Edit: 6/5/18: Next wave of grammar fixes and wording tweaks or some scenes altered to avoid cliches. Took out AN question and answer sections.
Sorry for being a day late everyone!
The next chapter will be out in two weeks. :)
zzz- normal separation
ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)
Mental thoughts or distant speaking
"Intriguing isn't it? One day you are the king of your world. And the next day, you stand aside, watching it all burn. Ashes slipping out of your hand, you just stand and stare, your glassy gaze fixed on something no one else could see, no one else could know…" ~ Aleena Yasin.
zzz
Outside Amity Park. 6:03 PM.
It was all over. Everything had fallen through. Just when she was starting to think things would be okay, that she could have friends who liked her and a normal-ish life, it was practically all pulled out from under her by the very person who once called her daughter.
She'd hidden in the woods outside of Amity for a while with Cujo, who'd merely sat with her loyally. Dani Fenton was at a real crossroads. Because the truth of the matter was she had no connections. That was the one good thing about being a clone. She could disappear and no one would ever know if she was careful enough. She didn't exist. In order to save herself though, she'd have to sacrifice the very happiness and wellbeing of the people who'd given her a home for the last three or so months. Danny had risked a lot for her in the past, even his own life.
"Cujo… I don't know what to do. Why did Vlad have to be such a… such a… Fruit-loop!"
"Woof-woof."
Dani sighed again, resting her back against the trunk she was near. Cujo snuggled into her side and whined.
"Even if I try to save Danny… the whole world knows about him now and it will only be a matter of time before they know about me." Dani clenched her fists in fear. "The Guys in White will come and we'll be wanted."
Dani pulled her head down into her knees and grabbed her black hair in her hands. "Everyone we care about will be thought of as criminals for helping a ghost."
Cujo whined again and tried to lick Dani's hand.
Dani groaned in frustration and worry. "What's the point of it all. I almost feel like just giving up. It's like the whole world is against us!"
Cujo perked up and cocked his head.
"You aren't helping…" Dani deadpanned. She then glanced down at her hands as a little ectoplasm sparked to life in them. "What do I do? Danny… I need Danny… I need to save Danny."
With that revelation she knew she had grown very attached to her origin and to her brother. She knew she couldn't live without him nearby. The faces of her new family and friends flashed through her mind and she stood up before transforming.
"We Fentons stick together… no man or woman left behind," Dani murmured, repeating Jack's words. Cujo barked and got up, wagging his little tail. "There's a chance this won't end well, but that's never stopped a Fenton before. Let's go save Danny, Cujo."
Cujo jumped into the air after Dani, flying high into the sky and hiding in the clouds. Dani wasn't sure how she would find her brother but checking some of Vlad's old haunts could be useful. There had to be something somewhere to point her to Danny.
zzz
Police Station in Amity Park. 7:34 PM.
The policeman sighed deeply and looked evenly at the fiery-haired girl in front of him. "Are you positive that's what happened? You aren't a part of this too, are you?"
Jazz had been expecting a lot of different kinds of questions, but that one threw her for a loop. "Me? I would never hurt Danny! I've told you once and I'll tell you again. It was all an accident. Danny disobeyed his parents and checked out the portal. He was shocked with ectoplasm and became half-ghost which is really just another way of saying his genes were altered somewhat. My parents and I had nothing to do with his change. They didn't perform experiments on their son."
"What about that little girl?"
Jazz swallowed slightly. "Look. She wasn't my parents doing. That was all Vlad. If you're looking for someone who'd pass for an abuser, go look for him. That's all and there is nothing more for me to say." Jazz sighed. "I want a lawyer."
The policeman let out a disappointed sigh at Jazz lawyering up but nodded. "Alright then, your parents have done the same thing. We don't actually have any proof of you doing anything illegal so you're all free to go."
Jazz sighed and got up, but not before the policemen finished. "For now."
The young adult hurriedly made it out of the room and found her parents waiting for her. The remaining Fentons shared a big hug.
"They weren't too pushy, were they Jazz?" Maddie asked worriedly.
Jazz shook her head. "No. It isn't over yet and I'm mostly more concerned about Danny's rights under the law rather than ours at the moment."
Jack furrowed his brows as they walked towards the door. "But Danny's still Danny. How would he not have any rights?"
Jazz shook her head. "When the government passed the Anti-ecto law, they had no idea there was such a thing as a half-ghost. It's an easy loop-hole in the words because of lack of foresight. Danny is an entity that requires ectoplasm. It's not to the extreme that normal ghosts do, but it's enough in the eyes of that law. The GiW could easily come and take him if they see him as a threat to society or even the nation for that matter. By the time people could possibly vote to change the law, it would be too late for Danny."
Maddie rested a fist against her head in worry and anxiety. "This is a disaster."
Jack couldn't think of anything to say and he was further rendered speechless when the three opened the door and were bombard by a variety of reporters.
"Did you experiment on your son?"
"Was Daniel Fenton meant to become a weapon of mass destruction?"
"Is he in fact dead or still living?"
"Is it true that he's been going to Casper High while still being a hybrid creature?"
"If the government is willing to pay you for taking your property, as compensation, what amount are you prepared to take?"
It was the last question that turned Jack's face red. "Excuse me?"
Maddie froze and Jazz looked at her father in slight confusion when he spoke more quietly than she'd ever heard him.
