"Please Tuck. You've got to stop." Begged Danny.
"Seriously. You're killing everyone here." Agreed Sam.
"No one else seems to think so." Defended Tucker, looking to Valerie for support.
"Sorry Tuck, but we do." Valerie said, looking embarrassed.
"She's right dude." Said Kwan. "We thought your jokes were bad at school, but here they're just awful." It was the following day and the group had decided to forgo the table and were all sat in a large circle on the floor, drinking from their bottles of water and just talking.
"C'mon," whined Tucker. "I'm funny. What did one ghost say to another?"
"What?" James asked in a bored voice.
"Do you believe in people?" Tucker said, expecting an outburst of laughter. Instead, all he got was an outburst of groans. "Oh come on. I just bumped into Gloria Gaynor's ghost. At first I was afraid, I was petrified."
"Fenton?" Asked Dash. "I know we're kind of friends-ish now, but I really want to hit Foley right now." Danny took one look at Tucker before looking back at Dash.
"I'll think about it." Smirked Danny, causing Tucker to spit out the water he was about to swallow.
"Dude!" He exclaimed, wiping his chin.
"Easy Tuck," laughed Danny. "I was only joking. But seriously, your jokes are bad."
"Fine." Tucker said in a huff. Valerie then gave him a peck on his cheek, which seemed to make him feel better. Noticing this, Dash couldn't help but ask.
"When did this happen?" Dash asked, gesturing to the intimacy shared by Tucker and Valerie.
"The night when this nightmare happened." Tucker said, putting his arm around Valerie. "About fifteen minutes before we got onto the lifeboat."
"I seem to remember a certain other Romeo making his move before getting onto the lifeboat as well." Said Michelle, who looked at Danny, causing Chelsea to giggle.
"Hang on," started Nathan, remembering something from that night. "Didn't you throw Sam onto the lifeboat and then run back into the ship?"
"You went back?" Frank asked incredulously. "Why in the name of sanity did you do that?" Danny just shrugged his shoulders.
"I went back because I knew there were people trapped on one of the lower decks. I couldn't leave knowing that they could die."
"That's quite the hero-complex you've got there Danny." Said Ellie, torn between whether she should be proud or worried about the teen sitting across from her.
"You're right there Ellie." Sam said, nudging Danny's shoulder with hers.
"Might be slightly exaggerating there." Danny said embarrassingly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Now's not the time for modesty Danny." Said Max.
"Without you, we'd still be stuck up that tree staring into those terrifying yellow eyes of that dinosaur thing." Said Kwan.
"It was down to your intuition that we find a water source and build a shelter to wait out that horrific storm." Chimed in Mr Lancer.
"Not to mention you took out four panthers with those weapons you made with your bare hands." Said Bradley.
"And do we really need to talk about what you did in that cage-arena thing?" Craig asked sarcastically. This was exactly the topic Danny didn't want to get back to; he hadn't thought of any excuses as to how he was supposed to be able to do all the things he had done whilst on the island.
"Now I assume you know what is about to happen next?" Asked Mr Lancer, cutting through the teen's thoughts.
"We start singing songs?" Danny asked pathetically.
"Question and answer time." Mr Lancer stated bluntly.
"How about some more of my jokes?" Tucker said, trying to come to the rescue, but Mr Lancer put up his hand to stop him.
"Daniel Fenton," began Mr Lancer, silencing Tucker, staring intently at Danny. "We have placed our lives in your hands, irrespective of how correct a decision that was, many times since we have been imprisoned in this desolate prison and this island. I once told you that you did not have to tell us the truth, so long as you refrained from lying to us. However, I think the time has come for some truths to be told. You have been lying to us for an insurmountable amount of time; you have these skills which you must have had for a long time before this, so please do not expect us to believe you just happened to find out you can perform these amazing feats the moment we arrived here." Danny looked to Sam, Tucker and Valerie for support, but they too were at a loss as to what Danny should say. Only Danny could answer the questions in such a way that no one would become suspicious, or if he so chose, to reveal exactly who he was; they just hoped he didn't regret anything he told them.
