Pearl: Hello all! I know I've been quiet for a bit, but I'll say more about that below. And, hey, at least you can always rely on good ol' Sid to be on time and continuous! That's what's great about having a co-writer! You get stuff done faster and it rocks! Heh!
truephan here: I totally agree with you, pearl! And now, without further ado, it's time to tune in what's happening with all of the principle players! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: We do not own Danny Phantom, though our muses pretend like they do…
Chapter 19: Trial of Survival
"Frostbite, we can't thank you enough for all your help," Jazz said as she, Danny's friends, and Skulker stood on the edge of the Far Frozen with its leader.
"You need thank me not," Frostbite replied, pulling all three kids into his arms in a tight hug. "A privilege it is to be able to aid the Great One and his sibling and friends." Then releasing them, he added with a small sad smile, "Hope I do, however, that next time you all visit the Far Frozen, it will be with the Great One and on better circumstances."
"It will be," Sam assured him, returning the smile.
"Just don't forget to set up one of your feasts for us again!" Tucker added with a grin, while placing a hand on his stomach. "Man! You and your pals know how to make a guy's stomach happy!"
"It will be our pleasure, young one," Frostbite replied with a chuckle before looking over at Skulker who had just been quietly watching the kids and the ice nomad's interaction. With a calm smile, he told Skulker, "Hunter, I bid you farewell. Although I would prefer if you keep away from the Far Frozen after today, it was an honor to have met you. Truly, you have changed my perspective of you; and for that, you have my respect."
Skulker nodded. "Likewise. It was an honor for me as well. And fear not, I know my limits," he added with a small smirk.
Frostbite smirked as well; but then, everyone looked at Tucker when he pulled out the Infi-Map.
"Well, I guess we better get going," the boy said with a small nervous smile.
As Tucker opened it up, Skulker and the others stepped closer. And while a determined frown set on Sam's face, Skulker and Jazz stared at the mystical map in awe.
Jazz, of course, had never seen anything like it before. But while Skulker had seen many ghostly artifacts in his time, this one was by far one of the most astounding. He had never been one to collect relics or other things as such, preferring the thrill of the hunt; but this mystical map… It would definitely be a worthy addition to anyone's collection. Still, he had made a promise, and he would uphold it. He would make sure no harm came to the map, but also that it did not fall into the wrong hands.
"Come on, Skulker," Jazz suddenly urged, snapping the hunter out of his thoughts.
And seeing the three kids had already grabbed onto a part of the map, Skulker finally reached forward and took the remaining edge. With the girls in the middle, they all looked at each other and nodded that they were ready.
And being the one to have a clearer image of where they wanted to go, Skulker opened his mouth and commanded the map, "Take us to the Realm Beyond Time."
In an instant, the map lit up and encased its holders with its power.
Frostbite watched as they all zoomed off into the horizon, quickly disappearing from view. With a sigh, the ice nomad muttered, "Good luck, friends…"
It was incredible to watch the path that they had traveled once before move past them in a blur. And it was just as amazing that a trip that would have taken them a full day with the speeder, would now only take them two hours with the Infi-Map.
Still, two hours was two hours and after the first one, the kids looked as if they were regretting the large breakfast they had had back at Frostbite's land—at least, the girls were.
"Ugh. How come it didn't take this long to travel with the map when we used it that one time with Danny?" Sam moaned before taking a breath and closing her eyes to block out her rapidly moving surroundings. In spite of her question, she knew the reason was because of the large distance between the Far Frozen and the Realm Beyond Time. But, complaining made her feel a bit better.
"You two have done this before?" Jazz questioned with a grimace. "You could have warned me, at least."
"Ah, come on, ladies," Tucker said with a smirk. "This isn't so bad. Just think of it as a two-hour rollercoaster! Can't get that in the Real World!"
"And it's probably for a good reason, considering we are only an hour in and I'm about to be sick," Sam groused.
"I don't even like rollercoasters!" Jazz complained, resisting the urge to cover her mouth. She didn't dare let go. Still, she took a slow, deep breath, trying to settle her stomach.
"Hey, come on," Tucker said, now worried. "I don't think this map comes with brakes; and even if it did, we cannot afford to make anymore stops. We're on what? The fifth day since Danny was taken?"
"Indeed," Skulker suddenly spoke up, sighing deeply. "It would not be so troublesome if it was merely the Observants behind his and my employer's disappearance. However, with this Iluzisto spirit in the game… We can only hope we get to them in time."
"Okay, can we change the topic?" Sam suddenly asked. "My stomach is queasy, and the last thing I want to talk about is what could be happening to Danny in the hands of that creep—Iluzisto, I mean, not Vlad.
The hunter just rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
The group was quiet for several minutes. However, seeing the two female whelps looking even paler from the trip, Skulker decided to say something to keep them distracted from their ride—not because he cared, of course, but simply because he didn't want them to get too sick and then be useless in their rescue mission.
"It seems that with that flying contraption back at the Far Frozen, you whelps will have a hard time moving about in the Ghost Zone. Fortunately for you all I have already thought of a solution," Skulker explained. "And although it is not a solution I am too content with, it is the most practical thing."
"And that is?" Jazz prompted.
"I will simply carry you all," Skulker replied with a light shrug.
Sam raised an incredulous eyebrow, but it was Tucker who voiced her thoughts.
"Carry us? How are you going to do that?" he asked.
Skulker scowled as he asked, "What? Are you doubting my superior strength?"
Tucker jolted before quickly saying, "No, no! Of course not! I-I just don't see how you can do that with, um, two hands, when there is three of us." The boy ended with a nervous grin, internally glad Sam and Jazz were between him and Skulker.
The hunter's expression melded into a frown as he replied more calmly, "I recently discovered during our time in the Far Frozen that this improved suit has extra appendages. It should solve this small snag. And besides, once we land on solid ground, you all should be able to carry on without assistance."
"I gotta admit," Jazz suddenly said, "Your new suit is something else."
"No kidding," Sam muttered to Tucker beside her. They both knew the suit was the same one from the future—minus Technus' being the hunter's operating system. And although it had definitely been of a lot of help in the past few days, Danny's friends still didn't like the fact that Skulker now had this dangerous suit…
"Indeed. My employer has impressed me once again," Skulker replied with a grin of satisfaction.
Jazz hesitated just slightly before further asking, "Does he usually make your suits and weapons?"
Skulker didn't seem to notice the girl's slight suspicion under her curious tone of voice, and replied, "Not usually. He normally just gives me the tools I need to make my own devices and suits. However, we do like to exchange ideas and inventions from time to time."
There was a slight pause then before Jazz further questioned, "How long have you known Vlad?"
However, this time, the hunter frowned in suspicion as he asked back, "Why are you suddenly so interested in my relationship with Plasmius, child?"
Jazz resisted the urge to glare at being called a 'child', but instead smiled weakly and replied, "I'm just trying to make conversation to focus on something else besides our speeding surroundings or my speeding stomach."
It was the truth; but not all of it. She also figured any information she could get from Skulker now could be useful to Danny later. Truce or not, Skulker was still one of her brother's more dangerous enemies.
Skulker was quiet for a moment, as he debated whether to answer the Ghost Boy's sister or not. However, he soon realized that answering her would hardly put him or his employer at a disadvantage later on. That, and, for some reason, he didn't feel as suspicious of the whelp's helpers as he had five days ago.
"I have known Plasmius for a good ten years now," the hunter calmly replied, though he turned his gaze forward.
The others eyes widened in disbelief, but it was Tucker who blurted out, "Seriously? That long?"
Skulker smirked this time as he retorted, "What? Do you whelps believe my alliance with Plasmius sprung out of our common interest in the Ghost Boy? No, humans. Although that is one part of it, our alliance is deeper than you three or the Ghost Boy know—or ever will know, let alone understand."
Danny's friends frowned, while Jazz looked thoughtful. She supposed she shouldn't be all that surprised. After all, her experience in psychology gave her an edge in perceiving a bit more than what was presented to her directly. The way the hunter spoke of Vlad and how he seemed to know the man so well could only come from someone who had interacted with the billionaire for a good while. Then again, Vlad also showed some signs of his deeper relationship with the hunter. Just the fact that the man trusted the hunter with the things in his secret lab and his more secretive scheming said enough.
Jazz smiled as she realized something, and she voiced it causally, "So… you two are more like friends…"
Skulker jolted and quickly glared before snapping, "Friends? We are no such thing! 'Friendship' means feeling emotions for another, and emotions are for the weak! And I am no such thing!"
