Living Ghost

by Green Tima

AnimorphDP crossover what happens when the most important person in your life is dead? What else you go see the experts. Ch 28 29. The past and future are faced by our heros, some prosper, others fall.

12. Future Imperfect

Warning- as if you haven't guessed by now I have some weird views, and this story contains a view of them, if you are offended by weird couples read at your own risk. There's nothing dirty, although the really young might learn a few new word, this isn't and R story, but still I'm just letting you know. And no this is not an endorsement of any of these ideas.

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DP Style

"Man it's Saturday morning, the sun isn't even up yet and I'm pretty sure there's a rule somewhere that says I should be asleep, especially considering I was out hunting ghost's all night."

"Not really my problem Danny," Tobias sighed, fully human, sitting above the half ghost on a tree branch and watching as the sun came up over the horizon. "Look at that man, you don't get that in your bed or on TV."

"Oh yes because cameras will burst into flames if they if they try and record the sunrise," cover his face while sitting on the wet ground.

"You know you don't have to be here, someone else can help you try and figure out what on earth Spectra did to you to make you light up like a burning Christmas tree."

"When I asked daylight was implied you son of a turkey," glaring up at him, in spite of his protests he was grateful Tobias was there. After what Sam had told him what had happened he'd been a little bit afraid of his powers, he'd always been willing to try and push himself, but with what she'd told him, something about it seemed off, like he wasn't really in control of his powers at the time, like he could've hurt someone if he went to far.

"Hey, that's Mr. son of a turkey sir," dropping down next to him and offering him a hand, "now lets get going," pulling him up to his feet so they looked each other in the eyes.

"So tell me again why we can't fly," Danny asked as he fell in step next to Tobias as they walked through the woods outside of Amity Park.

"Because flying is easy, and you need to open yourself up to new variations on old themes," pushing a tree branch aside and walking deeper into the forest.

"You weren't by any chance a hippy in another life were you?"

"Don't know, never seen a past life, my current life's hard enough," looking around and getting his bearings. "So any reason you wanted me as opposed to one of your friends, or your sister."

"Because I'm hoping you'll be straight with me, and if this goes bad I want someone that'll take me down instead of trying to play nice."

"I'm assuming that's a complement otherwise we might have a problem," not helping but thinking he was referring to his hand in Rachel's death.

"I mean if the others came and I lost control, they'd try and talk me down while the world was burning around them and risking their lives along with mine. I get the impression if something goes wrong you'll punch me in the face till I pass out and hopefully save some time."

"I'd like to think I'm a little more gentle but yeah I can do that," pushing through the final piece of wood coming to an opening in the woods. From where they were they could look straight at the hill Tobias had hid Jazz when Skulker's mutts had attacked them.

"Wow you did this," the half ghost looking around never really looking at the carnage from that day from this perspective.

"Well me and really big friggen wolf," running his hand over one of the trees and heading towards the clearing and cave.

"OK so how are we doing to handle this?' Danny asked after a few seconds that seemed far longer as they came into the clearing.

"Actually I've been thinking about this all night," pulling his arm back and stretching, "and I might have something, but let me ask you a question first, do you know what sets me aside from every other hawk on this planet, and don't say shape shifting."

Danny cocked his head for a second not sure what to say then finally blurted out, "your sense of humor?" shrugging.

"Close, I know how to use everything at my disposal, not just my wings and my talons. I know how to use my mind," counting off on his fingers, "the sky, I know how my prey and my predators will move, I know how to add two extra miles an hours to my flying speed by adjusting a single tail feather…."

Shaking his head and cutting him off, "and how does this help me?"

"I learned how to do all this by adapting and combining skills and techniques," getting him a look of contempt from Danny. "Look I'm a bird I don't go to school, I don't watch TV, and for a while aliens were trying to kill me, I didn't have a lot to do so I made so with what I could."

"Ok, I like where this is going," rolling his wrists and snapping his fingers, nervous energy building. "You need me to skip school for a couple of month, I'm into this, this is so worth it."

"Um no, you have one advantage I didn't, you have me to teach you and guide you through all this."

"Ok so guide me," folding his arms.

"First things first, let me make sure I got everything you can fly, your stronger in ghost mode, you can turn invisible and intangible, occasionally form shields, can hurl energy, and overshadow people anything else I need to know."

"Ghosts sense that comes out of my mouth as a little blue smoke, and I'm working on learning how to clone myself but it doesn't really work well yet."

"Alright," starting to walk around the half ghost, "aside from using them flat out, what have you done with them?"

"Done?" Looking behind him, not understanding the question.

"You know how have you used your powers, other than fighting," before Danny opened his mouth, "and I mean other than going into the girls locker room and getting revenge on Dash."

"Hey I'm insulted what makes you think…"

"Danny this is me here, I use to be you, I hung out with people like your friends, I know everything stupid you've done because in some way I've already been a part of it, so lets just get specifically to the ghost elements of the stories."

For a second he thought about fighting Tobias on the point, but chose to let it go because they were alone and if it got back to Sam it would get back to Jazz and that was something he didn't want. "Let's see, went intangible to get clean a lot, strength and ectoblasts to clean up garbage, hid stuff using intangibility, probably some other things that I can't think of."

"Ok lets try something else," demorphing in front of him and flapping into a tree. (Shift into your ghost mode, go invisible and fly around somewhere but be as quite as you can.) Shrugging Danny did as he was asked and moved as quietly as he could tell he was above and a little behind the bird. (Two feet behind me you feet are about three feet above that, try something harder.) Moving again Danny shot below him and to the left and again had his location perfectly identified, then flew in front of him to make she he wasn't looking and say that his eyes were closed. (Less than a foot form my face, back up.) This went on for several more minutes, every time Tobias nailing where Danny was but never opening his eyes.

"Ok what's the trick," rings appearing around the half ghost and slipping back into his human mode and sitting on the ground. "My sister somewhere with a Fenton Finder feeding you where I am telepathically?"

(Nope just us here Danny, no way I could get your sister up this early,) flapping down to him and going back into his human form.

"So what's the trick, how you doing this because I know you can't see me," pulling some grass out with his hand and letting the breeze catch it.

"Ironically that in part," pointing at the fly grass.

"You can see me because of grass," cocking his head, "I think you've been in the trees to long bird brain."

Going dead pan, "ha ha, keep making your jokes see what happens," blowing some air up into his hair. "I know where you are because I can hear you, I can hear the wind blowing across you, the shift of your hair, I can hear the subtle thump of your heart or something close to it that thumps. The point is I don't need to see you to know where you are."

"Kinda like someone's that blind."

"Essentially but different, my senses may be sharper in hawk mode but it's how I use them that gives me the edge. Any hawk can hear as well as I do," pointing to his ear, "but that doesn't mean they understand what I understand, I combine skill with intellect to make both sharper. When I fly I don't just flap my wing or go from thermal to thermal, I read the sky and figure out where headwinds are, I learned how to draft friggen jets, I combine what I have with what I can imagine."

Danny tried to wrap his head around what he heard but he just ended up shaking his head, "what?"

"Ok how do I explain this," putting his head in his hands, his hair falling over both. Pushing his hair back he looked up, "I have flight, more specifically I have wings, a tail, and hollow bones, I have incredible eye sight and hearing, sharp talons, the ability to kill things that are bigger and stronger than I am, I also have my mind, my human reasoning ability. Anyone of those things alone can be dangerous, but when you put them together you get something powerful. When most people look at a hawk they think it's the sum of it's parts, that it can't go beyond what nature gives it, that's wrong. Hawks use the things they have the way they have them because they have no imagination, they never said could I go faster if I cut my legs off, or would hunting be easier if I couldn't see the prey."

"But generally wouldn't that hurt it?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point they don't ask that question, I do and I've tested them. You can hunt better in the sky with your ears than your eyes, if your willing to put the time in, a hawk can add almost ten miles an hour to their speed if they hold their legs in a way that uncomfortable. I now how to make a hawk body do thing it has no right to do by simply taking what I had and seeing what I could do with it, it's all about taking those basic skills, those building blocks and looking at them in a different way to see what you can do with them."

"And this is helping my how," spreading his arms out, "I know what my powers can do, I've been using them enough to find out."

"Yet Spectra made you tap into something you never tapped into before, so obviously these are some things you haven't figured out yet."

"I'll give you that," laying back into the grass, "still not sure how it helps."

Tobias leaned over and put his face over Danny's, "have you ever tried to make your fire invisible?"

"Huh?" hearing the words, but not sure what he meant.

"Have you ever tired to combine whatever lets you make your ectoplasm with your invisibility power?"

"No"

"Ever used you ectoplasm for anything other than hurting someone?"

"Nada."

"How about making a shield why your flying for added protection?"

"Well no."

"Have you ever built up your ectoplasm in your hand and hit someone as hand as you can with it?"

"Maybe," shrugging with a lop sided grin on his face.

Tobias just held the bridge of his nose, "the truth is you've never actually tested the limit of what you can do have you?"

"Well I have just not like that," growing defensive and getting to his feet, slightly knocking Tobias over. "Look I don't need this from you, I've been doing fine so are I do see…"

The bird cut him off with a look that said he could kill Danny without breaking a sweat and the boy stopped. "I'm not faulting you Danny, I wouldn't do that, I'm just saying you need to open your mind to what you could do with your powers, not just what you are doing with your powers. Believe me I get it, your life's complicated, a secret identity, people trying to kill you, and all this while trying to balance a normal life. I saw four very brave people do it for a long time, it's not easy, I probably couldn't do it, that's why I agreed to help you with your powers, I'll think of the things you just try them, ok?"

Meekly he nodded his head, "yeah," giving him a small smile and taking a deep breath, "where did you learn all this."

"All what?"

"The speeches, the confidence, the wisdom, this weird aura you have around you, when you got powers did someone give you a book that tells you how to do this?"

"No book man, I've just been doing this a lot longer than you, I've made way more mistakes than you have, and I had a couple of really great teacher to learn from. Trust me in a few years you will be kicking my tail in every conceivable way in the hero bizz, just give it time it'll come, till then just take in help my experience will give you."

"So where do we start?"

"Something simple, or at least I hope it is, I want you to think about how everything work, how you trigger it, where it starts form, where it goes, then I want you to try and do everything, one at a time, and only in one place. I don't want you to make your entire body invisible I just want one finger, and I want you to try and I want you to try and make any finger shift at any given time. Then try the same thing with ectoplasm, intangibility and anything else you think you can manage to do with it."

"That's it, what about all that stuff you were saying, what about invisible ectoplasm?"

"Do you know how to stability trigger invisibility in one part of your body?"

"Not really?"

"Learn that first, then we'll worry about setting the forest on fire."

Talking a breath and focusing on his hand, "want to tell me why we're coming all the way out here to do this" looking up at the bird man.

"Well I thought you'd be further along than this, now trust me, if you can figure out how to control the trigger everything else becomes easier."

"Take your word on that," and looking back at his hand, he stayed like that for almost an hour, parts of his hand shifting in and out of focus while others ignited. "Man," looking back into the tree, "I'm getting really bored here, and we at least try and move on, I feel like I'm going nuts."

(Alright,) soaring down and landing next to him, (try this one, make a shield, just a small one,) looking up at him and backing up just in case.

"No sweat," transforming into his ghost form and waving his hand a small green shield forming in front of him, "now what."

(Touch it, and try and transfer whatever makes you invisible into it.)

"I couldn't do this with an ectoblast," touching the shield and concentrating, trying to do as he was asked.

(You could, but at the moment I want to try something that has a chance of not killing me,) his thoughts now the only thing Danny could sense of him since Tobias was now hidden inside the cave.

"You're a real fountain of encouragement you know that," Danny barked not sure where the words hadcome from.

(If I had some idea what that meant maybe.)

"Oh boy," Danny turning his attention back to the task at hand and tried to force his invisibility into the shield, at first nothing happened, then slowly it began to shimmer and grow lighter till it was almost gone from sight. "WHOA I'm doing it, I'M DOING IT, CHECK THIS OUT," his exuberance short lived as the nearly gone wall of ectoplasm began to glow brightly then exploded in his face, coving him in goo.

(So tell me again how you just want to dive into combining dangerous, volatile elements in ways we can't quite predict?)

Danny just glared at the bird who's head was now stuck out of the cave, "very funny," going intangible, the slime falling off him and to the ground.

(But,) hopping out.

"I get the message go slower."

(Yep, but that was still impressive, and you never know you might be able to use it down the line.)

"Yeah exploding slime, that's going to come in real useful in my life."

(I use to say the same thing about seagulls, surprisingly I was wrong. Granted they're still annoying pointless nuisance, I hate them all, and I go out of my way to kill them, but their DNA was still useful from time to time.)

"You kill seagulls?" a look of disgust crossing his face

(I may be human, but I'm also a hawk and I have my principles,) from Danny's expression he could tell he wasn't convinced, (I also use them as a food source when I get tired of mice.)

"Man just stop, your not helping, and never tell me things like that again, EVER."

(Sorry it's in my nature,) shrugging his wings, (now keep going with the invisible shield thing.)

"You think this might ever actually be useful to me," waving his arm and forming another small shield and focusing his invisibility power on it. "I mean come on it's an invisible wall, if I was a mine it might come in handy, other wise I'm not seeing the point."

(Might not be, but again we're just looking for an easy combo right now, but let me ask you this, have you ever seen another ghost make an invisible shield?)

"Don't think so," the green wall nearly going invisible again, "but if it was invisible how would I know?.

(Point taken but still there you go, if this gives you a single edge for even a moment then it'll be worth all the time it spent to learn. Trust me here, I speak from experience, all the training may seem useless, but one day it may be that one little trick that saves you or someone close to you. I use to think knowing how to hitch a ride on a jet was useless trick, then low and behold I had to use it to help your sister, never underestimate seemingly useless,) hiss words stopping as the shield once more exploded in Danny's face, (knowledge. Well if nothing else you'll be great at slapstick comedy.)

"Yeah that's useful," whipping some slime off his face and flinging it at the bird, hitting him in the head.

The red tail shook his head, making the slime go everywhere and glared up at him, (real mature.)

"Well I am a teenager," going intangible and letting the ooze fall off him.

Some distance away neither was aware of a growing danger coming for them as a pulsating white hole opened up over a grove of trees. A moment later a moment later a light blue lobster like claw emerged from the rift followed by a second and a third, each wrapping around the hole and began to pull itself free. The claws gave way to what looked like the end of a piece of orange macaroni, that is pasta with golden teeth in the hole, several rows of them, each layered right behind the others and spinning around the inner cavern of it's mouth. Circling the mouth was four red dots that moved in their own little patterns, each darting this way and that. The head continued to give way to a body that was little more than the head with more claws, lined up in three rows, each positioned a third of the way around it's body. By the time it pulled itself out it was almost twelve feet long with the glow of a ghost and simply hung in the air.

"RRREEASSHARH," it's mouth trembling as the sounds escaped it, it's whole body quivering.

"Good," the voice artificial in sound and seemingly coming from everywhere.

"YYYAHRRSSSHHA," the red lights spinning faster, one darting up and down it's body.

"Do you see the boy?" Three of the red lights firing off and flying in different directions.

"HHASSSCCCCA," two of the lights coming back while the third still hung in the air in the general direction of Danny and Tobias.

"Then you know what to do, do not disappoint me," the hole in the sky sealing itself.

"CCOOOKKKAAA CCCCOOKKKAAA," and beginning to fly through the sky, it's body undulating in the air like a sidewinder through the sand and heading towards it's other light, and the boys.

Back in the clearing Danny was letting another blast of slime fall off him, "all I need is some floppy shoes and big tie and I could pass myself off as a pie throwing clown."

(I'm guessing that sounded better in your head because it didn't really ma….) The hawk lost his train of thought as he cocked his head, the sound in the sky making him nervous, something about it sounding strange but familiar.

"Wha…"

(Quiet,) the thoughts hitting the half ghost like a hammer as Tobias focused on the sound, searching him mind to figure out what it was and where it was coming from, the sound shifting lower. (FLY,) the words getting the proper reaction as Danny shot into the air, a trail of blue smoke coming out of his mouth, as the wiggling ghosts shot out of the trees and passed right under him.

"Great like I needed another ghost after me," the creature turning in mid air and shooting after him, it's maw open, the light catching it's teeth and making them look all the fiercer.

(Taxxon,) the word slipping out of Tobias as he flew into the sky, recognizing the ghost despite the changes to it's appearance.

"That mean something," Danny diving down and just missing the teeth and firing off a blast of ectoplasm, the shot missing at the alien ghost bent it's body and allowed the beam to pass without touching it.

(Old enemy new twist, I'm guessing death didn't kill it's hunger,)

"More personnel experience?" the Taxxon trying to coil around him only for Danny to dive down and escape as his mouth came at Danny.

(I use to be one, now stay away from the mouth, those things use to eat almost anything in life, I bet death upped that to everything.)

"Thanks for the advice, NOW HOW ABOUT HELPING ME!" his hands glowing green as he fired off a blast of ectoplasm.

Without a word the hawk dove done, ready to continue an old fight with someone that once hadn't really been his enemy just another tool by the Yeerks. He didn't even have to run down what he could become, with it in the sky he only had a few choices that would make a difference, and with the speed it was moving dropping on him wouldn't work so changing now didn't make a difference. Picking his target he pulled his wings in and dove, talons open as he fell at the alien ghost. Snapped them shut at the last moment he flew past, the scream from the worm, and pulsing between his toes telling him he'd done what he planned.

"What'd you do," Danny barked as the Taxxon jerked in the sky and followed Tobias for a second before turning back towards Danny.

(I think I stole one of his eyes,) the pulse stopping as the light went intangible and flew through his foot, (never mind.)

"Great," Danny hissed as the worm shot after him, the red light joining the others as it circled around the body. "Toro, toro big guy, onward fish food," making all the movements of a mock bullfighter as the ghost shot at him. At the last moment sprung forward in the sky, a ball of energy growing in his hand, and slammed it into the attacker while sailing over the worm with a flip.

With a snarl and a gasp it continued it's erratic flight but grew lowers crashing into the group of trees before beginning to glow, arcs of energy shooting across it's body, then disappearing from slight with a flash.

(Umm, that was weird,) as he sat down on a branch overlooking where the ghost had been, (it is gone right?)

"Not sure, never seen one do that before," his arms folded over his chest.

(There's something I always like to hear,) giving him the dirtiest look a hawk could give.

"Can't be helped," staring down at the spot, "and that thing had to come from somewhere, we need to get back and check on the others, see if they have these problems too."

(Not going to argue with you on that one,) spreading his wings and following him as they flew back towards Amity Park, (so much for this being a nice quiet day.)

"Yeah I've given up trying to find a quiet day," grabbing a quick look back, "they always end badly." It didn't take long to get back, both moving at their top speeds in the chance whatever was going on was going to effect those that they loved.

(I'll check on Sam and Tucker, you hit your family, watch your back,) the hawk pealing off and heading away from Danny and catching a head wind.

"If something happens call me, don't take it on alone," barking back as he tore off towards his home. When he was sure Tobias was out of sight, "take care of yourself man, I'm getting use to having you around."

Down below him in an alley another tear opened up, another Taxxon pulling itself out. This one had no claws and looked more like a snake with four red glowing eyes on it's head, yet having the same cavernness mouth and spinning teeth.

"You know what to do," the same artificial voice coming from everywhere.

"YYEHSSRRR CCACOO RKKK."

"Then do it," the tear closing while the snakelike Taxxon shooting after Danny, ready to fulfill it's orders.

"Be ok Jazz," still pushing himself to go faster, stopping as his ghost sense went off, "ah great," doing a quick turn in the sky and trying to find where the source was, "come on be the Box Ghost."

"WWHHHCCOOOKKKAAA," the ghost on Danny before he could see him and became trapped in the coils of the snakelike creature.

"Man get off me," his eyes glowing brightly as his hands ignited in ectoplasm that surged through the ghost knocking it free. "What is this pick on Danny day," floating towards the street below, the pressure exerted by the coils having damaged something internally.

"TTAKKA OOHHA," the sounds meaning nothing to Danny and not being prepared for the ghost to be on him again so fast. Within moments he was once more incased in the coils of the beast, it's mouth only inches from his face and snapping wildly. Danny couldn't even manage to get off a shot as the ghost lunged them both forward and drove them through a plate glass window and causing the occupants to scream and run, all instinctually knowing what to do it the event of a ghost attack.

"WOULD YOU GET OFF ME," Danny forcing all of his strength into his flight and forcing them both upward into the lights, causing a powerful jolt to course through both of them, but most of it going into the attacking ghost.

"SSHHHOOOCCOOKKKAAA," the scream alone was enough to fuel a dozen nightmares for Danny, add that to the teeth and he doubted he'd ever sleep again. All that however was secondary as the ghost began to glow like the other had, a strange web like pattern of energy forming inside it and appearing on it's skin, nearly blinding Danny.

"OH THIS IS GUNNA HURT," Danny closing his eyes and trying to go intangible as the ghost became to bright to look at. With a thud the pair hit the ground, the power having KO'ed the larger ghost and loosened it's grip on Danny enough for him to pull himself free.

Groaning, the half ghost clawed his way out, twin rings forming around him and reverting him back to his normal human appearance. With his energy gone he to dropped to the ground, but kept his eyes toward the ghost and leant against a piece of furniture. "Wow," looking around at the room, "I didn't know we'd done this much damage." Chairs and desks were turned, other blown to pieces, scorch marks littered the walls, the large window was still smashed leaving a glass shard sitting scattered around the room. After a moment however Danny began to realize something was wrong, even assuming everyone had fled, is was to quite, people should've been outside, sirens should've been going off, his parents should've been screaming in the distance, but there was nothing, simply nothing.

"I don't have a bad feeling about this or anything," Danny mumbled sarcastically rising to his feet and looking out the window, the streets were charred, building half torn down, large chinks of the city seemed to just flat out be missing, occasion bits of garbage littered the area, everywhere the signs of a struggle, of a great battle long finished, and many smaller conflicts that were still occurring.

"We're not in Kansas are we snakeo?" looking down and dropping to his knees and shaking his head.

"HHOORRAAAKAAA," the ghost shooting forward from behind Danny having come out of his stupor.

"I'm really…" the words slipping out of Danny as he turned and tried to go ghost and defend himself but never got the chance. A beam of red energy shot over his shoulder and struck the beast in the face and sent it careening into the wall behind him, the poor condition of the structure causing a collapse of the building, bits of plaster falling around Danny.

"Come on kid not the time to be playing around," before Danny could react a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him out as the structure collapsed in on itself sending smoke and rubble in all directions and blinding him. Even with all the smoke Danny wasn't totally senseless and felt his savior put him down, a strong hand now resting on his shoulder. "Breath into this," even if they were muffled by the sound of the building falling the words were strong and commanding as something was forced over Danny's face that let him breath normally. "Try and stay calm, I'll take care of ya, nothing's going to happen I promise."

