Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom, I'm a big fan and was feeling nostalgic.
Note (12/23/2019): Happy Holidays everyone! And thank you so much for your awesome reviews, it made me so happy to hear your thoughts and that you're still eager to see how this story ends! And I also want to take a moment to thank all of you for your support and patience. This has been a long journey, but we're finally nearing the end and this is my moment of truth too just like it is for Vlad. I've worked on some challenging stories but this has by far been the most challenging mostly due to real-life drama and personal hardships causing major delays. At the same time, however, writing this was a great way for me to vent and focus on a project to distract myself from all of that and I did my best to make sure it was a gripping tale. I hope the sequel will be just as successful! Anyways, after this, the last two chapters should be much easier to write so don't forget to stick around to see what will happen next!
Chapter 73: The Test Of Time
"Scars are but evidence of life," Coquette said. "Evidence of choices to be learned from...evidence of wounds...wounds inflicted of mistakes...wounds we choose to allow the healing of. We likewise choose to see them, that we may not make the same mistakes again." ~ Marcia Lynn McClure, The Whispered Kiss
Vlad's POV
I cannot even begin to describe the feeling that bloomed in my chest when Daniel uttered those words of encouragement to me. This was undeniable proof that he believed in me and was entrusting me with the task of bringing Dan's existence to an end. This was the moment of truth for both of us...
He still didn't want anything bad to happen to me at the hands of this monster, but even so Daniel was leaving his fate entirely in my hands. And that meant disposing of the being who embodied all of the anger, resentment, vanity, and arrogance that has been festering in the darkest corners of our hearts for so long, especially mine since it was my ghost half that corrupted Daniel's, was all that mattered now. Ending him was my top priority.
At any rate, I will be the first to admit that Dan's attack caught me off guard, but thankfully there was more than enough ambient ectoplasmic energy lingering in the area to help me recover. With this, along with everything else Daniel managed to tell me about Dan's tactics, I felt I was better prepared to put an end to this. But I needed to move Daniel to somewhere safe first. Normally, I would have left Daniel in Jasmine's care since she was one of the few people left in his life that I trusted. However, since she was currently detained in Casper High which as of right now had the strongest ghost shield in town apart from the ones at Axion Labs and Fenton Works that wasn't an option.
Besides which, trying to find her would be even more difficult given that a lot of people were probably taking refuge there since they had nowhere else to go to escape the chaos that was equipped with a shield. Off the top of my head I knew of a few major buildings in the area that had one installed but sadly, those were smaller weaker shields that were only designed to repel your average everyday ghosts. It was never my intention to waste resources giving them anything more powerful than that so there was no way these weaker shields would be able to protect anyone, let alone themselves, from Dan's Ghostly Wail or his Phantom Applause as he calls it...
At any rate, there wasn't much time left before Dan returned so I needed to take Daniel somewhere safe that was still close by just in case I had no choice but to retreat and leave this place to its fate to ensure our survival. Of course, I detested the idea of running away like a coward since I wanted to end this once and for all, but Daniel's safety came first above all else.
Protecting him would always come first.
I know Daniel may never forgive me for prioritizing his life over everyone else's, but if what even half he said about what Dan did to the world in his timeline is true, then we were all that stood between him and both halves of this world being utterly destroyed. And now that Daniel was down for the count, if I didn't take care of Dan myself, if I didn't end this now, there would be nowhere left for us to run where Dan would not follow and seek our demise. He knew Daniel and I too well so neither of us would be able to escape his clutches so easily.
Returning my attention to the matter at hand, I could only hope there was enough time to take Daniel someplace where he would well out of harm's way while I finished this. And so, after deciding on a decent location and making sure Daniel was as comfortable as humanly possible there given the circumstances, I mentally went over what I've seen so far of Dan's fighting style and abilities and teleported several times to confuse Dan just in case so he wouldn't be able to discover where I left Daniel. I couldn't risk him trying to use the boy as leverage even though I knew for a fact he couldn't dare threaten to kill him or hurt him too badly just yet because the two of them were still connected and there was a small chance of that damage carrying over to him and crippling Dan as well.
Either way, from what I've seen it looks as though Dan seemed to favor taunting his enemies when he could to throw them off their game and make them attack him blindly which made it easier for them to make fatal mistakes during battle. But those muscles also told me Dan was fond of being a bruiser as well. He was clearly someone who would gladly toss himself into the middle of a fight where he could deal the most damage and would gladly snap someone's bones like twigs just to hear them scream.
