A/N: I can't apologize enough about not updating in 3 whole weeks! That's what happens when you're a college student. Hell week, finals week, and return to home week all happen one after another, and you get no time to write anything. Trust me, when you guys get there, you will understand my pain.

But enough about being busy! I wrote you guys an awesome chapter, and I'm excited to give it out! I did do something I've never done before in Powerless or in this fic. I wrote most of this chapter in 3 person POV. I toiled forever over this chapter before deciding to write it this way. Besides, a lot of you wanted to see Taj's reaction to leaving Danny behind. Quite frankly, I did too. Hopefully, it's not too crappy. I'm much better in first person POV. Anyways, enjoy the long chapter!

PS: do not worry about the beginning of this chapter not making a lot of sense. I do jump around and form my writing to accommodate what a certain characters knows at different times for a dramatic effect.

Disclaimer: Don't own any Danny Phantom characters! All other characters are mine!

Previously in Incommunicado: After being stuck in the nightmare future by himself for a week or so, Danny finally found a way out. While trying to rescue Toushiro, he was attacked and almost killed by the insane Aleksey. Fortunately, Toushiro saved Danny and agreed to help him save Taj. While getting ready to leave the house, Danny realized that Vlad wanted him to change so much because he hated everything that Danny was and stood for. Danny was never going to be free of the man because Vlad couldn't live with everything he stood for being blatantly discredited by Danny.

Chapter 29 Rescue Mission

-Taj-

The familiar flash whitewashed the world around him, transporting Taj to the past in an instant. Second later, Taj found himself sitting on a wooden platform. The blackness of a warm, muggy jungle night clung to his still and silent form. Taj's eyes stared blankly ahead, denying everything that he was seeing and trying to piece the fragments of what recently happened together. He couldn't handle the truth.

"He's back!"

"Grab him!"

Swallowing quickly in his rising panic, Taj glanced around the platform as a swarm of men rushed toward him. It was as if the teen couldn't see the men as his eyes swept the area desperately, looking for somebody who wasn't there.

Chest rising and falling in struggling gasps, Taj gripped the sides of his head as if his brain was going to explode from the pressure of stress, guilt, and inner turmoil. "D-Danny," he breathed, shaking his head. Hatred for himself and his circumstances gripped him, crushing the last bit of resolution in the young man.

"N-no. No. No! Not again! Not...again!" Taj shouted in his anguish, pounding the floor with an angry fist. Sharp pain spiked up Taj's arm. His knuckles burned, as if punishing Taj for his every action since his birth. The physical pain was a strangely beautiful outlet for all that Taj was feeling. Once he had started, Taj continued to punch the wooden platform beneath him as hot tears of grief blurred his vision.

He couldn't stand being who he was anymore. He hated his power. He couldn't take the heartache of losing everything he had ever loved or cherished. First his sister, then his mother, and now Danny.

The dark powers that resided in him had seemed to have finally won. Taj felt like he was breaking from the inside, shattering under the pressure of all the responsibility that had been bestowed upon him since his evil and ever-haunting birth. His entire identity and who he was and stood for was slowly crumbling under all the built-up desolate oppression. He didn't have the strength to fight anymore. Everything. Everything was gone...and it was all his fault.

Multiple hands seized Taj all at once, yanking him to his feet and handcuffing his hands in front of him. Gritting his teeth in confusion and fury, Taj struggled viciously against the men as if he was a wild animal being tied down. Kicking out and thrusting his elbow and fists at anyone who was dumb enough to get in his way, Taj nailed a few of the men before Diego finally got wise and struck the teen hard on the back of his head. Releasing a grunt, Taj staggered dizzily before falling on his side and remaining still. Squeezing his eyes shut, Taj covered his head with his arms and tried to keep in a sob as Diego and his men stood over him, all breathing hard from the effort that it had taken to subdue the boy.

From his curled up position on the ground, Taj suddenly heard Vlad's voice as the man marched up onto the platform and asked irritably, "Where's Danny?"

"We don't know," Diego answered, a bit of confusion and frustration in his voice. "He wasn't with Nice when he reappeared."

