1 - A Voice From The Other World... - Chapter VIII
#8 of Shadowdancer
Shadowdancer
By Dracon
[Notice: The characters and events within are inspired by the "Gargoyles" TV Series and as such credit goes to the creators of said series. If any characters appear in the story from said series, those characters belong to their creators.
Should anyone wish to use the characters or events within in their own works, permission is hereby granted to do so. I just ask that you let me know if you are going to do so and provide credit in your work.
Underage viewers should not read this series, and all readers do so at their own risk.]
"A Voice From The Other World..."
----Chapter VIII----
With a scream of frustration, Jamie broke out of her stony shell in record time, her powerful muscles propelling shards in all directions. She raised the binoculars to her eyes once more and watched the rooftop she'd seen movement on the night before.
To her grave annoyance, however, she could perceive nothing in that area. She was about to throw down the optics in irritation when the other three gargoyles came over to her.
Branson laid a hand on her shoulder. "Do you see anything?"
Jamie shook her head, disgusted at herself. "No... whatever it was, if it was anything at all, got away before we woke up."
Pointing out the good part of the observation, Elayne commented, "Well, it couldn't have been interested in hurting us. There'd have had plenty of time during the day, right?"
Figuring that there was little that they could do about the trespasser, Jamie decided to just go about her business for the day. It irritated her that they had been unable to apprehend the interloper, but she was determined to get over it. No sense being in a foul mood when Branson's friend showed up, after all.
Branson pulled a portable from one of his pockets, saying that he would keep an eye out for "Alex". Trent, Elayne, and Jamie headed toward the family room. Jamie was curious as to what sort of morning rituals her companions had developed, and she also noted that Trent was looking distinctly bleary-eyed.
The family room had a long table near one wall, chairs placed around it, as well as a small kitchenette. It also had a stage with various bits of electronic and musical equipment placed upon it, and a few arcade cabinets were placed in one of the corners.
All in all, it looked deceptively normal. Okay, so it didn't look like her family's den, but Jamie had expected something weird about it. She was moderately surprised to see that the place looked lived in, since most of the rest of the house had been immaculate.
Trent immediately headed toward the kitchenette, pouring himself a large mug of coffee, taking it black. Elayne, meanwhile, headed towards the arcade games, booting one of them up.
Jamie thought of challenging Elayne, but she heard Trent start to mutter something over his mug, gripping it with both hands. Taking a seat, she listened in, hoping that he wouldn't be offended.
As she sat down, he took a gulp of the extremely hot coffee, and began to mutter again. "It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the Beans of Java that the thoughts acquire speed and the hands begin to tremble. The trembling becomes a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion." The mantra completed, he takes another gulp and started again.
Jamie chuckled at the performance, and as she moved to stand, she saw Trent wink at her. Moving over to the other side of the room, she heard the sounds of metal clanging against metal. She saw Elayne control a robot on the screen, literally beating the nuts and bolts out of her opponent.
With a grin, she noticed that Elayne had chosen a winged robot that bore a distinct resemblance to a gargoyle. "What's this, Elayne?"
Elayne finished off her opponent with an aerial, wing-assisted throw, before answering. "Something Jessica and I worked up awhile back. There's about 200 games in each of these machines, and they're even networked. This one's One Must Fall. I always like to kick a little ass in the evening, gets the blood moving, y'know?"
Jamie laughed at that comment. She asked Elayne to show her how to play it, picking the hulking Katana robot as her avatar. A massive, heavily bladed monstrosity, its brutal style fit Jamie's own reactions like a glove, and she started to pick it up quickly.
When she challenged Elayne, however, who was something of a master, she was quickly demolished, reminding her not to become too boastful.
Thanking Elayne for the lesson, she grabbed a 7-Up from the fridge, and headed back to her room, figuring to get out of her exercise clothes before this "Alex" showed up.
She pondered what to wear, not knowing exactly who was coming. Maybe one of those suits... then again, Branson had described him as "an old friend", rather than as a partner.
She decided on that outfit that had caught her eye at first, a maroon halter-and-skirt set. The halter exposed a good deal of her cleavage, albeit that was as much a consequence of her own form as much as of the design of the garment, and the skirt was perhaps a little shorter than would be considered proper, but she didn't feel that it made her look like a streetwalker, either.
