Hooray for another chapter! Just to warn you guys, it gets a little intense from this point on (but I'm still trying to keep it G-rated). Please let me know if you think I should raise the rating.
I have been feeling horrible and angry recently, so I take out all my bitter emotions on our heroes. But don't worry, I promise a happy ending, though.
As far as questions go-
Windwaker: I was actually really trying to avoid making Timmy half ghost, because it has been done so many time in other fanfics that I have read. I wanted to write something a little different. However, if a lot of people want me to, I may be willing to make an exception... Why don't you make a fanfic the way you want it?
cakreut12: I haven't really planned this out much. I just started writing, and it seemed to just fall together. I have so much fun writing it that I keep getting inspired by new ideas, and it is great stress relief after a busy day of school.
mdizzle999872: Maybe I will. We'll have to see how the story plays out, because I don't even know yet!
Oh, one more thing; I introduced another character into this section, but he is not my own. Hans Wolfe, the werewolf, is a creation of White-Wolfen, over at deviantArt. She created a neat story about him, and I don't know if I got his accent down, but I couldn't resist throwing him in:)
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Cosmo awoke with a start. He was still in his green squirrel form, but had a really bad headache. He rolled over and slowly sat up on his haunches; however before he fully took in his surroundings, he looked for his wife. Luckily he didn't have to look far, since she was right next to him.
Wanda was only semi-conscious, and her right hind leg slightly twitched as Cosmo shook her gently until she woke. "Hey Wanda, are you okay?"
Wanda's eyes flew open and she sat up with a start. "Wha- Cosmo, what happened?" she asked, but quickly grabbed her head and grimaced as the sudden movement caused a throbbing pain in her temple. Cosmo consoled her, for his headache was now wearing off.
"I don't know; I don't remember anything," he said. "And I don't know where Timmy is either."
"Oh my goodness! Timmy!" Wanda cried. "We have to find him!" she stopped and waved her hand, so that her wand appeared. Cosmo also summoned his own to appear in his hand. "But where are we?" she asked.
The two allowed their eyes to adjust to the darkness and the faint greenish glow that surrounded them on all sides. They realized they were in some kind of floating cage with what seemed like metal bars, but obviously weren't due to the fact that they emitted some kind of glowing green ectoplasmic energy. Cosmo hesitantly reached a paw out to touch the bars, only to be thrown backwards from a strong shock. His hair stood straight on end.
"Cosmo!" Wanda cried. "Are you okay?"
"Remind me not to do that again," her husband replied. His usual goofy attitude had now turned to that of worry and fright. His crown had become slightly tilted as it floated on his head. She reached up and fixed it for him, then gazed out beyond the bars. Draped around their cage was a type of netting material that was emitting a faint purple glow, and was tied in a knot below them so the cage was completely surrounded by it. The actual threads that made up the net seemed no thicker in diameter than fishing line, but the energy it was emitting made both Cosmo and Wanda uneasy.
"I want to try something," Wanda said and promptly turned into a long pink snake with a wave of her wand.
"Be careful," Cosmo said as he held onto her tail to keep her from falling. She nodded and carefully slithered between the cage bars until she came to the odd material, being careful not to touch them. She reached out and saw there was enough room between the glowing threads that she probably could fit between them. However, as she approached, a strange energy seemed to force her back, and she couldn't even get near enough to it to try to squeeze through. It seemed to literally create an impassable barrier. Exhausted, the two slumped back onto the small cage floor.
"I just tried using magic, and it didn't work," Cosmo said. Wanda waved her own wand hopefully, but the wand simply made the sound of a deflating whoopee cushion and wilted like a dying flower. "I wonder why magic doesn't work," Wanda pondered. "Do you think that netting somehow is negating the effect of our wands?"
Cosmo gave her a quizzical look, and Wanda realized he probably didn't know what the word 'negating' meant. She sighed and began looking for another way out. As she looked, she noticed Cosmo was getting very sweaty (for a squirrel) and he was starting to shake.