Before Danny could say anything they were both were cut off, "COOKKAAA YYYEEAAMM."

"Not in this life time you out of control tube sock," red energy cutting through the blinding debris and exploding outward as it illuminated the ghost only to make it vanish a moment later as a swirling red hole sucked it in and closed. "I am so tired of those friggen tape worms," grabbing Danny gently and pulling him up out of the dust cloud and into the sun. "You don't know how lucky you are kid, what did you think you were doing out here, there's a reason this cities off limits, those worms are everywh….," his words stopping as he looked down at Danny.

"Whoa," a near equal look on Danny's face, his savior was older, bigger, and bluer, but it was defiantly himself. "What's going on here?"

"I was really hoping you could tell me," forcing him away," his hand bursting into red flame, "I don't know what game this is but it's not funny." Rather than fly Danny fell as he tried to fly, but his body wouldn't react, the fight for some reason having taken to much out of him. His older self watched from above as the boy he was fell, hesitating to move as he drew closer to the ground. "Ok this isn't good," snapping his fingers on his non-energized hand, a clone shooting out of him and flying at Danny and grabbing the young half ghost before he could hit the ground.

"Oh I don't nee….," never finishing his thought as he passed out in the arms of his older self.

The clone flew to his other self, Danny in his arms, "this is…."

"….not going to be easy," the other nodding his head and merging with the other him. "And staying around here is only going to make it worse." Carrying the other him he flew up looking at what was left of Amity Park, like the street most of the city had been destroyed in one way or another. Slashing his hand out a tear opened in the sky that he passed through, a moment later setting foot inside stone room illuminated by torches. "BRING ME A DOCTOR," he roared out, shaking the various paintings and tapestries the hung on the walls.

It was several hours later went Danny woke up, his body still heavy with exhaustion, groaning slightly and half opening his eyes all he could see was a blur above his head. "Hey," lightly stretching, "you would not believe the dream I just had, I was shot into the future and I was blue and…."

"Your kind of embarrassing us here," the new voice jolting him out of his sleep and jumping out of bed only to be caught by his older self, "whoa, whoa easy, calm down your not one hundred percent yet."

"Who, what," jumping away from the mans grasp and looking around, for the first time seeing the stone room, and the ghostly woman with a stethoscope around her neck.

"LOOK," his older self coming over to him and forcing him down onto the bed, "calm down," looking over at the woman, "this might be easier if you weren't here." With a slight nod and a look of fear she picked up a bag and left the room, closing the door behind her.

His eye's glowing brightly Danny stared up at his other self, "I don't know what is going on."

"Well that makes two of us," backing away from him and grabbing a chair and spinning it around and sitting down, his arms draped over the back in front of him.

"Huh?"

"Look according to the doc that just left," jerking his thumb at the door, "you're me, which is weird because if I remember my time travel lore, I should remember being where you are now and having this conversation but I don't so you aren't, but apparently you are. So considering I'm not sure what I just said I have no clue if I can trust you."

Danny just stared at him trying to sort out what the other man had just said, "what?" finally giving up.

"I don't know it's outside my range, all I know is she swears your me, I don't know jack about time travel, so I'm pretty much taking her word on everything."

"Wonderful," leaning back, grateful the bed was against a wall so he had some back support an taking his other self in. Even sitting down he could pick up a lot, he was older, maybe mid to early twenties, he was somewhere between heavily muscled strength and wiry agility. His skin was now greening blue with white hair that seemed to be on fire except for a small amount somehow tied behind him. His suit was a kind of modified version of the one he was wearing but with more of a superhero motif right down to the cape.

"Your telling me, like I don't have enough problems in my life," running his fingers through his flaming hair, "now I have to worry about you too."

"Who said you have to worry about me," growing defensive.

"Well lets see if something happens to you here and you die, then you can't die in the future, or past I guess, I don't know," shaking his head.

"What do you mean die," leaning forward almost falling off the bed, his balance still not where it should be.

Catching his older self and leaning him back, "what you think we're immortal," giving him a little laughing snort, "everything dies man, it's a fact of life, get use to it."

"But how, when…."

"Are things you really don't need to know," pointing at him, "and until I start understanding what's going on you don't get to hear about it."

"Hey not fair," starting to stand up only to once more by forced down by his other self.

"Again fact of life, right now you need to calm down, and rest, your no good to anyone if you can't even stand. Speaking of which your probably hungry, I don't have much I can get you something if you really want it, it's not a problem."

"Look I don't need…" his words stopped as his stomach sent out a rumble that his other self could hear, "ok what do you have?"

"Not sure I don't eat human food anymore let me ask someone," standing up and moving towards a door only to have it thrown open nearly hitting him in the face. On the other side was a woman with pale blue-white skin wearing a black tank top and tight black pants with a gold hip belt with four charms and combat boots. On her left arm was black glove that went up to the middle of her upper arm while her right just had a black studded bracelet. Her hair was a mix of blue and black flames and kept high on her head by a ponytail. Her eyes an eerily glowing purple, under her right eye was slash of black makeup. On her back was strapped a black and purple flamed guitar, that glowed with the same eerie light as it's ghostly owner.

"Sorry to break up the party Dan but we got a problem."

Hissing between clenched teeth, "not the time Saber," and trying to push her out the door and keep his younger self from getting a good look at her.

"Tell that to the seventy or so flying garbage deposals heading this way," hissing back at him, "if we don't stop them there's not going to be anything left of us."

Under his breath the male ghost growled, his hands bursting into flame, and looking back at his younger self, his eye's glowing red so brightly it was painful to look at him. "Stay here, I don't care what you hear, don't leave this room," grabbing the other woman's arm, "come on Saber, time to do the hero thing."

"Ah Dan, I just got this guitar broken in, they ate the last five before I could even get this far," her words growing softer as he pulled her out and slammed the door behind him, keeping his younger self in.

"Well this isn't the worst dream I ever had," laying down on the bed, "still way above the one were Vlad marries mom," covering his face with his hands. "What am I suppose to do here, for all I know there's not anything on the other side of that door, this could all be a set up by Vlad or something." Looking over at the door he threw his legs over and slowly stood up, his legs still wobbly, but feeling better and reached for the knob only to stop as a scream echoed on the other side. "That's creepy," pulling half a step away, "still I need to know what's going on."

With a grunt he pushed the door open revealing a hall made of the same stone with tapestries lining the walls. "Wow whoever did this went all out," walking down the corridor the screams seemly have stopped. "I wonder what this is all about," looking in each room as he passed, each one looking similar to the one he was in, but more than that, something about the place seeming familiar. "What is it about this place, I swear I know it from somewhere, but I don't know where."

That answer came a moment later as the hall shook and the wall behind him gave way. Danny turned ready for an attack, only to find the source wasn't in that kind of condition, but that he knew it, it was a skeleton warrior, the same kind that had been under the command of Pariah Dark. "Now I know where I am, I'm in the Fright Knights castle again. Ok no more messing around, I'm going ghost," focusing all his strength on the transformation, his twin rings forming around him and transforming him his ghost form.

"Time to talk you escape from a science exhibit," flying over to the ghost warrior only to stop as he got a glimpse of what was going on outside. Before his eye's a war was being fought against the skeletal warriors of Pariah Dark and what Danny assumed were ghostly Taxxons. Like humans they came in all shapes and sizes and while there didn't seem to be uniform color a few things were shared. They were all long, all had a lot of teeth, and had four eyes, most had claw like legs, but a good number were also legless like the last one that had attacked him. And square in the middle of the fight was several of his older selves and woman that had come in the room who was attacking with her guitar in a way that sparked his memory. The pair was going after the worms, and the skeletons seemed to be supporting them.

"Please let this be a dream, please, please, please let this be a dream," balling his fists and closing his eyes. When he opened them, the battle was still raging and he didn't see any sign of it stopping. Whirling around he moved on the other ghost ready to get some answers only to realize with a look that wasn't going to happen with him passed out.

"Ok on the one hand, I have no idea what's going on, on the other hand Tobias says the worm things are bad, and on the other hand no matter what I do it'll be wrong, so I'm just going to throw my three hands in with myself attached and hope I see tomorrow."

Jumping out the window he flew over to the fight moving as fast as he could and discovering to his horror he still wasn't totally back to normal as his flight was slightly erratic. "Well that's never stopped me before," igniting his hands in ectoplasm and flying low releasing two blasts at a pair of on coming Taxxons, despite what he was hoping for the effect was less than satisfying. The blasts didn't really bounce off, but they did seem to disburse on the target, but the physical side of the attack did force them back a few feet.

Danny's jump into the fray didn't go unnoticed, several Taxxons noticed him and charged towards him recognizing and easy meal when one presented itself. Before the half ghost could even register their movements they were on top of him, two wrapping him up, others simply jumping on them, others still biting at his feet and all of them snapping their jaws in an attempt to bite any part of them they could.

"GET OFF HIM PSYCHOTIC CENTIPEDES," Dan grabbing one in each glowing hand ripping them off his younger self, another of his clones showing up and tearing off others. With a snarl the Dan on top grabbed one by the head, his fingers igniting the ghost's head and throwing him off the Taxxon connecting with two others of it's kind and catching them in it's momentum and taking out an another before the lump stopped moving.

"AHHH," Danny screamed under the lot as a shield bubble formed around him and threw off the rest of the ghosts.

"Nice kid," one of his older selves floating over and putting his arm under the younger ghost arm to help support him, "incredibly stupid, but nice."

"Thanks I think," twin rings forming around him and changing him back to his human form.

"Yeah you're are still out of it, we have to get you back to the castle," taking him and fly back while his clone went back to the fight. After a few moments he set Danny down inside the hole he'd jumped out of, "now do me a favor stay here and wait for me to finish it," flying back to the fight.

From his hole Danny could watch everything, the woman releasing waves of energy into the crowd, sometimes knocking them around, other times making them turn on each others. At other times what looked like black fire would stream out of her mouth taking out everything that go in it's path. But by far the most impressive thing she did was when she lifted her, a vortex of black energy forming above it, followed moments later by black lightning sticking the ground and throwing everything nearby that it touched clear of her in a smoking heap.

His older self on the other hand was all over the place, sometimes firing off blasts of energy from his palm or eyes, other times materializing a sword from his hand out of ectoplasm, at one time he even had some kind of vocal attack that seemed to take out everything in the area, but what Danny found most impressive is when his other self completely incased himself in red ectoplasm and tore through the crowd like a sledgehammer. "I have got to learn how to do that," watching the fight, amazed with the strength he was showing. He was also a little amazed the skeletal warriors were falling in line under his other selves commands and somehow forcing the group of Taxxons back. The war raged for almost and hour but in the end Dan and his forces won, the Taxxons retreating from the Earth origin ghosts. Danny watched as his older selves remerged and lift his arm into the air, the warriors under him lifting their weapons and cheering as he did so, all of them seeming to love him.

With another wave of his hand half of his force continued after the Taxxons the other half returned to the castle, along with Dan and Saber, who came to the half Ghost hand in hand. "What did I tell you," the ghost looking at his still living counter part, "going out there was dangerous, you could've been killed."

"I know but," slightly in awe of what the ghost was capable of.

"I was telling you that for your own good, those things don't play fair, they're nuts, they'll eat anything that's not nailed down, you have any idea how lucky you are?"

"Sotra…I mean no but," looking up at the imposing ghost he would become.

Swinging his arm around him Dan pulled the boy to his side, "then again I forgot I was that tough when I had a pulse. You kicked some serious tail out there, I wonder what you could've done at full power. Come on lets see about getting you something to eat," pulling him away Saber on his heals. "You don't have to come," looking back at her.

"I know," slipping up and taking Dan's free hand, "but how often does a girl get a chance like this," looking over at Danny, something about the look he got from her stirring feeling in the teenager.

After a few moderns of navigating the seemingly empty castle the three found the kitchen and the white haired ghost disappeared leaving the two at a table then came back a few moments later from the pantry a few odds and end in his hands, some glowing some not. "Sorry about the selection," dropping the items in front of his younger self, "as I said we don't get much call for this kinda stuff anymore."

"Not a problem," grabbing a bag of chips and checking the expiration date, "anyone know it this is even still good?"

"I think so," the woman shrugging putting her boot up on the table as grabbing one of the glowing cans and popped the top and sucking down the contents.

For a few moments Danny ate ravenously not even aware he was that hungry till the food was before him. He had to admit most of it wasn't that good, it was old and stale, and there was a good chance he'd have food poising later but at the moment he didn't care, it was worth it. "So," finally putting down a soda, "can you tell me what that was all about or at least what's going on, or would that screw up the temporal space matrix continuum thing?" waving his arms in a vague I don't know motion.

"Considering I don't know what's going on I don't really see how we can make things worse," leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table, "what do you want to know?"

"How did I…we…you die?" leaning forward wanting to know that more than anything else.

"Off limits, for that matter all deaths are off limits," Dan growing very serious.

"Why?"

"Look this comes off a lot of years, life and death is not to be messed with, anything else yes, but you don't mess with a persons death." Sensing a but coming he continued, "look if I told when this happens you'd spend all your time trying to prevent it, and if you didn't then you wasted all that time in between. That was time you could be hanging with the others, playing video games, and generally having a life, I'm not putting that on you. If you want to talk about anything else, it's open but nothing that involves death."

"Alright," Danny finally agreeing after thinking what his other self had said. "Who is she," pointing at the girl next to him and getting a dirty look from her.

"What your telling me you don't recognize me, Danny I'm insulted and a little hurt."

"Danny, this is Saber, aka Sam," the half ghosts eyes growing wide.

"No way," looking the woman over for the first time seeing the little details that did look like she was an older Samantha.

"Gets better," a weird smile forming on the full ghosts lips, "she's also Ember."

"WHAT!" Danny's head snapping around to look at Dan.

"I could try and explain but we're still trying to figure that one out, let's just say there was an accident and leave it at that."

"That's some accident," looking the woman over again and again seeing the parts that looked like Sam, but also seeing the signs that Ember was part of her.

"You ought to be on this end," taking another swig from her can, "one minute I'm two ghosts the next I'm this thing."

"Ghosts?"

"Again," his other self cutting in, "not a place your going."

"Ok, millions dollar question what happened here?"

"That's complicated, that's very very complicated."

"It's psychotic worms on a rampage, that better be complicated."

"It's like this, after I…we," pointing at himself and Danny, "die things get bad, I'm still not sure what happens, all I know is someone or something takes out a chunk of Walkers prison. That in turn lets the Taxxons, and they are like a swarm of locus mixed with piranha, they eat everything, and I do mean everything. They threw the entire Ghosts Zone into a mass panic, homes were destroyed, sprits were extinguished, everything that could be done to stop them failed, not even Walker could put them back where they belonged. Heck old skull face had enough problems keeping the guys that were still in prison in prison, he didn't have the ability to put more in. To make matters worse some of them have the ability to eat their way into the human world, while that was bad for them it was worse for us as we got a massive influx of new panicked sprits which didn't help matters. And as I said I was already dead, but till then I was keeping a low profile, but after a while it got to bad, and I took center stage…"

"Center stage, what is this a play?"

"I've tried to culture myself thank you, now where was I, right, they needed a leader, someone to try and fight them back as best they could, for better or worse that was me. People still knew me, I was the halfa, well fulla now, they knew I'd taken on the Ghost King and won, that I'd taken on the best the Ghost Zone could throw at me and kept taking it, they thought I had a chance at winning. I knew about this place, that it was probably the best chance we had to take these guy on from, I mean if it was good enough for Pariah Dark to wage a massive coup of the Ghost Zone from it should be able to hold off a few hyperactive worms. The weird part was when we got here the army was already waiting on us, ready to fight, we're still trying to figure that one out."

"That doesn't bother you that they were just waiting?"

"Course it does, but things work different here, for all I know me beating their boss somehow put me in charge of them. Either way I'm not looking a gift skull in the mouth, those guys are the only thing really keeping the Taxxons at bay."

"And what about Pariah Dark, this is his castle after all aren't you worried about him?"

"Of course we are, that's why we keep the room holding him off limits to everyone. We may need help but sending him like sending aliens to fight cockroaches, yeah the roaches'll die, but you have a bigger problem on your hands."

Jerking is thumb back, "from what I saw I don't think that's such a bad option at the moment."

"We did better than you think, remember we've been at this for a long time, and to make matters worse the Taxxons aren't as mindless as they appear. I've talked to people that have fought and served with them back when they were alive, and for the most part all they care about is food, but they did have some serious intelligence behind them. I'm not sure if it's actually one of them, of if someone's pulling the strings, but someone is organizing the worms and it is keeping this fight from ever ending."

"You've been at this for how many years and can't figure out who's leading them?"

"It's harder than you think," Saber leaning forward, "even as strong as we are, to many of them will still take us down before we can even try and escape. The piranha thing wasn't a joke, they will eat us if given half a chance."

"This doesn't sound like much of a life," Danny sighed.

"In a lot of ways it's not," as Dan stared at the ceiling, "but people on both sides are counting on us to fix this problem, and that's all we can do. We've managed to put up more than a few refugees in these walls but it's hard, and dealing with anything in the living world has gotten harder than you know."

For a few moments Danny ran that over in his head, and he had to admit it made sense to a point, but it didn't answer some other questions. "So if you're here what about the others?"

"Your going to have to be a little more specific, Walker's still in the prison with his army keeping the other inmates at bay. I heard Spectra was eaten a few years ago when she tried to take control of a heard of the worms. No one's even sure about Technus anymore, we've all heard stories about him ending up in the wacko shack but no ones ever confirmed it."

"As for Skulker well," Saber adding in, "your guess is as good as ours. Supposedly they swarmed his compound early on, in any case theres nothing left and no one's ever found proof as to where he is. There are stories circulating all around the Ghost Zone that he's waging a one man war against them with his mutts, but for all we know they're fantasies thought up by desperate minds to give themselves hope."

"I meant our family, out friends, what happened to Jazz or…" his voice freezing as his older self slammed his glowing first through the table, his eyes burning read as he stood up and sending a jolt of fear through Danny as he looked at him.

"DAN," Saber snapped, her eyes taking on a purple glow and earning the attention of the other ghost. For a moment he glared at her, his stance streaming he was on the verge of attack and looking like a wild animal, when slowly his eyes closed and when they opened the burning red ectoplasm was gone, replaced by the light green they usually were.

Running his finger through his burning hair, the larger man sat down but didn't meet his younger self's gaze, "she's dead, leave it at that," a fair amount of venom and malice in his voice that compelled Danny to do as he was told. The outburst also caused a tense silence between them, neither willing to look at the other and sending a chill all through Danny's body.

After several long minutes it became to much for the half ghost and he opened his mouth only to have Dan cut him off, "you shouldn't take to much with you. About the future I mean, You've probably learned to much as it is, either way, we need to get you back," standing up. Giving a small whistle a ghost in jeans and blue jean jacket opening the doors they had from a moment later, "Sarah, can you escort our guest back to his room?"

"Of course Lord Daniel," bowing to the man.

At the word lord his eyes and hand ignited in red ectoplasm, "I told you not to call me that," his tone serious and with a threat of imminent danger that shocked Danny.

"I'm sorry L…Dan, it was….," keeping her eyes off him and Saber.

"Don't let it happen again," turning away from her and flying out of the room, his fire extinguishing as he went.

As he left Saber picked up her guitar and stated playing a small tune, "and they say women have mood swings," rolling her eyes.

Before Danny could respond Sarah was at his side and forcing him out of the room, "come on then, lets get you back where you belong," her voice still fearful but also having a bit of a southern drawl to it.

"Yeah sure," Danny grabbing a last look back not sure what had just happened. The two traveled in relative silence but Danny was able to notice more about the castle now, with the threat of the Taxxons gone a sense of order came back to the castle, ghosts of every shape and size flying or walking here and there, all of which took notice of Danny as he passed by and whispering thing to low for him to hear.

"Where'd they all come from," he asked himself absently.

"They were below," the woman answered, "when the worms attack we go into the cellars it's pretty much the only safe place to go. All we can really do is wait for Lord Daniel and Lady Saber to see us through."

Danny stopped when she said it again, "what do you mean 'Lord'?"

"I…um…that is to say," panic spreading against her face and looking around.

"It's just something we call them…um a joke begun by Lady….by Saber," the ghostly equivalent of sweat forming on her face. "I really don't know it was before my time, I just know he recently started ordering us not to call him that but it still slips out, it's almost second nature to us. He is our king, his word is law, but that doesn't always make them easy to do."

"Whoa, whoa what do you mean king, I though he was a protector?"

"I've…I've said to much," pulling him along, "I need to do as he asked," moving him through the corridors, not caring about his complaints and questions till she finally pushed him into the room he'd first come out of. "Good night, rest."

"What the heck is going on here," Danny hissed and shock his head sitting down on the bed, and running everything that had happened through his head. Even if he assumed the lady was a little weird and still stressed from the fight she'd freaked more than a little bit, and himself going ballistic when he mentioned Jazz didn't help matter much. Those things together didn't make everything he was saying a lie, but it raise doubts as to what was going on. He didn't even know when he was so for all he knew he was being fed a bunch of half truths and full blow lies. For that matter for all he knew this was just an elaborate set up by Vlad or someone else and none of this was real. It wasn't like he hadn't seen shape shifters in the past, so it was possible, that or he was in a really weird dream.

"And to think I use to complain when my biggest concern was what to watch on TV," laying down in bed, despite the food, he was still tired and his powers were still shaky. "If someone is going to do something to me, they're going to do it regardless of what I want, and unless I get my powers to work right I won't be in a position to stop them." Stretching his back he let out a yawn, his eyelids growing heavy and falling as he gave in and let sleep once more overcome him in the hopes when he came to he'd still be alright and his powers would react normally again.

Several hours later and some distance away a pair of eyes watched the castle with great interest.

"This is a bad idea."

"So you've been saying."

"But this is a really bad idea"

"We've had worse."

"Yeah and what does that say about us."

"That we're incredibly brave, incredibly stupid, and incredibly reliable."

"Yeah I always wanted to be known as those three things."

"Then your mission is complete," sighing, "so you ready?"

"Is water wet, are dogs furry, am I very pretty," running finger through her hair.

"You forget I've seen you in the morning," jumping out towards the castle, his partner on his heals.

"Keep talking I can fix that," her voice growing softer as they approached the castle, the knowledge of what they'd find on the inside at the forefront of their minds. "Your sure this is a good idea?"

"Have I ever thought any plan I've been a part of way good?"

"A few."

"And look how those ended, now cut the noise lets not make this any easier for them than we have to."