Catching on to what Jazz was doing, Sam quickly jumped in and added, "I don't know. You seemed awfully worried about Vlad ever since you found out that illusionist spirit was behind this…."
"I'm worried about losing my benefits with Plasmius," Skulker hissed back.
"But weren't you fine on your own before Vlad came along? So, why does it matter to you so badly unless… you really do care for him as a friend?" Jazz argued back, barely containing a grin. This was definitely getting her mind off her motion sickness, and at the same time, she might get a bit more information from Skulker if she kept pushing the right buttons.
And she soon realized she succeeded.
"You humans know nothing!" Skulker replied with thick annoyance. "Even if we were friends—which we are not—that is nowhere near as important as our respect for each other! As I said, we have many common interests, and from there we have developed a certain amount of loyalty towards one another over the years—something you whelps are too young to understand!"
"Well, explain it to us," Tucker urged with a small smile.
Skulker scoffed. "I cannot explain to you humans ten years of growing respect and loyalty in less than one hour! Besides, it is no concern of yours no matter what."
"You're right; it is none of our business," Sam readily agreed before casually adding, "And I guess we were wrong that you were friends. Not that I can blame you, 'cause Vlad didn't seem the type that would have any friends anyhow."
Skulker's eyes reflexively flared, but Sam didn't flinch. She had him.
"I'll be the one to decide whom it is I associate with, whelp!" Skulker protested with a frown. "And I will be the one to decide if that individual is worthy of my association!"
Sam replied in a feigned apology, "Hey, like I said, you're right, I mean if you don't want to talk about it because it's too emotionally personal for you, then—"
But Skulker loudly interrupted her, "I have said no such thing, pup! And I decide what and what I will not talk about!"
"Right. Then, start with how you met Vlad," Jazz suggested, trying to squelch a snicker. "I mean, it's gotta be a good story, considering everything…"
Skulker frowned slightly, but then he slowly nodded, one of his eyes narrowing a bit when it finally dawn on him what the two humans had been doing. So, that was it. Well, he didn't have to go along with it…Still, he couldn't exactly let go of the Infi-Map to protest their prying, either. Very well, then. He could keep them entertained and keep it short, too. He finally said, "It is quite a story… At least, it was for me. See, I have been a hunter for as long as I have been around, and that is quite a long time, whelps."
"Were you ever human?" Tucker asked carefully.
Skulker scoffed. "No. And I am glad for that. You creatures are too unstable for my taste. I am one of those ghosts that formed here in the Ghost Zone—though my physical form was not always as it is now. In other words, I did not always have the need of some maniacal suit." He then warned them, "However, that is a story I have only shared with one person, and I intend to keep it that way, so don't even try asking."
The kids remained silent, though they all knew who 'the one person' with whom he had shared his story was.
"As I was saying," Skulker continued, his voice calming again. "In all my time, I have come across many interesting ghost specimens. My interests as a hunter have always been limited to the Ghost Zone. Even until today, I only go to the Human World when I must; and as I said, humans rarely interest me—and back then, they did not interest me at all."
Skulker paused in thought before adding, "Well, until I met Plasmius. I only heard of him at first. He was just establishing himself in the Ghost Zone and amongst its inhabitants. So, when I began to hear talk about a powerful creature that was part human and part ghost, my hunting instincts had me seek him out."
Skulker smirked to himself, though the kids took notice of it as he continued, "In terms of handling ghosts, Plasmius is nothing like the Ghost Boy. The moment my employer understood that the only way to gain true respect and power in this realm is through forceful means, he didn't hesitate to challenge , defeat, and if need be, destroy all those who stood in his way. Still, even with all the reputation he quickly began to obtain, I was hardly intimidated. I have hunted stronger prey than myself before. It is all a matter of outsmarting said prey…"
Suddenly interrupting him, Tucker asked in disbelief, "So, wait. Are you saying, you met Plasmius because you started hunting him?"
Skulker raised an eyebrow. "Of course. You do not think I would let the chance of adding such a fine specimen as a half-human-half-ghost hybrid to my collection pass by, do you? Why do you think I was thrilled when I discovered the Ghost Boy's existence? It meant I could collect that desired prize after all!"
"Yeah? Well, you should move on to a more realistic desire," Sam grumbled.
Skulker just grinned evilly back and replied. "Unlikely."
However, before anyone could say anymore, he continued, "I am no fool, whelps. Before I attempted to capture Plasmius, I did what any good hunter does: study your prey. At first, he did not take notice of it, but eventually he did. And I later found out that Plasmius did not take action against me right away. He also had been studying me. It was actually quite thrilling…" Skulker added with a growing excited smile. "I had never had any prey attempt to stalk me back. I realized, then, that Plasmius was no prey—he was too cunning. He was a hunter, like me; except his hunt was for power and knowledge."
"Still," Skulker continued more thoughtfully. "We eventually confronted each other. I will admit, it was one of the most violent fights I have had; yet, we both had no intention of destroying each other, but rather, to challenge one another's strength, power, and intelligence. Perhaps… 'fight' is the wrong word. It had been more like a… game—one, which still rivals even some of my best hunts." The hunter smirked again and added, "What can I say? My employer knows how to craft an engaging battle. After all, he makes such a worthy opponent for anyone…"
However, suddenly realizing how he was grinning with the memory, he cleared his throat and sobered up. And with a light shrug, he said, "To make a long story short, once we both understood each other's potential, a mutual respect grew naturally between us. Over the years, we became allies and I eventually began working for him. He provided me with my physical needs, I provided him with knowledge. It has been like that ever since."
Skulker paused suddenly as a deep frown fell over his face and his voice quieted, "A lot can happen in ten years, humans. Just as I have aided my employer in difficult times, he has also aided me—one of the most recent events was when Walker locked me up. He got me out. He returned my freedom to me. It is why I must now do the same for him."
The hunter looked determinedly at Danny's friends and sister as he said, "My actions are deeper than just simple worry over losing my benefits with my employer. This is a matter of loyalty and honor for me. It is a matter of debt. I owe Plasmius this. So, whether you humans feel the need to call it 'friendship' or anything else, it hardly matters to me. I know why I am doing what I am, and that is all I care about."
Jazz, Sam, and Tucker were silent after all they had heard. They… never thought Skulker felt this strongly about this rescue attempt. And, they never thought Skulker was so… deep. In spite of the hunter being their friend and brother's enemy, the three kids couldn't help but admire Skulker's loyalty at the moment. He really was very different from most ghosts they knew. And even if they had done it just to get some information out of him, they felt a bit bad for teasing him about all this.
Friend or ally, having Skulker on your side was certainly worth it. Vlad truly was lucky for that.
"I guess it's good to know we are all equally determined to get to Danny and Vlad," Jazz said quietly with a small smile, breaking the silence at last.
"As I said, we can only hope we make it to them in time," Skulker replied seriously.
"We have to," Sam added with a troubled look. "Danny has to be all right. I just know he knows we're coming for him, and that all he has to do is hold on."
"Yeah, and by the looks of that huge whatever-that-block-is, we're coming for him a little too fast! Look!" Tucker abruptly exclaimed, pointing up ahead.
The girls and Skulker reflectively looked in that direction, only to gasp when they saw that they were seconds from slamming into some kind of glowing purple barrier.
"We are back at the invisible barrier, but-but it is visible now!" Skulker exclaimed in alarm.
Indeed, they were at the barrier which had stopped them the first time from going further into the Forbidden Region; only that it was temporarily visible now because the magic of the Infi-Map was able to counter the Timeless Magic since the map's magic was stronger coming from the Ghost Zone side.
The kids and Skulker cringed, fearing they were going to crash right into it, since they knew from their first attempt that the barrier was impenetrable due to its being created by Timeless Magic. But much to their surprise, a strange feeling came over them and they gasped again.
The kids and Skulker didn't see how the map and they suddenly turned into pure green light and shot right through the magical shield. The only thing they felt was a strange tingle, like intangibility, and the sudden inability to breathe—well, at least, for the kids, anyways.
It was only when they were on the other side of the barrier that they realized they had shut their eyes, and snapped them open. And while Danny's friends and sister gasped for air, Skulker glanced back and realized they had passed the shield.
"We made it across!" the hunter exclaimed with surprising excitement.
The kids quickly looked back and cheered when they saw it was true.
