A/N: Uh…sorry this is a bit late. Let's just say there was some drama going on with one of my grades and it was consuming my time…really didn't mean to make you all wait longer than necessary! Oh, and you guys all rock. Seriously…we're over twenty reviews for the last chapter alone…that just blows my mind. You guys are so great and I really appreciate it!
I just got back from my Alaskan cruise…they made us pay for internet use so that's partially why this isn't done sooner . The other reason is that I kind of lost my muse for a little bit…he left me while I took my finals and then obviously took a vacation without my knowledge. Of course he comes back as I start my own…sadistic bastard.
So…I take it you guys liked the last chapter. Hold on then and enjoy this one!
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Ashes to Ashes
Part Twelve: Burn
By the time that Jazz's head caught up with what was happening around her, she found herself staring outside from her room with Mikey by her side, watching as different ghosts set the town of Amity Park ablaze. The starts of screams could be heard from around the city, and the buildings were painted in a dark glow created by the ectoplasm shooting through the air. Mikey kept asking her what was going on as he stared outside beside her; she could hear the worry and fear in his voice and couldn't blame him…a town being attacked by undead spirits had that effect on people.
However, she found herself relatively calm as she stared out at the beginnings of what was going to end up being horrible destruction, and a sense of purpose settled in her belly when she heard her parents shuffling around beneath her feet. Jazz, without another moment's hesitation, grabbed Mikey's hand and proceeded to drag him downstairs behind her as she ran; they no longer had time to doubt anymore. She ignored his questions that were fired at her like a machine gun, rapid and seemingly never-ending, deciding that questions could wait until she could figure out answers that didn't sound like they were coming from a crack-pot. She hurtled through the house and ended up in the basement where her parents were busy loading weapons onto a cart in no time at all. She let go of the confused Italian boys hand for just a minute and returned with two hazmut suits in hand.
"Uh, Jazz?" Mikey asked while a feeling of dread that began in Danny's room continued to grow in his stomach as he looked at the orange, spandex-like suit now resting in his hands. "What is this and what are you doing? Better yet, just tell me what the Hell's going on here!"
"That is a hazmut suit, made of a special fabric that regulates body temperatures and provides protection from ectoplasmic energies," Jazz replied shortly as she pulled the teal suit on over her clothes and secured her long red hair away from her face with a band. "And I'm putting one of these on so I can help my parents fight off the ghosts now attacking Amity Park, which is what's going on outside."
Mikey continued to stare at the slim red-head as she pulled a hood over her face and covered her eyes with red goggles, waiting for her to elaborate on what she had just informed him off. It never came though…so he took it upon himself to ask. "Uh…ghosts, Jazz? Okay, I know that you said your family was a bit strange but this is ridicu--"
"I know it's kind of hard to swallow," Jazz interrupted as she started to help a still prone Mikey into his own hazmut suit before he knew what was happening. "I mean, I was in denial for the better half of my life when it cam to my parents and their radical beliefs but…but everything changed about four years ago. I can't make you believe that ghosts are real, or that my brother happens to be half ghost due to a lab accident when he was fourteen…but there is something I do think I can make you understand."
Jazz finished zipping up the orange suit and pulled the teal hood off her own to reveal her face, turquoise eyes bright and resolute framed by wispy red hair. She reached out and placed a hand on the side of Mikey's face and flicked her eyes upstairs before locking back on with his chocolate eyes. Her voice still retained the determined edge from before, but now was spoken in a way that made the slim girl seem much bigger than the Italian young man.
"Those noises you hear coming from outside are not pleasant ones Michael…and you know it. What you'll find out there are things that most people, besides those who live in this crazy city and know otherwise, think are just bedtime stories. Myths meant to frighten children around campfires and during slumber parties. But they aren't…the myths are real and sometimes not very happy with the living. Not all are vengeful, some are helpful and kind in fact, but we're not facing those kinds right now. Listen to them Mikey…that's the sound of pure hatred out there. And the town, as of right now at least, is missing the savior who always protected them…only we're left.
"Maybe my parents are a bit nutty, I mean, they have a lab for a basement in a house with an eighteen year old boy lives for goodness sakes! But…but they know how to fight off these ghosts, spirits, phantoms, or whatever you want to call them; and I do too. I can't just sit by and let them face this alone, I can't let the town face this alone, and I can't let my brother face this by himself anymore. I don't know if you'll want to help or not, I mean I know that trying to swallow a story about attacking ghosts is pretty far-fetched. However, I need your help right now Mikey…more than ever. Whether you help by heading out with my parents and I, or stay here and remain safe in the house with the protection of the ghost shield.