"Please if we're going to walk into a fight might as well make it one from the get go," shooting ahead of her partner.

"Not here, not now," zooming ahead of her, "in and out, fast and quiet, that's the plan, don't go looking for a fight."

"Fine," relenting to her partners wisdom. Without further words they flew up to the castle each moving as quickly and quietly as they were able to do, the ruins appearing all the more massive from there perspective. Zipping along the side of the wall, crossing what from there perspectives could've easily been an endless ghostly stone city. With a determination born of conviction they moved along it faster than there size allowed and shot up to a window, the room seeming like it could've held a dozen skyscrapers to them and a woman that made even the biggest radioactive movie monster seem tiny in comparison.

Looking her up and down the pair shot into the room, hugging the groves in-between the stones of the wall to keep themselves from being noticed. Shooting down the wall and bounding across the floor, the ghosts foot steps making them want to run and hide, the vibrations making them crazy. Hitting the door they pushed under the crack between it and the floor and into the huge hall of the castle.

Looking left and right, each tried to get their bearings, before the woman grabbed her partner and both shot left down the hall, once more taking to the sky. The pair moved through the halls shifting up and down, left and right, looking like little more than tiny bugs to the inhabitants of the stone structure. They zipped by human based ghosts dressed in every conceivable style, animal like ghosts, skeletal warriors, and creatures that caught the short end of the death stick looking like lumps of muck, others looking like they'd been cross bread with animals or machines, and particularly luck creature that looked like a walking tree fused with a garden hose.

Ignoring them all, they staying on there target, zooming through the halls past rooms of warriors, the knowledge they could be caught at any second on their minds. After what seemed like hours and a thousand near misses they found what they hoped was their target, a door not so different from the others they'd passed but holding a treasure far more valuable. Moving in fast they shot forward ready to get and go, both hoping the way out wouldn't be as hard as they were anticipating.

As they approached the door they felt the air sizzle and pop around them in a pattern both knew well, but couldn't do anything about as they were both swept up in a blast of ectoplasm that crushed them against the wall. If they had been bigger the blast might have taken them out for a length of time, but at their size it would've taken a blast far greater to do more than make them pause.

"Slag'n bugs, you really think no one noticed you," the voice booming to the pair and coming off more as the voice of a demon. "Well, well not so crushed after all," seeing the pair shake of the blast and moving along the scorch mark on the wall he'd left, "can't let that g..…" His words stopping as from his perspective tiny dots began to grow larger very quickly, "your not bugs are you," backing up and running down the hall, "INTRUDERS!"

"Well we held the element of surprise longer then we thought," she barked over to her partner.

"All things considered I'd prefer longer," reaching behind him and pulling his sword from it's scabbard, the green blade glowing in the ghostly fire light as a wave of skeletal warriors came tearing down the hall along with several other inhabitants of the castle. "I knew this wasn't go to be as easy as that tin can said."

"Are things ever?" her necklace glowing a light blue and braced herself for the attack, "LET'S GO RIB RACKS!"

"Rib racks," looking over at her in disbelief.

"Ok so my quips are bad," shrugging and jumping forward, her claws shining in the light only to be stopped as he grabbed her tail and flung her back.

"Get the target, I'll be on your tail."

"Holding you to that," firing a tendril out, the suckers attaching to the door and tearing it off it's hinges, the occupant waking up.

"WHOA WHAT," Danny barking as a mass of tentacles came at him and ensnared him and pulled him out of bed.

"Please save all questions till the ride has stopped, keep your hands and legs inside the car at all time, and remember we have your money so we don't care what you think."

"Already seen this movie, don't like how it ends," a ghost formed Danny snapped forming a shield around himself and forcing the tendrils off him, one whipping back and hitting his assailant in the face, "honestly do I look like a girl?"

"Ooh cleaver," hissing sarcastically, "like I've never heard a tentacle monster joke before," her arms shooting out and entangling Danny's limbs, "now stop struggling and come here."

Even with the rest Danny wasn't an peek performance, but continued to fight her as best her could, "do you have an idea what's going to happen to you when the guy who lives here gets a hold of …..Rachel?" recognizing the ghost woman who held him.

"Good this isn't completely awkward then, now come on," jerking him forward as her tendrils continued to envelope him tell he was held tightly to her despite his sustained struggles.

"Would you let go of me, you can tell Walker I never bought it for a second, whatever his plan is it's not going to wor…" getting a good look through the door at the carnage before him.

"Got him?" her companion barked back stabbing his blade into one of his attackers, the skeleton vanishing in a vortex of energy, while turning into a kick, long claws on his feet taking on a yellow light as they sliced through the body of attacking human looking man. The creature moved in a flurry of energy swipes, sword slashes and feathers, his form almost impossible to truly determine.

"Say the word Tobe and we can book," Rachel's light purple skin on her left side shifted to light blue as her necklace began to glow. That in turn triggered her mouth to grow out, sharp teeth forming and replacing the squid beak while a tail shot out behind her along with a pair of leathery wings, a mane of scales from the back of her head.

"Barbeque um dragon lady," jumping up and spreading large wings from his back a jet of blue flame fired out of Rachel's mouth and just under her partner who landed without a sound next to her. In front of them both the ghosts were forced back, the blue flame virtually impossible to cross. "And the others wonder why I love you," sheathing his blade on his back, between his wings that arced up past his head while the tips ended just before hitting the ground. The wings were in turn connected to a black feathered body, and just above a tail of light silver feathers. The body itself was humanoid in design and lean like a gymnasts, albeit covered in feathers save the hands and feet beginning at the forearms and lower legs respectively that were silver and scaled ending in glowing talons of yellow. The head like most of the body was hawk in origin and black with a silver beak that looked like it could kill. Across his chest and back was the sheath for his sword decked out in red, the only clothing he was seen to be wearing with the exception of a red bracelet on his wrist that was obviously mechanical and twin rings of gold on his finger. But most striking was given his glow, he was most defiantly dead.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY,WE HAVE TO STOP THEM," the roar cutting through the crowd and making Rachel and Tobias shake for a moment as they saw red energy rising into the air and knowing he was going to come down on them with everything he had.

"And that would be the cue to leave," his body shifting as lost his human features and they were replaced by those of a black and silver polar bear, only the wings becoming smaller. Flexing his limbs claws popped out of his paws, each glowing with a yellow energy, releasing a roar that was half hawk half bear he hit the wall with all his power, the stone giving way after only a single hit and creating a hole big enough for he and the half dragon half squid Rachel to escape through.

"Go I'll cover you," Tobias growled staring down the on coming attackers that still couldn't get past Rachel's flame, something that would end in a moment. His answer was simple as her tail whipped out and hit him in the side sending him falling out of the hole, followed a second later by his partner, her wings spreading wide to cover him while he shifted back to his human/hawk form. "Thanks a lot Rach," glaring up at her.

"Chivalry might not be dead but that doesn't mean I have to accept it," flying out of the compound as fast as she could, Danny still struggling inside her make shift cocoon.

Tobias looked up at her, then past her to the skeleton warriors who were following them, with the promise of Dan yet to come. Shifting his wings he dropped back then jetted forwards shielding her. With practiced ease he spun in midair putting them back to back and flexed his wings sending them to the side of his body and forward a cascade of yellow ectolasmic feathers firing from them and hitting the on coming ghosts with a variety of results. Some exploded like small bombs, other cut right through the ghosts, a few exploded half way to their targets creating small dust storms that blinded those in pursuit.

"I love it keep it up," giving the bird a thumbs up as he let loose another barrage of feathers.

"Bah, you'd rather get up there and tear their throats out."

"Like you wouldn't," pulling her wings in closer and flying faster, while the bird man kept pace above her.

"Then by all means," a clone of Dan appearing if front of Rachel and Tobias, "let's see how you deal with me," another forming on their right while the real Dan came upon their rear.

"OOOO, I was hoping this would happen," flaring her wings and pulling her tendrils behind her and facing the blue skinned ghost, "I've been looking forward to a rematch sparky." Swiping at him with her dragon hand, the gray claws slicing through him as he went intangible.

"Let him go and I'll have no problem burying you all over again," solidifying and punching her in the face sending her end over end in the sky and into Tobias and grabbed her while diving and pulling her out of the trap.

"Not the time Rach," yanking her down and hitting the bracelet on his wrist a tear opening up in front of him.

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THEY CREMATED WHAT THEY COULD FIND OF ME!" Rachel screamed out as she, Tobias, and Danny vanished through the wound in the Ghost Zone, the portal sealing behind them keeping Dan away from them.

Throwing his head back Dan let out his ghostly wail that sending shockwaves through out the area causing his warriors to fall apart, rocks to break, glass to shatter, and ghosts to hold their heads for fear of going deaf.

On the other side of the rip Tobias looked back, "I do not look forward to the next time I have to see him."

"You don't look forward to seeing any one," flying over to him and putting her left hand on his shoulder, her blue scales receding, like Tobias two gold rings adorned her finger.

"There are a few," leaning back and kissing her, beak meeting squid beak in an odd by practiced dance.

At the kiss Danny surged against Rachel again but despite all the power he could muster he couldn't seem to break her grasp again. "You ruining a beautiful moment dipstick stop it," adding more pressure to her grip, eventually feeling the boy grow still, his heart slowing down, yet remaining alive.

"You should just keep squeezing," Tobias snarled looking at her tendrils, "it would save us all a lot of problems.

"HEY," grabbing his beak in her human hand and making him look her in the eyes, "you know the plan, as much as I'd love doing it, it's not our call."

"A quick snap it's not like anyone will know," snapping his own beak to replicate the sound.

"Tobe," her voice growing low and annoyed and she flew off away from him.

Behind her the bird man snarled and growled, the sound an odd mix of several animals at once and sounding anything but human or friendly. After a few moments of snapping at the air he fell in behind her, even as fast as she was moving he could still make out every hair of her head. Beyond her was the ruins of a city, like most of the cities in the waking world it decimated, but to the bird man it was home, it was peace. Shaking his head in disbelief, "who would've thought she'd end up being the heart of us."

It only took the pair a half hour to get where they were going, the portal designed to open up a good deal away from their home on the off chance they were followed so they could deal with the ghosts or escape with their prize. Almost as if in cue the air shimmered in front of them and she appeared, a vision of carnage in red and silver.

"Well looky looky," the ghosts stopping in midair, Rachel coming nose to nose with the new player.

"Gimme a reason," the voice unmistakably Val's just older. She was decked out in a red and black body suit that hugger her like a second skin. Over that however was serious hardware, a silver backpack that given the glow was of ghost origin rested on back keeping her in the sky, small wings extending from it. Her right arm was completely covered in the glowing metal from her shoulder down, the design, even streamlined to match her body size was the same as Skulker's body armor, the wrist unfolding to reveal a chain gun style weapon that encased the hand.. On her left hand was a glove that in no way matched the right, the metal knuckles glowing with an eerie green light. Her face mask was gone, her formerly long hair cut short in a buzz cut, but in it's place was a green visor, several displays visible on it.

"We're alone Val," Tobias shooting forward and grabbing the human's metal hand and pushing it away from the long time partner.

"I'll be the judge of that," her other hand coming up to the visor, the semi clear material glowing lightly while new readouts and images appeared on it.

"Any day now," the purple girl scratching the back of her head, already knowing how this would end.

"Your clear," the her visor growing darker and her weapon disappearing back into the arm covering.

"No kidding," the dead woman flying past her as the woman in red and silver flying next to her.

"Hey I had to make sure, that's why I'm out here."

"No your out here because they threw you out because they couldn't deal with you anymore. Face it girl every time Tom goes back out you start going out of your mind and you take it out on us."

"HEY," she snapped pointing her metal finger at her.

"Just give it up girl, we all know what you do with my cousin when he's here."

"We do not," she snapped.

"Ok that's it for me, I'm gone," Tobias pealing away from the women not wanting to hear more.

"Hey, not judging, personally I think my cousins a great catch, you know except for being dead, and part jaguar and cobra, he's a great guy. Ok yes he's not everyone's ideal of beauty, but really since when does that matter."

"Not hearing this," the woman kicking on her jet pack and moving away from Rachel.

"Face it girl we all know you love him, which is funny considering the first time you saw him you shot him twice in the face." Sighing to herself, "youth and denial I remember them well," following the girl as a door slid open camouflaged into the wall. Without further word the girls slipped in the elevator, the equipment taking them down several floors where the door swung back open.

"You think he'll be ok up there," Val asked looking up as the ceiling knowing Tobias was endlessly circling above them making no move to hide her fear, both that he might give away their position and that he might get hurt.

"The bird will take care of himself he always does," shaking her head, "granted the ghost shield around this base makes him getting in harder in case there's trouble, but he'll figure something out."

"I hope not," the women turning as a panel on the floor slid away an older Tucker rising from it. For the most part he looked very much like he in high school, the major difference being the left side of his face, from his cheek going half way over his head was a gold plate imbedded into his face. His ear was still visible, but his eye was now a glowing dark blue dot where a normal eye would've been. He was wearing a grease stained tee-shirt and gloves with equally greasy beat up cargo pants. "I've gone to a lot of work to make this place impenetrable, if that glowing feather duster can get in anyway other than that hatch that means I'm not doing my job."

"You've said that at least five times about this place," the human woman folding her arms, "and every time he's figured out how to get back in."

"And every time I've reinforced the base, this time I've got it down," rubbing his hands on a rag and leaning over, "so that him?"

"Yep," the half human half squid nodded.

"I don't suppose we could just shoot him in the head now and be done with it?" whipping a gun out from behind his back and pointing it at Rachel's tentacles.

Half a second later Val's armor had come to life, her weapon pointed at Tucker's head, "you know I can fire this before you can, so don't even try it."

"This would be so much faster though," his hand never wavering as his cybernetic eye narrowed down exactly where Danny was in the mess of tendrils and corrected his aim, knowing fully well he could kill the teen without hurting Rachel.

"And if anyone else sees you holding a gun on her you'll be dead before you can blink," Val's visor lighting up as she switched the weapon to nonlethal human counter measures.

He didn't even bother looking at her, "I'm not really caring," knowing there was a very good chance she'd drop him, if not one of the others. Rachel mean while was cool and calm, not being the first time someone had a gun on her today, let alone her life.

"Tucker," a presence on his hand, the voice making him stiffen, "she's your friend, we all are here, so please calm down," the presence now stroking his face.

The new force caused his hand to tremble, the warmth of the touch making it even harder and finally letting the weapon drop away. "I…"

"I know," the presence taking shape as an woman in her mid to early twenties of Asian and Mexican decent a woman who moved closer to him and hugged him tightly as she dared. "It's so easy, but is it really worth it," pulling away from him slightly and running a finger down his face and leaving it against his lips, after a moment him accepting it.

"Ok when the cyborg and the android start making out I draw the line, see ya later Nikki," Rachel waving at her old friend, Val behind her. The woman's armor sucked it's weapon back in while she under went a full body shiver.

"OK I'm trying to be open minded but that still freaks me out."

"That freaks you out?" Rolling her eyes, "those two in a relationship is fine, the fact that he's over fifty percent machine at this point is what's scaring me."

"When we use to make fun of him at school for loving machines we never knew he'd take it that far."

"And I'm just going to let it go there," looking at the door in front of her, "time to see the boss."

"Good luck, I don't envy you," Val resting a hand on her friend.

"Val this is me, I'm pretty sure I'm safe," watching the woman walk back down the hall. Pushing the door open she was greeted by the a sight in black.

"You get him?"

"We did," nodding her head, her tendrils uncurling and revealing Danny's head.

"Good," not turning to look at Rachel, "put him down, I'll deal with him personally."

"Are you sure," looking from Danny to the black clad individual.

"I am," waving Rachel off.

"Alright," nodding her tendrils letting him go and walking out of the room, grabbing a quick glance backwards before the doors shut.

"So what am I going to do with you?"

---

DP Style

A simple wave of the hand brought the small device to life, the gray metal lighting up with a soft green light, a moment later an image of Skulker appearing in the air. His upper body, arms and face plate were black, his legs had been replaced by a stream of green ectoplasm, a similar flame burned around where his head use to be.

"Problems," the voice strong by subservient

"No, but it's time we finally ended this."

"Of course," bowing slightly in the air, "we await your order, say the word and we'll finally bring them to the ground."

"No," the hand igniting in ectoplasm, "this situation is special, certain things have to be taken into consideration, I'll be accompanying you."

"And you wife," spitting out the word, every ounce of his contempt going into it.

"Will be coming as well, you know how I can't say no, now gather them, time is of the essence."

"At once," bowing again the image disappearing a moment later.

"One by one the piece fall into place, bringing me that much closer to my destiny."

---

DP Style

Danny slowly opened his eyes, his vision filling with a room of polished silver metal, lightly illuminated by glowing greens lines that ran throughout the walls. "Just once I'd like to wake up and actually be in my room," covering his face and once more hoping this was a dream.

"I wouldn't worry you won't be having that concern much longer," the voice making him jerk up right, the sound might've been older but he knew it instinctually despite the coldness of it.

"Jazz," the words coming out in a squeak and looking at her, or trying in any case. All he could see was a figure in a full length black coat and hood with a ghostly glow, her image coming off very much like the Grim Reaper, and all only five feet away. Beyond her sat a desk of polished silver metal the same as the room, also with green lines of energy running through it

"Hello Daniel, enjoy your nap?"

"OK what is going on, I thought you were dead…..or more dead….or something scrambling to his feet and moving as far away from her as possible. That action lead him right into a way, "AAHHHGGGAAA," arcs of green energy running over him and bouncing back and hitting the ground.

"Modified ghost shield, guaranteed to keep spooks in or out, guess which one I'm aiming for at the moment."

"What is going on, when the heck did you become a bad guy," pushing himself up on his hands and knees, smoke still rising from his body as he tried to shift into his ghost form.

Jazz couldn't help but smile and laugh lightly, a dark bitter laugh that chilled her now much younger brother to the core. "First save your strength the ghost shields been wired into the Plasmius Maximus, your powers will be out of commission for quite a while. Second your in no position to be calling me anything," the sound of cracking knuckles filling the air and reverberating off the wall.

"Lets see," a slight groan in his voice, "right now my older self is protecting a bunch of helpless ghosts from a horde of rampaging death worms, and you send a homicidal manic to kidnap me and most likely hurt a whole lot of innocents. So yeah that really makes you sound like the bad guy here."

Jazz couldn't help but let out that dark laugh again, the sound almost making him lose control of his bladder. "You really have no clue what's going on do you, and here I use to think you were smart."

"Smart enough to connect the dots," coughing and standing up, "him-good, you-evil-smart-worms."

That got an even bigger laugh out of the woman as turned and lunged at him with the speed of a cobra. Her hand wrapped around his neck and hauled him into the air as if he were a rag doll, her fingers easily meting each other as white fur grew in place, the purple back gorilla DNA kicking in. The strike forced him back against the wall sending jolts of pain over him, but not as bad as the initial wave, but none the less making him scream in pain and writhe in her grip.

With a snarl she whipped him across the room, her hand going back to normal and watching him bounce off the wall before hitting the ground. Training her eyes on him, her front like her back clad in darkness, even her face was hidden behind the cloak of her hood. "You have no clue about the situation you find yourself in little brother, you think I'm the bad guy here, that those ravenous alien centipedes are some how on my payroll, that you're the hero, turn it around. He's the psychopathic despot with the annihilating aliens trying to take over everything, I'm the one trying to keep people alive," running her hands over the hood and pushing it back, revealing a still human face. It was her face just older, her face littered with line of stress giving her a grizzled appearance, the face of a warrior who'd lived to long and seen to much hardship. Her hair was now snow white and cut down far shorter than Val's, only a tiny tuff of red over her right eye harkening back to the girl she use to be. But the most striking was that she was still human, the glow coming directly from the coat.

"What?"

"You were fed a load of crap Danny," walking over to him, her blue eyes now hard and deader than any ghosts'. "You think it's a coincidence that he's hunkered down in a castle, an army under his command, slaves littering the halls afraid to leave under the threat that the Taxxons will come and get them if they try and leave."

"They attacked…."

"That happens once a month, a little show for the crowd something to keep them in line in case they decide they want some freedom. It's an old trick, it's been done through out history."

"What…that doesn't make any sense."

"It does when you understand the situation," walking over to him, her hand once again shifting to that of a gorilla's. "Of course you don't have to worry about that," picking him up by the throat, "your not going to be around much longer," and applying pressure to his neck, fully intending to crush the life from him. Danny struck out at her as best he could doing everything he could to try and make her let go but next to the woman's strength he was fighting a losing battle, the life beginning to drain out of him. After a moment he began to grow limp his struggles slowing then stopping, as he became still. When he stopped moving Jazz's hand began to shake, then threw him back into the wall and covered her face, silent sobs exacting her mouth.

"Couldn't do it huh," Rachel's voice making her turn, the purple half cat girl leaning over her, and stroking his face.

"Shut up."

"I can't blame ya, it take a lot to kill a family member, and despite all your talk your not there yet, I doubt you every will be."

She just growled at the dead woman and walked over to her, her hand going back to normal, "we can't waste this opportunity," looking down at the unconscious brother, "he's going to send the world into a new dark ages, we have to stop him now, before he gets to powerful."

"I'm not disagreeing," checking his vitals, being gentle with his neck, "but there are other options other than straight out killing, as I told you."

"Fine, we'll play it your way Rach," reaching out and stroking the other woman's blue-white hair, twin rings on her hand glinting in the light.

"Anything you say boss lady," covering the hand and pulling the living woman closer and kissing her deeply. "But remember our husbands kinda on the edge at the moment, if we don't figure something out he might snap."

"Birdie will pull it together, he always does," shaking her head.

"Those other times we weren't trying to undo our existence," tilting the other woman's head up and looking into her eyes and whispered softly, sweetly, "be strong Jazzy we'll figure something out."

"Thanks Rach," lacing her fingers in the woman's hands and watching her pull away and slip back out of the room. "I'm going to miss that girl so much," closing her eyes, another tear slipping down her cheek while looking down at Danny, "you better be worth this little brother."

Walking over to the desk Jazz tapped a small pad, "Nichole, I need you in here for a few moments, I need you to revive my brother."

"I knew you couldn't go though with it," the words coming out as the line went dead.

"Smart-aleck mutt," dropping into the chair behind the desk and leaning back, her hands covering her face, "things can't be simple can they."

After a moment the older looking Nikki walked through the door, a tray in her hands and began working on Danny. "You came closer than I thought you would," running her fingers over his neck, "several vertebra are fractured, and I'm not sure there isn't considerable damage to the spinal cord."

"So," looking at the back of the hologram woman's head.