"Alright." Danny finally said, after far too long for the groups' liking. After what seemed an age, Danny's English Class was finally feeling an emotion they thought had abandoned them two and a bit weeks ago when they became stranded: excitement. Danny's abilities were beginning to frustrate the entire class as they were not a common sight from the usually timid and awkward teen when they were at school. However, the island had brought them nothing but bad luck the moment they stepped foot on it. When they finally thought things were going in their
favour, something would always come and get in the way. And this came in the form of Hunter walking through the door, an arrogant look on his face.
"Oh I do love circle time." Hunter said, clapping his hands together as he took in the view in front of him. "Once a class, always a class. Unfortunately, I am going to have to take Danny boy off your hands for a bit."
"OK." Danny said rather too quickly, earning curious glances from the rest of the group; Sam, Tucker and Valerie on the other hand were trying to contain their laughter, knowing full well why Danny would sooner rather have a conversation with Vlad about his mum, than stay in this room and be interrogated by his classmates and teacher.
"Eager are we?" Hunter asked. "Goody gumdrops. Follow me. And if the rest of you get any funny ideas whilst we're gone, Brawler is waiting just outside the door. And he might be going through withdrawal at the moment as it's been at least two days since he got to kill anything. Come along Danny; where we're going, you may actually learn something." Giving his friends a reassuring nod, Danny walked out of the room ahead of Hunter, the door closing swiftly behind them.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Sam, Tucker and Valerie only had to take a quick look at the faces of the rest of their group before they burst out laughing. Their faces were a combination of confusion, anger and disbelief.
"How does he do that?" Dash asked.
"It's like the 'bathroom' thing all over again." Bradley said.
"Bathroom?" Queried Frank.
"It's this stupid thing Danny does at school." Mikey said.
"In literally every single class, of every single day, Danny always asks to go to the bathroom." Star explained.
"Does he have a bladder the size of a pea?" James asked. This question set Sam, Tucker and Valerie off again into deeper fits of laughter.
"You're not going to be any help, are you?" Paulina asked the laughing group. The group of three could only just about nod as they continued laughing.
"In all honesty Paulina," began Mr Lancer. "I sincerely doubt that Danny's most trusted friends would ever divulge information of a personal nature to any of us." The three finally sobered up and nodded to their teacher.
"Quite the bond you have there." Said Ellie in amazement.
"Can you just tell us one, teeny-tiny thing?" Begged Michelle.
"That depends on what you want to know." Sam said, becoming very guarded.
"Does Danny have a bladder the size of a pea?"
Meanwhile, in a section of the prison Danny had never seen before, Hunter was leading him down a corridor of cells. What struck Danny as odd was that the cell doors had been removed and replaced with Plexiglas, as well as the walls of the cells being covered in white panels.
"Why do I get the impression that you've turned these cells into some kind of sterilised, experimenting area?" Danny asked Hunter, who just smiled.
"Because that is exactly what they are Danny. On our scavenging missions we like to bring back some souvenirs that we can play with. From ghost technology and advance weaponry, to viral infections and chemical explosions." Hunter said chirpily.
"Chemical explosions?"
"I like to make things go boom from time to time. You know, anything to alleviate the monotony of island life. Hunting incredibly dangerous and ferocious animals can only get you so far. The chemicals section is on the far side of the compound so if anything does go boom accidentally, it won't bring down the entire place." Hunter said simply; Danny put that data away for a later date.
"So I take it these are your viral testing areas?" Danny asked innocently, gesturing to the white washed cells.
"Why so curious?"
"No reason. I just want to make sure we're not sat on the cause of a zombie apocalypse."
"Very good Danny." Chuckled Hunter. "This way. What I actually want to show you is down the next corridor. I hope you have a strong stomach." The next corridor was almost identical to the previous one, except what was in the cells made Danny want to throw up.
"Is this seriously what you do in your spare time?" Danny asked, disgustedly.
"Not me personally." Hunter said, feigning innocence. "I just oversee it on occasion." In each of the cells, there were various animal carcasses on surgical tables. Blood was spattered up the usually white walls and floor, with numerous bits of animal parts strewn about the cell.
