Heya all! I'm back!
Thanks to all of my reviewers, you all know I love you so very very much.
This chapter is dedicated to my new friend Ashley. I'm glad that I was lucky enough to have the chance to get to know you.
Disclaimer: I don't own DP. But I do own, Alicia, Alysa, and Conflagration.
Danny's eyes tore through the scene around him. How had Alicia and her friend just disappeared? They hadn't crashed on the ground, he was sure of that. There would be blood, screaming, and overall a big mess.
"Did you find her yet Danny?" Sam radioed to him.
"I...I had her and she disappeared!" Danny told them, astounded and confounded.
"So go look for her! People disappear all the time." Tucker answered.
"You don't get it Tucker. She and her friend fell midair and disappeared!"
There was a silence over the radio.
"...that's not normal," Sam said carefully. "Now what?"
"I found some news reports on my PDA that have to deal with the town Alicia moved from, and you might find them interesting." Tucker said.
"How'd you find out where she moved from?" Danny asked.
"School records," Tucker said simply. "You don't need ghost powers to break into those."
Sam rolled her eyes, "Just get on with it Tuck."
"Okay. I'm going to have my PDA read them to you over the headphones...wait for it...wait for it...here we go!"
"Good evening. I'm Gessica Sempasa with News at 7. There's been another string of fires today and police and fire fighters are suspecting the involvement of the same arsonist who has been responsible for the monthly burnings. There are no leads on this yet..."
"Tragedy has struck again in Fallbrook as the arsonist hits a gas station in a residential area..."
"The Fallbrooks mall burned to a crisp today...no leads yet..."
"School's out, and its nowhere near summer. All schools in the Fallbrook district today closed do to fires on each playground."
"A fire today in a home in Fallbrooks, CA became the first of many to involve a victim. A teenager who remains unnamed was injured when the ceiling collapsed due to a fire in the attic. The girl's parents declined to interview..."
"The arsonist has seemed to move his arse back to where is belongs: out of sight. The fires that have been rampaging the city for the past years have had a six month period of absence. Hopefully, it will be a permanent one..."
"Isn't that crazy?" Tucker asked. "All these fires had occured."
"Wow," Sam whispered.
"And you know how it mentioned an injured girl? I looked up the hospital files and an Alicia Raiyn had been registered the same day as the fire." Tucker revealed.
"So that's what Mr. and Mrs. Raiyn meant when they said they moved to get away from the dangers. After all those fires, seeing Alicia hurt must have pushed them past a point of no return." Danny realized.
"...now what?" Sam repeated.
"She's heading home. We can try to cut her off before she gets there and hope we're not too late..." As Sam and Tucker acknowledged the information, Danny's cell phone began to ring.
Danny pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello?"
"Daniel! Have you found the bomb yet?"
Vlad.
"Not yet Plasmius. Alicia is running away from me. And she's...doing some things that would be impossible for anyone!" Danny exclaimed.
Vlad gave a small chuckle. "She is a special girl. You must hurry my boy! The bomb will go off in a matter of minutes!"
"I'll keep you on the line Vlad so you can tell me if I got the bomb diffused," Danny told him. "And when I do, you are in BIG trouble."
"Priorities dear child. Priorities."
Holding his cell phone in his hand, Danny flew off towards his house.
"AAAGGGHHHH!!!!!" Alysa screamed. Her hands were over her eyes, which were clenched tight in fear.
"Alysa?"
"WE'RE DOOMED! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"
"Um, Alysa?"
"DOOMED! DOOMED I TELL YOU!"
"Alysa!" Alicia whispered harshly. "Be quiet! You're going to give away our position!"
Alysa peered between her fingers. They were in an alley across the street from Alicia's house. On the ground. Not about to die. "...sorry. What happened up there?"
"I dunno. Phantom said something about there being a bomb in my watch. Is there one?" Alicia asked.
Alysa glanced at the watches on her friends hand.
"Never mind," Alicia whispered. She peeked out into the street and then quickly ducked back in. "The coast is clear. Let's make a break for it across the street and once we're inside, we stick to my mom like glue. That way, no one can try to grab us or anything."
Alysa nodded in agreement. "Let's go."
The two girls darted out of their hiding spot, 100 yards away from safety. They were at the steps to the door when two blurs sped past them and knocked both girls down.
