A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a great time during the holidays. I sure did! But now, it's time for the first update of the new year (for me and Ms. Hyde, that is!)
Ms. Hyde: Oooh, dearie, so you finally decide to mention me after ignoring me for the past few chapters? Ah-huh. Care to explain yourself?!
truephan: I didn't ignore you. I just, uh, kinda, overlooked you, since, you know, you can get a bit...carried away with some things and make things, uh, more evil.
Ms. Hyde: I put spice into an otherwise dull story about a bunch of teens, that's all, dearie! And it looks like I got to put in lots of chipotle and jalapeño in this chapter and the next few chapters after this one!
truephan: Uh, I hate hot peppers!
Ms. Hyde: You do? Then you won't touch what I've wrote! So, all you dearies, enjoy the spicy side. Here is Chapter 46!
Gold Tested in Fire—Chapter 46—Uncomfortable Changes
Maddie Fenton slowly opened her eyes but didn't move when she heard the familiar jiggle of keys ringing slightly in her ears. A moment or two later, she could tell that one of those keys had 'jumped' into the lock of her 'prison cell's' door. She quickly closed her eyes once she heard a soft click and then the quiet turning of the door knob.
"I just hope I can think of some way to get something to make my weapon a ghostly one," she mentally reminded herself now that her mind was awhirl with her last thoughts before she went to sleep.
Once again, she slowly opened her eyes and then pulled herself up out of bed just as the three maids floated in.
"Time for breakfast already?" Maddie sweetly asked as she stood up and stretched a bit while keeping a sideward glance toward the still open door. She silently frowned when she saw the oldest maid shut and then relock the door—like usual.
Still, she quickly made herself smile and ask, "And what color will it be today?"
Knowing that the woman was referring to the color of the dress and accessories she was 'assigned' to wear today, the maids smiled with slight embarrassment.
"Turquoise, Madame," the oldest maid politely answered.
"Oh, that's my favorite color," Maddie replied with a slight giggle, since it was the truth.
"Mine, too!" the youngest maid suddenly gushed as she slightly cricked her neck to show off the dangling turquoise earrings while at the same time extending her hand to show the female human her ring.
Danny's mother remembered glancing at the maid's ring last night but that wasn't enough to do it justice. It had a huge turquoise stone in the middle surrounded by several smaller turquoise stones. It was perfect!
Admiring the glowing ghost jewelry, Maddie honestly remarked, 'Oh, how beautiful! Where did you get them?"
"Oh, the mas—uhh" the youngest servant began before the oldest maid jabbed her in the ribs and quickly butted in, "It was a gift from our benefactors, Madame, uhm, for the anniversary of her birthday."
Maddie's eyebrows momentarily lifted in surprise and intrigue with her next quick thought. Did ghosts actually celebrate their birthdays? And if so, which one—the one they had in the Real World or when they first came to the Ghost Zone?
Either way, it didn't matter to the woman because she had to remain focused on her task. She hid her emotions behind a sunny smile and replied, "Oh, that was very generous of them."
The maids paused uncomfortably at the way the human emphasized 'them'. They knew that she was hinting around that she wanted to know who 'them' really were—or was.
When the human saw that the maids hadn't fallen for her obvious hint, Maddie continued in slight embarrassment, "Well, ahem, just give me a few minutes to, uh, you know." She quickly pointed to the bathroom and without waiting for the maids' response, headed right to it.
"Of course, Madame," the oldest maid finally called after the human female. "All will be ready when you are finished, Madame…"
Maddie stepped out of the shower; and as she reached for the thick, plush towel, her eyes automatically glanced over to the fancy vanity chair on the other side of this large bathroom. Half in expectation and half in irritation, she smirked as she began to dry herself off. Right on cue…A beautiful turquoise gown had been carefully draped over the vanity chair. A pair of shoes which matched the gown perfectly was at the foot of the chair. And then she could see that the same expensive-looking tray that always held all of the outfit's accessories had been placed on the vanity table. She didn't have to see what was on top of the tray right now because she could already guess what would be upon it: earrings, a necklace and sometimes hand gloves that would, of course, perfectly match the gown and shoes in color.
After all, it had become part of the routine since she had been put here—wherever 'here' was. She suddenly frowned when that thought only led to another, which was the same question that plagued her ever since she first woke up in this strange place: why was she here? She knew that great pains were taken to keep her comfortable, but she knew she was still a prisoner of some sort since she wasn't allowed to leave and was always locked in here. But, darn it, why the fancy 'prison garbs' and the sense of order, since there was a sort of schedule to this all?
She could almost predict it to the second: every morning, she would be greeted by the maids and then take a shower. And then while she was bathing, the female attendants would quietly and discreetly place her assigned clothes and all its accessories in the designated place. By the time the woman was fully dressed, her breakfast would be set up and ready, her room would be tidied up and her bed would be made. Then, once she was finished with breakfast, the 'Middle Maid'— as Maddie called her— would style her hair. It was really annoying, actually, but the three had always been exceptionally polite and sweet when they insisted on what she had to subject herself to.
Still….
Danny's mom sighed and started to get ready. But as soon as she glanced at the turquoise and silver necklace, a sudden idea sprung up in her brain. She smirked again as she secured the jewelry around her neck—only this time, her smile was in anticipation...
Just as she reached the bathroom door, the woman took in a deep breath to mentally prepare herself. No matter how much her idea encouraged her, she couldn't show it outward. Instead, she needed to get herself mentally prepared for even another part of her well-rehearsed 'morning routine' with the three maids.
