This chapter was very crappily edited. I'm sorry. I tried, I did but I did some last minute tampering to make this chapter even better. Especially the fight scene… It's probably the best fight scene I've written yet. I'm kind of proud of it. Jazz gets in on the action. ;D
So, yeah. When I eventually go back over this and do some serious proper editing, this will rock your socks into a box.
This is the longest chapter I've written for some time. It surprised me, it really did. There was a few things I wanted to happen that didn't (see bottom of page when you're done reading), but it worked out even better in my opinion.
*sigh* I think I'm going to sleep now. I had a late night and an early morning.
Summary: Samantha Manson, or Sam, has many things to deal with; her parent's disappointment, she knows all of the police force by name and face (and not because she wants to), moving to a new city, her grandmother's slowly dying, her Necromancy is getting stronger, she has no instructor to teach her, and she's not exactly the most popular girl in school. As she learns about this new city, she learns of its mysterious secrets and as to why so many haunts happen there. While trying to find out how to help this city, she finding that she slowly crushing on a kind of cute geeky boy whose parents hunt supernatural things. AU. She eyed the yellow tape, daring it to keep her from the school grounds. After a moment, she decided to ignore the forbidding warning of the black DO NOT CROSS letters.
Disclaimer: I do not hold any legal rights to Danny Phantom or to any of the characters you are going to read about. This story, however, is my own original idea, with a nod to Meg Cabbot's Mediator series and Kelly Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy for inspiring me somewhat.
Do Not Cross
Chapter 19
Identity
"If you love someone, you're not supposed to want them to come back. Better a peaceful sleep in the earth than the life of a zombie — not really dead but not really alive, either." Cassandra Clare, Zombies Vs. Unicorns
She felt like a trapped animal. A deer caught in headlights. A rabbit in a cage. A mouse in a snap trap… And what was worse, she did not know what to do.
Her hands grasped the blankets tightly, knuckles white. Her mouth dried. She tried to remedy it by swallowing some saliva, hoping her body would produce more of it.
This was bad. It was very, very, very, very, very bad.
Sam waited for her father to make the first move.
They stared at one another for several minutes. Neither of them moved. Eventually, her father did.
He sighed and set the book down at the end of her bed.
"Did the Fenton boy put you up to this?" he asked.
Sam shook her head, 'no.'
"His family?"
Again she shook her head, 'no.'
"Your grandmother?"
She shrugged.
"Samantha…"
"I was born like this." she said quietly.
"What?" he said.
"I was born like this. That book, it… it's special. Here, look." She picked it up and flipped to a page. She couldn't help but tell him everything. It just came pouring out of her, like he was always supposed to know. Maybe telling her father will release some of the burden she constantly felt? "This explains everything about me. About bubeleh. And this… this is about Tucker, you know the kid with the ridiculous beanie? And this is about Danny. We didn't think any Soothsayers existed until he went into the ghost portal."
"Sam, what…?"
"Just listen okay?" she said, pleading with him to believe her. "There is a whole other world out there that you don't understand. That you aren't supposed to even know about. I can do things. Freaky things, alright? I never really wanted to be like this, but it runs in the family, at least that's what bubeleh said.
"Anyway, these things, allow me to… Here." She flipped back to the section on Necromancers. She pointed at a very specific section illustrating her abilities. "This is what I can do. See?"
She allowed him to read the part she pointed it. She watched as his brows furrowed. Sam knew he thought she was insane.
"Sam." he said. "This… all of this is impossible. You can't seriously —"
"I know it's crazy. Just… just believe me, okay?" she said. Biting her lip, she thought about doing something she had not done since her grandfather passed away all of those years ago.
"Samantha, you just wait here." He stood up and started towards the door. "I'm just going to make a quick phone call —"
"Wait!"
He stopped, frowning at her.
"Let me show you what I can do."
Before he could do anything else, she closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt for something specific. Having only done it once by mistake, she really had no idea how she did it, but she remembered what she had focused on. A memory, an emotion, a certain scent, something familiar. When she opened her eyes, there was her grandfather.
He was dressed in a hospital gown, the one he had died in. His salt and pepper hair was still a ruffled mess, and his gray-blue eyes blinked behind comically large bifocal glasses. He was just as she remembered, only transparent.
