Happy Thanksgiving!
For this holiday weekend, I'm serving leftovers, or in this case, an old TP crossover fanfic which I wrote back in August and posted on another archive (didn't know about TPFICT then). Not much really happens in the way of suspense; this is in parts because it's too long to send all at once. Thanks to some recent good feedback I got on this (thanks, Selma, I needed that) I got the courage to post it to TPFICT.
This story is a crossover with Gargoyles, and was originally posted on the Gargoyles fanfic archive--which is why the TPs get more background info than the Gargs. I decided not to screw around with the original fic, so if you have no idea what's going on, e-mail me back and I'll try to clue you in.
"Trading Secrets" takes place a few months after the TP pilot serial, and begins the afternoon after the Gargoyles episode "Future Tense." All Gargoyles characters are copyright Buena Vista Television. All Tomorrow People characters are creations of Roger Damon Price. (New series, that is.) Anyone in here not accounted for is the product of my own warped imagination. Enjoy.
Rowing the boat seemed to have become harder and harder in the past few hours.
Perhaps that had to do with the fact that the sun was shining bright and hot--hotter than the last few stops they'd made--or with the fact that night had not fallen and that Elisa Maza was left to ferry the boat herself.
And stone gargoyles were even heavier than real ones.
She looked back briefly to where Goliath slept frozen in stone. He seemed more peaceful now, not as worried or angry as he'd been the night before when he'd passed out for a moment. All that Elisa and Angela had been able to pry from him was that Puck had attempted to get the Phoenix Gate from him by means of a ruse. What sort of ruse, he wouldn't say. But he had been even more determined to get back to Manhattan.
Wiping the sweat off her brow, she smiled wanly at the statue behind her. "Sorry, guys, but it's too hot here to be New York," she murmured.
The water was also clearer than she was used to. The last time she'd seen ocean water that looked like this was when she'd been to California with her family ten years before. If this was the Pacific Ocean--almost as far as they could get from home--Elisa was going to hit something. She was getting tired of this damned boat.
Squinting through the sweat, Elisa thought she saw a hazy shape on the horizon. She wiped her eyes clear again and shaded them from the light. Sure enough, there was an island up ahead-- although it would take quite a bit of rowing to get to it.
With a sigh, she kicked her jacket out of the way and started rowing, harder than before.
A few hours before this, David Xanatos was frowning at one of the many data screens ranged across his office. It hadn't been a very pleasant day, and it didn't look like it was going to get any better.
Not that anything terrible had happened or was about to; the day had just amounted to a string of irritations. First, Owen was unusually late when they began work that morning. Something was agitating him, but he wouldn't say what. Xanatos had the distinct impression that whatever was going on, it had to do with Alexander somehow.
Alexander. His thoughts turned to Fox, who was not coping well at all lately. Her pregnancy was coming close to crunch time, and as she'd told him, she was really feeling the crunch. She'd been irritable, tired, frequently sick, and looked worse than at any other time in the past nine months. Xanatos, for once in his life, didn't quite know what to do about that.
Oh, well, he thought. After she finally gives birth, she'll be back to normal. Then he re-thought. Well, maybe not normal, he reasoned, but she'll probably be pretty relieved to have it over with. They both would.
And he would be able to hold his son.
Abruptly, his thoughts slid back to current troubles and he sighed in exasperation. After all the failed projects he'd had around the world--those that Elisa and Goliath had screwed up--he'd lost a lot of money, and security and defense forces had been greatly depleted. Of course, this had to occur right before a rather large PR stunt he'd been planning for a while.
An annual east coast writers' convention that had gained in prestige over the decades had agreed to hold this year's con at the Eyrie, with Xanatos Enterprises sponsoring. After all the media rumors, etc. that had been circulating around him for a while, he needed something good and clean for his image. He'd beat out a number of interested corporations, including Nightstone Unlimited, to get this deal. If it all worked out, he would be in prime position to snag a deal with one of the biggest publishing firms in the country.
