A/N: Hiya gang and if you get the chance, please thank a veteran sometime this weekend since Veterans' Day is this Monday. Not much else to say except that I hope you all are well, safe and warm, especially with all the weather turmoil that has been happening lately. But I hope this chapter gives you some time away from reality. In fact, the last part of this chapter is a semi-AU. And I have to warn you that the content is definitely more in the older 'T' rating range, but only a little bit. You'll see what I mean when you read on. Finally, there is a bit of a spoiler in here in case you haven't read my story, Shadow of a Doubt (tsk-tsk if you haven't! *winks*).
Oh. Before I forget, I have a PM for Invader Johnny. Yes, it is time! I hope you like this chapter, though it's probably not going to be what you expect! Here is Chapter 21. Enjoy.
Gold Tested in Fire—Chapter 21—Level Four Ghosts—Clouds in His Eyes
For a change, Vlad had his dinner brought to the main dining room soon after his female computer began the repairs of the Subliminal Helmet and microchip. The man didn't usually eat this early, but he really wanted to be at his full strength for the ceremony and not have to eat afterward. Besides, he had been so busy with Daniel that he had forgotten to eat lunch.
As he quietly ate his meal, his sharp hearing caught the slight sound of feet padding nearing him. A moment later, Maddie the cat pounced on top of his table and meowed.
The man tried to sound irritated, but his smile betrayed him as he gently chided, "Now, Maddie, you know you're not supposed to be on the table while I'm eating."
His feline companion, however, blithely ignored her master and walked closer to the plate before she plopped down in front of it. She flicked her tail and meowed again, as if she was anticipating something to happen.
Vlad could guess that she was expecting a small nibble. Still, he wasn't going to give in that easily as he teased, "So, you think just because your 'warden' finally let you out for a bit of a stretch that you can just take over the place, hmmm?" Nevertheless, he nonchalantly pulled a small piece of fish off of his plate even as he spoke and offered the morsel to her.
Maddie in turn meowed before promptly pulling the piece from Vlad's fingers with her maw and devouring it. Now satisfied that she had once again manipulated her master to her liking, the cat licked the outside of her mouth before licking her front paws, making sure to savor every piece of the treat.
Vlad chuckled slightly and returned to finishing his meal. Soon he was done and stood up from his chair before he gently scooped his cat up into his arms. He had plenty of time before the ceremony and he might as well relax and get mentally prepared.
He went over to the nearby intercom and pushed its button.
"Yes, sir?" Derek asked in anticipation.
"I'll have that special tea I had you ask George to prepare, Derek. Please bring it to the parlor," Vlad calmly said while unconsciously stroking the cat's soft white fur.
The feline purred in response.
"As you wish, sir," Derek replied.
Vlad pushed the button and slowly walked to the parlor. In all that time, he hadn't stopped petting his cat.
Once he entered the room, his eyes immediately focused on a particular item. He went right over to it. He quickly placed the cat in the chair he affectionately called 'her chair' before he sat just opposite to her.
In between them was a small raised table just large enough to support a very expensive chess set. The pieces were already set up to do battle.
Vlad reflexively began to move the first white pawn into position. He smirked when his cat meowed in response.
Still, as he began to play the game with himself, the man mulled over what had happened so far with Daniel. True, he was disappointed that he hadn't gotten the boy to break by now. But then again, he should have known that it would take an awful lot of psychological warfare to even get Daniel to shift even a bit away from his principles and mores. Foolish boy. Didn't Daniel know that self-preservation and self-interest made you stronger and always gave you the advantage over fools who thought otherwise?
Still, the man felt that he was finally getting somewhere when it came to eroding Daniel's principles and all with this last program. At least unconsciously the boy had experienced some kind of desire to kill. That was always important for anyone serving him to do—even his future son. So, the man's strategy was working. He just needed to be a bit more patient.
Vlad smirked as his white queen had just checked his cat's black king… But it wouldn't hurt to push the boy more when it came to challenging his principles. And the next planned program would do that nicely at many levels.
The man frowned when the black king was saved by its knight this round. Still, he was determined not to get frustrated with that move. After all, he was playing this game to relax. He had a lot more to do besides to get the boy to break.
Nevertheless, the man's brow furrowed when the black king evaded another threat….Perhaps he should change his strategy and start the program right away…
"That's right. Maddie has to fix the helmet and microchip," Vlad muttered to himself, immediately nixing the idea.
In the meantime, Maddie the cat meowed when she heard her name.
Vlad looked up. He had nearly forgotten about his cat!
He quickly slid his white queen to the next place and smirked.
"Checkmate, Maddie!" he said with slight triumph in his voice. "I win again!"
The cat meowed again when she heard her name and pounced into the man's arms.
Leaning back into his chair and stroking his pet's fur once again, he smugly said, "And soon I will have won it all!"
Just then, there was a soft knock on the parlor door before it quietly opened.
Derek walked in carrying the silver tea set. He carefully placed it on a small table covered in velvet maroon lace not too far from Vlad.
"Thank you, Derek," Vlad softly said just as the butler turned to retreat.
Turning slightly back, the younger ghost quickly replied, "You are welcome, sir."
Without another word, the butler slipped out of the room and closed the door.
Vlad gently placed his cat on the floor, walked over to the tea table, and helped himself to a cup of the red, glowing tea.
He strolled over to a larger and plusher maroon easy chair and promptly sat down. He took a few sips of tea before he placed the cup down on the very small table right next to the chair. He sank back into the chair and closed his eyes.
His mind drifted even though he wasn't sleepy in the least. That's right. He really should be checking about the preparations for the fountain ceremony that was going to take place in just a few short hours.
The man reached into his coat pocket, pulled out his cell phone and pushed the 'speed-dial' number.
"This is Jones," the voice on the other end replied without emotion.
Vlad frowned. It was as if his aide had been expecting his call. Still, he brushed off the thought and replied equally without any emotion, "Is everything ready for tonight, especially that 'special effects' machine that should have been installed the day before the storm?"
The man at the other end of Vlad's phone resisted the urge to groan. The mayor did have his moments for using unnecessary theatrics. But then again, in his experience, all politicians did.
Nevertheless, the aide tersely replied, "Yes, sir. But I don't understand why you didn't want us to test it. I don't want you to suffer any kind of embarrassment if it doesn't do what you want it to do. After all, the press will be there."
Vlad smirked. Of course he was betting the press to be there. All the better for his plans.
But he never let any emotion betray him as he said to Mr. Jones, "You worry too much, Mr. Jones. I'm sure that everything will go off without a hitch. I just want to have as many people in our fair city come out to enjoy the end of a beautiful day in the park, especially when it includes admiring their beautiful new fountain, of course."
This time the mayor's aide rolled his eyes. He thought the abstract fountain was hideous.
Still, he replied, "I made sure to send out a lot of public announcements for the event. And I'm sure that it helped to advertise that there was going to be free food after the ceremony; not to mention that the weather is cooperating this time. I'm sure you will shine when the time comes, sir."
"Oh, you can bet on that," Vlad thought with a wicked smile; but he replied, "Very good then, Jones. I'll see you precisely at six-fifteen, then."
Without waiting for his aide's 'good-bye', Vlad abruptly cut off the call.
