiming for. When the second missed as well, Janice spoke up. "Don't keep trying for the tiny one, you'll never hit it."
      "But I want the tiger." The three foot tall plush tiger sat on the top of the prize rack along with the other big prizes. It had ivory white fur with a soft puff on the chest and lovely blue eyes which gazed down at her. Tara tossed her last dart and the tiger kept its high perch.
      "You've been at this for nearly fifteen minutes. Let's head for another table," Janice said. Tara sighed and nodded. She'd have to find another gift for James.
      A fuzzy pink pig leapt into Tara's face. "Don't worry Tara, I'll be your friend," Lucy said with a deep voice. The pig puppet clapped its little paws together. "Oink! Oink!"
      Laughing, they weaved their way through the growing crowd in search of another game to play. Something caught Tara's attention out of the corner of her eye. She headed over to the fortune teller's table that she'd almost missed. An aged Hindu woman sat behind the ornately carved table idly arranging several beads and smooth stones. "See a vision for you, memsahib? Know your future? Magic charm for luck?"
      "Oh, come along Tara. Don't waste your time with that," Janice, ever practical, said.
      Normally she'd have agreed with her and continued on. But in the light of recent events, she knew there were still such things as magic and charms in the world. "Besides," she told herself, "there's no harm in trying it."
      "Go ahead, Tara," Lucy encouraged. "We'll be at the ring toss over there."
      Tara glanced over to the game she'd pointed out and nodded. She took the seat saying, "I'll meet you there." Her friends nodded and went off.
      She turned to the old woman who gave her a smile which lacked more than a few teeth. "Give me your hand, memsahib, and I will see what the future holds for you." When Tara offered her hand palm up for a reading, the woman smiled and shook her head.
      With withered hands, she turned Tara's palm down and held it a few inches over the center of the table's ornate pattern. Taking a pile of irregularly shaped beads with black markings, she poured them over the back of Tara's hand. They spilt from her hand and onto the table. The reader quickly snatched up those which scattered off the pattern.
      She clicked her tongue and examined the remaining stones. "The signs are blurred, O beneficent one. My old eyes make it hard to read the signs." Tara smiled and took her cue. Five dollars later, the reading began.
      "There is much in the signs, many beads shows a rich and full future. Your life holds many possibilities." She paused for a moment, looking over the placement of the beads on the table's circular pattern. Tara took advantage of the pause to better study the rich detail of the table. Carved in the shaped of a large wheel, the design was separated into rings and segments. Some of the squares held just symbols, others were of people and objects. One ring held only animals, another groups of stars. The craftsmanship was incredible, every figure was made many different woods inserted into the table to form the pattern.
      The Hindu touched a bead. "The stone of Voyages has fallen across the mark of the Seeker. Life holds for you a great adventure to a distant land on a great quest. You will search for this goal to help a friend in need."
      "Yes! Yes! I... I've made the quest already." Tara said excitedly. She had gone to India with Claw to seek a cure for him.
      But the woman shook her head. "This voyage still lies ahead in your future." She continued on to another bead. This one black with red markings, the only black one in the set. "This one speaks of your past. The stone of the Dark Man lies across the sign of Fire. An evil foe, or many foes, came after you and threatened you with fire... no, you were saved from their threat in fire." Tara nodded rapidly. Claw had used smoke and fire to cover their escape from the warehouse.
      "But it holds word of the future, too. A bead of Change rests near that of the Dark Man." She tapped the depicted with crossed swords. "The mark of Conflict. The threat of this enemy will return, but in a new form." Tara shivered at the thought of Mark coming after them again... or would it be more of Dracon's men instead.
      Pointing to a square holding the pattern of a golden coin, she continued. "The stone of Labour lies across the portent of Wealth and speaks of the present. You have come across new-found wealth, but you worry if to keep it. Worry not, memsahib, you have earned it. Enjoy it and be generous with your money, so that good fortune will follow you." Tara smiled and slid over another five dollars at the not-so-subtle hint.
      "The stone of Plenitude rests on the mark of the Playing Child. This is a joyous portent: you shall bear many children. But it rests its tip across the sign of the Crying Child. Their lives will not be without hardship and sadness, but through these trials, they will prevail and will make you proud in the end." She paused for a moment, as if considering something unseen, before examining the next stone.
      "The stone of Friendship rests in the shadow of the Hammer." She pointed to the panel and the bead resting in the dark half of the square. "The Hammer will come between your friends." The woman shook her head sadly. "It will be a dark time for them. The strain could keep them apart forever.
