A/N: Well, hi, everyone, Truephan here. *waves* Did you miss us? I certainly missed what I have been able to imagine perfectly: your eyes widening in dread and terror at some of the chapters of this story. Well, sorta anyways! Hey, don't blame me! Y'all are the ones who wrote and told us that we were HORRIBLE or despicable, or some other loathsome thing for torturing the hybrids. Now, I'm not saying that wasn't TRUE, but like I told one of our readers, I would prefer to be called 'wicked'. Sounds more dignified! …. Tsk, tsk, y'all KNOW that wasn't me talking? But I won't give that wicked woman—ohmigosh I said 'wicked'. She'll love that! I better get a hold of myself and get back to the story! Sorry, y'all. I think that this changing of the clocks thing is just getting my brain more addled than usual! So, I better stop before I become completely incoherent and turn it over to my lovely co-author, Pearl. Oh, and don't forget: I hope you enjoy this latest chapter! Oh, Pearl?
Pearl: Hello all! Thank you for your patience and reviews! I hope you enjoy more of the hybrids' on their 'second day' of trial! Heh-heh! See you all at the bottom! Hopefully, I'll be coherent myself by the time you reach the bottom! It's late over here!
Disclaimer: We do not own Danny Phantom.
Chapter 16: Trial of Endurance and Wit.
Finally, the Iluzisto and the two hybrids came upon the trial room. But, as they neared the entrance, Vlad and Danny cringed with a too familiar burning sensation when their glowing white prison numbers reappeared on their foreheads. However, to their surprise this time, the discomfort was fading a lot faster than the last times…
Vlad and Danny reflexively glanced at each other, wondering if the other had noticed that about their prison numbers. But they quickly frowned, now more in bewilderment than from pain when they finally noticed, or more like, heard the commotion within the courtroom.
There was a tremendous roar that had not been there yesterday coming from the room. In fact, from the sound of it, it was as if they weren't even coming to the same courtroom, but instead were approaching a homecoming football game—with the home team obviously winning.
And, really, they weren't too far off with that assumption. They would soon find out that the room was now more than filled to capacity, with rows and rows of seated Observants. In fact, there were so many more of the spirits present than there were yesterday that those that were seated were wedged in with each other, as if their bodies could easily wallpaper the wall. And there were still others who had standing—er, floating—room only. The only thing missing was those putrid High Council faces that would soon appear on the now off television-like monitors.
As soon as the hybrids and their Prison Head stepped through the large double doors and into the trial room, however, the room came to a sudden hush. But that didn't last for long. Pockets of whispers soon erupted once more, and then just as sudden, quelled whenever the hybrids had finally penetrated more into the room, and when the crowd saw Iluzisto.
But the Prison Head ignored the audience as he concentrated on delivering the crossbreeds to their station.
Danny, of course, was the most curious of the trio and scanned the large, cramped room. He frowned in irritation at his next wild thought. These Observants needed to get out more! Seriously, were they aware just how painfully obvious they were if they thought his and Vlad's trial was turning into the 'must see' show in this realm?
Vlad, too, had a similar thought, and his irritated reaction finally pulled him fully out of his depression. Now he had more disdain than any other feeling surge through him as he scanned the crowd. He was no monkey attached to any accordion! There was no way that he would be any part of any kind of entertainment for this lot!
Slowly the Observants' murmurs returned. After all, they, too, weren't devoid of their own thoughts about the trial or these two hostile hybrids. The ones who were present yesterday had their eyes curved upward which could only be guessed as being smiles of anticipation as they hurriedly and excitedly whispered to their new companions their promise for another just as thrilling session as yesterday was.
Those 'newbie' Observants to the affair, however, frowned in worry as they listened to their 'veteran' friends' version of the trial that had taken place the day before. They doubted them, even when the ones who had been here yesterday assured them otherwise. After all, the 'newbie' Observants only came because of all the rumors that were now flying everywhere within their realm. And those rumors made it seem that yesterday's trial might as well have been a circus. And, really, those rumors weren't far from the truth.
They had heard how the two hybrids had treated their trial like it was some 'set-up', shocking those Observants who were, well, observing the proceedings. It was further rumored how the two prisoners seemed so very unapologetic with all of their audacity and disrespect of the Observants' rules and regulations. No wonder, then, that the two ghost hybrids had to have restraining collars put upon them. Those two had been incredibly hostile and acted like the wild beasts the Observants were sure they were.
Still, the first day of the trial had ended with a victory for the High Tribunal, so it looked like no matter what the two hybrids did, the evidence against them was too strong. And each of the Observants really felt that today would be no different.
Finally, Vlad and Danny were shoved firmly into their assigned seats by Iluzisto. They both grunted in pain at the force, instantly readjusting themselves into their chairs alongside their Appointed Defender, Spektanto, as before. Well, perhaps, not exactly as before since, this time, Danny had taken the seat beside Spektanto while Vlad sat down on the next one over beside the young hybrid, so that Danny was now in the middle of the trio.
Danny frowned when he glanced over to their 'lawyer'. The idiot Observant was still feverishly writing and hadn't so much as greeted them! Just what was with this dude?
But a moment later, as soon as Spektanto had finally heard that his clients had arrived, he stopped writing. He then turned to the Prison Head and said with slight sarcasm in his voice, "I take it, Prison Head, that I have your guarantee that the hybrids will behave today, even when I heard that you were ordered to attend to other important matters for at least the first part of today's proceedings?"
"You have my guarantee that there will be more consequences if they do not!" Iluzisto sneered back, aiming his threatening eye on Danny and Vlad.
But the half-ghosts were too shocked with what they just heard to react… Iluzisto was not going to be around for the first part of the trial…?
