Chapter Nine:

The Day That Never Comes, Part 9 Overkill

11:56 PM UTC

Moving faster than sound, the bullet is invisible for the human eyes, and any other day it would be the same for Danny's ghost eyes, but now his eyes are able to see more than they could. Now, as surprising as it is, his eyes can see even faster than bullets.

With reflexes never shown before, Danny grabs the bullet with his right hand without even stepping back, protected from the ectoranium effects by his suit.

Both, Danny and Skulker are shocked by such astonishing prowess.

- No fucking way! – They both exclaim amazed.

- Please tell me you got that on video, and seriously? A skull engraved on the bullet? You know, I think I've had enough of bones and skulls for a lifetime tonight. Though I reckon there is one more skull that I'd like to crack.

Danny hustles at Skulker's location quite swiftly as he turns his weapon into a machine gun loaded with the ecto-bullets he used earlier.

Hundreds of bullets are fired in a quick succession, but Danny dodges them all as he sees them coming in slow motion.

Moving straight ahead at his enemy, he grabs his weapon, crushes it with one hand and fires a ghost rays in Skulker's face.

- How did you do that? How did you catch an ectoranium bullet straight to your head? – asks getting on his feet.

- That? Ah. I just see faster than bullets now..

- You what?! Doesn't matter, that doesn't make you invulnerable.

Skulker unsheathes his laser blades from his knuckles and metallic finger claws.

- Oh, shining. - A list of the weapons integrated into the suit appears in the lenses-screen. - But I think you'll find me rather more cutting edge than you! – states Danny slicing Skulker's armor in the chest with his own set of finger claws at an astounding speed.

- What?!

- You impressed? Well, what can I expect from a low tech like you?

Danny kicks him in the chest with his foot loaded with ghost energy.

- All right, that's how you wanna play? Then so be it. – Skulker pops out all his claws and blades from his armor, pulling out the blades from his forearms, his thighs and feet. - I think I have the edge now. And no one calls me a low tech!

Without hesitation, he jumps at Danny aiming for his head, but he dodges his attacks swiftly with swinging movements.

- Ok, let see - said analyzing his armor and its weapons -, you have three tekko-kagi-like laser claws in each hand, there goes six. A ludicrously large pendulum blade coming along each arm and another two retractable blades on the top of each forearm, that makes it twelve - counts along with his scanner avoiding his attacks-, plus five claws in your hands and feet, as well as a knife in each foot. There we got thirty four, and another blade in each thigh for a total of thirty six. God, can you spell overkill?

- Indeed I do! O-V-E-R-kill! – Skulker shouts trying to strike a blow at Danny's head but he promptly dodges the attack.

- That's cheating, you know that? And I mean it. I mean carrying an exaggerated amount of weapons within your armor has always been part of your character, but this falls just downright in the absurd.

- What fan-fiction have you been reading? - Asks delivering a lethal elbow strike in Danny's chest. – But now that I come to think about it, I think that a missing spike in the elbows is flaw by design.

- Does it come with nuclear warming pants?

- No. Why would it come with that?

- No reason. Just heard of a snow storm coming. – Danny slashes Skulker in the crotch with his claws charged with cold energy, freezing his legs. – Something coming from down the south.

- I think that's no problem.

Moving the blades in his thighs, Skulker breaks the ice that immobilized him.

- So that's how those work. You guys really thought of everything, didn't you?

- Oh we did – says electrifying his blades and claws.

- You know two can play that game.

Danny extends his arms pulling out a guillotine blade and two swords from each one of his vambraces, energy push blades from the triangular plates on his gloves and hidden knives in his shoes. His right knee pad also grows three spikes, with the middle spike as the largest spike.

- I think this will make thing a little more even.

- Count again, I have three long blades in each arm, you only have two.

- Why don't we just cut right to the part when I kick your butt? Got it? 'Cause I got shoe knives now… I thought it would be fun.

- You think?

They pounce at each other at full speed, and even when they were only at three foot away from each other, the jump scene seems like they were ten foot away.

