Chapter Twenty-Four: Realizations

"Let him go!" Gina yelled at the machine that was starting to tear her friend limb from limb.

Jake's arms were now bent backwards at a rather uncomfortable angle by the robot's steel limbs. Its green pincers clamped around his wrists, creating ever-increasing indentations. He actually started to feel his arms coming out of his sockets, the cartilage giving way to the strength of the tentacles.

"That is not a mission parameter," the robot replied coldly. "I will break your little friend in half before so."

Somehow, Jake found the ability to speak through the pain. "Gina...get out of here..."

"I'm not leaving without you!" she replied urgently.

"Oh, for the love of..." Technus said. The ghost made a slight motion with his hand, and Jake's computer came to life, its wires lashing out and entrapping Gina. "Take her away," he said drably. With one errant move, the strand of wires threw Gina through the door, which promptly gave way.

"Well, that takes care of that nonsense," Skulker growled, turning to Jake. "And now we can tear you limb from limb!"

The pressure on Jake's limbs was now so great that he was on the verge of blacking out from the pain. "Not...a...chance!" he grunted.

In a burst of light, Jake's ghost form emerged from his pained human self. In one move, he brought one of his free feet upwards to meet the HEXAPOD's elliptical body. The robot reeled back, losing its grip on the ghost-boy. Jake rubbed his indented wrists, which felt as though they'd been crushed in hydraulic presses.

"Alright," he said through clenched teeth, "let's do this!"

He flew through the air, making a beeline for the robot which had just tried to break him in half. His path was interrupted, however, by a hand the size of a beach ball catching him around the ankle.

"Pitiful," Skulker said, holding the boy up like a freshly caught trout. "At least the first Phantom actually landed a blow."

Completely ignoring what Skulker had said, Jake looked at the figure lying in the splinters of what had been his door. Gina seemed unconscious, and a rather large welt had formed on her forehead. Jake prayed that she was alright.

Skulker threw Jake towards the animated computer (which he kinda hoped he could fix), whose cables crackled with astounding energy. Managing to make himself intangible, Jake phased right through the computer, reemerging on the other side of his wall in the hallway. He could hear people rushing up the stairs, and soon saw his mother, father, grandparents, and aunt looking down on him.

"Who are you and what do you want with my grandson?" Jack bellowed, brandishing a rather large, chrome-colored weapon that looked oddly like a grenade launcher.

Before Jake could respond, a steel tentacle exploded out of the wall, ensnaring the ghost-child once again. The limb was followed by the rest of the HEXAPOD, along with the two ghosts that had accompanied it on this little mission. The android's pincer now dug into his flesh to a degree that it was drawing glowing green blood.

Through this newfound hurt, he could hear his father softly exclaim, "Oh no..."

"That's right, old friend," Technus screeched. "Your son is at our mercy, and you–"

"My son?" Danny asked. "That's not my kid. That's that ghost that's been running around." The other members of the Fenton clan looked incredulous as well.

"Oh really?" Skulker asked snidely. "HEXAPOD, show them."

Jake saw a small, taser-like device come out of one of the robot's free claws. As the device was pressed to his skin, he felt a strange sensation: power coursing through him and out of him at once. In a burst of haloed light, his hazmat suit disappeared, revealing a tattered red vest, black t-shirt, and khaki pants.

"You see?" he heard Skulker say. "Your son!"

His parents were speechless, his grandparents shocked. A tear was creeping from Jazz's eye.

"Jake?" Danny asked in a tone of disbelief.

So I was right after all, the shadow said. You're ghost spawn. An abomination of nature. So why don't you ever listen to me?

For now, Ellie tried to ignore the voice whispering in her head, focusing instead on Dalv Tower, that was looming in the distance as she sped towards it. She'd thought it over, and–on the third time around the city–she decided to see Vlad and ask him if what she saw was true. She was sure it was a lie. Besides, why would Clockwork want to help? He was a ghost, after all.

As she flew faster, the Dalv Tower seemed to fill the world with glass and steel. Spotting the uppermost spire where she knew Vlad's lounge to be, Ellie angled herself upwards so that she was gliding mere inches away from the glossy surface of the building. In moments, she was at the top, phasing into the empty room. It was filled with all sorts of luxuries, including a swimming pool, a juice bar, and a racquetball court.

"Vlad?" she called out.