Vlad stared at Diego for a moment, bafflement as his expression before it turned dark and angry. The man was tired of all of Danny's measly tricks. The boy needed to be caught and taken care of before all his plans went awry. Vlad had no time to play hide-and-go-seek. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

Glaring down at the pitiful and broken form of Taj, Vlad kneeled beside the boy, snatched a handful of Taj's hair, and remorselessly wrenched him to his feet. "Unfortunately, Mr. Nice, I've run out of time for niceties," Vlad growled into Taj's face, "Tell me now where Danny is."

Wincing from the physical but also internal pain, Taj gathered the remaining bits of his fragile sanity as he answered, "H-he...he wasn't touching me. I left him. He...he's n-n-not coming back. I left him." Another sob wracked Taj's body as he said miserably, "I didn't m-mean to! P-please, believe me! I didn't mean to!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Vlad shouted back at the boy, shaking Taj as if the jolt would force the teen to make sense.

"Th-they have to be t-touching me to c-come back w-with me," Taj gasped. He clung to Vlad's arm as spasms of pain rolled across his skull from the man's grip on Taj's hair. Squeezing his teary eyes shut, Taj yelped at Vlad, "Danny w-went with me, but...b-but he wasn't...I didn't...I'm s-sorry."

"Where is Danny? When will he be back?" Vlad asked with as much forbearance as possible through clenched teeth. Taj was successfully wearing down the man's thinning patience. Little to no sense was coming out of the boy, and it was hard to distinguish anything through the crying and stuttering.

Taj didn't answer Vlad right away. Instead of a verbal response, a new set of tears rolled down his face as he shook his head back and forth. Vlad didn't understand.

"I won't ask again!" Vlad practically snarled in his vexation, violently shaking the boy again and managing to get a grunt of pain out of Taj. "Where is Danny?"

"He's i-in the f-f-fu-other dimension," Taj squeaked out in a pitiful whisper.

"And when will he get back?"

Taj shook his head again before opening his eyes and staring Vlad straight in the face. Chest tight and throat clogged with emotion, Taj told him truthfully, "D-don't you see? Danny...Danny's not coming b-back. He's...stuck there. F-forever."

Vlad stood stock still, his face blank and clear. He stared at Taj's face and into his eyes, reading the boy's distraught expression, fresh tears, and look of complete and utter misery to the best of his ability. Taj had to be joking. His tall tale about a stuck Danny had to be a trick him and Danny put together before coming back. Despite his beliefs, though, Vlad couldn't find a spot of deceit on Taj's face. It was quite obvious. Taj was telling the truth.

Abruptly, Vlad released Taj's hair, aggressively shoved him into Diego's hands, and snapped at his hired help as he stormed off the platform, "Bring Taj to the truck. We're going back to the house. Now."

Holding Taj firm, Diego asked quizzically, "What about Danny, seƱor?"

Vlad didn't pause in his stride as he briskly and cooly said over his shoulder, "Danny isn't a problem anymore."

Consternation showed itself on Diego's face at this cryptic yet alarming news. Shoving a frown onto his lips to hide his other emotions, the man glanced down at Taj standing meekly in his grasp. He couldn't believe Danny was gone. Just like that? It wasn't possible. Then again, Diego had seen Danny be taken by Taj, and he had been there when Taj had come back by himself. All evidence pointed to Danny's disappearance.

Heaving a small sigh to righten himself, Diego looked out at his group of men, gave them Vlad's orders in Spanish, and then prodded Taj forward. Staring bleakly at the ground through eyes still ringed with tears, Taj obeyed without a word.

Touching Taj wasn't something any of the men wanted to do at that point. Despite having a lack of knowledge of the English language, they didn't need to grasp Vlad's and Taj's conversation to believe that Taj was dangerous. All of them understood that two boys had vanished that afternoon and only one had came back. Even Diego avoided handling the boy besides a tap or push in the right direction as the group walked off the platform and followed Vlad through the deserted village and back to the road.

