The Soul Sepulchre Chapter 13: The Serpent and the Badger, a danny phantom fanfic

Hiya!

Hee, hee, 101 reviews, like the Dalmatians… XD Hee, funny reviews, me likey XP… Ok yes, please excuse the weirdness, it's very late here and I'm a little loony after passing the 100 review mark… I never thought I'd get so many reviews… and in only 12 chapters! Thank you everyone!

Now, it's time for "Lucky" number 13… (insert evil chuckle)

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman owns Danny Phantom. I own Legion and the plot.

Enjoy!

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The Soul Sepulcher

-By Sholay

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Chapter 13 — The Serpent and the Badger

Danny was not happy.

It had been hours since Vlad had arrived at his house and the man still showed no sign of leaving any time soon. It turned out that Vlad had come over on 'official business' as town Mayor to ask Maddie and Jack their opinions on the recent increase in crime and decrease in ghostly activity.

Oh yes, Danny was sure Vlad had absolutely no ulterior motives.

This situation, of course, had been made all the worse when Danny's father had walked in, swept Vlad up into a crushing bear-hug and subsequently dragged him down to the lab to discuss his newest ghostly invention.

Honestly, Danny hoped one of the more deadly weapons would accidentally misfire and wipe that snarky smirk right off the fruitloop's face.

"Da-nny! Can you come in here for a second?" Hearing his mother's voice from the family room, the teen swept his feet off the kitchen table and stood, running a hair through his hair and mentally preparing himself to deal with the insufferable billionaire before heading into the adjoining room.

"Yeah, Mom?" He raised one eyebrow at his mother, which was quickly joined by the other when he realized she was putting on her coat.

"Yes, um, Danny… Vlad's going to be staying for dinner, but your father and I just got an urgent call from the police. It seems they want us to consult on some new development. I need you to keep Vlad company until we get back, okay?" Maddie said hurriedly while she searched for the keys. "Jack," she said, completely oblivious of Danny's aghast expression. "Where did you put the keys?"

Jack, who already had one foot out the door and hadn't been paying the least attention to what his wife had been saying, turned and gave her a blank look. "Huh?"

"I believe," Vlad interjected smoothly, raising one finger. "That dear Maddie was asking you for the keys, Jack." The condescension in his voice made Danny bristle defensively, but he pushed the anger down.

"Happy place, happy place." Danny murmured quietly, closing his eyes and kneading two fingers into his temple. After a few seconds he looked up.

"You might want to check the cookie jar in the kitchen." Jerking a thumb behind him, Danny directed his comment to his Mother, who gave a thankful nod before sweeping out of the room. Danny quickly followed.

"Mom," Danny said in an urgent whisper once they were alone. "You can't leave me here alone with that… that… him!" He threw his arms out and, though he gestured at the wall, it was clear whom he was about.

"Danny," Maddie sighed, clearly in a hurry and not wanting to have this conversation. "Listen, I know Vlad is a bit of a creep—"

Danny snorted.

"But he's a good man and he has exceptional talent when it comes to engineering and supernatural energies."

"Yeah, great talents in stealing." Danny muttered under his breath, thrusting his hands into his pockets. Maddie didn't appear to have heard him.

"It's just that he and your father don't work together that well, so I have to leave him with you until we get back. Now Danny, I need to know I can trust you not to do anything out of hand, ok?" Maddie sent Danny a meaningful stare and he groaned. He hated it when she made him feel guilty for something he hadn't even done yet.

"Alright, fine…" Danny caved.

Maddie smiled. "Good. We'll be back before you know it. And, for your good behaviour, I'll take a week off however long your father said you were grounded."

"He gave it a limit?" Danny's lip quirked dryly. His mother just sent him another smile before breezing out of the room and out of the house.

Silence reigned in the house after Maddie and Jack left. The only thing Danny could hear were the distant sounds of his father talking about picking up some fudge on the way home, then the doors of the Fenton Assault Vehicle slammed shut, the engine roared and then gradually died. His parents were gone.

