Hello, to my readers! Although I at first had thought that I would have been unable to update during my stay in California, I found out that my grandparents had a new computer the day before we left. So, rather than keep my rough first draft and post that, I saved all this so I'd be able to access it while I'm in Torrance... And it worked! Ha-ha!

So, then, this chapter… Originally I had planned for this to be in one chapter, but when I finished it, it took up sixteen pages. SIXTEEN! Which is way too long for me. So, instead, I divided it into two halves, and you'll have two back-to-back updates. Heh, and a little cliffhanger at the bottom, 'cause I couldn't resist. But you get to read the next chapter right after, so it's all good.

So, nonetheless, her 'tis! The next-to next-to-last installment in 'The Sleeping Sickness'.

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah... In case you haven't figured it out by now, I don't own the show!

Chapter 12: The Library
Sam had thoughtfully remembered to bring the Fenton Phones- the communicators which filtered out ghost noise- along for the trip. Unfortunately, there were only three pairs. It had been decided that Tucker would go without the communicators, this largely supported by Danny and Sam. When Jazz asked the two why, she was reassured with the vague and evasive answer of "You don't want to know." And Jazz left it at that, although Tucker only reluctantly agreed.

Danny had translated the lengthy remainder of the ghostly lettering upon the lid. His sister and friends would keep his translation, provided that they could make out his rough handwriting, and Danny would be able to track their process with the help of the small gray lid.

Once such preparations were complete and a few parting words and luck-wishing were exchanged, they parted company.

Danny found himself being led into an unfamiliar section of the Ghost Zone. Now, more than ever, was the creepy, desolate atmosphere pressing down on the young halfa. Griffin pawed nervously, and he absently patted her beak, looking around at the hanging doors, floating islands, and thickly swirling mist. The Ghost Zone seemed to have a life of its own, yet at the same time, be entirely lifeless.

Danny glanced down at Griffin. He'd met ghosts before that were civil towards him, even friendly. There was the Dairy King, for example, who had freed Danny from a ghost containment cube, and had instilled upon him the words, "Not all ghosts are evil, doncha know. Some of us just want to be left alone," before flying off and muttering something about gouda. And there was also a ghost dog, who had, despite all the trouble he caused, earned the unspoken title of 'Halfa's best friend'. And then there was Wulf, who had mutually helped Danny rid Amity Park of Walker during the town's first major ghost invasion. But there was something about Griffin that still bothered him.

For one thing, he had fought her. True, he had sparred with both Wulf and the ghost dog before forming a truce, but she had been purposefully attacking two children, whereas the ghost dog was only searching for his squeakie and Wulf was being forced to by Walker's orders. He'd fought with her twice, and oddly enough, had both times encountered her over the park. And then there was her odd behavior: how she had bowed to him in the Fenton Works lab.

Dismissing his worries concerning Griffin, Danny's thoughts turned to Clockwork. Danny didn't know much about the Master of Time. He had at first tried to kill Danny, then had later saved his family and friends, and given him a second chance. It was, to say the least, baffling, but Danny was sure Clockwork had his reasons. And there was the Sleeping Sickness. Danny hadn't really gotten a satisfactory answer from the ghost. In fact, he hadn't really gotten much of an answer at all. All he knew was that he needed to find this sorcerer that was responsible for unleashing the Sleeping Sickness, and stop him.

Danny yawned. It seemed such a long time since he had woken up that morning and decoded the strange ghostly language. It had been even longer since he had last eaten. He was also more than slightly tired, and wondered what time it was. He was sure that time ran differently in the Ghost Zone than it did in the human world, and thought that even if he managed to find a clock it would be anything but helpful. If there was only some way he could find out what time it was...

Danny blinked. He was flying next to the ghost Master of Time, and hadn't thought to ask! Still, there was a reason he was a C student.

"What time is it?" he croaked, his voice ringing uncomfortably in the thick silence.

Clockwork didn't glance in Danny's direction, nor did he glance at any of his various watches which adorned his wrists. "In your world? Just slightly after nine o'clock."

"Mmm..." Danny replied thoughtfully, looking ahead. "So, uh... Where're we going?"

"To an old place," Clockwork replied vaguely. "To visit a few of my old associates."

"Ah," Danny said, although the statement scarcely qualified as clarifying. "So, uh, about this sorcerer-guy-"

"I know no more than you do," the ghost answered, although somehow Danny didn't think that was entirely true.

The halfa sighed, knowing he would get little more for an answer. "Right."

The silence continued, although for how long, Danny could not say. There was a question he was itching to ask Clockwork, and had been since the- the C.A.T. incident. He'd just never really gotten the chance to ask it, and now that he had that chance, he did not know how to put it.

