"What happens to her?" A young whinny male voice asked nearby.
"It looks like she's shot... A lot." A female voice she didn't recognize. "And it isn't from anything Mom and Dad have."
Ember rolls over on her side and tries to open her eyes, but the bright light from the sun keeps her at a squint. Her body ached all over from head to toe with a crippling pain the like she only felt once in her life many, many years ago. She couldn't see much, but from what she could make out, she was in some teenager's room. Which surprised her as the last thing she remembered before blacking out was taking a bullet from an older man at the Bermuda inlet. The massive runoff point for missing aircraft and ships with the unfortunate luck of running into one of the many naturally accruing portals leading into the Ghost Zone.
"Skulker? Plasmius? Valery?" A more familiar voice replies.
"This doesn't seem like them, Danny." Another female said as the sound of typing keys on a keyboard. "Skulker, for a time, was a love interest for her. Even if someone paid him enough, I don't think he would turn on her. Vlad and Valery maybe, But the marks on here aren't anywhere near their MO."
'Danny?' Ember gasps in a whisper. 'Dipstick? Dipstick saved me?' The faint memory of the halfa taking her in his arms appeared in her mind. 'Ha... Wow.' She says, drifting in and out of consciousness.
"Laser leave burns, not holes." The other voice replied. Ember managed to get a better look at her and recognized her as the goth girl with who she made the halfa fall in love a while back. Sam, she thought was her name. "This is something a little more low tech and a little more human."
"How can bullets harm ghosts?" The other female replied. She was taller with orange hair and blue eyes with a slight resemblance to the halfa.
"I remember reading something in one of my books on old-world folklore." Sam says as she pulls up an article on 'Cold Iron and the Paranormal.' "Even now, people in rural communities use it to keep away spirits. Scythe, iron hooks, or iron horseshoes by the door of barns, Iron amulets under the stares of the entrance of their homes, iron scissors by the crib of newly born babies."
"Cold iron is one of the first elements which takes more energy for fusion than fission! It's an energy sink!." The annoying guy said. 'Ugh, I know that voice!' Ember cringed. 'That's the lowlife that ruined my first concert here on earth. I know that voice anywhere, Screech!'
"Tucker, your right!" The taller girl replied.
'Tucker?' Ember smirks. 'I like my name better.'
"This article says something about iron having aura like a spirit due to its magnetic properties. It causing energetic forms to 'fight against 'the current.' It takes energy in and will either bind it to it or split it apart based on its polar alignment." Sam explains as she surfs through some articles.
"Just like the weapons Mom and Dad uses, but cruder," Danny replies. "And crueler."
"Did you touch her wounds?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, it burned like acid," Danny replies as he looks at the slight burns on his hand.
"Just like iron can harm ghosts and humans, it can harm someone who's somewhere in between." The taller one replied.
"Thanks for stating the obvious Jazz," Danny replies, rolling his eyes.
'Jazz.' Another memory comes back to her. 'She can't sing either. Almost as annoying as Screech, but not as much.'
She turns over on her back and looks at her stomach to see the kids patched up her wounds with special bandages. It must have been something the halfa has in that arsenal of his just in case he gets rough up too. 'Wow, it must be his place if all those losers are here. And parents? He's just a kid like me! Well, at least I was when I passed...'
"The next question is who uses Iron bullets?" Tucker asks openly.
"I might know someone to ask," Danny replies as he gazes over to Ember lying in his bed. "She might have something to clue us in."
"I don't know, Danny," Sam says, voicing some concern. "This is too out of the norm for anyone we know. For all we know, Vlad could have paid her, convince, or-"
"Coerced?" Danny interjected.
"I was going to say use this in her insidious plan to get you out of the picture for Plasmius's or her gain!" Sam argues. "Ember is evil, and the last two run in's with her have shown that she isn't above working for any lowlife ghost or betraying them. She's a mercenary, after all!"