She really hated this part, but she also didn't think she had much choice about it. She had already concluded that the three maids had been ordered to make sure that she complied and actually wore the outfit 'assigned' to her. But, really, did she have to make a big 'presentation' of her newest outfit?
Nevertheless, the human female softly and quietly opened the bathroom door before she stepped through the doorway. She was as ready as she ever would be to hear the too-oft repeated 'lines' of their 'script':
"Oh, Madame, you look stunning!" the youngest ghost maid gushed.
"You wear that gown well," the 'Middle Maid' added, while the oldest maid, who Maddie privately called 'Miss Bossy Maid', merely nodded in approval.
Sure enough, just as predicted, the three servants dutifully had spit it all out.
Making sure that her 'cue' was timed perfectly, Maddie said 'thank you' in turn to each maid.
But this time, Maddie was determined for them to go a little off script…
Once she had said the last 'standard line' to the youngest attendant, Maddie ad-libbed, "Oh, do you mind letting me look at your jewelry again?"
The young maid giggled slightly before she politely replied, "Of course!"
All the while trying to think of a ruse, Maddie glanced at the young ghost's earrings before she gently grabbed and supported the girl ghost's hand and inspected the ring. But then she privately smiled in satisfaction when the opportunity presented itself—as she had hoped.
"Oh, look!" the woman said with semi-fake concern. "You snagged something on your ring!"
Maddie then pulled off some of the stray string that had entangled itself around the ghostly turquoise ring and showed it to the youngest maid.
The two other maids gasped as the youngest one's face blushed.
Turning to the guilty ghost, the oldest attendant scolded, "You did not snag the bedspread again, did you? The mas—Uh, I mean, you need to get rid of that ring once and for all!"
"No!" the youngest maid protested. "I will be careful from now on! It was a gift!"
"You said you would be careful the last time!" the Middle Maid said in irritation.
The two older female servants lunged at the younger one; and ready to pull the ring right off, quickly grasped the arm and hand upon which the ring was.
But the youngest attendant didn't give it up and pulled back.
After a very brief struggle, however, the two older maids were successful in holding the younger one still. And just as they were removing the ring, the youngest maid broke down and began to sob miserably.
Maddie frowned and bit her lower lip with sudden pity for the youngest maid. After all, even if she were a ghost, the young servant didn't look any older than her son. Still, this had worked better than her original plan.
The human quickly and firmly intervened. "Please, stop this!"
The two older maids immediately stopped and let go of their young cohort and froze in their places.
Though now also standing in place, the youngest was barely able to control her sobs. Finally, she was able to stifle her sniffles and mimic the same poker face as her sister maids.
Maddie looked at the three and the way their demeanor had changed so radically was almost funny. Still, she controlled herself; and addressing the youngest maid, said, "I'll tell you what. How about…Uhm, you do have a name, don't you?"
The ghost girl's eyes widened in fear and stuttered, "Y-Yes, Madame, but we are forbidden to tell you."
"I see. Well, can I call you, uhm, 'Rose' instead of 'Hey, you'? After all, you have been as sweet as a flower to me."
The ghost girl smiled weakly before she sighed and nodded.
Maddie slightly smirked in return.
But then, the human female placed one of her hands on her necklace and continued, "Okay, 'Rose', we can't have you worried about damaging this fine stuff in here, now can we? So, how about a trade? If you let me have your ring, then I'll give you my necklace. It will just about be impossible to snag anything with it, heh-heh, unless you have a habit of using your neck to make up the bed!"
This time, the girl laughed slightly before she looked at her cohorts.
The oldest one frowned but nodded her approval all the same.
Then the ghost girl laughed nervously as she said, "Alright, Madame, if it pleases you. But I will not be able to wear your necklace."
Though Maddie knew the answer, she also knew that she had to 'play dumb'. She asked, "Why not, 'Rose'?"
Already charmed by her 'name', the girl ghost half smiled as she answered, "Because it's not ghost jewelry, Madame. I can touch it, but eventually I will phase right through it and may lose it before I even noticed."
Still feigning ignorance, the female human replied, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Well, then, would that mean I couldn't wear the ring, either?"
The girl ghost nodded her head.
"Well, in that case, maybe we rather not trade be—"
"Oh, no, Madame, that will be fine!" 'Miss Bossy Maid' suddenly interjected since she was eager to get rid of the ring. "If it pleases the Madame to have the ring, our sister maid is willing to give it to you."
That maid paused a moment. She had better make sure that the human female was pleased. She quickly added, "And since they are a set, you can have the earrings, too!"
"No!" 'Rose' immediately objected.
Maddie felt another twinge of pity for the youngest ghost. Though she didn't want to lose this opportunity, she couldn't be that cruel to the ghost. She offered her own mild objection, "I didn't mean to cause such a fuss. Let's forget the whole thing, okay? I don't need to…"
"I beg your pardon, Madame," the oldest maid quickly interrupted before she glared at the youngest maid with an unerring message. "But we will not have you displeased. Take the earrings and ring. Our sister maid can always get another set."
The human knew that she couldn't miss this opportunity; but she also didn't want to seem too eager, either.
This time pretending to be embarrassed, Maddie replied. "Really. I couldn't possibly…" She paused only a moment before she continued, "Oh, all right. But maybe it would be more of a fair trade if I just put 'Rose's' jewelry away while she can still keep my necklace…."
