"Ah, Daniel," Plasmius oozed as Danny phased into the first place he had tried to look: Master's expensively furnished office. "Excellent time. I believe you're getting stronger." Danny found it strange and infuriating that this voice dripping with malice and cruelty came from the face of his best friend.

"I'm leaving," Danny growled, "And I'm taking Tucker with me."

"Oh raelly?" Tucker leaned back against the desk on both elbows and called towards the door. "You can bring him in now." Danny turned to see a teen ghost boy with dark brown hair carrying a large, glowing- green tank filled with a gel-like fluid. A young boy floated unconscious inside, a boy who bore an uncanny resemblance to Alesha.

"Meet Brian," Tucker walked up and patted the tank as the ghost set it down. "You are dismissed, Miller. You know what to do." The teen-ager nodded and disappeared.

"Okay, so who's that?" Danny asked, playing dumb.

"Alesha's brother." Danny looked at the unconscious boy, his longish hair floating slowly around him in the thick liquid. He couldn't have been older than 12, probably more like 10...well, if he'd been alive.

"What have you done to him?" Danny growled. Vlad smiled through Tucker's face, and stepped forward.

"Well, it's a simple process really, and it gives me...leverage when it comes to servants," he grinned back at the tank, and Danny decided to take the opportunity to dive at his friend, but Vlad was either expecting it, or was watching out of the corner of his eye, and a red shield appeared around him. Danny ran into it with an oaf, and slid to the ground, slightly dazed.

"Seems you need more practice," Vlad shook his head, and rolled his eyes. "Now," he continued, "you see this liquid is a potent form of charged ectoplasmic goo. With it, I am able to literally suck the time out of their bodies. It's like sending them into a form of stasis." He glanced over at the controls hooked onto the outside of the cylinder. "It has to be extremely potent, because ghosts are far more resistant to obliteration than humans are."

"But they're ghosts...they can't die," Danny blurted before he could stop himself.

"On the contrary, Daniel," Vlad grinned cruelly. "Ghosts can and do fade from existence, and no one knows where their 'soul' really goes. Maybe there is a Heaven and Hell, but I wouldn't even pretend to guess."

"So that's what you did," Danny's voice dropped dangerously, "you told Alesha that if she didn't continue to work for you, you would kill her brother."

"Very good, Daniel," Tucker's glowing eyes glinted with malice, "but there are a few more things you should know." He floated higher, and with the shield still around him, gestured for Danny to come forward. "Get him out, if you can. If you do, I'll let you and your friends go without a fuss." Not quite believing he could get off this easily, Danny floated up to the glass, and thrust his hand through.

"AAAA!" He screamed and pulled it back immediately. He felt like he had stuck his arm into a wall socket or something. His entire appendage tingled, but the tingling felt more like sledge hammers than the usual pin-pricks. Vlad wrapped his hands around his waist, laughing in Tuckers body hysterically asDanny glared up at him. Defiantly, he thrust his hand into the fluid, and grabbed at the boy's shirt. No sooner had he done so, then the pain gave way to numbness, and his hands would no longer obey him. Danny pulled them out immediately, but they wouldn't do anything he wanted.

"You'll be like that for a while," Vlad glided to the side of the tank, and with his eyes still on Danny, he floated to the top of the cylinder, and pushed a button. The top shot open, exposing the greenish substance. "It takes a minute or two for you to regain feeling in whatever part of your body touches the fluid. How else can I keep ghosts under?" He laughed again before continuing. "This button will wake him up, and get rid of the charge in the ectoplasmic liquid." Vlad pointed to a large red button. "Normally I keep them shielded, but I don't see any point here. You see," Tucker now floated directly over the tank, staring calmly and cruelly down at Danny, "Because of the potency of this substance, with or without the charge, it is deadly to humans." Danny's eyes widened as he began to guess where Vlad was going with this.

"No..." he whispered.

"Oh yes, son," Vlad cackled.

"Don't call me son!" Danny shot back. Vlad only continued to laugh.

"You see, I am going to give you a choice, Daniel," Vlad pointed Tucker's hand at the control panel, and shot it, barely nicking the corner, but lights began to blink and a warning bell went off. "You can either choose to get Brian out of here or Tucker, before the cylinder explodes. When it explodes, it will undoubtedly kill every being in the room, ghost or human, and you may wish to choose fast, because you have about, three seconds." With that, he jumped out of Tucker's body, and Danny watched in slow motion as his friend began to fall towards the deadly charge below.


Well, guys, I have some...bad news for you. Good for me though! ; I'm going up north for a little while, so no chappies until Tuesday. I'm going to put a few chappies up later tonight, but yeah.

LaBOBruen: "Goose" is my term of endearment for my friends when they're being silly. Goose. yes, Evil cliffies are Addicting...very very addicting...walks around like a Zombie I also hope you didn't break your comuter when you were dancing on it like a moron...;)

Kraven the Hunter:glomp: PERFECT PREDICTIONS! you used the exact same reasoning I did! Thank you thank you sooo much!

Dark Ninja of Avelon: I like ghosts haunting me. They remind me of Danny. sighs happily

Halfa Wannabe: Did you want to do a story together? Or were you just talking about pics for your fic? Oh, and thanx for the spelling boost. I appreciate it. :D

Thanks again everyone for the comments on the pics. I'm glad you guys like them. :D