Jazz was no idiot. Having paid close attention to the local news, she knew exactly what had happened to her little brother. She could recognize that black and white outfit anywhere. Although it was rather difficult for her to grasp the fact that he wasn't what one would call "little" anymore, seeing as how she had absolutely no idea how or why he became that way, she could still tell her sibling from the reptilian creature she had seen doing battle against the two other dragons that had just recently appeared in Amity Park.
With the remainder of the Fenton family being sent to the farthest city limits because of the evacuation, she had to make a trip to the only nearby automotive shop to find materials for one of Jack's anti-ghost devices, which he hoped to complete before any of the attacking monsters left the area. On her way towards the shop, walking down the sidewalk, she passed two men, who were talking about how the last two dragons turned and flew out over the lake after a brief fight. Too worried about keeping Danny's secret to want to raise suspicion by asking questions, she kept walking, ignoring the pair. Above, the sky was beginning to cloud up; a thunderstorm was on the approach, due to affect the area within the hour.
As she made her way past the local hospital, however, she noticed the ambulance that pulled up, the members of hospital staff rushing out of the building to move the vehicle's occupants inside. She nearly froze when she saw the person laying on the stretcher, his leg in a bind. Following behind him among the nurses was another familiar face. Jazz stopped and watched them from the sidewalk until they disappeared from view behind the automatic sliding doors of the hospital's emergency entrance.
Sam and Tuck always followed Danny around everywhere, and yet here they were without him around. For Tuck to have such an injury where he needed immediate medical attention, separating him and Sam from Danny, something terrible must have happened... She shuddered, thinking about what else might happen from this turn of events. Making up her mind, she abandoned her original task, turning from the sidewalk and running toward the front entrance to the hospital.
Upon waking, it took Danny a long time to realize that his eyes had opened; all he could see was the darkness that completely enshrouded him. He blinked, having noticed a momentary flash of light in the corner of his eye. He tried to turn his head, but was soon met by the screaming protests of the nerves in his neck, which then seemed to set off a chain reaction all throughout his body; he was in intense pain within a matter of seconds, as though a switch had been thrown somewhere in his nervous system as a result of his movement. The scrapes on his arms and legs, the burns in his throat, the claw-gouges on his face--each and every wound on his body felt as though they were being opened further by some unknown force. He tried to shut his mind out from the searing pain, but found it impossible; underneath the constant assault of his nerves, however, he could feel a pressure on his chest, something clamping down hard around his midsection.
It was then that he noticed that he was suspended in mid-air, laying on his back, his neck and tail hanging from whatever had a hold on his body. He could not move his arms or legs, as they were within the bonds that held him tight. He felt a chill against the side of his face; wind was blowing against him. He was moving, being carried rapidly through the air. Down below him came the sound of splashing water and crashing waves; he was still above the lake.
"Meddling ghost-freak... Soon I shall have what I want..."
The ominous voice echoed in his mind: dark, poisonous, utterly saturated with malice. The very sound of it seemed to make his pulse come to a standstill. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the four glowing blood-red eyes turn toward him, the jaws spreading into a hellish grin, the black teeth standing out against the crimson interior of the creature's mouth.
His gaze was frozen to that of the monster. He saw nothing else. The red eyes watched the color draining from Danny's face, black smoke rising from its jaws as it laughed at him.
"There is nothing you can do now... Nothing..."
He could feel the intense heat coming off the netherworldly creature's breath. It was like the flames of Hell were licking at his face.
"All you can do is just watch... Watch as the world you know comes to an end."
The more he listened to the voice, the more familiar it began to sound, like a nightmare being awakened from deep within his mind. Except that as he began to recognize it, the effect it was having on him was starting to weaken; he had no reason to be afraid of it once he discovered who it was. He had no clue as to how she ended up taking the form of such a fearsome creature, but right now, it didn't matter to him. Fighting back the pain, he found the strength to move his vocal cords.
"Spectra... Whatever you're going to do... I won't let you..."
He shut his eyes, the spell broken. He heard her snort in answer.
"So you finally figured it out, ghost-freak... No matter... This is the end for you."
"And what do you mean... by that...?"
"I'm taking you back... Back to your home... That pathetic stack of bricks and mortar you call a city... And you will do nothing but watch as I destroy everything you tried so hard to protect, everything you hold so dear."
He turned his head to look, and found that he was being held securely between Spectra's two hind feet, which resembled those of a maleficent bird of prey.
"I could easily kill you now... But that would be such a waste of blood... I want to make you suffer... Suffer for everything you've done to me... Once I'm done laying waste to your city... You will be begging me to end it for you."
Something wet struck his cheek; he opened his eyes. He noticed another flash of light, and realized that Spectra was flying into a storm. Rain fell all around them, lashing against Danny's weakened body mercilessly. Jagged spears of lightning stood out against the darkening sky, the resulting thunder deafening. It was the same storm he had seen heading toward Amity Park on his way out over the lake; they were getting close to the city.
"I... won't... let... you..."
Once again he heard her snort at him in response.
"You keep telling yourself that... Despite what you know to be true..."
