CHAPTER 18: GOD EAT GOD, PART 2
Demon Phantom, once known as Dark Danny, has returned to Earth following a long period of imprisonment in Clockwork's domain.
Laying waste to his own world and time previously, he sought to repeat the same motion in another timeline, starting with ensuring his creation at the hands of fate by a faulty boiler of special sauce at Amity Park's local Nasty Burger. The end result of which would have laid waste to his own friends and family, resulting in a long tragedy that would have caused Danny Fenton to relinquish his human half.
With the aide of the chronokinetic ghost known as Clockwork, the Danny Fenton of that timeline had successfully put a stop to the activities of his future self, ensuring his evil doppelganger would never come into existence. Nonetheless, the ghost still existed as an anomaly in time, kept away in the spiritual domain of Clockwork.
After purposefully being set loose by Clockwork himself, the ghost, now renaming himself Demon Phantom, has begun his first steps to revenge.
Recruiting ghosts he once considered his enemies, Ember McLain, Skulker, Technus, the Fright Knight, and even Vlad Plasmius himself, they successfully defeated and murdered the entire Fenton family, even removing and destroying the ghost half of Danny Phantom and throwing his human half from the heights of the airborne Fenton City, dethroning him as the most powerful being on Earth.
Taking the form of his doppelganger and ordering his comrades to overtake the dead bodies of the Fentons, leaving Technus to Fenton City to analyze the new technological advancements of the future, Demon Phantom then decided to use his new position to manipulate the most powerful politician on the planet:
The President of the United States, Tucker Foley.
Persuading him into a game of geopolitics and Western influence on the rest of the globe, he, alongside the anti-ghost military force known as the Ecto Corps, invaded the country of Haiti, with the specific goal of capturing their own program of creating their own version of Danny Phantom; a trend reaching over the nations of Earth in a bid for greater influence and power.
Despite coming to stop the project, Demon Phantom ordered their experiment to continue, wishing to see its results for himself.
The Haitian scientists, under the watch by gunbarrel of the Ecto Corps, set up the parameters of the procedure, preparing their experiment to proceed as it was originally intended to. Force to accelerate their test under the order of Demon Phantom, days and even weeks of preparation are crammed into minutes and hours, leading to distress from all the scientists involved.
Pressure from such a complex and advanced experiment would lead to any human error to arise that could lead to any number of variables that would lead to failure, but, under the gun of American forces, there now existed even stronger incentive not to allow any error to come.
The distress exists not only for the scientists running the experiment, but also for the subject himself. Willingness to become part of an experiment that would alter the very fabric of his soul is a strong will indeed, but even a will that strong can still find itself falter under conditions as extreme as a foreign invasion.
Nonetheless, he is left without a true choice; held at gunpoint to follow through the experiment, driven between certain death and a sliver of a chance at an afterlife eternal in service of whoever may have his hands on him after he has left the mortal plane of his body. Strapped to a hospital bed, he is positioned inside the makeshift Ghost Portal, awaiting his fate within it.
Keeping his scrutinous eye on the experiment, Demon Phantom watches on, awaiting the chance to see the results.
"The results could be dangerous, sir." The Ecto Corps commander said.
"I know. I'll be okay." Demon Phantom said.
As the final preparations for the procedure had finished, the head scientist had taken a look to Demon Phantom, communicating not in his native language, but instead the universal language of emotion; attempting to appeal to his sense of humanity with a look of uncertainty and fear.
Freed of his human half and deprived of all his humanity, the appeal has no effect on him. Instead, Demon Phantom continued to look to the scientist with a facial expression communicating dominance and resistance to his look, giving a commanding nod in conclusion.
Taking to the main controls of the pirated recreation of the Fenton Ghost Portal, the head scientist activated the device, beginning the experiment.
Fed energy needed to create its artificially-induced interdimensional rift, the Ghost Portal activated, blasting a feed of ectoplasm through its opening into the realm of souls known as the Ghost Zone. Strapped to the hospital bed inside, the subject's body was assaulted by the deadly flow of ectoplasm, burning at his body with manmade hellfire in a blasphemous baptism of scientific black magic.
