Chapter 14 - Manipulation And It's Price

Danny's unconscious body was limp and pale. Angel held him, occasionaly stroking his face with a gentle caress and a gleam in her narrowed eyes seemed to show she was pleased. Tuckers dark eyes regarded Angel with resentment and turned back to Danny who moaned. 'What could he be thinking about? Hold on buddy! I'll save you!'

Danny was trapped in his own world. Memories of past fights entered his mind, all the good ones being pushed away.

Danny sat in his room, the sharp blade of the knife digging into his skin. He removed it and the cut healed imeadiatly. He cut again and again on the same cut but it would always heal. He supposed this was because of his other but that's what troubled him. He cut again and felt the sting of it on his skin. He could just hear his ghost half laughing at him. When he was Phantom he seemed to find some of these images he was seeing humerous and sometimes, just sometimes, he enjoyed the pain that he shot back at the other ghost. He watched again as he cut himself and suddenly he was doing it now.

Here he was, with the knife in hand. The blade was shaking in his hand as he cut. The wound didn't heal this time, even though it was a minor cut. "Cut deeper..." a voice rang out, "You know it's the only way to get rid of the pain...do it again and again and again until you feel numb." Danny knew he shouldn't listen and he almost considered putting the knife down when the voice came again. "No one loves you because you're a freak. No one will miss you...do it..." He didn't hesitate. He ripped into his skin and enjoyed the momentary pain.

Suddenly the voice left and the door opened. There was his mom. "Don't give up. We'll get you through this." Her warm arms brought him into a hug and he leaned into the warmth.

Angel growled at the red haired woman in the jumpsuit. "I always did hate jumpsuits," she reasoned and angrily watched as Danny's mother offered comfort in his mind. "I'll have to try something different." She smirked, "Danny..."

"Danny...Danny it's me." Danny looked around, not knowing who was speaking. The door opened but no one was there and he suddenly felt cold. His mother faded away. "NOO!" He tried to grab for as she disappeared. "I'm the only one who will love you. I'm the only one who cares." A girl his age stood there. She had long black hair and beautiful eyes. She ran up to him and gave him a hug. He sank into the warmth but found it wasn't warm anymore as the door opened again. "Don't listen to her!" Tucker screamed, "She's just using you! Snap out of it! You like Sam remember!" Danny frowned, "SHE'S A FRI-" Danny stopped and he forced the girl away. Danny looked around, not knowing who was speaking. The door opened but no one was there and he suddenly felt cold. His mother faded away. "NOO!" He tried to grab for as she disappeared. A girl his age stood there. She had long black hair and beautiful eyes. She ran up to him and gave him a hug. He sank into the warmth but found it wasn't warm anymore as the door opened again. Tucker screamed, Danny frowned, "SHE'S A FRI-" Danny stopped and he forced the girl away.

Angel frowned again. She was angry at being pushed away again. She chose to leave Danny for now and forced images of his family dying into his mind. He winced visably and she enjoyed the thought of his pain. She loved how he suddenly clung to her dress. His eyes opened but they were a vacant blue. Maddie knew something was going on. She had to reach him again and reassure them that everyone was fine for now.

Danny was thrust into another memory of that little girl. This time she wasn't so little. She was twelve now. Her hair was longer and her eyes had grown cold. She wrapped up the cut on her wrist and watched as the door opened. She had a shot gun in her hand and fired as the person came in. The maid fell over dead. The girl laughed at this. Danny shuddered in shock and watched as she kicked the body out into the hall and shut the door. She took the tray of food and ate in silence.

Tucker stood tall, with his PDA in hand. With a intake of breath he threw the dice. It seemed to roll by slowly and landed on a four. It was a high number but he could have gotten worse, like a five or six. Four fire heads circled Tucker, blocking all the ways out. He used his PDA and shot the laser that came from it at the fire heads. Knocking them all away he took the moment to run and used the laser to break the ropes holding Jazz, Sam, Maddie and Jack. Maddie fired at Morace rapidly forcing the manifestation back. To say that he looked pissed would be an understatement.

Angel was too much in shock to realize that Jack Fenton had woken up and fired at her arms forcing her to drop Danny. He caught his son and beckoned everyone outside the room. They took off.

"GET THEM YOU FOOLS!" Angel was angry. Danny was no longer in her grasp but she had a tiny smirk knowing something that the others didn't. She fired a Morace who sighed and left after everyone else. "DON'T SPEAK TO ME TILL YOU HAVE THE GHOST BOY! KILL THE REST!" She didn't like it when the pawns retaliated.

"Good work Tucker!" Jazz said. They made to the outside. It was filled with negative energy. They were so close and yet so far. Maddie regonized this place.

"We're in the ghost world," Maddie observed, "And we don't have a way to get out."

"It's the the ghost zone," Angel corrected hovering above them, "And you have to play my game to get out. I bet your wondering, where all this negative energy is coming from." She waved her arms dramatically.

"From you I bet."