However, their victory was short lived when they suddenly felt as if an invisible force had wrestled the map right from their hands and abruptly yanked it back, pulling the entire map right under them and sending them flying forward, as if they had been in a car collision with no belts on.
"Ahh!" the kids screamed, while Skulker gasped as they were separated.
Using his jets, the hunter quickly halted his out of control flight and spun around towards the map. Though he now was several yards away from the barrier, his eyes widened when he saw what look like some kind of purple hand extending from the barrier, which now had a firm grasp on the Infi-Map and was pulling it back towards it.
As if alive, the map struggled against the pull, like a bug caught in a spider's web. But, clearly, it was losing the battle.
"Timeless magic," Skulker muttered.
Indeed, the map had done its job and had managed to get them past the barrier which, as it turned out, was not too far from the actual entrance of the Realm Beyond Time. But now that the Infi-Map was here within this space between the barrier and the entrance to the Realm Beyond Time, it seemed as if the timeless magic had finally sensed the map and where it was going. And since the magic within the barrier was stronger on this side closest to where time actually stopped, it was finally able to counter the map's magic and stop it before it could reach the area which marked the Entrance of the Realm Beyond Time.
However, when the hunter saw the map's green energy flickering, he began to fear the Infi-Map was being more than forced back out: the timeless magic was attempting to destroy it!
And guessing the same thing as the Ghost Hunter, Sam desperately yelled out to him, her voice echoing eerily, "Skulker!"
The hunter didn't hesitate any longer and shot forward. He quickly grabbed the map and attempted to yank it out of the timeless magic's grasp; but it was too powerful. And soon, Skulker found himself in bigger trouble when the barrier shot forward more of its magic in an attempt to grab him, as if it also wanted him gone from this area of the Forbidden Region.
But the hunter jumped to the side just out of its reach, before he used his rockets to thrust further away from the shield's clutches.
"Curses!" Skulker growled out, not knowing how to save the map without also being trapped by the timeless magic himself.
"Skulker, send it back!" Sam suddenly cried.
The hunter looked back at the girl, who was now floating some distance away in the green void of the space between the Ghost Zone and the entrance to the Realm Beyond Time.
"You have to get it out of here before that barrier does something to the Infi-Map!" Sam added.
Skulker nodded and quickly charged back towards the map. He knew now what he had to do. Avoiding the barrier's attempt to seize him once again, Skulker reached the map. And grabbing it firmly with one hand, he ordered it, "Return home!"
As if regaining its power, the Infi-Map burst into green light, breaking the timeless magic's hold on it. In the next instant, the map turned into a ray of green light and shot right back out through the barrier, disappearing into the depths of the Ghost Zone.
However, Skulker had no time to wonder if the map would be alright or not, since at that moment, the barrier suddenly seized him in its powerful hold. Skulker yelled as he was suddenly pulled back towards the barrier. However he quickly turned his rockets on full blast and propelled forward. And yet, he didn't get too far since the timeless magic began to pull back even harder.
"Whelps! I have a bit of a problem!" he yelled at them.
"We can see that, but we can't reach you!" Jazz exclaimed back as she wiggled around, trying to propel herself to move forward, but all she could do was float there.
Getting an idea, Tucker quickly said, "Hey, don't you have one of those nets with you. Maybe you can reel us in!"
Skulker immediately pulled out his net gun and fired it towards Tucker. Luckily, he was close enough to Jazz that the two managed to grab each other's hands just before Skulker's net wrapped around them.
However, Skulker didn't reel it back in just yet and watched as Tucker used a small laser beam from his PDA to get them out of the net. They then quickly used a part of the net and threw it over at Sam, who had landed a little father away than the rest of them.
With a little wiggling, Sam managed to grab the piece of net and Tucker and Jazz quickly reeled her in. Once the three were together, Skulker quickly pulled them towards them.
"Okay, now what?" Jazz asked, as Skulker continued to fight against the barrier's pull. Interestingly, though, oddly, the barrier did not attempt to trap the three humans in its hold.
"I do not know!" Skulker grunted. "But we need a solution quickly before the barrier forces us out and we are left back at square one!"
Sam looked out in the direction which the map had been taking them before the barrier had stopped it. They had to have been close to the entrance since the map had been 'programmed' to take them to the Realm Beyond Time.
"Tucker, what was it that Danny said about the entrance to this place? Something about time stopping?" Sam quickly asked, trying to think of something quick. Danny had explained to them a while back how he usually got to Clockwork's, but she and Tucker never really thought more about what he had told them—until now.
"He said time stops at the entrance of the Realm Beyond Time. And then, he's just teleported in. But, how are we going to figure out…?"
"Your PDA, whelp!" Skulker interrupted. "With the upgrade I gave you, it should be able to detect fluctuations in the space around us, and if there is a point where time stops nearby, it should show up. I would do it myself, but as you can see, I am focusing all my power on keeping this barrier from pulling us out!"
"But what if the entrance is not nearby? What if we are nowhere near it?" Tucker asked fearfully.
"Then, we have failed," Skulker replied soberly.
"We can't fail!" Jazz exclaimed. "My little brother needs us!"
"Tucker, try it," Sam said firmly and emphasized, "We can't be too far away when the map was supposed to take us to this place's entrance!"
The boy nodded and quickly began typing commands on his PDA. Beads formed on his forehead when he could feel that the barrier was slowly pulling them further and further back, which was slowly decreasing the chance of this working.
Soon, a red beam of light, like a laser, shot out of Tucker's PDA and it began to scan the immediate surroundings. The seconds passed by, and they all began to sweat in dread.
Then, suddenly:
'beep-beep'
Tucker gasped. "There!" he pointed at some vacant and ordinary spot in the vast green atmosphere in front of them, though he quickly showed the hunter his PDA, so he could see the exact coordinates.
"Alright," Skulker said, quickly raising his arm and typing something into his own system, though he grunted as he was yanked back a few feet by the barrier's power.
In an instant, a different sort of weapon appeared on Skulker's wrist, looking like a grappling hook. He then said, "I am going to fire a line at the spot, and I need you all to 'climb' your way across. I am going to recommend the most physically fit to go first."
"You go first, Sam," Tucker quickly said.
Sam would have rolled her eyes, but something more important was on her mind and she frowned at Skulker and voiced it. "What about you? How are you going to get to the entrance when the barrier has you trapped?"
Skulker replied seriously, "I am not. I have no means of escaping its hold. However, you three must go on. Just give me your word that you will also get Plasmius out."
The three kids stared fearfully at the hunter. They had become so use to having him around, helping them, that the thought of losing that now was terrifying.
"But…," Jazz began softly.
However, when Skulker was yanked back a yard, they all jolted, and the hunter quickly exclaimed, "There is no time to discuss this! You all must go now, or we are going to fail our mission; and, whelps, I do not fail my missions." Just as he extended his gun at the spot where they assumed the entrance to be and fired, he commanded, "Now go!"
A steel-like grappling hook shot forward, and with Skulker's experienced aim, it hit its mark perfectly—with the help of locking the weapon onto the exact coordinates, of course. But it had not hooked into anything in particular. Instead, it kept rigid and suspended in one place, as if it were a cobra rising out of a basket under the musical spell of a snake charmer.
Sam frowned, hesitating a bit at leaving Skulker behind, but she then narrowed her eyes and grabbed the steel rope and began to pull herself across it using all her experience in gymnastics and her determination to find Danny as her fuel.
"Thanks, Skulker. And… you have our word," Jazz muttered sadly before turning and following Sam.
Tucker gulped and glanced at Skulker, who surprisingly smiled at him in encouragement. But then with a deep breath, the boy also began his way across.
However, even when they were trying to go as fast as possible, Skulker was slowly being pulled back more and more, in turn, pulling the line floating ahead away from their targeted location.
"Whelps, hurry!" Skulker shouted when he realized his rockets were close to giving out under the constant assault of the timeless magic.
In fact once again, it was as if the spirit power perceived what was going on, for the shield was not just trying to yank him back out, but was now also trying to destroy him—like it had tried with the map!
Skulker was glad for his stronger suit, but he knew even it was no match for something as powerful as timeless magic.
As the hunter continued to yell at the kids to move, Sam was doing just that. She could see she was about to run out of line and she had yet to see her watch stop ticking!
"Come on, come on!" she pleaded while she panted and continued to pull herself forward, while glancing at her watch frantically. But then suddenly, she ran out of line.