The entire village was in shambles. Shacks and huts that had been standing tall and unreserved only hours before were smoldering or already burned all the way to hot ashes scattered across the jungle floor. The tribe was nowhere to be seen. Clothing that had been put out to dry after a wash, hammocks that had been strung up for sleep, and other pieces of furniture the tribe had used to make their homes unique had all been hurriedly packed away and carried off. Not a sign was left beside the burning rubble. It was as if the entire tribe had packed up and left. Taj guessed that was what happened after Danny and him had vanished and left the oracle and her tribe behind. Again, Taj was reminded of how many lives he had ruined because of his power.

The trek back to the road took at least an hour or more. Taj didn't have time to wallow in his sorrow because he was so busy keeping up with the men escorting him. Their flash lights bobbed around the foreboding jungle, casting sinister shadows in every direction. Roots and protruding branches seemed to be grabbing at the teen as he struggled to stumble along the forest floor at the group's relentless pace, tripping him up and making the trek difficult and wearisome. Every time Taj fell, Diego was always a second behind, grabbing the teen by his shirt and dragging him back to his feet.

When the group finally arrived at the one-lane dirt road where their vehicles were stationed, the sun was just peaking around the mountain horizon. It made the dark sky look like a fire was burning up the skyline, consuming the blackness with its sunny flames.

Scratched up, covered in dirt, and looking as miserable as he felt, Taj let himself get hoisted into the back of a truck in the line up of cars. "Sit," Diego ordered Taj, pointing downward. Grateful for the rest, Taj sat without hesitation. Shouting commands and directions in Spanish, Diego made sure his men knew where they were heading and what they were to do before he banged on the hood of the truck and sat down on the rim of the truck bed like the two other men with him were. All the vehicles started up, instantly stirring a massive cloud of dust in their wakes as they drove off.

"Drink," Diego sternly instructed Taj again as he dropped his canteen bottle into the boy's lap. Taj didn't need the order. With shaking hands, he unscrewed the cap and gulped down the tepid water. The second he looked finished, Diego snatched the canteen back as if merely Taj's touch would curse the object.

Releasing a shuddering sigh, Taj leaned his back against the back of the truck and observed the three men seated around him. Two of them were watching the landscape with a certain trained intensity. Like his trip in the truck before, Diego kept his dark gaze on Taj and never let up.

For one of the first times in his life, Taj wished that he was alone. All that had happened to him in the past seemed to be catching up with him finally, and it was tearing him to pieces. He felt like this was a private matter. It was wrong for all these people to be watching as he had a complete and utter mental and emotional breakdown.

Despite the fact he wanted to stay strong and firm against the onslaught of emotions, Taj succumbed pretty quickly to tears again. The teen curled his legs up and wrapped his arms around his knees, turning himself into a small ball as he rested his forehead on his knees. Staring blearily at his lap through his tears, Taj knew this was the best privacy he was going to get at the moment.

As if the dam of emotion had finally been broken, Taj sobbed until there was nothing left and he felt raw. He cried for his sacrificing real mother, for his broken and insane second one, for his dead sister he left behind, and for his best friend Danny who was now gone forever too. Finally, he cried for himself. He had never had a normal childhood or just a normal life for that matter. Life was one heart-aching fight after another. There was no more happiness. Not anymore. Not while he was under Vlad's control. He was probably never going to see his mother again. Never would he be able to see Julie in real life like he hoped he would. This realization didn't deliver the fear Taj expected. Instead, he felt cold and hollow. It was the worst feeling he had ever experienced.

Conquering the night with bursts of vibrant pink, tantalizing orange, and fiery red rays of sunlight, the sun slowly commanded the skies to turn a deep, perfect blue as the hours passed by. By the time it was eight in the morning, Taj had shed all his tears. Empty of everything, he stared unseeingly at the truck bed.

Suddenly, the line up of vehicles stopped. Taj didn't even notice the random halt until Diego stood up, drawing his gun. His men were now on high alert too.

