Chapter Ten: Into the Ghost Zone
**Sam's POV**
After loading whatever we could into the Specter Speeder, Danielle walked over to the a security panel against the wall closest to the portal. I watched, thinking that it wouldn't work considering that the security panel only responded to Fenton DNA. I could have kicked myself for forgetting that Danielle was basically an extension of Danny, being his clone and all. The Fenton Portal opened, presenting a swirling vortex of different hues of green. I shook my head, unable to hide a shudder as Danielle climbed aboard the Speeder.
"Ready to go?" I heard Danielle ask.
I looked at her as I nodded. I was still somewhat lost in my own thoughts though. For example, I couldn't help but think that Danny purposely proposed the idea of Danielle and I working together. I had to admit that I still wasn't fond of the younger girl considering her origin, yet at the same time I knew I couldn't be angry with her. It wasn't her fault that she was created by the world's biggest jerk, and besides...Danielle had come through for us on more than one occasion.
With a small sigh, I began going through the motions of setting the coordinates into the Speeder then starting it up. After a few minutes I drove the vehicle into the green void of the other-worldly. I tensed slightly as a chill completely engulfed me. It was a sensation that I would never get used to. It was a sense of death and it made sense considering exactly where we were heading.
Mentally I shook off the thoughts of the Grim Reaper coming to get me, and looked to the Speeder's dashboard navigator. It would take at least a half an hour to make it to Frost Bite's place, but there were a few lesser ghost's lairs nearby. I gritted my teeth together, not knowing what to do. The coordinates were already set to the Frozen Realm, but I wanted to go and check out Skulker's Island since it was closer. The self-proclaimed greatest hunter of the GZ was definitely formidable, but I had Danielle with me. Even so...
"So like, what wedding thing?"
I snapped my head up at the question, not really sure I caught everything that had been said.
"What?" I asked, wanting the younger girl to repeat her question.
She sighed at me and shook her head, though I could see that she was worried. I had been keeping to myself ever since we departed Fenton Works.
"I asked, 'what wedding thing' as in what was Danny talking about? He said you made a friend during some wedding incident and that he had followers. In order, I wanna know about this wedding thing."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Danny just had to bring that up despite me having pushed that one particular incident into the darkest depths of my mind.
"It was nothing really," I stated, but I could tell that she wasn't buying what I was selling.
"Okay, fine, don't tell me then, but what of these followers Danny spoke of? Why do they follow him?"
That was a question that even I wasn't entirely sure of. Danny was always so embarrassed when it came to talking about the Yeti or Abominable, whatever, creatures and their worshiping of him.
"Even that's something I have no clue to," I responded.
Danielle just half glared at me. She didn't like not having her questions answered, but that whole wedding incident involving myself and a loser prince stuck in the middle ages was still a slightly annoying affair for me.
I placed my hand to my head and rubbed it gently while I looked out of the front windshield. I couldn't help but frown as I really took in the sights. Something was definitely wrong. I looked around a bit more frantically, much to Danielle's annoyance.
"What's up with you, Sam? You're acting like you've seen a ghost."
I looked at Danielle, her little joke reminding me of the boy she was cloned from. Reeling in my sarcasm as much as I could, I shook my head and turned to face the younger girl.
"Or lack there of. Look."
I pointed out the window at the vastness of the GZ. Danielle followed my finger and really took in the sights. Her eyes widened in understanding as she turned to look at me, her jaw ajar.
"There aren't even any of the usual mindless blobs floating around. What's going on?" she asked, though I honestly had no answer for her.
How could I have an answer for her when we were in the same boat or, in this case, Specter Speeder?
"I don't know," I responded. "But I do plan to find out."
There were a few floating doors nearby, but I didn't want to go to any of them. No, I had a destination in mind, but it was risky. I bit my lower lip as I set a new coordinate. The Speeder halted momentarily before it slightly shifted in its course. Danielle looked at me, unsure of what I was playing at, but I was much too focused to really acknowledge the younger girl.
Once I made sure that everything was correct, I set the Speeder for autopilot and got out of the seat. Once I was out of the seat it shifted back a bit revealing something a little new to the Speeder. From the floor popped up an inflatable Mrs. Fenton. The inflatable version of Danny's mom spoke with her usually peppy-like tone that was laced with adventure.
"Coordinates have been locked in. We are now on route to...Skulker's Island."
Danielle watched the inflatable Mrs. Fenton for a few moments as did I, but my attention had gone back to what I had been about to do. I could feel Danielle's eyes on me, but I didn't turn around.
"We're going to Skulker's Island? You sure that's a good idea?"
"It's closer than the Frozen Realm, and Danny did say talk to anyone who would listen. Besides, not only is Skulker good with-" I shudder "-hunting, he's also a good information gatherer."
Danielle nodded. She most likely knew from experience since Skulker had worked for Vlad at one point. I scratched my head before I turned and motioned Danielle over. She blinked at me, momentarily confused before she got up and stood by my side. I looked over the weapons, knowing that Skulker wouldn't take too kindly to trespassers, even if it was a friendly visit. He didn't seem to really do friendly, not to mention his island was littered with traps. One couldn't be too careful.
Danielle looked at the different weapons, wondering what exactly I had planned for her. I would have given her a Specter Deflector since I knew that all of them had been set to accept Danny's DNA which meant that it shouldn't cause her any harm, but there was only one between us and I knew that I needed it more in a situation like this, especially since that particular one had been modified for me. I looked over the weapons before grabbing a newer invention that the Fentons created. They called it the Fenton Husk, a name that I will never ever be comfortable with. The Fenton Husk was basically armor that protected its wearer from ecto-blasts, but it definitely had a limit.
