Hello, everyone! Sorry for the delay, but I think we got you all a nice chapter up ahead. Er, kinda! Thank you all for your support!
Truephan here: Yeah, whatever pearl said. In any case, I hope you like what we cooked up in this chapter. And, oh, look, it's still hot! Careful, though, and don't burn yourselves! But enjoy it while it is still hot!
Disclaimer: We do not own Danny Phantom.
Chapter 9: Raising the Stakes
The Specter Speeder's engines and back-up power had finally given out after all the damage the illusionist spirit had inflicted upon it. Still, Tucker and Skulker did their best to get it as flight-ready as possible with what they had at the hunter's island. Ultimately, they were unable to do much for the strange noise the engines were emitting; and the ship was still briefly stalling whenever more speed was demanded of it. But, at least, it was operational enough to get them to their destination.
The foursome wasted no time in shoving off. But sooner than they thought, the sputtering speeder finally arrived in front of Vlad's closed ghost portal.
"So, Vlad has a portal in Amity Park?" Tucker voiced, sounding a bit surprised.
"Doesn't surprise me," Sam and Jazz said dryly at the same time, quickly glancing at each other afterwards. The two girls rolled their eyes at one another before looking back at Skulker as he continued to type something on his suit's controls on his right arm.
"Silence, whelps. The sounds of your voices are beginning to annoy me," Skulker grumbled, ignoring the three scowls immediately responding to his comment.
However, even as annoyed as the hunter was, he was more apprehensive than anything else. He had just given the Ghost Child's helpers the coordinates to his employer's ghost portal in Amity Park. He had a feeling Plasmius would not be very content with him when he found out. But, under the circumstances, the hunter had been left with no other choice. He—or rather, they—needed to get to the man's home.
Besides, going through the Ghost Child's portal would have been a waste of time, especially when, according to the whelp's helpers, Plasmius' home was inaccessible from the outside with all the camera crews and police's tapping the place off. So, using Vlad's secret portal to get inside was the only option.
Furthermore, going through the Ghost boy's portal would have also been risky. His damaged suit would not withstand another confrontation—even if it happened to be with the whelp's human parents.
Of course, Skulker had no idea that Danny's parents were not home. And the teen's friends and sister did not feel too inclined to inform this to the hunter when he had suggested that they return to the human world via his employer's portal…
In any case, Skulker hoped Plasmius would understand that this was for the greater good—for his greater good, anyways.
But now, with the Speeder's engines beginning to give out again, it looked like they would have to be going to the whelp's home, after all. Of course, not before doing what they came here for…
The hunter soon finished punching buttons on his suit and silently looked back up at the sealed ghost portal. Almost instantly, its doors began to open. Skulker ignored the three teenager's wide-eyed stares and said, "This flying contraption will not be able to enter completely. Plasmius' portal leads into one of his libraries. And even if the room is quite large, it was not meant to have a ship land in it."
Tucker was the first to break out of his surprise, and soon the girls followed. Without a word, the tech-boy guided the ship forward. He had not really understood what Skulker meant by the ship's not fitting inside, but he still did as he was told, and only moved the ship through the ghost portal until it was halfway through.
Everyone—but Skulker—gasped when they saw that they were now inside a huge library. But since the ship was only halfway in and the side doors were still outside of the portal, they needed to open the cockpit window. Nevertheless, Tucker made sure to turn off the choking main engines and set the speeder to 'hover' mode before he jumped out. But the engines still had given off enough smoke that the three teens reflexively coughed on it.
Fanning away the smoke, Jazz quickly looked to see where exactly the portal was and she was surprised to see that it was actually inserted into the wall. And she could only guess that since the portal's edges were actually framed by some kind of flat, decorative wood, the portal was probably hidden behind some portrait. It was then the older girl realized that Skulker was more accessible to and more trusted by Vlad than she had originally thought!
Wasting no time, Skulker quickly walked down the hallway towards his employer's security room. He didn't even bother to look back to see if the three humans were following. He knew they would, and mentally grunted with that thought. He now secretly wished that he hadn't agreed to work with them. After all, he had to get several things done and some of those he would have to wait to do until he was alone. Not to mention that he worked best alone. Still, for now, he could tolerate the annoying lot enough to accomplish what he had to do.
In the meantime, in spite of being in a 'hover' mode, the Specter Speeder poured out even more smoke, distracting the younger teens.
"Man! This ship still needs some major fixin'!" Tucker said in between his coughing.
Sam waved her hand in front of her, fruitlessly trying to get rid of the smoke and dryly replied, "Duh. I think I got that message loud and clear from all that loud and annoying 'mystery noise' and smoke coming out of the Specter all the way here. But it'll have to do until we find Danny!"
The boy frowned, a bit annoyed at her last comment. "Well, of course I want to find Danny, too, Sam, but I don't know how long our patch-up job will hold up. I just wished we could have made it to Danny's house first."
"And do what?" Sam challenged. "Danny's parents aren't home, and even if they were, how would we explain all of this damage to them? Besides, even they don't know what half of their gizmos do, so how will we be able to use any of them right now without taking up way too much time trying to figure them out?"
"All I know is that the way the Specter is acting, we'd be lucky just to make it to Fenton Works, much less do anything else. So, really, Sam, we won't have much choice but to try to figure out those gizmos, or else we're going nowhere," Tucker retorted.
As the two continued to debate about their damaged mode of transportation, Jazz was busy watching Skulker. And when she saw the ghost leaving without them, she quickly grabbed the two arguing younger teens by their wrists and pulled them forward. There was no way she was going to let Skulker out of her sight. He might have agreed to help, but she still didn't trust him.
They soon arrived at the security room, where Vlad kept most of the security monitors and controls for his home—and other places. But for now, Skulker had purposely started with this room, even if it only allowed him to see what the cameras outside of Vlad's mansion had captured. He planned on checking out the man's lab, which held the cameras that monitored the inside of the house, when he didn't have prying eyes so close behind him.
After all, Skulker wasn't about to share his employer's secrets with the whelp's helpers, even if they might be of some assistance to him at the moment. Somehow, he felt that if there was a way that this could benefit him even more, he wasn't going to hesitate to carry it out. And the more he knew and the less the whelp's helpers did, the better for him and his employer…
"What are we doing here?" Jazz asked in sudden suspicion when she saw the ghost at the security systems' controls—not that she knew what they were.
But it wasn't Skulker who answered her question.
"Hey, this is a security room!" Tucker suddenly exclaimed, getting closer to Skulker and watching him work the system.
The two girls' eyes slightly widened. If Vlad had cameras in his home, that meant that they had a chance of finding out what had really happened to Danny!
Everyone watched the hunter anxiously as he silently continued in his attempt to find out what had happened.
But as they did, Jazz spoke again, her voice still laced with suspicion, "You sure know Vlad's stuff pretty well. And by the looks of things, you also know his home as well as your own home."
The hunter finally regarded her, but he now looked irritated with her. "I work for Plasmius. I build half of his ghost weaponry. Of course, I know my way around here! Of course, I know how to work his systems! But that isn't any of your business, whelp. And what he has here isn't, either. So, how about you find something else to do or just keep silent and let me work?"
"Geez, calm down." Jazz huffed. "I didn't come here to pry into the fruit loop's freaky inventions, if that's what you're implying!"
"Then how about giving me some space, human?" Skulker snapped back, before going back to what he was doing.
Jazz glared at him, but didn't say anymore. But it wasn't too long before the monitors came to life. The three teens gasped again when they saw a beat up Danny lying still on Vlad's doorstep, just before the man himself stepped out. And by the look on the billionaire's face, he was shocked by the sight.
"Oh my gosh!" Jazz exclaimed.
"So, something else did attack Danny!" Tucker then said.
But then Sam added, "But how did he end up at Vlad's?"
Skulker frowned at the sight himself. But he then quickly looked down at the controls and attempted to bring up the cameras to another angle. It took him a moment, but then, he got what he wanted.