However, this provided any enemy the perfect opportunity to strike. Nightstone, for one. Demona would jump at such a chance, especially with his defenses down and a deal riding on this.
He picked up the file he'd ordered on a security company in London, formerly government-based, that had a rather impressive track record. It usually took government or scientific jobs, but with the right amount of money he could win them over.
It wouldn't be too easy. The company was run by a Gen. Damon, who was said to be very selective with clients. And he wouldn't be too happy with having to secure a writer's con and a series of meetings, but that was life.
Besides, it seemed the best option he had at the moment. Since he was lacking in sufficient time to build up security to a decent level, this quickie solution would have to do.
He reached for the intercom to get Owen. Idly, he realized that he hadn't seen the man all day. Where was he?
****
For once, the flight landed on time, which surprised one of the passengers sitting in the first-class section, looking out at the runway of Kennedy International Airport. Every time he'd been on a flight which either went to or stopped in New York, it was always delayed. This was a first. Maybe his luck was about to change.
Gen. William Damon looked at his reflection in the window and smoothed his thinning brown hair back with a hand. After this job was said and done, he was going to take a short vacation. Of course, he could picture his kids fighting, his wife complaining about the heat, etc. but it would be less stressful than the madness of recent months.
His thoughts turned to his son. What was he going to do with Marm--no, he wanted to be called Megabyte, which was an idiotic nickname--now? Adam, the Australian kid, seemed responsible enough to keep him in line, but it still worried Damon.
Three months ago, Damon's office had been called in to work with the Scientific Bureau of Investigation to look into the case of kids vanishing--teleporting--from certain places. Their main goal was only to stop the kids and study them, ask them questions, find out what was going on.
Then one of his aides had turned mercenary and tried to kidnap the kids to exploit their abilities for the highest bidder. Col. Masters had even gone so far as to threaten the life of an innocent woman to get them to cooperate.
He probably wouldn't have known a thing about it if not for his son, who helped out one of the gifted kids. Megabyte had been mistaken for one of the "teleporters" by Dr. Galt, a scientist working for Damon, and when Galt and another agent--his own people! broke into his house to go after Megabyte, the kid had turned out to be one after all.
Fortunately, they were able to stop Masters, but the fact remained that their lives had been changed dramatically. Megabyte was always popping off to visit his friends all over the world, sometimes forgetting to tell his father where he was going. Damon remembered when Megabyte vanished for three days for a fishing trip with Adam. It was Megabyte's idea, of course--it always was.
At least he knew now that his son was in good hands. He and his friends were camped out by this strange ship that had first called them when they'd teleported. Adam had promised to keep an eye on his friend.
Damon hoped he could.
He picked up his briefcase and stood as the other passengers began filing out of the plane into the terminal. _This trip had better be worth it,_ he thought. He really did not enjoy working for private corporations, which he'd never trusted, but the money was good and the cause was harmless. A writers' convention shouldn't breed too much trouble.
But Xanatos Corporation had a reputation for strange doings. David Xanatos had been tied in with two citywide blackouts in which no one remembered anything, as well as several gargoyle sightings which had begun after he'd had a tenth-century Scottish castle attached to his office building. Some dismissed that behavior as eccentric, but Damon wasn't so sure.
With a shrug, he entered the terminal and started looking around for the driver he knew would be there with the little white cardboard sign in his hands. Damon wondered, idly, how that tradition was started. As his eyes scanned the waiting people, he spotted five limo drivers, an unshaven taxi driver, two grinning teenagers, a rather bored businesswoman--
Gen. Damon almost jumped out of his skin as his gaze zipped back to the two teenagers. Megabyte was chewing gum and grinning, and Adam was giving Damon his now patented Don't-Look-At-Me-You-Know-Him-Too-Well-To-Blame-Me-For-This-One look.
"Hey, Dad! Miss us?" Megabyte said cheerfully.
Damon groaned. "Why me?"
