*****

*1*

Sunset, and a sense of calm had descended on Newbridge city. The streets were silent save for the occasional barking of dogs and the crash of a fallen trashcan which had been upset by a member of the city's feline population. A perfect end to a spring day. But something seemed wrong, especially to a dark-haired human who gazed at the city through a small monitor set into the cockpit of his hovership. What was wrong was the fact that there were no people. The city was deserted, but the people hadn't disappeared or had just left. The dark haired human knew where they were.

He pulled the joystick up and the hovership descended towards the houses and apartment blocks before leveling off at about twenty feet above the rooftops. He turned the monitor off in disgust. The people of Newbridge had had their lives stolen from them. It was time to stop playing at 'soldier', to find the thief and make them return the people's souls before justice was served.

Only he wasn't sure who the thief was any more. Dawson was so convincing when he had pointed the finger of blame at the gargoyles, who seemed had been living under their noses all this time. Yet where would the gargoyles get such a virus from? He shook his head and switched the monitor back on continuing his search for gargoyles, any gargoyles. Since the virus had been released there had not been one sighting of the winged creatures. But looking for the gargoyles bothered him. Why look when Dominion knew exactly where they were living? It didn't make sense. But then nothing did lately. Dawson was keeping something from him, something Harding didn't like. People had kept things from him before and the last time he hadn't acted on his instincts the situation had become murder, literally.

"This is a waste of my time." he muttered under his breath. What he wanted to do was find out what Dominion was really up to. And the gargoyles? Maybe there would be time later on to pay them back for the trouble and losses they had caused him. There were more important things to do now. Like...

A beeping from the sensors in the hovercraft broke his train of thought. They had picked up something humanoid not far from his location...and it wasn't human. Harding grinned as he swung the hovercraft around. Well maybe there was some time to spare for payback, and none of his men were there to get in the way this time.

******

He came across the figure shortly after landing the hovercraft. It would have been so easy to take whoever it was out with a single blast from the laser cannons on the hovercraft, but Harding didn't work like that. Especially when it had become a personal grudge. Settling things like that required a more 'personal' touch. As he approached he realized two things. One was the fact that the individual was the cat-like creature who had given Dawson and himself so much grief over the past few weeks. The other was that she hadn't moved since he'd first spotted her, as if she was waiting for him...a trap? For some reason however he couldn't imagine the feliniod doing something as obvious as acting as bait to lure him into a trap. No. She was waiting for him and from the look on her face it was clear that she wasn't happy about being there, and even less pleased with the fact it was him she was waiting for. The distaste was written all over her face as she spoke.

"Well I hope you're pleased with yourself."

Harding blinked. "What?!" He was now only a few feet from the feliniod and still she had not moved, even so he could sense that she had fallen into a state of readiness. He adopted the same state himself as he continued. "What do you mean 'I hope you're pleased with yourself'?"

"Playing the role as Dawson's little puppet. I hope you're satisfied human. You just betrayed your own kind."

"Betrayed? Where the hell did you get an idea like that from?! If anyone's betrayed humanity it's that bunch of freaks you seem to be working for!"

"Freaks!" The duo were now face to face, mere centimeters separating them. "If you want to know about freaks Harding, take a good look in the mirror. And then when you're finished doing that take a -really- good look at your boss."

"I'm a freak?" That was it, Harding clenched his hand into a fist and swung it back. Kahreen dodged the blow and came back at him with a roundhouse kick that knocked Harding off his feet and sent him crashing down onto the ground. Before he had a chance to get up however he felt a knife digging into his throat, not enough to draw blood but enough pressure was being applied to let him know that if he tried to make a move his departure from this world would be very swift indeed. He closed his eyes and waited for the knife to finish him off, but the killing blow never came. The pressure on his neck was released and he opened his eyes to see Kahreen backing away from him. She halted a few feet from him and took something from her pocket and threw it at his feet. It was a computer disc.

"What's this?" He asked still bewildered by the fact that the feliniod had not killed him.

"It's the access codes to your bosses central database. You might want to have a good look at the files in there Harding, because at the moment Dawson is having a good laugh at everyone's expense."