Now, the cameras were facing outward, so they captured what Danny and Vlad saw, instead of viewing them. And this time, even Skulker gasped when he and the kids saw the image of the same spirit that had attacked them on his island materialize on the screen.
Of course, they didn't know they were looking at Iluzisto's stealth mode.
"We were right! It was the same ghost! But what does he want?" Sam choked out.
They all silently watched what took place on the screen, which was the fight with Plasmius' duplicate and the illusionist spirit. Unfortunately, there was no audio, so all they saw was the movements. And they were very confused when Plasmius seemed to be fighting thin air at times. He would sometimes struggle with himself! What did that mean?
It was Tucker who blurted out the answer.
"I bet that freaky ghost was making Vlad see things, too!"
"What?" the girls blurted out.
And Skulker continued to explain, "At my island, we discovered this spirit can make illusions. I am unsure of how it works, but, somehow, he can make them real. At least, I know that somehow the illusion of the bats damaged my suit," he said, lifting his arm up a bit to show them the bite and claw marks on it.
But Sam frowned in confusion and said, "No wonder the bats would vanish when I closed my eyes. But, I don't get it. They came right at me and didn't hurt me."
"Same here," Jazz added, while Tucker nodded in agreement. But then seeing that, the older girl soon added, "What if his illusions only hurt ghosts?"
"It's possible," Skulker agreed with a frown. But, ultimately, they couldn't be sure.
But at that moment, the security screens showed how Plasmius, who had still been fighting against 'thin air', suddenly puffed out of existence.
The kids gasped again.
"It was merely a duplicate," Skulker muttered to himself, though the teens heard it.
Skulker let the camera continue to roll, but nothing really showed up for a while. Then, suddenly the ghost arched an eyebrow when he noticed something and he quickly paused the film and zoomed in.
"Do you see that?" the hunter asked as he got closer to one of the monitors and pointed at a barely visible tree with a slight glint of light reflecting off of it.
But Tucker quickly recognized what Skulker was looking at. "Hey! It's the spy-cam we recovered!"
The girls looked at their male friend incredulously. How could he see that?
But the Ghost Hunter was very interested in the boy's response. "You have it? Let me see it!" he quickly demanded.
"Okay, you don't have to slice my head off or something. I'll give to you," Tucker grumbled, annoyed by the hunter's forcefulness. The teen quickly shoved a hand in his pocket and pulled out the little Plasmius-bug and gave it to the ghost.
Skulker wasted no time and hooked it up to the system. He silently watched what the kids had already viewed and part of which he had seen at his island. But he soon checked the house's cameras again, hoping that the cameras had captured a bit more than what the spy-cam had.
And he was not to be disappointed.
But then as they all saw those odd blurs occur on the screen again, Jazz was suddenly hit with an idea.
"Those are not random ripples. This ghost has the ability of blending into its back ground! See, look!" she quickly added when right after a ripple had occurred, Iluzisto materialized.
This time, they were able to see what the spy-cam had not shown and that was Iluzisto's attempt to break through the ghost shield with that odd weapon.
Skulker's eyes slightly narrowed at the weapon. It sure was familiar. And there was…something about the creature wielding it…
He soon realized why.
He had only vaguely suspected it at first. But now, he was certain. This was no ordinary spirit. It had to be the legendary 'Iluzisto', the spirit he thought was just a myth. But there was more than that. This spirit, 'Iluzisto', was an Observant. And that could only mean that his odd weapon was one of those creature's creations and that it was meant for only….destruction.
His employer was in serious trouble.
But the hunter kept his revelation to himself. The cameras recorded evidence ended when the ghost shield suddenly vanished and Iluzisto entered the house.
"Wait. Who would turn off the ghost shield?" Jazz asked in apprehension.
"Vlad, of course," Sam grumbled, crossing her arms.
"Yes, but, why?" Jazz retorted. "Obviously, the ghost was after him as well, since the fruit loop is gone, too."
"Well, maybe he didn't know the ghost was after him at first?" Tucker suggested with a shrug. "But, either way, it sure looks like that ghost would have gotten in, anyways. That weapon he uses is some serious stuff!"
Jazz nodded, realizing it didn't matter how the ghost got in. What was important now was where Danny was. They didn't have any solid proof, but it was still certain that Danny and Vlad's disappearance was due to this ghost. But where had he taken them?
Skulker didn't say anything as the three teens continued to discuss their findings. He had his own thoughts rolling around in his mind to really care about their half-attempts of making sense of these things. The ghost quickly brought up the cameras again; but this time, he put them on live-feed.
He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at all the people outside the mansion. Luckily, the police had finished investigating the inside of the house, so all they were now doing was making sure no one tried to come into the home.
Skulker smirked. Silly humans! All running around like panicked ants now that their 'leader', the mayor, was gone. It was especially amusing to him to see the reporters still anxiously milling around in hopes of getting the breaking news that would not come.
"Plasmius is going to have a lot of explaining to do. Or should I say, a lot of covering up?" he thought half-amused.
But the hunter's mirth didn't last long when he began to scan the outer premises for clues. With all those humans out there, it was best to use the cameras to secretly do the job. It was a good thing his employer had the best technology around.
They quickly spied the evidence of Plasmius and Danny's struggles with Iluzisto. The broken lamp posts and damaged trees were the biggest clues. But eventually, Skulker felt he would not find anything more significant in these cameras and decided to search for clues inside the house. He was now certain that the last struggle and capture had occurred in here…
Without a word, he quickly turned from the monitors and headed out of the room, startling the three teens at first.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Jazz called after him as she and the other two humans immediately ran after him.
But Skulker ignored them and continued toward the foyer, where he had decided to start his investigation.
And the moment they all got there, Skulker sniffed the air, quickly catching the mild scents of Vlad, Danny, and… that spirit.
He frowned as his flaring green eyes scanned the immediate surroundings and immediately zeroed in to what he was sure were some ectoplasm stains. He didn't waste any time and kneeled beside one of them. He brushed his finger against the dried ghost blood before bringing it up to his nose.
"It's the whelp's," he muttered, and the teens gasped in horror.
"Are you sure?" Jazz asked quietly, her voice quivering as she tried to push off the watery pressure in her eyes.
"Completely," Skulker replied, before standing and investigating the other stains. He soon found out that all the ectoplasm stains were not Danny's. They were also Vlad's. The hunter couldn't help but swallow roughly. He could tell by the size of the stain that the man had been severely injured as was the whelp as well.
Skulker could only wonder…
Were the half-ghosts even alive?
He knew it was something to which he had to find the answer immediately. But he had no choice but to wait for a moment more…because the humans were being too nosey. In fact, they were already inspecting one of the many scorch marks in the vicinity.
He walked over to them as Sam asked, "Why is this ghost energy residue so different than what we usually see?"
Skulker passed a finger though the residue and rubbed his fingers together, before answering, "It is different because, as I said, this creature is not a ghost, he is a spirit and they are different than what you usually find in the Ghost Zone. You see, I suspect that he belongs to a group of spirits called 'the Observants'. And they live in a realm where time has no affect on it or the spirits that live there. The spirits there are very powerful. And usually don't step out of their realm unless they deem it necessary."
"Yeah, we've heard of the Observants… But we didn't know it was that bad…," Tucker said with a gulp.
"It's very bad, whelp," Skulker replied, rising to his height again. "Spirits not only exist outside of time, but they are much more powerful than ghosts. In fact, they are invincible. Unlike ghosts, you cannot destroy a spirit. Only another spirit has the power to do it… So, it does not surprise me that Plasmius and the Ghost Child stood no chance against this one. I still do not understand how we managed to survive our own encounter…"
"So then, you know who he is?" Sam asked, her voice sounding more accusatory than inquisitive.