Taj's eyebrows furrowed together in suspicion. Instincts forced him to tense up. In addition, instincts also did something unexpected. It forced him to hope. With the hope came fear. Without realizing it, Taj clung to that emotion as if his life depended on it. Any emotion was better than none, in his personal opinion.

A chill slithered down all their spines. Despite the sun heating up the jungle like an outdoor sauna, all four in the truck bed breathed out crisp white wisps from an eerie cold that had descended upon the group. Taj watched with wide eyes as the floor under him crystalized a thin layer of frost and ice. With a sputter, the truck engine died. The driver cursed in Spanish as he turned the keys and tried getting the frozen engine to start again but to no avail.

"What are you doing?" Diego asked Taj, tapping the side of his gun against Taj's head to get the boy's attention.

"T-that's not me," Taj breathed, shaking his head in wonder.

"Don't lie to me," Diego growled. The man was tired of all the supernatural things that had happened to him and his team lately. The last thing he wanted that day was another wild display of paranormal power.

Metal glinted in the sun as two tiny objects flashed out of nowhere and embedded themselves in the chests of Diego's two men. Surprise barely registered on the men's faces before their attacker jumped into the truck bed and kicked them over the side of the vehicle. Diego fired a shot at the mysterious attacker, but the man had already jumped out of the truck and crouched out of sight. It all happened so quickly, Taj wasn't quite sure what had happened.

"Stay," Diego ordered Taj when the boy started to get to his feet. Taj frowned as Diego placed a hand on his head and pushed him back onto his butt.

Taking a step forward, Diego listened and looked intently for the assaulter. As he checked the left side of the truck where his men had fallen over, the attacker appeared from the right. With the likes of a jumping horse, the man vaulted back into the truck bed, spun in a skilled roundhouse kick, and booted Diego's pistol out of his hands with a sharp battle cry. The pistol flew into the jungle, clinking against a tree.

Diego was just fast enough to block the knife swipe for his head. He caught the attacker's wrist before the blade could make contact, kneeing the man in the solar plexus while he still had the chance. The attacker grunted in pain, but he didn't let that stop him from dropping to his haunches and knocking Diego's legs out from under him.

With a sharp shout of alarm, Diego hit the slick, icy truck bed on his hands and knees. Reacting quickly, Diego rolled out of the way of a punch and adeptly got back to his feet to face his attacker, positioning himself protectively in front of a stunned and frightened Taj. It was only when they were facing each other head on that Diego finally recognized the man.

"Toushiro Izumi," Diego sighed in what sounded like a little frustration, a hint of confusion mixed in for good measure. "How did you get free?"

"Talent," Toushiro said, flashing Diego his trademark smile. He skillfully twirled one of his knives with his fingers, sporting a more somber expression as he said, "I'm only here for Taj. Stand down now, Diego, and I won't have to hurt you."

"I have my orders," Diego replied mildly. From his tone, it sounded as if Diego couldn't wait to get rid of the cursed boy. If it wasn't for the job, Diego probably would have shoved Taj happily into Toushiro's arms and walked away. "I must protect Nice and keep him in my employer's custody."

"Good luck with that," Toushiro said, simultaneously throwing one of his knives at his enemy. Diego easily leaned out of the way of the knife, but he had forgotten that Taj was right behind him. Thankfully, Taj had fast enough reflexes to duck the blade before it embedded itself into his skull.

Before Diego could release a sigh of relief, Toushiro was on him. From many years of experience, Diego managed to block most of the Japanese man's blows and throw a few of his own, but Diego knew he wasn't going to win that fight the second he was elbowed to the side of his head. Reeling from the blow as stars danced across his vision, Diego tried to lash out with a quick, blind punch. Light and nimble on his feet, Toushiro effortlessly jumped out of the way, grabbing Diego's wrist to pull him forward. Overextended and off balance, Diego fell over the side of the truck with a shout of surprise. The moment he landed in the dirt with a grimace of pain and slight embarrassment, Diego rolled swiftly under the truck just as Toushiro was coming down after him.