The pain resulting from the procedure is beyond any human measure, just as the parameters and measurements of the experiment itself are beyond his understanding. All that his mortal mind can comprehend is that his body is in an environment that it cannot survive in, he has no chance of escape, and he will soon perish; all facts which cause him to scream and panic.
The sight and hopeless pleas of the subject bring distress to all those who observe, even the ghosts residing in the bodies of the Fentons, but Demon Phantom has no emotional reaction to the display of pain before him. His interest in the subject's response is merely an academic one, caring only for how he can apply the knowledge of these experiments to his plans.
There is, however, a twinge of nostalgia that comes to him from the very sight of a person entering the Ghost Portal, taking his thoughts back to the very origin in which he had acquired his powers. Irony comes forth out of all the thoughts associated with it; his entry into the Ghost Portal a mere accident the subject's entry deliberate.
But there is also impression that reaches his core. With the reflection on the days of his childhood as a human, there is also a realization of how far the world had come just from one simple accident, setting another example of simple mistakes leading to an entirely new course of human history.
Returning his thoughts to the subject in the Ghost Portal, he awaits to see what else comes to this new course of history.
The shouts and cries of the subject soon came to an end, and the hospital bed he was strapped to was retracted out from the Ghost Portal, allowing the group to see the effects left on the body. As expected, the subject's body was burned beyond all recognition, but to a degree even higher than any party present could have prepared themselves to endure.
Many Ecto Corps troops averted their eyes and noses, some even emptying out their stomachs in response, but the ghosts shared only lesser reactions to the charred body. Demon Phantom still held a passing interest, but the other ghosts looked to the corpse with a mix of intrigue and disgust after being able to witness the human experimentation for themselves.
Skulker, least affected by death as true to his nature as a hunter, took instead a comedic manner to the death, laughing it off with a joke.
"Now, that's what you call some good barbecue, right?" Skulker joked.
Attempting to retain their disguises, Ember threw an elbow to Skulker, driving Jazz's dead arm into Jack's dead torso.
"Not here. We got business to deal with. Besides, I can relate. I died in a fire, too, you know." Ember whispered.
Having seen the effects done to the body, Demon Phantom reached in an intangible hand into it, searching for a soul within, but finding nothing.
"No ghost left in him." Demon Phantom said.
"So he went to the Ghost Zone?" Ember asked.
"Presumably. We might be seeing him any moment now."
As expected by the ghosts, the ghost of the subject came through the portal, rejoining the domain of the living. Previously undergoing vast mental preparation for the experiment, the form of his spirit is far removed from the form his body once held; transforming him into a different being entirely.
Retaining his dark skin and basic facial structure, what is changed from that is a series of reptilian scales across his head and chest, as well as a pair of snakelike fangs coming from his mouth, and long hair in dreadlocks that seemed to resemble the hood of a cobra's head.
His clothing also changed to that of a voodoo priest's, carrying colorful yet dark and ragged garbs that covered most of his body, as well as a long red cape that signified a high status. Opening a pair of yellow eyes on the lifeforms standing in front of him, the subject spoke at last, declaring himself with a threatening snarl.
"I am Damballah. The primordial creator and most powerful of the loa." The ghost said.
The Ecto Corps and ghosts instinctively readied themselves to fight back against Damballah, but Demon Phantom raised a hand, ordering them to stop.
"Stand down. I have this." Demon Phantom said.
Fearlessly stepping towards the newborn ghost, Demon Phantom approached it face-to-face, directly confronting the apparition. Receiving yet another snakelike hiss to his face from Damballah, Demon Phantom kept an impartial and unbothered face towards the ghost, keeping his eye contact with the ghost.
Continuing his staredown of the ghost, Demon Phantom's display of power began to show against Damballah; one god gaining dominance over another. Feeling pressure under the constant scowl he was under, Damballah started to cower under the look of Demon Phantom, no longer having any will to fight.
Soon, Damballah fell to his knees, bowing before Demon Phantom in surrender.