The reporters grew silent when Jack spoke, hoping to get a statement.
"Danny-boy isn't our property. He isn't an experiment. He is our son. My wife gave birth to him, we changed his diapers, taught him how to walk and talk. He is my boy. If I had known that ghost hunting would've led to this, then I would've given it up a long time ago." Jack then looked up and almost glared at the people there. "Don't you ever talk about my son like he doesn't have a say. I know his laughter, I know his favorite food and I gave him an astrology book when he was five years old because he loved the stars." Jack then slowly tried to calm himself and his voice rose a bit. "I hope that's a good enough statement for you, you vultures. Come on Mads, Jazzy." Jack then placed a hand on each shoulder of his wife and girl and moved them through the crowd and towards their RV.
After they'd gotten in the RV, Maddie spoke, "Jack, you really kept your cool back there, honey."
Jack smiled a bit. "They sure got me mad. I can't remember the last time I talked so softly. It doesn't matter though. We've got to go find Danny."
Jazz frowned in worry. "You do realize that crossing state lines while we're suspected of harming Danny will be super suspicious if not illegal, right? I'm not saying forget about Danny, but…"
"We can't just abandon Danny though…" Maddie puzzled.
"How about this?"
Jack almost slammed on the breaks when a new voice popped into their conversation but managed to only nick one fire hydrant before evening out.
Jazz's eyes widened when she saw who'd stowed along. "Sam!?"
Sam frowned. "You were expecting someone else? Look, what if only half of us go? I'm not wanted for anything, yet."
Maddie frowned and then nodded. "That's actually not a bad idea. I think Sam and I should go and find Danny."
Jack whined. "But Maddie, I can't let you go and face Vlad alone."
"What am I, chopped liver?" Sam asked and Jazz rolled her eyes in amusement.
"Jack, honey, Vlad may be less likely to attack me. I still think I'm a part of his obsession. If you go, he'll definitely try and kill you."
Jazz nodded. "I'll stay with Dad since well, I'm not very good at fighting yet, minus the Fenton Peeler."
"Two out of three people staying in state for their future trial is pretty good." Sam furrowed her brows. "Besides I'll find some way to pay for an amazing lawyer for you all. He's already researching everything about the Anti-ecto act and this will be a piece of cake in comparison."
"Oh Sam, I'm not sure your parents would-" Maddie started.
"They won't, but Grandma will. The fortune is still in her name, not my father's, yet. That's why I can buy all those random things without my parents' permission."
"I knew you were a good kid, Sam!" Jack bellowed.
Sam smiled. "Well I actually kind of like you people and Danny's sort of my boyfriend, who I love, so yeah not a hard decision."
"I have a question." Jazz stated.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you in our RV in the first place?"
Sam smirked. "I was still hiding from my parents. You think they would search near this thing?"
"Good point."
The RV finally came to a stop in front of Fentonworks. The family and Sam sadly noticed that a few windows had been broken with rocks no doubt.
"It's a good thing we have a great security system by yours truly," Jack expressed.
Maddie told Sam to stay while Jack, Jazz and she went inside to gather a few weapons the two girls would need. While she was waiting, Sam noticed a familiar figure sitting on her scooter near an alley-way. Sam looked around and saw the street was practically deserted before running over to Ida.
"Grandma, what are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you. I knew you wouldn't want to see your parents at the present. You know they're only worried about you, Sammy."
"Yeah, I know, but I have to help Danny first. They can punish me in practically any way they like, but they won't stop me from helping him," Sam replied firmly.
Ida sighed and reached up to her ponytail before pulling out the fix. "You sound so much like me. I knew from the start that you loved that Fenton boy. He's a good kid, smart, kind… and not a bad looker either."
Sam flushed. "Grandma!"
"Just calling them like I see them sweetie. Here." Ida reached up and pulled Sam's hair fix out carefully before pulling her hair back up with hers. It was green like Sam's, but it had tiny strings of color braided near the middle. "I made that when I first fell in love with your grandfather. Keep it with you."
Sam touched the fix tenderly with one hand. "Grandma…"
"Don't waste time, dear. Go find him. He needs you as much as you need him. That's true love."
Sam leaned down a gave her grandma a quick kiss on her forehead. "אני אוהב אותך סבתא. תודה." ("I love you grandma. Thank you.").
Sam then turned and ran off to get back in the RV before Maddie came back and she was missed. As she ran, Ida sat quietly in her scooter with a small frown on her face. "I hope your story ends happily, bubleh. With all my heart, I hope and pray."
zzz
Somewhere in Montana. 8:09 AM.
The next time his eyes opened, he was sitting at a table. His body felt just as heavy as the night before and he was certain that didn't make sense. He should've felt fine by now, but his body felt sluggish and he was pretty sure the world wasn't supposed to blur every so often. He thought his eyes crossed once before he noticed three Vlads sitting across the table from him, eating something. Danny couldn't tell if he was seeing things or Vlad was playing with his duplicates, until he spoke and all the Vlads' mouths were in perfect sync.
"Good morning, son. You should try the omelet. It's not as good as Fredrick's but most of my staff seem to be missing for some reason."