"No!" she yelled when she found her watch still ticking away. She stared out frantically, trying to think of something. But then going on a limb—literally—she wedged her foot into the claw at the end of the grabbling hook before she moved even further out, to the point that the only thing keeping her connected to the line was her wedged foot, while her body was now floating in the green atmosphere.
"Sam!" Tucker yelled, picking up speed, though he was still half-way across the line. Now, he really regretted skipping fitness class all those times!
Jazz was also still some space away from Sam, though she was closer. "Sam, be careful!" Jazz cried out, knowing if Sam lost her hold on the line and she separated from them, she would be left stranded, especially if Skulker and the rest of them ended up being pulled back completely by the shield.
The goth girl ignored them and carefully stretched her hand across. "It has to be here!" she grunted.
But just as Skulker was yanked a foot back, Sam gasped as she accidently fell lower, now dangling below the line. But before she could panic, she froze when she stared at her watch and saw time had stopped.
"I found it," she whispered in awe before she screamed at the others, "I found it!"
"Go, then, Sam!" Jazz yelled, knowing there was no way they were going to get to her before Skulker was pulled away and they missed their chance at the entrance.
"Keep going! Get Danny and Vlad! We'll find another way!" Tucker added at his friend.
Sam couldn't really look at Jazz or Tucker since she was dangling below the line by her foot which was still caught in the grabbling hook. But she knew the others were right.
She reached further out, trying to get closer to the entrance, which now that she was brushing against it, she could feel almost like a small pull from the invisible opening. Yet, it was not teleporting her like Danny had said it would do with him!
She soon reached as far out as she could, grunting in desperation, "…Danny..."
Suddenly, her form blurred; but then, whatever force had now swallowed her up seem to spread, traveling up the grappling hook, across the line, and quickly taking hold of everything connected to it, which included Tucker, Jazz and Skulker.
In an instant, they abruptly vanished out of existence.
Skulker shouted as his rockets, which had been on full blast, suddenly propelled him forward like a sling shot. But realizing the reason for it was because he had escaped the barrier's hold, he quickly cut off the rockets before the others could be yanked along with him.
For a moment, the hunter just floated there, trying to clear his spinning vision, but when he finally looked around, his mouth fell open.
They were not in the Forbidden Region anymore.
"This is it… The Realm Beyond Time," Skulker whispered in awe, as he stared at his never-before-seen surroundings. There were still familiar things, like floating doors and whirling Energy Novas. But… there were also differences. There were islands in the distance that looked different than what he was used to. Somehow, everything looked and even felt… still.
"Skulker!"
The hunter quickly looked behind him, finally remembering the three humans. "Whelps, we are here," he told them.
But seeing Tucker and Jazz still clinging to grappling hook's line, while Sam had finally lost her hold on it completely, Skulker quickly flew over to them.
"Here, give me one moment," Skulker said as he raised his arm and typed something up. In the next moment, four large claws came out of Skulker's back, but they were crackling with electrical energy.
Sam and Tucker's eyes widened, recognizing the arms as the ones Skulk-Tech had used to attack Danny during the incident with Evil Phantom.
"Oh, wait. I cannot go electrocuting them," Skulker muttered to himself, realizing he had accidently turned on the electrical energy on his extra appendages.
He finally turned it off before moving the extra appendages around, trying to get a feel for them since it was his first time using them. He then carefully stretched them out and grabbed one of the kids in each of the claws before using his real hands to retract his grappling hook back into his weapon.
"Are you sure about this?" Jazz asked, feeling uncomfortable with a huge claw around her waist, especially when she saw it had previously spurted out electricity.
"Of course. There is no place safer," Skulker assured her with a calm smile. But then looking at Sam, he nodded and said, "Whelp? Not bad."
Sam smirked. "I'll take that as compliment."
"It was," the hunter replied with an impressed smile. The girl really was resilient and resourceful, which was quite admirable.
"So, where to now?" Tucker asked, looking around.
The others did the same as Skulker's expression melded into a frown before he and muttered, "We are out of leads and this place is obviously as infinite as anything in the Ghost Zone. Therefore, we now have to rely purely on hunter instincts and tracking to find our way towards the Observants' territory. At least, we can only hope that that is where they are keeping Plasmius and the Ghost Boy."
The others just nodded before they all began to make their way through the Realm Beyond Time. They were all quiet and watchful, though, knowing that they were now in forbidden territory.
Skulker was being extra cautious. He knew that they could not risk getting caught when they were so close and yet so far from their objective. He also kept his instruments on, hoping to pick up either Danny or Vlad's ecto-signature, while he sniffed the air for any traces of their smell or… Iluzisto's. Oddly, though, Skulker noticed that his instruments were 'glitching' a bit ever since they arrived in to the Realm Beyond Time. Still, it wasn't so bad that he was concerned about it, especially when it was not affecting his efforts.
However, about what they guessed was ten minutes into their travel, they saw an unexpected sight in front of them.
"What is that?" Jazz wondered out loud, while Skulker frowned with uncertainty at the strange large structure ahead of them.
But Sam and Tucker knew what it was and they both voiced it at the same time.
"It's…. Clockwork's Tower…."
"Day three of trial 789: Prisoners 484 and 485 verses Time and Existence will now commence," Konsilisto began to read from a scroll. "Appointed Defender: Spektanto. Master Prosecutor…"
Danny rolled his blue eyes and just tuned out the judge's counselor, having heard this same gibberish too many times before now. He glanced at Vlad, who was just quietly listening and also in his human form. It was a big effort on their part, considering their weakening bodies. But… it was all part of their plan. They were determined to unmask Iluzisto before this whole thing was over…
And speaking of the evil spirit, he was now standing close by. It seemed that after Danny's attempt to escape at the trial yesterday, the Council was not taking any more chances…
The boy lightly touched his branded forehead as he thought about this nightmare. Vlad and he knew that the chances of them getting out of the Observants' fate for them was practically nil; but they had agreed they wouldn't go down without a fight. And Danny had meant what he had said: even if it was the last thing he did, he was going to make sure Iluzisto never got free.
Fortunately, Okulo's healing powers had helped enough for the teen to feel strong enough to even attempt to put up a fight again. His fever was gone and he was much more alert. Still, it did nothing for his half-starved body and weakening ghost core.
Danny suddenly glanced at Vlad, and realized he wasn't looking all that much better. It was strange. The teen hardly thought much of his arch-enemy's age, especially when the man was so fit and powerful. But as he looked at him now, Vlad suddenly looked so much older than he really was. He had dark circles under his eyes and, well, he looked tired underneath his façade to appear strong.
"….Proceeding today's trial there will be a short recess to allow the Observant High Tribunal to discuss and come to a decision on the final verdict against the prisoners. Directly after their conference, we will proceed to the final part of trial 789: the sentencing," the counselor finished.
"I, Honorable Tribune, accept the commencement and proceedings of this final day of trail 789. What say you, Observant High Council?"
"Aye!"
"Nay," Vlad whispered, annoyed.
"Then, let us begin," Justeco said before glancing down at some papers in front of him. "As it has been announced, we are on the third and final day of this trial. Therefore, both the defending and prosecuting parties should bear in mind that this is your last chance to present evidence for and against the accused, Danny Phantom and Vlad Plasmius. Since the commencement of this case, we have covered crimes against reality and existence, and ergo, time itself. And in these crimes, both of the accused have been equally involved. Today, we will be addressing individual charges. And the first charge that will be discussed is against Prisoner 485: Danny Phantom."
The teen frowned with uncertainty, unaware that Vlad had also frowned, though there was curiosity hidden as well behind the man's eyes. Still, neither hybrid said a word.
"According to what is known, the accused directly tampered with the time-stream with the use of three of the most dangerous and powerful crystals in existence: The Gem of Form, the Gem of Fantasy, and the Gem of Life. Prisoner 485 is believed to have aided an evil human criminal by the name of Frederich Isak Showenhower, commonly known as Freakshow, who has been charged for his crimes through human laws. The Prisoner 485 is said to have willingly partaken in gathering the gems and allowing this dangerous human to harness their powers through a device known as the Reality Gauntlet. Not only is Prisoner 485 suspected of conspiring with this human criminal to alter reality itself, but he is also suspected of directly using the gems powers for his own gain!"
Gasps and murmurs quickly erupted in the courtroom, forcing Justeco to call order. But Vlad quickly took the opportunity to look over at Danny, who looked as utterly shocked as he did. Still, he asked the boy, "Is that true? You have seen and used the Reality Gauntlet?"
