Pearl: Hello everyone! Welcome to 2011 and to a new chapter of 'Seeing is DisBelieving'! Thank you all for your support and we hope you all will continue to enjoy this story to the very end! Well, I don't have anything else to say except to hold on to your seats and keep your eyes open, less you get captured by our own muses' illusions… heh-heh.
A/N: Truephan here: Happy New Year, everybodee…I truly wish only blessings in this new year for every one of you wonderful readers. Having you made last year just as nice, too!
Ah, yes, a new year…In fact, it's a nice feeling to have a clean slate again, isn't it? That way pearl's and my muses can use up all our 'get out of jail' cards all at once, right? Well, that's the only way I can explain our getting away with writing this chapter, especially with causing all that squirming we might get out of ya. So, then *hands over fist full of cards* get ready….and, oh, enjoy!
Disclaimer: We do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs are our own.
Chapter 12: Escape is only an Illusion
The two hybrids turned human as a precaution. But even as they did, Vlad felt differently and was extremely glad now that the power-inhibiting collar was partly damaged and that he could reach part of his powers. It was definitely helping him heal a lot quicker than he should be within this timeless realm. In fact, he had all but forgotten about his nasty wound received from Iluzisto.
And the older hybrid was sure that good fortune was stilling following him and the boy when they made it to the end of the cell hall and saw that the closed door had a small window, one that he could peek at anyone who could be on the other side before opening it—without detection.
He slid the cover back from the window and peered through it. The man barely held back a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no one guarding the door on the other side.
He placed his hand on the door, before looking back at the human teen and noticing that he was no longer limping. "Looks like you've pretty much healed, too, so keep your steps light, Daniel. And we stay together at all times. That way, if we run into Iluzisto, there is less of a chance that he can trick us."
"How are we going to find a way out, Vlad?" Danny asked, suddenly realizing that Vlad was right about one thing. He was feeling better. But that didn't squelch his feeling dread begin to bubble in his stomach. "From the times we have been out of the cells, this place looks like a maze."
Vlad, who was about to open the door, paused and frowned. "The truth is, we are going to need a bit of luck."
"I'd say a lot of luck," the teen corrected him seriously.
The older hybrid paused, a tense, but brief silence passing over them before he said, "The wisest thing we can do is attempt to make our way back to the High Council room. As you know from the Vortex fiasco, I have infiltrated the Observants' council room before, so, of course, I know and have seen the way out of there, as well as, the path that leads out into the Ghost Zone."
"I guess that sounds as good as it's gonna get. So, let's quit stalling and just get this over with," Danny replied.
"So impatient," the man murmured with a roll of his eyes.
Danny returned the gesture, but then he turned his attention back to the matter at hand when Vlad finally opened the door.
As they hesitantly stepped through the door, the teen carefully closed it behind them, just in case anyone came by and noticed an opened door. But right then, the boy noticed something on the door himself, and frowned. There were some odd symbols on it.
"Hey, Vlad?" Danny whispered.
The man turned to look at him, and seeing the boy pointing to the symbols on the door, he nodded, and whispered back. "Yes, they are everywhere around here. But what they mean, I have yet to discover, nor do we have the time to do it now. Come."
The teen hesitated slightly as he stared at the strange symbols a moment longer. But he soon followed the man, quickly coming up along side of him. There were so many doors; and the teen could only conclude that they each led to another section of the prison.
"Daniel," Vlad suddenly called quietly, startling the teen out of his thoughts.
"Yeah?" the teen replied, a curious frown on his face. The man's voice sounded… weird.
The billionaire didn't look at the teen as he continued to carefully lead them to where they needed to go. However, he still replied, "…Speaking about strange findings like those symbols, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. And this might not be the best time, but… I just need to know… About that alternate future…"
Vlad suddenly paused and looked at the teen with an unreadable frown as he asked, "That creature… You said he was also part of me… What did you mean? What happened in that future, Daniel?"
The teenager had frozen with dread the instant the man had started talking about his evil future self. He knew the man would question him eventually, but he had hoped it wouldn't be anytime soon—actually, he had hoped the man would have forgotten all about it. Of course, that was wishful thinking. Such a revelation wasn't something anyone would just forget.
Still…
Danny looked away, but then he shook his head and muttered, "Nothing happened. That never happened, so it doesn't matter." The teen looked back at the man and seriously added, "Besides, you said it yourself, this isn't the time to talk about it, anyways. We need to keep going…"
Plasmius opened his mouth to argue, but the boy just moved past him and continued on. In spite of their more pressing matters, the older hybrid just could not forget what he had discovered. And it honestly disconcerted him quite a bit.
Unfortunately, Daniel clearly wasn't going to tell him anything; and to his further misfortune, this wasn't the time for it, either…
With a quiet sigh, Vlad dropped the topic all together and quickly followed after the boy. Even if Daniel wouldn't tell him, the man was now determined to find out about that 'alternate future' and about 'Evil Phantom.' But it would have to wait until this whole mess with the Observants and Iluzisto was done with…
Having taken the lead once more after he caught up to Danny, Vlad then slowed his pace a bit just before they reached a doorway ahead. He hoped he was right. Still, he led them onward and just as they passed through the threshold, he sighed a bit in relief. They had finally reached a circular foyer, which was, as he remembered it, the central part of the prison.
He paused, scanning the numerous doors surrounding him and the boy. However, the man didn't stall for very long. After all, he remembered exactly what door the guards had taken when they had led them to the trial room yesterday. From there, they would have to pass through two more doors before they would reach the High Council. Once they made it there, it would be very easy to get out of this horrid place and take the exit there that lead to the Ghost Zone…
The man moved to the door he knew they needed to go through. He then carefully grabbed the handle and began to open it; but when he did, the man's eyes widened when he saw two guards on the other side.