But the ghost looked over at Danny. "You may ask," he said simply, breaking Danny's train of thought. The halfa jumped; somehow Clockwork had known what he had been thinking.

"Well, I- I've been wondering..." he stammered, struggling for words.

"Go on," Clockwork encouraged.

"Well, I've been meaning to ask... Now that I- now that my future's...fixed, well, what happens now? To me, I mean, and to my family... What's it really going to be like ten years from now?"

Clockwork smiled, closed his eyes, and shook his head once to each side. "Ah, many have asked that question. The future is a mysterious thing, and far too many try to perceive it. It is, as I have said before, a parade, with many twists and turns, the route ever changing. No mortal may know such things, for it is a great burden, and neither can any ghost."

"So, you can't tell me?" Danny said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Specifically? No. What if I had told you that your future was destined to be even worse, and you to blame? What would you do?"

Danny winced. "Probably go and end it all, or isolate myself, or- or something," he admitted.

"Exactly. And the exact steps you take to prevent that are the steps that lead down the road to that future."

"So- so, d-does that happen?"

"No. It may please you to know that ten years from now, your future will be much the opposite of what it once may have been."

"Can we expand on this a little?" Danny prompted. "I mean, am I married, do I have kids, did I go to college... that sort of thing."

"You will be married," Clockwork said with an amused look on his face. "To whom, I will not tell. As for kids... No, not ten years from now, but yes, eventually. And college? Perhaps," he mused.

Danny blinked. This wasn't much clearer, but it was something to look forward to. "Anything else you can tell me?" he inquired.

Clockwork smiled and shook his head. "You'll just have to find out for yourself. But, come, we have more important things to do. Let us concentrate on the present. We have arrived."

Danny looked up. He hadn't given a thought to the surroundings recently, so it came as a bit of a surprise. Ahead of him loomed a large arched door, standing taller than most he had seen but not terribly wide. It was a soft, blurred gray in color which eerily reminded him of a certain lid, and the arch bore several words comprised of a luminous green script.

"Here are they who lie eternally asleep for their brave efforts. May they truly rest in peace," Danny read aloud after he had dismounted Griffin, looking questionably at Clockwork as he reached the final words.

"A fitting message, if not untrue," Clockwork commented. "I had advised against that tribute, but some do not listen." He sighed. "Never mind, we have work to you. You have been wondering what had happened to the Council and the original victims of the Sleeping Sickness. This," Clockwork gestured widely, "is where they rest. There was once a key, which of late has vanished from this realm."

"Vlad," Danny muttered, remembering the Pariah Dark incident.

"Indeed," Clockwork nodded.

"So, how do we get in?" Danny asked.

"You," Clockwork said simply.

"Me?" Danny asked incredulously, gazing at the door. "But how do I-" Danny stopped, smiling with realization, and advanced towards the door. He allowed himself to slip back into his human form, and then hesitantly placed a hand on the door. It slipped through, and Danny followed.

It was dark, a murky, dusty darkness, with the still air and sense of ancientness that lingered about tombs. Danny could feel his feet slipping through the insubstantial floor, and quickly returned to his ghostly form, the blue-white rings leaving sharp after-images burned into his eyes, eyes which, although they were much keener in his ghost form, saw little better through the heavy darkness. Danny couldn't see his hand in front of his face, much less the door which he needed to unlock.

Danny frowned, then brightened as a thought came to him. He lit up his hand with ectoplasmic energy, but held it rather than firing a destructive blast.

The room lit up with the spectral light source. From what Danny could make out, the room was wide and circular, a majestic carpet of crimson thread leading off until it was lost to view. Tables were strewn out beside the carpet, each bearing a supply of candles, and the towering walls were lined with bookshelves. Everything bore a slightly greenish aura from Danny's light, casting longer and darker shadows than they should have. Looking up, the ceiling was lost to view; engulfed in the darkness which may have gone on forever. Danny was in an enormous library.

Remembering why he was there, Danny turned to survey the door. He could see no visible sign of any sort of lock, so Danny did the first thing he could think of: he pushed.

The doors creaked outwards on hinges that hadn't been used for ages, revealing the forms of Clockwork and Griffin, who advanced into the library. Clockwork looked from side to side, made a sweeping gesture with his staff, and the candles all about the room flared into life, revealing the library in its full glory.

"So," Danny said, he voice echoing in the empty and abandoned depths. He didn't finish his sentence.

"This," Clockwork explained, "is the great library of the Ghost Zone. In it is documented every story, every legend, every myth, every history of this realm. Impressive, isn't it?"

Danny nodded. "Who did all this?"

