A soft warm wetness was being pressed to her forehead. Her whole body felt warm and comfortable, and as she opened her eyes a soft yellow light filled them. She was not able to grasp the situation, and for a moment she thought she was in heaven. Lost in the warm and safe feeling, she closed her eyes briefly, savoring as warm water trickled down her face, sending satisfying waves of calm through her as she exhaled slowly.
The cloth was then lifted suddenly as her guardian angel studied her with curious eyes. Taylor opened her own and watched as everything came into focus. A kind and nervous looking woman in her late thirties was gazing down at her as though she was a new species just found and observed for the first time. Her hair was a soft blond, and piled neatly on the top of her head. Taylor could only see her top, and she was wearing a traditional maid's outfit, only there was a "V" monogram on it, the same Taylor had seen in various areas of Vlad's castle.
"Hello?" Taylor said slowly, her voice coming out in a soft gust of air. It had softened weakly, most likely due to the blood she had lost just a few hours before.
"Good evening madam," said the woman in a quiet, almost fearful voice.
Something about the woman's gentle and passive nature made Taylor trust her.
"I'm alive, right?" she asked , just to make sure she wasn't even more of a ghost than Danny.
The woman smiled a bit, a soft glow tinting her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, and spoke slowly and carefully.
"You scared Master Masters quite a bit madam." she replied, pressing the cloth again to Taylor's healing scalp. Apparently her head had been partially cracked, judging by the X-RAYS she could see across the room. Now that she was noticing it, it looked very much like an ordinary hospital room, only her bed was much more comfortable and it was perfectly decorated.
Taylor felt angry just by hearing his name, and it felt as though acid was burning her stomach.
"Please. . . I don't want to hear about him," she said roughly, closing her eyes as if in pain and opening them again.
"Where is he anyway?"
The maid seemed to contemplate whether she should tell, then she said slowly,"He's being examined by another."
Taylor laughed out spitefully, causing her an uncomfortable throbbing in her head. She recalled the blood she had caused Vlad to lose, and she felt suddenly elated, thrilled that she had caused the slimy bastard so much pain, and perhaps even a good bill for all the damage to his beloved room. The maid took notice to the evil and twisted expression on her face and drew away slowly, looking at her with uncertainty, alarmed.
"You need to rest madam, or this will not heal." she stuttered as Taylor's eyes found hers.
Smiling slightly, still feeling good from the knowledge of his pain, Taylor sat up on the small bed. The maid gently pushed her down. Taylor scoffed and looked at the maid skeptically,
"I really appreciate how you've helped me, and I thank you but. . . I really would like to leave," she stated in a crisp voice as she threw one leg over the bed. The woman responded by gently taking her leg and placing it back in it's original resting position.
"Excuse me!" Taylor said sharply, trying to move. With a fearful look and a sigh, the woman pressed a small button. Large iron bonds locked over her legs and shoulders, holding her securely in place.
"What is the meaning of this?" she yelled, sending the maid an enraged look.
"Let me guess, Vlad told you?"
The woman nodded and slowly backed away from Taylor who had begun to scream violently.
"If she screams, just leave the room. Eventually she will wear herself out." Vlad had ordered her with a slightly dry look to Taylor just hours before.
Doing as she was told, the maid, looking apologetically at the small child, left the room and closed the door. It was sound proof, but she could see through the small window that she girl was having a fit.
Danny was just an hour away from Vlad's house. After a good night of flying in the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle, he was feeling stiff and tired. Sometimes he wondered why his dad didn't try to install cushioned seats, what with every other unintelligent and useless contraption he sought to add to the mess of an RV. He had been flying all night, and it showed in his face. Bright blue eyes carried large and tired bags, and his hair was unkempt.
Sleep would not have come to him even if he tried. The thought of Taylor in his arch enemy's presence, and not just in his presence, in his bedroom, made him angry enough to destroy every ghost in the ghost zone without breaking a sweat, and he did intend to destroy a ghost, Vlad being the lucky candidate. He knew that Vlad felt some sort of fascination over her. It was obvious in the way he responded to her, and Danny didn't like it one bit.
Now, she was in his clutches, and it was all his fault.