The older hybrid jolted when the spirits turned their eyes in his direction. But before they could see him, he quickly darted out of the way, grabbing Danny by the elbow and yanking him back.
"Hey, who opened the door?" one of the guards asked, noticing the slightly gaping door.
The two half-ghosts stared at each other as they heard the two guards' footsteps coming towards them, clearly about to investigate what or who was on the other side of the door. But as if reading each others' thoughts, Vlad and Danny concentrated; and since Vlad was still holding Danny's elbow, they combined their efforts, and quickly managed to cloak themselves under invisibility.
And just as they had succeeded, the guards opened the door fully and stepped out. They looked around in bewilderment when they saw no one there.
"Odd. How did the door open when there is no one here?" one of them said.
"Maybe you just forgot to close it properly," the other pointed out blandly.
"Me? You are the one that came in last!" the first quickly snapped back.
Since they were both invisible, the two half-ghost could see each other and they rolled their eyes at the two guards. But then the teen smirked and gestured with his head towards the now fully open, unguarded entry. The man just smirked back, before they both quietly moved pass the two guards and entered the hallway which they had initially intended to go.
As the sound of the arguing spirits faded behind them, the hybrids' invisibility began to fade away and soon left them completely in full view.
"Seems we cannot hold any power for very long," Vlad whispered to Danny, slight concern in the man's voice as he released the boy's elbow.
The teen didn't reply, and instead glanced around the area. There were even more doors here!
"Um, do you remember which way now?" Danny asked.
Vlad nodded and headed straight for the door on the far right, which should be the correct one. But the man suddenly paused and frowned when he finally noticed that the symbol on the door was not the same as it had been when he had first seen it.
"What's wrong?" Danny asked when Vlad hesitated to go through the door he had shown so much confidence of going into just a moment ago.
The man creased his eyebrows as he remained silent and glanced around. He wasn't sure what these symbols meant. But he had been paying attention to all of his surroundings during this entire affair, and he was certain that Iluzisto had led them through this door when they first were brought to the High Tribunal. So, why was the symbol now different?
In reality, the 'changing symbols' was part of a spell surrounding the prison conjured up by Iluzisto to prevent any escape. But he and the boy also didn't know that it wasn't the symbols which changed, but, rather, the doors… Each door within the prison kept the same symbol on it; but all of the various doors were never in the same order for long. That way, anyone familiar with the prison merely followed the 'code' on the doors rather than the placement of those doors. And any one who did not know that would usually….become lost…
Vlad sighed, knowing he had no way of finding that out, and finally replied, "It's nothing, Daniel. Come on," he said, finally opening the door and going in.
Danny frowned uncertainly, but still followed the man inside. He really hoped Vlad knew where he was going…
If Iluzisto had a mouth, it would have been gaped right open as he stared at the two crossbreeds' empty cells. But, instead, his eye had opened completely in his shock.
How? It was impossible! How did they get out? Iluzisto had come by to check on them to make sure that they had recovered enough from his attack on them for the next part of their trial tomorrow. But by the fact that they were gone, it was clear to the spirit that they had done a little more than recover!
Still in disbelief, Iluzisto stared between the empty cells as he tried to figure out how they had done it. And the answer came to him when he saw the small food door on the young hybrid's side wide open. No. Could it be that he had forgotten to close the latch? He was so angry when he left, he did not even look to check! So, he wasn't sure! But it was the only explanation by the looks of things.
The younger crossbreed must have somehow squeezed out through the opening and grabbed the set of keys at the end of the hall to get the older crossbreed out. And when Iluzisto noticed the set of keys still inside the older crossbreed's cell door, he quickly realized he was right!
Iluzisto growled in anger as his hand tightened on his dark staff. Why those conniving freaks! Did they think they could outwit him? Did they actually believe they were going to escape from him?
The Prison Head spun on his heal and began to storm back down the hallway. He didn't care about the fact that it was his own fault that they had gotten a chance to escape. He was still going to find them and make them regret even trying!
"They could not have gotten far with my illusion spell over this place!" he muttered angrily.
But, suddenly, he paused with a sudden thought, a thought that slowly curved his eye in what look like an evil smile.
"So, they want to try their luck, do they? Alright. I do not mind a bit of a challenge…," he said wickedly, but then his voice turned dark as he said, "But when they lose, I will make sure they never forget it!"
It was time to break those two crossbreeds.
"Are you still sure you know where you're going?" Danny asked dryly as they came to a dead end.
Vlad frowned deeply as he gazed at their surroundings. This made no sense! He was certain that had been the right door! But nothing here looked familiar. It was a completely new area he had never been in.
"I don't understand…," he muttered, this time sounding worried. He glanced over at a nearby door and frowned at the symbol on it. Could these symbols have something to do with their being lost…?
"Vlad?"
"What, Daniel?" he suddenly snapped, his frustration over this whole thing evident in his voice.
Danny instantly scowled. "Hey, don't get mad at me because you stink at directions!"
"I don't 'stink' at directions, you blasted child!" he growled through gritted teeth. "Something is going on here! I'm sure that that door should have taken us towards the council room!"
"Well, obviously, it didn't," Danny muttered, before looking around. He suddenly walked over to a random door and carefully opened it. No guards. Good.
"What are you doing, Daniel?" Vlad quickly asked when he saw the boy's intention of going through it.
Pausing and looking back annoyingly at his arch-enemy, Danny replied, "I'm going to find a way out, Vlad. What does it look like?"
"It looks like you are about to get us further lost!" Vlad snapped. "You have no idea where that door leads to!"
"Yeah, well, looks like you didn't, either, Plasmius, so we won't be worse off than now!" the boy retorted angrily.