"Many have," Clockwork said. "I have, of course, and also many of the Ancient Council. It has lain abandoned for centuries. I've kept many of the more recent records with me, but my small collection pales in comparison. It is my hope that we can continue." He paused for a moment, then smiled at Danny. "An entire wing could be filled with your deeds, and perhaps another of what is to come."

"Where is everyone?" Danny asked.

"The library is enormous. I believe that I can take this from here."

"Wait... what about me?" Danny asked.

"I believe it would be best for you to revive others who suffer from the Sleeping Sickness. And then, you must find the location of the sorcerer. My business is here."

Danny nodded. He'd have liked to see more of the library, but Clockwork was right. He needed to concentrate on the present. Danny took Griffin to the door, and mounted her.

"Farewell, Danny. We'll meet again soon enough," Clockwork said with a knowing smile. Danny nodded, and turned to go.

Then he turned back, remembering something. "Wait!" he cried.

"Yes?"

Danny leapt down from Griffin, a gray book held in his hands. He handed the book to Clockwork.

"Here. I think this should go here," he said. Clockwork smiled and tucked the book underneath his arm. Danny returned to Griffin, and looked at the lid. Several names had disappeared from its surface; Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were obviously doing their work. Danny watched as Wulf's name disappeared, then asked Griffin to go off in the direction of Skulker's lair, which he was sure existed somewhere nearby.

Sam leapt into the Specter Speeder, waving cheerfully at Wulf, who garbled his thanks in Esperanto. Tucker replied happily in the same language.

"What did you say to him?" Jazz asked and she took up the controls.

"I don't know," Tucker admitted as they drove off. Sam rolled her eyes.

Wulf waved a final farewell, then frowned, wondering what on earth the techno-geek had meant by turkeys and water polo.

"Okay," Sam said, looking at the map of the Ghost Zone. "So, I think that if we go this way-" she pointed "-we'll be able to get Spectra and her whiney assistant next. And then if we make a left at the lake of bubbling green goo, we'll be able to find Desiree. Sound like a plan?"

"Works for me," Jazz said, turning in the direction Sam had pointed.

Static played on Sam's Fenton Phones. "Sam?" the fuzzy voice questioned.

"Danny?" she asked. "Is that you?"

"No," the voice answered. Sam envisioned her friend rolling his eyes. "It's the Muffin Man. Who do you think?"

"Oh, right," she answered. "So, what's up? Found the sorcerer guy yet?"

"Unfortunately, no," Danny answered. "I left Clockwork at this ghost library so he can wake up all his old Ancient Council buddies. How're you doing?"

"Don't you know from that lid?"

"Yeah, Sam," came the sarcastic reply. "The lid can tell me whether or not you've been attacked by any ghosts. It also tells me the weather forecast and has a built-in GPS."

"Okay, okay! Nothing's really happened so far. We've gotten pretty much everyone we come across who's asleep. It's kind of obvious," Sam glanced down at the paper, with some crossed out names. "We've gotten about a third done already. Most ghosts don't give us much trouble."

Jazz nodded her agreement. "They generally just ignore us and go away, or tell us to beat it. I think they're just relived to be awake."

"That's good. I've gotten Skulker, and about thirty of the ghosts before him. Starting with the one labled Flopsie."

"Sounds like you've been busy," Sam commented.

"Not really. They're all of Skulker's pets. And they were all in a trashcan labeled 'Expired Prey'."

"That's sick and disgusting! Imagine how all those poor ghosts feel, being locked up in cages and thrown in a trashcan when they-"

But Tucker had placed his hand over her mouth to prevent her from ranting.

"Let it go, Sam. They're ghosts, anyway, and it's not like ghosts have feelings or anything."

"Hey!" Danny said angrily. "I'm a ghost, too, you know!"

"Yeah, and we all know how you feel about Sammykins." Tucker grinned at Sam, then whitened at her look.

"You do realize that we're floating in an abyssal dimension full of malevolent ghosts where no one would find you if we just left you on one of these islands, don't you?" Sam asked dangerously, her cheeks red.

"So, where are you now?" Danny asked, who, from the sound of it, was trying to control his laughter.

"We're close to Spectra," Jazz said, as Sam was too busy trying to hold Tucker's beret as far away from the techno-geek as possible.

"I'm close to Spectra's lair, too," Danny said. "Here, why don't I take Tucker. Before Sam kills him."

Danny met up with Jazz, Sam, and Tucker, who was miraculously still breathing. They administered the cure to Bertrand and Spectra, and then split up again, this time Tucker riding upon Griffin with Danny. They went to Walker's prison, and Sam and Jazz departed to look for Desiree.

Danny had given his Fenton Phones to Tucker, so that he could communicate with Sam and Jazz.

