Disclaimer: I still don't own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does, and I somehow doubt that will be changing any time soon. Since I'm not making any money from this, there is nothing for the law-ninjas to sue out of me.

Author's Note: Heeey, you only had to wait a week for this one! And it's a longer chapter than last time as well. However, I've already been chased by chainsaws for the title of this chapter... so I should start running.

Chapter 11: Anathema Resurgent

"So boundless I feel

And boundless all my fears

Stop running back to old times

You lose your routine

Cause I found my path"

-"Path" - Apocalyptica

"We'll just have to... make a run for it!" Danny checked the airspace above the tower.

"And hope they don't spot us!" Sam agreed.

Thankfully the attacking ghosts seemed to have planned their assault based on traditional warfare; without taking the three-dimensional range of Ghost Zone movement into account. While the tower was surrounded on all sides by a ring of veiled spooks, the space above and below Clockwork's lair was blessedly empty.

"All clear overhead... let's go!" Danny leapt from the floor, arrowing straight up from the tower with Sam a breath behind him.

From a few hundred feet above the tower, it was possible to get a much better idea of scale. While the veiled ghosts didn't quite stretch from one horizon to the other, it seemed close. There had to have been thousands, perhaps tens or even hundreds of thousands of the ghosts. Danny cringed as he watched several more boulders slam into Clockwork's already battered tower.

"That's odd." Sam frowned, watching the scene.

"Huh? What is?" Danny snapped his attention away from the vast army below to look at Sam.

"Well, why would they be attacking Clockwork's lair if something already happened to him?" The goth gestured at the tower and the army that was rapidly closing in on it.

"Maybe they're looking for whatever that Maghnus guy thinks he-" Danny couldn't bring himself to call Dan by any name yet. "-stole?"

A loud howl sounded somewhere below the two, the racket entirely too close for comfort.

"We've been spotted!" Sam yelped, grabbing Danny's arm and putting on all the speed she could muster.

"Oh crud-!" Danny yelped, getting an eyeful of what was on their tail.

Leading a large group of the veiled ghosts were several green skeletal beasts. Danny wasn't sure at a glance what they were skeletons of; mythology wasn't one of his strong points, but the things seemed to all be equipped with an array of painful looking spiky bits. From claws to fangs to wings that bore more resemblance to a Swiss Army knife than any flight apparatus, it was clear that he and Sam probably didn't want to try the "Nice doggie" approach with their pursuers.

Danny got his wits together and shifted to grab Sam around the waist, putting on a burst of speed like he hadn't done since his half-ghost heyday a decade ago. By ghostly standards, he was absurdly weak, true; but if he put his mind to it, he could still manage a blistering one-hundred-twelve miles per hour at need.

"Whoa-!" It was Sam's turn to yelp as she went from the one providing the pair's speed to merely being Danny's passenger. "Head for Skulker's island! Maybe we can lose them there!"

"Got it!" Danny responded, shifting his flight direction and trying to ignore the depraved shrieks of the ghosts chasing them. "Call Tucker!"

---

"So it's the gauntlet that Maghnus wears that's the most dangerous aspect of him." Vlad tapped his cane against the floor in thought.

"I remember enough of your older research-" Dan spat from where he was still tied down. "-to know that you probably know less about it than I do."

"Indeed." The billionaire agreed with the acerbic statement. "My research had barely anything about any magical gauntlet; certainly not one with such utter destructive power."

"You know something about this thing?" Paulina shot the old man a disbelieving look. "Spit it out!"

"Perhaps if we could get a better description of the one Maghnus has-?" Vlad prompted Dan. "What little I do know may not even apply."

"Well, if it's going to be Uncle Dan's Story Time-" Dan remarked icily. "-would you please undo these stupid restraints?"

Vlad and Tucker exchanged questioning glances before both looked to Paulina, who was technically in charge of the situation.

