Pearl: Well, hello folks! Welcome back to another chapter of 'Sid'! I'd like to thank you all for your continuing support and those wonderful reviews! Enjoy this next piece. I have a few things to say, but I'll leave them for the end! Happy Reading!
Truephan here: Hey, it IS time for another chappie! Yahoo! And we also hope to get you cheering at the end. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom
Chapter 14: Back to Square Infinity
Trying to ignore their mounting exhaustion as the Specter Speeder raced back towards the shortcut to the Far Frozen, Jazz, Sam and Tucker, immediately went back to their same roster of duties. After all, even when their rotation made the most sense, none of them had been able to get the sleep that they needed.
Still, this time Tucker was in the pilot seat, which meant that Sam was the navigator and Jazz was 'off duty'. Bit it still hadn't occurred to any of the teens at this point to ask Skulker to reconsider helping with these necessary duties.
And even though Skulker could see that the humans were getting to a breaking point with their obvious fatigue, he hadn't exactly volunteered to help in the routine duties. Besides, he felt he was much more invaluable as a scout through their journey back through any hostile territory. And, of course, he was irreplaceable as co-navigator—especially now that he was the only one who knew where the shortcut to the Far Frozen was, so he had to be the one to always be checking their coordinates remained on course.
"Looks like we're back to 'square one'," Tucker groaned as he scanned the horizon. He had already recalculated their position in relation to the shortcut Skulker told them about near the Hanging Cliff Heads, but it was still a bit discouraging. They still had about three hours to go to get there. And Skulker had told them that the journey to Frostbite's would still take at least a day even with the shortcut. True, that shortened their trip by at least three days, but that also meant that he was still a day longer away from helping his best friend—not including the way back should they not get the Infi-Map.
In fact, Tucker was right about the time. Not only would they be having to take more time in getting to their final designation, but they were also at this point unknowingly on the same day as the second part of the hybrids' trial….
Nevertheless, Sam knew what her friend meant by his comment from what the navigational charts had been telling her.
"By the looks of everything, I think you mean, 'back to square infinity'!" Sam dryly commented.
"Hey, good one, Sam!" Tucker suddenly chuckled. But then he frowned when he saw her scowl. He then stammered, "I-I m-mean, you know, the Infi-Map goes…to infinite…realms, which is like, you know, infinity….and we're going back to…"
This time, he stopped when she growled. He now unquestionably knew she had not meant to make that kind of pun. He cleared his throat and turned back to piloting the ship without another word.
Sam then sighed. She shouldn't have jumped on him like that, but she was still very upset over their failure. He had really done more than his best in this entire thing. "Hey, look, Tucker…I'm sorry…," she began.
"That's okay, Sam. It's cool!" her friend gently interrupted her.
She smiled weakly and nodded before looking back down at the instruments. She checked the route that Tucker, under Skulker's directions, had plotted for about the millionth time to see if it was the quickest way to the shortcut to the Far Frozen in her estimate. Deciding that it was—for the millionth time—she still sighed in disappointment.
Both of the friends said no more as the Specter Speeder flew onward. Every once in a while, they would see a group of ghost animals near their path, but so far, during this rotation of their duties, nothing significant came their way.
Finally, it was time to change shifts again, and Tucker knew to take over as navigator, while Jazz, who was trying to stretch off her sleep, manned the controls. And now that her friends had settled in their new roles, it was Sam's turn to get as much rest as she could.
But as she finally settled down in the back seat, the goth girl found that hard to do. She just couldn't relax. Still, she knew that she wouldn't be any good to anyone if she didn't get some rest. She jammed her eyes closed and tried to concentrate on nothing. But she just couldn't. All she could think of was Danny. She groaned, knowing she had to get some sleep. She closed her eyes more lightly this time and tried to focus on the blackness that she saw directly under her closed eyelids. She ignored the occasional grey hair-like lines that randomly floated within that dark mire even if it in a way seemed to churn with her turmoil, like a boiling pool of tar. Instead, she tried to fall into that blackness, hoping to block out the haunting images that kept pressing her mind.
Finally, Sam succeeded in falling asleep—sort of. She was able to doze, but it was not completely restful. All she could see—and, strangely, feel— in her fitful dreams was that Danny was in pain and danger, and that his peril was only worsening as the seconds passed.
In spite of Sam's fitfulness, the last hour leg of the trip back to the shortcut to Far Frozen was becoming a relatively quiet one. Jazz was still piloting; but then something odd appeared on the horizon. She brightened when she saw all those brilliant colors and what looked like a myriad of flowers—and balloons!— hovering over a thick floating shelf just ahead and a bit out of their way to the right.
Jazz glanced at Tucker and he didn't seem too particularly worried about this development, because he was still monitoring the navigational screen and calculating the plot of the rest of their trip. She figured that she must have been asleep when they had first passed this part of their trip on the way to the Realm Beyond Time. And now, her natural curiosity had gotten the better of her. She didn't think it would be too far from their path to steer a bit closer to the anomaly—not to stop, of course, just to look.
However, in reality, when they had first encountered this strange land mass, they had indirectly avoided this 'bright and cheerful' anomaly because Sam had been at the helm at that time and had steered clear of it way before Jazz had noticed it the first time, as she had been distracted with checking other instruments. But, also, Tucker had not originally noticed it because he had been asleep. Skulker hadn't said anything about it, either, because he had noticed that the goth girl had deftly turned the ship away from it before he needed to say anything.
However, none of the kids knew how this 'place' was not on the map. More than that, this oddity hadn't been on the map because unlike most of the other strange places in the Ghost Zone, it was not stationery. It moved throughout the region, and therefore would not appear on any map…just as planned.
But fortunately for them all, Tucker finally looked up from all the navigational instruments and steered his eyes toward the path of their flight. He wanted to check to see if they had indeed drifted just to the right of the planned flight path. He gasped a bit when he didn't expect to see what he was seeing.
