Phantom took off before Sam and Tucker had a chance to catch him and ask what was wrong. They had been the first out of the shuttle after he'd disappeared from the doorway. Being his best friends they'd immediately recognized the set of his jaw and the authority in his eyes, something was very wrong. It wasn't something small either, if it made Danny act that way. He was strong enough to take on just about any ghost in the Zone with minimal injury depending on the day. They were also in the Far Frozen; home of a small army of yeti's who would readily step up into battle if the Great One required their assistance.
It was also disconcerting that Clockwork had paid a visit. They could tell even from a distance that whatever the ghostly master of time had said to Phantom it wasn't good news. His body had gone still and rigid moments before he ran a frustrated hand roughly through his hair, something he only did when he was in extreme stress, insanely concerned, or frustrated. The glow of his eyes had been more pronounced when he'd told them all to exit the shuttles and hadn't even stayed to make sure that they all got off before flying away, which basically highlighted the fact that this was an immediate emergency.
Frostbite and the rest of the yeti were rushing people off the shuttles, ignoring Maddie's angry shouts demanding an explanation as they directed the group toward the cave. Clockwork was still there and floated down toward the cave entrance as if to oversee the humans as they were hustled inside. Some stared at the purple-clad ghost as they jogged past.
While it was true that Phantom had identified him as a friend it was also true that Phantom had a very strange shift in attitude after speaking with him so they were a bit wary of the clock ghost, if not frightened. Sam and Tucker rushed over to him, ignoring the stream of students that passed in favor of speaking to the time walker.
"What's going on? Where did Danny go?" Sam demanded, crossing her arms defiantly in front of her and narrowing her violet eyes in a very clear sign that she wouldn't take silence as an answer.
Wordlessly Clockwork held out the busted thermos as a form of explanation. Sam's eyebrows drew together in confusion for a few moments with Tucker mirroring her. "Daniel told you about this correct? The prisoner that was left under my care after his defeat at the hands of your friend?"
Both teen's eyes widened in realization. "B-but that's impossible!" Tucker cried out, taking a step back and eyeing the thermos like it was toxic, "How the heck did he escape?"
"Through a small crack in the container I'm afraid," Clockwork said.
"So Danny went to-"
"Fight Dan, yes."
"Who's Dan?" Valarie asked, eyeing Clockwork warily as she stepped away from the entrance to the cave to regard her two classmates, "And what do you mean Danny's going to fight him? Unless Phantom really did lie and he's here after all."
"What about Danny?" Maddie asked as she joined their discussion.
She had activated the Fenton saber and looked ready to pounce at any wrong move from the ghosts surrounding her and the people she was defending.
"Nothing!" Tucker blurted out, "We were just wondering if he was okay is all."
Valarie's eyes narrowed suspiciously and she had just opened her mouth to retort when Maddie's gaze zeroed in on the thermos still held in Clockworks outstretched palm. "What are you doing with Fenton property ghost scum?" she growled, leveling the saber at the time ghost who didn't look even slightly fazed by the threat.
Sam took a half-step in front of the saber, partially shielding Clockwork even though she knew that he could have had the weapon out of Maddie's hands in a fraction of a second if he wanted to. "It doesn't matter why he has it but we need to get into those caves now."
"But what if it's a trap, something set up by Phantom to-"
"If he wanted to kill us he would have done it while we were all sleeping last night or even when we'd first walked into the caves," Sam retorted, "I think we all know that if he wanted us dead we'd be dead regardless of anything anyone thinks to the contrary."
That made Maddie shut her mouth. It was true they were in the Ghost Zone, a specter's home turf, and almost completely without any weapons or means to defend themselves. Phantom had many chances to take them all out, especially while they'd slept.
"Guys!"
They all turned to see Danielle rushing toward them, stopping just short of careening into Sam and kicking up some snow as she slid to a halt. "Something's coming and Danny's going to fight it, I tried to help but he wouldn't let me he just told me to come back and stay with you," her eyes were wide and a bit scared as she dropped her gaze to her feet, "he's never looked at me like that before…"
Clockwork placed a hand on Dani's shoulder and she looked up at him. "This is a battle that Daniel has to fight on his own; the enemy that he faces is too strong for you Danielle."
"All the more reason that I should be helping him!"
The purple gloved hand squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, "If you were to fight this enemy there is no doubt that you would be either severely injured or killed, Daniel knows what he's doing he has defeated this enemy before."
"But he had the gauntlets and specter deflector when he did that," Tucker piped up.
A small quirk of a smile appeared on the time specters face, "You seem to be forgetting that he's gotten a lot stronger both in body and in spirit."
There was a sudden explosion and they all turned toward the entrance to the Far Frozen just in time to see the arch that they'd passed under crack down the middle and collapse to the ground. Several bright green flashes lit up the fog that had resulted from the kicked up snow.
"You all must get inside," Frostbite said, jogging up to the small group of humans loitering by the cave entrance, "the Great One is strong, he will be alright."