Daniel told me all of this already, but seeing Dan for myself only confirmed it. My little badger studied his opponent well! Despite the dire situation I couldn't help but feel proud of Daniel for remembering so much about his opponent. He had several openings though, openings I could exploit if it weren't for Dan's speed advantage. Unless I stunned him, getting out wouldn't be likely. Now if he attacked me, I could at least block for a short while. His style was his own, but I saw motions and movements in it that were based on Daniel's and my own style so there was some predictability there, something I could read, but it wasn't much. And if it came down to a good old fashioned slugfest; I'd just have to make it work somehow.
It's all up to me now, This thought reverberated in my mind with an increasing fervor as I simultaneously began drawing in as much ambient ecto-energy from around me as I possibly could. I would need every ounce of it to take him on. Still, there was only so much planning I could do to end this quickly so I could properly tend to Daniel's wounds. But either way, no matter what he would survive this...
I would make sure of it.
The silence became almost oppressive as it dragged on, the air unnaturally still like the world was holding onto a deep bated breath, waiting to see how this would end. Even I could not predict the end, although I was confident I had the power to end this on my terms rather than Dan's. Some time passed before a heavy sigh escaped my lips and I turned around, strolling over into the middle of the ruined, empty city block to meet Dan when I felt rather than saw him actually approach and said with a rehearsed detachment, "Alright, let's get this over with."
"Did you enjoy your little break, Vlad?" Dan replied coolly, "It's the last peaceful respite you'll ever know. Once I dash you against the cruel rocks of fate, within an inch of your miserable life, I'm going to rip your ghost half out personally which isn't going to be pleasent I assure you. And then once I'm done with you I'll find Danny, take what's mine, and create myself anew with even greater power! And you honestly think you can challenge that? How amusing," Dan dropped his gaze and seemed to be chewing on that thought.
A false opening, but I wouldn't be baited so easily...
His smile came back when he realized I noticed this too and said, "Well no matter, I've dwelt on the past and entertained you pathetic relics for long enough. Like I said, I hope you enjoyed your break old man, because there's nothing you can do to stop me now. I am inevitable! You and Danny can struggle all you want to the bitter end but ultimately you WILL surrender, die, and this whole world will bow to my will because it is my destiny to bring it to its knees! So let's start with you."
With his declaration for Daniel and the rest of the world, I decided it was time to use the duplicate I made earlier to create an opening. It appeared into view next to him, and Dan swatted at it in surprise. Perfect. I teleported up to him, and mustered all the strength I could and sent a fist square into his jaw, dropping him to the ground where he stood. I unleashed a flurry of punches into his stomach to keep him locked down and stunned, but I must have gotten caught up in having the upper hand on him for once because before I could react I felt his knee collide with me; knocking me away and onto my side.
I heard the ground crunch beneath his feet as Dan strolled over to me and rolled me onto my back. Then Dan grabbed a fistful of my hair and raised me to eye level with him and chided, "Not nearly good enough."
So I attempted to do better and fired an ecto-bolt point-blank at him, but my eyes widened as I saw it splash over him harmlessly. Dan looked amused, "Still not good enough," was all he said before he grabbed my face with his other hand and drove me into the concrete.
I felt the unnatural coolness of ectoplasmic blood flow down my cheek as the concrete and cold dirt gave way beneath me time and time again. The pain was immense, but Dan wouldn't relent long enough for me to fight against it so I had to endure each blow even when it felt when I was on the verge of blacking out to escape the agony. And when he eventually stopped Dan just chuckled and said, "Poor Vlad, I always knew you'd end up in a ditch of your own creation. I just didn't know it would be me who would get to do the honors."
As Dan bent down close to me, an orb of ecto-energy was given life and brought against my chest and I knew he was far from done with me as he laughed, "Don't worry, this will almost kill you, but not quite. You see, you have to be close to death for me to be able to extract your ghost half from you without the...proper tools like last time. Taking Danny's will be easy, but you still need some tenderizing."
Dan licked his lips mockingly, "I always did like my meat bloody after all. And I can't wait to say good riddance to you forever this time, you pitiful old fool!"
