Hey everyone, Lord Pugsy here. Here is the next instalment of A Phantom Marooned, and I hope you enjoy it. I do not own the characters only the story.
As soon as Danny woke up the next morning, he knew things weren't going to be in their favour. Overnight, the storm had accelerated, and was now about a mile away from them. They were going to need to do another food and water run, as they had no idea how long it would last. His musings were disturbed when he felt someone shift next to him; looking down, he saw Sam cuddled up to him, with both his arms around her. He smiled as he reminisced at how they had almost made up last night when he came out of the jungle after seeing to the Komodo dragon; the dragon was still bothering him though.
How on earth did that lizard get here? Danny asked himself. There is no way it could have migrated to the other side of the world from where they usually inhabit. First the baboon, then the Komodo, and then the large cat from last night. The longer we're here, the more weird it becomes.
"Everything alright Danny?" Asked Sam, disturbing his thoughts once again. Danny just shrugged it off.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Sam looked up and gave him a stern glare.
"Danny. I know for a fact if I wasn't holding both your arms right now, you would be rubbing the back of your neck." This caused Danny to chuckle embarrassingly.
"Yeah," started Danny. "I should probably break that habit. Never know when it may come back to bite me. It's part of the reason why Val figured out who I was." This caused Sam to sit up.
"You know she knows?"
"Yep. She told me a couple of days ago, when she caught me coming out of the ocean."
"What were you doing in the ocean?" Sam asked worriedly.
"I had another nightmare that night. I needed to clear my head, so I thought a quick swim in the Atlantic would help, and it did. I'm just glad she accepted me so quickly." Danny's voice quietened near the end, causing Sam to clutch his hands, hearing the underlying sadness in the way he said 'she'.
"They will accept you Danny. They're your parents." She said softly; Danny was silent for a moment before answering.
"I know they will accept me, but they will still fear me."
"How do you mean?" Danny just sighed.
"Remember when I told you when I faced Dan? How you were tied up in the Nasty Burger?" Sam nodded. "Dan revealed who I was beforehand to them, and they seemed to accept it right before I fought him. But I will never forget the look in their eyes when they saw me in my Phantom form, and then comparing me to Dan." Danny fell silent, causing Sam to sit up and face him, and pulling him into a tight hug.
"You listen to me Daniel Fenton." She started, her voice soft. "They. Will. Accept. You. They're only going to be afraid because it was their portal which did this to you. Nothing more, nothing less." She then kissed him softly on the lips.
"Now get your act together. Today is going to be a long day." Sam said, in a much lighter tone, causing Danny to chuckle.
"You know what? I'm starting to think that you're saying my full name far too often on this trip." Laughed Danny as he stood up, before turning to Sam and pulling her up.
"Well you're giving me plenty of reasons to do so." She said, laughing also as she took his hands.
"Come on then Samantha Manson. Let's get to work." Said Danny, dodging to one side as Sam threw one of her boots at him, still laughing as he did.
Danny eventually slowed down so that he and Sam could walk hand in hand down to the rest of the group. He reached the campfire and gave Tucker a high five before looking for Mr Lancer; he saw him doing his rounds near the treeline. Kissing Sam's hand, he made his way to him.
"Morning Mr Lancer." Said Danny upon reaching his teacher.
"Good morning Danny."
"Good?" Queried Danny.
"Well, 'good' in the loosest possible sense." Corrected Mr Lancer, smiling as he did so, causing Danny to smile. "Care to explain to me what you were doing with a 'freaking dinosaur' last night?" Danny raised his eyes at the weird question.
"I believe that was how Kwan described it to us last night around the campfire."
"Oh the Komodo?" Said Danny, when the realisation hit him.
"That would be my guess." Responded Mr Lancer. "I would have spoken to you last night, but I saw the look of pure bliss on your face upon your reunion with young Samantha over there. So I thought it best to save my questioning for this morning." Danny's cheeks had glowed red at the mention of Sam and rubbed his neck embarrassingly as he looked away from his smiling teacher. After a moment, he looked back up to see Mr Lancer gesturing the teen to continue.
"It was nothing. The lizard had Sam's group stuck up a tree; I got its attention and lured it off so they could get away."
"Pray tell how you managed to do this without acquiring any injuries?" Asked Mr Lancer, genuinely interested in how this teen managed to achieve what many could not. "It is a rare accomplishment to take on a lizard of that size and live to tell the tale." Danny was about to answer, but Mr Lancer cut in.