"So, Daniel…" Danny looked up to the unpleasant sight of Vlad smirking down at him in the threshold of the kitchen. "It's just you and me now, son."

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The school bell rang, signalling the end of classes, and Sam and Tucker were the first to jump up from their chairs and dash out of their classroom, soaring past a disgruntled Mr. Lancer. Taking advantage of the still relatively empty halls, they ran down a row of doors and up a flight of stairs until skidding to a stop before their destination.

Students streamed out from rooms around them, but both Sam and Tucker waited patiently until a very distinctive head of red hair came into view.

"Jazz! Jazz!" Sam called, jumping and waving her hand wildly over the heads of the masses of students. Jazz turned her head curiously at the sound of her name, looking around for a few seconds before spotting Sam and Tucker. She smiled, making her way through the crowd toward them.

"Hey," she said, shifting the stack of books in her hands, she raised an eyebrow at Danny's friends. "What's up?"

"We need to ask you a favour." Sam said, getting straight to the point. "Can you drive us to the museum?"

"Huh? Why?" Jazz frowned, confused.

"Come with us and we'll tell you." Jazz didn't have time to protest as Sam literally grabbed the older girl by the arm and led her down the hallway. Tucker followed with a smirk on his face. Sam's overbearing nature was actually quite amusing to watch when it wasn't directed at him.

A while later…

"Okay…" Jazz threw back her hair with a flick of her head as they raced down the road in her cherry convertible "So you're telling me that there's something ghostly going on at the museum, which you think is causing all this weird stuff around town… And since Danny's grounded, he asked you to check it out for him?"

"Yeah, basically." Sam said. Her face was perfectly straight; Tucker would never have guessed it was a lie if he hadn't know it for a fact.

"That doesn't sound like Danny…" Jazz muttered, frowning. "Usually he wouldn't want anyone getting in trouble if he could help it… Are you sure that's what he said? It seems to me like Danny would've snuck out himself at night or something…"

"No, no…" Sam assured. "Danny thinks it's not a very dangerous ghost and he didn't want to get into any more trouble with his parents… So I told him to stay behind."

"You told him to stay behind? You're the last one I'd expect to be encouraging Danny to follow the rules." Jazz said sardonically, raising one long eyebrow at Sam who flushed suddenly, realizing her mistake. Tucker watched the verbal battle in silent fascination. Both girls were trying to outdo each other: Sam trying to fool Jazz and Jazz trying to catch Sam in her lie. It was the type of conversation only they could have, because Danny had an issue with manipulating people and Tucker had absolutely no skill for it. Tucker supposed this was why the two girls had never really gotten along… They were both simply too smart for their own good.

"Yes, well, Danny's been stressed lately and I want to do this for him." Sam said, trying a different route.

"So you didn't tell him you're doing this." Jazz concluded and Sam's head snapped up.

"I never said that!"

"You didn't have to." Jazz chuckled. "Danny would've never let you go off to hunt a ghost on your own. Especially not if he thought it killed a cat and burglarized several stores. Danny's pretty predictable when it comes to things like that."

"Well, it doesn't matter!" Sam said sharply. "We don't always need Danny flying to our rescue. We're perfectly capable of taking down any ghost."

"Sam…" Jazz said slowly.

"No Jazz, either you help us or pull over so we can do it on our own. I've already decided and so has Tucker." Sam set her jaw and crossed her arms, conveying her resolution with sharp, defiant eyes.

"…" Jazz sighed, watching the road thoughtfully. She knew from experience that one could not move Sam, they could only moving around. "Why didn't you just do this late at night so Danny could come along?"

"We just aren't, okay? We're doing this now and that's that." Sam said definitively.

"If you are wanting in my help here, you're really not making a convincing argument." Jazz said warningly.

"Look," Sam's voice softened. "Tucker has his cell. If things go South, we'll call Danny and he'll be there in a second. We'll be fine, you don't have to worry."

"You're right about that. Because I'm coming with you." Jazz said, raising her chin and showing she too could be stubborn if necessary.