"Don't go through that door, Daniel! Let's just retrace our steps. Perhaps I misjudged how far to the right the door we previously took was."
"Oh, so what happened with 'I'm sure it was this door?'" Danny retorted. But when Vlad opened his mouth to argue again, the teen quickly cut him off. "Forget it, Vlad. You don't know where we are and neither do I. But I'm not going to stand here and wait for you to analyze and plot some way out. Face it, you can't always plan out everything. And certainly not now."
The billionaire glared as he growled, "That does not mean you have to ignore the fact that you have a brain, Daniel. Why don't you use it for once and realize that heading into some unknown direction is a bad idea?"
"You want to talk about bad ideas, you jerk?" Danny exploded, stomping over to the man. He was sick of the guy making him out to be stupid or something!
"It was a 'bad idea' that I ever came to you for help!" the teen continued, his anger growing with every word. "It was a 'bad idea' for me to think you would not take advantage of the situation. And it was a very bad idea when you let in Iluzisto, which resulted in both of us being here; and worse, my friends and sister are gone! And all thanks to your bad idea! So, do what you want! I'm going that way. I don't care if you agree or not!"
Before Vlad could even get past his shock over the boy's sudden verbal barrage, Danny whipped around and stomped furiously towards the open door he had randomly picked.
The older hybrid just stared after him, still in disbelief. But suddenly, he exploded in fury, too. "Fine!" he whispered harshly as he whirled around and began to retrace his steps. "Get lost, you little rat! Why the blazes should I care?"
Yes, why should he care? After all, it was he who had gotten them this far. All the blasted child had done since he got here was be a dead weight to him! He was better off without him—especially now that he could feel that his wound had finally completely healed; and, of course, he had control of some of his powers again. Yes. It was going to be easier to find his own way without the boy's foolishness being a hindrance to his escape! Besides, if the little rat was going to blame him for everything, then, they had no business trying to work together. You couldn't work with someone you didn't trust. And in their case the feeling—or non-feeling—was mutual.
"I never asked him to come to my doorstep, anyways," Vlad muttered, though his previous anger had deflated with his comment.
The man stopped in front of the door that he knew he and Daniel had taken earlier, only to find the symbol was different—again! The man's eyebrows creased, fearful now that he was alone. He carefully opened the door and glanced out of it, only for his eyes to widen when he saw it was not the same place they had come from.
"What is this?" he whispered anxiously. He closed the door again and took a step back. As he stared at the symbol, a terrifying thought came to his mind. Could it be that…that the doors changed their locations…? It sounded plausible by the ever changing areas; but then… then… that meant he was utterly lost!
Vlad swallowed hard, now completely unsure what to do. But before he could even figure out what to do next, the sound of a voice behind him all but made him jump out of his skin.
"Hey, Vlad?"
The man gasped as he turned around, a hand pressed against his chest as he barely resisted the instinct to lift his hand and fire an attack. He could not be seen using his powers. It was his only life line.
But the man quickly calmed down when he saw Danny staring back at him with a somewhat bewildered and amused look on his face. "What's wrong with you? You look like you just saw a ghost!"
Vlad quickly scowled. "Blasted, Daniel! Don't sneak up on me like that! I mean, not when we have Iluzisto and his guards to worry about! And what are you doing here? I thought you were adamant about finding your own way out?"
Danny frowned. But then he stuck his hands in his pocket and shrugged. "I thought it would be wiser to remain together. Plus, I found something. Come."
Vlad hesitated as the boy walked off, expecting him to follow without question. And although at any other time his pride would have refused to do as the boy wanted, especially when he had just blamed him for everything, he truly had no choice. He was utterly lost.
Growling under his breath, the man reluctantly followed. "So what is this 'something', Daniel?" he asked, displeasure in his voice.
"It's through this door," Danny calmly replied, opening a door to the left of the one he had originally left opened.
The billionaire frowned in confusion. When had the boy gone through that door? But remembering his theory about the doors changing locations, he remained quiet as the teen went in.
Vlad's eyebrows creased even more in confusion as he entered a dimly lit hallway, containing several cells. This was another cell hall. How could this be the way out?
"Daniel, what is this? I highly doubt this is a way out. And it most certainly is not anywhere I've seen, so it cannot lead us to the council room."
The boy didn't look at him as he continued forward, but still answered, "I know. I found another door just to the right. I think it might take us to the High Tribunal's room."
Vlad remained unsure, but decided to go along with the boy. It's not like he had any better ideas. Soon enough, though, they reached the door, and the teen opened it again.
Vlad was just about to follow him in, when a soft whisper, coming from one of the cells caught his attention.
"Help…"
The man froze in place as he turned towards the quiet pleading voice.
"Someone… help me…"
Perhaps at any other instance, he would have ignored the desperate pleas. But, this time, he could not. He could not because the voice sounded so familiar…
Vlad slowly made his way towards the cell where the voice originated. And finding it, he noticed it was not like his cell. All he could see was its lone, heavy door, which was made of thick steel. But he would be able to peer into it through a small barred window just at his eye level.
The man did just that as the voice continued to plea for help. But when his eyes dimly caught sight of a blue hazmat suit in the darkness, his worst fear became a reality.
There in the corner, curled up, was his dear Maddie. Bruised, shivering, and frightened.
His thoughts exploded. Iluzisto had captured her!
But he was jolted out of his thoughts when Danny's mother looked up at him, her purple eyes filled with utter terror. That is, until she saw Vlad.
"Vlad?" she whispered, hopeful.
"Maddie," was all the man could reply back in an anxious hush.
After having told Vlad off and stormed out on him, Danny continued to scowl and grumble angrily. Forget that jerk! He had never needed him before to get out of his situations; so why should it be any different now? He would find his own way out and if Vlad was stuck in here for the rest of his life, it would just be what he deserved! No more fruit loop to worry about!