Why was Vlad talking so casually? Danny glanced down at the table and saw that there was indeed food in front of him. He tried to move but noticed he was tied to his chair and that also didn't make sense… did it? How did da-Vlad… Vlad, not dad… Danny wanted to put a hand to his head because he was starting to feel a sense of vertigo, but of course his arms were tied down.
"Oops, almost forgot. I didn't want you to hurt yourself. I'll need to help you eat." Vlad got up from his seat and started making his way over to Danny. Danny was pretty hungry, but one thing he was fairly sure of was that he didn't want Vlad any closer.
So, he grunted out a no and shook his head, making Vlad stop.
"Now now, you're going to be hungry later."
"No…" Danny whined, wishing he could make sense of everything. He slung his head back over the headrest and stared at the ceiling.
"Very well but don't complain of hunger later. This is going to be a great day. Even the weather looks nice."
Danny glanced out the window and indeed noticed it was sunny outside. He wanted to struggle or move more, but his body still felt like lead.
Several minutes of silence, save for the clicking of Vlad's silverware, passed and slowly Danny started to feel more aware. The young man had a sneaking suspicion that he'd been drugged, with what, he had no clue because it took some pretty heavy stuff to mess with a halfa.
Before long, Vlad was done eating and after wiping his mouth with a napkin, he rose and started walking towards Danny. Danny started to panic and when Vlad got too close, he kicked out and hit the table, making drinks and food spill and his chair tip over backwards.
"Vlad stop this! You're acting way crazier than normal!"
Vlad paused and sighed. "See this is why you need your medicine dear Daniel. You could hurt yourself or someone that way." Vlad carefully pulled a needle from his pocket and uncapped it. Daniel tensed and tried pushing away but couldn't since his legs weren't free either.
"You'll feel better in a little while, Daniel. I'm going to set up an activity for you, TV perhaps, but I can't leave you like this before then. I'm also working on something that will cure you forever."
Danny's eyes widened as Vlad leaned down and propped Danny back up. "Cure me forever? What the heck are you talking about?"
"Your sickness my son."
Danny realized that Vlad was falling even deeper into nothingness at those words. His delusions were getting more and more real. "Vlad listen to me! Nothing you're seeing or thinking is real! It's all in your head! Snap out of it!"
Vlad sighed. "Even with all the fuss, I still love you Daniel. I will do everything I can to protect you. Now relax while I go talk to your mother. She's away for business. Won't she be happy to see her son all better when she gets back?"
Danny shouted in fear and defeat when the needle pierced his skin on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. You won't be a prisoner in your body any more, Daniel. I'll fix it. I promise."
"Vlad… no…" Danny mumbled.
"Papa is right here, my boy. It's be all over soon. Just a little longer."
Before long, Vlad was gone and Danny was left in the dining room alone. Food was still spilled over the table and floor and Danny's head was slumped on his chest.
zzz
Amity Park. Fenton Residence. 11:13 AM.
This was the most insane thing he'd ever done. That was certainly saying something too. Not only that, but he was also doing something that would seem completely counterproductive. He'd just been freed from the Ghost Zone, so why on earth would he go back there?
Tucker sighed in nervousness. The upside, he was out of the hospital and his leg was healing nicely. Only his constant worry about Valerie had kept him from flipping smooth out. He'd managed to gain control of the nanobots but had run into one tiny problem. Because the doctors had stopped the nanobots but could not remove them, Valerie's blood and body had already started to try and dissolve the tiny robots. This process would take a very long time and even if it could be done naturally, the amount of dangerous material leaked into her blood by then would no doubt be fatal. The nanobots were now damaged and even if Tucker could take control and move the bots out of her blood via his PDA, their motors and propulsion had been destroyed. The doctors had meant well but had actually prevented Valerie from being saved quicker. Tucker didn't exactly blame them, after all not many people would or should trust a kid with hacking into nanobots to bring them out of a living body.
However, now there was only one way to save his girlfriend from a slow death and he didn't like the idea one bit. After sneaking out of the hospital and past his parents as well as past Jack and Jazz, he thought the next part would be easier.
"Tucker? What are you doing down here?"
Tucker looked over his shoulder and saw Jazz in the doorway to the basement.
"I um… I need to see someone."
"Uh huh…" Jazz replied and wandered down.
Tucker sighed. "I can't save Valerie by myself. The nanobots are too damaged to control now. There's only one other way I can fix this."
Jazz studied Tucker for a moment before she had a look of realization come to her face. "Technokinesis."
"Technus…" Tucker murmured.
Jazz let out a big breath. "Tucker… Technus won't help you. He's furthered himself even more from his human emotions."
Tucker grit his teeth in frustration. "I have to try! Don't you get it? This is my fault! Do you know how long it took me to hack into those nanobots? Fifteen minutes. Child's play. I could've easily saved Valerie from this pain and danger, but I never thought to check her. If I don't try everything, then I can't live with myself."
Jazz looked at her brother's friend for a long minute before hugging him. "I can't come with you because me and dad need to stay put for the police… but here." Jazz walked over and pulled out a thermos and a glove. She pulled the glove over Tucker's hand and pointed to it. "This is actually the Fenton Peeler. Dad and mom upgraded it recently. Just make a fist as tight as you can and it will activate the gun and armor."
Tucker nodded as he clipped the thermos to his belt. "Thanks Jazz."
Jazz smiled. "Of course."
A small silence passed over them. "Everything's going to be okay, Jazz."