Spektanto gulped at the hatred he heard in the Prison Head's voice, but he didn't dare say anything.
Just then, Clockwork entered the room.
More of the audience immediately began to whisper among themselves when they saw him; and to Danny, those Observants now sounded like bees buzzing in their hive.
Once the Time Master was settled, he nodded toward Iluzisto, who then took that as his cue to leave. And just as the illusionist ghost turned to leave, his red, glaring eye made its clear warning to Danny and Vlad to behave—or else!
In reality, Iluzisto didn't expect any real trouble from the crossbreeds—not after the harsh lesson he dealt them last night. He knew that Okulo had informed Justeco and the rest of the High Council about what had happened; so he knew if they noticed the crossbreeds bruises here and there, they would chalk it off to their 'resisting arrest' after their escape attempt.
Iluzisto was in the clear, which meant that while the crossbreeds were in trial, he could take part of this time to attend to some other matters—after all, he needed to make sure everything was set up for the final act of his plans, which would hopefully come to fruition soon.
With an evil red flash of his purplish-silver eye, Iluzisto took his leave, though he made a mental note to take more of the crossbreeds' delicious energies once the second part of the Observants' mediocre trial finished…Ultimately, he knew that the success of his ploy rested on his being able to use those creatures endless power supply…
This time, it looked as if Iluzisto took all the conservations out with him as he left, for the entire trial room quickly quieted right after he did. Just as oddly, it was almost too coincidental that the illusionist spirit's exit also seemed to announce the beginning of the second day of the trial, since as soon as he left the monitors began to flicker to life. In no time, the large facial eyes of Council members appeared on the monitors, their silent, vacant stares as cold as statues.
Meanwhile, no sooner had the Council members appeared on their respective monitors when the Tribune of the Council, Justeco, and his Advisor, Konsilisto, came into the room, entering it through a large door behind the High Tribune Council's large, intricately-carved, rectangular table.
Everyone except Danny and Vlad stood up when the High Tribune and his Advisor came in.
But when Spektanto spied the two hybrids had already started out disrespecting the proceedings, he hoarsely whispered from the side of wherever his mouth was to them. "If you want me to defend you properly, you must show some respect for the High Tribune and his Counselor!"
His clients begrudgingly rose; but, nevertheless, did not hide their frowns of disapproval.
Finally, the Tribune motioned for everyone to sit back down just before he grabbed the gavel he was sure he would be using. He remained standing as everyone else situated themselves.
As soon as they were finished, the Tribune cleared his throat and tapping his gavel lightly onto its base, announced in a precise voice, "We will shortly begin 'Day Two' of three in the trial of Prisoners 484 and 485 versus All Existence. First, however, as many of you Observants know, the two hybrids have brought upon themselves more accusations from their antics in yesterday's proceedings. I have further been informed by Okulo, our liaison between the High Prison, that it was brought to his attention by Master Prison Head Iluzisto that these two also attempted to escape from their very cells and needed to be disciplined because of that. We will have to add the charge of 'unlawful elopement' to their case."
Justeco next turned to the Council members looking on from their monitors and nodded to each. "Is this not true, High Council?"
"Aye!" came the unanimous reply from the televised talking heads.
The High Tribune then unconsciously glanced up at the two guards that stood at the courtroom's entrance and they immediately stiffened in attention.
Danny, meanwhile, had instantly glanced at Vlad right after the High Tribune's announcement, wondering if the older hybrid was aware of that little detail. But when he saw Vlad roll his eyes at the judge, Danny then concluded that that answer would be a definite 'no'.
But he and Vlad nevertheless kept mum as the Tribune Observant rattled off a lot of mumble-jumble—intermixed with sporadic echoes of "Aye's" and "Here, here" from the idiots in the television boxes—about the transgressions in their behavior in the courtroom and in their prison from the day before. As if that would matter compared to the more serious allegations the Observants had levied upon them already and were undoubtedly ready to embellish upon in short order.
Finally, the Tribune ended his tirade and all was quiet once more. But just when Danny thought the silence was beginning to suffocate him, Justeco looked toward the other Observants and continued, "And now, with the permission of the High Council, we come to more serious charges, which are the focus of today's proceedings."
He paused a moment until all the heads in the monitors nodded their approval in silence. He then continued, "And this set of three transgressions is their crime against all Existence. And we will start with the gravest of these…"
But just then, the Counselor Observant, Konsilisto, who was to the immediate right of the Tribune, tugged on the Tribune's sleeve, purposely interrupting him.
The rest of the court began to quietly murmur to themselves, abuzz at the already delay in this first part of today's proceedings. Danny and Vlad, however, remained quiet, but frowned at noticing that Spektanto had not reacted to what the Counselor Observant had done and instead had merely returned to writing vigorously—again!
The hybrids grumbled under their breath, each now guessing that their 'lawyer' would more than likely be taking any opportunity to continue with his endless scribbling!
The Tribune's eye narrowed in indignation at the interruption; nevertheless, he leaned over as discreetly as he could toward his counselor, Konsilisto. After hearing the whispered message, the Tribune nodded in acknowledgement.
Once more, Justeco cleared his throat. All the other Observants immediately hushed just as the Tribune continued, "Well, yes, with the permission of the High Council, we will change the order of the charges and end with the gravest of these transgressions, but not in a direct way."
Once again, Justeco waited until he received the approval of the Observants in the monitors.
Danny knitted his brow in confusion. What the heck did he mean by that? But he threw that thought away and focused once more on what else the Tribune had planned to say.
And the boy didn't have to wait long, because the Tribune Observant soon added, "Instead, we will present this set of three in the order that they have occurred… Now, do we have the Council's approval to proceed?"
"Aye!" came the immediate and unanimous reply.