He ignored the pang of guilt at thinking that and just continued forward. His anger, though, slowly melted as he looked around and found even more doors and nothing hinting at a way out.
Still human, the boy glanced back in the direction he had come from; but from how deep he had already ventured, he could not really see the door he had left open anymore. Internally, Danny had hoped Vlad would have followed after him. But obviously the man's pride got in the way of having them 'stick together'.
Danny sighed as he looked forward again. He hated how bossy Vlad was. The man always thought he knew everything…But was it so hard to let him try something out this time? He could come up with good ideas, too! Why did the fruit loop have to be so stubborn?
Now, feeling at a lost on what to do, the teen went over to a random door again and placed his hand against the symbol. What were these things?
But before he could ponder any more on the thought, the sound of a door in the not-too-far distance opening jolted him and he had to choke down a gasp when he saw two guards come through it. He quietly sighed when it looked as if they hadn't seen him yet. But knowing that he would probably get caught at any moment, especially since his powers alone would not let him turn invisible fast enough without Vlad, he grabbed the handle of the door that was beside him and darted in.
He then quickly and quietly closed it behind him, suddenly noticing that his leg was all better now since he had felt no pain with his quick action. With a soft exhale, he took several steps back as he stared at the closed door, afraid that the guards had seen him anyways, or had heard the sound of the opening and closing door. But before he could worry about that, he gasped as another door to his right opened and a guard stepped in.
"You! How did you get out?" the guard demanded, pulling out his weapon.
Danny yelped and took off down the hall; but then, suddenly, another guard appeared through a door in front of the boy. Now being left with just one door from which to escape, Danny darted to his left, opened the door, and ran in.
But the moment he did, he froze at the sight before him. There, walking out of a cell, was Clockwork. The spirit turned to look at him, but said nothing.
"Clockwork…?" Danny asked in disbelief; but just as he said his name, the spirit abruptly vanished. "Clockwork!" he shouted angrily. What was that traitor up to now?
Danny quickly ran over to the cell from which the time spirit had just left and realized the older spirit had left it unlocked. The boy looked uncertainly into the cell, which was nothing like his. This one was completely solid, equipped with a steal door that only had a small window to peer through…
Danny swallowed and lifting up on his toes, he looked through the window. But the cell was too dark to really see anything. Actually, it looked empty…
But right then, he heard the door he had ran through click open; and believing it was the guards, he quickly did the only thing he could. He opened the cell door and jumped in, closing it behind him.
For a moment, he just stared at the cell door, afraid that he was going to be found out. However, he suddenly got a glimpse of a wall to his left and he slowly turned to look at it. He frowned in confusion when he saw those same strange symbols written all over the walls. But what had caught his attention the most was how two groups of symbols were repeated more often than any other group of symbols…and they were glowing…
ð-ζ-ǿ-ς
Ћ-Ж- ǿ- П- Д
Of course, the teen had no clue what they were or meant. He looked at them more closely and this time, he hoped he was wrong. The symbols appeared as if they were written with…some ghost's own ectoplasm…
The thought sent a shiver down his spine and he finally looked down the long cell. It was strange, actually. The cell was narrow, but long. So long in fact, that he could not see the end of it that remained hidden by the darkness. And most of the walls still were littered with all those symbols. But then, Danny startled when he saw something even more surprising...
There, partially obscured in the shadows, he could see some other kind of writing—human kind of writing—and it was written under some of those same symbols! But why would human writing be here? He looked again. But he couldn't make out everything. He saw a 'v' and an 'i', but the rest of the scrawl was hidden by the shadows.
Below and to the left of the other letters, however, he saw some kind of 'human-written' word, though it made no sense. He had no idea what the word 'Thera' meant. He stepped forward, now both anxious and curious. He wondered if he could see some more of those human that were still hidden in the shadows;and whether they would make more sense than what the rest of those other human letters he first saw did.
But that was not meant to be. For then all of the sudden, Danny felt himself shiver just before his ghost sense went off.
"Oh-o," he whispered in dread. But the sound of voices outside caught his attention and looked towards the door.
"Find him! He has to be here somewhere!" one of the guards commanded angrily.
But at that instant, something else turned his attention back to the unseen end of the cell. A dark chuckle that had plagued him with nightmares from the moment he first heard it had echoed behind him.
Danny's blue eyes widened as he watched his future-evil-self step from out of the shadows, a sadistic grin on his face. Suddenly, Clockwork'a brief appearance made sense. He must have brought his future evil self here! That's why he was in here a moment ago!
"You…," the boy whispered.
"Hello, Danny. Sounds like you're in trouble again. Too bad it's not my doing…"
But before the boy could get his brain to function, a moan rang from a corner of the room. And when at the next instant, Evil Phantom lit his hand with ghost energy finally lighting up the room completely, Danny gasped at the sight of a terribly beaten and tied up Vlad in the corner. But that wasn't all. Also, lying on the ground was the unmoving and bloodied forms of his sister and his two friends!
"Welcome to reality," his dark self said, before his evil laugh echoed through the room.
"Daniel!" Vlad shouted, throwing all precaution to the wind as he whipped his head to where he had last seen the boy.
But the boy was no longer there.
Anxious, the man's eyes traveled towards the door through which he had been about to follow the boy and found it open. But he could not see much past it. Did the boy continue on without him? Did he not see hear the pleading voice of his mother like he had?
"Daniel!" he hissed a bit less forcefully, now remembering to be a bit cautious again.
But getting no response, Vlad turned back to Maddie still trapped inside. "Do not fear, my dear. I will get you out," he assured her, before turning his attention to the locked door. He cursed at his rotten luck. Even if he used his powers, he probably would not be able to break it. He gazed back at his love, only to jolt when her beautiful, but bruised, face was now right up to the cell window.