"Well?" he asked, looking back and forth between his granddaughter and her father. "Why was I summoned, Samantha? And would you tell your father to stop gaping? It's very rude."
Sam bit her lip, trying to hold back laughter as her father made strangled noises and went back and forth between her and the ghost, pointing. When he dropped to the floor, unconscious, she snorted.
"What a pansy." her grandfather said, kicking the leg of the man on the carpeting. "So, what have you been up to?"
"It's good to see you, too." she said, beaming. "We have a lot to catch up on."
"Yes, yes, we do."
"Wait, you summoned your dead grandfather?" Danny asked, packing a few water bottles into a duffel bag. They were making plans to go into the Ghost Zone. Part of it was slowly gathering the materials they would need. "Why?"
"I don't really know." Sam said, thumping her head on his kitchen table. "It was a spur of the moment thing. To make him believe me."
"How did he take it?"
"He fainted at first. Then he… he just kind of got silent when I started explaining things to him. About my life. Everything I've done. Why we stayed after school. What we're hoping to do. You know, the important things." For a moment she was quiet. Danny wasn't sure if she was going to continue or if he should steer the conversation in another direction.
Tucker, who was unable to be there, was on speaker phone. He too was silent as he listened to her talk. Danny would have thought they had been disconnected had it not been for his glowing screen counting the seconds to minutes they'd been conversing.
When she spoke up again, he was a little startled.
"He got real silent and didn't say anything. He just stood up and… and he walked away. I'm not really sure what he's thinking. We haven't been in the same room all day. In all honesty, I'm getting kind of worried. My dad never holds anything inside when it's just him and me. He says anything that comes to his mind."
"Maybe he just needs time to process it all." Tucker said, his voice crackling a little from the speaker due to the bad connection caused by the Fenton inventions. "I know my dad did when he learned the truth. Just give him some space. Considering how he is, he'll probably need more time than my dad did."
Sam scoffed by didn't say anything, she just moped with her head in her arms and her eyes watching the bag. She was lost in her own thoughts again. She would be for a while, so Danny decided to change the conversation back to their plans.
"So, we need to think of some other things to pack when we go into the Ghost Zone." he said. "So far we have a first aid kit, water bottles, the thermos, a couple of wrist rays, this… belt… thing…, and paper and pencils to make a map. Anyone think of something else?"
"Should we pack extra clothes?" Tucker said. "We don't know how long it could take."
"Food." Sam said. "Beef jerky for you two idiots, bread, fruits and vegetables, trail mix… Whatever three teens can survive on."
"Sounds like a good idea."
"I'll go shopping tomorrow after school. My parents are heading out of town again. Something about a party invite from some people they knew in Chicago…? I don't know, I wasn't really listening to my mom go on."
"We leave tomorrow night then?" Danny said, putting the last water bottle in.
"Yeah," she said, nodding.
"So, we've got a plan, we got most of our materials, and we have a way in and out of the Ghost Zone." Tucker said. "I think everything's set. See you guys at school tomorrow?"
"See you then." Danny said, watching as 'CALL ENDED' flashed across his phone's screen before it turned dark. He looked up at Sam, pulling the duffel bag up on his shoulder. He knew she wouldn't move but he was still worried about leaving her alone in the kitchen.
"Hey," Jazz said, coming down the stairs, "what are you two up two?"
"Um… Emergency Ghost Attack Kit?"
His sister raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything. She looked over at Sam, curious. She finished walking down the stairs and sat across from his friend.
"So, Sam, any boys at school you have a crush on yet?" she asked.
Danny smiled and quickly jogged upstairs. He would rather not hear that conversation. It was not meant for his ears. Curious as he was, he knew better than to eavesdrop.
He tucked the bag away in his closet.
He was grateful to his room back again and that Vlad Masters was gone. He didn't care where the man lived so long as it wasn't in his house. He had purged the room, exorcism courtesy of Sam. It hadn't been a full-blown exorcism like the ones he saw in movies, but one his friend had created just for him. He was grateful that no holy water was involved; he really didn't want to see how he would react to that.
Danny ducked into the bathroom, catching his reflection in the mirror. He tilted his head to different angles. He almost didn't recognize his face. He had gotten some decent sleep for once, so the bags were gone but the way his cheekbones were… they were sharper. He wondered if that was from all the training, his new-found powers, or because of puberty. He really didn't question it. He liked it.