Maddie hesitated but ended up nodding, better to be in a cave than an open field where you're a sitting duck. She motioned that they all follow Jack and Mikey, who were the last to enter the cave. Valarie obliged but Sam and Tucker were more hesitant. It took Frostbite reaching out with his good arm and hustling them along for them to get moving. Maddie glared at the snow beast angrily; even though the yeti ghost had been friendly so far she didn't like him laying a hand on her charges.
The Ice King ignored her glare, while he would have liked to make the Great One's mother feel more at ease he knew that Lady Sam and Sir Tucker would not leave Phantom's line of sight without a bit of forceful prompting. The same was true of Danielle, which is why he shot Icetooth a look as he passed him when entering the cave. As his second in command the other yeti immediately understood and gave an almost imperceptible nod before moving to collect Lady Danielle and bring her inside with the others. Clockwork took up the rear and was the last to enter the cave, floating behind Icetooth and Danielle as they followed the rest of the group back to the dining room that they'd eaten in mere hours ago.
"What the heck is going on?" Dash said loudly, sounding confused and a little alarmed.
A tremor shook the cave, making the icicles on the ceiling rattle. Several people screamed. Frostbite released Sam and Tucker before crossing the room, making the humans scramble to get out of the way as he made it to the entrance where two yeti guards were standing. "We must seal the entrance, barricade the hallways and post guards here to defend the Great One's guests!"
The two yeti guards nodded and rushed off down the hallway. Maddie Fenton, wielding her Fenton saber dangerously, stepped up to Frostbite. As if sensing her presence the ice king turned just in time to have the blunt end of the saber shoved in his face just shy of his nose. Just like Clockwork the yeti didn't flinch, simply staring calmly down the hilt of the weapon and into the blazing violet eyes of the ghost huntress.
"Why are you sealing the exits and barricading us in ghost?" she hissed.
Another tremor shook the walls, making some of the icicles fall and crash to the floor like shattering glass. One of the girls screamed, drowning out the sound of several others cursing as they eyed the ceiling warily. Maddie pushed the weapon even closer, merely a half-inch from Frostbites face. "What is going on?"
"I am not entirely sure myself Lady Huntress," Frostbite replied, "but I assure you that these precautions are temporary and for your own safety."
"How is trapping us here supposed to keep us safe?" Valarie shouted out.
The caves shook again and some of the bigger icicles dropped. Cassie and Paulina screamed, only barely managing to get out of the way of a rather large projectile when Aless grabbed their hoods and pulled them backwards. Both girls landed roughly on the ground but couldn't find it in themselves to complain when the icicle shattered, sending tiny shards shooting out in several directions.
Trev, who had been standing by the wall with Kate and Nathan, shouted out a warning and hopped out of the way, dodging a smaller icicle that would have gone through his foot. Thankfully he also stumbled into Kate, shoving them both away from a large chunk that hit the exact spot they'd been standing.
"Princess and the Pauper!" Lancer shouted dancing from one foot to the other as two dozen small chunks of ice shattered around him.
The tremor subsided, leaving everyone shaken and wary. Maddie had jerked away from Frostbite to tackle Star moments before an icicle had split her skull open, dragging Valarie with her as they skidded across the floor and landed at the base of the wall, where Maddie continued to shield the girls until the shaking stopped.
The blue-clad huntress sprang to her feet, glancing around the room to make sure that everyone was alright and visibly relaxing when she saw that no one had gotten any obvious injuries. "Is everyone okay?" she shouted out just to make sure.
"We're good over here Mad's!" Jack shouted from the far corner, where he and Mikey had taken cover under one of the icy outcroppings that made up the second floor.
"Us too Mrs. F," Tucker shouted, he and Sam crawling out from under the table.
Trev, Nathan, Kate, Aless, Dash, Kwan and Rory called out that they were fine though Paulina and Cassie were a bit later to respond. Maddie turned to Valarie and Star, the former of which was helping the latter get to her feet. "What about you two? Are you alright?" Both girls nodded and the Fenton mother visibly relaxed, glad to know that everyone was safe.
"My Lord!" a yeti shouted as he skidded around the corner, "An intruder has breached our defenses, we are attempting to hold him back but he's forcing his way through!"
"Where is the Great One?" Frostbite replied, all authority as he rushed over to his subordinate.
"He is still fighting with the intruder but he appears to be injured."
Frostbite clenched his jaw and growled lowly, "Engage the intruder! Do not allow him to proceed any further and attempt to help the Great One; anyone not fighting should be taking care of the wounded or falling back to help defend the Great One's guests!"
The yeti hastily bowed before taking off down the hallway. Frostbite turned to Icetooth, "Defend them with your afterlife, I must go and assist the Great One."
Icetooth bowed to his lord, "On my service to you I will not fail."
Frostbite nodded before turning and rushing out the door, barking at the guards to keep an eye out as he passed them. Once the yeti ghost disappeared from sight Icetooth turned to the frightened group, "Alright everyone take cover in the back corner I will ensure your safety from here on out!"