Still, he uttered, "What is that?" But thinking that it really was irrelevant what that was, he corrected himself, "I mean, you've drifted off the path, Jazz."
"Yeah, I know," Jazz said, not at all bothered by his tone as they continued toward the shelf that was growing in size now that they were nearing it. "We're not that much off, and I just wanted to get a better look at this place here and…"
But Tucker, more skittish about the ghostly land mass after rechecking the navigational instruments, interrupted her, "I really don't think we should stray off of the course, Jazz. That thing is not on the map."
Still, he, too, suddenly wanted to investigate the phenomenon.
"It isn't?" Jazz asked, perplexed, now not wanting to take her eyes off of it for some reason.
"No, it isn't!" Skulker forcefully emphasized, startling Sam out of her sleep. He had not been paying attention to the horizon for the past few minutes because his suit had alerted him that it had been time to check on all of its components and then shortly thereafter, monitor their flight path. In fact, just as his suit had indicated that he check their position, he had heard the last thing that Tucker had said and glanced upward before moving quickly toward the two teens.
Still keeping her eyes glued to the pretty flowers —and now the fluffy stuffed animals!—Jazz said with a slight pout, "Geez, you don't have to overreact, Skulker. What's the harm…?"
But before she could continue, she felt his robotic hands over hers and the steering wheel was jerked sharply to the left, while her foot was just as quickly pressed forcefully on the accelerator by human hands.
The instant they made that jerk away from the apparently harmless landmass, Jazz and Tucker's dazed looks instantly disappeared and they both gasped and placed a hand on their heads, asking, "Whoa… What happened? Did we fall asleep?"
"You guys could say that," Sam muttered with a slightly worried frown, pulling herself off of her knees and away from the accelerator that she had just pressed.
Tucker added, "Man, for a moment, I felt this empty feeling inside me and it was like it would never go away unless I got to that weird-looking place."
Jazz shuddered. "I felt that, too. It looked so bright and full of hope that I wanted nothing else but to reach it!"
"And it's a good thing you didn't," Skulker snapped. And crossing his arms, he added, "Honestly, whelps. I cannot take my eyes off of you for even a minute because at the next second you're about to drive us to our doom!"
"Well, I didn't know!" Jazz defended, though she felt bad because she obviously had done something very wrong.
Sam raised an eyebrow at Skulker and asked, "What was that anyways? I saw that creepy cheerful place before. But… I'm pretty sure it wasn't in the place it was now…"
"It's called the Pit of Despair, human," Skulker explained to Sam, though Jazz and Tucker were also listening. "And we are lucky that you and I acted quickly. If we would have even brushed against that border, we would not have been able to pull away and would have met certain disaster within that place, which, in fact is a creature that lures its victims with false hope; and once it has them in its hold its victims will actually willingly stay for their own demise!"
The kids cringed, but Jazz then sighed and said, "I'm really sorry. I guess I just..."
"Look, don't worry about it, Jazz," Sam interrupted her, briefly frowning at Skulker for being so hard on Danny's sister.
"Yeah," Tucker added, "Everything is back on track, so let's just move on, okay?"
Jazz smiled at the younger teens and nodded. "Thanks, guys."
Skulker just rolled his eyes at the three and went back to the navigational system and quickly got them back on course. Though not without muttering something about his employer owing him big time for making him put up with these 'whelps'…
As Jazz and Tucker returned to their duties, Sam went to try to get more sleep, but she really couldn't after being charged with adrenaline from that last incidence. She then offered to take over the piloting from Jazz a little ahead of schedule.
Jazz had readily agreed, since she was still kind of spooked from what happened. She then took over Tucker's position while he went back for a break, promptly falling asleep after sitting down.
Skulker, however, said no more and situated himself closer to the navigational system for the rest of the leg to the shortcut to the Far Frozen. In fact, the Ghost Hunter didn't move from the spot he had chosen because he knew that this area closest to the Hanging Cliff Heads was really the most dangerous, and could have possibly included the Pit of Despair had they not encountered it when they did. So, he wanted to stay alert and ready to intervene if he had to—especially after the stunt the oldest whelp had pulled. In all that while, then, he constantly monitored the horizon or his own instruments as they hurried to that shortcut to the Far Frozen. As the minutes passed, nothing was brewing, but he didn't let his guard down.
Yet, a few minutes later, it would be obvious why he had not relaxed. He was about to say something about what had already registered on his arm band monitor when Sam and Jazz both blurted out, "What's THAT?"
Skulker glanced up, only to visually confirm what his monitors had already told him.
"Oh, no!" the ghost loudly answered them, pressing on some more of the buttons on his arm band.
His yell startled Tucker out of his sleep. The boy immediately pulled himself from his chair and rushed to the nose of the ship. He gasped when he finally saw what his companions had seen.
"What is THAT?" he repeated, looking at the girls and then Skulker.
This time, Skulker finally answered the three humans. "That's a phenomenon that only occurs in this part of the Ghost Zone. But then, even if it means that we are close to the Hanging Cliff Heads, it's NOT good news!"
"You just had to say that, didn't you?" Sam dryly said, already making plans to try to avoid that 'phenomenon'. She turned the steering wheel to a hard left trying to steer way away from it.
"And I bet it has a weird-sounding name, too, huh?" Tucker whined.
"Not to us," Skulker said, feeling very insulted, of course. "But we call it a salboŝtormo.(1)"Seeing the blank stares of the teens, the ghost added, "A ghostly sandstorm! It sometimes happens when the ghostly winds stir around the Hanging Cliff Heads."
"I just knew it would have that kind of name!" Tucker moaned.
"What's so bad about that?" Jazz piped in, looking at the navigational instruments. "Can't we just avoid it?"
"Or just go through it?" Sam added.
"It's not like the ones in your world—" Skulker began.
"Of course, not!" Sam sarcastically interjected.