"I don't trust you." Paulina declared, expression suddenly cold. "If I let you up, what promise do I have that you won't smash out of here and kill everybody in the process?"

"I suppose you won't trust me if I said I promise-" Dan's tone conveyed massive distaste for the word, as though it left a foul taste in his mouth. "-not to go back to my... old habits."

"He really has gotten better-" Tucker began.

"I still don't trust him." The Latina interrupted. "He's said a lot of things before. I may not be as... angry... as Valerie is, but I've still got my own score to settle."

Dan bristled at the insult, quietly testing his bonds. He was still weakened from his near-oblivion experience; but Vlad's treatment had already done wonders. With his natural stamina, the fire-headed ghost figured he would be back up to full power very quickly.

"What if I said I could break out of here already?" He shot Paulina a sly fanged grin.

Paulina paused, one eyebrow quirking up as she surveyed the prone ghost. "I'd say you're bluffing."

You could break out now. That would shut her up. He noted. And then blast that smirk straight off her pretty little face. Just like that.

Dan shook his head. No, you fool! You're supposed to be over that now. What would Jazz think?

She's not even alive here. This isn't that cozy other time. Why should you even care what she would think?

Dan silenced his inner monologue, forgetting about the tense discussion in the lab and his staredown with Paulina. Valerie he could understand, it was only proper that he should continue to harbor that hatred that had sustained him for so long. But Paulina? Sure, the Latina had opposed him in the past, but she hadn't done anything to him; not of her own choice. No, she had been manipulated by Valerie.

I'm just getting irritated with the situation. How much of this indignity should I have to tolerate?

He'd get his chance, he just had to keep hold of his steadily diminishing patience!

"Um... guys?" Tucker broke the silence. "Seriously, Dan, could you just tell us about the gauntlet?"

"Pheh, fine." Dan sneered. "I did say I'd tell Paulina after all."

"Much appreciated." Vlad remarked dryly. "Do go on."

The ghost frowned in thought, trying to dredge details out of the trauma-blurred memory. "It looked like some sort of armor... maybe gold or platinum. With a bunch of gems in it."

"Gems-?" Vlad's interest piqued. "How many?"

"How should I know?" Dan growled. "Trivial details weren't on my mind when I was busy nearly being ripped to pieces!"

This time it was Vlad spitting a curse. "The gems are vital! I you'd recalled how many there were... then perhaps..." He shook his head. "No, it can't be that, from what you've described. I fear my knowledge is most likely useless."

"Hmph. The more things change, the more they stay the same, old man." Dan smirked, unable to resist needling the billionaire.

"Indeed. After all, here I am, bailing you out of trouble you blundered into again." Vlad retorted easily.

"Hah, it's not like I had much choice in the matter. He attacked me." Dan scoffed at the barb.

"Yes, but knowing how you operate-" Vlad smiled, the expression entirely too smug. "-You could have easily gotten away at any time with your portal ability. However you could hardly turn tail and run without at least trying to overpower Maghnus."

Dan bristled but offered no retort. That was one of Vlad's irritating habits; the older man had no problems needling the ghost with aggravating accuracy. He could have fled the fight sooner; but no, it was his own overconfidence that had put him into the position of barely getting away with his life. Far be it for Vlad to overlook that obvious fact, or let the fire-headed ghost forget it.

The argument was interrupted by an obnoxious musical jingle from some pocket in Tucker's royal robe.

"Betcha Sam and Danny found something!" Tucker nonchalantly flicked the phone out of whatever pocket it had been hiding in. "Hey guys-"

"We're in trouble!" Sam's shriek was loud enough that he held the phone away from his ear with a wince, and the others could clearly hear the goth.

"They're what?!" Paulina yelped.

"Sam!" Tucker could hear something unsavory roaring over the phone. "Where are you guys? What happened?"

"That army! They're after us!" Sam shouted back, raising her voice to be heard above the background noise. "Whoa-!"

