Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. I would never dream of making money off his work, this is but one fanatic's homage. So please don't sic the rabid lawyer hordes upon me, there's not much for them to sue out of me.
Author's Note: See? I didn't leave you guys hanging too long! Geez, five chapters in basically a week. I'll have you guys know that I was sorely tempted to be evil and cruel and work on the third chapter of Anathema instead of this chapter, just to leave you guys hanging longer. Without further ado, the scene I get the impression most of you have been waiting for: The Ultimate Enemy. Reviews are as always appreciated, and will be rewarded with cookies!
Chapter 12: Ghost of a Memory
"You set me up, shoot me down
I'm wounded on this battleground
It's time, for sure, for ending this war
'Cause my heart can't take anymore"
-"White Flag" - Garth Brooks
"I have a really bad feeling I'm the one responsible."
You have no idea, spook. I growled to myself. Normally, I would take my shot from my hiding place, get a few more shots in to cover my escape, and then move to a new hiding location. That was the way the game had been played for six months, a deadly dance back and forth of hide and seek where the price of being found was certain and likely painful death. But seeing that face, mocking me, mocking everything good about the past, everything Danny had stood for was just too much. How dare he try and trick me with that innocent face! To say I was ticked off would be like saying Amity Park was currently a mess; sure it may be the truth, but it utterly fails to describe the complete scope of it. I was enraged, really, the first real emotion I had felt in that entire six months since the shield fell. The thought of that monster desecrating Danny's heroic image of ten years ago ignited six months of madness, ten years of guilt, and eight years of hatred in a massive mental conflagration. It was going to end today, one way or the other. I fully expected to meet my ending, but in my madness, I didn't care. If I was going to die, that was fine, but I was going to make absolutely certain that Phantom was going to join me in oblivion.
"Got that right, ghost!" I snarled as I sprang from my hiding place, bazooka aimed just below the floating specter. He actually seemed surprised as I fired the weapon, maybe the unexpected change in my tactics had managed to throw even that maniac off track for a moment. I felt the adrenaline surging through my veins, every sense on a razor edge of alertness; my world consisting for that moment of nothing more than the form of my nightmare and myself to the exclusion of all else. I hovered over the resultant blast crater as the explosion cleared, no way that shot had been fatal. That would have been too easy. I was proven right when a moment later he floated up out of the ground, a surprised and oddly indignant expression on his face.
"Valerie!" He yelped, sounding genuinely surprised as he floated there, not ten feet away. God, he even had Danny's voice, that soulless beast! How dare he try that on me! I glared death at him as he continued to try and trick me with that disguise. "Listen to me!"
"You can't fool me this time, Phantom!" I spat, taking aim with my cannon. It was probably the most powerful weapon in my arsenal, a real beast of a cannon that I had to prop up on my shoulder, most of the weapon's weight on the shoulder straps of my battle suit.
He yelped as he dodged the first shot, springing into the air. For a moment, it really did remind me of the old days, before I knew his secret. I snarled and forced that memory back where it belonged. The battlefield had no place for sappy sentiments, that kind of thinking would only get me hurt or worse, killed without achieving my objective. Phantom flitted out of the way of my second blast, and then the third, the brilliant energy beams smashing instead into the ruined buildings lining the street. Debris clattered to the ground, the buildings creaking and cracking warningly at the added abuse- it wouldn't take much more to bring them crashing down like so many before. Luckily I no longer had to worry myself about causing collateral damage. It was ironic in a way- it was the exact same location I first laid eyes on that monster, ten years ago, when I still thought he had a shred of humanity, of kindness left in him. When I thought I could make amends for how I had treated him. If only I hadn't made that first mistake, in the park ten years ago. But all the "if only" thoughts in the world wouldn't change the fact that he had to be destroyed now.
The gutted FentonWorks building loomed impassively over the battlefield, a pale memory of its former glory, the twisted wreck of the ops center casting bizarre shadows as I blasted after Phantom on my jet sled, running on instinct and adrenaline. He was flying straight at me, likely hoping to slam into me and ensure I was stunned long enough so he could finish me off. I didn't give him the pleasure, leaping off my sled and letting it throttle straight at his surprised face. The board didn't actually hit him, but surprisingly enough he was tumbled midair by the jet wake as it narrowly missed his slim frame. It was odd, he usually had far better control of himself midair than that, but who was I to argue when opportunity knocked? I immediately launched an ecto-charged net at him, not really expecting it to work. In a sinister sort of way, I was extremely delighted when fate appeared to smile on me again, the net smacking into Phantom's surprised form.