Justeco nodded and then turned to Clockwork before adding, "Master Prosecutor, are you ready?"
The youngest form of the Time Master blinked away the obvious boredom in which he had been from listening to the Tribune's long-winded diatribe. His interest hadn't even been piqued with the Tribune's interruption. After all, Clockwork half-expected the Counselor who was always at the Tribune's side to interrupt. He was just a bit surprised that it hadn't already occurred until now.
But now that the Tribune was coming to the point, Clockwork had finally tuned totally into the trial and replied, "I am, Honorable Tribune."
The Tribune ignored the slightly tedious tone in Clockwork's voice and said, "Very well. We will proceed. We, the High Tribune Council of the Realm Beyond Time, bring forth the first of the three accusations against Prisoners 484 and 485 that will be addressed today, namely: Vlad Plasmius and Danny Phantom are suspected of the crime of willingly and maliciously releasing the tyrant Pariah Dark from his Forever Sleep, in which he was justifiably placed by the ancient spirit wizards for his own crime against all living beings and all Existence!"
"Man, how can he say all that in one breath?" Danny thought to himself, before mentally smacking himself, "Duh! Because he doesn't breathe, that's why!"
But then, the Tribune's words finally sunk in. Wait! Did that head guy just accuse him of releasing the Ghost King? That was totally wrong! He turned reflexively toward Vlad and then his frown of indignation quickly melded into a confused one at the man's reaction.
Vlad looked a bit anxious after hearing their first charge of the day. And was he actually squirming uncomfortably?
Now worried about it all, Danny bent to his side and hurriedly whispered to Spektanto, "What does he mean by that?"
But the lawyer didn't even flinch, as if he hadn't even heard the boy. Instead, he kept on with that infuriating scribbling!
"What say you on your plea on this count, Appointed Defender?" the Tribune queried, purposely ignoring the hybrids.
"Not guilty, of course," Spektanto replied with a little too much indifference in the tone of his voice.
Danny leaned back into his chair and sighed under his breath with relief. At least Spektanto seemed to be on their side with this one...But wait! He suddenly stiffened again. How was it that Vlad was not guilty? After all, he was the one who had released Pariah in the first place! Just then, Danny had a very bad feeling about this—again…
And too bad he was right.
Spektanto unexpectedly stood up and added, "Forgive the impropriety, Tribune and Council, but I am afraid that I need to clarify the 'not guilty' plea."
Vlad then stiffened at their lawyer's words. That certainly didn't sound reassuring in the least.
The Appointed Defender continued, "I should say my clients' plea is 'not guilty—on condition."
The two hybrids' eyes widened in disbelief. Now what?
"This is very improper," Clockwork suddenly objected. "No plea like that has ever been entered in the past. I do not see the relevance to…"
But the High Tribune interrupted the Prosecutor, "That is quite all right, Clockwork. We can make an exception. After all, this trial is of the greatest importance."
Unable to keep quiet anymore under the absurdity of it all, Vlad pushed behind Danny, shoving the boy slightly into the table. He ignored the boy's protesting grunt and leaned over to Spektanto. He then quietly growled, "What is the meaning of all this nonsense, Spektanto?"
Danny shoved the man back indignantly even as he heard his objection. Nevertheless, he, too, leaned over to Spektanto and was quick to add, "And why did you even bring it up in the first place?"
"Because it is proper," their lawyer reflexively and casually replied to the two.
This time, Vlad leaned slightly over the table so that he was now crowding Danny from the front. "No, it's not, you dolt! You heard Clockwork, and…." Vlad hissed, barely able to control the volume of his voice, only to be interrupted by Justeco.
"We are waiting, Appointed Defender," the Tribune said. "You can discuss this matter with your clients at the appointed time."
"Which is right now!" Vlad suddenly yelled, jolting up from his seat, surprising Danny.
Actually, it was a bit alarming to the teen to see Vlad's acting so aggressively. The man was usually the one to maintain his composure while Danny was the one that usually had the short fuse. But… it was like the tables were turned all the sudden. The man was livid and they hadn't even gotten past their first accusation of the day!
Now more focused on the building rage inside him, Vlad eyes flashed red as he exclaimed, "You Observants call yourselves fair-minded, when it's obvious that this trial is nothing but a sham!"
Spektanto then put his hand on what should be a forehead but was really just the spot above his large pupil and groaned. The rest of the Observants murmured in disapproval.
"Vlad, sit down," Danny firmly pleaded, tugging on the man's sleeve. "We're already in enough trouble, and…"
The man then turned to the boy and replied, "And can't you see that it's all a set-up, Daniel? This whole trial is an outrage to justice!" Turning to the High Council, he pointed an accusing finger at those in front of him as he shouted, "You despicable creatures deserve to rot in your own prison for the injustice you are committing against us!"
"Prisoner 484, you have tried the patience of the court for too long yesterday. If you do not restrain yourself, we will get the Prison Head to do it for us!"
Vlad momentarily stopped, unconsciously shuddering with the intense emotion that suddenly gripped him at the mere mentioning of Iluzisto. He frowned in confusion, wondering why he now felt so helpless. But then, he shook his head as that feeling only infuriated him more.
He growled in anger at his next thought. He had been such a fool to let that infernal spirit reduce him to such a sniveling wreck, in spite of how much his heart ached with the truth! Now, though still angry, he was determined to defy these creatures and their twisted sense of justice. He was going get through this mess, one way or another—if only to make these Observants and their guard dog pay for humiliating him as they had!
"We are waiting for you to sit, Prisoner 484!" the judge said in a demanding voice before he glanced around for Iluzisto, only to quickly remember he had excused the Prison Head from the first part of the trail today. But the fact only made Justeco less tolerable to the older hybrid's defiance.
