The Crossroads Betwixt Life and Death

Chapter 35: One More, Ghostly Crescendo

(Danny's P.Ø.V)

All I saw was swirling green, every shade of green you can think of, and I could see it. I'd never understood why the Ghost Zone was green, but I guess it didn't really matter; it was green and that was that.

I looked around and saw that I was standing on a floating rock just outside of the Observants' Lair with the good doc next to me. She was still holding the Fenton Foamer and had the Fenton Thermos tied round her waist. She was looking around with wide eyes from the green air to the floating doors and the floating rocks and then to the huge lair of the Observants with its towers and massive doorway.

"Come on," I said quietly to her and I flew us over to the doorway. I was about to blast the door down, just 'cos I could when I heard a low chuckling and then an attack hit me from behind. I turned round and saw Skulker and the Fright Knight floating there.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I screamed at them holding a hand up to stop the doc from firing.

"Following orders," the Fright Knight told me and I growled back.

"You can't be serious! I don't have time for this. Can't you come back later?!" I shouted.

"No dice, ghost boy," Skulker smirked and fired at me. I flew out of the way quickly, I so didn't have the for this.

"If you don't let me through, Vlad's gonna die!"

"What do I care?"

"Aren't you like his...his friend or something? What are you doing here anyway?" I screamed.

"Following his orders," the knight said.

"But how's he supposed to pay you when he's dead?" I asked.

"Already paid us, in full," Skulker said and fired again, and again and again.

"Isn't he your friend?" I asked again.

"He is an employer who pays well, if he dies I shall find another," Skulker answered.

"Well...what about you, Fright Knight, aren't you supposed to protect your master or something? How's this protecting him? He's gonna die in there if you don't let us through!" I shouted again.

"He is not weak."

"He is right now! His duplicates couldn't hold their form, if his duplicate couldn't last, how can he?! There's like a zillion Observants in there after blood, dude!"

The knight suddenly looked across at Skulker, he stopped firing at me and they nodded at each other.

"Very well, child, after you," the Knight said and all four of us went into the building after Skulker blasted the door down. We flew...or in the doc's case ran down the hall, I didn't pay attention to what it looked like, I'd been in once before but right now I had more important things to think about than the décor.

Immediately I heard the sounds of attacks and cries of anger and pain being screamed loudly. There was dust and debris flying all over the place...there was even Observants being thrown around the place too...and Vlad was right in the middle of it. It kinda reminded me of a school fight; wherever there was a fight in school I'd probably be right in thr middle of it...just like Vlad was always at the centre of weird, ghostly things happening.

We were spotted in seconds and then it looked as though a huge wave of Observants came rushing at us with glowing green hands and angry, bloodshot eyes. I felt my hands burn with ectoplasm ready to attack and defend as I flew straight into the fight.

I looked around as saw the doc doing a surprisingly good job of tying the Observants off with the Foamer...it wouldn't last forever but it was pretty impressive for someone who'd never fought ghosts before. Skulker and the Fright Knight hadn't had much choice other than to fight them as well so I'd say the odds of us winning now were...well...maybe they were a bit better.

All around the place I saw flashes of purple lightning bring down the roof of the building in a painfully loud 'boom', making us all rush for cover as the walls were singed with violet flames which even burned my hand a bit. Vlad's powers were getting out of control!

I looked around the chaos of the fight and I suddenly didn't know what to do. If Vlad was a volcano then right now he'd be exploding boiling lava on us...and once again I was scared of him. I mean, he'd done some bad stuff, but if he ever went rogue, really rogue, as in trying to wipe out the whole world, then even an army of super soldiers wouldn't stand a chance against a Vlad hell-bent on destruction.

The purple flames glowed brighter and brighter until they were almost white and the whole place was burning, the heat was so intense. I tried going intangible to try and get close enough to stop him, but I still felt the heat. Why? I was so confused!

I spread my hands and quickly brought up a green shield in front of us. If I couldn't stop him, I'd just have to wait it out and hope that he came to his senses. "Help me!" I shouted at Skulker and the Fright Knight. Luckily they didn't argue and the floated over to Evelyn and me and stated working on the shield. Even with the three of us it was tough, the flames just kept spreading, I could feel the heat burn on my hands and work down my arms to my shoulders. It was a horrible feeling.

I tried shouting to Vlad but I couldn't even hear myself over the roaring flames; he had no chance of hearing me. I had no idea what to do.

I watched as some of the Observants fled; cowards, they weren't even gonna defend their home. But some stayed, some did actually try and stop the flames while others went straight for Vlad. But they couldn't get close enough to do any damage to him. Ecto-flames were very not good.

"You must stop him," said a calm voice. I looked back and saw that Clockwork had appeared next to me.