Skulker goes straight ahead, waiting for nothing, delivering powerful blows with his claws and blades. Danny dodges his attacks much easier than before, and slays his right arm with his push blade and arm sword, but the wound heals quickly.

Skulker kicks him with his feet-knife in the chest, smiling, thinking he got him, but the truth is he didn't even pierce the suit. His blades and claws, as sharp as they are, they are just not as sharp and hard as Aragon's wings and could not penetrate the almost indestructible and impenetrable fabric of the suit.

Danny exults for the resilience of his new outfit, and on how Skulker was unable to pierce it, feeding the flames of his wild tantrum.

Taking his lion form, he jumps on Danny ready to tear him apart with all his claws, and fangs. For Danny's eyes, he was acting like an animal, but he was more than that, he was the king of all beasts, the king of the jungle now, only that he was fighting guided by something different from his instinct. He assault was out of rage but guided by a computer that calculated all of his prays movements in less than a second, an intelligence beyond that of any living creature, that put him above any other predator."The apex of apex predators" he called himself, the ultimate predator made not by nature but by cold hearted science and built with breathing technology.

The setting was already played before his eyes a thousand time. All factors were coldly calculated, based on all his previous encounters, all his tactics were predictable now even without his prediction system. He had nothing that could protect him from that lion form, his ghost rays would be eaten, his ghost shield would break by the powers of his claws, and his strength and speed weren't enough to fight the blazing beast machine he had become, not even his cold energy could stop him now. But there were two new factors to consider that were outside his programming, factors he overlooked. One of them was Danny's new suit which not only made him stronger and faster but also came with weapons that none of them could think of and secrets not even Danny knew, and the other was something that Skulker left behind when putting his faith in his technology a long time ago, something that has proven to be above his prediction system, and more savage than him, something that not even the coldest of all sciences could predict as it was unpredictable: his instinct. And how would Danny's instincts affect this new suit that not even he knew at all? What would be its reaction be to his fear? What secret would it reveal to protect him?

Well here is one of the many secrets that the suit possessed: one of its many tools and weapons are four mechanical spider-legs, hidden within its metallic silver disk-backpack, and just like most things from the foundation, they were made out of a strange organic liquid metals, titanium and diamond alloy, very similar to the suit's fabric only but stronger. These legs could grow at the rate of 190 inches per second and more, and the command for growth is achieved via fast neural net-command, whether if it was by thought or instinct, and Danny's instinct was to keep Skulker away from him.

And skewered by the twenty feet long spider legs of the suit, he was already far enough for Danny to be safe from his claws.

- Wow… that's… wow… - everything happened in less than a second, so fast that Danny was surprised and speechless. It took him a while to realize and processes what happened, and get out of the shock to utter a joke. - Oh great. Now I look like I'm copying Invader Zim, and I'm extraly convinced that Mr. M must be Johen Vasquez.

- "Extraly" is not a real word - corrected him G.A.S.P.E.R. -, and you are welcome.

- You did this?

- What can I say? I'm a suit with a thousand wonders and a free bonus.

- I thought you were just the suit's O.S.?

- Yes. But I'm not just an operative system for a very state of the art suit made with the most advanced of all (paranormal) technologies. I'm also its conscience. The suit itself as lab made as it is, it's a living organism.

- And you are its mind. That's gross.

- You think that's gross? You put me on without taking a shower first. How about that? Your body is sweaty, your armpits suck… and you don't want to know what your butt smells like.

Skulker squirms to break free, growling and roaring like and angry and wounded lion.

- Let me go you brat!

- Ha, you say that like if you could do anything to force me.

Growling in anger, he pulls out his plasma cannon from his shoulders firing Danny with a great firepower.

Crossing his arms in an X form he summons a circular blue ghost shield that reflects the powerful blast like if it was from a common ghost.

- You're losing your touch, buddy.

- No, I just have to try with a different spectrum.

Changing the color of his blaster from green to pink, he fires once again a blast equally powerful only but of anti-ghost energy instead.

Danny summons his blue ghost shield again, but it lasts only seconds before the anti-ghost streaming ray.