The human female looked with anticipation among the three maids, while the entire group fell silent for several moments.
Finally, the three female servants glanced at each other briefly before 'Rose' bit her lip before saying, "As you wish, Madame."
She quickly removed her ring and earrings and offered them to the woman.
Maddie looked at the small glowing objects within her hand. They felt light as a, well, ghost, to the woman. Still, she grinned slightly only to herself before carefully placing all of the jewelry on a nearby small table.
Without hesitating any more, Maddie began to reach up and pulled her hands to the back of her neck.
But just before she could unclasp the necklace, the 'Middle Maid' frowned and insisted, "No, Madame. That will not be necessary. You are required to wear your entire attire as ordered."
Maddie's eyes widened before she frowned and looked at 'Rose'. In all honesty she would never have taken the ring and earrings if she had known that the girl ghost wasn't going to be able to trade. True, she needed those ghostly items for her next plan. But, she had thought that an even 'trade' would offset the loss to the ghost girl.
Meanwhile, the youngest maid bit her lower lip and her eyes fell to the floor.
Maddie's brow knitted even more. Now she felt really bad for the youngest ghost. Still, she quietly told the girl, "Thank you, Rose. I won't forget your kindness."
"Is that all, Madame?" 'Miss Bossy Maid' piped in.
"Yes," Maddie replied.
Without another word, the three maids curtsied and hastily took their leave. They moved out of the room more swiftly then they had ever before. Before the human knew it, she was hearing the familiar soft click of the door and then the quiet slip of the lock on her door in rapid succession.
Maddie sighed; yet underneath, she really couldn't hold back her excitement. She turned back to look at the small glowing set of jewelry and her face broke out into a triumphant smile…
Now she had the item to make her weapon ghostly—and with the bonus of testing it on something ghostly as well!
Jack and Tucker stood helplessly by as they watched the bawling girl. Never since they had known Sam had they thought they would see the day when she was not only crying, but was actually being hysterical on more than one occasion within such a short period of time— including now!
Tucker was even more upset at seeing Sam cry. He had always thought she had a strong handle on her feelings—sometimes a bit too much control. But now…she was a total emotional basket case, as if she never had complete control of herself and had never been that strong. And his stomach tightened with that thought because he needed her to be strong now… for his best friend and for…him.
Still, Tucker wasn't far from the truth about his female best friend. Sam had always been emotionally strong and weak…In fact, she had learned to harden her emotions—as a defense mechanism to protect her true nature. Not that her true nature was weakly, but it could control her if she didn't find a way to control it. And for many years she had succeeded in doing that. Her goth persona was the perfect strategy to protect her tendency and discipline her emotions.
But since then, Sam had fallen in love. And her 'Jiva complication' after the 'Spectre affair' had given new power to her…ability. Those two fairly recent developments had been enough to make it hard on the girl to maintain her goth persona. Ever since then, Sam had been getting more …emotional.
At first, those complications weren't a big deal because she had been quite practiced in hiding and controlling her feelings. So, for a while she had been able to go in 'autopilot' and keep them in check.
But ever since this whole strange thing with Danny's being missing and most of the town falling ill to some strange illness, she was having more trouble controlling her emotions mainly because she had been especially affected by Vlad's powerful sleeping formula and hadn't really recovered her entire strength yet.
It also didn't help that her attempts at reaching her boyfriend telepathically all this while were taxing her physically, mentally and…emotionally. Her desperation in trying to connect with Danny was slowly tearing her emotional defenses down. Not only that, the times when she had succeeded, what she felt coming from whatever was happening to her boyfriend was tearing at her heart. And what she heard via her telepathy and felt in this last bout had been the last straw.
Finally, after the girl had been bawling for what seemed hours but were only minutes, Sam looked at her male friend with obvious distress and choked out, "Oh, Tucker! Danny thinks he's going to kill me and you some day!"
"What?!" Tucker and Jack said at once, shocked.
Sam cried a bit more before she could say anything more.
But when she finally thought she had the strength, her words were halting between her struggles to control her crying. "I-I caught only snatches of it, darn it, but I think Clockwork had him and showed him that he was going to end up being evil like his evil putrid self! And…and he was gonna travel back in time and make sure that he would be evil a lot sooner…And that meant he had to…to..."
But the girl couldn't go on and buried her face in her hands and poured the distress in her heart out again.
Meanwhile, Jack didn't know what to do or say. But when he finally looked to Tucker for some kind of guidance, he could see by the boy's face and his opened mouth that he was just as shocked. Still, Jack was stunned from any action at the moment.
Tucker was indeed speechless and upset over what he was witnessing. He had never seen Sam like this…ever! He knew she was having trouble controlling her emotions during this entire time, but he had thought that it was because she wasn't recovering from their mysterious illness as quickly as she should have because she had not been eating that much until fairly recently.
Even so, he couldn't take this any longer. Too much was at stake. His heart raced at his conclusion. If Danny was back in the Realm Beyond Time, that could be bad. Very bad. Especially if Clockwork was involved! But maybe his best friend was just visiting there? He frowned, not at all believing the wild thought because he, too, had felt that Danny was in trouble all along. So, he had to know first of all whether Danny was really in the Realm Beyond Time or not. Either way, he—and Danny—needed Sam to be Sam pronto! Only she could help his friend hold on at this point until they could reach him.