The FH was in the form of a ball for the moment, but when I squeezed it twice in succession, the bright orange-teal ball began to unravel and slither up my arm. Danielle let out a surprised squeak, but continued to watch. It was clear that she was intrigued. When it was all over and done with, I was covered in a suit that resembled the armor that Valerie Grey wore when she went out hunting ghosts as the Red Huntress. Unlike Valerie though, the armor that covered me was slightly less fashionable, the horridly bright orange clashing with the teal of the suit, and it lacked a helmet.
Danielle looked at me and cringed. I know the colors were horrendous, at least by my standards. I smirked and channeled my thoughts into the armor. The moment I did, the armor changed to my purple and black color scheme. Danielle looked at me curiously and while I glanced to the side.
"It has a camouflage feature," I shrugged.
I then returned to the and grabbed the Specter Deflector that I had packed. I put it on around my waist then grabbed my favorite weapons, the Fenton Pistols, and placed them in a holster on the Specter Deflector which was revealed by the press of a button. It was an upgrade I had suggested.
Danielle looked at me approvingly before she searched the pile for something. I knew she could handle herself in a ghost battle, but at the same time I knew that she had drained a lot of energy while fighting with Dan Phantom. I rubbed my head as I looked around for an item which had never let me down in the past. With a slight 'ah hah' I grabbed what I had been searching for and handed it to Danielle. She looked at it, slightly confused while I put it around her good wrist.
"It's the Fenton Wrist Ray," I proclaimed proudly.
It was one of my favorite inventions alongside of the Fenton Bazooka and the Fenton Pistols. Danielle looked at the item as I removed my hand. I then began to explain to her how it worked. It wasn't really that hard. All you had to do was point and press a button on the item that caused it to shoot. It was that simple. Danielle nodded her head and then turned her attention outside of the speeder. She looked as though she was nervous.
"I've never seen the Ghost Zone so void of life," she stated before she face-palmed. "You know what I mean."
I couldn't help the teasing smile that tugged at my lips. Yep, she definitely shared many traits with Danny. I shook my head of my thoughts and watched as Skulker's floating island appeared in the distance. I bit my lower lip and narrowed my eyes. I couldn't believe that I was actually doing this, but heck it was world saving time again. We had to do something, right?
"Approximately ten minutes before arrival. Please have a seat and fastened your safety belts," stated the Inflatable Mrs. F.
Danielle and I did as we were instructed, though Danielle's main focused seemed to be on the outside of the Speeder. I wasn't sure if she had seen something or was just being overly cautious, but the nervousness from her was starting to effect me.
"Dani-"
"I thought I saw a distortion..."
"You mean the moment something goes invisible?" I asked as I looked out the window.
Honestly, I didn't see anything, but Danielle assured me with a nod of her head. I sat in the co-pilot seat of the Speeder and looked at the radar to see if it picked something up. There was nothing on the radar except for the approaching island. I shook my head as I looked towards Danielle.
"Initiating cloaking," stated the Inflatable Mrs. F.
I nearly jumped when the Speeder shook and cloaked itself.
"I sorta wish that Danny was here," stated Danielle before she frowned towards me.
I frowned back. We didn't need Danny. The two of us were more than capable of handling this situation. Then again, if we got ambushed by a hoard of ghosts...Danny's Ghostly Wail would definitely come in handy. I closed my eyes and counted backwards from five. Once I regained my composure I turned back to the front and looked out of the window. Skulker's Island had become incredibly close. In fact, the Specter Speeder was landing.
"We've now arrived at Skulker's Island. Happy Hunting."
With that said, the Inflatable Mrs. F. retreated back into her hiding place while the seat moved to its original position. I could hear Danielle trying to stifle a laugh. I looked at her, slightly annoyed. She looked at me before finally caving to her urge to laugh.
"C'mon Sam, she said 'Happy Hunting' and we're on Skulker's Island. You have to see the irony in that."
I rolled my eyes before I pointed to the Speeder's exit.
"Come on Dani, let's go and speak with the Ghost Zone's Greatest Windbag."
I opened the hatch of the Speeder and hopped out with Danielle behind me. I turned back to the Speeder and watched the area around the invisible Speeder distorted due to the door closing. It would be hard to find the Speeder like this, but luckily the Spec Deflector on my waist, along with the other Spec Deflecs, had a built in tracker that would lead its wearer right back to the Speeder with the push of a button.
Looking around, I noticed that we had landed in ghostly jungle. Danielle, who was now hovering beside me, also began to look around.
"I don't hear anything," she said with a frown on her face.
I looked at her for a moment before remembering that Danny had often complained about being able to hear other people speak from the other side of a hallway or in another classroom while we were in class. It had started recently, like it was a new power or something. It seemed that Danielle had the same ability but, unlike Danny, she could control it.
"You don't hear anything?" I repeated though she didn't respond back.
After a few moments, she tilted her head to the left and then completely turned in that direction.
"Scratch that, I can her a guitar riff from that o'way."
"Must be Ember," I stated with my brow raised curiously.
It was no secret that Ember and Skulker were in a relationship, but I hadn't thought I'd find her here and if she was here with Skulker...
"We need to be really careful, then," I stated as I began to walk forward, making sure to walk as lightly as my steel-toed boots would let me.
Danielle came up behind me and hoisted me up from beneath my armpits. I looked up at her before she nodded her head downward at what looked like some sort of freshly dug hole. How hadn't I noticed that? I shook my head before I began to survey the area from this birds-eye view. It was interesting and a little scary at the same time. Skulker's Island looked like a battleground. Traps had been unearthed and triggered left and right. I gulped simultaneously with Danielle, but we pushed onward.
A few times I had to hold my breath as I noticed a few ghostly animals slowly dissipating into nothingness. Sure they were already dead, but they still looked like they were hurting. I closed my eyes, wondering how long ago this battle had happened. Judging from the scorch marks here and there that seemed to be slowly vanishing, I'd say it had been a while ago, maybe a few weeks or so. The Ghost Zone was just weird like that.
"This is terrible," Danielle stated as she looked around.