"Are you hurt, Maddie?" Vlad asked worriedly. He would maim that blasted Iluzisto for this! How had he even managed to capture her? Wasn't she out of town with Jack?
Hold on...
"Maddie… where's Jack?" the man questioned before she could respond to his first question as a small frown fell on the man's face. Not that he cared about his former friend; but he was curious about how she had ended up in here and where that oaf was.
Maddie stared at him for a moment, before slowly shaking her head. "I don't know… One minute we were both at home watching television and the next…this powerful spirit attacked us! We did not stand a chance. And when I woke up I was here."
Vlad's eyebrows creased in uncertainty. "But your son said you were out of town."
Maddie suddenly gasped in pain and leaned up against the door.
"Maddie! What's wrong?" Vlad asked fretfully.
"I was just a bit hurt by that spirit. I will be fine. As for your question, We… We came home early."
Vlad barely heard her last comment, now more interested again in getting her out of there. He glanced around, trying to find a solution to this. But when he found nothing, he bit his lip and looked up at Maddie again. He would have to use his powers. But… that meant he would expose himself to Maddie.
Vlad swallowed hard.
"Maddie… I…"
But before he could decide on what to say or do, Maddie's cell suddenly lit up as small flames began to sprout from the ground.
The older hybrid and the woman's eyes widened, but it was the man who whispered in terror, "Oh my…it's a furnace!"
Maddie began to breathe heavily as the flames slowly began to intensify and the walls and ceiling also began to sprout hot flames. "Vlad. Vlad, please! Get me out! Please!" she whimpered as she pressed against the door even as the mounting flames licked at her.
Vlad's heart was now thumping full strength. And throwing all hesitation aside, he changed into his ghost form. He quickly gripped the door handle and tried to will his ghost powers. But to his dismay, he was both too panicked and more drained than he thought after combining his energy with Danny to escape from their cells.
The man actually whimpered in frustration when he found himself unable to get his powers to work.
"VLAD!" Maddie suddenly screamed as the flames finally reached her and began to attack her mercilessly.
"No," Vlad whispered, his eyes glued to the horrible scene, before he suddenly screamed again, "NO!" He suddenly fisted his hands and began to pound savagely at the metal door, before he tried to ram through it with his entire body. And all the while, Maddie's agonizing screams intensified as the entire room was incased in green flames.
"MADDIE!" Vlad cried out, his black gloves and shirt now torn from viciously attacking the metal door. But his blue hands and shoulder were now also streaked with his ectoplasm from his forceful efforts.
Now even more desperate, he assaulted the door again. But no matter what the man did, the door did not budge and he suddenly felt helplessness grip his entire being even as he pounded one last time on the door and pressed his head against it. He could no longer bear to see his dying love within the inferno…
The man shook violently as he heard Maddie's cries fade away and the smell of burning flesh surround him. With a sudden cry of pain, the man fell to his knees, giving up his ghost form in defeat when he realized that none of his ghostly powers could do anything for him at the moment.
He was so overwhelmed by grief that he didn't even see when Danny walked up to him, an evil smile on his face and a triumphant gleam in his now silvery-purple eyes…
"No, this can't be real. You can't be here," Danny denied.
The boy's evil self laughed. "Oh, come now, Danny! You didn't think the Observants would really trust Clockwork to keep me in that thermos, did you? They made him bring me here, under Iluzisto's care to make sure I could never escape. Still, they have to keep me entertained somehow…" he added, gesturing to the dead forms of the teen's sister and friends.
Danny's gaze followed his movements, before his eyes lowered to his loved ones. He gasped in horror. This just couldn't be true! That couldn't be them! And why were they in here with this, this monster?
This had to be an… illusion. But Iluzisto was nowhere around here—or was he? Every time in the past, the spirit had been around to make his illusions. Of course, Danny did not always spot him right away, but he was around no less. So he might be here. Or not. In fact, it was perfectly possible that what his dark self said was…true…and that the Observants had Clockwork bring Evil Phantom here…
"What are you doing? Why must you torment us?" Vlad's voice suddenly moaned out angrily, quickly pulling the boy from his thoughts.
Danny's eyes widened when he remembered Vlad. How had he ended up in here?
"Don't worry, Freak, I'll end your torment very soon; just like I did these humans right here," Evil Phantom said with dark mirth, as he briefly looked at the older hybrid.
Danny was now sure. His evil self was responsible for his loved ones' death! He didn't know how, but Iluzisto had to have brought them here and for some reason had given them to his evil self to… to…
"Don't touch them!" Danny screamed when his evil self leaned down to inspect the dead bodies. At that moment, the teen lunged at his evil self, quickly turning into his ghost form.
"No! Stay back! Just leave us alone!" Plasmius shouted out in a panic, now fighting against his bindings…
Danny did not really hear his comment and just swung at his enemy. But Evil Phantom easily dodged it; and with a cruel laugh, released a blast, hitting the teen squarely in the stomach, sending him clear across the room.
The boy grunted as he slammed into the concrete wall, before hitting the ground face first. He had forgotten how strong his evil self was! As he tried to recover, however, the evil male ghost had walked up to him, a sneer on his demonic face.
Danny cried out in pain as a large hand grabbed onto his white hair and forced him to his feet. "You really are pathetic, freak. You can't even save yourself, so what made you think you had any chance of escaping?"
The teen could only cry out as he was punched in the face, before it was followed by another fist to his stomach. The boy crumpled to the ground, but he was given no time to rest as another ectoplasmic beam was shot at him, followed by another and another…
Meanwhile, Plasmius watched on in horror, though there seemed to be some realization in his eyes now; and he suddenly screamed, "No, stop! Leave that poor boy alone!"
