A/N: Staying with me? Hope you are! You know what's happening, right? Bhuto was about to follow Danny, Sam and Tucker to Amity Park when he was captured by Phasma and Spectro. But Bhuto, desperate to avoid punishment, tells them about Sombre and promises to lead them to him. Phasma, though upset about Bhuto's whole role in the matter, gives him the chance to lead them to the renegade. After the three friends returned to Danny's house, they figured out more of the new set of clues. They think that they will need to go to Amity Park's hospital to find out more about the mystery. Now here is Chapter 36, and IDNOAC! Enjoy!
Shadow of a Doubt—Chapter 36—Unplanned Capture
By now, Bhuto's pace had slowed to a crawl due to the current internal struggle that clouded the Spectre's mind. Try as he might, he just couldn't guide the others. He just couldn't focus. Phasma's power over him was too great. But his mind and will, instinctively burning to be free from the oppressing power, wrestled for control against it, even if it were a lost battle. And in his confused state, Bhuto found himself momentarily lost as to where he had seen Sombre and Johnny 13. It also didn't help his cause that he had never explored this part of the Ghost Zone.
Bhuto was stumped. He couldn't lead them anywhere.
After wandering aimlessly behind Jiva's commander for quite some time, Phasma grew impatient. Why was Bhuto leading them nowhere? Deciding to speak to Spectro about it, he turned to him, only to meet with the pair of glowing, vacant red eyes belonging to his commander. Phasma frowned, but immediately understood why.
He had forgotten that the Spectre were all still under the power of the amulet, and could not think clearly because of it. Spellbound as they were, the Spectre would not be of much use, except for following his commands…Now, the Prophesy knew that it was the amulet that was preventing Bhuto from guiding them.
Phasma immediately released the others from the spell and his subjects momentarily drifted in a daze.
Finally, Bhuto recovered enough to probe his memory. But his still hazy mind made him hesitant in his quest. He could feel fear seize him, dreading that he would fail to remember where the renegade was. He desperately scanned the horizon for the strange ghost island that heralded the place where his marker was.
As they continued forward in their search, Spectro, watching the erratic flight of their guide, soon became suspicious of Jiva's commander. He was now convinced that Bhuto was bluffing. He quickly glided over to Phasma and silently waited for the Prophecy to acknowledge him.
"Yes, Spectro?" Phasma remarked, seeing that Spectro desired to speak to him.
"My lord, Prophesy. It is now clear to us all that Bhuto is wasting our precious time. There is no other Spectre in this strange realm!" his high commander replied.
Bhuto heard them and quickly soaring up to them, pleaded, "No, my lord, the renegade is near!"
He looked slightly past the Prophesy just after he spoke, and he jolted when he finally caught a glance of Skulker's Island just ahead. Bhuto was so excited that he darted away from the group without saying another word.
But Phasma and the rest of the Spectre mistook Bhuto's reaction for his attempt to escape from them and they quickly pursued him.
And just as suddenly, Bhuto veered away from Skulker's Island and sped toward the flat piece of floating ghost land just west of it, all the while with the other Spectre in hot pursuit.
Finally, Jiva's commander skidded to a halt on the floating shelf just as all the other Spectre shot past him. He frantically searched for the arrow he had made.
It wasn't there.
Trying not to panic, Bhuto hurried to another area and sighed in relief when he finally spied his landmark.
In the meantime, Spectro was the first to rebound and instantly flew back, retracing his path; and landed next to Bhuto. He readied his claws in attack and challenged Bhuto, "You lying devil! The plan of your princess is no more real than that imaginary Spectre you conjured up!"
But before Spectro could attack, Phasma and the others arrived.
Two of the Spectre lieutenants seized Bhuto, but he pulled away and didn't hesitate to scream, "T-There, my lord! See that reflection? H-He is there!" His arm trembled as he pointed out the light.
The others turned to see to where he was pointing. And they all saw the reflection.
Bhuto insisted again, "Follow that strange light to the end. And that is where you will find the renegade Spectre! That is where you will find Sombre!"
Phasma then turned to Spectro and raised the amulet up to him and the nearby soldiers. The amulet burned a bright red as it gave them more power to subdue any creature that would be at the receiving end of their black energy rays.
He commanded, "Spectro, now that I have enhanced your seals, they will be black-and-red, making them powerful enough to kill. Go, and retrieve Sombre. And leave some of your soldiers here to guard this creature. He has rebelled against many Spectre laws and will at least be punished for leaving my presence without my permission!"
Spectro immediately motioned to a few of his soldiers and they responded instantly. They surrounded Bhuto with their sharp claws drawn, and one of them moved close enough to make sure one of his blades was at Bhuto's throat. Bhuto, though terrified, did not struggle.
Meanwhile, Spectro and his other soldiers headed toward the reflection in anticipation. But before they had reached their designation, Spectro commanded, "You have much power in your control. But do not permanently harm the Spectre or any others that may be with him. We need only render them helpless to resist us."
The soldiers nodded, acknowledging their leader without any questions. They moved swiftly yet silently. And before they knew it, the Spectre soldiers were within Johnny 13 and Sombre's lair.
Johnny 13 was the first to hear the Spectre and uttered in alarm when he saw them, "What the...?" But it was too late. One of the soldiers had already thrust a black-and-red beam at him, and another had attacked Sombre before he could respond, rending both of the ghosts senseless.
The group of Spectre quickly surrounded the unconscious forms of their victims and started to pick them up.
"No! Leave the flesh-shadow!" Spectro commanded as he approached the group that had lifted up Johnny 13. "He is of no use to us and he will not survive the harshness of our Realm!"
"As you wish, my liege," one of his lieutenants responded as they dropped Johnny 13 rather harshly; and the unconscious flesh-shadow fell to the ground with a loud thud.
Spectro motioned the others to leave with Sombre. He delayed following them and went over to Johnny 13 just as the other shadow ghosts had left. The Spectre commander lightly touched and checked Johnny 13 over. He sighed in relief that the flesh-shadow did not seem to be seriously hurt by his fall or the blow from the Spectre seals.
And as the Spectre general turned to leave, not he, nor any of the shadow ghosts who had been there, had ever noticed that underneath his outstretched hand, Johnny 13's ring had been glowing.