Weak

by loosedefense

When Vlad Masters decides to give up his life as a ghost, Danny desperately tries to prevent the others from filling up the void of power left by him. Eventual Danny/Dash slash.

44. To Chase This Dark Night Away

Blackened clouds were slowly creeping their way through the sky. By the time Danny wakened within Dash's hold, they were almost entirely shrouded by the dark. A glance to the clock on his table told him it was only still just about approaching six. Dash was still asleep, but Danny couldn't do more than lie back and stare at the shadows playing on the ceiling, so he got to his feet and tossed the terrycloth robe over himself and made his way to the adjoining bathroom to take a shower.

The water was blissfully warm. It was only after he stepped under the spray that Danny realized how chilly the air was. Goosebumps poked its way along his flesh only to be soothed away by the warm water. He ducked his head until his hair was sufficiently wet, then reached over and began to apply shampoo to his head.

A shower had always been Danny's poison of choice when the stress piled up; it had helped him through the trials of increased workloads, a somewhat lacking social life, and not to mention, his responsibilities as a ghostly superhero.

There was a lot to think about; now that the romantic glow that surrounded that afternoon had faded to the oncoming of night, Danny found himself bereft, facing the unyielding reality of his life. Something was wrong with Kwan; Tucker knew about his relationship with Dash; his exams were coming in less than a week; and the Guys in White had vital information about both him and Kwan.

His mind raced; the Guys in White had abducted Kwan from school and sent him back in tears. Clearly something had happened, and Danny could guess what it was: the Guys in White had tried to interrogate Kwan, attempting to solve the mystery of how he could suddenly vanish on cue, and had terrified the boy in the process. Why had they let him go then?

He reached out and turned the tap off, cutting the flow of water before drying himself off with a towel. The chilly air prickled his skin and he let out a shiver in response, quickly tossing his clothes on and hurrying back to the bedroom.

Dash was already awake by the time Danny walked out, propped up amongst the pillows and flipping through a small book in his hands. "You're a worse note-taker than me," he commented when Danny found him. "Most of these sentences just turn into gibberish towards the end."

"Yeah, well, I'm living to regret it now," Danny said matter-of-factly.

Dash chuckled and put the notebook away while Danny clambered back into bed, throwing the sheets over his body to block out the cold. "Don't worry," he said idly. "Finals aren't going to be as tough as they make it out to be."

"That's what Tucker said," Danny stated immediately. "But it's well enough for him – he's not the one who has go to school every morning and then fly around every night trying to make sure Amity Park is safe—"

He fell silent when Dash lowered himself back onto the mattress to lie down beside him and stare at him with a sincere look in his eyes. "And you've managed to do it so far. You've never failed, and you're not going to fail this either."

There was a pause, and then a slow smile curled Danny's lips. "That would so much better to hear if I'd never failed any of my classes in the past," but it was a sweet sentiment anyway.

Dash grinned, and balanced himself on his side facing Danny, propping his head upon his elbow. "Remember how, on Prom Night, you said that you weren't even planning on going for it?"

"When did I say that?" Danny frowned.

"When you were onstage, after they named you Prince," Dash supplied.

"Oh." He was reminded suddenly of the fact that he'd lost his crown somewhere along Castle's Peak where they'd had sex for the first time. "Yeah, so?"

"How do you feel about it now?"

"Best night of my life," Danny said honestly.

Dash smiled, and leaned down to give him a soft, lingering kiss.

"Well, graduation is going to be even better," he promised once they parted.

Danny stared up at him, before finding himself slowly nodding.

Dash spent the night and the two of them made sure to thoroughly enjoy each other's company, knowing that from Wednesday onwards, their lives would be far too busy to spend much time together. It recalled the early days of their relationship, when they would spend all night together in Danny's room watching movies and hanging out, back before they had become a couple. The difference now, of course, was that they spent much less time paying attention to the television and devoted more energy to passionately exploring all the secret little sensations their bodies could provide.

When they weren't indulging in their amorous activities, they lay tangled comfortably in each other's arms, talking. Danny told Dash more about what it was like being half-ghost, laughing uproariously at Dash's horrified realization that he'd spent the better part of the last four years tormenting his idol, and consoling the bigger boy that it hadn't really hurt anyway.

"After a while, it became pretty useful," he remarked. "Helped keep me on my toes. And hey, it's not like I never got back at you for it."

"Oh, yeah," Dash said suddenly. "Hey, that's totally not fair, Fenton. Talk about bad sportsmanship. That locker to the face?" he rubbed at his nose self-consciously, "That one really hurt."

"Oh, you don't say," Danny retorted, rubbing instinctively at his pointed nose too. "Welcome to the club."

Dash, in turn, opened up more about his side of life, anecdotes and gossip about the people in school Danny hadn't picked up on, stories about his home life, and what it was like growing up popular, yet attaching himself only to Kwan and Paulina, a mirror image of Danny's own life.

"At first she didn't want anything to do with me," Dash laughed as he reminisced. "Then when Coach put me on the tight end, she realized I was the easiest way in to the social circle, so she asked me out."

"What happened then?" Danny asked, his face tight from grinning so hard.

"Well," Dash recounted, "we didn't know what to say to each other; the fact that she pulled up in a stretch limo kind of killed the mood. The whole night ended up being awkward and the movie ran too long. She kept nagging me about table manners until I finally said it wasn't very polite table manners to order a three-course meal and only end up nibbling on some salad."

"Jesus, and I thought I had it bad," Danny exclaimed. "What happened then?"

"We didn't talk to each other until we got out of there and she wouldn't look at me all through the ride home," Dash smirked, picturing how ridiculous fourteen-year-old girl had looked with face painted like a clown and dressed to the hilt in a purple dress and sparkling elbow-length gloves, steadfastly ignoring him to glare out the tinted window. "Once we got back to my place, she marched me over to the door and told me that one day I would be football captain and she would head cheerleader, so if we wanted to rule the school, we'd be better off joining forces rather than make enemies of each other, so I'd get with the program and tell all my friends that we were together."

"Sounds like Paulina," Danny chuckled. "So, what's the deal between you now? Are you together or not?"

Dash shrugged. "Not really. We kept it up for a few months, and it just wasn't there. And then Danny Phantom came along and Paulina got obsessed. Like, no phone calls, no dating, no making out … I finally asked her one day if we were still together, and I think her exact words were, 'Hmm? Oh that, don't worry about it.'"

Danny couldn't help himself; he burst into torrents of laughter, clutching at his stomach to control the cramping. His relationship with Valerie had been lukewarm at most, but it was still more substantial than that. It was hard to believe that most of the student body was under the impression that Dash and Paulina were still together simply because neither of them had bothered to correct them.

They talked about Kwan too; the subject had started up when Dash began telling Danny about the game Casper High had organized for Friday night. "It's why I wasn't in class on Monday last week," Dash said as they made their way through the leftover pasta Danny had found. "Coach asked me to go down to Wilkerson High to get it set up. They're the only other school near ours that runs football practice year after the season is over like Casper does."

"Why are you having a game so close to finals anyway?" Danny couldn't prevent himself from asking. "Would anyone even go, considering we have exams on Monday?"

Dash shrugged. "Boost morale? Lancer was insistent on it. Personally, I think he came up with it because those reporters were hounding him about wasting the school's budget with year-round drills. No one else will sign up for any clubs, so they had to disband most of the sports teams and put the money towards protecting the school from ghost attacks. Or liability, depending on which way you look at it," he added as an afterthought. "Now Lancer wants to prove they made the right decision keeping football active even after the season is over because it's cheaper than starting up some other sport."

They began discussing players, mostly because Danny wanted to share something that was important in the other boy's world, the way he knew about the most important thing in Danny's world. "It's just the younger players that I have a problem with," Dash groused. "The seniors have been playing with me forever, we work like a machine – but the newer guys haven't been able to integrate themselves as well as we have. Mark's the worst one of all, I wouldn't have taken him if someone after him could have proven himself half-decent. No improvement there."

"So who has improved?" Danny asked idly.

"Kwan," Dash said unthinkingly, perking Danny's attention. "Ever since he got out of the hospital, he's been playing like a beast. His body's changed too," Danny caught a note of envy in the other boy's tone. "He's gotten leaner, more agile. And his muscles have gotten almost as big as mine!" he protested. "It must have been the hospital food or something. Or maybe it was because he was on an IV drip while he was in that coma. Substituting real food for whatever's in that fluid must have been like the ultimate detox."

Or maybe it was the result of all that obsessive working out Kwan did. Danny's mind flashed back to when he'd first found Kwan behaving strangely; he remembered seeing the boy exercise with almost superhuman determination, not allowing his body to rest, and working for hours in the gym. Of course, it turned out that it had been the result of superhuman determination as Kwan had been overshadowed at the time.

"Dash, you're rambling," Danny cut off the boy's next words. He gave the jock a teasing look. "What, you think Kwan is going to steal your touchdowns?"

Dash huffed. "No," he said. "He's the running back!" he protested, as if that explained anything. "Ugh, whatever. The QB is the only position that really matters anyway, and I'm it, baby," he stated indignantly before folding his hands together and proceeding to pout.

Danny found himself in a heap of laughter again. Dash glared at him for his indiscretion, but quickly gave it up in favor of pouncing on the smaller boy and proceeding to still his squirming with a series of affectionate kisses that turned into a long, drawn-out tangle between their tongues. Dash moved down, slurping his tongue against the valley that ran along Danny's collarbone, making the raven-haired boy shiver. As the night drew on, the two boys continued to run their hands over each other, tasting tongues and nipping every available square of flesh. And as the sun rose, its rays of light washed over their naked forms, sated and slumbering.

---

The rest of the week passed in a stream of arduous labor. Dash's sentiments that Graduation Day would prove to be an event to remember pumped Danny's blood up. For the first time, he began to envision himself standing on that podium, accepting his diploma with his friends and family in the stands, and Dash. There were only a few scant days left, but walking into school on Wednesday with Dash in tow, Danny steeled himself against the dread that typically overwhelmed him as he entered class. The teacher had already begun writing on the board when the door swung open and Tucker rushed in, cradling his books in a haphazard pile in his arms.

Danny tried to catch his eye, but the other boy slipped into his seat and did not break his gaze at the whiteboard for the rest of the period. This continued for the rest of the day until Danny, frustrated, gave up and resolved to let it slide until Tucker came apologizing to him.

"Where's Tucker?" Sam questioned over lunch when she realized the seat next to hers wasn't going to be occupied anytime soon. "He's usually the first one to the cafeteria."

"I don't know," Danny grumbled, wanting her to drop it.

Sam just rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you two are fighting again," she said. "Boys."

"We're not fighting," Danny said robotically. "Just … leave it, Sam,"

So they spent the rest of their lunch period quizzing each other from their Biology textbook, lamenting on the loss of their free period that they'd be spending locked up in the library later.

Thursday wasn't any better. Danny awoke in a foul mood as a combination of his anger towards Tucker, his anxiety over the upcoming exams, and not having been able to see Dash the previous evening. The dark clouds outside only colored his mood even more, as though projecting his demeanor upon the skies.