      "The stone of Family speaks that you have many relatives. But it lies on the panel of Truth. There is something which you keep from them. But the Truth shall arrive; choose wisely in which manner it will appear, memsahib."
      The woman frowned as she moved onto a cluster of beads at the other end of the table. "The stone of Romance lies across the pattern of the Tiger. You have a special friend who is like a tiger..." Tara gasped in surprise, "...strong of body and brave in spirit, but as quiet as the stalking tiger. But he is troubled," she said, pointing to another bead. "The stone of Dreams rests on the pattern of Sorrow. It bears the marks of the past; the dreams of times gone still haunt him. Beside it rests another, the stone of Will.
      "The stone of Will touches both Fear and Sorrow. Fears of the future haunt him, causing him to doubt further. This doubt will allow his fears to grow stronger. It leads him to..." She paused to scan the nearby beads and hissed in horror. She jabbed a bony finger at the panel of dark wood with a white skull. "The mark of Death. The bead of Freedom lies across Death. He seeks his freedom, but it will destroy him. But there is still time, the bead lies in the present and he can still be saved from himself. Go! Go to him and save him from his pain. You must hurry or it will be too late for him."
      Tara was up from the chair in a second. She slammed down a wad of bills and ran quickly into the crowd. Janice and Lucy watched Tara charge past them without pausing to say where she was going. They looked over at the fortune teller's tent and saw her whistling softly as she swept up the bills and gathered her beads into a bag. Tugging on a cord, the flap of the tent fell shut.

Tara ran quickly down the tunnel leading to the Labyrinth's main entrance. Her lungs ached for breath, but she kept running. The thought that James needed her help kept her moving. That thought was so strong that it didn't even cross her mind to doubt the fortune teller's vision. It would be far worse to disbelieve the truth than to believe the falsehood. The image drove her on.
      She barely slowed as she trotted past the battered robot at the gates. For a second, she wondered if they were being attacked, but none of the residents seemed alarmed. She rounded the corner and headed for Claw's room.
      When Tara burst into Claw's room, panting and wheezing for breath, Talon and Maggie turned to the door. "Tara!" they exclaimed as one.
      "What are you doing here?" Talon asked.
      "Please try to talk some sense into him," Maggie said at the same time.
      Tara held up her hand to silence them and wheezed out "Claw?" as she scanned the room for her friend.
      "He's locked himself in there." Talon pointed to the lab.
      "He won't listen to us, but maybe he'll listen to you," Maggie added.
      Tara ran to the window and looked into Claw's workroom. She saw him inside, working at one of the machines inside. He shifted his weight onto his other leg and she caught a glimpse of the cryogenic tank. "No!" she screamed again and again as she bashed her fists against the plexiglass.
      Claw glanced up at the dim noise, expecting it to be Talon and Maggie trying to break in again. The door was reinforced and the window was made of the same material as the containment unit and Fang's cell; they wouldn't be able to break in.
      But he gasped silently when he saw Tara there. She seemed to be yelling something, but he couldn't hear it through the soundproofing. But her expression and the rapid shaking of her head told him enough. His ears hung low and he looked to her with pain-filled eyes. He nodded softly once and turned away. He had to do this for both of them.
      Tara dashed over to the door and rattled the knob. When that failed, she threw her weight against it to try and break it down. She winced in pain and slumped against the door, too exhausted by her run to try again. She pulled herself to her feet and slammed her hand over the intercom button. "Stop James. Don't do it. You have to know the serum won't work."
      "Serum? What serum?" Talon growled. "Is that what Xanatos gave him for his help?"
      Maggie moaned softly and shook her head, stepping back from the shock. "No, it couldn't be; it was gone. Claw had disposed... of... it..." Her thoughts came to the horrible conclusion. "No, it's Sevarius's antidote!" she cried aloud.
      Claw rose away from the machine. It had begun its warm-up cycle. He had only to wait. He pressed his paws over his ears and tried to block out the shouting. "They're wrong," he told himself. "It has to be a cure. It's the only chance I have left."
      Tara spoke into the intercom. "James, why are you doing this? You know that's no cure."
      Claw shook his head in denial and turned away.
      Talon gave the door a kick. "Claw, you fur-brained fool! That stuff'll kill you! Sevarius would never make a cure for us."
      Claw growled angrily and back-handed a microscope into the wall.
      Tara snarled at Talon and beat her fists against his heavy chest. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You're only making things worse." Tears ran down her cheeks as she yelled at the mutate leader. Maggie pushed them apart and moved Talon back from the door.