While he was busy gloating I tried to wrack my brain for an idea, tried to focus on surviving, but the splitting headache I had now made it hard to focus on much of anything. Soon after, a weird kind of apathy washed over me, a detachment from my fate. I guess this is the acceptance they speak of before you die. Except as I fixated on the ball of energy, nothing happened...then to my surprise, Dan gasped suddenly, grabbed his head after dropping me, and fell backward muttering to himself.
Confused by this strange development I strained to listen as he hissed in denial, "No no no nooo! Not now. I'm so close!"
His orb faded away, as I pondered his sudden cessation and the answer to my unspoken question wasn't long off as chimes filled the air from a mysterious source, followed by ticking, and then a gong from what sounded like a grandfather signaling a new hour. Dan sprang upright, sharply sucked in another lungful of air, and raised his arms in a defiant gesture, like he was preparing to unleash his Ghostly Wail against some mighty force.
Before he could, however, Dan exploded into a brilliant column of green light and his form started withering before my eyes. And when the display was over he sank to his knees, trembling. His muscles were shriveled, and his face looked quite gaunt like he was malnourished and could barely function. Seeing this, I felt some sense return to me as soon as I realized that now I had a fighting chance to land a killing blow on him, but as I tried to force myself out of the ditch, my body faltered and fell back down and I cursed under my breath.
"I miscalculated my time. My odds. Many things, clearly," Dan murmured but his voice was weak, like a man deprived of water and even talking was a strain on him, "I detest using this technique I learned in that deplorable thermos," his ghoulish eyes locked on me, "But at least I'll garner some pleasure seeing your expression as you struggle to escape your demise."
I felt my mind clear more as I slowly pushed myself up and thought, I suspect the pummeling he doled out on me left me with a concussion. Great, a handicap. I'll have to deal with it later if there is one...so it's now or never Vladimir.
Before I could do anything I felt power surge during my efforts to reorient myself, and an eye instinctively trained itself on Dan. It wasn't much power, but I could feel the air crackle around him. Dan was still kneeling, his fists were balled as he focused with great effort as a weak green outline traced his figure. As he did so, I could feel his power ebb and grow like a gathering storm. It came in rapidly like waves, getting bigger and more savage by the passing second. His muscles were also regaining their former luster as Dan filled back out and as I stood over him, stunned, he stood too; radiant and resplendent. His green outline boasted strength and permanence now.
"How-" I started to inquire, but words faltered as he picked himself up.
"Hmm?" Dan began nonchalantly, "Oh, you mean this? It's simple, I overcharged my core by funneling what energy I had into places of power within my body! Basically, I overclocked myself. I may have hated the thermos, but it did teach me how to hone my own energy better at least."
Dan sauntered over what few steps were between us, his eyes spoke of some idea he had and I readied myself as best as I could. Which was more than I anticipated, my head was almost clear now, and I prayed my mind and body could move in tandem.
Jab. I responded with a sidestep.
Jab. Parry and a riposte, but he displayed quick timing too with a block.
Jab! Left, right, left. Leg sweep, block, ecto-bolt. I parried and blocked the initial set, I saw the sweep coming miles away and lunged at him with a vertical spin-kick that he caught with a palm and quickly responded by lobbing a bolt that I failed to counter and was sent flying backward. I oriented myself with a hand and landed on my feet, skidding to a stop.
That lacked the punch I was expecting. Are you testing me? I wondered, searching for an answer during the next clash, he moved slower, his punches lacked the savage strength, and his reactions didn't seem to come so innately now.
I was connecting more now, but it didn't prove much. We quickly disengaged, and I put a test into play. I made a visible duplicate and set it on the sidelines. Doing nothing. Dan looked between myself and the duplicate, trying to figure my game out. In a mocking manner, I casually strolled up to him and put both hands up in a battle stance. He won't turn down a strength test.
His smile said it all and our hands entangled and we pit our might against the other. Surprisingly, I faired well for the first few seconds. Unsurprisingly, he started to gradually overpower me. Daniel has rightly accused me of fighting dirty, so it shouldn't have shocked Dan when I zapped him with my ghost stinger, but I took some quick delight in his look of bewilderment before I untangled from the test and backhanded him. Normally I'd avoid angering such a dangerous ghost, but my test was working out well. So I had my duplicate teleport in and together it and I sent a constant barrage of attacks in his direction.