With a mischievous smile, she decided to put on the condenser bra, knowing how much she had enjoyed the feelings it produced.
She riffled through the drawer of jewelry, finding a pair of silver bracers that she liked, as well a pair of thin leather thongs with silver clasps, which she used to tie back her hair into a long ponytail.
Looking in the mirror, she decided that the look worked. A little daring, but not too much so, and she felt that it made her look confident about herself, an attitude she had wanted to present.
She also took the opportunity to put the Keris sword in its rightful place, figuring that she would have no need of it for the time being. She felt slightly insecure, a little vulnerable, without its comforting weight on her hip, but figured that she could handle herself without it if she had to.
It finally occurred to her, as she was leaving, what she had felt was missing from Jessica's wardrobe. While Jamie had never been much of an expert on the behavior of the fairer sex, every woman she'd ever known had a small stash of makeup, a few sticks of lipstick at the very least. Unless Jessica's were hidden, she didn't seem to have any.
Not that she really needed it, but it still seemed a little unusual to her.
She arrived on the roof, figuring to keep Branson company until his friend came. She noticed that he was still working with his portable. She tapped him on the shoulder, asking what he was working on.
"Modern business never sleeps, even if we have to sometimes. Right now, I'm checking the stock market. Pentex made a remarkable jump in price during the day, I see." Branson sighed at that bit of news. "I can't wait for them to screw up and get nailed. Their lawyers make sure that doesn't happen though. Ah well."
Jamie recalled a question she had wondered about a few days ago. "If you don't mind telling me, what company do you work for? I tried finding out, but you've covered your tracks too well."
He nodded, commenting, "That's the intention. But, ehh... I don't exactly work for anyone, if you know what I mean. Here, let me show you."
He loaded up a market analysis site, entering "Polaris Holdings" into its search bar. He handed Jamie the portable, letting her read through it. Her eyes widen as she reads the Net Worth column. "Branson! I had no idea you had that kind of power... that's incredible! And no one realizes who's in charge?"
Branson smiled, nodding. "That's right. 'Adrian Claiborne' has a social security number, he pays his taxes, and just happens to live a reclusive life in the Bahamas. He gives most of his orders over the phone, and relays the rest to his VP."
Jamie was about to respond when she heard an unusual sound. Snapping her head around to look, she squinted and realized that the sound must be of a helicopter's blades. "Branson, get inside! There's a chopper coming!"
Branson pulled his binocs out of a pocket and looked at the helicopter. "Ahh! That would be Alex, it looks like. Jamie, get on the intercom and let the others know, would you?"
Relieved that it's nothing more sinister, she did as he asked and called up Elayne and Trent. "So, where's he going to be landing, anyway? Won't people notice?
Branson grinned at her. "Did you ever take the time to notice if a chopper was landing or merely flying past you, before? Especially at night? He'll land it in the backyard, and nobody will be any wiser. We've done this a number of times before."
The neon flicker of computer screens shone in the near darkness of the control room. Dozens of men and women watched them, noting any change in the statuses they displayed. A younger man saw a change in one of the districts he watched, noted down the information on a sheet of paper, passed it back to the floor supervisor.
"Activity at Chicago House, sir. Looks like our agent got the job done." The young man spoke with a calm, confident voice.
The supervisor acknowledged him in a deeper, raspier voice. "Good job, Penn. She'll be pleased to know that. I'll get this on her desk right away."
Jamie found herself wondering who this mysterious friend could be. Helicopter travel wasn't that common, was it? Pondering whether this friend was human or gargoyle, she asked Branson for the binoculars.
Placing them against her eyes, she tried to look through the chopper's windshield, but couldn't make out much, except that there appeared to be two figures within the cockpit. Alex and a pilot, most likely, she figured.
She was just about to put the binocs down when she caught of a glimpse of the logo painted onto the helicopter's surface: The Xanatos X!
Turning to Branson, she gasped out, "Your buddy's got friends in high places, doesn't he?"
He just smiled at her, not saying a word.
Seeing that the chopper was going to be landing soon, he looked towards the gardens. "It'll be easier for us to meet him down there than for him to meet us up here. Let's go."
Spreading his wings widely, he prepared to leap off the roof, looking like a swimmer ready to dive. Uncertain as to the safety of the maneuver, Jamie watched him, trying to memorize what he did.
