Disclaimer: I own nothing! Wow… I think that sums up most of my college experience too.

Author's note: Hmm… I had started this chapter before I went on vacation, but I couldn't find what I did with it… which partially explains my lateness with getting this out. I think fried nerves due to work and problems involving impending rotations were the main problem though.

I'd also like to put a cover picture up for this story. Any suggestions?

And to Anon-Chan: Thank you very much for your review. I do appologize for not being able to update faster, but with me holding down a job and being in college, sometimes I have to put writing on hold to visit the real world. I don't like it out there very much, but I can't make it go away. With all the added stress about to start, I'm going to do my best to make time for writing. The stress relief will be much needed.

Eidolon
17. Strategy

"You two seem awfully happy. I take it something good happened?" Mr. Wolfe light heartily asked as a form of a greeting as she and Tucker ran into the room.

"Yeah! I finally managed to convince the police to let me legally look at their footage from the night Danny disappeared." The pride in Tucker's voice was clearly evident. After Winston's testimony of Vlad's attack, the police had decided to reinterview both her and Tucker. Somehow, Tucker had even managed to convince the police he might be able to clean up the surveillance video enough to help out. With the police present, he used the same method he had done before to bring up what he could of that night. The police were surprised, but please about the turn of events and began building a case against Vlad. There was still a problem though; due to his powerful situation, the police wanted more information before the charged in. A false move on their part would make the man untouchable due to the press. It was for the very same reason that the police were conducting their work in secret.

Sam kept silent as Tucker explained the current situation. So much was at stake to just leave finding Danny to the police. The proof was right in front of her. Winston had suffered horrible injuries at the hands of Vlad Masters, and with the new knowledge of his strange abilities, it seemed unlikely the police would be able to catch him. Even if they did manage to get a hold of him, the man would probably just manage to weasel his way through the legal aspects.

Her eyes widened as a thought came to her. It was risky, and probably wouldn't amount to much, but it was worth a shot. "Guys," she spoke up suddenly, making both Winston and Tucker stare at her. "I might have an idea of how we can find Danny."

….

About twenty minutes later, Sam had finished laying out the basis of her plan. She bit her lip as she waited anxiously for their opinions. It wasn't the perfect plan, but since it seemed like they were running out of time, it was probably the best they could do.

"So, let me get this straight," Tucker stated slowly he went through the plan again. "You want your dad to act as Mr. Wolfe's lawyer and go to Vlad's house. You and me will tag along with him, and when those two are doing business, we are to sneak around the house and try to find Danny. Is that right? Cuz, it seems a little crazy to me."

"Not to mention dangerous," Winston added. Though he seemed displeased, Sam could tell he was still considering the different aspects of her idea. If anything, he was the one who would determine if it could work or not. Not only did he know Vlad the best, if she remembered correctly, he also had military tactician training.

The older man suddenly looked up and stared at Tucker. "You had mentioned that you've been trying to hack into Masters' estate. Have you had any luck?"

"Yes and no," Tucker answered as he brought out his PDA. "It took a while, but I finally managed to get into the system, but I still can seem to get into any security footage. It's weird, but Vlad seems more protective of that than anything else. I could probably shut down his system and try again as it rebooted, but that would be more obvious. I've been trying to avoid doing that especially because I don't want that dude anywhere near my house, and…"

"Wait… so you're saying you could shut down Masters' entire estate?"

"Yeah. It takes a little longer than a normal place, but it's possible."

"Tucker, you're absolutely amazing." A smile spread across Winston's face as he looked back towards Sam. "You're plan might actually work. You're going to need permission from the police before you start making preparations though."

"Wait, you're actually cool with this?" Sam was in shock. In honesty, she thought she would probably have to do it alone if Winston and Tucker didn't agree with her, but to have actual support! It was going better than she expected, but her eyes narrowed as she registered the implications of police involvement. "But, the police are never going to allow two teenagers to get involved."

"It might take some convincing on their part, but I think we can make it work. Police offers have used friends and family to gather information on suspects in the past. If all you're going to do is look around the mansion while the power goes out, I don't think they'll mind too much. Well, other than them getting over Tucker's hacking abilities." He looked over at the boy. "You know they're going to be watching you after this."

Tucker just waved him off. "Like they'll be able to catch me."

"Besides," Winston continued," the police are desperate to bring Vlad in for questioning. They are looking for anything which they can use to get a valid warrant. The only thing which is problematic is what you can say to Vlad which could convince him you're not there to snoop around his house."

Sam frowned as she thought about it more. "Actually, maybe that's what we should use. Vlad knows we know Danny. It would make sense that we would want to see where we think he's being hidden. Vlad might think he can use it to show he doesn't know where he is, but if Tucker creates a big enough distraction, maybe we can find something he didn't hide all that well."