Jazz looked up in surprise at Tucker. "Wha-"
"I mean yeah, everything is pretty screwy… but we need to have hope. Otherwise there's no point, right? I'm saying something that makes sense, aren't I?"
Jazz chuckled lightly. "Yeah, get going okay? And be safe."
Tucker nodded and turned to jump into the green swirl. He almost fell flat on his face when Jazz yelped.
"Wait! I almost forgot."
Tucker turned to look at Jazz and noticed that she was holding a folder.
"You need to read this before you go to Technus."
"What is it?"
"You know about my thesis, right?"
"Yeah."
"I've had to do lots and lots of research on the ghosts in my paper and because it's not very safe to face them in person… I had to try and find out more about who some of them were in life."
Tucker blinked in shock and looked down at the manila folder.
"I was going to share everything I found with you guys soon, but then this all happened…"
Tucker nodded in understanding. He turned to once again jump into the portal.
"Be on guard and stay safe."
Tucker didn't reply before leaping into the portal. Jazz knew to open the doors back up if he tapped hard enough on them, plus he had his PDA with him. He glanced down at the folder one more time as he started floating through the endless green… again.
"And use psychology."
zzz
Ghost Zone. 11:24 AM.
"No way… He's that inventor?" Tucker yelped out ins surprise as he floated through the zone. Tucker went back to reading.
'From what research I've done, I'm starting to believe Technus didn't find peace because he wasn't given more credit for helping to create the many inventions as well as his physiological fascination with electricity.'
Tucker kept reading slowly. Finally, he neared the end of the papers.
'Died of a heart attack…'
Tucker sighed. It was no wonder Technus was a bit nutty. He wasn't exactly normal in life and trusted very few people then, and in his case, for good reason.
It wasn't long after that that he found himself in front of Technus' door.
He finally gathered the courage and knocked.
"Yes, hello? Who is it!?"
"Uh… Tucker?"
"The Techno-geek?"
"Uh yeah, can I talk to you?"
Tucker gasped and had to leap back with Technus' door swung open. The robot body leaned forward and its oddly expressive eyes narrowed. "What's this about?"
Tucker gulped and then calmed. "Look I really need your help."
"My help? Why would I help you?"
"Um because it's the right thing to do?"
Technus didn't budge.
Tucker chuckled nervously. "Heh, it was worth a shot." He then rubbed his face. "Valerie has a bunch of nanobots inside of her that are poisoning her slowly. I can't get them out, but I know you can with your technokinesis-" Tucker lunged to catch the door before Technus could slam it closed.
"Go a-whay. I will not help you, child."
"Please, just listen!"
"No!"
Tucker grunted, trying to keep the door open. "I know about the electrical inventions you created and how your work was ripped off by others. You were a genius and for years you've had to listen to people praise the names of your competitors and their descendants instead of you."
Tucker gagged when he suddenly found himself snagged by the throat and pulled into Technus' room. Machines beeped and arced lightning through the air.
"And you have a shower near all this?"
"Silence!" Technus shouted and glared at the human boy in his grasp. "How did you learn all this?"
Tucker frowned. "Your name was Nicolai Tiszan."
Technus dropped the boy and clasped his metal hands over where his ears would be as a human. "Be quiet! I am Technus! Master of all things electronic and beeping! I will rule the world with the machines I invented! All your technology is because of my doing! You all would be nothing without Technus!"
Tucker backed up against a wall. "I get it. You're angry and you have a right to be. Until I researched this stuff I had no clue. They were wrong to ignore you."
Technus looked up at Tucker with glowing red eyes. "They will pay when I take over da world."
Tucker frowned. "You've been alone for a long time and have only had your machines as company."
"Humans cannot be trusted. They lie and machines do not."
"That's true. How about this… If you help me… I'll see what I can do about fixing the wrongs done to your name. It'll be hard to get people to forget the old and learn the new since so many have never even heard of you, but you'd be surprised what I can do. Besides that, don't you want to do good for the world? You could do all kinds of things with your power."
Technus huffed and steam flew from his joints. "I don't care for humans or human emotions. They are painful and… more complex than machines."
"They are. They can really suck sometimes. Like right now, I want to help my girlfriend. I really do and I feel useless and desperate. On the other hand, when things are good, joy and happiness are awesome."
Technus stared at Tucker for a long while. "I do recall some of those… feelings. They were brief even in life for me… but they were there."
"You could find peace eventually you know. Either I can try my best to fix the wrongs or you can create new things in the present. If legalities get in the way because you're you know, dead… then I can put them under my name-"
Technus' eyes burned red. "You lie! You are just like the others!"
Tucker gulped. "No! No! You don't get it! I swear I'd put them under my name only for legal reasons. I'd tell everyone who made them and even give you all the money if you want it."
Technus blinked. "All the money? Not even a share?"
Tucker sighed. "I don't need money to be happy. I just want Valerie back."
Technus floated silently for a few moments.
Tucker frowned. "I'm willing to do these things, but if you don't agree, then I'm prepared to force you to help me."
Technus looked down and finally noticed the thermos and glove. "Then why ask if you can force me?"
"Because I wanted to be fair. Danny has started to really understand and explain ghost obsessions to us. They're important… more important than we ever thought. So, I get it. I'm willing to do this in a way that benefits everyone."