"I can fix it, that wasn't anything I didn't anticipate," pulling a flexible piece of equipment off the tray and slipping it around his neck. "We're lucky, Val's fight with David last year gave her almost identical wounds, so we aren't flying blind on this."

"Who would think her being paralyzed for over a month would yield something positive," the memory of the other woman laying in bed all that time still fresh in her mind. If Nichole and the Technus program hadn't rigged up the collar from a mix of Chee, ghost, and human technology that somehow healed her spine she'd still be out of commission. How the thing worked Jazz couldn't say, it wasn't her field and she didn't have need of it, she just knew the thing worked which was all she cared about.

"He'll be back to normal in about an hour no worse for wear, but I do need to reiterate I will not be a party to torture. If you plan to continue doing this to him I won't help you and you can find someone else to run the equipment, I have enough sins on my mind, I won't add anymore not even for you Jasmine."

"I'm not asking you to," understand all well what the android meant, Jazz knew she knew even if she died Nicole would more than likely survive, and this moment would stay sharp in her mind so long as she functioned, just like the rest of her memories.

"Good," her fingers flying over tiny buttons that no one else could even see, "I'd hate to think you weren't the woman I thought you were the moment I met you."

"Save the compliments and just get him back before I regret listening to Rachel."

"No one said you had to marry either of them," Nikki's voice taking on a sing song quality, as her hands pulling away.

"And there are days I wish I hadn't," running her fingers over the twin rings and turning them gently back and forth.

"You don't mean that for a second," propping Danny in a chair then picking the tray back up, "you can fool the others, but I have enough years to know you draw strength from those two every chance you get. They keep you going as surly as you do the same to them, you'd all be lost without each other."

"Out Nicole," pointing towards the door.

"Although I still admit I find it funny the two of you agreed to share him, I knew you both loved him but still, he wasn't a condo."

"Nicole," not really needing to busted on right now

"It was even more of a shock to us when we found out you'd come to love each other as much as you did him."

"NICOLE!" she half screamed, she cared for the machine but she didn't need the teasing right now.

"Alright but remember don't let him mess with that," nodding towards the collar, "it's sensitive and hitting the wrong thing could do more damage than good."

"That much I do know," closing her eyes, the metal woman slipping out of the room and leave the white haired woman along with her thoughts, the memories of her make shift weddings slipping into her thoughts as much as she tried to focus on the more important matters at hand.

A little over an hour later Danny's eyes fluttered open, "ah crap," seeing his sister's face behind the desk, hoping that death had actually embraced him and gotten him away from the obviously crazy woman. "Let me guess this is going to be one of those things where you keep beating me up to the bring of death and pull me back to start all over again?"

"I considered it, but I'd rather you just be dead so this world didn't come to be. My team on the other hand has a different plan in mind for you and I can exactly fault the logic."

"Like what tarring and feathering me and beating my like a piñata?" becoming aware of the material around his neck and pulling at it.

"Unless you want to end up in a wheel chair I wouldn't touch that."

"Why is it a bomb, in that case I'll just tear it off an take you with me."

"Actually that's healing everything I broke and if it's messed with you might not have a brainstem by the time you get it off." The words stopping Danny the second he heard it, he wasn't sure if he believed her, but he wasn't willing to cross her and find out.

"Alright what new game do you have in mind," lowering his hands and trying to form an ectoblast only to discover his powers were still out of commission.

"Reason."

"Why do you think I want to know the reason," rolling his eyes.

"I meant I'm going to reason with you, or try in any case," drumming her fingers across the table.

"Because you were so convincing last time," Danny snapped glaring at her, the mechanical device around his neck proof of that.

"I admit I was out of line, but considering what I wanted it seemed like the best plan."

"And that was?"

"You dead here, now, which would therefore prevent this little nightmare of a present."

"Yeah that makes a lot ofsense," rolling his eyes, "what are you talking about, I die the worms still get free, people still die, nothing changes."

Leaning forward on her desk and rising to her feet, "you die and none of this happens, cause and effect, you being alive in the past triggers this, you trigger this."

"Yeah right I know what happened, my older self told me what happened, he said…:"

"DID HE ALSO SAY HE LET THE TAXXONS LOOSSSSE, THAT THISSSS ISSS ALSSSSO HISSSS FAULT," her voice going primal, fangs growing from her mouth, a forked tongue slipping out while a tail slipped from her back and filled the air with a rattle.

"What, that's not true," Danny barked back at her gathering his courage as best he could against the half woman half rattlesnake in front of him.

"And you know that how," her body returning to normal, sitting back down, "from what I've heard you've been here less than a day."

"He told me," storing away the new information, at least knowing how long he might've been her.

"And I'm telling you something else," crossing her arms.

"You also tried to kill me."

"Like you…he has tried to do more times than I can count," taking a deep breath she lent forward, her fingers forming a pyramid in front of her as she rested her elbows on the desk. "I admit, what I did was wrong, but you don't understand the world we live in, the chance to end it, the chance to set the world going down another path it was to good an opportunity to let pass by. In a moment of rage I let myself forget that you are not him, at least not yet, and you can be turned away from the path he walks."

"New Jazz same mind games," the he hissed leaning back.

"Maybe, that doesn't make what I'm saying any less true, and right now you have a choice, I'm going to tell you the truth of what's going on, can either listen or sit there and stew. Either way I don't care, but one way or another, I will prevent the world from falling into this….abyss," the world sounding good in her mouth."

"Your bigger than me, your stronger than me, and you took away my powers, so it doesn't really matter what I say your going to do it anyway."

"Essentially yes, I haven't lived this long by being stupid," leaning back in to her chair, a smug smile on her lips. "Guess the best place to start would be at the beginning…"

"Wow how'd you ever come up with that."

Glaring at him, a tiny smile on her lips, "you don't do sarcasm well Danny so shut it. As I was saying this all started about ten years ago, and given how you look, fairly close to when you where taken from time. Exactly what happened I'm not sure, all I know is you were involved in a fight, our parents showed up, and something blew up," her eyes closing a single tear running down her cheek, "they died," her voice growing ragged and wavering, "and you ended up in a coma for almost a month." Taking a deep breath she calmed herself down and ran a hand through the stubble that she called hair.

"Our parents had a will, but they obviously had had it written a while back because they labeled Vlad Masters as our legal guardian. Despite my reservation of the man we needed him, he took care of the funeral, got you the best doctors in the country, he did everything I couldn't. The funeral was beautiful I'll still give him that, despite what I thought he'd do he didn't just pay lip service to dad, I honestly believe that he cared about him as much as mom. The way he took care of you, it was hard to believe the man did all the damage he did in life."

"I'll take your word for that," the teenager not hearing anything to sway his impression of the situation or his future sister.

"With our parent gone and you the way you were most of the decisions fell to me, or at least the few the court would let me have. Given I was still a minor in their eye's regardless of what I knew they sent us to live with Vlad, not that I took it lying down. Tobias put me in touch with the Chee, more than a few of which had been attorneys in former live and between us we tried to take everything to court, to sever the arrangement, and emancipate myself. Even with Vlad's lawyers tying things up in course I was almost able to do it. That is till the Chee came in a told me even if I won there was almost no chance of getting you, so in the end I threw in the towel and moved with him to Wisconsin."

"Then again I didn't go alone, Tobias didn't have much problem picking up and leaving at the drop of a hat, and Vlad welcomed him with the same open arms he welcomed me. Bird on the other hand didn't have much faith in him, or in David for that matter, not that Vlad let that stop him, the second he heard Tobias was coming with us, he tossed David out like the garbage he was. Not that it changed his opinion of the situation, he ended up camping out in a little grove of trees just off Vlad's property. He helped me get through the worst of it, and helped watch Danny in case Vlad tried anything to him, and I have his word Vlad or anyone near him ever went near him when he was there."

"The word of a guy that eats rats," yeah that's real reliable.

Jasmine shot him a look that promised death, "in any case we eventually feel into a kind of routine, I didn't really like my life, but I had you, and therefore the hope that things would regain a sense of normalcy one day. For the most part we made the best of it and adapted to ghosts waiting on our every whim, not that bird really liked it, but he accepted it for my sake. Over time I actually started to like the various ghosts in Vlads employ once I had a chance to get to know them. The vultures were like grandparents to me, they provided wisdom, support, sometimes just an ear to listen too when I couldn't talk to the others. The Fright Knight became," her words growing soft as her eyes misted over for a second, "I'm not sure what he was, a friend when I needed him, a voice of strength when I was scared, and always a protector when I needed him. Had I known then what I know now, that you would ruin that I would've smothered you before you woke up."

"It's things like that that make me not want to trust you."

"Keep joking I'm about to get to the good part," the sarcasm unmistakable in her voice. "After a month you finally woke up, and at the time we wanted answerers as to what happened, that hope came to a screeching halt for everyone when we found out you had amnesia."

"You watched a lot of soap operas didn't you."

"Life is stranger than fiction," putting her arm behind her head and stretching, "and it got plenty weird for us. You didn't know squat about what happened, for the most you were ok but you didn't remember anything from about a week before it happened. When we told you, you didn't take it well though, I mean worse than I did, at least I'd had Tobias to confide in, you didn't really have anyone but us, and I could tell you weren't as comfortable talking to us as you would've been Tucker or Sam. Vlad even did everything he could to get them up there, but their parents wouldn't let them come, even with mom and dad gone we were still the ghost hunting wacko family and everyone in Amity Park was glad to be rid of us."

"For a long time you mopped around, the pain growing worse for you, not even the counselors Vlad provided from both sides really helped. Finally you came up to him and asked him to make the pain go away. When I heard that accidentally I tired to talk him…you out of it, at the time I thought he meant drugs and tried to convince him it wasn't worth it, looking back now, it's pretty obvious whatever you two cooked up it was a lot worse."

She started to physically tremble as she spoke, "all I know is one day all hell broke loose, the floor exploded and Danny shot out of it, only he wasn't Danny anymore, he was I don't know what you saw today only younger. Blue skin, flaming white hair, red tracks running up and down his face, a long forked tongue hanging out of his mouth, his eyes blazing bright red. He came after me like a shark after blood, Tobias was human at the time and got between us. He was tackled to the ground and tired to demorph but never made it, I watched as whatever Danny had become fired off a blast of red ectoplasm more powerful than anything I'd seen before and hit the love of my life in the face with it." Her hands were on the desk now digging small groves into the metal, the rage evident on her face. "I don't know what happened next, Danny turned to look at me, his eyes that demonic red and he shot at me and missed as I sank into a world of nightmares, the deaths of my parents and the attack of Tobias flashing before my eyes constantly."

Breathing deeply she retook control of herself and leaned back into the chair her eyes closing tightly so she didn't have to think about anything else. "When I came out of the nightmare dimension everything was changed, the Knight had held Danny off but it cost him an arm, two of the vultures were gone, and the third was never in a position to explain what happened to them. We found Vlad and Danny's bodies in the basement, whatever he had done to Danny resulting in both their death as well and the destruction of the ghost portals. And Tobias," taking a deep breath, "he was dead, not like a little I can still survive dead, he was gone, we never even found his head. Our hope home was gone, but thankfully so was Danny, and it gave us a reason to bond, someone to hate, people to survive for."

"We didn't even have time to rest though, the carnage brought every form of law enforcement agency to us, but by the time they were there we were gone. Vlad had taken every piece of ghost equipment from out parents home including the Specter Speeder so loaded it down with every piece of equipment we could find and went after him, not that it was hard. Danny left a major trail behind him, homes laid to waste, people were dead, cities looked like a mini hurricane had gone through it, and it all lead to home."

"Like so much in my life, by the time we were there it was already to late, Danny had come though and there was no denying the results. The school was totaled, Paulina, Dash, and Kwan's homes were all burnt to the grounds and their parents, lets just say they died in the most horrible ways imaginable right in front of their kids faces. Mr. Lancer you don't even want to know what he did to him. Comparatively Val was lucky, she was able to hold him off a little and keep her dad alive, even if both his legs were torn off in the process. Somehow Tucker had come through untouched as did his family, but that was more than I could say about Sam or her family. I'm not even sure what happened to her parents, we never found enough of them to put that together, her grandmother died of a heart attack, and Sam he just kidnapped, but the next time any with a pulse saw her she was Saber."

"After that ghost hunters sprang up everywhere, it wasn't an obsession as it was a way of life, a way to keep those you loved safe. Unfortunately most of them were idiots and didn't know what they were doing and got themselves killed in the process. Of course no one would listen to me, I was the daughter of Jack Fenton, the girl with the ghost guardian, the enemy of everyone. At that was true till the Taxxons came, the aliens somehow gnawing their way through the wall between this world and the Ghost Zone, and after that people didn't think I was so crazy when they watched ghost hunter after ghost hunter eaten and mutilated before their eyes, all that is save me and my team…my family."

"In the wake of the initial assault they came to me and I was able to build my team, and go after my brother before he could do anymore damage. Tucker and Val were the first to sign on, Paulina and Dash took a little more convincing but in the in they joined and we went after them. I knew they were all out for blood, but I didn't care, I was too, and it gave them motivation to keep going and do whatever was necessary. We did that for years but never found him, in time some joined us, others left, some died, but we never stopped, and we did some good when we were able."

As she went on Danny leaned in closer, he wasn't sure if she believed everything she was saying, but the conviction in her voice was enough to let him know that either part of the story was true or she was very practiced.

"In time we were able to coble together a working ghost portal, for some reason the Taxxons rips always sealed themselves before we get to them. With it we were able to piece together what was going on in the Ghost Zone and figured out just how bad things had gotten. Danny or Dan or Lord Daniel depending on who you listened to had set himself up as the new king of the Ghost Zone. Granted he never actually called himself that but it was obvious from how he handled himself, his skeletal soldiers marching and forcing people into his castle and making them his slaves."

"Or maybe he was bring them there to be safe, and they aren't slaves their refugees," Danny snapped, even as enthralled as he was he needed to point that out.

"Yeah and I'm sure the systematic attacks on their homes by the Taxxons was a total accident, multiple coordinated attacks that had to be planned out by experts. Looks you can go over the facts of the attacks if you want, I've looked at them a thousand times, it doesn't change that those were planned assaults, and my brother reaped all the rewards."

"But still coincidence…"

"Tell that to bird, he and Rachel were there, they saw the entire thing first hand, lived and fought in it. A few days after the worms got loose my brother was spotted, with the Taxxons during an attack he was helping in. As far as we know there were only three survivors, two are in Walkers prison now in protective custody, the other is Rachel, and I don't doubt her word."

"Yeah and how exactly did you get hooked up with a homicidal maniac like the walking bestial she-male?"

"Say that again and I will rip out your tongue and feed it to you," not an ounce of comedy in her voice and making Danny's blood run cold and his life flash before his eyes. Taking a calming breath, "after the escape of the Taxxons Walker's prison became a refuge for any that needed it, it also became Tobias' home, all those stories about Rachel loving him and waiting for him were true. She helped ease him into death, and gave him a place to belong, and with the aliens loose, they needed him. Unlike Rachel he wasn't nuts on the other side, grated he wasn't really stable for a while from what I was told, but when he adapted he became a force on that side only Rachel could touch. Unfortunately that was a few steps below my Brother and Saber, and even they couldn't take on an army alone."

"They did the best they could, saved what lives they were able, forced off the hordes time an again but they knew things were never going to get better, Walker just wanted to keep the prisoners in and try and preserve that order rather than bringing it to the rest Ghost Zone. In time they grew restless and started hearing about our infiltration of their realm in an attempt to find and stop Dan. That was enough for them, Tobias loved Rachel but he also still had a torch for me too and put out feelers for where we'd be and if there was a chance they could get to us on one of our runs given the lack of portal on their side. It took a little while but when they got the chance they took it, along with everything they could grab out of prison storage facility that Walker had collected from the various inmates and refugees."

"Why, I mean why grab the stuff," Danny interrupted.

"Leaving Walker is kinda like flippin off a guy with a shot gun pointed at your face, you can do it, but there's not much chance of things ending well." At the comment Danny just stared at her not believing that had come out of his sisters mouth, "sorry I got that from Rachel, she's a bad influence on me."

"No kidding."

"I was there when they came, Knight and I were doing recon near a Taxxons out cropping, we'd heard rumors of a resistance cell operating on that side that didn't want anything to do with Dan and wanted to the keep the eating machines at bay." Sighing as she went, "under normal circumstances I would've let the situation go when I saw it, the whole thing was lead by Johnny, and I wasn't all that thrilled with the idea of saving his butt, but Knight wouldn't let me let the others get taken out in a needless fight they couldn't win. It didn't help that we really couldn't win either, two more against the numbers coming at them didn't really even if it was us, that all changed through when those three come down like monsters from another world."

"Three, I thought we were dealing with two here?"

"Tobias," holding up her fingers, "Rachel, and her cousin Tom made three, the first two alone could be described as nature fury unleashed, add the things they brought with them and it was like using a flame thrower on an ant hill. And by that I mean there was a lot of collateral damage they might've saved out tails, but a good chunk of Johnny's group was decimated in the process. How much of that was them and how much was the Taxxons I can't be sure, but it was still ugly when things ended."

"When they offered their services to me I didn't know what to say, part of me was terrified of what they'd become, another part of me we'd need that kind of unleashed power, but all of me knew the man I loved was standing in front of mean wanted back in my life. If nothing else that really ticked off Johnny which at the time was almost more important to me, but in the end he came with us when those left in his group choose to head else where."

"With them added we became a real force, Rachel, Tobias and Knight became our front runners, out heavy hitters and I was thankful for it, and even better they gelled almost instantly, something about warrior code I still don't quite understand. Tucker, Paulina, and Nikki were our brains, they kept us going, kept us safe when a straight fight would've done more damage than good. Valerie, Tom and Johnny became our eyes and ear everywhere, if there was something we needed they could get it, if it was lost they'd find it, if their were secrets they'd tear um out of people. And somehow I ended up in charge of them, the leader expected to keep them together and wage a war we all knew we couldn't win. Battle hardened veterans, scared kids, total nut jobs, and people that had seen twenty times what I could even imagine, and somehow they all looked to me pull them threw."

For a moment she stopped and ran her hands over her face in frustration, "some we won, some we lost, we did what we could but some things can't be changed. We lost the Knight going up against my brother, he Rachel and Tobias decided to roll the dice and hit him when he was weak in the hopes ending this. They lost, he took them apart piece by piece and it cost him his life, all we have left of him is the Soul Shredder, he gave it to Tobias and told Rachel to get them both out of there and keep me safe. I've heard the story a dozen times over, not only from them, but from other sources as well, and they all say it was a three on one war that defies comprehension. All I really know is those two haven't been the same since, Rachel has a mad on for Dan beyond your comprehension and Tobias, it hit him to the core and we weren't sure he'd get back on the field for a while."

"Paulina and Tom left us last year when we found a small cell of humans in California, they were trying to live, but Taxxon attacks made it hard. They choose to stay there and help them, organize them as best they could keep themselves safe. Ever since then they've been making pilgrimages back and forth between us and other communities of humans, trying to teach them and arm them for the next attack. There are day's I think they're our greatest achievement there are also days I'd like to tear their throats out for leaving us short of hands."

"Johnny on the other hand I'm just not sure of, one day he was with us, the next he just wandered off. I'm not sure the fighting just didn't get to much for him one day and just made him snap, all I know is he's probably still out there, and I'm waiting for the day he comes back to us."

"And you know this how?"

Whistling softly, two green orbs forming on her sleeve of the coat and moving in tandem till it reached her collar. "Because shadow's still here, still helping me beat the odds and turn certain failure to possible victory."

"Ok little creepy there, and what do you mean victory?"

Running her hands up and down the sleeve, "it may be billed as a bad luck shadow, but that's not the case, it alters probability to a degree, making good as well as bad." Taking a deep breath and looking at her brother, "things are going down the toilet little brother, I know with every fiber of my being it all steamed from you going nuts. I have to stop it, a Fenton started all this and Fenton has to stop it, I use to think it fell to me, the others are right this can fall to you now. If you help us we can stop this, we can keep people alive, we can stop families from being destroyed, we can keep our families from falling apart. Danny," tearing running down her face, her emotions for the first time in years getting away from her, "please I'm asking you, begging you, help me on this, help me change the past and save the human race from extinction on the living plane."

"Your…whoa….I mean….what….you can't…..what?" the half ghosts brain not quite working as a tried to process what he'd just heard.

Taking a deep breath and looking at him, "come with me," walking around the desk and pulling him to his feet and out of the room. Out side the door Tucker and Nicole were speaking in hushed tones, their appearance shocking Danny but neither saying anything to Danny as Jazz pulled him along into the elevator and sending it up.

"That was," Danny asked

"Yeah."

"What happened to him?"

"That's a whole other story, for another time," the doors above them opening and sending them into the light in the middle of a decimated city.

"Wow," Danny looking up and down the building seeing something that looked like it belonged in a post apocalyptic movie.

"Yeah, this place use to be the home to a few thousand people, that was till a Taxxon swarm hit it, by the time we got here every living thing was dead. That's not to say we didn't find signs they'd been here, limbs they'd missed, bones scattered here and there, and you can almost still hear the screams of those that died in that fight."

Looking around Danny had to admit she was right, he could almost hear the screams of those that had been here, an eerie feeling coming off everything. This had been a home, a place kid had felt safe, a place he might've felt safe at one time, a place that had become little more than a buffet to a pack of killer ghosts. Looking back at his sister, "I'm not sure how much I believe anymore, you say one thing, he says another, but you've both told me these things are the definite threat. If you know how to stop this I'm in say the word I'll do it, I don't care what the consequences are I'm not letting this happen, not if I can stop it."

As soon as he said it Jazz looked up and whispered, "thank you," and eased him over to the elevator again and dropped down into the bunker that had become her home.

After a few moments of silence Danny looked over at her, "um…this had got to be a stupid question, but how exactly do you plan on stopping this from happening?"

"…..haven't really figured that out, again my first plan was just to snap your neck and be done worth it."

"You really have to stop saying that."

"What it's the true and I stopped caring about tact a long time ago," giving him a small grin, her face looking it almost might crack under the pressure.

As the door clicked open Nicole was waiting for them, "I have options for getting you home, I have no idea if they'll work but they are options."

"You have no concept of personnel space do you," the white haired girl crossed her arms and looked at the Chee.

"Of course not, that why you keep me around," taking Danny by the shoulder and leading him to a crate and setting him down, for the first time letting him take in the others gathered around him. Tobias was perched on another crate like a gargoyle, his sword visible over his shoulder. Rachel next to him, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed her gold necklace catching the light and finally remembering where he'd seen it before. Somehow she'd gotten the Amulet of Aragon, and he could only guess how much power she had over the dragon form. On the opposite side of the room was an older Valerie that Danny had to admit developed very well. Between them was who he assumed was an older Nikki and behind her was his sister and Tucker, the gold face plate making the him nervous and wondering what had happened to him to end up like that.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm the main course here," looking at Tobias, the bird ghost obviously not happy with him being here.

