Disclaimer: Wow... well that was a long wait. I'm going to be apologizing for that for the rest of eternity. I am back from school and free all summer though so the waits shouldn't be long at all from now until around the end of August.

So, big thanks to all my reviewers. I don't have time to list all your names because I have class soon and I want to get this up here as soon as possible. But everyone who reviewed last chapter is amazing. Thank you for putting up with the long wait time.

And now onto the chapter!

Chapter 6

Suddenly the creature paused, smirking as it stood. "You!" he hissed gleefully, "The man from before. Don't think I forgot you." He gave a wide predatory grin. "You and the boy shall pay for your resistance!" he yelled as a large glowing red orb appeared in his hands, growing larger by the second.

Lancer made to run but some sort of energy stuck his feet to the floor. Danny seemed to be having the same problem as he struggled to move.

"Damnit!" the boy yelled as the floating cartoon character launched his sphere, now half the size of the room, at them.

In a flash the two were dropped from the sky and landed hard on the ground, tumbling into each other. Lancer got up, massing his back and squinting into the dark as Danny scrambled to his feet. Apparently, he had transformed back into his human self in the blast.

"Where are we?" Lancer asked the boy. Danny shrugged and walked forward a few paces.

"I don't exactly know," he admitted.

At his words, light flared up around them and the two found themselves in a large room, so large in fact, that they couldn't see the end of it in any direction. The floor was a turquoise color wood and in the room was the oddest assortment of things. There was a lake nearby and a desk not too far to their left with a large assortment of papers stacked upon it. There were portable chalkboards set up all over with quotes Lancer recognized from great literature and books piled high all around.

"Well wherever it is… it has good tastes," Lancer said, nodding approvingly at the books. Danny laughed and walked on ahead.

"Well we should probably find a way home anyway. I don't want to stay here my whole life."

"I suppose," Lancer replied, following Danny further into the room. "But why that ghost thing sent us here is far beyond me."

"Well," Danny said, hopping over a large sausage on the ground (Mr. Lancer gazed longingly at it as they passed), "From what I've seen of that ghost he apparently can change shape into what a person fears the most: spiders, vets… and apparently Disney villains." He stopped and turned to his teacher. "So we'd better be on the lookout, because I don't think he's trying to scare us with books and meat… though I'd admit the books are far too many."

"I've read a lot of these," Lancer commented absentmindedly, "Actually I believe I've read most of them." He picked up one and grinned. "Enders Game… I remember this. I had the best time reading it one summer. I remember sitting out in my cousin's yard on her…"

Just then the lake started glowing blue and a pair of trees appeared in front of the two a hammock strung between them.

"… hammock," Lancer finished lamely, "What in the world?"

"It's like it responded to your thoughts," Danny observed. "Like, if I thought of say… that cheeseburger I had for lunch…" Danny looked at the lake expectantly, but it remained as calm and clear as it had been when they had arrived.

"Or I could be wrong," he said, a bit disappointed, "It's been known to happen."

Lancer clutched his book and flipped through the pages as they walked on. He smiled to himself; he had quite enjoyed this book.

Danny strolled over to the lake and looked in. The surface was crystal clear, but something about it was odd. With how clear the surface was, Danny should have been able to see straight down to the bottom of the lake. But he couldn't, and the clearness just seemed to go all the way down; though the water didn't get darker as it should the deeper it went. Danny reached out to touch the water. His hand stopped the surface, which felt like a solid barrier.

Lancer put down the book on the stack he had found it. As he did, the trees and hammock next to Danny evaporated and the surface of thee water rippled slightly.

"I have a feeling this lake is how things get in and out," Danny called to Lancer, "But it's completely solid."

Lancer walked over and glanced into the lake, reaching out to the water as well. His hand slipped easily into the water.

"Doesn't seem to be solid to me."

Danny scowled and tried again, but his hand still only got as far as the surface of the water. Growling slightly, he stood and made to step on the water.

It was like stepping on solid ground.

He placed another foot cautiously down and walked, first slowly, then quickly to the center of the lake. He turned to smile at Lancer.

"Check it out! I'm Jesus!"

"You'd think a kid who could fly wouldn't find this much amusement in walking on water," the teacher muttered to himself with a smile, shaking his head. Danny shrugged and walked back to Lancer.

