Team 3 got lucky and found an open window on the second floor to sneak through. Despite fearing a trap, they got inside safely. They then turned to Ron who had an old version of Kim's Kimmunicator. The teen turned on the device and brought up the map and scowled in confusion.
"Where to Ron?" Artemis prompted.
"Uh. I have to confess something. I don't know how to read blueprints," Ron muttered sheepishly. Rufus, Ron's pet naked mole rat, growled softly in annoyance and clambered up onto Ron's shoulder. The rodent then surveyed the blueprints and pointed to the right.
"Okay, Rufus can read these. That way," Ron whispered happily. Valerie, Kaldur and Artemis glanced at each other.
"Are you serious?" Valerie asked.
"Oh yeah. Completely. Didn't you know that naked mole rats are extremely intelligent?" Ron confirmed, nodding seriously. The others just shrugged and decided to go with it.
Rufus directed Ron through the building and Ron led the team towards the main security hub. Artemis fired an arrow inside filled with knock-out gas. The three guards collapsed within seconds.
"Good thing Wade and Spud hacked in and looped the security footage," Kaldur muttered as Ron connected his Kimmunicator to the monitors.
"I think Tucker's pretty miffed though about being undermined. I mean I would be too. He is the best out of our group with tech," Valerie remarked.
"Apparently Tucker's more reliable than Spud though. Spud gets distracted easily whereas Tucker stays focused. He's also good at taking the initiative in a fight," Ron recalled, having spent a lot of time with Jake and Danny and heard of how their friends work in stressful situations.
"Huh, never thought about that but Spud is pretty unfocused. He keeps pointing out how I look like his girlfriend," Artemis mumbled.
"Alright, I'm linked up. Give me a minute and I'll have the footage uploaded and I'll mark where Klarion is," Wade announced through the Kimmunicator.
Before the minute was up, Wade grinned at the computer and pressed a final button on his keyboard before leaning back in his chair and slurping a gulp of soda from a take-away cup.
"Done. Klarion's marked on your map now. I'll keep an eye on how everyone's doing," Wade promised.
"Could you give a progress report now?" Kaldur requested.
"Sure. Kim's team are almost to the cage room. And Rose's team are picking the lock on Danny's door," Wade reported.
"Thank you," Kaldur muttered. That was good to hear, things were going to plan. Ron unhooked the Kimmunicator and Rufus perched on Ron's shoulder once again. The pet and owner led the way out of the security hub and down the corridor towards Klarion.
Twenty minutes later, filled with following Ron or pulling him into hiding before he could get caught by patrolling guards, they reached the room Wade marked Klarion to be inside. Artemis huffed softly and pulled Ron back before he casually walked inside.
"You can put that away now," she hissed. Ron nodded sheepishly and shoved the device into his pocket and Rufus settled in Ron's other pocket. Kaldur hummed softly as the others turned to him for the plan.
"Klarion isn't going to be easy to beat. So that's not the objective. We just need to get that crystal ball away from him. If we can take his control over Danny away then we'll be better off. Val, you take high. Artemis take left, and I'll take right. Ron… think you can activate that mystical monkey magic stuff?" Kaldur delegated quietly. Ron shrugged.
"I haven't exactly needed it in college but I think I know how to activate it," Ron admitted.
"If you can activate it, rush Klarion. That much power can probably take him on. If you can't… try and get the crystal ball off him," Kaldur decided. Ron nodded, giving a mocking salute.
Kaldur grabbed the door handle and nodded to the others before throwing the door open and the four teens charged inside. It was an old factory floor. While some of the original fixtures were visible, most of the equipment had been ripped out and the long, spacious room had been converted into a gym for the Light members to use. There was a line of five treadmills on one side and three weight-lifting machines opposite. There were numerous blue mats on the floor to enable safe falls during spars. There was a punching bag in two corners too. Klarion was sitting to one side clapping happily as he watched Cheshire fight against three ninjas completely covered in black clothes. Beside the seated teen was a plump orange cat, watching the fight disinterestedly.