A crash and a scream from downstairs jolted his attention.
He dashed out of the bathroom and peeked over the ledge. Sam and Jazz we gaping at the figure in the living room.
He recognized it immediately as the person who had approached them at the funeral. The figure looked around, spying the girls and then him. If it was here, there was meant trouble.
"Where's the other?" the person asked. "Your friend, the Alchemist."
"At home." Danny said, clenching his jaw.
"What's going on?" Jazz said, looking around.
"Call up your friend." the person said. It wavered before appearing behind Jazz, holding a knife to her throat. "She comes with. You have half an hour."
"That's not enough time —" Sam started.
"Go get the food and anything else you'll need." Danny said. "I'll call Tuck and tell him what's up."
She nodded, dashing off, grabbing her bag. He was glad that she was the fastest runner of the three of them. It would nearly take her the half hour to get everything they needed.
When Sam was gone, he marched back up the stairs and got the duffel bag he had hidden not too long ago. He would have to factor in Jazz and the person. He quickly texted his thought to Sam. He didn't wait for a response. Instead he called Tucker.
"Hey, what's up?" he friend asked on the other end.
"Today." he said as he packed some clothes for himself and, while he thought about it, Jazz too.
"What?"
"We're doing it today."
"When you get here, you'll understand. Just bring everything you're supposed and we'll be set. Got it? Be here in less than a half hour."
"Yeah… See you soon?"
"Yeah, bye."
He hit 'END' and checked everything. That should be good enough. With three bags on his arms, he headed back down.
He returned to see a panicked Jazz and the person acting suspiciously calm.
"It's a pity." the person said.
"What is?" he asked, gathering more water bottles. The bag was increasing in weight dramatically. Water bottles weighed a lot more than he anticipated. He was glad of the strength training Lancer put them through more than ever.
"You haven't realized your full potential. Or your sister. There is such greatness that lies within her. All of that energy… untapped for so long. And it's coming out at inconvenient times. Isn't that right, my dear?"
Jazz didn't do anything, she just stared at Danny with wide eyes. Very confused as to what was going on. He didn't offer any knowledge or comfort through his eyes. He didn't want the person holding his sister prisoner to know of any of his weaknesses.
"Jazz is just a human." he said.
"Is she? Hmm… Let's have you continue thinking this way. Should anything happen to her, well, we shall just say it wasn't my fault."
"You should just leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with any of this mess that Katherine created."
"Katherine?" Jazz said. "The one in the message?"
"Jazz, stay out of this."
"Oh, look at that." the person said, chuckling. "Your little brother seems to want to protect you. He's failing quite miserably, I must say. I could easily slit your throat."
Jazz gasped as the cold metal licked her skin. Her eyes wide and terrified. She pleased with Danny to do something.
"Let her go." he said, trying to remain calm. He could feel the surge of power trying to surface. "You don't need to use her to sway us into doing anything."
He sensed that the person smirked at him, but it held fast to Jazz and the knife. He moved around as calmly as he gathered everything else he and the others would need. His stoicism, he hoped, was off-putting.
Tucker arrived not long after, out of breath. On his back, he toted a faded, blue canvas backpack. It was one he had gotten at the Army Surplus store years ago and he hadn't used outside of family vacations.
The dark-skinned youth fell face first into the carpet. He took several moments to just breathe.
"What did I miss?" he said, looking towards the kitchen. When he saw the situation, he bolted upwards and took several steps back. "What…? How…? When…? Seriously?"
"Sam's getting the food and her things." Danny said. "She should be here in the next ten minutes."
"Man, this is what happens when I have family visiting. I miss out on all the interesting stuff." He smiled at Jazz. "Hey, Jazz. How's it going?"
"How does it look like it's going?" she said, snapping at him. He winced. "This guy barges in, hold a knife to my neck, and talks about some crazy things. Anyone mind filling me in?"
"Later." the person holding her captive said, tightening his grip. "There will be plenty of time for explaining the intricacies of this whole thing later. Right now we are being timed. An emissary for the Reapers is already in the Ghost Zone."
"How do you know that?" Danny said, cocking a brow. This was the first time he was ever hearing of an emissary. Did they recruit an innocent? He didn't doubt it. But who?