But the man could say no more as Evil Phantom turned around and fired a wicked beam at the tied up older hybrid. Plasmius screamed in pain, but it quickly cut off as he was left barely clinging to unconsciousness from the attack.
Danny now covered in bruises and bleeding cuts, struggled to get to his feet. Suddenly, he didn't care about what happened to him. He needed to get to his loved ones. He needed to make sure this wasn't some cruel illusion; and he knew just how to find out…
Phantom paused in his assault when he realized what the child was hoping to do; and strangely enough he allowed Danny to get to them. He watched as the boy became human and grabbed his sister's lifeless form.
Plasmius gasped weakly and pleaded in a whisper, "No, don't touch him…"
But Danny didn't even hear him, let alone notice how his arch-enemy had called his sister a 'him'….
"Jazz?" he whimpered upon discovering he was still able to touch her even when he was human. He knew Iluzisto's illusions only fully worked on his ghost half. But in his human form, the ghost's tricks could not harm him, because they would not be tangible. But here he was, as his human self touching what he so desperately had needed to be just an illusion.
But it wasn't. He could feel his sister's cold dead skin, feel the gooey blood in between his fingers.
No longer caring about anything anymore, Danny brought his sister's body closer and began to weep against her chest. His entire body shook as the truth of it all finally overcame him. His sister and his friends really were gone.
Evil Phantom just stood there watching, an evil grin on his face. But suddenly, the ghost vanished, leaving the weeping boy alone with his dead loved ones and a tied Plasmius. But the teen was too consumed by grief to notice the ghost was gone, and that Plasmius and his dead loved ones' bodies briefly flickered to what looked like snake-like heads…
Vlad buried his face in his hands, as Danny stopped a few feet from him and his form suddenly blurred and then morphed into… Iluzisto.
"Tsk-tsk. You two crossbreeds are easier to break than I thought," the Prison Head said with fake disappointment.
The man looked up, his blue eyes shrouded with grief. But at the sight of Iluzisto a small flicker of hope returned to Vlad; and no longer caring about his pride, he shakily whispered, "Please. Please tell me that was just an illusion. Tell me you… you didn't…" The man couldn't finish as his breathing turned even more shaky and shallow.
But Iluzisto just laughed at the sight. "An illusion? I could tell you that it was an illusion… but then… I would be lying, wouldn't I?" he said wickedly, before his tone of voice darkened as he added, "If I managed to do away with the other crossbreed's human companions, you did not really think I could not just as easily find this woman and dispose of her, too? I only brought her here, so you could see her die."
Iluzisto smirked again as the man began to breathe even shallower with his every word, "What's pathetic was that I gave you the chance to save her and you could not. Shows how weak you are, crossbreed. So, take this as a lesson. You have no hope of escaping your fate. But try to again, and it will be the other crossbreed that I kill in front of your eyes," he assured darkly, before he snapped his fingers.
Vlad barely heard anything the spirit said, nor did he notice the appearance of several guards. He just sat there against the metal doorway, though he had turned a bit to press his hand against the door. His body was still shaking and his head was lowered, looking on the verge of losing what dignity he had left.
But the man did not seem to care anymore; in fact, he did not struggle in the slightest as he was roughly forced to his feet and restrained.
"Tie him up," Iluzisto ordered his guards. "I'll be there in a moment."
With that, he vanished once more, leaving his guards to take the older hybrid back to his cell.
Iluzisto appeared back inside the cell where Danny was. His eyes gleamed with smugness when he saw the boy look up at him, and understanding shrouded the boy's eyes. But it did not bring any relief to the teen.
After Evil Phantom had vanished, the teen had grabbed his friends' bodies, mourning their loss once more, and it had been then that he had noticed his evil self was gone from the room. And when he looked back to Vlad, he had seen how the man's form dissolved away, revealing an unconscious ghost with a black, snake-like head in its place. But most of its body was in the shadows.
It had been an illusion! And the appearance of Iluzisto at the moment had confirmed it. His evil self had also been an illusion. But…was it all 'just an illusion'? He could still see and touch the lifeless bodies of his sister and friends just beyond that black, snake-like ghostly head...Then it hit the boy. Iluzisto just wanted to get him here, so he could show him his loved one's dead bodies! And Clockwork had had no trouble in helping him do it, too…
But Danny had been wrong about one thing. And that was that seeing Clockwork had also been an illusion. Rather, Iluzisto had tricked the boy's mind into seeing him as Clockwork and then Evil Phantom; just like he had earlier made Vlad see him as Danny to lure him into his own trap…
However, the boy's ending up in the same cell of the ghost that the real Clockwork had visited several moments earlier was indeed pure coincidence. Indeed, Iluzisto even found it ironical. But he had dismissed it when it turned out to work for his advantage.
"Consider yourself lucky that you and that other freak have to attend your trial again tomorrow," Iluzisto finally spoke, his voice dark. "Otherwise, I would relieve you of every drop of your strength and energy at this very moment for your attempt to escape. However, you both are going to be severely punished for this."
Danny's eyes just glazed with more tears, but he still spoke, his voice barely audible, "W-Why? Why did you hurt t-them? I-It is me y-you want; s-so why? They d-didn't d-deserve this. They… THEY DIDN'T DESERVE THIS, YOU MONSTER!" the boy suddenly screamed, though he sounded more in pain than angry.
Iluzisto suddenly raised his staff and hit the boy across the face with the end of it, the force throwing the teen away from his loved ones and slamming him against the back wall.
"You brought this on yourself, freak!" the spirit growled out. "You should have accepted your fate from the beginning. But, no, you and that other freak wanted to be difficult and defiant. Well, THIS is what I do to those who don't learn when to quit!"