Mr. Jones, meanwhile, sighed after being rudely disconnected with the mayor more often than he could count. These kinds of conversations always made him think about getting another job. And if he wasn't eligible for retiring within the next two years, he would. So, he would just have to put up with the mayor until both of their times were up….
Vlad slowly finished his tea. It would help him to focus and even give him some extra energy. He needed to be doubly sure that he would be at full strength when setting the next phase of his brilliant Master Plan 285 in motion….
In the meantime, the billionaire knew he had almost an hour to spare before he would have to get ready for the ceremony. That would be more than enough time for him to check on how his various businesses had been doing for several days. He poured out another cup of tea, quickly prepared it, and walked over to a nearby desk. He placed the tea and saucer down before he turned on the computer that was on top of the desk. As soon as it booted up, the man clicked on the main file. All the latest business information of all of his companies instantly popped up; and without wasting any more time, he sat down and went to work….
The man finally glanced at the time in the lower right-hand corner of his computer. He smiled. He finished reviewing his companies' reports just in time. He quickly turned off the computer and headed upstairs.
He wasted no time in getting prepared for his shower. He lazily tossed his morning clothing over his neatly made-up bed before slipping on a bathrobe.
Once he was through with his shower, Vlad headed to his closet and took out what he called his 'mayoral' suit. It was, of course, impeccable.
"You certainly have excellent taste, Plasmius!" the man slightly crowed as he took the black coat and pants off of the two-tier hanger.
The man brought them over to his neatly made up bed and carefully laid them out until he was ready.
But then he noticed that the clothes he had been wearing all day were already gone. He chuckled a bit under his breath. "My maids can't help themselves, can they? They really can't stand a bit of untidiness in any part of the mansion, even for just a few minutes."
That thought led to another and he went over to the intercom system. He pushed a button.
"Yes, sir?" A definitely female voice asked.
"Martha, please make sure that the cat is kept out of the simulation room area and nearer to your quarters," he replied.
"Of course, sir. But you know that she is able to escape sometimes, especially when Patricia…"
"Martha," the man gently interrupted with slight irritation. "I didn't call you for any explanations. Just to remind you of my orders. And speaking of which, how is it going with your other duties?"
The maid paused. This was the first time since her employer had ever asked about how she felt about her duties, especially the special ones he recently assigned. Still, she thought she understood what he meant. She finally replied, "All is well so far, sir. Do you have any new orders?"
The man tensed a bit. He wasn't ready to change anything about that order of business because the time wasn't right. Though he wished it would be soon—very soon.
"No, carry on. You'll be the first to know if things change with that," he at last said. "But in the meantime, please let Carl know I'll be down in about twenty minutes."
"As you wish, sir," she acknowledged before silencing.
"Thank you, Martha…." Vlad began before adding, "And, by the way, tell your staff that you did a fine job straightening my room just now."
This time the maid excitedly said, "Oh, thank you, Mr. Masters! I will!"
Vlad smiled. "I'll let you know if I need anything else."
He turned the intercom off amidst hearing the maid's trying to stifle her giggles at the man's compliment.
Without further ado, the man got ready; and within those same twenty minutes, he was heading downstairs.
Carl already had the rear door of the Bentley open once the billionaire had reached the outside. Vlad stopped at the threshold of the entrance way and buttoned up his tailored jacket and scanned the sky.
"Good", he thought. "Aside from the nip in the air, the weather is picture perfect. And the time is perfect for the show I have in mind!"
The billionaire hurried to the car, got in, and off he and his chauffeur sped to City Hall.
Vlad actually rushed his staff together since he wanted to make sure to get to the fountain no later than half-past six. He ignored their grumblings as they gathered in the main foyer of the government building. In record time, his staff was ready and they left before the mayor to prepare for his appearance at the event.
Finally, Vlad was on his way to the fountain with plenty of time to spare for the seven o'clock ceremony.
As the mayor's limousine slowly pulled up to the back driveway entrance to the park, Vlad smiled with satisfaction. The light of the slowly setting sun was still enough for him to see that there were loads of 'good citizens' already gathered in the distance. He also caught glimpses of several media vans with their gaudy large mobile antennas ready to transmit the event. Near them were small clusters of the 'roving reporters' cradling their microphones, or interviewing some of the people waiting for the mayor.
But as soon as one reporter caught sight of the mayor's Bentley, she shouted and everyone turned to the small driveway before a rather large horde of reporters and townsfolk began to descend upon the slow-moving vehicle.
"Carl, you better stop here," Vlad quietly ordered. "I can walk the rest of the way from here. I know how you get if anyone accidentally smudges your fine wax job!"
"Thank you, sir," the chauffeur replied as he looked at the man through his rear view mirror.
Vlad could see that the ghost wasn't smiling so much since he had already seen the mass of humans were hurrying toward them and the car.
Nevertheless, the ghost driver put on the brakes. But before he could shift the limo to park, Vlad added, "You can skip opening the door for me, too. I suggest that as soon as I let myself out you put it in reverse and exit the premises. All should be done in about two hours."
This time Vlad could tell that Carl had smiled before the ghost said, "Thank you, sir, and I'll be around if you need me."
"Of course," Vlad agreed with a smirk just as he opened the back door and stepped out.
Carl immediately shifted the Bentley into reverse and backed up much faster than he had entered the small driveway. He really didn't want anybody messing with the car's gleam!
In the meantime, Vlad had straightened his jacket and tie and calmly strolled toward what could be likened to a herd of stampeding animals. But once the mass had finally rendezvoused with their mayor, they had slowed enough to merely surround the man.
"Mr. Masters, we heard through our sources that you're planning an unusual opening event," one woman reporter asked him, though she had first spoken into the mike when she had posed her question before she jutted it toward him for his answer.
Another young man from one of the local television stations interjected, "The fountain also contains lights. Are they made with DALV's latest laser technology?"
Several more questions bombarded the mayor.
"How much did the fountain cost?"
"Is it really true that you had a run-in with the artist who designed the fountain?"
"You must be dedicating the fountain to someone. Can you give us a hint who that would be?"
"Who will be paying for the maintenance of the fountain?"
All the while he was being rained upon with questions, Vlad had never stopped walking toward the fountain. And he didn't even attempt to answer their questions. Finally, he spied the temporary stage directly to the right of the fountain; it was positioned at just the right angle to keep the audience focused on him and still allow them to have a clear view of the fountain, especially since the immediate area was illuminated with a series of temporary lights. He could plainly see that not only was the fountain completely covered, but it had a ribbon draped across the front of it. He also could see that his aide, his secretary, the Vice-Mayor and a few city Councilmen were already seated on the stage looking very official. Two very beefy bodyguards wearing grey-suits and dark sunglasses were at either side and at the bottom of the small flight of stairs leading up to the stage.
As the stage and security men loomed near enough for a quick escape, the Mayor stopped and turned to his audience and said with a sly smile and slight chuckle, "Now, now, citizens. There is plenty of time to answer all of your questions once the ceremony begins. After all, if I answer your questions now, that would take the excitement out of everything, now wouldn't it, hmmm?"
He ended that quip with a quick nod to the grey-suited bodyguards before he darted up the wooden stairs.
