Chapter Ten:
The Day That Never Comes, Part 10 All nightmare long
00:16 A.M. UTC
- Ok, calm down. I'm just facing about four hundred ghozbies - claims scared shitless. - No biggie, I guess I just have to blow their heads one by one.
In that moment, the ghost-zombies unleash a rain of ghost rays upon Danny, fired from their mouth.
Immediately, he creates the strongest ghost shield he ever made, bright writhe in color, stopping the ghost rays but the constant fall of plasma rays makes it difficult for him to main it and takes a lot of his energy.
Phasing into the ground before his shield collapses, he escapes from the dreadful attack.
- I'm so glad I didn't bring anyone with me - says phasing into a near jewelry -, I couldn't forgive if anything happens to them. But on the other hand, I wish I had an army with me. After all, I'm not an army of my own. - Points out watching the dreadful parade of hybrids flying and running through the streets, seeking for him, while hiding with his invisibility. Danny gasps in that moment. - Wait a minute! I might not be or have an army with me, but I can make an army of my own, or more like an army of myself. All right, time to test the new limits of my duplication power.
Closing his eyes, he pushes his duplication power to its limits, and creates forty five clones of himself.
- Wow, that's awesome - exclaims looking at his clones. - I've never been able to make so many clones of myself. All right, let's get serious. We are outnumbered about ten by one. But we can outsmart them, but then again, their zombies, so they're not thinkers. I guess there's no need for a plan then, so… just make sure you hit straight between the eyes, punch their head real hard and kick them like there is no tomorrow, and just in case don't get bitten.
- That's your plan to get rid of them? Just going all out war on them? - inquires Gas.
- They're freaking ghost-zombies!
- Yeah, what else can we do other than shooting them in the head? - agreed one of the clones.
- We can rip their heads off. - Proposed another one, pulling out the blades.
- See? This guys get me. All right, let's get moving. Let the good times roll!
- Where the hell is he? He can't be that far! - shouts out Spectra.
- Are you looking for me, sweetie? - asks a clone teleporting behind her.
- Or for me? - asks another clone.
- No, I'm quite is me she is looking for.
Said one of the many clones floating over her.
- What the-? How can there be so many of him? - wonders Ember.
- Simple. You attack me with a horde of "ghozbies", I fight back with a horde of me - explained the original with his clones side by side, with their fists smoldering, pulling out their blades or turning their vambraces into a larger revolver cylinder-like forearm guard.
- Nice try my boy, but you are awfully outmatched - pointed Spectra with their horde of ghozbies forming back, behind her.
- Well, we'll see about that. Now, for those of you who have lasted this long reading this, I recommend you to play the song this story arc is named after, during the next five pages. And if you don't have it, you got poor taste in music.
Hurling over each other, the army of clones collides against the horde of flawed ghost-hybrids, with no repress on their attacks.
The clones used their white ghost rays to disintegrate, decapitate or maim the empowered flawed hybrids, some of them taking them by the head and blowing it with their hands, other using their cylinder vambrace to fire multiple ghost rays at once, though some other preferred using their guillotine blades, arm-swords and push blades to decapitate and eviscerate every ghozbie they faced or simply smash their heads bare handed.
The synchronized threat counter of the Danny's indicates the number of threats they eliminated themselves and altogether, and after they eliminated hundred thirty-six ghost-zombies, it started reading the actual number of hybrids left, four hundred seventy-eight.
- Ember, do something! - ordered Spectra. -
- I'm trying! But in case you haven't notice they kill them faster than they can duplicate - yelled playing a riff even faster.
The Danny's cut the hybrids in half with their energy blasts and blades without even breaking a sweet, as they fall upon them. It was a massacre like no other. Just a horde of simple minions like always, dumb and mindless, but their task quickly began to get harder and harder as they started fighting back. It seemed the ghost-zombies where getting smarter in the middle of that mayhem, it almost seemed like they were fighting with a strategy, and soon the ghostly undead started spiraling around them, like a storm of ghosts, corning all the Danny's in the middle, shooting them with their mouths, eyes and claws.
- Guys, I think the ghozbies have changed their tactics - points out one of the clones.
- I can see that - answers the original.
Promptly, they summon a ghost shield over their head to stop the blasts.
- Does anyone know what happened here?
- I think I do - utters the original Danny who notice how Ember was playing a riff much slower than before. - It's Ember. She is using her hypnotic music to control the mindless ghost-zombies. But I thought she couldn't control ghosts?
- Maybe she is controlling the human side of their brains, or more like whatever is left of it - proposed a clone.
Hurling on groups upon them, the hybrids started pounding the ghost shield, trying to break through.
- What are we gonna do now? - asks a clone.
- Isn't obvious? We fight, only that this time, we go out with a plan.