Game might be called off, he texted to Dash in class while gazing out the window. Looks like it could rain.

It was almost ten minutes before he got a reply back. Game's not being called off. Just talked to them. Ishiyama wants us to go all the way.

It was short, but Danny could sense Dash's frustration. The football team was not happy about having to give up their precious study time, he knew. That still didn't stop them from giving it their all, however, as Danny admired after school sitting out at the bleachers and watching them practice.

"Defense! Defense!" Dash was barking from the pitch. "Jason, get back into position. Wallace – you're center."

The players reassembled themselves to fit in their new roles. There was the kick, and the carefully-assembled formation immediately scattered, scrimmaging over the ball. Kwan was shadowing Dash, diving into place to shield the blonde boy from a tackle.

"There you are!" Danny heard Sam declare. She sat herself down next to him. "I talked to Tucker; he says he finds it easier studying alone. You cool just working with me?"

"Yeah, sure," Danny said automatically, feeling his pride twinge a little at Tucker's dismissal. He tried to brush it off. Things would change after finals were over. This was one of the things Sam was referring to when she told him to place his priorities first and everything else on the backburner.

His studying sessions weren't going too well either. Though he had started to get a grip on some of his subjects, he couldn't keep the panic from rising up whenever he thought of just how much there was for his cover before the week was out.

The truth was that studying with a friend wasn't helping much at all, but Danny appreciated the company all the same. The problem was that there were so much material to go through, it was impossible for Sam and Danny to keep at the same pace. By the time the sun set, Danny was sprawled out on the floor memorizing random bits of information from one textbook before hopping over to another thick book to his right and doing the same.

"This is not a viable business model," he groaned out later that night, rubbing at his eyes piteously.

Sam was busy balancing her own books on her lap and jotting down notes to pay him any mind. "Don't study hard, Danny, study smart," she droned on in a zombie-like voice.

Danny slammed his book shut and went to make some coffee.

---

On Friday morning, the students were a mess. Felicia Anderson had overdosed on too much coffee and was jittering away in a corner while her friend tried to calm her down; Kyle Robson had slipped down the stairs because he was too preoccupied going through his Chemistry formulas to watch where he was going; Nathan Lester was seen tutoring his bullies through the homework he'd done for them all year in exchange for a free pass from getting beaten up.

"Just one more day," Dash said to him when they'd managed to sneak away together during lunch. "Just have to get through this game, and we can concentrate on finals, and then … it's all over."

They were in the closet again, the special place they came to get some privacy. With Tucker now hiding himself in study hall during the lunch period, it was easier now to get away from their friends after rushing through their food. The football team had been so worn out they hadn't even acknowledged Dash leaving, too busy nursing on energy drinks to wake themselves back up.

They weren't kissing, however; both of them had been rendered so tired from studying and practice alike that they couldn't muster up the energy to do more than lay in each other's arms. But to Danny, given the way the rest of the week had gone, it was enough.

"You should come," Dash murmured in his ear. "You can afford to take a couple of hours off, come see the game."

"Tempting offer," Danny muttered back. It really did sound exciting to watch the boy play; not that he hadn't seen Dash in action before, but that was back when they had been sworn enemies, and he took no pleasure in seeing the quarterback achieve victory; now the very thought of being in the stands while Dash proved his prowess filled him with a tingle of pleasure.

"Please?" he begged Sam later on their way back to class.

She cast him a disdainful look. "And why would you even want to waste your time at one of those stupid lumberjack conventions? See one football game and you've seen them all."

"That's not true," Danny argued. "Football is America's pastime—"

"No it's not!" Sam interjected.

"Well, it should be because nobody watches baseball anymore," Danny rolled his eyes. "Come on, Sam! The last game of the year – the last game we'll ever be able to go to – they're holding it especially for us; how can you not want to go for it?"

"For the same reason we didn't want to go to the other ones!" Sam disputed. "Don't you think it's little more important that we study instead?"

"We've been studying every night," Danny pointed out. "It doesn't work. Look, Lancer wouldn't approve the football team practicing every day for this game when finals are coming up if he didn't think there was some benefit to it, right? They always say exercise is good for helping you study. Maybe getting out and watching it wouldn't hurt either."

Sam still look unconvinced, so Danny added, "Look, I'm going. I'm just asking before I'm hoping you'll go with me. It'll be a lot more fun with you guys there. So take it or leave it."

This pushed Sam over the edge. "Okay, okay," she acquiesced. "I'll go. You don't have to be such a baby about it."

"Well, I actually needed a favor from you too," Danny broached as he took his seat, not taking his eyes off her. "I need you to invite Tuck."

"Why?" Sam demanded immediately. "What are you two fighting about now?"

"We're not—" Danny quickly quelled his tone when their classmates looked over, "—we're not fighting," he hissed defiantly.

"A likely story!" Sam rebuked loudly, clearly not concerned about the other students listening in like he was. "Fine, keep me out of it; I've got enough to focus on as it is anyway. I'll talk to him, but don't expect anything."

"Just tell him about it the way I told you," Danny said grimly. "I'm sure he won't resist if you sell it." And if he did, then Danny would simply have to take it as a sign of where and Tucker stood now. Tucker had to know that.

---

Friday evening, Danny was quick to abandon his attempts at concentrating in favor of examining his closet. He stood there and pondered the choices; should he go with something casual, or something that showed a little more effort? His eyes roamed through the choices until it landed upon a familiar little number, one with infrequent buttons, a shortened hem, and a revealing rip at the back. Danny shuddered at the memory of wearing that monstrosity to Paulina's party.

Finally he picked out a nice brown shirt with sleeves three-quarters of the way. He buttoned it up and flipped the collar, standing back to admire his reflection in the mirror. It looked good – a little formal, but it wasn't like he was going to be rolling around in the mud and grass like the players would.

His cellphone vibrated on his desk, stealing his attention.

Meet you there, Sam said.

Did you get Tucker? Danny typed back.

The answer came back only a moment later. Yes.

His heart lightened, Danny finished getting ready and strolled downstairs to find his parents in the kitchen. "Where are you off to?" Maddie asked in surprise.

"School's having a football game," Danny informed, hopping on one foot so that he could tie his laces. "I'm meeting Sam and Tuck there."

"I don't know if you should," Maddie frowned. "Aren't your exams on Monday?"

Danny shrugged her off somewhat guiltily. "I've been studying," he excused. "Anyway, the school wouldn't have done it if they didn't think it was a good idea, right? A couple of hours can't hurt."

"If everybody else is doing it, I say go ahead," Jack declared. Maddie swatted his arm. "Oh, sweetie, a few hours can't hurt, and Danny will be home right after, won't you, Danny?" Jack turned to him and wiggled his eyebrows, as though sharing a secret.

"Uh," Danny was somewhat taken aback, but continued, "yeah – yeah I'll be right back."

"Great!" Jack chirped. "In the meantime, why don't you get that ham you've got going, and I'll find us a movie to watch – maybe Casablanca, hmmm?"

"Okay, I am so out of here," Danny hastened, quickly doing up his other shoe and tugging on his jacket in his eagerness to leave. "See you, have fun!" and he was out the door, trying his best not to think about what his parents had planned in his absence.

He drew his jacket absently around himself, choosing to forgo his car for the chance to walk to school and enjoy the cool night air. The clouds overhead had lessened somewhat, now coating the sky in grey. Danny blew out a puff of breath to entertain himself. On the way to the school, he spotted several cars whizzing by holding up banners cheering on Casper, and even a couple advertising Wilkerson's green and gold color scheme.

The school was jumping with activity when Danny arrived. He was honestly surprised to find so many students hanging around the corridors dressed up in red and white, sporting foam-fingers and painted skin, jeering students from the opposing school as they made their way down to the football pitch.

Sam and Tucker found him through the throng and they queued up until finding a suitable spot on the bleachers. The cheerleaders were already going strong by the time they got comfortable, teasing the crowd with enthusiastic routines and colorful ribbons.

"I brought Coke and sandwiches and chips and frankfurters and…" Sam recited as she dug through the oversized backpack she'd set down, passing the food over to Tucker, who licked his lips as he accepted the load. Danny kept his eyes out for the players, letting out a great shout as they started to run on to the field. The crowd got to their feet, stamping in unison as the Casper High players greeted their fans. Danny could see Dash stepping up and shaking hands with the captain of the Wilkerson team. Then the players took their places.

"Here comes the kick!" Tucker declared just as the ball went sailing into the air.

The game had started and Danny fell back into his seat, trailing the pigskin's movements eagerly. It was riveting really, the only reason he'd forced himself not to go for more games was because of Dash, and now that he could finally enjoy one, he found himself really getting into it.

Within twenty minutes the first touchdown was made. Danny's ears were filled with groans as the giant electronic scoreboard in the corner of the field, Lancer's pride and joy and the most expensive piece of equipment Casper High owned, flashed a victory for the invading team.

Casper was now incensed. The cheerleaders were rallying the spectators together, chanting their hearts out and leaping into the air to perform complicated twists, and mounting on each others' shoulders with practiced ease. The football players were getting more aggressive now too; Wilkerson was spurred on by their quick victory and sought to widen the gap, while Casper's players grew more determined than ever to even the score.

There was another chorus of loud groans when Wilkerson scored another touchdown. Across the pitch, the team's supporters were going wild.

"This is so embarrassing," Sam slapped a palm to her head.

"They shouldn't have made the team practice every day – they're totally worn out," Danny said disgustedly.

A linebacker came hurtling straight at Kwan, sending the other boy crashing down with brutal force. The audience let out a sympathetic grunt and hollered for Kwan to get up.

There was a call for a time-out while Kwan shakily got to his feet, and Danny saw Dash angrily motion everyone to huddle around him. He took advantage of the lull in the game to quench his thirst.

The huddle broke apart, and the game resumed. Danny watched Dash arrange himself for the next punt. The ball went sailing, shooting past him to land directly in another player's hands. Dash started clapping him on, running with him and trying to deflect the opposing team. Kwan joined in soon after, and the crowd collectively held their breath. Dash leaped forward to catch the safety by the ankles, allowing his teammate to run past and score Casper's first touchdown.

The arena exploded, the spectators jumping to their feet and letting out thunderous applause. The cheerleaders dropped their routines to hug each other giddily. Even Sam was cheering, her hands cupped over her mouth like a megaphone. The scoreboard flashed to chalk one up for the home team.

After that, Casper High was practically unstoppable. By the time the first half ended, the team was up 2-3 to Wilkerson's favor, but that changed soon enough with Casper's players maintaining their strategy even as Wilkerson sought to catch them off-guard. Casper High's student body was in an uproar, clapping rhythmically in unison to support the team. Wilkerson students jeered, but there could be no denying that Casper was catching up and steadily overtaking the game. In the final seconds, the unexpectedly exciting game stood 5-4 to Casper. The audience waited with quiet anticipation as Dash planted his feet steadily apart, and reached his foot back before delivering a powerful kick.