He could feel her bond tighten on him, her claws digging into his unprotected flesh. The tone of her voice began to soften.
"And yet, I've always wondered why... I mean, you of all the... things... I've met... should know your limits. What could possibly lead you to believe... that somehow you could find a way to stop me, that you could actually defeat me?"
She bent her talons inward, piercing between Danny's scales.
"It's like you always put yourself in denial... Thinking that you can summon strength you do not have... Thinking that maybe someone who doesn't even exist will support you, even come to your rescue..."
Danny's mind flashed to Sam and Tuck. He tried to concentrate, but he could not hear their voices. Something was shutting them out...
"They do exist... My friends..."
Spectra laughed.
"Do you even realize the position you're in? Do you really think, that in a situation like this, that your two puny little friends have the power to save you?"
Danny could feel her front end begin to tilt downward. They were closing in on the city.
"They can do nothing... Just like you can do nothing... And soon, they will BE nothing..."
Her wings folded back slightly, her descent speed increasing.
"Silly to think that they would be of any help to you in the first place... Nothing lasts forever, you know... Not even the bond two people claim to have... In the end, it always breaks... Everything breaks."
Danny watched as she seemed to moved forward, putting herself before him; she had actually moved her legs behind herself, putting Danny behind her to increase her flight speed. The harsh rain whipped at him, as though mocking him. The clouds below them began to clear; Danny could see the water below getting more and more shallow as they approached the shores of the lake. In the distance, he saw tiny dots of light; the automated streetlights of Amity Park, the last lights left functioning, marked its position in the fading gloom.
Spectra's words resonated in his ears. He didn't actually think that Sam and Tuck would have the ability to physically emancipate him from Spectra's clutches... I mean, come on. Unless they could fly here on a winged purple unicorn and blast Spectra out of the sky with a magical spell, they're not worth a thing in the brute strength category...
The distant lights became more prominent as they descended from the thundering clouds.
But it's not by their strength and protection that I usually end up winning... Well, maybe sometimes it is, but most of the time it's just their being there... their trust in me... that gives me the strength to come out on top... And it's that kind of strength that's more powerful than any kind of physical force I've known...
He could hear the crash of the surf breaking against the rocks along the shoreline below.
A force more powerful than anything human... And yet it comes from humans... Sure, being part ghost gives me an advantage most of the time... But it's my human half that makes me who I am...
Spectra opened her jaws wide, roaring triumphantly.
"Okay, Spectra, so what? Really! So what if everything breaks? Nothing's MEANT to last forever! Not friendship, or strength, or even a person's temper... I may lose them all... But if I do... Th-that only goes to show... that... I'm only human!!!"
Light burst from somewhere near his chest. He turned his head; something had appeared at the base of his neck, encircling it in a ring of golden light. He felt a sudden weight on his neck, hard and cold. His mind running frantic on a single spark of hope, he swung his neck as hard as he could, arching it upwards, aiming his head toward the shining object. Gleaming yellow metal and a glowing green jewel caught his eye; he slid his lower jaw underneath the Amulet, shut his mouth, then pulled his neck back as hard as he could. He heard a loud snap as the metal chain broke under his pull.
Spectra screeched in surprise, immediately losing her grip on Danny; his body had suddenly took on a blinding yellow aura. He did not fall from her clutches, but instead hung in mid-air, held up by an unseen magical force.
Danny's body suddenly went numb. His vision became blank. Unable to feel his mouth, he concentrated on keeping perfectly still, hoping that his mouth remained shut, lest he accidentally drop the Amulet. Although he was completely devoid of any kind of physical sensation, he was still able to tell how his center of gravity shifted, moving up his spine; his tail was apparently steadily retracting into his backbone. His neck soon lost most of its weight. In fact, he was losing weight all over his body...
The light slowly began to fade around him, his vision being restored. He quickly turned his gaze upon himself; he caught the last remnants of his sharp claws as they dulled to a flat edge and became small and broad, turning into fingernails. He was then interrupted by the large metal object that sat between his teeth, which was getting drooled on accidentally. Reaching up and removing the Amulet from his mouth, he instinctively shoved it into a side pocket on his uniform, which now fit him in a more familiar fashion.
He then saw the glowing red jaws open before him, a bright red light shining from them. He put both hands before him just as the beam struck him, glancing off the ectoplasmic shield. He was knocked back by the force of the blast, quickly regaining his position afterward. Spectra swung her disfigured neck toward him again, opening her mouth. Danny looked into her throat, noting how she was keeping her neck straight. She began to gather energy for her next attack.
Danny stood his ground. He stayed in front of her, turning to face her, keeping his body straight. He put his hands out in front, his palms starting to glow.
The red ball of energy inside Spectra's mouth shone brighter, its strength intensifying. Suddenly, it pulled back, retracting into her throat, ready to spring forward.
"AaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
Danny took off like a bullet, his hands before him, balled into fists that shone with an emerald light. Spectra barely saw him coming; he shot past her jaws, narrowly avoiding the blade-like teeth, and disappeared down her throat.
The ectoplasmic energy radiating from his thin form, blinding and intimidating, was the last thing she saw.