After Megabyte had convinced his father to allow him to tag along--it wasn't as if Damon had a choice--Adam popped back to the beach where his tent was for some peace and quiet. Now that Megabyte was with his father, he was Damon's problem now. Adam felt sorry for the man.
But at least now he'd have some time to read and think. Megabyte was a good friend, but hell, he was absolutely nuts! He'd taken advantage of his teleporting ability every chance he got, sneaking into rock concerts and stuff like that. Anything that would annoy his father. Megabyte seemed to have an unconscious motivation to drive Damon up the wall.
Adam thumbed through the book he was reading--some scientific theories about telepathy in humans. Some of them were *way* off the mark, but they were still interesting. If only they weren't so bogged down in tech-speak.
Giving up on one particularly confusing passage, Adam put the book down and rubbed his eyes. He really needed some sleep. For some reason, he'd been having odd dreams about night and flying and mist lately. Sleep was a rare commodity, and he was already starting to hallucinate. For instance, that mirage of a rowboat on the horizon--
Wait a minute. He rubbed his eyes again and squinted. No, it was no mirage. An oddly shaped wooden boat being rowed by a tall, dark-haired woman in jeans and a t-shirt, with three stone statues in its bottom.
He blinked and stood up, brushing the sand off his clothes, then jogged into the surf to meet the oncoming boat.
****
Elisa was both surprised and relieved to see the young man rush out to pull the boat in. At least the island wasn't uninhabited. Maybe it was some sort of peninsula, and she might be able to get to a phone. Her arms, back and legs ached painfully, and she wondered why she just didn't wait a half hour until sundown and get help.
She chalked it down to stubborness as the young man helped her out of the boat and pushed it up on the beach. As they did so, she got a better look at him. He was in his late teens, with brown hair and eyes, somewhat thin for his height. His mouth seemed a bit wide for his thin, strong face. The surf slapped against his legs, which didn't bother him much because he was barefoot and wearing cut-off shorts. Elisa's shoes and pant legs were soaked.
With a final heave, they managed to get the boat safely aground and out of the currents. Elisa sagged against the boat, and for a few moments, the two of them just stood there, panting from their exertion. She managed to swallow and force out a few words past her throat. "Thanks. That thing is heavy."
"No problem." Even under the panting, she recognized the Australian accent. Maybe they'd turned around and gone back near where the Matrix had broken out. She shuddered at the thought as he spoke again. "I didn't expect to see a boat way out here."
Elisa pulled herself up to stand. "Where is here, exactly?" She paused, realizing she'd forgotten something. "Oh, yeah. Elisa Maza."
"Adam Newman." He shook hands with her and ran a hand over his head, looking around. "Actually, I'm not precisely sure where we are because the island's not on any maps, but we're somewhere in the Pacific Ocean."
Elisa followed him up to the beach, where she could see a tent, clothesline, and burnt-out campfire, along with some books and a first-aid kit. "Island? Pacific Ocean? Damn." She stopped as she noticed the odd structure half-buried in the dune behind Adam. "What on earth is that?"
Adam turned and looked at her intently for a moment, then a guarded expression came into his eyes. "Nothing really," he said as Elisa eyed the odd, mushroom-like protrusion and the circular hatchway in the sand. "It won't open or anything," he added, almost in response to her thought. "Just sits there."
"Hmmm," was all Elisa said, but inwardly she sensed that he was hiding something. There was something faintly odd about him that she couldn't put her finger on, besides being camped out by himself on a desolate island. She almost sensed it.
She sat down on a rock beside the campsite and toyed with a stick for a moment. "How come you're out here like this? I have somewhat of an excuse," here she poked a thumb at the boat, "and I'd like to hear yours."
"Sailing accident," Adam said in the way of someone only telling part of the truth.
Elisa looked at him curiously. "Well, I've got a boat right here, if you need a ticket off this isle."
He grinned. "No, I'm okay here. I don't exactly feel like going back home." His eyes were studying her searchingly, as if he was trying to figure her out as she was trying to figure him out. Maybe he was one of Oberon's Children.