Tucker cringed, the sound of that blast was entirely too close for anyone's comfort. "Okay, where are you guys so Dora and I can find you?"

"Just got through the debris- Walker's prison-" Sam yelped again, her panic carrying clearly over the tiny phone speaker. "DANNY, LOOK OUT!"

The sound of static was the only noise in the lab.

"The prison debris field?" Tucker moaned, sliding to his knees. "There's no way- we'll never get there fast enough!"

The sound of tearing metal and an explosion nearby shattered the silence next. The sudden blast of sound dragged all eyes back to something they'd almost forgotten about in the sudden rush of excitement.

Dan scowled, plucking the last bits of the metal restraints from one wrist. Once more the nightmare vision of Phantom stood tall before the defenders of Amity Park; and from the look on the ghost's face, his patience had just run out. Paulina was the first to react, aiming her bazooka and tightening her grip on the trigger.

"Don't move!" She growled.

"Itold you I could break out at any time." Dan flashed a full-fanged sneer at the de facto commander of the situation. "Oh, but that can't be right, can it? After all, I was merelybluffing."

Paulina tried to ignore a cold knot of terror that had landed quite solidly in her stomach. Valerie was who-knew-where, while she and the others were in an underground facility with the ghost. She was at a massive disadvantage and she knew it; all the fire-headed ghost had to do was bring the roof down, and that would be that. Game over.

Even Vlad and Tucker looked uncertain, and that fact alone shook the Latina worse than the ghost's presence in the first place. They had seemed to have a handle on the hot-tempered ghost; and if they were uncertain and afraid now, that could only be bad news. She wasn't stupid either; she knew despite everything that even if Valerie had been there, no one would be able to do anything to stop the ghost. Unlike Valerie's maddening confidence, Paulina had a somewhat more realistic outlook on the problem; Dan was simply more than they could truly handle.

"You can't be fully recovered yet!" Vlad protested.

"Funny, I feel fully recovered, old man." Dan spared a smug glance at the billionaire. "My thanks, it would have taken me weeks to recover enough strength to inflict excessive bodily harm on some stupid fools."

Paulina tried not to shrink back when the ghost's glare returned to her at that comment.

Dan raised one hand, a green glow already surrounding the spread fingers. "I'm going to enjoy this."

"Dan, wait-!" Tucker tried to intervene, putting himself between the ghost and the Latina. "Don't-!"

"What do you think you can do?" Dan scowled down at the royal geek.

"I-" Tucker bit his lip. "Dude, I trusted you!"

"Howquaint." Dan smirked. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

The green glow around the ghost's hand suddenly expanded, a green oval as tall as he was; whirling a myriad shades of green. Before anyone could react, the ghost dove through the temporary portal with a sinister laugh, the sound cutting off suddenly as the gateway spun shut. The silence was deafening as everyone in the room heaved silent sighs of relief.

"A flair for the dramatic, the insipid idiot." Vlad broke into the silence.

"But where did he go?" Dora asked, finally finding her voice after having been momentarily certain that she and Tucker were about to face the same fate her brother Aragon had years ago.

"The Ghost Zone... Oh man!" Tucker yelped. "He's going after Danny!"

"He'swhat?!" Paulina spun, glancing at the Patrol's ghost portal. "We've got to tell Valerie!"

---

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam shook the dazed ghost. "Say something!"

"Ow..." He shook his head a few times to clear the lingering daze. "Too close for comfort. You okay, Sam?"

"Yeah, just scorched. It got the phone." The goth nodded, showing her burnt hand to her friend. "But never mind that, we've gotta get moving, they're gaining-"

"FOR LORD MAGHNUS!"

"Uh... Sam?" Danny glanced around, blue eyes wide. "They're not gaining, they're here. This is bad."

"Really bad." Sam backed away from the nearest of the skeletal beasts, a foul thing that was either a gargoyle or a dragon; she wasn't sure which.

"You!" One of the veiled ghosts pointed a spear at the pair. "Where is it?"