Skulker frowned in irritation and firmly replied, "Like I was saying, it's not exactly like the ones in your world. The ones here always start off small, as the wind only looks like it takes only a thin layer of sand off of the cliffs. And like the ones in the Real World, they can be avoided at that point. And though your kind of sandstorms then grow and expand, they can still be avoided if you can fly over it. But because they are from the cliffs, the salboŝtormoj (1) here expand exponentially and pervasively until there is no avoiding them no matter what your means of transportation is. And from what I can see what's coming at us right now, we won't be able to avoid it! But there's more!"
"Does there have to be?" Sam commented with a fretful scowl, her eyes frantically scanning for any way to avoid the mass of sand growing frightfully larger.
Ignoring her comment once again, Skulker replied, "We ghosts can weather salboŝtormoj because we can turn intangible until it passes. However, we are pure ectoplasmic energy and this ship —even with all the ghostly residue within it —is not. Even if I could turn it intangible, its basic molecular structure is not ectoplasmic energy and is still susceptible to the effects of the salboŝtormo. The storm could ruin the engines because the ghost kind of sand particles that make up this storm are made-up of charged energy, which will react at a molecular level with the structure of this machine. And when—not if —it gets into the system, it'll clog and then permanently short out every single wire in this vehicle!"
"T-Then, what can we do?" Jazz yelled in fear, her eyes still glued on the salboŝtormo heading right to them.
Suddenly, the Specter Speeder slowed and finally stopped.
"What are you doing?" Skulker asked Sam. "You're just delaying the inevitable."
"No, she's not!" Tucker uttered. "She's giving us time to come up with something!"
"I told you —" Skulker began with a scowl.
But this time Tucker interrupted him, and his voice didn't hide the excitement of his sudden wild idea, "You said that salboso —or whatever —was made-up of charged energy, Skulker. Did you mean ions?"
"I'm not sure. All I know is that the energy that emanates from it has a negative charge. We call that 'jono' or specifically, 'negativaj jono' (2) here. But I don't know the translation into your language."
Tucker replied, "Well, jono or ion, it all still sounds the same to me! So, come on, Skulker, we have work to do!"
The ghost didn't hesitate to follow after the boy, though he didn't have a clue what Tucker had on his mind. In no time, the boy had hooked up his PDA with the cyborg ghost's arm band PDA and the Specter Speeder; and the two males went right to work.
The girls, meanwhile, tried to steel themselves from panic as the bellowing cloud of ionized ghost sand they were still watching grew more menacing as the seconds ticked by. As the cloud expanded, small bolts of electricity shot across its surface. Still, each of the females silently prayed that Tucker would find an answer to this apparent doom. They especially uttered more fretful words under their breath when they heard an occasional 'I-don't-know…' or a 'I-don't-think…' from Skulker as the Ghost Hunter and Techno Master both argued and discussed Tucker's idea.
Finally, the girls breathed a quiet, but relieved, sigh when they finally heard a 'Hmm-you-know-I-think-that-might-work' comment from Skulker.
But then, Jazz frantically yelled, "Well, then, I think now would be an excellent time to make it work!"
Her scream immediately drew the males' attention to the salboŝtormo that was just inches from impacting the Spectre Speeder.
Tucker needed no other prodding. He pushed the final keys on his PDA; and just as the storm hit the outside tip of the nose of their ship, the Speeder shook violently under the assault of the salboŝtormo and Tucker's commands. Moments later, everything inside the Speeder was inundated with ghostly sand, which sparkled and popped or sizzled as it penetrated any vacant area. And when that happened, an eerie silence and darkness also engulfed the ship and its inhabitants as all the monitors and lights were snuffed out.
The teens bristled when the charged ghostly jonoj then bombarded their bodies and senses. They all bit their tongues and instinctually shut their eyes with the tiny electrical stings as they poignantly pricked their entire skin, scalps, ears and noses. But then, suddenly, the pain of those jolts increased and they all tried to squelch their hisses from the onslaught.
Skulker, however, had turned intangible when the contents of the salboŝtormo had just entered the cabin. He continued to monitor his instruments as the storm progressed, hoping that the whelp had been right in his calculations.
Finally, after what felt was eternity for everyone on board the Specter Speeder, the salboŝtormo passed completely through their ship. But the inhabitants were still left in silence and darkness, even when everyone was certain that the storm was gone.
Tucker interrupted that silence when he coughed and then spit out remnants of the ghostly sand that had eked into his mouth. The girls then took that as their cue and also wiped or spit out any sand that had also managed to get into their mouths.
"Well, sorry, guys, I tried," the boy said with obvious chagrin, feeling the weight of his defeat. He just knew he had failed in keeping them safe.
But before anyone could assure him that he did his best, the lights began to flicker and the engines began to slowly purr again.
"YAY!" "YES!" "All right!" "Not bad!" the foursome all shouted at once.
When the lights came back fully on, the reaction was not only of relief, but instant amusement. Each of the humans laughed when they saw that all of the hair on the girls' heads and everyone's arms was still standing on end from the static electricity caused by the salboŝtormo.
Still snickering a little as she and Jazz were finally able to plaster their hair back down, Sam then managed to say, "Thanks again, Tucker. I knew you'd come up with something! So, what did you do?"
His face broke out into a smug smile as he said, "Simple electricity, ladies! I was betting that when Skulker said the salbo-, uh, sandstorm was negatively charged, that it was negatively charged because it was made up of negative ions. And negative ions, are, of course, electrons, which is what electricity is made of. So, with the help of Skulker's PDA, we were able to overcharge the wires of the Specter Speeder, making them stronger in amps. And since, of course, ions of like charge repel each other…."
"…The charge in the wires repelled the ghost sand ions!" Sam excitedly said, completing her friend's thought.
"Which sorta insulated the wires from being harmed, right?" Jazz added.
