A/N: So…uh…hi…what?! Okay, okay, I know…I've been slowing down on my updates, and if we're honest, I probably had time to write a chapter yesterday, but I'd finished standing on my feet for 8 hours. Not only that, but it's General Conference weekend, which is like Superbowl Sunday to members of my church, but a little more quiet, and without the alcohol. :D
Also…reviews have been slowing down. That's not helping either. Y'all know the deal as per my explanation in Journey of Secrets (Which, if you haven't read yet and you're all the way over here in Ch. 16 of the sequel, you really SHOULD go read it…like…now…). More reviews = love = more motivation to write. Lots of reviews help me crawl through writers' block. :D Keep them coming, and drag in any fellow fans of the show. Besides, aren't fanfics more fun when you have someone to fangirl/boy over them with?
Chapter #16: Ransom
::Why are they so determined to catch us? We can't leave the ship, so why haven't they made the call for ransom?!:: Danny shouts, frustrated, in her mind.
::I don't know,:: she replies sincerely.
::They're getting closer. They've moved from following us to predicting us,:: he growls, ::Well-equipped hunters…it's like dealing with a pack of Skulkers!::
::And he's not hunting only you.::
::Nope,:: she can hear him sigh in frustration. Something flicks at the corner of his mind, and she can briefly see a black-clothed group from around a corner. Danny moves back behind the wall, allowing her to see the other men with him.
She releases a breath of relief – her father, though a little more disheveled than usual, and with more stubble than she's ever seen gracing his jaw, is unharmed. She turns to her group, also a little more ragged than ever – except for her grandmother, who has had to be carried by other members. Thankfully, she's small and light, and Sam is stronger than she looks.
Danny then pictures the hallway, and the elevator, followed by the shaft.
::That's your plan?::
::Part of it,:: he replies, the same flicker from earlier held back firmly by his thoughts.
::Danny…what are you planning?::
::Planning?:: There it is again.
"No," the words fall softly from her lips, "Danny, you'd better not be thinking what I think you're–"
The wall slams firmly between their minds, and she screeches to a halt, Natalie stumbling into her back, "Sam?!"
"Daniel James Fenton, if you're about to–!" she pounds at the wall between their minds, a small headache growing at her temples, "I'm going to kill you!...finish killing you!"
"Sam, what are you–?"
Sam swivels an amethyst gaze upon her, "I'll explain later – once we get somewhere safe," she barely manages to suppress the tremble in her voice, "But if I'm right, next time we contact my dad and the others…Danny may not be with them."
"Sammy, why wouldn't he…?" Pamela inquires.
"Because he's an idiot," she hisses, fighting back tears as the wall vanishes, followed by simple emptiness; the same emptiness she feels when he sleeps dreamlessly. Normally, it's comforting; she knows he's not fighting some nightmarish battle in his mind. Now, however…it scares her, "he's a selflessly-selfish idiot with a hero complex!"
They slip into an elevator shaft, climbing down until they can crawl onto the elevator and sit on top to rest for a few minutes.
"You know…" Natalie begins, "I've been wondering why you haven't asked to talk to Danny over the radio."
"Have you?"
"So have I," Pamela narrows her eyes, "Now that I think about it, the two of you seem awfully synchronized."
"True love," Ida sniffs.
"Danny and I are just used to working together. We know we can each handle our own, so we only need to check on people other than us."
"You seem pretty worried right now…you said you'd explain–"
"Pamela?"
They turn to the voice, revealing Jeremy Manson, as well as Al and Captain Voss.
"Jeremy!" she gasps, taking his arm as the three men craw onto the elevator. They're out of breath, probably from climbing up the shaft.
"Hey, Dad," Sam begins flatly, "Where's Danny? Use himself as a decoy?"
"We couldn't stop him, Sammy," he replies softly, "I…"
"Don't blame yourself," she snips, "He's stubborn in times like these. I think he's alive…"
"Or half-alive, as it may be?" he adds.
"When I get my hands on him, he won't be for much longer. I'll finish killing him. It'll take years, decades maybe, but I'll do it."
"I'm missing something here," Pamela frowns, "Jeremy…did you figure out…?"
"Figure out what?" Sam presses, guarded.
"There's something you're not telling us – or maybe it's just me now, hm?" she snips back, sending an icy glare towards her husband, "I've sensed it for a while, especially since the storm. I know you've been hunting ghosts with those two friends of yours, but there's something you're not telling me. Something you," she turns on Jeremy, "have elected not to divulge!"
"It's not my place to tell," he whispers, grasping her shoulders, "I'm sorry, Pamela."