"Sadly no...I do appriciate the completment though. I'll let you figure it out but you want to get free you have to play my game and win. See, no one has ever tried to fight back in my game, they usually die first but you've proven to be a resilent bunch. I like a challenge just not in my pawns." She frowned, "Now who's turn next since that boy cheated."

"It was worth a try Tucker," Sam replied and watched Angel.

"Hmm...you." Jazz pointed at herself, "Yes you. Are you stupid?" Angel laughed, "No. Don't answer that." Jazz fumed and clentched her hands together to try and fight off the anger. With their luck Angel probably fed off it. A dice landed at Jazz's feet and she picked it up. She shook it in her hands for a few minutes, not sure if they should roll or not. "Roll!" Jazz rolled and, just her luck, it landed on a six. Angel laughed and launched five angry razars at Jazz. She rolled away and fired at their chests. They seemed to blow up like a ballon and went 'POP!' all over the area.

"That wasn't hard at all."

"So you figured out their weakness, that means nothing little girl but as per the rules, you have won your challenge." Maddie gave a sigh of relief. It was her turn.

Danny sat in the teens lap as she kissed his neck. "You love me...right?" Danny nodded, his eyes a hollow blue. She smirked. "Would you do anything I asked?" He nodded again. "Kill your mother." A pang of anger welled up in those eyes but disappeared quickly as she kissed him gently on the lips. He stood up.

Danny stood up, much to the others surprise. Jack was unconscious once again due to one of the bodies hitting him on the head. One of the sharper parts hit him on the forehead. The worst part was his concussion, otherwise he would be fine. Maddie wondered how Danny had the energy to change but she noticed that the green eyes were vacant. Sam shivered as did Tucker and Jazz was throughly confused. Angel laughed and pointed at Maddie. Phantom was head for Maddie and charged up one of his blasts.

"How does it feel to know you have to destroy your own son?" Angel asked.

"Danny, honey, you have to wake up. Whatever she's showing you...it's not real." Danny didn't respond and fired at his mother who dodged the attack. He continued to fire at her but she dodged each time. She had no choice but to fire but her trigger finger just didn't seem to want to fire. She could not fire at her son. "Danny, it's me. Your mother. Wake up!" Danny shook his head in confusion.

"Danny, it's me. Your mother. Wake up!" Danny shook his head. Was he not supposed to listen to that pretty girl who made him feel warm inside? "There are people out here who love you. Come back to us." That girl loved him, didn't see? She said she did. "Danny, please. Don't listen to Angel. She doesn't love you. She can't offer you the kind of love that you'll need!" Danny frowned. What was going on? "Danny, don't listen to her. Come to me, be safe in my arms." Danny went to sit with the girl but he was frozen again.

There she was again, that girl that had bekoned him with her 'love'. She was there, and her uncle was hitting her again. She wasn't crying or upset, she was just cold. She was numb. He could feel how numb she was. She needed love but he knew he couldn't be the one to give it to her. She looked up at him, her eyes still cold and deadly. "Angel?" "Danny, don't go back. I need you. Please...stay." She hugged him but he couldn't hug back. "I'm sorry, but-" "Why would you want to go back to a place that you're a freak. Stay here, you'll be accepted and you'll be loved." Danny frowned, looked at her and shook his head. "I'm sorry." Danny pushed away from her and pushed himself out of her memory.

He was in his room again where she was holding him again. He had been wrong, she wasn't warm, she was cold and she offered no warmth, not even in a hug. He pulled away from her and went toward the door. Her voice had changed and became low and deadly. "I'm sorry," Danny said, "But I don't fit in here." "You don't fit in there either!" She screamed, "You walk out the door you throw whatever chance of being safe away! I can't offer my protection to you anymore!" Danny shook his head and kissed her on the cheek gently. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, I really am. Maybe one day you'll learn to forgive." With that he walked out he door. A white light blinded him...

Danny shook his head. Was he not supposed to listen to that pretty girl who made him feel warm inside? That girl loved him, didn't see? She said she did. Danny frowned. What was going on? "Danny, don't listen to her. Come to me, be safe in my arms." Danny went to sit with the girl but he was frozen again.

Danny opened his eyes and fell from the sky. Maddie caught him and held him close. She had won the challenge so why didn't things go back to normal? Danny opened his eyes and pushed away from his mother, swaying on the spot a bit. She helped him stand still and he fired at Angel who dodged.

"NO ONE EVER LEAVES ME! NO ONE!" She fired at Danny who threw up his ghost shield just in time. It was using too much energy to keep it up and he was forced to bring it down. He deflected every shot she made with his own but he couldn't keep this pace up. He flew up to her and, to everyone's surprise, hugged her. "NO ONE LEAVES ME!" He took the abuse of her hits time and time again. "NO ONE LEAVES ME!" She fired one more time and he fell to the ground. Angel watched his decent as Maddie ran to catch her son. After her little fit Maddie realized Danny had been hit with one too many energy blasts.

TBC...