Skulker glared at the annoying little helper. But then his eyes widened a bit when she didn't back down at his silent threat. He then squinted an eye in more threat and boomed, "Yes, of course I know who he is, whelp! His name is Iluzisto!"
"Il-u—wha-wha?" Tucker stuttered, cringing a bit at both Skulker and Sam over their confrontation.
"Il. U. Zees. Toe!" Skulker then bellowed to the boy.
Tucker cringed more but Sam just crossed her arms in both defiance and determination and replied, "Iluzisto, huh? Creepy name for a creepy jerk. So, this just gives us all the more reason for us to find Danny!"
Still eyeing the younger teen, Skulker seriously added, "Let's hope he and my employer are still alive, humans. By the looks of everything, they had a very intense fight with that creature."
"Of course Danny's alive! He has to be!" Jazz quickly piped in, though it sounded like she was trying to comfort herself more than convince the others.
Skulker shrugged. "Then, if that's the case, I have a fairly good idea where they were taken. Luckily, I now have Iluzisto's scent. I should be able to track him down, and, in turn, track the half-ghosts."
"Does that mean you're helping us?" Sam asked with a slight smirk.
Skulker quickly glared. "Don't confuse whom I'm helping, human. I am only doing this because my employer's demise does not benefit me. I could easily take on the quest on my own. But I will admit that we have the best chances of being successful if we stay together for this." His eyes then flared a bit as he said with finality, "However, our truce is only temporary. And I will be calling the shots. We do things my way, or I will not do this."
"Just don't give us any reason to think you are pulling our chains, and I'll agree to that," Jazz replied, her eyes slightly narrowing.
"Well, I won't agree!" Sam quickly said, glaring at the ghost. "I don't have to do anything you say!"
"Sam," Tucker quickly interrupted. "He's the only one that can lead us to Danny. We have no idea where this ghost, er, spirit, is at and we have no way of finding Danny because nothing we have can track him. Look, this all we got. And I say we give it a try."
Sam frowned, clearly not wanting to agree. But she then reluctantly nodded. However, she quickly glared again at the ghost and said, "I'll go along with this. But you better not be up to anything or you're gonna find yourself inside a Fenton thermos permanently!"
Skulker grinned evilly at the threat. "The moment I find my employer, human, our truce will be over. And it is you who will find yourself as a permanent addition to my collections if you continue to challenge me…"
Sam glared at him, ready to argue back when they heard heavy footsteps closing in on the front door.
Instantly, Skulker grabbed the three humans and made them all invisible, just before the door was broken down and several men in white came barging in.
Skulker's eyes widened at the sight of the ghost hunters. But not just any ghost hunters, but those Guy-in-White agents! Their weaponry made them a real threat to any ghost. It was time to leave before they picked up his ghost signature.
"We must leave," he whispered to the teens before he flew them all back to the ship.
He let them go and turned them visible again before quickly pinning them with a serious look. "If my employer and the ghost child are indeed where I think they are, then we are going to need all the ghost equipment and technology we can find. But, also, this ship needs to be fixed up. The Observant Realm is almost a two-day travel. This contraption has to be able to withstand that kind of trip. That is why you three must return to the whelp's home and prepare yourselves."
"What about you?" Jazz quickly whispered, suspicious of why the ghost wasn't coming with them.
Skulker momentarily looked down a hallway when he heard footsteps. But then he looked back at them. "I must prepare as well. My suit is damaged and I need to fix it. My employer has spare parts in his lab. I need to stay behind."
"But won't the dudes-in-white pick up your ghost signature?" Tucker asked, confused.
"My employer's lab is impenetrable. It blocks out all kinds of sensory devices and can only be accessed by the usage of intangibility. I will be fine. I will head to the Ghost Child's home as soon as I am done. We can depart from there. Now, hurry. I have to seal this portal before those human hunters find it."
The three teens looked worriedly at one another, now more doubtful that they would be able to fix the Speeder.
And catching a whiff of their apprehension and doubt, the hunter quickly added, "I will help with the flying contraption when I am finished here."
This time, they nodded at the hunter and quickly got back into the speeder. The moment they were back inside the Ghost Zone, Skulker looked down at his arms control and typed something in. The portal quickly shut. An instant later, the left half and right half of a painting of a nineteenth-century clad Vlad mounted on a white horse slammed together in the middle and locked firmly.
Skulker briefly regarded the painting, but then rolled his eyes at it and turned around to face the opposite wall. Turning intangible, he phased right through it and immediately found himself in his employer's hidden lab.
"Now, to find out what really happened," Skulker said with a smirk as he stepped towards another computer system.
It didn't take him long to bring up the program. And with it came the Maddie hologram.
"Why hello, my sweet, little cup—Wait, you're not Masters," the hologram said, blinking in confusion. But then, she seemed to quickly realize who it was and smiled again. "Oh, hello, Skulker! Can I help you with something?"
"Yes, stop talking to me," Skulker grumbled as he continued to type in commands to the computer.
Maddie giggled. "Well, if I did that I couldn't help you, could I? Surely, I can get you what you need more quickly."
Skulker rolled his eyes. "Fine. Pull up any of yesterday's visual recordings containing Plasmius or Phantom."
The hologram blinked once, before shaking her head. "Sorry, Skulker, but those files are off limits to you. Masters has those kinds of things under private files. Even you are not allowed access to them."
"Well, Masters' life is at risk. You look through those recordings and see yourself that I do not lie," Skulker retorted.
Maddie frowned, before momentarily zoning out as she ran the recordings through her system. Her eyes then widened before an alarm went off.
Skulker groaned, though internally he was glad that the walls kept all sounds inside. But immediately his eyes widened as a screen suddenly appeared in the middle of the room and soon after, Vlad's human face showed up on it.
"Ah, Skulker. I could just imagine the look on your face. Close your mouth and listen up."
The hunter jolted and quickly closed his gaped mouth before scowling at the screen. Obviously, even when he wasn't physically present, the man liked to annoy him.
"It seems you have triggered my emergency plans—at least, the one's that I have designed only to activate around you; and under certain… circumstances. And those circumstances seem to have occurred, which means I am in need of your services again."
Skulker crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow. If his employer knew him as well as he led on, then this was where the man would tell him what he would get in return.
"Of course, you are going to require compensation, my good ghost. And I am only too willing to give it if you do what you must to assure my safe return, hmm?"
Skulker smirked when he realized he was right. His employer might know him very well; but he also knew the older half-ghost very well. And it didn't surprise him too much that the man had come up with plans should something happen to him. After all, even though Plasmius was powerful and respected in the Ghost Zone, many of his actions were hardly legal. He was bound to have enemies, especially those ghosts that protected the justice system in the Ghost Zone.
"Alright, Plasmius. Let's see what you came up with," Skulker replied with a grin, though he knew the massage was prerecorded.
As if having heard the comment, the Vlad on the screen smirked secretly, before saying, "Maddie, dear, open weapon vault twenty-three."
The hologram quickly agreed and pushed some buttons. Soon a metal door opened on Skulker's right. He stepped towards it and his eyes widened at the sight of a brand-new suit, plus other interesting gadgets inside.
He smiled at the suit's sleek design and approved of its grey and green color. And that heavy plate reinforcing the neck and shoulder region made a lot of sense when it came to protecting the helmet portion of the suit.
He ran his hand admirably over the outer layer, guessing from the feel that it was made of reinforced ecto-titanium, the strongest metal known in the Ghost Zone. And he definitely thought the technical mesh of green wiring covering most of the suit was quite the accent.
But as his eyes continued to run over the suit, he wondered what were the uses of the glass panel in the middle of its chest and that green tubing connecting the either side of the shoulder plate to the helmet. But he was pulled from his thoughts at hearing Plasmius' recorded voice again.