"You're probably thinking to yourself that I need to go undergo psychiatric therapy because of Post Traumatic Stress syndrome or for paranoia…and don't shake your head at me! I know the way your psychologist mind works mister! And, while I may need that down the road, right now there are bigger things happening than my being abused and a lot of lives are on the line now. Please…if you ever meant it when you said you trust me explicitly, please just trust what I'm saying now and help me defend my home and family."
Mikey stared into the now teary, teal orbs, a sense of warmth and protectiveness welling inside of him, pushing aside the skepticism and doubt with one, big shove. She was right, it was an awful big pill to swallow and he never really was a dreamer when it came to how his mind worked, and to suddenly start believing in ghosts was quite a stretch. But…Jazz obviously believed in this notion that ghosts existed so strongly, and the fact that these specters were now attacking the city as he stood there and stared at her beautiful eyes; perhaps it was time to take a step out of the analyst world and into the dreamer's for a moment. His rational mind, the one that would probably carry him on through school to get his degree and become a psychologist, was screaming at him as he gave Jazz a small smile, affirming his decision to believe her.
"All right Jazz," Mikey said as he zipped up the orange suit, shaking his head and making sure to color his voice with a little bit of skepticism still. "I'll go with this…I can hear those yells as well as anyone else. So…how exactly do you fight, uh, ghosts?"
Jazz didn't answer with words, but with actions, strapping and unbelievable amount of arsenals on his body with a determined look back on her face, all trace of her sadness replaced with a more…useful emotion for the moment. Mikey asked once or twice what the strange looking devices (all adorned with some sort of label displaying the name 'FENTON' across it somewhere), but soon gave up after the reply of "you point it at a ghost and shoot" started to grate on his nerves.
After Jazz strapped her own assortment of weaponry to her own slim form, including something she called a 'Jack-o-Nine Tale,' she grabbed Mikey's hand and dragged him back up the stairs, through the kitchen, and into the garage to help the two elder Fentons load even more weapons into a very heavily armored minivan. Mikey wondered for a moment whether a RV like that was even allowed to be owned and operated by two public scientists, but soon pushed that though aside (something he seemed to be doing a lot that day) and helped alongside the young, red-headed woman.
Just after everything was loaded into the RV, Mikey heard Jazz and her parents begin to argue, no doubt about her decision to fight alongside them with a still very fragile mind, and he moved away enough to try and block out the argument. It wasn't until he was against the garage door did the raised voices and arm gesticulations fade away from his attention…and was replaced by something else coming from outside. He heard Tucker and Valerie outside, and they were both obviously fighting against something outside…and they weren't winning. Even though the analyst was against this entire thing, it was starting to believe that something not quite right was going on…and they were wasting time arguing now. Maybe he wasn't entirely positive of what was going on, but he had gotten to know Tucker and Valerie the past weeks they had been over to help with Danny and Jazz; if they were in danger than he needed to go out and help.
Call it the Italian blood in him…he had the inherent need to protect those he thought in danger. That was the reason why no one in the Fabino family was allowed to lock doors anymore…to many broken down doors.
"Uh…guys?" he began hesitantly with a small wave of a brown hand. He felt a brief swoop of discomfort as three sets of angry eyes all focused on him, but pushed it aside as quickly as it came and hardened his own chocolate orbs. "I'm sure all of you are worried about each other and want to protect everyone, but arguing about it isn't going to help any. If what's going on is as serious as Jazz was telling me it is, then maybe we all need to help out instead of bickering about who's going to. Frankly Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, I think Jazz will be a big help out there, especially with helping me out, and Jazz, you need to remember that they just get worried about you…like all parents do. So…let's ask ourselves where we need to head towards instead of yelling about."
All thoroughly shamefaced, the Fenton family, minus the ailing son, all gave each other brief smiles before the parents both leaped into the front seats, Maddie in the driver's. Jazz mouthed a 'thank you' to Mikey before giving him a chaste kiss on the lips, pulling him into the backseats of the RV as he tried (and failed miserably) to wipe the goofy grin off his face. Both younger occupants gripped their armrests with a death-like grip as the matron of the Fenton family peeled out of the garage and took off down the road at an alarming speed that Mikey was sure wasn't legal.
Jazz turned around for a brief moment to see Sam and Tucker staring up at Valerie as she fought off ghosts in the sky from the front lawn of her house, trying to stave off the overwhelming feeling of dread threatening to overthrow her determination fueling her. The younger teens looked so small, as the RV pulled away, so small up against so many green, ghastly…well, ghosts. She felt the strong hand of her father on her shoulder pull her back forward, his confident smile bolstering her morale once more.
