Gargoyle: the Jackpot Crew

In the second edition of the Mechanical Monsters story arc, Gargoyle embarks on his first real mission, following Beta to an ongoing robbery at the Jackpot Hotel and Casino. But these thieves are more than they seem. Led by the villainous Stratagem, the Jackpot Crew is a force to be reckoned with. Gargoyle will battle various members of the Crew, eventually leading to an epic battle on top of an active Construction Site. Who will prevail? Gargoyle or Stratagem? You'll have to read it and see!

Chapter One
"Try it again," said Beta, having just watched Davis plummet to the ground. "The trick is to make sure that both wings beat at once. Once you get the synchronization down, you'll be able to fly without a problem."

Davis got up from the ground and dusted himself off. Ever since he accepted Beta's request to be a "Gargoyle," he had been training day in and day out. He was already skilled at hand-to-hand combat, so he was just having to practice flight. He had already fallen from mid-air about six times, and wasn't showing much improvement. He'd probably be dead already if his skin wasn't made of stone.

Davis loved the feel of flight. He loved that he could go wherever he wanted to go, without traffic or obstacles. He had the entire sky to himself, minus the birds and clouds. It seemed silly now, but when he was a kid he had dreamed of flying. He even went so far to build wings out of cardboard and jump off of the roof of his small, urban home. He had broken his leg, as well as his dreams of flying. That sounds depressing, but it's not like it scarred him for life.

"Just imagine that you're a butterfly," snickered Roy from the sidelines. He was munching on a burrito, laughing every time that Davis fell from the sky. They were standing in the middle of Porvanir Stadium, one of the biggest football arenas in the world. Beta stood in the center, trying to coax Davis through the flying process.

"Shut up, Roy," laughed Davis as he took back off into the sky. He focused as hard as he could, trying desperately to beat his wings in unison. He had a steady rhythm for a moment there, but a gust of wind threw him off balance. He tried to steady himself, but just wound up spinning even more. The next thing he knew, he slammed into the turf just a few feet away from Beta.

Beta just sighed, obviously frustrated at Davis's several failed attempts at flight. "I think that's enough flying for today," he said. "Maybe tomorrow we can..."

Beta never got to finish his sentence. His phone went off in his pocket, cutting him off. He answered it immediately, lifting it to his ear with a nervous expression.

"Yes. Yes sir. Yes. He's here. The Jackpot? You got it." Beta closed his phone and shot Davis a nervous glance. "I need to go check out a disturbance at a nearby casino. Apparently there's some sort of robbery going on."

"Can I go too?" asked Davis, taking a bite of broccoli. Broccoli was what changed him from Gargoyle Mode back to normal, but he didn't know why. Beta hadn't really explained the science of it. Davis always kept a couple of pieces in his pocket, just in case he needed to go Gargoyle for something. "This could be my chance to show off my powers!" Davis continued. "My first real Super Hero mission!"

"No way Davis," laughed Beta. "You're not ready to officially become the Gargoyle yet. Give it some more practice, and you'll be stopping robberies in no time. Sorry to run, but it's urgent."

With that, Beta walked to the tunnel where the players usually came out. As he disappeared from sight, Davis released a grin. Just because Beta told him to stay didn't mean he was going to. After all, he was a superhero. It sounds cheesy to say, but it was true. It was his job to stop robberies. This could be the test of skills he had been waiting for! Other than Porcupine and the three thugs, Davis had never really had a chance to show off his skills. Fighting off a real robbery could be the chance he was waiting for.

As Davis began to follow, Roy stopped him. "Dude! Did you hear what Beta just said? I'd listen to him, man. I don't think you're ready to take on any robbers yet."

"If I don't start now, then when will I? This is my chance! Beta said it himself. Porvanir needs an actual hero. It's time for the Gargoyle to start making public appearances."

Roy sighed. "I see what you're saying, but I think it's best to wait a couple of days. Let Beta train you a little bit more. He knows what he's doing."

Davis rolled his eyes. "What if I let you come with me?"

Roy's eyes lit up, just like Davis knew that they would. "Now that I think about it, fighting criminals doesn't sound too dangerous. Lets go!"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Davis laughed. "Thanks man."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">The two men walked out of the stadium in time to see Beta's car drive off. They got into Davis's truck, going into pursuit mode. They sped off after Beta, going as fast as Davis's truck would allow him. They were cautious to stay a reasonable distance behind Beta, carefully avoiding his sight. If Beta caught them, it could mean bad things for the Gargoyle Program. Davis had already accepted the role, so it would be hard (and dangerous) to replace him. He didn't want to break Beta's trust.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">As they drove, they passed the new construction site for the Porvanir Tower. It was planned to be the tallest tower in the area, dwarfing the rest of the city. It was going to be an all-purpose tower, varying from banks to businesses and from toy stores to indoor playgrounds. It was currently just a frame, with no floors or walls. It looked like the stereotypical construction site from the cartoons. They drove past it, continuing on to the casino.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">The truck neared the building, and Davis got his first look at the Jackpot Hotel and Casino. It was a massive building, containing three floors of casino and seven floors of hotel. Hence the name. The entrance was covered in fountains and sparkly lights, giving the feel of a Vegas-style, high class Casino. It was easily the most prestigious Casino in the world, with a jackpot of over twenty million dollars. People flooded from all over the world, just to get a chance to win that money. But even now, seven years since the casino's opening, nobody had won it. The machine that rewards the jackpot has been tested and searched by researchers, and it was indeed possible. It was just very unlikely. It had less than a 1 out of 10,000,000,000 chance of winning, but it was all worth it if you actually won.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">As soon as the two men drove up to the Casino, they knew that something was wrong. The normal aura of joy and excitement had been replaced with... What's the word? Oh that's right. Pure, seething, Terror.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">There were people running all over the place, scattering like ants. Wether they were factory workers spending the little money they made, or wealthy businessmen with filled wallets, they were all running from something inside the casino.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Whatever's going on in there," said Roy, "it's something big."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"We need to get in there," replied Davis. "We can't get in through the front, or we'll be trampled. There has to be another way in."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"We could always go through a security exit."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Davis was taken aback. "Are you out of your mind? We can't go through a security entrance!"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"All the guards will be taking care of whatever's going on," responded Roy. "Nobody's going to be watching the back entrances."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Good point."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">The two men got out of Davis's truck, making their way around the casino. They didn't worry about being spotted, practically camouflaged amongst the hordes of screaming gamblers.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">As they neared the back entrance, Davis noticed that the door was wide open. Someone had smashed the key card swiper, allowing them access to the building. The only question was who?