"Ignore them, it's just how they are now," Nicole spreading her arms the room shifting in a white hologram, her personal hologram turning off. Where was once a attractive woman was now a chrome and ivory dog, but where she had formerly been lightly built she was now covered in additional armor. Shoulder, shin, forearm, and thigh armor was now in place looking very much like it had been based on the same designs as herself but having a slight ghostly glow as well as green lines of energy running through them.

"Whoa nice effect."

"Thank you," Nikki nodding as a small image of Danny appeared before them, "between us we've up with varying reasons for the time travel that may or may not help the fix the problem and return Danny from when he came. It's possible this is an artificially created event in which case we need to find the device that did this and reverse it. It's equally possible someone did this, we know creatures like The Crayak or The Ellimist, and some ghosts have the ability to alter time, and they may in some way be responsible for this. However if this is a Sario Rip it may fix itself which is pretty much all we can do since we can't trigger this particular scenario."

"Unless we drop a nuclear weapon on him," Tobias hissed.

That got him a slap to the head by Rachel, "no bird, bad bird, we are not steeling nuclear weapons, I've done enough things in my life without messing with that."

"I don't see what the problem is either way the problem will be solved."

Wrapping her fingers around the birds beak, "if you can't say anything useful keep it shut," pulling his gaze away from Danny and into her eyes. "Tobe, I love you, get over it, this is not the time or the place for old grudges, this may be the only chance we have to fix what's happened."

"Who says I want to," he snapped pulling away from her grasp, his wings flaring and pushing her back, "if we fix this, the world may be fine but we WON'T BE," snapping at her.

"I know," grabbing his head and forcing him to look at her, "believe me I know, this sucks, we finally get what we want and it's torn away, but think about everyone else and stop thinking about the three of us."

"Maybe I'm tired of thinking about everyone else," pulling away and flying out of the room.

"What exactly is his problem, I mean other than me," Danny asked looking at his sister.

"How would you feel if you were about to have your life torn away," Tucker growled looking at the bird.

"This will be the second time he's been asked to give everything up for the greater good," Nikki looking at Danny, "can you honestly say you wouldn't be upset given the circumstances."

"Yeah I guess so," nodding his head, not totally processing what he was being asked.

"In any case," Nikki continuing with her program, "all these situations are accurate options for getting you home," small simulations beginning to run showing how the various situations would send him home. "regrettably without knowing how you got here we can't be sure how to even look for a way to get you back safely. Anything you can give us about how you got here would be appreciated."

"Um I don't really know how I got here," running his fingers through his hair.

"Just explain the circumstances I'll figure it out from there."

"Well, a Taxxon attacked me, wrapped around me and I forced it into a light, it blew up and I woke up here, well not here here," pointing down, "I woke up in the same place but in this time."

Nikki opened here mouth to speak then shut her mouth and brought her and to her muzzle and tapped it, "ok that doesn't help one single bit, anyone got a plan because he could've gotten here anyway with that kind of description."

"Well I don't suppose anyone was a time traveling car on them to make this simple."

"Shut up Tuck," Val snapped and put her hand behind her head, "maybe we should've gone for plan A."

"Funny the first time I suggested that you said it was a bad idea," Jazz accused.

"That was you this is me, you're the boss you have to put up a sense of professionalism I don't."

"At least no one's suggesting the Time Matrix," Rachel sighed the comment making Nikki's head whir around, her larger hologram dropping as her human form came up.

"Don't even joke about that."

"About what," Jazz perking up and dropping out of her own conversation, "you two have a plan?"

"No," Nicole snapped

"Yeah we do," Rachel grinned liking the idea more and more.

"No you have a suicidal thought that'll unravel time and space."

"I got news for you Erek that's what we're trying to do," Rachel using the name she'd used when they first met.

"But that's a worse way of doing it"

"But it'll work, it did the last time we us…."

"Shadow," the word escaping Jazz's lips as her clothing came to life and melted off her and shot between the two arguing females in it's ghostly form and grabbing them both by the neck. This left Jazz clad in a rip and tattered tee-shirt and jeans that looked too small on here and gloves that covered her forearms and glowed lightly. "Alright," Jazz slipping back into leader mode, her voice growing cold and hard, "start talking what is this thing, and can it work?"

"No."

"Yeah it can Nicole, we have flying proof in the next room this works."

"He also proves it's unpredictable, look what happened to his dad."

"Focus," Jasmine hissed and snapping her fingers shadow covering her again as she walked between the two, "Rachel start talking."

"It's a time machine, but more, Tobias understands it better than I do, but that's still not much," shaking her head. "The Ellimist made it, we don't know why, but it got out of control and it ended up hidden on earth, we used it once, so did Tobias' father, it does work, but from what we understand if you mess with it you might end up someplace else."

"Another time?" Jazz asked.

Waving her hand in front of her face in an arc, "outside of time, a whole different place one you create, and not in a good way. Tobias dad, Elfangor, left him a journal on the other side, he explained his entire life to him, everything that had happened, how he came to be, everything you could want to know, including things on the Time Matrix. Not to put to fine a point on it, it scared the crap out of us, we're talking everything goes bye-bye level power hear, and if we screw with the past to much everything goes wonky."

"How bad could it be," a slightly worried look on Val's face despite the relaxed tone.

"Well when we used it we ended up in weird version of World War Two, saw Hitler, watched Tobias slit his throat," a dark smile on her muzzle. "Ok granted due to the time shifts we weren't sure if he was still a bad guy, we still got to kill Hitler, and I never get tired of saying that.

"Oh…," everyone's eyes growing wide, Val's sentiment echoed by everyone else.

"We also helped kill the dinosaurs and caused the mass extinction of an alien race through time travel, so we have a little experience with this."

"Back to the point," Jazz getting her voice back, "do you know where this machine is, can you use it?"

"Yes and yes," nodding her head, "but I have to convince bird to help and that's going to be hard at the moment. Not just for the obvious reasons, this thing indirectly got his dad torn away from him, I'm not sure how much he's going to want to see it again."

"Wonderful," the white haired girl shacking her head and grabbing the ghost woman, "Alright lets double team him, we don't have time for his moody crap."

"EXCUSE ME," Danny barked, "am I the only one freaked out by the concept of unraveling the fabric of space time, you have to have something better than this planned!"

"Danny I'm a bisexual necrophiliac polygamist with a growing bestiality fetish, I have enough problems right now without yours so SHUT UP," lacing her arms with Rachel's and disappearing down the hall.

Danny just stared at her with wide eyes before finally running his fingers threw his hair and looking dropping to his knees, "no amount of therapy will ever make this moment right," and began to dry heave on the ground.

"Somebody get a bucket he's gunna blow," Tucker yelled putting some distance between himself and the teenagers, the others doing the same.

---

DP Style.

Skulker hovered in the room impatience, Cerberus and Blaze at his side, they were the last of his hound to survive the war zone the ghost realm had become. "Very soon my pets very soon," hovering lower to scratch behind their ears, "we will finally take out the rebels, we'll finally be rid of those worthless beast walkers and have there heads on our wall."

"CCAAKKOOO IIISHHH RRACCCC AAHAAH," the Taxxons' native tongue making total sense to the ghostly hunter as he looked back.

"I know," looking up at him, "you don't like being used anymore than I do, but better to live as slaves than to be on the receiving end of that wraith." This wasn't the first time he'd had such a talk with the snake looking alien, compared to other of his species he severed with, he still longed for freedom, something Skulker under stood all to well.

"IISSHHH ACC RESSSHHHH," it's body wiggling in rage and hatred.

"Now is not the time to move my friend, not yet anyway, let the game be played out, then we will both have out revenge."

"What is wrong with the two of you, we have unlimited resources, free reign over both worlds, and the protection of the head honcho, you have any idea how many ghosts would kill for this deal."

"CCCOOKKKAAA SSSHHHEETTTAAA CCOORRRWWW," the Taxxon snapping his jaws at the approaching ghost.

"Agreed better to die a thousand deaths than to serve by a creature like you, for all our crimes at least we still have a measure a ethics left rapist," his flame growing brighter and higher while his wolves growled at the new ghost, their ears down and fangs bared.

"You just have no idea what fun is," kicking his feet up and floating in mid air, arms behind his head.

"My idea of fun involves you, several special interments, and many," a sinister grin on his face, "many years and slow methodical…..,"stopping and looking at the Taxxon, "what was that one word you had that was beyond soul killing torture?"

"RREESSHHHAAAN."

"Yes thank you, many years of slow methodical rreesshhhaaan David."

"Like you could even slow me down."

Skulker had an answer ready but never got it out as a growl filled the room, the first Taxxon Danny had fought squirming into the room, a third of it's body held up as he walked. He was followed by a large legless ghost dressed as a medieval executioner complete with double bladed ax, each of which looked like a skull.

"Well that makes everyone doesn't it," his voice carrying full authority as the metal hunter folded his arms over his chest.

"Yippy yippy," David spinning one finger in the air, "it's been what almost a year since the big boss had us all in one place together, I wonder what happened."

"SHACCA CCOOOO WYYYSS," the snakelike Taxxon snapped.

"SSSRRUUULLANNNTTTIII," the other hissed walking over to him.

"HHAAAKKKU RRRARRRAA SHHHENNN," the other nodding his head in agreement.

"Indeed, the situation as explained to me is of the highest importance, and as such no tolerance will be afforded to the amateurs generally under the command of our employer."

The executioner just grunted and nodded his head," shifting the ax to his other hand, the light catching it and sending dots flying across the room.

"Still didn't get that tongue implanted huh?" David laughed the executioner shifting his ax and sending the light into the face of the animal shifting ghost. "Hey," taking on his lion flame form, "you really want a piece of me!"

Before either could move Skulker was between the pair, weapons unfolded from both arms, "not the time or the place." Glaring at the executioner, "any other time I'd sit back and watch you tear this upstart apart, but right now we have a mission, and we're going to complete it." After a moment the executioner backed down as did David, but the tension between the two could be felt by all in the room.

"Are you done," the voice making all turn and look at their employer.

"Apologies, we…," Skulker started before being waved off.

"I don't care, you belong to me, displease me and you end up like Youngblood, you do all remember what I did to him right?" The very mention of their former associate sending chills through the ectoplasm of the assembled ghosts, his screams still heard in the minds of them all. "Good, then come, I've already explained the situation to the others, they won't find your appearance strange. Although I would be careful if I were you David, people have long memories, and they all remember you quite well."

"Yes be careful you don't have an accident out there," Skulker sneered, the others laughing sinisterly in their own little ways.

---

DP Style

"So are all your plans this good," Danny asked rocking gently, his legs crossed under him, the healing device Nicole had put on him having been removed some time ago.

"No some are really stupid," Tucker's fingers moving over the keypad almost faster than Danny could keep track of.

"Still sending two people, one of which hates the plan, to go get something that can pretty much destroy time to send me back before this ever happens, seems like the mother of all bad plans here Tuck."

"Again, we've done things way stupider than this over the years, and if this actually fixes things, well I'm not arguing," shifting his gaze between the screen and Danny every few seconds, his fingers never stopping moving, a series of wires running from the gold face plate to the machine.

"So your really fine with this," snapping his fingers, "everything just disappearing like that, there has to be something here worth living for?"

"For us there's plenty," turning and now just looking at Danny, "we all have plenty to live for, but as the saying goes, the lives of the many outweigh the needs of the few. More than a few lives have been totaled here, and if a few lone psychos can somehow renew order to the world even at the cost of their odd little happiness then so be it. At least if this works, it doesn't negate the future we can find in each others arms, it might make it more unlikely but it doesn't say it can't happen."

Sighing the half ghost laid down, "wow he was right."

"Who was," shifting back to the screen.

"Tobias, earlier, well for me you had to be at least ten for you, he said the inspirational speeches become a natural thing if you've seen enough fighting and been tested enough."

"I wouldn't say that," a little smirk on his face, "I just speak my mind, half the time it makes sense, half the time it's panicked gibberish, you just got lucky and this time it made sense."

"Filling me with hope here Tuck," lifting a finger into the air, "I over flowith with confidence here."

"Flowith?"

Using the finger to point at him, "I'm running on empty here, my A material was used up about the time a giant alien worm-snake thing tried to eat me."

Tucker couldn't help but laugh as his fingers kept flying over the consol, years of anger at the older version of this boy melting away, despite everything he was still his friend, and he still liked him, at least this version of him. "So you gunna ask," not looking at him.

"About?"

"What do you think," waving his hand over the metal face plate.

"I don't want to know, I don't care, don't tell me, I've seen enough mentally scaring crap for three life times, and that's just about my sister. In no way do I need your story on my plate too, and just to say it again I don't want to hear it," covering his ears with his hands.

"Well you know how Nikki's really heavy…"

"LA-LA-LA-LA-LA," the half ghost covering his ears and screaming out the cliché chant.

"I thought we agreed we weren't going to torture the kid," Val dropping down next to Danny and throwing a towel at Tucker, nailing him in the head.

"But it's a good story, you know you were there," pointing at her.

"Which is why I don't want you telling it to him, it was creepy then, it's creepy now, it'll be creepy in a hundred years, no one wants to hear it."

"Thank you," whimpering up at the woman.

"Don't sweat it, we've all had to be rescued from him at some point," pulling out a small tool and tweaking her arm weapon.

"Bite me," not shifting his eyes from the screen.

"So you ready for all this," looking down at him.

"Not a chance," shaking his head,

"Figured as much, so I got ya something," pulling a small half glove from her belt and dropping it on his face.

"And this is," putting it on and looking it over, for the most part it looked like a normal fingerless glove except for the knuckles that were made of a glowing purple metal.

"Highly modified Fenton Ghost Glove, almost all the strength, in a handy portable size," showing him her own on her other hand. "One shot from this thing will stunt a ghost for a few seconds, might not seem like much but for the size it's really good."

Slipping it on he was a little surprised it fit so well, "you have this in another color," not liking the purple.

"Yeah we only have so much to work with, be grateful Jazz outgrew this one, so it make you feel any better?"

"Not really, "putting his hand down at his side again, "but then again I don't have a choice in the matter."

"We all have a choice, but if you refuse you'll be stuck with us," pocketing the tool in her belt, her weapon coming on line and unfolding into the multi chambered gun, "and that's something you don't really want."

"If your trying to scare me it's working," staring at the gun not sure what she was going to do with it.

"I'm not," the weapon folding back up, "I'm just making sure she works at full strength just in case I need her one last time."

"Don't take this the wrong way but I'm hoping you don't."

"That makes two of us," rubbing it gently with her other hand, "Danny, I may not get a chance totally this again so I'm telling you now. I'm sorry, I'm sorry for shooting at you, I'm sorry I wasted my energy of ghost's that didn't deserve it, but if this works, don't try and convert me to your side. I was angry then, if you tell me who you are, I will do everything in my power to make you not exist anymore, and more than likely your family too. That doesn't mean I'm beyond hope, I can to be made to see the light of reason it'll just take a while, be patient with me, I'm not as much of a hopeless cause as you think."

"I'll keep that in mind if I ever actually get home."

"Way to think positive, how did I ever lose to you ?"

Danny opened his mouth but was cut off by Tucker, "dumb luck, accidents, a lot of help, weird coincidences…"

"Thank you Tucker," Danny barking, cutting him off before he could keep going.

"The laughter of children it's good to hear again," Nikki sighed walking in on them Jazz a step behind her.

"Who you calling kid," Val hissed.

"Well considering I was old before humans could even walk up right," pointing at the group, "you."

"Nicole don't antagonize them, they have enough of their minds as it is," Jazz standing in the door way. "We have incoming by the way, Rach and bird will be here soon, finish saying your goodbyes it's time to go pervert the laws of nature."

"Jasmine look around, we do that everyday by waking up," the line coming out of Tucker and dead pan as possible.

"And you wonder why we leave you home alone with the dog," Val laughed, "no offence Nicole."

"None taken flesh bag," heading out of the room, the others save Tucker falling in step behind her.

"So how does this work again," Danny asked flanked by Val.

"According to them, you touch it, picture when and where you want to go, and it's done, your there."

"Your kidding, shouldn't it be more complicated?"

"I'm assuming it was made for anyone to use, of course why The Ellimist wanted anyone to be able to alter time is beyond me and them." While she talked she slipped on to the elevator, the others following her up to the surface to meet the Rachel and Tobias when they landed.

"He has his owns plans, chances are it was designed for a specific reason that has either passed or not yet come, and was just covering all his bases when he designed it."

"Yeah that makes perfect sense, if this works I'm going to go to bed and just stay there for a week, or until my head stops hurting from all this time travel mumbo jumbo."

"Can't argue with that," his sister nodding as the doors slid open and the walked out into the sun.

"Can't say I'll miss this place," Danny shaking his head and looking around.

"I think we can all say that," Val, agreed.

"Did you get a message to Tom," Jasmine's hand rested on the other woman's shoulder.

"A short one, he understands what we're doing and he wishes us luck," taking a deep breath, "I wish I could be with him right now."

"I wish I could let you but…"

"We don't have any time, I know, which is funny considering we're about to have a time machine dropped into our laps."

"Yeah a laugh riot," peering up at the sky, wondering, not for the first time, if she was doing the right thing.

A soft clicked filled the air, Nicole answering the communication signal and putting it on speaker, "guys, we got incoming," Tucker's voice coming out of the android and sounding more than a little panicked

"Tell us something we don't know," Val replied.

"Not the kind I meant," barking at her, "I'm tracking a massive ecto signature heading your way, I'm still trying to decipher it but it's defiantly not the twins, get back in here, we don't have much time."

"Not this time," Val's armor coming to life, her weapon unfolding and visor lighting up with targeting arrays.

"I'm with her," Nicole's holograms dropping, her forearm armor sliding back.

Jasmine nodded her head in agreement, "Tuck you better get up here, looks like we're not running this time."

"How did I get hooked up with you idiots," sighing obviously not happy with the turn of events, "see you in a few."

"Of course, this couldn't be easy could it," Danny growled and concentrated, twin rings forming around him and giving him his ghost form, the small glove now slipped over his right white glove.

"Shadow combat mode," the black ghostly cloak shifting till it more of a coat, twin green eyes sitting on the collar see what Jazz saw. Her body shifted in a second to something between human and purpleback gorilla, the proportions still largely human, but her muscles were now tightly coiled giving her the same strength level but without bulk. A small, wispy layer of white fur covered her body, her clothing half being sucked into her body. On her hands larger black gloves similar to what Danny now had on covered her arms from the knuckles to her elbows, a soft glow of ghostly light radiated off them while lines of blue criss-crossed the martial adding more power.

"Once more into the brink huh boss," Val shooting the ape-woman a grin, her wings spreading out.

"Always," rolling her shoulder and scanning the sky.

"GIVE HIM BACK," the words radiating outward with enough force to push them all back, Dan's roar mixed with his ghostly wail as he flew up with a clone flanking each side. Val, Nicole and Jazz moved as one, there weapons rising to meet the attacker, but when he didn't move to strike at them they held their own fire.

"Game's over we're sending him home," the gorilla girls knuckles glowing, her voice guttural a mix of her own hard voice and ape's growl.

"Not till I'm done with him he's not, I know what you've done to him Sis, I won't let it happen," all three speaking as one.

"Your not really getting a say in the matter," Val barked.

"Your not in a position to be making ultimatums," two more Dan's forming next to the others. "Danny come with me, whatever this person," spitting the word, "has told you it's a half baked lie by a petty disturbed little woman."

"We're sending him back, no more lies, no more tricks, he chooses the next steps, without us and without you," Jasmine snapped, showing her fangs.

Dan's eye's glowed with red ectoplasm but he never got a word out as the sound of a snap filling the air, a moment later a hail of ectoplasmic bolts and missiles fired into the crowd, all courtesy of the armaments that popped out of Skulker's armor. When that single act bravado ended and carnage ruled them all and returned the ruined city to chaos.

"You know the drill people so DO IT," Jazz barked bounding forward into a flip, the missiles coming down behind her a moment after she moved. The second her feet hit he ground her right arm was up, her fingers flexing then pulling as far back as possible as a beam of green energy ripped from the palm of her gloves at the center version of her brother, the full ghost blocking it with a red energy shield.

"Pathetic," one of the right hissed releasing ectobeems from his eyes at his sister, the shots once more missing as she dropped back and out of the fight.

"STOP RUNNING BLAST YOU, DIE WITH DIGNITY," Skulker's blasts continuing at Val as he tired to his old foe down.

"You really expect that to work," weaving through the web of energy blasts that came at her with her jetpack, before turning on a time and firing off a salvo from her own weapon.

Waving his hand the shots went around him, "I built the armor your wearing you really think it can hurt me," slipping into maniacal laughter.

"I was thinking yes to that," running her other hand over the forearm of the metal, shifting weapons systems and firing. Instead of the energy usually released three harpoons shot out at him, and like before he waved his hands in a symbolic gesture of control over the weapons. However before his eyes warning lights began to flash and sirens sounded and he realized to late it wouldn't work. With enhanced mechanical reflexes he managed to grab two of the weapons, the third making contact with his chest and sending sparks into the air as the weapons exploded in a mix of conventional explosives and ectoplasm.

Despite the blast he didn't fall but brought his smoking hand to the wound in his chest, then slowly pulled it away, the hole revealing green fire and circuitry. And before her eyes the gapping wound healed itself in a matter of seconds. With a dark grin, "nanite technology, I believe your father was working on it before he died."

With a scream of rage Valerie charged him, fueled by rage and anger ready to take the machine apart to get to the spirit within. She never managed to connect however as Blaze hit her first appearing in mid air and going for her thought.

Below them Nicole had grabbed Danny and pulled him into a building, the outside reinforced and partially ghost shielded, for just such a situation. "Where did he get these guy from," she hissed as Saber, David, the executioner, and the Taxxons appeared in the sky, and Cerberus in his full height on the ground.

"This isn't overkill or anything," Danny hissed grabbing a glance out the window.

"I wouldn't say kill right now if I were you," systems kicking on inside Nicole as she worked out the various probabilities of the fight and not liking the results.

Up till now Danny had never really seen the ghost wolf and took the opportunity, but when he looked up, what little belief he still had as to his older self's true intentions melted away. "Those are the things that brought me here," looking at the ghost aliens.

"Then I guess we can write naturally occurring ability then," still running probabilities off in her head.

"Then lets see how they like these natural abilities," flying out of the window and at one of his older selves.

"DANNY NO," Nikki barked and grabbed for him, however she was to late as he slipped through her grasp, which was quite a trick given her speed.