Once the mayor had passed them, the two intimidating bodyguards immediately slammed the sides of their shoulders and hips together to create a very effective block to anyone wishing to follow the mayor up to the stage.
Once he had reached the top, Vlad immediately looked for the formally decorated buttons which would activate the fountain and its special effects. He smiled when he saw it was ready and posted right next to the podium as he ordered—well, not counting that silly traditional ribbon that he would have to cut, of course.
He glanced out at the crowd. A lot of people had come. Good. He could also see a few tables adorned with red, white and blue tablecloths nearby. One of the tables was laden with food and another with beverages, which he had contributed to the event. Right now, however, they were cordoned off to keep the 'cheaters' away. After all, what better way was there to keep the masses undivided attention the entire time then to dangle that enticing carrot on a stick?
Then he saw another table that was set up to sell mementos of the event. Vlad smirked. Good idea, since he did want to recoup some of his personal expense for the fountain. But then again, there was that other way he was going to make gains from this project…
Nevertheless, the man was pleased that his mayoral aide, Mr. Jones, had done his job, which only made his plans concerning the fountain even easier to complete. The man looked up into the clear sky. The purple, red and orange curtain of the setting sun was slowly pulling away from the first evening stars. He then glanced down his watch and smirked. It was time. He pulled out several folded sheets of paper just before he began to step toward the podium. As he approached the microphone, the audience in front of the stage lit up in applause and shouts of excitement.
"Good—ah," the Mayor began, only to cringe when the microphone loudly squeaked with interference.
Vlad frowned and threw a displeased glance at the sound tech, who promptly—and nervously—fiddled with some knobs before he gave the Mayor a 'thumbs up'.
Once more, Vlad began, "Good evening, fellow citizens of Amity Park."
He paused, waiting for the crowd to settle. He straightened out the handful of papers, upon which he had written his speech.
Once everyone had quieted, Vlad repeated, "Good evening, fellow citizens of Amity Park. Thank you all for coming out for the twilight opening of Central Park's new fountain!"
Cheers erupted in the crowd and Vlad gestured for them to calm again. Satisfied at the silence, the man continued, "As you know, I have always wanted Amity Park to be regarded as progressive as any other city in our fair state, and so, what better way to begin than to spiff up our Central Park's water fountain?"
The audience shouted their approval.
"I liked the old one," Mr. Jones, grumbled quietly under his breath to the Mayor's secretary seated next to him.
The secretary merely nodded without emotion. After all, they were in the limelight right now, so to speak. She shifted a little in her chair, getting physically and mentally ready for what she was sure would be one of many of the mayor's usually long-winded speeches…
After almost a half-hour—whereby Vlad was sure to answer all of the questions that the reporters had asked before he had gotten up on the stage and reminded the people about the free food and drink after the ceremony—the man was winding down his speech.
Now was the moment of truth…
As the last set of applause died down, Vlad turned around and gestured for the row of dignitaries behind him to come forward and stand to either side of him but also very close to the edge of the stage while he re-took the podium.
Once everyone was where Vlad had determined beforehand would be their most strategic place, he finally spoke into the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen: who you see here are part of my team. I could not have done this without their help. Please show your appreciation and give them a warm round of applause just as I get ready to unveil your fountain!"
The audience didn't hesitate to oblige their leader and stepped up their enthusiasm.
The group flanking the podium turned slightly toward the mayor while watching his every movement on stage.
Vlad made sure not to hurry as he walked over to a small table and picked up a ridiculously oversized pair of scissors adorned in patriotic ribbon. He stopped in front of the curtain and waited enough to allow the cameramen to indulge in their unceasing obsession to record history.
After a few more photos, Vlad cut the ribbon in front of the draped fountain and the cloth surrounding it immediately fell off.
The crowd roared its approval.
Vlad didn't hesitate to walk back to and step up to the podium again before he cut the smaller ribbon in front of the buttons that would activate the fountain and its 'special effects'.
The clapping continued.
Vlad skirted his eyes among the crowd and the people who were still standing and flanking him. Splendid. All eyes were on the fountain as he had hoped.
He hovered his hand over the first button and spoke into the microphone, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly present Central Park's new fountain!"
The Mayor promptly pushed the white button and the fountain sprang to life a few moments later.
The citizens yelled and clapped.
But just when it seemed that the crowd was calming too much, Vlad half-smiled and placed his hand over the more important red button that he had designed himself. He was so excited about it, but his voice never betrayed him as he continued, "And, now, good citizens, a surprise for you. I'm sure you'll be as excited about it as much as I am!"
Just at the precise moment when he put his finger in the hole and pressed the red button, Vlad twisted his face around so that it was facing the fountain. Since he was sure that all eyes were on the fountain, he was confident that no one would see what he was about to do.
At first, all that happened was that lights lit up the various places where the streams of water first gushed out of the modern-sculptured fountain. The fountain seemed to come more alive in brilliant colors and was bathed in an overall dull glow, which was particularly impressive against the night sky.
The crowd approved and upped their clapping.
But then, the lights came on and off, giving the fountain an almost Christmas tree-like effect. And then the pace of the flickering lights mimicked a strobe-light effect, which mesmerized the audience.
Suddenly, joyous whistling effects spewed out of the fountain, followed by sparklers that coated the fountain in more twinkling light!
The mass of citizens hooted and whistled.
And just when the sparklers were fizzing out, a large and very tall antenna-like metal pole shot out from the top of the fountain. An eerie red light pulsed from within until it seemed to ignite its exterior with a fiery red glow. Several thick plumes of fireworks that rivaled the colored streams of waters suddenly flanked the pole and shot their sparkling light upward until they were just a few feet below the tip of the pole.
Several 'oohs' and 'aahs' erupted and echoed through the crowd at the sight.
But now that darkness had enveloped everything except the immediate area, no one could see what happened next. No sooner had the pole seemed to catch fire when a black gaseous-like substance spewed from its top. It became denser and denser as it swelled, growing blacker and blacker and larger and larger as the seconds ticked by. The lights on the fountain immediately reflected off of the forming cloud, and now everyone could see how bright they were. In fact, now that the light had a very dark 'backdrop', their effects were not unlike seeing very colorful shooting stars, though in the next few moments all of those glowing 'stars' were now red!
Everyone slowly stopped clapping, but still watched the show. They gave no second thought about that dark canopy since they had already concluded that it was the temporary smoky residue left by all the fireworks.
Only moments had actually passed since the cloud formation had started, and soon it had covered the entire area, now seemingly sucking away whatever heat in the atmosphere that had lingered from the day. And no one was aware that they were shivering, though their eyes had remained mesmerized by the sight.
Suddenly, dark pink electrical sparks shot out from the cloud and quickly penetrated any nearby thick wire. Everyone gasped in surprise when the atmosphere seemed to be alive with electricity! And once again, everyone was too enthralled with the phenomenon to notice that the deep ebony cloud had actually burst apart. The fireworks had also ceased and all that remained were the sounds of running water. The lights within the fountain dimmed to a soft glow shortly thereafter.
Nevertheless, complete silence followed almost immediately after that.
Vlad, meanwhile, felt a new slight pressure in his forehead from the events, but otherwise, he was quite pleased at the result. Everything worked more than perfectly than he had planned.
He walked up to the microphone and looked straight at the crowd in front of him.
