Kyle:

The trip to the main craft was quiet again. The idea that the world was getting more complicated than I thought was sinking in. I always thought I was one of the ones out fighting the bad guys and blood-thirsty killers. Wonderful job I had done of that since I was that close to being one of them.

We docked and passed through the entry chamber from the small submarine into Xao's real craft.

Finally, it was Jessica who figured out what to say. "Well... if all that is true... we can't do anything about it, and we shouldn't forget it, but in the end, we need to move on. After all, we can't change what happened, can we? We can better ourselves, and we can save this kid," she said, giving Thomas a side hug. Xao smiled at her and moved over to the ship controls.

I shrugged. "We've been through a lot, but I guess the adventure is over now isn't it?"

"As they say about the opera, it ain't over till the fat lady sings," said Jessica.

"Ya know I've never heard that one," Thomas said.

"That's alright, someone else will probably get the credit for it in time... trust me, I won't let it die," Jessica replied.

"Still what does it mean?" I asked.

Jessica looked around the sub as it lurched into motion. "It means we need a fat lady." She continued to look around. I supposed this was Jessica's way of saying she was sick of the silence. Finally, Jessica's eyes fell on Xao. "Xao!" she shouted.

"Excuse me?" he asked, rather startled and quickly turning around.

"We need a fat lady," she said.

"Um... what do you want me to do, make you a deal?" he asked.

"Nnnnoooo," she replied. "You swore you wouldn't do that."

"Then what do you want?" he asked.

"Confusion," she said nodding her head.

(***)

Well, Jessica was back, and the next day flew by... barely making a lick of sense half the time.

Thomas was a sponge for any kind of information. He asked about every control on the sub, even those not connected to navigation. In the end, I think he probably knew more about how the ship worked than I did and I had been given a formal class. Xao even let him pilot a few times. Jessica said she had been paying good attention and asked if she could pilot, but everyone else agreed they liked breathing and opted against giving her the proverbial wheel before she steered us into a shark. Speaking of which, yes, she did several times dare Thomas or Xao to hit animal life as it swam across a virtual screen which showed the outside of the sub.

Halfway through the day, I think Thomas had either had enough of Jessica's antics or just wanted to participate. Either way, the two of them eventually ended up wrestling on the floor.

I rested against the side of the ship near the controls as they tumbled around and chuckled, seeing Xao was also starting to grin. "So where do you guys go from here?" Xao asked looking at me.

I shrugged, "Not sure. I think I like this."

"This as in what?" Xao asked.

"The adventure of helping find someone. It was all fun in the end." I said.

"Fun?" Xao asked. "Might I point out, it's providence any of us are even alive after all that."

"Yeah well, nothing's worth doing if it isn't hard to do," I replied.

"Yeah, I guess we've established that," he said with a grin, probably thinking back on his own lessons.

"Ya know, with all this stuff we've learned about prejudice... do you think it's right for us to continue to judge normal people as unable to accept us as mutants?" I asked.

Xao paused. "Well... it sure is something to think about isn't it?" he replied. He shrugged. "Really though, you got to pick your battles. You think you can just expose six secret societies to the world against their will?"

"I think we'll have a hard enough time if we try to spread the word that gargoyles aren't the monsters everyone made them out to be," I commented back.

"One revolution at a time buddy," Xao said.

"But in the meantime, while we spread the word, I want to keep looking for lost kids. I doubt I'll have to convince Jessica of the idea," I said, nodding to the two as they continued to fight. "But we can't continue to find them all in one city; folks might get suspicious if kids keep mysteriously returning."

"Well, they really don't vanish that often in just one city anyway," Xao commented. "Not to a degree that people start calling out the cops and everything."

"I still think we'll have to figure out some rules for things if we continue," I said. "Which we will." I turned back to Xao, "So how about you? Now that you're not going to keep up with your deal-making, what are you going to do?"

"Well," he began, "if you don't mind, can I stay with you guys?"

"Well," I thought for a moment. "It might take a little talking but I think we can convince Allen to let you stick around."

"Who's Allen?" Xao asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." I looked around. "The real question is, once we land, how do we get back to Portland?"

"I'm still loaded," Xao offered. "I may not be able to make deals, but money still talks."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure if I like that money thing either. We'll have to discuss that later." I said back. "How much exactly do you have?"

"Not sure."