He picked up the disc as he got to his feet and looked at it suspiciously. "Why should I?" he asked, but Kahreen had turned her back to him and was walking away.

"It's your choice." she called over her shoulder. "But if you don't then you're an even bigger fool than I took you for."

Harding looked at the disc again. When he looked up again Kahreen had vanished. He stood there for a few seconds before returning to the hovercraft, stopping only when a bobcat crossed his path before disappearing into the undergrowth. Maybe now he could get the answers which everyone seemed to be keeping from him.

******

The bobcat caught up with Kahreen a few hundred meters into the woodland. As it began to slow down to match her pace, it transformed into Silver.

"You had a chance there to rid us of an enemy. Why didn't you?"

"Thaylog's orders were that I give him the disc and not to kill him."

"Even though you wanted to?"

Kahreen said nothing. She blinked and her ship became visible as it's cloak was deactivated. "Lets just get back to the mansion." she said as she climbed into the main hatch.

******

*2*

Robert Dawson relaxed in his chair as the chief security officer entered the room. Since the night the virus had been unleashed on the city, the Dominion C.E.O. had moved his center of operations to the research facilities, personally overseeing the final preparations for the alien arrival.

"I have been in contact with the main base," Dawson informed his chief. "They will be sending extra ships to assist in spreading the virus further afield. The greater the area we have under control, the less likelihood of any outside interference."

The security chief nodded. "A good idea."

"One other thing," Dawson continued. "They are also sending a strike force to aid in dealing with the 'gargoyle problem.' "

"But we have soldiers ready for the strike," the security chief responded. " We have even incorporated humans into our troops. Some of them show an inherent fear and distrust of the creatures. We have been repeatedly playing the tape of the gargoyles attacking the ship to them. They are responding well to the stimuli."

"Good. The humans can serve as a distraction during the attack. They will make excellent 'cannon fodder' while our own squads move in."

"And the mercenaries? What part will they play?"

"Leave them to me." Dawson said. "I have special plans for Harding and his men."

"As you wish. If that is all sir, I shall return to my duties."

"Yes, you may go." Dawson watched as the security chief exited. Special plans indeed. Just prior to the move against the gargoyles, he would call Harding to the research center. The mercenary commander was strong and fit. He would make an excellent host. After that, it would be a simple matter of exposing Harding's mercenaries to the viral gas. The Tremetodean in possession of the C.E.O.'s body was pleased. The richness of resources on this small plant would sustain the fleet for quite some time. This mission had been long and difficult, but the end was finally in sight.

*3*

"I still don't understand why we are giving Harding this information about Dominion." Llewelyn stood with her hands on her hips and regarded Thaylog with a look which was a combination of confusion and annoyance. "Isn't that a bad thing?"

Vashkoda nodded in agreement. "Splitting Harding and Dawson up would only result in us having to fight a war on two fronts. Do you think we would be able to cope with that?"

"The idea is that it's Dawson who will have to fight a war on two fronts." The clan turned to see Kahreen and Silver enter the room. The feliniod threw a small bag onto an empty chair near the door and continued. "Hopefully Dawson will be so busy wiping out Harding and his goons he won't notice us till we release the cure to the virus and by then it will be too late."

Thaylog nodded. "Hopefully this will buy us some extra time." He paused and looked at Silver and Kahreen. "He did receive the disk didn't he?"

It was now Kahreen's turn to nod. "Signed, sealed and delivered."

Dayia tapped her talons on the table top "That's it though isn't it? It seems to me that we're putting all our eggs into one basket here."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything we've planned depends on Thaylog's guys in the labs coming up with a cure for the virus. What if they can't find one? What if we release it and find out it doesn't work? There are a number of things that could go wrong here."

"True but can you see any other way of defeating Dominion and dealing with all the people they've infected?"

"We take on Dominion and destroy their bases and then we can deal with the humans. We can't just sit on our tails and wait for Dominion to come to us. We should go to them."

"And get ourselves wiped out? No thanks."