"What? No!" Danny quickly exclaimed in defense; but then he was forced to backtrack, "I mean, yes! But it's not like that… I… I had no other choice!" he added, now really upset.
But when Justeco finally managed to regain order, Vlad pulled the teen close and quickly whispered, "Focus on the plan, Daniel. Remember that no matter if you are innocent, they are going to find a way to prove otherwise. So, stick to the plan."
"Silence!" Justeco demanded, noticing the older hybrid's whispering. But the judge then looked at the Council members and said sternly, "I understand that the accusations against Prisoner 485 are severe. However, we must keep order. And we must remember that we have still to present the evidence; therefore, no prisoner can be assumed guilty until proven."
"Yeah? Well, it just sounded like you thought I was guilty," Danny thought angrily.
"Appointed Defender. The courtroom is yours," Justeco announced.
Spektanto nodded and stood. "Thank you, Honorable Tribune. For this part of the trial, I would like to call the accused directly to the stand. Prisoner 485, if you would…?"
"The name is Danny," the teen grumbled back, but got up anyways.
However, as he was escorted to the interrogation seat, the boy glanced back at the older hybrid, who gave him a discreet, though encouraging smile.
Still, Clockwork had noticed the exchange, but said nothing and continued to quietly wait for his turn to speak.
"Okay, Fenton," Danny thought as he took the seat. "Showtime. Or… more like 'reality' time…"
Spektanto nervously cleared his throat before saying, "Danny Phantom…Is it true that this human, Frederick, escaped from the human authorities and had somehow acquired the Reality Gauntlet at that time?"
"Yes," Danny replied, though there was an unsure look on his face. Could it be that Spektanto was finally going to say something to actually defend him?
"Could you tell the Council in your own words what happened next?" his defender requested.
Danny hesitated, still somewhat surprised he was being given the chance to finally speak freely.
"Okay… Well, I can't really say where he got the gauntlet, but he came after me and, well, he revealed my identity. We… I mean, my friends and I, managed to get the gems away from him; but then he captured our parents as ransom and gave us an ultimatum. I…uh… had no choice but to get the gems back from the places we had chosen to hide them. But I never had planned on giving them back to him! Still, he tricked me and he got the gems again. But I did managed to beat him and I fixed everything and destroyed the gauntlet," the boy finished before looking around to see the Council's reaction.
But they were all silent.
"So, would it be correct to conclude that your intentions were just to save your parents from your former enemy who was seeking out revenge against you because you were involved in an earlier incident with a ghost-controlling staff?"
This time, there was whispering. But Justeco quickly brought order.
Danny frowned, not liking how the question was worded. Even he could see that Spektanto was bringing up things that Clockwork was easily going to pick up on to accuse him of this whole mess… So much for finally defending him.
"The Council awaits your answer, Danny Phantom," Spektanto prompted.
Danny glanced over at Vlad, who was staring intently back at him. It was hard to tell what the man thought of what he was hearing, but he knew what the older hybrid was waiting for…
"No matter what you say, they are still going to find you guilty…"
"Prisoner 485?" Justeco called this time.
But Danny shook his head before suddenly gripping it. "I-I… no, I didn't understand the q-question…," he suddenly whispered weakly.
Spektanto frowned, asking cautiously, "Are you alright?"
The teen took a shuddering breath, but still nodded, "I-I'll be fine…"
The Council members glanced at one another while Spektanto glanced over at Justeco. Meanwhile, Clockwork watched the teen closely, though his expression gave away nothing.
"Alright…," Spektanto spoke up, "I shall repeat the question: Would it be correct to conclude that your intentions were just to save your parents from your former enemy who was seeking out revenge against you because you were involved in an earlier incident with a ghost-controlling staff?"
This time, Danny knew he had no choice but to answer and he replied, "…Yeah, it's true."
Spektanto smiled proudly. "There. My defendant is clearly innocent. He only committed his crimes to save his family."
Vlad rolled his eyes at the ghost's choice of words, knowing he had just contradicted himself in the same statement. And as he expected, the Council began to murmur on the fact.
Meanwhile, Danny had to force himself not to glare at his useless defender and instead placed a hand against his head and closed his eyes, while he lowered his other hand and wrapped it around his empty burning stomach…
"If you have no further questions, Appointed Defender, then I will leave the floor open to the Master Prosecutor," Justeco said.
"No further questions, Honorable Tribune," Spektanto replied and then sat down. But as he did, he quietly assured Vlad, "Clockwork cannot beat that."
The billionaire glanced dryly at the spirit beside him and told him, "I'm not even going to bother answering you."
As Spektanto blinked in confusion at the older hybrid, Clockwork stood and took the floor.
The Time Master briefly took in the boy's sick look and asked him, "Are you certain you are well?"
Danny resisted the urge to harshly snap at the time spirit and instead coldly said, "Just get to the point already."
The Time Master frowned slightly, but then he nodded and began, "It was not in my original plan to bring before the Council your previous involvement with the human, Fredrick. However, since your defender has done so, then I am left with very little choice…But a choice nonetheless."
Clockwork strangely paused before continuing in his same passive voice, "So then, Danny Phantom, explain to the Council how you met this human criminal. I do believe that for many years this human kept many ghosts as his slaves, forcing them to steal and commit other crimes for him. Would you agree with me…?"
Vlad raised an eyebrow at the strange way the spirit was wording his comments. However, the teen seemed to be oblivious to it, being that he was having a hard time controlling his anger and resentment with the Time Master…
"Freakshow was using ghosts for his own gain," Danny answered, not wanting to say that he agreed with his treacherous former mentor.
"Then, did he use you for his own gain, Danny Phantom? Did you not also fall under his staff's control?" Clockwork calmly retorted.
The teen began to get nervous, knowing where this was going. "I-I… At first. But I broke out of his control. I stopped him! Just like I stopped him the second time around!" he suddenly said defensively.
Vlad tensed, realizing the teen was straying from their plan. "Blast it, Daniel!" he thought anxiously, "Don't mess up!"
"What happened to the staff after you defeated this human and freed the captured ghosts from his control?"
"You know what happened to it!" Danny replied angrily.
"What matters is not what I know, but what the Council knows," Clockwork reminded him with a raised eyebrow.
Danny paused, realizing he was letting his anger cloud his judgment. "…I destroyed it," the boy said in a calmer voice.
"Did you ever use the staff?"
"No."
"Did you use the gems' powers through the Reality Gauntlet? If so, why did you use them?" Clockwork continued.
"I used them to stop Freakshow."
"Could you elaborate? Or, rather, why do you not explain to the Council how this human revealed your identity in the human world, which turned you into a fugitive of the human law?"
"I…," Danny began, only to pause and suddenly groan. Still, he continued, "It-It's hard to remember… My memory is a bit… murky."
"Then, allow me to help you along…," Clockwork replied before bringing up an image of when Danny was battling Freakshow, who was now controlling all reality.
"Feel free to correct me if you do not agree with my retelling of the happenings," he told the teen and then turned to address the Council. "As you all can clearly see, this human managed to take control of all reality after Danny Phantom retrieved the gems. However, the alternation of reality began from the moment this human activated the gauntlet, which occurred just before the boy's secret was revealed. So, then, Danny Phantom. Would I be correct to conclude that you are responsible for all these happenings, happenings which you then altered with the use of the Reality Gauntlet just after you defeated this human?"
Danny squeezed his eyes shut. "C-Could you repeat the question?"
Clockwork suddenly sighed and addressed Justeco. "Honorable Tribune, how can any of my questions, as well as the Danny Phantom's answers, have any validity when it is clear that something is wrong with the boy? I cannot conduct a proper questioning in such a way!"
Justeco's eye curved into something of a frown and impassively looked over at Danny. "Is this true, Prisoner 485? Are you ill?"
Danny shook his head, but weakly replied, "It's… n-nothing… my stomach…Ugh…Sooo… hungry…"
Everyone suddenly gasped when the teen fell out of his seat and collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
Justeco quickly rose to his feet, clearly shocked as well. But hearing the Council's uproar, he quickly called order.
"Guards, pick up the prisoner!" he then commanded. But then Justeco quickly looked over at Iluzisto with confusion. "Iluzisto, why is this prisoner weak from lack of food?"
Vlad had to place a hand over his mouth to hide the smug smirk that curled on his lips at witnessing the shock written all over Iluzisto's face.