"Think we'll just give Allen a call when we land."

(***)

When we landed there was a slight problem, as Thomas wasn't really a good swimmer, and we didn't have an oxygen mask for him. But Xao shared his and helped him up and when we surfaced we found Regent there in a boat waiting for us. Xao said something about a using a mobile communication device not native to the planet to tell him where we were, but I was just glad to have a few less problems to have to deal with.

Jessica and I both agreed we weren't sure how comfortable we were using Xao's money, as the exact means he used to get it was in question. Still, Thomas pointed out that we needed to use a few quarters to make a phone call, so Xao made some change for that at least. With the money, Jessica called up Allen and after a little explaining, Allen was on his way.

When Allen arrived, I asked if we could go off and talk alone for a few minutes. Allen had a pretty level head and I needed that to sort through some of the things that had happened to us. Besides, he needed to be brought up to speed, didn't he?

Xao, Jessica, and Thomas went off to play while Allen and I went off to talk under a small tree overlooking the beach.

The sun was setting and a gentle breeze blew around us. I told him the story of what we had been doing after we left the clock tower. Allen had a few questions, but it was easy enough to explain things, after all, I had actually been there.

"So... what do you think? How did we do?" I asked after I finished.

"What do you think I'm gonna say? I'm amazed. Did all that stuff really happen- even the submarine?" he asked. I nodded. "Actually, I really can't help myself, I'm proud."

"Did I do the right thing?"

"When?"

I shook my head. "So many things." I looked up at him. "I guess first off, was I right in my judgment of Xao? I mean, he really did help us in a big way, and I kinda threw it in his face."

"I don't see it that way," he answered. "You didn't know how to say it, but you were right. Just getting whatever he wanted without working for it, taking advantage of people, and trying to give and take like he was a god; what he was doing was definitely wrong."

"I made him swear to give up the power. How do you know how much power is too much to be used?"

"You don't. That's why you keep other people in your life to see when you've gone too far. I think you really helped Xao, and I couldn't be more proud of that."

I nodded, then sat back and thought for a moment. I asked, "And Darius? What about him? You remember we didn't actually kill him."

"You weren't out there to deliver God's judgment, Kyle. I agree, Darius was evil, but if you don't have to kill someone, you shouldn't. That's just how it is."

"When do you have to kill?"

"To save someone else."

"Only to save them from death?"

"Not always, but I think you'll know when it has to be done. Just always, always, try not to. Killing is your last resort."

I nodded, I guess I already agreed with most of that and knew it before Allen said it, for some reason, I just needed to hear him say it. "So then, on gargoyles, I know they're people like you and me now... did you know that?"

"Not everyone in that war was fighting for the annihilation of a race. And don't forget, there are still gargoyles in this world loyal to the gargoyle nation, so the war is not over." Allen held the back of his sawed-off shotgun up. "You think I would carry this thing if it was?" I shook my head. "I might, but not as religiously that's for sure. I actually hate it and I'm afraid someday Jaden will somehow get a hold of it. I hope someday this war can end." He put down his weapon. "But in the meantime, it sure is hard to remember, our enemies are just as much human beings as we are."

"I guess, but even then, how can I look my real dad in the eyes after learning what he did?"

"I have to admit, on that one, I have no idea."

"My father is proud of what he did," I said.

"Then you're going to have to figure out what to do on that angle when you meet again." He got up. "Who knows? Maybe in two hundred years, he'll be a different man." I stood up to. "Is that what you needed?"

"I guess," I said with a slanted smile.

Allen ruffled my hair a little. "I'm here for you little guy."

We walked back to the car and Allen called everyone back.

(***)

In the car, Xao sat in the "shotgun" seat, much to Jessica's disappointment, while the three of us "kids" rode in back. Myself, I was now squished between Jessica and Thomas as they teased each other back and forth.

Jessica's humor was more explosive, but Thomas was able to keep up just the same.

We had only been on the road for an hour and suddenly Jessica rolled down her window and pointed out shouting. "Look, look!"

"What?" asked Thomas.

"Probably a black bear on a pogo stick or something," I commented.

"It's brown for your information!" Jessica shot at me.

"Yeah Kyle, are you color blind or something?" asked Thomas.

Things continued much like that for the rest of the trip. Jessica has a personality that tends to force others to mimic it, in other words... now I had two of them.