He marched right up to his almost completely hysterical female friend and grabbed both of her shoulders. And even though he had expected it this time, he was still taken slightly aback when he suddenly felt a shot of electricity run through him when he did. Suddenly, his face scrunched up in determination. It didn't matter. He grasped her shoulders more firmly and shook her, but not hard enough to hurt her.
His face was grim yet sympathetic and his voice was both focused and desperate as he commanded, "Sam! Stop this! You have to get a hold of yourself! We already know that the future is not that solid, so what you saw might not happen!"
Once again, more electricity jolted him but he only held onto her shoulders tighter. Suddenly, a dark green aura surrounded each of his hands before the intensity of it pulsed right into Sam! He gasped when he saw that and immediately let go of the girl this time.
Sam, however, had felt the phenomenon as well and her friend's electrical 'blow' that had momentarily siphoned into her just now knocked some sense into her. Somehow, that 'blow' wasn't angry or harmful. And somehow, she knew that she had gotten that from Tucker! It was giving her strength, support and concern at the same time. She desperately clung to that feeling and struggled to steel herself.
Finally, the girl's breathing slowed and she quickly brushed off any tears that were still being stubborn. Taking a deep breath and glancing quickly between the two males, she finally managed to utter, "Y-You're right! I-I don't know…uhm, I-I'm sorry that happened, Tucker, er, and Mr. Fenton!"
She tried to ignore the heat of her flushed cheeks since she was too embarrassed about yet another of her too numerous outbursts since she had awoken from her sleeping sickness— much less admit to any of it.
"Hey, that's okay, Sam," Mr. Fenton slowly yet cautiously replied. Then trying to sound supportive, he added, "We all are guilty of being human, you know. Especially some of us, heh-heh, uhm, like me more than others!"
Sam weakly smiled at the man's attempt to cheer her up. He was really trying. But before she could thank the man, Tucker piped in. But his face was still intense.
"Yeah, Sam, though you really freaked me out just now, I really couldn't blame you. You must have seen something pretty upsetting…"
"It was terrible," Sam added, slightly interrupting her friend. "But I shouldn't have…lost control like that…Danny needs me to be strong and…"
This time, Tucker quietly interrupted her, "He needs your love, too. Focus on that and that will make you strong enough to finally find and help him."
Sam's eyes widened at her friend's words. But their echo still resounded within her enough to get her to completely focus and realize something.
She bit her lower lip before she replied, "Thanks, Tucker. I needed that. And you're so right! That's what I was doing wrong!"
"What?" Tucker blurted out, this time very clueless to what she was alluding.
He unconsciously frowned even more and turned to Danny's father for help.
But Jack merely shrugged helplessly since he was just as clueless as the boy for any explanation.
Sam now smiled a bit more confidently and explained, "What I mean is that I've been so swallowed up reacting to Danny's being emotionally upset that for the first time in…years, I was losing control over my emotions. But if I focus on our love, which goes beyond any emotions, then I can be strong enough to get through to him."
She then blushed before adding with an embarrassed, crooked smile, "Well, that is, with your help, Tucker. Somehow, I felt you helping me just a few moments ago and a few other times a while back. And somehow—though I can't really explain it at all— I know I'm going to need your help since I, uh, I still haven't gotten over this crazy virus or whatever it is. After all, you know how 'human' I can be!"
This time, Tucker's face relaxed before it brightened into a smile. Now definitely relieved and getting excited, he replied, "That's the spirit, Sam. Uh, no pun intended, you know."
"None taken," she dryly replied, sounding more like her 'old' self. "Now we've got work to do. Where were we before I was rudely interrupted by all those lame emotions? I have a reputation to keep, you know."
"Now you're talking!" Tucker almost chuckled. "And I'm all in!"
The two teens turned toward Mr. Fenton. He gasped and reflexively raised his arms in surrender before helplessly blurting out, "Uh, you go girl…and, uhm, boy?"
This time, Sam and Tucker laughed, completely breaking the tension and preparing them for their task.
Now Danny's two best friends were ready to try to rescue their half-ghost friend….
Danny groaned, his mind churning with fragmented pieces of vacant thoughts. He could not tell what was flashing within his skull, yet he knew that he was…just about to lose his mind. He didn't even feel like opening his eyes to see where he was. Why should he? It didn't matter because he already felt so totally lost and utterly helpless right now. It was as if he was drifting aimlessly in space with no oxygen and yet breathing in nothing but hopelessness.
But was he moving or still? Heck, he wasn't even sure of that. He frowned, trying to focus on that. Was he stationary? Even if he were, he didn't even know whether he was lying down or sitting or whatever. Again, he didn't really care. What was the point?
He not only felt hopeless, he felt numb. As if he wasn't capable of feeling anything about anything anymore. As if he was no longer human. The thought of it suddenly sent fear throughout his spine this time. Though he really didn't understand why. Of course he was human, wasn't he? What else would he be? But once again, he really wasn't sure.
Maybe if he kept his eyes tightly shut, all of this would go away. The Observants would leave him alone and he could just dissolve right into this emotional abyss.
He couldn't take anything anymore. He didn't want to feel anything, he didn't want to know anything, he didn't want to do anything else because for a reason he couldn't grasp, nothing else mattered. His mind was so traumatized, he might as well be dead…. .
Finally, the boy's mind caught a random, though for some reason, coherent thought. But it really wasn't a thought at all. It was more of an….emotion. A strong one.
Suddenly, then, a very vague semblance of a…memory...surfaced, but the emotion associated with it wormed its way forward and seemed to plunge its hooks into him before it electrocuted his brain.