"I… It seems…," Iluzisto hesitated, unsure of what to say at first, but then thinking quickly on how to keep his cover, he hurriedly replied, "I was unaware of how much nourishment these half-human, half-ghost creatures required, Honorable Tribune."
"Clearly more than you have been supplying," Justeco said seriously.
Iluzisto resisted the urge to glare at the Tribune and instead said to the judge, "If the Council permits it, I can rectify my honest mistake right now."
Justeco sighed in annoyance but nodded. "Very well. We will have a short recess." And with that he slammed his gravel and turned his attention to Konsilisto and began whispering something to him.
Iluzisto tightened his hand on his staff before nodding over to the Observant guard who had picked up the unconscious teen and was now carrying Danny in his arms. The guard quickly moved over to Iluzisto, while another quickly grabbed Vlad and ordered him to follow them out of the courtroom.
As they finally reached the same small enclosed room with a single table that the hybrids had used just yesterday when they got their quick meal, the teen began to moan himself awake, capturing everyone's attention.
"Put him down," Iluzisto ordered angrily.
Danny wobbled on his feet for a moment before he looked up and saw the Prison Head glaring darkly at him.
"You think you are clever, do you not?" he sneered at him.
"What?" Danny asked weakly.
Iluzisto growled in his throat before snapping at the guards. "Feed these creatures! I will return for them in ten minutes. So, they better be quick," he added, glaring back at Danny and Vlad before finally storming out of the room.
The two hybrids said nothing as they sat at the table.
"Do not move," one of the guards warned before he and the other guard walked off to some adjacent room to get their meals.
Vlad glanced over at another guard watching them from the doorway before looking over at Danny and whispering, "For a moment there I thought you were going to forget our plan…"
"For a moment there I did," Danny muttered. "Clockwork is such a jerk…. I guess you were right about him…," he added sadly.
"…So I was…," the man replied in thoughtful, yet odd, voice.
Danny looked around them again to make sure they were still alone and whispered, "Did they buy it?"
Vlad smirked. "We wouldn't be here if they had not, dear boy. I must say, that whole 'sooo hungry' line and your little fall were a bit over the top… But not bad… for an amateur."
Danny grinned. "Admit it, Cheese head, I was totally great in there." But then the teen paused, and with a slight smile he added, "I mean, it's not that hard to act when you are not really acting. I really am starving, you know."
Vlad smiled back. "Don't worry. That will be fixed shortly."
Sure enough, a moment later, a simple plate of food and a glass of water was placed in front of each of them. It wasn't that much better than the bland grey stuff and liquid Iluzisto normally gave them, but it was food.
Vlad just ate the bland stew-like food he was given, and placed the small loaf of bread that had come with it to the side. His attention, though, was on the door, while Danny was all but gulping down his food.
But briefly noticing that, the man placed a hand on the boy's hand holding his spoon and advised, "Slow down, Daniel. You don't want to make yourself sick."
"We only got, like, ten minutes, Vlad," the teen reminded him.
"Yes, but if you get sick, you are not going to retain any food. So, calm down."
Danny sighed but nodded.
However, all too soon, Iluzisto walked in. "You two have two minutes left of your worldly time," he told them.
Vlad and Danny didn't reply and just continued to eat their meal. However, when the man lifted his glass of water to his lips, he whispered to the teen, "Time for part two…"
A smirk ghosted across the boy's face before he suddenly turned ghost. And soon after, Vlad followed his lead…
As expected, Iluzisto instantly looked over at them and stared in confusion. How odd. The hybrids always avoided their ghost forms around him. But what intrigued the spirit most was how… their energy felt much stronger now that they had nourishment…
"I think we got his attention," Danny said in between his teeth before taking a gulp of water.
"Good. Now, watch this…," the older hybrid whispered back.
"You have one minute, crossbreeds. I suggest you stop talking and finish your meals…It might be your last after today," Iluzisto added evilly.
Plasmius suddenly stood up, much to the illusionist spirit's surprise. "Perhaps," the man said with a light shrug. "But then that means you will no longer be able to siphon off our energy," he assured the spirit, approaching him.
"Sit down, freak!" Iluzisto demanded, raising his staff in threat.
"I rather that this be my last day of life than be locked up for all eternity in here, like you," Vlad continued smugly, though he stopped a few feet from the spirit and crossed his arms. And seeing the fury swell in Iluzisto's eye, the billionaire chuckled in satisfaction and mockingly added, "You are not getting out, Iluzisto. You are going to be the Observants' little slave for all eternity."
"Why you arrogant fool!" the spirit exclaimed furiously; and faster than Vlad could react, Iluzisto was right in front of him and slammed the end of his staff into the man's stomach.
Danny gasped in alarm as the older hybrid fell to his knees, the air knocked right out of him. The teen knew this was part of their plan… but, geez, did the guy have to get himself beat up that badly?
The billionaire cringed, feeling one of his recently healed wounds in his abdomen reopen with the attack…Good.
"Does the truth make you angry?" Vlad wheezed out as he pushed himself back to his feet.
Iluzisto growled and grabbed the man by the neck, pulling him closer. But the moment he did, the spirit gasped when he instantly felt the older hybrid's energy like never before. It was as if…it was willingly being offered to him!
Vlad smirked in spite of the throbbing pain in his stomach when he saw Iluzisto's hungry look.
"Like what you feel?" the billionaire taunted, narrowing his eyes slightly.
The illusionist spirit forced himself to snap out of it and quickly released the man, going as much as taking a few steps back to resist the temptation in front of him. But it was then that he finally noticed the older hybrid's aura was glowing brighter than usual. This freak was tempting him on purpose!
"You are playing with fire, crossbreed," Iluzisto told him seriously.
"It's my specialty," Vlad retorted with a grin as he continued to circulate more of his energy to the surface of his body.
"Excuse me, Prison Head," one of the guards suddenly interrupted. "The Council is waiting."
Iluzisto didn't reply and just kept his glare on the older hybrid. He was sure the freak was up to something; but he couldn't figure out what exactly. All the spirit knew was that he was consciously fighting off the urge to grab the man and take the power that was radiating off his body. Even when he wasn't touching him, Iluzisto could feel it. It would be so easy to take his delectable and powerful energy when the foolish crossbreed was so willingly presenting it to him…
"Prison Head?"
"I heard you!" Iluzisto suddenly snapped, finally ripping his gaze from the man and glaring at the guard. However, the illusionist quickly looked back at Vlad.
"I cannot decide if you are foolishly bold or just plain foolish…," Iluzisto muttered before forcing himself to move away from the older crossbreed. He couldn't risk trying to take the freak's energy right now—not with all these Observant guards around.
"Bring them," Iluzisto then ordered the guards, not trusting himself with his two powerful prisoners at the moment.
As Vlad and Danny were restrained again, they were brought up next to each other. And the teen didn't waste the chance to tell the man, "I hope this works. The way he was staring at you was seriously scary…"
Vlad nodded. "I hope so, too," he answered quietly, knowing what would happen if they returned to the prison where Iluzisto could do whatever he wanted to them… The man lightly touched his abdomen, feeling wetness cling to his hand and he instantly knew he was bleeding again…
When they finally made it to their seats, they remained in their ghost forms, much to Iluzisto's discomfort. But now the boy was doing it, too! They were intoxicating him with their energy!
Justeco blinked curiously, noticing the hybrids' brighter than normal ghostly hue. But deciding it was just because they had properly been fed and their energy was back up, he dismissed it and commenced with the trial again.
"Being that Prisoner 485 was clearly in no condition to answer questions during his last charge, the Observant High Council and I have agreed to file the charge under ambiguous evidence."
"Yes!" Danny whispered, and the older hybrid smirked knowingly.
Iluzisto, on the other hand, was now watching the two closely so he didn't miss the exchange. So…. They had planned this…Well, were they not clever… No matter. It would do them little good. Just because one of the boy's charges had been voided did not mean they were off the hook with all the other previous charges…
"We will proceed, then, to the last charge against Prisoner 484, Vlad Plasmius," Justeco continued. "The accused prisoner's infraction directly involves the natural order. High Council, Prisoner 484 is being accused of unnaturally creating a living being; and therefore, altering Time and even Fate itself."
There were gasps of disbelief from the Council, while Vlad rolled his eyes. Oh… so this was about Danielle. Splendid.
