Chapter 26: The Fray
The atmosphere of the room was transformed in an instant. Solemn stillness erupted into violent chaos, and it all started with a single act on the part of Maddie Fenton.The first thing to hit Danny's perception was the sound. A grotesque crunch cut across the quiet of the chamber as angry teeth tore through the dry, papery flesh of Keeper's emaciated wrist. It was accompanied by the sharp snap of breaking bone as Keeper's hand was severed from his skeletal arm by the enraged jaws of a protective mother. Next came the shocked, high-pitched yowl from Keeper, who had not expected to be bitten by his hostage. He released Maddie with an accidental shove as searing pain shot up through his damaged limb, and Maddie stumbled free and immediately spun to face the creature.
"You little witch!" Keeper screeched, cradling his wounded arm. He gawked down at his missing right hand, and his face contorted into a furious grimace as thick, black blood oozed out from his injury. "You – you bit my hand off! I ought to kill you for that!"
"I WON'T LET YOU HAVE MY SON!" Maddie roared, her eyes blazing as the black liquid of Keeper's blood dribbled from the corners of her mouth. Her hands were still bound behind her back by the wire, but she didn't seem to notice or care.
Danny came to an abrupt halt in front of the twisted metal cage and wheeled around just in time to see his mother fling herself at an incredulous Keeper, charging into him like an infuriated bull and knocking him to the ground. Keeper kicked her violently in the stomach with both of his feet as the two of them slid across the chamber floor. Maddie buckled over as the wind was thrust from her lungs, and she fell away from Keeper once again, staggering backward and sideways until she slammed against the side of the wall where her husband was strung up. The side of her skull smashed into the black stone, and she slumped into unconsciousness as a trickle of crimson rolled down from her hairline.
"MOM!" Jazz shouted, bolting across the room to tend to her mother. She knew that the room was about to become enveloped in a frenzy, and she was not about to leave her mother unguarded. As Jazz rushed to Maddie's side, she yelled out, "Danny, get Keeper!"
Danny didn't need his sister to tell him twice. He leaped into the air as soon as it registered in his brain that his mother was no longer in Keeper's grasp, lunging forward and encasing his fist in a sheath of green energy. Keeper was still picking himself up off the floor, and soon found himself in a frantic grapple with an angry half-ghost. Keeper and Danny tumbled on the ground in an entangled ball of glowing green fists and slashing claws, and Danny could feel the adrenaline surging through his veins as his mind became overrun with spite. Each punch, each blow inspired a pang of righteous fury, and Danny soon forgot about his surroundings and became completely absorbed in the tussle. All he wanted was to make Keeper pay...
On the other side of the chamber, Tucker and Sam were having their own problems. They whirled around as they heard Deathbird's wings clink against the chamber walls. Tucker was already activating the blade of his weapon and taking aim, wielding it as he would a lance. Deathbird's massive beak began to open, and it wasn't hard to guess what her next attack was going to be, so Tucker was going to have to make this count – before the monster stunned someone with fear. He pulled his shoulder back and pointed the tip of his weapon up at the bird's throat. As Deathbird prepared to release her shriek of terror, Tucker thrust his arm forward and sent his weapon flying through the air, muttering a prayer under his breath as he did so. The weapon soared toward its target in a streak of neon green, miraculously hitting its mark. The blade lodged itself in between the gears in the front of Deathbird's neck, and her cry came out like the sputtering grind of a broken music box.
"Nice shot, Tuck!" Sam cheered, pulling out her own weapon as she ran to Tucker's side.
"Yeah, I can't believe I made it!" Tucker replied, looking up at the wheezing bird as she flailed wildly, banging her head into the ceiling of the chamber. "But now I don't have a weapon..."
"I do," Sam said, closing one violet eye and pointing her Ecto-Blaster at Deathbird's torso. She could hear the hisses and grunts of Danny and Keeper brawling behind her – as well as the shouting of Jazz and Jack Fenton – and she knew that she was going to have be the one to keep Deathbird occupied – at least for the time being.
Sam held her breath and fired, pulling the trigger several times in rapid succession and blasting the bird square in the chest with multiple green bolts of energy. The beast was already distracted by the weapon embedded in her throat, and as the energy from Sam's gun coursed through her metallic ribcage, she fell back into the entryway of the chamber. Deathbird's monstrous body became wedged in the arch of the entrance, and she soon found herself firmly stuck with her metal wings pinned to her sides. Her massive neck was craned forward at an unnatural angle, and furious blue flames flared from her eyes as she made a raspy attempt at a squawk.
Deathbird's wings twisted as she struggled to free herself, causing the chamber to quiver, and sparks exploded like tiny orange fireworks as metal scraped against stone. The trapped creature kicked a giant metal foot in the direction of Tucker and Sam, and the two friends grabbed hands and dove for cover, narrowly escaping the crushing force of Deathbrid's claws.