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Once they were inside the Casino, they found themselves in a long white hallway. It wasn't the bustling casino that Davis had been expecting, just an assortment of offices and security rooms. They entered the building just in time to see Beta turn a corner, and they followed in hot pursuit. Beta seemed to know his way around, whilst Davis and Roy did not.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">They stalked Beta through the winding maze of the Lucky Seven, eventually making their way to the casino floor. The scenery went from calm and serene to wild and uncontrolled. The casino looked surreal, with neon lights and bright carpeting. They were surrounding by the sounds of slot machines and billiards, and were nearly blinded by the plentitude of flashing lights.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">The casino was in total chaos. There weren't many people left inside, many of them having fled to the safety of the parking lot. The few people that were still inside were a couple dozen cops, along with thirty-something security guards. And then, of course, there were the bandits and hostages.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">In the middle of the casino, surrounded by a ring of upturned pool tables, stood three masked men and ten hostages. Only one of the robbers was armed, which shocked Davis. He held a simple pistol in his right hand, which wasn't much firepower. The other two men were completely unarmed, possessing nothing but the masks on their faces and the clothes on their bodies. Next to the three men sat ten hostages, sitting on the ground with hands behind their heads.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Davis was shocked. He had never witnessed a robbery before in his life, let alone one with hostages. Beta had been right. This was way out of his league.

Chapter Two
Davis and Roy ducked down behind a slot machine, watching the scene from afar. Beta, on the other hand, was darting from machine to machine, making his way closer without being spotted. Davis had to remind himself that Beta was a trained government agent, and probably knew exactly what to do.

"Just let them go," commanded one of the nearby police officers, gun raised high.

The gun-wielding criminal put his pistol to the head of one of the hostages. "Gladly. All that I ask is that you return the favor."

The cop rolled his eyes. "Do you honesty believe that we're just gonna hand over the million dollar jackpot?"

"Do you honestly believe that I value the lives of these people?" responded the man, pressing the pistol harder into the man's skull. "Lower your guns, and then I'll state my terms."

The cops had no choice. They lowered their guns, putting their hands above their heads.

The man with the pistol laughed. "It's amazing what can occur with nothing but three masks and a gun."

"You're a rat," yelled one of the cops. "Nothing but a rodent."

"Funny you'd mention that," said the gun-wielder with a twisted grin. With that, he reached up with his left hand and began to remove his mask. He stuffed it his pocket, revealing his identity to every man in the room. "You'd be surprised how rat-like I can be."

The man's face surprised Davis. He was expecting a buff, muscular guy, but this man was the opposite. He was skinny, frail, and had ginger hair. He had a thin mustache that resembled whiskers, as well as small lips and beady eyes. Now that they mentioned it, the man really did resemble a rat.

"Name your terms," spoke the cop.

"I want the Jackpot," said the rat man. "Not all of it, just half. I also want a private meeting with the owner of the casino."

The cops exchanged nervous glances. Davis could tell how delicate the situation was. Half of a million dollars was still a lot, but that wouldn't completely ruin the casino if they lost it. It's either that, or every single hostage was going to die and they would take the money by force.

"Fine," replied the cop. "We'll get you the money."

"No, no, no," responded the rat man with a devilish grin. "I prefer to get it myself. Just send one unarmed guard to get me into the vault. Once I have the money, I'll signal my men to release the hostages."

The cop nodded. He motioned to one of the guards, signaling him to be the escort. The guard, obviously the biggest man in the room, stood up from among the pool tables and slowly approached the armed rat man.

"Very good. And if any of you follow, there will be consequences. The three of us are wearing earpieces, and if I give the order to kill, they won't hesitate to put a bullet through your skull."

The two men walked out of the casino floor, going back into the hallway that Davis and Roy had just exited. The two men passed by Davis's hiding place, and Davis had a brief moment of terror when he met eye contact with the armed rat man. But instead of making a commotion about it, the armed man just smiled. As the guard and the robber entered the hallway, Davis knew that there was more to this group of criminals than met the eye.

"What do we do?" whispered Roy, breaking the silence. "We can't let them kill the hostages."

"I know," responded Davis. "We need to disable the earpieces."

"How?"

"I don't know, man." But then something struck Davis. Neither of the two criminals were armed. Even if they were signaled, it would be hard for them to kill the hostages. But still, there were more to these criminals than met the eye. One wrong move, and they could pull a hidden knife or a hidden gun.

As Davis was thinking, one of the unarmed men stepped out from the ring of pool tables. He began to walk around the room, doing something completely unexpected. As he would pass a cop, he would gently place a finger on their shoulder. Almost instantly, they would fall on the ground, either asleep, dead, or unconscious. Davis wasn't sure.

Davis had no idea what to do. He was in the presence of a man that could put people asleep with a touch. He had no idea what he was capable of. Whoever he was, he wasn't a normal human.

After the man had put the last cop to sleep, he pulled off his mask. He was a blonde man, with a pointed nose and dark green eyes. He was a younger guy, and was pretty scrawny for his age.

"They're all asleep," said the blonde, pulling a small book out of his pocket.

"You don't say?" replied the other man sarcastically. "I thought that they were just closing their eyes and falling down for no reason."

"Shut up, Gecko."

Gecko reached up and took off his mask as well, no longer worried about keeping his identity. He had no idea that he still had three people watching.

Gecko was an intimidating figure. He had tattoos covering his face, along with pierced lips and everything. He had dark green eyes, a narrow nose, and one other disturbing feature. He had no lips.

"Hey Hypnos," replied Gecko, his Australian accent coming out thick. "What did the boss say to do after we took care of the guards?"

"He just said to guard the hostages." The man named Hypnos was obviously the more sophisticated of the two, even though he was only college-aged. He spoke without emotion, but every word was carefully calculated. Gecko, on the other hand, seemed unpredictable and sarcastic. He seemed like an all-around classic biker thug. Just without lips. And covered from head to toe in tattoos.

Davis had to think fast. He had to free the hostages, but he couldn't risk Hypnos or Gecko contacting the rat man. They needed some way to disable the earpieces that the man had mentioned.