"Well?" he began, only to notice that he microphone wasn't working. "Oh, well," he thought.
Keeping his eyes on the audience, the man repeated more loudly, "Well? What did you think about it?"
A loud thunder of applause answered him.
"Very good," the mayor said with a smile. "That concludes the ceremony. You're free to eat or go home. Until you hear from me again, have a great night!"
As the crowd began to disperse, Vlad watched on with a smirk coating his face. He couldn't be more pleased even as he unconsciously rubbed his forehead. It had been easier than he had thought for everyone to cooperate with the start of his second plan….But then again, what could he expect of the fools?
Finally, it was time for Vlad to return to his mansion. He and his chauffeur had no difficulty getting home and once there, the older hybrid wasted no time with getting changed for the evening. After drinking a special evening tea to help him sleep, he turned in for the night. He might as well get to bed because there was still at least eight or so hours before Maddie said she would be through repairing the Subliminal Helmet and microchip…
Vlad woke up feeling more refreshed than he thought he would be. He smiled. That meant that this was nearly the twelfth hour that Maddie had said she would have needed. It also meant that all was going according to plan.
He got out of bed and walked over to the intercom.
"I will be having breakfast in the control room of the simulation room this morning, George," he said into the device.
"Right away, sir," the ghost chef replied. "The usual?"
"Yes, that will be fine," the billionaire answered.
Vlad quickly got ready for the day and set out for the control room.
As soon as he had entered the room he could see that, as usual, the holographic representation of his computer was diligently working at the control panel while intermittently checking the monitors.
"You are five minutes and ten seconds too early, sir," she reported without emotion.
"So I am, my dear," he replied with a half-smile. "Anything to report?"
Maddie turned slightly away from the controls and said, "The Subliminal Helmet is repaired. I'm finalizing the tests on it."
"And the microchip?" he further asked.
"It has been repaired to the best of my ability. After all, I could not remove the chip from where it was without damaging your test subject. I don't think the repair is optimal, but all the tests concluded that it is functional within the specified standard deviations of the parameters of performance," she dutifully summarized.
One of Vlad's eyebrows arched up a bit. Not optimal? He replied, "Is there a possibility of failure under those specifications, Maddie?"
"Negative, sir. However, there might be delays in communication between the microchip and the mainframe. But those delays will be in milliseconds," she said.
"Hardly noticeable for the typical human, of course," the man mused out loud. "But we both know that Daniel is not a typical human. So, do you think he'll notice it?"
"It is hard to determine without putting your subject through more tests."
Vlad pursed his lips in slight displeasure. Of course he had hoped he wouldn't have to put Daniel through more of these 'tests' if he had finally broken the boy's will.
He finally commented, "Well, as they say, 'we will never know unless we try', Maddie." He walked over to her and pulled out a sheet of paper. "But before we do, I would like to change the next program a bit."
The hologram scanned the paper for less than a second and then pushed several buttons. "The program is ready at your command, sir."
Vlad smiled. It hardly took Maddie any time to change things whenever he wanted. He finally said, "Very good, my dear. Let's go ahead with then next program, then."
With the push of a button, the computer replied, "Activated."
Danny was slowly becoming aware of a headache. It was so bad at the moment that he didn't even feel like opening his eyes. Not only that, he was still tired, even though he was vaguely aware that he was waking—and for some reason, he had shivered for a brief moment.
But then, he suddenly frowned in confusion at another sensation. He had just felt a feathery pressure caress his lips. And then, that pressure was gone as quickly as it had come.
"S-Sam?" he muttered, his groggy mind both denying it was she, yet uncertain who else would have kissed him—or why since…
But he was radically pulled from his thoughts.
"Sam?!" a female voice loudly growled in answer—a too familiar female voice.
Danny gasped as he jolted upward, and just missed bumping the person who had been totally in his personal space moments before. He glanced at where he was and could see that he had been lying on a couch only moments before. And then he gasped again when his eyes finally focused enough to confirm who owned that voice.
"Ember?" the teen uttered in disbelief before panting a bit in mortification when he suddenly realized that since only she and he were present in this room right now, it must have been she who had kissed him!
He reflexively wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand in disgust, only to gasp again when he caught site of his hand.
He was wearing a black fingerless leather glove on that hand again! He quickly pulled his other hand up and saw that it, too, was gloved in like fashion. He then glanced downward at the rest of himself and his eyes widened even more in incredulity. He looked very different this time. He was now wearing a black muscle shirt and black jeans with a thick leather belt laden with chains and spikes. And on his feet were black leather boots also accented with short silver spikes on the outside of each.
"What's wrong with you, anyways?" Ember suddenly growled again, which pulled all his attention to her again.
He could see that she was dressed as she always was, with her one-shoulder cropped black halter, one arm-length black glove, and hip-hugging black pants with a broad grey belt slung sideways on it. And she had those same knee-high grey platform boots accented with the face of skulls at the front of the toes. But she didn't have her guitar slung over her shoulder and really wasn't threatening him—well, if he didn't count the disapproving scowl on her face right now.
But before Danny could say anything, she grumbled, "Fine, then! I came out here to apologize and all you could think about was that lame ex-girlfriend of yours?"
"Ex-girlfriend?" Danny thought in shock. But he was able to stutter, "W-What do you mean?"
"Oh, come on now, lollipop. I know we had our spat just last night, which is why you came out here to sleep. But it's usually all blown over in your book the next day. So, I don't know why you would still be so steamed up enough to bring up history," Ember said with a pout as she crossed her arms and twisted slightly away from the boy.
Danny reflexively rubbed the back of his neck, definitely having major 'bad feelings' about it all. Was this another dream? Somehow, he sure hoped so. But then he reached over and pinched himself.
"Ow," he mentally reacted before he groaned, "Definitely awake!" He swallowed thickly at the realization. "Oh, no, because that must mean that I'm in another one of those lame tests!"
The teen paused when his memory finally came into full focus. How was it that he could suddenly remember everything else that had happen before what had happened, to…Johnny when he hadn't remembered a thing when he was actually with the biker ghost? He knew that they weren't brothers; but what about what had just happened? Was that just a dream, then?
Danny frowned. He didn't understand this at all. Nevertheless, his thoughts shifted back to Johnny 13 and suddenly, he felt his stomach tighten. It wasn't real, was it? But then again, he didn't think what had happened to Cujo was real either at first; but it had to be since the Observants had the power to control time and existence…And they had said that they didn't 'make any distinction about the ghosts'….even if it might mean they would destroy any ghost while studying him.
Could they be that cruel? Maybe they were!
Suddenly that thought hit him squarely and all of those emotions he was having just before the Observants must have knocked him out came flooding back. He felt the pressure in his eyes increase and his breathing increase. But more than that, he felt…angry over what had happened! Johnny couldn't be…gone! If it hadn't really been a dream, did the Observants actually expect him to 'play along' from right now? Especially after they had set him up just to get Johnny destroyed? And what about now? How could he 'play along' with a ghost he not only didn't like, but who had just kissed him? He felt his stomach tighten even more. Just what was the Observants' game with the rocker ghost girl?