Shaiya had been quiet up to this point, but this discussion was starting to become uncomfortable. She turned to the ivory gargoyle, who had retreated to the far end of the room and seemed to be listening to the conversation. "What do you think Thaylog?"

Thaylog looked up, almost startled. He scanned the assembled faces before him before answering. Their expressions varied, impatience, worry, anger but the same expression seemed to underlie them all...expectation.

Shaiya repeated her question. "What do you think we should do Thaylog?"

"In terms of numbers, an all out assault on Dominion would be suicide, not only for us but for countless others." He paused while trying to gather his thoughts. "It is true that we may be 'putting all our eggs in one basket' as Dayia says, but we do not stand a chance of succeeding unless we release the humans from the influence of the virus."

Flynt nodded in agreement. "But it's inevitable that we are going to come into conflict with Dominion. Even if we don't bring the fight to them they will almost certainly bring the fight to us."

"What if Dominion knows where we are and comes to us? What'll we do then?" Sabrina exchanged worried glances with Vashkoda and Llewelyn.

"Then we shall prepare. Yes Dominion may bring the fight to us, but we can arrange it so that we fight them on our terms."

Kahreen spoke up. "If we're going to do that then we're going to have to beef up the security and defenses of this place." she raised an eyebrow. "Just in case."

Thaylog nodded. "Agreed. Can you see to that?"

"Yes but I'm going to need some help."

Llewelyn, Sabrina, Vashkoda and Silver stepped forward. "We'll help." said Sabrina.

Kahreen nodded and picked up the small bag she had brought in with her "Come on then ladies. Time is short and there is a hell of a lot to do."

Thaylog watched as the five females left the room, as he did so he had the unmistakable feeling that someone had just said 'tag you're it'.

*****

*4*

In the small office at the warehouse that served as his headquarters, Harding turned Kahreen's disc over in his hands, his features troubled.

'... you're a even bigger fool than I took you for.' The feline biomech's words rang in his ears. A week ago he would have told her exactly where she could put her disk, but now...

He frowned, inserting the disc into his computer's drive and called up the information. A series of numbers appeared on the screen, along with a small text file. Harding opened the file. It gave a brief, but familiar description of Dawson's office. In addition it revealed the location of the C.E.O.'s hidden computer. Below the description was a message:

"The code will give you unrestricted access to Dawson's private files, the truth behind your employer's real agenda and how he had fooled you and everyone else. What you do with the information is up to you."

Harding returned his attention to the sequence of numbers, thinking about his run in with the feliniod a few hours ago. Kahreen could have killed him within a heartbeat, yet she let had him go. Could this be some elaborate plot? Still, if there was a possible chance of getting some answers...

He snatched up a piece of paper, and wrote the numbers down, placing the paper in his shirt pocket. He checked his watch. 8.40 pm. Turning off his computer he walked out of his office and into the warehouse proper. He watch briefly as his men went about their tasks. He could sense the underlying tension in the air. They were all on edge since the mysterious 'cloud' had covered the city a several days earlier. Harding rummaged through several crates, before finally pulling out a small, black toolbox. Looking up he located Sanderson and made his way over.

"Something has come up corporal. Something that needs my attention. Get the men and equipment out of here."

"Boss? What is it?"

Harding shook his head. "I am playing a hunch here. The less you know the better. Go to the site we arranged earlier and set up a field base. If I don't meet you by midnight, get the hell out of here."

"This has something to do with what happened to those people, isn't it?" Sanderson said. "Whatever you're planning boss, take backup."

"No." Harding answered. "This is a one man job. Now move the men out. That's an order."

"Yessir! And...good luck sir."

Harding managed a half smile. "I'll need it corporal." As he left the building he could hear Sanderson organizing the evacuation. He made his way into a small compound behind the warehouse where the vehicles were located. He climbed into his hovership. Moments later he was airborne, his objective...the Dominion building.

*****

*5*

From the balcony of the mansion, Thaylog stared in the direction of Newbridge. He sighed as his mind replayed the discussion among the gargoyles earlier. It seemed, like it or not, that the mantle of leadership had been thrust upon his brow. They were looking to him for answers, answers he himself didn't fully have. He stared beyond the city. In the distance a storm was forming, occasionally illuminating the horizon with flashes of lightning.

