-- Author's Note -- WooHoo! Two updates in one week! Aren't you guys proud of me? I haven't done this since I started the story! Well, it's all thanks to your reviews. ::tears up:: You all give me strength! Anyway, there were some things I'd like to comment on from the reviews. First, Augusta, no Tucker will not be becoming a Halfa. They already tried that on the show, so that's been done! And the idea kinda bores me, no offense to those who would like Tucker to become part ghost too. If you do, go write your own fic! ::sticks tongue out at them::
Danny: Oh, like that's mature.
MoonHawke: What can I say, I'm a kid at heart. ::smiles sweetly::
Sam: Stop fighting you two, there are panda bears dying in China, and you're fighting over maturity levels.
MoonHawke: Sorry Sam! Okay, now who else was there... ::flips through a stack of papers::
Danny: Any day now, I'd like to start the chapter.
MoonHawke: Oh yes. ::pulls out a piece of paper:: Daemonwolf. No, that is not all, but I do not take well to threats. I suggest you remember that if you'd like me to finish this fic. ::shrugs:: Who knows, I may just forget to update and I may get really, -really- busy with other things. We wouldn't want that, now would we? Good!
Danny: Please tell me you're done now.
MoonHawke: Almost! Promise, I would like to personally thank each and everyone of you who reviewed, but I don't have time/space for that! So, for my last one, Exeter, thank you for your criticism! I tried to take that into account during this chapter, and I hope you think that it has improved. I have some other comments, but I will try and e-mail them to you if you don't mind. Okay, now I got a few reviews that were asking about how stupid Rurik is/was/whatever and about no one hearing Sam and Danny talking below deck. All I have to say in response to that is, how do you know? Who says Rurik is really that dumb? And who says that no one heard them? Well, I'm not saying! LoL. I promise your questions will be answered in this chapter! Well, all but if Danny and Sam are going to tell each other that they like each other! Nope! I like keeping you in suspense, besides, where's the fun if they tell each other now?
Sam: You done now, right?
MoonHawke: Yep, yep! Quite done! On with the chapter! And keep reviewing!
Danny: You know what they call author's like you, don't they?
MoonHawke: No, what?
Danny: It's two words, the first one is review, and the second one rhymes with boar. If you don't get it, go ask your mommy.
Chapter 11 Phase Two
Danny sat silently inside the cell. In a few minutes, after Sam had given Mandy and Tucker the signal, they would sneak below deck and release him. Even knowing this he was creped out by the fact that he was locked up aboard a pirate ship. The feelings was made worse by knowing that if Mandy and Tucker couldn't unlock the door, he wouldn't be able to get out.
"Ow!"
"Shhh! Do you want the crew to hear us?" Mandy whispered at Tucker.
He must have stubbed his toe or something, Danny thought looking towards where the voices had come from. Mandy and Tucker popped out from behind a barrel and smiled at him.
"Sam's in?" Danny asked in a whisper.
"Yeah, she's doing great. I hope that Rurik's taking the collar off her now," Mandy explained.
"I just don't see how stupid a ghost can be," Tucker said.
"Sometimes, when someone's in power they'll see what they want to see in a situation," Mandy told him.
"Enough you guys. We can debate this later. Get me out of here, now," Danny said, his patience getting testy.
"Right, right. Did you grab the keys?" Tucker asked Mandy.
"Noooo. That was your job Tucker, remember? While I was taking Danny in to Sam and Rurik, you were to get the key to the cell."
"I thought that was your job!" Tucker said, his voice getting weak.
"Stop, stop, just stop," Danny said trying to get control of the situation. "You guys are going to have to go and get the key now. Mandy tie up Tucker and take him with you. If anyone asks you why you're taking the key tell them so you can lock Tuck up. All right?"
Mandy nodded, but Tucker looked annoyed. "Tie me up? What is this anyway?"
"Tucker, you knew this wouldn't be easy when you started. Just do it or we'll never get out of here. Who knows where we'll end up next, it could be Asia for all we know."
The color drained from Tucker's face and he nodded in agreement. He let Mandy bind him and she pushed him back the way they had come.
Once they had left Danny sighed. Sometimes he wondered if Tucker was all there. It was times like this he strongly thought not. Looking around the belly of the ship, Danny wondered how many people had fallen into Rurik's hands. This had to end, and end now.
After a few minutes Mandy and Tucker came rushing back to the cell.
"What happened?" Danny asked.