As I saw the glow of Portland's lights in the distance, I realized we were coming up on the city. Allen called back to the three of us, or more specifically, to Thomas. "So, what are we wanting to do here guys? Tommy, would you feel better if we dropped you off with the police or if we took you all the way home?"

"Home," said Thomas, not even giving it a second thought.

"Well then this could get interesting," Allen commented. "The whole city is still looking for you."

"I didn't do all this to not even see them reunited," Jessica commented. "I met his mother, and I met the boy. Now I want to see them together." She folded her arms. "That's just how it is."

"Well I can take some backstreets for a while," Allen commented. "But Thomas is gonna need to keep his head down until we get to his home neighborhood." Allen looked back. "One condition of course. If the cops see you, you back me up that I was just bringing you home... and you don't say anything about superheroes."

"Yeah, really we're known as fairies on this world anyway," I said with a grin.

"Got it, I'll just say a troop of fairies saved me from a gargoyle."

"Yeah... I'm looking at five to life," said Allen.

(***)

Luckily, for Allen I suppose, the police really weren't out in much force this night, odd, since I would have thought they would beef up patrols in lieu of the stone prison we had uncovered for them days before. Course I didn't question all this. I didn't want Allen stuck with "five to life" as he kept saying... whatever that meant.

Xao got off much earlier than the rest of us, just as we hit the main city of Portland, not really saying what for.

Allen was actually pretty nervous about the whole thing, and when we were in Thomas's "neighborhood" he told me, Jessica, and Thomas to go ahead and get out.

"No one is going to accuse two kids who look younger than him, of kidnapping Thomas, and I'm sure you guys can take things from here." He looked back. "Besides, I think Tommy wants out." Beside me, Thomas nodded furiously, pushing Jessica to get out quickly. Jessica started to laugh as Thomas pushed her out, but she still obliged and moved quickly. I got out myself and came around the back of the vehicle. Allen called out to us. "Remember, no one says a word about me being involved. Not a word."

"Why not, you helped save me?" asked Thomas, stopping for a moment. "Wouldn't you like folks to know?"

"Imagine mine being the only name folks can associate with this case that the public knows." He shook his head. "I'll be suspect number one."

"My lips are sealed," Thomas said with a sigh. "Can I tell them about the superheroes?"

"Why not? No one will listen to you anyway." He pulled away and drove off.

"Yeah well, better to be surrounded by people who love you and sometimes don't really listen, than..." Thomas seemed to think for a minute. "Well, actually a lot of things now that I think of it."

"You humans really are beautifully naive," I said shaking my head. I looked around, sighting the white house where, eh em, "Karen and Titus" met Thomas' mom. I pointed to it. "Well, you're home's right there."

"Am I gonna see you guys again?" Thomas asked.

"Maybe," Jessica replied.

"Possible," I said.

Thomas quickly gave us both a hug and then turned around to run for his house. Or at least I guess he would have run if he hadn't frozen in place.

Jessica grabbed my shoulder and jerked me into some nearby bushes with herself before I could gain any recognition of what was going on.

From the tall vines, branches, and leaves now surrounding me I watched what Jessica had seemingly panicked about. "It's just-"

"SSSHH!" Jessica hushed me. "Don't ruin it. Just let em' think we're not here."

I looked out of the leaves and sure enough, there was Thomas' mother, Janet.

Still, near us, I could hear Thomas saying, "mom?" under his breath. I could also see Janet's mouth Tommy's name.

Apparently, the woman had been shopping, but whatever she had picked up was pretty irrelevant right now, as it was currently all over the ground and she stood there frozen herself, not seeming to care much about it.

Beside me Jessica crouched, a huge grin on her face. "Well?" she finally whispered. Finally, not able to take the wait anymore, Jessica jumped out of the bushes shouting. "Would you two do the big hugging thing already? You're not much fun to watch when you just stand around!" She then grinned as Thomas shrugged and ran to his mother and jumped into her arms.

I came out of the bushes realizing there apparently wasn't much point in hiding anymore. Mother and son embraced each other for a long time and it gave me a pretty good feeling to think I had brought them together again. Well... Jessica helped a little of course.

Speaking of Jessica, she turned to me. "Well, everyone seems to be doing the hugging thing, and you know I'm into mushy stuff and all," she said. I nodded as I soon found her slamming into me at top speed and giving me a hug that was more likely to injure me than make me feel good.