"Vlad! Sit down!" Danny hissed urgently, not wanting Iluzisto to be called. It would only bring them both more trouble.
This time, the older hybrid regarded the teen with a more significant look, and seeing he was almost pleading with him to calm down, Vlad's anger subdued a bit.
Although he was so annoyed that he wanted to just forget about being logical, he realized he could not do that. Daniel was right. He wasn't going to make anything better by lashing out at these imbeciles…
But even when he refused to play into these creatures' hands anymore, the older hybrid had no choice but to just let the trial proceed on course. Grumbling under his breath, he turned his gaze away from the boy and forced himself to sit down, though now he was as alert and tense as ever.
Danny sighed a little, even when he completely understood where the man was coming from and had also agreed that the trial was a set-up. Not to mention, seeing Vlad lose his composure made him nervous and, somehow, also made it harder for the teen to keep his own head in this. But right now, what could either of them do?
Then teen's eyebrows furrowed a bit as he finally understood that they really did need each other to get through this…
The Tribune and High Council looked very perturbed. Then the Tribune said with an irritated tone, "We will keep it as a 'not guilty' plea for now. You may proceed, Clockwork."
This time, Vlad silently smiled, hiding his self-satisfaction over his small triumph. Maybe there could be a way to manipulate this trial to get out of this whole fiasco after all. Still, the trial wasn't over yet. And how exactly would they find Daniel guilty on this charge? The boy had practically single-handedly put Pariah Dark back into his sarcophagus! He brushed his thoughts away and listened in.
"Very well," the Time Master said, definitely sounding too bored. "The evidence is simple and clear …"
As before, he tossed a small crystal ball up into the air just before he aimed his time staff at it, shooting a blue beam of energy at it. An instant later, he waved his time staff and an image appeared for all of the courtroom to see. All eyes—single and paired—were glued to the makeshift screen as the very beginning of the events surrounding the second rise and fall of the Ghost King unfolded as if they were watching a movie.
Suddenly, Clockwork stopped the 'film' right when Vlad was opening the sarcophagus with the Skeleton Key of Forever Sleep.
Clockwork then commented, "As you can clearly see, the accused, Vlad Plasmius, is undoubtedly responsible for putting all of Existence at risk by allowing Pariah Dark to be unleashed."
He continued playing it.
Danny leaned toward Vlad and couldn't help himself as he whispered through his smirk, "Gotcha there, Plasmius."
The man frowned in indignation but said nothing. But then, he had an idea. He smiled mischievously and slightly pushing Danny forward and out of the way again, leaned over to Spektanto.
Danny, of course, felt the man's action but didn't push back. Instead, he cocked his ear, wondering what the fruitloop was up to. He knew that Vlad would eventually cook up something. The boy smiled to himself. That was new. He couldn't help but feel relieved that Vlad was acting more like himself again—not like the broken man he had seen last night… Then the boy silently smiled a bit more with what he heard.
"They can't prove a thing, you know," Vlad began. "How do we know that this isn't some doctored-up film of some sort?"
Spektanto whispered back, "No one would refute or attempt to refute that Clockwork would not show the actual events. He would not trump up false evidence."
"Oh, come now," Vlad flippantly replied. "He is just as interested in winning this case as you are in losing it!"
"What? How dare you insinuate…," Spektanto began, mortified. But he was interrupted…
"Please, Appointed Defender. What say you of the evidence presented by Clockwork?" the Tribune asked.
"No questions," Spektanto casually replied, much to the chagrin of Vlad and Danny.
"How can you have no questions?" Vlad suddenly blurted out, addressing Spektanto. He hadn't realized that his voice had been ringing in indignation—and loud enough to be heard by the courtroom.
The crowd erupted in slight annoyance, and the Tribune rapped his gavel.
But Spektanto's eye narrowed in what could only be described as a frown of disapproval at the older hybrid.
Vlad, though very irritated by that—and, really, everything else—quieted.
Once satisfied that the older hybrid was going to behave himself—at least for now—Spektanto resumed scribbling something in a notebook in front of him.
For a moment, all the hybrids heard was the scratching of a pen against paper. Now even more curious, Danny felt that he should get to the bottom of Spektanto's incessant behavior. He finally bent over enough to see what the spirit could possibly be writing about. He startled with what he saw. The Observant was writing in symbols that were similar to the ones on each of the doors he had passed in the hallway…and the ones he had seen in that prison cell! But his thoughts were interrupted by the next announcement.
"Good, then we now present the next set of evidence against Danny Phantom," the Tribune said.
Once again, Clockwork waved his Time Staff and the Time Viewing Orb showed more of the events surrounding Pariah Dark's return.
But after only a few minutes, the Time Master suddenly froze the frame. All eyes went to him, wondering about his reasons.
They didn't have to wait long when Clockwork said, "The court should pay particularly close attention to this next scene. This is the hard evidence that Danny Phantom is responsible for putting all Existence at risk when he summons Pariah Dark…"
He willed the scene to move forward once more. A moment later, the audience saw Danny pulling the Fright Knight's sword out of the ground on Casper High's football field.
Danny's eyes widened in shock and before he knew it, he blurted out, "But I didn't do that on purpose! I was just trying to get Plasmius to give Pariah's ring back to him so that the Ghost King would leave my world alone!"
The crowd gasped and began to murmur their objections.
The Tribune angrily rapped his gavel as he demanded, "Silence in the council room!"
Once the crowd calmed, Justeco continued, "I will not warn you again, Prisoner 485! Proceed, Master Prosecutor."
Clockwork obliged him and said without emotion, "Unfortunately, ignorance is not a defense."
"And since you're running on an "A-plus" record on being ignorant, that also applies in both worlds, my boy. Touché, Daniel," Vlad quietly snickered to the boy.