He knew this would happen, and he should have never taught her how to hunt ghosts. Now Vlad had a valid reason to try and take her away from him, and lure him into his trap at the same time. Danny wasn't sure what his plans were, or what the exact method of murder was, but he was sure that somewhere in the rough fabric of his manipulations, those intentions were there.
Sighing angrily, Danny held on tighter to the steering wheel. There was no way in hell he was going to let Vlad get away with this without paying with his own blood. When he got his hands on him he would beat him into a pulp, and if he found out that he had tried anything funny with Taylor, well, Vlad wouldn't have to worry about his human side interfering with his ghost self anymore. He's just BE a ghost self.
Growling, Danny willed the RV to go faster. It was in airplane mode, high in the air. The sky seemed to fade and fade from him, but it sill wasn't speedy enough. He felt like an impatient child again, wanting what he wanted at that very moment, and that was to see Taylor safely beside him, mocking him about the way he was flying the RV, or coming up with a mischievous plot, or just being there to ease his mind.
Sure, she wasn't perfect in the least, and she had an attitude that could destroy Vlad, but that's what he liked about her the most. She never gave in, never wanted to be part of those overrated "Cool" cliques, and would bounce back from any defeat with a sly smile and plans for the future. Something about her drew him to her like the water to the moon, and he was starting to realize it more and more. He craved to hear a sarcastic comment right now, her evil laughter, her smiling eyes, anything at this moment that signaled she was okay.
"Come on move. . ." he said, looking at his plane controls like they were human.
"I need. To get. To Taylor!"
He slammed his fist down, accidently setting off a ray that shocked several birds outside the RV. With wide apologetic eyes, Danny watched as they fell from the sky lifelessly.
"Whoops."
Danny looked down at the screen to see an image flashing on the radar of Taylor laughing, sticking her thumb up.
"Nice hit! Ten points! Nice hit! Ten points! Nice hit! Ten points!" the recording repeated.
Danny remembered Tucker installed that graphic to confuse his dad. Danny laughed lightly at the image, then felt hollow again. He needed to get her, and he hoped that when he did Vlad would be ready.
"Jack Fenton must be the biggest idiot in all of Amity Park." Said Vlad, smirking as he observed the large machine he stole from his old college friend. He didn't notice it's disappearance yet, and chances are would never. He was as bright as a broken light bulb, and what a better way to destroy him even more than to use his own machine to annihilate Danny?
Plasmius was in his underground lab. It was a large room made out of purple, polished marble. The gleaming of the lights of his machines bounced off the walls, making it look like Christmas in Vegas. In the center of the room was a large ray coming down to the ground, attached by a long pole. In front of the ray was a small pad, where Danny would stand while he got his ghost powers ripped from him, and then of course be blasted to death by the ecto -ray, a ray that could only kill a full ghost, but would do enough damage to him.
Being quite into wealth, Vlad figured that many ghosts would want to see Danny Phantom meet his end, so he decided to make it public. All he would have to do is move the beam to the SuperGhost Stadium, bring Danny there, and ZAP. That Danny would be gone, leaving Vlad with millions of dollars and a new son perhaps, once he harnessed the DNA.
He had been preparing for this for months, and the arrival of Taylor Hecter only ensured his plans. Any moment now Danny Phantom would burst through his doors, ready to fight and get Taylor back. However, he didn't know what lovely surprise Vlad had in store for him.
Distantly from above Vlad heard a shrill, penetrating, scream. He looked up and rolled his eyes. Taylor was obviously awake. A few hours before he himself had to receive medical treatment, and he thought it fit that she was locked up in her room just to spite her. She also wouldn't be able to get away to help out Danny when he came for her.
Floating idly, Vlad watched as ecto-plasmic moving men took his ray in their ghostly vehicle. The ectocution, as Vlad named it, would take place the next day.
And some how, Vlad knew that Taylor would love to see it herself.
………………………………
Vlad really is smart. I can only imagine how many ghosts hate Danny, and would LOVE to see him executed, Rome Empire Style. This is getting dra-ma-tic. I hope all of you like
Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been updating a lot! I've been extremely busy. Finally however, I got the chance to sit down and write a good few pages of story.