He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck again. And now what was he supposed to do? He bit his lower lip. He certainly felt that pressure, too. He must be awake, then. His mind drifted to other thoughts, which calmed him, if even slightly… No matter what, he had to force himself to focus, at least for his mom's sake. And that meant focusing on what was happening now. He purposely slowed his breathing to almost a halt. He couldn't lose it, especially in front of her…
Still, he didn't like this one bit.
But as the teen brought his hand down off of the back of his neck, he accidentally brushed his ear and felt an…..earring?
He gasped again. He spied a nearby mirror hanging on the wall and reflexively ran over to it. He couldn't believe what he saw. The earring was there, all right, but he also noticed something else. He looked older. And his hair. It was still white, but it was very, very short and spiky. But there was more. There was a long scar on his forehead—a scar which would have been covered if he had his usual long bangs!
Instantly seeing his reaction over what he had had for as long as she could remember, Ember ran up to him. She grabbed him by his shoulders, twisted him around and shook him saying, "What's with you, Danny? You've been all weirded out ever since your brother Johnny got wasted!"
But that only shocked Danny even more. This was…impossible! She couldn't possibly know about that….even when he hoped it had been his nightmare. After all, he remembered screaming himself awake. He remembered crying and shaking afterward. He remembered inspecting himself and seeing proof that he was awake because he had been wearing his black-and-white costume.
Suddenly uncertain, the teen bit his lip and tried to control his breathing. All that stuff about Johnny 13 just had to have been a dream…..Wait a minute! Now that he thought about it, he was certain it was a dream because not once did he see Sombre during that entire time. And he knew Sombre would never leave Johnny's side—ever. So…it must have been a dream—a very intense one—but a dream nevertheless... And…and so that meant that what was happening now had to be a dream! Right? He frowned in more uncertainty…Wait. He knew he was awake! So then, this had to be just another of those many tricks pulled by the Observants because this was definitely one of his enemies right next to him!
That was all Danny needed to understand, though he was still having trouble thinking clearly. He instantly pulled away from the girl's loose embrace and bolted toward the door nearest to him. But, he heard a lot of growling behind that door and then several loud bumps and loud scratching sounds against it from the other side. In fact, the door vibrated violently against whatever force was shoving it. Now upset about that, he charged up his green energy bolts in both hands in anticipation.
Just then, there were several other very loud knocks on another door, only this one was just across from the one which he was now facing.
Danny immediately twisted his entire body toward the rattling door when it suddenly burst opened! He raised his glowing hands, ready to fire at whatever would enter!
"Whoa, lollipop!" Ember suddenly yelled before running up to him and quickly shoving his arms down.
Her unexpected move was forceful enough that Danny accidentally shot out a couple of beams, which immediately hit the floor and burnt a rather large hole in it!
Danny growled in irritation and reflexively pulled away from the ghost girl. But before he could recharge his energy, several ghosts practically rolled into the room with hardly a care. It was as if they had been doing that forever.
This time, Danny's eyes widened in disbelief and he could feel his stomach pull itself into his throat. The ghosts. They were all dressed like the Skulls had been in what he thought was his dream!
"Heya, Danny. Ember," the first ghost said as he came closer to the couple.
Another ghost looked at the hole in the floor and chuckled. "Heh-heh. Looks like you two have been at it again! Cool!"
Danny, however, was still too stunned at seeing these ghosts to reply. He just couldn't believe this. This couldn't be real!
"Come on in, boys," Ember finally said with a smile as she motioned them to come and sit down on the couch. "What's the news?"
"News?" a third ghost asked in confusion as he and the others sat down and got comfortable on the couch.
Ember, meanwhile, didn't sit down. Instead, she walked a bit closer to Danny, who was near the group and still standing as well.
The third ghost continued, "We're here to get our latest plans from Danny. It's been a long two years, but it's been worth the wait since the Wraiths are almost history! Things certainly have sped up ever since Danny finally wasted Razilo!"
This time Danny's mouth fell open and he paled. No. This wasn't real. Johnny 13 had been destroyed? No! He wouldn't believe it! He felt his breathing increase again. True, all that hate he had felt in his dream was intense, but he would never, ever destroy anyone—even a ghost as bad as Razilo…He wouldn't…He didn't…He…couldn't. And there was no way that the Observants were going to blame him for that!
All of the sudden the boy was angry at what he thought the Observants were attempting to do. He paused. He couldn't believe how angry he was feeling right now! It really scared him! He had to get a hold of himself and the best way to do that was for everyone to leave and let him alone to have time to think this out.
Suddenly, however, Danny's eyes began to glow as his angry thoughts returned. Why were the Observants doing this? And they had no right to…kill Johnny no matter their reasons!
He walked swiftly up to the group and taking a threatening stance, hotly growled out, "Get out! Get out, all of you!"
Everyone else in the room startled at the teen's abrupt outburst, especially when no one had thought they had said anything wrong.
Raising his hands up in surrender, the ghost who had first spoken to Danny when the group had entered said submissively, "Okay, dude, we're going!"
"We didn't do anything!" another complained.
But when Danny's eyes flared more and his hands also began to glow in threat, that ghost gagged on a squeak.
The others also knew not to cross the ghost hybrid when he was this upset. They all practically fell all over themselves before they flew over to the exit and left.
Except for Ember.
And she didn't look too pleased that Danny had just rudely thrown out those ghosts for no reason. After all, they were part of Danny's gang.
"I don't know what's gotten into you lately, Danny, but you need to chill! It's really getting under my skin," she said as she approached him.
Danny unconsciously backed away from the rocker girl even though he wasn't happy about what she had said. He knew he had to get his feelings under control. He wouldn't let the Observants get the better of him. He just wouldn't.
He stopped only because he had bumped into the wall, at least he thought it was the wall, until he felt it move —and growl! Then it shook at what sounded like claws assaulting it. What the heck was behind that door? He grew irritated at having to deal with that as well as the rocker girl. He fisted his hands but wasn't even aware that his hands were beginning to glow. He quickly twisted around to face the bulging door and give whatever was on the other side a piece of his mind.
Ember's eyes widened in alarm.
"Okay okay! I apologize, babypop!" the rock diva hurriedly said with a worried frown while raising her hands up in surrender. "I shouldn't have invited the gang over when you obviously are still out-of-sorts. I just thought it would be just the same with how you handle rough things and you would've blown everything off by now…And I'm sorry about bringing up, uhm, Johnny…and your 'ex'."
She deftly wiggled her body so that it was now in between his hands and the slightly bulging door. She smiled underneath when the slightly bucking door was actually pushing her deeper into the Ghost Boy's arms. But then she pouted slightly when he stepped back when he realized she was a bit too close. Still, she nodded her head in the direction of what must be on the other side of the door and said a bit more softly, "And please don't get mad at them 'cause they didn't do anything...And, sorry again, but let's just forget about your ex. After all, she can no longer bother either of us anymore."
Danny's eyes widened a bit as he let his energy diffuse; and that was enough to calm him. That was new. Ember? Ember was apologizing? And saying 'please'? But then, her other words sank in a bit more. Who were 'they'? Hey, now wait. What did she say about Sam's not being able to 'bother either of us anymore'?
That just made him tense once again. And, of course, he didn't trust her. But before he could say anything, he bit the inside of his lower lip at what he saw next.