"And how can we trust you?" Maddie shouted, clutching the Fenton saber that she'd retrieved from the floor after the last tremor.
"Don't worry," Danielle said, floating beside the yeti ghost, "we can trust him."
"One ghost vouching for another, yea that makes him more trustworthy," Jack retorted with a derisive snort.
Sam stepped forward, hands on her hips and violet eyes blazing, "Well what if we vouched for him?" she said, motioning between her and Tucker.
"How would you know to-" Maddie started before being cut off by another tremor.
"Questions later survival now!" Sam shouted as she made her way over to the indicated safe zone.
The others quickly followed and after a few moments of hesitation Maddie jogged after them, meeting up with her husband and a still-injured Mikey halfway.
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"Long time no see," Dan said, stepping out of the darkness.
Nothing appeared to have changed in the three years since they'd last seen each other. White-blue flames blazed atop Dan's head and down the back of his neck in a familiar low ponytail reminiscent of his evil-half's original human counterpart. The flames highlighted his blue complexion and crimson iris's, which looked perfect on him in a borderline demonic sort of way.
"Not nearly long enough," Phantom spat back, allowing green ecto-energy to build up in his palms, "what are you doing out of the thermos?"
Dan chuckled lowly and floated down to the ground allowing his white boots to sink into the snow as he landed. "Well it always was a little cramped in there, the other ghosts did complain about that whenever they got out."
The fanged grin that Dan had been sporting dropped into a frown, red eyes narrowing as his crossed arms fell to his sides and lit up with green ecto-energy a shade brighter than Phantom's. "I really should shove you in there too, judging by your appearance your pathetic little family and friends survived the explosion didn't they?"
Phantom didn't answer but the set of his jaw and added fire to his already blazing green eyes was enough to confirm the inquiry. The fanged smirk returned, slightly more malicious, "I'll make sure that they go this time, by my own hands."
"You'll have to get through me before you can get to them!" Phantom growled.
"Oh trust me, I intend to," Dan replied before shooting forward and attempting to land an ecto-charged uppercut to Phantom's jaw.
Phantom ducked and tried to blast the super powered specter in the gut with his pre-charged blasts. The shots missed, passing harmlessly through the hole that Dan had formed in the center of his chest. Phantom made to jump away but wasn't quick enough; a black gloved-hand snagged the collar of his suit and heaved him over his opponents head.
The younger fighter turned in midair and shot another blast that nailed Dan seconds before he hit the ground, springing to his feet and shooting another energy blast to follow up. Dan wasn't fazed by the earlier bull's eye and stuck out his arm to block the second round, which was quickly followed by a barrage of smaller shots and one more concentrated blast that exploded on contact, sending Dan spiraling back into the snow.
Phantom charged the flame-haired specter, both fists glowing with ecto-energy in preparation for the hit. Dan saw the attack coming and sidestepped, grabbing ahold of both the ghost teen's arms and using the momentum to spin nearly 180 degrees and heave Phantom back into the snow, shooting a ghost stinger after him.
Rolling with the hit Phantom managed to get clear of the attack and retaliate with an ecto-ray, which Dan readily countered with his own shield. The ghost teen's eyes shifted from radioactive green to icy blue an instant before the ecto-ray transformed into an ice beam that solidified around Dan's shield. Bright green flames sprang to life on the surface of the shield, melting the ice just in time to block another explosion. This one knocked Dan off his feet, making him pile drive into the snow and leave a sizable dent.
The future Phantom heaved himself out of the hole just as his past self launched another snow coated ecto-bomb, which Dan dodged by splitting himself into a pair of duplicates. Both shot forward and delivered two perfectly timed punches, one Phantom managed to block while the other slammed into his gut. The halfa catapulted backwards and slammed into the wall of the hundred foot ice cave that served as the entrance to the Far Frozen. Phantom coughed and fell to his knees, hands wrapping around his waist to cradle the injury.
"Looks like you've learned a few new tricks," Dan said, floating easily over to Phantom with an amused gleam in his crimson orbs, "still not enough to be a match for me."
The ghost teen lifted his head, a thin trail of ectoplasm running from the corner of his mouth and down his chin. "I think I was more than a match last time considering that you're the one who ended up shoved in that stupid thermos"
Dan frowned and reached down to wrap his hand around Phantom's throat, lifting him off the ground. Even with his growth spurt the halfa was a few inches shorter than his alternate future self, and the evil ghost had no problems holding him a foot off the ground to prove that he was stronger in both body and skill. Phantom's hands wrapped around the wrist cutting off his air supply, an angry growl bubbling up his throat despite the lack of oxygen.
Without preamble Dan shoved Phantom against the wall, forcing the side of his head to grind against the coarse rock of the cave. The ghost teen grunted and tightened his grip on his assailant's wrist, energy pulsing under his skin in response to the pain. Bright green eyes snapped open a moment before that energy was released; creating a shockwave that knocked Dan back and subsequently made him release his grip on the halfa.