"I figured that whoever had the gall and strength to capture me had to be a serious matter. Therefore, I have come up with this design for you, my dear friend. You will have to program it, of course. But the machinery itself is state-of-the art, and created to withstand blows up to a 'level nine' ghost. And need I mention that it is practically indestructible by the usage of human ghost weapons? It has a cloaking device among other things. I'll let you be surprised."
Skulker barely heard what the recording was saying as he quickly got out of his destroyed suit and made himself comfortable in this new one. But what he didn't know was that his new high-tech suit was the exact one 'Skulker from the future' had worn. Well, minus Technus' being his operating system, that is.
As his flaming hair came to life and his green eyes glowed through the suit, the ghost grinned as he felt his body charge with power.
"Excellent," he said as he began to flex his arms and shift through the many new or improved weapons.
"Now, Now," the still-on-the-screen Vlad suddenly said, getting the ghost's attention again. "Before you continue with your 'child at a candy store' mode, listen to the rest of what I want to tell you. Right beside your suit you will find another device. It is locked to my ghost signature. Feel free to use it."
"I would if the whelp's helpers didn't already mention that they cannot track the whelp's signature through their own device," Skulker answered.
"Also, there are a few other ghost weapons meant to take down higher level ghosts. If Daniel is not involved in this, see if you can persuade him to assist you—only if necessary, of course. If he doesn't do so out of the kindness of his heart, make something up, oh, say, like telling him that I have planted a bomb inside his father's suit. That should be enough to motivate him. Or, with your hunting expertise, I'm sure you can use your vivid imagination to get him interested enough to help you out. He is so very gullible, so I'm sure you can trick him into our services, if need be…" the recording said with an evil grin.
Skulker raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you planned for everything. Problem is the whelp is as in much trouble as you."
"Now, if by any chance, Daniel is somehow involved in my current dilemma as well, then, you will have his friends and sister all too willing to cooperate with you, hmm," Vlad teased while raising an eyebrow.
Skulker rolled his eyes when the man then laughed evilly.
"Now where was I? Oh, yes. I am giving you full access to everything in my lab, including my private cameras. They might help. Hmm… I think that covers it, Skulker. You have everything necessary to assure my safe return. And upon it, you can expect more compensation. Well, then, that is all. I leave you with these last words of wisdom:"
Vlad's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Do not fail me, Skulker."
With that, the screen went black.
Skulker scoffed. "He says it as if he could do something about it if I would fail. What? Was the 'bomb bit' really a bluff? Did you install a bomb in my new suit, then?" he asked himself with amusement, only for his eyes to quickly widened. "Would he really do that to me?" he whispered with a bit of apprehension.
Skulker frowned, deciding he rather not find out. Plus, he wouldn't fail. He was Skulker. He never failed…. Okay, he never failed when it mattered!
The hunter dismissed his thoughts and moved back to the screen he had been looking at before his employer's annoying face had shown up. "Okay, let me see those files," he ordered the hologram.
"You got it!" Maddie said with a grin.
Skulker didn't react when he saw Danny and Vlad talking inside the lounge closest to the foyer. As usual, they were arguing. But nothing significant seemed to be happening, so he quickly asked the Maddie program to speed up the tape.
He only stopped it when he saw the video file come up on the foyer where Danny and Vlad were fighting in their ghost forms, just before they froze.
Skulker unconsciously drew closer, while wishing this video had audio. Wait, perhaps it did.
"Audio?" he asked Maddie.
"Right away!" she said.
The volume was added just as Vlad offered Danny to what could only be Iluzisto and threw him at him. That explained who had dropped the ghost shield and why. Of course, the man would want to take advantage of the situation; but his plans obviously backfired.
As he continued to watch and listen, the ghost's face turned more and more grave. He then gasped when he heard Vlad shout to Danny, warning the younger hybrid that what he saw was only in his head. Skulker smirked in triumph. So, he had been right in thinking it was Iluzisto who was conjuring up all those illusions.
And then, Skulker quickly learned that the ghost was after both of them and was working for someone. He now was certain his other hunch was right. The half-ghosts were in the Realm Beyond Time.
Still, because he was a good hunter, and good hunters prepared well for their quests, Skulker had to be certain on both counts. He had to know everything about the spirit whom he was up against and how exactly he was going to get into that realm.
But for now, he held off thinking about his questions. He had to finish watching the rest of the clip. He couldn't see the illusions that the spirit was putting inside the half-ghosts' heads, but Skulker could see from the tape that somehow they were physically hurting them—just like they had hurt him when he was on his island!
"I see the whelp's sister was right. It seems this creature's illusions can only harm ghosts…" he muttered.
The hunter suddenly couldn't help but cringe when he saw his employer get run through with that black device. He unconsciously placed a hand on his chest as he momentarily imagined how painful it had to be to get stabbed in his ghost core.
By the time it was all over, the half-ghosts looked to have been reduced to ghost energy and had been sucked up into the black crystal on that gruesome staff Iluzisto carried. And although it seemed to indicate that Plasmius and the whelp had been captured and not killed as he had first thought, Skulker nevertheless suddenly felt sick with fear. He knew this spirit was powerful. But he couldn't believe how evil he was. Even he wasn't that cruel to his prey.
"Would you like to see it again?" the Maddie program suddenly asked.
The hunter shook his head. "Once was enough," he whispered.
At that instant, Skulker hesitated in wanting to help his employer this time. Trying to do anything against the Observants was a fool's choice. He really did not want to get on any spirit's bad side, especially one like this illusionist Observant….
Indeed, no reward was worth risking his afterlife like this…
But suddenly remembering all the years he had known Plasmius and how his employer had gotten him out of many tight spots as well, Skulker's uncertainty vanished. No, he could not walk away from this. He could not leave his employer on a limb. If anything, the hunter had to do this because of who he was.
And Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter was an honorable ghost who was loyal to the very end!
He took a deep breath as if to regain his composure before he looked at the hologram again and asked, "Where does Plasmius keep his ghost books? I need the one titled 'The Realm Beyond Time'."
"Oh! That one is right here!" the hologram moved across the room and towards a book shelf. She quickly scanned through the glowing books before finding the one she was looking for.
Skulker didn't say anything as he was handed the book. He scanned through it, passing right by a picture of the Ancients, and then later, Clockwork. He finally stopped at the section labeled 'O's' and soon came to the part about the Observants. As he looked through the different types—though most all looked the same—he eventually found the one for which he had been searching.
"Yes, that was Iluzisto who had invaded my island and attacked me… I have heard tales of this spirit before, but I wonder if there is more in this book that I can use…," Skulker muttered as he carefully began to read the book.
However, although he did find confirmation to his suspicions as well as a few news pieces of information about Iluzisto, it also raised several more questions…
There was no picture of Iluzisto, but judging by the description of his appearance and description of his illusionist powers, Skulker was sure this was the spirit with whom he was dealing. The book further reported him as a level nine, which was interesting in itself, though not surprising. But what was odd about this was that while on his way to his employer's house with the whelp's helpers, one of the things he had been checking on his instruments was the energy level his suit had automatically recorded during his encounter with Iluzisto. And what his suit reported was that Iluzisto was a level seven… Yet the book affirmed he was a 'level nine'…
It really left much to speculation.
The rest was just general information about the Observants, which the hunter already knew about, so didn't bother reading it over.
Skulker just closed the book, knowing this would have to do for now. He would have to proceed with what he now had—and he certainly would not be sharing the details of what findings he had with the whelp's helpers. He wouldn't say anything unless if it was necessary; though he doubted it.
As his employer would say, 'what they don't know can't hurt them.' It just made it easier for him and his employer to get the upper hand should the need arise…
The hunter chuckled evilly at his thoughts before quickly shifting though his new suit's abilities and weaponry. Once finished, he grabbed the rest of the things his employer had provided for him.
But he then smirked at his next thought.
"And now would be a good time to test just how good this new suit is," he slyly muttered, knowing he would be easily detected by those white-clad ghost hunters once he was outside Plasmius' ghost-proof hidden lab; that is, unless he had something better to outwit their devices.