A warning bell went off in Elisa's head. Somehow, she sort of liked Adam, but she wasn't so sure she could trust him. And if her theory did turn out to be right, she wasn't going to stay here--not after Raven, the Banshee, Anansi, etc.
She looked up at the sky and saw that it was close to sunset. Avalon's magic be damned--she wasn't going to give this kid the gargoyles' secret if she wouldn't reveal his own. Besides, it unnerved her to be out on an island with a stranger when something strange was going on.
Standing up, she dusted her jeans off and headed back towards the boat. Adam, of course, followed. "What are you doing?"
She waded into the water and started to push off. "You may not want to get off this lump of sand and grass, but I do." With a thud, the boat finally came unglued from the wet sand. "Besides, I don't know you, or what you're up to. And since you're not going to tell me, I'll just be on my way now."
Adam hesitated as she swung a leg into the boat, but then sighed and grabbed her arm. He was almost reluctant to stop her. "Hold on for a second." She turned and fixed him with an icy glare that had often worked on Derek after he'd said something completely tactless. The calm look he returned was unnerving. "You don't trust me, but I don't know if I can trust you. You're the one who's intruding into my home--well, sort of."
"And your point is?" Elisa glanced back up at the sky, where the sun was getting dangerously low.
He released her as she hopped back into the water. "We trade secrets. I tell you mine, you tell me yours. That way, neither has any sort of edge over the other. Deal?" Adam ended the sentence by extending his hand.
Elisa took it. "Deal." She pulled the boat in again, then followed him up the beach. Adam settled himself down on one of the large flat rocks near his tent, and she did likewise. "Okay, shoot."
"Well..." Adam began. Suddenly there was a blue-yellow flash of light, a clap of air, and another teenager appeared, a red-headed kid who was grinning broadly. Much to her embarrassment, Elisa cried out and nearly fell off her rock.
The other kid seemed to take no notice of Elisa. "Guess what?" he said to Adam, who was glaring vehemently at him.
Just as Elisa was getting her brains in order, another flash heralded the arrival of a young woman, with olive skin and dark hair and eyes. She whirled on the redhead and cried, "Okay. I'm here. I was trying to study for my chemistry final, and now I can't because you keep nagging at me! Are you happy now?"
Adam was sitting there, his head in his hands. "Thanks a lot, guys."
"What did I do?" the redhead said. Then he saw Elisa. "Oh."
Elisa was too busy staring at the second arrival. Out of every person she knew who could have appeared there, the last one she would have expected was her cousin's daughter. "Lisa? Lisa Davis?"
Lisa turned, looked at Adam, then at Elisa. "Elisa?" Her gaze shifted back to Adam. "Ummmm, what's going on here?"
"I'll tell you after he," and Elisa jabbed a thumb at Adam, "explains what just happened."
****
"So it really was a sailing accident that brought you here," Elisa remarked after Adam had finished.
"And a talent show for Lisa, and nearly getting thrown over the banister for me," Megabyte said. He knew quite well that it didn't really matter, but he wanted to be part of the discussion somehow.
Also, he wanted to find out what a non-telepathic detective from New York was doing on the island by the ship in a medieval wooden boat containing three stone gargoyles. The fact that Detective Maza was Lisa's cousin made it all the more interesting. It was something like the Improbability Drive in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Megabyte half-expected to see Arthur Dent pop out somewhere and ask about tea.
Lisa, once her anger at him and her surprise at seeing Elisa had cooled down a bit, had been talking to her cousin excitedly along with Adam's explanation of the Tomorrow People. Megabyte personally thought that was a dumb nickname for them, but he didn't care enough about that to quibble over it.
His attention reverted back to the discussion as Adam spoke up again. "So now that we've shown you our secret, what's yours?"
Elisa paused and opened her mouth to speak, but as the sun set behind the ship there was no reason for her to. From the boat came an ominous cracking sound, and the four humans watched as stone skin split and cracked as flesh-and-blood gargoyles broke from their stone casings with a roar. There were three of them; a tall, imposing male, a smaller female that looked sort of like him, and a sort of dog thing that whined curiously at them.