Though I wasn't fond of the hunter, I had to agree with Danielle. This was terrible. On the bright side though, it meant less traps for us to worry about which made this easier. The downside was that Skulker was probably peeved, which meant he would most likely lash out at us. My stomach tried to tell me that proceeding was exactly a smart move on our part, but I ignored it in favor of my curiosity.
It didn't take us too long to reach the inner...sanctum, I guess. In the middle of the island was a huge hunting cabin that was definitely made from ghostly logs or something. I couldn't suppress a snarl at this. Even in death, trees were being used for selfish reasons. Same could be said for animals.
Danielle put me down gently as I continued to fume where I stood. She, on the other hand, walked out in front of me and looked at the cabin.
"That log cabin is huge."
I walked forward, ready to give Skulker a piece of my mind, but Danielle stops me. I glare at her for a moment, but my glare subsides when I realize she's listening for something. She closes her eyes for a few minutes before opening them.
"Ember's definitely inside, but it sounds like she's crying."
My expression, I'm sure, turns to shock. Ember was crying? Ember McClain was crying. Secretly I admired Ember. She and I would probably have been good friends if she weren't into causing the living world so much drama. Her music wasn't really as bad as I had claimed in the past, and if I wanted to be completely honest, I could see myself in her. We had a lot in common. To hear that she was crying was totally surprising, and it made me wary.
Beside me, Danielle returned to her human self and motioned for me to follow her. She walked through Skulker's front door without bothering to open it as did I. In the Ghost Zone, humans are the ghosts meaning that we could basically walk through walls.
The two of us stood in what appeared to be the main room of the hut. I shuddered violently as I took in the different pelts and heads that lined the wall. I immediately held my stomach with one hand and my mouth with the other. The urge to hurl was strong, but I had to keep myself together. This was important.
"Danny owes me big time for this," I forced out between ragged breaths.
Danielle gave me a sympathetic look before the sound of something shattering took us both by surprise. Danielle readied her wrist ray and I readied my pistols. The two of us then ran in the direction that the sound had come from, throwing not only caution but common sense into the wind. Once we reached our destination I noticed that we were in a bedroom. Ember was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed with her head against the mattress. Her guitar was broken in half and her make-up was smeared. Almost instantly her guitar repaired itself and her hair flared and momentarily engulfed her in their teal flames, fixing up her appearance.
Danielle took a silent step forward. Ember hadn't noticed us yet.
"Ember?" Danielle asked, which startled the ghost to the point that she...shuffled backwards?
What? It was a totally weird and unexpected reaction from the punk rocker.
"Mini-dipstick?" Ember asked as she finally realized that we were there.
Her haired flared violently which forced the two of us to take a step back. Ember extended her arm towards her guitar and it flew into her outstretched hand. Ember had the look of a woman scorned, and I for one didn't want to contend with that. Both Danielle and I obviously had the same thoughts in mind considering how we both put away our weapons and raised our hands into the air, surrendering before anything got out of hand. Ember rose to her feet, her black skull boots not making a sound. Her black halter top was slightly tattered, most likely a new style since it hadn't been repaired with the rest of her appearance. Her black pants were also tattered to match the top, and her make-up was still the same as usual upon her gray-blue skin.
"We're not here to fight, Ember," stated Danielle with her hands still raised in surrender.
"We're here to figure out where everyone is," I chimed in while watching Ember play with the settings on her blue and violet guitar.
"Why should I believe the two of you, huh? Mini-dipstick, maybe, but you?"
Ember pointed at me accusingly which caused me to raise my brow at her. Danielle looked at me and then to Ember unsure as to what was going on.
"You've never liked Skulker and now...now you show up here?"
"And what is THAT supposed to mean, you washed up pop-star?"
Ember's hair flared up once more at my insult, and I lowered my arms in favor of placing my hands on my hips near the butt of my pistols. My eyes narrowed and I hunched forward, ready to lash out at the girl. I was not in the mood to get blamed for some stupid spat she and her boyfriend were having.
"No doubt you came here to finish him off, but I refuse to let that happen!"
I blinked. Finish Skulker off?
"Whoa-" I started to say the moment Ember began to strum her guitar.
Danielle shoved me out of they way; the two of us hitting the ground with a thud. Looking back up at Ember, it was clear that the female ghost was hysterical. Something bad had clearly happened to Skulker, and she was doing what she could to protect him, wherever he was.
"HONEST EMBER, WE WERE WORRIED! Trust me when I say we wouldn't be here otherwise," shouted Danielle while she ripped the sling from her injured arm so that she could properly cover her head with her hands to protect her from falling objects, one of which rolled in front of my face.
"I'm going to kill Danny myself," I shouted, ignoring Danielle's protest in favor of jumping to my feet to escape the severed head of some ghostly creature.
I turned angrily to look at Ember while Danielle rose to her feet in front of me. Ember was just about ready to strike a few more chords but Danielle had switched to ghost and flew towards the enraged female. I had to admit that I wasn't expecting what happened next.
SLAP!
Ember looked just as stunned as did I. Danielle had launched herself forward with her right hand raised, and delivered a smack to the pop-star's face. There was a moment of silence after that. Ember raised her hand to her throbbing cheek while Danielle took in a few deep breaths before she began speaking.
"Listen Ember, I don't know what's happened here, but you have to believe that we had nothing to do with it. In fact, we've been a little too occupied. Danny sent us into the Ghost Zone to make sure that everyone was alright. There've been a lack of usual ghost attacks, and there's a new guy causing major trouble."
I watched as Ember began to recover from her own stunned silence. She looked at Danielle, but she didn't say anything, so Danielle continued.
"We're here to figure out if the new guy is connected to all this not to mention recruit helpers to take him down."
Ember was still unresponsive, so I figured that I would chime in.
"Guy's name is Alucard. He's the hottest ghost in town right now, and if he continues to get his way, there's a chance that he'll wreak havoc around here."
"He already has," stated Ember as she glared off to the side with her hand still to her cheek.