Danny glared at the man, but before he could respond, Clockwork continued.
"Ultimately," the Time Master intoned, "whatever good Danny Phantom's intentions were to give the ring back to Pariah Dark, he was still giving the Ghost King unlimited power to destroy all Existence even when in the end it was a human girl hunter who was the one who practically handed over the ring in that same time frame."
This time, Vlad raised an eyebrow with the time spirit's words. It was very interesting that the boy was being blamed for the Pariah Dark incident. And yet… that suddenly gave him a very evil and daring idea, one which curved the man's lips into a little devilish smirk…
"But there is more I must add," Clockwork continued, and Danny unconsciously tensed. "Even though Danny Phantom does plead ignorance in this case, it is his ignorance that is more the danger, then. Because of his naïveté of the past, he had also released the Fright Knight."
The crowd gasped and Danny's face and shoulders fell at both Clockwork's insult and accusation.
"Objection!" Spektanto cried.
"About time!" Danny mumbled.
"The boy did not release the Fright Knight in this incidence. That charge can be added at a later time," the Appointed Defender pointed out.
"WHAT?" Danny blurted out once more, jolting out of his seat. "What do you mean…?"
But he didn't finish his outburst. Vlad had quite firmly and unexpectedly pulled him back into his seat and covered his mouth, firmly gagging any other effort Danny had in stating his defense.
Vlad hurriedly whispered to the boy, "Now, now, Daniel. Remember, we're already in enough trouble! It's your turn to sit down and be quiet."
The Tribune and the entire Council glared at the scene once more before Vlad feigned a weak smile and replied, "The accusation is a bit premature, but the jury should nevertheless bear that in mind."
That comment only made Danny squirm harder against the man. How dare Vlad say that! Where was that in their plans to 'work together'? Uh, so, okay. Vlad had never actually agreed with that yet. So what was this? Was the guy trying to save his own hide by condemning his?
Indeed, that was what Vlad had in mind now. He owed the boy nothing, after all. Since they clearly couldn't work together, then it was now every half-ghost for himself! And after this little scene, he had quickly realized that the more the High Council blamed the teen, the less they could pin on him!
The Tribune angrily announced, "Objection overruled! And the Council disregards the accusation and the jury is not to deliberate the point when it is time for deliberations."
The group of Observant jurymen blinked in acknowledgment.
"But!" the Tribune suddenly added, pointing his gavel defiantly at Danny. "You will compose yourself right now, Prisoner 485, or else I will have you subdued. Iluzisto might not be back yet, but I will not hesitate to have the Observants' guards do his job for him!"
Danny immediately stopped squirming against Vlad. But then, he gave the man's hands a final shove off of him—with success this time. The boy humphed indignantly after that, crossing his arms in defiance as he glared at the smirking Vlad, the frowning Spektanto, the scowling Tribune, and finally, at the poker-faced Clockwork.
Barely composing the emotion in his voice, the Tribune uttered, "Proceed, Appointed Prosecutor."
"Thank you, Tribune," Clockwork uttered without any emotion in his voice. "Now, does the Appointed Defender offer the floor to the accused for their defense?"
This time, Spektanto jolted up out of his chair and blurted out, "WHAT?" But clearing his voice in embarrassment and composing himself once more, the Appointed Defender added more calmly, "I mean, that does not seem to be proper at this time. The accused will be allowed that later…." But then, he paused before continuing, "I mean, they have been quick to take the floor even when it was not the proper time anyways."
The audience suddenly chuckled and the Tribune tapped his gavel impatiently in response. The audience quickly hushed.
Clockwork said, "The Defense has a good point. Yet, now is actually the time…"
"It is?" Spektanto uttered, but then remembering that most Observant trials never lasted more than a day, had to agree. "Oh, yes, the second day is unusual…it is allowed."
But then, he was interrupted once more.
"But as you have so astutely pointed out, Appointed Defender, the two prisoners have been given more than enough of not only the ear of the Council, but also its patience to last the rest of the trial. We will proceed," the Tribune said definitely, striking his gavel to emphasize his unwavering decision.
Danny's head began to spin in confusion as he thought, "Just where the heck did they come up with these lame rules?" Still, he said nothing and just continued to pay closer attention to what would next unfold.
"Very well," Clockwork commented, again with no hint of any emotion in his voice. "I attest, then, that even though there is proof that Danny Phantom had a culpable role in this incident, there is indubitable evidence that Vlad Plasmius is completely guilty as charged. Pariah Dark's near success to total destruction of all Existence and Reality would not have ensued had it not been for Plasmius' sinister interference with the Ghost King's own justifiable sentence…."
"He already said that!" Vlad grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes.
"…Furthermore, I reiterate that the evidence is equally as indubitable that Danny Phantom abetted this serious event when he pulled the Fright Knight's sword out of the ground to summon the Ghost King."
That was too much for the boy. And he wasn't going to give in that easily.
"I still didn't do that on purpose!" Danny objected out loud again.
The Tribune banged his gavel angrily this time, inciting the two guards who had been nearby to soar over to Danny. They aggressively aimed their weapons at the boy.
Danny cringed and immediately rose his arms up in surrender as he unconsciously bit his lower lip.
"Summon the Prison Head!" the Tribune yelled, and a messenger Observant was immediately dispatched.
Danny swallowed hard. Now he had done it! Still, he couldn't just sit here and take this. It wasn't fair! But then, he frowned with the pang of a sudden memory:
"Okay, Danny, that was a great answer! Now about the last question…. Ready?"
He nodded, trying not to drift off again.
"Okay. 'If someone accused you of doing something you didn't do, but had proof that you did it, how would you prove your innocence?'"