"Tell me now then!" she hisses, "I need to know what is going on with our child!"
He glances at Sam, his blue eyes pleading.
"I'm sure everyone here will know by the end of this little trip anyway," she sighs, "But first, I want all of you here to promise that you'll keep your mouths shut."
"You have my word as Captain," Voss nods.
"Lips are sealed, right, Grandpa?" Natalie confirms with Al, who nods.
"Always have been!" Ida snorts.
"...always…?" Sam begins.
"Yes, Bubleh, always," she smiles, "though, Jeremy, I'm almost disappointed that it took you so long to figure it out."
"Mother!" he gasps, "I felt like an idiot the moment I made the connection. You are not helping!" he pauses, "Though…how, specifically, did it come to your understanding?"
"He walks into our home all the time, and then he appears on the news and papers…my eyes are failing and I noticed they look exactly alike!" she snorts, "You?"
"The name, mostly," he admits.
"Oh my word…" Pamela whispers, her eyes wide, "Danny Phantom. Fenton. My daughter is…" she faints, only to be caught by her husband, who lowers her slowly to the elevator beneath their feet.
"Dating a half-ghost superhero? Yeah," Sam finishes, "And if any of you tell anyone, I can rally an army of yeti in his stead and turn your life into a frozen wasteland!"
-BREAK-
He's cold. Unusually so. It takes a moment for his scrambled thoughts to recollect enough to realize why.
The dull ache, a familiar feeling he associates with the Plasmius Maximus, pulses along his nerves, suppressing his ghost half, shoving his cold core so far away it might as well be absent.
He spreads his thoughts outward, detecting what he can before opening his eyes. He's sitting up, for one. His shoulders feel tight – his hands are secured behind him with zip-ties. His ankles are secured to the legs of his metal chair the same way. Soft whispers reverberate off of metal walls.
::Danny?::
"You're awake," one of them – the captain, based on the voice – comments, "isn't it a bit rude to pretend otherwise?"
Danny opens his eyes, turning the ice-blue orbs on his captor, "Rude?! I'm tied to a chair!"
::I'm okay…mostly.::
::Mostly?::
"Now, now, young Fenton–"
"Funny, I don't think I introduced myself," he interrupts.
"Ah, yes, introductions are in order," his captor smirks, "I am Yulian Kovich, captain of this crew. The solemn Somalian over there is Burgess, the nervous American is Ross, and…well, you've already met Ramirez, no?"
"Hello again," the young man from earlier waves.
"So, there you have us. The rest here…they are faceless and nameless. Do not concern yourself with them," Kovich dismisses.
"Faceless and nameless," Danny snorts, "How…kind."
::My powers are shorted out. They have DALV tech.::
"I agree," Kovich laughs, "If one of us is ever caught, no one will be able to identify the others."
::How did they know to use…?!::
::Beats me. I imagine I'll figure it out. But listen; Kovich, Ross, Burgess, and Ramirez are the ringleaders. They're all here, wherever I am. If you're going to move, move now.::
::I will find you, Ghost-boy. Also…well…:: he senses her shifting uncomfortably, ::I…uh…we met up with your group in the shaft…and…everyone knows now.::
::Knows?::
She laughs, ::It seems that my grandma knew the whole time, about Phantom. She was reading the paper one day when you walked in the door and she realized that you looked almost identical.::
::So…everyone knows?::
"What are you spacing out for?" Ramirez asks, kicking his chair.
"I'm just tired," Danny shrugs, "the Plasmius Maximus does that to me."
::Yeah. Mom took it better than I thought she would. She fainted, but there's no sign she's in mortal peril.::
::That…that is a plus,:: he agrees.
"Speaking of which, you really are a very interesting person," he snickers, "Or are you a person at all?"
"…you lost me," Danny snorts.
::…I might be in trouble here, Sam…::
"Did we?" Kovich smiles, before turning to one of his subordinates, "bring her in."
The metal door swings open, revealing a glowing chain. At the end is a young woman with dripping wet hair and blank eyes.
"Meet a local ghost," Kovich waves, "We call her Rose. After the movie, you see."
"Charming," he retorts, "And why is she here? You think she'll scare me? You know who I am. I'm sure you know where I'm from and what my parents do. I live in Amity Park. Ghosts are not a big deal to me."
"I want to go outside," she whispers, her dull eyes focused on the floor, "I want to see the stars."
"That makes two of us," Danny mutters, unheard.
"We'll let you go if you just answer a few questions," Kovich smiles assuringly, "Who froze our ship the other night?"