"That's correct, whelps!" Skulker finally piped in…But then he smiled a bit, all his previous annoyance in regards to the Pit of Despair gone. "Hmmm, more and more I think you all would make acceptable human prey!"
The three humans this time smiled at the Ghost Hunter's obvious compliment, something he hardly ever uttered and even if it was a kind of creepy one. But they said no more about it.
Tucker and Skulker then immediately hooked their respective PDAs up to the Speeder's console and checked over the instruments. Both satisfied that the ship didn't seem to have sustained any damage of any significance, they then gave the 'go' signal to Sam to resume their course.
Sam, of course, needed no more encouragement to do just that and immediately shifted the Speeder into gear, finally getting them back on course.
And only a few minutes later, she spied the edge of the Hanging Cliff Heads.
"There it is!" she instantly announced to her companions before actually accelerating a bit more. "Now where is that shortcut, Skulker?"
"Hold your horses, whelp," he immediately replied. "It's not that easy to enter the shortcut!"
"Uh, you didn't say that before!" Tucker whined.
"And that was because there was no need to until we arrived, pup," the Ghost Hunter said with some irritation. But then he smiled when he noticed that the female at the controls had slowed the ship down just as he was answering the male whelp.
The ghost looked at his instruments and then glanced at the looming cliffs. "As you can see, there are ten skeletal heads hanging off those cliffs. We are interested in the third one."
As Sam slowed the Specter Speeder to a virtual halt, the three teens strained to focus on the third one like Skulker had said—which was hard to do. Because they were now closer than they had been on the way to the Realm Beyond Time, they could see that all of the huge skulls were opening and shutting their mouths!
But the trio could also see that each of those mouths opened at different angles. Some were shifting their lower jaw forward, others shot their lower jaws back so that the top line of teeth made that particular skull look like it had an overbite. Still others were meeting the top jaw square on. And then the teens could see that the rates of opening and shutting were different as well. Some 'bit' quickly, others at a much slower pace. Others started off slowly, and then 'bit' rapidly at the end of their moment, as if they were jerking off a piece of imaginary food. But then, they noticed that the Speeder, which had been floating slightly forward, had suddenly been gently pushed back without being commanded to do so.
Somehow, none of that was particularly reassuring to the three humans.
But they were pulled from their thoughts as Skulker added a bit too casually, "As you can see, the lower jaws of each of the hanging heads move differently. They are the ones responsible for the ghostly winds in this area and for causing some of the soil to be ripped off of the cliffs and thereby cause occasional salboŝtormoj. But for our purposes, we need to time it so that we avoid the closing of the second and fourth's heads' mouths while entering the mouth of the third head before it, of course, closes as well!"
The three teens' eyes widened in dread upon hearing the last comment that the ghost made. But then, each of the humans unconsciously looked at each other, daring not to ask just how they were going to do that. Even still, Sam immediately commanded the Speeder to halt where it was.
But, as if he could anticipate that, Skulker replied, "And since this takes a precise mind, I believe that I should be the one to navigate this flying machine through. But, since I still refuse to subject myself to being behind any kind of human controls, I will require the male whelp to do the task—that is, he and his PDA."
Tucker immediately felt a lump soar upward through his throat and beads of sweat form on his forehead. He had not noticed that Skulker had, in a way, complimented him when he elected him to steer the Speeder into the shortcut. Clearly, out of three, the hunter had more confidence in Danny's male friend….
Still, knowing this had to be done, Tucker immediately took out his PDA and began to monitor the three skulls that concerned them, just as Skulker had done the same with his own PDA.
When Sam saw that Tucker was through, she immediately surrendered the pilot seat to her male friend, but gently put her hand on his shoulder as they passed.
Tucker looked up at her and swallowed hard when he could see that she had utmost confidence in him in her eyes when they had looked at each other.
He sat down and right after that, pressed a button on his PDA. A small, wire snaked out of it and readily hooked itself up to the Speeder's controls.
Skulker, likewise, connected his PDA to the Speeder's navigational system.
Moments later, the Speeder shuddered a bit as it was being programmed; and Jazz accidentally gasped.
Skulker frowned at her and she covered her mouth and swallowed any other gasp down.
Sam, however, peered out of the windshield of their ship and was performing her own mental calculations of the movements of the three skulls' mouths. And she knew that even though the mouths were certainly large enough to let the Speeder through, it was still going to be very tricky to time its passing between the moving jaws. Still, she kept quiet, not realizing that she had tightened her own jaw in anticipation.
Finally, Sam realized that the Speeder had started to move toward the skulls and she unconsciously stepped back from the windshield. Still, she couldn't help but focus on the task that loomed ahead.
But then, suddenly, the ship was jolted backward and to the left!
"More on the left thruster!" Skulker demanded as he pushed a button on his PDA. "You did not calculate the movement of the fourth skull accurately!"
Tucker swallowed hard but kept focused, not knowing that Skulker had really blurted out chiding himself and not anyone else.
Finally, even when he at last felt the force of the chaotic winds buffeting the ship through the steering wheel, Tucker pressed down on the accelerator when prompted by his PDA.
Everyone watched as the third hanging skull neared, its large green mouth seemingly 'talking' to them, encouraging them to come nearer to what they could see was its shadowed cavity behind its skeletal teeth. Still, the humans couldn't help but feel that their ship had shrunken compared to the mouth or that in reality the skull was eager to swallow them right up —or bite them in half if the males had made any mistakes.
Finally, the mouth of the skull drew nearer….and still nearer…and the movement of the bony jaw only seemed to increase as rapidly as the beat of each teens' hearts.
"More speed, whelp!" Skulker suddenly yelled and Tucker's foot at the accelerator jumped, making the ship jerk a bit.
Still, the human boy recovered instantly and poured on the speed.
This time, Sam gagged her gasp as the ship looked as if it were going to ram the closed mouth of the third skull at any second. But a split second later, the mouth opened and the ship hurriedly passed between the teeth.