"You could be right," Winston conceded. He sighed as he glanced at the clock on the wall, "but, we're not going to have much more time today to consider this seeing as the nurses will be in soon to check on me. You'd think they'd wait until my visitors were gone, but they have to stay on schedule." He made a face which caused Sam to chuckle. "We will discuss this more tomorrow. Hopefully by then we can find a way to make this work."

xxxxxx

He was in an incredible amount of pain. Cuts and bruises of all sizes and severity littered his skin. Due to the odd changes in his body, the injuries would normally heal themselves within hours (though the rate did seem to depend upon severity), but an unknown substance in the cuffs around his wrists prevented it. He wanted to voice his pain, but it would just go against his beliefs. To cry out would mean he was sorry for the actions Vlad had deemed inexcusable. Instead, Danny was going to stare his tormentor in the face and keep silent as he received another round of punishment. His friends needed to know what the madman was planning, and there was no way he was going to consider that wrong.

It was difficult to say exactly how long he had been receiving the punishments. He knew they had started shortly after he had returned to the manor from his trip to Amity Park. An extremely livid Vlad was waiting for him in the giant stone room he shared with Maddie and Jazz. While it was true he could have made a break for it while he was free, it didn't sit right with him. While he couldn't be sure of the reason, he had a hunch the girls would be punished for his 'subordination.' Danny wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if that had happened.

Vlad's initial response to the incident was to demand the return of his book, but when it became clear it was no longer on the premise, the man viciously attacked. Danny had little recollection of exactly what occurred. When he awoke, he was locked in one of the training rooms with strange cuffs on his wrists. While he had no exact idea of how they worked, he had experimented enough to know he couldn't access any of his powers while they were on him. And until he figured out how to remove them, he was not going to try to escape again. Walking into walls hurt… a lot.

A pattern began afterwards. Vlad would reemerge after several hours and ask the whereabouts of the book. When he received no answer, he would punish Danny, and disappear again. Danny knew he could easily end the torture, but he wasn't going to give in. Honestly, it still didn't make much sense to him as to why Vlad was so hung up about the book. So it apparently gave some plan on how to take over the world, but there was no way any of it was real. It talked about demons for crying out loud! Okay, yeah, he was supposedly a ghost, but demons? That was just taking things too far. Besides, the damn thing said he was going to be an evil muscle bound jerk. The last time he checked, he was still (much to his dismay) scrawny and certainly not evil.

Danny looked up as he noticed a presence looming over him. The blue-faced wannabe vampire had returned for another round of questioning. Joy. Just how long was this going to continue? Did the creep realize by now he was not going to give him any information?

"What possessed you to disobey me?" Vlad demanded after the first round of punishment. He took a moment to compose himself before speaking again. "While I understand your normal teenage frustration with being confined to the manor, you blatantly went against my wishes after you stole one of my most prized possessions. This is inexcusable behavior! Now, what did you do with my book?"

"Sorry, but Winston told me never to talk to strangers," Danny replied after a few wheezes. Through the fresh bruises and cuts he looked up at the man and smiled. "Especially one as creepy as you."

A resounding crack filled the room as a fist met Danny's jaw. "You insolent wretch!" Vlad hissed. He moved over to where Danny fell and grabbed the boy by his now broken jaw. "This will continue until you give me what I want. Ah, but I believe you're already aware of that. I may have to reconsider your punishment if you continue to hold out as it looks like I may kill you before you tell me. Use your time wisely. This conversation will continue when I return." Without warning, he dropped Danny and disappeared from the room.

Wincing, Danny shifted his position so he could lay his aching jaw on the cool floor. How much more was Vlad going to put him through? He had a feeling Vlad suspected he had contact with his friends during his escape, but he was puzzled as to why he didn't confront them. Did he want to be sure of the book's location before he went after it? Or, did Vlad want his unconditional obedience that much?

A shaky sigh escaped him as he tried to find a comfortable position on the floor. He could think about it later; trying to get some rest to help ease the pain was the bigger priority.

…

The first thing he noticed when he awoke was a distinctive difference in the amount of pain in his body. It had been a while since he had felt so good. Even his broken jaw felt much better. Confused, he sat up and examined his body. Many of the injuries he had sustained where no longer there; no wonder why he felt so good! But why?

Glancing at his wrists, he saw that the cuffs were still there. That didn't make much sense to him. The cuffs had sealed away all of his powers, including his quickened healing. Then he noticed there was something else different. The lights, which had previously always been on while he had been in the room, where off. He was a little weirded out he hadn't realized it when he first woke up; he still wasn't used to all of the changes in his body. Ghosts tended to be more active at night, so his eyes had adjusted accordingly.

Frowning, he examined the cuffs again. The soft glow they had been previously giving off was no longer there. Unsure if it was a good or bad thing, he tried to phase them off of his wrists. A smile graced his face as the cuffs fell to the floor with a satisfying thunk. Though he was surprised the cuffs were somehow powered by either the house or the room, he was not going to let the opportunity pass him. He quickly adopted invisibility and successfully phased through the wall. First thing first, he was going to let Maddie and Jazz know he was okay.