Meanwhile, Dan's amusement was gone, replaced by rabid anger and irritation as he did his best to focus on his defense. We broke through, and in the ensuing barrage I brought, I quickly had my duplicate back off and hide. Which turned out to be a smart move when he brushed off my next attack and responded with a sweeping attack that staggered me and may have destroyed my duplicate. This settled it however, Dan was only slightly stronger and faster than I currently was, and this made it all too clear to him as well. I wouldn't dare underestimate him now however, so I ran off towards the town where some buildings were left standing and made a plan as he followed me.
Before long I stopped in the middle of an intersection and quickly began formulating my next attack, Five buildings? Perfect. I'll need to be careful about how I do this but I can use this to my advantage.
After that, I moved my first pawn into place, waited, and braced myself for his arrival. As I did so, I heard a loud popping sound, the kind you'd hear after an aircraft went supersonic. Realization dawned on me, and I quickly put a barrier between myself and Dan's Phantom Applause. The attack broke against my defense, but it left cracks in the barrier, cracks I'd have to work with as I moved the barrier in the direction of the next Applause.
I didn't wait for it to connect, I teleported myself to the top of the nearest building and flew straight towards Dan who was on the far end of the street. Dan was quick to take the initiative, and I deftly dodged some ecto-bolts before rocketing a fist into his jaw. The hit was solid, and Dan briefly bowed back like a tree in the wind, but he braced and reclaimed his towering stature through sheer might. As he did this, I could have attacked, but I wanted to see how well he'd notice a subtle energy signature appearing mid-battle.
So I made another pawn and carefully positioned it. Nothing! He proved something I already knew, that he was stronger after overcharging his core, but I proved I could make subtle moves without him knowing. It was time to set the trap...
I quickly teleported away within his view, and exclaimed with a gesture from both of my hands, "I think it's time I put those reflexes to the real test, monster. Let's see how you handle this," as two constructs radiating with ecto-energy blurred into view.
On my left, atop an emplacement, sat long, slender barrels that roared to life and barraged Dan with ecto-energy bullets. He just yawned and shielded himself with a barrier. I guess it was too much to hope he wouldn't expect me to create guns out of ecto-energy as it wasn't part of my usual fighting style. To make up for it I teleported directly up to him and attempted to deliver a knee to his face, but it went into his spare hand and I inwardly snarled, I need to get more creative, he read that like an open book! I can't make the same mistake as Daniel did or I'm dead.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You were trying to do this I take it?" Paying no heed to the construct, Dan spun like a top and his own knee crashed into my chest, sending me to the ground with a slight bounce. I rolled over and found myself vomiting up some ectoplasmic blood. The first construct whirred to a stop as I found it too hard to focus my energy on retaining its form while I wretched. If I survived this battle I was positive I would have several internal injuries that would need immediate medical attention.
"That's right, Vlad. Let it out. Let it all out," He kneeled down and propped my head up, "Bleed that precious life force out. It'll all be over soon, for you and for Danny."
"That's what you think, now!" I shouted aloud, my eyes flashing.
"What now?" Dan blurted out as a single shot rang out from the second construct he neglected to notice, loud and strong. And I was pleased to see a long gash had opened on Dan's left cheek and oozed a bright toxic green, a sign that I'd finally caught him off guard.
Three, two more. An explosion erupted next to us from where Dan sent an ecto-bolt, never taking his eyes from me.
"That wasn't very nice," Dan said flatly with a plastered-on smile, "You left your toys out, but don't worry, I'll put them away before they hurt anyone else. You're awfully cranky today Vladdy, I think you need a nap!" An arm wrapped itself around my neck, and with a jerking motion, he picked me off the ground.
At first, I thought he was trying to knock me out, but as the pressure grew I realized Dan was instead trying to snap my neck, probably figuring it would be quicker for whatever he had planned. I'm not letting that happen! Five. With a mental command as I counted how many duplicates I had placed thus far, I went from being in the throngs of the enemy, to atop a building nearby overlooking where Dan was.
I resisted the urge to cough which would have given away my position and slowly sucked in air through my nose as I watched Dan strangle a duplicate I made, feeling echoes of its pain since it was an extension of myself. My throat felt like it was on fire as I rubbed the tender flesh and frowned, I never showed anyone this trick, not even Daniel, so it should be new to you as well. Now to get close enough in a way where you can't resist my Shatter Dome. One way or another, this ends now!