"What?" Sam cried, hands falling from their folded position, she had not been expecting that response at all.

Tucker couldn't help but grin.

"Okay, look, Vlad." For his mother, Danny would try to make the best of things. And if he was going to do that then they needed to set some ground rules. "We might be under the same roof, but that doesn't mean we have to talk with each other. Now, I'll stay out of your way, if you stay out of mine. And that way, everyone can walk away happy. Okay? Done? Good." And Danny moved toward the staircase leading to his room.

"Ah, ah," Vlad slid in front of the teen, obstructing his way. "I'm afraid, my boy, that that little plan of yours has one fatal flaw."

"And what's that?" Danny grumbled, not bothering to look up into Vlad's eyes.

"It doesn't make me happy." Vlad took a step forward, forcing Danny to take a step back to maintain his personal space. "You see, I didn't just come here to talk gadgetry with that buffoon Jack and have tea with the lovely Maddie… though that last one was a nice bonus." Vlad smiled. "I also came here to chat with you, my boy. Aren't you the lucky one?"

"Oh yes…" Danny said, curling his lip sarcastically "Lucky. That's exactly what I would call it."

"Now you see, Daniel," Vlad looked to the side, raising the back of his hand to his eyes so he could study his fingernails. "I've been having a rather… irksome issue as of late."

"Oh, finally realized your mental problem, have you?" Danny said glibly.

"And there's that adorable witty banter you like to flaunt around!" Vlad made a vague gesture at Danny. "Tell me, Daniel, when will you get tired of such childish habits?"

" 'Bout the same time you get tired of calling me 'Daniel', I'll bet." He grumbled. Vlad was still advancing, leisurely, but with the undeniable minacity of a predator, and Danny was still backing up, though he was quickly running out of room to move.

"Daniel, Daniel," Vlad tsked. "There's so much you must learn… So much I could teach you." At the word 'teach' Vlad's eyes spun to Danny and caught his gaze intently.

"There's nothing you can teach me." Danny had reached the wall and he stood not quite against it, refusing to appear cowardly. He straightened his back and stared Vlad straight in the eye as the elder man loomed over him.

"Your first lesson will be to respect the property of others." Vlad said, folding his arms loosely and staring down at Danny. "Now admit your crime."

"…What?" Danny was flummoxed, and his expression showed it. "What on Earth are you talking about?"

"You" Vlad levelled his index finger to Danny's left eye. "Snuck into my house last night and painted graffiti all across the walls. Don't even try to deny it."

"What?! I never did that!" Danny cried, incredulous. It was one thing to be called out on a prank which he actually committed, but to be assumed guilty of something he hadn't done? That was ridiculous.

"It will take my servants days to scrub off the mess you made and I demand an apology from you Daniel, right now." Vlad seemed to be loosing his temper. Whatever damage that had been done to his house must have been pretty bad, or he wouldn't be making such a fuss.

"But I really didn't do it." Danny said honestly, though a smirk was pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh don't try to feed me your nonsense." Vlad turned away from Danny with a disgusted expression. "Your ecto-signature was left all over my house last night, so there's no point in even defending yourself. I know it was you that did it. Now take responsibility for your own foolishness, boy!"

"Ex-cuse me?" Danny was done acting defensive, and if Vlad was trying to make him feel guilty then he had another thing coming. "Take responsibility? Take responsibility? You're one to talk about responsibility! Who's the one that tricked me and my mom into going on a fake trip that nearly ended up getting us killed by your ghost animals? Whose cloning experiments went terribly wrong and nearly destroyed a life? Who continuously tries to waste my father on a regular basis?"

"And I have never hidden any of that from you." Vlad swept his arm out in an arc, impeccable suit shining in the fluorescent lights. "You, on the other hand are lying to me right now and I will not stand for it."

"How do I know you're not the one lying right now? Huh?" Danny snapped angrily. "How do I know you're not just making it all up? Maybe you just want a fight or something; after all, you've always got some evil scheme up your sleeve. You're always up to something… how do I know you're not up to something… right… now…?"