The players on the field stood stock still as the football took flight, rising over their heads and sailing into the air in a near-perfect arc. Spectators on both sides leaned forward, craning their necks to get the best view they cold as the ball came hurtling down, down, down, until, finally, it landed on the field and bounced once, twice, and then once more again, before coming to a stop just beyond the painted line.

There was a momentary pause, and then the scoreboard flipped 6-4, and the crowd went wild.

Tucker whooped and tossed his Coke into the air, not even caring that most of the diluted liquid came sloshing back down on him a second later; Sam was on her feet, whistling over the barrage of noise that filled the air. Danny pushed past them, racing down the steps that led from the bleachers to the pitch, wanting to meet Dash, wanting to congratulate him on landing the touchdown that won the game. It seemed the rest of the school had the same idea for the players soon found themselves mobbed by their adoring fans.

"Dash!" he called out, spotting the quarterback pulling off his helmet and revealing his mussed-up hair as he basked in the glory. "Dash!"

Dash heard his call, and gestured for Danny to come over. Danny pushed through the sea of bodies until he finally reached his boyfriend, leaping into his arms for a tight hug. "You were unbelievable!" he cried.

Dash grunted from the impact, his body still sore from the game. "Well, I try," he grinned down at Danny, who was beaming up at him in return.

It didn't matter that they were in the middle of a crowded field; didn't matter that Dash had just won the game and all eyes were on him; feeling the jock's warm fingers on his sides, Danny found himself drawing in, his grin still not fading, tilting his head to get to the right angle for their mouths to meet…

There was a whistling sound that rang through Danny's ears before a loud, sudden sound jerked him out of what he had been about to do, and the subsequent wail of shock from the crowd jolted him back to reality. He whipped his head around to find what the source of the disturbance, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the giant scoreboard at the corner of the field. The orange glowing numbers on its screen had been extinguished, and there was a notably large hairline crack that ran along the expanse of the monitor, originating from the very center of the board where something small and shapely had embedded itself onto the plasma screen. Sparks rained down on the grass, forcing bystanders to fall back to avoid being burnt. There was a moment of absolute silence, and then an amused, high-toned voice pierced the night. "He-llooooooooooooooo, Amity Park!"

The blank scoreboard then did something completely out of the ordinary, flickering to life and picking up a fuzzy reception as though it were an enormous television, before blinking black again and then filling its screen with the image of a man with ghastly pale skin, wild eyes, and an incorrigible grin spread over his face. He leered for the camera, boasting perfectly white teeth framed by carefully-applied red lipstick. Swatches of jewelry and more instances of makeup served to brighten up the otherwise drab coloring of the man's flesh, compounded further by what appeared to be red contact lenses that made the figure on the screen look all the more insane.

The crowd gathered at the football field slowly started to approach the giant scoreboard. Danny slipped in through brushing shoulders discreetly, his eyes mapping out the surface of the damaged scoreboard. Now that he was closer, he could see that that thing that had embedded itself flat upon the machine was what appeared to be a grinning bat, no more than several centimeters wide, plastered against the screen with cracks emanating out from it like spider-webs.

"My name is Frederic Showenhower," the man was saying on the big screen, "but you can call me Freakshow, and I am broadcasting live all over your quaint little town with a public service announcement to the civilians of Amity Park." He drew back, his grin stretching even wider if possible, and adopted a saccharine tone of sweetness. "Tired of having Uncle Sam parking the RV in your backyard? Tired of coming home from a long day at the office and finding a government official fingering your wife and licking her ear? Well, fear no more – because Freakshow's here! And I am going to take care of this little town's infestation problem for a special, low-rate, call-this-number-now-for-a-once-in-a-lifetime super-guaranteed offer: free." His maniacal grin turned all at once from exuberant to menacing. "And if anyone should get in the way of my exclusive offer, I just have to say – you have only yourself to blame."

There was no need to decipher the message; it was blatantly obvious that the veiled threat was directed at Danny Phantom. Freakshow tipped his miniscule hat to the cameras in a false mockery of politeness.

"To our friends from the security department, we thank you for your support throughout this troubling period and thank you for your conscientious efforts in protecting this town." The dangerous gleam had returned to Freakshow's eyes as he paraded around from the camera. "I look forward to this chance to express our gratitude in my own personal style." He shifted the camera so that it faced a large blueprint that was hanging on the wall and marked with several X's. Freakshow returned to the frame, pulling out a long thin apparatus and slapping it harshly against the hanging.

"Over here you will see a map of this little town which I have managed to get a hold of with a little cooperation from City Hall," he stated. "And over here," he moved his pointer so that it hovered directly over one of the marked X's, "are the locations to every government-issued plain vehicles truck in town. In the space of the next sixty seconds, I will unleash a destructive force over your town so powerful, it will seek out these trucks and annihilate them, along with every single person that finds themselves unfortunate enough to stand in its way. And I urge you, my boys from the Bureau," he pressed his eye against the lens, his eyeball overtaking the screen and glaring red down at the audience, "any attempt to run, hide, or escape town will only result in my coming after you. Do yourselves – and everybody else – a favor and remain at your posts, because you will be found, and it will not be pleasant."

Showenhower threw his arms out as though he were about to embrace the camera. "And now," he continued cheerily, "let's watch the magic happen, starting at the outer limits of Amity Park. Over to you, Lydia my sweet…"

Freakshow's grinning visage faded away as the transmission shifted, and instantly, the scene shifted, the camera showing a large image of a woman standing too close to the lens. Her head was as bald as Freakshow's with the exception of a mohawk of spikes that ran in the middle, and her eyes were blank and dead. The camera was obviously being balanced in her hands, if the jumpy images that flashed through the monitor were anything to go by, in contrast to Freakshow who had apparently chosen to rest his camera on a tripod. The images flickered again as Lydia adjusted her camera angle so that it pointed upwards, where the clouds loomed ominously.

For a moment, Danny did not know what to expect. Then, he and the rest of the crowd watched in horrified amazement as the clouds onscreen began to swirl, bottoming out until a large hole established itself amongst the fluffy grey puffs, and then a beam of blinding white light shot through the space created, travelling until it impacted the ground that waited to meet it. Danny watched as the beam of white energy crashed into the road leading into Amity Park, blowing apart the surrounding trees in an instant, and leaving a crater where it struck, before moving, dragging its girth forward and carving a rut deep into the earth as it lurched away from its initial point-of-contact, destroying everything in its path, shattering a billboard that proclaimed 'Welcome to Amity Park – a nice place to live!' with its force, as it dragged its way into town.

For a long moment, everyone stared blankly at the monitor, too petrified to comprehend what they were seeing. Then, Lancer hollered from somewhere in the crowd, "The Private Memoirs And Confessions Of A Justified Sinner – everybody! Run!"

As if the words had broken them out of a spell, the scene dissolved into a mass of hysteria as terrified screams filled the stadium. People were running all directions, jostling Danny and nearly knocking him to the ground in the fight to get away. Danny found himself getting swept up in the horde of running feet and before he knew it, he was hopelessly separated from his friends, caught in a stampede headed for the exit. Danny felt himself lose his balance, and toppled facedown into the muddy soil. His body reacted before he could even think, forcing itself intangible just in time to miss the first foot to spear through his frame. Shaking the fog out of his brain, Danny pushed himself to his hands and knees and crawled away until the mob of bodies had thinned out.

He had only just turned tangible once more when he felt his cellphone buzz in his jeans. He pulled it out to find a text from Sam. Where u?

Danny jumped to his feet and frantically began searching out for a familiar face. "Danny!" he whipped his head around. "Danny!" Unable to find the source of the voice, he threw his hands up and began waving them erratically.

Sam and Tucker ran up to him, dodging through a gauntlet of screaming families. They both wore distressed looks on their faces when they reached him.

"My mom and dad will be trying to find me," he instructed, fiddling with the zipper of his coat, trying to peel it off. "Go find them and tell them I'm alright, and don't let them get near that thing."

"You're going to go out there?" Tucker gaped. "But didn't you hear what Freakshow said?"

"I have to go," Danny stated firmly. "I need to stop whatever that thing is before anyone gets hurt."

"What can we do?" Sam jumped in.

"Nothing," Danny was adamant. "If you see that thing coming, get out of its way!"

He ran off towards the bleachers that the audience had abandoned. It was the only place safe enough for him to go ghost. He skidded to a stop underneath one of the bleachers, and shut his eyes to say a little prayer. Then, his eyelids tightened as he begun to change.

He was pulled out of his transformation, however, when he felt a strong hand cover his shoulder. "What are you doing?" Dash broke in a terrified voice. "You can't go out there!"

Danny turned around, peering through the fringes of his black hair that were sweeping into his eyes from the strong wind. "I have to," he said resolutely. "It's my duty."

"No, it's not!" Dash cried. "That thing we saw isn't a ghost! If you touch it, it will kill you!"

At that moment, Danny knew that any doubts he might have had about Dash, the knowledge he held about who Danny was, and his close relationship with Kwan, had evaporated into nothingness. He grasped Dash's face in his hands and pulled him into a deep kiss.

"I will come back," he promised. "Whatever happens, I will come back."

---

Dash's eyes were full of fear, and it felt as though he wasn't going to let him go, but when Danny edged away from the grip of his fingers, Dash's arms fell limp. With one last look, Danny spun himself around and took off running. "I'm – going – GHOST!" he roared, launching himself into the air and shooting through the night as he transformed.

The main priority was the business district. During the day, many of Amity Park's citizens left their dwelling in the suburb to commute downtown where the town's biggest firms were located, along with a smattering of small businesses and high-rise apartments scattered throughout. It would be the most critical location to get hit, and once that was gone, the suburbs beyond lay open and vulnerable.

Danny switched his angle and aimed straight down for the giant apparatus that stuck above the Nasty Burger, reaching out for the metal rod that poked through the top to anchor himself down on the giant bun that lay below his feet. From this point he could see the land spread out, the distance that lay between this point and the glittering cityscape that stood in the horizon. He turned his attention south, where Castle's Point encircled the town like a barrier. That would be the endpoint – Danny would have to stop that beam of energy from destroying the town and reaching Castle's Point where it would break past the limits of Amity Park and spill over to the outside world.

Danny set his jaw and mentally traced a map for himself. Judging by how much effort it took for the pillar of white to move forward, he estimated that it would be halfway through the paths leading into town. He didn't have a lot of time. Bracing his legs for support, he shot off in the direction of the city.

Danny had crossed only halfway through when he saw it: a legion of clouds were moving through the sky and from them rained a blinding light obliterating everything that stood in its way thousands of feet below.

How was he going to stop it? Danny landed himself on a hill overlooking the edge of the business district, arrested with conflict. Dash was right – it wasn't a ghost. It was a beam of pure, white energy that would most certainly obliterate him if he ever got near it. His ghost-ray was feeble, possibly entirely useless, against it.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a firm hand land on his shoulder.

"You gotta get me up there."