The blast hits Danny, and the legs retract to their standard ten foot length letting Skulker free. The holes in his armors began to heal quickly, as he changes back.

Using his wrist cannon, he fires another anti-ghost ray at Danny, but thanks to his new mechanical spider legs and enhanced reflexes, he gets way up much faster than predicted.

Pulling out all of his plasma cannons, he fires an endless wave of anti-ghosts blasts. Moving gracefully with his legs, he eludes every single blasts in the air, almost like he was flying. The suit's neural interface made the use of the legs something almost natural for him, like if they were a real part of his body.

Taking out the big guns, Skulker uses his chest plasma cannon and combines the blasts of all his cannons into a single massive and streaming anti-ghost ray that Danny couldn't avoid. Rapidly, he turns intangible thinking he could phase through the blast, but the anti-ghost ray hits him anyway, severely hurting him, making him fall of the roof.

- Stupid kid. You forgot we ghost can't phase an anti-ghost ray? - Skulker said looking at the side of the building where Danny fell.

- Stupid frog. You forgot we ghost can fly? - replied Danny, hitting his face with his push blade.

He lands standing on his spider legs, uphold in a crouch position with his claws, blades and shoe-knives smoldering.

- Gas, I want you to run a complete 3-D metric scan analysis on his armor. I want to know everything about it, EVRYTHING! How does it work, what are its strengths and weak points and most important, how can he use anti-ghost weapons.

Immediately, G.A.S.P.E.R. projects a blue ray from the joints of the insect legs, on Skulker's armor while it heals from the broken jaw, and in 2.36 seconds it had a complete analysis and scheme of his armor, its functioning and a list of all its weak points.

- Bingo! - Looking at the flaws and weak points of his opponent armor, Danny formulated a plan in a matter of seconds, knowing what to do and how to exploit the fails to his advantage. - I think we should use more of that detonation cord, what do you say?

- I say you are the boss. Whatever your plan is, you say dog and I'll fly.

- I sure am the boss. Wait a minute where is Cujo?

Meanwhile, what's Cujo doing?

- For the last time we asked you to go for help, not bring us half a chewed car - said K at Cujo, who found him and his partner stuck into the ground. - Who was the idiot who trained this dog? - inquired looking at all the useless stuff he brought them: parking meters, a movie theater chair, an old mattress, fancy silver, frog statues, a bird fountain and a inflatable doll.

- Well, I don't know about you, but I'm keeping the doll and the chair if we get out of this - said his partner, J.

- What's wrong with you? Did the explosion affected your brain? - In that moment Cujo barks and licks the outstanding part of his body. - That's it. I hate dogs.

Back to the fight…

Jumping with the incredible strength of his mechanical legs, Danny strikes Skulker in the chest even harder than before. He tries to whack him with his claws, but Danny dodged the attack using the spider legs, getting Skulker out of his game by moving and attacking him like he has never done before, delivering kicks and coups while flipping and swinging upheld by the legs which enhanced his superior agility even more.

Flying so fast not even the cyber eyes could see him, he ties and wraps Skulker legs with his detonation cord, throws him at the top of the next building, and triggers the rope.

Skulker gets up, tottering with his legs healing, only to see Danny flying at him with his sharp pointed spider legs using them as weapons, striking and piercing his knees and heels.

The armor heals from the damaged in seconds, and Skulker kicks Danny in the chest, and with that kick he knows his plan is working, as he feels how Skulker's feet and knees were uncleching.

- Ha, joint fracture. Weak point number seven of your armor prototype.

- What?

- You didn't know that? You are wearing a prototype, one filled with flaws and weak points. Like the pieces used for the joints that are made of a very light and flexible though non-regenerative material unlike the rest of the armor, unfortunately it's also a very fragile material compared with the rest of you, and the constant impact caused by the kicking, punches and explosions creates microfractures, like in real bones, only that this won't heal. That also means that if I strike them with enough force they will break. Fatal mistake.

- What?! You are lying. Technus said that they were ready for what we needed. And how could you even possibly know that?