But before Davis or Roy could think up an action plan, they heard a commotion from across the casino. Beta stood up from among the slot machines, pulling out a pistol and aiming it at Gecko. "Don't move," he commanded, a fierce look in his eyes.

Gecko laughed. "I think you missed one, Hypnos."

"It's not my fault he was hiding," responded the blonde man without looking up from his book. "I'll knock him out once you're through."

Gecko nodded. He put a finger to his ear, speaking into his earpiece. "Boss, we got a problem." He waited for an answer, but there wasn't one. "Boss?"

"Don't bother," said Beta. "I jammed your communications."

Gecko grinned. "Fair enough. but what's to keep me from killing every hostage in here anyways?"

"I have a gun to your head. I don't think killing a hostage is the best idea."

Gecko smiled. "I'll give ya one shot, and then it's my turn."

Beta gripped his gun tightly. "I don't want to hurt you. Just release the hostages and turn yourselves in."

"You've got great persuasive skills," replied Gecko sarcastically. "You almost made me care for a moment. Go ahead. Take your shot."

Beta stood still.

"I said... take it."

Still, no response.

"TAKE IT!!!"

Beta finally succumbed. Right before Davis's eyes, Beta pulled the trigger. There was a bang, and Gecko fell to the floor. Davis saw a look of fear in Beta's eyes. He had just killed a man.

Or so he thought. To their surprise, Gecko stood up from the ground. The bullet was still lodged in his skull, but there was no blood. The wound began to close around the bullet, leaving no trace that it was ever there. If Davis wasn't scared of the man before, he was terrified now.

"Didn't you know that lizards can regenerate? They don't call me Gecko for nothin'."

Before Beta could reply, Gecko launched himself across the room and pinned him to the ground. The two men initiated in a fist fight, exchanging blows while rolling around on the floor. At one point, Beta was on top of Gecko, and he took his chance for a distraction by spitting in Gecko's eye. While his enemy was dazed, Beta grabbed a handful of coins that had been left by the slot machines, probably forgotten in the chaos. When Gecko stood up, Beta threw the coins in his face, causing the confusion that he needed. He slammed the butt of his handgun into the side of Gecko's face, sending him careening across the room. He slammed into a wall, presumably unconscious. But just like with the bullet, the injury didn't last long. He stood back up, seemingly unfazed by the blow.

As Beta neared his target once more, Gecko began to do something unexpected. He began to climb the walls. He shot up the wall like a spider, grinning like a maniac. Davis was beginning to see why they called him Gecko. Not only could he regenerate limbs, but he could climb walls faster than a fat kid who saw a Twinkie glued to the roof. Weird analogy, but at least it makes sense.

Beta pulled out his gun once more, firing as fast as he could at his crawling target. Gecko dodged each bullet with the grace of a ballerina (just not as feminine), leaping from wall to wall. Beta's gun quickly ran out of ammo, and he threw it at the ground in anger.

"What's wrong?" replied Gecko with a pouty voice and overly exaggerated sad lips. "Can't handle an ittie-bitty lizard?"

Beta pulled a pen out of his pocket. Before Davis knew what was happening, Beta clicked the back and the tip launched out. It dug into Gecko's chest, sending 200 volts of electricity surging through his body. Gecko groaned and fell off the wall, hitting the floor in an unconscious heap.

"I wouldn't say that," responded Beta, putting the pen back into his pocket. He then turned to the center of the casino, staring at Hypnos.

"Just go ahead," said Hypnos, not even looking up from his book. "I'm not going to try to stop you. They're in the manager's office."

Well aware that he could be walking into a trap, Beta exited into the hallway where the rat-man had gone through. Davis and Roy waited a couple of seconds, and then stood up from behind the slot machines. Hypnos jumped, not expecting them.

"How long have you been there?" asked the man, obviously surprised.

"The whole time," replied Roy. "You're not going to alert your boss or anything are you?"

Hypnos shrugged. "I could care less about the money. The only person that really wants it is Rodent."

"Rodent?" responded Davis. "Who's that?"

"The rat-looking fellow. Rodent."

"Why do you call him that?" asked Roy. "Does he have a tail or something?"

"No. We just call him that because of how he looks." With that, Hypnos turned back to his book. He didn't say a word as the two men pursued Beta through the hallway. But after they were out of earshot, Hypnos set down his book and checked to make sure that nobody was watching. He simply pulled out his cell phone, called a number, and waited. As the other voice came onto the line, Hypnos spoke with a menacing grin. "You were right, Justin," he said. "Gargoyle showed up after all."