"This is certainly not how I had envisioned things when I arrived here." Thaylog muttered. He turned his head to the sound of approaching footsteps. Flynt came to stand beside him, resting his arms gently onto the railing. The tan gargoyle watched the distant storm.

"The clouds of war," he said softly before facing Thaylog. "A war we very likely will not win."

Thaylog nodded. "I know my friend. But what alternative is there?"

"None. If Dominion is successful, there'll be nowhere safe anyway. By running we'll only be delaying our own inevitable end."

Thaylog grimaced. "Not a pleasant outlook."

"Yeah. Well the slugs don't know you have the plans to the virus. That's one advantage for us."

"If we can find a way to counter it. The going is slow and difficult."

"I know."

Several moments of silence passed as the two males pondered the future.

"You know," Flynt said. "You did alright in there my friend. Some of the others might not agree with what you said, but they respect you. Respect is important....if you are to lead."

Thaylog frowned slightly. "It is something I had not anticipated Flynt. I am not altogether sure I am suited to be a "clan leader." You led a clan once, perhaps...."

Flynt smiled. "I am a warrior. I can fight and devise battle tactics, but in this world, this time, far more than that is needed. No, my friend. You are the natural choice. Look around you. The company, this mansion. Everything you have built up. Its all here because of you." The tan gargoyle gave a small laugh. "Anyway, even when it was just you, me and Dayia, you were always taking the lead. You ARE the best suited. Have faith in yourself. I do."

Thaylog smiled, somewhat heartened at Flynt's words. "It would seem so. But there is one thing I would ask of you brother."

"Anything. Just name it."

Thaylog took a deep breath. "Leading a clan will add greatly to my responsibilities. There will be times when I will not be able to attend to all issues at once. I was wondering... will you assist me? As a clan "co-leader"? Your past experience would be invaluable."

Flynt nodded solemnly. "I would be honored to be your second in command. Have no fear my brother, I will not let you down."

Thaylog placed his hand on Flynt's shoulder. "Of that I have no doubts. Come, there is much we need to do if we are to stand a chance in defeating these invaders." The two gargoyles headed back into the mansion. Up above, and unbeknownst to the pair, a semi-transparent figure watched as the two males disappeared inside.

"Fare thee well, my brave warriors." Ceridwen whispered as she slowly faded from view.

******

*6*

Harding padded silently across the rooftop of the Dominion building. As he had suspected, most of the city was abandoned, the center of activity was now focused around the research facility. Though Harding was tempted to give the place a quick fly-by, he knew that wasn't wise. Dawson had random patrols out, in airships of a design the mercenary had never seen before. He had successfully eluded two such patrols already. Approaching the fire escape door, Harding checked his watch. Sanderson should have already moved the men out. He turned his attention to the door, fingers lightly feeling around its perimeter.

"Just as I thought." he muttered as his fingers detected a metallic plate, indicating the door was alarmed. Opening the toolbox, he removed a small electronic device, fixing it to the door. He ran two small wires to the metal plate, and turned the device on. A faint humming noise was heard, and moments later a small green LED light flashed, indicating the current from the metal plate had been re routed into the device. Harding could now open the door without triggering the alarm. Reaching once again into the toolbox, he gathered up a lock pick set and swiftly unlocked the door. He made his way down several flights of concrete stairs, before stopping at another fire door, this one leading to the floor that housed Dawson's offices. A quick examination showed the door locked, but not alarmed. He unlocked it and moments later found himself standing in the darkened lobby of Dawson's office.

Rummaging through his pockets, Harding brought out a small flashlight. He briefly played its beam across the lobby, before making his way into the C.E.O.'s office. Immediately he moved over towards the wood paneling, running his hand over its grainy surface.