- Really? I wonder what where you thinking Technus? That I wouldn't get a new suit with scanner to analyze it and discover your flaws… Ok, maybe that's what you were thinking.

Oblivious to the damage of his knees and heels, Skulker keeps fighting him despite the clumsy movement of his armor, delivering direct blows at Danny who slides back by channeling his energy through his feet, dodging is attacks very easily.

- You know, I think I have something you might like - said G.A.S.P.E.R. - Have you ever heard of the Leopard Style?

- No, what's that?

- I'll show you.

In that very moment, G.A.S.P.E.R. downloads all the knowledge of the legendary Leopard Style straight into Danny's brain, nervous system and muscular memory, all in the form of energy, making all the movements and techniques come to him as an instinct, a very vivid memory. In less than a second, the high technology makes Danny master of a martial art that would otherwise take him an entire lifetime to master in the traditional way.

- Wooow… What was that? - inquires, dodging all of Skulker's blows even faster than before, in a crouch position with an electric tingling running through his body.

- I just downloaded over twenty year Kung Fu training right into your brain, and muscular memory, making you essentially a master martial artist. A master of the Leopard Style, one of the fiercest Kung Fu styles of all. Now all those techniques will come to you as an instinct, like if you spent your entire life training at a Xiaoling temple.

- So sweet! - yells blocking his opponent strikes, and hacking his right shoulder with his arm-swords the second he saw an opening, the same way a real leopard style fighter does. - Try to grow that arm, no wait, you can't. Flaw number six: your armor cannot regenerate missing limbs since this regenerative organic metal of yours can only regenerate the "living" pieces that are energized, and only when they are near or in direct touch with the energy. In other words, if you lose a piece is no longer has regenerative qualities.

- That's it. You are meatloaf - replied firing his firearms.

- Meatloaf? What's that supposed to mean? - asked behind a blue ghost shield that would resist the impact of the bullets. - And using all that peagentry to cover up for all your flaws and weak points. To lure my attention away from them… I should have seen right through that.

- Yeah. Well soon I'm gonna be able to see right through you.

- I can fix that.

Phasing into the roof, he takes him by the tail to bring him inside the building, and starts swinging him around the offices within.

- You know, when I first saw your new outfit I thought to myself self, "damn he finally got some sense of style" - claims hiding with his invisibility -, but when Technus told me it was his creation I thought he finally got some sense of style - explained punching him in the stomach and the face.

Skulker uses his infrared vision and his ghost scanners to find him, but the search was futile.

- But now that I know all your dirty little secrets, I know this clothing is a bigger cover-up for the second biggest flaw in your armor.

Tearing Skulker's vest like paper, he reveals the ribs shaped escape pipes from where his ghostly fire comes out.

- You know, for anyone this fire pipes would look like a one way out for you ghostly fire, everything comes out, nothing comes in. But the truth is that anything can get through them, anything thin, long, sharp and fireproof, like my new indestructible insect legs - said getting his four insect legs inside the fire pipes and turning visible again.

- What?! What are you doing?!

- I'm killing your fire - said filling his armor with ghost fire extinguisher ecto-goo.

Using his only arm, Skulker takes Danny's right mechanical legs, defenestrates Danny and himself in a burst of anger.

- That new suit of yours does a lot of things, but I wonder if it can save you from a hundred store height fall and a full blast in your chest?

- C'me on, do it! Let's see if you have what it takes to finish the job?!

Pulling out his chest cannon, Skulker fires a powerful bright purple ghost ray, that passes through Danny's chest as he made a hole in it at the last second, and hits the ground making a huge crater on it.

- Oh, do you know what you just did? You just wasted all the energy you stole from me, which mean that now you have nothing but your own energy left, and given that Skulker 2.0 is a waste of energy, it won't be for too long.

- But it will last long enough.

Pulling out all the blades and claws of his left arm, he strikes him the chest, but Danny turns into blue mist, letting him fall.

- Where is your prediction system now?