Suddenly Danny paused, and it was like a light bulb had turned on in his head.

"Of course." Danny said. "All of this, everything that's going on… that weird ghost in the museum, Dash's cat, 'Willo'… You're behind it, aren't you?"

"I beg your pardon?" Vlad pulled back with a confused and slightly offended face.

"You always have your greasy hands in this kind of stuff." Danny was reasoning aloud to himself. "So you must know… it must be your fault!"

'Hurt him.'

Danny's sudden rage fell like a veil of red over his eyes.

"Alright! We're here." Tucker cried happily, jumping out of the car in a clumsy, half-stumble.

"I still don't know about this…" Jazz said slowly as she stepped carefully out of her car.

"Oh c'mon, live a little." Sam said exasperatedly, slamming the car door closed behind herself. "Besides, you're not even going in. You'll just stand outside the door and warn us if anyone's coming in, that should be fine, right?"

"I dunno…" The elder girl hesitated.

"Look, you've fought ghosts without Danny before. What's so different about this one?" Sam asked reasonably as the three of them headed over the sidewalk and into the museum.

"I dunno…" Jazz repeated, wringing her hands. "It just feels… wrong."

"That's just your goodie-goodie side acting up. Look, okay, we're not even breaking into the museum. We're paying for tickets like the good non-voting citizens we are." Sam said flippantly, and the three paid for their tickets.

"Aww man…" Tucker bemoaned his empty wallet. "There goes another month's allowance; and I still have another two payments on this PDA! These museum tickets are so expensive! Why can't these ghosts just hide out in cheaper locations?"

"Shh! Don't say that too loud!" Sam admonished, looking around no make sure no one had overheard. The sparse crowds of people continued to move through the hallways, oblivious. "Remember the plan."

"Yeah, yeah, find the room, sneak in, find the ghost, get the ghost, sneak out before anyone notices and do it all before closing time… yadda, yadda…" Tucker intoned.

"Good. Now Jazz, you in or out?" Sam looked at Jazz closely.

"…I'm in…" Jazz said at length.

"Good!" Sam grinned. "The more the merrier. Now let's find that room."

A few minutes of walking through long, marble hallways and passing exhibition after exhibition of everything from underwater evolution to glittering gems finally found the trio standing before a huge doorway barred off with multiple ropes and a banner of police tape.

" 'Warning. Construction Ahead. Danger. Do Not Enter.' " Tucker read the sign hanging off the ropes, then fingered the yellow police tape idly. "Looks like they still haven't finished cleaning up after Danny's fight."

"Which is good for us." Sam smirked and stepped neatly over the ropes and tape, tugging her short black and red plaid skirt after her. Her heavy combat boots made a dull clunking sound as she landed on the other side of the barrier. "Now we don't have to worry about getting people out of the room so we can do our thing."

"Sam, they must have barred the room off for a reason… Are you sure you shouldn't just come back later? It might be dangerous—" Jazz's words of worry were interrupted by Sam.

"It'll be fine, we won't take long." The dark-haired girl waved a hand dismissively.

"You better not." Jazz said crossly, irritated at being cut off by someone two years her junior. "I'm only giving you fifteen minutes to report back to me, or I'm calling Danny, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said, then looked at Tucker. "You coming or what?"

"Oh?" Tucker seemed to have momentarily forgotten he was part of the plan, the dark threshold of the room seemed to tower over him rather threateningly. "You know, I could always just… sit this one out, y'know." He laughed nervously.

"Oh c'mon you chicken." Sam said in exasperation, reaching her hand under the tape and rope to grab Tucker by the collar of his green shirt. Tucker yelped and had to duck to avoid getting tangled in the barrier as he was dragged through.

"Fifteen minutes!" Jazz called as Sam and Tucker disappeared in the doorway.

"Gotcha!" Tucker called, waving a hand, while Sam just kept walking.

"Daniel! What on Earth do you think you're doing?" Vlad's voice came, shocked as he was forced to duck or have his head blasted off by the ectoblast sent his way.