Tucker and Sam slid across the stone floor and collided with the wall that Jack was hanging on. Jazz was still huddled with her mother – who was gradually regaining consciousness – tucked protectively in her arms a few feet away, and she seemed to be paying attention to little else.
"KIDS!" Jack cried as Sam and Tucker thumped against the stone beside his left foot. "Are you alright?"
"Uhhh," Sam said, placing a hand on her forehead as she sat up. "I think so..."
"I'm alright," Tucker said, pushing himself up and climbing to his feet.
"Good," said Jack, "then would you please get me down from here before that bird thing gets unstuck?"
Tucker was already a step ahead of the man. As soon as he managed to stand he began examine the one of the metal restraints that held Jack Fenton's wrists to the wall.
"Ok..." Tucker muttered as he started fussing with the clamps on Jack's shackles, "I think I can figure this out. Sam, you wouldn't happen to have a safety pin or anything, would you?"
Sam did not reply. She was no longer paying attention to Tucker. Her gaze had become fixed on the duel that had been going on in the background the whole time – the duel that as of yet had gone mostly unnoticed. Her violet eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open slightly as she watched Danny and Keeper break apart and slide in opposite directions. Neither combatant lost their footing as they skidded back, and so the two of them soon found themselves glaring at each other from across the chamber – but Sam was not concerned with the nature of the fight itself. Her focus was set firmly on Danny. He was the thing that had her mesmerized.
"Sam, are you listening to me?" Tucker said after receiving no response to his previous question. "Sam?"
Tucker looked over to the girl beside him only to find that she was goggling at something in the center of the room. As he turned around and followed her stare, he too became enthralled and abandoned his attempts to free Jack Fenton. It didn't take long for Jazz, the recently awoken Maddie, and Jack to turn their attention to where Keeper and Danny were now circling each other like wrestlers. The room fell completely silent, and even Deathbird stopped her squirming and swiveled her head to observe in astonishment.
Danny was radiant.
His ghost powers had always given him the ability to glow, but none of them had ever seen anything like this before. Something had awoken inside of him while everyone else had been distracted by their own concerns, and his power levels had skyrocketed. All around his body, green energy crackled with shots of silvery-white, enveloping the young man in what looked like a shell of ghostly electricity. His eyes blazed like green stars, and Sam could swear that she could feel the waves of an almost angelic wrath emanating from him like heat from a furnace.
"Three years," Danny seethed as he jutted a hand out toward his father and made a fist, still keeping his eyes locked on Keeper. As Danny clenched his fingers into a ball, the metal restraints on his father's wrists and ankles illuminated with that strange electrical energy and shattered as if they were made of blown glass. Jack fell free and slid to the floor, still gaping at his dazzling son as he landed and collapsed forward onto his knees.
"You stole three years of my life!" Danny continued. He then pointed at the twisted cage with his other hand and made a swift gesture over toward Deathbird. The cage lit up the way the shackles had and tore itself away from the wall. It followed Danny's finger like a dog would follow its master and slammed itself in front of the bird, further obstructing her attempts to wriggle free from the entrance.
"You took me from my family and friends!" Danny bellowed. "You tried to kill the girl I love! You threatened my mother and chained up my father and tried to trap me in a cage, and I have had ENOUGH!"
Danny's words echoed off of the walls of the chamber, and Sam felt herself inadvertently trembling at the power that reverberated in his voice. She was vaguely aware of the shocked gasps of those around her, and had it been anyone other than Danny who had spoken, Sam would probably have feared for her life. He was awesome and magnificent, and everyone in the room could now feel the strength of his presence.
There was only one who truly remained steady at the sound of Danny's voice. There was only one who stayed unfazed and unimpressed by his explosion of power.
And that individual was Keeper.
Throughout it all, Keeper had held his composure. He was simmering with his own anger and his reptilian eyes were set in a glower, but he did not seem to be intimidated by the young man in front of him. If Keeper was at all frightened by Danny's display, he was doing a very good job of hiding it.
The skeletal creature raised his only usable hand up to his mouth and licked the sharp edges of his talons with a grey tongue. An inky blackness that resembled the energy of his dark portals flared around Keeper's cadaverous body like a demonic fire, and he craned his skinny neck from side to side with a series of loud pops.
"Very well, Phantom," Keeper hissed, lowering himself into a defensive stance and holding his good arm out in front of him like a rapier. "I've also had enough. That wretched mother of your has cost me a hand, and I am sick of trying to control you. Let's just end this."
Danny matched Keeper's stance as spectral lightning fizzled and gathered in his hands. His lips twitched into a snarl, and he spoke in a low whisper that somehow rang through the room as clear and audible as if it were a shout. "Yes. Let's."
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A/N: I am sorry this took so long. Two people in my family have gotten cancer, and things have been particularly complicated in my life. Both my mom and my cousin are now sick and undergoing chemotherapy, so I have a lot on my hands. Anyway, thank you for your understanding.
