I'd say we're about three chapters away from the end, at a guess.
Review replies;
Night-Waker: It is fun to make catch-phrases sound epic. :D Thanks for reading!
Zim'sMostLoyalServant: Oh thank goodness, it wasn't corny. Phew. And of course, none of the Nicktoons are going to abandon Danny; he's one of their own! Thanks for reviewing!
TweenisodeOrange: True, though. :D You're about to find out Jimmy's 'theory' - hope it doesn't disappoint. Thanks for the review!
Guest: Indeed, it's all we really have. Thanks very much!
Chapter Fifteen: The Call
"Phantom."
Danny opened his eyes.
He was laid on a stone floor inside a ruined temple. He was surrounded by cracked pillars holding up a marble roof – before each pillar rested a headless marble statue of an ancient Greek soldier. Beyond the pillars was nothing but an endless void of swirling shades of red.
He rolled onto his back. A giant painting covered the roof of the temple, depicting the Warlord standing over Pariah Dark's body, holding a crown in his hand.
"What do you think of my abode?"
Danny sat up. The Warlord was standing on the other side of the temple, in front of a statue of what looked like one of the cloaked Ancients. A lever was built into the base of the statue, under which was an inscription – Realm Divide.
Danny stood up, clenching his fists.
"What do I think?" he replied, "I think you're a bit obsessed."
"I don't deny it," replied the Warlord, "The thought of being King kept me going through the centuries of exile I endured. Without it, I would have gone mad."
"Yeah, because you're totally sane right now," scoffed Danny.
He looked at the lever.
"So, why haven't you pulled that?" asked Danny.
"Only the King, crowned or uncrowned, may initiate the Realm Divide," snapped the Warlord, "Besides, I intend to rule both realms."
"Well then," nodded Danny, "You're standing in front of something I want. Shall we?"
"Gladly," sniffed the Warlord, "Have at you."
He raised his arms, creating a ball of ectoplasm between them.
"Contacts on radar, the Warlord's troops are coming back!" exclaimed Damon, looking up from a laptop.
"You heard the man!" thundered Maddie, "Ready up!"
Jack and Maddie barrelled out the front of the house. Coulson and Steve were already out there, directing soldiers into cover of the rubble. Above them, ranks of ghostly troops and shadows began to descend from the massive portal in the sky.
"Where's Danny?" demanded Maddie, preparing a Fenton Bazooka.
"Haven't seen him," replied Steve, "But I think Atk..."
"This is it, gentlemen!" exclaimed Atkinson as he and Fury burst out of the house, "One last effort!"
"Mr. Stark!" Fury shouted into his radio, "Bring the rain!"
There was a thunderous roar as Tony shot by above, a formation of fighter jets behind him. They went straight for the shadows, firing rockets and missiles from close range.
"I'll keep them busy," Tony replied, "Try not to die down there – bad for PR."
The soldiers landed on the ground. Without a beat, they charged straight for the house. The RERE and UNIT troops leant out of cover and fired, but their shots were of little effect against the massive wave heading towards them.
"Well," said Steve, holding up his shield, "Once more unto the breach."
He leapt over the rubble and ran straight for the soldiers.
"Wait a minute," mused Jack, "It's not just Danny...where are the Nicktoons?"
Any reply was interrupted by the ghost soldiers leaping over the rubble.
"Okay, here's my theory," said Jimmy as he shimmied down a pipe into the Fentons' lab, "I'll need to connect the recallers to the port..."
He trailed off. The Fenton portal was turned off – a single RERE soldier was ripping wires out of the control panel.
"...the heck are you doing?" demanded Dani.
"Private Elsmere, sir," replied the soldier, "I've been ordered to make sure nothing gets through here, sir."
"But we need that!" exclaimed Jimmy, clenching at his hair, "Open it up!"
Elsmere pressed a button on the console. The portal sparked but nothing happened.
"Sorry sir."
Jimmy shook his head.
"Maybe I can do this without the portal," he muttered, "Guys, let's take a look at this console..."
The group made their way over to the console, but Sam stopped midway. She looked over to the portal. It's insides consisted mostly of wires and cords – save for the single 'ON' button on the inside...
Danny crashed into a pillar with great force, smashing it into dust. Almost unfazed, he bounced back towards the Warlord. Charging his left fist with an ectoplasmic ray, he uppercut the Warlord before firing the ray at his chest. The Warlord was forced back, but stayed on his feet.
The Warlord scowled, creating another ectoplasmic ball in his hands. He hurled it towards Danny, but the younger ghost leapt over it. He did not leap over the ray that followed it, however, and was forced into the ceiling. There was a loud crash, and a chunk of it fell to the ground.
Danny smirked.