Danny stood only a few feet away, his hands tensed into claws, glowing dimly with green energy and his eyes pulsing a vibrant green—though he hadn't yet turned ghost. Danny advanced on Vlad; and as he did, the colour bled out of his hair, turning it white. His skin darkened and the silver and black jumpsuit of his ghost form became visible as his clothes shredded off into nothing.

Vlad had never seen Danny turn ghost in such a manner.

"Now Daniel. Daniel! Think about what you're doing!" Vlad dodged to avoid another ectoblast, but missed the next one which sent him careening into a cabinet. "By God, boy! You're destroying your own house!"

But Danny didn't seem to hear. His face was frozen into an expression of rage and he just kept advancing. "You… you're the one. I bet it's all part of your plan: the Hound, that creature, the flashes… everything! You… you want me to go crazy, don't you? DON'T YOU?! It would all work so perfectly into your perfect little plan of that perfect little life you want, wouldn't it?!" Danny literally spat the words at Vlad.

"Daniel, be reasonable!" Vlad brushed off his suit and frowned at the younger boy. "I have no idea what you're babbling about."

"Oh?!" Danny said, his eyes widened, tilting his head to the side mockingly. The expression on the teen's face made him look half-mad and Vlad stared. "Babbling am I? Well how's this for babbling?" And he leapt at the man's throat.

"Ah!" Twin rings of black light snapped around Vlad and in a flash he was Plasmius, which was probably the only thing that saved him from being strangled by the younger halfa. Vlad grabbed the teen's hands as they closed around his neck and swung Danny around. The boy's feet caught on the disregarded tea mugs and brought them crashing toward the ground. Gritting his teeth, Vlad looked at the broken mugs, then up at Danny who had ripped his hands from Vlad's and jumped backward. Danny didn't seem to care in the least that he was causing destruction to his own house, so the elder decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Very well, my boy. If that's how you want to play the game…" Vlad crouched, then swiftly flew at Danny. The teen, unprepared for the attack, only had time to bring his arms up around his face as Vlad tackled him and phased them both through the ground and into the lab. Vlad threw Danny away from him as soon as they'd passed through the ground and the boy shot through the air before slamming hard against a wall and falling to the ground, head hanging and white hair dishevelled. "Then we are going to do things properly." Vlad concluded, folding his arms as he floated in mid air, cape fluttering around his body. "Now first, explain to me exactly what you're so upset about."

Danny growled, putting a hand to his head and shaking it. Vlad, thinking he'd knocked some sense into the boy, lowered his arms and flew closer. But Danny, unpredictable as a threatened lion cub, lashed out violently and Vlad stumbled back as the boy's fist connected with his cheek.

"You—!" But Vlad didn't have the leisure to finish his sentence as Danny struck out again.

"Don't you—" Danny whipped the air with his foot. "Pretend to care—" He fired a series of ectoblasts. "About me—!" The air in the room dropped ten degrees as a cold blue aura shrouded Danny's arms and hands. Danny brought his hands together in a clap then threw them out away from each other with a yell. Many glittering icicles formed in a row where Danny's hands passed, swirling until they all pointed straight at Vlad and then flew at him all at once. Vlad had no choice but to conjure a shield and wait until the icicles destroyed themselves on it. While he defended himself, though, Vlad neglected to watch his back.

"I see right through you." Danny's voice was colder than the icicles and when Vlad turned, he was met by a vicious power-charged backhand that threw him straight into a desk and over it, sweeping it clean of fragile test tubes, machine pieces and papers that fell to the ground in a loud crash.

When Vlad rose, there was no more patience in his eyes. His body shimmered, then spilt into four clones that all looked up at the floating teen with hostility. "That's it, Daniel." One of the clones said. "I'm done trying to talk sense into you. If you insist on acting like a savage animal, then I will treat you no better than one."

Danny bared his teeth in something that was not a smile. "Come and try."