"It can't be." Danny counters. "Did you see her guitar? That's her life. Anyone who trashes that thing goes overboard. Why would she trash her guitar? I don't think anyone could pay her, threaten her, or convince her to trash it."
"What happens to her guitar?" Jazz asks.
"It looks like someone took it out of a war zone," Tucker tells her. "It's sitting downstairs in pieces. Whatever did that damage was something old school and automatic."
"Maybe it's a fake." Jazz says, taking Sam's side of the argument. "If she's working with Vlad, then he has to have had a copy made to make this seem real. Or she had another made to trick you. Who knows?"
"Who knows, is the number one question." Tucker agrees.
"Then the only way to find out is to ask," Danny says firmly. He lowers his voice and motions them closer. "Besides, Even if she did it to herself, she isn't in any shape to fight for a while. Who knows? Even if this was the real deal and someone jumped her, we could find ourselves a new friend in the Ghost Zone. It's not like we have a lot to count on anyways."
"I'm fine with that." The other three agree in unison. Tucker and Jazz agreed; without question, it made sense to them. Making friends is a better option than making enemies, especially in their line of work when they have the opportunity. But Sam wasn't completely sold on the idea, and Danny could see it in her eyes. He could hear Ember tossing around in bed, and that was the cue to approach her. He'll talk to Sam later, he noted to himself.
He takes a seat on his nightstand next to her as she slowly comes over. "Dipstick? Wha-" She whispers, trying to get a feel of where she is.
She decides to play it up a bit. She'd been somewhat awake for a few minutes or however long they had been talking.
"Here, let me help you," Danny says, helping her propel herself up against the bedboard.
With what strength she had, she stopped him and brought herself up. "No... I got it. Thanks, dipstick." She forgets to take her hand off of his, but Danny doesn't say anything.
"You don't have to thank me." He replies. "How are you feeling?"
"Like hell." She replies as she fixes her hair with her free hand. "What did you do to get those slugs out?"
"Oh," Danny says, looking over at his friends and sister, Sam scowling at him and looking down at Ember's hand on his. He moves his hand back toward his lap and continues. "Just some shards, so we took them out and put these bandages on you. I got them from my friends in the Realm of the Far Frozen."
"I know that place," Ember says weakly. "I remember my first day in the Ghost Zone. Got lost, mhmm?"
"No, No, No. Hehe, No." Danny says, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Uhh... Yeah. Well, I mean, you don't get good at what you do without messing up, you know?"
Ember chuckles and shoots him a quick smile. "Whatever you say, babypop."
Danny shares the laugh, and a little humility goes a long way sometimes. "But really, How are you feeling?"
"Just hurting... Don't remember much other than everything going black, then you, and now this." She says, speaking with her hand showing her current state. "It's all a blur, but I'll get better soon. Hopefully."
"Anything else you can remember?" Danny asks.
"That's the thing. I can't." She replies, annoyed. "Everything was so fast it's hard to put it all together. One moment I get an angry call from Kitty, and the next, I'm here. What part of that don't you understand?"
"Hey!" Sam shouts. "You better be thankful that Danny saved you from turning the pavement a new shade of blue. He's trying to help you, and you should at least try and help us get back at 'Who' ever did 'this.'"
"Piss off, creep!" Ember fires back, her hair rising a bit from her angry. The pain in her stomach and legs made her back down and calmed herself. She takes a breath, looks over at Danny, and tries to mouth out, 'I'm sorry, but her pride kept her from saying it. Ember was a proud creature and couldn't risk losing that image.
"Whatever." Sam snorts, turning her back and walking out the door. "Ungrateful bitch." She says under her breath. Jazz and Tucker follow behind to calm her down, but Tucker sticks his head out through the door before he leaves. "We'll take care of damage control, Danny." He says as he goes.
"Thanks, Tucker," Danny replies as he turns back to Ember, who's sulking in bed. "Sorry about that."
"Pff Like I care." Ember retorts with spite turn her back to him.