Now totally overwhelmed by that emotion, Danny felt his body turn over until he was facing something solid that must have been beneath him before he was even aware of it. In fact, he had no idea that he had been lying on the floor of the simulation room this whole time. Nevertheless, he gave completely into that emotion. He buried his face in his gloved hands and sobbed like never before. And that release finally helped him figure out what that powerful emotion was: grief, terrible, heart-gripping grief.
At first, the young hybrid didn't know why the memory that had fleetingly surfaced would have triggered this intense pain. Yet, he couldn't deny it, either.
In fact, the emotion was so intense that he didn't even realized that he had twisted around so that he was now facing empty air. Before he knew it he was screaming in emotional agony intermixed with tears.
He felt the heaviness of the empty, lost pain rent open his heart and central core all at once and suddenly he couldn't breathe! Somehow, he was able to choke air in even as the tears falling to the back of his throat rivaled to drown him.
But then, another emotion crept right up from behind that already overwhelming grief: remorse.
He twisted to his side this time and curled up into a fetal position before he sobbed even more. He felt as if his heart and soul were being torn into pieces within the crossfire of those two powerful emotions.
Still, he didn't have a clue as to why he was feeling all of this.
And that was because he was truly on the verge of losing his mind. He had been deprived of the sleep his mind craved and needed with the dark purpose of enslaving it with confusion. In other words, he had not been allowed to dream as he should have— freely and without interference.
Instead,any dream that he had been allowed to have was only devised to delve him into even more turmoil and to deprive him of any real rest of his mind: something that was needed for the health of anybody's mind; and yet, somehow, he had still been able to cling onto his sanity until… his last intense experience with Clockwork was about to push him over the edge…
And now, it seemed as if Vlad's dark plan was now finally coming to fruition….
Vlad was so excited right now that he was on the verge of laughing. All of the monitors were now verifying that Daniel must be on the cusp of mental collapse!
After rechecking them all—including the one that monitored the device in Central Park—the billionaire quickly pushed a button on his watch-like devise. This time, all he needed to do was send a signal. He wanted to share this moment of glory!
"Maddie, make sure the ghost shield around the control room is turned off. I'm expecting company," the man said with excitement.
"Right away, sir," she merely replied.
A few minutes later, he heard the door to the control room quietly open.
"You buzzed, Plasmius?" the male voice almost growled out.
The older half-ghost was so loopy with excitement that he didn't even notice the tone of the cyber-ghost's voice. He pointed to the monitors and practically gushed, "Skulker! I think I've finally got him! I think Daniel is about to break! I just knew that he would believe my 'Clockwork' program. And I am glad Daniel did since we were never able to get any DNA from Clockwork in the end. And, fortunately, Daniel didn't find out that Clockwork wasn't the real Clockwork because he never touched the hologram! I guess I should be thankful that the boy would believe his moronic 'mentor' in the end. "
Skulker's eyes shifted slightly and he glanced over the data. He huffed. He really wouldn't trust those indicators until he could smell it for himself.
The Hunter Ghost's eyes darted back to his employer and he frowned in disapproval at the man's face.
Plasmius's face.
It actually looked wild, as if there was a battle happening among triumph, glee and insanity and Skulker couldn't tell which emotion was winning…It was very disturbing to the ghost to say the least. Not that he was totally surprised.
After all, in many ways Plasmius was just as affected by almost as many things as what had been happening to the Ghost Child. The man had been having more restless nights because of his anticipation and even anxiety over this important and all-too-consuming plan of his. More than that, the older half-ghost had also been expending even more energy on that secondary facet of his plan—the one which interested the Ghost Hunter more—which was also taking its toll on the older hybrid, even though neither one of them wanted to admit it.
As if the older hybrid had heard the cyborg ghost's thoughts, Vlad added, "And my device in Central Park is working perfectly!"
Skulker tightened his lips but remained silent. Somehow, though he should, he couldn't be happy about that device in Central Park. And that was because what the man had first said about the whelp was more disturbing to Skulker….A deeper feeling that the Hunter didn't want to admit—even now.
For if what Plasmius was saying was true….if the Ghost Child was indeed on the verge of total mental collapse, then that would mean that the man would soon have his 'son' and Skulker would have to become the 'second banana'.
That underlying burning feeling didn't bode well with the hunter ghost. In fact, now that those embers had flared, Skulker could no longer deny it: he was jealous of the Ghost Boy's worth in his…friend's eyes. Even as the thought burned a hole in his central core, Skulker reflexively rejected the admission. Emotions were for the weak. And he was not weak!
And he could prove it…to himself. He had been able to blind himself to Plasmius' ridiculous obsession over the boy and even the boy's mother; and really, everything seemed to have simmered down…until last year, when he noticed a dark change over his friend after the 'Iluzisto affair'.
That event had really affected Plasmius more than Skulker had realized after the man had announced this new plan to the Hunter. At first, Skulker went along with everything, hoping that this would have helped his friend work through the more apparent mental scars that being in the Realm Beyond Time had caused.
The Ghost Hunter had to admit that he even enjoyed the sport of his role in it at first. After all, getting the necessary DNA samples from the assigned ghosts did mean his being able to hunt virtually to his central core's content, especially when all those ghosts weren't even aware that he had taken their ghostly DNA samples!