I decided to act quick so the duplicate Dan was wrangling wouldn't need to be recreated. It was an extra I hadn't planned to create since I needed the energy for my next big attack but losing one was ok for the sake of making the right opening though. Standing tall, once I reoriented myself I took aim from atop the building. Green energy spun in my hand for a moment before I pressed my mental trigger, sending the bolt spearing off and out. It burnt the back of his uniform and singed his back somewhat when it connected. Dan growled in anger and what sounded like surprise as he abandoned the duplicate at this new development and whirled around to face me. When he did, I mentally told the duplicate he released to hide somewhere new and close by since I managed to save it before it was completely destroyed.
"What? Vlad? I was just...What is this?" Dan demanded, sounding like an irritated child who felt cheated out of winning.
"Oh, I bet you'd KILL to know," I replied mockingly, my voice a little hoarse.
Dan paused for a moment then scoffed as he muttered to himself, "Duplicates. Of course. I should have known, but when did he have time to place those? Why didn't I feel the new ghost signature?"
"So much for your so-called changes in the future. The way I see it you're still so much like Daniel, in the heat of battle you lose your cool when under pressure, or when you get over-confident. And you're definitely still prone to the latt-" wind pressed against my face, his hulking form cast where I stood in shadow and a titan of a fist sprang forth to greet me. But with another telepathic command, I was off again where the last duplicate relocated then it took the full brunt of the hit instead of me and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
A shame, I could've used it better, but the other duplicates are too close together and I can't let them be seen, I thought as I pelted him with a couple more shots to grab his attention.
He turned, teeth clench, eyes wide with irritation as I continued to goad him, "Actually, let me rephrase that. When your opponent seems to be more tha-" His speed certainly was impressive as my words were cut off and I whisked myself back towards the cluster of buildings using the same trick.
This duplicate was simply knocked to the ground and ignoring it for the time being, I continued loudly from my new location, "-than you expected, you lose your cool. During those ten years you wreaked havoc in the world you never had an honest fight with anyone aside from my little badger I presume. You simply destroyed every enemy with brute force and no finesse whatsoever! How typical...and yet you still claim to be his 'better half?'"
"HOW are you doing that?! Whatever it is, stop it and face your death like a man you sniveling coward!" Dan demanded, voice dripping with malice, "You NEVER did this before! And this is YOU, YOU have ALWAYS been a showoff! I assumed you were incapable of such subtlety because if anything you were the one who was quick to lose his temper!"
Sensing what was about to happen, I moved the positions one my duplicates and replied, "Actually, I've-"
Like clockwork, Dan blindly rushed towards where I was, and I switched spots with yet another duplicate once again to evade, "-never-"
I switched again, "-shown you-"
Another switch, my voice carrying a confident ring as I laughed mockingly, "-everything I knew!" And this last switch brought me into the middle of the intersection.
"LIES!" Dan snarled, his tone a mixture of being honestly bewildered and frothing mad, "I KNOW YOU VLAD! I KNOW YOU BETTER THAN ANYONE AND YOU WERE ALWAYS THE BIGGEST SHOW OFF OF THEM ALL! YOU WERE ALWAYS TRYING TO BRAG ABOUT HOW MUCH BETTER YOU WERE JUST SO I WOULD LEAVE MY IDIOT FATHER AND JOIN YOU! BUT YOU'RE NOTHING COMPARED TO ME, YOU HEAR ME?! NOTHING!"
He caught his breath, but Dan was clearly still frayed at the edges as he took a step back and glanced around, muttering to himself, "Why is he only using this new trick NOW? I can't even sense them even though I know they're there now. Just how long does this worm intend to struggle when he knows he can't win?!" He flew over to me, his form towering above me but I held my ground this time because I was exactly where I needed to be-
Meeting his burning gaze with my own I sneered, "It's simple, you petulant child. This is something you never did quite grasp about me. No matter how powerful I became I knew I would always need some sort of insurance in case I ever found myself in over my head, so I kept some tricks to myself for a rainy day. Tricks that I know how to use in many situations when the need arises. Only a fool thinks there's never going to be someone out there more powerful than you and doesn't prepare for that eventuality."
"Your Ghostly Wail and Phantom Applause are great surprises when your opponent doesn't know they're coming, but after that, they lose that effectiveness," I continued, my words cold and hard, "You may have our abilities, our combined strength, speed, endurance, and you even know how we think, to a degree. But in the end, however, you are STILL just a second-rate, half-baked, amateur who never learned how to use the other gifts aside from just that raw power properly. Daniel has amended this deficiency, adhered to change so he could learn and grow and think ahead, but you haven't. You've learned nothing aside from a few more cheap parlor tricks! And so you'll lose today because of your lack of foresight and understanding."