"She's right, you know." Danny counters. "A bit of gratitude would be nice, like what you showed me in the air."
"WHAT?!" She gasps, turning back to him and grabbing his forearms. "IF YOU LET ANYONE IN THE- AHHHUGH!" She shouts in pain before laying around down in bed.
After all the fighting they had done, he knew how to get into her head. But this time around, that isn't the wisest decision to make, even in her weakened state. "Relax, Ember. Whatever happens is between us, alright? No one has to know." He says, reassuring her.
"Yeah. You better keep that promise dipstick." Ember replies sharply. "If you know what's good for you."
"You're not exactly in the shape or position to be acting like a diva." Danny shoots back sharper. "You're too weak to move, let alone make threats. Especially here of all places. The fact that one of my enemies is here on somewhat good terms is a miracle."
"Oh, and thank you, oh powerful ghost punk, for showing mercy to me!" Ember remarks sarcastically. "Who says I'm not just pla-" She recoils back in pain and grabs her stomach.
"Hold on, I got something for this," Danny says as he reaches to the desk for a black medkit. He pulls out a couple of tables and gives them to Ember. "Frostbite made these for me, Kind of like Ecto-Antibiotic/Pain killer. It helps me when Skuller or Vlad uses one of those heavy rays they like to use."
"Bleh!" Ember says, swallowing the tablets. "Sawdust! Gross!"
"You get used to it. It's better to wash it down with something other than water to mask the taste." Danny says, giving her a soda.
"Still blah, even with pop." Ember snickers. "I'm surprised you even have friends in the Ghost Zone. Especially, big-time players like those pop sickles."
"When you're the top dog in the Ghost Zone, you tend to make some friends, but mostly enemies." He says, acting cocky.
Ember rolls her eyes and tries to hold back a smirk. "Speaking of enemies, hero, why let one of them lay in your bed? Let alone being such a wonderful nurse."
"Nurse? Really? More like a doctor." Danny says, snickering at the thought of Dr. Danny Fenton. "And besides, Would a hero leave someone, including his enemies, to hit the ground after having a run-in with someone packing Iron bullets?"
"Pshh, whatever, Doc," Ember says with a bit of smirk and returning her to the bedboard. "Hmmm, maybe not. But everyone, even a hero, has their motives for what they do. What's yours?"
"No faith in the good of humanity?" Danny goes on a limb.
"Not really. Haha." Ember replies, putting the soda back on the table. "You can't trust anyone in the Ghost Zone, except you friends, of course."
"I've teamed up with some of the Ghost Zones worst before," Danny tells her. "Skulker might not want to admit it. But we broke out of Waller's ghost jail together with Desiree, Technus, and a couple of others a while back. Along with some other jams, we found ourselves. Enemy of My Enemy is my friend and all that. I'm I using that, right?"
"Something like that, haha." She laughed. "But as I said, everyone has their motives."
"What makes you think I have a motive?" Danny challenges her.
"Doctor has to pay his bills to babypop." Ember replies with a snicker. Her hand slides off her stomach and onto the bed, only a few inches away from Danny. He looks at her bandages and gives a sympathetic glare. He lets go of the tension and relaxes in his chair. Ember wasn't a threat in her state, and he knew it, so he better act like it. He let out a brief prayer in the hope that this wouldn't come back to haunt him. It's a gamble for him, but if he kept his guard up, she wasn't going to budge.
He lets out a long sigh, "Not this one. The only thing I want to know is who hurt you. No one deserves to be filled full of iron, Human or ghost."
Was this act of Danny's genuine or maybe a well-crafted lie? It hit a chord with her. She looked away from him and recoiled her hands back over her chest before turning on her side to hide from him. No one has ever been this nice to her before. It wasn't something she was used to.
"Ember," Danny says in a near whisper reaching out to her.
"I told you I don't remember!" She snaps, her hair flaring up, pushing him away. "Just leave me alone. When I get better, I'll leave, alright?!"