The Hunter Ghost briefly smiled to himself at that thought. It had surely been more pleasurable than he expected, especially when the challenge and danger were foremost in the hunt. In fact, he knew his reputation would be higher in the Ghost Zone from this whole affair, especially after he had captured a member of that one…extremely dangerous species. True, Plasmius had let him borrow a special device to achieve that; but it took a master to use the device and carry out the plan. Indeed, all of what that capture entailed would be a source of his pride for years to come. He was now unquestionably the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter!
Suddenly, however, the ghost's original musings erupted back out of his brain and he frowned in annoyance once more. Enough of that. The matter at hand was what should be concerning him at this moment… How he wished he had discouraged his friend from going through with this crazy first part of his plan. After all, he really didn't think that the man would actually go through with it…He paused. Wait. Yes, that was right. Plasmius always followed through on whatever plans he concocted. It was he, Skulker, who had chosen to deny that it was happening except when it came to paying attention to what his friend needed in this first phase of his plans; namely: hunting the ghosts for their DNA.
But once Skulker finally admitted that Plasmius was very serious in this plan of trying to get the Ghost Child and his mother as his…family, the Ghost Hunter had tried to persuade his friend to focus on the second part of his plans…He paused. Now that he thought about it, that was not the only one reason why he had not liked the plan.
All along, Skulker was convinced that once Plasmius was successful in those other, more lucrative plans that involved that 'fountain', whatever the whelp did or felt about it wouldn't matter because Plasmius would be the most powerful being in both worlds—in spite of his being half-ghost….And that would mean that Skulker would be second-in-command.
But now, that wouldn't happen! In fact why did he even waste his time trying to convince Plasmius to give up his plan to have the Ghost Boy as his son? After all, he of all ghosts knew that Plasmius wouldn't budge once his mind was made up.
Much as that didn't sit well with the cyborg ghost, his mind suddenly slipped to the other reason, the real reason why he had now opposed the plan…something he didn't wince at—or honestly admit—until this very second….At first, that reason was more subtle…a feeling as it were. But now, after what had happened since the plan had started, this…'feeling'….was undeniably stronger, more disturbing to the hunter ghost, something that had actually been eating at his central core for several days now—ever since he had had his own encounter with the pup…
Though he knew all along that this was Plasmius' plan, he had never wanted to see the whelp…broken. For some reason, now more than ever, it just seemed plain…wrong.
Skulker's face skewed up in more dissatisfaction. But really, why should any of that matter and why should he care? What was done was done….
Especially now, when the fruition of that plan was within the man's grasp. There was nothing he could do about it.
The Ghost Hunter sighed mentally in slight resignation. But he couldn't mask the irritation in his voice when he at last commented on Plasmius' last announcement, "So, if the pup is ready for you, why summon me? I will not take any pleasure in seeing the whelp's being a blubbering basket case as you want him to be."
Vlad's eyebrow shot up in surprise and some irritation at his friend's comment. Still, he half-grinned and dryly cracked, "I would think that you would want to see Daniel crushed to within an inch of complete insanity to make him vulnerable, just to know that he could not counter your trying to 'mount him on your mantle' as you always wanted."
The Ghost Hunter's face twitched in irritation. He didn't like the teasing tone of the man's voice just now. That is, if indeed it was only a tease. He gritted teeth and sardonically replied, "For one, I know you would not give him to me. That is not part of the plan. But even if you changed your plans about him —which I do not suspect for one nanosecond —I would not want him if he is at the point that he could not offer any kind of resistance or fight…"
Skulker paused only a moment before he quietly added, "I only want truly noble trophies. They are only prized because they fought honorably and gallantly to the end."
"Yes, I suppose you would," Vlad conceded, not fully catching the bitterness in his friend's voice. He walked over to the monitors and immediately glanced over the readings. He then pointed to the coffin-like container and added, "I can still arrange that 'noble trophy' for you since I don't think we'll be needing 'our friend' over there after all. At this point, Daniel should be so mentally helpless, I will be able to control him as I want since he will essentially be 'starting over mentally' as it were and will look to me as the one who helped rescue him from total insanity. And once I mold Daniel to my liking, he will be a formidable adversary to any ghost. But then again, there would be no need for you to pursue his hide any longer because he would be your ally, too, you know."
The Ghost Hunter felt his core constrict at the older hybrid's words….
The Ghost Child his…ally?
Somehow, the cyborg ghost wanted to both embrace and reject the concept even as the thought suddenly whirled him back to his last encounter with the whelp…
And now, now more than ever, the boy's words bit into him:
"I thought you were different. I thought that you really knew what bravery, loyalty and honor were all about; that you saw that treachery cannot be mistaken for loyalty and wanting only for yourself as being the same as honor…. You know, it's okay that we all want love, we all want honor and to be respected…But sometimes, nobody's always willing to pay the asking price!"
But of course Skulker had heard what the boy had said since he had been literally in the whelp's face. He remembered his own scoffing of those words, "What 'asking price'? To trick or demand all those things out of others, like I demand you fighting me now?"
The pup had looked back up at him a moment before he had let his eyes fall again. Then the Ghost Boy had sadly whispered, "No. As one of my …ghost friends said: To do the right thing no matter the consequences. And I will not grovel to you or anyone else, Skulker. I will not fight you!"
The words seemed to rattle within the Ghost Hunter metallic skull as if to hammer in his very next thought. The only way he could be the boy's ally was to be as noble and as honorable as…the Ghost Boy!
But….
What if the whelp was about to become as evil as Plasmius would mold him to be? Skulker frowned. He just didn't know now. True, the pup could become the most powerful—and feared—ghost that both the human and ghost worlds would ever know. And Plasmius would make sure that the boy would respect not only the man, but him as well.