"What's the matter sweetie?" Wanda asked him. "Don't you worry; we'll get out of here. Maybe if you help me- "
"Wanda, in all the years we've been married, have I ever told you I'm caustrobalobic? I get all antsy when in cooped-up spaces..."
At first Wanda couldn't help but chuckle to herself over her husband's terrible vocabulary skills. "You mean, claustrophobic, honey," she replied. "And no you never told me. Just take deep breaths and- "
Cosmo suddenly started mumbling incoherently. He was losing it, (more so than usual). Wanda was only occasionally able to make out certain words as he said them quickly and nervously. "Gotta get out, gotta escape!" His whiskers twitched spasmodically, and his eyes were darting in every direction.
"Cosmo, you have to calm down," she said coolly, not wanting to make him more upset. However, when he started running around in circles it became unbearable. Wanda jumped out at him, and quickly coiled her now snake-like body around his fluffy rodent one. He started screaming. "Cosmo, shut up and GET A GRIP!" she said sternly and slapped him across the face with her tail. He instantly stopped and the jolt seemed to bring him back to his senses, at least for now.
"Um, can't... breathe..." he gasped.
"Oh, sorry honey," Wanda replied and released her grip. "Now listen to me. We have to keep our cool. Whoever brought us here is sure to be back soon. We can't let them know what we are, so we can't resume our true form. Which reminds me..." she changed herself back into a squirrel, so their captor wouldn't notice a difference. "Now we have to formulate a plan..."
Before Cosmo could answer, a forlorn voice was heard coming from next to them. It had a heavy German accent. "You can't get out, I've tried vay too many times."
The two fairies looked beyond their cage and saw another one float by. Beyond that cage, there were literally hundreds of other metallic enclosures emitting faint green glows and slowly hovering in place. There were also many levels of cages; some were stacked on top of each other, others were arranged in rows. As they strained their ears to hear the sad voice, they heard the pitiful and dejected wails and moans of the other captured spirits. "What do you mean?" Wanda asked in the direction the voice seemed to come from.
The creature in the adjacent cage turned, and they both made out the figure of another teenage boy around Danny's age. "I said, I don't think ve can get out. This is de lair of Skulker. He hunts creatures dat are rare and unique, and puts us on display. Ve are, so to say, his 'trophies.' Spirits from all over dis place, or 'Ghost Zone' as they refer to it as, come on a regular basis to gawk at us."
"So this is like a type of zoo?" Wanda asked astonished and looked again at the other cages and the creatures within them. Most were other ghosts.
"Ja, you can say dat," the boy answered.
"But why are you here? You're just a kid," Cosmo asked curiously.
"Actually, I'm a werewolf. My name is Hans," the boy answered.
"Ha ha! You, a werewolf?" Cosmo laughed.
The boy snarled and lurched as far as his cage would allow. His face was now gray and furry, his eyes blazing a supernatural yellow color. He bared his now long fangs. "And vat are you? A talking green squirrel? I could eat you for breakvast!" he snarled, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He started to resume his previous human form after a bit of concentration, even though he hadn't completely finished the overall transformation in the first place. He was still a bit furry when Wanda spoke, but she could tell he could control his transformations at will.
"Wow!" Wanda said. Cosmo was speechless. I wonder if Da Rulez say anything about werewolves knowing about us? I guess they aren't completely human either. If so, maybe we can help each other, Wanda thought. A loud voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Aha, I see my two newest inmates have awoken," a thundering, familiar voice boomed. "I hope your accommodations are comfortable." Skulker announced as he floated through the entrance door to his lair, which was right outside of where Vlad's portal opened into the Ghost Zone. He sneered at the two fairies, and the 'squirrels' covered their faces in fear. "You can shed those ridiculous disguises," the hunter said. "I know who you are, fairies, and just for the record, it was very easy to catch you."
Cosmo and Wanda didn't answer, and proceeded to act like squirrels by grooming the fur on their tails with their paws.