Danny cried out as the spirit quickly moved over to him and wrenched him up by his hair again. He quickly dragged him out of the cell and forced him out of the door where several guards were waiting.
He all but threw the teen at them, and angrily commanded, "Take this freak back to his cell. I will be there shortly to show him what we do to those who try to escape."
With that, Iluzisto turned away and headed back inside the cell.
Danny suddenly screamed when he saw the spirit go back inside where his loved ones were.
"NO! Leave them alone!" he cried out as he struggled against the guards holding him, obviously past all logic at this point. But no matter how much he screamed or struggled, he was taken back to his cell.
Meanwhile, Iluzisto glanced down at the unconscious ghost in the cell. But this time, the dead forms of Jazz, Tucker, and Sam were not there. In their place was the other three unconscious heads of Kvargvid.
The black head, which Iluzisto had tricked the boy into believing it was a restrained Plasmius, was now finally stirring. Indeed, it was sheer luck for Iluzisto that the boy had ended up in Kvargvid 's cell by mistake. But it didn't matter in the end to Iluzisto. It turned out to be the perfect trap to finally make the boy completely believe he had killed those three pathetic human children.
It had simply been a matter of knocking out three of the four heads and creating an illusion over them to have the young crossbreed see them as his loved ones. And because there was something really there, the boy, even in his human form, could touch 'them'. The young crossbreed just had not known he had been touching Kvargvid's unconscious heads.
But it had been tricky to deal with both crossbreeds since they had been in different areas and Iluzisto could only sustain an illusion without physically being there for only a few minutes. But it had worked. He had led them both into their own unique but make-believe trap and had broken them by aiming straight for their hearts.
So, yes, Iluzisto was quite proud of himself. The woman's death had also been an illusion. After all, he had not had any time to leave the prison, nor did he know where she was. But when he had seen what she looked like at the trial earlier today, he knew he did not need to really find her to make the older crossbreed believe he really had captured her and killed her in front of him.
A groan from Kvargvid quickly brought Iluzisto out of his triumphant thoughts, and he focused back on the black head. The ghost looked up at him, looking dazed and distraught.
"Why? Why must you torment us so? We have done nothing wrong?" Kvargvid said sorrowfully. "And you tormented that other young ghost, even when I had kept pleading for your mercy before I fell unconscious."
Iluzisto shrugged. "Nothing personal, but I needed your brothers and you to teach one of my newer prisoners that lesson that everyone who is under my hand must learn."
The black head gazed sadly at its other unconscious heads as he shuddered then whispered, "Escape is only an illusion."
"I see you remember it well," Iluzisto said smugly. The Prison Head glanced briefly at the walls, noticing the symbols, 'human' letters, and other drawings. "Hmm. And yet you still have hope… pity that it does you no good. Oh, well."
Without another word, Iluzisto turned from the ghost, leaving it to tend to its other heads, while he headed back to the crossbreeds cells.
Danny had grown too tired to struggle any longer, especially after he gotten a particularly painful punch to his abdomen for his actions.
But when the guards finally brought him back to his cell, and his eyes caught sight of Vlad, in his human form inside his own cell, the teen's eyes widened with horror.
The man, who, for some reason, was naked from the waist up, had metal clasps on both his wrists that were connected to metal chains that in turn were connected to the ceiling, actually suspending the man by his arms a few feet off the ground. Even so, there was still two metal clasps on the billionaire's ankles; but although they were also connected to metal chains, these chains were attached to an iron ball, with the dark purpose to increase the strain on the man's arms…
Danny had been sure that Vlad was unconscious from how terribly pale and limp he was. But when the man slowly lifted his head up to look at him, the teen suddenly wished that his arch-enemy had truly been unconscious. The utter defeated look in his eyes was something he had never thought to see in the stubborn man's eyes. But it was the emptiness, as if something had been taken from him, that sent a shiver of fear racing down the boy's body.
"Vlad?" he asked shakily, realizing that he had recognized that look after all. It was the same look that he had seen on the alternate Vlad when he told him about the death of his loved ones…
"Remove his shirt," a guard suddenly said, pushing the boy out of his thoughts.
Danny gasped as he felt his shirt vanish from his body from the guard's intangibility power. And realizing what they were about to do to him, the teen screamed, and his struggles returned.
"No, NO! Let me go!" he shouted at them as they dragged him to his cell. But there was no getting out of this. All too soon, he felt cold metal touch his wrist and a painful weight add to his ankles.
"Vlad!" Danny suddenly shouted, focusing back on his arch-enemy; but the man didn't even look at him.
The teen didn't even know how to react to that; but it soon didn't matter when he felt his body being lifted up and a strong force began to bite at his arms; but it quickly intensified and a scream of agony escaped the boy's throat, echoing all through the cell hall.
Danny didn't see Vlad squeeze his eyes closed and clench his teeth as he continued to hear the teen's cries of pain. He was so close to losing it that he didn't dare utter a single word. Instead, he tried to focus on his own physical pain in order to avoid focusing on his emotional pain…
Danny was panting heavily by the time he found himself in the same position as Vlad. It hurt! It hurt SO bad!
He knew he was crying in spite of himself; but even so, he inexplicably, felt a spark of determination burn within him. True, he was devastated by the confirmation of his sister and friends' death. And he was in pain right now. But through it all, he was focused. Somehow, thinking of his loved ones also gave him strength. He would not let their deaths be in vain. He would not give up, no matter what Iluzisto did to him.
He would escape. Somehow. Someday. He would escape and he would make Iluzisto pay. Him. Those Observants. And especially, Clockwork.
Danny clenched his hands against the metal chains keeping him suspended as he looked at his arch-enemy. He didn't know what Iluzisto had done to him to get him like this. But Danny was not about to let him give up—just as the man had not let him when he first found out about his friends and sister. The teen know understood they were in this together. And it was only together that they were going to make it out of this.