Ember's eyes had softened a bit when she saw that he had dispelled his energy. And there was more. He just couldn't believe it. Was she…swaying closer to him? And he couldn't be hearing her right when she next spoke. He could swear she was cooing her words to him.
"So, honey, what do you say that we go to our favorite little hideaway place and make up for that awful fight last night and for right now? After all, I didn't like being colder last night without you."
Danny swallowed hard, stunned again at all the rocker diva's words, though what she said about Sam was still bothering him. Just what did she mean by that? And then, once more, what she just said finally registered in his brain. No. She didn't say what he thought she just said, did she?
Now, he didn't know what to think. But then he frowned, irritated at his next thought: the one where the Observants had warned him not to let on to any ghost from now on that he was in some sort of test while interacting with them. But this was way too much. Still, he hesitated for the sake of his mother. So, he knew he had to say something, since Ember had frowned at his delay in responding to her.
He finally blurted out, "I-I'm sorry. S-Something's very wrong here…"
Ember puckered her face more and tersely replied, "Oh, yeah? So are you saying now that you don't want to go anywhere with me, your girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?" Danny gasped again.
Now Ember was rapidly getting peeved again. "Will you stop with all the histrionics? We've been a couple for two years now…"
Danny felt his stomach practically do a somersault. No way was she and he a…what she said! But he impulsively blurted out, "Uh, what about Skulker?"
"Skulker? What's he got to do with anything?"
"Uh, weren't you two dating?" he squeaked out. He so wanted to get out of here right now!
"I don't know what you're talking about, Danny!" she answered, getting more agitated. "I've never been interested in him!"
Danny's eyes widen in disbelief again. This just had to be a mega-weird nightmare! At least, he desperately hoped so. He had to wake up or…
"I gotta go home," he found himself uttering.
"Home?" Ember growled in irritation. "Now you're really sounding crazy!"
Suddenly, Danny felt his stomach tightening even more in dread. "You're not saying that I'm…" he blurted out, only just as suddenly not daring to say anymore now that he had sick hunch at what this might mean.
"What is it with you, Danny? I said we've been together for two years now!" the pop diva yelled in exasperation.
"This can't be right!" he blurted out again, feeling his face flush and his breathing increase with anxiety.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Ember challenged, her hair flaring a bit.
"Uhm, uh," Danny stuttered, not really knowing what to say. But his redden face spoke for him. But finally he offered his weak 'explanation'. "Uhm, aren't I, uh, a little too young for…all of this?"
Ember narrowed her eyes when she finally figured out what he might mean about 'all of this'. And that only made her even more irritated, "No. Way. This can't be happening! Maybe you didn't get enough sleep and you're hallucinating or somethin'! I'd hate to think you've all of a sudden grown a conscious…or somethin'," She paused a bit at her next thought before adding with a slight growl, "Everyone's doing it and you were all for it two years ago! Especially after your ex-girlfriend Sam dumped you!"
"Dumped me?" Danny interrupted her with a gasp.
"That's right, babypop," the girl ghost said with a grin this time. "Seems she had her eye out for another dude named Dash Baxter."
"NO, I don't believe it!" Danny insisted, suddenly aware that his heart rate and breathing had increased with the sudden emotion.
"You know, you're really getting under my skin with all of this drama. Just face it, Danny. That chick just wasn't your type."
Danny blinked hard, still a bit in shock over this whole conversation. Nevertheless, he was trying to make some sort of sense about all of this. But before he could try to respond to this new round of craziness, Ember continued.
"Or are you goin' to argue that point, too? What was she but a dumb, silly human? You saw all that, too, after she told you to take a hike. So, what could she offer to you that I couldn't? Now, I admit, you and me didn't see eye-to-eye at first, but I helped you see things…differently. And you know what? You began to see things my way. And you not only liked the change, you insisted on taking it all a step further. So then, babypop, you aren't anyone to judge nothin' about how this all worked out since you've got more bad deeds chalked up than the number of chain loops hanging off your belt!"
Danny jolted at her words again, only to have his anger sparked once more at the sudden realization. That was the only way to explain all of this nonsense. Ember was never interested in him before—thank goodness, because the feeling was more than mutual on his part. But now he thought he knew what the angle the Observants had been aiming for. This was more than a trick! They must have sent him to some kind of alternate dimension, like his other evil self had been in. If so, it was a very cruel one!
He didn't want to go on with this charade, no matter if the Observants had wanted him to do just that or how much they had warned him. This was too much. He would never do what Ember was implying! And he couldn't be held responsible for however his other selves acted in any other dimension or timeline. In fact, he didn't even want to think or believe that any of his other selves could stoop to this. But even if they did, that would be their doing, not his! And he wouldn't do this —ever!
"They…they can't make me do this… They have to know that I'm not one of those…" he whispered harshly, more to himself than replying to the girl ghost.
"What. Are. You. Talking about, Danny?" she demanded, growling out her words this time and fully giving into her temper. "What do you mean by 'one of those'?"
Even still, she didn't give him a chance to answer as she thrust her face right into his and jabbed her index finger into his chest as she continued, "Look. I've tried to be patient with you, but lately, you've just been getting crazier and crazier! I've tried to get you to talk it all out, expecting you to just get over it. But nothin' I do seems to change things! Heck. You even got me to apologize even if I didn't think I had to; and even that didn't satisfy you!"
"Look, Ember," Danny firmly said, pushing his face back into hers in defiance. "I don't want to know what you're talking about and really, I don't care what you think about it. In fact, I don't know what came over me in the first place because, really, I don't even like you, much less want to be your…boyfriend."
He then pulled away from her in a huff, pulled out his earring and yanked off his gloves. He suddenly looked up at the ceiling before raising and then shaking his fist upward as he angrily yelled, "In fact, I don't care for this whole test, do you hear me, Justeco? You've really crossed the line this time—big time! This is beyond being unfair! I would never agree to any of this and you should know that! This isn't right!"
"Test? What test?" Ember interjected. "Now what are you talking about, Danny?" She continued, getting more exasperated by the moment. "And what did you mean that you 'never agreed to any of this'?"
But Danny wasn't listening to her. Now more discouraged than mad, he just uttered, "I just wouldn't….especially not with….No, not with anyone… My parents have taught me better, you know! If I ever wanted to commit like this with someone— which right now I don't because I'm way too young—I would do it the right way! Not… like this! And especially not with her!"
He then grew angrier and yelled out again, "I'm better than this, Justeco!"
This time the rocker ghost grabbed him by an arm and swung him around so that he had to look at her. "You're making my head hurt, Danny, with all this crazy stuff you just said! And you still haven't answered my other questions! What didn't you agree to do?! And what test?"
Danny was so upset he couldn't make himself answer any of her questions at the moment. He didn't like the thought that in this loony dimension, he apparently did a lot of…wrong things. And he couldn't swallow that at all. That was so unlike him. In fact, he wasn't going to 'play along' with this test at all
But then, he thought about his mother and his throat hitched. He swallowed hard with dread. No matter how unfair this all was, the Observants might be even more unfair and do something to his mother if he didn't 'play along'….But still, how could he? This just went against so many things he thought…important.
Still, he found himself mumbling under his breath once more, "But I'm not one of those.
Ember repeated with more exasperation, "A what?"