- That's what I told you, but you wouldn't listen me.
- Shut up Gas! - utter all at the same time.
Pounding all at once, they manage to break through the ghost shield, only to get caught in a green burning glow.
"237 Threats Eradicated. 241 Left" reads the threat counter.
- What the hell happened now? - asks Spectra.
- Is a hybrids sweet sixteen birthday party - replies Ember with derision. - How am I supposed to know?
In the explosion, only one Danny was left and he quickly starts flying in a futile attempt to get away from the ghozbies, followed b a huge cloud of the remaining ghozbies.
He shoots them in the head using his cylinder vambrace, which fired his ghost rays through twelve cannons and not his hands instead in a very quick succession, almost like a machine gun, eliminating them very fast, but it was almost useless, as the number kept growing.
Crashing against a billboard of himself, Danny gets caught by the rotten who fly relentless at him, taking the billboard with them. He kicks them wit his shoe-knife and slays them with his arm-swords, spinning like tornado to get out of the swarm, with his right arm across his face and his left arm on his waist holding a ghozbie head, glowering at the rest with his eyes glowing through the goggles.
Channeling his energy through his swords he unleashes a double energy wave that cuts the hustling horde in half only to get haunted by two in both sides.
He hides from them using his invisibility, and reappears on the streets. The ghozbies run at him as soon as they see him.
- Wait for it - he for mumble with his right hand behind him as they get closer. - Wait for it - repeats, with his eyes glowing blue.
With the horde at only twenty three feet away from him as indicated by his scanners he waves his right hand unleashing a huge cold energy wave creating a immense sharp ice shards barricade rising from the floor, and all the ghost-zombies in their impulse crash against it, getting skewered and meeting their true end, crushed by weight of the massive construction when collapsing over them.
- No, no, NO! - yelled Ember trying to bring them back with her music, but before she even thinks what to play, her strings are cut by the real Danny with his push-blade using his invisibility.
- I bet you didn't see that coming. Now you got no zombies to fight your battles for you, and without your seventh string you cannot empower Spectra or yourself. Watcha gonna do now?
In that moment her hair becomes a very large flare, as she starts growling, turning her guitar into an axe with blazing blades.
Striking his chest with her axe, she onslaughts him with a powerful red energy wave that takes his wind out and buries him three feet underground.
Mad at him, she assails him with a series of energy waves burying him even deeper til Spectra halts her remind her she no longer had her seventh string and she had to save the energy she had left.
And she was right as Ember got struck in the face by a streaming white ghost ray coming from the hole Danny was in. Using his ghost shield he protected himself from the barrage of energy waves Ember threw at him, and waited to get his air back. Teleporting behind a distracted Spectra, he cuts her with his arm-swords charged with cold energy causing a frozen wound.
Is not that he was sure it would work, but the results were better than he expected even though she was starting to heal back really quickly and melting the growing ice in her wound.
She glowered at Danny with glowing eyes pulling out her nail-claws, blazing with the same black acid fire her hair was made off.
They both hustle at each other, striking blows with all their strength; Danny blocks her nails-claws with his swords but she quickly twists his arm with them and kick it with her sharp hills thinking she could pierce him and freeing her arm. Swinging at him, she nudges him in the chest with all her strength sending him into a car dealership.
Pouring herself into the concessionaire through the window, like a stream of black fire, she starts seeking for Danny among the cars, stopping only to stare at her reflection, beholding her new body in the window of a yellow and black color schemed 2008 Camaro.
Posing in very seductive ways, she takes a look at her back, glazing her new perfect butt, then lifting her already big breasts, to make them look even bigger, glancing at them, thinking whether if she should ask Technus for bigger boobs or not.
- No, you are fine dearie - says to her boobs. - In fact, you are more than fine, you are perfect. Tell me what man or woman wouldn't want to hit that?
- You're right. Who wouldn't? - Agreed Danny showing up from nowhere, hitting her with a large energy hand, tossing her at a blue and red flaming truck. - Although I always thought silicone parts are made for toys.
Spectra melts her way out of the truck with her hair, foaming in rage and suddenly attacks him with a big purple energy hand of her own, shaking him all over the place and then pushing him against the wall. Hustling, she straddles on his legs getting really close to him, taking him by the shirt part of his suit.
- Ah-uh… are we gonna make out again? 'Cuz I'm kinda getting that vibe - asks Danny with a nervous chuckle and a shit-eating nervous grin.
- You would like that, wouldn't you? - inquires with a very seductive voice.
- Ah… I have a girlfriend, so I don't feel comfortable answering that honestly… But if my life wasn't at stake right now, I would probably get a bonner.
- If…? - asked with a suggestive tone.
- Yeah, if.
- Sir, as your pants, let me tell you, there is no "if" here.