"They'll be just fine Jazzypants," Jack Fenton said with a conviction that couldn't be faked. "That Valerie sure knows how to fight ghosts with the best of them! Now, let's go kick some ghost butt Fenton family!"
"Jazz," Maddie added on as her enthusiastic husband began to pump the air with his fists in excitement at the thought of fighting some ghosts. "You know they'll be all right honey…they always are. Jack, dear, please don't put your fist through the window again…"
Jazz pried her eyes away from the already disappeared scene happening in front of her house and back up front. She could see the street signs flashing before her eyes before the RV tore past them and deeper into town, noting how the screams were no being mingled in with what sounded like battle-cries. Maybe that wasn't just something the directors of war movies had the heroes do right before he or she charged the enemy; maybe it was just an instinctual reaction that helped quell all the raging emotions flowing through you. Jazz tightened her hold on her weapon of choice, closing her eyes for a moment as she fed Mikey instructions on how to fire at the ghosts with his Fenton Ecto Blasters and where to hit them, like the eyes and other such weak spots. This continued in an almost unnerving calm pace until the RV was screeched to a stop…cheers as well as emboldened cries filled the air around the four, muffled slightly by the metal of the vehicle.
Jazz waited for her mother to give the okay, gripping her weapon and narrowing her eyes at the closed door, poised to leap out and start firing as soon as the door was opened by her father. Mikey slid up beside her, and she could feel his anxiousness as they waited…who wouldn't be if he or she was about to fight ghosts for the first time? This was the worst part though, Jazz decided as she began to recite some definitions of psychological diseases in her head…the waiting. It felt as if she were about to jump off of a high dive for the first time, that feeling of fear, dread, and second-guessing all rolled into one. Her heartbeat was starting to beat faster, a natural reaction she told herself, and her skin began to feel like it was tingling.
She began to wonder why any of this was even going on as she saw her mother smile grimly at her father and nod with a fierce look in her turquoise eyes, why any of this fighting was going on in the first place. Was it because of Danny? All evidence pointed to her brother as the cause…and Vlad Masters aka Plasmius the root of the resources. Tucker was probably right when he told Jazz about his and Valerie's theory about Vlad hiring Riley and his goons to kidnap and, eventually, break Danny and her, but why what was was troubling the red-head. Why did Vlad Masters fear Danny Fenton so much? Why did all the ghosts seem to fear him…why were some ghosts, like the Season spirits so devoted to him? What was so different about him that made him a catalyst for everything that was happening?
The answer seemed to buzzing right in front of her, like a fly one's unable to swat down, and as she waited for the door to slide open all the way, she questioned her mind furiously. What made Danny so different from Vlad that ghosts seemed to hate him and obey Vlad? If power was an issue, Danny should have had a lot lore allies by now, his powers out-ranking Vlad's for nearly a year. Maybe it was emotions then…Vlad certainly didn't hold the thought of emotions in such high regard unless it had to with his obsession with Maddie Fenton. Yes, Danny certainly acted much more human than Vlad did but…but that didn't seem like a proper reason because plenty of ghosts like Johnny 13, Kitty, Ember, and Walker to name a few acted human. What was it?
Then, just as she and Mikey leapt out of the RV, followed shortly by Jack in the Fenton Peeler suit, it hit her. It hit her like a freight train going 180 down an open track. It was so simple why Danny was such a threat to so many…so simple why Clockwork and Bruma protected him so fiercely, even turning back time to ensure his safety. There was one major difference that separated Danny from Vladimir Masters, one that created a possibility that, for some reason, she had ignored completely.
Samantha Manson.
She gave Danny something that Vlad didn't have a chance in hell of ever having, a possibility of children being born out of love that were born half dead and half alive. Jazz let loose a battle cry of her own as she use the Jack o' Nine Tales to rip apart several ghosts who darted towards her, sparing a glance over at Mikey after her own task was down, happy to see him fighting just as well as she…maybe Fentons just had a knack for attracting other ghost fighters. Off to her left, Jazz could hear her parents fighting off ghosts with their efficient professionalism, and ahead of her she could see so many citizens of Amity Park fighting against the ghost invaders as well. It was good to know that after four years of ghost attacks certain people had developed their own skills to fight off ghosts as well.