"Sorry, I wrecked your painting!" he quipped.
"I'll wreck more than that," spat the Warlord.
"Don't think so," retorted Danny, his eyes glowing blue as he fired blasts of ice at his enemy. The Warlord dodged the first one and blocked the rest with his arm, which he coated in fire.
Danny's face fell.
"I had fire powers once," he muttered, dejectedly.
"Have some more," sneered the Warlord.
He sent a long last of fire from both hands, following Danny as he leapt out of the way. The fire slammed into Danny from behind, pushing him into another pillar. He kept the stream of fire going for several seconds, before finishing his attack.
"Well, that was easy," he sniffed.
The smoke from the fire cleared to reveal Danny standing on the pillar. He was singed, and his suit was torn in places, but he stood up straight regardless.
"Oh no," he said, "I'm gonna make you work for this crown."
"You are lost, Phantom," snapped the Warlord, "Your friends are fighting for their lives as I speak. They will not win."
"You're selling them short, Warlord," replied Danny, "Never a good idea."
"Nope, not working," grumbled Jimmy, taking the wire out of his recaller, "If the portal was open..."
"Sorry, sir."
"We know, Elsmere, you've said it fifteen times," snapped Timmy.
He turned to Jimmy.
"What was your idea, anyway?" he asked.
"I thought I could get the recallers working again," replied Jimmy, "We could get help, and when we found Danny, we could get him out in time with a portal...if this stupid thing were open!"
He kicked the console.
"I've got an idea."
Jimmy turned. Sam was standing in front of the ghost portal, wearing a white-and-black jumpsuit.
"...okay, what's with the jumpsuit?" asked Sandy.
Tucker stepped forward.
"Sam, no!" he exclaimed.
"What other choice do we have, Tuck?" demanded Sandy, "The only way we're opening this portal is by pressing that button. Besides, Danny can't do it alone, and I won't let him."
"But...but you saw Danny when he...you won't be able to control..." stammered Tucker.
"I have to try," replied Sam.
"You're my only friends," pleaded Tucker, "I can't lose you both."
"If this works," said Sam, "You won't have to lose either of us."
She slammed her palm on the 'ON' button.
There was a flash of white, the portal turned green and suddenly the console lit up. Jimmy reattached the wire to his recaller – it activated immediately.
"It worked," he whispered.
"Sam!" exclaimed Tucker, trying to run for the portal. Jazz grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him.
Jimmy pressed a button on the recaller, lifting it up to his ear.
"Am I receiving? ...Cindy, it's me, Jimmy! I need your help! ...no, really, the world's about to end! Grab the Hovercraft and get over here!"
The white glow died down, revealing Sam limping out of the portal. Her jumpsuit had inverted, her hair had turned white and her eyes glowed green.
"I know where we need to go," she whispered hoarsely.
She turned to Timmy, pulling something out of the pocket of her jumpsuit.
"...you're kidding?" exclaimed Timmy, eyes widening.
"Take the amulet," replied Sam, "You're flying."
On the other side of the Fenton Portal, there was a flash of white. When it died down, it revealed a motley but determined group headed into the unknown.
Jimmy was at the wheel of the Hovercraft, Spongebob, Sandy, Cindy, Carl and Sheen riding in the back. Dani, Jenny, Valerie and AJ flew next to them, the latter holding Chester under his arm. Jazz and Tucker followed on the Fenton ATVs. Behind them, and heading in a different direction from the rest of the group, was Timmy – now in the form of a dragon. A weakened Sam and Private Elsmere rode on his back, and Cosmo and Wanda flew alongside him.
"We'll see you when this is over!" called Jimmy, "Candy Bar, I'm buying!"
"Looking forward to it!" Sam called back.
Jimmy grinned and looked away, steering in the direction of Pariah's Keep.
Suddenly, he felt a tapping on his shoulder.
"...okay, now say it again," asked Cindy, smirking.
Jimmy sighed heavily.
"I need your help," he said flatly.
"And again..."
Danny was thrown into the marble floor, landing with such force that it made a crater.
He wheezed heavily, but climbed to his feet, staring down the Warlord.
"That the best you got, Alex?" he said, wiping sweat and dust from his face.
"Why do you get up?" demanded the Warlord, "You are beaten! Lay down, accept it!"
"Just getting started, Warlord."
The Warlord smirked.
"You stand for your people even when there is no hope," he said, "Perhaps you really are a king."
"I'm not a king," corrected Danny, "I'm a Phantom."
He leapt into the air, hovering mid-jump and firing another ice-blast. The battle was far from over.
AN: The ATV's come from Reality Trip, btw.
Also, I'm pretty sure writing halfa!Sam fics are some kind of DP fanfic rite of passage.