Jessica let me up as we watched our charge and his mother finally walk back into their home. "Ya know, she never did pick up her groceries," I commented.

"Don't worry about it, captain missing the point," Jessica said, lowering her eyebrows at me.

"Captain... so are you in charge then?" I looked up to see a heavy-set, Arabian man standing over us both. He was round, almost like an apple, with a large sharp nose. He leaned on a large silver cane with what looked like the head of a crow.

I stood up. "Hi... who are you?"

He looked around the neighborhood as Jessica stood up as well. "My name is Tyrin. I had my men watching this place pretty closely after the kidnapping. Imagine my surprise to hear that Thomas was actually back home in the loving arms of this mother."

"You don't sound too happy about that," I commented. Indeed he didn't, he sounded perturbed.

"How did you get here so fast?" Jessica asked behind me.

Tyrin opened his right hand, electric bolts flying off his fingers. "Think you two are the only Pharaohs in town? The technology and resources at my disposal would make your heads spin."

"Why do you-" I began, but he cut me off.

"You understand everyone has to conduct business in this world of some kind, yes?" Tyrin asked. I paused. "Everyone has to sell a commodity of some kind. Now on this world, the risk involved in getting that particular commodity, as well as the rarity of providers, determines the price you can ask for it. If you understand this, imagine if you were the sole provider of human children to anyone who wants who has the money." Jessica pushed me back, moving in front of me. "Do you two have any idea how much money that gargoyle paid to have a child that reminded him of his dearly departed?"

"You mean... you're-" I began, but someone else interrupted.

"His name is Tyrin," came a younger voice. "He runs an organization that sells young children on the black market. They're the ones who ordered Thomas kidnapped. This is the leader of the underground organization of Jacobson."

Tyrin turned around, "Xao," he said. "I might have known you were a part of this. I told you to make your deal and stay out of my business. It seems you have a hard time following commands."

"Depends on who's giving them," Xao replied.

"You think this is over?" Tyrin asked. "Do you think my customers will be pleased to hear that my products come with no guarantee to not be taken back? You think I can let this offense stand? I can't ever get that child back now. Thanks to you and I suppose these two. My operations in this area have been compromised and now Thomas himself will be under the close eye of the police in this area. I suppose you all think these are things to be proud of."

"Well..." Xao said, cocking his head to the side as if trying to think. "Yep, pretty proud of it."

"Go ahead, be a smart aleck," said Tyrin. "You're about to watch your friends die."

"Not so sure about that," Xao said. "You see, while these two were returning Thomas safe and sound to his home, somebody was giving all kinds of information about you and a few of your," he considered his wording, "friends, to the local police. Somehow, it seems they know the descriptions of the top ten Pharaohs in your organization along with having a few of their fingerprints on record." Tyrin pulled out a gun from his dark jacket. "Guns, guns, guns!" Xao shouted, "Oh yes, I imagine there will be a number of those here in about..." Xao looked at his wrist device like it was a watch, then turned to listen as a series of sirens started to sound in the distance. "Well very close to right now actually. Seems that someone also tipped folks off that you might be here." Tyrin's head turned quickly. "You've got enough riding on your head already. Imagine if the police found their precious young informant dead along with two other cute little kids." The sirens continued to get louder. "They don't know what you are of course, and I doubt they'll have an easy time catching you... all the same, you might want to get a head start running and all that jazz."

Tyrin smiled. "I suppose it is my turn to bow out of the fight without so much as even a recognizable effort." He chuckled. "I suppose come about is fair play. I made you retreat from the prison without a fight, didn't I? This is payback? Very well. You and your friends win this round." His voice lowered. "But I warn you, do not interfere in my affairs again." Tyrin disappeared in a flash of colors as police cars started to pull into view.

"Rather talk to them than Tyrin any day," Xao said. "But if it's all the same to you guys, I think I'm gonna scram. You guys live in that clock tower right?"

"You're not gonna ask which one?" I asked back.

"Oh yeah, wow, really, I must know, which clock tower do you guys live in... possibly the only one in the entire state big enough to have people in it?" Xao vanished in a blur of colors.

I turned to Jessica. "Well...things sure happened fast here... go with the flow and race?"

"Eat my dust," she said, vanishing in a blur. I smiled, bolts of energy shooting into my feet as several officers started getting out of their cars. I shot away.