"Okay, quit the charade, or I can arrange a spot in here for your human friends as well!" He roared. "And your half-human friends too, which reminds me..." he appeared to go deep into thought. "So...you're really not Jorgen?" Cosmo asked stupidly. Wanda hit him on the head.
After realizing that Skulker was not Jorgen in a high-tech battle suit, Cosmo and Wanda stared at him in shock. Would he dare? They didn't want to risk anything, especially since Timmy was their godchild, and Danny, Sam, and Tucker had helped keep it that way. "Okay, you win," they both said at the same time and 'poofed' into their true forms. At least our magic still works in the cage, Wanda thought. Hans gasped in surprise as he stared at two tiny fairies. He felt sorry that he had threatened to eat them.
Skulker snapped back to reality as his contemplation about finally catching Danny Phantom ceased. "That's better. Now, behave yourselves, you two. I have some more hunting to do." He started to leave, and banged on a few cages maliciously as he moved away. Hans growled a deep guttural snarl as his caged was tapped, but the hunter ignored him and just moved on to others as he headed back towards the dark, glowing door to exit the lair. Before he reached for the handle, though, the door flew open and Skulker was greeted by the red-eyed, glowing form of Vlad Plamius hovering before him.
"What is taking so long, Skulker?" he scowled. "You promised me you'd have Daniel by now! I am growing very impatient!"
"Sorry, sir. I was just... going to get him right now."
Vlad eyed him questioningly. "That's what you told me yesterday. I am feeling charitable today, thus will give you one final chance. However, if you do not soon deliver the boy to me, you are through!"
"Yes sir. I'll bring him right away."
"What have you been doing all this time? Hunting fairies?" Vlad jested and chuckled to himself as he referred to the crazy Mr. Crocker. "Now repeat what you are going to do so you do not get distracted this time," Vlad told him.
"I will bring you Daniel Fenton, and I won't screw up again," Skulker said as he rolled his eyes like an immature child.
"Very good. I'll be waiting for you. Now go!" Vlad yelled. Skulker promptly flew out his door, leaving his boss still in the lair. Maybe I'll actually take a look at some of Skulker's collection while I'm here, Plasmius thought to himself as he looked around. Suddenly, a pink mist escaped his mouth. He gasped as a friendly warmth and tingling sensation spread throughout his body. He looked in the direction the mist wafted, and saw two tiny creatures huddled in a cage. They had little magic wands, wings, and crowns. "No way- it's impossible!" he said aloud. "Can it really be?"
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Danny yelped in surprise as he had been quickly captured by some crazy ice cream man who had the same net material that Skulker did. The whole thing had occurred so quickly that he barely remembered how it had exactly happened. He only remembered becoming entangled, falling over, somehow being hastily dragged into this vehicle, and now laying on the floor. Had the man said something about fairies?
Danny tried to move, but the net was wrapped tightly around him, constricting him in the same way that Skulker's had. His arms were pinned at his sides, and his legs were bound together as well with the glowing purple material. He felt like a freshly-caught fish in a net. Then the cold, hard, reality set in. Oh my gosh, I was just kidnapped by a psychotic maniac, he thought. Plus, I can't use my powers to escape. What am I going to do? This is the kind of stuff you only hear about on the news.
Danny considered going ghost and trying to phase out of there, but knew it wouldn't work anyway. He also didn't want to reveal what he was. He looked around the dark interior of the truck and tried to survey his situation, which was hard to do from the position he was in since he couldn't even sit up. Dark forms were all around him, and he heard an annoying beeping noise. He realized he was lying on top of a pile of old papers. He rolled onto his stomach, cocked his head, and squinted in the darkness to try to make out what they said. It was still too dark, so he made his eyes glow green, and emit a small amount of light. On almost every sheet, the word FAIRIES in bold, capital letters could be made out, among other illegible scribbles. Okaaay... the boy thought. He must have been trying to capture Cosmo and Wanda, but how does he even know about them?
"So, fairy-boy, are you comfortable back there?" Crocker asked, in a surprisingly kind voice.
"Fairy boy?" Danny asked nervously. "I'm not a- "
"You don't have to deny it. I saw you disappear this morning right out of your own room."
