A/N: Still hanging onto that roller coaster with your fingertips (with the REST of your body flying up in the air)? AWESOME! Now here's what's happening: Every Spectre is now looking for Sam, Tucker, and inadvertently, Johnny 13. Danny, too, is looking for them, but has not a clue how. Jiva now has the amulet and is also looking for the 'flesh-creatures'. She wants to use them to force Danny to serve her, but, of course, she doesn't know that Danny has escaped, all because of the ring. Sombre has been recaptured and is being brought to the dungeon again. Spectro has just found out just about everything and has revealed to the now powerless Phasma that he was the one who called the P'numbra Parley. And now he, along with Bhuto, are looking for Danny. Now, ready for more zig-zagging action? Fear not! IDNOAC and here is Chapter 53! Another one of my personal fav chappies! Enjoy!
Shadow of a Doubt—Chapter 53—Fateful Meeting
Danny oozed out of the black hallway without meeting any other being. He saw a door at the end and he hastened to it. It opened to a large, slightly brighter room. It was eerily quiet. Neglected furniture were scattered about. He saw a door at the other side and headed toward it.
Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him and dove for cover. Several Spectre passed him and went through the same far door. The whole castle was in an uproar, and now all the Spectre were combing it for the flesh-creatures.
The teen waited a few moments until the din was more muffled. He decided to head in the same direction that the Spectre went. He snaked through several more empty rooms and hallways. There seemed to be no end. He could not know that he was in a rarely used part of the castle. With the slightest of noises—which were now occurring more and more often-he dove for whatever cover he could find.
Finally, he entered a very long, dark hallway. He decided to hug the ceiling, but he still flew carefully as he pressed forward. After several dragging minutes of this type of movement, the boy grumbled to himself in frustration, "The way this is going, I'll never even get back to get Libro! There's got to be a better way!"
At last, the young hybrid saw a door ahead and quickly darted into it, ready to retreat if he should find any more trouble behind it. It was the entrance to a long and even blacker hallway. "Man, just how many of these spooky hallways do they have?" he muttered under his breath.
He decided to fly as quickly as he could through this passage, hugging the wall to keep oriented. Even though he was feeling stronger and better when he put the second ring on, his ghostly eyes still stung a little from the elements and that made seeing clearly more difficult.
Suddenly, he knew he was nearing the end of the hallway. He could see a faint outline of a door just ahead. He hurried forward, but then stifled a gasp. The door that was there opened right in front of him, letting the duller grayish-black light trip in, lessening the blackness of where he was. The boy immediately soared upward to the ceiling, hoping he wasn't detected.
But it was too late. He knew he had been seen when he felt a firm grasp clasp around his ankle.
Danny immediately willed his claws just as he was pulled downward. But they were quickly counterattacked by the Spectre's strong talons. The ghost hybrid pushed back with all his might at his barely-visible foe, but he was still being shoved into the nearby black wall. Already panting with the effort in spite of both of the rings helping him, the teen ignored the familiar drain of strength. He quickly balled his legs up and anchored them against his attacker, thrusting them violently outward, and successfully slammed his foe against the opposite wall.
Danny then immediately tried to retreat toward the still open door, but his attacker's claws barred his way. Again, the boy was forced to defend himself. He quickly slashed at the assaulting blades and sparks flew and echoes rang at the force of their blows. The Spectre rebounded, and pushed the teen backward as their talons engaged. But Danny cried defiantly and shoved back. Once more, the teen's efforts were successful. He threw his opponent off and the shadow ghost grunted as he was rammed into the floor.
Trying to catch his breath and renew his strength, Danny flew upward instead of toward the door this time, turning Ombre's larger ring around as he did. He desperately tried to concentrate to fire an ectoplasmic ray through it, but since the shadow ghost could clearly see him, he was upon the boy before he could finish. Danny was jerked even more violently against the ceiling. He struggled to break free but in spite of the rings' protection from the harsh environment, he could no longer ignore how rapidly he was tiring. He knew from his rigid breathing that he had to do something quickly or he would be totally in his foe's power.
The teen mustered his inner strength and with a yell pummeled a right hook into the Spectre's stomach. The shadow ghost groaned as he was again violently thrust into the side wall and then plummeted to the floor. The force of the blow also made the larger ring twirl within the boy's hand, and the gem was hidden once more within his fist. Danny made a mad dash to the open door again but before he could reach it, the shadow ghost had slammed it shut, trapping both of them in the pitch-black hall. Before Danny could react, he was grabbed and pushed even harder against the wall. The Spectre's body was then wedged against him and one of the shadow ghost's blades was at his throat.