A vulture like ghost swooped down at Jazz, cawing in a high pitched voice and green saliva dripping from its beak, and Jazz twirled to her left to avoid it. She took that one down too, with a fervor that would have made her parents proud, her own mind still reeling from the revelation it had just had. Sure, she was aware that her little brother wasn't so little anymore, and that he truly was in love with Sam…Jazz just never actually thought about her baby brother being able to have children before. It was kind of like a big sister block had never even thought of that as a possibility.
She would have liked to expand more on her current train of thought, but the arrival of three humanoid ghosts robbed her of that option…she had to focus now or these things could get to Danny! So, she made a promise to herself as she whipped down the cord-like weapon and crushed one of the oncoming ghosts; that she would make sure that none of these monsters would try to rob Danny of any semblance of a normal life. He didn't deserve to always have to fight for things any living creature should be allowed to have…it just wasn't right.
After dispatching the second of the ghosts, Jazz was knocked away by the third from behind, landing on the ground sloppily with a thud before she could roll out of the way of a blast. The third ghost was leering at her as he readied another greenish blast, daring her to attack him, but she was never able to take up his offer…another green blast hit him from behind and dissolved the spectral being before he could let loose his attack. Jazz readied her own weapon as she tried in vain to see through the smoky residue as to who helped her, because that blast was from no Fenton weapon. Even so, her own sense of readiness couldn't handle what she saw when the fog finally cleared and her rescuer stood before her, smirking at her with green eyes.
"You!"
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Bruma was in a rush for a few different reasons: one, the premonition of danger she had been feeling for the past week had finally come to fruition, two, most of the ghosts allied with the Abomination had already departed to the human world to reek incalculable damage, three, most of the spirits could not leave their domains to fight live the Seasons could, and four, she was not sure if Danny had regained his memory or not yet. The winter spirit glided through the different sections of her Spirit Realm, rallying anyone who could spare it to come and help, before setting off to meet with her siblings and come up with a plan.
Bruma saw her younger brother first, punching his fists in the air like a human toddler, and settled beside him to face her older siblings. Flora, as usual, was looking at her sister in concern while Messis questioned her with a look. Before shooting an exasperated look at the very excited Aestas, Bruma shook her rainbow-tressed head slowly and said in a hard voice, "Not many Brother…a few are able to help but it will not be enough to face the force the Abomination will have been able to muster."
"Who then, Bruma?" Messis asked, worry now clouding his brown eyes as he shot Aestas a look to calm the spirit of Summer down for a moment.
"Most of the Animal spirits," Bruma replied in the same hard, fearless tone. "None of the emotions…a few of the river, and, of course, Johtan. That glory-hound doesn't count himself out of any battle, for purpose or none."
"Well," Flora responded in her delicate way. "He is the Spirit of Glory…why would he go against his nature?"
"What of the Others?" Bruma asked, ignoring the smile on her sister's face. Flora, of all the other siblings, knew the true reason why Bruma detested Johtan after all…and the spring spirit found it funny that her cold sister was annoyed with unwanted affection!
"None will come," Aestas replied, a sad hint in his tone that sounded almost foreign on the usually boisterous spirit. "The Seraphs have problems of their own right now, as you all well know, and the Keltoi claim they do not have the numbers to aid humans and ghosts feuds. I could contact none of the rest, my Sister…but I do not think they will go against us."
"Of course they won't, they all will just wait and see who wins before siding with any," Bruma said bitterly as she turned her gaze upon Messis. "What of the Lines? Will they do nothing?"
"Most do not think now would be a good time to reveal themselves," the fall spirit said as he tugged at his rainbow beard thoughtfully. "However, the part of the Crai'agh does perturb them. They do not believe the stone should have been left with Clockwork in the first place, and now it is caught up in the middle of a war between ghosts and spirits, two of their not so favorite entities. They fear for the safety of the Heir the Crai'agh is bound too…"
"Well," Bruma answered as she fixed her black eyes on something none of the others could see. "You can tell the Mages that the Heir is already in ownership of the Crai'agh and that the Heir will not be easily swayed to leave this conflict…perhaps that will convince those snobbish assholes that it is time for the Lines of witches to join with those of ghosts and help us later. For now, we only have one option left with which to gain fighters to aid us."
The other three were still reeling from their sister's proclamation…the Crai'agh was already in ownership by one of the Heirs? While they each thought the current holder of the stone was a worthy soul to bear it, that's all they each thought the person was…a bearer. A holder to keep the stone safe until the true owner claimed the talisman…how did Bruma know that—
"You didn't think it was only the hybrid, did you?" Bruma asked with a smirk, answering the unspoken question from her siblings' lips. "The union did not refer to that of living and death, but rather of ghost and witch…or, rather, ghost blood and some form of ancestral witch blood."
