Chapter 5! Wow. Would you believe we're over halfway done with this story? Well... let me rephrase that. We're over halfway done with this particular installment of the trilogy. The story's got so much more ahead of it that may gain readers or lose them. Lots of emotion and action to go around, that's for sure. XD We ain't even at the climax, yet! Woot. I said "ain't".
Please remember to read and review! Thanks ^^
Frontlines: Chapter 5- To Squash a Bug
The five peacekeepers stumbled into Mayor Carpathan's office, panting. "Mr. Carpathan, sir," one man who had a black eye said, bowing.
Carpathan raised an eyebrow, observing the bad condition of his men. "Gentlemen, how is it that you have come to me looking like this?" he asked. "Kylos, you tell me."
Kylos, who had the black eye, gulped. "We were attacked by those kids who've been messing around with our patrols this week. They caught us by surprise. If they hadn't, we would have won easily."
"Then it seems as if these teenagers are actually a threat," the mayor concluded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "If dirty is the way they want to play with me, then so be it. In light of the situation, we must do something about them."
"Like what?" Kylos asked.
"Call the peacekeeping forces into my conference room. We shall speak further on this topic once assembled."
"Yes, sir." The peacekeepers all turned to leave, but Carpathan stopped them.
"One more question," the mayor called. The peacekeepers turned around again. "Where were you attacked?"
"Outside of the old FentonWorks building."
Carpathan narrowed his eyes. "You may leave," he commanded. After the patrol had left his office and shut his door, Carpathan leaned forward in his desk, his fingers steepled. His brow was creased with worry and frustration. "I fear I was wrong to leave Daniel alive," he said aloud. "It seems he has raised a force strong enough to take on five peacekeepers... maybe more."
"How do you know young Daniel is the cause?" a raspy voice asked from nowhere.
"We arrested his parents. Killed his sister. I had thought he would try to attempt to get revenge, but I never thought of a possible team rising from his ashes. And a formidable one, at that."
"I just want to get home."
Mayor Carpathan smirked. "Don't worry about getting home, my ghostly friend. Remember our deal. When this town is entirely subdued, meaning when you and I crush Daniel's little rebellion, I will begin working on a way to get you home." He stood up from his desk. "It's all a matter of timing."
"Thank you, good Carpathan," the ghost rasped.
Carpathan headed out the door to his conference room.
,.~*~.,
"Gentlemen," Carpathan began. But his accented voice was run over by a thousand other voices. The mayor struggled and struggled to get their attention until he had finally had enough. He stood up and banged his fist down on the table. "GENTLEMEN!" he shouted.
A sudden silence filled the room. Carpathan calmed himself instantly and sat down in his chair once more. "Welcome to this very important meeting, peacekeepers," he said.
"What are we here for?" sighed one stout man, tapping his fingers on the table in impatience.
The mayor folded his hands and leaned forward. "We are here to discuss how we are to squash a bug."
"Figuratively speaking, I assume," Kylos said, more aimed at the others.
"Very much so, Kylos, and yet the phrase is still quite literal."
The men began to mutter amongst themselves and give each other confused glances.
"These bothersome teenagers have finally lashed out and attacked a band of peacekeepers. They may become out of control if something is not done about them," Carpathan said, eyeing each peacekeeper darkly as he spoke.
"What'll we do about 'em, sir?" asked a young man.
"Give them Daniel's fate. The boy may have raised an army, but without proper care, shelter, food and water, his team will crumble."
"But how do we know which houses to attack? the stout peacekeeper asked.
"All houses in which a Casper High student lives," Carpathan ordered. "Break in, kill the parents and the student's siblings who do not go to the school. It will be a cruel reminder to them that they cannot and will not rise up against me alone." He sat up straighter in his chair as the dark moment in his speech passed. "No doubt the group some of you met on the streets this evening are only a very small percentage of the group. Now, I want all of you peacekeepers to go out and make a mess of Casper High homes. Understand?"
The peacekeepers nodded in agreement, though some of their faces were apprehensive. It was usually Carpathan's personal bodyguard army that did the specialized killing, or sometimes even he himself. At least, that was what happened the last time.
"Good," Carpathan said, satisfied. "Now after that is done with, we must deal with the leader. If the leader is weakened, then the whole team will fall apart. In this case, fall apart further than it already has."
"Who is the leader?" one peacekeeper asked.
"I believe him to be Daniel Fenton," Carpathan said.
"Fenton?" the peacekeeper asked. He sounded slightly interested and amused. A little arrogant, even.
"You know the name?" asked Carpathan, turning to look at the peacekeeper.
"Know the name?" the peacekeeper, a man in his mid-forties with long silvery hair tied into a ponytail, replied. He smirked. "I know the people behind the name."
"So you know Daniel?" the mayor asked.
"Not Daniel. I know his parents, Maddie and... Jack." He half-spat the name.
"What is your name, peacekeeper?" Carpathan was interested in this man. A man with a close tie to the family could be a very useful pawn in this game.
"Masters. Vlad Masters."
"Well, Masters, I may just have to promote you," said Carpathan, his cerulean eyes sparkling darkly. A smirk graced his lips. "What do you know about a ghost portal?"