The halfas flew at each other and collided in a shower of bright green and pink sparks. In a matter of minutes they had reduced the room to shambles, caused black burns in the ceiling and floors and knocked twelve inch dents into the walls, and still they showed no signs of slowing.

Danny was a speeding blur as he zipped between the four Vlads with the consistency of water. His tail was a spectral tail, but his hands more than made up for his lost feet. With the finesse of a trained marksman, Danny fired off precision ectoblasts interspaced strategically with blasts of his ice power. Few of his hits missed.

Vlad, on his part, was having an unusually difficult time keeping up with the teen. This new, cold, calculating Danny was very different from the passionate, emotional boy he usually fought. Every attack of Vlad's would skim off a deftly placed shield or miss completely. And though the older halfa was indeed the stronger of the two, Danny was clearly the faster, and Vlad could not assert his power if he could not even lay a hand on the boy.

With growing frustration, Vlad felt his concentration slip. Danny sensing this, swooped in for the kill and Vlad was helpless as he saw first one then another of his clones meet a quick demise.

"Not so cocky now, are you, Plasmius?" Danny appeared to be feeling talkative again as he had moved back a safe distance, folding his arms as he floated in mid-air—no doubt copying the very pose the elder halfa had held when he's stood over Danny just a few minutes ago.

"Daniel…" Vlad realized he was panting heavily and willed himself to breath normally. After a few moments of controlled breathing he spoke again. "Daniel… where did you learn to fight like that?"

Danny frowned. Clearly that was not the response he'd been expecting.

"You… are spectacular! The speed at which you can move… and those powers of yours! Barely a month ago you were completely inept at using those ice powers of yours… Now look at you! Your control is flawless… The speed at which you adapt to power is extraordinary! Daniel, you have… so much potential. There are things… so many things, I could teach you. Think of what you can accomplish now. I can help you double it!"

"Oh yes, and all I have to do in return is renounce my father and become your evil apprentice for all eternity, isn't that right?" Danny spat caustically, he jerked in the air, a physical manifestation of how angry he was.

"…" Vlad thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No… no, Daniel. I will train you because I know you would make me proud. For too long I have overlooked your potential because of your stubborn nature. But no more. I am extending my hand for you to take." Vlad reached out his hand, palm up. "All you have to do is take it. No strings attached."

Danny looked at the hand then Vlad, his anger draining into a look of shock, surprise, then disbelief.

"No… No that can't be… you must be lying. You must!" Danny sounded almost desperate as he cried these words out to the elder man.

"I am giving you my word that I am being honest." Vlad said staring straight at Danny. "Our feud has gone on long enough. It is time to end it."

"No… NO!" Danny suddenly gripped his head in his hands. He swayed in the air, then fell to the ground, dropping to his knees. "NO!"

"Daniel?" Vlad also landed on the ground, concern heavy on his words. "Daniel, what's wrong?"

"You! YOU! You're what's wrong! You HAVE to be at fault! You…You… not allowed…" Danny's entire body suddenly spasmed and he froze, an expression of horror on his face.

"Daniel?" Vlad was now very worried and he knelt on one knee, raising a hand above Danny's shoulder but not lowering it.

"Ah…haa…not now…oh, not now…" Danny murmured to himself, his eyes wide and seat forming on his brow. His shoulders began to shake and he rocked forward, then backward and overbalanced. He fell to a sitting position on the ground, legs splayed before him. Then he pushed himself further backward with his heels until he hit a wall. And he curled his knees up. One trembling hand rose to his right shoulder and gripped it tightly. Danny's chest began to heave as his breathing turned into loud pants. "Haa… haa… no…"

"Daniel, Daniel, please, tell me what's wrong." Vlad was now pleading with Danny as he looked at the boy and saw an expression of agony twist his face. Vlad had no idea what was going on. He hadn't hit Danny hard enough to cause such a severe reaction, so what was happening to him?