"Just remember what we spoke about before. I do not mind you keeping certain truths to yourself Danny, but please do me the courtesy of not lying to me."
"You're a lot cooler than I gave you credit for Mr Lancer." Chuckled Danny, as he smiled at his English Teacher. This caused Mr Lancer to laugh.
"I shall take that as a compliment." Laughed Mr Lancer. A comfortable silence befell the two before Danny spoke again.
"When we get out of this mess, I may even tell you Mr Lancer. Never know; you may even figure it out whilst we're here."
"I shall look forward to that conversation." Smiled Mr Lancer.
"Doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy for you though." Smirked Danny, causing Mr Lancer to chuckle.
"I would not have it any other way Danny. So do I get an answer?"
"Not right now. All that matters is that it's gone and we're all ok. The only thing we need to worry about is getting that shelter ready for tonight." Danny said, gesturing out to sea. Mr Lancer looked around and saw that the storm cloud was considerably closer than what it was the night before.
"I see your point. Come; let us go rouse the soldiers."
"Ok class," started Mr Lancer, once he got everyone awake and in a circle around the burned out campfire. "We have to build our shelter and we have very little time to do so. It has also come to my attention that we may need to do another water run, just in case this storm lasts longer than expected. So, I want Dash, Kwan and Craig to help Eric build the shelter, as he is the one who has some experience with camping activities. Tucker, Nathan and Mikey will remain here and use the last remaining hours to try and fix the beacon. I want everyone else on the water run, and I want everyone to stick together and no one, under any circumstances, is to stray from the path." He pointedly looked at Danny as he said this, earning a smile from the teen. Ten minutes later, everyone was ready to head out. At Danny's request, Sam was to lead the group to the stream, Danny at the back and Valerie going between them every now and again. The reason behind this is that Danny wanted his Sense on permanently, and he didn't want to continuously look round to make sure everyone was still there on the path and give something away. About half way there, Valerie dropped back and starting walking with Danny.
"See any lizards Ghost-Boy?" Asked Valerie, causing Danny to laugh.
"I never thought I would hear you call me that again Huntress." Answered Danny.
"Well when your eyes are sparkling like that, I couldn't resist." Countered Valerie.
"Touché." Chuckled Danny. He was about to say more when he heard a rustle from the bushes to their right. Panning his vision round, he could make out something large, long and thin making its way parallel to the group.
"Hey Val?" Asked Danny, getting Valerie's attention, but still looking to the side. "Make sure no one notices I'm gone. I'll be right back." Before Valerie could respond, she watched Danny creep into the bushes, and then silence.
Damn that kid's good, thought Valerie when she couldn't hear him anymore. No wonder I could never get him. A few moments later, Danny subtly walked out and re-joined the group.
"Call of nature?" Joked Valerie.
"Not quite." Said Danny. "Let's just say there is a very dazed anaconda slithering its way back home."
"An anaconda? Seriously?" Asked Valerie, not believing what Danny was saying.
"I wish I was joking." Said Danny, his voice dropping. "Nothing about this island makes sense. First the freaky current, then the energy shield and now all the tropical animals we've seen."
"I know it's risky, but can't you just fly up and take a look around?" Asked Valerie.
"I didn't tell you?" Valerie shook her head.
"Tell me what?"
"I recently discovered I have lost half of my powers." Said Danny, causing Valerie's jaw to drop. "I can't fly, become invisible, turn intangible or create ecto-energy. I've got my strength, speed, agility, Wail and ice powers left. That energy shield really messed me up."
"So you're a frosty Captain America?" Said Valerie, trying to lighten the mood. It worked as Danny began to laugh.
"I seriously never thought I would hear you call me that." Said Danny. "But I like it. It's better than Dipstick or Whelp anyway."
"Any time Cap," smirked Valerie, giving him a mock salute, but then she registered what Danny had said.
"Wait, what's a 'Wail'?" She asked.
"I'll explain later; we're here." They had just arrived at the stream and everyone began to fill up all the water bottles from the lifeboat; Sam walked up to the both of them as Danny turned off his Sense.
"Any trouble on the way?" She asked.
"Just a very large, scaly friend who tried to make an appearance, but he changed his mind."
"I just can't let you out of my sight without you doing something can I?" Sam asked jokingly.
"Nope, you can't." Smiled Danny, as he brought her into a hug and kissed her on the lips. "I think you should possibly change this."
"Maybe I will." Smirked Sam.
"Alright, I'm holding it right there," cut in Valerie, but smiling nonetheless. "We're all glad you're finally together, but we're about to be hit by a storm and are on the menu of numerous predators. Can you hold off just for a little bit?"