Danny whipped his head around in alarm to find himself staring at a pale man with raggedy blonde hair, a dusty leather jacket, fingerless gloves, and a pleading expression on his face. He wrenched himself away forcefully.

"You!" he yelped, disdain in his voice. "Why would I possibly help you?"

Johnny 13 glared at him evenly, hands balled into fists. "Because if you don't, that energy ray is going destroy your town and you'll only have yourself to blame. You gotta get me up there. My bike – it would just weigh me down. I gotta fight on my own. I gotta make up for what I did."

"And you think helping me now is going to get you back into the good books for whenever this 'Judgment Day' happens?" Danny said flatly. "Forget it. You don't deserve to get a clean slate."

Johnny startled him by grabbing on to the front of his jumpsuit and pulling him close. "Listen, twerp," he snarled, "I don't care about making it to Heaven or getting to meet God." A look of deep shame came over his face, and he released Danny. "I have to make up for what I did to Kitty," he finished softly.

Danny considered him silently. He needed the help, that much was certain. He still felt a spike of loathing for the man after what he'd done, but if Johnny said that he was doing this to redeem himself in her eyes, then who was he to say no?

"Okay." He didn't have the luxury of turning down a helping hand. "How can we do it?"

Johnny lifted his eyes to scan the approaching wave of clouds moving nearer to the town. "We have to get up there," he determined stoically. "Up above the clouds."

Danny turned to look where he was pointing, the space above the vortex of light that broke through. He didn't see how it would help, but it wasn't like he had any ideas of his own.

He nodded. "Okay." Sidling up behind Johnny, he wrapped his arms around the other man. "Brace yourself!" he announced, then tightened his hold before lifting into the air slowly, Johnny weighing down his front like an infant strapped on to a carrier.

They hovered in the air, getting closer and closer to the approaching storm. As he hurtled into it, Danny felt his heart bottom out and a rush of adrenaline filled his senses as he feasted his eyes on just how massive the pillar of bright, white heat truly was.

"Here we go," Danny said warningly to his accomplice. The clouds were approaching the town, and they were rushing to meet their fate. "Here we go!" He tensed his arms, feeling Johnny slip down in his arms so that he was supporting the ghost's underarms rather than hanging on to his midsection. They curved upwards, soaring up with the power radiating from the sheer force of the white wall of energy speeding through their orifices and making their bones crackle. Danny could feel the wind swirling about him as they fought against the gravitational pull of the pillar of light. Johnny slipped further in his grip. Danny gritted his teeth and hung on, shifting Johnny's weight until he found himself clinging on to Johnny's forearms rather than his armpits, his fingers surely biting painfully into Johnny's biceps as they drifted ever closer to the eye of the storm.

"Hold … on…" Danny grunted through his lips. Johnny was kicking away furiously, as though his motions would help propel them away from the unshakable force surrounding the energy beam that threatened to draw them in. Danny ignored this, focusing all his energy in rising above while trying not to graze himself or his passenger.

It was like a tornado, the swelling of the wind that whipped at him, causing his white hair to flutter about, and his skin to pinch at him like it was being tugged off from his very frame itself. Leaves, branches and debris orbited around it, caught up in its pull, until finally, unable to support themselves under the weight of the wind anymore, and sank into the vortex to disintegrate into nothing. Danny kept pulling, almost able to reach the clouds. He could see little bits of the city whenever he looked down, but his vision was mostly encompassed by the sight of Johnny 13 dangling precariously in his arms, and the whirling vortex of energy that raged along not three feet from their side. Briefly, Danny contemplated whether this was it – God's will, as the sentiment on the Rock had been believed to imply. What else could this be, this disastrous, ethereal light that shined down from the skies?

Danny's attention was diverted when he spotted, just beyond the breadth of luminescent power, a figure aiming directly for the beam of energy. He wore a helmet that hid his face, and a sleek suit of red and black, swooping over the town thanks to the metal plate that spanned from the soles of his boots and allowed him to fly. Danny watched as the mysterious ghost hunter skirted the whirlpool of energy, losing the edge of his smooth and controlled gliding once he got caught up in the force that surrounded the column of energy. Danny watched as the ghost hunter regained his composure and boosted up the power of the metal plate under his feet, jetting about until he was finally surfing the pillar of light, rotating around it as he ascended.

It was a good idea. Danny's eyes flickered back down to where his fingers were slowly but steadily losing their strength, threatening to drop Johnny until he was pulled in and engulfed by the light. Having nothing more to lose, Danny sucked in a deep breath, and curved his body, switching gears so that he was no longer struggling against the current, but gliding gently with it. As he crossed the circumference, he lifted his body once again so that he was carried upwards, instead of around, spiraling and ascending until finally, clarity disappeared and his sight was filled with wisps of grey, the city disappearing from his line of vision as they finally found themselves amongst the dark clouds.

Now that they were up here, Danny found himself at a loss again. He hadn't considered it much when Johnny had suggested it, but what could they do to stop this simply by hiding up here where the energy couldn't touch them? Now that he wasn't fighting to escape being sucked in by the unbelievable force that surrounded the great column of power, he was able to think more clearly, and couldn't see where to go from here.

But it seemed Johnny knew what he was talking about; for when they rose past the cover of clouds, it was not to meet the stars that dotted the sky, but to something else entirely. Danny felt a blaze of fury pierce through his insides when he cast him eyes upon the large green ship that sat unmoving atop the clouds; the oars poked through the sides of the vessel, flipping steadily as though she were sailing along the open sea, but rather than the ship gaining momentum, it was the clouds below them that surged forward; the masts were drawn, capitalizing on the winds as a guiding force; and onboard the vessel, Danny found as he and Johnny settled themselves back on solid ground, were a crew of ghosts with malevolent grins.

"Walker."

---

"Looks just about the same, doesn't it, ghost-kid?" the warden's sunken eyes were fixated on him, paying no heed to Johnny crouching in the corner trying to recover from the trauma he'd just gone through. "I had it spruced up for you, just because I was hoping you'd come and make yourself at home. It was no easy task, fixing up the holes that boy made last time."

Youngblood sputtered indignantly at him. "Speak for yourself – my men were the ones who actually had to do the work."

Walked ignored him too, stepping forward with his arms placed calmly behind his back. Behind him Danny could see numerous eyes glinting at him through the shadows.

"Teaming up with Freakshow, Walker?" Danny found himself saying. "Isn't that a little beneath you?"

Walker smiled. "I couldn't deny he had his merits. When he searched his way through my prison to find me, I was intrigued. The ideas needed polishing, but I could see we were after the same thing."

"Which is what?" Danny bit out. "Hide up here in your ship and let innocent people die? Why do you care about the Guys in White?"

In the back of his mind, Danny was aware that the cloud that supported them had crossed its way into town. The desire to fight quickly fought against the need to wait. Johnny was still not getting on his feet, and no doubt the mob of angry ghosts standing behind the warden was just itching to pounce.

"The government," Walker scoffed. "Whatever grudges that magician with the parlor tricks may bear against the mortal authorities is no concern of mine. His offer to draw all attention upon himself though, that provided just the right opportunity for us to strike. Technus here—", he waved his arm over to where the ghost was hovering stoically next to Bullet, who helmed the wheel, "—was gracious enough to amend certain improvements to his original design." Danny's eyes were drawn to the other end of the boat, where he found a garish white ray gun had been erected and pointed downward, unleashing the destructing beam of light. It looked almost similar to how Danny remembered it that day when it had blasted Kwan out of the sky, and Tyrant had told him to search out the Rock.

"But why are you doing this?" Danny snarled in frustration, trying to quell his anger long enough to keep his fists from shaking.

"It's a simple tactic of war, kid," Walker replied confidently. "Hit them before they hit you. The element of surprise is everything, and this time we won't be caught off-guard." With this, Walker turned his soulless eyes upon Johnny crouched upon the floor.

"I see you've decided to turn against us then," the ghost commented in an offhand tone. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected any better."

"Hey, screw you man," Johnny huffed defiantly, glaring up at him. "I was never a part of this. You're the one who decided to bring this down upon all of our heads."

"What do you expect to come out of all of this?" Danny demanded. "The Guys in White get their trucks blown up, Freakshow exacts his revenge, and a whole bunch of bystanders die in the process?"

"You still don't get it do you?" Walker shook his head. "I'm only here to put you humans in your place. Once we make an example of this town, the mortal world will know once and for all not to tamper with that which is beyond what they are able to comprehend. Once the world witnesses the might of our force, they will cower in the dark and tremble listening to the sky. And with that, the ghost world will finally establish itself supreme. Once your government realizes what they are up against, ghost-child," Walker stepped forward and pinned him with an empty stare, "they will succumb to our will, and this 'prophecy' that my kind lives in fear of now will pass in memory as the diving board that propelled all of ghost-kind to supremacy.

"And I, ghost-boy," Walker lowered his hands to his hips and studied Danny with his head cocked to one side, "I will be the one to lead the way. I have watched my dimension torn apart by this new terror, and now I am going to show them that the only way to overcome fear is to take control of it."

The warden took a very deliberate step forward.

"Which is why I'm going to destroy you right now myself."

Danny lurched back, mindful of the fact that he was extremely close to the ship's edge.

"The beam generated the machine, as I'm sure you've guessed, is powerful enough to disintegrate everything in its path," Walker stated. "With that much power concentrated upon you at one go, not even a ghost would be able to withstand the force. So," a twisted grin distorted the skeletal features, "all we have to do is knock each other out of the ship, and we'd be done with each other forever."

Then, in a lowered growl, the warden asked, "Are you ready, ghost-kid?"

Before Danny could even register the words, the large, white apparition had taken off running, aiming straight towards him and bracing to knock him off his feet and over the threshold. Danny's eyes widened in shock, and once again his body reacted without command, turning intangible and allowing Walker to run through him with no harm done.

The warden was quick on his feet, shuddering to a stop and reaching out to grasp onto the railing for support. He whipped himself around and began charging at Danny again. Danny was caught off-guard, having just turned corporeal once more with his back turned towards the other ghost. The warden's bulk slammed against him with such brute force that he was knocked forward, landing painfully on his chin and sliding forth towards the crowd of angry ghosts watching the duel.

"Death on one side, enemies on the other," Walker taunted victoriously. "Which do you think sounds like the better option, ghost-kid?"

Danny got to his feet, his teeth clenching together, and whirled himself around. Without a single word, he raised his hand and pointed. A blast of ectoplasmic energy shot out, catching the warden right in his chest, sending him reeling. Danny reacted quickly, opting to float two feet above the air, which provided the benefits of allowing him to move faster than running did as well as keep his feet off the ground where they were vulnerable. His palms stretched out, he continued his assault with an array of blasts targeted to hit directly upon his helpless enemy, too preoccupied by getting hit to protect himself.

Danny's mistake, however, was allowing himself get too close. He hovered over his enemy, shooting directly him with greater precision, but once Walker saw his face, it gave him the strength to reach out for Danny and toss him to the side, where he went rolling until he landed next to Johnny, who was watching the proceedings with great distress.

