Yes, another suspenseful part. I just hope you've been enjoying the story so far. Please enjoy this next chapter.
Chapter 26: State of Emergency
Back in the Guys in White's lab, Danny remained on his knees, letting his little cousin cry in his arms as he started to gently rock her in his embrace. The passed week had been so hard on the both of them. Danny had even started doubting whether or not he would even know Danielle anymore if he even saw her again. Especially after talking with Clockwork. Danielle had already been living a hard life since her existence began. And yet she had also already overcome so much. Especially just now. And Danny was so proud on her for that. Was this how Jazz was feeling after he had overcome his own dark phase? He wouldn't be surprised if it was.
Tucker and Sam just stood a distance away, not wanting to intrude on this scene. Sam was the one trapped in her own thought though. After the scared look Danielle just gave her before continuing to cry on Danny's shoulder, the Goth was starting to wonder if it would have been a better idea if she hadn't come on this mission. The poor clone girl was clearly still hurt from the things Sam had said about her. She probably thought she was still accusing her of being evil. And after that incredibly close call with the Guys in White, that fear of rejection was probably growing even more in knowing that Sam had seen it.
Danielle went on sobbing and Danny ran his fingers through her long black ponytail in a gesture of reassurance that everything was all right. The members of the ghost-hunting agency started to get up, now that Danielle's rampage had subsided. Some of them were actually looking at Danielle as if in confusion of something until one of them spoke up, voicing his thoughts. "She's…crying?"
Danny shot an outraged look at the man who had even dared to ask such a question. "Well of course she's crying." He said angrily. "What did you think? That ghosts didn't have any emotions, so you can do whatever you want with them?" He turned to where the Guys in White were standing, and he raised his voice in an accusing manner. "Are you guys honestly that cold?" The two men were simply dusting themselves off as if Danielle's rampage was nothing more than a minor annoyance when Danny said this and they gave him questioning looks. Danny and his two teenage friends looked around at the armored men who were all exchanging surprised and confused looks at Danny's comment.
The ghost-boy turned back to the two employers of these henchmen. Shaking his head with a scoff of disbelief. "To you, ghosts may be nothing but wandering, unfeeling masses of ectoplasm and it is true that ghosts don't have the same concerns as living people. But think about this. If every living thing on earth has emotions, why not their spirits? All ghosts were once a part of something alive. Something that more than likely had feelings. That had a heart." He then added harshly, "Unlike you guys." Both men looked taken aback and quite offended by young ghost's accusation. Danny gave his still weeping cousin a bit of a tighter squeeze as she continued, clinging to his neck. "And Danielle, is still half human."
Sam and Tucker looked around at the armored men who were starting to look regretfully at the two Phantoms. It was rather confusing how they could have thought that ghosts didn't have any feelings. But even if that was true, they had been torturing the young ghost girl all week, completely disregarding what was also happening to her human half. It seemed that what Danny had said about this was hitting them pretty hard.
"Man. Danny's sure learned a way with words." Tucker said to Sam who nodded in agreement. Danielle may have come into the world in a completely different way than normal, even for Danny, but she did still have her own mind and will: Her own feelings…that Sam had completely disregarded herself before the clone had been captured.
A few seconds of thoughtful silence went by in which everyone just stared at the two ghost hybrids who were still sharing their hug. Then people started hearing a disturbance coming from outside. Sirens. The police were here.
The armored men looked around as if panic-stricken, and looking like they had completely forgotten in the midst of all the turmoil that had just taken place, that the police had been on their way the whole time.
Sam and Tucker looked at the Guys in White with mocking looks. At least until they gave infuriated expressions back to them as well as Danny. they pulled out yet more backup weapons, pointing them at him and Danielle. "You lying little rat." Operative K said to Danny as he instinctively pull Danielle back so she was more out of range. "You just made that "speech" of yours to keep us busy until the police got here."