Somehow, the Ghost Hunter couldn't deny that even that wouldn't satisfy him….Because the boy would not be the same…treasure that Skulker had come to recognize as time went on…
He had to admit that he had wanted the boy as a mere trophy when he had first become aware of the younger hybrid. After all, he had felt cheated at first that he couldn't 'collect' Plasmius as the unique ghost he was. But since he couldn't defeat the older hybrid and actually became allies and then…friends with the billionaire, he settled for second best: the second ghost-and-human hybrid, which was, of course, the pup.
But that was all in the past because the more he learned about the younger hybrid, the more he…liked —and even admired —what he saw. However….if Plasmius succeeded in his plan —which seemed obtainable now —the Ghost Child would no longer be pure of heart or have any of those attributes that Skulker found…worthy. In fact, it didn't settle well deep within the cyborg ghost to imagine the younger hybrid so corrupted that doing Plasmius' bidding would become second nature to him….
Skulker's mind drifted from his hardened persona even more…If he knew the Ghost Boy as well as he thought he did, the only way that the pup could fall to that dishonorable level was if his…free will…was exterminated.
The Ghost Hunter frowned at the thought because he served Plasmius out of his own free will…And the man usually expected and even sought out his advice. Not only that, Plasmius was open to what he had to say….
But what of the Ghost Child?
Skulker could only guess that all that the boy would end up being was some kind of mindless…pawn. He knew that Plasmius wanted the boy to be his son— but as the child had been before all of this happened when he devised this plan—only, more willing to do evil...
But the hunter couldn't convince the man that having a vacant pawn was exactly what he was going to get after all this was said and done. After all….Skulker just didn't see how the Ghost Boy could so willingly become the man's…'son' and do evil unless the pup had lost who he really was….
Once again, for some reason, knowing that it was a possibility at this point did not bode well with the cyborg ghost.
However, Skulker's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the holographic representation of Plasmius's computer.
"Sir, there are still fluctuations in your test subject's stress readings," she said.
"As we expected," Vlad replied with a frown. "Why bring that up?"
"Because they are identical to the readings that I recorded before your last program, sir," she reported.
"They are? How can that be?" The billionaire incredulously replied as he hurried over to the monitor.
"I cannot present a hypothesis on that other than to say that it is very possible that your test subject isn't ready after all. I have concluded this after triple checking the data, sir. You need to have another means to determine if your next phase should be activated or not."
Vlad paused and his brow furloughed more with a combination of irritation and slight indecision. This was a delicate situation….he had to be absolutely positive about the boy….
His eyes drifted to the monitors. Why were they the same? He was so sure that this was the point at which he wanted the boy so that he could activate the final program….
But then, his eyes drifted over to Skulker and they widened with their idea. Of course, his robotic friend could check the boy once again! Skulker would know one way or the other!
Meanwhile, Skulker had been watching the man's reaction to the news. He knew that Plasmius would not act unless he was positive. The cyborg ghost floated over to the monitor and looked the data over. Was the whelp still in the game? The ghost wasn't sure how he felt about that…But he knew he had to rid himself of those feelings — pronto!
The Ghost Hunter shifted his thoughts and eyes back to the man. However, his central core inadvertently constricted again when he saw that dark glee in the man's eyes and voice as Vlad said, "The monitors still indicate that Daniel is at the threshold of mental collapse, Skulker. But as you undoubtedly heard, we still have an element of uncertainty. I was wondering if you could use that wonderful scent of yours and…?"
Skulker growled only to himself at the emotions that he had unwittingly felt just now. He promptly threw them away and didn't let the man finish the sentence since he already knew what the man wanted. "I will make it quick, Plasmius."
This time, Vlad's face softened a bit and he said with a pleased smile, "Very good, Skulker. I knew I could depend on you. Maddie, you know what to do."
"On it," she confirmed as she activated the necessary command button.
Somehow, the older hybrid's words didn't flatter Skulker this time. Nevertheless, the ghost threw away any semblance of emotional reaction at nearing and seeing the whelp and hurried to finish this task.
Still, one of the Ghost Hunter's eyebrows raised in slight surprise... There was still something…
But he didn't linger with the thought and wasted no more time in reporting to Plasmius…
Though the billionaire was disappointed —and more irritated —that Daniel wasn't quite at the point he needed the boy to be, he begrudgingly admitted that he had to patiently wait a little longer….But that patience was rapidly wearing thin…
Still, he finally told Skulker, "I'm sorry that I have to renege on giving you our 'friend' over there, who has been kept safe in that ever-perfect container of yours….I really had hoped not to have used him. But as you have confirmed, it seems that Daniel's will hasn't been totally crushed..."
Suddenly, the man ranted, "We have to finally break him, Skulker! I knew it would be hard, but I cannot believe he can still resist all of this!"
Vlad walked over to the coffin-like vessel and looked at its gauges. He reached out to them and then for some reason, pulled back and hesitated.
He didn't know everything about this…creature and his kind, since he didn't even know they had existed until Skulker had stumbled upon them himself and then told Vlad about them. Odd that Skulker had been able to slip in and out of their realm without any trouble when he was scouting out for ghosts to use in the man's plan. What Skulker ultimately discovered, however, was that the realm he found this creature was a realm of spirits, not ghosts…
Yet, what the man had found about this particular spirit and the others similar to him was that if anything was going to finally break Daniel, it was this creature. In fact, Skulker had used his Plasonar Modulator [1] to find this particular spirit; otherwise, it would have been impossible to locate him among all of his kin and their realm.