"Me?! You're nuts! You're the all-powerful time master, use that magic-staff thingy and stop time so I can get near him!" I shouted to him. I would've asked why the hell this was happening in the first place, but now was so not the time or the place for that conversation.

"If he continues he will exhaust his powers and die," he said.

"Are you even listening to me?!" I screamed as I felt my arms burning from the effort of keeping the shield up. "I can't get through those flames even if I'm intangible! How's that even work, anyway?!"

"He is using too much power, his reserves are all but spent, you must act quickly," he told me and I screamed in my frustration; it was like talking to a wall! I was getting nowhere with the conversation. Didn't he care at all that we were all going to die here because some ghosts just couldn't help but mess around with other peoples lives?! Didn't he have a heart at all? Maybe it was made of stone or...or ice...ice!

That's when it hit me - my powers, it were my best chance...my only chance. Normally against Vlad my ice powers wouldn't mean much so I hadn't thought about it, but if he was using up all of his power then maybe I'd have more of an effect now.

I let out as much of my ice powers as I could as then all of the fire was encased in frozen, lifeless ice. It wouldn't hold the Observants at bay for long though so I didn't waste any time. I flew over to Vlad just in time to watch him fall to his knees and transform back into Vlad the mayor. He was down and out for the count. This was bad.

"Vlad!" I shouted as I tried to help him stand up, "Look at me! We need to leave! Now! Teleport us out! Now!" I shook his shoulders but his eyes were closing and he didn't even have the strength to sit upright.

The doc ran over to us just as ice all around was starting to crack and crumble...then everything just seemed to vanish without warning. I felt as though I was flying through stormy clouds with a nagging voice at the back of my mind to turn and look back in fear; survival.

I snapped my eyes open to see the battered and smoking walls of the Observants' Lair. Vlad had got us out after all. He was lying unconscious as the doc rubbed her eyes.

I shook my head to get rid of the fog that was building up and took the Thermos from the doc's hand. I pressed the familiar buttons quickly and a ghost shield started to form around the lair. After I charged it with my own powers...or what was left of 'em, it got bigger and bigger until all of them were trapped inside. It wouldn't stay there forever, but it would last until I had enough energy to think about it.

All I could think about was sleep. But I couldn't sleep, we had to get Vlad some serious medical attention. Good thing I had a doctor on hand who now knew he ghost powers, or we'd be toast.

I took us as far away as I could with carrying both Vlad and the doc looked down at him; I'd never seen him look so beat up before. Not once. This was bad. I tried waking him up but I knew the odds weren't good. "Vlad, come on...damn fruit loop, after everything you put me through the least you could do is wake up and say 'sorry', damn it!" I shouted at him; it had no effect.

He was burnt all over, serious burns and it looked like he'd lost a lot of blood, I was no doctor or nothing but I knew about blood loss. Trust me, I knew. Even his hair had got burnt to where he used to tie it back and there was no way he was gonna have his stupid ponytail for a while. He wasn't gonna be happy about that if he woke up...when he woke up.

I felt my ghost sense go off and Clockwork was suddenly beside me again, he raised his staff without even looking at Vlad as another blue portal appeared.

"This will take you home...good luck," he said but I didn't look back as we went towards the portal carrying Vlad with us.

No sooner had I blinked I saw the sitting room of Vlad's house around us, when I looked back, the portal vanished. I couldn't even focus on what Clockwork was up to after he got us out. He wasn't bugging me at the moment so right now it wasn't important. Vlad was dying...as in right now; that was important.

"He doesn't look good, doc, what d'we do?" I asked as we moved Vlad so he was lying on the couch.

"Well, it's not like we can take him to hospital, can we? He'd kill me for even suggesting it," she said as she moved through to the other rooms. She came back quickly with lots of bandages.

"He can't kill you if he dies first!" I shouted.

"Here, hold this down," she ordered, holding a bandage against a huge wound on his shoulder. I pressed the fabric down but Vlad didn't even make a sound he was so out of it.

"So what d'we do?"

"Now I have to go to the hospital and hope no one'll ask me any questions," she said wiping her hands clean, "And if I'm very lucky no one'll notice just another doctor walking around with med supplies."

"What? Why?!"

"Those are serious wounds, and I know he can heal fast but he's lost a lot of blood, he needs a transfusion and we could be risking serious infection here. I need more than hot water and bandages for this," she said.

"You're gonna...steal from a hospital?!"

"I'm gonna try," she said, "If I don't we could risk his life, you wanna take that risk?" she went to run out of the room but I stopped her.

"Wait!" I called, "...Tell me what you need...I won't get caught...ghost powers..." I wasn't a fan of crime, but if it meant saving Vlad...then I guess I had no choice. And it wasn't like I was robbing a bank for myself or something. I would just be taking medicine meant to help people...I just couldn't get it through legal means without exposing Vlad's secret to the world. He'd kill me if I did...I know I would. "His bloods all messed up anyway, can't you just use mine?"