"What?" The two exchanged worried glances.

"The Ascendancy! Where have you taken the other half of it?" The specter demanded. "The great lord of the dark demands it be returned!"

"What are you talking about?!" Danny demanded. "We've never heard of this Ascendancy thing, and we didn't take anything belonging to that creep!"

"How dare you speak ill of Lord Maghnus!" The veiled goon hissed, a guttural, wet sound. "Submit then, or face oblivion!"

"Submit?" Danny glared defiance. "No way, not after what your jerky king did to Tucker!"

"Danny, you can't-!" Sam could appreciate Danny's stubbornness; and had the circumstances been different, she would have welcomed the change in his demeanor, the emotional intensity that had been lacking since he'd first manifested fully as a ghost.

"Well, then you can be left behind when our great lord acquires that which is his, and remakes the world as he sees fit!" The veiled ghost snickered coldly, gesturing to his comrades.

Danny dropped into a combat crouch, the move familiar though he hadn't fought in years. Sam heaved a resigned sigh and also dropped into position behind him. As far as power went, she was the stronger of the pair, even if he still had more personal combat experience. Though the goth held little hope for getting away, surrounded now and outnumbered at least ten to one.

"Danny, before something happens-" Sam swallowed nervously, laying one hand on Danny's shoulder. "I just wanted to say-"

Whatever she wanted to say was cut off abruptly by a veritable wall of energy slamming into the outer ring of ghosts from somewhere to the left. Most of the beasts got out of harm's way, but many of the humanoid ghosts couldn't escape the blast in time. Certainly they had something new to worry about, having not expected such a sudden attack from an unknown quarter.

"What the-?" Danny spun, trying to spot the source of the blast.

One of the beasts, now minus its handler charged at the two ghosts, disfigured mouth gaping and revealing painful looking fangs oozing some vile fluid. Sam gave a shout and slammed into Danny, knocking them both out of the creature's path as it thundered past.

"What was that?!"

"Look out, it's coming back!"

A blur of black and white shot past the pair, slamming what was probably a foot or a fist into that gaping maw with enough force to shatter the lower jaw and launch the monster. Its pained shrieks faded as it careened into the distance on a wild trajectory.

"You'restill useless." The figure stood back up straight and spun around, the movement flaring the jagged cape into a sinister flourish.

Sam felt frozen to the spot, staring at the red eyes that seemed to bore holes into the two of them. What was he doing here, and what did that mean? Did he escape from Valerie and the others? Oh no...!

"You!" If Danny was scared, he did an admirable job of not showing it, matching his counterpart glare for glare.

"That's gratitude for you." A sarcastic shrug. "But that's how it goes, isn't it?"

"He survived?!" One of the attacking ghosts exclaimed, likely gaping in shock behind the veil.

Dan turned his attention on the goon squad, one fang visible in a sneer. "Just what I was looking for. Something to take some misplaced aggression out on!"

"You-!" Sam tried to find her voice and her wits.

"Enjoy the show." Dan gave the two stunned ghosts a dramatic and entirely sarcastic bow. "I know I will."

Before anyone else could remark, Dan launched himself at the nearest of the ghosts, fists glowing green as he planted one square in the goon's veil. The other fist went clear through the skeleton ghost's midsection, the sound of bones snapping a testament to the force of the blow. A fluid half-turn kicked the bony head clean off one of the beasts; the completion of the spun brought the fire-headed ghost's other leg around to punt the decapitated monster into the distance.

"Attack!"

The rest of the spooks hurried to mob Dan after that display, a press of spears and creatures and swords. It seemed Danny and Sam were almost forgotten for the moment, though the two remained penned in by the rapidly closing circle of ghosts.

"Well... I guess five to one is a little better." Sam quipped, remembering that she and Danny had been about to fight the goon squad.

"I... guess." Danny had an odd look on his face, watching Dan tearing into the attacking mob with nothing short of deranged glee.