"How did you come to find out though, Bruma?" Flora asked with wide, green eyes.
"The girl revealed something to me that answered a question I had," Bruma replied cryptically. "A bearer could not summon power from the stone…and Clockwork himself gave the stone to the hybrid. That is how I knew."
None of the Season siblings said anything for a while, letting the information sink in and digest itself for three and renew itself for one. When each of the season spirits looked up at each other once more, any shred of doubt was gone from all four pair of eyes, only an acceptance and burning determination left in each pair. They each knew what they had to do…the Abomination could not be allowed to win this day! The only issue was…it was an unpleasant task.
"Aestas and I shall tackle the Warden," Messis said with the authority that he had been bestowed by the others. "Bruma and Flora, you will both tackle the rest…if we are able to convince the rest to fight for us, along with the humans and other spirits, we will not fail our mission! We will meet again on the Living plane…until then, may the path be cleared before you both."
"And with you two as well," both sisters intoned in respectful tones, before turning to part ways and convince the only resource left to help them. Both sisters glided in their way towards their destination, hoping that their brothers would have luck with that obstinate jackass of a warden, and soon happened upon their targets, all congregated in one of the many doorways of the Ghost Zone.
"Do you think they will actually listen to a word we say?" Flora asked her younger sister; the winter spirit had more contact with the ghosts than any of the seasons.
"We will make them," Bruma answered fiercely, black eyes narrowing as she studied her, well, prey below her. Being spirits, she and her sister garnered more respect than any average ghost in the realms of the Dead, but they were in no means all powerful. The incident with the Abomination kidnapping and controlling her was proof enough of that…hopefully what power they did have would be enough.
Neither spirit announced herself as they swooped down and 'landed' among the gathered ghosts, ignoring the startled looks of surprise and both adopting their game faces. The both waited until the mutterings died down before speaking, Flora going first to show some diplomatic manners towards the gathered ghosts. "I am known as Flora, Spirit of Spring…and beside me is my sister Bruma, Spirit of Winter. We come to you all now in hope that you may aid us in battle against the forces of the Abomination known as Plasmius…"
"We have already gathered forces of our own," Bruma added on, keeping her brittle tone as kind as possible for her, and gesturing to their audience with her leather incased hands. "But it is not enough to face the power we know Plasmius is possible of…we need all of your aid if we are to defeat him."
Not one of the remaining ghosts said anything for a while, letting the words of two spirits digest before one stepped forward, heavy machinery and guns clinking as he went. "You wish us to help humans fight against fellow ghosts? Humans and…the whelp? You must be desperate…"
"Listen up Rainbow Brights," another voice, female and angry, spoke up, her flaming green hair towering over her spectral body. "I really don't see a reason why we should all risk our hides in fighting Plasmius for a bunch of humans! Maybe Dipstick and me aren't fighting anymore, but that doesn't mean we're having tea every afternoon and chatting it up! I don't really see why WE should all go up there and fight a losing battle."
Many of the ghosts agreed and started talking again after Skulker and Ember finished their declarations…Bruma just stared at them dispassionately until they stopped. She let Flora, by far the more magnanimous of the two, try to convince the ghosts of why they should help, about how evil Plasmius is and all sorts of feel-good reasons for about a half hour. The petite spirit held up a valiant effort, and even managed to convince one or two who started to argue for her, but the most remained strictly apprehensive and unwilling to go up against a halfa as powerful as Plasmius. The green-skinned spirit turned around and fixed her luminous green eyes with her sister's inky black ones, a delicate hand waving out towards their crowd to signal Bruma's turn.
"You say you are not willing to fight Plasmius because it is a losing battle," Bruma began, all traces of kindness gone from her hard voice and her eyes pinning each lost soul like a knife. In her warrior-hunting garb and holding her hand on the hilt of her sword, she looked much more imposing than her flowery sister…and it showed. "But, you will allow him and his pawns to control nearly every inch of YOUR domain! It sounds to me as if you have given up a battle before it has even begun…and here I thought you all were supposed to be vengeful and fearsome creatures. You want a reason to fight…one that will directly correlate to your very after-lives?
"If you aid us, and stop acting like sniveling cowards cowering to a school-yard bully, then you will prevent your own destruction by hands of the Lines." Bruma paused for a moment, letting this startling news ripple through the assembled crowd. Ghosts may not have fought with witches for centuries now, but that did not mean they were allies now…and it seemed they still could evoke fear in the spectral beings. "You see, a rather valuable talisman of theirs is involved in this fight and they would be most upset to find that it was taken by an Abomination. So, there is one reason.