The sight of the supposed god bowing down before the image of Danny Phantom brought looks of shock and surprise to all present in the room, leading all to look to Demon Phantom for an answer to explain how such a feat was accomplished with nothing but a look. Bringing his attention to his comrade ghosts and the Ecto Corps, he responded with but a joke to pass off the feat.
"It's a ghost thing." Demon Phantom said.
Their initial shock finally worn off, the Ecto Corps returned back to the mission at hand, with the commander stepping up to Demon Phantom for orders.
"Wh... What should we do now, sir?" The Ecto Corps commander asked.
"Pack everything you see here up, ship it back to Fenton City. We'll take a look on what they've built, see if they've figured out something we haven't." Demon Phantom said.
Turning his attention back to Damballah, Demon Phantom pulled out his Fenton Thermos, aiming it at the ghost.
"Don't worry about this one, I'll do the packing here." Demon Phantom said.
Opening the Fenton Thermos, he swiftly captured the ghost inside, firing a tractor beam of ectoplasmic energy trapping Damballah in the pocket dimension inside the device. Successfully capturing the ghost without issue, Demon Phantom holstered the thermos on his belt, carrying it along with him...
...as well as a festering number of ideas on what could be used with this technology and ideas.
Disinterested as he usually is with Demon Phantom and his affairs, the experiment began to breed thoughts of uncertainty and morbid curiosity in Vlad Plasmius, leading him to his new leader in desire for answers. Stepping up to Demon Phantom, he made his inquiry on his greater plans, hoping to find out what the final outcome of his plans were.
"Exactly what are you planning to do with that ghost and all this equipment?" Vlad asked.
"I've got a few ideas, Vlad. Just a few." Demon Phantom said.
The experiment is long past and many miles away from where Danny Fenton currently resides, but the technology and legacy of his family are closer than he can realize at the moment. Without his ghost half, he is still but a animal without any guidance save for what little words drive him on a greater mission.
His consciousness is limited from the loss of his soul, but still does he possess a basic understanding of self and awareness of his surroundings, which return to him with his opening eyes. His awareness is given the sight of the inside of a church, but one far removed from what he would recognize as one.
With the public discovery of the Ghost Zone, certain and true evidence of an afterlife, the religions of the world no longer had the ambiguity of an unspecified form of a god to support their superstitions; all went extinct overnight with their so-called histories finally debunked and disproved, leaving their places of worship to empty.
Many sought to tear down these old buildings in exchange for hospitals, houses, or apartment complexes, but the buildings themselves proved harder to remove than the religious institutions themselves. Many found use as bases for less noble reasons, choosing these places as fortresses for creating deadly drugs, running illegitimate brothels, and other such illegal activities.
In the old city, however, the old habits of tradition prove too strong to go away, for those too stubborn to let go of their religions will reject all empirical reality to assert their own. These old places of worship quickly were filled back up as quickly as they were drained, churches, mosques and synagogues now repurposed as fronts for gangs and private armies.
Trying to keep their dominance over human minds and thought, the many religions turned to violence and warfare to recapture relevance by way of force, making the changes of sanctimonious holy ground into places of battleground and theaters of war a reflection of how the beliefs themselves have changed.
Such concepts are still beyond Danny's understanding, but he can still recognize the basic threat that lies in front of him, and, seeing the pagans he was saved by at the mercy of the Christofascists that overpowered them, he can understand that they, too, are under threat.
Protective instinct comes over him to approach and do whatever he physically can to save them, but he found out with his first attempt to move that all his physical actions were unable to be made. Looking to his unmoving hands and feet, he found both his arms restrained across at his sides, and his feet tied together below him.
Though the exact words do not come to him, it comes under his basic understanding that he has been crucified.
Trying to pull himself off from his restraints of nails and wood, the effort exerted brought only wasted time from trying, making him grunt at the attempt. A numbness that once settled in from the long period of time in which he was hanging had began to wear off from his movements, soon returning as his body made no more movements or efforts to be free.
Across his waist was a metallic belt fitted with many small electronic components, replicating the device known as the Fenton Specter Deflector and the effects it has on a ghost or half-ghost such as himself. Had he still his own ghost half, the device would have prevented him from transforming into his alter-ego of Danny Phantom...