He activated the suit's cloaking device and finally turned intangible.
Much to his surprise, once he exited the lab, he actually phased through one of the Guys-in-White agents. But Skulker kept his gasp in check, even as the agent kept walking through him without even a shudder… He had not noticed him, nor had any of the human hunter's ghost-detecting instruments gone off. The cloaking device worked perfectly!
"Advantage, Skulker!" he thought triumphantly. But then he grinned mischievously when another daring thought hit him as he phased out of Vlad's mansion…
"Now that I think about it, I've always wanted to test my hunting skills on my employer. I suppose this is as good a chance as any!"
Without any more comments, he flew off towards Fenton Works to meet up with his new helpers.
Vlad paced the length of his cell with growing anxiety. He guessed that Iluzisto had left with that blasted time ghost and his and the boy's worthless 'lawyer' about four or five hours ago. But the man still could not get over their visits, especially after what Clockwork had said to the illusion-willing spirit.
The older half-ghost's eyes flashed red with restrained anger, though he remained in his human form. It was unwise to become Plasmius unless necessary. At least not with Iluzisto around. And to his misfortune, his powers were being suppressed, but conveniently not his ghost form. The device around his neck was pretty impressive to accomplish such a feat. But not unique. Skulker had something similar to it that he was sure Daniel knew firsthand about—those special spectral handcuffs. They were meant to keep the boy in ghost form but blocked all his powers—including flight.
Vlad already knew the device on his neck did more than Skulker's cuffs. His bruised neck was a constant reminder of that.
The man suddenly stopped pacing and looked across at Danny, who was still out cold draped on his bed. That vile illusionist had really hammered the boy with that collar for trying to attack Clockwork… Daniel had yet to wake up.
"Iluzisto could have had the decency to at least give the child a warning before shocking him senseless," he muttered angrily, internally wishing he could get close to the teen and at least put him correctly on the bed.
The billionaire suddenly sighed and shook his head. His real anger had long since melted over this affair. Now, he was truly worried. But not just for himself. But for the boy; the boy and his… mother. The time spirit had practically sent Iluzisto after Daniel's loved ones with the purpose of breaking not just the teen, but him as well…
It sure proved how wrong Daniel was about Clockwork, and how right Vlad was. That spirit was only out to do what he thought right for the timeline. He did not care about the boy. But now the man was sure the Time Master was also evil. He had to be to have sent Iluzisto to harm his innocent Maddie.
But why would Iluzisto be interested in breaking him and the boy, anyways? Supposedly the ghost worked for the Observants and his job was to guard them while the trial took place. However, it was obvious that Iluzisto did not do what the Observants asked willingly. He was being forced to obey them. But how? And why?
"There's something more to Iluzisto that I have not yet uncovered," Vlad whispered, his eyes narrowing.
And the billionaire was sure that Clockwork knew that 'something more'—being the Master of Time and all. But the time spirit had to also know Iluzisto's true intentions with him and the boy. Clockwork knew…and he was still helping him…
"Curses!" Vlad growled, his hands fisting on his sides as he began to pace again.
As much as he hated to admit it, he and Daniel stood no chance against a spirit with the ability to will time; especially when Clockwork was teaming up with another who could distort one's perception of reality… And with Daniel and his powers being suppressed…
They were in serious trouble.
Vlad knew the type of creatures the Observants were. Their punishments only ranged from severe to deadly. So, if they declared him and the boy guilty—which Vlad was sure would be the case regardless of whether or not they could present anything close to a good case—-Daniel and he would surely be condemned to eternal imprisonment…or even sentenced to… death.
The older half-ghost's certainty of their fate should they stay here for the final verdict was what had him on the edge. This trial could not be allowed to reach its full duration. Problem was, he was powerless to stop it. And escape looked slim without his ghost powers…
Vlad understood that they needed…help.
The billionaire knew he could rely on Skulker or Fright Knight for assistance if he could only reach either somehow. Yes, he had developed a system in his house that would be triggered in case of emergencies. But it only did so if Skulker or Fright Knight came to his house and the Maddie program found evidence of a struggle and his absence. But how long would it take for one of his closer allies to figure out he was missing? After all, Fright Knight only came to his home when he requested his audience; and Skulker hardly came every day.
Then, there were Daniel's friends and sister.
But how could they possibly help? They would never figure out their friend and brother's location on their own.
But, then, if by some small amount of luck, they or Skulker were to discover their abduction and their location, the chances of their getting him and the boy out were just as slim. At least, not with so many dangerous spirits around. And the jail itself seemed to have some form of spell that kept out outside technology, since his highly advanced wrist device wasn't working!
Even with all the upgraded ghost weapons he left in case of this kind of emergency, Vlad wasn't sure it would be of any use when technology must be null here...
Vlad suddenly snapped his head back toward Daniel at the sound of his groaning; and the billionaire instantly froze when he saw the teen's hands begin to twitch to life.
It took the boy a while, but he eventually managed to lift his body off the hard bed. He let out another protest of pain as he brought his hand up to his spinning head. But then, suddenly, he gasped and his once clouded eyes cleared and widened.
"Clockwork!" he whispered in dread, not knowing that his previous gasp had startled his arch-enemy.
The boy's eyebrows creased as he mumbled out his friends' and sister's names. But the moment their echo had left his lips, he felt a surge of energy pulse through him. He was done sitting here! He could not afford to do so anymore when his friends and sister were in danger! He had to get out of here! He had to stop that Iluzisto creep from hurting his loved ones!
He bounded to his feet, so charged that his past injuries no longer held any power over him. He instantly grabbed the collar around his neck and yanked on it. When it did not budge, he grasped it even more fiercely, to the point that he was turning his already bruised neck red. Grunting in determination after realizing that the device was not going to break under his strength, he attempted to call forth his powers. But no matter how many times he tried, his energy would just fizzle in his hands.
Suddenly worried about the panicking teen, Vlad called out with a grave voice, "Daniel, stop! You need to calm down!"
Finally remembering that the older hybrid was here, too, the young half-ghost quickly looked at the man. But the boy reflexively narrowed his eyes and shouted back, "Calm down? You expect me to 'calm down' when my supposed guardian whom I once completely trusted has sent a sadistic, crazy ghost after my friends and sisters, and possibly even my parents? I don't think so!"
"Panicking isn't going to help them, boy!" Vlad snapped back.
"Then what will?" Danny yelled, now sounding more desperate than angry.
Vlad didn't reply this time.
But the teen could tell by the man's sober gaze that even he didn't have a way out of this.
That was enough of a shock itself for Danny. His grit deflated with a sigh, and he dropped his hands to his sides.
A moment of silence fell upon the two hybrids.
But then, the teen suddenly closed his eyes and whispered, "You don't understand, Vlad… If something happens to any of them… I…"
The young half-ghost could not finish his words. But the older one did not need him to.
"Look, Daniel, you're friends and family—and ironically, I am including Jack in this comment—are more resilient than you believe," Vlad assured him seriously. "I am quite certain they will be able to fend for themselves. Right now, you need to focus on your predicament—as I do mine. I hate to admit it, but we are in more peril than they are."
"I don't agree, Vlad!" Danny instantly countered, unconsciously fisting his hands once again. He couldn't shake the strange feeling within him as he continued, "Didn't you see how Iluzisto's whole attitude changed at the news and then all of the sudden even I could see the hunger in his putrid eye at the thought of wasting my friends and sister? And though I have no clue how long I was out, he must have been gone for at least that long or longer, right? Or else, he would have been back here torturing us some more, I'm sure." He suddenly gasped at his next thought. "And that would mean that Jazz, Sam, and Tucker must be in danger now!"
"That may be true, Daniel, but in case you haven't noticed, we are in just as much danger, especially with our powers curtailed," the man quipped back with some annoyance.
