Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, or any characters associated with them. Danny Phantom is property to Nickelodeon, and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects is property to Electronic Arts and Marvel Comics.

Drown Your Sorrows

Chapter 11: Shock of a Lifetime

After the final school bell rang, Danny, Sam, and Tucker worked their way through the mass of students to get out. They couldn't be any happier to finally be out of there, as their school performances suffered, their minds plagued with the thoughts of just where Paulina could be after disappearing again and how she got those water powers. All this just to impress Danny?

While Danny was looking around for a safe place to change, Sam and Tucker simply followed him around, not saying anything. They weren't going to try to talk him out of it with the whole, "She could be anywhere," schtick. He was stubborn that way.

"So, what do we tell your parents?" Tucker asked as the three went under the bleachers.

"Library," Danny quickly answered, taking on his ghost form.

"How are we gonna contact you?" Sam asked, concerned.

"Don't," Danny quickly answered again. He was really determined to get Paulina back and question her for her actions.

"So you're willing to save Paulina from whatever disaster she might've gotten herself into even if it means blindly running right into a trap?" Tucker asked.

"Pretty much," Danny answered without second thought.

Danny walked past his friends out of the bleachers. Before he could take off to search the city, Sam grabbed him tightly from behind. One could define it as hugging. "Please be careful," Sam softly said to him.

Danny looked at her and with a gentle smile, said the two words that always seemed to work. "I will." Danny took off into the sky and vanished into the horizon.

As Sam watched on, Tucker walked up to her and asked, "Do you have any idea how cliché that was?"

Danny flew around the town looking for any trace of Paulina. While he didn't think Paulina's lashing at him would lead her to attack the town, he couldn't be too careless. He was releaved to find no such thing, as he found what he was sure was Paulina on the roof of a rather tall building, securely standing on its edge. What was odd was she seemed to be staring at him, almost as she had been awaiting him. Danny touched down on the roof, glad to see the person on the roof was Paulina, but was disturbed to see her look different than the last time they encountered just a few hours ago.

"Paulina, what did that Van-something guy do to you now?" Danny said, a bit angry, yet controled compared to his last outburst with her. She could easily attack him again or worse, choose to fall off the structure. Instead Paulina did nothing. She simply smiled, almost maliciously, and waved her finger at him, inticing him to come forward.

Danny slowly walked his way towards Paulina, telling her, "Look, I don't wanna fight you."

Paulina simply chuckled and said, "You won't have to." Before Danny could process that Paulina's voice sounded much different than it ought've, she fell back and disappeared.

Danny acted fast and leaped over the side of the building after her. He dived down at Paulina, ignoring the droplets of water from her hair smacking his face.

As Danny came in for the catch, Paulina reached to her ear. As soon as Danny had her in her hands, Paulina activated the teleportation device and in a bright flash of light, the two were gone.

Before he knew it, Danny found himself in a whole new area. At first he was free-falling to save Paulina from a deadly fall, now he was in some sort of glass pod in some sort of laboratory. His attention was distracted from Paulina, who melted to a puddle to slip away from him. When Danny realized Paulina escaped him again, she had already slipped under a door.

"Ugh, everytime!" Danny complained. "They get away right when I think I have 'em!" Before Danny could go after her, the glass around him shattered completely, exploding outwards as it caught him off guard. After he recovered , he asked himself, "Okay, what was that?" Before Danny could eye around, he was struck by an intense jolt of electricity, bringing him to his hands and knees.

"That'd be me." Danny looked around to see where and who the voice came from. Standing behind him was physically built older man with a shaved head. He was clad in blue jeans, goggles, boots, and no shirt. The man's body and head was cover in bolts and sockets with sparks jumping out from them. "Name's Johnny Ohm," the man introduced himself, speaking with a southern accent, "and Van Roekel thought he'd let me rough ya up a little."

Danny slowly got up from his knees and told the man, "I don't have time for you."

Johnny took a stance to which streams electricity flew from his fingertips and said, "Allow me to make some!" He fired out the electricity, to which Danny quickly took flight to avoid.

Danny fired ghost rays at Johnny, who rolled away from the blasts, while Johnny threw his electricity in the air at Danny, who weaved as best he could to avoid the streams. The two didn't care what lab equitment they happened to hit, as long as they accomplished taking out the other. "You're not making this any fun for me, boy!" Johnny made an unexpected move and lept into the air up to Danny's height, being held up by the strong streams of electricity. Danny was too surprised to react in time and Johnny grabbed the ghost boy's arms and delivered a massive charge into Danny's body. Danny screamed in agony as the electricity was pumped into his system.

"It's mind over matter, son," Johnny said as he was frying Danny. "I don't mind killin' ya, so you won't matter to Van Roekel!"

As Danny was on the receiving end of a Texas-style execution, he came up with a last resort idea. With great difficulty, Danny struggled to raise his arm up, finally getting a hold of Johnny's shoulder. The electricity going into Danny's body was now also going into Johnny's, and since Johnny was already full of electricity to begin with, it caused an explosive overload which threw the two competiters to opposing ends of the room.

The two slammed into opposing walls, falling back to the floor. Danny was the first to get up, but Johnny didn't move at all. Danny, not even thinking about his own safety, flew over to inspect Johnny. He didn't move, but he appeared to be breathing. Danny figured the overload must've knocked him unconscious. Not having time for witty banter (since he couldn't think of a good electricity pun), Danny stepped out of the lab in search of any sign of Paulina.

Oooh, this is getting exciting, innit? Paulina's fate will be decided in the next chapter. You know you're curious. Now review!