"I wish we could get a higher advantage on this place. Get a good look arou-" But before Lancer had finished, Danny had transformed with a grin, floating up in the air.

"Oh no! Lancer protested, shaking his head, "You go. I'd prefer to have my feet on something solid thank you very much."

Danny shrugged and flew upwards into the sky that was in place of a ceiling.

This place was odd like that. There still seemed to be no walls, just areas of differing light and sky.

There was the sky Danny was floating in, but there were different skies as well. One sky far off in the distance behind Mr. Lancer looked like a giant shiny mass of light. Under it, were houses and cars of very different designs, people roamed about and everything seemed calm and serene. A little behind all this, still under the same sky of golden light, was what looked like a city out of several different comic books. There was the Daily planet building from superman, but Wane manor was up on a hill not too far away. What looked like several different figures in capes and spandex were flying or running or riding about in the city. Danny wondered how in the world a place like that was here.

To the left of this bright shiny sky was a grey looking sky, with grey looking clouds and a gleaming grey sun. But nothing seemed depressed; the area just had an almost old movie black-and-white style feel to it. The ground was littered with parks and old toys. People happily roamed through the scene. Danny could see a young boy no more than 5 playing with one of the toy trains, a mother and her son flying a kite together, and a child about 8 and a small dog playing fetch.

There seemed to be a slightly more vivid area behind it, but somehow darker and rainy, though the rain never made it far enough down to wet anything. People roamed here too, but they seemed sadder, more lonley.

Of in the distance, behind all this, was and area of complete darkness that spanned behind both skys. Danny couldn't make out anything in it, but in the darkness seemed to float the eyes of the ghost that sent them here. Danny shuddered as they swiveled up to him. He could sense the grin behind those eyes and he wasn't happy about it.

He floated back down to the ground before he even looked at the other areas. He knew which way they probably had to go.

That ghost wouldn't let them out of here unless it was by force.

"Well?" Mr. Lancer asked, "Do you know the way out?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Danny explained to Lancer what he had seen. The man looked over his shoulder and sighed. "This is going to be a long walk or a short flight, isn't it?"

Danny nodded.

Lancer grimaced. "Ok then, just don't drop me."

Danny picked Mr. Lancer up by the arms and flew fast toward the darkness. As he went, he examined the ground below him.

Everything seemed to be in its own strange order. File cabinets floated past with things like "students" and "co-workers" written on them. The books were stacked seemingly in their own categories. Upon closer inspection, all the desks, with or without papers on them, were labeled "To Do:" and then either 1st through 7th period.

They flew on like that, Danny close to the ground for Lancer's sake, dodging floating file cabinets and giant meat products until they came upon the old movie area.

"The darkness is right behind this place. If we make sure to fly straight through it, we'll be going straight for that darkness. It's the fastest way there.

"You're sure this ghost will be there?" Lancer asked.

"Pretty sure. It seems like the kind of place a fear ghost would stay you know."

"I suppose," Lancer agreed.

As the flew past the boy playing with a train Danny noticed that he was doing the same thing, over and over, like a clip on repeat. Lancer made a strangled noise.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked, looking down at his teacher. Lancer's face had gone white.

"Th-That's me!" he choked out.

"The kid?" Danny asked, stopping abruptly to stare at the boy.

"Yes," Lancer said, "I remember that was my favorite toy when I was little."

At his words, color filled the boy and the train and Danny blinked and looked down at the man he was carrying. The boy's eyes were the same color as his teachers.

The boy started talking.

"Choo choo! Yay train go! Go! You can make it up that hill! Choo choo!" The boy clapped and giggled before resuming pushing his toy along.

"Why is he… you… whatever… here?" Danny asked.

Lancer shrugged the best he could in his position. "I have no id-" But he stopped abruptly. "That's my mother!"

Danny traced Lancer's gaze to the woman flying a kite with a boy Danny realized looked like a 7-year-old version of the boy playing with the train. Light flooded into mother and son as they flew their kite. The two broke their endless circle as the 7-year-old Lancer ran far ahead of his mom. It was like they were watching a film as the mother disappeared "off screen."

"Mommy mommy look at it go!"