"The-the key," Tucker gasped.
"What about it? Did you get it?"
Mandy shook her head as she was bent over gasping for air. They must have run the whole way back.
"The what is it?"
"It's gone," Mandy finally managed to spit out.
"Gone? How could it be gone?"
"You are not the only ones trying to break away from the curse of the Black Emerald," a familiar voice said.
"Wh-who's there?" Danny asked, his eyes darting around.
"It's your greatest enemy, Danny Phantom," the voice said.
"Vlad?"
"Vlad? No, it is the Box Ghost!" he boomed as he popped out from behind some barrels.
"The Box Ghost?" Tucker asked eyeing him.
"What do you want?" Danny asked him now.
"I was captured by Rurik as well. Please Danny Phantom, if I give you the key will you help me escape as well?"
"Why is everyone asking for our help?" Tucker asked sounding quite annoyed at this turn of events.
"Fine," Danny sighed. "Just stay out of the way."
"You trust him?" Mandy hissed. "But he's a ghost."
"Yeah, but I'm part ghost, and so is Sam. You trust us but not him?"
"That's different!"
"Maybe, but don't worry. We've faced him before, and it's no big," Danny explained.
"Yeah, and he's completely hopeless," Tucker whispered to Mandy with a small laugh.
The Box Ghost handed over the key and the three of them gave him orders. He was to keep Rurik busy while they took out the ship.
After the Box Ghost had gone off to find a distraction, Mandy tied up Tucker and Danny again.
"Why do we have to do this again?" Tucker whined.
"Because you're suppose to prisoners, remember?"
"What?!? No! Danny's the prisoner, no one knows that I'm here!"
"They will if you keep yelling like that," Danny told him. This quieted Tucker down. With that Mandy finished tying the boys' hands and pushed them back up onto deck.
"This is so stupid," Tucker muttered under his breath.
Mandy smacked Tucker upside the head. "Hey!" he started but Mandy hit him again.
"You'll be quiet prisoner!" she yelled at him. Danny glared at Tucker and Tucker shut up. This boy was no good at acting what so ever.
As Mandy was leading them over to the empty barrels they were going to hide in until Sam got away from Rurik, Sam burst out from Rurik's cabin.
"Danny!" she screamed, falling to the floor.
"I'm going ghost!" Danny shouted as he went to transform. But something was wrong. He couldn't transform!
"Any time now Danny," Tucker urged him. Sam was trying to crawl over to them, but one of her arms seemed to be hurt.
"I can't transform!"
"Muwhahaha." Rurik stood in the doorway of his cabin. "Stupid human. Like I wouldn't know the great Danny Phantom when I saw him," he said giving Sam a kick in the leg. She screamed in pain and dropped to the floor.
"Untie me Mandy!" Danny ordered her.
"I don't think so," Rurik said sending a blast of energy at the human girl. Mandy was thrown off her feet and into a pile of barrels.
Danny was panicked now. He couldn't transform, and Sam was hurt. How could he have gotten her into this?! If something happened to her, he could never forgive himself! "Sam!"
Rurik laughed harder. "Like my ropes, Halfa? They were specially made with the souls of the damned, just like this ship. Even if you were to become your ghost self, there's no way that you could break free from those ropes. Don't you remember what your little friend told you about the cell?"
"What?" Danny asked, struggling to free himself from the ropes. Mandy had tied them too tight again.
"I'll explain it to you child. I have managed to find a way to craft the souls of those who commit the worst crimes into objects. Those objects are immune to those ghostly tricks you are so use to."
"How did you manage that?" Tucker asked now.
"It's like the objects in our world, ghost boy. They are solid to ghosts, except I plucked the souls right at the very moment of death, while the soul is still part human as well as part ghost. This was ghosts nor humans can pass through them."
"That's crazy!" Danny shouted.
"I think not, ghost boy. Look around you, there's no escape now. Plasmius will pay handsomely for you," he laughed grabbed hold of Danny.
"Let... let him... go," Sam said trying to force herself up.
"Ah, so you decided for one last go? Well, I doubt Plasmius will pay quite as much for you, but I'm sure he'll be happy to take you as well."
"Let... Danny... go..." Sam was now on her feet, but just barely. She was supporting herself on one of masts and glaring daggers at Rurik.
"What do you think you're going to do to me, ghost girl? You can't even control your power." This caused Rurik to laugh harder.