"Here is another…and a more powerful one at that. Are you all willing to be ruled over by a tyrant like Pariah Dark, only much worse? That is what Plasmius will be…he will not rest with the domination of his homeland, but the ghost inside him will want these realms as well. What will you ghosts do when the spirits are gone…called away by the witch lines whose ancient ancestors gave us form because you all stood aside and let one of your problems destroy you? You will all be slaves for the rest of your eternal existences is what will happen…and when Plasmius finally reaches for power were he should not…what will happen? You will all be extinguished, and the spirits will follow after.
"The Seraphs are having problems of their own…problems that most of you know what it concerns with. What if Plasmius should reach that far because of his human greed? Are you all willing to accept responsibility for that possible catastrophe should you all stand idle now?
"There is a chance for survival though…should you fight today. A chance that something be brought into the world that has a chance to finally put an end to what the Seraphs inadvertently brought upon our world. Put an end to the reliance on talismans and artifacts made by the witches and ghosts of old.
"…
"The hybrid who resides happily in the world of living is what could make this possible…he is human, despite sharing some of our gifts and your occasional appearance, he is human nonetheless. Not alone of course, but he is a factor. But, he is weakened already by attempts to destroy his humanity by Plasmius. Whether the Abomination knows of this chance already is not important…what is, is that you could all become heroes should you fight with us today! For human or no, fight for the perseverance of our two races and for the chance to bring about the Geminus progeny! Fight for yourselves and prove to me that you are worthy of being called ghosts!"
It didn't take long after Bruma's speech that a loud cheer went up to take down Plasmius…Skulker and Ember leading the chant and also leading the ghosts there to round up more ghosts who had not sided with Vlad. Bruma shot her smiling sister a rare smile, a look conveying a wordless message that the spring spirit understood perfectly: all it takes is the right motivation sometimes to make an army out of reluctant participants.
Both season sisters glided away and let the ghosts rally themselves together, setting off to meet their brothers at the meeting point before they called the spirits who would join them to convene there as well. Bruma looked behind her to make sure the ghosts began following them…which they were; the season spirits had the way out to the living world after all. A shout from ahead, which sounded so familiarly like her exuberant brother it could be no one else, brought her attention back forward and she saw even more ghosts trailing behind the season brothers. A large, white ghost with a rule book was in the lead behind Aestas…it seemed that even though Walker had not signed the treaty he still would help.
"It would seem as though you have succeeded sisters," Messis said with a smile as the siblings approached each other, admiring the other's fighting force in comparison to their own. "I trust it was not too difficult."
"Not after Bruma threatened to loose the Lines upon them," Flora smiled back. "And it would seem that you two would have had the harder fight to contend with anyway."
"Not really," Aestas said with a laugh, placing the hand not on his hammer on his winter sister's shoulder. "Once Messis mentioned that Plasmius was breaking a rule set up by the Council of old, he was very enthusiastic of apprehending him and his goons!"
Bruma couldn't help but smile at her younger sibling; he was so amusing when he was excited about something new. And, facing an army of ghosts with an army of ghosts, humans, and spirits was definitely new. The four waited until they saw Ember and Skulker fly up, a sign that both had found every available ghost they could and now all were accounted for…and there were quite a lot of them now. Messis smiled grimly and motioned a hand towards Aestas, who grinned even broader and inhaled a great amount of 'air.' He exhaled it in the sound of a horn, a beautiful baritone howl that seemed to rock the entire landscape, army and all. When he was done, all manners of strange looking spirits were present…mostly in the shape of half-animal, half-man forms and others that looked like water itself.
This was it, Bruma thought to herself as she gripped both of her short swords and yanked them out of their scabbards, her siblings following suit with their own respective weapon: a great hammer that crackled ominously for Aestas, a long bow with blue sparking arrows for Flora, and a giant green scythe for Messis. Her own blue and black swords, made from glacier ice and diamonds by her manifestors long ago, glittered dangerously as they waited for their way into the real world. A shaggy character stepped forward out of the masses along with an old man with a large staff, both waiting for their cue from the spirits.
"Go ahead Wulf," Messis said aloud with a nod towards the Esperanto speaking hound, who promptly ripped five huge holes into the dimension…five holes into Amity Park. The ghosts and spirits swarmed through them, already able to hear the sounds of battle going on the other side, and the season spirits followed shortly after, weapons ready and war faces on. Only Bruma paused long enough to hear the wizened old man, known by many as Clockwork but to her as Aetas, Spirit of Time.