Danny, however, just frowned. He couldn't say he didn't agree with the Observants that the whole cloning thing was utterly wrong of the older hybrid… But… the teen knew this was no time to point fingers. They had to stop Iluzisto. Even if it was the last thing he or Vlad ever did…
"Master Prosecutor. You have the lead this time," Justeco then said, looking over at Clockwork.
The time spirit nodded and stood. But he then looked over at Vlad before turning to face the Council.
"I wish to call the accused to the stand."
Justeco nodded. "Prison Head, bring Prisoner 484 forward."
Iluzisto tensed, knowing that meant he would have to get close to the man. But not having any other choice, Iluzisto walked over to Vlad; yet, instead of touching him, the spirit pointed his staff towards the witness stand.
Plasmius smirked knowingly at Iluzisto and whispered, "Are you afraid to touch me? Can't you control yourself for even the mere duration of a trial?"
The illusionist spirit just slightly narrowed his eye in reply, but didn't say anything.
Vlad chuckled quietly before turning and doing as he was told.
Clockwork had watched the exchange with mild interest, but he, too, did not say anything.
The older hybrid quietly sat at the stand, though he winced a bit and placed a hand against his stomach.
Noticing it, Clockwork raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is something wrong?"
"You mean besides this whole farce?" the man retorted, emphasizing what he meant by waving a hand in the direction of the Council.
"That's in the eye of the beholder. Then again, those around you have yet to be given a reason to agree with you," the time spirit said, his face as neutral as ever.
Vlad frowned in confusion. But before he could think of what to say to such an odd comment, Clockwork brought up an image of Danielle.
"Do you know who this is?" the Time Master calmly inquired.
Vlad rubbed his chin, pretending to think about it. "Hmm…Why, yes, yes I do."
"Could you tell us?" Clockwork requested.
Vlad smiled calmly and answered, "She's my daughter, Danielle."
"Your daughter?" the Master Prosecutor repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"That's right. Can you not see the resemblance?" Vlad asked with a grin.
The time spirit glanced at the image of Danielle before replying, "Not exactly."
"Well, you know what they say: 'looks are deceiving'," Vlad quipped back.
But much to the man's surprise, Clockwork calmly agreed, "Indeed…"
Danny creased his eyebrows, now curious at the billionaire's own look of bewilderment. It was strange to see the emotion on the man's face.
"Well, at least I now know I'm not the only one who finds Clockwork's way of speaking weird," Danny thought dryly.
"Did you create her?" Clockwork suddenly asked, snapping the billionaire out of his confused thoughts.
Vlad frowned hesitantly at the time spirit for a moment, but then he shrugged and offhandedly answered, "Aren't all children created?"
The Council suddenly burst into whispers with the comment, but not enough for Justeco to need to call order.
Clockwork just stared calmly at the man for a moment, very well aware that the older hybrid was purposely being difficult.
"Alright. Let me ask another question. What is your daughter's relationship with Danny Phantom?"
"I believe they are cousins," Vlad replied.
"How is that possible when you and the boy share no ties—at least, not the family type?" Clockwork questioned.
Vlad frowned again. Was the time spirit messing with him? Or was his manner of speaking naturally so encrypted?
Now annoyed, the billionaire seriously replied, "Why do you keep asking me such pointless questions? You already know the truth! And if you did not, it would not make a difference to you or these other fools here!"
The Council instantly fell into an uproar, forcing Justeco to rein back order again.
"As I told the boy, it is not what I know that matters. It is what this High Council knows," Clockwork told the man as everyone settled down. But then he suddenly added, "So then, are you going to show them?"
"Did he mean 'tell them'?" Danny whispered to Spektanto beside him, noticing the time spirit's mistake in words.
But his appointed defender shrugged and uncaringly replied, "Same thing."
Vlad slowly nodded at Clockwork, his annoyance and anger gone from his face. He was quiet for a moment as he glanced down at the hand holding his still bleeding abdomen. He was a bit dizzy…
But knowing the Council was waiting for him to say something, the man sighed and finally spoke up. "The boy's parents are old friends of mine… That is why I consider Daniel family—a son, in fact, which is also why my daughter Danielle can be considered his cousin as well.
The teen blinked in surprise at that, but remained quiet.
"I was under the impression that you and Danny Phantom were enemies," Clockwork replied seriously.
Vlad chuckled, though it sounded slightly pained. "Well, that depends on the day and occasion."
"And what exactly was the occasion that made you decide to clone Danny Phantom?" Clockwork retorted.
"Ah, so we are finally speaking forwardly?" Vlad quipped.
"Answer the question," the time spirit simply ordered.
Vlad blinked back the spots in his eyes but then chuckled weakly this time. "I think I might have overdone it…," he muttered to himself.
"Come again?" Clockwork asked.
Danny, however, knew exactly what the man was talking about. The teen knew it was part of their plan. But, he agreed with the billionaire: the guy had overdone it…
"I would gladly answer your question, but my mind is a bit unfocused right now," Vlad said with a sigh. "…I suppose this might have something to do with that…," he added, finally raising the hand against his abdomen and revealing it was covered in green blood.
There was a chorus of gasps from the Council, while Iluzisto's eye widened in disbelief. Why was the older crossbreed bleeding? He had not…
The illusionist spirit instantly tensed with restrained anger. So, that's why the man had been mouthing off to him! The crossbreed had wanted to be hurt so that he could now show it to the Council!
"It seems I am once more forced to detain my questioning," Clockwork said, a frown of annoyance on his face as he stared at the injured man before looking at the judge. "Clearly, this man is severely hurt."
Justeco, who had been shocked by the sight, finally snapped out of it and quickly called order. He then stood and looked over at Iluzisto with a firm expression. "Iluzisto, have prisoner 484 taken to the infirmary at once! You are then to report back to me immediately."
"As you wish, Honorable Tribune," Iluzisto replied in a forced calm voice.
Justeco looked back at the Council and then said, "We will have to take another short recess. And considering the condition of prisoner 484, I think you will all agree with me that his last accusation against him should also be filed under ambiguous information."
"Aye!" the Council replied, though probably a bit begrudgingly.
"Then, we shall take this time of recess to discuss this trial and come to a final verdict," Justeco said before slamming his gavel.
As Vlad was helped to his feet by a guard, he unexpectedly smirked amusedly at Clockwork and told him, "…You are quite clever, Time Master."
"Anyone could say the same thing about you," Clockwork answered calmly, raising an eyebrow at the man.
Plasmius chuckled weakly, but said nothing else since he was finally helped towards Iluzisto, who was waiting for him besides Danny and Spektanto.
Iluzisto narrowed his eye at Plasmius when he was finally standing in front of him. "I know what you and the boy are doing," he said with restrained anger. "It will not work."
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Vlad replied innocently, though he was smiling smugly at the spirit.
Danny just watched the exchange, barely suppressing a smug chuckle himself. It felt good to see Iluzisto squirming for once.
Iluzisto stared at Vlad for another moment before glancing over at the younger hybrid. Both were still purposely exposing their energy at him, which just made the illusionist spirit even more furious. Still, it was clear their conscious exposure of their energy was weakening for the two, especially the injured older one, since he was currently bleeding. So, it made no sense! Iluzisto didn't understand why they were doing this exactly, unless, of course, just to anger him!
"Escort these two to the infirmary," Iluzisto suddenly commanded the Observant guards beside them. "I will be there shortly."
"Both, Prison Head?" one of the guards questioned.
"Yes, take them both… Have them checked fully to make sure neither has another 'surprise' for the Council hidden up their sleeve somewhere…," Iluzisto replied with a sneer.
Vlad and Danny glanced at each other, but didn't say anything as they were escorted once more out of the courtroom. Iluzisto stared after them for a moment before turning and walking towards Justeco's private meeting room. Luckily, Iluzisto already knew exactly how he was going to handle the crossbreeds' little tricks…
On their way to the infirmary, Vlad had actually blacked out. The teen at first thought the guy was faking it, but he was pretty startled when Danny realized that it wasn't an act. Vlad had seriously overdone it.
"Hey, Cheese Head, wake up," the teen said, shaking the man's shoulder, while he stood next to the bed on which the man was. They were still both in ghost from, though neither was currently exposing any more of their energy outwardly at the moment…
Vlad slowly came around and blinked up at the boy. "Was I out long?"
Danny sighed and muttered, "I can't tell. These ghosts, or rather, spirits, around here don't believe in time. But, I guess, like, ten minutes." The teen moved back and sat down on his own cot that was lined up right beside the man's a foot away.
