The Battle
Amber and Danny left Tucker behind as they entered the portal together. They needed someone to stay behind, in case something happened to one of them. The group had agreed that keeping Tucker behind would be beneficial, especially with his prior experience with the Fenton inventions and how adaptable he was with technology. Not only that, but it left a messenger in case they couldn't make it back, someone who could work on the inside.
Amber watched the atmosphere swirl as they entered back into the world she had just left. Danny (who was still in ghost form) followed her as she led him through town. Everything was quiet, too quiet for the eradication of an entire universe, but she suspected that was because most people had already evacuated town with the amount of destruction Hex had bround.
"What do you think?" Danny asked.
"I don't know. I mean, it's not like I can see them."
The wind intertwined its invisible fingers through trees and grass. It crept through the night and kissed the back of their necks and finger tips. Amber jumped at the breeze and grabbed onto Danny before she had realized what she was doing. Embarrassed and blushing she muttered an apology before letting go. The warnings they had received about Hex were enough to terrify her. Dyeing was not something she had arranged for today and she didn't want that to change. They wandered through the town, where a thick fog had settled.
"So, your friend," Danny said while trying to strike conversation, "he's green."
"Yeah, he's an alien," Amber said almost too nonchalant. The question was less peculiar than it sounded, as she had told him and Tucker about it prior to leaving the Ghost Zone. Danny laughed, thinking that it was a joke, before Amber turned and cocked her head to the side.
"Oh," his opaque skin paled even more and almost matched his snow white hair. "You were being serious."
Amber nodded as they walked through the deserted street. There was a body on one of the street corners, withered away as if the life had been sucked away. It must have been Hex, she assumed from what Clockwork had told her. A squeal echoed in the distance and GIR came into view. She grinned as the little robot came into view and rocked up and down on his toes. Danny watched, unsure how to respond as Amber knelt on the ground and hugged the little drone.
"Oh, GIR, you're a sight for sore eyes."
"That's a robot," Danny said absentmindedly.
"GIR, where's Zim?"
The robot stared at her, with a vacant expression in its eyes. They glazed over as he searched the street as if afraid to give her an answer.
"I don't knoooooooooow."
"What do you mean you DON'T know?"
"Cupcake?"
GIR held up the small pastry and Amber's expression shifted from anger to annoyance. She continued to remind herself to control her temper as she restrained the desire to hit the metal creature over the head. Amber gritted and bared her teeth as Danny asked her something about it being the same world as from the T.V. show, but she was currently preoccupied with other issues such as trying to get information on Hex or Dib, none of which GIR had the answers for. Not knowing what other options they had, the group started making their way back to the lab. Danny placed a hand on the back of Amber's shoulder and she smiled at the gesture as he tried to console her. They talked, mostly on the task at hand as they tried to find a way to lure back to the portal.
A few more blocks, and there was a scream. Dib headed directly toward them in a black blur. Instinctively, Danny had gone intangible for a brief moment and Dib ran through him and collided with Amber, who fell to the ground. When she finally was able to react to what had happened, she blew her bangs out of her face, miffed at the amount of times she had been tackled in one day.
"You're back!" Dib exclaimed as he gratefully threw his arms around Amber's neck.
"Uh—yeah…" she said confused looking at Danny, "Umm… Dib, are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, well… Better now that you figured out what Hex is—You did figure out what Hex is, right?"
Amber nodded and began to explain, to the best of her ability, the Ghost Zone and everything in it. As the story continued, she became wary as Dib showed more excitement rather than caution as the tale progressed. By the time she had introduced Danny, she had thought that Dib would explode with enthusiasm. Luckily, the ghost Amber had brought with her was the perfect thing to snap him back into reality.
"You brought a ghost, to fight another ghost?" Dib clarified clearly insulted by what Amber had done.
"Yes," she confirmed, and then realizing who she was speaking with, corrected her statement. "I mean, no… Uh… maybe?"
It led to a rather long lecture from Dib, which Amber counteracted with several excuses to explain her idea. Unfortunately, neither of them was willing to listen to the other side as Dib criticized and Amber defended herself. Eventually, Danny had to interrupt and remind them that there were other issues that were more important. Remembering the task at hand, both of them let the conversation drop.
Dib had filled Amber in on what she had missed during her absence. Apparently, Zim had gone missing and may have been the result of Dib tripping him as they were running away from Hex. Amber- refusing to stay calm with so few resources and allies who understood the extent of what was happening- hit Dib upside the head. When he protested the violence, she gladly used the excuse to do it, again, before Danny grabbed her wrist and restrained her as best as he could. Irritated, they continued down the street. The silence was unsettling, Danny noted as Amber and Dib refused to acknowledge the other one's presence. Maybe the fighting was better.
Danny Phantom flew above the clouds, trying to see anything, or at least get away from the silence. Amber had called up to him, but he couldn't hear as he continued to scout ahead. It was an easy and a fluid movement as he weaved through the clouds. He landed back down on the street and looked back, realizing that he had gone further ahead than expected.