Phantom shot forward, one arm wrapped around Dan's waist and shoved him up against the opposite wall while the opposite hand curled into a fist and struck the older ghost in the face. Dan grunted, red eyes narrowing as he teleported behind Phantom and struck him in the back of the head before following up with a ghost stinger.
The ghost teen cried out as the ecto-electricity coursed through him, he'd developed somewhat of a tolerance for it since his half-death and the continued use of the method by his many foes but it was still extremely painful, especially with such high voltage. Phantom shifted as Dan shoved him forward and kicked out a leg, hitting his alternate future self square in the gut and sending him tumbling off his feet.
With a sweep of his hand another barrage of ecto-blasts filled the air and Dan barely had time to throw up a shield, kicking up a spray of snow that would have blinded a normal human. Both the brawlers were ghosts though, night vision may not come standard but exceptionally good eyesight usually did.
Phantom took off into the sky, getting into the open air outside the cave to make him better able to dodge attacks. With someone like Dan it wasn't a good idea to take too many hits, especially when a powered down version of his best left hook could flatten a small town with relative ease. The snow started to settle and Phantom kept his eyes locked on the dispersing cloud. Less than a second later his sight was blocked by a familiarly stylized DP symbol roughly an inch from his nose. Emerald eyes widened as Dan's fist plowed into the side of his head and sent him spiraling into the recently built arch that marked the entrance to the Far Frozen.
It split down the center from the force of the hit and Phantom crashed to the ground underneath it, kicking up an even larger cloud of snow in addition to the undoubtedly large crater created from the force of the impact. 'I have to remember to apologize to Frostbite later…' Phantom thought fleetingly as he sat up, unable to suppress a small groan at the throbbing in his temples.
He appeared out of the fog almost immediately, hands glowing as he launched several rounds of ecto-blasts at his younger self. Phantom countered with his own ecto-blasts, springing out of the crater and taking off in a dead run to try and keep some distance between them. Their blasts met in mid-air, creating mini-explosions that bathed the battle ground in bursts of toxic green light.
Taking advantage of the confusion Phantom thrust his hands forward, several dagger-sharp ice shards flying from his fingertips toward Dan, who created a wall of fire that melted the projectiles easily. A wave of his hand made the flaming shield shoot forward. With no time to dodge Phantom wrapped himself in a shield of ice. It melted as the fire passed over it but the ghost teen remained unscathed. Dan covered the space between them and grabbed Phantom's arm as the last of his shield melted, twisting it painfully behind his back.
"You know you can't beat me," he said while Phantom grunted with the effort of attempting to struggle free. His shoulder had healed hours ago from both the burns and muscle damage which was good considering that Dan was pretty close to dislocating it. As if to stress this point his grip tightened on Phantom's arm, practically a hair's breath away from shattering his wrist.
"Remember that I'm still here, I still exist, so you still turn into me."
"I didn't turn into you before," Phantom ground out, "And I won't now!"
Dan's eyes narrowed and he pivoted, spinning the ghost teen around and sending him flying across the vacant clearing, into the rough cliffs that housed the network of caves making up the heart of the Far Frozen. The rate of acceleration made Phantom's shoulder slam painfully against a particularly sharp outcropping and slice a new gash into his flesh. The ghost teen cried out and clutched the wound as he slumped against the wall, breath coming out in short pants as he tried to work his mind past the initial shock and pain.
Dan landed lightly in front of him, one hand glowing bright green as he unleashed an ecto-ray so powerful that it sent Phantom careening through the ground, rock and snow crumbling on all sides. He threw up a hasty shield and waited for the rubble to settle before letting lose a burst of energy that threw all the debris off his makeshift defense and enabled him to stand, glancing around briefly to orient himself. The attack had sent the ghost teen through approximately three stories of stone and into the main tunnel at ground level which sloped down further into the underground compound.
"Great One!"
Phantom turned to see a trio of yeti's holding ice spears rushing toward him. "No! Go back! Don't come-"
Dan appeared in front of the ghost teen and punched him in the face making the halfa reel backwards with a grunt of pain and run into the wall. The older Phantom wrapped his gloved hand around the ghost teen's throat, his opposite palm lighting up with ecto-energy.
"This might sting a little," he said, the fanged grin once again present on his face as he brought his arm a bit further back. A sudden burst of ice nailed Dan from behind, making him roar out in anger, pain or both as he whipped around to face the three yeti who had rushed to the scene moments ago. Phantom slumped to the ground and was just barely able to make out one of the three snow beasts with his arm still extended and the ice spear jutting out of Dan's back.
Twisting his arm around the alternate future Phantom gripped the weapon and tore it away, making ectoplasm gush from the wound a moment before it closed up due to his rapid healing and regenerative capabilities. The ice spear snapped in his hand and melted to vapor as green flames sprang to life. Eyes glowing a bright crimson the enraged ghoul took a menacing step forward. All three yeti stood ready in battle stances, the one who had been previously unarmed remaking his weapon and standing with his brethren against the enemy.