Technus let out a long sigh.
Tucker pulled out a piece of paper from his folder. "Several electrical coils, turbines, x-ray parts, lamps, robots, currents and their natures, even research on spark plugs…"
With each thing that was spoken form the list, Technus' robotic body started to look more and more human again. By the time Tucker was done, Technus looked more like his 2.0 version.
"You really did your research."
"Well it was actually Jazz, but yeah. She did."
Technus looked about his room at all his machines. "I was electrocuted by a headband I had tinkered with shortly before my death. Not long after, I believe the damage from that incident created the clot that stopped my heart. Machines have always been a comfort to me because they are easy to understand, unlike humans." Technus nodded to Tucker. "Very well. I will help your friend, child or I am not Technus, Master of all thing electronic and beeping!"
Tucker smiled. "Thanks, Technus. You'll have to ride in the thermos since that's the only way I can sneak you into the hospital."
Technus grumbled something and floated over. "Here… let me." Technus muttered before clicking the button and getting sucked inside. "Hmmm… Has it gotten roomer in here?"
Tucker chuckled awkwardly before leaving Technus' lair and shutting his door tightly.
zzz
Amity Park Miracle Hospital. 3:12 PM.
"There they are all out."
"Thanks, Technus. You did a great job."
"Psh, child's play. It took hardly a smidge of thought to move those nanobots."
Valerie groaned slightly and realized she was in a plain room. She tried to speak but found out she had a tube down her throat. Tucker noticed her and smiled like a moron. "Val! You're awake." He walked over and handed her a notepad and pen since he could tell she wanted to speak.
Why is there a ghost in here?
Tucker looked at the writing and chuckled. "Technus here actually saved your life."
"You do not need to praise me, child. I did it out of the good of my own heart- er core."
Valerie raised an eyebrow at that and Tucker chuckled nervously. "Don't worry about it." He watched as Valerie wrote again.
Where's everyone? What happened to Vlad and Danny?
"Well the thing about that-"
"Mister Foley? We need you out of the room now, we're going to do a check on Miss Gray."
Tucker tensed when he heard the nurse's voice and spun, quickly sucking Technus into the thermos. Technus cried out as he was sucked in, per usual for any ghost. The Nurse walked in to see Tucker holding something behind his back nervously and Valerie looking at her.
"Oh my! Miss Gray's awake!" The nurse walked over and shooed Tucker out of the room. "I need to get the doctor and you can't be in here at this time."
Tucker looked over his shoulder at Valerie and gave her a look that said, 'We'll talk later.'
zzz
Clockwork's Lair. 4:40 PM.
Dan growled in frustration as he tried to fire off his twentieth blast of energy. It had been like this since his release. He kept getting tired every time he fired off an attack, be it ecto-flames, a blast, telekinesis or anything at all. He'd also made the bad mistake of trying to use his wail and woke up an hour later on his back.
Finally, Dan gave up for the time being and made his way back to Clockwork's fuming. When he got inside the lair he nearly tripped over a strange trinket of Clockwork's that was on the floor. Dan cursed out loud and steadied himself. He whispered yet another curse under his breath when Clockwork's voice came to him.
"That's the third time you've almost tripped over that staff since you've been out. Are you feeling alright?"
Dan scowled. "Shut-up. Stop acting like you don't know. Do you have any idea how condescending you sound, all. the. time?"
Clockwork quirked an eyebrow in amusement before going back to his blank face. "Dan, you are feeling a lack of control, energy, power and drive since you've been released, correct?"
Dan gave a sardonic grin. "Performance issues?"
Clockwork coughed and gave Dan a hard look. "All joking aside, I know why you are having these problems."
Dan narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I get it. You let me out but there are strings attached. You're doing this aren't you?"
Clockwork frowned sadly and Dan was shocked by the sudden look.
"That is not the case."
Dan huffed, trying to move past the pitying look Clockwork had given him. "Then what is the problem?" Dan demanded.
a slightly impatient Clockwork murmured something to himself in Latin before speaking. "The problem is that you lack an obsession."
Dan froze and was quiet for a moment. "What."
"You no longer have a clear obsession." Clockwork turned to look at Dan fully. "You're disappearing."
zzz
Pariah's Keep. 9:54 PM.
Pariah was his. Finally, the titan had fallen. Now it was just a matter of finding the key to the sarcophagus. He'd searched Vlad's place and had found nothing, oddly enough. Where could it be? Vladimir had been the last to have it and yet it wasn't where it should be. No matter. His children would find it for him.
Malus took a deep breath and then released it, causing dark wisps of smoke to pour out from the sarcophagus. They swirled around themselves to form four demonic looking creatures. One took the shape of a large and evil looking raven, another took the form of a skeleton horse, the third became a hellhound and the last was in the shape of a great lizard. All of them had black sunken in eyes and gnarly joints and libs. With no verbal command they flew off in different directions, with the purpose to search relentlessly for the object that would set their master free.
zzz
Somewhere in Montana. 11:11 PM.
"The coordinates Tucker gave us aren't far from here."
Sam nodded to Maddie's comment. It wasn't long before they found themselves off-road, going through long stretches of fields and forests.
"How on earth does anyone buy groceries here?" Maddie asked.