"This is what you wanted me to see? Why?" Asked Danny, trying desperately not to throw up; he was thankful the doorways were covered otherwise he was certain the smell would have been enough to make him vomit.
"It was something we discussed on your first night here. When you spoke about killing four panthers at the same time. It matched other findings we had discovered over the years."
"What findings?"
"Our animals have been acting strangely over the past two decades. It's really only been the last year or so when things have started to become more serious. At first we thought it was the strange weather we've been having lately." Hunter explained. Danny had to bite his tongue as he knew exactly why the animals were behaving strangely.
"So you thought this," started Danny, gesturing to the horrors in the cells. "Was the answer?"
"We thought there was a disease outbreak. So naturally, we dissected a male and a female of each species to see if we could diagnose a problem. When we found nothing, we went looking for a brain condition; whether it be biological or psychological."
"What's the verdict?" Asked Danny, once again already knowing the answer.
"Unfortunately, nothing. But we're still hopeful. This is where you come in."
"Where I come in?" Danny was thoroughly confused now. Hunter then began to walk away from the cells of hell, much to Danny's appreciation.
"You see, my boys are becoming a bit of a problem as of late. They're still not used to company and desperately want to do something nasty to them. The animals they hunt are making them anxious. It's becoming harder and harder to keep them in line." Danny, once again stuck between a rock and a hard place, knew he had to concede to whatever insane plan Hunter was concocting.
"What is it you wanted me to do?" Danny asked in a resigned voice.
"I need you to go out there and fetch me a python from the undergrowth, a jaguar near the waterfall and a baboon from just outside the perimeter." Hunter asked simply.
"Anything else?" Danny asked cynically. "A partridge from a pear tree perhaps?"
"You know what, I like you kid." Hunter said, laughing. "The guys here don't have much of a sense of humour. You're a nice break from them. However, there is only so much sarcasm I can handle before I get angry, so put it on ice for a bit. You do this for me, and I'll let you and your little group have a bit of air time. How's that sound?"
"Seriously?" Asked Danny, suddenly missing the fresh air.
"I never lie Danny," said Hunter. "I rarely ever tell the truth mind you, but what I do say is truthful. Just about. You get me my animals, and you and your little group get an hour a day outside. How does that sound?"
"Really, really tempting actually." Danny said honestly, looking down.
"Good man." Hunter said, clapping Danny on the back, who flinched at the contact.
"I take it I won't be going out there alone?" Danny asked.
"You'll be alone in the sense that my men won't be in the immediate vicinity, but they will be watching you very closely."
"I know, I know. No funny business. So when am I expected to do this?" Danny asked. Hunter checked his watch.
"Well, it's an hour until lunch. Do you reckon you can get it done in an hour?"
"Do I have a choice in the matter?"
"Umm," Hunter said, pausing for effect. "Nope. I just like to give the illusion of choice. Much more fun for me when I take it away."
"Perfect." Danny muttered. "What's the weather like out there today?"
"Hot, why?" Hunter asked curiously.
"Just wondering if we can go via the cell so I can get a bottle of water to take with me. That alright?" Replied Danny. Hunter thought about it.
"I don't see a problem with that. Hydration is very important, especially in the jungle." Leading Danny back to the cell, Hunter stopped him before he could open the door.
"Two minutes." He said menacingly, nodding his head towards Brawler who was standing a little way away, once again playing around with his machete. Nodding, Danny opened the door to a cacophony of noise.
"Can you do a quadruple backflip?"
"How can you heal so quickly?"
"Can you punch through a brick wall?"
"How long have you been able to fight?"
"Do you have a problem bladder?"
"Who trained you?"
"Why didn't you try out for the football team?" The questions were all blending into one and the noise was becoming unbearable.
"Alright, stop!" Shouted Danny, silencing everyone. "I am having to do something for Hunter which will benefit everyone, but I have to disappear for an hour or so."
"What is he making you do?" Asked Sam, walking forwards.