"Let...go…of…me!" the boy finally gasped, instinctively shooting a weak ice beam from his eyes as he tried to keep the Spectre's claws from digging into his flesh. But his assailant jerked slightly away while opening a few holes in his form and the beams missed. Danny could feel his strength quickly waning, and was suddenly aware that actually using his ice powers weakened him further. But he struggled nevertheless against the Spectre knife at his throat. He ignored his dread as he felt something warm and wet sliding down his neck.
"You do fight well, Phantom-of-the-flesh! I do not understand how, though. Flesh-shadows cannot survive here," the voice said. He knew that the creature would understand him.
Danny was surprised that it knew his name and that it did not speak in anger. But he didn't care at the moment. He struggled harder against the rapier. Still, he was weakening and his foe was too strong.
The shadow ghost continued, "And you are fighting only to defend yourself, not to hurt me. Why?" But the voice did not lessen the pressure of the blade on the boy's neck.
"Because," Danny panted, still struggling, "I…don't…like… to hurt…anybody!"
"Then why did you attack the soldiers in the dungeon?" the voice in the murkiness asked just as it allowed its green eyes to emerge from their stealth power.
Danny startled a little at the Spectre's words and at seeing any color in the blackness. Still, this Spectre's eyes did not look at him in anger at all. Their steeled gaze seemed more serious and curious than hostile…and looked strangely familiar.
But then, the pressure from the blade increased, and Danny answered between labored breaths, "I…wanted to rescue…my friend, Sombre! You…Spectre captured him…and…..another friend…of mine….named…Libro…And now my other…..friends may be…in danger!...They are humans…..Flesh-creatures!"
"But why are you here?" the voice pressed on, instinctively not believing the boy's answer. But the force of the blade on Danny's throat unexpectedly slackened a little. Danny didn't question it. He was thankful it had, since it now allowed him to breathe easier, or at least enough for him to answer. But before he could, the shadow ghost added, "And where is your army?"
Shocked by the latter 'news', and still pulling against the Spectre's knife, Danny firmly replied, "Army? What army? I don't have any 'army'! I don't know what you're talking about!"
The force of the Spectre's talon increased and the boy knew that it thought he was lying. The shadow ghost ignored the gasps for air that erupted from his foe when he pressed his large claw harder onto its throat. He held the force of the blade steady as he growled, "Do not try to fool me, flesh-shadow! You could not invade our realm without some type of magic and an army."
Danny could feel his head spinning, and his collar was now wet with his perspiration and ectoplasm. He did not want to lose consciousness now. But he also did not want to reveal anything that would make it even more dangerous for him and his friends. He could under no circumstances reveal the rings currently hidden in his palms or give any hint that he was close to solving the Prophesy mystery. And telling this Spectre he had been held prisoner by Jiva did not sound like a smart thing to do. Besides, these Spectre would never believe anything bad about their princess.
Danny tried to speak, but a whining gasp came out instead. He started to see blackness.
The Spectre was surprised when the flesh-shadow's arms suddenly fell away from his talons and he felt its body beginning to go limp. How could this be? He thought the noise it was making was a ploy to throw him off-guard. But, was this flesh-shadow actually taking in the surrounding elements for its body? Did it actually breathe? He let up on the pressure on his claws and the boy's response was immediate.
Danny began to cough violently and reflexively brought his hands back up to his throat. But they met the Spectre's blades instead. Danny continued to cough for a few more minutes, all the while continuing to pull at the talons, fighting them to allow more of the thick air into his hurting lungs. He didn't even care at this point if the Spectre still expected him to answer.
The Spectre was now aghast as he observed all of the flesh-shadow's reaction. What kind of creature was this? He forgot all about his other questions, and again asked, "What kind of creature are you? You breathe? I do not understand. You would risk being here when this air is so foul? Then, why are you here?"
"I already told you! I came here because I want to rescue my friends. And I don't want to fight you!" Danny panted between coughs, trying to slow his breathing. He tried to counter the weight of the Spectre's body, but quickly gave up when he realized his strength was now completely spent. Ignoring his blurring vision while still weakly trying to pull against the Spectre's claws, he desperately added, "You Spectre attacked and kidnapped them for no reason. And my human friends are probably trying to find me. And since it's very obvious from everything that's happened so far that you shadow ghosts definitely aren't a friendly bunch, I'm afraid that my friends are also in danger!"
The voice didn't answer, mulling over what the boy said. And before the voice could respond, Danny added dryly yet defiantly, "So, then, have you decided to run me through or let me go?"