Danny gave another spasm then jerked forward and rested his head on his knees. He was trembling uncontrollably now and looked to be in great pain. Vlad hovered, not knowing what to do. Touching Danny could result in another violent reaction, but it wasn't like there was anyone Vlad could find to help…

"Daniel, please." Vlad was helpless. He didn't like to feel helpless "Just tell me what's wrong. I can help you." And he laid a hand down on Danny's right shoulder.

"NO!!"

A surge of energy came out of nowhere and slammed into Vlad full force, throwing him clear across the room and into a wall. Leaving a man-shaped dent in the wall, Vlad's body peeled off and crumpled to the floor. Vlad was glad that he was still in his ghost form, or else more than a few ribs would have broken from the impact. Shakily, he stood, wondering what had just hit him.

"Daniel?" Vlad asked.

"I don't want your kind of help." Danny's voice was low, and it held a dark tone Vlad had never heard the boy use. Danny's head was handing, bangs obscuring his face, but he didn't seem to be trembling anymore. In fact he was very still. "I bet you enjoyed hanging Dash's cat, didn't you, Vlad?"

"What?" Vlad was again confused. Then a realization hit him. "You mean the cat of that boy you got suspended for getting into a fight with?" Vlad frowned disapprovingly. "Oh Daniel, you can't honestly think I'd do such a thing—"

"SILENCE!"

Vlad's mouth snapped shut and he stared. That voice… did not sound like Danny at all…

Slowly, Danny began to move. His legs unfolded in an awkward manner—as though they were asleep… or being moved by someone who wasn't used to having legs. His arms hung limp, with his chest bent half over as he swayed to his feet like a puppet on strings. Still, white bangs obscured Danny's face, but slowly the chin tilted up and brought his face into view.

Danny's eyes were completely black.

"Daniel…!" Vlad gasped.

"Die." Danny's mouth moved, but the voice that came did not seem to originate from him. An arm lifted, straight, palm out, and black energy converged into the center of Danny's hand before exploding outward. As the energy left him, Danny let out a cry of pain, grabbing his forearm and collapsing onto the ground.

Vlad yelled as the ball of black fire came at him and conjured a shield. But the fire passed through the shield as though it didn't exist and Vlad had to throw himself quickly to the side, landing in an undignified heap on the floor.

The black fireball hit the wall with the force of a wrecking ball. The resulting boom echoed in Vlad's ears and jarred the entire house like a minor earthquake.

Vlad then realized there was a quiet crackling sound near his head and he looked over in sudden fear as he saw the edges of his cloak being eaten away. Thinking quickly, Vlad unclasped the cloak and threw it away from him. The fire continued to devour the cloak happily, but Vlad's attention turned toward the wall.

The black energy had created a huge hole in the wall… Vlad couldn't believe it. Titanium reinforced, heavy, ghost-proof walls of more than three inches had been torn to nothing by a single blast. It was impossible. And yet there it was: a perfect circle carved into the wall, exposing raw wires from the ghost portal that sparked and fizzed angrily in the air.

A high, desperate whine caught Vlad's attention and looked back at the cause of all this destruction with wide eyes.

"Daniel…" He watched in fascinated horror as the boy writhed painfully on the ground, clutching his right arm—still glowing with black energy—and struggling with something only he could see.

Danny managed to make it to his knees again and he looked at Vlad through haze-filled, unfocused, green eyes. "Haa…haa… Vlad… please… please… make it… Make it stop…"

Vlad looked at the boy for a long moment, but when Danny's face contorted and the black energy flared around his arm, Vlad made his decision. He appeared behind Danny and looked down at the teen.

"I… am very sorry, my dear boy." And with a swift, merciful strike, Vlad knocked Danny unconscious.

Looking at the high arching doorway, Tucker peered into the dark room. It seemed very dark and gloomy, very unlike all the other bright and open rooms in the museum. Gingerly, Tucker took his first steps into the room and unexpectedly a wash of fierce coldness gripped him and he shivered violently.

"Man, S-Sam," He said, teeth chattering and hugging his arms closely. "D-did you f-feel that? It's-s like s-stepping into a frozen lake or s-something."

