CHAPTER TWO: MASTERS OF DESTRUCTION
Danny and Sam sat in the stands of the theater as the seats around them slowly filled up with hundreds of people.
Danny sighed and rested his chin in his palm. Sam elbowed him in the side, "Cheer up Danny! You'll love it! I promise."
Danny rolled his eyes, "Yeah. Love it like homework or a test."
"Daniel!"
Danny growled, "Speaking of things I hate."
Vlad rested his hands on the back of Danny's chair, "I hope you enjoy the show."
"I doubt it." Danny countered,
"Oh you will. The show really is to DIE for." Vlad smiled, putting emphasis on the word die. He turned away from Danny and walked towards his mother, "And Maddie. I really do hope you'll enjoy it."
Maddie grabbed Jack's hand and gave Vlad a viper-glare, "We'll see."
Vlad smiled and walked away as the lights started to dim. The atmosphere in the theater darkened as well. For some reason, that bad feeling seemed to intensify. He felt that familiar shiver as a stream of blue breath came from his mouth.
"Ghost sense?" Danny whispered. He looked around, there was no sign of any ghosts, nor was there anywhere to go to change. He groaned in spite of himself and turned to look at Sam. Her eyes were fixed on the stage as the opera started.
"Welcome honored guests!" Vlad said loudly into a microphone, all eyes in the over crowded theater turned to look at him, everyone fell silent. He waited just to make sure all attention was indeed on him before continuing, "I, Vlad Masters is proud to bring you a masterpiece production that you will NEVER forget. Please sit back and enjoy…The Phantom Of The Opera!"
Questions whirled around in his mind, like what was Vlad up to? What was his goal? Why would he sponsor a play like this? What was his real reason for all this…
The questions played through his mind without any answers. It was a few seconds before he realized the play had started.
A collectors piece indeed. Every piece exactly as she said. Will you still play when all the rest of us are dead?
Lot 666 then - A chandelier in pieces. Some of you may recall, a strange affair…of the phantom of the opera. A mystery never fully explained…
Danny tried to listen, to pay attention to the actors on the stage, but the bad feeling that possessed him lingered. His eyes drifted back to Sam, he just looked at her, not really thinking about anything. She seemed absorbed into the play. He looked around, everyone seemed absorbed in the play.
He heard a large cracking sound and a small piece of plaster and dust fell down on his head. He looked up and saw the old ceiling of the Opera House, a large crack snaked its way over the painted roof.
"Hey Sam." Danny whispered, shaking her lightly,
"Hm? What?" She asked, turning to look at him with an annoyed look,
"How old is this place anyway?" He asked, turning back to look at the ceiling.
"Its old. Designed back in when Europe was in the Victorian Age, I believe. Why?" She asked,
"Just wondering." He whispered.
The play continued, but Danny's eyes were not on the actors. He shivered as his ghost sense breathed out of his mouth again. This time, Sam saw it.
"Ghost?" She asked,
"Yeah…but I don't see it." Danny replied, rubbing his arms.
Then, just as expected, Plasmious, Vlad's ghost form, burst out from behind the curtains. The actors screamed and ran from the stage, and the audience went into a panicked frenzy. Plasmious laughed as he watched them scramble for the exits.
"Danny." Sam warned,
"Cover me." Danny snapped, ducking beneath the seats. Sam threw her shawl over him as the familiar blue light engulfed him.
Danny Phantom phased through the shawl and jumped up in the air, floating above the people as they fled. His black hair was white again, and his blue eyes glowed green. As well as his suit disappeared and a spandex black jumpsuit now covered him, accented with white gloves, boots, and collar, as well as a giant white 'D' over his chest.
He looked down as Maddie grabbed Sam by the shoulders, "Sam? Where is Danny?"
"Uh…I believe he went to the bathroom a short minute ago…he's probably already gone." Sam lied, pointing towards the exit,
"Ghost!" Jack cried, pulling out a gun he had hidden somewhere in his suit. Maddie pulled out a smaller version for herself.
"You kids get out of here!" She yelled over the mayhem.
"Gone!" Sam smiled as Jazz and Jay got up to leave as well. Jazz pulled out a Fenton Thermos she had been hiding herself and followed Sam away from the seats.
Danny flew towards Plasmious, landing on the stage in front of him, "Nice try, Plasmious, but you don't pull off a good Phantom."
"No." Plasmious smiled, raising an Eyebrow, "That's your job, Danny Phantom."
"Very funny." Danny snapped, shooting an ectoplasm beam at the other, sending Plasmious flying back through the curtains. The old cloth ripped from its rod and went flying back with the older Halfa, covering the Half-Ghost completely. Danny smiled in spite of himself, he leapt back into the air, "I heard of taking the house down, but isn't that a bit extreme?"
Plasmious phased through the fabric and floated up as well, "Now Daniel, theater puns?" He launched his own ball of ectoplasm at the boy, it soared past Danny's head and hit one of the old pillars, blasting it to pieces.
Danny looked behind him as it fell to the empty seats below, "Ha! Missed me!"