She becomes paler, her eyes widening, but she keeps them focused on the floor, "Phantom…" she whispers.
"Is this 'Phantom' the one from Amity Park?"
"Y…yes," she nods.
"Why are you all afraid of him?"
"He is very strong. He sealed away King Pariah Dark, and the Observants fear him because they know their own grip is weak. Many already follow him, including the yeti-warriors of the Far Frozen. Thankfully, despite his power, he seems to be kinder than the other halfa."
"Other 'halfa?'"
"Do–" Burgess pulls a gag over Danny's mouth.
"Plasmius was cruel and would not hesitate to endanger both realms for his own gain. Phantom seems more prone to help them coexist."
"What is a halfa?" he presses, causing her to flinch.
"Half a human, half a ghost," she answers quietly, "Halfa."
"Is he in here?" He whispers.
She raises her head slowly, her form trembling as her dead eyes meet his icy orbs.
"N-n-n…"
"He's been depowered. He won't hurt you. Besides," he smiles, "You said he's kinder than Plasmius, right? Surely he'll understand that you were threatened," he glances at the ecto-weapons in his soldiers' hands.
She glances uncertainly between them, and Danny relaxes, allowing a small nod.
"Yes, he is in this room."
"Tied to the chair?"
"Yes," she sniffs, "That is the human form of the King-Sealer."
"Take her away," he orders, and they lead her back through the door, which slams shut behind them. Kovich moves back to his seat, "So…Fenton…or should I call you Phantom?...you are now on the same page?"
"…why haven't you called in the ransom yet?" he asks.
"Well," the captain kicks back, "That was certainly the plan."
"He changed it. He does that a lot," Burgess snorts dryly.
"For the better," Ramirez grins, "This is so much more fun, don't you think, Ross?"
The blond shifts, his haunted blue eyes darting around, "Yeah…I was hoping for an easy payday."
"Well, this should get you good money," the young man grins, fishing around in a pocket and removing it. Danny immediately slams a wall down between he and Sam.
"Give that back!" He yelps, lunging forward, but to no avail.
"Oh, that's right," he hisses with a grin, "You were gunning for this when I got you, weren't you?" he twirls it in his fingers, "It's very nice. How'd a kid like you afford this? Do heroes get paid this well?"
"No, we don't get paid at all," Danny hisses, "That's chore and odd-jobs money from the past four years right there!"
"Let me see that, Ramirez," Kovich holds out his hand, "I didn't know about this," he holds it to his eyes, inspecting it carefully.
The small, black ring, with silver entwined around the band in a thorn pattern, leading to an inset rose carved from amethyst, and surrounded by emerald leaves, is held delicately between his fingers.
"How much did this cost you?" he asks.
"Because I'd tell pirates," Danny snorts.
"Is it for that Manson girl?"
Danny's jaw clenches.
"Burgess, bring up her photo on the passenger manifest," he orders, "I want to see the type of girl heroes like."
Burgess scrolls through until he finds her name, tapping on it to pull the picture to the screen.
"So she's…what's the word…Ross?"
"Goth," he finishes, "The word is 'Goth'."
"I wasn't expecting that," Ramirez whistles, "I was thinking she'd be a red-head, like all those other chicks from comic books."
"Purple eyes, hm?" Kovich smirks, "Those are on the rare side. I bet she'd sell well, don't you?"
The words slam into him, and he feels as though the world has screeched to a halt, "She'd what?!"
The captain smirks, "So will you. Maybe the client I have in mind will be willing to break from her preference and buy you both?" He turns from the screen with Sam's photo, "A young man with black hair, blue eyes, who knows Fenton ghost tech? A half-ghost, no less? A hero? You are worth a fortune alone! But pair you with your Goth, purple-eyed girlfriend to hold you under control, and then add her blond-haired, blue-eyed father – did you know that that hair and eye combination sells the best? He may be on the older side, but I'm sure someone will have a use for him and his wife. Ida and Lacroix are only useful for ransom, but his granddaughter is bound to sell!" he grins widely, "We'll earn a fortune!"
"We have to pay back our sponsor and add thirty percent of our earnings," Burgess reminds.
Kovich pulls his coin from a pocket, "A small fortune, then, but still a fortune."
"You," Danny snarls, "Don't you even dare lay a hand on her!"
Kovich watches as green swirls in those eyes, glowing beneath the charcoal bangs. He flips the coin in the air, Dare or Not? He wonders.
He catches it, inspecting the coin in his hand, "Oh, I think I will dare, Phantom. But first, you're going to tell us everything you know about ghosts. I mean everything."