"Now lets see.... uh ha." The mercenary located a small catch and pressed. The panel slid back with a soft 'whoosh', revealing the computer system described by Kahreen. Harding switched the computer on, and placing the torch between his teeth, illuminated the keyboard and typed in the access code. He was rewarded with a small beep, indicating the code was correct. Navigating his way through the files, Harding's face was a mixture of shock and anger, as Dawson's plan slowly unfolded before his eyes.

"This is unbelievable!" The mercenary switched the computer off, trying to come to grips with his newly acquired information. It certainly explained a great deal. He began to pull the panel back into place when his eyes settled on the second screen above the computer. He paused for a moment, then switched it on. Colors swirled on the screen for a few moments before the image solidified, revealing a plain gray wall. It was an uplink to somewhere, but where? Harding was about to turn the screen off when a figure appeared. The mercenary's eyes widened as the brown skinned alien with large, white, opaque eyes looked at him. It spoke to him in a language Harding didn't understand, but the angry tone in the voice could be heard well enough. Harding hurriedly turned the screen off.

"Bloody hell!" Sliding the panel back into place, Harding ran out of Dawson's office and into the fire escape, climbing the stairs two at a time. Exiting onto the roof, he slammed the door shut behind him and reached up to disconnect the alarm nullifier. His hands were trembling.

"Dammit!." He hissed between clenched teeth. Taking several deep breaths, Harding forced himself to calm down. Retrieving the device from the door, he made his way across the rooftop and climbed into the hovership, his face grim.

"You bastard Dawson. You're not going to sell out the human race." He snarled, firing up the vehicle's engines and taking to the air, punching in the co-ordinates to take him to Sanderson's pre arranged location. "Not I have anything to do with it."

*****

Dawson watched from the top floor window of the research facility as two more alien hoverships circled and prepared to land. Fitted to each ship were large drop tanks. Below the townsfolk of Newbridge City, guided by Tremetodean possessed humans, were filling the tanks of the already landed ships with the green gas, preparing for the alien's assault on the surrounding areas. Dawson turned to his colleagues, the head technician and the security chief of Dominion Enterprises.

"The humans work well. We must take some of them with us when we are finished. They will make useful drones."

"The gargoyles are still a major concern." The technician replied. "This is the first time we have encountered a species immune to our methods. It is imperative we collect as many samples as possible and discover why. To eliminate such an occurrence repeating itself."

"Yes, our winged friends. Is the strike force ready?"

"Yes. They are awaiting your orders."

Dawson sighed. "I almost admire those creatures. So elusive, yet hiding in plain sight, right under our noses. Very well, we will deal with them first. We cannot afford to have them meddle in our plans again. Not at this stage."

A young blonde haired woman entered the room. "Mr. Dawson sir, there is an urgent message from the main base."

The C.E.O. looked at the young woman. The glassy appearance of her eyes showed she had not been spared the effects of the virus. "Thank you Emily. I'll take it in my office."

Dawson left the room, returning a few minutes later clutching a sheet of paper. "It appears Mr. Harding has decided to tread in forbidden territory." He held up the computer generated image of the mercenary. " Main base records show he accessed the files pertaining to the invasion."

"But how?" the security chief asked. "The system was triple encrypted. No human could..."

"Well this one has." Dawson answered. He handed the security chief Harding's image. "Circulate this among the troops and send out extra patrols. This human must be found, as soon as possible!"

"Once we flood the area with the virus he wont be a problem anymore." The technician said.

Dawson shook his head. "This one is cunning, and resourceful. He is aware of our plans. It's certain he will try counter measures of his own. His use to us has ended. Eliminate him on sight." Dawson gave a small smile. "Mobilize the strike force. We will deal with the gargoyles....and Mr. Harding once and for all."

*****

*7*

"There, I've tightened the security up as much as I can." Kahreen she straightened up from the console as Thaylog nodded approvingly. "The radar is only good for about 10 miles. It's the best I can do with what you have available here."

"It should be adequate." Thaylog replied. "Now we should have fair warning if any unwelcome guests should appear."

"And we added a few surprises long the perimeter too." Sabrina added.

"Oh?"