"Fair enough." Said Sam, pulling away reluctantly.
"I suppose you're right." Admitted Danny. "We should probably head back as soon as possible anyway. We may need to help the others finish off the shelter."
The journey back was much less eventful as they didn't come across any other animals, but Danny still had the feeling of being watched, but there was nothing within his Sense radius. Upon returning to the beach, they were all pleasantly surprised to see that the shelter was practically done. With Mr Lancer supervising, the four guys had managed to erect a decent looking shelter for them all to sit out the storm. Danny went with the rest of the group and placed all the water bottles outside of the shelter, to be moved in upon completion. He was about to walk away when he noticed the branches in the builders' hands.
"You got a problem Fenturd?" Dash asked viciously, as he followed Eric's instructions. When Danny didn't answer him, but continued to look at the branches, he started to drop what he was doing, but was stopped by Kwan.
"Everything alright Danny?" He asked. After the incident with the Komodo dragon, Kwan had started to see Danny in a new light; anyone who selflessly risked their lives by taking on a giant lizard was alright in his book. When he still didn't respond, Kwan waved his hand in front of his face, which got his attention.
"Sorry Kwan. I was miles off." Apologised Danny. "I'll be right back." With that, he left the confused duo, who went back to work as Danny walked off, his mind on the sharp ends of the branches. He made a beeline for Tucker and his group first.
"Hey Tuck." He said on reaching him. "How's the beacon going?"
"Surprisingly well." Said Tucker. "We've cleared out all the burnt parts and it's still in pretty good shape. It's looking good so far man."
"Excellent." Said Danny, clapping his best friend on the back. "Fantastic work. Listen; I'm going to disappear for a while, but I shouldn't be too long. I want you to keep an eye on everyone here."
"Why? Where are you going?" Asked Tucker.
"I just need to go into the jungle quickly. I won't be long, but can you tell Sam and Valerie where I've gone, and tell them not to worry?" He went to leave but Tucker pulled him back down.
"Hey, while you were off talking to Dash and Kwan, Valerie came over and said about you not having half your powers. Is that true?"
"Yeah. It is."
"And you didn't tell me, why?" Tucker asked him, slightly annoyed.
"To be perfectly honest, I forgot. What with the storm, the shelter, a manic monkey, a Komodo dragon and just earlier, a very large anaconda, I've not really had much time to discuss things with anyone." Tucker looked down at this.
"Sorry man. I know you've been busy and everything."
"You don't need to apologise Tuck. You've had enough on your plate with fixing the beacon. But don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll see you a bit later." With that, Danny looked around to see if anyone was watching him, before darting into the jungle; Tucker just staring after him.
One of these days he's going to become full ghost, Tucker thought to himself, before getting up himself to look for Sam and Valerie. He found them sorting out vines and branches, so to make the guys' job a bit easier.
"Hey guys." Tucker said upon reaching them, giving Valerie a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Hey Tuck." Said Valerie, reciprocating the affection.
"How's the beacon going?" Asked Sam, as she added several vine strips to the pile in front of them.
"Going great actually. When the storm passes over us, we should be able to actually start repairing it and broadcast a signal. But that's not why I'm here." Sam quickly scanned around the beach area and wasn't surprised to see that Danny wasn't there.
"It's got something to do with Danny hasn't it?" She asked angrily.
"What's that boy up to now?" Asked Valerie.
"I don't know. He just said that he had to go into the jungle and that he won't be gone long."
"That boy is seriously going to get himself killed all the way at the rate he's going." Muttered Valerie.
"Especially seen as he hasn't got half his powers anymore." Agreed Tucker, as he bent down to pick up a pile of branches, and headed off to the shelter, with the two girls not far behind him.
"What do you mean 'hasn't got half his powers anymore'?" Asked Sam, when she caught up with Tucker.
"You mean he didn't tell you either?" Asked Tucker exasperatedly.
"No. Enlighten me." Sam answered shortly, thinking about throwing her boot at Danny when she saw him next.
"He told Valerie first, so probably best she tells you." Sam then turned to Valerie.
"He told me that the energy shield did something to him when we went through it at sea." She said. Sam pondered this, and remembered when they had gone through it, Danny looked as if he was about to throw up. "Apparently, he can't fly, become invisible, turn intangible or create ecto-energy anymore. He's got his speed, strength, agility, and ice powers left. Oh, and something called a 'Wail', which he didn't explain about." When she mentioned Danny's wail, Sam and Tucker's faces dropped.