...but, without his soul, his ghost half, the use of the device is completely useless, and he cannot comprehend why the device is around him in the first place. Such information would lead to a completely different outcome of his imprisonment had it been known to his captors, but, unaware of his recent stripping of his powers, luck remains on his side for the moment.
How long it lasts is a matter entirely within the hands of Clockwork.
Unable to do anything but watch his surroundings, he does just that, hoping that his observations will give him some way of escape or freedom. His status of observation does not give any sign of freedom as of yet, but what is given is further explanation to his current state of affairs, and who is leader of the Christofascists.
Coming out on a throne made of a decorated chair, once meant for higher clergy of the church like a priest or bishop, the leader of the Christofascists rested upon it, carried over to his clergy with slaves and underlings carrying the throne on a handled platform below it.
Having his throne placed in front of the many Christofascists waiting his appearance, the leader also was lifted up from his throne by many scantily-clad women, all giggling at the touch of his hands around theirs. Stepping up in view of the crowd, donning a full leather suit of Nazi-esque wear, the leader made his face shown at last to all present.
Had Danny his ghost half and full mental facilities, he would immediately recognize their leader as his past enemy named Freakshow, but, lacking in these vital parts of his self, he cannot place anything on him but a vague familiarity. Instead, he sees only an anemic man dressed in black and covered with women, preaching to a crowd that shouts his new name in glory.
"DEACON SHOWENHOWER! DEACON SHOWENHOWER! DEACON SHOWENHOWER!" The crowd chanted.
Deacon Showenhower, once known as Freakshow, raised his hands to the crowd, prompting them to be silent.
"Ah, well... Another day, another speech to throw at the my crowd of idiots..." Deacon Showenhower mumbled.
Clearing his throat, Deacon Showenhower gave his speech to his followers, carrying far more enthusiasm than the thought he muttered.
"BROTHERS OF CHRIST! HEAR ME! AMERICA HAS SINNED! AMERICA HAS FORSAKEN GOD! AMERICA IS DAMNED!" Deacon Showenhower shouted.
Receiving a dose of fear-mongering to urge on their beliefs, the Christofascists cheered out in support, declaring themselves to be fighting on the side of good.
"America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values which were given to us by god to live our lives in freedom! Freedom to do as the lord god commands us to do, freedom to live under his constant watch and love, and freedom to worship him for the rest of our days when we finally reach heaven! This was our purpose as human beings since god created the world, but it is through the influence of the devil that has led to our nation turning against his will!" Deacon Showenhower shouted.
The crowd shouted in jeering dismissal of the speech, booing in response to hear what has become of their religion for alleged reasons.
"I have seen the face of the devil, in the form of his son, the Antichrist, in the form of a boy! He was born Danny Fenton, and became known to the world as Danny Phantom, calling himself to be a superhero! He had conjured up demons and devils from hell, pretending to battle against them to glorify himself and steal away hearts and praise from god and Jesus!" Deacon Showenhower shouted.
The crowd once again shouted jeers at Danny Phantom, giving their undeserved cricitisms towards him for the supposed reasons behind his fame.
"And, through the grace of god, he has been brought to us here, for us to destroy! I bring you... Danny Fenton! The Antichrist in human form!" Deacon Showenhower shouted.
Deacon Showenhower then pointed to Danny, directing his flock to the captive they had taken and restrained during their attack on the pagan commune. Turning to Danny with contempt and hatred in their hearts, the Christofascists shouted at him vile threats and insults, blaming him for all their personal woes.
Danny is unable to understand their motivations or reasons behind his persecution, but he nonetheless can still understand that this crowd truly hates him.
"It is him that is why god has abandoned us! He has judged our nation and forsaken us at the mercy of the Antichrist, just as it was foretold before! We shall not allow this fate to become of us! We shall purge all the false religions from the Earth, lead the godless to god once again, and kill those who refuse!" Deacon Showenhower shouted.