Sam was about to speak when something large slammed into their vehicle, tipping it over onto its side and forcing it to slide in circles. Eventually they stopped and Maddie kicked the door out of the RV before hoping out and landing in a stance, Bo staff ready. Sam crawled out right behind, with several weapons strapped to her waist and back. She froze when she saw the mass of ghostly animals surrounding them.
Maddie growled. "Vlad's experiments. I didn't know he had more of these."
A bear with moose antlers roared before rearing up and baring its claws at them. The other animals started to growl, snort, and cry out.
"Prepare to fall, fiends!" Maddie shouted before she dove into battle. Sam grit her teeth and pulled out two ecto-pistols from their holsters, starting to fire into the crowd of beasts.
Several minutes later, Maddie and Sam found themselves back to back and facing what seemed like a never-ending army of ghostly animals.
"We need to make our way through them. We can't fight them forever, for our sakes and Danny's," Sam spoke up before throwing a Jack-o-ninetails at a massive jackelope creature.
Maddie grimaced and glanced down at her waist to see a few small metal spheres. Each had a red dot on them and they were her last resort. They were small gas grenades which held blood blossom vapor. Vapor couldn't destroy a ghost, but it would cause a lot of fear and pain. A few months ago, she wouldn't have hesitated using them against any old ghost, but now she was much more hesitant.
"Sam I'm going to use a special weapon. When I do, we have to make a run for it."
Sam looked at her in confusion. "Special weapon?"
"Someone rang?"
Maddie and Sam looked up to see Dani dive bomb the animals with blasts and icy beams.
"Dani? Oh sweetie, we were so worried!" Maddie cried out.
Dani looked over at her and smiled. "I was really scared when everyone saw Danny and I thought about just disappearing, but I knew I couldn't abandon Danny after everything he'd done. I love you guys."
Maddie teared up slightly and hugged her floating daughter until Sam's voice caught their attention.
"Uh I hate to be the one to break up the reunion, but demon animals?" Sam motioned and pulled her arm away before jaws snapped in the place it had been.
All three girls paused where they were when a terrible roar from the woods sounded, causing birds to take off in a panic. The animals looked towards the woods, some whimpering. It was then that Cujo, in his larger form, burst through the trees and roared again in their faces. The smaller beasts took off running immediately and the rest took off after Cujo slammed into a few of the larger ones and scared them away.
Dani smiled brightly and ran over to Cujo to hug his face. "Oh, good boy! Good Cujo!" Cujo barked happily before licking Dani's face.
"Dani, how'd you even find us?" Sam asked.
Dani chuckled nervously. "Well I had checked everyplace Vlad used to go, even Colorado. I was doubling back some when I caught your and Maddie's voices…"
"Whoa whoa wait a minute. Our voices?" Sam asked and rose a brow.
Well more like your mental thoughts.
Sam and Maddie flinched in surprise.
"You've started developing telepathy…" Sam murmured.
Dani nodded. "I guess I just happened to fly over you guys, close enough. Then I spotted your RV and followed you."
"Let's get moving, Danny's waiting for us," Maddie spoke up after squeezing Dani's shoulder.
Sam nodded and started to follow after Maddie while Dani floated over and rode on Cujo's back. The four made their way towards where they thought Danny and Vlad were.
zz
Danny pulled and struggled in the large tube, trying to in vain to break his restraints.
"This is just what we need, Daniel. This right here."
Danny glanced down at Vlad as the other halfa loaded those ominously glowing stones of Akili into the machine next to his tube; Danny thrashed even harder when he noticed the larger amount he used. Vlad rubbed his hands as he looked at the machine's screen, the light bounced off his face an only helped to highlight the red boils now present there. Danny had started to notice the ecto-acne earlier that day and it had slowly gotten worse and worse. There were even boils starting to appear on his hands from what Danny could see. Vlad's ghost half was starting to over-power his living self.
"Vlad, listen to me! I'm not your son! This is going too far!" Danny paused. "Well probably cloning me was taking it too far, but whatever. Vlad!"
"Don't worry Daniel. It'll finally be over."
Danny and Vlad's eyes met and for a moment Danny couldn't be sure if Vlad was still stuck in one of his delusions or if he was actually aware of his actions. Baby blue and cobalt lingered on each other before Vlad moved over to a lever.
"Vlad. Stop this. This isn't right."
Vlad sighed deeply. "I'm going to make it right." The lever was then pulled down and Danny was rudely reminded of how painful resisting Akili stones was.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAAHHHH!" Danny screamed out and started to thrash, arching his body by instinct.
Vlad sat down and stared at the flashing cell with a blank and sad looking expression. He clasped his hands together and continued to watch the graph near the machine.
"My son. My precious son."
"Danny!?"
"Danny!?"
"Vlad!?"
Vlad's head popped up at the voices and his eyes turned fully red before he glared in the direction of the sound. "Intruders…" He only had time to get up and transform before Maddie, Sam, Dani and Cujo burst into the large lab-like room.
All of the humans looked at the screaming Danny in worry, while Cujo was growling at Vlad.
Vlad swiped his cape out from in front of him and he blocked their view of Danny with his body. Maddie and Sam both noticed the now black looking boils on the ghost form's skin. He was completely ignoring the pain coming from his human half.
"You will not hurt my son. Leave this place, now!" Vlad roared.