But just as the teens started to sigh in relief, they heard a sickening crunching sound and the ship was jerked forward into the hanging head's black cavity.
Surprising the teens, the Ghost Hunter quickly threw himself upward and turned intangible. But only his head thrust through the outside shell of the Specter Speeder before he floated back down and rematerialized.
He then said with a smile, "That was easy and only a very small portion of this machine was sheared off by the skull. It will not interfere with its function."
"So, is that why it's called a 'short cut'?" Tucker blurted out. But he had not meant to be funny in the least.
The girls looked between both males in disbelief. Still, they were more relieved to have lived through that 'shortcut' rather than make any comment.
And shortly after, the blackened passageway phased to the more familiar greens, blacks and purples of the Ghost Zone.
Jazz rechecked the navigational instruments and confirmed that they were now in the section that contained the Far Frozen.
Finally, the three teens went right into another rotation of duties and continued as if they had never had taken any kind of hazardous side-turn…
After several more of those two-hour rotations, it was time for Jazz to take over the pilot seat. Tucker was more than happy to relinquish it to her and man the navigator position.
Even Sam was slightly relieved to try to get some rest. Just as surely as the minutes and her earlier shot of adrenaline passed, the girl was slowly ebbing into her fatigue. She finally headed to the seat where each of the teens had originally—though silently—agreed was their 'sleeping' chair. She sat down upon it, resigned to what she knew would be a fitful sleep. But surprisingly, she fell almost immediately asleep when she sat down, having finally succumbed to her utter exhaustion from all the anxiety and lack of sleep she had been having since first finding out that Danny was missing. She didn't stir during the entire two hours, even when Jazz had unexpectedly jerked the Speeder out of the pathway of another herd of Pegasus ghosts.
And just before it was time to change their duty rotation, Tucker excitedly announced, "I see the Far Frozen!"
Sam jolted out of her sleep, and everyone else tensed to full alert.
Reflexively, everyone, except Jazz, was standing and keeping their eyes glued to the horizon as the entrance to the Far Frozen rapidly approached their ship.
Finally, they were there; and Jazz effortlessly steered the Specter Speeder into the opening to the land of the Ice Beasts under Tucker's careful navigation. The foursome immediately spied several of the yeti surveying the border and watched as one of them immediately pull away from his post to deliver the news. At least Sam and Tucker knew that Frostbite would know within a few minutes of their arrival.
"Uh, can I have the controls, Jazz?" the bespectacled boy asked soon after they passed the sentries. "I kinda know my way around."
"Not a problem!" Jazz agreed, immediately relinquishing the controls and silently thanking him for offering, since all the ice projections that seemingly jutted haphazardly as soon as they had entered this land had ultimately intimidated her.
Tucker slowed the Speeder right away and deftly maneuvered it around the large, jagged ice formations that would surely impede any visitor or foe who were not familiar with this land. After they had traveled for a few minutes like this, Sam finally pointed out the large Ice Beast who was waving at them in the near distance. Both she and her male friend knew in an instant that it was Frostbite.
Once he found a suitable clearing near the Leader of the Far Frozen, Tucker quickly landed the ship.
But just before he hit the button to open the hatch, Jazz worriedly said, "We haven't thought of what to say to Frostbite yet!"
"Let's just pray that something just pops up, then," Sam replied with more determination than fear in her voice.
The three humans pulled out some jackets that they had on board. Then, the foursome quickly jumped out of the ship.
Sam and Tucker immediately led the way, hurrying to their large friend without any hesitation.
Jazz, however, inadvertedly slowed her pace and gulped a little in fear when she saw Sam and Tucker completely disappear—except their feet, that is—under Frostbite's affectionate embrace. She was entirely overwhelmed with just how huge the creature was and, really, about being here in the first place.
Meanwhile, Skulker, had never hurried as he approached Frostbite. He slowly floated toward the group, ever wary of his surroundings, and readying himself with any quick plan to defend himself. Even though he had heard a lot about the beasts of the Far Frozen and their leader, he had never been here before and didn't know what to expect. After all, any ghost who knew of the Ice Beasts highly respected them and knew of their fierceness whenever they were called upon to defend their land. And Skulker also knew that these intimidating and powerful creatures were the whelp's allies.
While Skulker finally stopped, deciding to keep some distance between him and the Leader of the Far Frozen, Jazz timidly moved closer. But just as she reached Frostbite, the ice beast looked up from Sam and Tucker and instantly perked up almost like a curious overgrown puppy.
"And who might this humble new visitor be?" he asked with a smile, sure that any friend of the 'Great One' was a friend of his and his people.
"Oh," Sam said, remembering Jazz. "This is Jazz, Frostbite."
"Yeah, she's Danny's sister," Tucker added.
Jazz smiled nervously and waved.
But much to her surprise, the large ice beast threw his arms around her in delight and lifted her off the ground as he cheerfully bellowed, "Could it truly be? The Great One's sibling? I am honored to meet you!"
"Great One?" Jazz gasped out, feeling like she was being suffocated, though the creature's sweetness made her feel a lot more comfortable about her new surroundings.
As she was finally put down, Sam replied, "Long story."
But before she could tell Frostbite why they were here, the Ice Beast finally looked past the kids and at last noticed there was one more visitor present.
Skulker, who had frowned in confusion when he heard Frostbite refer to the Ghost Boy as the 'Great One', startled when the snow creature set his eyes on him.
"Oh-ho! A fourth visitor, I see, that is unique in his own right!" Frostbite said with a smile, though there was more than cheerfulness in his voice this time.
"And it is most interesting that he is accompanying my young friends. Even still, your reputation precedes you, Skulker!"
Skulker frowned in suspicion at first, finally realizing that what he could hear in the ice beast's voice was a 'knowing tone'. Since he obviously knew who he was, Skulker had to briefly wonder if Frostbite would be this calm about his appearance at the Far Frozen had he arrived alone—and not with the Great One's friends… The hunter doubted it. Still, Skulker relaxed a little when he could plainly see Frostbite was being friendly under these circumstances.