Alicia fell to the ground and groaned. Her head had collided, well, head-first with the ground. For the record, that hurts. Beside her, Alysa rubbed her head and began muttering incoherant words. Before the duo could collect their thoughts, each was helped up.
Cautious, Alicia turned to see who had knocked them over. Not to her suprise, Sam and Tucker were looking at them concerningly. Specifically at her watches.
"Are you two okay?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, I think we'll be fine," Alysa answered. "No lawsuits or anything."
"...and you are?" Tucker asked Alysa, checking her out.
"Sam, Tucker, this is my friend Alysa. Alysa, Sam and Tucker. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to get inside before my mom freaks out," Alicia began pushing Alysa up her front steps.
"Why are leaving them like this?" Alysa whispered to Alicia.
"They're with the ghost," Alicia said under her breath. "Now move inside before-"
Tucker grabbed Alicia's hand. "Cool watch! Mind if I take a look?"
Alicia's eyes turned towards her schoolmate and seemed to glare a hole right through him. "No."
"Why not?" Tucker's hand remained on Alicia's.
"It monitors my heart, okay? If it comes off, something bad will happen."
"Really now? Because I've heard otherwise," Danny Phantom arrived at the scene and stood facing his neighbor. At the sight of him, Alicia tried to move back, but Tucker had a firm grasp on her. Alysa tried to make a move on Tucker, but Danny's glare froze her in her steps.
"What do you want with me?" Alicia asked, her voice near failing her.
"Your watch. The one that someone planted a bomb in." Sam answered.
Alicia sighed. "For the last time, there IS NO BOMB!"
"Hello? It was planted! You wouldn't know if it was there or not!" Tucker accused.
"But it's okay," Danny said calmly. "Because we're going to take care of it right now." Danny looked at her arm. There were two watches! Which one had the bomb? Danny fired a single ray at the blue watch. Alicia shrieked as it fell to the ground in ashes.
"YOU JUST TOTALED MY NEW WATCH!"
Danny held the cell phone to his ear. "Vlad, there were two watches. I blasted one of them. Did I pick the right one?"
Back at his base, Vlad hit the button again.
"TRANSMISSION STILL BLOCK. TERMINATING SIGNAL."
"That's a no."
Danny fired at the green watch, and unlike it's blue counter part, it made a fizzling sound before it crumbled to pieces.
"That was it!" Vlad said happily over the phone. "Congrats Daniel, you have successfully saved your city!"
Tucker and Sam jumped and gave each other high fives, smiles plastered all over their faces. They had done it! They had saved the city!
Danny turned to Alicia, "You can go now, everything's safe now."
Instead of receiving the reluctant smiles he expected, icy eyes glared back at him from both Alicia and Alysa.
"You idiot!" Alysa yelled at him. "Do you know what you just destroyed?"
Danny raised a eyebrow questioningly. "A bomb that had been planted?"
"Planted? By whom?" Alysa asked. "I just brought her those watches today from CALIFORNIA!"
This stopped Team Phantom from their celebrations. Danny looked at the two panicking girls. "Do you two know who you're messing with?"
"Do you?" Alicia shot back, her eyes raging with anger.
Taking a step back, Danny realized that there was a maniacal laughter erupting from his cell phone. "You fool!" Vlad laughed. "I can't believe you fell for that! A bomb? I mean, of all people Daniel! I didn't think you would fall for the easiest trick in the book!"
"What are you talking about Vlad?" Danny asked, a sinking feeling arising in his stomach.
"You thought the alarm was to set off a bomb! It wasn't. Oh no boy, it was far from it!"
"Huh?" Danny's eyes drifted over to Alicia, who had collapsed to the ground. She was sweating, and her entire body was shuddering. Alysa was slowly backing away, a movement Sam and Tucker copied as heat began to rage from Alicia.
Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to resist some sort of pain. "Oh Danny," she whispered. "There's no way you could've known..." With that last word muttered, she screamed and a bright light flashed about her, blinding all on the block.
When everyone's vision returned, in Alicia's place floating a very put out Conflagration.
Danny's throat went dry as Vlad's voice arose from the cell phone once more. "Fool. The signal was to activate Conflagration's transformation. And you just destroyed the block that kept her out of my grasps."