"Danny, go get the gem."
Sam urged, watching the halfa nod before he shot into the sky, leaving his two friends in the crater he'd created from his fall.
"He'll find it."
Tucker spoke, still staring after their friend as the boy flew after the possessed rocket wreaking havoc on the base.
"He looked bad, Tucker; worse than I've ever seen him."
Sam mumbled, running a hand down her face and feeling the dirt and sweat gathering beneath her palm.
"But he bounced back."
Looking up, Sam frowned at the boy, the lack of belief in his words going against the attempted reassurance he offered.
"Yeah? And how many more times can he do that?" When Tucker's gaze fell, Sam closed her eyes and sighed, running her fingers across her forehead. "Let's get back to the Op Center."
Grabbing ahold of a piece of the cracked tarmac above her, Sam pulled herself out of the crater and offered a hand to the other, knowing full well that neither of her friends could manage even a single chin up on a good day. Tugging him up and out, the two made their way back to their own ship as Danny's fight raged on without them.
Once onboard with the doors sealing behind her, Sam pushed her back against the cool metal and dropped her head, fingers tightening into fists behind her.
"Can you see him?"
She asked, staring intently at the scuffed flooring under her feet.
"It looks like he's about to get the gem!"
Closing her eyes tightly, Sam could hear the blood pounding in her ears. Danny had looked like hell, his body covered in cuts and bruises with a trail of ecto blood dripping from his forehead. And then he'd had the audacity to look at her like that, with those bright blue eyes that just screamed guilt. He was hurting and stressed but he was worried about her.
"I think he's- he's flying the rocket! Oh man!"
He would never stop, would he? All of this ghost hunting and fighting, he wouldn't stop until it killed him.
"Sam! Look! He landed the rocket! That was awesome!"
Pulling open her eyes, Sam swallowed past the lump in her throat and walked forwards, peering out the window as Danny moved through the top of the rocket and hovered over it in the distance, his arms pumping victoriously into the air. She could feel his pride from there and a small smile worked its way up onto her face. He'd talk about what he did for days, no for weeks she was sure.
"Hey, who are they?"
Tucker pointed, directing their attention to two small planes growing closer, encroaching on their ship and Danny.
"Tucker, those are the Guys In White!"
Sam yelled, her hands pressing against the console as she leaned closer to the window.
"Attention Daniel Fenton, AKA Danny Phantom, give yourself up."
A voice crackled over the speakers as Sam pulled away and grabbed at her friend's arm.
"Tucker, we've gotta get this thing in the air, we've gotta go."
"But how?"
"We need to initiate autopilot again, what button did he push?"
She groaned, pressing various buttons with increasing frenzy as Tucker pulled away and walked towards the middle of the room.
"Hey! I didn't know they had these!"
"Do not run or we will take action."
"Tucker!"
"Sam, look!"
"Fire."
"Oh shit.." Sam murmured, stumbling backwards as the planes turned, facing the Op Center head on as three missiles released and started their path directly towards them. "Tucker, run!"
"Sam, wait!" Feeling Tucker's hands on her arms, he tugged her down through an opened panel as the first blast hit, the entire Op Center shaking from the force. "Look! Get on!" Tucker said, beginning to ramble on about pushed buttons and luck as Sam stared dumbly at the four Fenton Cruisers sitting before them. "Sam! Get a move on!"
Tucker yelled, already starting the engine on one as he leaned over and pressed a button on the wall, opening a small door at the back of the Center that allowed them an exit.
"Right, on it!"
Climbing on a second one, she pushed the ignition button and slammed her foot on the gas pedal. As their tires hit ground, the Op Center shuddered and blew, fire and debris raining down as Sam ducked her head, forcing the cruiser blindly forward as fast as she could to get away from the wreckage. The explosion had her ears ringing and heart pounding, smoke filling her lungs as her vehicle shuddered forwards until she managed to breathe in clean air.
"Tucker!"
She called, her voice a hoarse cry as she coughed, tears trailing down her cheeks as she blinked the dust from her eyes and stopped her cruiser.
"Sam?"
Turning her head, she could see the other vehicle a few feet away, a shaken Tucker Foley slumped against the controls with a hand clamped tightly over his arm. She could tell immediately something was wrong, the way he held himself and stared at her.
Clambering off her seat and stumbling towards him, she reached out and grabbed his elbows as she climbed up and quickly looked him up and down, a harsh cough exiting the boys' lips as a weak smile appeared on his face.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine, are you?"
"Fine, yeah, fine." He mumbled as she pulled his hand away from his forearm to reveal a large portion of his skin blistered beneath a torn and burnt sleeve as he winced, a weary chuckle turning into another cough. "Did they really try to kill us?"
He asked quietly, blinking a few times as Sam swallowed thickly, the taste of smoke and metal on her tongue as she dropped her hands.
"Maybe they didn't know we were in there." It's a lie and an obvious one at that, but neither said anything to dispute it as the raven haired girl shook her head. "Danny, do you think he's okay?"
"Probably, he wasn't close enough to be in it I don't think."