Chapter Three
<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Who are these guys?" whispered Roy as the two men snuck through the halls.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"No idea," replied Davis. "But these guys don't seem like your run-of-the-mill crooks. Hopefully, Hypnos and Gecko were the only ones with powers. If there are more, we may be in trouble."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Don't forget, bro," said Roy. "They aren't the only people in this building that have powers. We have the Gargoyle on our side."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">It was true. If they were to run into trouble, all that Davis would have to do was 'Gargoyle up.' He had already shown his combat skills in the battle with Porcupine, so he should be able to hold his own. Then again, these robbers were a different story. He had no idea what to expect.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">As the two men continued through the halls, Beta began to come into their sights. He walked without making a sound, obviously experienced in stealth maneuvers. Despite this, he still had no idea that he was being followed. The two men stayed far enough behind not to be caught, but close enough not to lose track of him.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">They turned corner after corner, passing dozens of rooms. From vaults to offices they went, eventually coming to a stop in front of a room labeled "manager's office."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">They stayed back as Beta entered the room. Once the door was shut, they rushed forward and Davis put an ear to the wall. He could hear voices, but he couldn't discern what they were saying. Then came nothing but silence.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"What do you hear?" asked Roy.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Nothing," replied Davis. "Beta was talking for a few seconds, but then it just got quiet. I think something happened."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Should we check it out?"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"I don't know. We have no idea what's behind that door. We don't know how many others are in Gecko's team."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"There's at least two others," pointed out Roy. "Hypnos and the rat guy. And I'm guessing there's more than that."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Davis agreed. The only question was just how many more.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">The two men slowly opened the door, coming face to face with one of the greatest villains that Gargoyle would ever meet.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">They were inside what appeared to be an office, but it was different. There was a desk on the opposite side of the room, but that's where the normality ended. The room was filled with an odd mixture of gambling devices, from old pool tables to dismantled slot machines. It looked more like a workshop than an office. But the man that Gargoyle would come to know as Stratagem was not sitting at the desk, but playing a friendly game of pool with the rat-like man. The rat man had gone from his all-black clothes to a fluorescent red suit. Davis got a good look at the other man, who was wearing a black and green suit, similar to the rat's. The man held a cane in his left hand, adorned with a golden dollar sign at the tip. He looked like a classic high-rolling gambler.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Hello boys," said the man as he took a pool shot. He got six balls into the hole, much to his disgust. Apparently, he had been hoping for more. "My name is Justin Joy, but you can just call me Stratagem." The man was obviously the leader of the crew, but what was he doing in the Casino Manager's Office? It occurred to Davis that this Stratagem fellow might be the owner of the casino.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Alright then, Stratagem," replied Davis. "What have you done with Beta?"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"The man in the black suit? He's in the back room, tied to a chair with a gun to his head. Why?" Stratagem said this with an arrogance that instantly ticked Davis off. Anybody who could calmly hold a man at gunpoint wasn't someone that you would want to sit down and have tea with.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Gargoyle glared at Stratagem. "What are you playing at?"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"I'm not quite sure I understand your question." responded the man as he made another pool shot. "If you're asking about your friend in the back, I can tell you that I have no intentions of harming Beta."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"So what <span style="font-family:'GillSans-Italic','Arial';font-style:italic">do <span style="font-family:'GillSans','Arial';font-style:normal">you want?" asked Roy.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt"><span style="font-family:'GillSans','Arial';font-style:normal">Stratagem set down his pool cue and smiled at Davis. "Excellent question." The man strutted over to a door in the corner and placed a hand on the knob. As the door swung open, Davis scowled. Inside the room was a chair, and inside that chair was Beta, struggling against ropes and chains. As Davis was contemplating on what to do next, he felt the barrel of a gun press into the back of his head. He became aware that there was a man behind him. He seemed awfully familiar, and he knew exactly why. It was the same cop that had escorted the rat looking fellow through the halls of the casino.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt"><span style="font-family:'GillSans','Arial';font-style:normal">"Get on the ground," commanded the cop, forcing the two men to their knees. He had looked scared in the Casino Floor, but it had all been an act.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt"><span style="font-family:'GillSans','Arial';font-style:normal">"So now you have rogue cops on your side?" asked Roy.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt"><span style="font-family:'GillSans','Arial';font-style:normal">"Oh no," replied Stratagem with a sly grin. "He's not a cop. Say hello to Alias, one of the finest shape-shifters in the world!"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt"><span style="font-family:'GillSans','Arial';font-style:normal">Before their eyes, the cop's skin began to bubble and melt away, leaving new skin behind. The so-called cop was now an exact image of Davis, down to the smallest detail. To be honest, Davis found it terrifying. So terrifying, in fact, that Davis found himself unable to speak.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt"><span style="font-family:'GillSans','Arial';font-style:normal">Roy decided to speak for him. "There was never any robbery. You just said all of that as part of your act."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Bravo!" clapped Stratagem. "Ten points to Roy!"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Davis should've been curious as to how Stratagem knew Roy's name, but he was spending all of his energy building up the courage to speak. "Why? Why go through all of this trouble faking a robbery? What do you want with us?"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt"><span style="font-family:'GillSans','Arial';font-style:normal">"What do I want with you?" responded Stratagem, stepping towards the two men with a look of awe on his face. "That's always the first question they ask. It's kind of ridiculous of a question if you ask me. In time, you will always find out what your enemies have in store for you."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt"><span style="font-family:'GillSans','Arial';font-style:normal">Davis and Roy exchanged nervous glances. That just proved the theory that this man wasn't going to be friendly.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Davis was about to respond when Stratagem grabbed Roy by the hair. He yanked him off of the ground, grabbing the gun from Alias's hand. He opened the door that Davis had entered from, but he didn't leave quite yet.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Here is what's going to happen, boys," said Stratagem. "Davis, you are going to stay in the room where Beta is being kept. I will lock the door, and you will exit the building through the ventilation shaft. You and Beta will be free to go, but Roy is coming with me."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"What would you need Roy for?" asked Davis in shock.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Stratagem just smiled. "Who wouldn't need a good Gargoyle by their side?"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Davis and Roy just looked at each other. Why in the world would Stratagem think that Roy was the Gargoyle? And how did Stratagem even find out that the Gargoyle existed?

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Nobody said a word. Alias led Davis to the back room, opening the door and throwing him in with Beta. The door shut behind them, and then Stratagem spoke.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Don't bother following us," he said menacingly. "I'm leaving Alias behind to stay guard. And don't forget that Hypnos is still on the Casino Floor."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">And then there was silence. Davis heard the others leave the room, and then heard Alias pick something up. Probably a gun.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Davis turned to Beta and saw that he had been gagged. Davis untied him and removed the gag, helping his friend out of the chair. His forehead had a bruise, and his lip had been slightly bloodied.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"I told you not to follow me," said Beta angrily. But behind his anger was an appreciation for Davis's rescue.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Sorry," replied Davis. "We felt like you needed our help. Turns out we were right."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"No you weren't," laughed Beta. "They planned this whole charade just to lure the Gargoyle here. There wasn't even a real robbery. Justin, A.K.A. stratagem, owns the Casino. Even if he did rob it, he wouldn't lose any money."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Why does he want the Gargoyle so badly?" asked Davis. "And if he wanted the Gargoyle, why did he take Roy."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Beta sighed. "That's partially my fault. You see, after the Porcupine scenario, I knew that people would be trying to find the person that lived in the apartment. After all, it was covered in spines and had a broken window. It's not too hard to find out that that was the crime scene. But anyways, my organization had to make sure that your identity was kept a secret. To keep away anybody that was snooping, we had hacked the apartment database where the names of all it's citizens were kept. We changed your room to Roy's name."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Why didn't you just make up a random name? Why did you choose Roy?"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Beta sighed again. "We did what we had to do, Davis. I apologize for this. At this point, the best we can do is go save Roy from whatever Stratagem plans to do with him."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"How are we gonna do that? We're not seriously going to leave through the Ventilation shaft."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"We have no choice," responded Beta, already working to get the grate off of the shaft.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Not true. I can Gargoyle up and face Alias. He shouldn't be too much of a problem."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Beta laughed. "You underestimate him. He may not be the strongest, but he's clever. And he's good at mind games. He's extremely perceptive, which comes from years of copying other people's personalities. He'll be able to predict your every move after about a minute of fighting. You'll have to take him down before he can memorize your combat patterns."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"How do you know so much about the guy?"