Danny knew he would never be able to persuade them otherwise. Though he couldn't believe that they were still being so stubborn even after Danielle had just spared their lives. He was too weak to be able to dodge this one because of the poison that was already coursing through him. He didn't think he could generate enough energy to make a force-field either and he doubted Danielle was feeling in any condition to even defend herself after what she had just gone through, just now, on top of perhaps the whole week of being captive. One more blast could kill them both at once.
Sam and Tucker tried to rush to defend the two cousin hybrids, but Operative O turned his own gun on them, making them halt in their tracks before they could reach their friends.
"Well. Ghost, human or both, you still don't have long to live now, Phantom." Operative K said. "We'll just destroy you and your female look-alike now and get it over with since you've already gotten us into this much trouble."
The weapon he was holding powered up for the shot and Danielle let out a terrified scream, clenching a part of Danny's jumpsuit on his chest as he protectively ducked her head in his arms, closing his eyes and bracing for the hit.
He cringed as he heard a loud explosion, but he also heard several people crying out, in surprise including the Guys in White. A sudden draft came from the side and the ghost boy looked up to see that a giant hole had been blown through the wall from outside. In the next instant, Danny's family jumped through the hole with several policemen who were holding their own weapons.
"Freeze!" The lead policeman shouted, as he and his fellow officers directed their guns at the Guys in White.
Mr. and Mrs. Fenton saw the two white-suited men pointing dangerous looking devices at their son and niece, and pointed at them demandingly.
"Back off, government traitors." Jack shouted.
Then Maddie added, with just as much anger in her own voice, "You stay away from our children."
"And their friends." Jazz said when she saw Operative O threatening Sam and Tucker as well.
The Guys in White were already startled by the sudden intrusion but there was another surprise in store when a loud and ringing howl echoed through the lab.
Danielle looked up from her cousin's protective embrace, looking around frantically with a confused look, mingled with a newfound hope in hearing the sound. She had only heard this howling noise once before but she remembered it so well and who it was that made it.
Wulf suddenly sprung in through the hole from behind Danny's family and leaped at the Guys in White. With a swing of his massive, front paw and a mighty roar, he knocked both the white-clad men away from the Phantoms, making them accidentally drop their weapons in the process of, for perhaps the twentieth time tonight, being thrown to the floor.
The armored men with helmets all scurried away in fear of the great beast as he stood over his two half-ghost friends. He lowered down to all fours, leaning over where Danny was still holding his frightened clone, like a protective wolf guarding his pups. The watchdog he had always been for them in times of peril. The giant spectral beast growled viciously at the two head agents who had tried to destroy his companions as Tucker and Sam also ran over to their ghostly friends, adding to the forces that were opposing the so-called government officials.
The Guys in White got to their feet, seeing themselves and their associates completely weaponless and outnumbered, now that the Phantom boy's promised reinforcements had arrived. But they had one more trick of their own in store that they revealed at that exact moment.
Operative K pressed a few buttons on his wrist panel and the whole ceiling of the lab suddenly opened up. Another press of a button made jetpacks mechanically appear on their backs.
In seeing what was happening, Wulf pounced at them, but the jetpacks lifted them up into the air and out of reach of anyone before the scruffy dog could get them.
They hovered over the ceiling opening, looking down at Danny. "So long Phantom." Operative O called down to him.
Then Operative K finished with his own remarks. "Considering the current state of affairs, this will be the last time you see us. Or anyone else for that matter."
Tucker, Sam and Danielle gave Danny worried looks before they saw The Guys in White give him a mocking solute. Then they turned and rocketed away with their jetpacks. Not even the helicopters that were watching the place were able to keep up with them as they shot away.
The police officers and the Fentons stared after them as they sped out of sight. Then the head officer looked around the demolished lab with a smirk. "Not very reliable are they?" He said, in seeing all the armored men. "Just taking off and leaving their own associates behind to be arrested."
The police spread out in the lab, getting to work in escorting the suited up henchmen outside. As this was happening, Danny could see the employees of the Guys in White looking in his direction…almost apologetically. This gave Danny a bit of reassurance that made him smile at least a little bit. The Guys in White may still be very thickheaded, but at least their employees looked like they were finally seeing reason. Especially after Danny had sharing a few choice words on Danielle's behalf.