He didn't even realize that she had been the one to ask him to clarify what he had said. Still mumbling more to himself than to her, he replied, "I'm just not one of those kinds of dudes…"
But then he glanced up at Ember and his brain cells finally registered that he had been speaking to her after all. Now even more uncomfortable, he then choked on his words with embarrassment, "You know, heh-heh, someone who…who isn't committed to anybody yet pretends to be committed to some person."
Ember squinted one her eyes in irritation before growling out of one side of her mouth, "I see now. Funny. So, that's how it is, huh? So, now what, dipstick?"
Danny bit his lower lip with determination before replying, "I'm outta here, that's what!"
But before he could turn to go, he watched Ember soar over to a corner of the room and quickly retrieved her guitar. Without a hitch, she turned a small dial at the base of the guitar so that it was pointing to a little 'whistle' icon on it and quickly strummed several cords.
Danny stared a bit in disbelief when no music or sound came from her guitar! He looked from the silent guitar to the rocker ghost. Then he jolted when he heard a lot of banging against that same door that he almost blasted twice. Once again, he fired up his green energy, now upset at this turn of events.
Ember pulled her arm up, ready to strum her guitar even harder in the next second as she said with unquestionable disdain in her voice, "It wasn't bad enough that you're acting crazy, was it? I can't believe that now all of the sudden you have to go all 'goody-goody' on me after everything, including threatening my little sugapops a third time. Sure, everything was rough in the beginning and you need a little help to see things my way. But you finally didn't have any problems with it all on your own. So, unless you apologize, and we forget this whole thing, I'm going to let all of my pets talk for me!"
She raked her hands over the guitar strings and, once again, no music or sound came out of her guitar.
The door to which Danny was still near began to vibrate violently while the banging noises behind it was rising twenty-fold. And then, the door shattered under the assault and collapsed with a loud thud. A lot of very agitated mutant ghost animals and other 'regular' ghost animals spewed out. They immediately charged right at the boy.
Danny reacted instantly and shot them with bursts of his green ectoplasmic rays, which quickly zapped them, incapacitating the leaders of the pack while thrusting them violently back into the room from which they had come.
Still, even more animals poured through the doorway and Danny continued to increase his efforts into subduing them. This time his ectoplasmic beams tore a hole through the lair while they continued to pummel the ghost animals. He overcame even more when he added doses of ice energy rays from his eyes, which instantly froze a lot of his foes.
But even more of Ember's pets charged at him, spurred on by her persistent strumming—though the guitar remained mute.
However, a few moments later, Danny found himself unwittingly retreating when the ghost animals' attrition tactic finally paid off.
But then Danny grunted in determination. He took in a deep breath and was also about to replicate to counter his being boxed in by all the animals when he was suddenly reeling from the blow of a gigantic pink fist that he heard only moments before it struck him. He plowed violently into the opposite wall and slid down it, momentarily stunned.
All of the ghost animals—mutant and normal—surrounded the hybrid, their claws ready as they angrily growled in threat.
Guitar in position, Ember flew up to the dazed teen, and threatened, "Are you ready to forget about everything now, Danny?" But then her face molded into a slight pout and she added, "After all, I made it so that we were the perfect couple. And you haven't needed any coaxing for a long time."
Danny shook his head, trying to put his double vision back on track. He slowly looked up at the ghost girl when his comprehension finally caught up with his woozy brain. "W-What are you talking about?"
That comment was enough for Ember to come out with it.
"If it will make you come to your senses, I'll tell you," she replied, shifting uncomfortably and sounding as if she were actually pleading with him.
The animals growled in response and a few of them pressed against the still- dizzy hybrid, successfully holding him down.
Pleased with what her pets were able to do, the ghost diva continued, "You know, I have to agree with you about one thing. You said you don't like me. Well, I didn't like you, either. At first, that is, uh, back then. No doubt that you were a very powerful ghost. But more than that, you were also a bit of a rebel and always defiant when it came to fighting any evil ghost. Including me, of course. And I liked that rebellious gig. Reminded me of me."
She nervously fingered the neck of the guitar but didn't strum it as she said, "Then, you seemed to change once you and your brother hooked up with the Skulls gang. You got a bit wilder. And suddenly, I noticed just how handsome you were. And how strong, too, of course. Again, something that meant something to me and that I didn't think I could ever have. Plus, it could get me more cred. After all, power is the name of the game in the rocker world. It is so delicious to sway the gullible masses, especially if you have a partner."
She paused a bit, smiling with the thought, before adding, "But then, I knew that you wouldn't feel the same about me. You had that stupid human as your girlfriend. Hmph. As if you should want something that powerless. So, I took care of that."
Danny's mind cleared a bit when he had finally been able to tune into what Ember just said. However, he was still too dizzy to much respond.
The rocker ghost continued, "But, I also knew that you wouldn't fall for me because the way we see things clashed too much at the time. Such a waste! Don't you know that with your power and my influence, we could control everything? But, you know, shortly after I, uh, convinced you to see things my way, I just wanted to take a 'time out' and get to know you. And after a while, things seemed to go just as I wanted. I had even thought you wouldn't need any more 'persuasion', especially since it seemed to work for a longer time than I thought. And we had everything just about wrapped up…That is, until today!"
She turned to the still stunned boy and, "So, looks like I might have to resort to the same thing I had done in the past to you and your ex-girlfriend!"
Once again, Danny's head cleared a bit more and he resisted the force of the animals pinning him down. But then, that same and always annoying weak feeling flooded into his spine and his dizziness increased.
Turning the dial on her guitar to an icon shaped as a 'heart', Ember said with an evil grin, "I made your stupid Sam fall in love with Dash! And I really outdid myself because I pushed that spell into her with a new, powerful chord that has lasted for way longer than I thought possible. The same one, by the way, that I used to convince you to become my boyfriend. It was the only way that I could get you back then, you know; and the only way now! You'll thank me over and over again from now on."
Danny tried to counter the force still pushing him down but his whirling mind couldn't get its act together enough to be successful.
At the moment his efforts were futile.
Ember had aimed her guitar at the boy and strummed it with evil glee almost instantaneously. Several red hearts shot forward with the force of the chord and slammed into Danny.
The boy relaxed under the spell, his eyes softening as he beheld the diva within his sights.
"Ember, my love," he softly replied.
Before he knew it, he was lying down. All his blurry mind could comprehend were feeling a pair of lips pressing against his own. Still, he couldn't understand why they felt wrong. It didn't matter in the end, because his mind suddenly was thrust into an unknown pit, and he fell… It felt as he was falling forever.
In less than a heartbeat, however, Danny was lying all alone in darkness this time. His head was still swimming from the last sensation and from being put through what felt like a centrifuge.
Danny blinked a few times and the darkness gave way to slightly more brightness. Though his mind was still in a fog, he still frowned when the first word he could finally make his head comprehend was 'Ember'.
He groaned, vaguely aware of the memory…He still questioned whether it had been real or something else. He shivered in disgust nevertheless. Him…and Ember…being…No way! How could he ever have feelings for that ghost girl—however brief? He didn't want to even think about it anymore! Then he sighed in partial relief with his next thought. If it were all true, and he had guessed he was in some kind of awful alternate dimension or something, then at least his alternate self in that freaky parallel universe had been under some kind of spell after all and was forced to be with Ember. At least he hoped so since that would explain how all that…uncomfortable stuff had happened.