Walker was on his feet now, directly across him, and shifting slowly to the right so that he was closer to the middle of the ship while Danny would be forced to move back to his original position towards the edge.

"Not bad, ghost-kid," Walker was saying softly. "You've always been a resourceful one."

Danny tried to keep his arms locked onto the railing as he moved away. There was a partition between the railings right at the very end of the ship that would allow him to be knocked off with no protection at all.

"But I'm afraid that you're caught between a Rock and a hard place," the white ghoul ended with a smirk. "Your only option is to give up quietly. If you had before, when we were after Vlad Plasmius' ghost half, you could have spared your town all this carnage now."

"Hey, Walker!" Johnny's voice broke through the soft lull of the ghost warden's voice. Danny turned to find the rebel with his arm raised, finger pointing out. Before anyone knew how to react, a ray of ectoplasmic energy was released from Johnny's finger, slicing through a rope that hung up several feet in the air. From his position, Danny was able to see a large wooden beam swinging around unbalanced. Walker hadn't noticed, his back turned and preventing him from realizing what had happened.

"As soon as I'm done with him, you're next, punk," Walker retorted before turning his head back to Danny. "Now, as I was saying—" Before he could utter another word, the wooden beam crashed against him solidly, turning his grim face into a comical expression of shock, as he was sent flying forward from the impact, and landed face-first in the vulnerable area between the railings at the end of the vessel. Danny jumped away, landing spry on his feet, but Walker, perhaps realizing the dangerous position he now found himself in, was on his feet before Danny could do anything more. Huffing like an angry bull, the warden lowered into himself and braced his knees, like a linebacker about to take down the opposing player.

Danny reacted blindly, bringing his hands together and creating a larger beam of green light. As it raced towards the warden, Walker took to the air.

For a second, Danny thought the ghost in white had started flying, but no, Walker jumped several feet into the air, his arms spread at his side, before doing a cartwheel ten feet above the ground and landing gracefully behind Danny to a jeering crowd.

Before Danny could turn to face his opponent, Walker was ready, sending him down to the ground with a ray of ghostly energy of his own. Danny groaned in pain as he felt his back sear from the blast, and then his eyes widened when he spotted two feed clad in white trousers running at him. A sharp burst of pain exploded through Danny's body when he felt Walker's foot slam into his chest with a powerful kick, sending him flying in an arc several feet into the air. Danny's mouth opened in a silent scream of terror as he watched the railings fly past underneath him, and then he was plunging down past the side of the ship, past the inverted image of the vessel's figurehead, before the grey wisps of the clouds filled his vision as he fell closer and closer to the vortex of pure energy raining down upon Amity Park.

Before he could go any further however, he landed painfully on his side on something sharp and cold. Metal? Danny opened his eyes to see Skulker staring back at him. "Imagine seeing you here," the hunter quipped.

"Skulker – what—" Danny cut himself off when he saw Ember flying up next to them on the right. The Box Ghost, back to his normal outfit, joined them to the left. Skulker surged ahead, leading the group until they broke past the clouds and circled over the ghostly green ship before deftly landing beside Johnny in a ring of ghosts. Danny was lowered from the cradle of Skulker's arms to find the Lunch Lady and Klemper joining them. Quickly the group huddled into wide circle, keeping their eyes trained on all fronts.

"Nicolai!" Skulker boomed, "Nicolai, stop!"

"He won't stop," Walker dismissed, stepping forward once again. His eyes narrowed as they landed on Danny's face. "Welcome to the party," he addressed the group. "Can't say we missed you."

"Never thought I'd live to see the day when Walker took orders from someone else," Ember sneered.

Walker turned bemused eyes upon her. "There was a time when you showed potential," he stated. "For all your recklessness, at least you showed courage to stand up and fight. How does it feel now, to know you will die a traitor to your kind?"

There was a loud, obnoxious cackle some somewhere in the crowd, followed by enthusiastic clapping. All eyes turned to seek out the source as the rows of ghosts parted to reveal Desiree, doubled over and snickering like she'd just heard the funniest joke ever told.

Danny rolled his eyes and looked over just in time to see Ember doing the same.

"Whatever you think you're accomplishing here, you're not," Ember refuted, clutching on to her guitar with a tight grip around the neck. "Whatever the Rock was predicting, it wasn't this. It said that something was coming for us, not the other way around."

"You're a fool if you don't believe that the humans wouldn't try invading our world where they are not allowed, Ember," Walker said flatly. "Already they have tried, and look what has come out of it—" he nodded over to Danny, "these half-fledgling monstrosities who tether between both lines."

"Us invade your world?" Danny couldn't help from saying. "Ghosts have been haunting our world since the dawn of time!"

"Your world is our world. Our world is not your world." Walker said simply.

"Except that you're the one launching a full-scale attack here, lunkhead!" Ember broke through. "What do you think is likely to happen? Do ya think they might be interested in retaliating?" she asked sarcastically.

"By the time they do, we will be ready for them," Walker told her. "There is no power they are able to create that can destroy a ghost. This," he held his arms out wide, indicating the entire operation he had spearheaded, "is the greatest weapon ever conceived. And I'm willing to wager it will go much further in killing insolent ghosts than any mortal machinery ever could."

"You built it from mortal technology," the Box Ghost accused. "I've seen Technus flying around Axion Labs stealing equipment."

"Perhaps," Walker granted, "but could anyone in Axion Labs be capable of something as grand as this?"

"I've heard enough," Danny decided. There was no more time to waste. "I'm taking this thing down."

Immediately, the circle of ghosts pulled themselves into a fighting stance. Danny and his supporters did the same.

"I'll make my way to Nicolai. Perhaps I make him listen to reason without wasting time on a pointless fight," Skulker muttered. "Someone has to cover me."

"You do it," Ember hissed over to Danny. Her eyes were fixed on Desiree's sour visage. "I've got my target all mapped out."

Walker was the first to advance, as always, jumping forward and reaching his arms out as if to pull Danny to him. Instead, Skulker's boots, propelled forward by jets, allowed the ghost hunter to ram into the warden, knocking him down painfully.

Ember took this distraction as an opportunity to lunge at Desiree, inciting a shriek from the former genie, whose immediate reaction was to hold her arms to her face for protection.

The Box Ghost, apparently caught up in the excitement of everything happening all at once, ran out next, coming to a halt when his brain caught up to him and he realized exactly what he was doing. Too late to turn back now, he searched desperately for someone small and weak enough for him to pick on, eyes lighting up when he caught sight of Youngblood watching the action disinterestedly to the side. Youngblood's eyes widened when he spotted the Box Ghost hurtling right at him, having time to only let out a squeak before he was tackled to the ground.

"Why, my lady, may I have this dance?" a smooth voice was heard behind the Lunch Lady. She turned around to find the tiny stature of Bertrand gallantly holding his arm out for her to take. She raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"Really? You like women?"

The Lunch Lady started laughing uproariously and bent down to better inspect the short man, reaching a large hand out and cupping it over his head, turning it from side to side curiously. She chuckled. "Why, if you were a boy in my school, all the girls and I would be spending all lunch hour talking about how wonderful you are at hopscotch, I reckon."

Bertrand colored profusely and shoved her hands away indignantly. "Now see here, madam, I—"

"Ooh, and don't it look just like a doll," Bertrand let out a yelp as he was plucked off the ground and snuggled right into the bigger woman's heaving bosom.

"No, no, let – me – go!" Bertrand struggled to no avail, unable to fight the pressure of the woman's punishing embrace.

As Bertrand continued to fight his way out, the battle raged on. Danny had come to realize just how difficult it would be for him to win as he had no Fenton Thermos to round up the ghosts. His only hope was to knock them down and work fast, but every time one of them lay stunned, another was there to take their place.

This is hopeless, his mind yelled at him as he fended off yet another attack. He didn't have time to respond to the doubt right then because he was too busy ducking Walker's punch. He had barely spun around when he found himself trying to avoid the whip of a ghostly tail as it snapped towards him. Skulker had now wrestled Walker to the ground and the two were currently fighting for dominance. Danny took the cue and jumped past them to where Technus was hovering next to the ray gun.

"Oh, no you don't," Bullet grunted, abandoning the wheel to jump in front of Technus, protecting the prodigious inventor from harm. He whipped out his sword, brandishing it under Danny's nose.

"Get out of my way." Danny's arms began to color a vivid green. Bullet laughed.

"You want me out, you gotta take me out," he mocked. "Come on, ghost-boy."

They were positioned towards the railing. One good blast, and Danny was certain he could knock the purple ghost over the edge for the white light to deal with. But Bullet pounced, the soles of his feet landing solidly on Danny's chest, forcing the breath out of him. Technus hovered protectively over his machine.

Danny was almost back on his feet when Bullet went for him again, gripping his hair painfully and tossing him backwards until his head bumped against the wooden rails.

Danny was not too out of it to see that Bullet had done him a favor; by throwing him back here, Danny now found himself closer to Technus and his machine than ever. The inventor had realized this too, holding his arms up as if to keep Danny back. Danny knew he had to make sure Bullet couldn't take him out again, so he quickly turned intangible as he crept towards Technus.

He had just sidled up to the machine, with Technus' protesting sqwacks ringing in his ear, when he realized he would have to turn tangible once again in order to stop the damn thing. Reluctantly, he turned his wrist corporal again.

"That's as far as you go, soldier," Bullet hissed in his ear, then grabbed Danny's wrist in a painful vice grip.

"Turn tangible!" Bullet demanded loudly over Danny's yell of pain. "Turn tangible and fight like a man!"

Danny had no choice but to do so, if only so that he could get enough leverage to force Bullet away. Satisfied, Bullet let go of his hand, but only long enough to grab on to his jumpsuit and pull him up so that their noses pressed together.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," he breathed into Danny's face. Danny's eyes widened in fear as the sound of Bullet's sword running against the metal of the ray gun's body carved itself into his brain.

Bullet drew the sword up, running the pointed end teasingly against Danny's belly, poking against the vulnerable flesh underneath the jumpsuit with deliberate intent.

"Yes, a long, long time." The tip of Bullet's tongue darted out, wetting his lips and brushing against Danny's dry ones, poking lasciviously into the his gaping mouth and flirting with Danny's own tongue before drawing back.

"And it's going to feel so good," Bullet rearranged them, bringing their hips together where Danny could feel a hardened bulge in the ghost's slacks pressed against his leg, "to finally see you go."

The pressure of the sword upon his skin increased, and Danny whimpered as Bullet thrust against him once more. Then, the pressure from both points disappeared entirely from Danny's senses as Bullet was unceremoniously pushed aside as the hulking weight of Walker was beaten back by Skulker. Skulker paused several feet away and raised his arm. In the middle of his hand, a square compartment slid away to reveal an arrangement of small missiles. Danny jumped back just in time to see them take off and explode upon impact as they reached their target. Walker let out a grunt, obviously holding back the pain.