"Don't just stand there!" A thorny length of blackened vine shot past Danny, coiling itself around one of the veiled ghosts.

"Whoa!" Danny jumped back, only know realizing that his goth friend had already gone on the attack.

True to her nature, most of Sam's ghostly abilities revolved around gothic imagery... and plants. She grinned, holding the thorn-free end of the plant whip she had conjured. Danny helped her brace herself and the pair whipped around in a half-spin, yanking the trapped ghost around and snapping him free to collide hard with one of the beasts. Beast and handler landed in a heap of bones and angry squeals, the ghostly boar kicking the veiled spook to a pulp as it got its feet back under it.

Danny took a spare moment to study his deranged counterpart. Compared to what he'd heard of Dan's penchant for large explosions, the taller ghost seemed to be holding back from excessive energy use aside from the initial attention-grabbing blast. Perhaps a sign that despite appearances, the spook wasn't yet in top form after having been reamed by Maghnus?

Still, from the wide grin that nearly split Dan's face in half, forked tongue sticking out; it seemed that the fire-headed ghost was enjoying himself in a way that made Danny feel decidedly uncomfortable. After all, that crazed face had been the last thing he'd seen before he died. Danny absently rubbed his arms at the distant recollection. He didn't much recall the killing blow, it was the events immediately prior that still haunted him.

"Oh, don't make such a fuss. It's not as though you need your hands, the useless things." The sneer was intense, though the fire-headed ghost's tone was casual, too casual as the pressure on his arms increased, making him spasm with the pain. "It's not as though you need your hands, the useless things."

He was dazed and didn't know what exactly had happened. One moment he could feel that bone-crushing grip on both his arms; and the next he was sliding down the wall of Vlad's lab, the pain still there... but he couldn't feel his arms anymore.

Danny shook his head, trying to drive off that particular memory. It had been his own stupid decision that led to that terrible day, his counterpart had merely stated what he couldn't admit to himself; that he had been useless, he hadn't been able to save his family and friends from his folly at the Nasty Burger.

"Duck!"

Danny registered the command before realizing the voice that gave it, dropping to the ground just in time to avoid a green blast the size of a stove that shot through where he'd been a moment prior. He glanced up just in time to see it slam into one of the beasts... maybe a chimera or griffin. With a squawk of surprise the thing was blasted to bits.

It took a second to register what had just happened. Dan had warned him to get out of the way? The ghost had made an effort to avoid hitting him?

Then he looked down at Clockwork's besieged tower in the distance below.

"Sam!" He yelled, jumping up and punching his way past another of the veiled ghosts to get alongside the goth again. "We gotta get going!"
"Wha-" Sam lashed one of the beasts with her whip, stinging it across the empty eye sockets and making it reel with a pained howl.

Dan spat a curse, flinging several more of the attacking ghosts aside with small blasts and bone-shattering use of his fists. "The rest of that idiot's army isn't oblivious; if we stay put they'll all be after us!"

Danny and Sam gaped blankly at Dan as the taller ghost closed the remaining distance, still tense and using pinpoint beams to keep the remains of the squadron away from the three ghosts.

"Why are you helping us?" Sam hissed, manifesting a few extra tails on her weapon, turning it from a thorny whip into a thorny cat 'o nine tails.

"Did you find that fool Clockwork?" Dan ignored the question, most of his attention on the hostile ghosts and the army below.

"He's gone." Danny said flatly.

Further conversation was interrupted by a boulder launched from the catapults below, forcing them to scatter briefly. Dan spat another curse, too preoccupied to notice a food item or two sneaking into his litany of harsh invectives.

"What do you mean he's gone?!" Dan demanded. "We need to find out about Maghnus and that stupid toy gauntlet of his!"

Danny raised an eyebrow. He's preoccupied with that Maghnus guy... too focused on that to deal with old grudges, or something. He didn't want to admit that maybe, just maybe Tucker was right and the demented ghost had turned over a new leaf.