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"I've dealt with the Jackpot Crew before. There are seven of them, and Stratagem's the leader. Rodent, the guy in the red suit, is pretty much the second-in-command. These guys are more dangerous than you'd expect."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"I don't care," replied Davis. "If we leave through the vent, there's no telling where they might take Roy. We have to follow them, or he'll be gone for good. We don't really have a choice."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">Beta stared at Davis, trying to decide wether or not it was a good idea. Honestly, it wasn't, but it was the only one they could afford to do. "Fine," he responded. "But I'm leaving the fighting to you. If you get killed, I'm going out through the vent."

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">"Fair enough." Davis closed his eyes and began to Gargoyle up. He visualized his skin turning to stone, willing himself to change. Before he knew it, he was the Gargoyle. His muscles began to throb with strength, his heart racing in his chest. It was like an adrenaline rush of superpowers, and it felt awesome. The best part of the Gargoyle was that his face wasn't recognizable. The stone texture distorted his facial features, making his nose longer, his eyes narrower, and it even changed his eye color to a fluorescent green.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">He opened his eyes and grinned. He swung open the door, bringing himself face to face with Alias.

<p style="margin-left:0pt;margin-right:0pt;text-align:left;text-indent:0pt">And then the battle began.

Chapter Four
Alias (currently disguised as a cop) turned to Davis as his eyes grew wide. "Roy! How'd you get in there?"

It took Davis a few seconds to realize what he was talking about. Then he remembered that the Jackpot Crew (as Beta had called them) still thought that Roy was the Gargoyle. Davis decided that it was best to play it up as much as he could.

"I took out your buddies, Stratagem and Rodent. It wasn't too hard."

Alias pulled out his gun, aiming it at Davis's head. "Don't take another step, Gargoyle. Try anything funny, and we'll find out if that skin of yours is strong enough to stop a bullet."

Davis just grinned. He had no clue wether or not his skin could deflect bullets, and he didn't want to find out. On the inside, he was terrified. But he didn't want Alias to know that.

"Just go ahead and try," gloated Davis. "It won't work." He began to slowly step towards Alias, playing his intimidation card. Alias was obviously nervous. But then, unfortunately for Davis, he had an idea.

He dropped his gun and smiled. Before Davis's eyes, the skin of the cop began to melt away. Beneath it was his new identity, one that was all too familiar to Davis.

Alias had transformed into the Gargoyle.

Stratagem smiled with joy as he led Roy through the halls at gunpoint. His plan had worked perfectly. He reminded himself to thank Amnesio for the idea to "rob" his own casino. It was brilliant. Now all that was left was to get rid of the Gargoyle.

"What do you want with me?" asked Roy.

Stratagem groaned. "I've already expressed my distaste for that question! Why don't you ask another one. I love trivia."

Roy just rolled his eyes and kept on moving. He had had enough of this guy. Stratagem seemed smart, but he was arrogant and cocky.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, Roy," commanded Stratagem, losing his smile.

Roy responded with sarcasm. "Would you rather me roll my boot up your..."

He never got to finish his sentence, which is probably a good thing. In an instant, Stratagem had his staff pressed against Roy's throat, pressing him against the wall. He brought his face in close and began to whisper to him.

"You have done nothing to earn you the right to back-talk me. I have been through hell and back to get where I am. By the time I was five, I had gone through more pain than you've experienced in your whole life. I was three years old when my parents died, resulting in my adoption by a famous writer. His son, Rodney, had become my best friend. By the time we were eighteen and left for college, Rodney's parents had given us each a considerable amount of money to get us started in life. Rodney, being the good kid that he was, put it to use and became a physicist, while I followed my dream and became an inventor. When the inventing failed to bring in revenue, I turned to gambling and lost almost all of my inheritance. You have to understand that it was a dark period of my life. Rodney's family disowned me, and I was left all alone. Rodney made the decision to leave his family as well, trying to help the young Justin get back on his feet. Using Rodney's money, I invented a special device that helped me rig slot machines without leaving a trace that it was ever there. I raked in jackpots from all over the world. I used this money to buy a small, run-down building. It was a dismal place, but I had grand plans for it. I turned it into the Jackpot Hotel. In remembrance of the old days, I put a rigged slot machine in the foyer. It was unbeatable, and boasted a simple jackpot of seven thousand dollars. My visitors would give it a shot. Obviously, they always failed. What started as a joke became my biggest form of funding. People who had no intention of staying in my hotel would swing by just to give the machine a shot. Occasionally, I would let someone win just so that people wouldn't get suspicious. One machine in the foyer turned into two, then four, and eventually hundreds. The hotel became the Jackpot Hotel and Casino. I had made my mark on this city, but not without having to lose everything I had cared about. I had lost so much to get where I was. I had literally lost two sets of parents. Don't you dare talk to me like you know my pain."

Roy had no idea how to respond. This guy had just poured out his life story to him. Roy just stood there in silence until Stratagem moved the staff away from his neck.

The group kept moving, with Stratagem in front of Roy and Rodent walking behind him. They came to the foyer and picked up Hypnos, bringing Gecko's unconscious body with them as well. They entered the empty parking lot, throwing Roy into the back of a black van. Rodent tied him up, tightening his bonds to the point of pain. To Roy's surprise, Rodent apologized for the discomfort. Maybe this guy wasn't as bad as he seemed.

"Who exactly are you guys?" asked Roy.

Rodent smiled. "We're called the Jackpot Crew. As you can tell, Stratagem's the leader. Oh, and sorry about the monologue earlier. Justin can get ticked off pretty easily."

"I'm guessing that you're that Rodney guy from the story," responded Roy.

"Yup. I've known Justin since we were three."

"So how exactly did..."

Roy never got to finish his question. From the front seat of the van, Stratagem yelled at them to shut up. The rest of the ride was quiet, needless to say.