Seeing this, Bullet ran forward to help, but just as he blew past Danny, the space behind him suddenly ripped, and a long, furry arm reached out from the space within to grab on to Bullet's face and pull him back. Wulf's snout poked through before his entire head made its way out. The mongrel let out an angry snarl and forced Bullet to the ground as it clambered through the space his nails had created. Pausing to give Danny an affectionate lick, Wulf got on his hind legs, and with an ear-shattering roar, lifted Bullet over his head and threw him into the ghost portal, which sealed itself afterwards almost instantly.

Wulf turned his beady eyes onto Walker. Skulker gave a malevolent grin.

As the 500-pound beast advanced upon the warden he so hated, Skulker jumped towards Technus and beseeched him. "Nicolai – whatever you think you are accomplishing, this is not the way to do it."

"The humans must know who to submit to!" Technus declared harshly. "They will come for us one day unless we show them a reason not to. They cannot revolt under the might of the ghost world!"

"Nicolai, you know what is at stake here!" Skulker barked. "It is not the humans that we hide in fear from. Whatver it is that seeks to purge our world is bigger than them. We must stop now, for this is a fight we might not win. Do not meet your destiny with fresh blood on your hands. You have to repent. If we are truly facing Judgment Day, you cannot jeopardize your chance to be granted through the gates of Heaven."

"There is no Heaven!" Walker boomed. "There is no God. We have all learned that the hard way. All we have is here and now!"

Skulker was blocking out the sound of the warden's voice. "Your family, Nicolai," he said quietly. "Your children – your grandchildren – will you risk your chance to be with them again, for this shell of an afterlife?"

Technus stared at him, his face void of any expression. Danny knew he was mulling things over, and as much as he wanted to scream at Technus to hurry up, he had to give him time.

Suddenly, a hearty voice broke through the contemplative silence. "An anthropomorphic wolf? Well, now I've seen everything!"

Danny whipped his head around to find Bertrand watching them, a leer on his face. "Why don't you let me show you how it's done, Fido!"he offered before transforming into a large, green wolf that snarled at them and galloped forward on four legs. Wulf was caught off-guard by this strange apparition and forced back, freeing Walker from his hold once more.

Walker chose to take down the more immediate threat, jumping at Skulker and initiating another beating session between the two warriors. The entire ship was entrenched in battle. Johnny had summoned his Shadow who was doing more than its fair share of kicking butt, gnashing its teeth wildly at anyone who dared come too close to its master. Ember was still occasionally fighting with Desiree, but the distinction here was that Ember was the one picking the fight, in between whopping back a horde of other adversaries as well; the Box Ghost had opted to focus almost exclusively on Youngblood; while the Lunch Lady was ferociously grabbing on to different ghosts, slamming their heads together and tossing them aside in a pile before reaching for two more victims. Danny turned his attention to Technus, advancing forward slowly.

All of the fighting immediately ceased however, when all attention was diverted to a range of blasts that landed solidly upon one of the masts of the ship, following by a dozen more, until finally, the wood cracked, and a part of the pole dropped away from the remainder, breaking apart and headed straight down for the mass of bodies below. There was a loud cry from the crowd, but before the pole could get much further, it stopped, prevented from crashing down upon them thanks to the rope that still clung on to it.

There was a sigh of relief from the crowd, and then another row of blasts were heard, causing the rope to fray, and the wooden pole came tumbling down anyway, eliciting another shriek and causing the ship to tilt precariously to one side due to the sudden weight.

"Starboard!" Youngblood hollered immediately. "Port! Port! Er … get to the hull of the ship!"

"Do you even know what you're saying?" the Box Ghost questioned.

"A little bit!" Youngblood snapped impatiently.

Danny's attention was on the ray gun. The shift in the angle of the ship meant that the angle of the energy beam had been likewise altered; he could only imagine which part of Amity Park was bearing the brunt of its force now.

"What caused that?" Walker demanded suspiciously, his eyes raised upwards to inspect the broken mast. As if on cue, a singular figure glided into sight, balanced on a metal plate that spanned from the soles of his boots and allowed him to fly. The ghost-hunter raised his gun and shot out another warning round, which landed on an empty space cleared by the undone pole. In response, Skulker raised his arm, poised to shoot the new invader down.

"Wait!" Danny cried, beckoning for him to lower his defenses. "I think he's here to help us."

"Doesn't look like it," Ember muttered from nearby. No one was acting, simply staring motionless at the sky, waiting for the zooming figure to do something more. In response, he propped up his gun again, and fired a blast directly at one of Youngblood's men, leaving the ghoul's skin sizzling.

"He's a human!" Walker boomed out. "What did you expect? Shoot him!" At the same time, Danny was urging his group, "He's on our side! He's on our side! Keep fighting!"

The scene erupted into chaos again as now the ghosts tried valiantly to battle not only each other, but dodge the attacks of the ghost hunter as well.

"We've got it covered!" Skulker grunted out to Danny. "Go! Go!"

Danny nodded and tore past Skulker and Wulf, who were still locked in battle with Walker and Bertrand respectively. Technus was coming right at him, but just as Danny was about to reach him, he was stopped short by a blast from the ghost-hunter's gun.

Danny cursed his bad luck. He had been so close. Technus wasn't even paying attention to him now, trying to drift past the ghost hunter, whose sole attention seemed to focused on the industrial-sized ray gun. Moreso than attacking Technus, the ghost hunter was dividing his attention between searching out any weak points around the machine that might be susceptible to his firing, to launching attacks on Technus who was trying to shoo him away. Danny couldn't get close with such erratic shots coming from the ghost hunter, who didn't seem at all concerned whom he shot at, so long as he managed to hit something. He probably thought he was the only good guy around.

Wulf was sent sprawling, and suddenly Danny found himself the center of Bertrand's very unwelcome attention. The form the shapeshifter had taken one was larger than Wulf, and more menacing looking to boot, Bertrand didn't waste any time, lunging from Danny so that his skull connected directly into Danny's ribs. Danny was sent flying, once again over the edge, and desperately reached out to grab onto the railing.

The ship had dipped lower now, the cloud sinking down slightly so that Danny could see the edges of Amity Park when he looked down, unable to resist gauging how far the fall would be from here. They were now passing over the familiar sites surrounding Amity General – meaning that they had now crossed over to the suburbs, leaving the business district in ruins. Summoning his strength, Danny pulled himself back over the railing, turning intangible once he found the bulk of his weight straddling the barrier so that it would be easier to climb back on board. No one had recognized his reentry thanks to his intangible state.

There was a ringing sound in Danny's ears, which he brushed off as the result of having almost fallen off again, but strangely enough, it seemed to be growing louder instead of dimming.

Danny had only just come to the realization that it might not be him when suddenly the wooden floorboards that lined the shift suddenly started quaking, before a large hole was created as something shot through from underneath.

Again, all activity stopped as this new contender made its presence known. Danny slipped back to his tangible state and stared at the mass of the black that now hovered in the air in the middle of the ship, a large hole evident in the floorboards beneath it from where it had broken through. It appeared to be made of black fire, with dark head of flames at the very top. It had no legs, only a tail, and its eyes were glowing red.

It was Spectra. And she looked livid.

The wolf that had knocked Danny over the side immediately disappeared, replaced by a timid-looking man. "Why, Spectra," Bertrand ventured, looking more than just surprised by this unexpected development. "Why my dear, what are you doing here? I haven't seen you since – since—"

But Spectra didn't seem interested in holding a conversation. Slapping its hands over its ears, it let out an inhuman shriek, effectively silencing Bertrand's dithering monologue. Still shrieking, Spectra reached her tail out to wrap around Bertrand's waist, bringing the rotund man up to face her and letting out a deep roar right in his face. Bertrand let out a scream, and then he was let go, Spectra's tail swinging out and tossing him beyond the ship's railings, his terrified scream hanging in the air behind him. Danny swiveled around and watched in mute disbelief as Bertrand disappeared beyond the clouds, and his screams were abruptly cut off.

Spectra had gone mad. Danny took in the tormented posture of the demon floating in the air before him. Its wails rung out as though it were a banshee, and it grasped on to its own head as though the sound of the very wind sliced through its heart. With another cry, it reached out blindly for another ghost, and threw it over the side too.

The ship's occupants were immediately galvanized into action. Several ghosts came forward, shooting at Spectra with cries of protest, and the ghost-hunter seemed torn between taking down this new opponent or allowing it to continue on in its rampage taking other ghosts down.

The scene was getting too crowded for Danny. Now that he knew that they had passed by the business district, it wouldn't be long before the rest of Amity Park was in ashes too. With Bertrand out of the picture, Wulf was free to help Skulker fend off Walker, and they would be able to take on Technus. Danny, on the other hand, knew he had to focus elsewhere.

Before Technus could be stopped, Danny had to ensure the ghost ship would not keep progressing forward. The first task would be to take down the sails; the second would be to go down and stop Youngblood's crew from manning the oars.

Danny took off, mindful to keep far enough away to avoid the ghost-hunter's attention. The ghost-hunter had apparently decided Spectra was more friend than foe at the moment, and was now blasting at random ghosts, causing them to keel over long enough for Spectra to reach for them and howl in their faces before throwing them to their doom.

Danny soared past a rope ladder and landed upon one of the massive poles that supported the ship's sails. Quickly, he powered up his fists and tore through the sheet, drawing a large rip through the canvas and rendering it ineffectual. He pointed his other hand over to the right and fired a continuous stream of ghost energy, slashing through the delicate fabric with his powers again.

The ghost hunter had caught sight of what he was doing now and, alarmed that Danny had been able to fly so high up without his notice, opened fire on the young half-ghost. Danny dodged the blasts, but let out a pained shout when he got hit on the side of his leg, which buckled and forced him to one knee.

No time to waste. Crouching, Danny used up his last remaining seconds to blast through another set of sails, and then dropped down from the mast just in time to miss the ghost hunter landing mere inches from where he had been standing just a second before. Realizing he had missed his target, the ghost-hunter immediately pointed his gun downwards and aimed at Danny, who quickly turned invisible so as to avoid detection.

He landed solidly on the floorboards, then let out a soft groan when pain shot up his leg again and forced him back onto his knees. There was a howl above him, and Danny looked up to see Spectra preying down on him.

"Oh, shit!" Danny let out as he tried to roll away in time. There was no recognition in Spectra's eyes, only blind fury. Its tail wrapped itself around Danny's useless ankle and drew him up. It purred, reaching down and stroking his face, something it hadn't done with any of its previous victims, and Danny knew it was because he was still alive and available for her to feed upon. Reacting quickly, Danny formed a ball of ectoplasmic energy and threw it right in Spectra's face. The demon howled and released its grip on him to claw at its face roughly.

Danny peeled himself away from the wall to search out a way to get down below where he could find Youngblood's crew, and then let out a gasp as another piercing shriek rang through the night. Spectra whipped its tail out and Danny gaped as he watched it snag Johnny 13 around his trim midsection. Johnny, who had not realized he was caught until it was too late, let out a choked cry and tried to push his way free from the coil it had him in. He tried blasting it, as Danny had, but missed Spectra's face, and Spectra didn't seem content to let another victim go so easily. Danny let out a warning shout as Spectra tensed its tail, before releasing Johnny from its grasp and throwing him overboard.