Danielle and I frowned. That would explain the lack of ghosts in the zone. I hesitated before I asked my question; a question which I knew would be difficult for Ember to answer.
"What happened to Skulker?"
Ember's body tensed and her ghostly aura faded. She then pointed to the bed that she had been leaning against. Danielle and I looked to each other, then looked towards the bed while Ember turned her back to us. Laying on the bed, barely visible, was a small plankton like creature. I had seen this thing before. It was Skulker without his armor. Danielle gasped which elicited a choked sob from Ember.
"He's destabilizing!" Danielle all but sobbed.
I bit my lip harder as my stomach fluttered. Right here was one of Danny's greatest enemies. Part of me wanted to just let him pass on, but another part of me...if it wasn't for Skulker, then the ghosts in the zone wouldn't have helped out during the Disasteroid Event, at least that's what Danny had said. We owed Skulker. In fact, we owed him more than one favor, though no-one would willingly admit it.
I rubbed the back of my head before I looked towards Ember who still had her back to us. She couldn't bare to see her boyfriend like this. Again I felt my stomach do this weird Topsy-turvey thing. I growled at my emotions which caused the two other females to look at me. I turned to Ember who was gripping her guitar tightly. She was waiting for me to do something to her guy. I raised my hands and shook my head, but she was still wary.
"If that was Danny lying there..." I started which caused Ember to slightly lower her guitar. "I can't help but think of what I'd do to save him."
"What are you trying to say?" Ember snapped at me, most likely feeling that I was goading her or something.
"I'm saying there might be a way to stabilize Skulker."
Both Danielle and Ember looked at me like I had began to mutate or something.
"I don't know what you're trying to pull, Baby-Pop, but I'm not falling for it."
"Listen Pop-Princess, I'm saying there is a way to save your boyfriend, but you're going to really have to trust me on this one. How much do you love him?"
Ember hesitated. There was a slight darkening to her ghostly cheeks, and I knew she was blushing. Like me, she didn't like to spout on about such sap, so I saved her the trouble of answering.
"You love him enough to stay by his side until you move on whatever. Ember, if you want Skulker back then I have a proposition for you."
"A catch?" Ember snapped.
I smirked.
"I'm sure it's something you'd like; Getting back at the ghost who did all this. In exchange for saving Skulker, we want you to help us take down Alucard when the time comes, and maybe even pass the word along to anyone willing to listen."
Ember looked at Danielle who nodded approvingly. Ember turned to us with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"It's a deal, but only if Skulker survives."
"It's a deal then," I stated with a smirk of my own.
I extended my hand to Ember for a handshake and she gladly returned it. Ember then turned back to Danielle who was looking at me.
"What now? We were supposed to be recruiting people, and so far we only have a maybe from Ember."
I nodded my head knowingly. My plan had holes, which meant that if we failed here, we wouldn't have any ghostly allies. One of us had to go back to Fenton Works to deliver Skulker while someone went around recruiting. Naturally, I figured that Ember would want to stay by Skulker's side to make sure nothing happened to him.
"Danielle, you take Ember and Skulker back to Fenton Works while I use the speeder to go to the Frozen Realm."
Danielle gave me a look which I could interpret a thousand different ways, but I ignored them all.
"You have too, Danielle. I'll be fine. I've taken the trip to the Realm of the Far Frozen on more than one occasion."
"Danny's gonna be peeved for more reasons than one."
"If he gives you grief, tell him I have a bone to pick with him. Better yet, a severed head and several pelts."
Danielle shuddered and I winced.
"Wait, Sam, what's the plan? How are we supposed to save Skulker?"
"You're kidding right?" snapped Ember, a look of rage in her eyes.
"Calm down, Pop-Princess. Danny managed to stabilize Danielle. Hopefully the stuff he used hasn't all been tampered with for the ED2.0, otherwise..."
I didn't finish my sentence, much to Ember's relief. Danielle smiled and smacked her palm to her forehead. I'm surprised she didn't see what I was getting at beforehand.
"Ember, get Skulker and follow me!" shouted Danielle as she lifted off into the air.
Ember nodded her head and slung her guitar around her shoulder via shoulder strap. She rushed to the side of the bed and gingerly picked up the barely visible Skulker, who moved his mouth in silent protest. I felt my heart bleed for the little green blob despite all the trouble he's caused. Danielle placed both her hands against her chest above her heart. Ember, who momentarily ignored us, placed a delicate kiss to Skulkers head before putting him a small pouch on her belt. She looked at me and Danielle, both of us pretending that we hadn't seen the pop-star at her weakest. She rushed towards the door to the hut and kicked it open. Danielle flew after her while I ran after the two of them.
Ember pulled her guitar over her shoulder and tossed it in front of her. She then turned back to me and hopped on top of her guitar. She reached out her hand and I gave her a skeptical look. Was she offering me a ride? She rolled her eyes.
"I don't have all day, Baby-Pop. Get on."
"The vehicle we got here on isn't too far from here. You two get a move on."
Ember and Danielle looked at me while I pretended to examine the non-existent watch on my wrist. Ember's jaw tightened while she flew off on her guitar, Danielle following quickly behind her with one last look in my direction.
Once the two of them were out of sight, I began making my way back to the Speeder; the Spec Deflector on my waist beeped as I approached the craft. Thanks to the traps being put more or less out of commission, the trip back was fairly easy, though the animals that I saw brought a tinge of pain to my chest. Alucard was definitely going down.
When I arrived at the Speeder, I felt around for the keypad. Once I found the keypad, I ran my hand across it so I would know where the buttons were, after all the Speeder was still invisible. Once I made sure my fingers were in the right spots, I pressed the buttons in a specific sequence which activated the Speeder's unlocking mechanism. The Speeder flickered into the visible spectrum and the door to the craft opened. I made my way inside the Speeder and set the coordinates for the next closest realm; Dragon Kingdom, formerly known as the Kingdom of Aragon.
