Putting the prize in the skull like cave seemed too obvious. At least that's what Skulker thought as he held the ghost child in one arm. The back of his shirt had torn off after a minute of flying, causing Skulker to drop Danny. He caught him in a second, but he couldn't take any chances again.
Skulker landed inside the skull within five minutes, entering through one of the eye sockets as he had been told to do. To make sure the ghost child couldn't get away if he were to wake up; he carried him to the back of the cavern, forty paces, and chained his ankle to the stone floor. Skulker knew that he'd try to phase out of the chains as soon as he woke up, so he took out a small weapon that had recently been given to him. He held it against Danny's shoulder and held the weapon in place as it electrocuted him.
The Plasmius Maxmius, as his employer called it, would neutralize the ghost child's powers for three hours.
Perfect.
Danny cried out, waking up as his powers were cut short.
"You're awake, whelp."
Danny looked up from where he lay against another rock. The others were nowhere to be seen. Only Skulker was here.
"Don't try to use your powers; I've taken care of them." Skulker said coldly, holding up the Plasmius Maxmius. Danny glared at him before getting to his feet.
"Am I supposed to be scared or something, Skulker?" Danny hissed. "I know that you're really just some small green pest hiding inside a suit of armor-'
"Armor that could cut you to pieces, whelp!" Skulker yelled, swatting the boy back to the ground.
"You're weak! Chained and without your powers."
"Why am I even here? Where is here?"
"That's not important. Your companions are the ones who really need to worry about where you are right now."
"…Why?"
"A scavenger hunt."
"A hunt?"
"And you're the final prize. This is all a test for the British child. If they can't find you before the time is up, they loose."
"And then what happens?"
"If they fail, then I have the pleasure of finally getting to kill you. Don't count on them finding you so easily; I have some hired help down below to challenge them."
Skulker walked a few steps back to the entrance. "The key you need is right here. You won't be able to reach it with that short chain, so I wouldn't try. The stone around you is reinforced, so as a human, you will be unable to phase through. There is nothing you can do but wait." Skulker laughed one last time before flying out the way he came in. Danny stared with wide eyes at the key on the floor a dozen feet away. Combining his height and the length of the chain, he would be able to move out as far as ten feet.
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Skulker's "hired help" floated a few inches above a tree branch, waiting for the trio to appear. He reviewed his objective one last time:
Make it difficult for them to win, so they have to work harder. Killing is optional, though not recommended. Booby traps are set everywhere, use them to your advantage.
"Sounds simple enough." He said to himself. The killer had only died recently, so a simple job like this was a good place to start as he adjusted to his new body.
He only hoped that he wouldn't get too bored. Not that could happen. Yassen had been trained too well to grow bored while he was working.
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"Danny mentioned once that Skulker booby trapped this place." Tucker said suddenly, "There's supposed to be a bunch of stun darts and stuff loaded up in fake trees that open up and fire if you trigger them."
"Then we'll have to be really quick." Sam said, tightening her grip on the bat.
Alex checked the map on his phone. The island had two smaller islands on either side of it; which they thankfully weren't on. They were still somewhat on the edge. To the far northeastern area was a large area of elevation. To the Northwestern side was slightly hilly areas. The middle of the island was full of something else, perhaps swamps. Tucker leaned in to see the map.
"Danny, Sam, and I have been over here before in the Specter Speeder. Sam and I have a slight understanding of where to go."
"That's good. What's the Specter Speeder?"
"Sort of like a flying car, only cooler. Danny's parents made it."
"Of course. Hey, who do you think the other ghost is? The one that the metal guy said would be around?"
"Probably that biker ghost and his girlfriend. Or Technus, but I doubt that." Sam said.
"Hey, Sam, if Technus was here, he would have made it known already."
"You have any other ideas, then?"
"Not really. Maybe it's a new guy or something."
Up ahead, something shot a bullet of ecto energy at their feet. It was a warning shot. The mystery ghost was making himself known.
"Let's hurry." Alex said. Sam and Tucker nodded.
"Be careful where you step, guys." Sam warned as they set off at a run.
So far, they had spent forty five minutes searching. They were lucky they had remained uninjured for so long.
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Danny sat slumped against the cold wall behind him. He had tried several times to get to the key, only to have it an arms length away from his fingertips. He had pulled so hard against the chain that his ankle was bleeding.
It was enough to make almost anyone go mad with frustration, which he had. His knuckles were red and bleeding from punching the solid ground.
He had tried taking his shoe and sock off the trapped foot to slip it through the shackle, even after he knew it would be impossible. He put the sock and shoe back on.
Pulling and digging the chain free of the ground was useless, and his fingertips joined his knuckles and ankle in the acts of dull pain and blood loss.
The room was silent, except for Danny's frustrated breathing. He could hear things outside the area, though the sounds were few and far between. A gunshot here, another there. Once or twice he even heard someone yelling. He could yell himself. Maybe they would be able to hear him.
"I hate being this helpless." He muttered to himself. Was this how it was for his friends whenever he went to fight a ghost? Forced to do nothing but wait for him, and hope that he'd be alright? When he had been against the ghost king, up alone, how had they felt? They knew where he was, and yet they were able to do nothing!
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The second hour had passed twenty minutes ago, and they were well past the area where they had been shot at. According to the map, they were on the outer edges of the island still, and were at least one mile away from the elevation point. Sam had suggested going there first, because she saw Skulker for a second, before he had become invisible, heading in that direction.
The mystery man chose that time to make himself known. Taking up a different gun, he fired a single net down at the trio, catching two. Using his increased spectral power, Yassen dragged the trapped kids back into a thicket of trees. He had caught a pale girl, and an African American boy. The third shot through the trees to catch up, a sharp rock in his hand. Yassen turned to fire a small ecto blast at him.
He faltered, and then lowered his hand.
"Alex Rider," Yassen spoke in his Russian accent, "What are you doing here?"
Alex had a look of utter disbelief on his face.
"Yassen Gregorovich?!" he finally said, pointing a finger. Sam and Tucker looked at the scene with confusion.
"You're supposed to be dead! Cray shot you!"
"I am dead, Alex. Can't you tell?"
Yassen had changed. His skin had taken a color reserved only for those who were dead, and his iris's were red from the blood of all of the people he had killed. His shirt still shone with the blood from his fatal gunshot wound.
"I am hired now to keep three young people, I'm assuming are the three of you, from reaching a certain point and retrieving something-"
"Not something!" Sam snapped, "He's someone!"
"-before the time is up. Then someone will be destroyed. Money is money, even if one is dead. I could care less at the moment if the person dies."
"Heartless bastard! He's only fourteen! How can you stand to the side and let someone else kill a kid?"
"Little girl, be quiet."
"Who are you calling little? Alex, get me out of here so I can rip his throat out!"
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AN: How was it? Was it a good idea to put Yassen in? (me: YES!!)
Review!
…I'm such an awesome AR fan that I had to Google how to spell Yassen's name… I was too lazy to look it up in a book.