"Your friend can't take much longer. Time is almost up." The was a bit of laughter in the person's voice. "Of course, time is a funny thing. If you know the right person, you can defy it completely."
"Defy time?" Tucker said, snorting. "Sounds like something from Doctor Who."
"Close, but… technically not correct. I'm sure, however, he would appreciate the sentiment of being compared to a popular television icon. I'm quite sure he would find some way to get one of those little tools, too."
"So, who is this person we're going to get this sword and ampfura from."
"Ampulla." the person said, sounding annoyed. "And his name is Clockwork. He is the master of all there was, all there is, and all there ever will be. He understands time better than anyone. He has been protecting the items for a long while now, though it may actually be a very short time and usually when one version of the item leaves, another comes it."
"Uh… what?"
"Time is very confusing. It is not linear. It is… clumped and branches off in different directions. But it never ends. Kind of like the Celtic trees. Ah, look, your friend is here."
Danny turned to see Sam jog into his house. She looked a bit winded and flushed, but she was otherwise fine. She walked as calmly and quickly as she could to the kitchen table, setting the bags of food down. He noticed that her limbs trembled, either from the stress of the whole situation or from the exertion of gathering what was needed. She was strong, he knew, but even a Necromancer's strength was limited. And with everything that had been going on, he had no doubt that she was feeling it.
"Now that we're all here, are we ready to go?" the person said, turning to look at him. "Your parents completed the invention, correct? It should be able to hold all of us, including this… mess of items you think you'll need."
"We weren't sure how long we'd be gone." Danny said.
"Hmm. Well, we could be wandering for some time. The only way to find Clockwork's tower is to not look for it. It will come to you precisely when it means to and no moment more or less. Yes, time is a tricky thing. It is perhaps best that you bring all of this along. Cannibalism is not a fun thing to resort to. Now, shall we?"
The person nodded for Danny to lead the way. He gathered his and Jazz's things, along with the heaviest bag of groceries. No need for Sam to spill everything. He noted that Tucker took the other.
He lead the way downstairs and to the Specter Speeder. He really didn't have time to appreciate his parents' handiwork, because it really was a marvel. He set the groceries down in the rear, seeing as how nothing had to be refrigerated he didn't worry about anything spoiling.
Tucker set the other bag near the one Danny had been holding, also depositing his personal things on the opposite side. The other two teens followed in suit.
"Hey, Danny?" Sam said.
"Hm…?" he responded.
"Do your parents always leave the portal open?"
He turned and looked at the swirling green mass. He could have sworn it was closed after his parents left that morning. But maybe he had misheard them they say something…? No, he was pretty sure he came downstairs after they left and the portal had been closed. He could be mistaken, though.
"No." he said. "It's normally closed when they're away. They might have just forgotten to close it today is all."
No need to worry them, after all.
"Who's driving?" Tucker said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. Danny knew he couldn't wait for driver's ed. next year, neither could he for that matter, but neither of them had any experience in operating any sort of vehicles.
The turned and looked at Sam, who sighed and took the seat in front of the steering wheel. She strapped herself in and started the engine. She had quite a bit experience from… borrowing vehicles from people when she lived in the city. She returned them, of course, with as minimal damage as she could manage.
The only other person they knew who could drive was Jazz, who wasn't exactly in a position to be handling the task at the moment. They didn't know if the other person in their group could do it either.
"Oh, before I forget." Danny said, digging around in his bag. He had nearly forgotten an interesting invention of his mother's. "These will help filter out ghost sound and whatnot. I packed enough for everyone."
He distributed them to his companions, although the mysterious stranger they were with turned them down. He shrugged and put the last pair in his bag.
"You're either going to want to sit down or brace yourselves." Sam said. "I haven't driven anything in a while, so this is going to be clunky."
Danny, at first, thought she was kidding but when he was nearly tossed heels over head, he willingly took her advice and braced himself against the wall. He noted that the stranger was have the same dilemma. He felt a little smug at that knowledge.
Sam, once off the ground, easily maneuvering them into the portal and coming out on the other end into a world none of them had ever seen.
The Ghost Zone was an eerily green place, perhaps made of ectoplasm. In the distance, floating islands of sorts could be seen, as well as scattered doors. Danny found himself wondering what was contained on the landmasses and behind the entrances.