"Wonder how Dora's doing," I muttered to myself as I tried not to think about the ghostly massacre that I was leaving behind.
**Danni's POV**
I had to admit that this was a little weird. I honestly never had any real trouble with Ember other than the one time she had mistaken me for Danny. That brought about an awkward conversation and a mutual sort of tolerance for each other. Looking back at the ghost who was riding her guitar like a surfer on their surfboard, I knew she could use a friend. I slowed down a bit so that she could catch up with me. Neither of us stopped or said anything though. We both knew that this was an awkward situation. I raised my hand and gently placed it on her shoulder. She looked at me, a tad bit startled, but she calmed down a bit and frowned.
"Listen, Ember, it'll be alright, you'll see."
"I don't need your pity, mini-dipstick, so let's just go and get this over with."
I frowned.
"S'not pity, Ember. I really mean it. Everything will be fine. Just look at me. The last time we met I was weak and dissipating into goo. Now, I'm stable and growing. If I'm anything to go by, Skulker will be better in no time. You'll see."
I smiled reassuringly at Ember, but her frown deepened. Okay, well, she was definitely one of those loner types that didn't take to kind words. It made me wonder what her life was like before she died. I kept quiet from that moment on. If Ember wanted to sulk, she could. I was just trying to be friendly, maybe even be that one friend that she seemed like she needed. Everyone needed someone after all.
I sighed as I began to pick up speed. The Fenton Portal was coming into view. Ember sped up a little bit as well, most likely in anticipation. Skulker was really was important to her.
When we reached the portal it didn't open. I blinked at the doors before I turned human thinking that if it sensed a living being in the ghost zone, it would open. When I turned human I felt myself descend, but the door opened with a hiss. It seemed that my plan had worked. Sweet.
I watched as Ember shot through the portal like a bullet from a gun. I switched to ghost mode and shot through it myself before the door had time to close. Ember was looking at the portal through the dark and sagged her shoulders in what looked like relief. I guess she was glad that I made it through?
"Follow me!" I said as I made my way towards the stairs.
I stopped when I realized that Ember hadn't made a move to follow. I turned to face her and watched as she slung her guitar once more over her shoulder. She then reached into the pouch she had placed Skulker in and gently pulled him out to examine him. I could see the many emotions in her eyes, though the most prominent one was of fear. I knew it was a fear of losing the one she cared for, but it was because she was in the home of their enemy and she didn't know how Danny would react to her wanting...no, needing his help.
"We don't have time for this," I snapped at Ember which caused her to look at me.
I grabbed her by her arm and drag her towards the stairs. She doesn't protest, which is out of character, but I can understand why. I slowed down when I reached the top of the stairs. I could hear voices from the next room. One of them was definitely Danny. He seemed to be feeling a bit better. The next voice I heard was Tucker's. After Tucker there was Mr. Fenton, then two unexpected voices.
I led Ember to the entryway of the kitchen and peeked my head out. Mr. Fenton was talking to Valerie's dad, Mr. Damon Grey, while working on something that looked like a generator. Tucker was on the floor helping while Danny was explaining the current situation to the two newcomers.
"Hey," I said awkwardly which got everyone's attention.
Danny looked at me, slightly confused, probably because I got back sooner than he had expected.
"You guys are back quicker than I expected."
Danny tried to peek in the kitchen behind me, most likely looking for Sam. Valerie smiled and waved at me to which I returned the gesture.
"Where's Sam?" Tucker questioned as he looked up at me.
"Yeah, about that..." I started knowing that Danny was not going to like what he was about to hear.
"Danni," started Danny which prompted me to put my hands up defensively.
"We split up." I raised my voice before Danny had a chance to protest. "I promise that there is a perfectly good reason behind it!"
Just as Danny was no doubt about to demand this perfectly good reason from me, Ember's flaming head peeked out from behind me. Though she was taller than me, she had been out of view. Danny clenched his fists, but he didn't make a move. After all, he had sent us into the Zone to pick up recruits and gather information.
"Ember," snapped Valerie who placed her hand on her hip which housed a gun that was specifically designed for ghost hunting.
"Easy, Val," said Danny as he motioned her to stand down with his hand. "She's here to help, right?"
It was clear in Danny's tone that if Ember wasn't there to help that she had no business being there at all. Ember, obviously not wanting to show weakness, didn't back down at his tone, and she answered him snarlingly.
"It ain't gonna be that easy, Dipstick. You want my help, ya gotta do me a favor."
"No deal," was Danny's immediate reply.
"Okay, back up a sec," I snapped before looking to Val who had her weapon at the ready while Danny was prepared was just about to 'Go Ghost'.
I rubbed my forehead before shooting Danny a dark look.
"I wouldn't have brought Ember her unless I was sure she was going to help us-"
"But she just-"
"Stop interrupting me, Danny! Ember's not asking you to forsake everything you love or something. Besides...she has a reason to take down Al just like the rest of us."
Danny looked at me skeptically, and I motioned Ember in front of me. She gave me this disapproving look. She most likely didn't like this situation, and if there was another way, she probably would have taken it.
"Now isn't the time, Ember. Swallow your pride."
Ember turned back to Danny, her tough girl facade almost vanishing. Danny seemed concerned, but Ember seemed to ignore him. She opened the palm of her hand revealing Skulker's small and vanishing frame. Danny's jaw dropped as he rushed over to Ember, her eyes glittering with unshed tears and fury.
"I-is that Skulker?"
At that, Tucker looked up from what he was doing while Mr. Fenton and Mr. Grey continued working. Tucker stood to his feet and walked over, giving a whistle at the state the small ghost was in.
"What happened to him?" asked the Techno-Geek.
"Al," I answered simply.
Danny's eyes were filled with anger as he stared down at Skulker. That would explain his disappearance.
"When did this happen?" Danny asked as he tore his vision from Skulker to look at Ember.