"Gah-!" The ghost yelped as the glowing pink net snared him and pulled him straight out of the air. I dared to hope then. I dared to think that maybe, just maybe it was about to end, that the long nightmare was over and I could attain the revenge I'd been ruthlessly pursuing for months. I ran over, cannon already charging to put a round into him at point-blank range. At that range, that cannon would hurt even him. He looked up at me, huddled up in the net, green eyes terrified, utterly helpless before me. It was so out of character for him that I almost considered waiting to fire, almost considered exchanging some harsh words with the ghost before finishing him off at last. That was a thought that got shoved back as utterly ludicrous. I had to take the shot while I had the chance, I doubted I would ever get such an opportunity again.
"Been waiting a long time for this." I growled, taking aim through my weapon's scope, centering the weapon right between those panicked emerald eyes. Not that I could actually miss him at that close range, the muzzle of my weapon no more than a foot from that terrified face. It was going to end today, I thought. He would be destroyed, helpless and alone, unable to defend himself. Just like every person he'd killed since his first rampage ten years ago. My father's death would be properly avenged, the city's destruction and all those deaths would be avenged, and Danny's memory would finally be laid completely and truly to rest. I addressed Phantom one final time over the sound of my cannon charging. "Good bye and good-"
I would have destroyed the ghost had I finished that sentence. But if I had, it wouldn't have changed anything. How could I have known the forces actually at work that day; the elaborate scheme already in action, a plot so thorough and complex as to put Vlad Masters and all his schemes, all his plans and plots to complete and utter shame? Two forms jumped in front of the trapped spook, panic written all over their young faces as they blocked my line of fire, risking their own necks to save that murderer. I took a startled step back, the mental shock of their appearance enough to cut right through my madness as I put up my weapon in surprise at their impossibly familiar faces.
"Valerie! No!"
"Don't shoot!"
I had to have gone completely insane. It was simply impossible! I was delusional, I had to be seeing things; there was just no way they could be there! They were ten years dead, blown to bits in that horrible accident! All in an instant, my reconstructed world view had been turned completely upside-down again by their presence. They had to be figments of my own madness, some sort of subconscious nagging guilt about raising a weapon against Danny. "Sam-? Tucker-?" I squeaked out as my cannon powered down, momentarily forgotten, eyes going wide with disbelief as I looked between the teenaged goth and the dark-skinned computer geek in adject refusal to accept what I was seeing. "I-i-it's not possible! This is a trick! You can't be alive!"
"Wait, not alive?" Tucker yelped, lowering his arms now that the immediate threat of my blasting the ghost was apparently past. "That's our future? I'm definitely not taking the C.A.T!"
We're standing in the middle of a destroyed city, and he's worrying about some stupid test? I had to have really gone leaping off the deep end now. Months in the wastelands running on little more than hatred and adrenaline, catching fitful bursts of sleep; it had to have caught up to me, finally become more than my mortal human self could handle. That was the only possible logical explanation. I was completely nuts, and my broken subconscious had conjured these phantasms from my memory to try and ease my anguish. That had to be it!
"The C.A.T.-? That was the last time I saw you alive..." I murmured, the memory flashing to the front of my thoughts, followed immediately by those that followed after it as I glanced at Tucker and then to Sam, who was still standing protectively over the ensnared ghost. "The big explosion at the Nasty Burger, you, Tucker, Danny's family..."
All three of them outright stared at me, identical looks of confusion plastered on their faces. They didn't know what I was talking about? How could they not know? How could you forget being blown to pieces, incinerated in an explosion like that? How could you forget witnessing something that horrific? I shook myself from my daze, remembering everything that Phantom had done in the ten years since then. All the death, all the pain, all the suffering, everything he took from me. How dare he play with my mind like this! I brought my weapon back to bear on Phantom.
"And it was all YOUR FAULT!"I shrieked, finger tightening on the trigger despite the two teens still standing by the ghost and well within the blast radius of my weapon. Thankfully- and I grit my teeth at this admission- I was again prevented from shooting the ghost by the timely, if painful interruption of the real Phantom. A low-power green blast slammed into my unguarded flank, sending both me and my weapon flying several dozen feet into a long-empty front door. I could hear the monster's voice outside as I dug myself out of a pile of rubble.