"Something cruel and disgusting, but he's not leaving me much choice." Danny said, trying not to remember the bloody cells, but put his hand up before the questions could start again. "Like I said, I will be back in an about an hour. And when I get back, I will answer five questions, and only five. So think hard." Danny walked past the stunned group to pick up a bottle of water and then hugged Sam quickly, before making his way back to the door.
"See you soon." He said with a smile, before closing the door behind him. An old, buttoned shirt was suddenly thrown at Danny; Danny looked at Hunter with confusion.
"To cover your bandages. We wouldn't them getting snagged or ripped off now, would we?"
"I hope I never get used to this." Danny said as he put the dead baboon next to the limp forms of the jaguar and python on the trolley provided by Hunter. The only thing keeping Danny sane was that he had killed them cleanly and quickly by snapping their necks; that way they wouldn't suffer in the hands of Hunter or any of his men.
"You know you could have stepped in and helped out at any point!" Danny shouted into the wilderness just outside the compound, wiping the sweat from his brow as he drained the rest of his water. He knew he wasn't going to get a response; he just wanted to mess with Hunter's men a little bit. He smirked when he heard someone shuffle behind a tree to his right with his ghostly hearing; he couldn't risk using his Sense as his eyes are a dead giveaway so he was focusing solely on his hearing whilst in the jungle. It was the same reason why he hadn't used his ice powers to keep himself cool. Pushing the trolley back into the compound, he gave a cheery wave towards Sniper who he knew to be situated in the nearest watchtower. As he got to the main entrance, it opened to reveal Hunter and Striker; Hunter smiling broadly.
"Fifty-six minutes Danny." Hunter said checking his watch, sounding impressed. "You're an absolute gem. A hunter after my own heart."
"You know what Hunter," Danny started, stopping the trolley at their feet. "If life was fair, it would be you on that table instead of these animals."
"You just keep cutting me down." Hunter said, clasping his chest dramatically. "But a deals a deal. Striker will take you back to your cell and I will be along shortly with your lunch. Luncheon should always be taken in the fresh air with the sun on your back."
"Whatever." Muttered Danny, walking off with Striker. As soon as they were out of sight, Hunter signalled out the doorway. A moment later, Tracer, Invader and Raider appeared from behind the treeline and made their way over.
"So how was he?" Asked Hunter once they were assembled in front of him.
"He makes Brawler look like a pussycat." Raider said, checking over Hunter's shoulder.
"Brawler is keeping watch over the others. He's nowhere near us." Hunter said, amused at his associate's behaviour. "Anyway, share some details."
"He performed the same manoeuvres on the jag as he did on the tiger, but dealt with it even faster. We didn't even see the python. He just went behind some bushes and then about ten seconds later he walked out with it draped around his shoulders."
"And what about the baboon?" Asked Hunter.
"That…" Raider trailed off.
"What is it?" Hunter asked, getting impatient.
"We're not entirely sure what happened." Invader said, beginning to get nervous.
"Explain."
"It was like something out of this world," began Tracer. "The kid was walking through the trees and we could see the baboon following him. It was weird; it was almost as if the monkey had encountered the kid before and was purposely following him."
"The next thing we know, the kid comes to a sudden stop and just stares straight ahead, the baboon mirroring him. After about a minute, the monkey suddenly launches itself at him. Then, without even blinking, the kid turns around at the last second and catches it around the neck, and then just snaps it." Invader said.
"No hesitation." Raider finished off. Hunter took a moment to let this sink in.
"And what of his injuries?" Hunter asked. "Any degree of hindrance?"
"You know what boss. If I hadn't seen the kid get burned with my own two eyes, I would've said that the kid was in perfect physical condition." Tracer said.
"He was running, jumping, climbing and wrestling out there. He looked like a world class Olympian." Said Invader.
"I knew I was right about that kid." Hunter said smiling, then turning to Invader and Raider. "He'll be a valuable asset to our group; he can take a punch and we damn well know he can give one. As for now, Invader, take these to the viral and dissection labs and prep them. Tracer, you come with me. It's time to prepare lunch. As for you Raider, once we have served lunch, you and Brawler are going to prepare our latest guest for their new cell."