Dan gave a big empty chuckle, "That's RICH, coming from you. You want SKILL? You want to see my POWER? THEN STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE AND SEE FOR YOURSELF HOW POWERFUL I REALLY AM BEFORE YOU DIE!"
As soon as he finished his rant Dan sucked in as much air as he could muster, but I didn't hesitate as I made my move first. The duplicates I made earlier and placed hit him with a cascade of ecto-bolts, the flurry of attacks pelting him at once which caused him to buckle briefly, but as soon as he recovered Dan unleashed his Wail upon the buildings behind him. The cacophony of pure sound obliterated everything before it, duplicate and building alike. I still had one left though, and right when his last attack finished he telegraphed his next attack with a wide arc to his swing.
Sloppy, but I'll play along, I feigned surprise as his fist bore down upon me, his face was ripe with satisfaction as it connected before...POOF! I teleported behind him and sent Dan to the ground, pouring a lot of my remaining energy into this next part as I trapped him in a special energy dome. Dan sat up and instantly tried smashing it with his fists, blasting it apart with his energy attacks, and I even saw him use his Ghostly Wail on it to no avail.
This was my strongest shield which was made almost more like an energy construct that reinforced it yet it had an extra perk as well that he had obviously forgotten all about. And for the first time since I saw him, Dan looked unsure, though still angry, but it was clear he was at a loss for words and had no easy answer for this. So I answered for him...
"Tricks", I said, breaking the silence.
"Huh, what're you-?" was all he could muster as Dan glared at me harshly, slightly breathless this time from using his Wail so intensely in rapid succession to decimate most of my duplicates in one blow.
"I had more than one trick I was saving," I explained, "This one is my Shatter Dome. The name might need work, but I trap my victim in a shield that recycles any energy that passes through it. Heck, if you were to try and phase through it it would spit you back out where you currently are. Unless you knew how to direct the flow, which I do. I only use this on those that prove to be my match. I'm surprised you forgot about this since it's part of an attack I used when we first met, or rather when I met MY DANIEL."
Narrowing my gaze at him I chuckled and mimicked how he'd spoken to me earlier, "Oh, and I know what you're thinking, 'Why haven't I used it before?' See, I needed to make sure you were thoroughly distracted for this to work, it needs a couple of seconds to charge. And if I used this on an opponent who was nice and calm, it wouldn't take them long to realize I was setting up something special. And I don't use this on just anyone. It's so...crude."
A crackling bolt of pink energy zapped into my hand, and I slowly fed the dome the bolt. Violent energy bounced and ricocheted within, Dan did his best to fight it, but the barrage of intense electrical energy overwhelmed him and he dropped to the ground writhing and twitching. Another bolt zapped into my hand, this one I fed the dome all at once. Like the crack of a whip, something snapped and popped, before the interior of the shell surged with a freakish amount of energy. It all fought to escape in a violent display of raw power before it subsided as quickly as it came.
Dan looked positively ragged after that, his uniform was heavily singed, arcs of electricity could be seen lashing across various parts of his body, and I could see some of his muscles twitch. The poor fool didn't even realize his own attempts to escape my dome only made it stronger. With every ounce of venom I could muster I told him, "Unlike the Vlad you knew, I try to avoid being the monster nowadays. For Daniel though? My little badger? I'll do anything. ANYTHING, to make sure he's safe. Especially from the likes of you. Even if it means using a move that most certainly would have killed him during our many battles."
Something must've snapped inside Dan at those words because he rushed the edge of his prison and with a hiss said, "IF I'M A MONSTER THEN IT'S YOUR FAULT! I ONLY LEFT YOU ALIVE SO I COULD WATCH YOU SUFFER AS MUCH AS I WAS KNOWING YOU CAN'T SAVE ANYONE! JUST LIKE MY PARENTS YOU ONLY KNOW HOW TO BREAK THINGS! JUST LIKE HOW YOU BROKE ME AND MADE ME LIKE THIS! BUT THIS TIME I'M GOING TO BE THE ONE TO BREAK YOU AND EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY UNTIL YOU-?!"