"THAT'S IT," Danny yelled, eyes glowing green, bits of energy flickering from his eyes in licks of flame, "I DON'T…" his words stopping as he was caught in Cerberus' jaws. Between giant teeth he struggled as best he could and punched up into the roof of the ghost wolf's mouth with his new glove, the weapon lighting up the shadowed cavern in purple light but not making the wolf let go. The tongue on his back continued to jerk and twist while the teeth snapped around Danny in an attempt to move him into biting position. For a moment Danny could feel himself starting to grow panicked, as the teeth grew closer to his legs and his ability to turn intangible failed only to have his world erupt as the tongue went nut on him and day light streamed in sending him into the sky as Cerberus reared back and howled in pain.

"NOW SIT, DON'T MAKE ME GET A ROLLED UP NEWSPAPER," Tucker roared, his face plate now glowing a bright green, the same lines of green running over his body, glowing from a source under his skin. The wolf just snapped at him at him and growled after it shook his head. "Figured as much," the glowing man jumping forward into the sky and punching the canine in the nose and sending it flipping back and sliding on the ground, the wolf almost hitting Jazz but missing as the woman heard it coming and jumped, moving like the ape she was and climbing over it before it could hit her and landed gently on the ground.

"Never ticking you off again man," Danny pointing at his friend amazed at his strength.

"Benefit of being part machine," flexing an arm.

"DANNY GET OUT OF HERE," Jazz hissed looking at her brother.

"I TOLD YOU HE IS MINE," Dan roared three of him firing off a blasts of ectoplasm the size of SUV's, and caught her in a cross fire. Moving fast Jazz jumped back avoiding two but not the third and was enveloped in the blast.

"JAZZ," Danny screamed in fear flying towards his future sister.

"It's over Danny," one of Dan's older clones grabbing Danny from behind and holding him back.

"Let me go you psycho," punching back over his shoulder and hitting the ghost in the face with his glove sending line of energy jumping off him.

"She got what she deserved," the clones eyes glowing red and grabbing the flailing arm and stopping other self's attack, "she didn't even deserve to die that well."

"I couldn't agree more," the energy dissipating, Jazz's arms up a blue shield between them, the energy vanished as she pulled them apart.

"YOUR LITTLE TOYS AREN'T GOING TO SAVE YOU," two more Dan's firing off more blasts as Jazz, again both vanished as she shot forward and leapt into the air, her arm pulled back in order to hit Dan with everything she had. The strike hit, but not the right target as the executioner appeared between the two, his ax absorbing the hit. "He's more useful than I thought he'd be," pulling back into the sky the two clones moving in front of him to block more oncoming attacks from his sister.

Val was closest to the fleeing ghost, but couldn't get around Skulker having flung his mutt to the ground, the action enraging the hunter. His assaults continued to grow more wild, wanting nothing more than to drop the girl. "Your not escaping me this time," flying at her, slowly cutting off her avenues of escape. Before he could deliver anything close to a killing shot he came to a screeching halt, "WHAT?"

"Come on down trash can," metal tendrils wrapped around his arms and body courtesy of Nicole, the limbs connected to her hologramed forearms. Without effort she pulled him down and away from Val a grin of her face.

"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM," the tine ghost roared and struggled against the tentacles firing off blasts of energy, going intangible, setting off his personal tazer, none of it working.

"I read the file, now stop struggling your not going anywhere," her nonviolent programming might still have been in place, but nothing prevented her from just holding someone with all the force she could manage in a totally nonviolent way.

Valerie didn't waste the opportunity and shot towards Dan and ran her hand back over the metal weapon shifting it's parameters again. Without a sound she fired it off an energy bolo, the weapon unfurling with a spin and aiming straight for Dan's head only to be intercepted as Saber ran her fingers over the guitar stings sending off a wave of deep purple energy that caught it and deflected it away from him.

"If your not gunna rock don't bother showing up," the specter dropping down between Dan and Val and sent out a blast of energy from her guitar, the waves catching her knocking her back, nearly into a wall only to be caught by Tucker in mid air.

"To think I use to dream of us like this when I was younger," the cyborg laughing and bouncing off the wall to the ground.

"If you dreamt of all this you must've been really screwed up kid," jumping out of his arms and back into the sky, "and next time watch the hands, or I'll have Tom rip them off."

"Huh…WHAT," watching her fly off only to be gut checked by the multiarmed Taxxon and knocked into the wall. Pulling it away Tucker got a good look at it's mouth, the teeth spinning in it's body while it's jaws snapped. His enhanced vision seeing every detail of the mouth and deleting it almost as soon as he saw it. "Man get some mouth wash it smells like you gargle with toxic waste," twisting him off and into the wall, the low level ghost shield kicking in and knocking it back for a second. With a shake of it's head it was back ready to take a bite out of Tucker but didn't get the chance as Cerberus came back down on him and snapped him up between his jaws.

Ectoplasm bounced and scattered off the energy shield Jazz had up, her brothers power not enough to break it thanks to the filter into it feeding off the energy and giving it an extra boost. "YOUR NOT TAKING HIM ANYWHERE YOU MURDERING SON OF A…," not finishing as David in lion mode slashed her across the gut with his claws, and knocking her away from the fight, Dan's blast lacing across her back as she fell.

"How about we get a little closer," he hissed grabbing her by the through and picking her up into the air like a doll and licking his lips. "I still remember the first time I saw you, the things I wanted to do to you, ah well looks like I'll have to settle for the short version," slipping into snake mode and coiling around her ready to crush the life from her.

She grunted something, the arm around her throat preventing her from forming words, and flexed her finger and pulled them back, her gloves releasing a tazer blast onto the ghost and making him jump, pop and hit the ground. "Stay there I have my own plans for you later," turning her attention back to her brothers and the harpy protecting him.

"CCCAAKKKOOO SHHLL RREEEMMMM," the snake like Taxxon hissed around the pair of ruling ghosts. Dan glared at it, eye's blazing red while Danny stared at it, palpable hatred for all of them evident by the look on his face.

"We should end this Dan," Saber hissed, "if we let them live they'll come after us, we'll never be rid of them, they'll hunt us down for all eternity."

"I know," looking down his eye's meeting his sister's and swallowing hard then in a small voice, "end it."

"KILL THEM ALL, BURN THEM TO THE GROUND," Saber roared head thrown back releasing a jet of black flame into the sky from her mouth, one of the charms on her belt glowing brightly.

With a growl Blaze jumped at Nicole and sunk her teeth into the robot's coils, severing one form her arm, the reminder of said coil sucking into her arm. The action was enough as the coil on Skulker's left arm went slack and allowed him to pull it away, a glowing energy blade popping out and slicing through the other tendrils. "Good girl," the wolf standing ready to attack at his energy trail, fangs bared an ready to attack when given the word.

"Bad girl, you're an insult to your cousins," crossing her arms over her as Skulker opened fire on her and forced her sliding back, trails appearing in the ground as she did so.

"Wrong thing to say," the black and green phantom flying up and upper cutting the woman in the face sending her into the sky and landing with a crash through a what was left a building, her hologram flickering on and off for a moment. Blaze moved in for the final strike but was stopped as her pack mate charged in front of them Tucker in his jaws.

"This is so not cool," holding the mouth open as best he could, warning lights flashing in his minds eye as he realized his power supply couldn't support the stress for much longer. With a snap and shake the man flew from his mouth into the air and straight into Jazz, the much heavier warrior hitting her with the force of a canon and forcing the ape woman into the ground.

"You ok," she hissed pushing him off an firing a blast from her palm as the on coming Taxxon only to have it take to the sky it's mouth open and ready for the kill, one of her brother's clones flanking it, his arms covered in ectofire.

"Not really no," standing up, the immediate threat gone, but the light still remains as he tried to divert power to the systems that needed it and switch on hi repair systems.

"Well get there, we got serious problems," clapping her hands together and pulling them apart slightly a trail of green energy forming between them, a massive wave of power firing off a second later at Dan, Saber, Danny and the Taxxon. Like clock work Dan formed an energy shield between them and the blast only to watch his shield shatter under the pressure a smile of Jazz's face. That grin vanished as Saber's fingers flew over her strings and a new shield of black energy formed between themselves and the blast keeping them safe.

"Good try boss."

"Bad try," tapping the gloves, "that took most of my energy, and it's going to take a while to build back up without a recharge."

"Don't look at me, not an option, I barely have enough as it is."

"THEY'VE WEAKENED STRIKE," Saber roared releasing a blast of black fire at the pair, the blast intercepted by Valerie from her weapon. That blast however cost her as a clone of Dan shot her in the back with his eye beams sending her crashing into the others.

"This is looking bad," Val coughed, being helped up by Jasmine, the three going back to back to cover their blind spots.

"We've been in worse," Tucker growled, his glow going down showing his spent energy, and watching as the Taxxons, Skulker, his pets, a limping David, the executioner, and three Dan clones surrounded them. From above Dan and Saber watched while Danny struggled against his older self.

"Not really," Jazz hissed, slipping into a fighting stance ready to go at it hand to hand regardless of the cost.

"Way to make us feel better boss," a nervous laugh escaping from Valerie.

"You'd rather I lie," a crazy grin on her face as she locked eyes with a Dan clone.

"I W OULD," Tucker snapped sarcastically.

"If this is it guys let's give something to talk about, lets make our entrance into the Ghost Zone one to remember, one they'll talk about forever, lets take this to the next level."

"As far as last words go those kinda suck," Val hissed adjusting the weapon setting on her weapon one last time.

"What can I say I never thought this day would come," Sam laughed as her brother leapt forward and was meet by a right cross from the ape woman and knocking him back, the others getting hit a moment later. Val was hit by the Taxxons and one of the Dan's, Tucker was hit by Skulker and his mutts, Jazz had to deal with David and the third Dan, the one she had knocked down firing at them from above. The fight quickly devolved into a melee, blasts of energy were fired randomly, punches flew hitting friends and enemies alike, scream mixed and merged making it impossible to know who was screaming in pain and who in victory.

From above Dan and Saber watched, a sick smile of Sabers lips, an unreadable look on Dan's face as it seemed to become stone. All that could really be said for Dan was that he held his younger self's eyes closed, his hand over his head. Occasionally Dan would look over to Saber, the woman's eyes so often moving off the fight to the sky, something he didn't quite understand.

"It's over Saber, even if help comes it'll be to late."

"Something's wrong," she hissed silently, indifferent to his words, her eyes darting from the sky to the fight.

"Whatever it is it doesn't matter," looking down at his other self, "very soon this will all be over for you as well little brother."

"Whatever your planning it won't work, I'll never be like you, NEVER," hissing his empty threat.

"There are many things you don't understand Danny, things you will in time I promise, this is a necessity, something that must be done for you and me."

"YEAH RIGHT," doing his best to get away.

"You'll understand when you live through the things I've lived through."

"DAN!" Saber barked getting his attention, "something wrong."

The words escaped her lips to late as a blast of blue fire erupted from the dog pile of ghosts sending them in all directions and revealing an ever growing light blue dragon with a gold necklace around her neck. Blaze was the first to move, stopping in the air and jumping back at the dragon only to be caught in her claws. "Credit to your kind pup," Rachel's voice coming from the beast, "but right now that's not going to help you," throwing the wolf as hard as she could into a building, the ghost shield activating as it hurled through it taking the impact of the hit and the shock at once and kept going. "Wow always knew I should've played baseball," folding her arms over her chest little jets of flame escaping her maw.

"Don't get cocky Rach, this is just starting," Tobias flying in under her legs with the soul shredder drawn heading right for one of Dan's clones, the twin vanishing before he could make contact. Growling loudly it didn't deter him shifting his wings and heading after Skulker.

"I was hoping to get another shot at you," weapons unfolding from the metal ghost and firing, ectoblasts, missiles, knives, everything he had fired in one massive wave of weapons, enough power to level a small chunk of the Ghost Zone heading his way.

With a clank of metal Nicole appeared between the two and banged her forearms together an energy shield lager, brighter and more powerful that Jazz's appearing from her body. The weapons impacted the shield but couldn't penetrate and exploded on it, all the while Tobias not slowing down. Shifting his wings he shot down becoming intangible and flying underground vanishing from sight only to appear a moment later his blade shining in the light as it sliced through him, his armor disappearing into the nightmare dimension, Skulker's true form hitting the ground with a thud.

Far below them Tucker scrambled in their base, "have I ever mentioned that I love that he can slip in and out of security system?"

"Save the chatter Tuck," Jasmine looking at the ceiling, "they bought us time that's it, those two are tough but they can't take them all on, recharge, reload, re anything else you can think of, when we go up we go up with claws out and teeth bared."

"She defiantly hangs out with the animals to much," Tucker grabbing a new power pack and tossing it at her.

"This from a guy who's girlfriend was built by dogs."

"Can it, they need us," looking at the big metal orb Rachel and Tobias had brought with them, "be ok you two."

Above her flaming black claws flashed as they missed their mark, Rachel one move ahead of her old team mate, "this is getting old psycho."

"Then stay put," his mane sparking and flashing in anger.

"Yeah like that's gunna happen," her tail firing up and hitting him under the chin and sending him skyward. Spreading her wings she shoot up and turned into a spin laying her tail against his face and sending him into Cerberus' mouth. "I love this thing," her claws running over the Amulet of Aragon, over a year ago she'd learned the charms true strength and how to manipulate the power running through it, thus making her able to take the form of dragon woman no taller than she normally was with her mind completely intact, the ability to call on her other beast skills, and with the full power of the curse. "Step up the bar boys I'm going all night."

Above her Tobias and the executioner clashed, there respective weapons sparking as they collided and filling the air with the clank of metal. The bird ghost had to admit the creature had skill, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't find a way through his defense and get a clear shot in to take him out of the fight. Snarling and snapping his beak he flared his wings, yellow ecto feathers firing out at the ghost, each one caught and destroyed by his ax before they could connect.

"Getting so tired of this," sheathing his sword and shrinking down as he heard the sound of the snake Taxxon coming near him. In the blink of an eye where once was a black bird man was a black and white tigerhawk. The body of a cat mixed with the wings of a hawk from his back, his front paws replaces by the legs of a hawk, a beak lined with teeth, and occasional tuffs of feather peaking out here and there along his body.

"HHHYYYSSS CCOOKKAA RRRLLL," the snake like creature snarled trying to outflank the other ghost.

With a growl he jumped into the sky, wing flapping, the snake traveling under him, his claws out and glowing yellow and racking across his back leaving glowing tracks across the serpent alien. Turning his head he stared at the medieval ghost and opened his mouth and released a tigers roar mixed with a hawks call the sound sending shock waves through the air colliding with the ghost like a sledge hammer.

"Bingo," running forward retaking his hawkman form and pulling his sword and slashing forward the blade cutting into the ghost and through his ax in the process and sending him to a world of nightmares, his many masters appearing before him all screaming out his failures.

"Enough of this," twin Dan's barked flying at Rachel and Tobias respectively, each glowing with unleashed energy ready to strike the pair of former animorphs down.

"COULDN'T AGREE MORE," Jazz roared a mix of human and ape as an invisible Val released her high above the real Dan. With a primal snarl she laced her fingers together and connected with where his spine once was and breaking his hold of younger self sending him toppling to the ground for a few feet before he righted himself. With the hit his clones lost cohesion for a moment passing right though the twin ghost fighters then regained it both in shock for half a second. That pause however was enough as both struck, Rachel with her first and mouth of fire, Tobias with his blade, the effect on Dan immediate as the control he exacted on his fall failed and sent him dropping for a few more moments, a psychic backlash hitting him from eh clones imprisonment in the nightmare realm.

"This is completely nut man," Danny barked grabbing Jazz as she fell and brought her to the ground gently.

"Like you haven't seen weirder," grabbing him and pulling him away from the fight, "they're laying down cover, it won't last forever and I want you got before Dan decides to really join the party."

"No argument from me," following her to the elevator and home.

"Dan," Saber flying over to the other ghost, "I think it's time you took a more active roll in this fight," a little melody escaping her guitar as she said the words.

"I can do that," snapping his finger, his clones returning to him and remerging with the original, "time to show my sisters little goon squad what real power is," folding his arms and slowly descending into the crowd, Tucker, Rachel, Valerie, Tobias, and Nicole each taking a spot around him, but none moving into attack. The force that had accompanied Dan and Saber disbursing, none wanting to be caught in the crossfire.

Tobias let out a growl bordering on monstrous and made a move towards him only to be stopped by Rachel. "TOBE," barking her nick name for him out," get it under control, Knight taught you better, now be the man not the beast." Slowly he nodded and stepped back, but staying ready, Rachel's tail meanwhile swished behind her impatiently barley in control herself. Calling on her DNA inventory her blue form shifted slightly as spots formed on her body, the cheetah mixing with the dragon to creature something new and more dangerous.

"Yeah this isn't creepy or anything," Tucker growled watching his former friend, not sure what was about to happen just knowing that his eyes were glowing red.

"Don't push it Tuck, every second he waits is another second we keep breathing."

"Claw's in Val," Nicole sighed running patterns in her head, trying to figure out what his first move would be and how long they could expect to continue life.

"Strike as one, without fear, without regret, let today be the final moment of our existence, and let it shake the pillars of heaven," the words jarring the others out of their fear and concern. The phrase was something the Fright Knight had told them many times in moments of stress, something he said he never shared with any but those he considered equals in spirit, equals in battle.

"Preach on Tobe," a calmness coming over Rachel, her tails slowing as she focused on Dan and watched in horror as he shot forward, arms blazing in ectoenergy and firing at Nicole. Even with his speed he couldn't match hers even if he could beat theirs, her shield going up before he could get to her, not that mattered. Dan hit the shield hard enough to shatter the barrier with one hit, Nicole's right arm exploding from the hit and sending her back, that hit was followed be a second to her face, her hologram flickering and for a moment remained intact even as her real head went sailing off her body and into a wall that is passed though. The whole act was done in only two seconds, little more than the blink of the eye, and stunned the others to the core.

It wasn't a surprise to anyone when Rachel was the first to strike at him, Nicole was her best friend, a sister when she no longer had them. Opening her mouth she released a blast of blue flame and shot forward, unmated cheetah speed mixed with dragons power and a rarely released fury, one everyone who truly knew here feared. By the time her fire hit him she'd already lashed out at him with her claws, the nails leaving a trail on his face while she turned the momentum into a kick and tore chunks out of him with her toe claws and pounded him with her tail.

With a roar Dan back handed Rachel sending her end over end only to have her land on her feet and dive back in, the pair struck at each other with fury, claws meeting fists, blue flame meeting red ectoplasm, cape and wings flapped while the pair roared in hate, only to end with Rachel hitting the ground with a slide. The fight itself had only last seconds, to Val it was as though both had vanished, to Tucker only the slightest blurs had been visible, to Tobias however the fight had been all to clear as his senses told him everything, but the fight to fast for him to join.

Lifting his hand Dan fired off a blast of energy at Rachel, the woman vanishing is a scream of pain as she was sucked into herself, a portal to the Ghost Zone opening up in her chest.

Tucker and Val moved in harmony both driven by rage at the loss of friends, neither aware of the cost they'd pay. Valerie fired off her weapon only to have it stopped by an ectoshield, a shield that was slammed into her face and sent her flying back, the strength of the blow impaling her on a pole several yards away and ending her life as a human. Her life was not in vain letting Tucker land a blow to Dan's face with all the strength he had, a blow that did little as Dan turned, an energy orb in his hand and palm trusted Tucker in the stomach. Strength and energy combined as a hole was ripped through the middle of the cyborg, sparks, wires, machinery, blood, and bits of bone firing from the hole. Pulling his hand free Dan watched as his friend fell to the knees, his life draining out of him as his systems tried desperately to repair themselves.

Tobias watched all this with a growing fury, one held in check thanks the training given to him by the Fright Knight and the knowledge that Jasmine was in the process of undoing all of this. "One last round," spinning his sword in his hand and retook a fighting stance ready for what was to come.

"One I've been looking forward to bother in law," his arms igniting in red ectoplasm, his eyes burning to brightly that even his hair seemed to be red.

"Then lets just get it over with," flaring his wings and releasing a wave of energy feathers, only to have them stopped as he formed a shield. Without word he flapped at the moment of the feathers release and landed on the shield at it formed and dove at the ghost anticipating the maneuver. His sword came down like a hammer but was stopped as Dan materialized his own sword of ectoplasm.

"Get new tricks rat breath I know all these," firing off beams from his eyes that turned into a beam from his entire head. The shot however did little as Tobias shifted into a hawk-flea form and rode out the attack and retook his hawk man form, only a few slight tendrils of smoke rising off the body.

Below them Jazz and Danny had their own problems, "come on little brother focus," she hissed grabbing his head in her hands, "time and place, the exact time and place you can't be general about this."

"I know I know, I'm trying but this isn't easy, I want to be up there helping them not running away," looking up wanting to get a part of his older self.

"I know," a tear running down her face, "listen to me Danny they're dieing up there, we can't help them, and there's no point in trying, if we want to honor them you have to do this, you can't let them die in vain."

"I KNOW ALREADY," focusing his mind on just before he left in the alley across the street, remembering from the fight that it was deserted and probably the best place to come down. He knew he couldn't help himself, or so Nicole had said, something about creating a paradox that could tear the universe in half. Taking a deep ragged breath he pictured it in his mind, every detail, every piece of garbage, even where the light was.

Just as he could feel something working the walls began to shake and vibrate with the sound of guitar music, the impact of the sound physically lifting them up and tossing them across the room. "Slow down there baby pop, we ain't even hit the encore yet," a sinister smile on her lips as she eyed the Time Matrix.

"Great my brothers skank," Jazz hissed shifting back into her half gorilla form, Shadow once more going into it's battle form.

"Take a seat sister in law, I'll get to you in a few," opening her mouth and releasing a jet of black flame at woman, the flames passing to either side as she altercated her shield.

"How about you go unplugged lady," Danny flying over to her as fast as he could and palm thrusting her with an ecto ball. The result was nothing more than making her turn her head, something was rectified as three of the charms on her belt lit up and she looked at Danny with glowing black eyes, her face mark lighting up as well.

"Not nice to hit you future wife Danny-boy," back handing him across the chest, her hand shifting into a claws and cutting trails into his clothing and knocking him back into a wall.

"I was under the impression you had to be a lady to be a wife," a beam of energy firing from Jazz's palm at the ghost, the energy being stopped as Saber strummed her guitar and fired off a large purple fist that collided with the beam and forced its way through it straight at the white haired woman.