"Start mapping." Sam said to Tucker. His artistic ability wasn't the greatest but he was better at estimating distance than Danny was.
Danny handed his friend the paper and the writing utensils he had gathered a little over an hour before.
"Mapping?" the person said, looking at the three friends. It still held tight to Jazz, knife ever presently near his sister's throat.
"We're going to map the Ghost Zone out." Danny said. "In case we ever come back. Figured it was the smart thing to do. In case we get lost. We'll have some way of recognizing where we are."
"That is what maps are for."
He frowned. This person was just trying to antagonize him. He brushed off the words and went back to watching where they were going.
"This ampulla," Sam said, "is it originally from our world?"
"Yes." the person said.
"Great."
Danny watched as she scanned the dashboard and slammed a button with one of her hands. A circular map popped in front of her. It reminded him of one of those old fashioned sonar maps.
"Real world item detected." the Speeder said. "Heading in direction to real world item."
The engines roared to life and he barely had any time to hold onto something before the vehicle launched itself forward. He was knocked backwards into the wall, heels over head. He landed in the pile of their backpacks.
"Sorry." Sam said to him. "I didn't think it would do that. Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine." he said as he righted himself. "As soon as the world stops spinning."
He sat there breathing for a moment. He closed his eyes and realized what a terrible idea that was. Opening them, he felt his world slowly balance out.
When he figured it was safe to start moving again, he stood up and looked over at Jazz and their unwanted guest. His sister had managed to get away and was now kneeling over by Tucker and Sam. She, thankfully, didn't appear to be hurt.
"You know, I'm not able to map things out at the speed we're going." Tucker said, pouting.
"I haven't figured out how to slow this thing down." Sam said. She was scanning the dashboard for any buttons.
"Sam, look out!"
"Huh?"
They all turned their attention to the landmass ahead of them. The Specter Speeder shot straight into the building on the island before any of them could scream. Instead of crashing, they floated right through the wall.
"That's so weird." Jazz said. The others agreed.
"If you are quite done being tourists." the person said from behind them. Danny had almost forgotten that it was there. "It would be best if we left before anyone realized that we are here."
"A little too late for that."
The looked to see a knight on a horse ready to charge at them.
"Um… back up?" Sam said, looking at Danny.
"Back up." he said, agreeing.
She did just that, heading off in a different direction and hoping for the best. The knight did not like this very much and chased after them.
"Can you drive any faster?" he said.
In answer to his question, she revved the engine and they shot forward, weaving in and out of islands, clumps of terra, and doors. It was almost as if the Ghost Zone was purposefully trying to slow them down.
"Stop trying to run away." their unwelcome guest said with a hiss. "The only way to get rid of him is to actually fight him. I thought you were trained to protect yourselves."
"Danny," Jazz said, "what's going on?"
"Not now, Jazz." he said. "Tucker, you take the wheel. Sam, you come with me. And you," he turned to the person, "better stay out of this."
He handed Sam a wrist ray, possibly her favorite of his parents' inventions, and picked up the thermos.
"Use this only if you need to." he said. He closed his eyes and willed himself to change, feeling the surge. He looked around, making sure everyone was in place — albeit a very confused Jazz, everyone was.
"Let's blow this sucker away." Sam said, hitting the hatch release button. She caught his stare and shrugged. "I figured we could use a witty start to a battle."
"Just cover me." he said, stepping partially out of the door.
He aimed his fist in the direction of the pursuing ghost, and fired a shot of energy. The knight easily maneuvered around the attack. Danny shot several more, all with the same result. Frowning, he decided to change his tactics.
"Hold onto me." he told Sam. She blinked at him. "I'm going to need someone to stabilize me and act as a lifeline."
She looked up and down his body before deciding to wrap her arms around his waist. If it had been any other time, he would have enjoyed the sensation of the embrace but now was not the time for such things.
He stepped further out of the hatch. Sam gripped him tighter as he did, ensuring him she wasn't going to let go easily. Now with a better view of the knight, he aimed more precisely, guessing where their pursuer was going to move. The shots would have landed had they not been blocked by a rather fierce looking sword.