Dan raised both hands, green fire sparking at his fingertips before becoming a full blaze that engulfed the entire corridor. Phantom could hear the panicked shouts of the Far Frozen inhabitants and felt rage build up within him. Before he knew it he'd launched himself forward and tackled Dan, wrenching the angered specter off his feet and sending both of them tumbling to the floor. Phantom recovered first and brought his heel down onto Dan's temple, quickly following up with a point-blank ecto-blast to the face.
The evil Phantom grunted and shot out blindly with a long chain of ecto-energy that wrapped around the ghost teens ankle. Jerking his arm roughly Dan sent Phantom crashing into the wall, making the entire cave shake with the force of the impact. Blinking the dots from his vision Dan gave another rough tug on the rope and sent the halfa careening to the other side of the cave, creating another tremor as he left an indentation in the rock.
Phantom slumped to the ground, mind hazy from repeated hits to the skull and desperately trying to keep from passing out as Dan stood from where he was sitting on the floor and gave a rough jerk of the line. His younger self groaned lightly as he was pulled toward the center of the cave nearly unconscious and covered in wounds.
"You still have a long way to go," Dan said, "and the only way to get there is by getting rid of that pesky humanity of yours, it's only holding you back you know."
A crooked grin pulled at the evil Phantom's face as he kneeled down next to his younger counterpart. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that everything, or should I say everyone, that's holding you back are well taken care of."
The teen ghost hero gritted his teeth, making more ectoplasm drip from the corner of his mouth. He attempted to raise his hand and blast Dan with more ecto-energy but it just slumped back to the ground. The older ghoul noticed and chuckled in amusement at his past's vein attempts at retaliation. "It's useless, I'm unbeatable and you of all people should know that."
Phantom spat out a mouthful of ectoplasm, nailing Dan in the eye. The evil specter lifted a hand to wipe the green blood away from his face before backhanding his younger self. The teen hero coughed roughly, spewing more ectoplasm on the crumbled stones beside him as the hacking fit subsided.
"You shouldn't get so cocky; it wouldn't take much to destroy you at this point."
"Then what happens to you?" Phantom asked.
"Well you heard Clockwork, I exist outside of time" Dan replied, "It's more than a little likely that whether or not you die doesn't affect me one way or the other but I would still prefer not to kill you, better safe than sorry right?"
The evil ghoul stood up and let go of the ecto rope still tied around Phantom's ankle before turning on his heel and walking toward the scorched hallway. "About time I went searching for your friends and family, got an old score to settle after all."
He disappeared around the corner, several screams and explosions sounding seconds after he was gone. Phantom gritted his teeth, forcing his vision to clear as he heaved himself into a sitting position. He was panting and bleeding in several places. If he had stopped to think about it he probably would have realized that his shoulder was gushing ectoplasm and his ribs were aching like an infected tooth ache but his anger overrode reason and forced him to his feet. The need to protect coursed through him along with the adrenaline, giving him the strength that he needed to feel his way along the wall, floating to keep the weight off his injured foot.
The noise had gotten substantially quieter, almost like whoever was making it had moved further down into the tunnels and upon peering around the corner Phantom discovered that's exactly what happened. Scorch marks lined the walls and several yeti lay sprawled out all across the tunnel.
"Great One…"
Phantom turned to see WinterDagger slumped against the far wall, half an ice staff lying beside his slackened claws. The ghost teen floated over and knelt down beside him, wincing slightly as the movement aggravated his wounds. "Which way did he go?" Phantom asked. Lifting a trembling arm WinterDagger pointed to a passage a little further down, just barely accessible through the pile of rocks that had collapsed in front of the entrance. "He's heading for your guests…Lord Frostbite has mounted a defense but we aren't sure how long it can hold…"
Phantom nodded and reached out his uninjured hand to squeeze WinterDagger's shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll stop him. A medic will come in a minute so make sure to hang on until then alright."
The yeti smiled weakly but inclined his head in recognition of the authority in the Great One's tone. "I will make sure to do so Great One."
Smiling confidently Phantom gave the yeti's shoulder a light pat before he heaved himself to his feet again and proceeded to the passage. 'Time to take down a blast from my past.'
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Icetooth had formed a roughly constructed shield above their heads to prevent any icicles from impaling them while they cowered in the back of the room. Sam was less than pleased about having to stay and wait while her boyfriend was in a death match with arguably the most powerful enemy he'd ever faced and was only barely kept from rushing off to help him by Tucker, who continuously whispered logical reassurances in her ear to make sure that she didn't do anything that would get her killed. Danny trusted the techno geek to keep his gothic angel safe whenever he wasn't around after all and there was no way in hell he would ever hear the end of it if he let her go out in the middle of this seriously deadly brawl.
All the A-listers had gathered at the very furthest corner of their shelter, cowering together in a small group tossing out theories about what was going on in short murmured conversations that could barely be missed in the resounding silence of the room.