"It was something Jack Fenton was always obsessed with building throughout his whole life," Masters said, his tone bitter. "I tried to tell him his efforts were useless. But, of course, the buffoon wouldn't listen to me, and I ended up in the hospital for years because of it!"
"The Fentons you know are in our prison if you wish to see them, Masters," Carpathan said, the smirk becoming a wicked grin.
Oddly, Masters returned the grin with an equally wicked smirk. "Yes. As a matter of fact I would like to see them."
"Then I shall take you to them after we dismiss." Carpathan stood up and looked around at all his peacekeepers. "Gentlemen! Your fellow peacekeeper, Vlad Masters, is now officially promoted to Commander. This means that you will all report to him. He gets his word directly from me. Is that clear?"
"It is, sir," the peacekeepers shouted in unison.
Carpathan nodded. "All right, gentlemen. Dismissed. All except you, Masters."
,.~*~.,
"Go in and inform them of the power you have in their lives now," Carpathan commanded Masters. The two men were outside the prison, and Carpathan was giving Masters his instructions for talking to the Fentons. "Let them know that I'm willing to let them out sooner if they cooperate with me unconditionally."
Masters nodded to the mayor and went inside. The prison guards had been ordered to let peacekeepers get in and out of the jailhouse- no questions asked. Therefore, Masters got through the prison doors very quickly, and without any trouble. The Fentons were locked away in some sort of special solitary confinement. Masters pulled out the key to the door and unlocked it.
Jack, who was sitting on a bench in the room, looked up and grinned. "Vladdy! Come to bail us out?" The huge man jumped up and tackled Masters in a very tight, very unwanted bear hug.
Maddie eyed Masters suspiciously, though her expression was not unpleasant. It was more surprised than anything. "Vlad? What are you doing in Amity Park?"
"Not to bail you out," Masters growled, extracting himself from Jack Fenton's iron grip of a hug.
"I thought you were in Wisconsin!" Maddie exclaimed, sounding a little surprised. She was honestly not sure why her old college friend had just showed up in Amity Park and was visiting her and Jack in jail.
"Well, duty calls," Masters said, turning a flirtatious eye toward Maddie.
Maddie wasn't sure whether that statement had a double meaning or not...
"Oh, for sure, Maddie, I'd bail you out if I could," Masters said. "But more important things are in the way of that happening."
"Just what exactly do you mean by that?" questioned Maddie.
"I'm afraid to say that I'm working for Mayor Carpathan," Masters said. "He wants me to tell you that I'm in charge of you from now on. I will see that you do whatever he says." Masters smirked longingly at Maddie. "I hope it's not too much to ask for your cooperation."
"Look, Vlad," Maddie started off with an edge to her voice, "Mayor Carpathan is nothing but a lying, murdering beast to me! And for you to even suggest- "
"Of course we'll cooperate, V-man!" The man slapped Masters' back.
"OH! Jack!" Masters snapped. He then regained his composure in an instant. "Well, it seems your cooperation has been given. Expect to be out of prison for a meeting in two days." He winked at Maddie. "Maybe next time, dear?" He turned and started to leave.
"Vlad, hold on a minute!" Maddie yelled. "I never- "
The door shut and locked, leaving Maddie frozen in the middle of her sentence. She turned to Jack, who looked bewildered. "Jack, do you think Vlad is acting kind of... odd?" she asked.
Jack furrowed his brow in confusion. "Yeah. He didn't even say goodbye!"
,.~*~.,
Masters walked out of the jail to find Carpathan greeting him with a warm smile. "Well?" the mayor asked.
"We have their cooperation," Masters reported.
"Good. The other peacekeepers are progressing well on the mission, from the sound of it." Carpathan stepped next to Masters and pointed out into the street. "Listen closely," he said. Faint, terrified screams and weapon fire sounded from the suburban areas of Amity Park. "That is the sound of victory, Masters," Carpathan hissed into the commander's ear, a deadly smirk on his face. "Daniel cannot stand up to me if his team cannot."
Masters swallowed. The ruthless darkness that fueled Carpathan was the very reason he had accepted the invitation to become a peacekeeper. He had, in fact, seen this darkness the moment he and the mayor first met. It was in this way Masters and Carpathan were alike. Masters wasn't as ruthless and cold as Carpathan could be, but they both held something cold and deadly inside them. Both kept it on a harness most of the time. Carpathan's was far more obvious, however, whereas Vlad kept his contained when around the mayor. It was for the best.
,.~*~.,
Danny heard banging on the front door, startling him from his sleep. He caught traces of voices as well, hearing things such as "dismantle the ghost portal" or "get it to work". He thought they were just memories of his parents resurfacing in his head, but as he slowly regained his sense of mind, he realized they were not his parents' voices. Then it hit him: Those had to be the voices of peacekeepers! And they were inside his house!
Realizing this, Danny shot up in bed. He didn't dare hurry out of the bed, though. The invading peacekeepers might hear him. The teen felt around on his head for his headband, then tightened it. He took deep breaths. "You're not a coward any more, Fenton," he told himself, slowly slinking out of bed and hopping into his shoes. "You can fight if you have to." He grabbed a baseball bat that was lying on his floor just for a moment like this, then slowly opened his door. He took special care to keep it from creaking.