"And in case you didn't notice, Iluzisto easily defeated us and so what makes you think that my friends and family could stand a chance against him? I don't think we even have weapons strong enough to counter Iluzisto," the boy retorted in even more annoyance.
"Believe it or not, Iluzisto's power level is a seven, much like your own, Daniel. I believe your parents do have weapons your friends and sister can use to keep him at bay," Vlad retorted with a raised eyebrow.
"Then, why did he kick our butts so easily?" Danny pressed, not believing the man. "Plus, don't think that after hearing everyone around here talking about it that I haven't noticed by now the difference between 'ghosts' and 'spirits'! And I might not know all the differences between them, but I know enough now to say that spirits are much more powerful than ghosts, and Iluzisto is in the 'spirit' category, which makes him a bigger threat to my friends and sister than any ghost they have faced!"
"I cannot deny that," Vlad said with a frown. "But if Iluzisto managed to capture us as he did, it is because I was unaware of his unique powers. I hate to admit it, but he caught me off guard. There is one thing I do not understand, though…"
"And what is that?" Danny questioned, annoyed by the man's change in subject.
"I would think that because Iluzisto is an Observant, he would have the same power level as the Observants. Iluzisto should be a 'nine' and, honestly, when he attacked us, he fought like one. But… my instruments read him as a level 'seven'…"
"Yeah, well, maybe your instruments were wrong," Danny replied with more agitation. "And looks like you've forgotten that that weapon he has had you down for the count with just one hit! So, there is no way that Iluzisto is at my power level! I've fought ghosts with my power level and Iluzisto was a whole lot stronger than me when I fought him! Well, uhm, of course I was very tired at the time….but, you get my point!"
Vlad sighed in frustration. "Look, I do not know what is going on with Iluzisto, but the point is that we need to focus more on our predicament, Daniel!"
But Danny then frowned in irritation, "There you go with that 'we' thing again! I don't care what level that putrid spirit is at in the end, either! But there is no 'we' here, Plasmius! There is 'me' and 'you' and the fact that I don't want Iluzisto near my family and friends!"
He immediately began to pull on his neck brace again, grunting with the struggle.
Vlad glared again. "It was a manner of speaking, you little rat! But like it or not, we are both stuck here! And like it or not, even if you could miraculously break that neck restraint, it would take all your strength to do so. And that would make you a sitting duck for Iluzisto to come punish you for trying to escape! A lot of good that will do your family and friends, Daniel! If you want to save them, then use your head! We need to save ourselves and find a way out of here, first, before you can help them!"
Danny just glared back, but he had nothing to counter what Vlad had just said. He just hated it when his enemy was right.
Still reluctant, Danny crossed his arms and bitterly asked, "Alright, Vlad, how are we getting out of here?"
But the man hesitated in his reply. "I am still thinking about that…I just need an opening. But it seems for now we are going to have to go through with this blasted trial."
With a sigh, Danny plopped in defeat on his bed; and knowing he had no plan himself, muttered, "I guess we don't have much of a choice, then."
Vlad didn't reply, though, he also took a seat on his hard bed. He stared at his dysfunctional watch for a moment. It irked him greatly that he had made the blasted thing to get him out of tight spots and now when he needed it most, not even the blasted time on it worked!
"Why do you think they put this here?"
Vlad jolted with the sudden question, only to jolt again when he found Danny standing in front of the transparent shield with his hand against it.
"What?" the man quickly snapped, still irritated with his previous thoughts and now by the boy's sudden actions.
The boy raised an eyebrow before dryly muttering, "And you wonder why I call you a fruit loop."
The man briefly scowled at the boy, but still said, "I didn't catch your question."
"I asked, why do you think the Observants or Iluzisto put this shield here?" Danny repeated as he inspected the barrier.
"To keep us apart, obviously," Vlad said, rolling his eyes.
"Obviously," Danny repeated, rolling his eyes himself. "What I mean is, why an invisible barrier? They mentioned something about us being more dangerous when we're together. So, then, why let us see and talk to each other?"
Vlad frowned. He actually had not thought about that.
"Wow, Daniel…" the man said with a hint of smirk on his lips. "You really are more clever than I gave you credit for."
"Gee, thanks," Danny muttered sarcastically, removing his hand from the shield. "Now, think you can answer my question?"
"I would. If I had the answer to it," Vlad answered with a sigh.
But much to the man's surprise, the boy smirked wittily back at him, and then said, "Wow, Vlad. You're less clever than I gave you credit for…"
The billionaire raised an eyebrow, but then he smirked back. "Touché, little badger."
"Looks like you are both in much better spirits…"
Both half-ghosts instantly tensed; but while Vlad quickly stood, Danny backed away, keeping his eyes keenly on Iluzisto. They didn't utter another word, even when the evil Observant moved closer to them, rolling a cart with three covered trays—one small and two larger ones—and two glasses of some beverage.
Stopping in front of the cells, Iluzisto also silently regarded the half-ghosts, but his eye was curved into what could only be interpreted as secret amusement.
After getting back from that 'hunter's island', it had taken the Illusionist spirit some more time to tend to his wounds. But now, he was feeling better, and was ready to act on the next part of his plan…
Iluzisto's eye curved higher with the thought. But then, abruptly, the spirit broke eye contact with his two prisoners and calmly uttered, "You two must be famished…"
He first moved over to Vlad and used the end of his staff to unlatch a small door at the bottom right corner of the man's cell. He then levitated one of the larger covered food trays and glasses of some liquid and slid them into the opening. He soon sent the other large tray and glass through a similar opening in Danny's cell, leaving only the smaller of the covered trays on the cart.
The two hybrids watched the spirit like hawks the entire time. But when the smell of food wafted up to the two prisoners' nostrils, they dared to glance down at their respective covered tray. Vlad and Danny both barely suppressed a cringe when they each felt their stomach jolt to life. Still, neither took a single step towards his tray.
Iluzisto slightly narrowed his eyes at this, and demanded, "Why are you two not eating?"
"You don't really think I'm about to touch something cooked by you, do you?" Danny answered angrily.
"You have very likely tampered with whatever is inside those trays," Vlad then muttered.
The illusionist spirit abruptly laughed. "You creatures amuse me. If I wanted to merely kill you, I would have from the moment we met. I am simply following orders. And they were to tend to your physical needs. You crossbreeds do require sustenance, correct?"
But when neither replied, Iluzisto shrugged and added, "Alright. I did my part. I can do nothing more if you two decide to starve yourselves." The spirit turned to leave, but then he froze and turned back to Danny. "I almost forgot," he said, a lace of wickedness in his tone. "I have something special for you, little crossbreed…"
He picked up the smaller covered tray. And just like before, he unlatched the small door at the corner of Danny's cell and slid the smaller tray right next to the larger one in the cell.
"Think of it as dessert," Iluzisto then said as a strange gleam in his eye.
With that, the spirit turned again and finally floated down the hallway. But then, when he reached the darkened area in the hall, where he knew he was hidden from sight, he used his stealth mode to watch the two half-ghosts in the shadows. He also quickly distorted their ghost sense in case they could still detect him. He did not want to miss their reaction for the world!
Silence reigned in the room as Danny and Vlad just stared wearily down the dark hallway. But then, slowly, they gazed at each other for a brief moment, before turning their blue eyes down to the food trays.
"I'm not eating that," Danny suddenly said, but his resolve was barely there as the smell of food continued to invade his senses. He was SO hungry!
Vlad didn't reply, though by the slight pained look on his face, he seemed to be having the same problem as Danny. But there was one thing that kept him from touching the food.
Something told him that Iluzisto was close by.
He couldn't be sure, however. Although he had long since figured out that the evil spirit could distort his and the boy's ghost sense, he wasn't sure if the queasiness in his stomach was due to his empty stomach or because the illusionist spirit was really around. It made Vlad extremely edgy…
But whether or not the spirit was close, the billionaire was sure Iluzisto was up to something. However, Vlad doubted that the spirit was just trying to poison them. In fact, as much as he hated to accept it, Iluzisto was right when he said that he would have already wasted them if that was his intentions.