Everyone else was sandwiched somewhere between the A-listers and the Fenton parents who were closest to the entrance but still shielded behind Icetooth. The yeti had elected to stand in front of them and use his bulk to obscure most of the room from their view though if Maddie inclined her head slightly to the left she was able to see the door, where two yeti stood guard.
The tremors had stopped some time ago though every once in a while the silence would be broken by yeti rushing down the corridor, often carrying or dragging wounded with them down the hall to the medical room. This was truly the only indication that anything was going on and if the injuries those yeti were sporting was indicative of the danger then hiding didn't seem like such a bad idea.
It took another handful of minutes before the two yeti guarding the door shouted and took off down the hall. Icetooth tensed as shouting and explosions were heard, quickly followed by one of the two guards flying backwards past the door and landing somewhere further down the hall, his shattered ice spear clattering to the floor at the entrance to the room.
The sounds quieted for a few tense seconds before a figure stepped into the room. He was tall and muscular with flaming hair and a calm yet malevolent demeanor that warned anyone with an ounce of self-preservation to stay away. Crimson eyes briefly assessed the room before landing on their small hideout, a fanged grin splitting his face as he took a few smooth steps toward them. Icetooth pulled out a wicked looking curved dagger from nowhere and rose to his feet, stepping far enough out of their hiding place to allow him free movement while still shielding those inside.
"What business do you have here?" the yeti demanded, wielding the dagger threateningly in front of him.
The new ghost stopped and stared in what appeared to be mild amusement at the dagger. Wordlessly he lifted a single black gloved hand and swiped it to the side. A green aura surrounded Icetooth and he was catapulted in the same direction, slamming roughly against the wall as a tendril of ecto-energy snaked from the strangers fingertips to wrap around the yeti's body and keep in him place. Icetooth growled and struggled but was unable to break free.
The newcomer's grin widened, eyes resting on Icetooth for a moment as if admiring his work before he turned back to the group of humans cowering in the corner. Maddie clutched her Fenton saber and shifted into a crouched position when the ghost took a step closer.
"That little toy won't help you," he said, eyes zeroed in on the glowing green staff.
"But ecto-blasts will!" Danielle shouted as she fired a pair of twin blasts simultaneously from both hands.
The ghost raised a hand, blocking both shots without erecting an ecto shield. "Well this is a surprise, who might you be?" he asked, eyeing her with mild curiosity dancing in his crimson irises.
"Dani Phantom," she replied, already forming another blast between her hands, "about to be the girl who kicks your butt."
"I wasn't aware that there was more than one, should I take a wild guess and say that Plasmius had something to do with it?"
Dani faltered for a moment but launched the ecto energy anyway. The ghost sidestepped, moving almost comically slow in response. "Should have figured that cheese head would do something like this, he always was a little twisted."
In a flash he was standing directly in front of the ghost girl, gripping her wrist and flinging her across the room. She hit the wall with a resounding crack and slumped to the floor, half-lidded green eyes glaring angrily at the ghoul. He turned back to the others just as Maddie sprang forward with the Fenton saber. A single hand came up to catch the weapon mid-swing and hold it still even as the ghost huntress attempted to jerk it out of his grasp. Steam rose from his palm before green fire incinerated the saber and made it crumple to ashes at both their feet. Maddie reeled back while Jack sprang up, shouting at everyone to stand back while he came to his wife's side. Sam and Tucker pulled out their ecto pistols and rushed forward to take aim at the ghost. Valarie, though weaponless, wasn't one to miss out on a fight and stood up with clenched fists ready for an attack. Everyone else wisely shrunk back against the walls.
"Well look at that the gang's all here," the ghost said, eyes moving over the crowd of students, ghost hunters, and lone teacher, "even a few people who weren't the first time."
"Where's Danny?" Sam demanded.
Crimson eyes zeroed in on the Goth for a few seconds before lighting up with understanding, his toothy smirk widened. "Oh, a lot seems to have changed since I've been away huh Sam? Seems like he finally told you how he feels."
"Where is he!?" Sam shouted, cocking the pistol she was holding and hovering her finger over the trigger in silent warning.
"The Danny you know is probably lying beaten in one of the corridors, I did do a number on him before I came here after all."
"Danny? You did something to our son?" Maddie shrieked, looking angrier then she had throughout the duration of their trip as she imagined this spectral entity of post-human consciousness injuring her boy.
The ghost threw his head back and laughed loudly before turning back to Sam and Tucker, "They still don't know do they? Should have known that he wouldn't have the guts to tell them."
Both teens flinched at the accusation and felt Jack and Maddie's questioning gazes burning into their heads. Sam took a step forward and Tucker tensed, finger squeezing the trigger just in case the future disaster decided to make a move for her. With a flick of his wrist both ecto pistols were wrenched from their hands, skittering across the floor to land at Icetooth's feet. Before either could react a line of ghostly energy had wrapped around Sam's wrist and yanked her forward.
