A/N: Okay, I'm gonna explain the last chapter as best I can without ruining what's coming up. I had at least one person confused by who was in the glass cylinder. That was fifteen year-old Danny Phantom, he was separated from his human half, like in TUE, but I made Danny Phantom unconscious and Danny Fenton in the POV. I can't tell you where Dark Danny is though, just that Danny did think Vlad had him (in the thermos) and now he thinks it was just a trick and Vlad doesn't have the thermos. I can't tell you anymore than that, sorry if I confused anyone! Now, onto replies...
Inumaru12: Ahh! I don't want you to have to lilsten to Tucker anymore so here's your chappie!
Riverfox237: Expect the unexpected...
I Break For Ghosts:Well, you did say please...so here it is!
queen rat gurl:Now that's the kind of reaction I like!
pottersparky:Vlad can hardly help being an idiot!
DannysGirlForever:Danny phantom, bringing siblings togethersince2004. (Or something like that!)
Mina-chan AMD:Thanks for being a faithful reviewer, now prepare to see what happened to Sam!
Zirra Nova:Yeah, it would suck to beeither of them at this point.
xheartkreuzx:Thanks and here's a longer chapter!
IwuvMyKenshyPoo:Yay cliffhangers!Thank you for the review and newly understood hotness of Billy Joe!
crazyvi: I'm glad you love this story, but read the top of the A/N for info on the cylinder thing.
AvidReader123:Wow! Now that's what I call positive renforcement!
the sleep warrior:I LOVE Curse of the Rosin Eating Zombies! We sight-read it last year and I'm trying to get my orchestra teacher to let us play it for the fall concert this year!
Chapter Ten
Sam gasped for breath, her lungs were screaming for more oxygen. She was near the top of the rope ladder, but she didn't dare to stop, afraid that if she did, the shadow creatures would pull her back down to the depths.
The ladder swung wildly, as if blown by a sudden gust of wind and, against her better judgment, Sam looked down. The shadows had finally gained enough confidence to start swirling up the ladder at twice the speed that she was going.
She climbed as fast as she possibly could, gripping each rung tighter than the last as the swinging ladder jolted shoots of pain through her aching arms.
The ladder twitched again and Sam lost her footing and kicked uselessly at thin air, trying to find a rung to put her feet on. She looked up; she was only about an arms length away from an opening in the bottom of the island, but just far enough that she couldn't reach it. She felt pinpricks of pain and realized the shadows were tugging on her feet.
The ladder beneath her twisted violently and she struggled to hold on and tried to kick away the shadow creatures at the same time. She felt her grip slackening and willed herself not to look down.
A final jerk shook the ladder so badly that Sam lost her grip completely and started to fall. A hand shot out from the opening and grabbed her wrist. Sam opened her eyes as she was pulled through the hole and a metal grate was slammed shut on the creatures.
Sam climbed slowly to her feet relieved to be standing on solid ground once more. It was too dark to see her surroundings, or her rescuer, who was just a dark shape. The person flicked on a bright flashlight and Sam shielded her eyes, adjusting to the sudden lighting change. Now that she could see, Sam realized they were standing in a long dark hallway that looked like it belonged underground.
"Sam?" asked the rescuer. "Are you alright?" Sam recognized that voice and lowered her arm.
"Valerie!" she said in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Sure enough, there was Valerie, wearing her red jumpsuit with the hood pulled back to reveal her dark hair and green-blue eyes.
"I followed you here." Valerie answered casually. "I found out that Mr. Masters tricked me, that he was a half-ghost and so I followed you here. But when you got separated from the Fentons, I followed them here and I was hiding down here when I saw you down in the Barren lands."
"What does Vlad Masters have to do with anything?" Sam asked cautiously. She had no intention of letting Valerie know Danny's secret: Valerie was a ghost hunter with a particular grudge against Danny Phantom.
"He was the one who gave me all my ghost hunting equipment." She replied, gesturing to the hover board and backpack full of weapons lying propped up against the wall. "He told me the ghost boy was trying to destroy Amity Park--but now I know that was all a lie!"
"Because the ghost boy saved the town?" asked Sam hopefully. Valerie frowned and crossed her arms.
"Cut the crap, Sam." She said bluntly. "I know Danny's the ghost boy." Sam opened her mouth to object, but Valerie cut her off. "Don't bother denying it, because I heard you say it with your own mouth."
"So, you won't try to hurt Danny anymore?" Sam said dubiously. Valerie smiled.
"Oh course I won't!" she exclaimed. "He's the only person who acted decent to me after I became unpopular."
"Yeah, sorry about that…" Sam began, but Valerie interrupted her.
"It's okay, I understand completely now why you and Tucker were so protective of him." Valerie told her. "Now come on, we've got people to save!" She pulled two ecto-guns out of her bag and handed Sam one before donning her backpack.
They both jumped onto the hover board and sped down the dark hallway, Valerie switching her flashlight to a dimmer mode.