And recalling Frostbite's compliment, Skulker crossed his arms and smugly said, "Well, it's always good to know my reputation reaches this far out into the Ghost Zone."
"Indeed!" the yeti agreed cheerfully. But then, Frostbite's smile melded into a gentle scolding look, though his friendly tone remained as he added, "But do not think that you will take even one unique creature from this place. Be assured that you will sooner find to be no match for our own unique weapons, Skulker."
The Ghost Hunter didn't doubt that the Ice Beast's words held an underlying threat within them. Not that he had expected less from these remarkable beings. He had also heard that the Far Frozen Folk were quite gentle unless provoked. But when they were provoked, they attacked relentlessly.
Skulker nodded in agreement and replied, "I can assure you that I am not in the game to hunt here. I am here with the humans on a different mission."
"Oh? And what may that be?" Frostbite asked, immediately glancing at Sam and Tucker.
Sam immediately squared herself, determined to get on with it. "We wish this could be a fun trip, Frostbite, but we need your help!"
Frostbite replied, "Anything for the companions — …" But he paused a moment when he glanced at the third teen before continuing, "…— and sister—of the Great One! But first, let us go into my dwelling so I can learn on how I can be of service."
The four visitors dutifully followed the Ice Beast into one of the caves. Once they settled, Sam and Tucker quickly filled the snow creature in on what they knew and what they had guessed had happened from all the clues they had found at Vlad's mansion. They also didn't hesitate to tell their friend about Iluzisto and how they had discovered he was an Observant after all that had happened on Skulker's Island. Lastly, they told him about their failed attempt to enter the Realm Beyond Time.
Frostbite listened intently and seriously, astounded by their story, and wondering what it all could mean. After the two youngest teens had finished, the Ice Beast finally commented, "This is very grave indeed. If the Great One—and Plasmius — are in fact within the clutches of the Observants, then there is no telling in what kind of danger they may be. The Observants are usually very passive creatures, content only to observe the events that are of concern to them. But sometimes they feel compelled to indirectly interfere."
"But isn't that kinda an oxymoron?" Tucker asked, silently proud that he could finally use the word, 'oxymoron', when he had thought it had been one of many useless words that Lancer had insisted that they learn. "I mean, their supposed to, well, observe, and yet, you say they are willing to butt in."
"Yes, it does sound odd, my friend. But understand that they have charged themselves to be the protectors of Time and Existence. And they are sticklers to their rules and to order—especially of Time. When they feel that there is any threat to Time and Existence, they could be bold enough to interfere. And when they do, that usually is not good news to the ones they have accused of threatening either entity. They can be very intolerant then."
The three teens gulped in fear. But then, Sam, not to be deterred, begged the question, "But you said they indirectly interfere, so how can they do that?"
"An acute observation this is, young one," Frostbite replied. "They usually have Clockwork do the interfering."
"Who—or what—is THAT?" Jazz blurted out, suddenly remembering that she never got that question answered when they were first trying to figure things out.
Skulker, meanwhile, had kept a silent poker-face during the entire time of their conversation. It was hard to say whether he, too, had been as surprised as Jazz or had already known this information.
But Sam and Tucker had frowned in fear when Frostbite had said that. They already knew that Clockwork had done the 'dirty work' for the Observants in the past.
Frostbite's eyebrows rose in surprise at Jazz's outburst and he said, "I am sorry that you did not know of this. But Clockwork is the Time Master. A very mysterious spirit in many ways he is, especially in his relationship with the Observants. There is no telling how he will play in what you think may be happening to the Great One and Plasmius—or whether Clockwork has any role in it at all. After all, the Observants are also known to use other methods to reach any objective they deem imperative."
"You're right, of course, Frostbite," Sam replied. "But that's the very reason why we came. We need to find out, especially when we have a strong hunch that Danny is in—"
"—and Plasmius!" Skulker finally piped in, interrupting the girl.
Sam frowned in irritation, but continued, "Like we told you, we have some strong evidence that Danny — …" Then she added with a growl, "—and Plasmius—are in the Observants' realm, but we don't know why. And although we are sure it was Iluzisto who captured them, we don't know why or what he and the other Observants want with them."
"And we can't get in," Jazz was finally able to say. Hearing her brother's name had helped her focus her thoughts and muster her grit.
"That is true," Frostbite gently added. "The only entrance in this dimension to the Realm Beyond Time has been practically impenetrable for centuries to outsiders. But I have heard that, recently, a barrier has been further raised after a few unauthorized entries… I am unsure how it was formed, but I suspect timeless magic is at hand…"
"Timeless magic?" Tucker questioned. "Is that bad?…"
Frostbite lightly shrugged. "It depends on how you perceive it, young friend. You see, spectral magic is not all the same. One of the biggest differences you find with it comes from the type of entity that wills such mystical power. Those who exist within the Realm Beyond Time share a spectral magic very much different than the rest of us."
"So, those who exist in that realm, like, the Observants, use this so-called… 'timeless magic?" Tucker questioned, wanting to make sure he was following the explanation.
"Correct!" Frostbite answered a bit cheerfully. "Those outside time usually are much more powerful. Therefore, their spells tend to be very hard to undo or break. It is why, then, that I can say with almost certainty that now that this 'timeless magic-based' barrier was raised, the entrance to the Realm Beyond Time truly is unreachable."
"But we need to reach it, " Sam gently interrupted him. "Please, Frostbite. We would like to borrow the Infi-Map."