"Did I?" Plasmious smiled, shooting another ball at him. Danny dodged in the opposite direction, and the ball passed by him, knocking down another pillar. The roof groaned and cracks snaked their way across the old plaster ceiling. Dust shook loose and fell below, along with some pieces of plaster.
"Danny!" Jazz warned, "Careful or you'll knock this ancient piece of art down!"
Danny turned towards them, "Get out of here! I'll handle this."
"But!" Sam snapped,
"Go!" Danny yelled, "Before this entire place falls on you."
Sam was about to protest, but she knew better. If the place were to fall, all Danny would have to do is go intangible and the falling building would just fall through him. He would not have to worry about getting crushed. She nodded in disappointment. She hated when she did not get to help in the action.
Jay nearly pushed the two girls out of the building as it groaned under the pressure. Danny waited until they were out before turning around, just as Plasmious launched another ectoplasm beam. Danny felt the beam hit him and he was thrown backwards into the empty seats. The seats broke away underneath him as he slid through the rows. He groaned and leaned up, at least being ghost had its advantages, in the human realm, he did not feel pain from real-world items. The only pain he felt was from Plasmious's beam.
Plasmious quickly launched another one, but Danny swiftly raised a shield, blocking Plasmious's attack. He countered and sent the other Halfa flying backwards into another pillar. The old pillar shattered under the impact and collapsed.
"Oops." Danny gasped as the building gave a final shutter, before half of it collapsed in. He turned around as the front half of the theater fell in, blocking the entrances, and collapsing the high rise seating. The balconies crushed the empty seats below. The only thing left standing was the half covering the stage.
Danny looked around, there was no sign of Plasmious anywhere. He gritted his teeth and landed down on the stage. The remanding half of the theater groaned under the strain, and more dust and plaster fell around him, causing a thick mist, blocking out most of his vision around him. He raised his hand and it started glowing, the green glow added an eerie feeling to his crumbling surroundings, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He bit his bottom lip…Plasmious had to be hiding somewhere.
Something grabbed his leg. He gasped and looked down just in time to see Plasmious's gloved hand gripped tightly over his ankle. Before he could make a move, Plasmious pulled him down under the stage and was thrown down into a pile of stage props.
Danny gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. He tried leaning up, but Plasmious slammed his foot down into Danny's chest. Danny coughed and grabbed Plasmious's ankle, trying to pull it off of him.
"Now Daniel." Plasmious smiled, "This won't hurt a bit."
"W-what?" Danny gasped, his eyes widening, "What are you planning?"
Plasmious smiled and revealed both a modified Fenton Thermos, and a metallic glove.
The modified Fenton Thermos was black and red in colour, instead of silver and green, and the metallic glove had long green fingers that glowed. They looked dagger sharp and painful. Danny grimaced and closed his eyes.
"A wonderful invention your father made." Plasmious smiled as he looked at it, "Though just like EVERYTHING else Jack makes, it could use some improvements. Like my Masters Thermos?"
"Real original." Danny's voice sounded strained as he fought for oxygen.
"Really? You think so?" Plasmious grinned, "Then you'll love what it does."
Danny went intangible and pulled himself through the ground, raising up a good distance away from Plasmious. He raised his hand to shoot an ectoplasm ball, but instead, the stage collapsed over top of him. He screamed as the unexpected weight pulled him down to the ground.
"You're making this easy for me aren't you, Daniel?" Plasmious grinned. Before Danny could move, he pulled the glove over his hand, and reached out towards Danny.
Sam could hear Danny's scream as the rest of the building collapsed. She watched in terror as the entire building fell to the ground. Several faces turned as well. They all heard a pain filled scream.
"Vladdy's still in there!" Jack gasped,
"Danny!" Jazz screamed, running forward towards the wreckage,
Maddie walked forwards and grabbed Jazz's shoulders, "Where is Danny?"
No one answered.
The panic was clear on Maddie's face, "Where is my baby boy?"
When no one answered her again, she went running towards the wreck, "Danny? Danny if you can hear me answer me!"
She started digging through the piles of plaster, looking for any sign of her son. Sam turned away from her and looked at Jazz and Jay, "Danny should have phased through that by now."
"Maybe he's still fighting Vlad or something?" Jay said worriedly, looking at the rubble, "I can probably go intangible and look if you want."
"Too many people. They'd see you." Jazz argued, "Come on, let's help Mom dig."
From near the center of the rubble, a piece of plaster shook. Maddie looked over and gasped. She, and several other people ran over and pulled and pushed it over. Vlad Masters gasped as he was pulled out of the rubble, his suit was ripped and torn and his hair had fallen from its ponytail. He dragged an unconscious Danny behind him.
Sam felt horror strike her at the scene, not just because it was so unrealistic, but because something did not seem right.
Vlad picked Danny up and cradled him in his arms as he walked over to Maddie. Danny's skin was so deathly pale, he looked dead. His clothing was shredded and his hair was tangled around his head. Sam ran over to them as Jack grabbed Danny from the smaller man.
"Danny?" Maddie gasped, she reached out and pushed the hair from his face.