"What is it with this 'Wail' thing?" Valerie asked. Tucker and Sam looked at each other quickly, before turning back to Valerie.
"Danny's Ghostly Wail is his most powerful attack ever. He is both proud of it, and ashamed of it." Replied Tucker.
"Ashamed?" Questioned Valerie; Sam just sighed.
"Has he told you about his fight with his future self yet?" She asked.
"He touched upon it when we first got here, but didn't go into any details. I didn't press him because his eyes were full of sadness and pain when I asked him questions."
"There are still things he hasn't told us about when he faced Dan. He's still recovering from it." Murmured Tucker.
"Anyway," Sam started again, getting back on track. "Dan's most powerful attack was his Ghostly Wail; an attack which took him ten years to develop. With this attack, Dan could level cities and destroy countless enemies in a matter of seconds. It was this attack that Danny used to defeat Dan."
"So he's proud of it in the sense that he triumphed over his future self, but ashamed because of what it could be used for?" Asked Valerie, once she got over her shock.
"More or less." Confirmed Tucker.
"But there's something else." Said Sam, looking at Tucker who nodded.
"What do you mean?" Asked Valerie.
"Something happened on that day which has scarred him. Something so terrible that he clams up and refuses to speak about it. Even to us." Sam was about to say more when she felt something hit her cheek. Raising her hand, she wiped something wet off her cheek when something else hit her other cheek. She touched her face; looking at her fingers, she could see they were wet. Then a whole torrent of something started to hit her; looking up she saw very dark clouds as rain started to pour on them. The storm had started.
The entire group, minus Danny, helped Dash, Kwan, Craig and Eric to finish the shelter in record time. It was a simple dome shape, but it was sturdy enough and large enough to hold everyone comfortably. The only person they were missing was Danny, who had yet to return, which was causing everyone to become slightly agitated, especially Sam.
"Where the hell is he?" Asked Sam, more to herself than anyone else.
"Would that 'he' be me?" Came a voice from the entrance. The occupants of the shelter whipped their heads around and saw Danny's soaked head poking around the corner.
"Shades of Darkness!" Exclaimed Mr Lancer from the back of the shelter. "Where in blazes have you been?! The storm is getting more violent by the second!"
"I know, I know. I was doing something, but I'm back now. Well, I will be in a minute. I need to go put something away first." Before anyone could say anything, Danny's head disappeared, and the class watched him run over to the lifeboat and put various things under it; fiddling around with his shirt as he did with his back to them. In the few minutes it took him to do this, the rain had become harder, lightning was beginning to strength and the wind was picking up. Upon entering the shelter, the class saw that he was drenched to the bone, as he sat near the entrance where Sam, Tucker and Valerie were.
"Where the hell were you?" Sam whispered angrily, smacking his arm.
"I'll tell you later." Danny said.
"Like you were going to tell me about your powers?" Danny flinched at this.
"I'm sorry Sam. I was going to tell you, but things just keep happening and getting in the way." Danny said, looking at the storm outside, deep in thought. Sam saw the look on his face and held his hand; he returned the pressure but didn't look at her. Several hours passed and the storm showed no signs of easing, as the wind continued to batter their shelter. Everyone but Danny was looking inwards at everyone's scared faces, but his were fixed outside on the lifeboat. Everyone but Danny also flinched when another stroke of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating everyone's scared face. Danny on the other hand had tilted his head to the side, almost like he could hear something else in the howling wind. When lightning next struck, Danny flinched as well as the rest of the group, but for a completely different reason; Danny could have sworn he saw a big pair of yellow eyes at the treeline. With another flash, the eyes were gone. Now Danny was getting tense; he recognised those eyes. They were the eyes that were watching them last night. He made sure no one was watching him as he turned on his Sense and looked outside of the shelter. He saw one solitary animal patrolling around the beach, heading towards the back of the shelter. Danny stood, turning off his Sense, and quietly made his way to the back of the shelter. Everyone was silent as they saw the determined look on his face, mixed with fear. Danny's first mistake was turning off his Sense; in the time it had taken for Danny to reach the back of the shelter, the large animal had made its way round to the entrance. Hearing a low growl, Danny slowly turned and saw a large, black panther, leering at the entrance. The entire class, too afraid to speak, slowly edged towards the back as the panther stayed where it was. Then its yellow eyes landed on Sam, its mouth opening wide revealing sharp fangs, dripping with saliva. Danny saw all four of its legs tense and he knew what it was about to do. Only one thought was running through his mind.