Kaldur gulped, they hadn't planned for others being around Klarion.
"Artemis, take Cheshire. Valerie, Klarion. I'll take the three ninjas. Ron, distraction or Klarion," Kaldur quickly delegated before running forward towards the recovering villains, pulling out his water bearers and creating swords. Artemis nodded seriously and pulled out her bow and fired a stun arrow at her sister. Valerie jumped into the air and a hover board appeared under her feet. She charged forward and three cubes materialised around her, firing pink blasts of energy at the lord of chaos. Ron gulped before taking a deep breath.
"I am the monkey master. I can do this," Ron muttered with complete sincerity and belief in his words. A mighty monkey shriek pierced the air and a blue aura of power enveloped Ron, raising the teen into the air before dropping him back down in an aura in the shape of a monkey.
Klarion got to his feet, having created a red shield around himself and Teekl to protect himself from Valerie and gasped in awe.
"A master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar. I haven't seen one of those in centuries," Klarion muttered. Ron gave a loud monkey scream and charged at Klarion. The lord of chaos frowned.
"How did the baby heroes find you?" Klarion mumbled with distaste. Ron flipped in mid-air and landed against the shield. To Klarion and Valerie's shock, the shield shattered and Ron instantly resumed his charge at Klarion. Klarion gasped in alarm and created a portal to teleport himself out of harm's way. Ron grabbed the teen before he could escape though and threw him across the room. The others all stared at Ron and Klarion. Klarion was a lord of chaos. One of the most powerful beings in the world. And a teen boy had broken through his shield and thrown the Witch Boy across the room.
Klarion groaned before glaring hatefully at Ron.
"I don't know how you came to be and I don't know how these baby heroes found you. But I don't care!" Klarion shouted angrily before clumsily getting to his feet. He pulled out a crystal ball filled with swirling black energy.
"Get that crystal ball away from him!" Artemis exclaimed and tried to abandon her fight with Cheshire to intercept the Witch Boy. Cheshire quickly reengaged the archer though. Valerie gasped and sped forward on her hover board but one of the three ninjas Kaldur was fighting, left the Atlantean and jumped up on to her board. Valerie cried out in surprise before she was pulled into a fist fight with the ninja on her narrow board. Ron charged at Klarion, jumping over the ninja that moved to intercept him. Klarion glowered at Ron and blasted the teen in the chest with chaotic red energy. It cut through the blue aura and hit Ron squarely in the chest, winding the teen as he was thrown across the room. Klarion brought the crystal ball to his lips.
"Oh Phantom. Come to the gym," Klarion cooed to the ball. Ron staggered to his feet and charged at Klarion once again.
Unfortunately things weren't going according to plan for team 1. It turned out that the blueprints didn't take new walls into consideration. Their planned escape route was cut off and they had had to find a new route. Danny cried out in pain suddenly and dropped to his knees, clutching his chest in agony.
"Danny!?" Maddie exclaimed in alarm and rushed to her son's side.
"What's wrong?" Maddie asked. Danny gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut in agony, the pain wasn't fading like before. He slowly shook his head. He didn't know what was wrong. All he knew was that there was a stabbing agony in the middle of his chest and it hurt. Maybe he shouldn't have shrugged off the first time this happened in the bathroom at Fenton Works. Maddie pulled her son to her and frantically tried to find a reason for this sudden ailment.
"Mom, what's wrong with him?" Jazz whispered fearfully.
"It must be the elevated energy. It's the only thing I can think of. But I don't know how to help him," Maddie muttered.
Rose and Rocket glanced at each other in concern while Jake hovered over Maddie and Danny worriedly with Jazz. This was the worst possible timing. They were in the middle of a corridor with no cover.
"Danny, can we help?" Jake called.