"Like Danny said." Sam snapped, her expression indicating to Danny that the goth's thoughts were likely similar to his own. "Clockwork's not there, we found his staff abandoned inside!"

"FU-" Dan started to exclaim.

"If that ends with a dessert item, I swear no one is going to take you seriously ever again." Danny quipped.

Dan shut up, the stricken look on his face clearly indicating that he may very well have almost slipped up.

"Yeah..." Sam interrupted the boys. "We need to go. Now."

The noise from the army was growing louder. Clockwork's tower was no longer visible; likely all that remained of it was ruin. They'd seen their fellow soldiers getting whupped, and were closing in.

Dan bristled. Alone he thought he could do relatively well even against those odds. Until Maghnus shows up and beats you stupid because you're not even at full strength yet.

Fear.

Danhated it.

No, much as it stung his pride, retreat was the more sensible option. Besides, Danny and Sam weren't up to such a battle, and Dan didn't relish trying to explain to Tucker why the pair were gone if he tried to stand and fight with the two also caught in the warzone. Especially not after his escape from Patrol headquarters. Even while he took stock of the situation, he smiled wickedly envisioning how Valerie would react to the news.

"Pick a direction." Dan moved like a striking snake, catching each of the two ghosts by one arm and shooting away from the pursuing forces.

"What the-?!" Sam had time to gasp before the Ghost Zone began to tear past at high speed.

Danny went rigid in Dan's grip, blue eyes wide with terror. He wasn't running from an army anymore, he was back in Vlad's lab that day over ten years ago; the day he first stared down the ghost that now had a tight grasp on his arm. The day he'd died.

"Stop... please-" The black haired ghost whimpered.

Dan looked down at him, brow furrowed in annoyance; then turned to glance at Sam who was still wide-eyed in surprise. "What's wrong with him now?"

"What's- Danny!" Sam yelped. "Let me go! Put him down!"

"Are you nuts, Sam?!" Dan shouted back, startling the goth with the use of her name. "In case you may have forgotten, I was almost killed earlier and that's not something you just bounce out of bed from!"

Sam couldn't argue with the speed at least. Dan was probably flying at close to his top speed, and it certainly seemed far more than Danny's one-hundred-twelve miles per hour. He was... well, she hoped it was a rescue and not some twisted revenge. But if he was running for his life, what did that say about his condition... and about their mutual opponents?

"Try... pick a door! Any door!" Sam shouted, trying to ignore the discomfort of Dan's tight grip.

The fire-headed ghost nodded once, careening to the left in a dizzying high-speed turn. He let Sam go as they came up to one of the doors that seemed to be nearly everywhere in the Ghost Zone; the thing looked familiar, though Dan couldn't quite place where he'd seen it before.

Taking the hint, Sam threw the door open and the trio dove through, slamming it shut behind them.

"Masque of the Red Death!"

They weren't alone.

Author's Note: Hopefully that cliffhanger is minor and not worthy of the chainsaw charge... especially after the chapter title and Dan's escape. He's a little testy right now... but then I suppose I would be too! For readers who may not have read my other fics, the reason the title of this chapter is so ominous is because it's a reference to my other fic Anathema, which is the story of how Dan came to be... as told by Dan. And as for Dan's shout that Danny interrupted... was Dan going to blurt a certain four-letter word... or a dessert item? I suppose the world will never know! ;)

Anyhow, just want to remind people about the holiday poster- you can find the full details over on the DPO website (dannyphantomonline. com). The deadline is creeping up- December 5th.

And lastly, virtual roasted turkeys to my awesome, chainsaw-wielding readers (Obi, I'm looking at you!): Selofain, Tie-dyed Trickster, Fulcon, Akino Ame, Kyinsky, Moony's Metamorphmagus, Luiz4200, Eleirah, Skandragon Blackheart, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, and Angelic Kittens!