"A month ago...We thought he'd regain his form like normal but he didn't and we didn't know what to do and since that other stupid halfa Vlad is gone Skulker didn't know what to do other than wait which is what we did but it got worse and-"
"Ember, breath err...calm down," stated Danny as he scratched his head.
Ember had started crying throughout her winded explanation. Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew what he had to do, but I wasn't sure if he was fond of the idea or not.
"Your girlfriend said that you could do whatever you did to stabilize mini-dipstick to Skulker. The deal was if you save him, I help you, got it?"
Danny looked at me and then back to Skulker.
"I don't know if it'll work...I mean, Danni was turning back into basic ectoplasm. Skulker looks like he's fading out of existence..."
Ember screamed in anger which caused the glass in the immediate area to shatter. Her eyes burned with unadulterated fury. Everyone in the room cringed at Ember's shriek.
In an instant Skulker was in her left hand while Danny was in her right with wide and terror stricken eyes.
"But we can try. There's no harm in trying. I mean you never know what'll happen unless you try right? The greatest inventors definitely tried many times before they succeeded, you know, and why am I still talking? I am such a spaz."
Ember let Danny go while Valerie glared at the ghost. Valerie lowered her weapon while Danny looked over towards the table. There was a vial that said Ecto-Dejecto on it.
"This is one of five vials left of the original formula. Dad, Mr. Grey and Tucker were gonna use mom's notes and try to come up with a new version of it that actually rids a ghost of their powers...but Skulker needs it more..."
Danny picked up the vial and looked at Tucker who nodded his head. Danny sighed before he took a small cushion and placed it on the table.
"Put him here," Danny instructed Ember as he pointed to the middle of the plush pillow.
Ember hesitated before she walked further into the room. She put Skulker down and knelt beside him. No-one tried to get her to move away even though the living area looked a bit cramped. Danny placed his pinky finger to Skulker's forehead and it slipped right through the ghost. Tucker looked at his best friend while Danny frowned. I could tell that he was totally not sure if it was going to work, but lest he wished to see that demonic side of Ember again...
"Whoo boy," stated Danny as he looked from Skulker, to Tucker, then to Ember.
"Danny, I got an idea, but I don't think Ember's gonna like it," stated Tucker.
"What is it, four-eyes?" she snapped.
Tucker straightened his glasses and frowned before looking to Danny.
"This vial was attached to something that administered it as a spray, right?"
Danny nodded while Tucker began to look around for a something.
"What are you looking for?" I asked Tucker curiously.
"There was a small box here a second ago..."
"I threw it out. It was getting in the way," replied Valerie with a shrug.
Tucker looked a little upset about that, but then turned to Danny.
"Got a shoe box?"
"Yeah, but they're full of shoes and stacked in the closet underneath some stuff. Why?"
"Oh come on," muttered Tucker before he locked eyes with the pouch that was rested snugly on Ember's hip.
"That might work" Tucker said as he pointed to Ember's pouch.
Ember looked at the pouch, not sure where Tucker was going. I had no idea what he was getting at either. Valerie looked at Tucker like his IQ had dropped while Danny just looked at Ember.
"It'll work for what?" she asked as she began to remove the pouch, sensing that it had something to do with helping her boyfriend.
"I'll explain while Danny gets the nozzle for that vial."
Danny nodded, knowing that was his cue.
Tucker then turned back to Ember and picked up the slightly glowing pouch. He looked at it carefully, picking it at the Velcro that held the pouch closed.
"Skulker's form is fluctuating between his solid ghostly form and his intangibility form. In other words, he's fading. At the same time, Skulker seems like he's trying not to let go. Guy's definitely persistent, which is important right now. The Ecto-Dejecto won't be able to be injected into him, but if we spray it in an enclosed space with Skulker inside, Skulker would be able to breath it in and absorb it into his body."
Mr. Fenton looked back at Tucker and slapped him on the back.
"Good idea," he said sounding chipper, though I could see the worry and fear in his eyes.
"Thanks," Tucker wheezed.
Danny returned moments later and attached the Ecto-Dejecto to the nozzle which he then handed to Tucker. Tucker took it then opened the pouch, turning it upside-down to make sure that it was empty. Tucker didn't seem really happy about something though, and after a few moments, he put the pouch down.
"Get me a jar instead," he ordered as he pointed to me.
"What's wrong with the pouch?" I questioned.
"It's ghostly. I have no idea how the stuff will react to it."
With I sigh I flew into the kitchen to retrieve a jar with a lid. I wasn't sure if I should rinse it out or not, but we were wasting enough time already. I decided against it and made my way over to the table. I handed Tucker the jar and the lid, then watched as Danny picked up a solid Skulker, turned his hand and the little ghost intangible, put his hand in the jar a few inches from the bottom of it, and dropped him so that he could turn tangible before he could phase through it. Ember looked as though she wanted to protest, but she bit her lip. Skulker mouthed something, but none of us seemed to understand what he was trying to say.
"Fudgin' Alucard," hissed Danny angrily which momentarily caused all eyes to turn to him. Danny didn't seem to notice though.
"Who's he think he is? The sooner we stop him, the better."
No-one protested or said anything about Danny's censored profanity. Instead, Tucker took the Ecto-Dejecto and sprayed a bunch of it in the jar before closing the lid tightly with Skulker inside.
"All we can do now is wait," he stated apologetically to Ember.
Ember just focused on the jar and watched it. Meanwhile, Mr. Fenton and Mr. Grey had managed to do whatever it was they were trying to do with the generator.
"Danny-boy, take this into the lab and hook it up like the other one."
Danny looked to his dad before he turned back to the jar with Skulker's fading form in it. With a sigh he nodded his head and swapped to ghost mode. He lifted the generator from the ground with a bit of trouble then turned intangible to phase through the floor.
While Danny was downstairs, I sat on the couch and looked around, realizing that Jazz was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Jazz?" I questioned out loud for anyone to answer.