"You have a plan?" Sam asked, keeping her balance remarkably well for her first time.
"Nope." Replied Valerie offhandedly. "But we'll figure something out."
They flew around the corner to face a heavy metal door that looked like it could withstand a tornado. Valerie came to a halt in front of it and cocked her gun, listening. Then she turned to Sam.
"Okay, this door leads in the prison, just down the hall from where the Fentons and Tucker are." She said in a half-whisper. "Are you ready?" Sam grinned and cocked her gun in response.
"Let's go!" Valerie stomped on a red panel on the hover board, jolting them to turbo speed. The momentum shot them into the door, knocking it clean off the hinges. "Hey, it actually worked!"
"I've always said looks can be deceiving." Sam laughed. A red light started to flash and sirens started to wail, mixed with a voice shouting: "Alert! Alert! Break in!"
Instantly, a wall of ghostly guards surrounded the two teenage girls. The guards all pointed their nightsticks at them and shot green energy beams from them. Valerie took the board up, out of their reach and the blasts hit each other. Some rebounded on their masters, binding them in glowing green cords and knocking them to the floor.
The remaining guards rushed to block the door. Valerie shot a pink energy blast from the ecto-gun and they scattered, opening up the way for Sam and Valerie. They hurtled down the narrow fluorescent-lit hallway without meeting anyone to stop them. Nevertheless, the alarm was still shrieking, adding to the weird feel.
"Uh…I know I shouldn't say it." Murmured Sam, "But doesn't this seem…too easy?"
They sped around the corner and spotted the cell containing the Fentons (and Tucker). They were almost to the door when Walker appeared out of nowhere, blocking their path. He was wearing the black Gauntlets and a sinister grin.
"Two more for prison." He said. "Because breaking in…that's against the rules." Valerie skidded to a halt and tried to back the hover board up, but Walker was too quick. He grabbed it and jerked it from underneath them and tossing it away as if it were made of air. Valerie dropped to the floor in front of him, her gun skittering across the floor, out of her reach. Walker picked it up and crushed it to dust.
Sam flew off the hover board and smashed into the wall. She slid to the floor and sat up slowly, white dots exploding in front of her eyes. She blinked rapidly and her vision cleared. Walker was trying to catch Valerie who was darting out of his reach, but still attempting to grab her bag, which had fallen onto the floor behind him. Sam's ecto-gun was lying on the floor, just a few feet away. She reached for it, but Walker spotted her and shot a green energy blast at her, knocking her against the wall again.
This gave Valerie all the distraction she needed. She snatched her bag and was just pulling out what looked like a white, plastic ball when Walker jerked her off the floor entirely, her feet dangling inches from the ground. She didn't struggle at all.
"A child's toy is supposed to help you?" he laughed. Valerie dropped the ball at his feet.
"It's not a toy.' She panted. "It's a grenade." The grenade exploded, shooting ectoplasmic goo everywhere and throwing Walker and Valerie in opposite directions. Sam caught Valerie before she hit the floor and they both clambered to their feet, wiping the goo out of their eyes.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked. Valerie nodded and they ran for the door and stared up at it. "How're we supposed to get in there?" Sam asked anxiously. She noticed that Walker was gone and knew that he would return soon with reinforcements. "And we need to hurry." Valerie pressed a button on her belt and the hover board shot out of the corner and she jumped aboard, pulling Sam with her.
"Same way we broke in here." She stepped on the panel again and they crashed into door at full speed. As with the other door, it fell inwards, neatly off the hinges and four befuddled faces appeared in the doorway, taking in the vision of two teenage girls on a hover board, covered in green goo.
"Valerie?" asked Tucker, starting to look even more confused. Sam gave him a look that said clearly I'll tell you later, and shook her head. Valerie grinned and tossed him a weapon. She passed them out to the others and they climbed onto the hover board uncertainly.
They spun around to a sea of grinning ghost guards blocking the way. Maddie was the first to react. She fired expertly into the mob and they started backing off. Sam grabbed Jazz, who was about to fall, and Valerie shot ahead at full speed, knocking those who didn't move out of the way. As soon as they'd passed by, though, the ghosts closed in behind them and gave chase.
"There'll be more ahead!" Tucker warned. "We'll be trapped!"
"There's always a way out." Valerie returned, giving him a reckless grin. They sped around the corner, and there were, just as Tucker had predicted, even more guards ahead, to cut them off.
"Hold on!" advised Valerie. Metal straps went over everyone's feet, holding them firmly to the board. They were nearly to the guards when, suddenly, they shot straight up the wall, at a ninety degree angle. Tucker grabbed Sam's shoulders as if he expected to fall, even with his feet secured. They shot over the wall and Walker appeared again, at the bottom and swore loudly as they escaped.
As soon as the board righted itself again, they all burst into giddy laughter. It was the kind of laughter you have after you do something incredibly dangerous and stupid and survive. (Like breaking into a ghost prison and breaking back out with four more people.)
