Hey, I actually have free time!

I apologize to all fans of "clash of times" that have been waiting patiently for another chapter…but I've gotten writer's block on that one, and it will be updated when I can!

Anyways, here's your update :P

New Allies

Danny was flying faster than he ever had in his life, the air resistance that would have normally come from such a fast travel inapplicable to his situation, as his intangibility, (though inept at dealing with babies he mused bitterly,) could make wind resistance nonexistent to him.

Basically, he was traveling incredibly fast.

The streets so far below, he probably could have touched the clouds if he had so chosen to, wisp them into little intricate shapes, like that one time he had made a heart with a D and an S in it…

"Bah!" he shook his head, the mental image of the fluffy heart vanishing into the wind. The heart would never happen if Sam remained kidnapped, and frankly, he was the only one that he trusted to rescue her…

Plus it was more chivalrous that way.

Wait…why was he thinking of chivalry at a time like this?

He shook his head to clear it once more, taking full advantage of his half-dead state to exploit a speed that no living thing, without the blessings of technology, could ever hope to attain.

At least, that's what he believed at THAT moment in time.

"Tucker, do you have any idea where Sam might have been taken?"

The nerd's image shrugged on the PDA that he had lent his best friend. "No clue. I just got a panicked phone call this morning from her parents saying that (he paused for a moment, putting both hands together next to his face, puckering his lips and bugging his eyes out in a baby like fashion) 'oh my goodness, our little Sammykins isn't here! Do you have an inclination as to where she might be?'"

"Tucker, you do that babying voice so well that it's seriously starting to scare me…"

His friend's image merely shrugged. "Everyone has their talents..." A slight smile pulled at the teen's lips. "Not everyone can shoot plasma blasts from their ass, ha-ha!"

Danny growled at the comment as he continued to fly. "Now's not the time for that, Tuck. Do you have ANY leads on where I could look for her? For as much as I LOVE flying so fast…I don't really have a direction in which I'm going…"

"You took off without knowing where she was?"

Danny blinked, and then flushed with embarrassment.

Tucker smirked, but turned serious within a nanosecond. "The way I see it, there are a few choices…"

The ghost child slowed his progress through the air down to the point where he was hardly moving. Heaving a big sigh, he glanced back down at the PDA. "Ok, what?"

"Well, since this is probably some diabolical plot to get back at you…"

"How do you figure that?"

One of Tucker's eyebrows quirked. "Why else would they capture a girl close to a superhero?"

"Huh?"

"Oh come ON, Danny, think about it. In all of the superhero comics and stuff, the girl always gets nabbed to lure the hero into some diabolical trap or something."

An awkward silence fell between them.

Tucker's face went blank for a moment. After a pause, he merely shrugged, his focus turning away from the camera for a second, obviously typing on the computer. "Well, ok, let's think. Who would be the most likely to do something like that?"

"Tucker, we don't have TIME to think! Sam's in trouble, and—"

"—we won't be able to help her unless we know where she IS, Danny." Tucker sighed. "You sometimes gotta think before you act, dude."

Danny took in a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

"Alright, so let's try to think. Who would be the most likely to do something like that?"

The ghost child's response was immediate. "Plasmius is the first that comes to mind," Danny half said, half thought aloud bitterly.

"Already researching it." His fingers flew over the keyboard. "Doesn't seem like his portal's been in use lately. Plus after you trashed his lab, (A/N: reference to "kindred spirits") I doubt he'd be in any position to retaliate…"

"He could just want to have revenge," he snorted. "He's no idiot, but he's still a whacked-up fruit-loop…"

"True. I'll keep him on the list."

"Ember? No…box ghost?" Danny's face went blank for a second.

"Unless he planned on stuffing her into a cardboard box for the rest of eternity…"

"Not funny, Tuck."

"No one ever appreciates my humor…" he said dryly.

Maybe because you're not funny…? The black-haired boy decided to keep that particular comment to himself. He was gonna need Tucker for this. He kept on naming off ghosts on his fingers; the first few eliminated consisted of Spectra, the Ghost King, (didn't know anything about his life, plus this was far too small scale for him, anyways,) the box ghost, Ember, fright night, and, of course, the lunch lady as well.

"Skulker, maybe?" Tucker suggested.

"Doesn't really sound like him. But if it WAS a ghost that took them, I'm guessing either him or Vlad. Most of the other ghosts just don't work like that."

"Yeah. Though he DID steal the baby bag from you and Valerie to lure you both into the ghost zone…"

Danny said nothing, his brows furrowed in thought. Tucker turned away to begin typing on the computer again.

It was a strange question, but it came out of Danny's mouth before he could think twice about it. "Why do you keep on typing on the computer like that? Are you documenting what we say?"

Tucker said nothing. But instead, an incredibly intense blush came to his face. "It's…well…err…um…"

Danny blinked, then eyed the PDA suspiciously. "Did I bring up something I shouldn't know about?"