He shifted slightly, shooting off several blasts of energy in various directions. Two landed hits, one on the knight's shoulder and the other on the horse's eye.
The dead animal let out a shriek of pain, nearly knocking its rider off as it bucked. The ghost was able to call it down and give chase once more.
The ghost shot his own attack at the Speeder. It jolted the group cursed as he almost lost his footing. He was grateful for Sam standing behind him. He warmth a sense of comfort and loyalty.
"I'm going out." he said to her over his shoulder. She gave him a confused look. "I'm going to try and distract him. I need you to cover me before you guys take off."
"Oh, now you're ready to fight." the stranger said. It stepped towards the entrance, removing the cloak.
They openly gaped at the woman beneath. It was the Manson's maid, Kate.
She no longer donned the uniform she had been assigned. Instead, she wore clingy clothes that showed more than he wanted to see. Strapped to her waist was a belt strung with many swords. He wondered how she was able to hide all that bulk under the cloak. The only explanation he could come up with on short notice was magic.
"If we're going to fight," she said, "it would be best to move now."She waited for Danny to relieve himself of his shocked state, though she did not appear happy to wait on him. He didn't question how she would be participating in the fight, he only hoped that she would help him make sure the others could get away.
He shot out of the Speeder, Kate trailing after him. The knight ghost seemed startled by this for a moment but he quickly straightened himself out.
The ghost charged forwards, wielding his sword. Neither side wavered until the moment before impact.
Danny moved out of the way, as did Kate. The knight kept going. He went directly for the Specter Speeder.
The teen cried out in surprise. He watched as the sword was swung downwards to Sam, who had positioned herself at the ready to cover them in case the worst should happen.
Before Danny could blink, Sam managed to blast the ghost in the face with the wrist ray. He was glad she had gotten a lot of practice with it and that she had good aim.
He watched as the ghost tumbled downwards, the horse whinnying.
"Well, that was no fun." Kate said, pouting.
Danny looked at her. She was floating, like a ghost would, but when he focused on her glow, he knew she wasn't a ghost. She was something else entirely. He couldn't quite pinpoint what. It seemed like she was hiding her glow.
Was that even possible?
The knight charged back up at them, taking a swipe at Danny. He quickly turned his midsection intangible, never more thankful for the power than that moment.
He struck back with a punch and a kick of his own. The hits landed, however they proved to be ineffective.
"How do we beat him?" Danny asked Kate.
"He is a knight. He is chivalrous." she said. "Do something that irks him."
He cocked a brow. He had no idea how to tick this ghost off. How would go about angering a ghost who once was a knight?
He tried to swipe the sword away but to no avail.
When she finally had enough of that, Kate stepped in. One of her many swords met with the knights, the sound of the blades meeting rang through his core.
"I shall not fight a woman." the ghost said, dismounting his horse.
"That's your mistake then." Kate said, smirking.
She swung at him again. He blocked her attack.
"Back down." he said to her.
"Never."
Danny watched for several moments, the woman driving him back and the ghost defending himself against every blow.
He noted the cloak the ghost wore. It was made of a flaming ectoplasm-like material, but he knew it was solid enough for him to grasp easily.
He snuck around the back of the knight, crouched and waiting to pounce. When the moment was right, he sprung forward and grasped the end of the cloak. He swung himself over the ghost's head and at an angle, so as to miss the sharp blade.
The knight waved wildly and stumbled backwards. He bumped into his horse and lost his grip on the sword.
"Danny!"
He turned towards Sam's voice. Tucker was driving towards them. Jazz was wielding a bazooka type weapon he had thought to stash inside the night before and Sam had the spare thermos at the ready.
They charged forwards, Jazz aiming wildly and shrieking like a madwoman. She landed several miraculous hits.
The next second, Sam activated the thermos. The knight was gone in a matter of seconds.
"Great teamwork." Tucker said, giving him the thumbs up.
"Danny makes the perfect distraction." Jazz said. "He always has."
"Thanks." Danny said flatly. "Is there anything else I should know?"
"We're here." Kate said, nodding in one direction.
He turned and looked.
Their destination definitely had the feel as if it defied all time and yet flowed perfectly in with it. It was a tall tower with gears galore, ticking softly and turning with each tock.
"Welcome to Clockwork's headquarters." she said, floating over to the island. She landed without any trouble. "We had best get inside."
