Chapter 25:
"What about Vlad?" Danny asked slowly, and a little bitterly.
Dani shifted uncomfortably, "Well, he's in trouble... " she trailed off.
The other halfa scoffed, "Why should I care? He's beaten me, tortured me, and used me. Not to mention everyone else around me! Oh, and the little fact that he wants to kill my dad and marry my mom. Also, let's not forget he teamed up with my evil self who wants to kill me!" Danny ranted, pacing back and forth. Suddenly he stopped moving and looked straight at Dani. "Why should I care about him? Why should I help him; why should you?" He asked.
"Maybe he'll help us," Dani started.
That earned another scoff from Danny. "And why would he do that?" he asked.
"Dan used him, he's locked up in a room somewhere. He's dying," she stated simply.
"Again, why should I care?" Danny crossed his arms stubbornly.
"Danny, you wouldn't let him die. Your hero-complex won't allow it. Besides, he now knows how conniving Dan can be. Also, you know how he wants to be the one and only evil villain; your only archenemy. Maybe he'll help us defeat Dan if you help save him, so he can go back to plotting his own stupid schemes."
"Danielle," Danny said slowly. "How do you even know all of this?"
"Well, I may or may not still care about Vlad... even if just a little."
"But Dani, he lied to you! He used you!" Danny accused.
"I know, I know, but would you be able to let your dad die?" She asked slowly.
Danny's tone was gravely serious, "Danielle, he's not your dad."
"You don't know that," she stated.
"Yes, I do Danielle. You're a clone of me, technically making you my sister, although I still don't understand how you're a girl, but that's a topic for a different day. Dani, Vlad isn't your Dad. My sister and parents are yours as well. Even if my parents not particularly fond of us now." Danny reassured, kneeling to reach Dani's height.
"You really mean that?" She asked.
"Of course, but if it means that much to you, we'll try to find him," he told her.
She smiled in return, " Thanks, Danny."
Danny nodded, "But that doesn't mean we're going to find him." He trailed off, "Actually…" he then turned to address Frostbite. "Do you think I could borrow the Infimap for a couple of minutes?"
"For you, Great One, anything. Just be sure not to let it fall into the wrong hands," the great creature warned.
"Of course, Frostbite," Danny laughed.
The yeti went to retrieve the map while Danny turned his attention back to his sister. "I think you should stay here, we both know Vlad isn't too fond of you." The young halfa wanted to argue but Danny stopped her. "Besides I think it would benefit everybody if you stayed and helped make final preparations."
"Fine," Dani begrudgingly agreed.
Danny nodded his head and turned to the leader of the Far Frozen who was just reentering the tent with the Infimap.
"Be careful, Great One."
"I will," he told the yeti. He then addressed the map. "Take me to Vlad Plasmius," and in a whoosh of wind, he was gone, leaving the remaining ghosts to make the final preparations.
Danny couldn't help but wince as the map's pull made is remaining wounds stretch uncomfortably. He thought it was futile, saving Vlad, but if Danielle thinks it might work, then the least he could do is try.
He rushed through a portal and found himself looking down on some of the ruins of Amity. Why would Vlad be here? There's nothing left except remains, and, wait... is that a house?
There was a lone house standing amongst the ruins untouched. There's no way that this happened by accident.
As the map started to pull him to the earth once again Danny realized it was the Amity Park horror house. Kind of funny considering Amity Park was the most haunted place in America, of course there would be a "haunted" house.
Many say that even before ghosts started infesting the town, that house was a hotspot for ghostly activity. It was left abandoned, after the many things rumors say took place in that house.
So, why had Dan left it standing? It was truly a mystery.
The map placed him right at the front steps and refused to go any farther. He knew Vlad was here, that much was obvious, but how was he supposed to find him if the map wouldn't take him exactly where he wanted to go?
Danny sighed, rolled the map up, tucked under his arm, and went to phase into the house. Only to be stopped by an invisible barrier and a nasty shock. The distressed teen cried out in pain and took in the house one more time.
This time he noticed a faint green glow emitting from the house, only to fade away a moment later.
"So that's how you want to play it huh?" he said to nobody.
The half-ghost changed into his human form and reached for the door handle - only to find there wasn't one. Danny cursed and searched for some way to get in. After five minutes of flying around the house, he stopped searching frantically and started thinking.
He landed on the ground and started pacing. "Okay, if I were a Danny-Vlad hybrid, where would I put a break in the barrier?" He kept repeating the same phrase over and over and staring at his feet. He suddenly stopped pacing and kept his eyes down at his feet and nearly smacking himself in the forehead at the thought.
There was no way the barrier would protect the foundation of the house. So, he dove into the soil, intangibly of course, and flew until he saw cement. Danny was holding his breath, half expecting to get a nasty shock. To his relief, he went right through the cement and ended up in the basement of the house.
He had a sinking feeling that he didn't have a lot of time before Dan found him. He was sure Dan knew he was here already and was on his way after him. As a result, Danny wasted no time in opening multiple doors in search of the other halfa.
He was sure that the older man was hidden away in the basement. It would be dumb to hide Vlad anywhere else, yet, he was nowhere to be found on the bottom level.