With a strong push from his legs, he hurled himself from the roof, pumped with his wings at the apex of the jump, and then glided over to the gardens, landing safely.
Not wanting to look like a fool in front of Branson, she attempted to perform the same maneuver. The jump was easy enough, once she got past the fact that she was about to jump off of a perfectly good building, but she overcompensated with the wing beat, throwing herself off course.
She found herself stalling, unable to maintain control. Fighting down the urge to panic, she tried to level herself out, and landed with a bit of a skid several yards from where Branson stood.
She stood there, panting for breath, and fought off the urge to vomit. If she hadn't lost control, that might actually have been a lot of fun.
Elayne ran over to her, asking if she was all right. Jamie nodded, still looking unsteady, but forced herself to take several deep breaths to calm down.
Trent walked over, looking unconcerned. "Wasn't so bad, Jamie. Need to work on your form, but yeh made it down, yeah?"
Elayne had walked over to Branson, and was speaking to him in a low tone that Jamie could still hear. "What does that mean? You think something's wrong with her?"
Branson just shook his head. "Come on, you know how much practice it takes. No one's made their first flight. It doesn't mean anything."
Whatever Elayne's rejoinder might have been, it was cut off by the powerful engines of the helicopter, coming in for its final descent. The pilot brought it down in an economical maneuver, coming in quickly not to show off, but merely to get the craft on the ground as soon as was feasible.
Before the blades had even stopped spinning, the pilot threw his hatch open and jumped out, his long coppery hair getting blown around by the breeze from the engines. He saw the assembled clan and grinned wildly.
Branson ran forward, obviously happy at seeing his friend again, and the two of them threw their arms around each other, pounding each other on the back.
Almost unnoticed in the show of affection, the passenger opened his door, laying his helmet on the vacated seat, and stepped out carefully. His somber black suit seemed an odd comparison to the pilot's muscle T and cargo pants.
Jamie noticed with a start that his left hand had a much grayer tone than the rest of his skin, and seemed to be pitted like stone!
The strange, stone-limbed man dutifully removed a portable from his coat pocket and sent off a brief message, informing the company that they had arrived safely. The younger man, on the other hand, was exchanging playful banter with Branson. Branson, in fact, looked happier than Jamie had ever seen him.
Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Jamie stepped forward. Seeing her out of the corner of his eye, the young man released Branson and turned to her. "Jessica! Long time, no see. You're looking lovely, as always."
A deep sigh escaped her full lips as she realized that it would have been best to wait, since her revelation should tone down the mood of the gathering.
Realizing Jamie's plight, Branson smoothly steps in to cover her. "Alex, I'd like you to meet Jamie. She's... kinda visiting us right now."
Alex looked puzzled at this pronouncement, an unusual state of affairs for him.
Branson cleared his throat and motioned towards Alex. "This is Alexander Fox Xanatos, C.E.O. of Xanatos Enterprises, and one of the most honorable people, of any of the Three Races, that I've ever met."
Alex puts a hand on the other man's shoulder, saying, "And this is Owen Burnett, my assistant. I literally could not run my business without him "
Owen extended his flesh-and-blood hand towards Jamie. "The pleasure is mine." Jamie noted that he seemed rather aloof, and not bothered by Branson's declaration in the slightest.
Branson looked around, felt the wind begin to blow harder again. "Well, there's no reason we should stand around out here. C'mon in, let's head somewhere a little more comfortable."
Alex pointed a thumb back towards the chopper. "I brought those supplies you asked for."
Branson shrugged, said, "Leave 'em for now. There's no hurry, right?"
Jamie seized the opportunity, and interjected, "If you tell me where you want it, I'll move the gear for you and catch up when I'm done, how's that?"
Catching on to her reasoning, he nodded and told her to take the boxes down to Elayne's shop, and then meet up in the family room.
She looked at the memo from Night Watch, looking grim. "And you didn't think I needed to know about this break in routine? Who authorized the use of an agent against Chicago House, anyway? I sure as hell didn't."
The older supervisor wilted under her intense gaze. "Madam, you have to understand. If I brought every simple blip to your attention, you'd be swamped. I assumed, rightly, as it turns out, that this was only a minor delay in the routine."
