Chapter 3
Home? That's where Tucker was leading him? What kind of home would be here in a sewer? Danny could barely speak as Tucker turned from him and shined the bright flashlight ahead of him and started to walk down the tunnel to the right of him. His focus seemed constant; he wasn't easily detoured as the Tucker he knew. And that scar on his face…
Danny followed Tucker through the dank tunnel that reeked of rotten fruit. He secretly pleaded that the strange substance he was trudging in wouldn't seep through his boot to his exposed feet. It was harsh enough he was being forced to walk through the most disgusting place he could have ever imagined, but he also had no idea where he was and seemed to become more confused by the minute. This place was all familiar, but different at the same time. The images of Danny's house flashed through his mind once again as he walked like a zombie behind Tucker. Danny had to find out where he was, and how to go back to his own home. Home, that's a word Danny hadn't thought of intently in a long time. It seemed when you don't have it you think about it constantly. His jaw clenched at the thoughts that were spilling through his mind at a rapid pace.
Would he ever find his way home? What if Tucker couldn't help him? His parents and Jazz might have already found out he was missing, and after his cold words towards his parents, a pang of guilt clutched his insides. An hour. He had been here an hour already and he was panicking. He shook his head clear and focused on Tucker before him. Tucker walked like he had where Danny was from. His stride was relaxed and almost taunting. One hand held the small metallic flashlight in front of him; the other held the gun that was pointed at Danny minutes ago.
He couldn't help but be curious about what happened to this place. He knew he should just stay out of it and try to find a way home, but for some reason he couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for the pain he saw in Tucker's eyes. And what Tucker called him, "Masters", as in Vlad Masters? That was the only one he knew that Tucker could say in total anger and disgust. But strangely Tucker's eyes had remained on Danny.
A pain sliced through his brain which caused him to close his eyes and stop for a second.
Tucker sensed Danny's sudden halt and turned slightly with a questioning look. At least that hadn't changed; Danny thought inside with a smirk, then the pain intensed. He felt himself involuntarily twitch, which Tucker instantly noticed.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Headache." Danny answered with a weak grin.
Tucker blinked, then smirked and nodded. " I think we have something for that at home, come on. Were almost there." With that, Tucker once again turned his back to Danny and walked towards his destination. Danny awkwardly followed, trying to clear his mind so the pain would cease. When that failed, he bit his lip and tried to talk to Tucker.
"So,
um Tucker?"
"Yeah?"
"What, What happened here? I mean, this isn't how Amity Park was…before.."
"Before you got zapped here?" Tucker finished for Danny, his hands now resting on his hips with flashlight and gun.
Danny reddened nodded, embarrassed that he might have asked the wrong question.
Tucker sighed. "Ill explain everything when we get back, its still not safe down here."
Danny nodded again, as if understanding Tuckers worry.
"C'mon, there are others who might explain things better as well." Tucker continued to lead Danny through tunnels and passageways, finally both ended up at a dead end.
"Uh, now where?" Danny asked as Tucker inspected the stones on the wall. It was all made of bricks, with cement holding each together. This was much different than the structure of the past tunnels. He hadn't noticed the change until he saw the dead end. He now looked around in wonder at the structure. This place seemed almost untouched from the outside world. No destruction, no ruin, it seemed perfectly intact, as if it was recently built.
He heard a grinding noise behind him and turned sharply to where he last left Tucker. Three random stones were pushed inward within the dead end wall and the wall started to vibrate. Suddenly it seemed to pull apart and slide into the walls next to it almost as if by magic. Where the dead end wall used to be, there was now light streaming into the dark and dirty sewer and onto Danny. It made him close his eyes tightly from the over exposure to bright light He opened his eyes slowly and his eyes seemed to focus almost immediately.
And he didn't like what he saw.
"I can't believe it." The red eyed boy muttered. He had long since tried to follow Danny and Tucker through the sewer, but got hopelessly lost in the process. He kicked himself mentally for not being careful and knew that his father would not be pleased that the rebels had taken Danny first. He let out a frustrated sigh and looked down, an unpleasant look crossing his face as he realized what he was standing in.
"Yuck.." he muttered, floating above the mixture of deadly human toxins and let the liquid roll off his shiny black boots. He quickly shook both legs in such a fashion that looked like he was doing some type of exotic tribal dance, or the hokey pokey. Finally, when he was satisfied that they were as clean as he could get them, he floated and phased out of the sewer to the above ground. He sighed and let his whitish red hair fall over his eyes, dreading to face his father. He really believed he could get that Danny in time. He clenched his black gloved hands and suddenly looked up at his father's castle. His eyes narrowed. They would find a way to bring the other Danny to their side. He would finally have a brother. It was lonely being at the top, betraying everything and everyone that he knew. But he still believed he had made the right decision. He shrugged his past off, but still felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Fortunately it had lessened. It was worse a year ago. He had hated himself then. But his father was there for him, he believed in who he was, even when everyone else betrayed him. Visions of the past spiraled through his mind, making his red eyes glow brightly. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind as tears began to form and rage built. He closed his eyes and a single tear drifted down and reached his cheek, when a hand savagely swiped at it, pulling it out of existence. He looked hard ahead of him and marched toward his fathers castle, no longer caring of the harsh words he would say.