"Actually, that was me." I heard the sly voice, apparently taunting the ghost I had netted, the impossible ghost from memory, from ten years ago. "And you, eventually."
I readied one of my other weapons from where I had landed, Phantom had apparently forgotten about me for the moment, which suited me just fine. I don't know what's going on, but even if I am insane, I know you have to be destroyed, Phantom! I growled to myself, watching the ghost addressing the three figments of my madness.
"Sam and Tucker! It's been a while. Ten years to be accurate." I heard the soft thud of Phantom's boots as he touched down near the stunned trio, heard the sound of energy being shot off, but no explosion.
He was toying with them? With his own impossible past self? With the girl he had been so close to falling for years ago? Well why not? That monster killed Danny, killed his own humanity! Why wouldn't he want to kill his girlfriend, too? Suddenly, it didn't matter what that other ghost was, or what the apparitions or delusions of Sam and Tucker were. Phantom was threatening them, and anything Phantom wanted to destroy was something I wanted protect, if only to continue to oppose the monster in everything he did. I charged the small gun that had been hidden in my suit, lining up a shot.
"So, to what do I owe this little blast from the past?" The specter strolled easily up to the apparently entrapped trio, amused by this strange turn of events. From my vantage, I saw him look briefly surprised before the look immediately dropped to his usual hateful scowl. "Clockwork? Meddling again-"
The ghost crouched slightly, obviously intent on blasting the trio back to whatever netherworld they came from, and I saw my opportune moment. I sent the charged blast at the ghost, scowling as the shot connected and sent him flying across the broken street into the building opposite me. I saw the younger Phantom gawking through the net as I stood there glowering at the monster as he got back up, waving aside the thick cloud of dust his impact had kicked into the air from the decrepit ruin. Guess the spook forgot I was there, given the surprised expression on his face while I idly blew the wisp of smoke from the steaming barrel of my gun. There'd be time to figure out what the heck was going on with the stunned trio of teens after Phantom was driven off or otherwise dealt with.
Unsurprisingly, Phantom leapt airborne to charge at me, but I was ready for him, already pulling the pins and throwing a pair of grenades. To my annoyance, he used some sort of weird variation on intangibility to avoid the explosives- my best guess is that sort of goo-like state allowed the weapons to pass harmlessly through his form without sacrificing his flight inertia. While the trio of teens watched with matching expressions of horror, I stood my ground, firing a rapid volley from my gun. But no, he was just too fast. He split himself into two Phantoms, one passing on the inside of my wide firing arc, the other keeping just ahead of the pink bullets. He closed the distance so fast that I hardly followed the movement before he was right in my face, a painful grip on my arm, silencing my weapon and effectively halting all my means of attacking him.
For a moment, I was frozen in fear, those hating red eyes drilling into mine. His look said it all, as clear as if he had spoken the words aloud: 'This is the end of it. You die today, and I'll enjoy bringing your useless life to a violent, messy end.' I distantly heard the sound of a net snapping somewhere behind Phantom, but it was quickly forgotten when the ghost yanked me up into the air by my already pained arm. My vision went black for a moment when he hauled back and punched me hard in the face. I couldn't do much else beyond yelp and grunt with discomfort and pain as I hit the ground hard enough that I bounced before I skidded painfully to a stop on the unforgiving asphalt.
I heard him land behind me as I struggled to get to my feet, knowing that this was it. I was pretty sure he'd managed to once again crack my ribs, and I wasn't going to be able to recover before he could finish the job. I managed to weakly glance over my shoulder at the spook, at my approaching demise, barely getting myself turned over in a futile effort to bring my battered weapon to bear on the ghost.
"I suppose out of respect for our past I should let you live." He sneered, smiling with a cruel, wicked delight. He had to be relishing this moment, after six months of my constantly annoying him, of being a thorn in his side. He was finally going to be rid of me, probably the last remaining piece of his human past that still lived, still defied his murderous wishes. In an instant, that sly voice took an angry, dangerous edge as he reached down and grabbed the straps of my battle suit, roughly hefting me up like I weighed no more than a feather. "But that's not how I work."