"Dude, don't even tell me you were in my house."
"No, but my FAIRY detector told me where you were!"
Danny strained his neck so that he could view the driver's seat where Crocker was sitting. He found it would be much easier to twist onto his side and scoot himself perpendicularly, so he was looking straight at the front of the van. This process was difficult and by the time he finished moving, he was sore and the net was digging sharply into the skin on his arms. "What do you want with me?" Danny asked, becoming more frightened when he saw the eccentric look on the driver's face.
"Aha!" Crocker shouted with a strange air of satisfaction. "My plan is simple. Since you are a fairy, I will make you grant me a wish to rule the world. NEW WORLD ORDER! HA HA HA! But first I will rub the fact that I finally captured a FAIRY into the faces of my colleagues!"
"You're crazy!" Danny shouted. "I'm not a fairy, and I'm sure the cops are after you by now, since my sister and my friends saw the whole thing! And if my parents catch you first..."
"Quiet! First of all, my FAIRY detector doesn't lie, and I saw you with my own eyes. As far as the police go, they will never be able to find this van because I can transform its outer appearance with the push of a button."
"Impressive," Danny said half-heartedly.
"Yes, it was one of my better ideas. That and the netting you are now trapped in. I see it actually works to keep fairies contained. Of course, that was its purpose."
"What do you mean?"
"The fibers that the net is made out of are coated with a special resin which repels magical energy, and keeps you contained. Are you feeling weak yet?"
"What?" Danny figured he'd play along, although he didn't feel weak at all. "Kind of," he lied. It must have different effects on fairies than it does on me, he thought.
"Fantastic! It worked! HA HA! And the energy generator is working like a charm!"
"Energy generator?"
"Of course! The generator is located in the firing canon, and stabilizes the anti-magical energy that the resin emits! I have to keep you near it, or the net will dissipate."
"You sound like my parents," Danny said quietly. But that must have been why Skulker's net vanished after he left, the last time he captured me in it. If I could just get far enough away from the canon... He realized it was in the passenger seat next to Crocker because he saw the glinting end of it sticking out over the center console of the van.
In the silence that ensued, Danny tried to get out of the net, but it was wrapped too tightly around him that his efforts were fruitless. He had to get out of here, because who knew what this guy would do when he found out he wasn't a fairy. He also didn't know where they were driving to, and didn't want to get lost. He decided to try something.
"Um, sir, I have to go to the bathroom. Can you stop?"
"You think I'd fall for that one?" Crocker sneered. "I'm not that stupid, like some people think."
Well, it was worth a try, the teen thought as the van suddenly lurched to the left and the momentum caused him to be slammed against one of the metal cabinet/computer tables next to him. For a brief moment he heard a shriek, that was not his or his captor's. It sounded like Jazz, but then it stopped. I must be hearing things, he thought, then groaned as he felt a small trickle of blood running down his head from behind his ear. It had stung for a brief second, but the pain was going away.
"CRAZY DRIVER!" Crocker yelled out his window. He turned the wheel back to the right, and hit the acceleration as the van lurched back to the lane it had just been in, and Danny was thrown the other way.
"Ow! Learn to drive!" Danny yelled. "When I get out of here, I swear..."
"Don't tell me how to drive, fairy! When I rule the world, no one will care!"
"I'M NOT A FAIRY!" Danny screamed, then felt a slight gap in the netting near his right hand that was wider than the rest of the spaces between the threads. The slight imperfection in the material was just big enough for him to reach his fingers through, but he couldn't rip it any wider.
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"Ugh! That's it!" Jazz said to herself. She couldn't take this any longer. She had been hanging on for dear life, grasping the rear door handle so tightly that her knuckles had turned a pallid white. Her hair whipped in her face, her eyes were tearing, and the wind screamed in her ears as the van sped forward. Crocker's terrible driving skills had almost caused her to lose her grip more than once, and fall to an almost certain death. She didn't care though; her brother's life was in the hands of a maniac, and she would do anything to get him out of there. She also had a feeling that the glowing net Danny had been wrapped in was preventing him from phasing out of it; otherwise it would have been easy for him to escape.