Dan grabbed her and hefted her up to eye level, grinning madly as she shouted profanities and struggled to get free. Maddie, Valarie and Tucker all moved at once only to receive a telekinetic shove from the evil ghoul and fall back against the rough floor. Jack, who was slower to react, tried to tackle the ghost but was also tossed easily off his feet.
"Let's start with you shall we," Dan said, gathering flaming green energy in his free hand and grinning wickedly at Sam. Her violet eyes bugged, reflecting the light of the flames as they drew nearer to her face…
"LET HER GO YOU PIECE OF ECTOPLASMIC SCUM!"
They all turned to see Danny Phantom standing in the doorway. His right arm was hanging uselessly at his side, the shoulder covered in ectoplasm and seemingly bent a bit out of socket. There were scorch marks on the front of his hazmat and several long cuts running up and down his arms and legs. A forming bruise was present on his cheek along with a sizable cut above his left eye that was still oozing. They could also make out a thin trail of ectoplasm leaking from the corner of his mouth and dripping onto the floor. Overall he looked terrible but his injuries weren't what had everyone's attention.
It was a rare sight to see Amity's resident town hero truly angry. As a matter of fact over ninety-eight percent of the population had only seen his heroic yet comical side, the one that he usually displayed when fending off the never ending ghost invasions that plagued their town. This is why it startled them to see the green fire burning in his eyes, making them almost blindingly bright in contrast to their usual pleasant glow.
Dan smirked and turned to face Phantom, still clutching Sam's wrist in his tight grip. She winced and squashed the involuntary whimper that attempted to leave her lips, which only seemed to make Phantom angrier.
"I said put her down!" he spat.
The evil ghoul kept grinning even as he lowered Sam to the ground and released her wrist. She yanked it away and took a step back, violet eyes never leaving Dan as she absentmindedly rubbed the abused skin. All of a sudden Dan's hand was glowing radioactive green, flames dancing along his fingers, and without even looking he fired. "No!" Phantom shouted, shooting across the room faster than most thought was physically possible, pushing Sam out of the way right as the blast hit where she would have been standing. It hit the ghost teen instead, nailing him in the side and sending him spiraling backward into the wall.
Everyone watched wide-eyed as Dan took three long strides to stand in front of his past self, hoisting him back to his feet by the front of his shirt. Cocking a fist the evil Phantom drove it into the halfa's gut, making the teen hero pitch forward and cough up another mouthful of ectoplasm.
"Danny!" Sam shouted, finally shocked out of her stupor as she scrambled to stand and rush to her boyfriend's side.
"S-stay back!" Phantom shouted without taking his eyes off Dan.
Tucker grabbed Sam as she tried to rush past him, restraining both her arms even as she tried to elbow him in the face and gut screaming about having to get to Phantom, to help him.
"You have been busy lately," Dan said, "got yourself a girlfriend, managed to learn a few new tricks, even got yourself a copy thanks to the Fruit Loop."
Phantom's eyes narrowed, he hated it when people referred to Danielle as his 'copy' or 'clone' instead of a cousin or little sister. He had no clue how Dan knew but wasn't all that surprised. His evil future self wasn't stupid, just tremendously overconfident and borderline cocky at times.
"I'm never going to turn into you," Phantom said firmly.
Dan laughed humorously and tightened his grip on the front of Phantom's shirt, making the teen ghost grunt in pain. "That's what you think, all that I have to do is take out a few people and your entire future will go up in smoke."
"I'll never let that happen."
"You let it happen before."
Phantom flinched.
"There's no way that you could've saved them with your diminished power levels, if I had to guess I would say that Clockwork helped you, meddlesome as he is, and if it weren't for him then you would already be me."
Phantom's hands glowed an eerie green that matched his eyes, energy rippling underneath his skin like an electric current before discharging in the form of an ecto-beam. It hit Dan square in the chest and sent him backwards. Phantom took the chance to shoot forward and land a solid hit to the older ghost's jaw with his good hand, quickly followed by a swift kick to the gut.
Dan grasped his wrist right as he fired another ecto-blast, making it miss by a mile before he swung around and tossed Phantom into the air. The evil specter inhaled deeply and let out an ear splitting ghostly wail that shook the entire compound. Everyone covered their ears as the sound waves rattled the walls and made large chunks of loose ceiling fall to the floor. They all scrambled under the ice shield that Icetooth had erected, watching with wide eyes as Phantom threw up a hasty ecto-shield to try and protect himself from the onslaught.
It died down after nearly a full minute and Phantom came crashing down, landing in the midst of several huge pieces of rocky debris. Moments after the green energy of the shield dissipated and the ghost hero collapsed to his knees, panting heavily as a pair of blue-white rings appeared at his waist, disappearing just as quickly.
"You really have gotten better," Dan commented, "though you're still too weak."
The ghost teen heaved himself to his feet, still glaring toxic green daggers at his enemy. He launched himself forward, sending a wave of icicles at the ghoul. They missed and Dan appeared in front of Phantom, fist blazing.
