GARGOYLES: Re-Awakening

Messes: 1

"It doesn't look to bad," he said. "Head wounds like this bleed like crazy, but they're usually harmless. Can you press this towel right here?"

Everly winced when he touched the towel to her head, but she slowly lifted a hand and took it from him.

"Do you feel nauseous?"

Everly shook her head.

"Seeing stars?"

Another negative shake.

"Ok, then we can take a few minutes without much risk I think."

Everly still said nothing, just looked at him. Matt looked around the room. The nightstand had been knocked over and a lamp had shattered on the floor. The mirror on the wall was askew. The floor had a puddle of blood on it. He no longer felt like he had the luxury of time.

"Ma'am, what's your name?" Matt asked.

Everly looked concerned. Matt understood.

"Look, I'll level with you. Detective Maza has not shared whatever's going on with me. In fact, she's under some serious scrutiny by the department. I came here because I wanted to get some answers." Matt looked around the mess in the room again. "Hopefully to help her, if I can," he said.

"My name is Everly," she replied. "I work...worked, for Xanatos Enterprises."

"What's Elisa want with you?"

Everly put her free hand against her forehead with a wince.

"At first she just wanted information. Now she wants me to testify against Xanatos."

"Testify about what?" Matt asked.

Everly guffawed.

"That's just it," she replied. "She doesn't know yet."

Matt raised an eyebrow.

"I don't understand."

"She told me that something is happening tonight. Something big, at Xanatos' castle. She's going there to see. She said the problem is that whatever she finds will be inadmissible. Her plan is to see what happens and then get me to create probable cause for a search, once she figures out what she's looking for."

Matt was stunned. This was illegal. In fact, it was highly illegal. He ran his hand back through his hair and stared wide eyed out the window. Everly looked up at him, then dropped the towel and stood up to face him.

"Your name's Matt, right?" She asked.

"What?" Matt asked, blankly.

"Elisa has been talking about you. She said if anything happened to her that I should go straight to you and tell you everything."

This just keeps getting better and better, Matt thought to himself.

"She also said you were young and inexperienced."

Matt looked at her.

"Ya, she would say that. I'm not the one about to put myself in jail, though. Funny how that works."

Everly put a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Listen," she said. "I get it. This isn't the way the world is supposed to work. You think I want to be here? I just planned on working a normal career and retiring to Florida one day." She looked both sad and angered as she spoke. She paused for a moment, then picked up with a new energy.

"That man was going to kill me. Xanatos wants to kill me and he wants to do it because he's a bad man. I don't know exactly what he's up to, but Elisa thinks he's working on some kind of weapon and it looks like he's not planning on selling it. He wants to use it for himself. I've been helping Elisa track the money and I'll tell you, there is something going on."

"Has she been talking to you about the armored truck heist?" Matt asked.

"Yes. And frankly I think Elisa is right. Street thugs or terrorists or whatever else don't steal high tech prototype A.I. chips. Look, I worked for Xanatos Enterprises for years. You get a feel for a place when you've been there a while. Xanatos runs that company like a kingdom, and I think he believes it is. I'm scared to death that he's building something powerful enough that it could be a threat to the very system we live in. That's why I agreed to start helping your partner. I never would have done this if I didn't think there was something big on the line. They're trying to kill me for Christ's sake!"

Everly had been working herself up and now she was beginning to lose it again. Matt reached out and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Ok, ok," he said. "I believe you. I guess we're all crazy. Listen, you said Elisa is going there tonight..." Matt was interrupted by Everly.

"Oh god," she said. It looked as if a fog in her eyes had suddenly lifted. Matt was unnerved by the intensity. "I told him."

"Told who?" Matt asked.

"He got out of here!" Everly said, frantically.

"Slow down, what are you talking about? The man?"

"Yes!" Everly cried. "Oh my god, I failed. I failed again."

Matt helped Everly sit down on the bed.

"Calm down," he said. "Whatever it is, I can help. Just tell me."

"I told the man that Elisa would be there tonight. He threatened to hurt me, badly. I was so scared. I just told him. I..."

Matt interrupted her. He'd grasped the problem and didn't need to hear any more.

"Stop," he said. "Listen to me. You're not a cop or a spy or some secret agent. You shouldn't be in this situation in the first place. It is not your fault, whatever happens. You let me worry about Elisa. That's my job, not yours. What you need to do is get out of this place. Who's apartment is this, anyway?"

"His name is Reed. He's a reporter," Everly answered.

Matt could not believe his ears. Then he smirked. On the other hand, he thought, how could anything surprise him.

"Ok, that's actually good. Reed is a reporter. Next to cops, they are about the most safe people out there. Nobody wants to get involved with hurting a journalist. You know where he works? Good. I want you to go directly to him. Tell him what happened and that both of you need to lay low for a little while. Tell him to reach out to Elisa or to me once you have found a place. If anything happens to us, he should contact Captain Chavez at the 23rd Precinct. Got it?"

Elisa nodded.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm gonna go end my career before it even gets started," Matt said.