The Forgotten, The Fumorii
Chapter Twenty: The Enemy Within
As Danny and Angel stood facing their dark counterparts in silent shock, the only thing Danny could think was, This would be a really, really bad time for my family to show up. Which, of course, the Fenton clan chose that exact second to do; no one could ever accuse his family of missing a cue. Jazz was the first to notice what exactly seemed strange about this situation, quickly followed by both of the elder Fentons. All three froze in panic and confusion, unable to process what they were seeing; rather like a rabbit facing down a hawk, Danny thought dryly, except the rabbit at least possessed the good sense to turn and run.
Danny sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing. Behind his eyes he could feel the fluttery beginnings of what promised to be a terrible migraine lurking. He sighed again, this time in annoyance more than exasperation, and slumped his shoulders.
Today was not going to be a good day.
The arrival of the Fentons kicked Angel's brain back into high gear- Warning, full Battle Mode activated, she thought, holding back a somewhat hysterical giggle. Giggling on the battlefield equals not appropriate, the warrior chided herself, taking a deep breath to calm herself and beginning to analyze the situation.
Okay, first off: they were right smack-dab in the middle of Amity Park. Suburbia. The American Dream (kinda). People. Families. Children. Civilians. Bad.
Secondly: No backup. They had left Spud, Kali, and Kiva, all three of their trusted team mates, behind. Logically, she knew that it was for the best, but she couldn't help wishing- albeit a little selfishly- that they had some help coming. Or, for that matter, any help coming. But they didn't. So, no backup. That was also bad.
Third and lastly: The enemies they had been so dreading facing were, in fact, themselves. Now, even disregarding the fact that this whole thing simply reeked of subconscious symbolism and had enough repressed emotional tendencies to keep even Freud happy for years to come, this last turn of events simply could not be described as anything other than really, really bad.
And even though she couldn't quite explain it, Angel just knew this was all going to somehow end with fire.
The instant Maddie realized what she was seeing was real, she felt a crushing wave of relief wash over her. That may have seemed strange, given the circumstances- in fact, it almost definitely did- but in order to understand why Maddie felt this way she would have had to spend several days explaining in excruciating detail what she had experienced over the last five years, always waiting for her little boy to come home, never willing to admit, even to herself, that she was still waiting for him after all this time.
The reason Maddie felt such great relief at the scene before her can, however, be condensed into something roughly comprehensible, like this: For a second, she thought she was seeing things. Mirages. Hallucinations. After all, there couldn't possibly be two Danny's, could there?
Right, a sinister, hissing voice crooned from the back of her mind. There can't be twoDanny's- you must be imagining one of them. Maddie shuddered and tried to force herself away from that line of thought- which could only lead her somewhere she didn't want to go- and focus back on the situation at hand. It didn't work, of course. When, in all the time since the slithering voice had appeared (five years…), had it ever worked?
In fact, her dark thoughts continued, pushing harder against the flimsy barrier of hope and optimism that held them out, and held her together. In fact, what if you're imagining both of them? No, she thought clearly. It couldn't be true. She couldn't have imagined all of it…
But what if you did? The voice hissed again, sending icy chills down her spine. What if none of it was real? Your son coming back, your daughter speaking to you again, your family together and living happily ever after- what if none of it was real, Maddie? Tendrils of doubt and fear, hard and cold as iron, coiled around her mind more tightly with each cruelly stabbing word that was whispered, until she was rendered immobile by invisible chains formed of her own self-doubt and despair. Wouldn't that mean, the oily voice grew slightly more audible, as though the owner were leaning towards her to impart some deep, vital secret- Wouldn't that mean that, in reality, you were all alone?
No! The thought came with a sudden, startling clarity. I am not insane, she thought, surprising even herself with the ferocity held in that single statement. I am not imagining this! My family is real! Danny is real! And you, she sneered mentally, you are nothing but a voice without an owner, hiding- a coward! You are the one who isn't real!
And then, for the first time in five years, Maddie deliberately thought about the day her whole world had shattered- the day Danny had left Amity Park. And, for the first time since that day, she was able to remember every terrible, cruel, heartless thing she had done to her son, and where once she would have heard a whisper of doubt- Was it worth it, Maddie?- she heard nothing but beautiful, blessed silence.
Maddie heaved a sigh of relief and smiled slightly, before once again opening her eyes to view the scene before her. To her genuine surprise, it seemed as though only a few seconds had passed. Could her struggle really have been so short? It had seemed like an eternity to her, locked in an internal battle with an enemy who knew her nearly as well as she knew herself.
And suddenly, she knew why this scene seemed so terribly, achingly familiar.
What are you most afraid of, my dear? A ten year old girl looked up at a much older man clad in a lab coat over a grey hazmat suit. She considered the question for a moment, her face as serious as any adult's, before answering in a high, clear voice.
Time.