Almost as soon as the transformation was complete, the battle began. Davis was surprised when Alias threw down his gun, choosing to fight man versus man. Davis had to hold back a smile. He couldn't believe that his bluffing actually worked.

Alias launched himself at Davis, who ducked out of the way as his opponent crashed into the wall. They were standing below some shelves, covered in various gambling themed Knick-knacks. When Alias crashed into the wall, it caused the shelves to collapse and fall on top of him. It didn't cause much injury, but it gave Davis the distraction that he needed.

While Alias was dazed, Gargoyle grabbed a stick from the nearby pool table. As Alias turned his head, Davis smacked him across the face, sending him careening across the room. He smashed into a few of the broken slot machines, slumping to the ground. He may have taken Gargoyle's appearance, but it was merely an image. He was just as weak as any other man. Then again, all of that would change if he got a chance to observe Davis's strategies. That's why he had to keep him dazed and confused.

Alias stood up, beaten and bruised. His transformation was distorted, so he was half-gargoyle and half-human. His skin was flickering, like a graphics glitch in a video game. Davis could tell that he was doing some damage, going so deep as to disrupt his enemy's power. Yet, Alias continued to stand. He was determined to fight back for as long as he could.

Alias looked over at the gun, sitting on the floor. A grin crossed his face, and Davis knew what he was thinking about. Alias propelled across the room, aiming for the pistol. Davis ran to intercept, but he was too late. Alias picked up the gun, aiming it right at Davis's head.

"See you in another life," smiled Alias. Without a thought, he pulled the trigger.

But instead of firing anything, the gun just clicked. The smile on Alias's face quickly turned to a frown, as he was obviously confused by the malfunction. Davis took the chance to rush Alias, bringing him to the ground. This time, Alias was officially knocked unconscious, reverting back to his regular form of a brown-haired man with freckles.

Davis turned towards the closet and yelled to Beta that it was safe to come out. He poked his head out from around the corner, scanning the room from behind his glasses. He stepped out from behind the door, approaching Davis with a look of shock.

"Nice work," he said. "How'd you beat him? The dude had a gun."

"Yeah, I know," responded Davis, taking a bite of broccoli and reverting back to normal. "It jammed."

Beta let out a chuckle. "You can think me for that. It was actually my gun that he was using. They took it off of me when Stratagem captured me. I had used all of my bullets fighting Gecko, but they just put more in. It didn't really help them though. My gun has technology in the scans the hand of the person holding it. I'm the only one who can actually fire it."

"Is that the kind of stuff that they give you guys?" laughed Davis. "Shock Pens and Scanner Guns?"

"Being an Agent of BEAST has its perks," said Beta, walking towards the door. Davis followed, and the two men exited the building through it's mazes of hallways. Davis was quickly lost, but Beta seemed to know exactly where to go. They came back to the Casino Floor and found that Hypnos was gone, and that all of the guards were still sleeping peacefully. They didn't see the need to disturb their rest, so they just let them be.

They left the building and entered the parking lot, which had moment a before been filled with screaming crowds. Now it was entirely empty, with nothing left but Davis's truck and Beta's car.

"So how are we going to find where they went?" asked Davis. "They could've gone anywhere."

Without responding, Beta unfolded a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. He put them on and tweaked one of the lenses, turning it a dark shade of blue. Davis watched as Beta surveyed the area, looking at empty space and observing what seemed to be nothing.

"Um... Beta?"

"What is it?" he responded, not looking up from the pavement.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"Scanning the scene for any evidence as to where they went. The glasses pick up things that most people can't."

Davis didn't know how to respond. Beta kept on pulling out new gadgets, using technology that Davis didn't even knew existed. It was at this moment that Davis realized how little he knew about Beta. All he knew was that he worked for BEAST, although he had no idea what that was.

As he was pondering these oddities, Beta stood up straight and pointed down the street.

"They went that way."

Chapter Five
They both took their own cars, with Davis following Beta's lead. They drove through the streets of Porvanir, but Davis had no clue as to the destination. He left the tracking to Beta and his magical sunglasses, preferring to just cruise behind him. Beta was his only chance to find out where Stratagem and the rest of the Jackpot Crew had gone.

Beta pulled into a parking lot, and Davis finally realized their destination. It was the construction site for the Porvanir Tower. Davis looked up to the top of the building, peering his head out from his window. The building was enormous, even bigger than Scott Machines. And that was saying something.

Davis stepped out of his car, as did Beta. They looked up to the top and saw six people standing at the highest point. They were barely noticable, nothing but dots against the sky. Since they had already taken out two of the Jackpot Crew, and if Beta was right about there being seven of them, then that meant that the other five were up on the tower, along with Roy.

"So before I fight these guys, is there anything I should know."

"You've already met most of them, except for Wraith and Amnesio. Wraith is the girl, and she has the ability to teleport. Thats probably how they got up there, through teleportation I mean. the other guys's Amnesio, and he can wipe memories with a touch. Make sure to keep your distance from him."

"Okay. So they got up there through teleportation, but what's the plan for us?"

"I honestly have no idea," said Beta.

"I'm guessing you don't have a pair of rocket boots in your pocket, do you?"

"No," replied Beta, "but I'm going to suggest to Alpha that we get some."

"Who's Alpha?"

"Leader of BEAST. But let's not talk about that now. We need a way to get up to that roof."

An idea struck Davis. It was risky, but it was all they had. He ran to his truck and grabbed his backpack. The same backpack that transformed into a pair of batwings. The same backpack that allowed Davis to fly.

"Are you crazy?" asked Beta. "You aren't ready to fly yet. I think we proved that this morning."

"I'm going to have to try," he replied, putting the straps around his shoulders. He pushed a button, and the backpack unfurled into a pair of wings. Davis began to move the wings up and down, getting used to the feel.

Beta just shook his head. "You're going to have to handle this alone, Davis. The wings aren't strong enough to carry the both of us."

"That's okay," responded Davis, locking his eyes on his targets above him. "I can do this."

"Are you sure?"

Davis responded by launching up from the ground, taking flight like a newly-hatched sparrow. He faltered some at first, coming close to losing his balance. He focused on his target, consciously controlling each beat of the wings. But as he flew higher, the wings began to move by instinct. They flapped harder and harder, propelling Davis with speeds he had never felt. In fact, he went so fast that he shot up past the top of the construction site. He slowly changed his trajectory, nosediving back to the roof of the building. As he fell, he began to Gargoyle up, slamming into the building with stone skin.