Johnny's wild cry of panic caught the attention of the Shadow, who had been keeping away a selection of enemies intent on getting their hands on Johnny. Realizing what had happened, the Shadow swiftly drew back from the fight, racing over the edge where Johnny had disappeared and going after him. In his thumping heart, Danny prayed that it would be able to save the man.

There was no sound to be heard, and then, a shriek of pure agony broke the scene.

He didn't make it. Danny hung his head in a moment of respect for Johnny. The Shadow had failed to catch him in time and was now undoubtedly mourning the loss of its master.

Danny steeled his resolve and stumbled forward, his eyes searching out a way to get downstairs and end this madness. Several ghosts lay littered about, too beaten to fight anymore. If Danny had had this thermos with him, he would have taken pity on them and zapped them to safety, rather than leave them for Spectra to pick over.

His tired eyes managed to find a door, and his heart began thumping wildly. Behind it were no doubt stairs leading down into the cabins or engine room, or whatever it was. Eventually it would lead him to the ghost crew who were propelling the ship forward. But before he could sneak over towards it, a loud voice was heard over their heads.

"Only I may bend the rage of the skies to cater to my will!"

The dense clouds gave way to reveal a gigantic silhouette that loomed over the vessel. Danny reared his head back and stared transfixed as the figure came into view.

"The protection of my clouds used to bear fruit to this false lightning?" the incredulous voice of Vortex burst through as he circled the vessel. "The channels of nature, reflected in this pale imitation, this mockery that spits on the gifts bestowed by, I, the ruler of the atmospheres?"

The ship was no longer moving, caught by the sheer magnitude of the god-like apparition. Danny knew the crew was still down there, most likely oblivious to what was going on, because no one had come rushing upstairs, but he knew all the same that they were no longer moving because Vortex himself remained stationary now. Perhaps he was holding them in place, or perhaps he had simply relieved the curtain of clouds from the drifting state.

Danny and the rest of the ghosts onboard watched in awe as the gigantic ghost, Vortex, reached down for the ray gun and ripped it from where it stood, cutting off the flow of power that had been generating from it, and raised it to his eye, miniscule between his fingers. Then Vortex parted his lips and swallowed the machine whole.

"If it is fire from Heaven you seek," the great spirit thundered down upon them, "then it is fire you shall receive!"

And with that, he threw his arms over his head, and a bolt of lightning struck the ship, landing not three feet from where Danny was standing. There was a cry from the ghosts nearby as the part of the vessel that had been hit exploded. Fire broke out, something Danny had not really expected on a ghost ship. Vortex was once again swinging his arms in gesture, and two more bolts of lightning simultaneously struck either side of the ship, sending its occupants reeling from one end to the other. Only Spectra appeared unaffected by this, still howling along with the roar of thunder that swelled over their heads.

"That's it, I'm getting out of here," Ember bade, taking flight and soaring away without a backwards glance. Desiree followed suit, desperately trying to avoid the bolts of lightning. Danny kept trying to get to his feet, but was constantly being bowled over by the ship's rocking under Vortex's ministrations. The ghost hunter was nowhere to be seen. Everybody was abandoning ship.

Walker shoved past him, diving off the edge of the ship and soaring back up to shoot beyond the clouds. Skulker had drawn out his wings and was urging Technus to come along with him. Wulf crawled up to Danny unsteadily and butted his cheek with his snout. "Friend?"

"I'm okay," Danny gasped out, still trying to get some leverage. "Go – go! I'll be fine." Wulf nodded and drew himself up carefully to rip new shreds through the fabric of space, disappearing after it. Several ghosts jumped in behind him, taking a one-way ticket back into the Ghost Zone. Spectra continued to remain unaware, shrieking in aggravated fury and trying to curl her tail around anyone who would be able to provide her with her next fix. The doors were bursting open, and Youngblood's ghostly crewmen were rushing out in a hurry. Several ghosts tipped over the side, pushed over by a combination of gale-force winds and Vortex's determination to knock the boat over its side and off of his cloud.

It was enough for Danny. The ray gun had been deactivated and there was still another matter to take care of: Freakshow. Danny hurtled past the clouds, and took to the air, and was amazed to find that Vlad's mansion stood only several yards from where he was now, its observation tower poking through the especially lowered clouds. Furious determination written all over his face, Danny zoomed to meet the mastermind who had unleashed all this upon his town.

It all clicked in his brain in an instant. He knew where Freakshow was hiding. He had known it ever since Walker had told him the two of them were working together. If Freakshow needed the help of ghosts, he would need a ghost portal. And the only that had a ghost portal safe enough for him to use was in Vlad's mansion.

Furious determination etched upon his face, Danny locked his arms and legs together and zoomed for Vlad's estate.

---

The observation tower was the only place grandiose enough for Freakshow to hide himself away in, Danny knew. The highest point of Vlad's palatial estate provided sufficient drama to satisfy the demented man, with its sole window pointing out to the lay of Amity Park stretched out beyond it.

Freakshow would want to get a good seat to witness the destruction.

Danny landed quietly in the observation town, his leg quivering under his weight. The room was small, there was no way for him and Freakshow to miss each other. All he had to do was make sure he got the upper-hand first…

Danny let out an "oof!" of pain as his wrists found themselves caught in something, and he was propelled backwards until he slammed ungraciously with his back against the cold, stone wall. Freakshow stepped out of the shadows, an eerie grin on his face.

"Welcome, my friend," he greeted. "I have been waiting for you. So glad you could make it."

Danny's arms were stretched out and pinned to wall, causing his body to hang limply with his weight balanced excruciatingly upon the support against his wrists. He gritted his teeth against the pain. Darting eyes to the very corner or his sight, he could see strange markings upon his gloved wrist. They looked like…

"I see you're admiring Lydia's tattoos," Freakshow noted pleasantly. "They are rather wonderful, aren't they? Not terribly original," his eyes flashed, "but the things she can do with them is just magical."

"For example," the former ringmaster expounded, "did you know that they are able to separate themselves and fly off her body? It's rather marvelous." Danny knew this, of course; he had witnessed it from the first time he'd met Freakshow and Lydia. "And, did you know that they have this rather outrageous habit of bringing inanimate objects to life?"

Freakshow's teeth glinted in the blackness of the surrounding shadows and dark alcoves. Danny was forcefully reminded of the small bat-shaped image that had crashed into the school's scoreboard before broadcasting Freakshow's message. So that was what had happened. "Put one on a camera," Freakshow was saying now, "send out a few more to find something that can send and receive images, and boom – live public access!" he sang.

"So the only thing I want to know is," he drew his pointed nose close to Danny in a hungry gaze, "did you enjoy the activities I planned for our little ice-breaking session?"

"You're insane," Danny spat.

Freakshow chuckled and backed away. Danny tried uselessly to pull away from the bonds of the tattoos that pinned his wrists against the wall. "Insane, yes," Freakshow patted a telescope positioned near the window of the tower, lowering his eye to peer through it, "what a miracle it is to be – for I see all the things that those burdened with the ugliness of sanity cannot. I suppose if I were to be sane, then I would be feeling just as helpless and afraid as you must be feeling now."

"I wonder, child, if you are yet able to appreciate the sheer serendipity of your situation?" Freakshow proposed. "Here you stand, half-human, half-ghost champion of the world. Friend of none, enemy to all." He fixed Danny with an intense stare, as if searching out the answer by reading his soul.

"Now here you are, while the ghost world stands on the brink of annihilation, and the human world grows ever tighter under the guise of protection. Order has fallen through in one world, while it struggles to establish itself in the other." Freakshow began pacing about, as if delivering a sermon. "Straddling the line once again between victory and defeat. You prevented victory for the ghosts seeking to gain the Plasmius half for their own, and allowed them to broil over in their anger, and look what it has brought you now."

"I didn't do this!" Danny ground out. How dare the other man try to make him feel guilty over what had happened. "You were the one who got the ghosts together and told them to attack."

"Oh, yes, yes I did," Freakshow looked extremely proud of this achievement too. "It was all too easy to do so as well. Once I heard that the Guys in White had left Washington to establish a base in Amity Park, why I knew there was something going on here that I just had to be a part of."

"So you killed him," Danny concluded for him. "You killed Jason Belgrave in Washington D.C. and found a way to come into Amity Park, didn't you?"

"Oh, bravo my boy, simply delectable!" Freakshow clapped his hands together slowly. "But I'm afraid you overestimate me. You see, it wasn't me who broke into that poor man's house while he was having his dinner and slaughtered him like a hog to the grind. No, that was dear Lydia. Once she realized the Guys in White had left me with nothing more than the protection of that goon, she simply followed him back home and unleashed her tattoos upon his unsuspecting self. There was hardly anything left by the time she got into the apartment herself."

"But…" Danny's mind was reeling. "But why did the Guys in White leave you under one agent's charge?"

"Oh, I wonder – it must be something to do with the fact that they're the most discredited branch of the Bureau of Investigations," Freakshow mocked. "Those agents have long been considered a waste of time, it's laughable, really – so laughable that they kept having their budget cut, to the point where only a handful were allowed to remain while the money went to fund more useful resources. And once they heard about that poor unfortunate boy who had been blasted out of the sky in Danny Phantom, they all wanted a piece of the action.

"So, what to do with poor Freakshow, the only criminal they ever managed to capture under their name? Why, obviously, pan him off to a more reputable member of the FBI while the whole cast and crew lop over to settle down in Amity Park. Don't you get it, boy?" Freakshow's voice turned dour. "The Boys in White are one budget cut away from being disbanded altogether. That's the reason why so many of them have invaded your town. The hauntings in Amity Park are legend throughout their group, and once Amity Park made the headlines, they had their excuse. They came here to capture a ghost and prove their worth within the government so that they won't have their operations shut down."

"And you've given them exactly what they asked for," Danny told him.

"Have I, boy?" Freakshow's voice turned coy again.

"You have no idea how easy it was to pull the whole thing together. Once I was freed, Lydia and I simply had to make our way to the ghost portal the Guys in White had designed over at their base in Washington. Within a few days of travelling, we found ourselves the first exit, into Vlad Plasmius' castle!" The entertainer put on a tap show for his audience for emphasis at the last part.

"From there it was simply a matter of making our way through all the ghosts who know and hate you, urging them to give it one last shot. Especially easy was the warden. He was ready to listen to just about anything I said. How simple it was to convince him that it was all his idea, rehashing the details of his last attack and assuring him that if he was capable of doing it once, he could certainly do so again. Not much points for originality, but, I suppose when it gets the job done, who can argue with the results?" Freakshow patted Danny's cheek in a show of camaraderie.

"I have to say, I didn't think it would be nearly so easy to get past you – you've slipped past your usual standards, my dear boy. All this sneaking around we had to do, and you didn't suspect a thing! Reconstructing the ship, stealing the parts, designing the machine – the entire time, I was certain you were going to appear at any moment and ruin the whole thing, but you didn't.