- You shut it, Gas.
- Are you listening voices in your head?
- Not your business
- Technically it is. I'm therapist, remember? Come on kid, you can talk it all out with me. And everything that happens will remain just between us - said getting even closer to Danny, in a suggestive tone, touching his hearth. - Oh, I wish I could eat your cancer.
- For god's sake! Is this why you blasted me out first?! - asks Ember appearing behind Spectra. - You know, you two should get a room, 'cause I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going.
- Ember! I swear this is not what it looks like and - wait a minute I don't have to explain myself to you, I don't to explain anything to you!
Waving his left arm, he strikes Spectra off his legs and flies out with his ghost tail followed by Ember's pink ghost rays.
- Oh great! See what you did? You let him go. I had him in my hands and you made me lose him. I was about to finishing him and you…
- Yeah right.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- I think you know what that's supposed to mean.
- Oh, but I want to hear it from you to see if I got it right.
- You were about to kill him as much as I am about to win an Oscar for best original song for a movie. It was clear you wanted another nibbling kiss, am I right?
- Excuse me? There was no biting, just a lot of tongue, and that's not where this was going.
- Like you weren't sending that "let's make out" vibe. My glob you have boyfriend.
- Skulker? Please, he is just an over grown and glorified sex toy I keep in my shelf. Unless… you're zealous, aren't you? - asked grinning a shit-eating grin.
- Me zealous of you two? Oh please. I rather lower myself by dancing naked on a pole again than by feeling jealous of you.
- Well, is good to se that teenage angst has paid off well. It must have killed you when I went to space - said with gleaming grinning eyes.
- Ah… are you gonna fight me or you gonna fight each other? - asked Danny with his head on the window, very confused.
- SHUT UP! - they both yell glowering at him, and blasting him with their eyes.
He rapidly hides his head behind the wall, scared shitless by the female cholera he just witnessed.
- Wow, that was creepier than when I accidentally phased into the bathroom and Jazz was… Yeah, maybe not.
- He's right we shouldn't be fighting, we should fight him. - pointed Ember. - And for the record it didn't kill me when you went to space.
- Sure deary.
Quickly, they both go out to the street to fight Danny.
- So, you decided to take it outside? - inquired floating over the building.
- Yes, we have.
Waving her left clawed hand, she attacks him with five sharped purple energy waves coming from her claws.
Danny dodges two of them but gets hit by the other three.
Flying hastily, Ember hits him with her axe-guitar in the face, slashing his chin and nose. When lifting her axe to hit him one more time she gets blasted in the stomach. Luckily for Danny, Gas was still blocking his neuron pain receptors, which prevented Spectra from zesting on the pain he should feel by his wound.
Hurling eagerly at Danny, Spectra hits him in the stomach while he covered his face, and elbows him in the back, slamming him against the ground. Danny phases it disappearing from her sight and reappearing over her head with his arm-sword aimed at her head. With nimble movements she eludes his attacks swinging over his shoulder to kick him in the back, but he uses his mechanical spider-legs to stop her attack and throws her at the tenement roof with Ember.
Hustling at them with his push and guillotine blades and claws smoldering, he attacks them delivering direct blows at Spectra with devastating force which are even more lethal thanks to his push blade and claws. Spectra heals quickly from her black fire bleeding injuries and manages to hold her own against this new Danny much faster and stronger than before, blocking half his blows, while Ember savagely attacks him with her axe-guitar, but he blocks every assault with ease, using his spider-legs almost like swords.
With his right shoe-knife, he unintentionally rags her shirt and undergarment when trying to kick her guitar off her hands, leaving her topless, with her beautiful firm breast exposed to the chilling air which erected her nipples.
Both, Danny and Spectra are speechless by Ember's nudity. Ember's face was deadpan. Danny's mouth works without saying a word while Spectra throws a half jealous, half grin glance at her naked body.
-… Uh… I… I swear that… that was not my intention. I just… uh… I just wanted to kick off your guitar but you moved and…. Gas, quick! Take pictures of her, NOW! - ordered Danny with his thoughts.
- On it.
- Oh Internet, this is so going all over you - thinks Danny. - Maybe this will overshadow the fact I got beaten today… and it's gonna look great on my personal collection. And… on the other hand, now you work as a stripper, so… there really isn't to much to be upset about, right? This is what you do now, isn't?
- Oh, you're so gonna die, boy. - chuckled Spectra.
Ember's expressionless face soon began to change. The rage boiling up on her skin and her eyes glowing red.