Led on by his cries of war once again, the crowd shouted in support, raising their weapons high in the air.
"And when the apostates and godless are gone, I will repopulate the Earth with my seed, bringing a new people who answer to god through my divine bloodline! Only the infants born of my loins will be without sin, as decreed by god as he spoke to me! Bring forth the women, so I may fulfill his covenant!" Deacon Showenhower commanded.
Taking the female captives out from the group of pagans, the Christofascists dragged forward the prisoners, placing them before Deacon Showenhower as an offering. As one might expect out of being offered as property to a religious fanatic, none of the pagans are too pleased out of the motion.
"Hey! Let me go!" One pagan said.
"Don't worry, ma'am. You're very lucky to be a concubine of Deacon Showenhower. He's going to bring his seed all over the world, and he's been using all of our women to do it." One Christofascist said.
"Yeah. I've given him both my sisters, my cousins, my wife, my girlfriend, and my daughters. You'll be a very lucky woman to join them." Another Christofascist said.
"Wait... Wife and girlfriend?"
"Long story. Doesn't matter since they're his now, anyway."
Offered more women by the Christofascists, Deacon Showenhower smiled with joy as more sexual slaves were given to him; a smile that increased as his other female servants began to run their hands on his body. Gaining what he desired from the female prisoners, he turned his attention next to the males.
His hand pointed to a corner of the building where their fate would be sealed, all to the anticipation of his followers.
"The men shall be baptized in hellfire, where they may be judged by the almighty!" Deacon Showenhower shouted.
Hearing the command they waited for at last, the Christofascists cheered once again, following through on the command by pushing their prisoners to the next area of interest for them and their prisoners. Danny, still but a spectator to the entire event, watched in confused interest as he waited to see what would become of the prisoners that were once his generous hosts.
When they are led to a large object covered by a tarp, the tarp was swiftly removed, revealing a Ghost Portal crudely built from various household and broken electronics. The prisoners all looked to the device as if it were the last thing they would see in this mortal realm, as it would soon very well be...
...but Danny Fenton looked to it with a feeling that he could not fully grasp. In the sight of the Ghost Portal, there is a sense of familiarity that exists to him, one stronger than any little memory that is still with him, but he cannot understand why that feeling exists in him, much less why it comes from the sight of the portal.
While his mind lingers on to try to find an answer, another clue to the answer would come as the Ghost Portal would claim its first victim. Selecting the first victim out of their group of prisoners, the Christofascists threw an unlucky one man in the center. As he turned and attempted to move out of it, the Christofascists raised their rifles to the prisoner, preventing him from moving.
"Do you accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior?" A Christofascist asked.
"What?" The pagan asked.
"Do you accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior?"
"Why?"
"If your belief is true, then you will come through the portal and be reborn a new creature. You will be saved. You will live eternally and in eternal peace."
Pressured under the hard sell at the barrel of a gun, the pagan swallowed what beliefs he previously held in hopes to survive the portal.
"Y-Yes. I accept Jesus Christ." The pagan said.
"Then you have nothing to fear. You will be born again." The Christofascist said.
Turning back to the portal, the forcefully converted pagan looked back to the portal, hoping that his beliefs would be strong enough to grant him survival.
With the prisoner set in place, a selection of scientists took to the controls of the Ghost Portal, beginning its activation sequence. Sending electricity flowing through jury-rigged equipment and components not designed for the purposes in which they were being used, an interdimensional rift to the Ghost Zone was nonetheless achieved; their success signaled by flying green sparks.
Fearing what would become of him in the portal, the pagan held onto his beliefs as strongly as he could, hoping they would grant him a safe passage to the afterlife.
As artificial green hellfire blasted through his body, his new beliefs were put to the test, and a strong test it proved to be to his faith. Pain and agony burned through his body, searing at his flesh with ectoplasmic energy beyond the comprehension of a simple human mind to understand.
There is no way for the human body to survive the harsh environment of the portal; the only hope that lies for whatever poor soul may be trapped inside for their own beliefs to be strong enough to grant them an afterlife, and be fortunate enough to believe in an afterlife for themself which is to their desire.