Angrily I fed two bolts to the dome, and the sound of coursing joules drowned out whatever else he was going to say. The dome lit up like a lightbulb, and when it was over, Dan laid on his side, folded up. And even though I wanted to I couldn't take joy in this, I would have rather bested him in a fair fight and made an example of him, but this wasn't about me anymore. I had someone I had to protect. And as I told him, nothing would stop me from doing that. So I repeated the process twice more for good measure...
After I confirmed Dan was truly beaten and that even he wasn't going to get up anytime soon after enduring that, I left the dome up, went to retrieve Daniel, and came back after a quick teleport. It was risky, but I wanted him to see his ultimate foe vanquished firsthand. And more importantly, I wanted to make sure what I was about to do next wouldn't harm Daniel through the fragment of Dan still inside of him.
I always planned ahead, but if I'm being completely honest I never thought that this is how I would choose to end the existence of this monster. I was about to end it all with where it began, in the form of an all-too-familiar weapon I pulled out from the back of my belt and aimed directly at Dan's core while I held Daniel securely with the other. And no, this time it was no mere construct. This was the very same weapon that nearly killed Daniel on that fateful day when I had the realization that I didn't want him to die, that I did care for him.
And from that moment on Daniel became a welcomed part of my life and was given my love and my full protection. Up until then I was alone, unloved, bitter, and yet bringing him into my life like this and genuinely helping my little badger filled a void in my heart I had grown accustomed to denying was there. I hated everything this gun represented, but if nothing else would prove to him how real my devotion as a father figure was, even if it meant using the weapon his father Jack made and nearly killed him with to save Daniel...surely this would.
I wasn't sure if he would have the energy to stay awake for long, but after calling his name Daniel blearily opened his eyes and turned to me, blinking in confusion before they fell on the gun in my other hand and he asked hoarsely, "Vlad...isn't-isn't that-?"
I nodded mutely without looking at him and asked, "It is. Daniel, we both know what this weapon can do and I honestly don't know what it will do to HIM or the part that's inside of you. However, in order to know if it's truly over...I have to kill him. Do you still trust me, little badger?"
"Yes," Daniel replied, mustering what little energy he had to glare at Dan who was trying to crawl to the edge of the dome.
After a few more moments of silence, Daniel closed his eyes and whispered, "Do what you have to, Vlad...for both our sakes."
Dropping the dome just enough to give me a clear shot at his core, I lifted the weapon a little higher and for the first time, I saw real fear in Dan's eyes as he wheezed, "D-do you really have what it takes to kill me, Vlad? You'll...you could end up killing your precious Danny too or hurting him beyond repair by your own hand! Can y-you really live with that?!"
My finger tightening on the trigger, I answered coldly, "Yes, I can actually, and you want to know why? Do you want to know what makes this choice so easy to make?" I could tell he already knew the answer, but I decided to say it anyway as I glared down at him and said indifferently, "It's because you are NOT my little badger."
And with that, I pulled the trigger-
For a moment, it seemed like time had ground to a halt as Dan stared at the barrel of the ecto-inhibitor gun I just shot him with. A silent scream tore from his throat as the pain of the ectoenergy from his overcharged core attacking him began destroying Dan from the inside. I briefly glanced over at Daniel when his back arched the instant he felt an echo of it too. But then there was a flash of red and whatever fragment was in him before dissipated into a fine red mist and the shock merely rendered him unconscious once again. Dan, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky; the immense agony on his face was clear as he clawed at his chest and thrashed on the ground, his eyes glowing solid red as he blindly searched for a way to escape it.
Up until now, I felt no such connection with Dan even though he held part of me within him too until suddenly there was a sharp jolt in my chest and I fell to my knees. And when I looked up, I saw his form begin to crack like glass until, in a blinding flash along with a horrifying howl of unbridled pain and rage, Dan's energy burnt itself out and his core exploded like a small bomb.
Instinctively I protected Daniel and myself in a shield when the wave hit us, but no sooner had I done this when I heard something metal clatter to the ground. Cracking an eye open...I suddenly saw an unfamiliar ghost appear out of a somewhat familiar portal that formed from a giant clock hand who bent down, picked up the strange gear-shaped medallion I heard earlier that was left in Dan's wake, and then he turned and smiled at the two of us as he said, "Well done."
In the time it took me to blink in surprise though, he was gone...
And that's when I knew it was finally over. I saved Daniel. I stopped that monster and my little badger was safe again. That's why before I knew it I was cradling Daniel in my arms, and for the first time in my life, I let the tears fall freely because the long nightmare was finally over...for both of us.