- You… skunky… putresent… dipstick! - shouted sputtering in hot rage. Spectra softly laughs at her insults. - Now listen, my lifestyle might not be the one I wanted my entire life and afterlife - claimed stomping and cracking the roof -, and now I might have to live out of pole dancing naked before a whole crowd of idiots every single night - her voice dripping hot rage as her hair grows in size and heat; the goggles indicating a temperature of 199 C. and growing, - but that doesn't mean I like it! That doesn't mean I enjoy having to rub my back on a pole while jerks like you get wet or a bonner with my tits! That doesn't mean I don't hear what people says about me and my career as musician behind my back, or that I don't feel sad for that every time I go to bed. And more important it doesn't mean I will take a stripper joke out of a dipstick like you! - yelled in a rage and frustration like she had never had before, onslaughting him out of the roof with the largest and most intense of all fires, with tears held in her outereyes.
- And you! - yelled at Spectra. - You better stop using your fucking pheromones on me! My problems are not for you to feed on! You are supposed to do it with him! - cried out loud.
- Oh dear, but I already had his. You can't blame me for wanting to mix things up a little bit. Besides, there is so much rage inside, so much frustration. All that teenage angst held within you, growing for years and years… Teenage angst is the best of all miseries, and you… you two are a motherlode of it. Just look how good you're making me look. I almost look like a teenager again - claims Spectra showing how young and good she looks thanks to Ember's misery. - Also, the angrier you get, the stronger your flame is - pointed out Spectra -, so the angrier and sadder I make you, the stronger you get and the stronger, sexier and younger I get.
- I… I didn't notice that. I… I guess it's true. I do feel my flame stronger when I get angry.
- See? Everything works just the way we wanted. Besides after that show he made early I don't think is a good idea to make him mad, also he's done something to suppress his physical pain, so I cannot even feed on it.
- Fine, but you better keep things burning low. Otherwise you are gonna be the one who gets burned - warns Ember, bundling her ragged clothes on her breasts.
- Oh, we'll see who gets burned, sweetie - said putting her arms on her shoulders, feeding on her misery, making her body glow red and looking like she was 19 again.
- Ok, I think I know where this is going. And as I always said, you fight fire with ice.
Concentrating as much cold energy in his hands as he can, he freezes the tenement they were standing on with a cold energy wave.
Ember and Spectra's feet get frozen but they quickly melt the ice, and fly away from the building.
Danny unleashes a strong blizzard upon them, a single handed full-blown attack to kill their fire, while using his cold energy shields to deflect their attacks.
"-134 C" reads Danny's right lense. That was the temperature of his snowstorm.
"204 C" reads his left lense. That was the temperature of Ember's fire, when caught inside his storm.
Ember fights him combining her fire with her ghost rays and energy waves. He fights back using his cold energy rays to extinguish her fire and freeze her ghost rays in the air. And focused on his skirmish with Ember, he becomes oblivious of Spectra, until she smites him in the ribs with a kick strong enough to take down a house, and makes him roll eighty feet away from her.
Danny gets back on his feet soon after he realized what happened, with his ribs growing back, confused and wondering how did she become so strong all of a sudden and how Ember's flame is so hot. She couldn't feed on his pain since wasn't able to feel any and Ember had no way to generate extra energy, "…they only have each other he thought". And so, he realized where did they get their boost; Spectra was spoking her fire by making her angrier and more miserable, while boosting herself with that same misery and anger.
- Is that's how you wanna play, then it's time to fight that hot rage with some cold rage.
Spectra assails him with a huge black flare hurled at him. His instinct tells him to run away from its path, but instead he decides to stand tall, calm, relentless and cold.
His whole body pouring cold energy from everywhere, now reached a temperature lower than ever before: -200 C and lowering as the black acid flame got closer.
Everything around him was beginning to freeze, the ground, the air, everything began to frost.
"User's body temperature: -220 C" indicates his his suit on the corner or his right lense.
"Acid fire attack at 49 feet away. ETA 12 seconds. Preferable tactic: flee." Said his suit on both lenses.
Danny ignores his suit's tactical analysis and suggestions like he did with his instinct, as he already had a plan of his own: burn them with ice.
Creating a giant cold energy fist around his left fist like if it was a glove, he lowers his body temperature even more to -258 C.
"Acid fire attack at 24.5 feet away. ETA 06 seconds. Imminent collision. Preferable tactic: RUN BITCH, RUN!"
"User's body temperature: -287 C" reads his right lense.
"Ever since I got my ice powers I've wondered 'what are their limits?' 'How much ice can I make?' 'How cold can I be?' Now my powers are broken, and ironically that damage is somewhat… liberating. And even though I need I need a containing suit suit to control my powers, I still feel like this is a chance to finally test my limits, see how far I can get, to see how cold I can be, and for the looks of it I can get to be -327 degree Celsius and lower, which is a lot more cold than I ever was capable of.
"So the question how cold can I be? I think I can be cold enough to burn them."