Striker left Danny at the door to their cell and walked off down the corridor, leaving the teen staring intently at the door. It had only just dawned on him that he was going to have to tell Sam, Tucker and Valerie the truth as to what had just happened; there was no hiding anything from them. Then Danny remembered he told the group that he would answer some of their questions; at the time of saying it, he was seriously debating whether he should tell them who he truly was and what he can do, but now he wasn't so sure. Everything he had just done for Hunter in the past hour proved what his parents were talking about all along about ghosts; they were violent and dangerous. Out of frustration, Danny banged his head on the door to the cell, adding to the growing headache which was beginning to form. Taking in a deep breath, he pulled down on the handle and walked into the room. Danny only made it about three steps before the entire group converged on him, spurting out questions which Danny couldn't make sense of. Luckily for him, Sam, Tucker and Valerie recognised the look on Danny's face, a look of quandary, and thought it best to intervene.
"Alright guys, Danny does need some oxygen. So just back off a little bit." Tucker said, whilst Sam went to hug Danny tightly. Giving Tucker a nod of appreciation, Danny turned to the group.
"I will answer your questions whilst we have lunch." He said bluntly. "Hunter will be along shortly and then he will be taking us outside to have it. That is where I will answer your questions."
"Wait," started Alice. "Outside, as in 'outside' outside?"
"With fresh air?" Asked Chelsea.
"No concrete walls?" Asked Max
"Yes, that outside." Danny said, who couldn't help but chuckle. He couldn't exactly blame them. Even though he was doing something despicable for Hunter, being out in the fresh air had been wonderful. Then, right on cue, the door to their cell opened and Hunter and Striker walked into the room.
"Thanks to young Danny here, I am allowing you to have lunch outside. I am not a cruel man; I understand that fresh air is highly important for growth. So if you would follow me please." One by one, the occupants of the room followed Hunter out of the room, with Striker bringing up the rear. Hunter led them down the same corridor he took Danny down an hour before, but instead of going right to where the cells were situated, they turned left and carried on until they came to a large, metal door. Opening it, Hunter led the group into a small, open area surrounded by a chained fence, topped with barbed wire. Looking around, Danny could see that the watch tower where Sniper was posted had a clear line of sight to where they were stood; presumably to take out anybody foolish enough to make a break for it. What really threw Danny off was that there was a picnic bench and table in the middle of the area, fully equipped with a traditional picnic basket and table cloth, contrasting drastically with the savagery of the groups' current accommodation.
"Bon appétit." Hunter said with a bow, before turning back to the door with Striker. "You have an hour. Enjoy." The entire group just looked at each other, not really sure what to say.
"Dude," started Tucker, looking to Danny. "Do you reckon he's all there?"
"He's definitely all there Tuck." Danny said seriously. "He may be sick, twisted, ruthless and inhuman, but he's clever and extremely resourceful."
"What did he show you Danny?" Valerie asked, everyone becoming suddenly interested.
"Probably best if everyone sat down for this." Danny said, heading for the table. "And I should warn you, it will probably make your stomach turn." Nervously, the group made their way to the large table and sat down, eagerly and apprehensively awaiting Danny's information.
"Like I said to Tuck," began Danny, once everyone had sat down and got comfortable. "Hunter is very clever, but his genius has spawned a monster. You remember everything that's happening with the energy field?"
"Yeah," said Mikey. "It's slowly creating a Ghost Portal which will inevitably breed disaster."
"Exactly. The creation of the portal is freaking out all the animals. They're behaving erratically and apparently all of Hunter's boys are getting nervous. So, as only a sick-minded person would, Hunter has turned half of this prison into a lab. Specifically, he's got a corridor of dissection cells which would put an abattoir to shame, and a corridor of viral experimentation cells."
"What are you saying?" Paulina asked.
"He thinks that the animals are behaving strangely because of some disease." Danny said simply. "He's dissecting them and then experimenting on them."
"You mean he has no idea what he's doing here by keeping that energy field up?" Sam asked, becoming angrier than she already was at Hunter and his men.
"Shouldn't we tell him?" Asked Ellie worriedly.