Maddie narrowed her eyes. "Not without Danny. Vlad he's not your son. He never was!"
"Silence! He's everything to me! My wonderful son and no one will take him from me!" Vlad screamed before duplicating into four and firing a blast at each opponent.
Maddie cartwheeled away, Dani floated up, Cujo turned intangible, and Sam dove into a roll to escape. Maddie then turned and fired a blast from the Fenton foamer, hoping to take out one duplicate. That Vlad growled and swatted the flying foam away with an ecto-construct in the shape of a paddle. The original Vlad noticed the Spector Deflectors on the full humans before he had to tell a duplicate to use an ecto-shield against the pistol fire coming from Sam. One Vlad then flew straight for Cujo, igniting his hands with his ecto-stinger. Cujo cried out in pain as he was electrocuted before he managed to swing his head around to bite through the fake ghost. A poof of pink was all that was left. Another Vlad focused and forced a large tornado of winds towards Dani. Dani dashed to the side, using a small burst of telekinesis to make it out of the way of the attack; she then fired ice beams from her eyes towards him. Vlad growled before matching the ice with arcs of electricity, eventually the ice ran out and the electricity made Dani fly back into the wall behind her. The Vlads then redoubled their efforts against Sam and Maddie. Sam blocked Vlad's ecto-sword blow for blow before he overpowered her once and threw her to the ground. Before he could try and take advantage of her fall, Cujo crashed into him. Sam leapt up and blasted the fake Vlad before sparing a glance at Danny's still thrashing form.
Smoke started to come from the machine and sparks were jumping from it. The graph on the side was very close to going over the large red line at the top.
"Danny!" Sam called out and made to run to him, only to be blocked by one of the two remaining Vlads. Seconds later, Dani rushed him and crushed an ice-covered fist into his gut, making the duplicate disappear.
Maddie watched as Vlad stopped attacking her and looked over his shoulder to see Sam trying to get to Danny. Vlad transported to be in front of her and thus the rest of the rescue group and growled. His fists ignited in pink energy and dark yellow ecto-fire started to form and swirl around him like a firestorm.
Maddie glanced down at the metal spheres and grabbed one. After a moment of indecision, she clicked the red button, which started to flash with light.
"You will not take my son from me, ever again!" Vlad yelled. Not seeming to care the graph-line had gone over the red limit. The machine was smoking and starting to make various straining noises.
Before any of them could make a move, Danny's voice rose in volume. "VLLAAAD! VLLAAAAAAAADD! PLEASE! PLEASE STOP!" There was a lot of pain and desperation in Danny's voice as it cut through the air. Vlad stopped his powerful attack and without the sounds of the machine Danny was in, still running, one could've heard a pen drop.
Vlad lowered himself to the ground and transformed back into Masters. He glanced at Danny's now smoking form as Sam ran over and turned off the machine.
"Danny! Danny are you okay!?"
"Sam?"
Vlad stood in udder silence, looking around at every person as if he wasn't sure where he was. Vlad then looked at Maddie. "Mads?"
Maddie's mouth dropped open a little even as the sphere in her hand opened a bit and the red vapor started to pour out into the room, quietly. Vlad hadn't called her that since their college days, it was a nickname both Jack and Vlad had used back then.
"What…" Vlad checked himself and looked back at Danny, who was breathing heavily against Sam's shoulder with his eyes closed; both were sitting on the ground. "Daniel?"
Dani watched Vlad look around in confusion and slight horror, without emotion. She wasn't sure if that was normal to not feel some pity for the man, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Maddie took a step forward, forgetting about the sphere she'd dropped. "Vlad. I'm still angry but let us help you. You're not well."
Vlad looked at her for a long moment and then his own hands and then back to Danny. "I…" Vlad started to speak before he coughed and coughed violently. Maddie looked around as Vlad started to cough harder and noticed the sphere.
"Oh no. We need to get the ghosts and half-ghosts out of here. The blossom vapor is spreading," Maddie expressed.
Dani seemed a bit tired, Cujo scratched at his nose, and Sam noticed Danny was having trouble breathing. Vlad coughed again and some of his paling peach skin became slightly discolored where the most acne was.
"Vlad," Maddie spoke.
Vlad looked up at her and wheezed a bit.
"We need to get out of here. Your acne is back and that's making the effects of the blood blossoms feel worse. If we don't give you the acne cure, they will only get worse even after you leave."
Vlad looked at Maddie for a long time and then he glanced back at Daniel. "No. I need to go, Madeline. I've done too much already."
"Vlad, wait!" She paused for a second when he looked back at her. "You could die," Maddie expressed.
Sam looked up, Cujo cocked his head and Dani continued watching with an unreadable expression.
Vlad sighed and then gave a sardonic smile before he disappeared in a wisp of pink. "Thank you for pretending to care, my dear."
And Vlad was gone. Maddie shook her head briefly before running over to Danny and Sam. "We need to get out." Sam nodded as Maddie took Danny and pulled him onto her back in a fireman's carry. Cujo let Dani get on her back and the whole group ran out of the room.
As they ran into the fresh air and got outside the mansion, Danny's eyes cracked open.
Vlad…
"Even with all the fuss, I still love you Daniel. I will do everything I can to protect you."