"Guard them well Seasons," Clockwork yelled as the Wulf jumped through the self-made portals as well. "And when the time comes where all seems lost, let hope fill the void and only guard against the tide…not the Abomination."
Bruma nodded as the old man faded out of sight and turned her attention back towards the present. It seemed silly, telling her to let Danny, in his weakened state, fight off Plasmius on his own, but maybe the old man knew something she didn't. It was very likely…he knew more than any normal spirit should. Bruma gripped her swords tight in each hand and let loose a battle cry as she hurtled down towards the ground where the fighting was occurring, an icy comet streaking across the sky along with a fireball, an shooting star, and a meteor to let the Abomination know how pissed off they each were.
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Jazz looked up in amazement at her very unlikely rescuer…she didn't even know that this girl was friends with Danny! Before, in all her biker glory, was Kitty, a ghost who once tried to overshadow Jazz's body to take form on Earth. She was smirking at the confused red-head, and yelled over her shoulder, "Did you see her face Johnny? She looks like she swallowed something nasty uh?"
A grungy looking ghost with lanky blond hair and an overcoat pulled up on a motorcycle then, forming his own ectoplasmic blast and shooting down another enemy ghost flying towards them. "You got that right baby, but come on, we still got plenty to do and sitting here won't get it done. Shadow! Get those vultures away from halfa's sister's boy-toy!"
Sure enough, Jazz saw a huge, smiling shadow rise up behind Johnny and start taking down a group of ghosts encircling Mikey as he made his way over to Jazz. The slim woman was still in shock when she felt Mikey place his hand on her shoulder and whisper, "Look Jazz…there a whole bunch of these things helping us now!"
Again, Jazz found herself stunned as she watched various ghosts, both known and unknown, attacking their attackers side-by-side with humans! She looked back over to where Kitty and Johnny were still smirking at her and she asked in a small voice, "What the hell are you all doing here?"
"Well," Kitty answered in an indignant tone as she ducked and let Johnny blast another ghost. "It would seem like were helping all you humans out uh? Don't sound so grateful Miss Perfect…jeez. And here I thought you'd be happy you humans wouldn't get crushed by Plasmius!"
"But…why?" Jazz asked again, still not understanding why she was seeing so many of Danny's ex-enemies suddenly fighting to protect his town. Youngblood was currently blasting ghosts everywhere with spaceman (his latest obsession obviously) rockets, Skulker and Ember were helping out Dash, Kwan, and other jocks from Casper High who were fighting in front of a convenience store, Desiree was casting wishes for good luck on the citizens fighting while hexing the opposing side, and it seemed like Technus was aiding some of the local parents who were fighting with their children. It was all too surreal to take in…there had to be a reason.
"Well, that winter spirit friend of yours brought up an interesting point," Kitty said as she blasted another ghost with a shot from her ring. "And we ghosts decided that it would be better for us for your brother to be alive than Plasmius killing him and half the town. Lesser of two evils you see."
Jazz did see, and she was happy to have the help…they needed it desperately. She gave the biker chick a deadly smirk and rolled over to fight back to back with her, letting Mikey help Johnny and his Shadow as they shifted over a block to help some struggling parents. The two girls worked wonderfully together, like they had been friends for all their lives instead of allies for a moment, cutting down ghosts every which way and sending them back to the Ghost Zone where they belonged.
"New boyfriend?" Kitty asked as she ducked and let the red-head squeeze the life out of a squid ghost. "He's cute…now you can stop scamming on mine uh?"
"Johnny was a lapse of judgment," Jazz replied with a laugh as the two made their way over towards another fighting arena. "Believe me; he's all yours…just stay away from mine all right?"
"Oh don't worry, he's not my type," Kitty answered with a devilish grin at her companion. "He breathes too much."
Jazz let out another laugh, amazed that the two were joking at a time like this about boyfriends. But, maybe it was good that they were…it helped alleviate some of the fear she knew they both were feeling, alive or dead. It was always better to have a friend by your side should it be your last moment…no time like the present to make amends and start anew. She glanced out from her hiding space to see how many ghosts were out there, counting five, and focused on controlling her breathing. Maybe Kitty didn't have this problem, but living beings eventually ran out of fuel and Jazz knew she had a long way to go before she could allow that.
"So…" Kitty asked slowly in a quiet voice, settling into a fighting stance as Jazz mouthed how close the ghosts were. "What's up with your brother? Haven't seen him for a while…we were kind of wondering what happened to him…"
"He got hurt," Jazz said shortly, launching her Jack o' Nine Tales and crushing two of the ghosts while Kitty launched three separate blasts at the others. Two more went down and both girls moved in on the last one to get rid of him. "He still is…that's why were fighting out here, to protect him."