Danny looked before him in total shock. The place he saw before him was in madness as people quickly walked back and forth, there were various beds, or things that resembled beds, but made out of other various objects. On those objects were people, human beings, groaning and moaning as if they were put through the most grueling torture ever. He looked at them all, and saw few familiar faces from high school, then he saw her.
"Oh god, no." Danny whispered, then started to run to one bed in particular. As he ran towards them everyone turned to him in alarm. He briefly heard Tucker's warning, but pushed it away, all he thought about was the frail person he saw lying on the bed before him. Before he got too close though, he was hit hard with an ectoplasmic stunner and he crashed to the floor in massive pain. He screamed, as green electricity seemed to seep into him. Finally he could no longer fight it and was transformed back into his human form. He groaned and tried to sit up.
He heard Tucker yelling and looked up to see Dash Baxter. His rival in high school still wore his lettermen jacket, but besides that, nothing about him was familiar. He had grown his hair out long; he wore black underneath his jacket and even had black around his eyes.
Danny's eyes seemed to go wide as saucers as Dash held the gun to Danny.
Tucker was instantly at Dash's side and grabbed his arm, trying to wrench the gun from Dash's grasp.
"That isn't….him!" Tucker yelled to Dash.
"Yeah right! You're a fool Foley! Letting him right into our hideout!" Dash growled trying to grasp onto the gun.
Between their struggle, a blast of ectoplasm shot out of the gun barrel and hit the ceiling above them. Danny saw it start to crumble and he gasped in alert as Dash and Tucker continued to struggle under it. Pieces started to fall from the ceiling at the two fighting boys, and Danny knew what to do.
He ran towards the two with amazing speed and launched himself at them. As he made contact with them, the force of his body surprised both so much that all were knocked away from the falling debris and they hit the ground. When Danny didn't feel any of the bricks hit him, he sighed in relief, it had worked.
Danny quickly got up and off of them, making sure all his bones and muscles worked. He then let out a breath and sat down, still weak after Dash's attack.
Tucker and Dash stood up as well; Tucker had a smug look on his face that seemed odd on this Tucker. "I tried to tell you Dash, this isn't him. After all he did just save our butts." Tucker found his glasses lying nearby and picked them up, wiping them off with his sleeve.
Dash had an ugly look of anger mixed with regret on his face. His eyes turned on Danny's. They seemed to gaze straight through Danny's soul and he instinctively shuddered. He had never seen so much anger and hate in someone's eyes before.
"Well see who he is." Dash said crisply, then left the room.
Tucker sighed and looked at Danny, he held a hand down. "C'mon, Why didn't you listen to me? Everyone knows you Danny."
Danny took Tucker's hand and stood up weakly. " I didn't know.." Danny said softly. "Why does everyone hate me so much?"
Tucker began to open his mouth when another voice answered.
"Because, you betrayed everyone." Danny and Tucker turned to the voice.
It came from the bed Danny was heading towards earlier. Danny and Tucker both walked over to it and saw a female form lying on the bed. She had an arm in a cast, various bruises and cuts decorated her legs, as did her other arm and face. One eye was swollen shut and the other gazed at the two boys with sadness and understanding. Danny knew instantly who it was. She wore dark pants, black boots, a purple and black sweater and two skull earrings. But what convinced him it was her, was her deep violet eye and her long black hair. He knew instantly it was his best friend, Sam.
"Oh god Sam." Danny whispered, tears starting to form in his sky blue eyes.
She looked at him for a few minutes. "How did you get here?" she finally asked.
Danny blinked. "Tucker, he saw me standing by my house, well… I guess it isn't my house anymore and-,"
"No, how did you get in this world?" Sam demanded.
Danny blushed, realizing his mistake.
"This knife was in my bedroom, I had fought with my dad about me being out so late and went to my room to sulk, then I found this knife, it had words on it and I read them out loud, then. something really strange happened, it was as if the world was melting, that's how I can describe it. Then I ended up here. Wherever here is. I mean I know its Amity Park, but this is nothing like where I am from, for starters, everyone's not living in a sewer…and Vlad is defiantly not as much of a pain." Danny rambled.
"Can I see the knife?" Sam asked him, her face not showing much emotion.
Danny nodded slowly and put his hand in his pocket, as he pulled it out he heard gasps and saw Sam inadvertently flinch. He went to put it back when Sam said. "Don't."
Eyeing everyone nervously, he pulled it out fully.
He held it out to Sam, who took it in her hands. Her eye probed it carefully, then gave it back to him.
As Danny took it back, he looked at Sam.
"Why is everyone so scared of this knife?" he asked her.
"Because, that knife killed Jack Fenton."
