Chapter 5:

Multiple

Started:

August 26 2012

Edited:

September 05 2012

Uploaded:

Chapter Warnings:

Mention of abuse

Chapter Rating:

T

Dan's POV

"Not everyone becomes a ghost." I snarled as I slammed my fist down on the desk. Tucker blinked at me in shock, Valerie was by his side, bristling with my hostile attitude and armed to the teeth. She didn't scare me though. She would never scare me. Nothing she could do would over power me. "So no, Danny's probably not in the Ghost Zone. I would have seen him when I was there." We'd been over this so many times, it was redundant now. They refused to believe that Danny wasn't in the Ghost Zone, and therefore could be dead for good.

"So that means that he's either not dead," Valerie offered slowly as Tucker sat back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, "or his ghost half just wasn't strong enough to keep himself around."

Tucker shook his head as he sat up straight. "We're on our own, we knew that."

"But we're more than alone now, Tucker." Valerie said softly, "We don't even have Sam now."

Tucker frowned, thinking this over. He leaned his chair back so it balanced on just two legs as he tapped a finger lazily against the desk in front of him. "We might not have Sam or Danny," he conceded, "but we do have Dan."

At this they both turned their heads to look at me and I gave them a hard stare back. They had to know I wasn't one to just roll over and do as they said. I'm not a lap dog.

"I say we give the Ghost Zone another chance," Valerie approached the subject cautiously; she didn't want to ruffle anyone's feathers. "Even if Danny's not there, we might be able to convince Skulker or the Far Frozen to help us…"

She had a point, I mused to myself silently, pressing my fingers together like a steeple and narrowing my eyes. We'd need the big guns. Maybe even Behemoth himself. "We might be able to acquire Behemoth's help, if we can find him."

Tucker and Valerie looked at me blankly before looking at each other. "I'm sorry, but which ghost is Behemoth?"

I paused as I looked at them, suddenly remembering that no, Danny never did fight Behemoth. Only Vlad had. "Right… well, Behemoth is a large ghost. He's powerful, he's very powerful actually. Vlad wouldn't stand much of a chance against him, I don't think. Not unless he's gotten more powerful as time's gone on."

Tucker bit his bottom lip, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "I don't think we'd need him, especially if there's no guarantee we'll be able to keep him around. We need the Far Frozen, because if Vlad's hurt Sam, they're the best bet for medical help. Skulker would be good because he's a hunter. He'd be able to track Vlad down."

I shook my head. "We have to be careful with Skulker," I cautioned. "He used to work for Vlad."

This brought them back and they nodded soberly. Things were looking grim. I tightened my fist, my knuckles turning white and my claws dug into my palms. Damn it, this is not how this is going to end.

Vlad will not win this war.

Sam's POV

"Sam…"

The word was quiet, the sound of my name just a breath in the air and I almost didn't believe I'd heard it. Just another trick by the insane ghost that had me trapped here. I resisted the urge to cry; everything I had worked for was taken from me. I thought I was so powerful, so smart, but it turned out I was nothing but weak and Vlad knew it. He had known that he could come and grab me whenever he wanted.

"Sam, open your eyes," the words were louder now, and a memory stirred at the familiar voice that shaped them. "Come on, there's nothing that can hurt you here."

I felt someone brush my hair back out of my face and I cautiously opened my eyes with the gesture. It made me feel at ease, like nothing was going to hurt me again. With a gasp I sat up, staring at the apparition before me.

Floating there in all his glory was Danny.

"Danny…" I breathed, everything Vlad had done temporarily banished from my mind as I reached out to him, but he sadly smiled and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I'm not really here. I'm close by, but I'm not here." His eyes flickered with something dark, something that I couldn't quite read and that bothered me. But again, I pushed it away as I watched him. "I'm just here to help you through. This is taking a lot of energy for me, but…you'll see me again, I promise." His softly glowing green eyes regarded me with such love and longing that I nearly choked on a sob.

"Danny," I started, tears beginning to flow down my face. "Danny I'm so sorry… you've been gone for so long and we looked but we never found any trace—"

"Shh," Danny smiled and reached out, putting a finger against my lips and I felt it. He was just as solid as he would have been if he had been standing in front of me. "I know… but I'm okay, see? I'm right here. Closer than you think."

"What does that mean?" I asked quietly, my own hand wrapping around his wrist, wanting to pull him closer.

"You'll figure it out. I have to go, I'm sorry I can't shield you anymore." He added sadly, breaking my heart with the look of pure distress on his face.