He raised his head and folded his wings back in. He was standing face to face with the remaining five members of the jackpot crew. He recognized Hypnos, who was currently slumped against a bar and reading his book. In fact, Davis wasn't even sure if he noticed that he was there. Stratagem was facing away from him, staring out at the sky rise. Next to him was Rodent, but he didn't recognize the last two. There was a woman in a brown robe, apparently named Wraith if he remembered correctly. Beta said that she could teleport, so that made her dangerous. The other person was a thin Asian man, wearing what appeared to be a black morph suit without the head. Davis figured that he must be Amnesio.

But the thing that stuck out to Davis was the crane. It extended over the edge of the building, barely supporting a rope, which in turn supported Roy.

Stratagem slowly turned to face Davis, a thin smile crossing his lips. "Hello, Davis. I can see that you beat Alias. Probably in less than a minute, too. Because if it had gone any longer than that, he would've been able to beat you."

Davis frowned. "Let Roy go!"

Stratagem laughed. "There are two ways that I can go from here. I can be a classic villain and 'let him go' by dropping him. The second choice is more interesting."

"And what is that?"

"I propose to you a game," said Stratagem, slowly walking toward Davis with his special cane in hand. "Quite a competitive one. I want a fair fight, just me versus you. Not against the Gargoyle, but against Davis."

Davis's eyes grew wide. Stratagem knew his secret. He was surprised that he hadn't seen it quicker. After all, if Stratagem really thought that Roy was the Gargoyle, then he would've been much more confused when the real Gargoyle landing next to him.

"How long have you known?" asked Davis.

"Since the beginning. After all, I was the one that hired the spikes guy to kill you. With a cheesy name like porcupine, I can see why you beat him so easily."

"But that's impossible! Porcupine said that it was Mr. Scott that hired him."

"That's true," replied Stratagem, "and he's not entirely wrong. To him, it was Mr. Scott. But looks can be deceiving."

This hit Davis in the face like a brick. "It was Alias."

"Good job!" exclaimed Stratagem sarcastically. "That was the entire reason that I went through all of this trouble to bring you here. To finish the job that Jesse couldn't."

"What if I refuse to play your game?"

"Then your friend dies." He turned to Rodent, still wearing his bright red suit, and told him to go fire up the crane. He nodded and entered the small control box, turning the key and bringing the crane to life with a vibrant hum.

Stratagem continued to talk. "All I have to do is say the word. Rodent will drop Roy, and there won't be anything you can do. Unless, that is, you accept my challenge."

"What happens if I beat you?"

"Than you and Roy get to go free. I'll even let you call the cops on us."

"How do I know that you'll keep your word? And how do I know that you won't reveal my secret to the cops? Vigilantes can get put away for a very long time."

"I wouldn't really call you a vigilante. After all, we're the first crime that you've attempted to stop. But don't worry about us on that front. Because right after the battle, I'll get Amnesio to wipe all of our memories. And don't worry about him telling anyone. He's been mute since birth."

Davis thought about it. It wasn't like he was given much of a choice. He either fought Stratagem and lost, or refused the challenge and let Roy die. After thinking about it, it wasn't really that much of a choice. He took a deep breath, and gave Stratagem a slight nod.

"Excellent." Stratagem dramatically slammed his cane into the ground, making the tip erupt into coursing electricity. Stratagem formed a villainous grin, and Davis could understand why. An electric cane amidst a giant metal frame is a very dangerous tool.

As Davis and Stratagem stared at each other, the rest of the Jackpot Crew backed away, leaving just the two of them in the center of the platform. Davis followed Stratagem's orders, pulling a piece of broccoli out of his pocket. He popped it in his mouth, changing back into his human form. He felt out of place battling as a human instead of the Gargoyle, but Stratagem hadn't given him much of a choice.

And then the battle began.

The two rushed at each other, with Stratagem dealing he first blow. He slammed the side of his cane into Davis's face, knocking him to his stomach. Davis was kind of surprised that it hurt so bad, forgetting that he didn't have the added protection of the Gargoyle. Justin was about to slam the butt of the staff down onto Davis's head, but he rolled out of the way. This threw him off balance, giving Davis the chance to knock his legs out from under him. Davis threw himself on top of him, about to deal a blow to the face. Stratagem responded by throwing Davis to the side, sending him closer to the edge.

Davis's head was hanging over the edge, with nothing beneath it. Stratagem leapt over and began to choke him with his staff, pressing it down onto his neck. Davis grabbed his enemy's shoulders, attempting to throw him over the edge. Stratagem managed to swing to the bars below them, and Davis swung down in pursuit. Now there wasn't a platform to support them, just a maze of beams.

Davis barely dodged a blow from Stratagem's staff, making him realize that he needed a weapon. He saw a loose pipe, but it was on the other side of the construction site. He started running across the beams, balancing as carefully as he could. Stratagem didn't pursue, but instead decided to pull a set of playing cards out of his pocket. Davis was confused at first, until he felt a card whiz past his face. It stuck into a nearby beam, and he realized that the card was actually rimmed with metal, making it an effective ranged weapon. Stratagem threw the cards like daggers, and one of them actually managed to clip Davis on the leg. He winced, barely catching his balance to keep from falling. He kept on moving, finally reaching the pipe. He picked it up and ran back at Stratagem, ready to bash him over the face with it.

The battle continued to rage, the two men exchanging attacks. They seemed to be perfect equals, with neither gaining any ground.

"We both know that this won't end if we continue like this," panted Stratagem, lowering his weapon.

"So how will it end?" replied Davis.

Stratagem reached into his pocket and pulled out a Jair of dice. They appeared normal, but the throwing card trick had made Davis wary of his little toys.

"I'm going to have to cheat."

Roy was dangling from the crane, watching the battle unfold below. His wrists were sore from the rope, and he felt like he could fall at any second. His hopes rose when Davis grabbed the pipe, but were quick dashed again. When Stratagem threw the dice, the entire battle changed. The dice exploded into a giant ball of fire, completely engulfing Davis. Roy's heart sunk, watching as Stratagem burst into a murderous grin.

But after a few seconds, Stratagem's smile diminished back into a frown. As the fire faded, Stratagem was upset to see that Davis was still standing. Actually, no. Scratch that. Davis wasn't standing there. The Gargoyle was.