      When she looked back in, it took her a moment to find him. She could hear his pained growls and sobs when she activated the intercom, but only when she saw his tail around the central counter's edge did she locate him. "Please come out, James. Let me look at you."
      She saw the top of his ears and the back of his head rise over the edge of the counter as he shook it violently. A paw darted out and pulled his tail in close.
      "Tell me what's troubling you. Why do you have to do this?"
      He covered his ears and shook his head again, though not as quickly.
      "Tell me what's wrong? Please come to the window and look at me."
      After a pause, Claw nodded and rose. He walked over to the door, but avoided looking at her directly. "Look at me," she whispered softly. He turned his face up slowly. Looking deep into his amber eyes, so unique and different, "Please, James," she said softly, "don't do this. For me."
      He turned away sharply, squeezing his eyes against the tears that welled up. Couldn't she see that he had to do this for her?
      "Can you tell me why, at least? Are things so bad that you're willing to give up?"
      Claw wiped away his tears. He didn't want to, but he scribbled on his pad. He just wanted to take the serum and get it over with, but he felt he must make her understand why. "I have to end it, one way or another."
      "No! You can't mean that. We need you, James."
      He shook his head violently and wrote on. "I've ruined your lives from the moment we met."
      "You know that's not true. You saved me that first night. I'm your friend, please let me help you."
      "I'm not your friend. I can never really be your friend. You deserve better. I'm just a freak, a monster."
      "Don't say that... Don't even think it. Remember what Martichora showed us: appearances don't matter, it's who you are inside."
      "Who?" Talon and Maggie asked in surprise. Derek was about to ask again when Maggie tugged at his arm and lead him out of the room. "There's more going on here than we know," she said. "This is something they have to settle on their own."
      Back inside, Tara glimpsed the mutates' exit and felt she could say a little more. "There's more to you than your body. You're a wonderful man inside and that's who I see when we're together. It's James I care about... because he's my friend."
      He began another message, but faltered for the words. How could he dare say them? He growled loudly and clutched his head. There was so much he needed to say, but couldn't. "But I'm trapped as an animal. I have to be free one way or another. I can't even speak to you to say how I feel. Only horrible animal sounds."
      "But I understand them a little. They tell me what's important; they tell me how you feel; and, they comfort me... I love the soft rumble of your purring when you rest easily."
      That left him stunned for a moment. He'd never heard himself purr before. No, that didn't matter. And he'd never be able to tell her how he really felt. "But I'm ruining your life. I've brought you nothing but trouble. I must be human for you. All or nothing."
      "You've already saved my life at least twice." She paused for a moment as she thought about how she'd felt earlier in the day. "You haven't ruined my life, you've only made it interesting. It was boring before you came into it, now it's an adventure."
      He covered his ears with his large paws and shook his head in denial. How could she even think that? He paced across the room, torn with uncertainty and indecision.
      "Man or tiger, you will always be my friend. But... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
      His mind felt like it was stuffed so full he couldn't think. The images from his dream were a swirl with what Tara'd said. And trapped in that was what he wanted to say, what he needed to say, what he daren't say. Confusion set in and he paced around the room faster growling softly. He clutched his paws to his chest and felt a cool chill there.
      Tap. Tap. Tap.
      He turned slowly to face the window where Tara was trying to get his attention. He stepped slowly up to the door and looked at her. "James, please answer me this one thing. Do you... do you trust me, James?"
      He nodded. Even in his confusion, he knew that he could always trust her. How could he not...
      "Then if you really do, you'll trust me and not drink that. You're confused right now; you can't trust what you're thinking. But you can trust me. You have to trust me. Don't drink that serum, James."
      He looked down into his paws and was surprised to find a vial of green liquid there. That had been the chill he'd felt. He had a clouded image of himself hearing the timer chime and removing it from the cryo unit. Tara had been screaming at him to stop. The image seemed distant somehow, almost dreamlike. Why hadn't he remembered doing it until now?
      He looked up again and into Tara's pleading eyes. Everything felt so confused, but there was one thing he knew: he had to do it for her. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and prayed he was about to do the right thing.
      He released the breath in a deep growl and hurled the vial against the far wall. It shattered in a spray of glass and goo. The stain on the wall began to bubble and turn black. He hissed loudly in shock and threw a lance of lightning at it, leaving a blackened scorch and a foul smell in the air.
      Tara let out a cry of joy and pushed at the door. "Let me in now, James. It's all over. Please open the door." He nodded and unlocked the security latch. She rushed in and hugged him close. "Oh James, I was so scared I was going to lose you." Tears ran down her cheeks, wetting the soft fur of his chest. He stroked her long, soft hair and sighed. "Don't ever do something like that again. I love you just the way you are."