A blast of green energy came out of nowhere and hit Danny in the chest. He cringed as he was smashed into a wall and the air was knocked out of his lungs. Zim, a character Danny had recognized from his childhood, cackled in the distance, his backpack emitting sparks. He didn't seem completely in his right mind as he flailed his fist and argue with himself, yelling something about being inferior and no match for his advanced capabilities.
"Oh, great," Amber scoffed as she rushed around the corner, "now look at what you've done, Dib."
"Now isn't the time, guys," Danny cried as he flew back into air.
"Where are we going?" Dib asked as he and Amber followed the phantom's lead.
"First, Hex out of Zim. Second, portal," Amber exclaimed as she threw a knife in Zim's direction. It barely missed as it skimmed the edge of his cheek. "You said you wanted something different Hex. Well, come get us."
They fled through the ominous streets. The lights flickered dangerously above them as they turned into an alley where shadows lingered on the walls. Another blast collided with Danny, who crashed on the pavement. Dib stopped and turned back to help him, but Amber was focused on other things. She leapt onto a fire escape and scrambled up the metal steps. When Danny and Dib had passed her, she threw several flower pots intending to hit Zim. Hex was too fast, as he forced Zim's body to dodge and the ceramic broke on the sidewalk below.
"How is he even doing that?" Amber wondered out loud as the ghost activated the alien's spider legs and rose into the air. She flinched as he landed on top of the railing and was eye level with her. Amber tried to jump to the next ledge, but cursed as her foot slipped and she was free falling to the ground. A spider leg latched onto the back of her jacket and lifter her into the air. Amber struggled, insecure without having her feet on stable ground and she was once again eyelevel with Hex.
"Come on, Zim. You're going to let that thing control you?" Amber challenged. For a moment, the alien's eyes quivered as if a distant recollection was reached.
"He is a different type of host," Hex chuckled low and deep, "but, not strong enough to resist. You are-"
Hex smelled her and licked his lips. Amber struggled and a green blast sailed through the sky and hit Zim who doubled over in pain and dropped her. She screamed as she plummeted freely before being caught by Danny. He set her on the ground and she trembled as her heat beat rapidly. Without thinking, they rushed and the surrounding flickered out and back into view. Amber and Danny shared a knowing glance as Hex chased after them.
Amber flicked her wrist and forced herself to feel the familiar pulse of what she had in the Ghost Zone. A trashcan soared through the narrow alley and collided with Zim who toppled over and stumbled backward. She muttered an apology that was barely audible as they continued to lead him closer to the field. Suddenly, they skidded to a stop as Zim crawled in front of them. He must have used his legs to gain the extra distance and he descended from what appeared to be nowhere.
"Any ideas?"
"Not currently," Amber answered.
Another beam of energy struck Zim from behind as Dib fired his weapon and fled. Hex followed, taking the bait. When they had finally reached the field where the portal swirled, Danny took the opportunity and threw the ball of ectoplasm that forced Hex to scream in frustration.
"ENOUGH!" Hex cried as he released his hold on Zim, who fell to the ground, incapacitated by the strain on his body.
A screech echoed through the night, and all of them collapsed on the grass. The sound vibrated and tore at their insides as all of them lay paralyzed, unable to move. Amber twitched as she tried to force herself to move. A red liquid dripped from her ear down the side of her face as she was crippled by Hex's scream. Hex hovered over Dib. He picked him up by the shirt as the ghost greedily licked his lips. Danny sprung on top of him, trying to pry him off and they struggled. Amber held up a knife and attacked hoping she could make contact as he was distracted, but Hex merely allowed the blade to slide eloquently through his shadowed frame. The warmth drained from Amber's cheeks as her weapon slid through icy mist and Hex slapped her hard enough for her to topple and roll across the field.
The Fenton Thermos clattered on the ground and spun. Danny was thrown into a tree and reverted back into Fenton as he made contact. Hex approached Amber as she forced herself to stand. Dib looked at her, in no better condition, she noted as she saw the scrapes and bruises across his face and arms. He panted. Amber cringed; they were losing time and endurance.
Hex hoisted her off of the ground and bent over her, his mouth open. She twisted in his grip, trying to kick and punch but was too exhausted to focus on an escape. He bent over, his hood folding back and Amber could see the emptiness beneath. Squeezing her cheeks, her mandible cradled in one of his sickeningly, thin hands he forced her mouth open. His mouth pressed on hers and she felt the cold writhe its way through her body as he began to take the air from her lungs. There was a flash of light and he dropped her. Amber inhaled sharply and coughed as she watched Zim fire several round on his weapon. Hex went intangible and the blasts phased through them. He went after Zim, and Danny changed back into his ghost form throwing several ectoplasm balls as he did. They charged at each other, full force.
Amber crawled across the field to the thermos, crying as she did. Dib had begun fighting, also. The three of them tried to hold off the unstoppable force. She groaned as the pain spread through her body as the heat returned to her veins, like warming muscles that had just come inside from the bitter cold. She wasn't completely aware of what she was doing, but she was going to get that thermos. Hex released another screech and she doubled over in pain along with her allies.