There was nobody on the upstairs floor, so Danny crept out of his room and started down the stairs, avoiding the step he knew creaked every time anyone stepped on it. His eyes were peeled for the faintest sign of danger, but the downstairs was peacekeeper-free as well. The voices were coming from below him, suggesting most or all of them were in the lab. But his heart was beating so loudly now, he feared that the peacekeepers would hear him despite his efforts to keep quiet. This notion was fueled by the blood that rapidly pulsed in Danny's ears. He could hear every heartbeat.
He swallowed a rising lump in his throat, clutching the baseball bat tightly with both hands. He heard voices from outside his house- probably belonging to peacekeepers set there to guard the door, doubtlessly there to keep intruders from interrupting their work. Danny breathed in deeply and sneaked into the kitchen, hoping to grab a few utensils useful for fighting. He opened a drawer and, to his great relief, found several steak and cooking knives. He collected a bunch of them before hurrying back up to his room. He tossed the knives into his school backpack and pulled it onto his back. Since he was leaving FentonWorks for good, he might as well be prepared for a fight. Or, worse yet, a full-blown war.
As he approached his front door for the last time ever, Danny felt his confidence return. Bat in hand, the raven-haired teenager opened the door and hid himself behind it. With any luck, he could frighten the peacekeepers away with their own fear or lure them inside for a quick escape. He may not even need the bat.
"Hey... the door just opened... by itself!" one peacekeeper gasped.
"Well, these Fentons were obsessed with ghosts," another whispered.
Danny tensed up. Were? Did that mean they were dead now?
"Probably still are," a third said with a snort. "Only they can't do anything about it in that prison cell."
Danny released the breath he didn't know he was holding. They were still alive, but why? Why did Carpathan keep them alive? Maybe it was because they cooperated with him, turned themselves in, and had their lives spared because of it.
"I say we check it out," the third peacekeeper said. He stepped inside the house.
Knowing this was his only chance of escape, Danny braced himself and waited for the peacekeeper to pass him by. But he never did. Upon seeing nothing in front of him, the man turned and looked behind the door. He saw Danny's frightened blue eyes staring back at him, but not the bat clenched tightly in the boy's sweaty hands.
"There you are, ghost boy," the bald peacekeeper growled, reaching for the teen. His hands never touched Danny, though. Out of reflex, the boy smacked the peacekeeper in the knuckles with his baseball bat. The man exclaimed in pain and retreated his hands rather swiftly. Next, Danny smashed the bat into the side of the peacekeeper's skull using all his strength, which was, by the way, extremely forceful due to the amount of excess adrenaline in Danny's blood.
The man stumbled back, his eyes scrunched up in pain and teeth clenched tightly. He was seemingly in too much pain to cry out. "Barnes!" shouted another peacekeeper, running inside.
"Kirk, no! Come back!" the remaining peacekeeper outside exclaimed. But he didn't dare come inside. Seeing his chance, Danny swung the bat straight into Kirk's face as he was passing by, knocking him down onto his back. Panicked, the peacekeeper sat up, gagged, and coughed out a tooth. Then he spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
Danny rushed out of the house, passing right by the peacekeeper at the door. "Ghost!" the man yelled, then dashed back into the house and ran for the lab.
Danny kept on running, afraid that the other peacekeepers would chase after him. One at a time he could take them, but a whole group of them could take him down easily without help. And now that his sense of humanity had returned, he began to feel guilty for taking out those two peacekeepers. This is war, and you acted in self-defense after all, he told himself, breathing heavily. The thought calmed him down considerably, but the fear was still there.
His legs were already feeling like lead cylinders, and his chest was heaving with every step. Despite the pain, he kept on running until he found an alley. Pushing himself a few more bounds forward, the teen turned into the alley and hid behind what seemed to be a dumpster. He took deep breaths, holding his chest with one hand. His heart was pounding so loudly now that he knew any pursuing peacekeepers would find him. He sunk to the ground, trying to regain his lost breath. If his heartbeat didn't give him away, his breathing surely would.
But as seconds turned to minutes and minutes became an hour, it became apparent that Danny was not being chased. He had finally relaxed himself enough to really think. He could never return to FentonWorks, that was certain. Since he couldn't return, neither could the team. They were ruined- and quite possibly totally annihilated. But he'd worry more about that tomorrow. Sleep was claiming Danny's body once more, for his dash had exhausted him beyond belief.
He was asleep the second he shut his eyes.
,.~*~.,
EDITED: 8/3/13
WHEWF! Finally done! Earlier than expected, no? ^^ Well, I had to write fast. I'm doing this story for Camp NaNoWriMo...
Next chapter will be the introduction of the REALLY bad stuff... and it's VERY, VERY LONG. I have a headstart on it, though! :D Hope you enjoyed this, and hope you're ready for the REAL MEAT of the story. Yup. First five chapters all lead up to the next chapter, which sets up a lot of everything else...
Oh, and... Happy Ninth Danniversary! ^^ April 3rd update!