Saving Sam
By JadeRabbyt
Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Nickelodeon. Style, plot, and pizzaz belong to yours truly. ### means a scene change.
There were five of them, dressed in ragged jeans and t-shirts, toting a chain, a club, and a crowbar. One had a knife in its teeth, and Danny caught the cold shine of brass on the knuckles of another. They walked with a swagger and toyed with their weapons as they advanced on his group, emerging like the specters they were from the open end of the alley.
"Don't worry guys. We'll be alright. I think I have an idea."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Sam said in a loud whisper. "They didn't kill the other five people either. If we're lucky we'll only be savagely beaten."
Tucker gulped. "Yeah, Danny, I really hope you know what you're doing on this one. I think that's the only way out of the-"
"Thank you Tucker, I know. It would be great if you both could just shut up for a second." They were coming in closer, still about thirty feet away. They walked along the alley, avoiding the dumpsters, boxes, and trash cans that littered the street with swift, precise swerves, no doubt a scare tactic for less talented individuals. To Danny, the behavior meant that he still had the element of surprise working for him, which was good, because there wasn't much else in his favor at the moment. The five ghosts narrowed their path as they approached his group. If he timed it right, if he could surprise them in a narrow spot then he might have a decent chance. They continued closer, moving into a rough line to pass between two dumpsters-
Danny zapped into ghost mode and leaped into action. The ghosts froze, their arrogance effaced by bewilderment. Danny landed a blow to the jaw on the leader before they could react, but then they began to swing their chains, clubs, and knives in earnest, pursuing Danny into the air as a pack. Danny gritted his teeth as a chain made a painful connection with his shin. Tucker had whipped out the thermos and was looking for a clear shot. Danny swung his fists, occasionally connecting, but he was feeling far more damage than he was dealing.
A sharp, commanding voice called through the melee. "Get the others! They're only human." Several ghosts broke off from the assault on Danny and circled around toward Sam and Tucker, weapons at the ready.
"No!" Danny shouted. "Tucker! Use the therm-" his call was cut short by a club to the stomach.
"Way ahead of you." Tucker took aim and fired off the thermos, sending a blinding ray of light through the shadows that swallowed one of the attackers. The other veered off and returned to the main group, where the prey was much less prepared.
"I can't get a clear shot unless you can break free!"
"Through the apartments," Danny heard one of his assailants mutter. He aimed a kick in that direction, but he couldn't get any leverage behind it in the crowd. Someone gave him a punch that sent him flying across the alley and toward a nearby building. He barely had time to phase out, passing harmlessly through the brick and rematerializing in a pitch-black hallway.
Tucker and Sam watched Danny fade through the wall. Tucker aimed and fired, but the group was too fast and raced through the wall after Danny. "Nuts," Tucker said.
"Come on." Sam was already pulling him toward the front. "We've got to get in there and help him."
"How? It's midnight and this is a bad part of town. Nobody's going to open up."
"We'll see about that."
###
Danny jumped up to race back outside, panicking with the knowledge that he was in a very bad spot. He leaped back into the air and hesitated a moment over which way to go in the thick darkness, but then the moment was gone and so was his chance to flee. The four gangsters were on him again in a flash. Glowing lime-green fists, chains, and shoes raced across his field of vision, leaving him blinded and cornered by the streaks of color. He backed against the wall and tried to fend them off, hoping to protect at least one part of himself from injury, but before he could realize his mistake they shot around behind him. Spine, shoulder blades, and lower back seemed to take a single massive blow, forcing Danny's torso out and giving the two attacking him in front the opportunity to sneak in some abdominal blows. He felt them battering him with every weapon he had seen on them at the start of the battle, but he couldn't tell where, only that it hurt. He ached everywhere and everything seemed a green blaze of fists and weapons. He was going to die.
No. He landed a haymaker that sent one of them sprawling. No he was not going to die here. He delivered a last vicious kick and raced upwards, through the ceilings, feeling the wind tear fresh and cold across his cuts and bruises, but he paid no attention and continued up, wondering how many floors the building had. Something knocked at his feet, throwing him off balance and sending him spinning laterally for just an instant. An instant was all the gangsters needed.
###
In the time it took Danny to rematerialize in the hallway, Sam had already begun to tear several boards from a window on the first floor. She opened it up enough to crawl through, thick splinters from the sill tearing at her clothes. She landed in darkness on the inside and glanced back to Tucker, who was struggling with the tight squeeze.
"Come on." The window opened into a stairwell, and she hurried to race up it and out of sight, towards the muffled grunts and bangs. Tucker landed on the floor, grunting as he landed on his head and flopped free of the window.
"Just don't do anything stupid," he called after her. "You're not a ghost!"
"Hurry it up, Tucker! You're the one with the thermos!" He struggled to his feet and ran after her.
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A/N: Whatcha think, so far? Like it? Hate it? Tell me about it! Shame on me for interrupting the fight scene.... Never fear. More shall be posted very soon!