"Why don't you just take five little girl, and let the queen of rock show you how it's done." Lifting half an inch off the ground Saber hovered over to Danny and grabbed him by the throat, "we have things left to do boy toy, don't stop on me now," hurling him at the Time Matrix and watching him bounce off it to the ground. "One, two, one, two, three," her arm going scaly and black while thrusting an elbow back and hitting Jasmine in the face knocking her to the ground. "Predictable," looking down at her, "we've been at this so long I don't even need help predicting your moves."

"Predict this," banging her arms together and firing off a wave of energy at the ghost woman fusion only to have it diverted as black wing shot around from behind Saber's back and redirected it into the ceiling, the wave drilling a hole to the surface.

"Come in I'm expecting you to be better sis," the light now streaming onto her face, the sounds of battle above them drifting into the bunker. "I said get up," kicking her in the side with enough power to lift her off the ground and into the ceiling then dropping back down only to be met half way down as Saber jumped into the sky and spun, leveling a tail whip into the woman's face. Watch her bounce to on the ground Saber slowly descended next to her, Saber's head shaking, "this isn't right, there's suppose to be more," looking around, "what am I missing."

"THIS," Jazz snarling her right fist encased in energy and upper cutting the woman with all the strength she could manage. The blow and the surprise factor were enough to her rocketing back and slamming into the Time Matrix. "MY FAMILY GONE, MY FRIENDS DEAD, I'M DONE LETTING MY BROTHER AND YOU KILL MY LIFE!"

"That's what I'm talking about," Saber growled, her eyes blazing as wings spread from her back making her look very much like a demoness.

"SHUT UP," her arms glowing and leaping at the woman punching her in the face as hard as she could, hitting her again and again, pounding her, beating her as she unleashed years of anger, hatred, loss, fear ,and sadness coming out and adding fuel to the woman. The sound of her hits echoed through the room and brought Danny back to awareness, the sight something to behold as his sister lost her mind, the gorilla completely taking over her consciences and she lashed out like a woman quite literally possessed.

"JAZZ GET CONTROLOF YOURSELF," Danny barked trying to move, the comment to late as Saber's laughter filled the air and the woman grew, quickly filling the space as she grew into a full sized black dragon, a comparatively sized guitar now on her back, the gold belt still around her hips.

"Stupid self riotous little witch," Saber hissed grabbing her sister in law in one claw, "see what your actions have lead too," slamming her down on the Time Matrix. For a moment nothing happened, then it glowed streams of light firing out of it in all directions and blinding those in the room and those above, halting the fight as the brightest light any had seen filled the air.

"SABER," Dan roared in fear turning away from Tobias and flying at the hole disappearing down it.

"JAZZ," the birdman on his heals, not remembering the device doing that before and fearful something had gone horribly wrong.

By the time they arrived though everyone in the room was gone, only wisps of smoke rising off the walls, floor and ceiling. "WHAT DID YOU DO," Dan screamed grabbing Tobias by the throat, his ectoplasm igniting a few of the feathers on the ghost birds neck.

"We sent him home, he's going to undo everything."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR GOING TO UNDO IT?" honest disbelief and confusion in his voice.

---

DP Style

Danny groaned and opened his eyes, "I'm really getting tired of waking up like this," sitting up, feeling ten times better than he had in the future.

"Then I'm sorry to say this isn't the end," Saber in full black dragon mode grabbing him by the head and slamming him through a wall.

"BACK OFF SCALE BAIT," Jazz jumping up and hitting the dragon only to be stopped as she was back handed by the dragons tail.

"Go chew on a banana monkey, I'm not getting stopped now," pulling Danny out of the building and onto the ground, the concert cracking from the impact. With the ghost boy down she threw her head back and released a jet of black flame into the sky and lifting her hands a pool if black energy forming above her and sending black lighting to the ground, one hitting Jazz making her jump and flop around, her mouth open in a silent scream.

"That ought to bring them," the dragon growing smaller retaking her human form, however the wings, tail and clawed fingers stayed in place. "How does it feel sis," Saber hovering over to Jasmine's smoking body, "to know you've been out played, out smarted, and just generally outdone."

The woman on the ground just growled, shifting into her full gorilla form and trying to get up only to be stopped as Saber pulled out her guitar and started strumming a little tune, the charms on her belt starting to glow brightly. (I'm gunna…)

"You won't be doing anything you sad pathetic little pawn," smiling down at the woman enjoying watching her trying to move, her strength no match for the power running through her body. "Did you know everyone's brain, every species' mind works on a different frequency, and right now I'm tapped right into yours, so struggle all you want, your not going anywhere as long as I want you to. For that matter," shifting the sound slightly, "I'm just going to put everyone here in pause for a while."

(You realize what your doing don't you, your letting everything happen again, your going to let your parents die, you can stop it.)

"I know," her smile growing more crazy.

(You can't let Danny become king he'll….)

"He'll do nothing but try and be a hero," throwing her head back and laughing manically, her music never wavering.

(What,) trying to surge up and only staying in place.

"You don't get it do you, your brothers still the goody two-shoes, soft rock, little kid he always was," smiling down at her, "I'm the one calling the shot making life hell."

(WHAT)

"Your not to quick on the up take are you," floating down near the ape woman, enjoying watching her struggle, "all of this, is because of me, because I wanted it, because I deserved it, I always dreamt of being queen of the Ghost Zone and now I am."

(But my parents…..the attack,)

"Look around little girl, right time, right place, your little plan get him home is insuring they die, ain't that a kick in the teeth?"

(No)

"Oh yes little girl."

(But Danny killed Tobias and Vald and everyone else, he kidnapped you…)

"Very true," laughing in her face, "the little procedure Vlad gave him, well not so much procedure as ripping the ghost out of him, had a little side effect. It made him slightly crazy, so he in turned ripped the ghost out of Vlad, which in retrospect probably wasn't the best things to do, since her fused with it, making a duet of crazy in one solo act. And well you know happened next, bang bang stab stab, a little massacre to issue in my rise to power."

(Everything he did?)

"All instinct, all crazy psycho instinct, he did what he could never to as a person, he just let all the rage out in all the ways he'd ever dreamed of using it. You should've seen it, it was beautiful, not that I thought so at the time, but looking back their screams were a symphony, an opera, a concert that made Woodstock look like kid with a kazoo….," her tune wavering for a second then regaining it's stability.

(Your nuts.)

"Your brother doesn't think so, of course he's also an idiot, a powerful idiot but an idiot none the less, now were was I. Ah yes, their beautiful screams, I still hear them when the world is still and I'm alone, a fitting sendoff of the girl I was and the woman I'd become."

"Oh he still had every intention of doing to me what he could never do when he was alive, every impulse drove him on, the total darkness of two beings driving him further and further into debauchery, unfortunately I choose to screw it up," spitting on the ground. "Little Sammy went all don't do this," her voice shifting into a mocking tone and fluttering her eye lashes, "you're a better person, you're my friend, I love you, you know you can't do this, blah blah blah," rolling her eyes. "I cant believe I'm actually part of her," sneering. "What's worse that idiot actually fell for it, whatever was human, still good, honest, heroic, and noble in him…in them…came out and forced that delicious darkness back, taking a heavy metal hit man and making him a ballad singing baby."

"He hid himself….hid us away, the girl I use to be still in love with him, she helped him make sure he was in control, that he could still help people. I'm so grateful when the Taxxons attacked we were sucked into the Ghost Zone in their wakes, I'm even more grateful that trip killed me and unleashed my power. To bad I was still to stupid to use it, I bought into the slag I shoveled into Dan, that there could be good ghosts. That all changed with Ember though, we ended up looking for Technus to help us, to figure at a way to beat the bloody worms. Ghosts of every shape and size, back when hope was still the order of the day, we gathered like cattle, we were a perfect buffet lined up for them, one they were more than happy to use. Lets just say breaking technology and complete panic aren't the best of mixes, a flash, a scream, a machine the size of a semi hitting us and the next thing you know two is made one, and a whole new world of possibilities are open to me."

(Why are you telling me this?)

"Why do you think, I'm an evil villain it's in the rule books that I explain what's going on."

(Your joking right?)

"Yep, I just want you to know you and your brother have been at each others throats for the last ten years for no real reason. Yes he might've killed you monster of a godfather, and turned you boyfriend into fried chicken, but after that he actually wanted to reach out to you, to try and put the family back together, and it's your fault it never happens you psychotic zealot," slipping into a sing song laugh.

(Your not Sam are you?)

"In all the ways that matter I'm Sam, I have her memories, her longing, her desires, her inner strength, but I'm also Ember, her drive, her lust of power, her hatred. But mostly I'm just Saber, all the best qualities of both, the inner darkness, the power, the intellect, the desire to take what I want regardless of the consequences. All these things mixed together create me, only I don't have to deal with silly things like a conscience."

(So all this time….)

"I've been manipulating you, your brother, everyone on the stage for this moment, for this day when I would ensure my own creation."

(It doesn't matter your trapped here, you can't go back, you've altered time which means none of what did happen will happen.)

"Your not listening," tapping the ape on the forehead with her boot, "all of this is according to plan, past, present, future, I already know how this will end because I told myself everything. After my fusion I got a little crazy, kinda like Danny only I wasn't really sure who was who for a while, and in the process I found this freaky looking castle with a clock motif. I wasn't really sure what I'd find when I entered but it ended up being so worth it. The place was totaled, everything was destroyed and it was pretty obvious it was all the result of a single fight, one of the combatants still there after all that time. He was some old man stuck in a loop, four little words slipping out of him over and over, 'Saber time shouldn't be,'. Oh as if that wasn't enough I found the journal, a gift from myself to myself, everything that had happened was listed in it," pulling a book seemingly from thin air, "this one here actually. It tells me every step to make, how to set everything up to become the most powerful ghost in existence, and how to ensure I come to be time and again. True almost ten years is a long time to set something like this up, but for an immortal what is time but an illusion."

"I played Dan like a sap getting him to the do all the work, make it seem like he's the one in charge and do everything from the shadows, even making sure you'd find each other, time after time to keep up this nice little feud you were building so you'd both have someone to blame and look away from me and my work. Even now I'm not quite done I still have to set up the final stages for my come to power, in ten minutes the Time Matrix explodes, taking you and parents out and setting up dear dimwitted Danny to set this into motion. A quick escape into the Ghost Zone, but that won't be a problem, you have a portal just ready to go, and no one will be in a position to even notice if it gets activated. And of course I will have to arrange the break out at the prison and let my future army have some fun, I do love those little Taxxons, completely insane, but as they say song soothes the savage beast, and to me they are as meek as puppies. The only really hard part will be getting Pariah Dark's ring but my power works on him as well, a few notes and he'll be putty in my hands. The crown regrettably will fall to my younger self to get, but by that time it won't be hard, you do remember that fight don't you, the one that cost you dear sweet Dash, he did like you back then didn't he? And of course I will have to deal with Clockwork, the time castle guardian, but I already know how those fights will go."

"Past, present, future Jasmine all are mine to control, mine to abuse, I can't wait to go home and finally shed this goody goody image I've had to cultivate and get down to pure conquest, and make everyone say my name. Imagine it an army made up both of the ghost kings forces and my own horde of Taxxons, anyone who still opposes me will fall, and I will finally be in control of everything."

(You can't honestly believe that's going to work, someone will stop you, my team…)

"Is dead, yes they might be ghost's now, but really that just makes them more susceptible to my power, and I really doubt they'll have enough power to take me on anyway."

(Then…then my brother will, if he is what you say, he won't let you do it, he'll find a way to stop you.)

"Let him try, Dan might be strong, but he's nothing to my power, Ember's power truly revealed, Sam's internal darkness, the rage of the second Amulet of Aragon and the Crown and Fire and Ring of Rage," the charms on her belt glowing brightly, Jazz now seeing that three of them were just that, smaller and altered but they were those artifacts, the forth a small gear. "I have more power than any ghost before me, let any who would stand against me try, they will fail, and they will learn the full price for doing so."

Whatever else she was going to say was silenced as she was struck from behind, green ectoplasm scatter out from her back as she dropped to the ground on top of Jazz, her music stopping. "Sorry I'm a little short this week, you mind taking an IOU," Danny growled hovering in the air, his hands glowing in green energy.

(SHADOW,) Jazz roared head butting the woman and knocking her off and snatching her guitar from her hands. (Past, present, future this you lunatic,) grabbing the instrument by the neck and slamming it onto the ground shattering the ghostly weapon/instrument.

"No so infallible after all are you," Danny barked flying up and punching her only to have the fist caught in her hand, her hair shooting skyward in blue and black flames.

"Actually I was distracted," forcing him down by the hand she held, "it's been known to happen," and throwing him over her shoulder straight into Jazz. The pair landed in a pile behind her, the ghost woman hybrid turning in the sky, her arms holding a ball of fire in each hand.

"This isn't going to go well is it?"

(Probably not,) pushing him off the half ghost hovering in the air above her.

"Good," flying at her and releasing twin blasts from his palms, the deflected and absorbed in dragon fire.

"That's what I'm talking about," Jazz shifting to her half gorilla form, what power she had left in his gauntlets being used to manifest glowing shields around her arms. Ducking around the blast and punching at the woman's stomach, only to have to punch blocked by a single arm, moving a at a speed she could barley see. While Saber was distracted with her hands it allowed Jasmine's toes to grip the ghost's leg and yank down, pulling her off balance for a second and upper cutting the flame spewing ghost.

The hit did little as Saber arced her arm around and came up on Jazz's underside and hit her, blasts of black energy jumping between the two where they met and sending Jasmine back and sliding along the ground. At first the ape woman tried to get up only to be stopped as Saber turned to her and screamed, her voice taking on a song like quality that enveloped the white haired woman in a shockwave. With a groan Jasmine tried to get up after the attack, only to realize something was wrong, her body not responding, and feeling something wrong going on inside her body, things bursting right and left and her ability to morph seemingly not working.

"Paralysis," Saber hissed looking down at the woman, "another benefit of knowing how to manipulate sound waves, right now the parts of your brains are liquefying, while bones are shattering and organs are rupturing."

"Sis," Danny growled flying over to her, "you ok?"

She tried to shake her head but couldn't, nothing moving regardless of how she tried, doing the only thing she could she turned to her thought speech, (shaaaadoo, elp aaaanny,) not even the thought words coming out right, (eassse.) The bad luck shadow didn't have to be told twice melting off his long time mistress and forming around Danny as a jacket.

"Whoa, wait a minute," jumping back into the sky.

"Right on time," a smile on Saber's lips hissing the words softly to herself.

(elp e uder,) Jasmine moaned into their heads almost to quietly for either one to hear.

"Looks like it's just you and me," Danny's hands filling with energy orbs and releasing them a the woman, both balls swatted away with one hand.

"Really Danny is that all you can do," yawning while she hovered over another barrage of ecto blasts.

"We're about to find out aren't we," flying in on her flinging another wave of energy orbs, the green balls again swatted away but buying Danny enough time to get closer to turning into a midair flip and bring the heal of his foot down on her head, the move doing little more than making her move down half a foot. But it was enough as he continued to turn, an energy filled his hand, filling the ball with as much energy as he could and firing the blast into her throat. The strike facilitate Ember to spin forward in he air and brought her flaming heal down on the back of Danny's head sending the teenager slamming into the ground.

"I was right," her voice hoarse, "that did hurt more than I thought it would," holding her throat, "but now I can do this," screaming out at a building, her voice sharper and harder, the air filling with the waves of distortion. When it hit the wall shattered like glass, a moment alter the entire structure shifted and wobbled and fell forward onto the boy.

The last thing Danny heard was his sister's voice, weak and far away in his head, an echo from the past, his eyes filled with what was to come but unable to move.

"And so it ends," looking down at the boy as the building collapsed on top of him burying him under rubble. "By the time you wake up it'll be to late, everything will be over and done with and ours fates will be sealed away, and the eternal dance will begin anew." Lifting her head up she could hear the far off sounds of screams and a rumble long missing from her life, "And that would be Jack and Maddie, just as it was, just as it must be."

"You do realize you sound like movie spy villain right? All this I know everything, according to plan, you at me I'm so tough, yadda yadda yadda."

"WHAT!" Saber turning her flaming hair rising over the top of the buildings, "YOUR SUPPOSE TO BE…"

"Luck manipulating shadow," Danny throwing his arms out wide, his arms igniting in green ectoplasm, "now lets try this again, my home, my rules, my time isn't written in stone, and you will not win."

"Apparently I left a few things out," her charms glowing brightly as a blast of fire rocketed from her hands, it's power enough to level half a block alone. With a hiss and a pop the fire engulfed Danny for what seemed like hours to the woman and knowing he wouldn't get up from the blast till long after she was gone.

When the firs died down Danny was still there, unmoved, a funny little smile on his face, "hot moves from a cool customer, that kinda cancels each other out doesn't it?"

"Cleaver boy, but time will not," flying in after him, virtually becoming a blue and black fireball, "BE DENIED!"

"Oh this gunna hurt," a green ectoblast forming in his hand and firing it outward, the world around him shimmering then bursting in a blast of nearly invisible green slime in all directions and growing darker by the second. A great deal hitting the woman in the face, the ectoplasm putting out the fire and blinding her enough for Danny to fly above her and leap frog her and send her crashing through a building, not stopping till she had flown out the others end.

With her growl filling the air Saber rose from the other side of the building, ectoslime dripping off her body. Running her hands over her face she flicked the blobs aside, a look of death now adorning her face as she stared at Danny. "You think your cleaver don't you, your just delaying the inevitable," her hair sparking the spinning down her body and burning off the excess slime.

"Yeah I can live with that," his arms sparking and nearly blinding her as he hovered in front of her.

"It's funny because you won't," firing towards him and releasing a fire ball only to have Danny shot above it, his entire body growing brighter.

"Smile for the camera," his body starting to strobe the light growing brighter and brighter blinding the woman as he went off like a flare sending a blinding green light in all directions for nearly half a mile gaining the attention of everyone capable of sight. "Whoa little light headed," Danny swooning for a moment as he dropped to the ground and held his forehead, "ok not doing that again."

"PHANTOM," Saber roared flying at him, obvious from her eyes she couldn't see anything.

"Down lady, this is getting old," her swipes getting closer to him as he spoke despite weaving out of the way, "kinda like you."

"Don't mock me," her strikes getting closer to the source but still missing, but now by a narrower margin.

"Gotta say this is the weirdest game of blind mans bluff I've ever pla….," his words stopping as Saber threw her arms out and released a firestorm at Danny.

"Felling good now funny man," throwing another fireball at Danny.

"Felt better, felt….," getting blasted again by a blast of fire, "right, music, noise, you're a freak'n bat," forming a shield in front of himself and absorbing the shot.

"What if I am," following his chatter, the sound of his voice music to her, knowing exactly where he was even when blind, "think you can do anything about it?"

"…,"opening then closing his mouth, not wanting to give her anymore help than possible. Assuming she wasn't lying he knew he had problems coming, he could hear his parent's in the distance, the Fenton RV roaring through town, and getting closer by the sound. If he couldn't take this lady out there was a good chance he wasn't going to change anything, and he'd end up killing his parents with his sister at his throat. Looking over at the Time Matrix, he could tell things were about to go critical, literally, the way it was glowing universally meant one thing and it wasn't good.

"Come on Danny, none of your famous wit, no quips, zingers, or puns? I thought you loved the sound of your voice." She didn't really need him to say anything it just made it easier, she knew exactly where it was from the sounds coming off him as he moved through the air, the subtle way the wind silently shifted in his wake, he might as well have been wearing a bull-eye in neon lights. The best part in her mind was that he didn't even know what was going on.

Keeping his eyes on her Danny formed balls of energy in his glowing hands and closed them around them, combining what Tobias had taught him with what he'd seen his older self do and tapping into the powers of the shadow. The energy shifted and splintered then solidified between his fingers and where once he had had balls of ectoplasm he now had four energy knives in each hand. Looking over at Saber she told him what he already knew, she could sense him, the same way Tobias could and he had every intention of evening those odds as his parents drew closer and the slipshod plan he'd concocted was forced to go into play.

Danny let a growl rip out of his throat, the sound enough to trigger an attack in Saber as she released a blot of black lighting that hit Danny in the chest and slammed him into a building. "I don't like screamers Danny, just to let you know for the future," snapping her fingers and hitting him again with a bolt.

"Does the phrase go suck a lemon mean anything to ya," surging forward and throwing the knives in his right hand right at her. The effect was less than impressive as the knives went everywhere but where they should, bouncing off walls, the street, and a light pole. They did their jobs however as Saber fired off blasts of fire and lighting at the daggers.

"Shadow, glowing thing," nodding his head towards the Time Matrix, the shadow flying off his body and shooting towards the Matrix, understanding that Danny wanted it's destruction to slow down.

"What do you have planned Danny," she hissed sweetly firing off a blast of fire at Danny from her mouth, a blast missing him as he shot under it and came right at her as fast as he could knowing without the shadow to alter luck his ability to go toe to toe with her was going down fast. Keeping the knives tight in his grasp he punched her, the blades cutting into her body, four wounds in the gut courtesy of four green knives. The strike was enough as Saber threw her head back and screamed in pain and sending shockwaves into the sky and shattering every window in the area.

"Keep it down," twisting the knives in her gut before yanking them out with a sickening squish and darting back as fast as he could to the Time Matrix. The hit was enough to tear reason from the fusion ghost long enough as she tore after him right at Shadow and time machine, his parents growing closer by the second.

"YOU LITTLE," grabbing Danny and forcing him into the ground of the alley right in front of the glowing orb and the other ghost incasing it and trying to slow it down.

"SHADOW," Danny barked the dark blob jumping off the matrix and coming to Danny and encasing him in from head to toe. With a grunt he fired off the largest blast of Ectoplasm he could manage right at her face, doing little but stunning her but getting her to loosen her grip. Pulling away he dove at the blast only to be grabbed by her again and slamming him into the matrix. Head butting back he made her pause again and turned them both around, Saber's back now on the white orb. With a snarl he tossed the blades into the air catch two in each hand as he turned and looked the woman in the face and lunged forward stabbing her in the shoulder, two blades in each, and nailing her to the orb. "Witty banter this banshee."

The second he did that his parents tore up, his dad jumping out of the car, gun held high, "FREEZE GHOST SCUM."

"Their timing is perfect," Danny sighed looking back at the glowing orb, more light shooting out of it and knowing it was more than likely to late. "EVERYBODY GET OUT OF HERE THIS THINGS GOING NUCLEAR," Danny barking trying to turn around and fly away, only move a few feet as time slowed then stopped, a white hole appearing in front of him. Only Saber still moved at normal speed, though Danny to was moving but very slowly.

A soft hum filled the air as a young boy in a hood, a scar over one eye, and a clock in his chest floated out and looked around a second later shifting into an full grown man. A smile forming on his face he looked over at Saber and shook his head, "interesting turn of events isn't it," smiling down at her as she continued to struggle against the Time Matrix.