By this time, the driver of the vehicle had gotten a shotgun, loaded it, and was bounding out of the driver's door to help Diego. Toushiro was standing only three feet away from the man when the guy fired a shot at him. Moving with expert precision, Toushiro ducked the shotgun blast, rushed forward, and elbowed the man in the chest before he could fire another shot. In a blur of movement, Toushiro twisted the shotgun out of the man's hands, punched him in the kidney, and then finished him off with a swift strike to a pressure point to the man's exposed neck. In only a few seconds, the man lay sprawled out on the ground and passed out.

Looking up, Toushiro's eyes widened in alarm before he dropped to the ground. From the other side of the truck where Diego had rolled, the man had retrieved his pistol and was firing at Toushiro. Hand to hand combat had never been Diego's strong suit. Give him a gun, though, and he could dominate any situation.

Swearing in Japanese, Toushiro pressed his back against the truck's back wheel. He hadn't meant to lose track of Diego. Now he was in a mess he hadn't expected. Still crouched low, Toushiro took out one of his knives, calculating where Diego was shooting from by the latest gun shot before he stood up while throwing the blade. Not waiting to see if he had met his mark, Toushiro quickly ducked again and listened closely for the result.

The knife whizzed past Diego, coming only an inch away from sticking into his shoulder. Despite not being hurt, Diego let out a short yelp of surprise as the knife whirled by him and thudded deeply into a tree behind. Frowning with a bit of indignation, Diego aimed his pistol to fire another shot where he knew Toushiro was hiding, but he never pulled the trigger as something more alarming caught his attention.

Taking the opportunity to make himself scarce, Taj had climbed up onto the top of the truck and was sliding down the flash frozen windshield when Diego spotted him. The man swore in Spanish as he raced forward to cut the escaping boy off before he got too far. He got there just as Taj was tripping on the icy hood of the car.

Butt hitting the cold, hard surface of the truck, Taj let out a shout of pain just as Diego seized his forearm. Taj was dragged off the hood and shoved ungracefully against the front tire's rusty hubcap, Diego's booted foot pressed painfully against his chest.

"You're not going anywhere, chico," Diego whispered irritably down at Taj as he scanned the area once more for Toushiro.

Taj and Diego looked up in alarm as suddenly there was an explosion of ectoplasm a few cars ahead. Straining hard against Diego's boot to see what was happening, Taj's eyes were wide and his heart was slamming with unbearable hope against his chest as he searched desperately for someone through the accumulated smoke.

Toushiro used the explosion to his full advantage. As Diego was distracted, he rushed around the back of the truck and silently came up behind the man. Wrapping one hand around Diego's throat, Toushiro used his other hand to seize the man's wrist holding the gun and painfully twisted it so that Diego had no choice but to drop it.

Grunting in pain and quickly losing consciousness, Diego tried to get Toushiro's grip to let up by backing into a tree. Toushiro only tightened his hold around Diego's neck. Seconds later, Diego's vision darkened and he fell to his knees before passing out completely. Breathing hard from the effort, Toushiro gently let Diego go and slump to the ground.

"There," Toushiro sighed, putting his hands on his hips while shooting a small, satisfied smile in Taj's direction. "The easy part is over."

"W-what do you want with me?" Taj asked the man wearily. His eyes narrowed distrustfully at Toushiro as he scooted away from the approaching man. Glancing fearfully at Diego, Taj asked, "Y-you didn't...k-kill him...did you?"

"Oh, jeez, no! Hell no!" Toushiro said, shaking his head vigorously. "What kind of person do you think I am? I just knocked him out for a few minutes. Look, kid, we gotta get moving. We don't have much time."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Taj growled up at Toushiro. He tried to sound authoritative, but the mood was skewered by the squeak in his voice.

Toushiro sighed in frustration, but the expression softened a moment later. He crouched down to Taj's eye level, stuck out his hand, and said with a smile, "Hi, Taj. I'm Toushiro Izumi, and I'm not here to hurt you or capture you. Understand? I'm here with Danny to get you out of here, okay? Trust me."

"Danny?" Taj whispered in disbelief. "No. H-how could-?"

Toushiro cut the boy off, saying quickly, "No time to explain, kid. We have to get you out of here first. Grab my hand."