The ghost boy just barely had enough time to take a deep breath and wail. It was point blank and impossible to escape with such little notice. Dan was sent careening backwards through the ceiling with Phantom following close behind, firing ice and ecto blasts alternately and repeatedly as he chased the flame-haired specter. Utilizing a sudden burst of speed Phantom was able to catch up with Dan, who was still partially stunned and attempting to correct himself in the air, and plant both feet firmly on his back before releasing an intense ecto-blast from his good hand and sending evil specter back through the stone and into the wrecked dining room.
The alternate evil Phantom had already gotten to his feet by the time the ghost boy came flying back through the hole he'd created, looking a bit worse for the wear but still in fighting condition. "You still can't beat me no matter how much you struggle or how hard you try you will still turn into me."
"Danny!" Sam shouted, taking the Fenton thermos from his backpack and throwing it to him from across the room.
Dan's hand lit up with green fire as he shot a blast at the spiraling thermos, only to be intercepted by Phantom's ecto-blast. The resulting explosion sent the thermos off course and Phantom dove for it, catching it in midair and twisting the cap off. "I thought I told you before…" Phantom shouted, pressing the button and causing a beam of pure white and blue light to shoot out of the cylindrical containment device, instantly sucking the evil ghost inside. Phantom slammed the cap down and twisted it with an audible click, "…I promised them that I wouldn't."
The ghost teen stumbled as he tried to catch his balance upon landing, tripping over his injured foot and falling to his knees. Sam and Tucker crossed the room in an instant, the former dropping into a crouch beside him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You are so dead ghost boy, I'm gonna finish killing you for making me worry this much…" she whispered.
Phantom's light chuckling turned into a course cough as he let his uninjured hand rest against her waist. "I'm glad you're safe too Sam…"
Green eyes turned to Tucker, who was wearing a relieved half-grin. "Thanks for watching out for everyone man, I owe you." Translation: 'Thanks for keeping her from doing anything stupid and potentially deadly.' Tucker waved his hand dismissively, "Pay my tab at the Nasty Burger and we're even."
Phantom laughed outright and Sam momentarily forgot her concern for the ghost teen in favor of whipping around to stare incredulously at the smirking techno geek. "Tuck not even I would be able to do you that favor."
The dark skinned teen shrugged his shoulders in turn, "Hey it's not like the job wasn't big enough I think it's the least he owes me."
Sam opened her mouth to deliver another retort only to be interrupted by Phantom who quickly replied, "I'll see what I can do Tuck."
"Great One!"
Everyone turned to see Frostbite limping into the room, his right foot was encased in ice up to the knee and he was using a makeshift ice cane to move. A half dozen more yeti ambled behind him in similar states of injury and disarray. Icetooth, having been freed from Dan's control, had long since rushed over to where Danielle was lying slumped against the wall and hefted her into his arms. She hissed a bit at the contact but managed a watery smile, trying to reassure that she wasn't gravely injured.
Frostbite's gaze flicked briefly to his second in command before he jerked his head toward the door in a silent message to get Danielle to the healer. Jaw set, Icetooth nodded and brushed past the others to head down the hall. With him gone the Ice King's eyes zeroed in on Phantom, who appeared to be the most gravely injured, if not the only injured, person in the room.
Ignoring the terrified and shocked gazes of the rest of the humans the yeti ghost walked over to the ghost teen and his friends. "Great One are you alright?" Frostbite asked, stopping just in front of the trio, who were still sitting on the pile of rubble.
Phantom smiled, though it looked strained, "I'm alright, what about you and the others?"
"All of our men are fine; some injuries are severe but nothing fatal."
The halfa pulled himself to his feet with a grunt of pain, good arm clutching the injured one while he tried to keep his weight off his bad foot. Sam stood up with him and placed both hands lightly on his uninjured shoulder, scolding him for straining himself. Phantom could barely hear her through the ringing in his ears. The adrenaline that had been keeping him going and screening most of the pain was fast fading and he could feel the sting of each and every wound as the full brunt of the injuries hit him.
He had long since lost feeling in his injured arm, which was good in that it gave him a reprieve from at least some of the pain and bad because losing feeling in any appendage was never a good sign. The ribs that had been healing mere hours ago were definitely broken this time and Phantom didn't dare breathe in too deeply. Somewhere in his hazy mind he realized that Frostbite's lips were moving, his brow creasing together as Phantom swayed on his feet. Suddenly Sam was in front of him, he could vaguely feel her tiny hands on his arm and it reassured him to know that she was there.
Dark spots started to appear in the corners of his vision and he suddenly doubled forward, spitting a mouthful of ectoplasm on one of the rocks at Frostbites feet. He fell to his knees, breathing in uneven gasps as he struggled to control the sudden rush of pain. Through the throbbing in his temples he could vaguely hear shouting and his vision went dark just as a pair of yeti came rushing forward.