Tucker shook his head, a puff of air escaping past cracked lips as he sucked in another fast, broken breath.
"Tuck?"
"We almost died." Lavender hues met teal as concern for her friend tugged at her heart, a pained look and tears in the boys eyes making the girl pause. "Sam, we almost died."
"I know."
She nodded, because that was all she could do. They almost died. Those words hadn't sunk in yet. Maybe it was shock, or disbelief, or the fact that she'd never been afraid of death until now. But she reached out again, her arms wrapping around Tucker's chest as she hugged into him, the sound of his rapid heart beating heavily against her own as his arms weakly returned her hug.
"This is crazy, this is all too damn crazy."
He mumbled in her ear, squeezing her tighter now as she winced, gripping the back of his shirt as she nodded.
"I know."
Why was that all she could say? Although, what else could be said? They'd been fighting ghosts with Danny for months now, they knew the dangers. But maybe that was the most messed up thing, because it wasn't ghosts that had tried to kill them, it was people.
Pulling away, she knew if she looked anything like Tucker, covered in dirt and grime with clothes all torn, they'd need a shower and a change of clothes sooner rather than later. But the fiery mess behind them was still burning strong, and her first priority was a certain impulsive halfa that was missing from their little group.
"We've gotta get to Danny."
She said, her voice sounding stronger and more controlled now as she jumped down and marched back to her own vehicle.
"Think he's already taken care of the Guys In White?"
"Not sure, but we better go find out."
She said, revving the engine and turning the vehicle around, speeding it directly back towards the Op Center wreckage. The closer they got to the fire the harder it was to breathe, the variety of who knew what chemicals the Fenton's had used now released into the air as they rounded the wreckage and tried to see through the smoke.
For the second time Sam was screeching her Fenton Cruiser to a sudden stop, wide eyes landing immediately on the boy she'd come back to find. He looked.. broken. It looked as if he'd given up, his form hunched over as his fingers dug into the earth, his body trembling and lurching as if he were sobbing. Oh God, did he think-
"Danny!"
She was shouting before she could stop herself, her body rising to stand on the cruiser as the halfa's head jerked, his pale face covered in soot as green eyes rimmed with red found her across the tarmac. She could see his mouth form a word that looked suspiciously like her name before he was screaming 'yes' into the air.
She couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face as the boy forced himself up on shaking legs, his body swaying back and forth as he took a staggered step towards her. His suit was covered in grime and his face was smudged with blood, but he was alive, and he was standing there with the dopiest grin on his face that made her want to laugh out loud for hours on end. A joy she had the opportunity to relish in for less than a minute as two planes circled overhead, closing in on the spread out trio once more.
"Danny, look out!"
She shouted, pointing above him as the halfa's smile faltered, his head jerking up and staring at the planes as another missile was released, speeding this time straight for the halfa.
"Go!"
He yelled, waving his hands at them as Sam dropped back into her seat and forced the cruiser around and away from the danger. Slamming down on the gas pedal, the cruiser jerked forward at a terrifying speed, carrying the girl across the tarmac with a poorly contained scream. Blasts behind them shook the ground, each one making the cruiser bounce, its tires leaving the cement for a few horrifying seconds before landing and regaining its speed.
"Keep going!"
Danny's voice urged, the raven haired girl barely daring to look around for the halfa as she kept the pedal pushed, afraid to let up even an inch.
"We're running out of road!"
Tucker called, his voice barely audible over the rushing wind that made it hard to even see. But he was right, the tarmac in front of them was nearly gone and blocked by railings and barriers that she was pretty sure the cruisers couldn't conquer.
"Hold on!"
Danny's voice spoke again, only this time it was close, almost right next to her ear as Sam dared to look, spotting the ghost boy between her and Tucker's vehicles. Placing a hand on each of their shoulders, Danny closed his eyes and the three turned intangible, the cruisers and trio together easing into the ground as Sam's foot released the gas.
It was such an odd feeling, sinking through the earth. It was dark and cold and clammy, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was what Danny felt like all the time when he turned into his ghostly half.
The further they went the harder it was to breathe, the girl struggling to keep hold of the handlebars as her hands shook uncontrollably. She could feel her energy seeping away. Everything was cold and distant and meaningless. What was the point in all this anyway? They'd nearly died, and there was no way they could save their parents like this, they were just kids so what was the point? They should just go back, give themselves up, let those guys just-
"Sam, you with me?"
Blinking a couple of times, bright green eyes filled with concern came into focus, then white hair filled with dirt and a face covered in cuts. As her eyes moved down to a cut near the corner of cracked lips, she felt cool hands against her skin that pulled her attention back to the eyes.
"Sam, snap out of it."
"What happened?"
Turning her head, the afternoon sun shined above them and she found herself sitting uncomfortably on the Fenton Cruiser with Danny hovering beside her.
"Sorry, I don't normally do it for that long, but we didn't have a choice."
He said, that same guilty expression clouding his features as he pulled away, awkwardly running a hand across the back of his neck as Tucker gave her a small wave, a distant look in his eyes.