….

As he moved, he realized the power appeared to be out in most of the house. It was a little surprising as he recalled Vlad mentioning something about there being backup generators throughout the manor. Yelling was also noticeable. It appeared Vlad's ghostly servants didn't have any idea what had called the blackout. Technus, the ghost in charge of the power and security system, was particularly loud. A good bit of his speech was muffled, but Danny was still able to hear enough to know the long-winded technology master was downright outraged someone had the nerve to hack into his system.

Danny stopped moving as Technus' rants registered. Someone had actually hacked the computer system? Was that why the power was out? Frowning, he slowly floated towards the commotion. It wouldn't hurt for him just to take a peak. Heck, it might even help him find the best place to escape.

He slowly made his way towards the commotion, making sure to keep himself invisible and as close to the wall as possible, just in case one of the servants floated passed. It was a very uncomfortable experience for a ghost to phase through another ghost. Not only was it considered bad manners, it would also give his position away, even if he remained invisible.

An icy breath escaped his lips. Shivering, he phased through one of the walls into a generally unused hallway. Vlad was coming, and he wanted to be nowhere nearby when he came through. Although he had no idea why he was able to sense other ghosts, he was very thankful for the unique ability. If it wasn't for that, there would be no way he would be able to maneuver undetected through the building.

Knowing it probably wasn't in his best interest to continue his reconnaissance mission, he turned to head towards the hidden room which contained Maddie and Jazz when a light caught his attention. It wasn't incredibly bright, but it did seem to resemble the light from a flashlight. Puzzled, since there should be no one in this part of the house who needed one, he turned around.

There were two figures approaching his position who were indeed using a flashlight. The brightness of the light interfered with his vision enough to prevent him from making out any details about them, but he knew one thing for certain, they were not ghosts. He cautiously moved closer to them. Who were they and what were they doing in this part of the house? Their hesitant movements and faint whispers were enough to let him know the pair did not want to be caught by the inhabitants of the manor.

His breath misted again as Vlad's irate voice rang through the hallways. Damn it! When did he get so close? Danny gave a quick glance towards the source of the voice before he looked back at the mysterious pair, who had clearly become alarmed. Hoping he wasn't going to regret his next decision, he grabbed the duo and flew to the other side of the house as fast as possible.

The grab had thankfully left the pair speechless, but as soon as he let them go, he sensed the yell coming. He quickly placed his hands over their mouths. "Shh! Please don't scream! You don't want Vlad to find you, right? He won't… not unless you draw his attention!" he whispered in a tone which he hoped was somewhat reassuring, but that could be somewhat difficult with the strange echo all ghosts seemed to have in their voices.

The two stopped squirming, which Danny took as a good sign. "Are you going to scream if I remove my hands?" When he felt them nod, he slowly let the pair go and moved away, only to have a beam of light shined directly in his eyes. "Ow!" he nearly shouted as he put his arms up as a shield. "Put that thing away! I really don't like being blind, you know."

"Y-y-you…. You're… a-a-a… gh…" one of the figures started to stammer. Apparently, he was holding the flashlight as it started to shake as he attempted to speak.

"Let me finish that for you. Yes, I am a ghost, complete with a glowing aura and creepy powers. Now that that's out of the way, can you please stop shining that thing in my face? I would like to be able to see who I rescued."

"Yeah, right!" the same voice nearly snarled. It was amazing how quickly he managed to overcome his fear. "You're just trying to trick us… hey!"

Noticing that the flashlight beam was no longer shining directly at him, Danny looked up to see the other person had intervened. He remained silent as his sensitive eyes readjusted to the darkness. Apparently ghostly night vision wasn't as awesome as he initially thought.

"He's not going to hurt us!" the second voice hissed. Danny was surprised to hear it was a girl.

"How do you know?"

"Because he's the one who gave me that book!"

Danny's eyes widened as realization set in. Putting his arms down completely, he stared at the two people he was hoping he would be able to see again. His two friends, Sam and Tucker, were standing across from him wearing expressions which were a combination of curiosity and caution. "I… I don't understand," he said finally. "Why are you two here?"

:nods: And so ends chapter 17. This chapter was long overdue, and I apologize. Life sucks. Someone at the place where I work quit, so I'm picking up extra shifts. We've also had a few of the worst weeks I've ever seen. People are crazy. I also will be starting my rotations on June 24th. This means I get on site training for 5 weeks before I go to a new location. It is better phrased as a 40 hour work week with no pay and homework. This will continue until next May when I finally graduate from college.

If you don't hear from me for a while, it's because the stress has finally caught up to me.

In other news, my trip to Ireland was wonderful! Castles, hawks, really good food, a poison garden, and rather attractive young men; what more could a girl ask for? I have some of the picture up on my deviantart page( ayamari-no-goshi . deviantart . com). More will come in time.

That's it for now. I'm going to bed.

ayamari no Goshi,
signing off