"Oh…" Kitty trailed off, running one hand uncomfortably through her green hair and the other across her stomach. "I'm sorry…I always kind of thought he was a good kid. I actually felt bad when I pretended to be Paulina and messed with his feelings…he didn't really deserve it. I guess, well, I'm sorry about that."
"Just that?" Jazz teased, for some reason, feeling a lot better now that she had heard an old enemy state how good she thought her brother was.
"Definitely, I needed a body and you were a good pick…although, now that I think about it, you're probably to dorky for me to live in!"
They both giggled like old friends for a moment before starting forward again towards City Hall, where most of the fighting was happening and where Jazz's parents were. The way was relatively clear, and more fighters gathered around and headed for the government building and almost made it there without distraction. But then, something happened that left most of the people speechless.
"Jazzmine," Kitty said slowly as she stopped walking and kept her red eyes fixed on the sky. "You did say your brother was hurt, didn't you?"
"Yeah, why?" Jazz asked back, frowning at the look of wonder and fear on the ghost girl's face.
"That's why!" Kitty hissed as she jabbed upward, directing turquoise eyes into the sky.
Jazz felt her breath catch as she watched the spectacle up in the sky, and several others as they looked up with her, human and ghost alike. Above was a fight, a fight between Vlad Plasmius and Danny Phantom…and the latter was not winning. Jets of green met those of dark pink in the sky, and purple light seemed to be cackling dangerously around Danny as he dove out of the way of a duplicate Vlad attack. It was horrifying to watch, but most couldn't seem to tear their eyes away, least of all Jazz Fenton.
Watching her brother up there, Jazz didn't know whether to feel happy that her brother had seemingly regained his memory, or terrified that he was fighting like that with Vlad…it looked like they both meant to kill each other! She didn't know what she could do, but she knew sitting there wasn't going to accomplish anything…she needed to get to City Hall and let her parents know what was going on here…but she couldn't run that fats and through this many people and be of any help…wait…
"Kitty!" Jazz yelled, grabbing hold of the ghost's cool flesh and brining the scarlet eyes back down to look at the living girl. "I need to get to City Hall, and I need to get there fast! Can you overshadow me and phase me through all these people and fly us to me parents?"
"What?" Kitty asked, alarmed this girl was asking her to take over her body.
"Please! It's the only way I can help my brother right now…my parents made a new weapon while Danny was sick, they told me about it. They know what Vlad is and they know that it was Vlad who initiated the attackers on Danny and I that hurt him so badly…they'll use this new weapon against him and we can help my brother! Please Kitty…I can't get there on my own…I need your help!"
The biker ghost looked at the Fenton girl like she was crazy for a minute or two before sighing and nodding her head. She could see the logic and Danny did not look to be faring well against Plasmius at the moment. She turned intangible and flew into the girl's waiting body, quickly getting hold of the systems and learning to breathe again so she didn't kill Jazz too. "Hold on Fenton, we're going for a spin!" Kitty said in Jazz's body as she flew into the air and phased through buildings as they passed, making a bee-line for the City Hall.
Please don't maim my body though, Kitty!
"Don't worry doll-face, I won't," Kitty replied as they twisted and turned through the streets of Amity Park. Neither girl knew what would happen once they got there, or what they would find, but they'd face it together for the moment and that comforted them both while they flew.
Please Danny…just hold on a bit longer…
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
"It has begun," a cold voice said from inside a tower, watching the events happen as they swirled in, what appeared to be a wash bin. The speaker looked up and smiled as she looked out the window, overlooking a vast meadow filled with every kind of flower imaginable.
Her master was out there, biding time while history wrote itself and waiting for the right moment to strike. They would wait, like they had for years, and continue to collect supporters to their cause while attentions were focused elsewhere…the simple fools wouldn't even see what was coming until it hit them all in the face, hard. The figure looked back into the shimmering picture and watched as two beings that did not belong in the world fought to remain…fought to keep themselves intact for an even greater destiny that neither was aware of.
"It has begun," the speaker said again as she looked fixatedly on the scene before her, smiling as the older abomination delivered a devastating blast to the younger. "And when it is over…the real games begin."
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
A/N: Well, would you look at that? A whole chapter that had virtually no Danny, Sam, Tucker, Valerie, or Plasmius in it…and yet revealed so much I can't even say! Hehe…I really need to learn how to curb my enthusiasm for cliffhangers.
Review! And, until next time yes!
Osco