"You could be lying. I can't trust you."

"Sure, I could be lying," Toushiro chuckled as if the conversation was amusing him, "Then again, I could be telling the truth. Either trust me for the next ten minutes, or stay here and get captured by Vlad again. Your choice, kid."

Taj stared into Toushiro's warm, green gaze. He didn't want to trust anyone besides himself, but the man was making that resolution very difficult to uphold. There was something about Toushiro that made Taj want to believe him. Instincts told Taj to run off by himself, but hope firmly said to take hold of Toushiro's hand.

"I must be crazy," Taj whispered as he earnestly latched onto Toushiro's ready hand.

Laughing at the bit of truthfulness in Taj's statement, Toushiro stood up and helped Taj to his feet. He didn't let go of Taj as he rushed around the back of the truck and headed for the jungle beyond. At the very outskirts of the trees, Toushiro pulled Taj to a halt, let his hand go, and put his hands on Taj's shoulders.

"Alright, kiddo, listen up," he told Taj. "This is important to know. Danny and I rigged this whole patch of jungle with booby traps for Diego's men who will come after us. I know where all of them are, but you don't. That means you do exactly what I do and say until I tell you to stop. Where I step, you step. Where I bend over, you do the same. We'll have to move fast, so do your best to keep up and follow my instructions. Got that?"

"Uh...y-yes, sir," Taj said apprehensively. Toushiro made a move to leave, but Taj quickly grabbed onto Toushiro's arm to keep him there as he said timidly, "I...thank you, sir."

Toushiro looked confused for a moment, as if he couldn't believe that Taj was capable of thanking anyone. The expression swiftly changed into a sad smile of understanding a second later. So far, Toushiro had been doing all this rescuing and risking his life business only because he trusted and believed in Danny. But now Toushiro saw what Danny had seen in Taj. Like Danny himself, Taj was just a teenage boy with strange powers and a kind heart. He was the farthest thing from the supernatural terrorist Toushiro used to believe he was.

"You're welcome, Taj," Toushiro said. That said and done, the pair of them took off into the dangerous jungle, a handful of Diego's men only a few minutes behind them.

-Vlad-

Closing the SUV door behind him, Vlad collapsed heavily against the back seat with a tired sigh. Slowly, he allowed his tense muscles to relax as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Another headache was creeping up on him. Multiple clones and lack of sleep wasn't the reason behind this one, though. It was Danny.

Closing his sore eyes, Vlad went back a few hours prior to when Taj told him that he had accidentally left Danny behind in the other dimension. Was it possible? Was Danny actually gone...forever? Vlad didn't want to believe that, but he couldn't allow his own hopes to cloud his judgement. He had to remain calm and collected, think things through before he jumped to conclusions.

The evidence was stacked against Danny's chances of getting back. One, he had that power-limiting watch on. Two, Danny didn't know very much about whatever dimension he was stuck in. Three, and most importantly, Vlad didn't know any other way Danny could come back besides Taj himself. Vlad had tried to find another way into whatever dimension Taj was constantly transporting to, but he remained unsuccessful. That's why he went after the source itself: Taj. When it all came down to it, Danny was forever stuck in the other dimension.

Although Danny's vanishing act meant that Vlad's plans for Taj weren't going to be messed with for a long while, Vlad couldn't help but feel a heavy weight of regret or sadness hang around his neck. A lot of plans had gone into molding Danny into something better. Now they had to be put on hold or were destroyed completely. So much time, effort, money, and heart had gone into that boy. Vlad was almost sad that it had all gone to waste due to a stupid mistake by Taj.

It was Danny's fault too. The boy was supposed to be intelligent. How could he allow himself to be left behind at such an important play in the game? Vlad had been looking forward to seeing what Danny had in mind and what lengths he was willing to go to beat him. Now it felt like Vlad had been watching an exciting Super Bowl game, only for it to be turned off five minutes before it was finished and never knowing the final score.

How disappointing.