"She's in her room trying to figure out where Al could be hiding. Apparently Danny got kicked out of her room for being more distracting than helpful," answered Tucker with a forced laugh.
"I still think trying to track him like that is a big waste of time. If he can teleport like you guys say, then he could be in Wisconsin for all we know," stated Val with a frown.
"He could be, but I doubt it. Even Vlad couldn't teleport from Wisconsin to Amity. I mean, probably not without making stops in between. He's somewhere outside of Amity. My theory about his teleporting skills is that, depending on how far he goes, it drains his energy supply accordingly. That probably goes with teleporting objects and people. I bet, at the moment, he's resting because he had two passengers."
Val looked at Tucker skeptically while Mr. Fenton and Mr. Grey looked as though they were thinking on it.
"Why did Al take Mrs. Fenton anyway?" Val asked which brought a dark gleam to Mr. Fenton's eyes.
Tucker, on the other hand, started twiddling his fingers nervously.
"There could be a lot of reasons. Mr. and Mrs. F are a team. Without one, the other wouldn't be able to work at their usual fast pace due to worry or anger or something. Working while emotional isn't a good idea either. It'll make you rush and rushing causes you to make critical errors. Another reason would probably be to rattle Danny's cage. You know how Danny gets when his emotions get out of control. He gets sloppy and predictable, more so than usual. Then, there's also the fact he's Vlad's clone."
"'Nuff said," stated Jazz from the upstairs landing.
She walked down the stairs with a notebook in her hands. She looked like she had been working non-stop which, I for one, didn't doubt. She immediately took notice of Ember, but she didn't make a scene. Most likely she figured that Ember was one of the recruits that Sam and I had brought back.
"Find anything," Val asked while she played with the gun in her hand.
"Yeah, lots actually, but nothing helpful."
Jazz rubbed her temples and shook her head. She sat on the couch and looked at the jar on the table. She then noticed the little blob in the jar and Ember's face. She turned to me, questioningly, but I put my finger to my lips telling her not to ask. She took the hint and kept quiet, though that didn't last long.
"This is so much harder than I thought it would be," she sighed exasperatedly as she shook her head.
"Tell me about it," came Danny's voice as he floated up from the floor, startling the Greys and Jazz.
Danny had a slight mischievous gleam in his eyes and he held up the Boo-merang.
"I know this thing is busted, but if we fixed it I bet it would come in real handy."
Mr. Fenton took the boomerang item and then looked at Danny, catching the hint.
"I can start on it now while Damon works on figuring out what that stuff is your mystery ghost left you. Tucker can go over the ED2.0!"
"Or Tuck can tweak the Boo-merang and you can start on the ED2.0, Dad."
Mr. Fenton nodded and for the moment, everyone seemed satisfied. That was when something unexpected happened. The alarms started blaring which caused everyone to look at Danny.
"It's not Ember. I made sure to compensate for her before I reactivated the alarm, I swear, not to mention I compensated for when Skulker gets better."
Ember let a little smile grace her features. Danny's confident tone was enough to assure her that everything would be fine.
"Um, Danny, remember the Fedora Ghost?" asked Tucker which caused Danny to frown.
"Why is that question even relevant?" Danny asked while he narrowed his eyes.
Tucker pointed towards the kitchen and we all turned in that direction.
"I believe you now," was Tucker's uncertain reply.
"You," snapped Danny, then his expression softened a bit. "What are you doing here?"
The fedora and trench coat moved slightly, and everyone braced themsevles as magenta colored energy emerged from the invisible creature. The energy didn't go anywhere though, it merely floated in place forming...words?
F-I-X-I-N-G Y-O-U-R P-O-R-T-A-L
It took a moment to get over the shock to figure out what was being spelled. Jazz was the first to speak.
"What was wrong with the portal?" she question.
Again, the figure began to form letters with his energy.
A-L-U-C-A-R-D B-R-O-K-E F-I-L-T-R-A-T-O-R
Mr. Fenton's eyes widened at that as did Danny's.
"What does that mean?" I asked, looking at Danny, then to Mr. Fenton.
"It means the Fenton Portal could have exploded leaving a crater the size of Texas in it's wake," replied Danny while Mr. Fenton nodded.
Everyone looked around nervously before their eyes landed on the floating coat and fedora.
"I guess I owe you again. Thanks," said Danny as he smiled to the ghost.
For a moment, nothing happened, much to Danny's slight annoyance. Seconds later, a piece of paper was floating in the air in front of the creature. Danny blinked as the paper began to float towards him, shrouded in the ghost's magenta aura. Danny hesitated before he took it. He looked it over and then turned his attention back to the creature in front of us.
"It's an address," he stated.
The fedora tilted forward slightly as though it was nodding. It then disappeared. Everyone stood there silently, while Jazz took it upon herself to stop the blaring alarm that had been nothing more than background noise for the past five minutes.
Danny looked over the address before he handed it to Tucker who looked it over carefully. Tucker pulled out his PDA and typed in the address. I hovered behind the duo and watched as a satellite photo showed a rickety looking shack that had to have been condemned.
"You don't think-" started Tucker.
"I do."
I looked to both Danny and Tucker waiting for them to share with the rest of us.
"Al has to be there," Danny said as he continued his train of thought.
"He doesn't have to be there, dude," Tucker pointed out though Danny just waved him away.
"There is one way to find out," I piped up and watched as the duo turned around to face me. "We go and knock."
Tucker and Danny looked at each other while Jazz walked over to us.
"Absolutely not," she said as she folded her arms over her chest.
"Would it help if I said that I was kidding about the knocking part?" I asked sarcastically.
"Jazzy-pants," started Mr. Fenton which caused Jazz to turn around. "Let them at least stakeout the area."
The protest was right on her lips, but Val cut her off.
"We'll just do it anyway."
All eyes turned to Valerie. Her long black hair that reached the middle of her back was covered in a dark red helmet with black lining. Her yellow shirt and orange skirt was covered by a matching dark red body armor and her gun was holstered at her side.