Danny followed her, landing on the edge and transforming back. He gave an involuntary shudder. He never really liked reverting to his human form after a fight.
Next to him, the Specter Speeder settled quietly. The engines died down and the others stepped out. They looked around, just as amazed as he was.
"Weird." Jazz said. "Humans can step on ghost territory."
"If that's what you think." Kate said. "Come along. We have items to retrieve."
She lead the way inside, passing straight through the door, like a ghost would in their world. Warily, Sam tried it and managed the same thing. Tucker and Jazz followed her, marveling at the sensation.
Danny trailed after them. He phased through just as easily. He never paid much attention to how it felt after the first time. It was definitely weird.
The others stood waiting around, peeking behind something every now and again. Kate was the most ardent in the search. In fact, with every passing moment, she seemed more angered.
"Where is it?" she said, hissing the chant. "Where is it? Where is it? Where is it? Where is it!"
"There is no need to be so loud." a voice said, emerging from the shadows. "The sword is right over on the wall."
Kate noticed it, and easily got it down, crooning at the blade.
Out of the shadows, where the voice had come from, was a young-looking ghost. And then the ghost shifted. It was like watching a human grow old right in front of his very eyes. For a moment, the ghost's aging stopped at a healthy looking man before shrinking into a wrinkled elderly man, where he again paused. The shifting looped back into the youthful appearance.
"Hello." the ghost said, lisping as a child. It was odd hearing the voice change as the ghost aged. "I am Clockwork, as you may have already guess. Welcome to my domain. I have been waiting for you, Daniel, Tucker, Samantha, Jasmine. You and your… companion."
"How do you know…?" Tucker started to say but never finished. His attention turned to one of the many round, television-like screens hanging from the ceiling.
"I know exactly who all of you are, who you will be, who you could be, and who you will never be." he said, floating close to them. "I have seen it all. There is nothing that ever surprises me."
"Where's the ampulla?" Kate said, sheathing the sword along with the others she wore.
"Patience. No one ever gets far without it. Especially in these types of situations."
Her nostrils flared violently and her face grew a brilliant red.
"We had a deal." she said, her voice changing. It grew deeper and heavily accented. "You said that you would hold them for me and when I came back —"
"I simply said I would hold them for you. You are not meant to receive the ampulla at this point in time. In another timeline, yes, you get it. But here and now? No."
"Then tell me whose grubby paws I will have to pry it out of when they are dead."
"You will see in time, my dear."
"Tell me, Clockwork! As I stand here, with my blade, tell me who I will have to kill!"
"Calm yourself, Katherine Magnusson!" Clockwork said. "Now is not the time for this! Save your anger for later."
So, who saw that coming?
Pheek did! And I think someone else did, too. I can't remember anymore. I'm sorry. *headdesk*
Also, I wanted to address something that Pheek pointed out (by the way, I'm sorry if I sounded mean in my original response to you, that was never my intention). There is much confusion as to Sam's parents' names. In every episode they have been credited in, they have been called Jeremy and Pam. I checked and double checked this. Triple, even. I always make sure I do pretty thorough research and investigation.
Okay, now for the things that were changed from my original notes.
First off Skulker was supposed to be involved in the fight, not the Fright Knight. I think I changed it because of something in the future I wanted to write.
Secondly, the fight was supposed to end with everyone crashing into Clockwork's tower. That was supposed to lead to a few other things.
Thirdly, the conversation between all of them in the tower was supposed to go differently. I don't remember how I originally wanted it, but there is a rough draft floating around my black hole of a bedroom.
Katherine is an interesting character. She surprised me with her quick temper but not fighting skills. The number of weapons she carries… hee hee. Let's just say she and Clockwork are friends. In the nicest terms. More about that revealed in the next chapter.
Anyway, yeah my summer's going great. Still chatting with my cabin mates and friends from NaNoWriMo. By the way, guys, July's camp is coming up! Anyone interested, just signup at the main site. Just find the Danny Phantom topic in the FanFiction section. I'm checking everyday now. I'll let you know how to get in contact with the rest of us, and there are many of us. We welcome everyone. Even if you generally don't write for the Phandom, we'll let you in. :)
Yeah. Can't wait for next week for you guys. You're going to love it.