Vlad mentally went through all his plans with his eyes closed for a few hours, never really falling asleep. The man knew he needed some rest soon, but a nap at this time wasn't smart. Time for relaxation would come when they arrived at the ranch house and there was less danger of Taj escaping. Only then would Vlad be able to rest his mind and body, regaining the strength that was severely lacking in him.

A few hours into the trip, Vlad slipped his hand into his pant pocket and drew out a small, red sphere that fit into the palm of his hand. It looked to be made of glass, but it was slightly malleable. The crimson liquid inside rolled and swirled endlessly. An ominous aura exuded from the sphere, casting an air of forbiddance all around.

From the first time Vlad laid his eyes on the object, he knew it was important somehow. Even as he held it lightly between his fingers up toward the light, Vlad couldn't help but wonder why Taj had left such a lovely dark entity behind for anyone to pick up. Assuming the bright light that had led Vlad to their location in the first place was the actual creation of the sphere, Vlad thought Taj would put more importance on the orb. Taj hadn't even asked about it when he got back. Lack of questioning for a simple ball could have been due to his distress over leaving Danny behind, but Vlad thought for sure Taj would say something about it eventually. Maybe he just needed time.

Gradually, the vehicle slowed down until it stopped. Vlad took his eyes off the sphere and frowned in slight irritation. He hadn't told anyone to stop. Actually, his orders while they were caravan driving were to never stop. The incompetence of some people.

"Why have we stopped?" Vlad asked the driver cooly.

"Rocks," the driver answered in a heavily accented English, indicating the line of medium sized boulders lined up like a lame barricade on the road. Each one was too big for the cars to drive over, but they were small enough for someone to heave them around.

"Well, move them then," Vlad ordered the man as if the solution was very simple.

Sighing, the driver opened his door and stepped outside into the hot, moist atmosphere of the jungle. Muttering in Spanish as he strained to pick up the first rock, he complained, "Kids. Don't they have better things to do?"

Disaster struck before the first rock stone was moved. Sweating under the heavy weight of the rock in his hands, the man hadn't even taken his second step before he was frozen in place. Literally. Perspiring under the sun one second; block of ice a second later.

As if an instant ice age had been personally sent to that small patch of road in the Ecuador jungles, a wave of extreme chill rushed down the line of vehicles. Engines died from the radical cold, and ice and frost encrusted the metal exteriors and windows. Except for the last truck in the line up, any man who wasn't inside their vehicle was flash frozen into a surprised ice sculpture.

Vlad blinked in shock as he stowed away Taj's red sphere back into his pocket and turned ghost. Wasting no time, the man phased through the roof of the SUV and looked around for the culprit responsible for such a catastrophe. He didn't have to search very long or far. The offender was standing boldly on the hood of the car behind him. And he did not look happy.

Eyes widening incredulously, Vlad had to make an effort not to leave his mouth hanging wide open in astonishment. This wasn't good news at all. Of course, Vlad was happy to see that his favorite little chess piece was back to play, but not in this way. Nothing but trouble could come of this.

Promptly closing his mouth and composing himself the best he could, Vlad forced a smirk to his face. It took him a few seconds to gather the right words before he said with a sneer, "For someone who is supposed to be stuck in another dimension, you look positively in good shape, Daniel."

-Danny-

Having to teach Toushiro how to ride a horse: a few crackups and a lot of swearing in dual languages.

Finding and moving large rocks into the road: an hour of grunting and sweating like crazy cavemen.

Setting up a jungle full of booby traps: two long, hard hours of dangerous work.

Getting to see the look of pure worry and astonishment on Vlad's face: priceless.

Vlad put on a good show to come across as nonplussed and calm, but I'd already seen his true expression before he had slapped on his mask. There was no fooling me this time. The man was surprised and not very pleased to see me. I was going to throw a wrench into his well-tuned machine, and we both knew this.

"I've just spent a month in another dimension because of you," I growled at the man. As much venom as I could muster was put into my tone and voice, and my dirty glare could have killed him if it was humanly possible. Not a hard look to fake when faced with a completely fruity monster like Vlad Plasmius.