The Spectre paused again. This Phantom-of-the-flesh was very unique and quite formidable. And certainly brave. And his defiance given the situation he was in was also impressive. Yet, somehow, he had the strange and compelling feeling that the flesh-shadow was not lying. And that he could even trust this creature. Perhaps he was not working for Jiva after all. He removed his claws from the boy and retracted them. "Come with me!" he commanded.
Danny blinked with disbelief in the darkness as he rubbed where the large talon had been. He quickly wiped the green ectoplasmic blood away. Did he hear the shadow ghost right? He started forward, still weakened by the fight. But his hazy vision could barely make out the form in front of him. And he couldn't keep up. He coughed a little before he called to the shadow ghost, "OK. I'm coming, but I can't see where you're going!"
"This way!" the voice firmly said, as his form finally unblocked the dim light coming from the now open door. "And be quiet!"
Danny tried to quicken his pace and by the time he reached the door, the Spectre was out of sight. "Man, where did he go?" Danny asked himself. Suddenly, he heard a noise to his right and before he could react, he felt a strong shadow hand grab him by the wrist and pull him in the same direction from where the noise had come. The creak of the moving door returned, and as it closed, Danny was surrounded by more blackness.
At first, there was total silence in the total darkness. Danny began to worry. Maybe this Spectre had led him into a trap. But he immediately dismissed the idea. He would have already wasted him by now. But, finally, he whispered, "Uh, mind if I turn on a little light? I can't see anything. I'm not able to make it too bright."
"All right," the voice said and Danny shut his eyes, concentrating on producing a very weak ball of ectoplasmic energy. The light was enough to shield the dull glow of the rings. When he opened his eyes, they widened as he gasped.
He was looking at the same Spectre commander he saw the first time at the football game in Shadesville!
XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX
When Sombre regained consciousness, he was still within the firm clutches of the two guards. He barely opened his eyes, trying to see what was going on and fighting the dizziness he still felt from the amulet's blow. He could tell that at least several other shadow ghosts flanked him and were in front of him. He knew he would not be able to fight them all in his current condition. As they neared the holding cell, Sombre could see that this was the same one that he was first placed! He kept limp, but with his eyes slightly open. He hoped they would put him there again. He silently grew excited when the guard produced keys and unlocked the very cell Sombre wanted. Without even looking in, the guards threw Sombre in, not caring where he landed. Then they immediately slammed and locked the door behind him.
Sombre remained on the floor for a few more moments. He wanted to make sure they had left. When he was satisfied that he was safe, he desperately searched, hoping that the guards had been using a second set of keys. Suddenly, his hand moved some debris and he heard metal clink…..
The original set of keys was still here!
XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX
Sam, Tucker and Johnny 13 all pressed against the door as it bulged from the Spectre pushing against it on the other side. They knew they weren't going to be able to hold out indefinitely.
"Is there… another way…out of here?" Sam said through her pants. She then gulped, "And why aren't we phasing through this door, Tucker?"
"I don't...know, but...wait a minute!" Tucker said through his own pants; then groping in the darkness, found and pushed one of the buttons on his PDA. It lit up and he quickly programmed it. A bright beam of light shot forward.
The trio could see the numerous heavy tables and sturdy benches in this room. And there was a door on the other side.
Sam turned to the biker ghost next. "Johnny,..." she began, but by the look of terror on his face, she knew he would not be able to concentrate to use his ring anymore to turn them invisible and intangible. She then turned to her friend and puffed, "Quick, Tucker, let's wedge some the benches against the door and see if that other door over there leads to anywhere but here!" Just then, a thick Spectre talon suddenly shoved past her cheek through the heavy door. She screamed.
Tucker stepped toward the closest bench but the door's lock snapped and the door began to open. He immediately shoved his body against it. "I can't reach them!" he cried in panic.
"Let me try!" Johnny 13 said, surprising them both while still pushing against the door. He swallowed down his fear and concentrated, aiming his ring with his outstretched arm at the nearest table and benches. The ring burst into light and a green aura suddenly formed around the objects he desired. And like a lasso pulling a wayward calf, the biker ghost pulled his arm back and the table and benches lurched toward them. He paused a moment and then said, "OK, when I count to three, be ready to jump out of the way, OK?"
"OK!" Sam and Tucker said in unison as they pushed back again against the bulging door. A few more talons penetrated too close to them for comfort.
"OK. One. Two. THREE!" Johnny cried and he pulled on the ring with all the might of both his hands. The heavy table and benches slammed into the door just as Sam and Tucker jumped out of the way. The door held firm!
The trio instantly darted to the door on the far side of the room. Relieved that it led down a hallway, they bolted right through, just as the Spectre burst through the door they had tried to bar.
