Valerie blasted a zombie's head and turned to watch Sandruu crush another's. Unlike in Hollywood, the undead creatures went down rather easily. They moved with a grace that would have astounded most horror movie aficionados, but they boasted the same intelligence as their fictional counterparts. In fact, they might have been even stupider, if such a thing was possible. At least, in the movies the creatures had some kind of drive. In reality, they wouldn't even have bothered to attack if not for Necrowind's guidance.

The mindless humans were another matter. They shuffled around like movie zombies, intent on causing as much damage to the two living people as possible. Sandruu said that Lucy thought they were driven by jealousy, the simple human desire to own what another possesses: in this case, brains.

The ghost hunter didn't know what to think; furthermore, she was well past caring. All she wanted was to get by them and reach the cemetery and end the bone dragon's reign once and for all. Even if it meant occasionally thinking cheesy "heroic" lines by accident. She sighed. "Did we get them all?"

"I don't see anymore," the man confirmed. He took off again with an easy stride that Valerie was almost jealous of. Then she remembered how he'd gotten that tirelessness; it wasn't a fair trade, as far as she was concerned.

She shut off her ghost alarm as they drew closer to the cemetery; the concentrated presence of so much ectoplasmic energy had threatened to overload it again. People, both living and dead, crowded in through the gate while a myriad ghosts drifted among or floated above them. Necrowind sat atop the mausoleum toward the center of the graveyard, chanting in ancient Greek. With his neck stretched out and his wings splayed open, he seemed very intimidating.

"There he is," Sandruu quietly pointed out the obvious. "So what's the plan, boss?"

"I don't know..." the ghost hunter groaned, suddenly not as sure of herself as she was. "What was supposed to happen?"

"You're asking the guy with foot-in-mouth syndrome? No one told me anything." He muttered something about wishing Lucy was there.

Valerie sighed and wished her father was there. He would have known what to do. She'd fought powerful beings before; Pariah Dark sprang to mind. But then, she'd been fighting an army of skeleton ghosts, not her own friends and fellow townspeople. There had to be a way around them...

Before she could finish the thought, her traveling companion uttered an oath of surprise. She glanced over to see what was wrong and suddenly found herself hoisted into the air, her arms bound to her sides by a pair of white-gloved hands. "The Master wants a word with you," Phantom sneered, apparently pleased with himself for something. She heard Sandruu struggle against Plasmius and hissed at him to stop. They were being taken right where they wanted to go.

Up close, the bone dragon was even more intimidating. Her last view of him had been somewhat diminished by the close confines of her living room. Perched above them in all his glory and in that predatory stance, he seemed every inch the god of death that he claimed to be. His eyes blazed to life again as he ceased the chant and looked down at them. Every movement was slow and deliberate, designed to instill the utmost terror in his observers. She was not about to let on that it was working.

"And so," he boomed. "Your usefulness has come to a rather terminal end. Truly, it is a pity that you seek to destroy me. I might have allowed you to amuse me further."

"Well, we're happy to be of service," Valerie replied in her most caustic tone.

"Indeed..." Necrowind seemed to purr. "Release them!"

The two comrades fell to the ground as their captors backed away to join the ranks lining the fence. The great dragon launched into the air to land behind them. The ground did not shake when he struck, despite his size, nor were any trees or headstones crushed. "Come for me, if you think you can."

Valerie and Sandruu exchanged glances; she motioned him forward, then started firing. "You're going down!" she called out her usual battle cry.

"We'll see, little human." The creature lifted a foot and stomped down on Sandruu, who rolled out of the way.

The battle did not start out in the humans' favor. Valerie's shots went straight through the ethereal bones. Sandruu, who was perfectly able to attack things that were intangible thanks to his heritage, couldn't seem to do any damage. Necrowind took the "abuse" for several minutes, laughing all the while.

Valerie jumped out of the way as a whip-like tail smashed to the ground. They were missing something, something important. She noticed Sandruu fly through the air to hit a tree. He seemed okay; he had a hard head. As she watched him stumble to his feet and charge forward again, she noticed that the sphere at Necrowind's core seemed brighter...alive, even...

"Drew!" she yelled. "Attack the core!"

He waved understanding and threw himself at a bony leg with the intent to climb it. The hunter fired a few shots that ricocheted off the creature's suddenly tangible sternum, then all her concentration was taken up trying to aim between the ribs. The dragon roared his fury as the first shot hit.

He shouted something in Greek and roared wordlessly before translating himself. "You dare to defy the Wind of the Necropolis?"

"You bet we do!" Sandruu returned. He reached the Heart and began to pummel it with his mechanical fist. Valerie grinned in satisfaction and ran around to find an angle that would be less hazardous to his health.

Necrowind screamed, a bone-chilling sound, and stomped around in a futile attempt to dislodge the cyborg. As soon as he realized that Valerie was behind him, he whirled around and lunged forward to snap. No longer the cool and in control death god, he had become an unpredictable wild beast. Valerie waited until her friend had him somewhat distracted again, then raced around to his tail to resume fire.

"Val!" Sandruu called. "I think I put a crack in it!"

She was about to yell encouragement when the dragon finally got fed up. Allowing his ribs to become intangible, he reached through and swiped at the pest that had hurt him. The cyborg vanished with a cry of pain and something that glittered like metal in the light flew through the air to land at Valerie's feet.

"No!" she yelled. "Sandruu!" Later, she would be surprised at the grief she felt. Right then, all she could think of was avenging him. She rolled out of the way as a massive claw descended on her and concentrated all her fire on the tiny line of green light that oozed from within the Heart. Before long, the line became a spider's web; the web became a series of fissures.

Necrowind seemed to recognize his own impending demise. "I will return, human!" he shouted. "I will have my revenge for this!" He made one last ditch attempt to crush the black and red ant beneath his heel, and the Heart shattered.

Valerie collapsed to the ground with her hands over her ears, although it didn't do much good with her helmet in the way. The screech was overwhelming, as was the light. When she could see again, she noticed the last few wisps of energy return to their owners. The humans milled around in confusion; the ghosts unanimously decided to vanish for the moment. She looked down to see some kind of medallion with the letters "CW" inscribed on it. There was a loop for a chain, but it had apparently been removed. She picked it up, wondering vaguely if it had something to do with Sandruu's disappearance.

Someone cleared his throat, and the young hunter spun around to see the child ghost her friend had been talking to when they first met. "I believe you have something of mine," he said in a voice that was far too deep for such a young-looking spirit.

Valerie glanced down at the medallion, then drew back. "What do you want with it, ghost?" she demanded.

He smiled kindly and shifted to the form of an old man. "It's mine," he repeated. "I am Clockwork."

She looked down again; while she was inclined to believe him, she was loathe to give it up. It was all she had left of her second real friend. "What happened to him?"

"That, I'm afraid I can't tell you. But don't worry; you'll find out in time."

So he'd only gone back to his own time? But he'd been worried that he'd canceled out his existence by telling her so much. "Can't you at least tell me if he'll...you know, be born?"

Clockwork shook his head, somewhat regretfully, it seemed. "I am sorry, Ms. Grey, but I must ask you to be patient. I can you that he would have been born in eight years time. You must wait and find out for yourself if he will be now."

Suddenly, she wished she'd kept her mouth shut and not asked so many questions. She hesitantly relinquished the medallion without actually looking at the ghost. When she finally did look up, he was gone.