On the inside, I wasn't actually that mad or angry. Sure, I was pissed off at Vlad for a number of reasons, but I couldn't let my emotions get the better of me. But if Vlad believed I was seconds away from flying off the handle, now that's what mattered. Besides, Vlad would get what was coming to him. I had a few tricks up my sleeves. All I had to do was wait patiently.

"A month?" Vlad said skeptically. As if he was a chiding parent, he told me condescendingly, "It's been less than a day since you and Taj vanished. Don't over exaggerate, dear boy. It's unbecoming and childish." As a last minute piece of goading material, Vlad flashed me that infuriating smirk he knew I hated.

"I'm sick of you thinking and pretending you've got all this put together," I said with a cruel curl of my lip. "Let's be honest, Vladdy. You didn't plan any of this. You have no clue what's going to happen next. Don't kid yourself."

"Oh, now that we're being frank," Vlad said with clear amusement, "I'll tell you that presently you're quite the stupid boy. You always do become rather dimwitted when you let your anger control you. Despite all your resourcefulness earlier, I'm afraid this plan of icing the cars over and coming out all by yourself into plain sight is quite daft. Did you really think a little bit of rocks on the road and some ice powers were going to defeat me and rescue your miserable little friend? Please, boy, don't make it so easy for me."

"Boy, does your pride ever deflate?" I said with a shake of my head. "How do you get through doorways with it swelled up like that? Must be pretty difficult. I'd usually feel pity, but, hey, I'm pretty pissed at you right now."

My scathing sarcasm cut through all of Vlad's barriers, hitting him at just the right spot to set off a detonation of anger. Real anger. As predicted, Vlad acted on his emotions and threw a hot ball of ectoplasm at me as punishment. Having seen the move coming a mile away, I shifted into a steady stance on top the truck roof and readily activated my ice powers.

Eyes glowing a brilliant icy blue, I formed a bowl of ice in front of my two outstretched palms. Vlad's ectoplasm ball hit the bowl head-on, and I quickly poured out my ice powers to encase the hot ball in ice until it cooled over and died completely. Breathing evenly to maintain control, I deactivated my power, threw the large ball of ice off to the side, and looked back up at Vlad to see his reaction.

Blinking in surprise, Vlad glanced down at the ball of ice then back at me as if he didn't think I was capable of ever blocking one of his attacks that way. For a brief moment, a level of respect and awe could be seen in his gaze. Unfortunately, that look didn't last. Soon Vlad was studying me like I was one of the greatest playthings on the planet. With a sick twist of my stomach, I could see the level of desire in his narrowed, crimson eyes. Breaking me and molding me into what he wanted would be his greatest game and achievement.

First, though, I needed to be caught.

Eyes wide with alarm, I jumped backwards and off the truck roof just as Vlad released a barrage of ectoplasm rays at me. Landing in the truck bed with a cringe, I pressed my back up against the passenger box as it was hit with Vlad's attack. Fingers nimbly going to work on my watch, I spun the combination and slammed the face in.

As soon as I felt my ice powers being fully shoved away and my flight ones released, I was up and out of there. Swiftly pushing off with my feet, I blasted high into the air just as the truck engine was destroyed with an explosion of ectoplasm. Pink tinted smoke billowed into the air. From the smolder came Plasmius, shooting directly toward me through the sky.

Gritting my teeth in determination, I switched directions in the air so that I was soaring over the canopy of trees, my elongated shadow fighting to keep up with me across the emerald tree tops. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Vlad was closing in on me so I accelerated with a smirk. He still hadn't caught on, had he? Could my plan actually be working?

After another glance to make sure Vlad was still following me, I descended into the jungle below. Easy part was over. Now came the true test of my abilities. Vlad followed me into the jungle, hook, line, and sinker.

Let the games begin.

A/N: Dude, I'm so excited for this next chapter! Lots of action and crap! Been planning it since the beginning, actually. Can't believe I'm finally getting to it after so many months. I may or may not update next week due to it being Christmas and I'll be busy all this week. So it's a maybe. If not, I'll see you guys in two weeks! Later!