      He started in surprise as he saw a figure stepping from the shadows. "All is well now, memsahib, tiger," the aged Hindu woman said. "The time of doubt has passed."
      Tara turned around sharply at the voice and released a gasp of surprise. "How... how'd you find us? Why are you here?" Claw growled softly and held Tara close. The fur on his back bristled in surprise.
      "I had to be sure that you were well." The voice sounded stronger, more familiar. The old woman stood straight and almost seemed to grow taller. "Much will depend on you, my little ones, more than you could now imagine." The lines in her aged face melted away as an inner orange glow came over her. A long, subtle tail grew forth and the light changed into fur. Her robe faded into thin, silky garments which hid little of her sleek form.
      "Martichora!" they both exclaimed in surprise, though Claw in the tongue of the tigers.
      The Queen of the Tigers gave a chuckling purr and bowed. "Greetings, my little ones. It is good to see you both again."
      "Why are you here, Cora? And why'd you need a disguise?" Tara asked, briefly wary.
      "I came for one last visit before I leave for Avalon. I had to ensure that you both would be safe. As for the disguise, Oberon's law prevents his children from interfering in the affairs of mortals, so I could do no more than guide you."
      "Then the reading you gave me was just for show?"
      "No, that which the Great Wheel has revealed will come true for all are bound to it. But in what way cannot be known for the beads do not show all. The prophecy is my first of my gifts to you. Use it well; only your actions will dictate where the path shall lead and in what form all will come into being."
      "Then what you said about the quest and the Dark Man and... and everything will be true." She held one of Claw's paws tightly in her hands.
      "In some fashion. but the future is not written yet." Cora smiled to her. "The second of my gifts is a charge I must give you both. The magics of the world grow weak in your modern world and those that remain must be protected until needed." She held out a small clay pot with a snow white, rainbow-speckled mushroom. "The ring is no longer safe in my jungle home and you must find for it a new home."
      Tara reached out and took the small pot. Touching the mushroom's cap, she felt a tingle in her finger, as she had before in the jungle. "I can feel something when I touch it." Claw touched it and the fur on his paw stood on end.
      "It has some power, even now. When the final rising of magic comes, the actions of few will decide much. Protect it and care for it until you can give it a safe home, so that it will be there for those who would use it wisely against the darkness."
      "We promise to find it a safe home." Claw nodded.
      "I know you will, my little ones."
      "Will your children be safe now, Cora?" Claw spoke in the tongue of the tigers. "Will your guardians... your teindaku protect them now?"
      "Many of the teindaku have been awakened to their gifts. If they will be enough, I do not know."
      "If they ever need help, I..." he glanced down at Tara and smiled, "...we will be here for them."
      "I thank you, my little ones. When the time arrives, the one who will lead them will find you. Speaking of which, I must be going. There is still much to do and the days grow few."
      "Will we ever see you again?" Claw asked.
      "Perhaps I will be able to visit you again, little one." She grinned and stroked a paw over his chest. "Perhaps you will visit me again, little one. But someday we will meet again, of that you can be sure. And until then, remember that you have each other." She stepped back and began to vanish quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained for some time after she was gone.
      Tara looked down at the little clay pot in her hands. Claw draped a wing over her shoulder and smiled. She looked up at him and stroked his cheek lightly. "We've got a lot to talk about, I think." She'd have to tell him all the stones had prophesized... all but one, for she did not know if she was ready for what it might mean.

* Epilogue - nearly two weeks later *

With a cry of fear, he bolted up in his bed and looked around the room quickly. Suddenly all was as it should be. He was back in the barracks. All was quiet. The dream was over again. Why wouldn't it go away? What did it mean? He wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to remember for how many nights he'd had that nightmare.
      "Far too many," he mumbled. "Gotta get off this assignment."
      He looked around the room and noticed something was wrong. Things were unnaturally quiet. There were no sounds from the other sleepers. Even Martinez, whose snoring sounded like rusty chainsaws through solid oak, was silent. That's when he noticed the figure standing in the shadows.
      "W-who are you? Who's there?" A hint of nervousness was in his voice. But he felt no fear, only a nervous excitement.
      "I am here to bring you the answers you seek," the woman said as she stepped a little closer. She remained hidden in the shadows, but he could make out the form of her shapely body. "The time has come," she said softly, "to talk of many things, Brian Peterson." She reached her arm out, offering him her hand. He hesitated for a moment before reaching to take it.
      He felt a sudden completeness as he took hold of her orange-furred paw.