"And now, here you are, trapped with me, while the world lies in ruins. In a matter of minutes, my plan will be complete."

"You didn't complete it," Danny huffed against the pain. He didn't know how much he longer he could go on distributing his weight between his wrists. "I stopped you. We all stopped you. Your ray gun is completely destroyed, the Guys in White are still here, and Amity Park is still here. You didn't achieve anything."

Freakshow cracked a bloodcurdling smile.

"Still so sure of yourself, little boy," he said plainly. "Did you honestly think my plan was to set fire to some small burg in Middle America? Certainly you know me to aim a little higher than that."

Freakshow disappeared within the folds of the alcoves again and reemerged once more carrying a camera balanced on a tripod. Danny could see a small green icon of a snake curled to one side of the camera's surface. Freakshow kicked the telescope over, causing it to roll on the floor, and delicately placed the camera directly across from Danny where it would be able to capture him like this, pinned to a wall and unable to get free. Behind Freakshow was the window, the only path to freedom, blocked.

"The special properties that surround the ghost ship renders it invisible to the eye of the non-believer," Freakshow stated. "Not that that does any good with a town as exposed as yours, but do you know what that means to the rest of the world, my child? It means that nobody outside of your dinky little town is going to believe that a large ship carrying ghosts was responsible for the events that took place here tonight. All they will see is the footage of me, introducing the greatest, most devastating destructive force the world has ever known, and they will know that I was the one responsible for it.

"The people will cower at the sound of my name after this night," Freakshow gloated, fiddling with the cameras lens. "And when the ghost dimension advances forward with their attack, the mortal world will be powerless to stop them."

"They're not going to advance forward with their attack!" Danny shouted hoarsely. "Don't you get it? Walker failed. Youngblood's ship is a wreck and all the ghosts have fled back to the Ghost Zone. None of them support your little plan anymore."

"All the better for me to work with," Freakshow said easily, raising his eyes finally to take in the sight of Danny pinned five feet above the ground. "Do you remember what I was saying about the serendipity that pertains to your situation, Phantom? Half a man, half a ghost, belonging to none? You have spent your life creating a reputation as a defender of the people against the supernatural, and now, after the worst ghost attack in Amity Park history, the people look to you to put an end to their misery. What do you think would be running through their heads if they were to see you like this, at my mercy?"

Danny's eyes flickered over to the camera that was pointed directly at him.

"The citizens of Amity Park would lose hope; they will venture out of their homes to find the image of you on every large TV screen throughout town, begging for me to let you go – and they will lose hope. Once the resolve of the humans weaken, the ghosts of the netherworld will realize their opportunity and strike; raids in London, blasts in Tokyo, hauntings in Nebraska! The mortal world will be overwhelmed by the onslaught and surrender to their fear."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Danny burst out. "You hate ghosts."

A moment of silence, and then a chilling smile made its way over Freakshow's lips.

"Yes," he said quietly, sounding more lucid than he had this entire time. "I hate ghosts. Which brings us to the very crux of my plan, Phantom, the very reason why I have taken the trouble in planning tonight with such great detail." He moved away from the camera now, walking slowly up to Danny.

"Tell me, do you know how to kill a ghost?"

Danny was forcibly reminded of that day when Vlad had come over to his house aided by a team of lawyers. You can't kill a ghost, Vlad had told him. "Their inherent powers – our inherent powers – all but prevent outright destruction to another of our kind. You would have to be a significantly powerful to pose any sort of immediate severe threat to another."

"You see, that fool of a warden was so caught up by the power of the destructive beam that he was certain anyone caught in its path was a lost cause," Freakshow said. "But what he doesn't realize is – what nobody realizes is – you can't possibly hope to kill a ghost using sheer force alone. That's what missing in all these formulas they write out so happily at Axion Labs. These new improvements upon their weaponry, these Gen 2 machines their scientists create – completely unnecessary without realizing the missing link. You can kill a ghost, all you need is to use the right power. Not brute physical force, but something of a more spiritual nature. Something like this—"

And Danny watched as Freakshow reached his fingers up and plucked out the red gem fastened to his ear, the sister, Danny recognized, to the one he had used years ago to power the Reality Gauntlet. It was not actually an earring at all, he had learned from last time, but a magical stone of some kind. Freakshow sauntered towards the door leading out of the observation tower and picked up a large gun Danny hadn't noticed was there before.

"So kindly contributed by the men and women at Axion Laboratories," Freakshow reported. "I had Technus snatch it on the way out and asked him to fit in certain improvements. The design was fine by itself, but it needed a little something to make it respond to this—" he flashed the earring so that in glinted in the light, and made his way back behind the camera.

"With the application of physical energy already stored within this ecto-gun coupled with the energy within this gemstone," Freakshow was reciting to himself, "I shall achieve what none have been able to do in the history of mankind: create the first ever ecto-ray gun capable of fully destroying an ectoplasmic entity for good. And you, Phantom, will be the very first test subject to experience it.

"When the camera goes on, your face shine over Amity Park's hopeful denizens. And once they witness what I have accomplished, they will realize that they have no choice but to surrender to my will. And once the ghosts realize that I have not managed to create an instrument not only capable of destroying them, but also the one that destroyed you, the Ghost Zone's greatest enemy, with nothing more than a single blow, they too shall give in to my demands, and hand over the reins to their dimension – and I, Frederic Isak Showenhower, will go down as the most feared human of all time!"

Freakshow's voice had risen to a frenzied pitch of excitement throughout his explanation, and now he calmed himself down to fix Danny with a level glare. Knowing that the ghost boy was watching his every move, he pressed the button on the camera with great deliberation.

"Now," he continued in a low voice as the red light blinked on. "Look into the camera, Phantom. Look into the camera and tell your people goodbye."

Danny's eyes were fixated on the clear lens of the camera. Freakshow perched his large bazooka-like gun upon his shoulder. Unable to watch him pull the trigger, Danny tightened his eyes and turned his head away, waiting for the searing blast of the ecto-gun to encapsulate him.

It never came. Danny heard the sound of a blast being released, and braced his body for the impact, but it never came. After only a moment, he opened his eyes and turned his head away. Showenhower was still standing there, a smile frozen on his face. Tendrils of smoke were rising into the air.

Danny let his eyes wander lower, pulling away from Freakshow's nightmarish face to focus on his slim torso. Moving even lower following the trail of the smoke, Danny's mouth fell open when he noticed the big, gaping hole in Freakshow's belly. It almost looked like it had been carved out of him, a mortal wound that allowed Danny to see past his body and to the background behind it. With that smile still frozen on his face, Freakshow toppled over, the gun dropping out of his hands, and the camera jostling forward but otherwise still standing. Behind him, Danny could see the crouched figure of the ghost hunter perched upon the windowsill, still holding on to the smoking gun that had killed the man before him.

Before he could register what had happened, Danny was dropped unceremoniously from his position against the wall, the pressure at his wrists disappearing, landing like a heavy sack upon the stone floor. The force of the impact reverberated within him as, with another loud "oof!" Danny was forcibly turned back from the ghostly form and back into his eighteen-year-old counterpart.

In a blind moment of panic, Danny thought that he had just transformed for all of Amity Park to see, but when he looked up, the camera was still standing proud on its three legs, aimed several feet above where he lay now, meaning that no one had caught it. No one except…

Danny turned frightened eyes upon the ghost hunter standing before him in his red-and-black suit. The hunter wasn't moving; Danny knew he had to be in shock over what he'd just seen. Neither of them said a word, just looking at each other; Danny with his wide blue eyes, and the hunter through his polished helmet.

The silence between them drew on, until finally, the hunter turned, clicking his heels together and escaping through the window, disappearing into the night. Danny remained where he was for another moment, still unable to move from fear, before gathering his wits about him enough to crawl past the eye of the video camera, and transform back into Danny Phantom.

Balancing himself on the windowsill, Danny flew away from the observation tower back to where the cloud still boomed with Vortex's wrath. He broke through the tufts of grey to fly along the side of the green sheep with its raggedy sails, up to where Vortex still loomed, larger than life, directing thunderbolts to strike the ruined ship.

"Vortex!" Danny hollered as he floated as close as he dared to the god of the skies. "Vortex!"

"Spare yourself the misery," Vortex thundered. "Accept my mercy while it is yours to take."

"That's not why I'm here," Danny responded. "Vortex, enough – you have to listen to me."

This got the ghost's attention, but not in the way Danny wanted it. He had to swing back to avoid being jabbed when an enormous finger spanning nearly the entire length of his body came his way.

"Vortex listens to no man, ghost-child!" the ghost rumbled. "The will of the skies is not yours to command. Repent, or suffer as your comrades have suffered."

"They are not my comrades," Danny declared staunchly. "Vortex, you have to stop this. You're the only one who can put an end to all that has happened here. I can't, I've tried. You have the power, you've shown us yourself. Just … please, put an end to it and let's move on."

Vortex considered this, one of his large eyebrows rising at the invitation. He brushed his hands over his chin, considering.

"Perhaps you are right," he conceded, giving the hull of the ship a disgusted glance. "I have had enough of this craft that trespasses upon my territory, as if it was available to be conquered." He fixed Danny with a glare. "Go now, and spread my message to all who will hear: anyone who dares to challenge Vortex at his art will suffer the consequences."

Danny nodded along, knowing that he would never, ever repeat a single word of what happened that night to anyone aside from his friends. As he floated back, Vortex rubbed his hands together before thrusting them into the air and rising high above the ship. As he rose, the clouds began to gather together, pulling in from all directions and melding until it became impossible to distinguish between where one cloud ended and the other began. They swelled up, rising together like yeast and then churning back down upon again.

As Danny started to lower himself away, he could see Spectra still trapped on the ship with no apparent desire to leave. Soon enough, she wasn't able even if she wanted to, when the clouds began swirling together gently until the winds picked up speed, shaping the clouds until they clasped Youngblood's ship in their folds, causing the ship to begin rotating too, slowly tilting upon the bed of clouds as thunder rumbled around it.

Danny floated down until he couldn't see the ship poking down anymore, and the sound of the angry clouds as they began to shift from a pale grey to dark black served only as further motivation to stay out of the way. The clouds had swallowed up the ship entirely, and crackled with intensity as the mass flashed under the power of lightning. Danny felt his skin prickle as his senses flooded with the wet taste of the atmosphere at work. Once again, he felt the crackle of lightning mirrored within his bones as he carried on watching this amazing sight. The clouds were eating away at the vessel, he knew that even though he couldn''t see it. The entire power of the skies, compounded into a ball of fury, working with only one goal in mind. It was truly wondrous to behold.

The sky groaned under the weight of its vigor, the clouds detaching and reattaching as the currents pulled them, never once letting loose of the captive within its folds. Thunder boomed and the blackened clouds heaved with the might of the brutality contained within. Danny felt his legs land once more on solid ground, the people of Amity Park gathered around him and staring transfixed up at what was happening above them just like him.

And when the clouds dissipated, and the heavens parted, the phantom ship was no more.