"I can't ask you to do this, Val. This is our fight. You've done enough already," Danny said with a grateful smile on his face.
"Can it, Ghost-Boy," she replied with a playful yet serious tone. "Amity is my home town too, so I'm gonna help, and there ain't nothin' you can do about it."
Danny looked towards Mr. Grey who had the most grim expression possible. Even if he said no, I knew that his daughter would just do as she pleased. The only thing Mr. Grey could do was wish her luck and hope she came back in one piece. Danny sighed and shrugged before giving Mr. Grey his reassuring smile.
"I'll look out for her."
"Thank you."
With that, Danny and Val walked outside. Val jumped into the air, and from the bottom of her feet sprouted a hover board that matched her body armor. Both she and Danny took off, and I was on their tail almost immediately after.
"Wait up," I shouted which prompted the two of them to slow down a bit.
Danny, however, looked as though he had just remembered something, and stopped completely which caused Val to stop.
"Uh, I need to make a stop first..."
Val and I looked at Danny curiously, but shrugged.
It took maybe ten minutes to fifteen minutes at full speed to reach the Nasty Burger. Both Val and I gave Danny a disapproving look, but he ignored it and landed. He phased through the door and I followed after him. I then unlocked the door for Val who followed us inside.
"Wow, this place," Val started, but stopped when she saw two people sitting on opposite sides of the restaurant.
"Dash, Terra, you two alright?" Danny asked as he stood in the middle of the floor.
The two individuals turned almost simultaneously to face Danny. Dash looked momentarily relieved while Terra looked like she couldn't careless that Danny was standing there. The two got to their feet and walked over. Dash shoved Danny before he pointed an accusing finger at him.
"You're late!" he accused.
Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"It's three in the afternoon," Dash continued.
Terra looked like she wanted to correct him, but she just rolled her eyes instead.
"Yeah, sorry, but my house was broken in to, my mom was kidnapped, and an explosion that would have decimated half of Amity Park took top priority over the two of you. Hope you can understand."
Danny's remark was laced with sarcasm, but it was all true.
Both Dash and Terra looked surprised at this, Dash looking like he was fighting with his morals and Terra placing her hands guiltily in her pockets.
"You guys'll be fine here for a while longer, right?" Val asked.
Dash looked like he wanted to protest, but he held his tongue, but Danny shook his head.
"Huntress, why don't you escort them home?"
Val turned to look at Danny in disbelief.
"Do I look like a babysitter? You just don't want me in on the action, that's all."
I looked at Danny and Val as they bickered. Terra looked unimpressed while Dash looked like he wanted to shoot something, or someone. I sighed. Danny owed me big time for this one.
"I'll make sure they get home, so take your bickering elsewhere. Just don't let Al hear you."
That caused the two of them to go silent. Dash looked relieved while Terra once again looked like she didn't really care. Danny smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up before he and Val made their way towards the door. I couldn't help but glare at them. It was my idea to even come out here, and I had to babysit Casper High's biggest bully and some nerd girl. With a shake of my head I turn my attention back to Terra and Dash.
"Let's go," I snapped before I stood to the side and pointed at the door.
Dash mumbled something while Terra pushed her glasses up a little higher on her nose.
Dash's house was closest, so I escorted him there. It was quiet the whole trip unless you count Dash's muttering. When we arrived at Dash's house the relief that was on the bully's face was priceless. He pulled out a key from his pocket, but I merely placed my hand on his shoulder, turned him intangible and shoved him through the door. He yelped in surprise, but I didn't acknowledge it. Instead, I turned my attention to Terra.
"Where do you live," I asked her with a frown.
She didn't respond, but instead she started walking in the opposite direction. I watched her carefully, not sure what to make of her. She was strange to me, and strange usually meant suspicious. Terra stopped for a moment and turned back to face me. There was something in her eyes, and I didn't like it.
"I'll be fine. My house isn't too far from here," she said as she started walking again.
"It wouldn't be right to just leave you to walk alone."
"I've been walking alone for as long as I can remember," was the slightly depressing reply that I got from her.
Unsure of what to say or do now, I just followed behind her silently.
It hadn't even been ten minutes when we arrived at Terra's house. She looked at the house before jiggling the doorknob. The door opened a few seconds later and she walked inside. Before she closed the door, she nodded to me. I wasn't entirely sure about this girl, but I got her home. That was all I was supposed to do, so with that done, I began to make my way back towards Fenton Works since I had no idea what the address for that little shack was or where to go. I'd only waste time searching. Besides, I wanted to check on Ember and Skulker!
TBC
Author's Note: Hey there, everyone. It's been a while since I've updated, hasn't it? Well, to be honest it would have been longer had I not decided to go ahead and upload this chapter. You see, let me explain something. In my saved files, some of my chapters were chopped up so that I could upload them separately, but I've melded one of them together and uploaded it here because it worked out better that way. In doing this, I have, for whatever reason, three different documents of the same chapter. (Last Chapter said Chapter Ten at the top, but I changed that recently. That made this chapter, for my documents, chapter 11.) Anyway, due to this I've been number some things incorrectly. That being said...Chapter 12 (or 11 in FF's case) is giving me grief, but only because I can't seem to work out that chapter. I mean, I obviously got the foundation for that chapter, but building into something suitable is, surprisingly, difficult, and I don't know why. I'm pretty sure it has plenty to do with first POVs which I'm not very good at. (It's why I'm writing this story that way, ya know, practicing and perfect and yadda yadda blah.)
Also, I do have another story I'm working on. I'm going to upload that after this one. Somehow...that story has seven chapters already, so it's not like I've really been slacking. (I've been drawing a lot more than writing lately too, so that has a lot to do with it...) ANYWAY, thanks for reading, and see you next chapter. Oh! And please leave reviews. It might make me update faster. *wink wink nudge nudge*