Maybe he really has won, Danny thought looking from Rurik, to Mandy who was out cold, to Tucker who was now hidden behind the barrels they were to hide in, to Sam who looked like she would fall over at any moment.
Sam raised her free hand up towards Rurik and shouted, "LET HIM GO!"
Danny: Oh, like that's mature.
MoonHawke: What can I say, I'm a kid at heart. ::smiles sweetly::
Sam: Stop fighting you two, there are panda bears dying in China, and you're fighting over maturity levels.
MoonHawke: Sorry Sam! Okay, now who else was there... ::flips through a stack of papers::
Danny: Any day now, I'd like to start the chapter.
MoonHawke: Oh yes. ::pulls out a piece of paper:: Daemonwolf. No, that is not all, but I do not take well to threats. I suggest you remember that if you'd like me to finish this fic. ::shrugs:: Who knows, I may just forget to update and I may get really, -really- busy with other things. We wouldn't want that, now would we? Good!
Danny: Please tell me you're done now.
MoonHawke: Almost! Promise, I would like to personally thank each and everyone of you who reviewed, but I don't have time/space for that! So, for my last one, Exeter, thank you for your criticism! I tried to take that into account during this chapter, and I hope you think that it has improved. I have some other comments, but I will try and e-mail them to you if you don't mind. Okay, now I got a few reviews that were asking about how stupid Rurik is/was/whatever and about no one hearing Sam and Danny talking below deck. All I have to say in response to that is, how do you know? Who says Rurik is really that dumb? And who says that no one heard them? Well, I'm not saying! LoL. I promise your questions will be answered in this chapter! Well, all but if Danny and Sam are going to tell each other that they like each other! Nope! I like keeping you in suspense, besides, where's the fun if they tell each other now?
Sam: You done now, right?
MoonHawke: Yep, yep! Quite done! On with the chapter! And keep reviewing!
Danny: You know what they call author's like you, don't they?
MoonHawke: No, what?
Danny: It's two words, the first one is review, and the second one rhymes with boar. If you don't get it, go ask your mommy.
Chapter 11 Phase Two
Danny sat silently inside the cell. In a few minutes, after Sam had given Mandy and Tucker the signal, they would sneak below deck and release him. Even knowing this he was creped out by the fact that he was locked up aboard a pirate ship. The feelings was made worse by knowing that if Mandy and Tucker couldn't unlock the door, he wouldn't be able to get out.
"Ow!"
"Shhh! Do you want the crew to hear us?" Mandy whispered at Tucker.
He must have stubbed his toe or something, Danny thought looking towards where the voices had come from. Mandy and Tucker popped out from behind a barrel and smiled at him.
"Sam's in?" Danny asked in a whisper.
"Yeah, she's doing great. I hope that Rurik's taking the collar off her now," Mandy explained.
"I just don't see how stupid a ghost can be," Tucker said.
"Sometimes, when someone's in power they'll see what they want to see in a situation," Mandy told him.
"Enough you guys. We can debate this later. Get me out of here, now," Danny said, his patience getting testy.
"Right, right. Did you grab the keys?" Tucker asked Mandy.
"Noooo. That was your job Tucker, remember? While I was taking Danny in to Sam and Rurik, you were to get the key to the cell."
"I thought that was your job!" Tucker said, his voice getting weak.
"Stop, stop, just stop," Danny said trying to get control of the situation. "You guys are going to have to go and get the key now. Mandy tie up Tucker and take him with you. If anyone asks you why you're taking the key tell them so you can lock Tuck up. All right?"
Mandy nodded, but Tucker looked annoyed. "Tie me up? What is this anyway?"
"Tucker, you knew this wouldn't be easy when you started. Just do it or we'll never get out of here. Who knows where we'll end up next, it could be Asia for all we know."
The color drained from Tucker's face and he nodded in agreement. He let Mandy bind him and she pushed him back the way they had come.
Once they had left Danny sighed. Sometimes he wondered if Tucker was all there. It was times like this he strongly thought not. Looking around the belly of the ship, Danny wondered how many people had fallen into Rurik's hands. This had to end, and end now.
After a few minutes Mandy and Tucker came rushing back to the cell.
"What happened?" Danny asked.
"The-the key," Tucker gasped.
"What about it? Did you get it?"
Mandy shook her head as she was bent over gasping for air. They must have run the whole way back.
"The what is it?"
"It's gone," Mandy finally managed to spit out.