Vlad's eyes slowly drifted to Danny's meal—or meals, apparently. Why had Iluzisto given the boy an extra tray? Somehow, the man had a hunch that whatever was inside them was not all food…
"Daniel?" the older half-ghost called, apprehension clear in his voice. "Uncover your trays…"
"What? No way!" Danny quickly exclaimed. "What if it's a bomb or something?"
Vlad countered that with a silent dry look.
But the boy still refused. "No, I'm not going anywhere near it."
Vlad clenched his teeth, and was about to argue back when he suddenly got a better idea. Why force the child when he could convince him to willingly open his trays?…
"Daniel, Iluzisto is right. He didn't go through all the effort of capturing us just to eliminate us now—there would be no sadistic fun in that," the man muttered bitterly. But he then shook his head and added, "Besides, he has a higher power to which to answer. He wouldn't dare go against the High Tribunal."
"I don't care," Danny answered stubbornly. "I am not touching it." And as if to make his point final, he walked over to his bed, sat down, and crossed his arms.
But Vlad just shrugged. "Fine. You starve. But I'm going to prove I'm the wiser and gather my strength."
With that, Vlad moved over to the tray on the floor. He hesitated momentarily as he thought, "I really do hope it's not a bomb…"
But swallowing his fear, he finally picked up the covered tray and glass and took them to his bed. Placing his meal down on it, Vlad's breath hitched as he slowly lifted up the cover.
The entire time, Danny watched the man with slightly parted lips, though his own breath remained still. And when he saw the billionaire lift the meal's cover he tensed and squeezed his eyes close expecting the worse.
Vlad suddenly let out a small chuckle and Danny snapped his eyes open and looked at him.
"See? It's just food…" the man said, raising a smug eyebrow, while tilting the tray enough for the boy to see.
Danny's eyes and mouth opened wide as he stared at Vlad's dish of roasted chicken, collard greens, mash potatoes with gravy, and a soft hot roll. It looked as good as it smelled! Heck, Iluzisto had even placed utensils inside the tray for them!
But then Danny gasped when Vlad suddenly turned into his ghost form. "What are you doing? I thought you said he can hurt us in ghost form!"
"That's true, Daniel. But, if you have not noticed, this is ghost food. It will do nothing for our bodies unless we are ghosts," Vlad responded calmly, though internally he was even more nervous. He began to wonder if this was Iluzisto's intention. Is that why he had been so…noble as to feed them?
Vlad suddenly wondered if exposing himself like this was even worth discovering what was in that extra tray the illusionist had given the boy. Maybe what was in it was just food, and he was just playing into Iluzisto's real intention of getting them to change into their ghost forms…
Danny frowned slightly when he finally noticed the slight glow around the food. He didn't need Vlad to elaborate. It made sense that in the Ghost Zone there would only be ghost food; and that it would only nourish ghosts. The glow made the boy a little uneasy, but the food still looked—and smelled—sooo good…
The billionaire shot a suspicious look down the dark hallway before looking back at the food. If Iluzisto had not made a move yet, it must be because he was waiting for something more than their turning ghost. Vlad decided to continue.
With his heart beating wildly in his ears, he first lifted the glass of what looked like some sort of juice and brought it to his lips.
"Wait, you're actually going to drink that?" Danny quickly said, stopping the man in his tracks.
Vlad frowned at the boy as he lowered the glass. "I told you, Daniel. I will not allow myself to be weakened further just to merely defy Iluzisto. It is foolish."
Danny didn't say anymore as Vlad finally took a sip from his drink. When the man lowered the glass again, he smirked at the boy and said, "It's kiwi."
Danny rolled his eyes.
Even still, Vlad added, "Oh, come now, Daniel. I know you are hungry and thirsty. Stop being so stubborn and just fill your empty stomach."
But when the billionaire placed a small piece of chicken in his mouth and teasingly savored it, Danny scowled and looked away. But the teen couldn't keep his stomach from protesting at him as the minutes ticked by. And ultimately, it won against his resolve.
With a defeated sigh, Danny suddenly stood and changed into his ghost form. But unlike Vlad, the teen just sat down on the floor and lifted up the cover off the larger of his trays. He made sure to keep his back to the billionaire, already feeling his smug, triumphant smile without having to see it.
And indeed Vlad was smiling at finally getting the boy to do what he wanted. But his interest really was with the smaller tray. Still, the man waited patiently, and just continued to satisfy his own empty stomach as he did.
Danny's meal was the same as his arch-enemy. The boy downed the juice, actually surprised how normal it tasted in spite of its glow. He then went to his food and began eating it quickly, especially when it tasted as good as it smelled and looked.
"Don't choke, Daniel," Vlad suddenly teased. He couldn't really see the boy eating, but he could see his quick movements and hear his large gulps of food.
The teen finally looked over at his arch-enemy just as he swallowed a big piece of chicken. "Why don't you shut it, Plasmius, before you choke?" he snapped back.
Vlad scowled at the teen, but Danny suddenly smirked back and said, "Oh, I know what's wrong! You're just sour because you didn't get dessert. But don't worry, V-man, I'll make sure to eat it slowly just for you."
Vlad didn't say anything as he finally saw Danny grab the cover off the smaller, flat tray; but the instant he had, the boy's grin vanished and he jolted at the first thing he saw inside the tray.
Blood.
Danny yelped as he scrambled away from the small tray.
Vlad jumped to his feet and darted to the invisible barrier, anxious to see what had freaked out the boy. But just as the man got close enough to see what was on the small tray, the teen finally noticed what exactly was covered in blood.
Silently screaming out in violent witness were his sister's headband with a few locks of hair still intertwined with it; Sam's black bracelet streaked in red; and a ripped, bloodied piece of Tucker's shirt. But…all of them…were covered with fresh human blood.
If Danny wasn't so horrified, he would have questioned why the blood was still so fresh… Of course, the teen had no way of knowing that once Iluzisto had returned to this realm, where time was irrelevant, the blood would not dry, since it was in a sense, frozen in time.
"That's, that's…" the boy tried to speak, but his mind was reeling with what this could only mean.
"That's what remains of your loved ones, crossbreed," Iluzisto suddenly interrupted him when he abruptly appeared in front of the cells.
The billionaire's eyes widened and he immediately changed to his human form. But Danny was too frozen with shock to think of the danger he was now in with his being in ghost form.
Danny stared up at Iluzisto and the triumphant look in the spirit's eye confirmed the words the spirit had uttered. But the teen refused to believe it.
"No…," the boy whispered as he slowly backed away from his friends and sister's articles. "I-It's just an illusion," he told himself.
But Iluzisto suddenly laughed. "What you see before you is no illusion, crossbreed. I found your loved ones at that hunter's island, just as Clockwork had said. And I dealt with all of them permanently. Why else would I have been gone for so long and not brought you sustenance until now? "
Vlad cringed at the mention of 'that hunter's island'. He was sure the ghost referred to Skulker. And that brought up the question: Had Iluzisto also gotten rid of his ally? Surely, Skulker would defend his home with his after-life and the illusionist spirit would not tolerate interference.
The older half-ghost felt his heart speed up faster as he thought of what that could mean. If Iluzisto was telling the truth, then the spirit had just gotten rid of the only ones that could possibly have a remote chance of saving the boy and him.
If his words were true, they were now utterly alone.
"NO!" Danny suddenly screamed at the spirit, his hands fisting at his sides as they fizzled with his attempt to use his powers. "You're lying! You're lying! You jerk! You're lying!"
Iluzisto pulled closer to the young half-ghost's cell and whispered evilly, "You should know that my illusions cannot touch you in your human appearance. You want hard evidence? All you have to do is reach out to your 'loved ones' remains."