"If you can cheat," grinned Davis, "then so can I."

Davis could see the fear in Stratagem's eyes. As the fires from the explosion burned around them, Gargoyle re-engaged the battle. He hit Stratagem with the pipe, sending him to the right. But before Stratagem actually fell, Davis hit him again, this time in the other direction. Stratagem launched to the left, slamming into another horizontal bar. He wrapped his arms around it, barely keeping himself from falling.

Davis slowly walked over to him. He looked down at his foe, dangling over a hundred foot drop.

"Go ahead!" laughed Stratagem. "Let me die! You know I deserve it.

davis didn't know how to respond. What was he playing at?"

"Any person in their right mind would let me fall. I've killed more people than I can count, and injured countless others. I make a living through cheating the system. But I know you won't let me die. Even after all that I've done. Because you just don't have it in you."

Davis knew that Stratagem was right. He didn't have the guts to let him fall. But that didn't mean that Davis was just going to save him without a catch. He grabbed him by the collar of his suit, lifting him up from the bar. He opened the wings, preparing to fly back to the platform above.

After rising to the platform, he threw Stratagem down to the metal, landing next to him. The rest of the Jackpot Crew stood in awe, unable to believe that their boss could actually lose. Davis looked over to Rodent, sitting in the crane.

"I won the fight," he said, "so I want you to let him go. And I don't mean over the edge."

Rodent nodded, turning a lever and swinging the crane over the platform. Gargoyle cut Roy down, and then immediately turned to Amnesio.

"Wipe their memories," he commanded. "Right now, just like you promised."

Amnesio showed no emotion, but simply nodded. Hypnos offered to put them all to sleep first, to make the process easier. When he was done, Amnesio walked over to Stratagem, gently touching his shoulder. Stratagem froze for a few seconds, but then went back to breathing normally. Amnesio repeated this process on the rest, wiping the minds of Wraith, Rodent, and Hypnos, who had put himself to sleep.

Davis nodded at Amnesio, and he nodded back. Davis was confident that Amnesio wasn't going to be a problem. The only real problem at that point was how to get back down. The wings wouldn't support both Davis and Roy, so they would have to think of something else.

"Thanks for saving me, man," responded Roy.

"Don't thank me yet," replied Davis. "We still have to get down from here."

"Why don't we just take the elevator?"

"Wait... What elevator?"

"That one!" Roy pointed over to the corner of the platform, and sure enough. There was an elevator.

"I can't believe I didn't notice that," replied Davis. The two men laughed, and entered the elevator to ride to the bottom. Beta was smiling as they exited, shaking their hands.

"Good job, Davis!" smiled Beta.

"Thanks. But why didn't you just say that there was an elevator?"

"If I told you about it, I would've had to come with you. This was a battle that you needed to fight on your own. Plus, it gave you some extra experience with the wings. We can all agree that your flight needed work."

Davis laughed and looked up at the building. "So what do we do about the Jackpot Crew?" he asked. "They're all still up there."

"I say we call the police," replied Roy, pulling out his phone.

"I think we should let BEAST handle this," interrupted Beta. "We have a special prison just for them. We call it Station 17. Nobody's ever escaped for as long as it's existed."

"Sounds like a good plan," nodded Davis. As Beta got into his car and drove away, Davis realized something. He had just finished his first mission as a hero. He had defeated Stratagem and saved his friend, with help from Beta of course. He had passed his first test with flying colors (get it? Flying?) and still had time for lunch.

I guess you could say that it had been a good day.

Richard Evans slowly opened his eyes. He felt a searing pain in his lower jaw, but had no idea why. He couldn't remember what had happened. He looked around the room, and realized that he was in a hospital. He was laying in a bed, and had bandages wrapped around his head, save for two eyeholes.

He looked over and saw a calender. It was May 22nd. His last memory had been on May 3rd. He had been asleep for almost three weeks. Yet, he had no idea what had happened to him.

Richard slowly stood up from his bed. He limped over to the mirror, his entire body erupting in pain. He was slowly reached up, grabbing the bandages at the end of the line. He slowly unraveled his head, surprised to see burn marks all over his face. But the truly terrifying part came when he unwrapped his jaw.

Most of his face was normal, minus the burn marks. But below his upper lip, there was nothing but metal. He literally had an iron jaw. He began to tear up, realizing that he had no feeling below his nose. He slowly stroked the stainless metal, opening and closing his jaw.

He felt like he had become a monster. Put together his brutal physique and metal jaw, he looked like one too. He couldn't help but realize that his career was over. He was a professional weightlifter, but nobody would let him lift now that he looked like a monster. He was a freak now. An abomination of science. He felt his anger rising, his breathing accelerating.

He slammed his fist into the mirror in rage, shattering it into thousands of pieces of broken glass. He looked over and saw a television in the corner of the room. He was shocked to see his face in the lower left corner of the screen. His old face. His face before he had become a monster.

It was a news segment, and the main camera shot was a view of his house. Richard began to listen to what the newscaster was saying.

"After the vicious break-in that left millionaire weightlifter Richard Evans in a coma, police are happy to say that they have managed to match one of the seven pairs of DNA found at the crime scene. Rodney Cooke, more commonly known as the Rodent, is a member of the infamous Jackpot Crew, famous for their seemingly random robberies that they perform throughout Porvanir. Police are doing everything in their power to find these people, anxious to bring them to justice! On a happier note, the doctors are saying that Richard Evans, whose lower jaw had been blown off in the robbery, will wake up from his coma any day now. They managed to replace the jaw he lost with a metal prosthetic, and say that he will be back to weightlifting in less than a week!"

Richard shook his head in anger. She had no idea what she was talking about. This so-called "Jackpot Crew" had ruined his life. They had taken away his ability to do what he loved. So he was going to find them. And he was going to kill them.

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Psyche: the Fifth Trial

Grant Tanner worked at Sharp Minds, a place where miracles happen daily. When an experiment successfully gives an ape the intelligence of a man, Grant decides that it's his turn for the procedure. But things are not what they seem. Grant is given powers beyond his comprehension, and he becomes something he never expected. And when a powerful foe starts laying waste to the city, he is forced to embrace his powers and save the day. Read it all in Psyche: the Fifth Trial.