He suddenly groaned in pain and guilt. He should have never left Vlad alone in those halls. It had been his mistake. It had been their mistake—one that they both had paid—and still were paying—dearly for.
But Danny would not let this deter him from trying again. Vlad and he still had an ace up their sleeves. They still had control of their powers. All they needed to do was push away their differences and own wants to bring their heads together to get out of this place.
But the question now was: Was Vlad even willing to do that anymore, especially now?
"Vlad?" Danny called again, barely able to talk because of the pain shooting through his arms.
But when the older hybrid still did not respond, he growled, and shouted, "Darn it, Vlad! Look at me! What's wrong? Darn it! Just snap out of it! Look, whatever happen it wasn't—"
"Real?" Vlad suddenly shouted, glaring lifelessly at the boy. "How would you know? You weren't there! You left! You didn't SEE WHAT I SAW! I TOLD you that we could not separate! You… You…"
But the man suddenly trailed off, no longer trusting his voice… But then, looking away, he shakily whispered, "Just be quiet, Danny. Leave me alone…"
The teen's eyes widened at the sound of his arch-enemy's broken voice; but before he could say any more, Iluzisto finally appeared, and walked over to their cells.
"I must say that in all my time, I haven't seen such a well-crafted—or bold—escape attempt such as yours," the spirit said calmly as he looked between both half-ghosts.
Vlad did not even look at Iluzisto as he spoke; but Danny did, Still, the teen looked all but defeated at the moment.
"However," the Prison Head continued. "I must also say that in the end, your attempt was no different than the rest. You see, crossbreeds, no one has ever escaped my prison. So, then, I hope that fact allows you to understand how slim your chances of ever leaving this place are. In other words, it is impossible. But just in case you still do not believe me…"
Iluzisto snapped his fingers and on cue two guards stepped forward with large buckets in their hands.
Vlad finally looked up, only to wish he had not. At that moment, the guards threw ice-cold water at him and the boy, leaving them completely soaked and gasping for air.
"Let's add insult to injury. Or, is it the other way around?" Iluzisto asked, evil amusement now in his eye.
Danny and Vlad's eyes widened as four of the guards suddenly held slick long green staffs in their hands. But when they saw the sticks light up with cackles of electricity, their hearts began to race as the prospect of what was about to happen next bore into their minds.
"Danny Phantom… Vlad Plasmius…," Iluzisto said casually, though the half-ghosts could only really focus on the guards with those painful-looking weapons. "Your transgressions today will reach the court's ears tomorrow. Until then, however, I am entitled to punish you for it as I see fit. You will remain chained as you are until your hearing tomorrow. Your punishment, however, begins right now…"
As if realizing at the same time that their ghost halves would better withstand what was to come, Vlad and Danny morphed, though much to their surprise and mounting horror, the top part of their jumpsuits were also gone—somehow, phased off their bodies at the same time their human shirts had been removed…
Still, it hardly mattered now. They were too focused on the guards who were opening the cell doors and stepping inside with their evil weapons.
The hybrids' shivering intensified, now that it was due to more than just being immensely cold. And as the guards looked at Iluzisto for further approval, the half-ghosts mentally braced themselves.
Vlad decided that there was nothing worse that the illusionist spirit could to him after having killed the love of his life. So, whatever happened next, did not matter. Still, he told himself that he would keep whatever dignity he had left. He would not plea for mercy. He would rather die first.
As for Danny, he was thinking along the same lines. Any sort of physical pain could never be worse than the emotional agony he was in. But he would not give Iluzisto the satisfaction of breaking him down. He owed Jazz, Sam, and Tucker that much. The spirit said it was impossible to escape. But he would prove him wrong. And even if it took being tortured over and over again, he would do it. He would escape.
The teen closed his eyes and focused on his goal so that no matter what happened next, he would not break. He would not plea.
Iluzisto briefly stared between the cross-breeds; and although neither of them were glaring defiantly or showing any kind of bravado, the spirit could tell that neither was completely broken just yet. Still, he had hit them both where it hurt the most, and he could also see that it had impacted the two greatly. They might still have some fight left in them, but now all it would take was a few more small—and painful— shoves from him for them to shatter permanently.
"Beat them into submission," Iluzisto finally commanded. "Or unconsciousness. Whichever comes first."
"Gladly," one of the guards said, before they raised their electric sticks to begin their assault on the half-ghosts' wet and half-clothed bodies.
As Iluzisto turned around to leave, he heard the sound of slick hard metal against flesh and the cackling of electricity intensified by the water's natural polar charge. But it was the gasps, grunts, and screams chasing after him as the Prison Head left the cell hall that curved his eye into a satisfied and evil smile.
Pearl: No, I'm not on a torturing streak or anything like that. It is pure coincidence that this chapter ended up coming out on the same week as that dark chapter in 'Dawning of a Sun.' So, yeah, I didn't plan that and I
hope my muse didn't, either... Besides, Truephan and her muse had equal say in this chapter. In fact, I think her muse liked working on this one… or so, my muse told me… Heh-heh. In all seriousness, though, I hope you guys enjoyed it! In any case, you know we love to hear your thoughts! Until next time, dear readers!
A/N: Truephan here: I did not like all of this. Did, too! Did not. Tsk-tsk, silly dearie…Hey, how about we ask our wonderful readers? Well, what did you think? No, really. What did you think? Isn't this a great way to start off the New Year or what? Uh, never mind the 'or what' part. In any case, may we suggest your starting off the New Year with a resolution to review what you read from now on. And we can help you. Just push that blue button. You'll be off to a good start and won't have to give us back those 'get out jail' cards!