"The Infi-Map?" Frostbite questioned, sounding a bit surprised by their idea. "Young one, I believe I was not explicit enough. I am unsure if the map could be of help to you all, this time. As I said, not all spectral magic is the same. And the type of magic contained within the Infi-Map is of another kind than that used by the spirits that live in the Realm Beyond Time. I am sorry to say that it is very unlikely it could penetrate through the barrier protecting the entrance to the Realm Beyond Time. In fact, it is quite dangerous to try it. The map could be very well destroyed by that other more powerful timeless magic…"
Tucker's eyes widened, while Sam's eyebrows creased as a sudden desperation began to swell in her chest. "But… But you cannot know that for sure, Frostbite," she defended. "At least let us try!"
Frostbite pursed his lips a little and calmly replied, "I am sorry, but please understand, my friends, that that will not be possible. I cannot let the map out of my guardianship. It is too powerful and too priceless to lose… or for it to be carelessly destroyed..."
"But we would never let that happen. …We just want to use it for a little while," Tucker piped in, frowning in hope. "We just want to try. If the map can't get us through, then we'll bring it right back."
"I still have to object," Frostbite replied. He sighed at the look the kids gave him before adding, "Mistake my words do not. I trust you all. However, I have a responsibility. Furthermore, I am, in a way, obligated to respect my other fellow guardians. I am not allowed to aid in an unauthorized entry to their realm, if they do not wish it…"
Sam who had unconsciously fisted her hands to her sides, hurriedly said, "We understand all that, Frostbite, but please understand that if we don't get your help, the 'Great One' will be a 'No One'—as is in non-existent. I can't explain it, but I just feel that this is what's at stake here!"
She blinked and tried to slow her breathing now that she finally noticed how much it had increased. She didn't know how to explain it, but she was absolutely certain that Danny was not just captured, but was actually in great danger. Then again, the evidence of Iluzisto's cruel capture they found at Vlad's castle only served to back up her bad feeling about all this.
Jazz, though stunned a little by Sam's strange comment, added, "We promise we will treat it better than gold."
"With our lives if we have to," Tucker firmly said, his face now etched in earnestness.
This time, Skulker's eyes widened in surprise. These three human whelps were brave as they were relentless. He smiled slightly, pleased at their audacity and doggedness.
Frostbite was silent for a moment. Then he slowly remarked to Tucker, "That may be very well what is at stake if the Infi-Map falls to unwanted hands or if harm comes to it, my friend. But, aside from there being no guarantee that the map will get you through the timeless barrier, I must further warn you of something perhaps just as troubling. I am uncertain whether the map will be able to transport so many of you. Since it is so little, once the edge each of you cling to is completely covered by your hands, no more passengers may ride it—and be assured that still will be the case should you try to ride it in tandem. The Infi-Map can sense who it leads, and will not allow too many riders to tax its powers. Already, I think that four is too many, much less six, which will be the case once you all rescue the Great One and Plasmius..."
"The odds really are against us…," Jazz said sadly, knowing now that using the Infi-Map was going to be a long shot…
"It is quite unfortunate," Frostbite replied with pity.
"In other words," Tucker began with a frown. "Even if you would give us the map and if it could get us all to the entrance and penetrate that timeless shield, it would only be a one way ticket because it can't carry more than four people anyway?"
Frostbite nodded. "That is why I was trying to convince you not to take the map."
"Wait. You were trying to convince us not to take the map? But I thought you were refusing…" Jazz began, only to have Frostbite gently interrupt her.
"Sam and Tucker know that I will do anything for the Great One—and that includes risking the safety of Infi-Map, most especially if it is believed that he is in grave danger. However, I had to make sure that you understood all the risks you will have to take to use the Infi-Map. And from what you three just avowed to me, I think you do understand."
Tucker smiled a bit, but still curiously asked, "Well, what about the whole thing about wanting to respect 'your fellow guardians' laws?"
Frostbite smirked. "Just simple precaution. Should they ever find out I aided in the 'unauthorized entry' to their realm, then I can attest that I was completely against it!"
Sam's lips curled upwards as she said, "Does that mean…"
"In spite the risk, certain I am that no harm will fall to the Infi-Map in your hands. I can only hope that it will get you to your destination. And I further hope that you will somehow find an alternate way to return to the Ghost Zone. Then again, my young friends are quite resourceful. If anyone can find a way in and out of the Realm Beyond Time it is you all.
The kids smiled and Sam dared to repeat, "So, does that mean…?"
Yes, it does. You may have the Infi-Map!" Frostbite said with a grin. "The odds may be against you, but who am I deny you the chance to defy them!"
The three teens immediately rushed to Frostbite and embraced him in relief and appreciation, letting their tears fall unashamedly. But underneath, their throats also tensed with his warning about the limitations of the map. They hadn't known or thought about that as being a possibility. But they weren't going to let it stop them…
Skulker, meanwhile, inspired by the three insignificant humans' guts, squared himself and proudly said to the Far Frozen leader, "You, too, have my oath that I will protect the Infi-Map and further keep it out of unwanted hands!"
The three teens immediately pulled away from Frostbite, just as quickly pulling their tears away with their hands as they did. They all looked at Skulker in shock, then with sudden suspicion.
Sam finally said what was on all three of the humans' minds, "Oh, really? You don't want it for yourself…or for Plasmius?"
"Though I am tempted to retrieve this most unique of objects for the one who I know would appreciate it, I have my own standards to uphold. And since I have already uttered my oath, I will not take that which I have sworn to protect…And as for Plasmius, that would also include him as one whom I would prevent from taking the Infi-Map. Then again, what he doesn't know won't hurt him," he finished with a smirk.
The girls and Tucker then smiled in relief once more and nodded.
Frostbite also smiled and quickly retrieved the map. Once he had returned to his guests, he surrendered it to Sam.
But surprising everyone, she quickly offered it to Skulker for safe-keeping.
Skulker, of course, was shocked at her gesture, but refused it. Underneath, he really didn't want to be tempted.
Sam then handed it to Tucker, who promptly put it in his backpack.