"We could." Admitted Danny. "But the problem is, would he actually believe us? There's no doubt we know more about ghost technology than these guys, but what are the chances of them accepting what we say?"
"You've got to say something." Frank said suddenly.
"Me?" Danny asked surprised. "Why me?"
"Whether you like it or not, he's got a soft spot for you Danny." Sam said, taking his hand. "You've got more of a chance convincing him than any of us do." With a sick sense of realisation, Danny knew she was right, and could only nod. "C'mon. Let's eat some food. You've still got to answer some questions."
"Yeah, alright." Said Danny, his stomach beginning to growl. "You got any idea what they're about to ask me?"
"Maybe." Smirked Sam, kissing him lightly.
"You going to come get some food or what?" Asked Valerie.
Tucking into their lunch, the group was actually enjoying being outside for once, as they had been cooped up inside for almost three days. Whilst Danny looked as if he was off in his own little world, the rest of the group, minus Sam, Tucker and Valerie, were giving each other furtive glances; spurring one another on to broach the subject of the questions Danny had promised to answer.
"No." Danny said all of a sudden, causing everyone to jump.
"No, what?" Asked Eric, confused.
"I can't do a quadruple backflip." This caused everyone to laugh, breaking the tension with ease. "C'mon then, bring on the questions. I know you're all dying to ask them. So who's first? Remember, I'm only answering five."
"I do believe that would be me." Mr Lancer said. "How long have you physically been capable of handling yourself with such prowess in a fight of overwhelming danger?"
"Just after my fourteenth birthday I decided I wanted to be able to protect myself." And others, Danny thought. "So I started taking classes in Judo, Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Close Quarters Combat. Who's next?"
"I, um, think that might be, umm, Dash." Mr Lancer said, astonished as to what he had just been told. Dash took a while to process that Mr Lancer had said his name; he was still taking in the fact that Danny was a master martial artist.
"How come you never used any of your skills at school?" Dash asked, genuinely puzzled why Danny wouldn't want to show off his abilities.
"I never wanted the attention." Danny said honestly. "There was a time when all I wanted was to be a part of the popular crowd, but there came a point when I just didn't care anymore. I realised that all I needed was Sam and Tucker, then later on Valerie. I didn't need popularity or attention to be happy." Danny wasn't strictly telling them the entire truth that he didn't show off at school because it might lead to ideas that he was Danny Phantom, but he was telling the truth in the fact that all he needed were his closest friends, along with his family. This one answer was more than enough to stir up a torrent of emotions within the group; some of the girls even began to well up a little bit.
"Who's next?" Danny asked, oblivious to what his answer had done to the group.
"This is one we've wanted to ask since the fight with the panthers." Star said, twiddling her thumbs. "How is it you're able to heal so quickly? When you got slashed by that panther, it had practically healed almost two days later. Then there's the fact that you were so horrifically burned yesterday, but you move as if they aren't even there." As soon as she asked the question, everyone stopped eating as this was the answer they had most wanted to hear for so long.
"That one's easy," laughed Danny. "As you know, my parents design and build ghost technology. A few years ago, I was down in their lab and one of their experiments malfunctioned and I got zapped a bit. I reckon that I got zapped with a bit of ectoplasm and that's why I heal so quickly; ectoplasm has remarkable healing properties but can be dangerous in high amounts. Luckily for me, it was only a small amount and the hospital cleared me."
"You must have an incredibly high pain threshold." Frank said, sounding impressed.
"I wouldn't say that." Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've just learned to bury it right down so that it doesn't bother me. Two questions left."
"This one we actually thought about whilst you were off just now with Hunter." Said Ellie. "We were wondering whether or not you had a plan for stopping their generator from creating this ghost portal thing?"
"I've been giving the problem a great deal of thought." Danny said, thankful they were off the topic of him and onto something else. "We, or I, need to tell him what's going on. Whether he'll believe me is a whole other story. If he won't listen to reason, we're just going to have to find another way to turn it off. Otherwise, we may not actually make it off this island alive."