Muttering under her breath, she said, "This time, perhaps. Look, I don't need to know every time they roost for the day, but you will inform me of any major changes in their behavior, is that understood? Gargoyles are, as you well know, creatures of habit. If they change that habit, I want to know before they do. Got it?"
Jamie finally finished unloading the chopper, having pulled no less than 12 heavy crates from the back of it. Since they were sealed, she didn't know what they contained, though she was curious as to their contents.
She wondered whether or not she should head for the family room, or if she should just stay out of the way and let the old friends catch up. She vividly recalled Trent's reaction to her story, and had no intention of bringing down the mood again, if she could help it.
She leaned against the wall of the workshop, head hung low, trying to figure out what to do. She didn't want the others to think she was rude, certainly, but she still felt leery of joining in with the festivities.
Lost in thought, she failed to hear Elayne enter the room. "Hey, Jamie, you down here?"
With a start, Jamie shook her head to clear it, and said. "Yes, I'm just finishing up. How's the party going?"
Chuckling, Elayne replied, "Good. Alex and Trent are arm-wrestling, and I think Owen is trying to buy out Branson again, though it could be the other way around. C'mon, you'll miss all the fun."
Trusting in Elayne's read of the situation, Jamie returned to the family room. Alex looked up to see her enter the room and became distracted just long enough for Trent to slam his fist to the table. Alex swore under his breath, rubbing his wrists.
Jamie noted that he'd been using both hands to Trent's one, though given the strength that Trent had shown, it wasn't surprising that it Alex would need a handicap.
Branson waved at her, then returned to his negotiations. Pulling out a chair, Jamie sat down by Alex and Trent. On the way up, she had asked Elayne to help her get Alex alone, so she could explain her situation to him, face to face. With that in mind, Elayne tugged on Trent's shoulder, dragging out of the way.
Jamie looked at Alex for a moment, memorizing his rugged features, his carefree smile, but she also noticed a certain hardness in his slate-grey eyes.
He examined her as well, taking in the familiar features, as though trying to convince himself that she really was a different person than he knew. "You know, it's strange. I trust Branson, maybe more than you know. But it's hard to believe what he told me about you, Jamie." The name sounded slight odd on his tongue, as though he wanted to say
something else.
Jamie nodded. "I know how you feel. It's really bizarre to wake up each... night... and recall that you're not who you were for the past 26 years."
"Hm. That would be confusing, I'd think. But perhaps I have an idea of what you mean." He replied, wistfully.
"So, it sounds like Branson put me at a bit of a disadvantage. You know as much about me as I do, but I don't know anything about you. Tell me a little of yourself, Alex Xanatos." Jamie asked with a mischievous grin.
Alex laughed aloud, then said. "Well, what's there to say? Branson and I are old chums, I'm one of your major suppliers, and I've got more money than God!"
Laughing, Jamie replied, "And modest, too, I see."
He grinned at her, a twinkle in his eye. "With a family like mine, you don't learn much of that at home."
Jamie decided to ask something that had been bothering her. "So, how'd you and Branson meet, anyway?"
He responded, "Well, I've known gargoyles all my life, ever since my dad allied with Manhattan clan. I guess that's why I'm not afraid of you, the way so many humans are. When you've got gargoyles as 'uncles' and 'aunts', you become a lot more accepting. I've met representatives, at least, of many of the clans."
He leaned back in his chair, steepling his hands. "As for Branson? He stayed with Manhattan clan for about a year, shortly before he headed out this way. We hit it off well, and tried to stay in touch."
Curious about this strange young man, she asked, "How did you run into Jessica?"
He replied, "You know, that's kind of a difficult question to answer. I, uh, thought she was trying to break in, the first time we met. I'll never know how she found me, not that I take any great pains to hide myself away. I was standing on the balcony outside my office, oh, maybe eight years ago, when I heard a loud crash behind me."
He paused, looking off into the distance. "I thought it was Uncle Goliath, maybe, but he's normally a lot more careful than that. I turned, and saw that the skylight had shattered. Of course, I immediately sounded an alarm, but she was just too damn fast. She grabbed me, lifted me into the air like a toy, and took me to the Apex Tower."
Jamie remained silent, allowing him to retell his story. "She snarled at me, a sinuously bladed dagger in her hand, "Human, I know you have information on my kin. Tell me what you know, lest I feel the need to tear it from your flesh!" "