With a scream of rage, Danny suddenly lunged at the spirit and attempted to punch him through the barred cells door. But Iluzisto quickly caught his fist; and knowing he had no one watching him, he used his hold to withdraw the boy's ghost energy.
Danny gasped when he felt his body suddenly weaken; and before he knew it, he was in a heap on the ground back in his human form.
And when he fell, Danny accidentally brushed his hand against the contents in the tray. He immediately brought it up and noticed that his human hand was now stained red with some of the real blood that had not fully dried and had been on the items in the tray. The blood. It was real and very wet and cold! His eyes grew wide and his breath tightly hitched in alarm. But a moment later, he was panting with the emotional impact.
Iluzisto sighed contently as the boy's powerful energy finished pulling into his being. The boy's energy was just as delectable as the older crossbreed's. The thought made the spirit turn his eye to the man. Too bad he had not been able to catch him off-guard as well and take up some more of his energy, too. Still, the crossbreeds' ability to regenerate their lost energy made them a limitless power supply. He would have plenty of chances to get more from both of them—if he had anything to say about it, that is.
Vlad, who had been staring fearfully at Iluzisto after having witness him drain the boy's energy like he had with him when he first was captured, quickly shifted his eyes to the teen when Danny suddenly grabbed the items in his shaking hands.
The boy only breathed heavily for the moment; but then suddenly he screamed, "No! You-You couldn't have! You didn't! NO!"
Iluzisto gasped as the boy suddenly let go of the items and sprang furiously towards him again. But what he couldn't believe was the sight of the boy changing into his ghost form again. He had just drained him completely of energy! How had he managed to regenerate it back so quickly?
But as the crushed boy screamed out threats to him, it dawned on Iluzisto that the crossbreeds were a more complicated species than he had thought. It seemed that, perhaps, under strong distress their bodies could regenerate their lost energy even faster…
How delightful!
Not wanting to miss the opportunity to gather more energy from the young crossbreed, Iluzisto quickly moved closer to the boy, who was in vain trying to reach out at him through the bars again. But before Iluzisto could do that, the older crossbreed got his attention.
"You horrid, vile, disgraceful creature!" Vlad spat out hatefully. "You wait. I swear I'll make you wish you had never been given your wretched existence! You are a pathetic, lowly excuse for a spirit. You're nothing but a waste of—AH!"
The man's scream resonated through the cell as Iluzisto kept his finger firmly pressed against a button on the collar's control. And by the furious look conveyed by his reddened eye, the spirit had no intentions of ending the older hybrid's agony.
Vlad could only crumble to the ground; and as he fell, his neck restraint scraped against the invisible shield, sparks crackling from both shield and restraint under the electrical assault. In the back of his mind, he cursed himself for his foolish idea of capturing the spirit's attention in order to keep him from draining the boy of more energy. But he also realized he might have overdone it and that the spirit may actually want to push aside his duties to the High Council and just out-and-out waste him. At that moment, his instincts overtook him; and without even knowing it, the man changed into his ghost form.
But the instant he did, the electrical assault vanished; but his instincts were still in overdrive and he somehow sensed Iluzisto drawing closer to his exposed ghost half. With a fearful gasp, Vlad managed to push himself away from the cell bars in time to keep Iluzisto from touching him.
Iluzisto narrowed his eye further at the man's quick reaction. "If you ever dare to insult me in such a way again, I'll hold down this button until your heart stops," he said darkly.
The spirit glanced over at Danny, who had by now deflated after witnessing the spirit's assault on his arch-enemy. But he was now just sitting on the ground, his head lowered as he clutched his sister and friend's belongings against his chest as if keeping them there would bandage the agony tearing his heart.
The illusionist ghost felt the swell of victory tugging at his central core. But he knew he still had to be patient.
"Your first day of trial is in a few hours' time. I strongly recommend you finish your meals," Iluzisto said, his tone of voice dressed in smugness. With a last triumphant look at the two half-ghosts, he turned and this time truly left them alone.
Vlad's mind was too deep in a pained haze to move from where he lay on the ground against the shield. He only barely noticed that the shield was still crackling from the collar's electrical assault. But he was too out of it to really think much about it.
The man briefly shut his eyes and grasped his raw neck as he tried to regain control over his panting and aching body. But a moment later, he managed to gain enough mental control to change back into his human side again. But he couldn't keep a soft groan from escaping his raw throat as his pain doubled.
Still, he had to get past his own injuries right now. Something was really wrong. And he knew that it involved the young half-ghost.
Vlad slowly stood and frowned when he saw the shield flicker. But again, he gave it hardly a thought. He looked through blurry eyes over at Danny, who was still sitting on ground clasping his loved ones' belongings.
"Daniel?" the man called worriedly. And when he heard no answer, he said a little stronger, "Daniel, look at me."
But the boy still didn't move.
Vlad's hands fisted at his sides in a moment of desperation as he insisted, "Listen to me, my boy. It could just be a trick. You can't know for sure that—"
"Leave me alone, Vlad," Danny suddenly whispered, cutting him off.
The billionaire frowned even more as the boy began to shake with restrained emotions.
"Daniel, this is what he wants," Vlad began softly. "You can't let…" But this time the man cut himself off as the thought of something happening to the boy's mother suddenly became very real. Vlad instantly felt even more scared as he felt his heart skip a beat in dread. The thought jolted his sense of priorities.
"No, you're right, Daniel. I-I, Oh, dear boy, I'm so sorry," the billionaire said, lowering his head in sadness. The boy and he might be rivals; but this was a kind of pain he would have never wished for Daniel.
The man's words seemed to push Danny over the edge and he suddenly brought up his knees and buried his face into his arms. His body quivered even more as he tried to quiet his crying with only slight success. He didn't want to believe that his sister and friends were gone. But how could he deny it when he had their articles stained with their blood in his human grasp?
Vlad's eyes slightly widened at the sight of the crying boy. It was a sight that even he couldn't ignore. And it was one he had hoped never to see. But he was seeing it now and he couldn't do anything but watch.
The billionaire placed a hand against the invisible shield as he wished with all his might that it was not there or that it would not have been transparent. Having to watch Daniel like this was worst than being physically tortured by that horrible spirit.
The man's hand suddenly fisted against the shield as he tried to keep himself from losing it. But knowing if he continued to watch the boy, he would indeed lose his composure, he turned away and walked back to his bed.
The sight of his unfinished food suddenly made him extremely ill and he quickly closed the tray and stuffed it under the bed. He then sat down and leaned forward as he rested his elbows on his legs and let his hands dangle in between his legs.
Vlad raised his sad eyes and briefly glanced at the weeping Danny again before lowering his head.
For the first time in his life, he felt utterly helpless.
They say the best illusions are based on one's real fears…. *Vlad muse laughs evilly*
*Pearl rolls eyes* Yes, my muse is being evil again, which I'll just ignore. I hope you are all enjoying this story as much as Truephan and I are enjoying writing it! But, let us know either way, kay? You guys know how much we love hearing your thoughts!
In other news, I hope to have CM before next weekend. Heh. I wanted to finish CM by this year, but with my alternating updates with DoaS, that goal has fallen short. And, I don't dare freeze my updates for Doas when we have gotten into such a good part! So, we'll see how things play out. In any case, CM won't be lasting very long. If I don't finish this year, it will very likely be by sometime in January. *winks* Now, over to your other author and her own evil muse…
Truephan here: Man, just who is responsible for cooking up all this bad news? Oh, yeah, right, pearl's and my muses! *smiles sheepishly*. Oh, well, what did you expect from them? Cookies and milk? Well, of course, they could have used them—laced with arsenic or something! In any case, we hoped you enjoyed this chapter and will show us your appreciation and give us your delicious thoughts by pushing that little blue button just below this. We can't promise, however, if our muses booby-trapped it…but you'll never know unless you push it…go on…