"YOU SON OF A…."

"You have no idea who I'm the son of," yanking his medallion from her body and stopping her completely. "Now to you," Looking at Danny, the teen still in slow motion but turning to look at him, "I bet you have a lot of questions, shame I can't give you answers, now lets fix you shall we," his hand going intangible and sliding into Danny's body the boy stooping completely as he removed his hand. Opening his fist he looked at the shattered pieces of a time medallion, still loosely connected by various wires and shook his head, "you have to be gentile with these things and can't just blow them from the insides of one person into another and expect them to work perfectly," tossing it into the air and catching it.

"Now as for you," waving his staff in front of Danny, the shadow disappearing from his body, but the glove Val had given him still in place. The ghost then floated over to Jasmine and waving the staff again, the near death woman vanishing as well. "Everyone back in there place, just as they should be," looking over at Saber, "well almost everyone," floating over to her "but I have plans for you my dear, oh yes, you thought it was funny pistol whipping me didn't you, lets see how you like it." Tapping the clock on the staff he, Saber and the Time Matrix disappeared in a flash of white as a portal appeared as clock hands appeared and spun around in the air and sucked them in.

A moment later time returned to normal, and Danny shot forward as his parent began shooting at him, "HE'S ATTACKING," Jack screamed firing wildly only hitting the damaged buildings.

"What was that all about," Danny hissed to himself looking back, remembering what had happened to a degree but the movements to fast to really understand what had happened. He didn't really have time to think about it as his mom started firing at him causing him to take off, knowing the woman was a much better shot than his dad. "No one's ever going to believe any of this," shaking his head in the sky and tried to put as much distance from himself and the war zone as possible.

Several hours later Danny found himself in the Manson game room surrounded by the others and thankful that Sam's parents weren't in the home, having left at the sight of the boy. Well technically they' tried to call the cops on Danny till Sam's grandmother stepped in and convinced them to go out for dinner while she watched over Sam, no one had seen the old woman since. A few moments later Tucker, Jazz and Tobias arrived and Danny preceded to tell them everything that had happened, which led them to now.

"….and then our parents," hissing at his sister and waving his hand back and forth between them, "shot at me for over a minute and last I checked are blaming me for all this, and saying I was going to blow up the town."

(Yeah that'll defiantly put a damper on your growing hero rep,) Tobias preening in the corner having demorphed some time ago.

"That's all you can say, I just saw the future, Sam was nuts, I don't even want to talk about you two," glaring at Jazz having skipped the part about her awkward relationship, "and you," pointing at Tucker, "you just got wierd."

"Dude I could punch out ghosts," still high on what Danny had told him about his powers, and frighteningly excited about the possibility of being a cyborg in the future.

Danny opened his mouth to start but was cut off by Tobias as he invaded their thoughts, (yes you could do that in a future that no longer exists, for all you know now you'll end up so fat you can't get out of bed so calm down.)

"Your being awful calm about this," glaring at the bird, the others having gone through a myriad of emotions as Danny told his story, yet he stayed completely calm the entire way through. Even if he was harder to read in his hawk form Danny had still learned how to pick up on how to identify at least signs of interest and surprise from the bird, but he'd simply gotten nothing.

(Look time travel isn't new to me, yes my experiences are in the past, but it's the same deal, and from what you've said with your parents alive this won't happen so what's the point in really worrying about it.)

"You're a cold fish you know that birdie," as Jazz elbowed him, "you don't even care that Rachel and I are working together, what that would mean in the long run?"

(Interested yes, but at this point it's not an issues time has unfolded differently, so it's all just speculation.)

"That's fine for you," Sam hissed, "your sane in the future, I become a psychotic manipulating despot from the abyss who's turned two worlds upside down to get what she wants."

"So in other words nothings really changed," Tucker quipped.

"Shut it," glaring at him.

"Still," Danny hissed, putting his hands behind his head, "how do we know it won't happen, can't happen?"

(I'm going to have to explain this aren't I,) Tobias sighed, (fine listen up and listen good I'm not explaining this again. Nothing is set in stone, every life has thousands of paths it can take, but no force in existence, no human, no ghost, no god like being, can ever know what that future will truly be. They can see possibilities, what might be, but not what will be, personal choice, it effects everything, a single decision made by anyone can change everything and ruin even the greatest plan. That's what's happened here, Sam….)

"Saber," Danny corrected

(….Saber, didn't anticipate that, she though what was had to be and could be no other way, but at some point a decision was made that threw off that plan, which lead to another and another till everything she'd worked for was for nothing. Of course that doesn't negate the possibility of it one day happening.)

"What," up till that moment Sam had grown more hopeful that that future was behind her.

(It can still happen, maybe not the same way it happened here but that doesn't mean it still can't come to pass. As someone once told me, you can leave the path but you can walk it again, it won't be quite the same, maybe harder maybe easier but it can still be walked.)

"And on that note I'm just going to lock myself in my closet for….well….ever."

"Sam," Danny holding the goth girls hand and stopping her, "ignore the trash eating bird, I'm not going to let that happen, ever. That nightmare won't happen, not to you, not to me, your smarter than that, we know it's coming and we'll get around it," squeezing her hands tightly, "I won't let you get hurt like th…."

"If you two are going to kiss and fall into each others arms we can leave here," Tucker popping up next the pair, the intimacy of the moment lost. With a look they both knew what the other was thinking and with their free hands slapped him on the back of his head.

"We can't take you anywhere can we," Jazz slipping up behind the boy and pulling him away by the back of his shirt, "you two keep going, use this moment to profess your undying love fore each other," waving at them as a blush spread across their bodies.

"JAZZ, I'M NOT HIS GIRILFRIEND!"

"SIS, SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFREIND!" their words once more linking up and making the pair grow redder as they looked at each other.

"And on that note I'm going to leave, you coming birdie?" the redhead looking at the bird boy.

(I need a few more minutes, don't bother waiting for me, I'll hook up with you later,) nodding his head slightly and speaking in private thought speech.

"Alright," still holding Tucker's shirt, "your coming with me and leaving them alone."

"But why I still have questions," he whined staggering to his feet, "I want to know what I can do in the future, what I'm running on, how close I was to the robot, there are so many things I need to know, I'm going to be living my dream I have to know what ends up happening to me."

"I thought you gave up technology?"

"That was then this is now, I'm going to be a machine," thrusting his arms into the air as Jazz pulled him up the stairs.

"A reason your not going with them," Danny asked dead pan to Tobias, a hint of anger still edging into his voice.

(I want to say this,) morphing his human form and looking at Sam. "In one point in time your going to be a horrible person, but that's also not you, that's someone you may become if you join with this ghost. That future is no more set in stone than the one where your in love with Kwan or the one where you have your arms and legs cut off."

"If this is a pep talk your doing a lousy job," Sam hissed shivering at the thought of being with Kwan of all people, but glad he hadn't said Dash.

"The point is, no one knows what the future is, yeah what Danny saw can still come to pass, but it's one of an infinite number of choices, and he's right now that you know it's coming you can actively try and avoid it. What the future holds is a mystery, don't ruin your life living in fear of what may happen, live it knowing what is, that you are you, and while that part of you that's crazy and evil may exist it's only a small part of you and it can be held in check."

"Very deep," Danny nodded, "that helps how?"

"I'm just saying it can happen not that it will happen, she could go bad just as soon as I could go primal one day and go on a city wide massacre. She's seen the vision of a monster that lives within, I live everyday with one inside me, so do you," looking at Danny. "She should be afraid of it, it doesn't mean she should let it rule her, or that it'll be the deciding factor in her life," take her hand and Danny's and bringing them together, "and it doesn't mean it can't be stopped by her or by someone close."

He gave them a small smile and slipped past Danny and headed towards the stairs and stopped as he hit the first step, as did everyone in the room. In one corner a clock hand appeared and spun opening up a white hole in the air and Clockwork floated out and moved to Danny and Sam, pulling the girls weapon and putting a time medallion around each of their necks freeing them from is hold.

"Who what," Danny barked at the sight of the wrinkled man, his mind flashing back to him and recognizing him but not stopping him from going ghost, or trying to.

"Time out," spinning his staff and flinging the amulet off him mid transformation, "now we can't have that can we."

"What did you," Sam hissed looking at both of them and around the room, "oh crap," she hissed reaching for her weapon and not finding it.

"I believe your looking for this," holding the gun, "I didn't come here to fight I came to speak, if you keep him calm I'll release him."

"Like I'm suppose to trust you," she hissed falling into a fighting stance.

"If I was going to harm you don't you think I already would've done so," shifting to his child form.

"Doesn't really help."

"Everything is a matter of trust, you don't have to trust me, but you can trust him to protect you," eyeing Danny.

"Alright, I'll stop him from doing anything but talk fast."

Nodding he slipped the gear back on Danny and the half ghost finished changing form only to be stopped as Sam put her hand on him, "ok what just happened," shifting his glance back and forth not sure how they'd moved so fast.

"We're going to listen, if we don't like what he says then you can hit him."

"Very wise," the ghost grinning at them, "I am Clockwork, master of time, and what has happened is my fault."

"What," Danny floating in the air, not sure how else to respond.

"What do you mean your responsible," Sam asked, "you mean for everything that happened to Danny?"

"To him and you, and them," nodding towards Tobias, "I played a regrettable hand in it."

"So you're here to what set it right," Sam hissed slipping back into a fighting stance a quick look to Danny letting him know that he might want to power up, "to turn me into her!"

"Actually I'm here to thank you for preventing that from happening," bringing the staff closer to his body, sifting from his adult form to an old man, "that was a tragedy that I was regrettably unable to prevent on my end."

"Um…Ok," Danny lowing to the ground, "you had what to do with this?"

"It's because of my abilities that allowed Saber to transverse time, as well as you," nodding at Danny, "and I do regret my hand in it. She used my home to hold me in place, just out of time to allow her to continue her plan, a cycle that would've repeated if not for you."

"So that's not going to happen, everything Danny saw is done with?"

"Yes and no," looking at Tobias and floating towards him, "your friend is very wise," his back to the others. "There are many twists and turns in the river of time, many outlets that can be taken, and many of them can remerge with other streams. In a sense nothing is ever quite out of reach, however most beings can only see in a straight line, the past and immediate future, I however can see everything, what might happen, what might not, every possibility is open to me," his voice wavering for a moment.

"So it can still happen," Danny asked.

"Anything can happen young ghost," Clockwork looking back at them, "as I have tried to say the future is endless and what happens can only be determined by you, by the choices everyone makes everyday."

"This is beginning to sound like an after school special," Sam hissed getting a laugh from Danny.

"I suppose it is," the time ghost smiling, "in any case I just wished to thank you in person and allowing me to continue to exist within time."

"Yeah….no problem," the half ghost scratching the back of his head then snapping his fingers, feeling a little off at having another ghost that didn't want to fight him, "whoa wait what happened to my sister, shadow, the Time Matrix one second they were there then I say you moving really fast and they disappeared?"

"They are where they once were, back in the time and place they belong."

"You just dropped them backing that nightmare!" his eyes glowing green.

"It was where and when they belong, it may not seem fair, but they deserve to be with their family, whether you know it or believe it, they both wish to be there, it's their home regardless of how much they may outwardly hate it."

"Then how can you say they wanted to go back!"

"She was dieing Daniel, if she died here her spirit would've been stuck in this time and wherever it's future leads, by sending her back she's in her time and with those she loves. That was more important to her than anything else in the world."

"And Saber and Time Matrix?"

"She attempted to alter time, thus she falls to me to deal with don't concern yourself more with it."

"Great, can you be a little more specific?"

"No Daniel I cannot," smiling at him, "and I wouldn't concern yourself with you fluctuation power either."

"How did you, a little afraid the ghost was reading his mind."

"Master of Time, I've been looking in on the various futures, in many of them your very concerned with it, don't be. The misshapes in the future was the result of a faulty time medallion, the same kind you now where around your neck."

Holding it up to his face, "but I wasn't wearing one of these."

"Actually you were just not in the conventional sense, these allow individuals to exist outside time, at least with my power, Saber put one inside one of the Taxxons, when you were both hurt it somehow transferred to you putting you outside of time. However the explosion also damaged it, the result was your powers failing in the future but not the past…that is to say your present."

"Great ghost surgery," Danny rolling his eyes.

"In essence, I have since removed it so you don't have to worry about it."

"Cool, I guess….um is that it?"

"Yes," floating over to the pair and looking at Sam, "don't let the future concern you my dear more often than not your future is very bright, not always expected but always very bright." Looking at Danny, "don't worry about your sister, future or present, she'll endure, you have a tendency to surround yourself with strong women that can weather more than you think, if you merely give them the opportunity. And," raising his finger, "should you need my services call on me, I feel it is important to pay off my debits and I owe you, owe all of you, one of great signifagance," hovering around them and making them turn around allowing him to see there unmoving companion one last time.

"Um…How?" Sam, asked as the clock hands reappeared and tore a hole in air.

"Just ask to see me I will come, after all I know everything long before it happens," turning his staff and lifting their amulets off with the end before they could stop him, both freezing as soon as they were removed. "I will be checking in on you from time to time," he smiles hovering into the vortex, time restarting as the hole closed.

In the distance Sam and Danny could hear the soft steps of Tobias as he left and both considered stopping him but didn't, both wanting to process what they had seen without his help.

"I remember when things use to be easy, when everything made sense."

"Huh when was that," one of Danny's eyebrows raised.

"Pretty much before I met you, everyday after that's been insane."

"Thanks a lot Sam," shaking his head and dropping down into one of her chairs and closing his eyes, his head hurting from all the talk of time travel, parallel timelines, and the desires of people that may or may not still exist. "What does a migraine feel like," holding his temples.

---

DP Style

Out of a white hole Clockwork walked through the hall of his home, portals of lining the walls showing various scenes from points in time allover earth. Great wars, moments of piece, sacrifices, tragedies, death, birth and so much more, each moment meaning something to him even if it meant nothing to anyone else. Stopping at one wall he hung up the two amulets no longer needing them and shaking his head, amazed things had played out the way they had.

Turning around he looked at one of the portals and wove his staff, the image changing to that of the time Danny had come from, only different several months having passed, his time there having changed it. Dan now stood back to back with Tobias and Rachel the trio fighting off a horde of Taxxons, beyond them a ghostly Valerie with batlike wings and Tom held off did their best to heard a group of humans away from the fight. High in the sky a fully human looking ghostly Jasmine, wrapped in shadow, and Tucker, now in gold, save his right arm that chrome and ivory with stubbly little fingers. On the upper arm was burned 'T&N' with a little heart around it, a reminder of his lost love. The two did there best to guide the fight and helped out where they could.

"Everything returning to what it should be, no thanks to you," turning and looking at Saber still nailed to the Time Matrix and displaced from time. "All your plans, all your manipulations, they're all falling apart, families are rebuilding, hope is returning, and the future for them is growing brighter."

"And your playing a very dangerous game," the words booming despite their softness and shaking the foundation of the castle and everyone in it

"I know what I'm doing," Clockwork not bothering to look around already knowing who it was, having expected the visit for quite some time.

"Do you," the room glowing behind him as the voice gained a form, a short old man with a long beard in a flowing robe and long winding walking stick, in short the human appearance of The Ellimist, "son?"

"I know what I'm doing father," he spoke calmly addressing the being with all the respect he deserved but still not facing him.

"Your manipulating time, you are an observer nothing more, it is not your place to take action."

"It is now," glaring at Saber with hate in his eyes.

"That is not why I made you," tapping his staff on the ground and making the ghost look at him.

"I don't care," staring at the ghost woman.

"Revenge is not our way," The Ellimist words cool and calm, not allowing himself to grow angry.

"Don't make me laugh, I know you better than that, your just worried about your precious rules, that my actions will give cause to The Crayak to strike back. He won't, he can't, I didn't break any of your rules, everything that happened because of them not me, I did nothing but watch and hope."

"And her," pointing at Saber,

"She is displaced from time, and there fore in my realm, I'll deal with her in due time."

"Then you are aware you can't hold her forever."

"I know, at some point the healing will end and she will be free, when that time comes I will deal with her personally, till then she stays put."

"Still its a dangerous game."

"One I'm well prepared for," still watching her gaining a measure of satisfaction from seeing her like that.

"Liar," turning from the woman and to the portal to the future, "you forget you have but a fraction of my abilities, I know what this is really about, who this is really about."

Clockwork growled at that but relented already knowing there was no point in trying to hide his plan, "our story is a generational one, why should I not be concerned with the welfare of my son."

"He is not your son," The Ellimist sighed not wanting to have this conversation again, "you do not have children."

"One hundred sixteen children, three hundred ninety-seven grand children, five hundred twelve great grand childr…."

"STOP IT, YOU HAVE NO CHILDERN THEY ARE…."

"Echo's of the past so you keep telling me, shadows of what I was, I know, that doesn't mean they weren't mine. I can still feel each and every one of them, remember their laughter, their tears, their touch, their love they were mine and I was theirs and you will never take that from me father."

"They were not yours, you have nothing but the memories of those that have accumulated within you nothing more."

"And what is a person but his memories," not willing to give an inch in the old argument, "the memories of live stolen by me because you decided I was needed for your great plan, your game."

"The Time Matrix is needed, you were an unintended consequence, an accident that only occurred once in over six billion simulations."

"But I did happen father, and I do exist."

"Something I've come to accept, even be proud of, but you can't do things like this, he is not your son."

"He is," snapping the words for a moment shifting from a young boy into a woman wearing the same outfit then centaur like alien with four eyes still dressed the same before returning to his normal adult male form. "I held Tobias in my arms, both of them, he is my son father, I couldn't let that happen."

"He is not your son," grabbing the ghost and spinning him around to look him in the eyes, "he is Loren and Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul's son you simply have a fraction of their memories."

"The memories of their life as family, as husband and wife, that is till you tore him away and altered time, rewrote it, that part of their life together, there being, their souls, joining with me like all those that have used the power of the Time Matrix. In everyway that matters that makes him mine twice over, I carried him, held him, bathed him, loved him, everything that is his parents is within me and even if I can't be with him it doesn't mean I won't protect him as best I can, if that means altering one of your precious plans so be it, for him, for his family I will do so in a heart beat."

"Such rash plans lead to disaster son, do you know what might happen now?"

"I do," waving his staff the portal changing thousands of new scenarios flashing by so fast it was impossible for any but them to perceive the images. "Some futures are worse some are better, in the end it doesn't matter though, it wasn't as though your grand plan can't adapt. That is your credo isn't it father, plan for everything, always factor in free will?"

For a moment The Ellimist just stared at him then started laughing a strange haunting alien laugh that echoed off the walls. "I knew I taught you well," floating up to him and putting his hand son his shoulder, "you are correct son, I do have plans for this eventuality, but that doesn't change the fact that you endangered a great deals on plans to alter one life."

"A life that is precious to you as well, I've watched you fawn over him, your emissary, your weapon, your grandson."

At that The Ellimist sighed, "I may acknowledge you as my offspring, but don't think I will acknowledge your components as my offspring."

"But you do care for him and his family father, that you cannot deny."

"I do, and I am proud of you son, but I fear you have brought a great evil into this time, one even you can't control, when you heal," looking at the Time Matrix, "she will be free, and that may endanger everyone, even those you claim to care for."

"As I said your not the only one with plans father," leaning on his staff, "however how they unfold will depend on the actions of my son's chosen family."

"Very well then," nodding his head, "then I will leave them in your care my son, guide them as best you can, and should you need me, call, bur remember I to have plans, be careful you do not interfere with them."

"Understood father, I will live up to the trust you have shown me," The Ellimist nodding his head and vanishing from Clockwork's side as the time spirit continued to watch the portal a new image appearing, one of Saber in battle him a teenage girl with flowing red hair, a rust red feather intertwined in in, and piercing yellow eyes with the claws of beast slipping out of her fingers and glowing equipment criss-crossing her body, "and if they can not deal with her then my granddaughter will fulfill that unenviable task."

---

Authors notes

Looking back I'm not sure this really my best work, it seemed like a good idea in my head, then I started writing it, it went through like three midway rewrites, and I'm not sure how to feel about it.

Skulker and his team do work for Saber (not sure if I made that clear), and when he asks about the wife that's not a mistake, that's not a mistake that's what he calls Dan.

Originally this story was going to be a semi straight retelling of TUE but with animorph elements, but the more I looked at I had some problems with it, never really understood some of the time travel elements of TUE, the whole thing with Danny and Dark Danny making it happen never felt real to me (if Danny knows what's going to happen why would he still ask Vlad to tear the ghost out of him?) But I digress, as the story went on in concept I formed the resistance with Val and Tobias and some humans, that later gave way to what was in the story and I just kept making there parts bigger. Dan was originally going t be the big bad, then I decided to write him in a nicer light to throw people off only to turn him bad at the end, then I started to like him, and felt it might be a good fake out and started to look at the others, continually changing the story to allow others to live and figuring out who might have the most to gain. In the end it came down to Jazz and Saber, and I just had better tricks, and I really want to have an evil Sam in the story waiting to strike. I do like the idea of brining her back and giving her a major role in the future I'm just not sure what yet since she's basically random at the moment.

Yes I'm a big fan of 'Beauty Marked' so I put in the dragons, and the executioner ghost, and expect them more in the future, very big plans for them.

Clockwork, looking back I don't really think I explained him and as hard as I tried I just couldn't get it in there so here it is. CW is made up of the displaces lives of those that have used the Time Matrix or been temporally altered by his fathers power. He's actually made up of many lives from many worlds (including bits of a young Visser 3) but looks human because this is the world he's currently attached to. Whatever planet the TM is so is he. So basically Tobias' parents lives together are all mixed up in him, so in all the ways that really matter he is the birds parent, and such feels a great deal of love for him but isn't sure how to approach him (lets face it who would be in this situation). This may or may not come into play later I'm not sure yet, I haven't gotten that far in the planning stage. Expect to see CW again, I have plans for him in another story that may grow into a larger role.

A lot of he ideas about weapons and powers intorduced in this story are basically ideas I've had for a while and wanted to put in but taken about 5 steps further, expect to see their assendants soon.

Now the biggie, the Jazz, Tobias, Rachel relationship, follow my train of thought here. Suppose you marry someone and they die then you remarry later and the two on you live to old age and die. Now in the afterlife you meet your first spouse and you discover you still love them and they love you but you also love your current spouse, where does that leave you? In this contexts I have no problem with all involved being in a relationship provided all agree to it. I know this may tick some people off, and I'm not saying I endorsethis in real life, I'm just saying in this fictional context I can see it working for these three people. If this offends people I'm sorry, it's just an idea I'm throwing out there

Please R&R