"You're crazy, you know that?" the teen added dryly.
The billionaire slowly sat up on the bed with a pained chuckle. "What? Are you jealous that I can put on a better act than you, little badger?"
Danny rolled his eyes. "That wasn't an act, Vlad. You were seriously bleeding again!"
"Well, it worked," Vlad answered with an uncaring shrug. But then he looked down at himself and realized the top part of his jumpsuit was gone, though he had white gauze wrapped around the wound on his stomach.
"They fixed you up while you were out," Danny explained. "They added some weird stuff that supposedly will help you heal faster. It kinda looked like that stuff you used on me back at your house after Iluzisto's first attack on me. I'm not sure, but they also checked me over and cleaned and wrapped up my injuries, too. I feel better, at least," Danny added, briefly touching one of his sore arms. Although he already had his ghost jumpsuit back on, he knew that he had a few wrappings under it.
"It was probably some spectral plant remedy," Vlad distractingly answered as he looked around for his clothing. He not only found it, but noticed it was all cleaned up. Still, all the man did was reach towards it, and the top part of his ghost outfit and cape dissolved in a puff of pink smoke, before just as quickly reappearing back on his body. Vlad knew it would hardly take any more effort than it would be for him to call back his own energy.
Danny just raised an eyebrow at the man's comment and also at his actions, but he decided not to ask further. However, the teen glanced over to the two guards watching them from the infirmary's entrance, unaware that Plasmius had slipped his hand into his unseen pocket and pulled something out.
"Daniel?"
The teen looked back at the billionaire, only to blink in surprise when he saw the man was offering him a napkin-covered loaf of bread, the same one they had gotten with their recent meal.
"Hold on to it. You might need it," Vlad told him seriously.
Danny was completely floored by the man's actions. He had saved the bread for him? The teen would have laughed at the weirdness of that if it wasn't for the fact that in their situation, the action was quite significant.
The young hybrid just stared at the older one with a mixture of emotions. "I… why?"
Vlad reached over and placed the bread in the teen's hand before smirking and saying, "Don't read too much into it, little badger."
Danny blinked at being thrown back his own comment that he had uttered to the man when he had prevented him from bleeding to death.
"Thanks," the teen finally was able to say, though he briefly looked away in embarrassment.
Vlad waved a dismissive hand and said, "Don't mention it."
Danny quietly watched the man lay back down on the bed and drape an arm over his eyes. But the teen's own green eyes slowly lowered down to the ground. He couldn't believe how things had changed so drastically in a matter of days. One minute he had been sleeping on his bed and the next he had been attacked by a ruthless spirit named Iluzisto. And now… here he was with his arch-enemy, both locked up and staring death in the face. But they were also now working together. They both knew and had accepted how slim their chance of getting out of this was. But, they had also decided that they were not going down without a fight. And they were going to make sure Iluzisto did not get what he wanted—or at least, die trying…
"Do you think it's gonna hurt?" Danny suddenly asked, his hands gripping the edge of the bed on which he sat.
Vlad moved his arm from his face, though he kept his eyes focused on the ceiling. "What do you mean?" he asked soberly, though he really had a pretty good idea what the boy had asked.
The teen was quiet for a moment, but then he took a shaky breath and quietly said, "I really don't want to die."
The billionaire quickly sat up and stared worriedly at the boy. Daniel's fear of death hardly surprised the man. After all, he was only fifteen. And if Vlad was honest with himself, he would say he also shared that same fear.
Sadly, Vlad knew he couldn't even lie to the teen and tell him everything was going to be alright. They both knew the truth. They both knew how very likely it was that the Observants were going to charge them with the worst of fates…
"Daniel, don't think about that now, alright?" Vlad asked softly. "You know what will happen if we are left even another day under Iluzisto's hand…" The older hybrid paused and sighed. "I honestly do not care what Iluzisto's plans are past his wanting freedom. But you know it cannot be anything good. And I know you don't want him wrecking havoc. Our only chance of stopping him is to prevent him from gaining that freedom. And there is only one way we can do that…"
"Yeah, I know," Danny answered soberly, though he kept his gaze lowered."I guess I just wish I could have seen my parents one more time…"
Vlad was suddenly glad that the teen wasn't looking at him, or Danny would have seen the pain that passed through the man's eyes, as he suddenly thought of Maddie. But Plasmius pushed down his emotions as he pulled himself up and reached forward. He grabbed the boy's chin and made the boy look up at him.
"If it means anything to you," Vlad said in quiet sincerity. "I know for certain that they would be very proud of you, Daniel. Very few can go through everything that you have in these past days and still hold onto their fighting spirit as you have. You are strong, little badger. And any parent would be proud of that."
Danny smiled at the man's words. He had never heard his arch-enemy say something so nice to him. But considering the circumstances… Besides, the teen had to admit that the man's words did make him feel better.
"Thanks… You're pretty cool when you're not acting like a fruit loop," Danny replied.
"That's good enough, I suppose," Vlad said with a wistful sigh before letting go of the teen's chin and lying back down.
They were quiet again for another moment, this time both lost in their own thoughts and fears. But remembering something, the billionaire looked up at the teen and suddenly asked, "Daniel, how exactly did you meet Clockwork?"
Danny looked up with a questioning frown. But before he could even ask why the man was asking him such an 'out of the blue' question, Iluzisto finally entered the infirmary.
"Looking much better, I see….," Iluzisto said with sudden smugness before gesturing the Observant guards to move away for a moment.
Vlad and Danny instantly tensed with unease. They really did not like the triumphant look in the spirit's eye. Still, they kept quiet, even when Iluzisto walked right up to Vlad, who although in ghost form, was no longer presenting his energy so invitingly as before.
"I want you to know…" Iluzisto whispered evilly at the man, "—when you are both found guilty and are returned to my prison, I will be taking that energy with which you were so invitingly taunting me. And have no doubt; I will remove it from you both slowly and painfully. And then…" The spirit chuckled darkly and looked over at Danny. "You will be dessert..."
"We'll see about that," the teen sneered, his hands clenching at his sides.
"Yes," Vlad agreed with a glare. "So, until then…" The older hybrid instantly let his energy flare out. "I recommend you back away unless you want to be discovered."
Iluzisto squeezed his staff in order to keep himself from lunging at the older crossbreed and taking his energy at that instant. It was just so alluring! But looking around, the spirit knew there were too many witnesses.
But sure things were going to work in his favor, Iluzisto's eye curved as he took a step away from Plasmius.
"You are right. We best hurry, then," he said smugly before looking at the guards and gesturing them over.
Vlad and Danny glared at Iluzisto as the two guards forced them on their feet and restrained them again.
"Here we go," Danny whispered fearfully over at Vlad.
"Yes… here we go," Vlad replied back, this time a bit of fear leaking from his own voice.
Pearl: Heh-heh! The hybrids are playing with fire, especially Vlad, but he's so good at it. And he should be with his having a hot core, as he said, 'it's his specialty'! lol! But it should be fun to see what the he and Danny are up to! At least, they seem to be making Iluzisto squirm for once! *winks* Anyways, on to more serious things… Well, I know it's been a while since I've updated CM or DoaS, and to be honest, I have not even started editing the next chapter for CM. It have been SO busy lately—more than usual, anyways. Also work has been killing me with Disney being so busy these past weeks. And, finally, I am trying to get back on track with school, so I've hitting the books again so I can take the MCAT. I've held it off long enough. *sighs* But, I will try my best to start working on CM this coming week and have it soon. Thanks for your support and patience, my dear readers! Until next time! Happy and Blessed Easter!
truephan here: Hey, first of all, I want to thank NewGhostGirl for her AWESOME trailer for this story. It gave me goose bumps. Check it out when you can at this address (of course, don't forget to erase the spaces and such: http : / / www. youtube. com / watch?v=0KZCTbSFR0k.) (Pearl: Or, you can go to my profile and find the link there, too) Now, back to the chapter… So, what did y'all think? Did we have you biting your nails? Have you on the edge of your seats again? Well then, we're still doing our job! Heh-heh! But, seriously, we would LOVE to hear all your thoughts on the chapter. And speaking of that very fact, we had not originally planned to give you an update on Team Phantom and Skulker until later on, but since we always listen to your comments and suggestions, and that you wanted to know what was happening to the foursome, we actually added to this chapter to keep you happy! And speaking of 'happy', have a very Happy and Blessed Easter, y'all.