"Man, that's a tough one," he muttered, trying to shake his encroaching desire to doze completely off. "…Uh, but that can't be right! I mean, they couldn't be right! You said I didn't do it, so how can they be right to accuse me?"
Jazz smiled when her brother paused in thought.
"Wait. But you said they had 'proof', didn't you?" Danny spoke up again, and when his sister nodded, his frown deepened. "But that makes no sense. How can they have proof if I didn't do it? Unless…. it's not 'real' proof? I mean, if I didn't do it, it can't be real proof! So, yeah. Their proof has to be fake! Now, this makes sense. And the answer would be a lot easier. If their proof is fake, then to prove my innocence, I would have to prove that the proof is not solid—or prove that they lied or did something else that was suspicious—and they would have to drop the whole thing."
Danny's eyes widened at what he suddenly realized: he was not only being falsely accused just like that scenario his sister had interviewed him about what seemed like eons ago, but he was also being falsely accused with malicious intent! Heck, even Vlad had pointed this out. This trial was one big set-up and obviously these Observants were more than willing to ignore the whole picture...The whole picture! If these stupid spirits were so bent on 'justice', it was time to see just how much they would uphold it.
Suddenly, he knew what he had to do. He had to prove that these Observants' evidence of his supposed crimes was not solid! No, he had to show them that their justice was more corrupted than anything they were so determine to pin on him!
Danny's eyes narrowed determination and he then continued in an even louder voice, "Like I said, I didn't summon the Ghost King on purpose, but now, I will show you what all of you allowed on purpose!"
With that, he shoved both of his arms up while peeling back his long sleeved prison shirt to expose his lower arms.
But then, much to his chagrin, the Tribune and the court met his gesture with angered silence and with irritation seething from their lone eyes.
Frowning in confusion this time, Danny looked from his cut wrists and bruised arms to the High Council as he stuttered out, "C-Can't you see what Iluzisto has done to me?"
"We see what you have inflicted on yourself, Prisoner 485," Justeco said angrily. "I have told you before, if you continue to be defiant then we have no choice but to use unwanted force—as was the case with Master Prison Head when you tried to escape. Or have you forgotten?"
"B-But…," the boy muttered to really himself. However, he then looked back at the Tribune and insisted, "B-But Vlad and I were tortured! And... Come on! Do you think I'd willingly cut and hurt myself, even if I had resisted Iluzisto after I tried to escape?"
He cringed when he accidently admitted to trying to escape. But thinking fast, he added, "Okay, so I did try to escape, but that doesn't justify getting tortured or having ice water thrown on us! I think I'm catching a cold because of it, in fact!"
It was true. He was feeling a bit dizzy and that achy sensation some people get before getting sick…
"Silence, Prisoner 485! You and your fellow prisoner have tried the patience of this court too long!" Justeco seethed, not believing a word the younger half-ghost had said. "As I said, you have inflicted your damage on yourself! And it's more than clear that you are exaggerating in order to stray from the fact that you attempted to escape!"
"I can't believe you people!" Danny exploded. "How can you all be so blind when your one eyes are so freakin' huge? Or is it that because of that, there's no more room left in your heads for a brain?"
Vlad's eyebrows shot up with the boy's insults, but then he grinned and leaned back in his seat. Well, this also worked. Have Daniel tick off the Observants for him. That way, he could see their looks of indignation without having to be the one to bear the consequences.
"Enough!" Justeco boomed, slamming his mullet down before he demanded to the nearest guard, "Where is Iluzisto?"
But then, his attention was drawn to the next voice.
"If the Council could stay its anger a moment, there is more," Clockwork suddenly said. But the way he said it, it was as if he didn't care at all. He continued when the Council gave him their attention. "It is obvious from the defendant's reaction that his inexperience impairs his thinking and judgment. Nevertheless, Danny Phantom is facing the crime of abetting this whole disastrous incident with the Ghost King. In fact, his naiveté in this matter only fueled his later actions in the same matter."
The entire room sat in a stunned silence.
Sitting down, Danny blinked, trying to comprehend what Clockwork had just said. But the crowd's reaction didn't help him to decide whether what Clockwork had said was good or bad.
Justeco calmly added, "Appointed Defender, what say you?"
"We also beg for the patience of the Council," Spektanto replied.
"Beg?" Danny reflexively thought, but kept his attention glued to the scene.
"Very well," the Tribune finally answered, frowning a bit in disappointment.
"We rescind our orders to summon the Prison Head. Let us, then, proceed with the next set of accusations."
Vlad leaned over to Danny and snidely commented, "Looks like you may have been taken off the hook with that one, Daniel. But, of course, that doesn't mean they won't stab you right in the back with that same hook later."
"Much like you?" Danny hissed back, though he made sure to keep his voice down.
The man's grin widened. "Hardly. Why stab you in the back when I can do it forwardly? After all, we both know there is nothing you…"
But Vlad suddenly trailed off as his eyes drifted upward. He had unexpectedly felt a small draft from above. However, upon seeing where the draft was coming from, the man's eyes slightly widened before they slowly narrowed in contemplation…
What an… interesting find. And it was enough a distraction to trigger his thoughts for… a change in strategies…Even some kind of new plan.
He paused a bit…Yes…That would be what he needed to do…
The man pursed his lips as he knitted his brow as he continued to mull over the details. Of course the success of that plan would have to involve…
Vlad glanced over at the teen who was just staring back at him like he was crazy after the man had abruptly stopped talking.
"Dude, you are such a crazed up fruitloop," Danny muttered before shaking his head. He then just looked away.