He suddenly bolted to a sitting position at another anxious thought. Was he still under Ember's spell? He chuckled in embarrassment. Of course not. If he were, he would only be thinking about her…Wait. He was! He gulped.
He suddenly cradled his head. No. He didn't want to think about her anymore! Still, he knew that he wasn't in her lair anymore. And that must mean that he had been in one of those 'tests' after all. Part of him was relieved about that. But part of him was quite disturbed by the whole thing… And for more than one reason. But if he had indeed been thrust into an alternate universe, then he now knew that there were two evil ones of him since they both were capable of…killing others… And doing other…awful things.
The boy shivered; but he forced himself to focus on the fact that he was nothing like that other…self. He just wasn't. That thought, coupled with his distress over thinking that he was still under Ember's spell had certainly helped tune his mind.
Suddenly, his ghost sense fired off. He jolted to a stand and quickly readied his ectoplasmic energy.
A moment later, two very familiar beings appeared right in front of him.
Danny frowned in disapproval even as he reabsorbed the green glow around his hands.
"Enjoy the putrid show?" he dryly asked.
"We are not here to 'enjoy' anything," Justeco tersely replied.
Danny didn't care that the spirit had narrowed his eye in disapproval.
Konsilisto's eye was also able to convey a bit of annoyance as he added, "And we warned you about the consequences of revealing anything of the nature of your tests to the other ghosts, Danny Phantom."
Suddenly, Danny felt his heart flutter. Mom!
Before the boy could say anything, Justeco said, "No matter what we do, no matter what alternate universe to which we send you, you are to adhere to the rules, youngling!"
"So you did send me to an alternate universe!" Danny said, his voice now sounding more accusatory.
"That we did, Danny Phantom," Konsilisto admitted. "And you have nullified the test!"
Danny's eyes widened in both disbelief and indignation. How could they say that when they were the ones who had stepped over the line in this instance?
He boldly replied, "This was a whole other level, Justeco and Konsilisto, and you know it! That wasn't me in that universe just like that other older evil dude isn't me, either! And then you plopped me down in that universe and expected me to do what? Act evil? You know I wouldn't do that! And you can't possibly blame me for what happened in those universes and you can't hold me responsible for what my other 'selves' do!"
"We agree," Justeco concurred without a hint of emotion in his voice.
This time Danny's eyes widened in surprise before he frowned. Could they get any more confusing? Still, he had to know. "So then, why did you put me through that? And for that matter, why do you keep giving me these tests?"
At first, the two spirits didn't answer him.
Finally, Justeco replied, "We already told you. We still have a lot of data to gather and study."
"But not only that," Konsilisto added, "We merely wanted to show you that you are quite capable of becoming evil—depending on the circumstances. And that still makes you a plausible threat."
Danny blinked in disbelief. How could they think that? But instead of making him angry, that only stirred him to prove them wrong.
He squared his chin and said with determination, "You are so wrong. So then, bring on your next test!"
*dodges rotten tomatoes* Well, gang, I'm glad you made it down here—with all the rotten food and eggs you have a right to throw at me right now! And I absolutely know what you're feeling and I have to say that I agree! I did reveal what was happening with the fountain, but not everything about it because what actually happened won't be revealed until the end of the story. BUT, I had to introduce that it happened here in this chapter because it's going to take some time for other things that will happen to make sense later in the story! Uh, still confused? Sorry and let me give you a cyber-hug!
Then, of course, to add more evilness, I introduce some other kind of mystery going on between Vlad and his maids!
But, of course, I blame that all on Ms. Hyde!
Finally, I have never been a fan of DannyxEmber (my apologies, IJ!) and this is my answer to how it would be. The only way I think Danny would become Ember's boyfriend is if she put him under her love spell and then expect him…well, I think you get what I mean! Plus, I did want to make this a sort of AU chapter, only with the twist of Danny's not being sure that what happened to Johnny wasn't real AND sort of borrowing a lot of cool theories I like about alternate universes and mind games. First, the AU bit: For this chapter I borrowed the premise from an old TV show called "Quantum Leap" in which the protagonist is able to leap through time and alternate universes, and actually 'possess' a host in a surreal sense and ends up seeing things happening through their eyes. (And the other characters only see who they expect to see and not the protagonist.) I loved the premise of that show but I have to admit that I only watched a couple of episodes because the actor playing the protagonist wasn't good-looking enough to me! (Yeah, shallow—I blame that on Ms. Hyde, too!) But getting back to the 'Quantum Leap' show. In this case, Danny believes that the O's have sent him to 'live' inside another alternate dimension one of him, who is as just about as evil as Evil Dan.
Then, I find mind-games deliciously entertaining—when I'm NOT the victim, that is! LOL. In any case, one fav tactic is to keep your victim uncertain what is real and what is not real. But then again, there are other reasons for that uncertainty in Danny's case.
Now, are your heads as blurred in a blender as Danny's head right now?
You can blame Ms. Hyde for that, too!
Still, while you're sorting that out, here is a bit of pleasure reading for ya: the Fantomos Ecto-Scale continues. And notice that some of those previous question marks are gone! So:
LEVEL 1 GHOSTS
289-level 1—Omegas—shapeless ghosts and brainless ones. Also known as Malfortas. Simple nuisances but very easily defeated.
LEVEL 2 GHOSTS—still nuisances, and still very easy to defeat, but require some alertness to defeat. They usually have more intellect (more or less) or have slightly higher powers than the Malfortas.
289-level 2-Iotas—Derek and Sarah—truephan's original characters from her story, TrueHeart
289-level 2-Theta—Dairy King.
289-level 2-Eta—?— Will appear in a later chapter.
289-level 2-Zeta—Klemper (and friend Chilly-Billy)
289-level 2-Epsilons—Box Ghost and Box Lunch
289-level 2-Deltas—Norbert, Ruben and Willie, Vlad's three fez-wearing vulture cronies
289-level 2-Gamma–Cujo
289-level 2-Betas—Mutant Animals from the episode, Maternal Instincts
289- level 2-Alphas—All other ghost animals in the Ghost Zone
LEVEL THREE GHOSTS—easily defeated, but are a bit more aggressive, intelligent and/or conniving than ghosts of lower levels of power.
289-level 3-Zeta—Lunch Lady
289-level 3-Epsilon—Youngblood and his skeleton sidekick
289-level 3-Delta—Sydney Poindexter
289-level 3-Gammas—the Circus Gothica ghosts from 'Control Freaks': Lydia, Tom the dwarf, Elastica and Goliath (the strongman ghost)
289-level 3-Beta—Kitty
289-level 3-Alpha—Bullet
LEVEL FOUR GHOSTS—not too much power. Easily defeated, May be difficult only because of their own weapons or special abilities. If they had no weapons, would be moderately easy to defeat. Or they may have good powers, but aren't too bright.
289-level 4-Zeta—Amorpho
289-level 4-Epsilon—Razilo—truephan's OC from her story, "TrueHeart"
289-level 4-Delta—Johnny 13
289-level4-Gamma—Ember
Hope you send me a review and hope you're under Ember's love spell when you do it!
Until next time, dear readers!