"Think Fenton, think!" he yelled.
The teen stopped and took a deep breath, then he heard it. A muffled and weak shout coming from behind him. It sounded like his name. Could it be Vlad? If it was, then where exactly was he? From the way it appeared, he would be hidden in the wall. Yet, on closer inspection, Danny realized there was a door.
"Vlad?" He hesitantly called out.
"Daniel!" A very muffled but very familiar voice called out.
Danny phased through the door, secretly thanking higher forces that there wasn't a barrier keeping him away. He hesitantly walked in, terrified of what he might see.
"It's about time you got here, Daniel," a voice said from the corner of the room.
Danny just stood there at Vlad, but not the Vlad he knew. No, this Vlad was the Vlad he knew from Dan's reality.
"No, no, no, no, no..." Danny repeated. The young ghost barely even realized he was speaking or even moving. Soon though, he found himself kneeling in front of Vlad. "This can't be happening," Danny fretted as he tugged on his hair and fully took in what had happened to his former arch enemy.
Everything from his worst nightmare was coming true.
"Daniel!" Vlad snapped. "Stop muttering nonsense and let's get out of here before he imprisons you too!"
Danny looked up, and Vlad was surprised to see so much shock and horror on this 16-year old's face.
'No child should ever have to go through this,' the elder halfa thought sadly.
Danny moved forward and as if someone had flicked a switch. His emotion turned from anguished to determinate in a matter of seconds.
"Alright V-man, let's get you out of here." Vlad couldn't help but laugh at the ludicrous nickname. Normally he would glare and try to destroy the boy, but given the situation, he found it extremely hilarious.
Danny rolled his eyes at the chuckling man, he knew Vlad was crazy but was it possible he was now insane?
'If that's the case, he may just agree to help us after all. And considering what Dan did to him,' Danny thought to himself. He then knelt to Vlad's level, inspecting the cuff's that bound him.
There was a faint green glow, he noticed. Ghost proof. No ghost could escape using intangibility, yet the inventors of this type of cuff failed to consider those with an ice core.
Danny grasped the chain that linked the two cuffs, then channeled his ice powers. His eyes turned a bright, brilliant, blue, and is aura seemed to change as well. Ice seeped from his hand and onto the chain freezing it solid.
Vlad looked down at his cuffed hands, realizing what Daniel was trying to do. As soon as he released his grip, the older man moved his wrists apart and the chain broke easily. Granted, he still had two metal bracelets around his arms, but they weren't linked together anymore. Vlad stretched his arms, only then realizing how stiff he was from sitting in the same position for so long.
"Okay Vlad, let's get out of here," Danny said and moved to the man's broken side. He helped him up and was about to sink through the floor when a chilling presence filled the air.
"Daniel, we need to leave now!" Vlad barely shouted. Danny didn't seem to hear him though, he was frozen with fear. "Blast! Daniel, I can't use my ghost powers, if either of us wants to make it out alive, you need to move it!"
But Danny refused to move.
Vlad tried tapping into his intangibility but couldn't do it. His core was too weak. He frantically looked around for anything to help them but found nothing. The chill was coming closer. He was coming closer. No doubt he knew Daniel was here. Feeling the need to save the boy he looked around one more time, only then noticing the map the Daniel had under his arm.
"The Infimap," he breathed. He quickly snatched it away from the terrified boy and spoke to the map. "Take us to safety."
Vlad was terrified the map wouldn't do as he asked, like the last time he had it. However, he shouldn't have feared. The map realized they were in trouble and despite the evil man telling it what to do, the map knew it had to bring itself and Danny to safety.
It took off through the floor, somehow turning the two rider's intangible, found a ghost portal, flew through it, and in a matter of seconds, they both were lying in the ghostly snow of the Far Frozen.
Vlad had passed out from the little joyride, but Danny was just coming out of his stupor. The teen rolled onto his back and saw a handful of yetis looked down at him and Vlad concerned.
Danny got up, picked up the map that was laying a couple of feet away then addressed the yetis. "Take him to the infirmary," he said gesturing to Vlad. A couple of yetis moved to pick up Vlad and take him away. "I need someone to take me to Frostbite."
The remaining yetis looked at each other and told him that they didn't know where he was. Danny was about to reply when a familiar yeti stepped up.
"Allow me to take you to him, Great One," he said.
"Thanks, Able," Danny smiled.
"Get back to work everyone!" Able then told the remaining yetis, and that's when Danny realized they had landed in the middle of the village.
The journey continued in silence, and Able led Danny into the training room. There, he saw Frostbite talking with Danielle and a couple of his troops. The soldiers saluted, then marched away.
"Ah Great One, glad you made it back safe! Is the nefarious one you wished to save okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, he's fine. In the infirmary right now though," he told him.
"Great! I'm glad to hear your mission was a success, and you'll be happy to hear that ours was too. We got the remaining of your allies on our side, and even a few of the undecided."
"So, you're telling me we're ready for the battle?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Great One," Frostbite confirmed.
"Then tell everyone to get a good night's rest." Danny took a deep breath. "Tomorrow, we go to war."
Edited and Revised 7/24/19