"Flash mines." Kahreen informed Thaylog. At his quizzical look, she continued. " A handy little device I picked up some time ago. We planted a few in the woods along the mansion's boundary. There set to go off if anything human sized or bigger gets within twenty feet of them. They won't kill anything, just knock them off their feet. But the explosive flash is so bright that anyone within its range will be blinded for a few minutes at least."

"Good." Diamond said. "That should deter anyone skulking in the woods and allow us to pinpoint their position."

"Agreed." Flynt said as he entered the room. Thaylog blinked at the tan gargoyles appearance. Gone was the usual green tunic, replaced by one of light brown. Flynt's shoulders were protected by armored steel plates, each sporting three, eight inch long spikes. His forearms were covered with arm guards, each with a long serrated blade running along the edge, starting at the wrists and ending just past the elbows. A steel belt adorned his waist. As he strode in a faint, metallic rustling indicated the presence of fine chain mail interwoven within the tunic.

"It has been a long time since I have seen that armor." Thaylog commented.

"I found it down in the armory." Flynt responded. "It fits well. You don't mind?"

Thaylog shook his head. "No, not at all. It would just remain there collecting dust otherwise."

"Thanks."

"Kahreen has just been filling us in on the security upgrades."

"So I heard."

Kahreen stepped forward, a small kitbag in her hand. "There's on more thing." Reaching in, she removed several small items and placed them on the table."

"What are those?" Diamond asked as she came to stand by Flynt's side.

"Comlinks." The feline biomech explained as she fitted one of the small devices around her head, demonstrating it's use. "They'll let us stay in contact with each other if we get separated ...or worse. There aren't enough for everybody, but I think we can manage."

"Umm...guys," Llewelyn's voice cut into the conversation as she intently eyed the screen. "Is this meant to do that?"

"Do what?" Kahreen rushed over and watched as the radar's arm began another sweep. About a dozen dots appeared briefly on the screen. The feliniod cursed.

"This isn't good is it?" Flynt asked.

"You got that right." Kahreen answered. "In about 10 minutes we are going to have company."

"Why did I know you were going to say that."

*****

"The transports have just finished deploying the troops." The security chief turned to face Dawson. "ETA to the creatures hideout is approximately 10 minutes."

"Excellent. Have our own ships hold back for the time being. Let the human troops soften the gargoyles up first. There is no point in risking our own just yet. Have the hoverships attack only if it looks like the creatures are gaining the upper hand. And try to take as many alive as possible. That will keep our science division happy."

"The orders have been relayed sir."

Dawson nodded. "Let the games begin."

******

Harding wandered through the field base. Sanderson had done well. The area was secluded and with most of the vehicles and tents hidden under camouflage netting, the place was virtually invisible form the air. His mercenaries were on the alert. Harding felt a sense of pride towards his men. After he had broken the news of his discovery, Harding had given his men the option of pulling out. The contract with Dominion was over. If any of them wanted to leave, they could. None of them did. His gaze wandered over the small line of hoverships and land vehicles, courtesy of Dominion Enterprises. He grunted. Small compensation for being screwed over by Dawson. Harding planned on 'returning' the equipment to Dawson soon. Oh, yes. He'll use them to blow the Dominion chief and his alien buddies all to hell. He began thinking of various ways to achieve this when one of his men ran up to him.

"Sir! Corporal Sanderson needs you in the communications tent." The soldier panted. "Something strange is going on!"

Immediately the commander was racing across the compound to the communications center. Flinging the tent flap open he saw Sanderson hunched over the console beside the communications officer.

"What is it corporal?"

"The radar has picked up a concentrated deployment about thirty miles from here." Sanderson informed Harding. "I'd bet good money, its our former employer up to something.

Harding watched the radar as it completed a couple of circuits. "Thirty miles away? There's nothing out there. Only the forest and a handful of holiday dwellings. What can they being doing..." He straightened, looking as if he had been stuck. "Is THAT where they have been hiding!" Almost immediately his mind formulated a plan. "Corporal, get the men and ships ready, in two minutes we are moving out!"

"Where sir?"

Harding pointed at the radar. "There."

*****

*****

TO BE CONTINUED...