"Gone? How could it be gone?"
"You are not the only ones trying to break away from the curse of the Black Emerald," a familiar voice said.
"Wh-who's there?" Danny asked, his eyes darting around.
"It's your greatest enemy, Danny Phantom," the voice said.
"Vlad?"
"Vlad? No, it is the Box Ghost!" he boomed as he popped out from behind some barrels.
"The Box Ghost?" Tucker asked eyeing him.
"What do you want?" Danny asked him now.
"I was captured by Rurik as well. Please Danny Phantom, if I give you the key will you help me escape as well?"
"Why is everyone asking for our help?" Tucker asked sounding quite annoyed at this turn of events.
"Fine," Danny sighed. "Just stay out of the way."
"You trust him?" Mandy hissed. "But he's a ghost."
"Yeah, but I'm part ghost, and so is Sam. You trust us but not him?"
"That's different!"
"Maybe, but don't worry. We've faced him before, and it's no big," Danny explained.
"Yeah, and he's completely hopeless," Tucker whispered to Mandy with a small laugh.
The Box Ghost handed over the key and the three of them gave him orders. He was to keep Rurik busy while they took out the ship.
After the Box Ghost had gone off to find a distraction, Mandy tied up Tucker and Danny again.
"Why do we have to do this again?" Tucker whined.
"Because you're suppose to prisoners, remember?"
"What?!? No! Danny's the prisoner, no one knows that I'm here!"
"They will if you keep yelling like that," Danny told him. This quieted Tucker down. With that Mandy finished tying the boys' hands and pushed them back up onto deck.
"This is so stupid," Tucker muttered under his breath.
Mandy smacked Tucker upside the head. "Hey!" he started but Mandy hit him again.
"You'll be quiet prisoner!" she yelled at him. Danny glared at Tucker and Tucker shut up. This boy was no good at acting what so ever.
As Mandy was leading them over to the empty barrels they were going to hide in until Sam got away from Rurik, Sam burst out from Rurik's cabin.
"Danny!" she screamed, falling to the floor.
"I'm going ghost!" Danny shouted as he went to transform. But something was wrong. He couldn't transform!
"Any time now Danny," Tucker urged him. Sam was trying to crawl over to them, but one of her arms seemed to be hurt.
"I can't transform!"
"Muwhahaha." Rurik stood in the doorway of his cabin. "Stupid human. Like I wouldn't know the great Danny Phantom when I saw him," he said giving Sam a kick in the leg. She screamed in pain and dropped to the floor.
"Untie me Mandy!" Danny ordered her.
"I don't think so," Rurik said sending a blast of energy at the human girl. Mandy was thrown off her feet and into a pile of barrels.
Danny was panicked now. He couldn't transform, and Sam was hurt. How could he have gotten her into this?! If something happened to her, he could never forgive himself! "Sam!"
Rurik laughed harder. "Like my ropes, Halfa? They were specially made with the souls of the damned, just like this ship. Even if you were to become your ghost self, there's no way that you could break free from those ropes. Don't you remember what your little friend told you about the cell?"
"What?" Danny asked, struggling to free himself from the ropes. Mandy had tied them too tight again.
"I'll explain it to you child. I have managed to find a way to craft the souls of those who commit the worst crimes into objects. Those objects are immune to those ghostly tricks you are so use to."
"How did you manage that?" Tucker asked now.
"It's like the objects in our world, ghost boy. They are solid to ghosts, except I plucked the souls right at the very moment of death, while the soul is still part human as well as part ghost. This was ghosts nor humans can pass through them."
"That's crazy!" Danny shouted.
"I think not, ghost boy. Look around you, there's no escape now. Plasmius will pay handsomely for you," he laughed grabbed hold of Danny.
"Let... let him... go," Sam said trying to force herself up.
"Ah, so you decided for one last go? Well, I doubt Plasmius will pay quite as much for you, but I'm sure he'll be happy to take you as well."
"Let... Danny... go..." Sam was now on her feet, but just barely. She was supporting herself on one of masts and glaring daggers at Rurik.
"What do you think you're going to do to me, ghost girl? You can't even control your power." This caused Rurik to laugh harder.
Maybe he really has won, Danny thought looking from Rurik, to Mandy who was out cold, to Tucker who was now hidden behind the barrels they were to hide in, to Sam who looked like she would fall over at any moment.
Sam raised her free hand up towards Rurik and shouted, "LET HIM GO!"