"Um…w-well, you see…uh…" Tucker scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed, before he risked a glance back at the camera. Seeing Danny's unbelieving face, his arm fell to his lap, eyes quickly falling as well. "Oh crap…"

"Tucker?"

"I'm talking online…" he whispered timidly.

"WHAT!" Danny exploded. "Sam could be in life-threatening danger, and you're flirting with a girl online!"

For a brief millisecond, Danny was sure that Tucker was going to deny that it was a girl, but he just blushed harder. "Hey, I can multitask! Oh, hey, just got a sighting of her near the school."

"And how do you know that?"

"It's on the news, actually. 'Girl now held captive in what appears to be some sort of super robbery at Casper High school,'" Tucker said casually in a reporter-like voice. At Danny's exasperated look, he shrugged. "It just came on, I swear!"

"Fine. I'm going to go get her."

"Anything I can help with?"

"I don't think so, not right now. I can call you if I do."

"Ok! Have fun!"

Danny's eyelids fell slightly to reveal eyes that gave the "I'm not amused" look.

Tucker shrugged for the umpteenth time, and he broke the connection. Danny could handle one ghost, as he had said in the past.

Besides, he had important stuff to talk about…

"So," he typed. "What color underwear do you have on?"

End connection.

"Aw, man…" he quickly whipped out his own PDA. "Note to self, learn better pick-up lines…"

That was, if that could even be CALLED a pick-up line…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Well this was a mess…

It didn't take Danny long to find why the news was…well, HAD gathered at the school. And it was no wonder that they had fled the scene. There was destruction EVERYWHERE. It looked like a wall had imploded on the side judging from the sheer amount of debris scattered carelessly about the grounds.

A few lone police cars were also strewn about randomly as well, though it seemed like they were currently vacant. Especially the one stuck inside the tree.

Danny turned his attention away from the police and the news people (or lack thereof…) glancing at the damage. It was obvious that this was no ordinary foe that had done this amount of damage. Huge craters dotted the landscape like gigantic bowls, filled with the "soup" of fallen debris.

This was gonna cost a lot for the school…not to mention the tax increase…

At least it wasn't his fault…right?

He swallowed hard as he flew into the scene invisible. Sam was here somewhere; that much he had been told, and he doubted Tucker would have lied about something this serious. Why she had been at the school was anyone's guess, but chances were that she had been taken as some sort of revenge against himself.

If she got hurt because of him…

He tried not to think about it, his hands already threatening to launch smoldering ghost rays in his frustration. The last thing he needed to go was add more pointless destruction and chaos to the situation.

There had obviously been a fight here: that much was obvious. But what had done this? Two ghosts fighting each other? Had two more ghost boys suddenly appeared and gotten feelings for Sam and started fighting over her?

His face went blank for a second. Where the hell had THAT thought come from? Why would a guy fight over a pretty, smart, funny, cool, individual, un-brainwashed, insanely hot…

Danny blinked.

Oh.

Shaking his head vigorously, he rounded a corner, looking at more of the damage. It was strange, though. All of the damage that had been done seemed like it had been overdone. Most ghost battles, though sometimes destructive…ok, most often times destructive, they didn't leave as much damage as this, excluding his battle with his future self: which had leveled a good portion of the city with their ghostly wails. It seemed like they had stayed solid this entire fight; an odd observation, considering ghosts often went intangible for fights as a defensive measure. The dents in the ground looked like gigantic foot indents left from a missed kick or something. Considering the depth, that must have HURT.

He leaned nearer to examine the closest dent in the grass. It seemed like a darned powerful one, if nothing else. But it was strange in some ways. The distribution of weight seemed all off: instead of a huge clunking foot like one would expect from Skulker or some other bulky ghost capable of this kind of damage, they were small and dainty. Like it had been PIERCED by something.

A small tiny puncture on one side and a slightly larger puncture in front of it. A strange footprint indeed…maybe a—

Any further thoughts that he had on the matter immediately erased themselves from his mind as an ear-piercing roar echoed through the schoolyard, originating from inside the school itself.

He took a step back as an unsettling rumble vibrated through the ground. It stopped for a moment, and Danny stood silent for a moment, a whirl of explanations for what was going on in his mind.

The truth of what was going on barely came before the ground erupted upwards from beneath by a gigantic rectangular reptilian head, easily 6 feet long.

In the initial blur of movement, Danny couldn't make out the details, but a long serpent-like body attached to the indisputably dragon head

If he had actually WANTED to pay attention to the dragon's facial features, in was obviously an oriental "breed," a long pair of feelers coming out of its snout in a long flowing arc over the grey striped skin. Stunted horns stuck out of the back of its head at a low angle, as strange saber-teeth, much like a saber toothed tiger's, poked out of the front two corners of its mouth.

However, there were only two things that Danny noticed. The first, being its horrifically familiar golden hazel eyes. The second being one that would wretch the ghost child's stomach unlike anything else, for as the dragon turned towards him, there was a hand dangling out of its mouth.

A limp hand with a gothic band wrapped around the wrist.

0o0o0o0o0o

Will update soon! I promise!