Her muscles were becoming exhausted, locked in this tense state, and she knew she would not be able to hang on much longer, especially if this "Crocker" kept driving like he had been. However, she knew if she shifted her crouched position, she might lose her balance, as she was perched precariously on the fender. She had to come up with a plan, but she knew that as long as the guy was driving, he couldn't do anything to Danny. Luckily, the van pulled up to a red light on a desolate street and came to an abrupt halt after the breaks let out a shrill squeak.
"I know this is stupid, but I can't hang on any more," she said to herself as she lowered herself down and walked coolly to the driver's window. "Excuse me sir?" she asked loudly but sweetly as she knocked on the window.
"What is going on out there?" Crocker asked. Danny prayed that it was the police. The tinted window rolled down just enough to reveal the face of the crazy teacher to the orange-haired girl. Danny looked up.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"I am a state vehicle inspector, and not only is your van overdue for an inspection, but there is a serious problem." she said. Danny recognized his sister's voice immediately, but didn't want to say anything to put her in danger. This "Crocker" didn't seem dangerous, just ridiculously eccentric, but he didn't want to make any assumptions.
"You look kind of young for a vehicle inspector, and where's your uniform?" Crocker asked.
"Um, me? Young? Why you're such a flatterer. I'm technically off duty today, but I saw your truck leaking a hazardous trail of gasoline and oil onto the road as you were driving. The smallest spark could cause your truck to explode!" she said as she pushed a lock of her knotted hair behind her ear to get it out of her face.
"What? My truck isn't leaking anything!"
"Oh yes it is. Can you please step out of the vehicle sir?" Crocker glared at this request.
"No," he replied and went to step on the gas even though the light was still red. Jazz stepped in front of the truck and he hit the breaks. "Get out of my way, girl!"
Danny seized the moment and yelled loudly, "Ahh! The fumes! Get me out of here!"
Jazz was happy and relieved to hear her brother's voice, but she couldn't see him from where she was. "That's it! I'm going to take care of this once and for all. It will take all of two seconds to fix," she declared as she ran to the back of the van and pulled on the doors. Of course they were locked, but Danny turned his legs towards the doors and with a massive effort he deployed a kick hard enough to make the doors fly open.
"No, wait!" Crocker yelled and got out of the truck to run after her, but she had already seen her brother tied up in the purple glowing netting lying on the floor of the vehicle.
"Jazz!" he said happily. "Listen; get me out of here and far away, quick!"
"Danny!" she replied happily and prepared to get him out, only to be pushed into the back by Crocker who had come up behind her. She sat up next to Danny on the floor of the van, angrily.
"I truly doubt you're a vehicle inspector, but it doesn't matter. You've seen too much as it is." He said.
"You can't do this to people!" Jazz screeched as Crocker whipped out a set of handcuffs, and quickly fastened one on her left hand, and the other to a metal bar along the inside wall of the van before she had even realized it. She looked at him angrily. "Hey! Let us go!"
"That should keep you out of trouble. I knew I had those for a reason." he said. "But don't worry, I'll let you go when I get back to Dimmsdale. By then I will be ruler of the world, and the police won't arrest me!"
"Ruler of the world?" she looked at Danny hesitantly. Danny just shrugged. "Man, he is crazy."
"At least he isn't a serial murderer or anything," Danny said. "I guess that's a plus side." The two felt the van begin to move again, and pick up speed. "By the way, how did you find me?"
"I was on the back of the van."
"So I did hear you! I thought I did!"
"Yeah, but little good it did. Look where my oh-so-brilliant, spur-of-the-moment plan landed us." She tugged on her hand that was handcuffed to the wall. She tried to get it off, but was unsuccessful. Danny watched her efforts, then got an idea.
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Another cliffie! How will our heroes escape their strange predicaments? We'll just have to see...
Isn't Jazz a wild woman? Hee hee! She'll do anything for her little bro, just like me!