Howard couldn't believe what he saw. Before him was a ghost that controlled the very fabric of time itself, glowing slightly in the darkness, his tail gently flicking back and forth idly. Every couple of seconds he swapped age between a child, an adult, and an elderly man. His eyes were fixated on the awed ninth grader, patiently waiting for a response. Howard wasn't sure at all how to respond to the situation.
He rose to his feet at a slackened rate, wobbling slightly as he regained his balance. Yet unsure of what to say, a quick decision was made to wing it. His throat cleared. "You're Clockwork?" Kind of a dumb question, but the only thing he could think to say.
"Indeed. Now, come with me. We haven't got much time to lose."
Before Howard could respond, Clockwork waved his staff. He felt the floor fall out from underneath him, and he gasped, and almost screamed, even. The boy was engulfed in some sort of blue sphere with Clockwork, and was about to ask where they were going when he felt a solid surface below his feet once more. As the sphere faded, his vision was filled with the interior of Clockwork's tower. He stood and took it all in for a moment. Clocks and ghosts and all sorts of nooks and crannies in the most unusual tower he had ever been in.
"Howard, over here."
Tucker's voice came from behind him, and he flipped around to see Trixie, Spud, Sam, Tucker, and a short elderly man he did not recognize. All of them looked much like he did: exhausted and yet wide awake with terror, except for the elderly man, who was fairly calm and stoic. Most of them wrapped their arms around themselves; in Tucker's case, he was using both hands to tightly grip onto a Fenton thermos. Howard turned around back to Clockwork. "Where's Danny? Where's Jake? Where's Randy?" he asked, immediately fearing the worst.
"They've been kidnapped too," Clockwork answered for him, "taken in their sleep. Both awoke and tried to fight, but it was no use. Within moments they were rendered unconscious and taken to William the Forgotten's citadel."
"Are they alive still? He didn't-" Trixie was cut off immediately by Clockwork.
"They're alive still," he confirmed, "but they need their friends to come rescue them. That's where you all come in. I've sent directions to Tucker to his citadel as well as a layout of it. It's about a half hour flight in your Specter Speeder, which is parked outside of the tower. I've also put some potions given to Jake in the back of the speeder, which you'll be needing." He crossed his arms. "You must use stealth and infiltrate the castle to free the captives, and then...then will be time to act. Good luck."
Clockwork was about to turn around and have the observants show them out when Sam raised her voice. "Hold on!" She sounded furious. Sam lifted one of her hands to point accusingly at him, while the other fell at her side clenched in a fist. Clockwork turned around to her.
"Yes?"
"You knew about this all along and you didn't tell any of us! Why? Now Danny and the others are gone and you didn't tell us!" Sam was absolutely livid. Jake's grandfather gave her an affronted stare.
"Do not argue with the Master of Time!" he scolded, "He-"
"Lao Shi, she has every right to be angry." Clockwork interrupted, "Samantha, you know why I can't dispense every detail. I promise you if this ended with any deaths I would've done something."
"We know," Trixie agreed, "but...Jake...the boys..."
"Sam, come on," Tucker tugged on Sam's arm, "we're wasting time here. We need to move now. I'm worried, too, but-"
"We can't wait any longer." Spud finished. Howard gave a sad look to Clockwork.
"I don't have any sort of way of fighting. What do I do? I have to help Randy."
"You will and you shall see. Now, move along; time is fleeting."
The five large imps carrying Randy came through the portal from Norrisville. Without so much as a word, they phased through the now bustling castle. The creatures were everywhere, rushing to and fro with whatever tasks they had. By now it was cleaner and well-lit, no doubt the result of laborious sprites. Those carrying Randy were given no attention from the others, whom were all busy with their own work.
Finally, they flew through the floor, landing in an underground room. It was without decorum, nothing but concrete floors and walls, a pitch black unusual mirror spanning the length of one of the walls. A few vents were on the empty walls with a few buttons to come with it.
On the opposite side of the wall with the mirror, Jake was limp in a net hanging from the ceiling made of sphinx hair. Danny was in a steel box not at all unlike the same one Vlad Masters had put him in before, glowing at the sides with anti-ghost technology. His head was face-down on the top of the box, the rest of his body concealed within it.
Finally, there was a small cage that gave off a small white glow to the left of Jake, who was in the center of the line of traps. It was less elaborate than the others, and it didn't need all that the others did. The cage had only two modifications: one to resist the humans-are-the-ghosts-in-the-Ghost-Zone effect, and one that Randy would figure out later. They undid the rope tied onto Randy and tossed him in the cage, leaving him to lay on the cold floor of it, motionless save for the rise and fall of his chest.