"Be careful sweetie," the disembodied voice of his mother warned kindly, "You don't want to get it caught in a tree."

The boy ran back to his mother as the image faded to grey again and the two figures resumed their endless circle of kite flying.

Lancer shook his head. "Why is this here?"

"Let's keep moving," Danny suggested, weirded out by the image of his teacher as a young child. He always thought of Lancer as his old, balding English teacher. He had never entertained the fact that teacher's had childhoods like anyone else. He realized that he had the same approach to all adults in his life. He had never imagined any of them as young children, just shorter versions of their adult selves.

He felt kind of guilty about it too.

Shaking his head, he continued, "We'll find out when we find that ghost."

They flew on, Danny ignoring the rest of the memories as they flashed by in alternating random color and grayness. It felt almost like he was seeing something far too private.

When the came upon the darker area of movie-like Lancer memories (because that's what every one of those had been, Lancer's memories), Danny couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.

He glanced over at the field of memories and what he saw made him stop short. A high school aged Lancer presented a large bouquet of beautiful flowers to a curly haired girl. She sneered, turned around, and walked away. Young Lancer was left looking absolutely downcast as tears came to his eyes.

Feeling like he had now seen far too much, Danny abruptly veered to the right and out of the grey area into the comic book city.

"I… I'm sorry Mr. Lancer… I didn't…" Danny was at a loss of what to say.

Lancer said nothing just swallowed and nodded. The two flew on in silence through the city. Lancer hadn't expected to be shown his memories like that. He had no clue why they were in this place. It seemed that ever since the were sent here things had centered on him. His memories, all those books he had read, even those desks had some papers on them he knew he was grading for his classes.

Where in the world were they?

Suddenly Danny arched upward as something zoomed right through where they had just been flying. They had just narrowly avoided being hit from behind by whatever that had been.

"Woah!" Danny said, "What was that?"

The streak stopped and turned. Lancer's eyes widened.

It was him.

Well, it was a 12-year-old him, wearing a superman suit and somehow... flying?

"You!" he exclaimed, pointing at Danny, "Where are you taking this citizen you villains cur?" He posed dramatically, non-existent wind making his hair and cape wave.

"What? I'm not a villain! You have it all wrong!"

"Silence sinister scoundrel! Release that man at once! Or I shall be forced to facilitate his freedom forcibly!"

"Ok ok!" Danny said, floating towards the ground, "See, I'm putting him down. I'm not evil." Lancer's feet touched solid ground and Danny relinquished his grip.

"You're not?" Super-Lancer asked, his voice no longer dramatic, "Cool! You can be," he resumed a dramatic pose and voice, "my sidekick!" The boy rushed forward, grabbing Danny by the arm and flying off across the city.

"No wait! You don't undersaaaa-" Danny yelled, as he was forcibly dragged off..

They were out of sight in a matter of seconds and Lancer was left alone on the street corner. The man made to run after them but was stopped by yet another version of himself, this time in a Flash costume.

"Allow me to help you cross the street old man! It's safer that way!" the 11-year-old Flash-Lancer said, taking hold of his older-self's arm. Lancer prickled with indignation.

"I am not an old man!" Lancer yelled, wrenching is arm out of his younger, stranger-self's grip.

His double looked downcast and Lancer sighed.

"Alright, you can help me," he said, "But not to cross the street. I need to find someone. A boy, in black and white, with a D on his chest."

The Flash-Lancer brightened up. "A search and rescue! Oh I am so there!" He seized Lancer by the arm and threw him on his back.

"Wait! I don't remember The Flash having super strength," Lancer said, taken aback.

"He doesn't. But I'm not the Flash. I'm Speedster, duh!"

"Oh, how silly of me," Lancer replied, his tone thick with sarcasm Speedster didn't seem to catch.

"Yeacoolwhatever."

And with that the two rocketed off into the streets, on the search for Danny, Lancer vaguely wondering how he didn't burn to a crisp from friction.

Hehehe. I keep imagining flash and super Lancers and they make me giggle.

Yea, so I hope to be updating semi-regularly now that it's summer time. Again, I'm eternally sorry for the long update wait. I blame too much school and stress.

Review and flame! I enjoy both!

Tootles!