Danny's parents and sister hurried over to where he and the still scared but now confused looking clone were still kneeling on the hard tile floor. "Oh Danielle, thank goodness." Maddie said, kneeling down in front of the poor girl and giving her a relieved hug. After pulling away, she noticed her expression. "Sweetie, are you okay?"
Jack also noticed his niece's face and looked worriedly at her. "Good heavens Dani, you're pale as a ghost." He didn't even think about the irony of what he just stated.
Tucker stepped forward, scratching his head as if trying to figure out how to put this into words before he said, "You might say she's had quite a…traumatic experience before you guys got here."
Jazz was looking over her mother's shoulder at her cousin in concern when her mind seemed to start contemplating something else. After looking up where the Guys in White had flown away, she looked at her little brother a bit nervously. "Danny, what did they mean by…" But then, as if her fears were just realized, her eyes widened and she looked panicked. "Danny, you're bleeding."
Danny lifted his arm out of the way of the wound Operative O had left him with. He had been so focused on helping Danielle that he had almost forgotten about his own pain. After Wulf saw the bleeding injury, he gave it a sniff and was just about to lick it to clean the blood off. But just as before his tongue even touched the wound, his ears perked up and he quickly withdrew as if afraid. Danny could see in Wulf's bright green eyes that he was getting very worried about him. The black, scruffy beast must have detected the scent of Blood Blossom.
Sam was the one who relayed this to Danny's family though. "They poisoned him. With Blood Blossoms." She said gravely.
Jazz gasped along with her parents in hearing this as Sam and Tucker did when they learned what the poison contained.
"Blood Blossoms again?" Danny's father said fearfully. By this time, Danny was holding his side tightly as if trying to stop himself from bleeding. But the green ooze just seeped through his fingers. He was also feeling his strength being eaten away from the normal effect of the deadly floral substance.
"The Guys in White said he only had a few hours if he doesn't get some help." Tucker put in urgently.
Jazz looked at Danny's wound, biting her lower lip, looking quite worried. "But no hospital has anything that can cure venomous injuries that can even kill ghosts." She pointed out regretfully. "I mean, how many people even know about Blood Blossoms?"
Sam took a second to contemplate. "I don't think that berry treatment will work with this one either." She put in. looking more scared by the way Danny was clenching his waist.
"Maybe Frostbite can help." Danny said, straining to resist the pain the wound was causing him.
Everyone accept Tucker and Sam exchanged somewhat perplexed looks a the sound of this name. Danielle voiced the question first. "Who's Frostbite?"
"It's the name of the ghost that taught Danny how to use his Phreeze power." Tucker explained. "He has a medical facility in the ghost-zone. Good idea, Danny."
"Well, come on then." Jack said, helping Danny to his feet and starting to walk him towards the blown through hole and out of the lab. "We have the Specter Speeder outside. We'll get back to Fenton Works and get through the ghost portal to…"
"But Dad, it's going to take at least an hour just to get home. Even with the Specter Speeder." Jazz pointed out.
"Um…hello." Sam indicated Wulf in a singsong voice. "Wulf can just claw us a portal right here."
"I don't think he can make one big enough to fit the Specter Speeder, Sam." Danny said. His weariness was now already starting to show in the quieting tone of his voice.
There was a thoughtful pause in which everyone was trying to think of what to do until Jazz looked at Danielle, who was still kneeling on the floor, absorbed in her own thoughts. "But you and Danielle can fit through just fine." The college girl said. Danielle looked up in hearing her name and looked at everyone, wondering why they were all staring at her. Jazz walked over to her, bending down on one knee. "Danielle, with your Plasma Rocket, you're the fastest one here. You can get Danny to Frostbit in a snap."
This made sense to everyone. Danny would be able to show her the way through the ghost-zone and the others could take the Specter Speeder back to Fenton Works and meet them in the Realm of the Far Frozen where Frostbite and his people resided.