You don't get it, do you? I'm still here. I still exist. That means you still turn into me!
Without thinking, Danny launched himself forwards at the large cat before it got an opportunity to pounce; causing them both to go tumbling out into the rain. Danny then pushed the cat outwards and stood up, wiping the sand from his eyes. Danny's second mistake was to look up to see if the rest of his class was ok. When he wasn't looking, the panther had regained its senses and barrelled straight into the unsuspecting teen, sending them crashing to the ground again. Fortunately for Danny's ghostly abilities, he was able to see clearly in the dark, as he saw the panther swipe for his face. He dodged to one side and rolled back onto his feet, and matched off against the cat; Danny circled around to make sure he was between the cat and his class. When the panther charged again, Danny was ready. He widened his stance, and just as the cat pounced, he leaned over backwards, the cat sailing over the top of him. Danny then grabbed its hind legs, spun it around and let go, causing it to fly in the opposite direction. Danny could just about make out an applause coming from the shelter, but he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. He lifted up his shirt and brought one of two makeshift weapons he had made that evening: a small rock hammer. This time, he charged the panther who was still trying to get a grip on the wet sand; just as he got there, the panther was back on its legs and let loose a terrifying roar. Just as it finished, Danny stepped forward and hit the panther in the temple, knocking it unconscious instantly. Feeling proud that he had done it without killing the creature, he made his way back to the shelter, twirling his home-made hammer in his hand. That was Danny's third mistake. What he hadn't taken into account was the purpose for the panther's roar. Just as he got to the shelter, he had a feeling he was being watched; turning slowly, he saw three more panthers emerging from the treeline, all larger than the one he had just faced.
Great, thought Danny. Just my freaking luck. Just when it starts to go my way, something always comes along to mess with me. Danny turned to the occupants of the shelter.
"Stay absolutely quiet. Do not draw attention to yourselves." With that, he slowly walked out into the middle of the area, so to keep the panthers' attention on him and not on the shelter. The storm had gotten heavier now; Danny was struggling to keep his balance as he was buffeted by the gale-force winds. As Danny wiped wet hair from his vision, the first panther made its move; it charged forwards and Danny only just dodged it. Danny's fourth mistake was taking his eyes off the other two as he dodged the charging panther, only to be hit by another one. Quickly rolling away, he got to his feet and brandished his axe and went to swipe the attacking panther, but it dodged out of the way. Now the three jungle cats were circling with Danny at their centre. Danny realised with dread that these cats were smart and were working as a team to get their prey. The next flash of lightning signalled their attack, as all three converged on the teen at the same time. He easily dodged the first cat, barely dodged the second one, but the third one got lucky. Danny watched in horror as the third cat brought back its claws and slashed him across his chest, blood splashing on the sand, the screams from his class sounding clearly through the storm. That was the panthers' first and only mistake. Seeing red, Danny ignored the searing pain on his chest, and charged straight at the panthers, surprising them just as much as his class in the shelter. Running forwards, he brought his hammer down and caved in the first panther's head, killing it instantly whilst feinting towards the one in front of him, but actually jumping over it and hitting the panther behind it; it met the same quick fate as the first panther. However this time, as Danny ripped the hammer out, its head got lodged in the panther. Tossing the worthless handle aside, Danny reached into his waistband again and brought out a make shift dagger; a flint rock as the blade. He turned around just in time as the final panther, enraged by the death of its comrades, launch itself at the teen. It hit Danny head on, pushing him to the ground with it on top. Danny then felt it stiffen; rolling it off of him, Danny saw his dagger up to the hilt embedded in the panther's chest. Panting, he got up slowly, the adrenaline starting to wear off as he began to feel the pain in his chest become acute, and starting to become drowsy from blood loss. He looked around at the carnage he had wrought in a matter of seconds, feeling sick to his stomach that he had actually killed a living thing. He staggered forwards and looked at all three of the dead animals at his feet when his nagging feeling returned. He had learned in the past couple of weeks to trust this nagging feeling, and knew something was immediately wrong. He didn't need to hear the scream from behind him to know what was happening; he only counted three downed panthers. Whirling around, he ripped the dagger out of the panther, took a second to aim, and threw it as hard as he could at the panther running for the shelter and its dwellers. All the time, praying to Clockwork that his aim was true, right before his vision turned black and collapsed to the sand.
I should also have mentioned that I do not own anything Marvel related. Once again, I hope you enjoy it and continue to read and enjoy it for subsequent chapters to come. Until next time.
Lord Pugsy.