He slowly faded from my field of vision and I woke up with a sharp gasp.

Just a dream.

"Samantha."

The word sounded like someone dragging their nails down a chalkboard. They sent shivers up my spine and made my stomach churn. I was glad I hadn't eaten since I'd been shoved down here.

"My, my don't you look pitiful all tied up like that?" They'd removed me from my hanging position once I grew numb to the pain in my armpits. Now they had me tied up to a table, though it wasn't much of a change. The raw areas where they'd torn off my skin still stung and were probably badly infected, and several cuts and lacerations covered me from Vlad's multiple prodding's and experiments.

Vlad had a sick obsession with trying to torture me for any information regarding my army and its safe points. All of which I'd refused to give up. This angered him more than anything and he'd reacted violently more than once.

"I can get it out of you," he said now, casually as if he were talking to his chef about what was for dinner. "How wold you like for me to probe your dreams, your inner most thoughts? Maybe I could hire someone to read the secrets from your guts." Here his civilized smile twisted into a wicked and evil grin, leaning over my table and staring directly into my eyes. "I could tear open your still living abdomen and tear out those flesh sacs and I could read what they had to say. Did you know that you can learn anything from still living organs?"

He laughed and I realized that the former billionaire had lost it. Well, more than he had before but he was downright insane now. The old Vlad would never have done this; he would never have threatened death upon another human.

He had gone insane since Danny had gone missing.

I sighed as Vlad continued to rant as he walked slow circles around me. What I wouldn't give for ghost powers right now.

"Excuse me?" Vlad's head whipped around so hard I imagined it snapping clean off his shoulders. The ghost that was at the door shrank beneath Vlad's withering glare. The little ghost brought itself up after a moment's hesitation and looked at Vlad. "Our patrols have come back, your highness." It said, it's small voice squeaking through the room. "They have reports they wish for you to see."

Vlad hefted a frustrated sigh, turning back to me. "I'll be back for you." He growled threateningly before storming from the room.

I sighed with some relief as the door closed, though I kept myself on edge. Things weren't going to get easier from here on out, I knew that much. Vlad would do anything to make it worse for me. I wished Danny were here.

Danny? A small voice whispered in the back of my mind, though I wished I hadn't thought it, Or Dan?

I shook my head as much as I could, trying not to think it. Dan is Danny's arch enemy, I can't betray him like that.

I sighed, I could not be thinking about this right now. Dan wasn't even a romantic option. Once this whole war was over, he was going back into the thermos and back into Clockwork's layer.

Speaking of, where was Clockwork in all of this? How come he let Dan just step out of the thermos and away?

I sighed before resuming my silent vigil, staring at the ceiling and accepting my fate as Vlad stepped back into the room.

Unkown: Third Person POV

Plip.

Seven million, six hundred and thirty nine thousand, three hundred and two…

Plip. Then the rattle of keys.

Seven million, six hundred and thirty nine thousand— keys?

The ghost looked up his green eyes narrowing as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, the chain around his neck preventing him from taking any steps forward. Too weak to defend himself, the ghost none the less shifted into a defensive position, hands balling into something that resembled a fist.

"Feeding time." The guard who came to the cells' door grunted, shoving some mush through a small trap door at the bottom of the heavy metal cell door.

He'd been in here for longer than he could remember; all because he was foolish. Sometimes his captor would come see him, sneer at him and tell him what's happening out there. But generally they left him alone with the guards.

He did have one friend however, a small rat that scurried in and out of his cell curiously. He often let the rat gorge itself on the food they'd give him, since he was always sick when he ate. Not that it really mattered much. No one knew where he was, who he was, or what he was doing here.

No one except his captor, that is. There wasn't anyone left who cared or knew about him. At least, that's what she said. And he believed her, he believed her with every fiber of his being because he was never shown otherwise. Around his neck was a small locket, and some would have teased him for wearing something so girly but it was the only thing that kept him sane.

He couldn't see it, he couldn't reach it with his hands, but he was able to feel it and that was enough to allow him to remember the small picture of his friends that the locket contained.

She would be coming again soon, the shadowed creature with the evil smile and the malicious grin. She'd speak to him, always with him watching, and he'd tell her everything he didn't want to tell her. And she'd feed on it—no, she'd thrive on it. She'd grow stronger and laugh every time and he'd be left feeling weak and defenseless.

And that's how it'd been for as long as he could remember. He wasn't too sure when he'd been brought here. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he did know that he was never going to get out.

He was going to die, or fade away, or something.

And he'd never see them again.