The creatures exited the room and William came in, phasing through the wall. His face and body was still vastly covered, grotesque hands and glowing orange eyes the only things to be seen. He floated near the vents and pressed one of the buttons, and a colorless gas poured into the room. Quickly he pressed another and the vents sucked out the gas after he was sure all of them had inhaled it.
All three began to awaken. They groaned, rubbed their heads (save for Danny,) and began to crack open their eyes. Danny's head rose off and Jake attempted to stretch. Randy, in his limited space, couldn't do much of anything. He was the first completely awake, and his eyes darted to the floating, cloaked figure. The Ninja gasped and scowled, grasping on the bars of his trap.
"It's you, you shoob! Lemme out of here so I can Ninja-kick your butt!"
The figure did not respond. Danny and Jake finally both were out of their stupor. Jake timidly poked at what he immediately identified as Sphinx hair, and Danny realized he was powerless as well. Jake growled. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded, crossing his arms tightly.
"What do you gain out of putting us in here?" Danny snapped. Finally, the ghostly man began to speak.
"Really, I've put you all in here as mercy," he explained, "I could have had you all executed in your sleep. But I believe I can find a use for the three of you." He shook his head. "You gave an adorable little show of rebellion against my minions, but I'm afraid that's over and done with. I'm ready to really move forward with my invasion, and I've given you the best seats in the house."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny's eyes glowed a green. He was immediately zapped by the box, and he screamed.
"Danny!"Jake and Randy shrieked. They desperately wanted to help him, but the electric shock faded hastily and the ghost boy panted and moaned.
"I'm okay!" he claimed, "Just...the price of giving him the scary eyes..."
The spectacle was ignored by the villain. He pressed another button and the glass screen became transparent, revealing the horror behind it to the Secret Trio. Before them were thousands and thousands of minion imps, all vacant-eyed and waiting for a signal to move out. There were so many of them that they were floating over and above each other, some pressed up against the glass window. The ones pressed up against the windows were drooling profusely, nose shoved into the glass. William proudly looked at the legion as the boys gasped in utter terror, leaving them to shake and fight helplessly at their restraints evermore.
"Isn't it beautiful?" he asked aloud. He folded his hands behind his back. "So much effort. Centuries have led up to this moment. At nine I shall send them to Earth. Earth will have no option but to surrender power to me. And you all..." He turned back to them. "...I have given all of you great mercy. Either you will join me willingly or I shall have you brainwashed. It would be a waste of your abilities to terminate any of your lives. I'll give you some time to think on it."
He was about to phase again through the wall and leave the boys in silence when Randy interrupted him. "Hey! I need to ask you something!"
Jake and Danny gave him a strange look. Nevertheless, William turned around and smiled. "Yes?"
Randy was frowning solemnly. "William, is this what Victoria would have wanted?"
William stopped short. His face fell. "What?" he asked, suddenly sounding weaker and more vulnerable than ever. Randy repeated his question.
"Is this what Victoria would have wanted? I know you love her just like Danny loves Sam-"
"Hey!" Danny protested, face going red. Jake snickered; Randy kept speaking.
"-so you should really think about this. Is this what she would've wanted to see you do? You can stop all of this, William. Stop it for her."
William's demeanor immediately changed. He grasped his head, and his eye color changed back to silver. "Oh...oh, God...I can't..." The ghost collapsed to the ground, appearing to be having spasms.
"What's going on?!" Jake shouted, alarmed. William's hood fell back, revealing matted, patchy gray hair, nose bent, and wrinkled skin. Tears streamed down his face.
"I can't control- help me! Help...the sorcerer...he..." Suddenly the hood fell back over his head, and his eyes began to glow. However, his eyes this time were white. They narrowed.
"Foolish children, did you really think William was really doing this of his own accord?" His voice had changed to that of the Sorcerer's. "The minute he perished, I thought that was it. I was free. And then his girlfriend had to intervene."
"It's like he's being overshadowed." Danny stated stonily.
"Correct," he said, "in a sense. I can't see through his eyes or feel through his nerves, but I can temporarily control him and deeply influence his mind. Even under my influence, the weakling's far kinder than what I would really allow. If I was in full control, I'd have your identities immediately and I would dispose of all of you. But I don't. Soon enough, though, I shall be free. I will learn who all of you are and then promptly destroy you and begin my reign."
"That's whack. Taking over someone's mind, even when dead..." Jake said, sounding utterly disgusted. The ghost being controlled threw his head back and laughed.
"I don't care about that. This plan took centuries, what with William occasionally fighting off my influence. If he had been compliant, I would've been freed a long time ago." The eyes faded back into orange, and William immediately left the room, leaving three horrified teenagers behind.