"What did you do? I don't.."
"The intangibility," He said, standing in front of the cruisers now as he wrung his hands together. "I had to get us out of there, but it's not really meant for.."
He trailed off, but Sam knew what the silence meant. It wasn't meant for humans.
"What did it do? Where are we?"
She asked, twisting around to look at the foliage and trees above and around them.
"We're near the edge of the base. I couldn't keep going so we had to stop here."
"Unfortunately, we're kind of stuck now."
Tucker motioned behind her as Sam turned and peered over the brush, looking out onto a road where two police cars sat blocking their way out.
"All units be on the lookout." Their radio droned on, the staticky voice able to be heard from where they were hiding. "I repeat all units be on the lookout for the ghost boy and his accomplices."
"Accomplices?"
Sam repeated as Tucker nodded, looking a bit more lively.
"We're criminals now apparently."
"Yeah, downright treasonous."
Danny scoffed, folding his arms and frowning.
"Well, did you at least get the gem?"
Sam asked, turning back around as Danny perked up, reaching into his pocket and revealing the glowing crimson gem that sparkled in the light.
"Here," Tucker said, tossing the boy the thermos. "I grabbed it before the Op Center blew."
There was a beat of silence, none of them looking at each other as Danny hefted the thermos up and unscrewed the cap.
"Let's put you somewhere your ghostly energy can't get out," Dropping the gem, the thermos pulled it inside before Danny screwed the top back on and held it tightly. "One realty gem found, two to go."
Leaning back against the handlebars, Sam ran a hand down her face and sighed.
"We'll never make it across the country in time on these things."
They had two and a half days left, and they still had to retrieve two gems and get back in time. There was no way those Fenton Cruisers could manage that. Granted they were insanely awesome, but they weren't exactly an all-terrain vehicle.
"You sure about that?"
Danny asked, a lopsided grin appearing as he walked over and stood in front of her. Making a motion with his hand, Sam righted herself and placed her hands on the bars, watching as the halfa reached over and pressed a small square button near the bottom before quickly stepping away.
The cruiser quaked beneath the girl, its entire frame shuddering as it rose in the air. Looking over one side, Sam's jaw dropped as she watched the tires rotate around, pulling up and under the machine as it hovered in the air.
"Okay, your parents are officially the coolest!"
Tucker practically squealed, pressing the button on his own excitedly as Danny smirked.
"Well, think we'll make it now?"
He asked, glancing up at Sam as she laughed.
"Yeah, I think we might."
"Stop talking! I wanna fly!"
Tucker waved his hand at them as Danny rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Hold on." Walking closer to the boy's vehicle, Danny jumped on board and sat behind him as a slow breath left him. "Try not to kill us."
He grumbled as two familiar rings of light appeared around the halfa's middle, transforming the teenager back into his human half. As the light faded, Danny's body slumped against the other's, his eyes closing as Tucker glanced warily over at the girl.
"Did he just pass out?"
"I think so."
Sam stated, shaking her head as the two directed their vehicles around the road block and over a river.
"This is awesome!"
Tucker laughed, stretching out his arms as they flew.
"Hey, Tucker?"
"Yeah?" Staring at the rippling reflections in the water as they zoomed past, the girl bit down on her lip. "Sam?"
"Did you feel it?"
Glancing up at the boy, his sobered expression was a clear indicator of his answer.
"You mean the intangibility thing."
Bobbing her head, Sam looked back at the resting boy, various cuts still bleeding as bruises stood out prominently against his fair skin. When he looked like that, with no glowing eyes or strange jumpsuit, it was easy to forget what he could do.
"It felt like.. like nothing mattered."
"Like your life was being drained from your body, right?"
He said quietly, his fingers tapping against the handlebars as he pulled closer to her.
"We've gone intangible before and all I've ever felt is cold."
"He said it was longer this time, but he didn't say how long."
"Yeah, I noticed that. And did you see his face? Like he knew what we were feeling, and he felt guilty about it." Casting another glance at Danny, the wind pulling at his already mussed hair, Sam met Tucker's eyes. "Do we really even know what he's fully capable of? To what extent his powers go to?"
"No," Tucker shook his head, his hands tightening around the bars as he looked ahead again. "But do we really want too?"
The question was followed by silence on both ends, Sam's gaze shifting to open sky in front of her as a weight settled in her stomach. They forgot sometimes with how he acted, with his goofy mistakes and usual clumsiness. Forgot that underneath the heroism and the bravery and the jokes, Danny was still half ghost, he was still half dead. And if she thought about it for too long, it scared the hell out of her.
A/N
I'm really sorry about such a long hiatus. The past five weeks have been the most hellish of my life. I was incredibly sick, and both of cats became ill at the same time. Unfortunately I lost one of them, an angel I've had in my life for thirteen years. It's taken a while to recover from both mental and physical issues, and I've only just recently regained the motivation to continue writing. Thank you for your patience and for your continued support, knowing I have people who care so much about my stories has really helped pull me through and inspire me during this time. I hope everyone is staying safe, my thoughts and prayers go out to you all.