Using all his blasters and machine guns, he onslaughts Danny wit everything he had, but he avoids all of his attacks and ties him with more of his detonation cord, using it as a lasso and throws him at the nearest roof top, crashing him against a water tank and then triggering the explosive rope.

- Ha! That what I call crash and burn, well more like crash drown and burn.

The armor begins to heal wasting most of its energy, whilst Skulker gets on his right knee raising his left hand with his machine gun, pulling out his shoulder missile launchers and his chest blaster firing all at once.

Danny phases through the green ghost ray, and dodges the bullets duplicating hid form and flying abreast around skulker, using his ghost rays to explode the missiles.

Followed by two missiles he fuses back with his clone and uses his improved telekinesis to stop them and grab them with his hands.

Skulker had no need of a prediction system to know what he was about to do.

Failing over him, Danny explodes the missiles on his armor.

The damage leaves the armor nearly destroyed, and all its energy is rapidly gone in a useless attempt of repairing itself.

Taking it by the ribs, Danny rips the tail apart, spreading all of its internal. Bio-mechanical components and ectoplasm. The skull was still attached to the tail, with skulker inside squirming and foaming.

- Let me say it for you: "I'm Skulker, the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter." Broken record buddy, broken record. - Swinging the tail with all his strength, he throws Skulker far, far away. - Ha! Another victory for me.

- Should I remind you that there were two ghost in the area?

- No… but thanks. I…

A blue wisp of breathe comes out of his mouth, his ghost sense warning him about a near ghost threat. His suit's scanners indicate two near ghosts, pointing their location on top of the next building, zooming in to get a better look.

- Another two? Again? I'll guess, Spectra and… is that Ember? Think the girls are back.

- What's going to be the plan now?

- The plan is to get rid of them quickly so I can level up to the boss mode and get this over with tonight. Now let's finish them before she starts playing her guitar again.

- Too late boss - said Gas, zooming into Ember's arm.

Playing a chord in her guitar, she uses her ghostly wail on Danny, wrecking the roof top he was standing on.

- God-freaking-damn it! I forgot she copied my ghostly wail - retorted after hitting the ground.

- Why do you think she didn't use it before?

- I don't know. Poor planning? She was never up for crafty strategies - exclaimed, sore getting on his knees. - That's Technus area… and now the pain is gonna feed Spectra… Of course! I'm the biggest idiot ever!.

- … There, there. Don't be so harsh on yourself sir.

- No, you don't get it? The pain, it was all about it. The pain I felt for the explosion before the fight in the pier, the explosion wasn't meant to kill but to hurt me so she could be even stronger than me before it started.

- It's "stronger than I".

- The pain I felt when I fought Ember's monster which she knew I would beat, and the pain she caused me with her hypnosis, it must have been to feed her. All so she can come at me her peak.

- Wouldn't that be redounding? With her empowering music she could make her stronger than you. Isn't that an…?

- … overkill? Maybe. After the incident in the pier and the way I kicked them out of the restaurant I'm not surprised they come at me with everything - explained, taking height, avoiding Ember's second ghostly wail. - They probably won't wanna take any chances with me. I must assume they want this to be a quickie too. Ha-ha a quickie.

A small group ghost-zombie appear from the shadows, already in their ghost to join in their fight.

"46 threats detected" reads the threat counter.

- Only 46? Looks like you guys ran out zombies. You know if your plan was to make a huge ghost zombie zombie apocalypse, you should have made a lot more zombies… ghosts. Do they even turn people with their bites?

- Why don't you find out, my dear? - sad Spectra appearing next to Ember.

- Hey mister, she got the hots for you - points out Gas.

- Yeah, I don't think so. If your plan was to make me fight those zombies to get me tired I think you came up short handed.

- Oh don't worry baby, we'll get more, much more! - claimed Ember playing a very fast riff in her guitar empowering the ghost-zombies so they can duplicate their form.

- Oh crap! - yells watching the threats counter duplicating and triplicating while a huge swarm of ghost-zombies grows floating in the air to the point where his threat counter reads "Too many threats to count". - I think I just shit my pants.

- That's it I'm calling M to tell him to make a new suit with a toilet built in.