There was a moment's silence as humans and gargoyles stared at each other. "Wow," was all Megabyte could say.
Lisa let out a low whistle. "I guess that answers your question, Adam."
Goliath sat and listened to the young human's tale with interest. After all the Children of Oberon and the gargoyles they'd run into who lived by magic, it was a new revelation to find humans with special gifts that were caused by science rather than sorcery. It was equally interesting to find that they had an instinct that forbade them to kill. If their talents spread across the planet, the humans might eventually become a more peaceful race.
Then again, that night not be so good if Demona tried another stunt like the stone business, but....
He shrugged it off and looked around. Angela was absorbed in talking with Elisa and her cousin Lisa--the resemblance between the two was amazing--and Bronx was succumbing to a head-scratching from the human named Megabyte. He seemed rather odd, but Bronx was a good judge of character.
"So you can teleport anywhere you want to?" Elisa broke in.
Adam shook his head. "Not exactly. A scientist who kidnapped Megabyte a while back made a device that could stop him from teleporting, and in most cases, we have to really concentrate until we get the hang of it."
"Or you end up in the water out there," Lisa said. "The beacon is a little bit off."
Megabyte snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah, that reminds me." He turned to Adam. "My dad isn't doing anything really interesting for once. He's just helping this rich man up security for a PR stunt. Dad does not like this guy at ALL."
Something clicked for Goliath. "Who is this rich man you're speaking of?"
"Ummm..." Megabyte thought for a second. "Damn, I can't pronounce it! Zana-something."
"Xanatos Enterprises," Adam corrected as Megabyte stared at him. "He told us about it at the airport, remember?"
Goliath jumped up. "Xanatos??" That was a name he normally wouldn't wish to hear, but in this case... "You were in New York a minute ago?"
"That's where I teleported from," Megabyte said. "He just hired my dad. Why?"
Elisa and the gargoyles exchanged glances.
It was Angela who broke the silence. "Maybe your father should take another job offer."
****
"Hey, Dad?"
Damon and Xanatos looked up to see the redheaded teenager standing in the doorway. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Not now, Mega--" The general stopped short and did a double take. Xanatos stifled a laugh. "What the hell are you doing here?"
The kid folded his arms. "What about you? You said you were going to be in your office."
"We were sort of delayed." As Damon seethed, Xanatos looked with curiosity at the new arrival. How on earth could this kid have just waltzed in without any trouble? His security couldn't be that depleted. "Look, Megabyte," the general went on through clenched teeth, "will you get out of here? I'll talk to you later."
Megabyte--Xanatos noticed that kids these days had the oddest nicknames--was not to be daunted. "I have to talk to you now. It's only going to be five minutes."
Xanatos looked from Megabyte to his father, thinking of his own unborn son. "Is this normal behavior at this age?"
"Unfortunately, yes, but my son is not normal," Damon muttered as he stood up and turned towards his son. "Fine. Five minutes."
"Outside." Megabyte folded his arms.
Damon groaned. "Outside? For pete's sake--" He was cut off by his son's look. "All right. Four minutes outside, then you get out."
The kid shrugged as his father grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hallway. For a moment, Xanatos stood there, trying to figure out whether or not this would be a problem. After spending a few hours with Bill Damon, he was convinced that he wanted this man on a permanent basis. And this odd business with his son....it didn't seem like it would help.
Xanatos paged Owen, who appeared in the doorway almost instantly.
"I want them followed."
****
Damon, still dragging Megabyte, yanked open the side door of the Eyrie and shoved his son out into the alley. Despite Megabyte's abilities, Damon was at least stronger than his son. "All right. I want an explanation now. I don't like Xanatos at all, and this is only prolonging the meeting with the man. So this had better be good."
Megabyte nodded and licked dry lips. "You have to quit this job with Xanatos."
Tired of yelling, Damon just stared at his son.