And finally, only a handful of ghosts remained. Danny, Tucker, and Griffin went to find Ember, and Jazz and Sam looked for Youngblood and his pirate crew.

Ember's lair was a giant recording studio. Danny, Tucker, and Griffin entered.

The place was quite large. Various recording and musical paraphernalia lay about, including drum sets, keyboards, and guitars, as well as speakers, microphones, and amplifiers, all emblazoned with Ember's insignia of a lowercase black E set on a bright blue flame. The place looked entirely normal, if not for the ghosts which lay scattered sleeping about, and the puzzling addition of a broken clipboard lying near Ember.

Danny stared around for a few moments.

"H-hello?" a timid voice asked from behind him. Griffin growled at the sound of his voice. Danny jumped and turned around, to see Ember's producer standing there, blinking his gray eyes in his gray suit beneath his gray hair. He wore thick black glasses, and clutched a black pen in his hands, as if it gave him reassurance to hold it.

"Um, hi," Danny answered. "What are you doing here?"

"Ms. McLean hired me," he answered. Danny barely suppressed a shiver; the ghost's voice was icy. Still, what else could one expect from a ghost?

"Oh," Danny said, thinking that anyone Ember hired was no good.

"It's really quite a shock. I'm not entirely sure what happened to them, and I was there and saw it all," he continued, looking around at the ghosts lying on the floor with his gray eyes.

"Can you tell me what happened before they...fell asleep?" Danny asked.

"Yes. We were in the middle of her music video. She just started coughing."

Danny nodded uneasily, and watched Tucker, who knelt to give the cure to a ghost whose red cap had fallen off. There was something funny about this ghost, something he couldn't put his finger on.

"He was filming it," the ghost nodded in the direction of the specter Tucker was reviving. "We argued, and Ember got mad at us."

The ghost opened his green eyes and blinked, sitting up, then picked up his cap and put it on his head.

"Hello, Mr. Mortis," he said groggily, rubbing his eyes. "What 'appened?"

"You came down with the Sleeping Sickness," Mr. Mortis answered.

But... Didn't he just say he didn't know what happened? Danny asked himself incredulously. The uneasy feeling continued to grow. As Tucker moved on to awaken several other ghosts, Danny, Mr. Mortis, and the camera ghost stared down with interest.

"It was such a sad thing, really," Mr. Mortis continued as Tucker moved on to the last ghost who remained asleep, Ember herself. The camera ghost nodded his agreement.

"Hey!" Tucker said angrily to Danny, "What, leave me to do all the work? I demand a raise for this!"

"Sure thing, Tucker. We'll double your pay. And even I'm good enough at math to know that nothing times two is still nothing."

Tucker groaned as he dripped the last of the medicine into Ember's mouth.

"Ugh, what happened?" she asked as she sat up. "Hey! It's you, that dipstick ghost boy who's always ruining my plans!" she said to Danny. "What, did you do this?"

"Ms. McLean! You're awake!" Mr. Mortis exclaimed. "No, I was just telling this young man what happened. I've been so worried ever since you fell asleep, I haven't left the studio."

Griffin growled again. Danny glanced at her, then back to Mr. Mortis. Something was very wrong about him, something in his story that just didn't ring true...

And then something clunked into place in Danny's head. With a sudden movement, he whirled on the ghost and grabbed him by the throat, holding him up against the wall.

"Okay, so that's the last of them," Sam said over the parting "BEWARE!" of the Box Ghost. She turned to Jazz. "So, shall we go meet up with the guys?"

Jazz nodded and got into the Specter Speeder.

"Hey, Tucker?" she asked as she activated the Fenton Phones. The sound of something breaking and the thump of someone being thrown into a wall reached her ears. "Tucker! What's going on?"

"Danny's-unff!-fighting this gho- Hey! That's got three payments on it! ...Anyway, Jazz, Sam, you'd better get over here! Danny's fighting this sorcerer-guy, M-unh!"

"Tucker? Tucker!" Jazz exclaimed, but no reply came but for an unintelligible m-mm-MMPHFF! She looked up at Sam, who had heard the whole thing.

"Something's wrong," she said.

See? I just couldn't resist the cliffhanger! But the next chapter should be up by now, so you aren't really kept in suspense. Unless, of course, you want to be kept in suspense. Then, by all means, wait a day or week or something before you read the next-to-last chapter. Or the penultimate chapter. Yeah, 'penultimate' is my vocabulary word of the week. Well, not really, but it's an awesome word! Spelled with the same first three letters as 'penguin', you know…

My ceaseless rambling shall cease now, so you can read the next chapter, which should be up by now.

-E.P.