Vlad ignored the teen and turned his eyes back up at his new find. Well, he was indeed going to have to change tactics. True, he overdid it a bit in goading Daniel. But he just couldn't resist any opportunity to annoy the boy. Still, he might have to put that urge 'on hold' for now. And…mend the fence—if only partway…
In the meantime, Danny frowned when his thoughts came full circle. He didn't understand why the man suddenly seemed to want to rile him up again, and the next, he just became quiet... He shrugged it off again to the man's 'fruitloopness'. . .His mind drifted back to the trial again. At least maybe for now he was off the hook. He squelched his sigh of relief, wondering whether he should thank Clockwork or not—but also wondering why the Time Master had even bothered to make that comment.
He supposed that, ultimately, it didn't matter, since there were still two more accusations to go through before this part of the trial was done with.
Danny mentally groaned at the fact, wondering if he even had the energy to finish this thing—not that he had a choice.
But… Vlad was definitely not helping matters. Just what the heck was with the guy's mood swings?
Danny shot the man a glare, though his arch-enemy was looking up at the ceiling again and hadn't noticed. More than that, Vlad's face looked as if he was lost in thought. What was that all about?
Whatever. The teen was willing to work with the older hybrid. But if the guy insisted on doing things his way and leaving him out to dry, then Danny was going to do the same.
It was every half-ghost for himself.
Danny didn't like that thought, but before he could mull it any further, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
The High Tribune lightly banged his gavel since in the brief silence, the court room had become abuzz with whispers.
"Let us proceed," the judge said, writing one last quick note on his own papers before turning his attention to his list of charges, so to bring up the next one that followed.
However, just as he was going to speak the next charge, his counselor beside him, tapped him on the shoulder.
The High Council quickly looked over at the other Observant, now more than a bit annoyed. "What is it now?" he asked impatiently.
The counselor whispered something inaudible to the judge, which in turn, caused those present to start whispering again.
"You are what?" Justeco suddenly asked in a low, though annoyed, voice. "We cannot—"
His counselor interrupted him again as he whispered something else a bit more insistently.
However, the judge quickly cut him off, saying, "Yes, yes. Fine." But seeing the audience chattering again, the judge grew even more irritated and he quickly banged his gravel again, this time with more rapid and forceful hits.
Danny and Vlad couldn't help but quietly snicker at the High Council's annoyance.
But noticing their amusement, Justeco banged his gavel one last time with an even louder bag, as if saying 'enough!'
Finally regaining silence, the High Council sighed and muttered, "We will need—I mean—we will take a short recess. I am getting a headache."
"Can ghosts get headaches?" Danny impulsively asked Vlad.
Just then Spektanto groaned and rubbed his own 'forehead' and Vlad dryly replied, "Apparently."
Everyone seemed quite pleased with the announcement of this short break. However, Vlad and Danny were a bit disconcerted by its unexpectedness.
"Is it common for you creatures to interrupt a trial for no apparent reason?" Vlad asked Spektanto, a mixture annoyance and curiosity in his voice.
But, Spektanto ignored him as he shoved a piece a paper to one of the guards just before the crowd of Observants began to move out of the courtroom. In almost an instant, the hybrids and their Appointed Defender were now the only ones in the room.
"Aren't we going, too?" Vlad finally asked, his voice more angered. He so disliked being ignored.
"No," Spektanto tersely and simply replied before scribbling on some papers.
"What? Why not?" Danny protested. But when he didn't get an answer and was suddenly aware of a familiar and uncomfortable sensation, Danny quickly tugged on the Observant's sleeve and asked more insistently, "Is there any way we could finally get something to eat? We haven't had anything to eat since what we would call 'last night' and I'm starved!"
Spektanto's eye moved into a frown-like expression and with a slightly irritated voice, he replied, "Will you both please stop questioning me? I do not know. Feeding you both is not my job."
"Just what exactly is your job?" Vlad dryly asked. "I have yet to understand it."
Right then, a sudden voice interrupted the three, but the hybrids didn't welcome it.
Spektanto, however, sighed in relief and then resumed his obsessive writing at the sight of Okulo.
"You creatures are not complaining again, are you?" the Observant's liaison asked, his tone of voice like he was speaking to two annoying children.
"Actually, yeah!" Danny snapped, ignited by the presence of this particular Observant. "I'm starving and apparently no one around here cares!"
"And, apparently, you all have the right to take a recess, while we have to sit here and wait for you all to return," Vlad added, just as ticked off.
"You make it sound as if your time is precious, or as if you both have something more important to do," Okulo replied to Vlad with cruel amusement.
Vlad and Danny glowered, but Okulo just chuckled and further said. "Patience, prisoners. This recess is also for you both. I am aware you both have not been nourished yet. That is why I am here."
Okulo ignored the hybrids' surprise as he pointed over to a door and further said, "In a moment, you both will be going through that door. It is a small recess room for prisoners. You will be taking your meals there. However, you will have to wait for them to signal you that the time is appropriate."
"Don't you mean 'when the time is proper'?" Vlad chimed in, his voice obviously laden with sarcasm.
Danny could detect a frown of disapproval in Okulo's eye.
"I recommend you two spend less time speaking and more time chewing once you are called in," the liaison said with slight bite in his voice. "This is a brief recess period, which means you only have an insignificant amount of your time to eat. Understand?"
However, Okulo did not wait for a response and just turned and floated off, soon disappearing through the same door the High Council had.
Vlad grumbled under his breath and sat back into his chair, crossing his arms and glancing over to the door of the little room where they would be shortly heading to. Sighing in annoyance, he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. He had to compose himself and focus on his new plan. However, he also had to think of a way to get Daniel to cooperate with what he had in mind.