Not only that, but once Skulker had found him, the hunter had quite a difficult time capturing this particular one because this spirit was very different among his entire race of spirits.
The creature was extremely powerful — dangerously so — and actually almost overwhelmed the hunter. But Skulker, of course, was a master at his craft. He had studied his prey and had planned ahead way before he had actually attempted to capture the creature. If he hadn't, then he would not have devised an effective weapon to use against the spirit —which he had made from the salvaged squared Timeless Magic energy core of one of the Observants' weapons shortly after Iluzisto was defeated —and Skulker would have definitely failed in his quest.
Obviously, however, Skulker did not fail. But indeed because this spirit was very unusual and powerful, the cyborg ghost had put the spirit out of commission and secured him in a temporary container to transport him back here.
Vlad's ally had also said something about the realm having some kind of strange guardian that was placed at its entrance which had at first denied his leaving the realm once Skulker had captured the spirit.
Vlad smiled at his next memory. Of course his clever hunter friend had found another way out of that realm with his most unique specimen…
Funny that Skulker hadn't asked to keep the creature right away, since he would have made an excellent specimen in the Ghost Hunter's collection…
But the truth was that Skulker had been tempted to demand his booty since obtaining it since had been the most hazardous event second only to his being able to delay Iluzisto by his overshadowing him. Not only that, but this creature had not been in Plasmius's plans originally.
However, Skulker had thought better of it because he had never had been able to capture— much less maintain control of— such a powerful, mysterious spirit before. He had even thought that he had reached his limit —and perhaps his luck —in trying to secure this creature. And so, it was best to leave his luck to Plasmius's answer to controlling this spirit: to use his Observant orb which had once belonged to Okulo to control the spirit's core and thereby render the spirit Plasmius's servant…
Once Plasmius had control over the creature, both he and Skulker learned quite a bit about the spirit and his race…enough for him to play a role in Plasmius' master plan —if necessary, which by now seemed to be the case.
Yet, Plasmius couldn't use the Orb indefinitely because the older-hybrid still had to sleep and because of a unique feature they had discovered about the spirit. So, Skulker had built the coffin-like receptacle to hold the creature until he was needed, which was in short order.
After the spirit was compliant enough to do Plasmius' bidding, however, Skulker had rethought his own idea of keeping the creature for his prized collection. But the man struck yet another bargain among the countless ones that the two friends and allies had made with each other over the years; and so, they decided upon the final fate of this creature…
Once Plasmius was through using him —which, again, the man had actually hoped would not be a reality —Skulker would indeed have him to add to his collection. And the thought of having any spirit —much less a very unique one —was enough of a carrot for Skulker to see this plan through.
Now hardening himself to what using this spirit would mean, Skulker remarked, "I see that it has come to this, Plasmius. Very well, then. Once you are finished for what you have in store for him and the whelp, I will gladly take him for my collection."
Vlad smirked and replied, "Indeed, you will be getting control over him shortly and I will also shortly be getting Daniel under control as well."
The Ghost Hunter didn't realize that he had reflexively frowned at that remark. Nevertheless he walked over to the container until he was next to his ally before he said, "Very well, Plasmius. You realize, of course, that I have to weaken the spirit before we put him in you simulation room? And I have to monitor the special ecto-restraints hidden on his ankles. As you know, he adapts too quickly."
"Of course, Skulker," the older half-ghost dryly said. "And actually, I want him weakened because that will only make him hungrier…"
Maddie the computer merely blinked in reaction.
Skulker, however, nodded in agreement before he pushed a special button on the coffin-like container.
The cylindrical vessel was immediately surrounded by a bright, intense red aura which then seemed to be sucked right into the container at its almost non-existent seams. As soon as the entire aura had filtered through the container, the man and hunter ghost heard an ear-piercing scream come from within the vessel, which was loud enough to send shivers up their spines.
The coffin jolted violently right after they heard the scream and the way the container was shaking, even Skulker thought it might prematurely breech.
But a moment later, the vessel stilled.
Skulker glanced at Vlad, who was already holding a round crystal in his hand.
"I think we've got him under control, but just in case," the man merely commented.
Skulker silently nodded back. After all, the older half-ghost and he knew that the spirit was very unpredictable unless it was totally controlled by the Timeless Magic in Okulo's special orb.
Without another word between the two allies, Skulker pushed a few more buttons on the control panel of the coffin-like container.
A loud 'click' followed by an equally loud 'whoosh' penetrated the control room before the top of the oblong box opened as if it were a morning glory flower bud opening to greet the new day's dew.
Both the ghost and the man unconsciously relaxed when they both looked inside of the container.
With a self-satisfied smirk on his face, Vlad said, "Perfect. Remove his shackles and put him in the simulation with Daniel, Skulker."
Skulker felt his central core leap in trepidation; and at first, he wasn't aware that his face had immediately twisted into an unhappy frown. But then, when he felt his unease, Skulker immediately crushed his emotions before he tersely replied, "Very well, Plasmius."
A/N: Glad to see you made it down here! As you can tell, the roller coaster is about to crest over the highest lift hill; and so you know it's going to get wilder and faster from here on! Hope you're strapped in!
In the meantime, don't forget to throw your delicious thoughts at me in that little box below. Until next time, dear readers!