"...Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh," I said with as much confidence as I could. I was so tired, but it wasn't important right now.

"Well...okay...I guess since you're both...anyway...since he's AB pos we won't have any problems...it means he's a universal recipient," she explained when I didn't say anything. What did I know about this stuff?

"Oh, right...so what d'you need?" I asked quickly.

"Here," she found a pen and paper and scribbled down some stuff for me to - somehow find. She quickly told me the layout of the building and where to find the medicine and I flew as fast as I could from the house. I stayed invisible the whole way...I didn't want to risk being seen...then I'd be associated with a robbery...of a hospital...that I was about to commit...oh boy...

...I didn't have time for this. I had a job to do. I needed to save Vlad, and I couldn't do that by worrying. I'd worry later.

...Soon I was floating invisibly through the hospital and the through chemist...I grabbed the stuff I came for and tried really hard not to think about what I was doing. I passed people sleeping in their rooms, I passed doctors working late, there was no way the doc could've done this. She would've been seen and caught stealing...stealing...I was stealing...from a hospital. But it was to save a life, not to get stuff for myself...so it was different...right?

I made it back to the manor and I saw the doc trying to wash the burn marks down with ice water. I'd been burned before, a lot, usually from Vlad's electrical powers, but I'd never seen burns that bad before. Not ever. But he had ghost powers so he'd be okay...right?

"So...what is this?" I asked, looking away from Vlad I pointed at one of the containers.

"Sterile saline, it's to clean the wounds to stop infection," she said and I just nodded. "I'd rather not use any alcohol unless I have to."

"Why not?"

"It's not pleasant," she said in a voice so emotionless it rivalled Vlad's.

"Oh," I muttered and looked away from Vlad. I'd never seem him so beat up before...it was weird. It was scary, and I was glad the doc was here so I wasn't left to deal with those wounds by myself.

I stared down at the needle and thread I'd took from the hospital with a frown. I didn't need to ask what they were for...I just didn't want to watch her use them. I took out the other bottles and packets from the bag that I'd took in a hurry and left them on the bedside table.

Soon I had a different needle in my arm and I was watching my weirdo half-ghost blood run out of me and into a narrow tube. I didn't take my eyes of the medical equipment for a moment and saw soon as the doc was done with me I left the room. Cowardly and weak I know, but I just couldn't stay. I sat on the roof and, as time passed, I watched the sun rise from the roof too.

I was tired, beat up and hungry and all I wanted to do was go to sleep for a whole year without any disturbances or distractions...but I couldn't. There was no way I could sleep now. I blamed myself for believing Vlad so easily; if I hadn't then maybe he wouldn't have had the chance to sneak into the Zone and almost get himself killed.

As I continued to replay the whole thing in my mind, and the ease with which I'd believed Vlad's very short explanation, my ghost sense went off but somehow I knew who it was straight away.

"Why'd you do it? Why'd you help us?" I asked him.

"My reasons are complicated, Danny," Clockwork replied calmly.

"Yeah," I scoffed, "They usually are."

"But you must understand, what I did, I did to protect not only you, but also the time stream. I did my duty," he said.

"Yeah," I sighed, "Did killing my family have anything to do with that 'duty'?"

"Unfortunately; yes, it did, and I can only apologise for that," he told me.

"...Whatever..." I muttered sadly. I was way too tired to have a one sided shouting match with him, or anyone else, right now.

"You must understand, that if time had been left to run its course, thousands would have suffered and died needlessly, either from your dark future self, or from a heartbroken and defeated Vladimir returning to seek revenge on the world..."

"Whoa, whoa...back up...'Vlad returning to seek revenge'...what's that about? He hasn't gone anywhere..."

"No, and he won't because that reality has been discontinued,"

"Explain," I ordered.

"I cannot, however, I believe that Vladimir has been informed as to the circumstances, perhaps he will tell you what you wish to know."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen anytime soon," I muttered, remembering the sorry-looking state Vlad had been in when we'd brought him back.

"Likely not," Clockwork agreed.

"So...what was with all the...clues...you left us? Was that your 'duty' as well? To annoy the hell out of us..."

"No, perhaps some were a little overt, but it was necessary for the Observants to see that I was taking a direct approach, like we agreed, to change the time stream. I agreed to help them, I just failed to specify what help I would provide them with. And I believe you will be pleased to hear that they will not be leaving the Ghost Zone any time soon," he finished. And although I still didn't trust him, and I didn't understand half of what he'd just said, I nodded as though I did. It was easier than starting an argument that I didn't have the strength to win.

When I looked up again he was gone, as though he'd never even been there in the first place.