Danielle was a bit hesitant with this idea however. She was already feeling a bit tired as it was in breaking herself out of the containment chamber and then already using her Plasma Rocket in releasing her rage on the Guys in White. And the ghost-zone was huge. What if she ran out of energy before she even got to the specified destination? As she looked over at Danny, he seemed to be worried about this too. Eventually, though, her gaze wandered to Danny's poisoned injury. Her cousin's life was in danger. If she was his best chance of surviving, she was willing to follow through. She showed her agreement to this plan by standing up determinedly and Going Ghost.
As she went over to where Danny's father was holding him up, she saw Sam looking at her and quickly avoided her gaze. Sam saw this and knew from it that apologizing for offending her was going to be quite a bit tougher than she thought.
Jack helped to transfer his son to Danielle's care and the ghost girl inserted Danny's arm around her shoulders to support him. Then she turned to Wulf, who nodded before turning and extending his long claws. He swiped the air, cutting a suspended portal to the ghost-zone and stepped to the side.
"Hang on tight, Danny." Danielle suggested, as she made sure she had a firm hold of her still weakening cousin.
"Be careful you two." Danny's father said as they rose a few feet into the air.
"We'll see you soon." Danielle said with a nod. Then bending her knees, charging her feet, she and Danny bent their heads down and they took off like a bullet, through Wulf's clawed-out portal.
As soon as they were gone and the portal resealed itself, Maddie clapped her hands together. "All right everyone. Let's get to the Specter Speeder." She said, beckoning everyone outside.
They all filed into the white, stout-looking ship that was parked just outside the dome-shaped building, and headed for Fenton Works at top speed. As they went, Sam started expressing her concerns for the success of the two Phantoms. Both she and Tucker knew Danielle might not have been in the best condition to be assigned such a mission after she had used so much energy already. Not to mention the torture the Guys in White had been putting her through all week.
"I think they'll be okay kids." Jack tried to reassure the teens as he drove the Speeder.
"Yeah, Danielle's a strong girl. I'm sure she'll be fine." Jazz added.
Sam did feel better after this. She had already seen Danielle's determination come through so many times already, especially when Danny's safety was concerned. Even with her own condition not exactly at it's best, if anyone could get him to Frostbite before it grew too late, she certainly could. It was just a matter of whether or not Frostbite would be able to help.
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Danielle sped along through the ghost-zone, being directed where to go by Danny as she carried him to get to the Realm of the Far Frozen in time. All the other realms of other ghosts flew by as she zoomed passed them as fast as her Plasma Rocket would allow. The clone couldn't understand why, but all the way there, she felt like she just knew how Danny was getting weaker and weaker by the minute. The poison was continuing to work at him and if they didn't get to Frostbite soon, they probably wouldn't have enough time to work up any kind of cure.
Soon, the Phantoms reached the frozen tunnel, which marked that they were nearly there. Danielle was starting to feel herself growing fatigued from the use of the Plasma Rocket, but she just had to hold on a little longer. So did Danny.
She fought to keep her strength up and continued her acceleration forward. She the temperature around her dropped as she entered the tunnel, but that's not the only thing she felt. Danny's strength in maintaining his hold as they were speeding along was gradually beginning to diminish. She started to panic in realizing that he was fading. She silently, begged him to hold on just a little longer, trying to mentally reassure him as well as herself that they were almost there. She was starting to see snow-covered mountains up ahead. That's got to be it. Just a little further ahead and they would arrive at their destination.
Yet, that little further was seeming to take forever to get to, and Danielle's own strength was starting to give out from complete exhaustion. But she had to make it. Danny and his family were all depending on her. Danny's chances of living were already growing slim as it was. If she couldn't do this, how could he survive this at all?
But as she was fast approaching the Realm of the Far Frozen, she just couldn't hold out on the Plasma Rocket anymore. She found herself slow down drastically when she let it off, yet the speed she had already built up was leading them both into a crash-landing. And she was too tired to try and slow herself down before the impact came.