Danny, meanwhile, had gone back to watching over Spektanto's shoulder, this time in more interest since he was going to have to wait anyways... Once again, the boy noticed how the ghost's handwriting looked a lot like the markings on the doors they had passed in the hallway. But then, Danny noticed something even more intriguing as he watched the ghost stop writing and skip down to a blank line and then wrote a few more of those symbols. He noticed that the Observant continued to lift more of those papers full of pre-printed and similar symbols and write those exact same symbols on the blank lines that were on the bottom of each of those pages:
ð - ζ - ǿ - ς - ǿ - П
This time, Danny jolted at his next wild thought. Those symbols! They weren't just random ones any more! He had seen them before—at least the first four, anyways! He could swear that those symbols looked very much like the symbols he noticed on the first line of each of the doors he had passed in the hallway, namely:
ð- ζ -ǿ- ς
But as he watched Spektanto continue to lift papers and write those same symbols the Observant had written before on several blank lines, he was suddenly seized with his wild hunch. And then another. It was time to act on them.
"Hey, Spektanto, what are you doing?" he asked.
His Observant lawyer didn't even glance up as he continued to scribble. Still, he absently answered, "For you information, client, I am signing my name to these legal documents. They are properly required."
Danny rolled his eyes, but then he frowned in thought, "Wait. If he's signing his name on these papers, then wouldn't that mean that these symbols are like the equivalent of letters? But… Well, I'm not sure of the correct spelling of Spektanto's name, but I'm sure it must have more letters, uhm, symbols than what he's writing. Unless, the symbols don't work like our 'regular' letters work.
Danny's eyebrows furrowed deeper in concentration. Somehow, he just knew this was important. Just then, however, he felt the sting in his stomach again. When were they going to eat? It couldn't be too much longer, which meant that he probably didn't have enough time to figure this out.
Danny watched him some more before he decided to do something. If he wanted to correctly remember those symbols Spektanto had been writing and all of those others he had seen, he would have to write them down. After all, they had to be important—or, at least, he hoped they would be.
He finally said, "Hey, Spektanto? Can I have some paper and a pencil?"
"What for?" his lawyer replied, still not looking up from his papers.
But Danny didn't notice that Vlad had opened his eyes in surprise when he also heard the boy's request.
"Because if you don't, I'll just keep interrupting the trial!" the boy replied with a mischievous smirk on his face.
Spektanto looked up at the young half-ghost and immediately thought, "Somehow, I think you will, anyhow." But then he thought he'd better humor the creature, just in case. He quickly shoved what Danny wanted to him.
Vlad looked on with curiosity as Danny quickly scribbled down the symbols he just saw Spektanto write and what he remembered about the door. Now what was the boy up to?
However, the man soon brushed it off as one of those silly things teens did when they just couldn't sit still. He had more important things to focus on right now, anyways.
Once Danny was finished, he studied the symbols once more. But then, he remembered about the human writing that had been under those very same symbols in that prison cell where he had found the bodies of his...
Danny shook his head, pushing the thought away and concentrating on what he was doing. He had seen the letters 'v' and 'i' on the walls… But, also, there had been this strange word written in human letters… What was it…?
Terra…? Teria? Thera…? Yes! 'Thera!' That was it!
Danny grinned as he quickly scribbled that word down, too. Somehow, he got the sudden feeling that they were very connected. He knew he would have to recheck at least the symbols against the one on the door as soon as he could—just to be sure.
But the young hybrid was pulled from his thoughts once more with the rather loud creak of an opening door. He quickly folded and then shoved the paper into his pocket. Both he and Vlad automatically looked toward the sound and saw that the little room's door that Okulo had first pointed out to them now had its door open.
A moment later, a burly-looking Observant, with an apron over his purple floor-length gown, stepped to the doorway of the room. He moved no further and directed his fixed gaze on the two ghost hybrids. Both Danny and Vlad somehow knew that the ghost's glare conveyed irritation while at the same time beckoning to them to come over to the room.
"Looks like it's the 'proper' time to leave our defense lawyer, Daniel," Vlad said, his voice laced with both smugness and sarcasm. Still, the man knew this was an opportunity that could very well never be repeated. He had to talk to Daniel about his plans and hope that the boy would have calmed enough to be receptive to it. The man smirked a bit. Of course, Daniel would be receptive to it if it meant permanently getting out of this trial.
The man immediately rose from his seat and started for the room, thinking that it was no longer the time for every hybrid for himself. It was time for each hybrid to take a chance...
And this present chance was all Vlad needed to regain his will to fight back.
A/N: Well, how's everyone doing? Do we have your eyeballs—or eyeball if you're an Observant—popping out again? Oh, goodie! You never know what us wicked authors will do to you. But you love it, and you know it! So, just show us some of that love and push that lovely button! We would LOVE to hear from you!
Pearl: Looks like Vlad's jumped back! Well, he always does. Like Danny, they just naturally can't roll over and die. And it looks like Vladdie's got something up his sleeve! Let's see if Danny will work with him now, though, after all the stuff he put him through here. But, hey, it's like Vlad to go and blame Danny for everything. Heh-heh. Bad guy and all! And… we have more on those symbols… Yes, they are important. And so are the clues… if you caught them! Heh-heh! Don't worry, though, everything will be revealed in due time!
In other news, I apologize for not having CM up—again as I said. I need to stop saying when I am going to update 'cause for some reason I curse myself and I don't update! Gah! I have a bad luck shadow chasing me! No, but, it is a very delicate chapter, so I have spent more time on it than normal. But, really, it will be up soon. Already send it to Truephan and we are in the betaing process. So, maybe tomorrow night or Monday? Yeah, I'll put it as tentative to avoid anymore bad luck. But hang tight! It's on its way and hopefully well worth the wait!
One last thing: Fantasy 93 made a title card for this story! Go check it at the DA! It's SO awesome!
Well, good night everyone! Thanks for your support!