The pagan prisoner trapped inside has had a recent change of belief, leading to a greater challenge in that trial by fire. Forcefully converted into another religion mere seconds ago, he is not fully committed to the new faith, and that shaken ground has led to a reduced faith in his own previous belief in paganism, leading to a conflict of thought that leaves him on the fence, having no clear belief to call his own.
The pain and distress under the Ghost Portal's burning hellfire brings even greater challenge to his split belief, sending his mind into an unfocused frenzy among the overwhelming agony put onto his body through the portal. Feeling his skin sear and the muscle beneath sizzle from its burn, there is no clear thought in his mind, but pain and misery throughout the entire affair...
...and the deciding factor in his personal struggle of belief, the desire to make it all end.
It is the desire for the pain to end which brings an end to all belief in his mind, and end the struggle for survival under the hellfire of the Ghost Portal. As his body gave into the pain, his soul began to follow suit, surrendering unto the wave of ectoplasm tearing his body away from him.
Falling to the ground, his body departed from the mortal world, with his spirit moving on from it. His soul does not find paradise or damnation, but instead an empty slate of nothingness sometimes referred to as nirvana. He is no longer in pain, but he no longer feels joy; he simply ceases to exist.
He is dead, and he is gone.
There are no signs of return for the poor lost soul; all that remains to his name is a charred black corpse laying on the ground. Seeing the remains of one of their own on the ground, the prisoners all hesitate to join their dead fellow pagan, with one in particular attempting to flee.
The Christofascists promised threats of death by gunfire if any would try to flee from their fate, and the pagan attempting to do so is quickly shown that their threats are not empty. Aiming their rifles to the fleeing pagan, the Christofascists struck him down with a loud and swift burst of bullets, sending them into his body, and subsequently sending his now dead body to the ground.
With no other choice other than to subject themselves to this blasphemous baptism, the pagans continued through what the first of their group had gone through, hoping that they would be more fortunate in their trial through literal (or, more accurately, metaphysical) fire.
The next who stepped forward received the same question as his fallen brother, and attempted to give a more genuine and faithful answer.
"Do you accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior?" A Christofascist asked.
"Ye... Yes. Yes, I do." The pagan said.
"Then you have nothing to fear. You will be born again."
Accepting his new faith with a more desperate bid than his comrades, and given more incentive to do so than before. The incentive creates a stronger faith in his being, giving himself only a slightly better chance at survival through the portal than the one who went through before.
Danny Fenton, without word or rational thought, continued to observe the matter, unsure what to make of the forced conversion and bizarre initiation. Concerned only with his own escape and survival, matters of faith and belief are beyond his comprehension and care; what is before him and poses a threat to him is all that he can concern himself with at the moment.
What comes to next to his attention is the approaching face of Deacon Showenhower, the religious leader coming not to him, but him coming to the religious leader. The crucifix on which he hung was a small dolly allowing it mobility, which was swiftly pushed to Deacon Showenhower by the minions at his command.
Coming face-to-face with his enemy for the first time in many years, Deacon Showenhower smiled in a facade of a greeting, falsely welcoming his captive.
"Danny, Danny, Danny boy. So very good to see you again. All those years you spent up in your own personal city in the sky, never even thought to come and check up on your old buddies every once and a while. Once you had all your fame and fortune ahead of you, we just stopped being important to you. You do remember me, at least, don't you?" Deacon Showenhower asked.
Danny looked to Deacon Showenhower with the same vague familiarity he could not pinpoint; unable to recall any specific memory, but nonetheless feeling something malicious by looking at him. The sight of Deacon Showenhower brought forth a sense of anger and righteousness, reflecting said feelings on his face.
"So, you do remember me after all. I was beginning to think that with all your adventures in chasing after ghosts, you stopped caring about little old me. The one and only living man who's ever put up a fight to you. Now, all these years of having my own plans ahead of me, you just plop right into my lap for me to do whatever I want with you after a routine raid and capture. Talk about dumb luck." Deacon Showenhower said.