Danny then let go and fell into the darkness of unconsciousness.
ooo
"Oh, you are not?! Using your powers to get back at people you don't like? Throwing the first punch? You are more like me than you know!"
zz
"If somebody catches me, I go from geek to freak around here!"
"No. I feel like my heart's been ripped out. But I know who I can take it out on!"
"Because I used my powers for the wrong reason and became exactly the kind of person I hate."
"Way to go, Fenton. You just ticked off one of the only two-real friends you have."
zz
"Why, so you can go back to stumbling through your adolescence, desperately trying to get control of your powers?"
"Using your opponents' weaknesses against him, I am teaching you something after all."
"Fenton kid? So that's it. Alright young Danny, GAME ON."
"Let this be a lesson Danny, I put the "pro" in quid pro quo, not that you are "quit" enough to know what that means."
"Well Daniel, come to wish your old uncle Vlad good luck, have you?"
"BUT, there's nothing to rule here, this place is nothing but ice, snow and… hopelessness."
"That was da Vinci, you dolt."
"Oh yes, the obligatory weather pun, how original."
"I don't expect you to understand my reasons Danny, the important thing is if we are going to defeat Vortex, we are going to have to do it TOGETHER!"
"If any good came out of this, it's that ten years without ghost powers gave me the chance to see what a fool I'd been."
"All I have ever wanted, was love…"
ooo
Fenton RV. Montana. 1:02 AM.
Danny could feel warm hands moving over his wrists and checking his shoulder. For once he didn't feel heavy or restrained and he wasn't sure what that meant for a moment, until he heard a wonderful voice.
"Danny, are you awake?" Sam asked.
Danny cracked opened his eyes to see his mother and girlfriend hovering over him. Dani was sitting in human form in one of the other back seats; Cujo was in puppy form in her lap.
"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Maddie asked and stroked his face with the back of her hand.
Danny took a deep breath. "Better. I think. Everything's really blurry and I can't quite figure out what happened and what didn't…"
Sam reached for his hand and grasped it. "I'll tell you what I can when we start to travel home."
Maddie nodded and leaned back on her haunches. "We'll started traveling back in a few hours. Once the sun rises, maybe."
Danny only nodded as he started to remember what going home now meant… He'd almost forgotten that now the whole world knew who and what he was. He glanced at Dani, who looked at her lap to avoid his gaze and Sam tried to give him a smile, but it was weak.
"What happened to Vlad?" Danny suddenly asked.
Maddie shook her head. "We lost track of him."
"But he had acne again."
"Yes. He did."
Danny seemed a bit confused by the confirmation. "But he could die fully."
"I told him that and… he didn't seem to care."
Danny furrowed his brows.
"Danny. I hate to be so cold, but Vlad is honestly the least of our worries right now," Sam spoke up.
Danny quietly nodded and leaned back down. Normally he wouldn't want to rest at a time like this, but something told him he'd need it. Other than that, he had a lot to think about.
zzz
A small creek above Cut Bank Creek. 1:33 AM.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Zavoevyvat was a fallen conqueror. A long Russian name, that sounded so much more impressive than it really was, was all he had now. For the first time in a long time, he was no longer the famous Vlad Masters or the devious Vlad Plasmius, but Vladimir. As he sat on a stone and stared at his and the stars' reflections in the water, he wondered how much of himself he'd sacrificed to go from Vladimir to Vlad Masters to Vlad Plasmius.
His hair fix had fallen out as he'd fled and his white hair fell just below his shoulders. He gazed now at his hands and thought back on every moment he could remember in his life. Torn between all parts of himself, the frustration, anger, betrayal, sorrow, horror and longing, Vlad could only ask himself one thing.
"What now?"
Okay so what did you guys think? The last chapter was really crazy and I didn't exactly want to lose the momentum of everything that's happening. Also, what did you think of Vlad? I'm kind of getting self-conscious about making sure I do his character right in the future. I want to make sure Vlad doesn't lose his edge and he won't. He'll be mostly a hardass still but at the very end of the story it might change a tiny bit.
As for Vlad's full Russian name, I looked up how middle names work for Russians and found that they have a middle name that honors a father or sometimes a mother. Yes, Vlad's father's name was also Vladimir and his last name means conquer in Russian to reflect the Masters thing. I got the idea for the last name from 'Running into the Enemy's Arms' by deadlydaisy8o8. I love the chapter that has Vlad giving Danny 'the speech' about shaving. It's hilarious.
On the subject of Technus, I kind of based his life off of Nikola Tesla a little. The DP wiki even says that Technus' name is a play on words for Tesla's name, Nicolai Technus: Nikola Tesla... Regardless, I'm just mentioning this because I don't want to offend Tesla's name or ancestry or anything like that... I think they mention that kind of disclaimer at the start of some movies and games. This is why I changed his 'real' name slightly.
NoSignal to all reviews: I just want to really thank you guys for your reviews, questions, ideas and general support. You guys really do keep me going. Though my vision for this story does drive me by itself, you guys help me to know that others are actually enjoying it too and that I'm not just writing something for myself. I like knowing that others enjoy this vision I have. I have also learned a lot from continuously writing this story and can see the difference between early works and now. I feel like writing Danny's character is becoming second nature, lol. Regardless, thanks all of you for everything you do! Even you silent peeps out there!
Thank you all for your reviews, support, follows, etc!
I hope to keep you all entertained!
~NoSignal