"Someone call a paramedic!" Jazz screamed, and several people pulled out their cell phones.
Jack gently put Danny on the ground, he looked so limp, and was barely breathing. Sam reached out to grab his hand, it was already cold. The panic spread…what happened to him? What did Vlad do? She looked over at him as he cradled a strange Thermos to his chest, an evil smirk across his face.
Two ambulances arrived, but Vlad insisted that he will be fine. He would have his own personal doctor check him over later for any injuries. He took one last look at Danny as the paramedics hoisted him onto a stretcher and pulled him into the ambulance.
Maddie turned to him and gave him a tight hug. He hugged her back, giving a dark look at Jack. Maddie looked Vlad in the face wiping her tears away, "Thank you Vlad…for saving my boy."
"Anything for you Maddie." Vlad whispered, moving her hand to help wipe away the tears, "Danny will be fine."
She nodded, then turned around to climb into the ambulance with her son.
Jack turned to the other three, "Come on, lets get into the Assault Vehicle and follow them."
Sam nodded, mentally stunned. How did that happen? How did Danny get hurt like that? This wasn't right…Vlad must have done something.
On the ride to the hospital, Sam quickly called Tucker, "Hey."
"Is the Opera over already?" Tucker replied. Sam heard the clicking and beeping of a video game in the background,
"Um…no, about that. Something happened?" Sam muttered,
"Did you and Danny ditch?" She could almost hear the disappointment in his voice,
"No. Plasmious showed up."
"Awe! So I missed all the action?"
"That…and Danny got hurt."
"Really? I'm really bummed I missed that"
"No Tucker…Danny got really hurt. They're taking him to the hospital."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and Sam was worried that Tucker was not going to respond. Finally he asked, "H-how?"
"I don't know…" She looked up at Jack who was steering, but he was too fixed on the road. For once his usually peppy self was hidden under a mask of worry. She turned back to the phone and whispered, "He was Ghost for the fight…so I can't imagine him getting hurt like this."
"I don't get it."
Sam was about to respond when she saw the hospital approach, she quickly looked at Jazz's worried face and said, "Tucker…I have to go. We're at the hospital now."
"I'll be there in five."
Sam hung up and hurriedly climbed out of the Assault Vehicle, followed by Jazz and Jay. Poor Jayden looked so worried. He knew his real self was in there somewhere, but he had no idea where. They entered the hospital, and almost instantly, he disappeared. Jazz turned around, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She swallowed in worry and followed the others up to the desk.
"Fenton? He just arrived. He's in intensive care. Please wait in the waiting room for further notice." The clerk said. Jack nodded and walked over to the waiting room to take a seat.
"You think I could invent something that could help him?" He asked,
Jazz shook her head, "Just leave it to the doctors."
She worriedly looked at Sam, and Sam shrugged. Neither of them knew what happened, nor if modern medicine could help someone who's half-ghost. Tucker arrived shortly later, but it was still a few hours before they would let them see Danny.
Which Sam almost whished they hadn't.
Danny was lying in a hospital bed, dressed in the regular hospital gown. His eyes were closed, and there was a respirator attached to his mouth. His skin was still so deathly pale that it she almost felt like crying.
"There is no external or internal injuries." The doctor said, looking at Danny's chart, "My guess is that something must have hit his head hard enough to knock him into a coma."
Sam's heart constricted as her chest tightened. A coma? Seriously?
The doctor lead a sobbing Maddie to the bedside, "We're doing all we can. But since there are no injuries, we're moving him to our coma department."
Sam heard Jazz take a deep intake of breath. The coma department is where Jay's body could be…they had never been allowed in there since they did not have family in there, and technically, the Fenton's had never met Jay before.
"How long do you think he'll stay like this?" Jack asked,
"We have no idea. I guess it depends on your son." The doctor shook his head, "I'm sorry."
Maddie burst into tears and buried herself into Jack's chest.
Sam and Tucker stood there with blank faces. The doctors had no idea how long Danny would stay like that? What about the ghosts and ghost hunting? What would happen to 'Danny Phantom'?
The nurses wheeled Danny away, and Maddie, Jack, and Jazz followed. Sam couldn't move, she had never thought of this before. Danny was her best friend…never in her life had it crossed her mind of living without him.
Tucker reached up and grabbed her shoulder. He was the only one who knew how she truly felt about Danny…he was more then a friend to her, she was in love with him.
And now she followed him to the coma ward.
How fair was that? Danny was a hero…
It was not fair.
And Vlad was going to pay for it.
Ok, I decided to upload both of these chapters together just for play. Anyway, yeah. Poor Danny, I'm always so mean to the protagonist aren't I? Buahahaha! Oh well. Yeah, so am I doing ok? Following the DP guide book? I'm starting to want to watch it. Curse Ry and her obsessivness.
I'll continue with All I Couldn't Give later, because I want this done and on Deviantart for Christmas for Rygel-n. Basically, she doesn't read Danny Phantom fan fics. Says that none of them interest her…so I know she won't read it here till then.