The words spoken by Deacon Showenhower made no difference to him in the slightest; still did Danny continue to look at him aimlessly. His lack of reaction led to eliciting a slight irritation out of Deacon Showenhower, but the religious leader nonetheless continued on in attempt to get some emotion from him.
"What's the matter? No witty comeback? No plans of escape running through that head of yours? What is going on in that head of yours? How about this thought to go on in it? All this, all the success I've had so far, is all thanks to you. Ever since that asteroid almost hit us, ever since the world finally got a definite knowledge of the afterlife, the world's religions all went haywire, and any guy like me can come and make his own out of the scraps that are left, and I can get anything I want out of it. All I have to do is take Christianity, throw in some Nazism, and I get people to kill themselves in the Ghost Portal and become my own ghost soldiers, and all the women I want thrown at me. And, before I knew it, I have my own army and my own harem, all under lock and key. All it took for me to make it happen was to put on a little show, and you know I'm good at that. What do you think of that, Danny boy? All that time you lived as a celebrity, you made one out of me, too. What do you think of that?" Deacon Showenhower asked.
The question and its contents made little sense to Danny, and held no emotional impact or concern for the man without a soul. Merely an animal with limited understanding of his world, the question goes right through him without comprehension, and is ultimately left unanswered.
The lack of response out of Danny led to further annoyance with Deacon Showenhower, leading him to voice out his discontent more clearly.
"C'mon, Danny. Enough with the mindgames. I've always wanted my own stage and audience, and I found the best captive audience possible. I became a showman to these people, told them what they want to hear, and they give me what I want. Doesn't that get a rouse out of you? Any reaction whatsoever?" Deacon Showenhower asked.
No, it does not give any response, as displayed by the poorly-understanding Danny Fenton. Unable to attain the attention he desired, Deacon Showenhower pushed even further for a response out of Danny, shouting his demands for attention loud and clear to gain it.
"Damn it, Danny! All those years we've been fighting, and you act like I'm a complete stranger? Like you're a dog and I'm showing you a card trick? Does this mean nothing to you at all? It has to, doesn't it? I am Deacon Showenhower, and I demand you acknowledge me, dam you!" Deacon Showenhower yelled.
The aggressive tone elicited an avoidant gesture from Danny Fenton, turning his head away, but still did it not get any response from him. Still discontent by not getting his desired attention from his old enemy, Deacon Showenhower laid a striking hand on his face in a slap.
Hoping to gain even a response of anger out from Danny, all that Deacon Showenhower received was a soft pained groan, showing very little sign that the attack had even effected him. Looking back to his captor, Danny still displayed the same lack of true emotion in him, showing only a blank, animalistic look towards Deacon Showenhower, not unlike a dog would do to its owner.
Looking back into Danny's eyes, Deacon Showenhower began to see this same emptiness, the same lacking in anything in his mind that registered his speeches.
"Hmm. There is something different about you, isn't there? Something very different, indeed. I don't know what it is you're planning, but I can find out in good time. After all, you're not particularly going anywhere; you can't use your powers in this state with that little toy on your belt. If anything, you might make a good sideshow to the crowd, maybe I can rally a little more support among-" Deacon Showenhower began to say.
Before Deacon Showenhower could complete his sentence, a loud explosion sounded from in the building, immediately drawing his attention to it. Like their leader, his flock and clergy also turned their attention to the explosion, putting a stop to the Ghost Portal baptism process for their prisoners.
A minor expectation lingered in their collective minds believing the explosion to be retaliation in return for the prisoners taken, but a simple logical thought reminding them of the pagans' pacifism would explain off such a possibility. So, they are left to wait and witness who dares to attack them.
Who dares to attack this religious/political group is yet another, known as the Israeli-American Defense League, or I.A.D.L.. Dressed in full paramilitary gear and armed with rifles and weapons galore, they, like those they target, are coming to impose their own beliefs onto others, and seek to do so by military force.
The I.A.D.L. are not too different from their specific target, nor are their beliefs much different. The only incriminating difference that this army chooses to go to war with the other is a difference only in a specific interpretation of their religions: One side is Christian, proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the son of god, and the other is Jewish, who does not share that belief.