Danielle received a shocking wave of cold as she hit a snow-covered slope dead on. But that wasn't all. She felt herself slipping down the steep slope, disrupting the snow, which then followed her all the way down the slope, until she tumbled to a stop on more leveled ground. The snow landed on top of her and it was very difficult to dislodge herself from it, being so tired already.
But with great effort she did manage to get to her knees, shaking her head to get the snow out of her hair. She shivered and started rubbing her arms when she realized how cold it was. Her head was hurting and her vision was going dark. Was she about to faint?
Wait. Where was Danny? She gasped, looking around frantically for him. In the impact, she didn't realize that she must have let go of him. She saw him laying half buried in the avalanche a few yards away and stiffly crawled over to him. She pulled him out within a few minutes, but she was still feeling herself grow weaker the whole time. Danny tried to get up, but he could barely lift his head before he fell back down to the ground.
"Danny." Danielle said weakly as she shook him, trying to get him to respond in some way. She couldn't explain why but she somehow knew that he was indeed still alive, but he was still in pain from the poison. Still fading. How long has it been since they left the Guys in White's lab? Had it already been three hours? Was Danny already down to his last minutes of life? Danielle hadn't really been in the ghost-zone much before and she wasn't exactly keeping track of time when they had left.
She wasn't even able to keep her train of thought as she felt herself getting very lightheaded. She tried to keep her mind and vision focused, but she felt like she was getting all scrambled up inside, like when she had the guys in White's Spectral diffusion device on her. She felt herself change back to her human form and without her ghost powers active, the cold around her became very overpowering. Her physical strength was beginning to give out and she fell on her back in the snow next to her motionless cousin. As much as the now desperate clone wanted to get up, she just couldn't hold out anymore.
She laid there, shivering in the cold and she could see her breath coming out in clouds of ice-cold vapor before her eyes drooped shut. Inside herself, she just knew that Danny's pain had already gotten so much worse since he had been shot. It was almost like she could feel the Blood Blossoms working away at him. She herself couldn't even move anymore and they were probably miles away from civilization: Much less any kind of help from Frostbite.
Could this be the end of the both of them? Danny already fading slowly and painfully and Danielle about to freeze to death beside him when she failed to achieve her objective?
She was starting to grow numb from the overwhelming cold and knew she probably wouldn't last much longer as she faded into the darkness that was already taking her mind and vision.
Suddenly, she became aware of something or someone picking her up. She was now up against a soft and warm surface that better sheltered her from the cold. Though her eyelids still felt too heavy to open and see what was going on. She did, however, hear thundering footsteps were shifting around them, crunching the snow down. And Danny was talking to someone.
"Frostbite." Danielle heard her cousin's voice say quietly, but in relief.
A deeper and more projected voice answered with concern. "You're injured, Great One."
Danny sounded like he was moaning from the pain that the poison was inflicting on him. This must have concerned Frostbite judging by the next thing he said and the urgent way he said it. "Don't worry, Danny Phantom. You're in good hands. And so is your female acquaintance."
So they had made it. Frostbite was here with some of his own associates. (Danielle guessed this because of the sounds of multiple pairs of thundering footsteps.) And they were carrying her and Danny down the mountain to be cared for. She still felt her mind growing blank, but she knew they were safe. And she passed out completely, at least knowing that she would eventually be waking up again.
Now, I'm a little bit concerned about this chapter. Especially the part where Danny gives that whole speech about ghosts having feelings. Did that work out for you guys? Did it make enough sense and sound like it tied in well enough with the show, or do you think it was a little confusing…or even corny. I'm really worried about that part so please let me know how you feel about it in your reviews. In fact I'm starting to get the feeling that maybe people aren't appreciating this story as much as they used to when I was first starting to write it.
Let me know how you like how this is going in your reviews. Remember. If there's anything that you think could use a bit of improvement, let me know and I'll see what I can do with it. And if you also have questions about things that don't make sense, you can PM me. Now that I have my own account on this website.