Silence answered.

Ellie began to search the room, finding nothing of particular interest–at least, nothing she and her family didn't have.

Maybe I'm worrying for nothing, she thought. Vlad's a good guy. He just keeps secrets. Everyone does.

"Ellie?" asked a silky voice.

She turned to see Vlad standing in the doorway of the lounge. He was attired in a white robe, with the name of its wearer engraved into the right breast. The rest of his suit was still in place, save for the Armani coat which he held in his hand.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm just..." Ellie said, "...lookin' around." She picked up a glass of fruit juice from the bar, setting it down again whimsically.

"Oh," Vlad said. "Have you decided what to do with my offer?"

"Um...yeah."

"And?"

"I...I want help."

Vlad's expression brightened to a degree Ellie didn't even think was human. "Oh, Ellie! I just knew you'd say yes!" He walked over to Ellie, embracing her in a hug. Ellie merely blinked, surprised by the gesture.

"Now then," he continued, "come with me. We have much to discuss."

Leading her by the arm, Vlad led Ellie over to a nearby bookcase. He placed his hand on one of the books, partially withdrawing it from its spot. The bookcase fell away, revealing a private elevator shaft. After a few minutes going downwards, they arrived at a spotless-looking laboratory. It was painted in reddish-violet tones, chrome tables displaying various inventions and mechanical parts. On one end was a ghost portal, shaped like a pentagon with swirling green in the center. Apart from this, it looked very much like her parent's private lab.

"Ellie," Vlad said, "you know that you can't rely on people. They won't accept you for who and what you are. However, I will. And to help you along with your progressing powers, I have a gift for you."

As Vlad went to the other side of the lab, Ellie looked around at her surroundings: they were very nether worldly. In a cage on a table was what looked like a mouse. Only this wasn't a mouse: it only had one eye in the center of its face, and glowed a ghastly green. When Ellie went over to it, the creature said, "I will destroy you!" in a squeaky voice.

"Okay..." Ellie said uneasily. On another table was a photograph surrounded by a fancy frame. It depicted a picture of a young woman with sandy brown hair, amethyst eyes, and a turquoise hazmat suit. On it, in edgy writing, someone had written, 'SOMEDAY...'

Finally, beside that photograph was a small, boxy, taser-like device. Picking it up, she examined the green conductor rods used to ward off attackers. On the side was emblazoned PLASMIUS MAXIMUS.

Ellie looked at the words. Plasmius? Why was it named–

Plasmius.

She couldn't believe it.

She didn't want to believe it.

But this proved it.

The Plasmius Maximus was recorded only once in history, when it was used by its namesake on Jack Fenton almost twenty years ago. It hadn't exactly affected him like it should have, but it hospitalized him for a week during the war. It hadn't been until five years later that the ghost that had used it on him had been identified as the one who'd started the Ghost Wars in the first place.

All those people...

Dead because of this one man...

Ellie's mind went numb.

"Now then," she heard Vlad say, "Here is your gift."

Vlad held up a small vial, capped with a cork and filled with a sort of liquid. Ellie recognized it immediately: rubic ectoplasm. Ghosts exposed to it had been known to go completely insane with power, malevolence taking over every aspect of their minds. It was one of the most potent varieties in its raw form, but extremely dangerous.

But Ellie wasn't thinking about this. All she was thinking about was that Vlad had lied to her. He'd been lying since the day they'd met.

"Do you know what this is?" Vlad asked. "In this vial is the key to your future; the key to your powers. In this vial of ectoplasm is the entire world. You think nobody can possibly understand how it hurts, but I do. Your family cannot be trusted with your secret, can it? There's an empty void inside you just waiting to be filled."

Ellie listened to Vlad's speech. It didn't mean anything to her; he was speaking in a voice as soft as velvet, filled with warmth. But in reality, it contained nothing but ice. It was the speech of a man who knew words, but didn't mean the feelings implied by them.

He continued: "Drink the vial, Ellie. Join me. You shall have everything you so richly deserve."

Ellie looked at the vial, then at Vlad, then at the vial.

All her fear, all her sorrow, all her uncertainty–everything that had caused the nightmares that she feared–welled up inside of her. The fiery furnace of her heart went supercritical.

She threw the vial's contents back into Vlad's cerulean face.

"Never..." she said with utter contempt.