This one difference is enough to start a war between the two.
"There is Deacon Showenhower! Kill him and all his heretics! We will claim this blasphemous place of worship and its weapons as god's chosen people! We will use their Ghost Portal to create the next fighters for god, and see the true messiah come at last and defeat Satan! Wakka-ding-hoy!" The I.A.D.L. commander shouted.
"WAKKA-DING-HOY!" The I.A.D.L. army shouted.
Charging on the Christofascists, the I.A.D.L. opened fire on the opposing army, moving in to claim the church for themselves and appropriate all resources within for their own holy war. The home army, now having an invading force to defend themselves against, took to their own weapons and fired back, turning the entire supposed place of worship into a free-fire zone.
Bullets flew through the air, originating on both sides of the firefight, and no signs of peace seemed imminent between the two divided factions. For a history as long and as deep between Christianity and Judaism, there can be no reconciliation; the only peace that can be achieved is by the death of one side or the other.
This is very bad news for the surviving pagans that only want a fair chance at life, as they struggle hard to escape the chaos and find it again. Evading gunfire flying over their heads, an unlucky some who failed to avoid the bullets ending up taking them, the pagans are trapped in between a holy war of the two most well-known siblings of Abraham's legacy.
It is a firefight of a mess on many sides, and there is no such thing as a winner in a battle like this.
Deacon Showenhower had an iron grip on one side of the fight, but this recent religious feud has loosened that grip. Never had he a true interest in the faith or the people who followed it, his only concern was for himself, and how to exploit the belief for his own benefit.
His followers are not selfish in the faith; theirs is a true faith, and their desire to fight and defeat the enemy is a desire that cannot be talked out of or reasoned with.
Unlike his followers, Deacon Showenhower himself had dropped what semblance of faith he had in an instant, showing his true intent with preserving his own life. Thoughts quickly race through his head to find some way for him to survive the ordeal, hoping he can find a means to fight back against the madness and ensure his own survival out of the battle.
His thoughts soon move to Danny Fenton, and his body follows suit to give him his freedom to fight. Loosening the straps around his arms, Deacon Showenhower removed him from the crucifix and helped him to the ground, placing him firmly back on his feet.
"Believe me, this is the absolute last thing that I want to do right now, but I don't see any other choice." Deacon Showenhower said.
Grabbing the Spector Deflector on Danny's waist, Deacon Showenhower ripped it off, freeing him to use his powers.
"Alright, there you go, you win, now go ahead and change and fight them off so we can get out of here. You can do whatever you want with me when we win." Deacon Showenhower said.
The indifference made to the belief in Danny's abilities served no purpose before, but it makes all the difference now to both him and Deacon Showenhower. Without his ghost half, there is no means in him to change and become Danny Phantom, nor is there any drive in his body to fight back.
Unaware of this lacking, Deacon Showenhower pushed him further in attempt to make him fight, growing desperate under the intensity of the fight.
"C'mon, what are you waiting for? There's no more games, just fight them and get us the hell out of here! I don't want to get shot at, you know? What would I have to gain out of this?!" Deacon Showenhower shouted.
Danny still does not understand the command given to him by Deacon Showenhower; still does he just look back at him with his blank eyes, trying to comprehend what he cannot physically comprehend anymore. Lacking the reason behind his behavior, Deacon Showenhower grabbed Danny and began frantically shaking him, begging him to fight out of fear and frustration.
"Danny, what are you doing?! We can't get out of here without you! If you don't do anything, we're both dead! What is wrong with you?! What's-?!" Deacon Showenhower began to say.
Looking back into Danny's eyes once again, the emptiness soon began to speak for itself, giving the answer to Deacon Showenhower to why he did not change into his well-known superhero persona. The answer seems almost impossible to even contemplate, but the answer soon made itself clear with each second of brainpower spent on thinking it.
And the answer was one that brought absolute horror to Deacon Showenhower.
"Oh, my god... You don't have your ghost half, don't you? You don't have your powers. You... You can't save us." Deacon Showenhower said.