I stared down from where he held me aloft, stared down at those angry red eyes. The only thought that passed fitfully through my mind as I stared at those hateful crimson orbs was: So this is it. See you soon, Daddy, Danny, everyone. I expected to be blasted to bits, like Dash was. Maybe torn to pieces like he often threatened to do. Maybe mangled horribly like Vlad had implied about Danny's death at the hands of this demon. No, instead he simply put all his terrible strength into a whiplash-inducing throw, sending me screaming through the air toward what would have to be a painful, messy ending. That would be it then- my life would end in a gory splotch of red, splattered across the side of a building, or perhaps dashed to pieces from a terrible impact with the broken ground.
"Valerie!"
I thought I was dreaming, honestly. A pleasant delusion conjured by my tormented psyche, refusing to accept the inevitable pain and certain demise that I had to be rapidly approaching. While I was flung helplessly toward a certain death by splattering, Danny was flying right for me, an intense look of determination on his youthful face. It was an expression I hadn't seen in over a decade, that innocent, intense, determined scowl, real emotion shining in those green eyes. I'd grown so accustomed to Phantom's pale complexion, demented attitude, and those hateful, piercing red eyes that it was really a shocker to see the original, untainted version again. The ghost had to fly at what was likely his top speed just to catch up to me, throwing his arms around my torso and holding on tight as he tried to blunt my impressive momentum.
I sputtered in surprise when I felt a strange chill come over me. The last time that had happened was when Skulker dragged me through the wall of FentonWorks when we were both wondering where Danny had disappeared to all those years ago. I felt that strange sensation as this younger Phantom and I plowed intangibly through first one wall, then another, and another, my momentum carrying us through the broken remains of an old house despite the ghost's obvious efforts to slow my fall. Despite his efforts though, we both crashed to the ground on the other side of the building, and I heard him grunt and yelp as we both skidded to a halt.
We laid there for a moment, both mildly stunned. His slender form hardly seemed to weigh anything draped over me, a concerned look on that young face. For the moment, all my injuries were of no consequence, though with how we'd landed, I was relatively certain my left arm was broken. Disbelieving that I lived yet, I finally looked at the ghost, and I mean really looked. I didn't know how it had happened, it was impossible by any and all logic I knew, but there was no explanation for it. It was Danny, somehow from the past, some alternate universe, or some other impossibility I just could not conceive of. He had somehow appeared from nowhere, and just like ten years ago, I was an idiot and pointed a weapon at him. But despite my ill intent, he still risked his own neck to save mine, just like the hero he had been a decade ago, before I chased him away and to his death at... well, technically at his own hands, but I could still blame Vlad heartily for making it possible in the first place.
"You're... from the past, aren't you?" I finally found my voice as he got to his feet, that young face full of concern, free of the grief that haunted him when I last saw him. I could feel my grip on consciousness slipping, even though there were hundreds of questions and sentiments I wanted to blurt out. Between the mental shock of Danny's sudden appearance and my injuries, I had no endurance left. "Almost... forgot how cute you were back then."
I don't recall what he said afterward, or anything that happened after I slipped into the unfeeling release of unconsciousness. I later discovered that FentonWorks had finally fallen to the ground, a mass of brick and steel, though I never found out the details. I drifted in an out of consciousness, unsure of where I was or if Phantom- the twisted evil one, that is- had come for me to make sure I was finished. I dimly recall seeing brief flashes of a green and black sky, of a smooth voice calmly answering my delirious demands. I recall a most annoyingly persistent ticking, actually.
"Don't worry, everything is the way it's supposed to be." That smooth, calm voice said during one of my brief almost-wakeful periods. "Relax, get some rest. Your part isn't over yet."
Closing note: I really should have started doing this ages ago. Many thanks to you guys who have been reading for awhile now, and have been kind enough to drop me a line, even if it was just to say you liked the story. Mucho thanks to SilverstarsEbonyskies, ur1crazedupfruitloop, Laryna6, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, silvermoonphantom, GhostAnn, so.random, Ghostboy814, Risika135, and anyone else I'm missing. While I shamefully admit my ego tends to keep itself inflated, your feedback has been a real morale boost.
Special thanks though have to go to my sister, One Amahira, for beta-reading most of the chapters, typo-hunting, and basically telling me if a scene outright sucks. It's her fault I'm even writing Jeremiad and Anathema, at least she's pulling her weight!