"Dunno. It's… never been… this bad b-before," Danny muttered through the agony.
"Mom, if this is because of his energy, maybe he should use his powers. Get rid of some energy," Jazz suggested hopefully.
"There's no telling if he can release energy safely like this Jazz, he might raise the alarm by accident with an explosion," Maddie pointed out. Suddenly Danny gasped. This time it wasn't in pain, it was more in surprise.
"M-master's calling me," he mumbled.
"No. Danny you can't go to him," Rose interjected.
"I-I can't ignore an o-order," Danny reminded them.
"You can resist it though," Rose replied.
"I-I dunno if I c-can right now," Danny retorted. The only reasons he hadn't already gone was because Klarion hadn't said now yet and because he was in too much pain to move in that moment. But if Klarion ordered him again, he would have to obey.
"Jazz, get the thermos out," Jake ordered firmly. Jazz blinked but nodded.
"Danny, think you can change without rushing off to Klarion?" Jake inquired.
"I… I don't k-know," Danny groaned.
Danny moaned loudly and curled in on himself. Maddie gasped worriedly and tried to comfort him.
"I-I have to g-go. N-now," Danny mumbled.
"Try and resist," Rocket pleaded. Danny whimpered softly as his chest and head throbbed in agony. He was now ignoring two direct orders to go to Klarion. Maddie grasped her son's hand firmly and muttered numerous comforting phrases in his ear. The pain was so great, his head was starting to spin already. He was seeing stars as his eyes watered. He needed to go to his master but he couldn't even focus enough to phase through the floor. He had to obey but he couldn't. Not with his chest in so much agony.
"Phantom! Get here now!" Klarion's voice boomed through his mind.
"M-master," Danny sobbed involuntarily.
"What do we do?" Maddie asked, begging for someone to have the answer. She couldn't bear to see her child in such anguish. Jazz gazed at her brother with sympathy before gasping in alarm. There were drips of red on the ground. She dropped to her knees and gently pulled Danny's face up, terrified of what she'd find. She gasped in horror. His nose was bleeding profusely.
"He's bleeding!" she exclaimed. Maddie snapped her attention back to her son and pulled out a tissue from her belt and attempted to mop up the flowing blood.
"That's it. You guys have to get that crystal ball from Klarion. Now!" Jake shouted over the mind link.
"What do you think we're trying to do!?" Artemis retorted sharply.
"You don't understand. Danny's in a bad way. His chest started hurting again. He can't move he's in so much pain and Klarion's orders aren't helping. He literally can't obey Klarion right now, even if he wanted to," Jake explained.
"His nose is bleeding!" Jazz added fearfully.
"Alright. New plan. Get the ball. Ignore the others and focus on Klarion," Kaldur commanded.
"Don't worry Danny. They'll get the crystal ball away from Klarion," Maddie muttered reassuringly.
"N-no. I-I h-have to p-protect it. I-I have to go. M-master," Danny mumbled, his eyes almost completely black from the spell.
"You shouldn't have told him that. He's fighting enough orders right now. Remember, he has to protect the crystal ball," Jake growled in frustration. Maddie gasped in horror, realising that she had made things worse.
"Phantom! Change into your ghost form now and get here!" Klarion yelled in Danny's mind. Danny shouted in pain as white rings appeared around his waist.
"Klarion just ordered Danny to change into his ghost form," Artemis informed the others over the mind link.
"Danny, you mustn't. You could hurt yourself," Maddie exclaimed fearfully.
"I-I have t-to obey," Danny screamed as the rings slid over his body, changing his crumpled clothes into a skin-tight black and white jumpsuit. A pulse of green energy erupted from Danny, pushing Maddie and Jazz away from their family member. With another cry of agony, Danny phased through the floor.
Oh no! Such bad timing. Poor Danny's elevated energy is causing problems while Klarion's ordering the halfa around.
Any idea what might happen?
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Until the next chapter.