But before anyone could move or decide when they would be using the Infi-Map, Frostbite said, "I can tell how exhausted you all are after such a long disappointing trip to the Realm Beyond Time's entrance, especially when it was for naught. Please stay for rest and nourishment and start your trip tomorrow after you have refreshed yourselves. After all, you know that any time that you may have lost resting will be more than made up for by the map."
Jazz and Tucker instantly agreed, but Sam remained quiet. She had wanted to leave right away. But when she saw her friends' reaction to Frostbite's invitation, she finally had noticed just how exhausted they had looked. And that just made her realize how tired she was. After all, they hadn't been able to get hardly any sleep since Danny went missing a few days ago now. Though she hated to admit it, she was just as exhausted as her friends. So, she withheld her objection, even when her heart burned to go.
Frostbite then led them all to their quarters. The girls were given one room, while Tucker and Skulker shared another.
Each room was sparsely decorated, yet neat. Two adequately large beds stood on either side of the room, eager to accommodate their guests. One small bureau was at the far end and over each bed was a small suspended lamp made of wrought iron. The fire within each lamp gently flickered, giving the room a warm glow. A single window was all that adorn one wall, while the others were bare. And right in the middle of each of the room was a large rock.
Shortly after they had put their gear in their respective rooms, Frostbite had escorted them to an area for their much needed refreshments. The visitors actually enjoyed themselves as they ate because, as it turned out, Frostbite was an exceptional host, as he tried to make sure they were pleased and was especially buoyant when they were.
Finally, it was time for the foursome to retire for the evening. After exchanging both appreciative and apologetic words about their impromptu and soon-to-be-short visit, the four companions said their 'good-nights'.
Jazz and Sam headed toward their room while the males retired to theirs.
As they began to settle in, Tucker was especially amused when Skulker insisted on using his blanket to set up a makeshift curtain in the corner of their room. Even now, Skulker was bent on 'preserving his 'dignity''. But once both of them had finally lain down in their respective beds, they immediately fell into a deep slumber; so much so that not even Skulker had flinched when Frostbite lightly rapped on their door in order to check in on them. Not getting any answer from his inquiry, Frostbite had poked his head in and when he saw that the two males were out for the count, he had quietly performed what he had come for and left.
Jazz and Sam, meanwhile, did not have as easy a time of going to sleep. While, Jazz just turned on her side on the bed and stared at the wall, the goth girl was still up and out of bed, drawn to the lone window in their room. She gazed out of it and into the vast coldness, now regretting that she hadn't said anything about wanting to leave.
Jazz, on the other hand, couldn't get comfortable and her mind also began to plague her. She was still very worried about her brother; especially when she was aware that her brother had now been missing for four days now…
But she also knew she had to get some rest.
Through it all, however, the girls remained silent. They didn't feel that talking any more about it all would help them ease their minds or help them to sleep. Still, they were restless.
Then, there was a quiet knock on their door. Jazz sat up in bed and Sam turned away from the window.
"Come in," Jazz said.
With an embarrassed frown on his face as he peeked in, Frostbite gingerly said, "Forgive my intrusion, friends. But I can see that you are still not comfortable…."
"No, we're fine!" the girls reflexively replied at the same time.
Sam immediately hopped into her bed and Jazz hunkered down to 'prove' their point to their host. They didn't want to make Frostbite feel bad or responsible about their restlessness.
The Ice Beast smiled at their weak ruse and gently replied, "I understand. But please allow me to ease you into your comfort nevertheless. We Ice Creatures pride ourselves in ensuring unquestionable satisfaction of our guests."
Before the girls could say anything, the beast walked right over to the rock in the middle of the room. The girls frowned in confusion. Why was he so interested in that odd room ornament? But in the next moment, they had their answer.
Using his ice powers, Frostbite produced a large ice sword in his hands. He immediately struck the rock, and the girls gasped at what happened next. The rock began to glow a fiery red, and heat immediately emanated from it, penetrating the room with its warmth. But then, Frostbite sprinkled some reddish-brown dry leaves on the rock and as they smoldered, they immediately began to give off a light, but sweet-smelling smoke.
Soon afterward, the aroma began to permeate the room.
Smiling in satisfaction, Frostbite bowed before saying, "Good-night, then, friends. And sweet dreams."
Once again, the girls frowned in confusion just as the leader of the Far Frozen left. But moments later, as the aroma wafted up their noses, the girls suddenly began to yawn, and just as sudden, felt their limbs grow heavy with sleep.
Before they could even give it another thought, they were fast asleep, not having a care for their worries; and no longer thinking of Danny's own concerns of tomorrow.
(1) salboŝtormo, plural salboŝtormoj. Esperanto for 'sandstorm' and 'sandstorms', respectively.
(2) jono', 'negativajjono' Esperanto for 'ion' and 'negative ion', respectively.
Pearl: Aw, poor kids. They are tired, worried, confused, and tired again! Makes you wonder who has it worse: Team Phantom and Skulker, or the hybrids… heh-heh. Ahem. Well, I wanted to apologize for not updating DoaS and CM for so long. I am slowly working on both. It's just that this past month of January has been very…er, eventful for me. It's been hard, to be honest. But, I'm slowly moving forward and so is my writing. I truly, truly hope to have CM for this coming week. I won't make promises, but it's very likely, since I shouldn't be as busy after this weekend!
Also, in lighter news, there is an online chat at the HiddenPearl at the DA on SUNDAY at 11:30 am New York Time. I hope you all try to be there! I don't know about you guys, but I love chatting with you all! So, I hope you all can make it. Well, thank you for reading us, dear readers! Truephan and I are just thrilled to have your support. And, of course, your thoughts are our inspiration! *winks* Ta for now!
Truephan here: You are so right about that, Pearl…Uh, about everything…I think! And, really, I hope that our readers will be inspired to let us know their thoughts. We relish them….well, honestly, I like ketchup better. *permission to groan*. Until next time, dear readers!