"Dad, I'm serious." Megabyte was almost pleading, which was rare for him. "There's something behind this--there always is with this guy, according to Elisa."
"Wait a minute." Damon cut him off. "Who's Elisa?"
"Uhhh...." At that, Damon knew a strange explanation was coming up. "She's a cop. She sort of landed on the island." At his father's expression, Megabyte pressed on hastily. "Will you just come and talk to her? Dad, come on, you don't have a good track record with co-workers."
With a sigh, Damon looked at him resignedly. "I don't suppose there's any other way to get you off my back?" As his son shook his head, he sighed. "Fine. Let's go. I must be out of my mind."
Owen Burnett watched the blue and yellow flash with interest.
****
Lisa had just managed to steer the gargoyles over where they were out of sight as Megabyte reappeared, with a man who could only be his father. Adam and Elisa were seated by the campfire that had just been lit. It was fueled by their rowboat, but amazingly, they hadn't had to lift a finger; the wood had crumbled into a heap of kindling and had blown into a pile in the fire pit.
Megabyte's father looked around with interest. "I didn't quite expect to be here again." His eye fell on Elisa, who pulled herself up to a standing position and extended a hand. "Bill Damon."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Detective Elisa Maza." Seeing his skeptical look, she flashed her badge. "Second-class, NYPD."
Damon shook her hand briefly and then threw up his hands. "All right already. Forget the act, all of you. I don't understand what's going on here, and I know it's not going to be fun for me." He turned to Adam. "Get to the bare bones of it. I know I can probably get a straight answer out of you."
"We want you to quit whatever Xanatos has in store for you before it's too late." Adam crossed his arms and gave Damon a calm, unnerving stare.
(This is like one of those things where we're confronting an alcoholic,) Megabyte said telepathically to Adam.
Adam shrugged. (I know, but I think we can trust Elisa. And if Goliath's stories are true, we have to keep your dad out of Xanatos' clutches.)
Elisa interrupted as Damon prepared to let out another outburst. "Look, Gen. Damon, I know this has to be one of the most ridiculous setups you've ever had to deal with. But I've known Xanatos for a long time, and I know what he's capable of.
"I'm already having trouble grasping three telepathic kids and a spaceship in the middle of the Pacific," she continued as Damon sighed and sat down. "It would be a lot harder if I'd never met Xanatos or seen what he's pulled off." Her eyes narrowed. "And if I hadn't seen what he did to my brother when he worked for him, I wouldn't be here saying this to you."
Damon shifted in his seat as he listened to this. "And your point is?"
"Xanatos uses people." Goliath spoke as he followed Lisa, Bronx, and Angela into the light. "He does not merely employ them."
The general stared at them as Angela leaned over to Goliath and whispered, "I guess this is why we were sent here."
****
"I'm sorry, Mr. Xanatos," Damon said as he finished packing up his briefcase, "but I can't work for you."
Xanatos watched this with crossed arms and a cold glare. "You are sure you won't reconsider? I'm giving you a very generous offer." Inwardly, he seethed at the incompetence of his employees. Either Owen had an idiot follow Damon, or he was hiding something important which had led to this 180 degree turn.
Damon closed his briefcase with an audible click. "I'm positive, Mr. Xanatos. Nice working with you, though." He stuck out a hand for a brusque handshake, then turned on his heel and left the office.
For a moment, the businessman glared after him, then sighed and sat down again at his desk. Setbacks were setbacks, he decided. He'd just have to build his defenses up his own way.
Besides, there was always that force-shield prototype he'd been working on....
****
"That's it," Megabyte said as he appeared back on the beach. "He's flying back home to London tonight. I offered him a ride, but he muttered something about getting his DNA tested or something. Weird."
Angela smiled as she turned back to where Adam, Lisa, and Elisa sat by the fire, Adam patting Bronx on the head. Lisa stood up. "Well, I'd better get back home. Mom's probably making batch after batch of brownies."
"She still does that?" Elisa said.