Zim was thrown across the field, knocking the thermos further away. Amber wheezed as she redirected her focus. The sky oscillated again and she felt her and Danny fade away before returning on the plane. The wind was stronger and Amber felt the familiar pulse as she was lifted into the air, unable to control what the worlds were doing to her, to them. Helplessly, she grabbed onto a nearby root which could not hold her weight. She was cast backwards, hitting Dib and sandwiching him between her and the tree.
Danny struggled as he attempted to maneuver through the air. He and Hex collided and crashed onto the ground. Phantom winced and frost spread from the tips of his fingers and cascaded outward forming spikes, one of which scraped Zim's mechanical arm and caused him to slip on the grass. The alien fell on top of Danny, which catalyzed Danny's double-ganger ability and several copies were released from the original, but were unable to hold their form as the scenery faded out and back into view as the ground and sky ruptured, forming tears that glowed black, green, and gold.
Amber forced herself to stand with Dib's help as he pushed her back onto her feet. The world moved faster than her body and she struggled for balance. Dib stabilized her as he held her by the waist and they walked together. They tripped and Amber's hand was an inch within reach of the thermos as the tips of her fingers drew it closer to her and into her grasp. Dib helped her stand as she swayed and aimed the machine, fumbling with the latch as Danny attempted to block Hex's next attack. An ectoplasm shield went up around the ghost boy and pulsed, forming an attack as it spread out and threw Amber backward. Dib caught her and she fumbled uselessly with the gadget in her hand.
"Come on, come on," Amber mumbled as she fidgeted with the Fenton Thermos as if it was a complex rubix cube. She began to fade out of existence as time passed and her fingers felt disconnected with her brain as they numbly fidgeted with the latch.
At the very last moment, it opened and with a glittering spiral of white light, a beam was emitted from the thermos. It intercepted Hex's figure and pulled him in. Amber fell to the ground, exhausted from the strain on her body. The world unraveled in front of her, melting away as if it had never been. She turned her head and looked at the portal that continued to writhe and expand. The gravity pulled the edges into itself and the energy release pulsed through the air, uprooting trees and boulders formed mountains as they came unearthed in the field.
She called out to Danny Phantom and watch helplessly as he reached toward her. Zim and Dib were pulled away. His figure elongated and she cried as she tried to stand with little success as the tears rolled down her face. The wind bellowed and a gust sent them flying. Amber collapsed and laid on the ground gasping for breath and the universe bore all of its weight on her. She couldn't scream, the only sound produced was a faint wheeze. Collins could barely breathe as she forced herself to sit in the deteriorating landscape.
Feebly, she crawled to the edge of the portal, her body fading into the atmosphere. Then, a sudden force collided with her, and Danny carried her through the dyeing link, the gateway that connected that world to the Ghost Zone. But they had barely entered it when everything crashed down on top of them. Amber screamed as black currents produced random bolts of electrical power. Both worlds throbbed and she could feel the steady beat as a new surge of power was sent through the connecting link.
The gravity pulled her apart, stretching her with a sudden strength that originated from deep within the universe's core. Amber gasped as the pain radiated from her body, exploding outward. She sobbed as the pressure expanded outward and prevented her from moving. Her blood leaked from her mouth, nose, and eyes, mixing with tears and blurring her vision.
Time stopped, the pause button struck. She stood frozen on the movie screen as it began to rewind and rewrite on its own accord. There was no more pain, no more blood, and no more tears as the clock spun backwards erasing what could have and would have been.
v v v
Dib woke up in an empty field, unsure of how he got there. Zim was beside him and just beginning to stir. It surprised him. He didn't think Irkens slept. The alien rubbed his head, baffled.
"You'll never stop me Dib, I- I-" he observed his surroundings.
"What are we doing here?" Dib asked. A broken down machine sparked a few feet away and he presumed it was another one of Zim's inventions that had malfunctioned.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Dib?" Zim shouted as he picked up a nearby gun and limped away. Dib watched was the alien paid no mind and a green dog met him further down the street. After a few minutes, he stood and examined the broken down device that served some importance at a different time…
Dib shook his head unable to place what it had been used for, or even what it had done. Actually, he couldn't recall anything from the past few days. Nothing.
Little did he know…
Neither could Zim…
v v v
Amber wrestled in her sleep, unable to gain the amount of rest she needed. For a moment, her eyes opened, but that had resulted in a blaring headache as the first things she had seen were white walls, white sheets, and white bandages. She shut her eyes as she processed it in her brain.
Why was she in a hospital?
Too groggy to focus on the question, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and Amber fell back asleep, a mixture of too much strain on her body and the anesthetics the doctors had given her.
End Book 5
Special shout out to my dear friend, Axels-grrl, whose encouragement and support actually helped me finish this section in my story. Thanks for proofreading and keeping all the characters in character.