Danny gets defensive, but instead of making it worse, he gets up and heads for the door. "The meds are in the kit near the bed. If you need anything just call me. My parents are out for the next week or so for some convention. So don't be afraid to say something."
"Whatever dipstick." She spat, covering herself with the blankets. The door shuts like a steel door leaving Ember to her thoughts. 'This has to be a trap.' She tries to convene herself. 'That dipstick has something up his sleeve. I know it. He's just like that old halfa, Vlad. Just another backstabber is trying to get one over me again. Just like him and fucking Shaun...' She teared up as the rage bubbled inside her. Ember threw the blankets off of her, threw herself to the bedside, and collapsing in pain on the floor.
Ember laid there, unable to move for a few minutes crying to an empty room. She grew tired, 'I guess those meds are getting to me...' Within a few seconds, she fell asleep on the floor with her tears as her pillow.
Danny hears a thump from up stares and stands up quickly. "Calm down. Little Ms. Pop star must be throwing a fit in her dressing room. I say just let her be." Sam replies, taking a sip of coffee.
"How did it go?" Jazz asks, trying to take Danny's mind off Sam.
"Not too good. Ember's not budging, but maybe she's telling the truth. With that kind of pain, she can't be a reliable source of information, regardless if it was self-inflicted or not." Danny says, giving her the benefit of the doubt.
"You're going to have to let her heal then and try to earn her trust." Jazz says intelligently.
"What makes you think she won't escape?" Sam asks aggressively.
"What's your deal, Sam?" Danny fires back.
"Besides the fact that you're practically sleeping with the enemy?" Sam says, getting to her feet. "I don't trust her, and you shouldn't be so forgiving. Who knows she could jump you in the middle of the night, and what then?"
Sam wasn't the best at voicing her emotions, and neither way he, but she had a point. She was, after all, worried about her best friend and his safety. He sighs and tries to get on some even ground with her.
"Don't worry. I have the thermos, and whatever stupidly named weapon my Mom and Dad hid all over the house. Also, I'm a part ghost, duh. It's not like I haven't faced her before." Danny said confidently.
"I know," Sam replied, backing down. "I'm just worried, Ok?"
"I know. I know." Danny says. "I got this. Now let's just relax and have some fun. Those meds I gave her should have her knocked out for a long time. So how about we go to the mall or something to get our mind off this?"
"I'll stay here. I have a report coming up soon, and I better finish it before Monday." Jazz says as she gets up off the couch. "I'll watch Ember till you get back."
"Thanks, sis," Danny says. "Let me grab some cash from my room, and I'll meet you out front."
Sam and Tucker nodded and walked out the door. He was lucky to have friends like them, but sometimes they are a pain in his ass. Even so, he thinks of them as part of his extended family. Jazz hangs back as Danny goes upstairs, first feeling something was up with him. He enters his room, leaving the door cracked just enough for her to get a good look inside. She sees the bed empty with a concerned look on Danny's face.
'I knew she was-'
Danny walked to the other side of the bed and bent over. Ember was cradled in his arms like a loved one and then sat back in bed. He looked sad to see her like this, and it touched Jazz's heart to see her brother show such empathy for someone, especially someone who tried to kill him. Danny tucks her in and stands there for a moment.
"I'm sorry." He says to her before heading for the door. "You'll get better soon. I know you will."
Jazz splits for the nearest door as she watches Danny walk down the stairs and leave the house.
"You're going to be a good man Danny." She says with pride as she peers into his room at the snoozing Ember. "I just hope your judgment is just as right as your heart.: Jazz closes the door and heads to her room to her desk. She opens a drawer, takes out her laptop, and an Ecto-Pistol; Full battery with a spare battery nearby.
'I'm my mother's child, No questions asked.' She chuckles to herself as she pulls up her report on her laptop and begins work. Hopefully, she'll be able to finish it unless the pop star decides to change that.
But she wasn't worried. Not at all.