"I should get back soon too," Megabyte said. "I think I'll meet Dad at the airport in London, too."
"He'll just love you for that," Adam said.
Megabyte shrugged. "Actually, he said he wanted to talk to me tonight. Something about a vacation." He looked at Elisa, remembering some of the things she'd said. "I'm glad he can."
"What about you?" Goliath turned to Adam. "Shouldn't you go home to your family?"
Adam looked away for a moment. "I would if they cared," he said quietly. "That's why I didn't go back."
"Then how do you know they don't care?" Angela asked. "Maybe they just don't show it." She cast a glance over at Goliath.
"Maybe," Adam said distantly for a moment. Then he stood up as well. "Anyway, before we go home and face parental wrath--" Lisa grinned at that-- "we might as well repay a debt." He extended a hand to Elisa, and she took it. Lisa took Goliath's elbow, and Angela took Megabyte's.
"What about Bronx?" Elisa said.
Adam looked down at the big dog. "Hold on a sec." He stooped and took the big animal in his arms as Elisa gripped his elbow. "Let's go," he grunted as he teleported, Megabyte and Lisa following.
They suddenly found themselves standing on the docks, and Bronx jumped out of Adam's arms, barking excitedly into the night. Elisa loosed her death grip on his elbow and looked around. Beside them, the two gargoyles and their companions teleported in.
"Is this it? Are we in Manhattan?" Angela asked.
Elisa turned and smiled to see the faint glow of lights, Times Square, and the odd hulk of the Eyrie Building standing tall. "I'd say we are."
Goliath roared with delight, and Bronx continued to bark, hopping around in circles and sharing his happiness with anyone he could jump up on. Lisa laughed and scratched the dog's head. "Easy, boy!" Adam wrapped an arm around her, and Megabyte was grinning with pride. The air of excitement, relief, and joy was infectious.
Elisa looked over at Adam and Lisa, and wondered. Then she shook her head and went over to hug her cousin in turn. "Thank you so much," she said softly as she shook hands with Megabyte and Adam.
A heavy paw rested on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Goliath, his other paw on Adam's. "We are home again. We owe you a great debt."
"I'd say that's paid," Megabyte said.
Lisa smiled. "What's the appropriate cliche? 'This may be the beginning of a great friendship?'"
They all laughed as Goliath took Elisa in his arms and Angela took Bronx in hers. "Perhaps it is at that," he said as he opened his wings and took off towards the clock tower, Angela following. Elisa allowed herself one last glance at the grinning trio before they came within sight of the tower.
Finally, they were home.
****
From the shadows, he watched as the gargoyles lifted off and the three teenagers watched them go. Fascinating, the possibilities of these humans. First all their technology, their sorcery....and now evolution was taking its course again. He'd been waiting for a long time to see the next stage. The Tomorrow People, they were called. Well, it was appropriate, in a corny sort of way.
It had seemed a fitting last stop for Elisa, Goliath, Angela, and Bronx in their travels. Not only had they been introduced to a new sort of humans, but they had completed the last of Avalon's commands before going home. If Xanatos had gotten his hands on World Ex, it wouldn't be long before he found out and was exploiting the Tomorrow People. Knowing Xanatos, he might even figure out a way to override their anti-killing instincts.
But the future was not to turn out that way, if fate and Avalon had any say in that. He knew quite well that the Gathering was soon coming, and if he had any chance of getting out of it, he would have to be on his best behavior.
Which meant that Xanatos would not learn of the Tomorrow People for a long while, or what had transpired in that alley. Oh, well, he thought to himself. It would still be quite intriguing to see how these three did running freely about the mortal world.
He couldn't wait.
"And Oberon wonders why I find these mortals so interesting," Puck murmured as he disappeared into the night.
The End ?
---------
By all accounts, yes. When I wrote this, I was thinking about doing a follow-up, but now I doubt it. Why ruin a halfway decent crossover with a sequel, even though not much has happened in it anyway?
Either way, 'tis done, 'tis posted, and I'm off to post elsewhere.
Mandi