"That kind of leads us onto to our last question. It's nothing personal to do with you directly, but it was a question that just kept cropping up." Bradley said. Knowing what he was talking about, the rest of the group suddenly turned sad eyes towards Danny.
"Do you think we'll ever leave this place?"
"Yes." Danny said quickly, earning curious looks from everyone present.
"How can you be so sure?" Paulina asked.
"Yeah, how can you be so sure?" Copied Tucker before he could help himself, forgetting what Danny told him about Clockwork's sudden visit.
"Because I don't see why not." Danny said, being careful to lie convincingly. "We come from a town where we are attacked by ghosts on a daily basis. Sure, we don't have the likes of Phantom here to help us, but we are more than capable of taking matters into our own hands. You seem to forget that Tucker and Mikey fixed the signal beacon a few days ago, meaning that we've got just over three days until help arrives. That means we have three days to come up with a plan to either convince Hunter to turn off the generator, or we destroy it ourselves and get out of this place."
And only a few hours until someone gets in trouble, Danny thought grimly, still wondering who it was going to be.
It was several hours later, long after the group had had dinner, in which half of them were sound asleep with the other half slowly dozing off. Hunter thought this would be the opportune time to put his plan into action. Unfortunately, it meant having to go by the door to the captives' cell, meaning they had to be extremely quiet when they moved about. Confident that the occupants of the cell were asleep, he signalled down the corridor to where Tracer, Invader, Raider and Brawler were standing next to a large, metal box on a trolley, similar to the one Danny had used previously in the day, with Striker acting as their spotter. Ever so slowly and carefully, the four men began to wheel it down the corridor towards their boss; they didn't have to worry about squeaky wheels as they had been oiled purposefully for this job. The only thing they had to worry about was keeping the cage upright and not to knock or jar it.
"Everything set?" Hunter asked in a whisper, taking in the box before him.
"Yes sir." Confirmed Tracer, also whispering. "There was a bit of a problem getting it into the cage though."
"Not to worry though," chimed in Raider. "We gave it enough tranquiliser to knock out an army of elephants."
"Excellent." Hunter said, smiling wide. "Come on then, chop chop. We need it in the cells before it wakes up; we don't know how long the drugs will last. Then the fun begins." Wheeling it away, Hunter watched on in satisfaction at how much fun he was going to have in the next couple of days. He couldn't wait to get his knife, open it up and see just what was going on inside. A small, quiet cough brought Hunter out of his sadistic musings; turning he saw Striker next to him, eyes transfixed to the back of the moving box as it turned a corner and vanished from view.
"What's eating you?" He asked. Licking his lips, almost too nervous to ask, Striker turned to his boss.
"What do you reckon it is?"
"Haven't the foggiest idea." Hunter said with an almost inaudible laugh. "Isn't it great? Whatever it is, it's bound to be extremely rare and valuable. And if we can somehow keep it alive after all of our little tests, I know someone in the States that would pay quite a pretty penny for it. If not, we can cut it up and sell them for parts."
"Whatever you say Hunter." Striker said, flinching at the barbarity of his boss' thoughts.
"And don't you forget it Striker." Hunter said, his voice taking on a menacing tone once more. Turning, Hunter began walking down the corridor in the opposite direction his men had taken the trolley, Striker at his heels. Through all their arrogance, it never struck Hunter or any of his men, that not everyone in the cell had been asleep, and that they had in fact an audience to their entire conversation and actions. Inside the cell, Danny was wide awake; any feelings of tiredness had long since gone after what had just happened. It was nothing to do with what Hunter had said; Danny had witnessed first-hand the brutal and merciless actions of their captor. It was what happened when the trolley had passed in front of the door. Danny had experienced something that hadn't occurred in over three weeks; he almost forgot what it felt like. His ghost sense went off.
I am sad to say that this story is approaching its end; within approximately three chapters or so. Nevertheless, I will indubitably make the chapters far larger than their predecessors, starting with this one, as you have more than likely already noticed, and packed with excitement, tension, surprise and action. Well, that is the plan anyway. Once again, I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and continue on to finish this story. Until next time.
Lord Pugsy.