Looking ahead he saw that Sam was rubbing her bare arms vigorously. "Yeah," She said, biting down on her own chattering teeth. "I feel it. It's like a ghost."

"S-strong ghost." Tucker muttered, remembering one of Mr. Fenton's impromptu lessons on ghost energy. The stronger a ghost was, the greater its physical effect on humans. He had yet to meet a ghost that made him shiver this strongly… and he wasn't really eager to start now.

"Or one that uses ice powers." Sam pointed out, reminding Tucker of the time when Danny had, completely unconsciously, been causing the air to drop to near sub-zero temperatures around himself.

"Right…" Tucker said, not completely convinced. But the cold was subsiding and with it returned his courage. He looked around.

The floor was made of marble, as were the walls, which curved high up into decorative arches. There were no lights on in the room, and Tucker could see none on the walls or ceiling. The only source of light came wavering in between the folds of heavy curtains that covered high windows, only adding to the creepy gloom in the room.

"It's kinda… dark in here…" Tucker said hesitatingly.

Sam smirked and walked over to a window and threw open the curtain

Wind suddenly whistled through the room, causing the curtains to flap wildly. Sam and Tucker looked around in surprise and trepidation, but the windows were closed and the source of the wind was unknown. Eventually the howling wind died down and both teens brushed the incident off.

"There," Sam said. The light streaming in from the window brightened the room considerably. "Better?"

"Yeah…" Tucker's attention was now on the room itself. The once prim and delicate displays lining the walls and standing on granite pedestals were now strew about the room in varying forms of chaos. Chucks of granite and glass littered the floor along with pieces of painted wood and ripped cloth that had once been ancient tribal masks and grandiose tapestries. The mess was so great that, though they had only taken a few steps into the room, Jazz—standing anxiously at the door—was already out of sight. "Hey… don't you think they should've cleaned all this stuff up by now?" Tucker asked.

"Huh… I dunno…" Sam said, giving the mess a curious look. "Maybe they've been busy with other stuff."

"Hmm…" Tucker twisted his mouth dubiously, then pulled out his PDA. "Ok… so it says in the map that the entrance to that underground chamber should be along the back wall…" Tucker picked his way over the jagged piece of rock and splinters with relative ease: his baggy beige cargo pants facilitating the movement. But when he heard a loud, annoyed 'Tch' come from behind him he stopped and turned.

"Sam?" He called, seeing her bending down to look at her leg. "You ok?"

"Fine." Sam's mouth was set in a displeased line. "Just ripped my tights." With a quick swipe of her thumb, she cleaned the beads of blood neatly off a tiny cut near her knee and straightened. "Don't worry," She smirked at Tucker who was still watching her. "I'm not going to cry or something."

Tucker laughed. "Now that really would worry me."

His laughter died away, leaving them in an uneasy silence as the atmosphere in the room seemed to shift as they went deeper into the room. Tucker felt as though they were invading something private… and whoever owned this place wanted them gone. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as another, quiet whistle of air passed over him from the back… it felt like someone was watching them.

Tucker clenched his teeth and stopped.

"What's wrong?" Came Sam's voice from behind him.

He didn't answer. Instead, he swung the pack on his back around and dug his hand deep into it. Drawing out a lipstick blaster, a small ectogun and a Fenton Thermos, he handed the gun and the thermos back to Sam while putting the lipstick in his own pocket.

"Tucker…?" Sam took the proffered items but sent him a questioning look.

"Bad feeling, s'all." He muttered.

And they continued in silence until they hit the back wall.

"Ok, I'll look around the wall, you look on the ground." Tucker said, Sam nodded. "We have… less than ten minutes before we have to call Jazz."

"Right." And Sam bent, putting on a pair of black gloves before slowly beginning to clear the dust and broken glass off the ground before her. Tucker squinted at the wall, bringing the side of his index finger to rest under his nose thoughtfully.

"Hey Sam…" He spoke after a couple of minutes.

"Hmm?" Sam looked up, brushing her bangs off her face with her arm.

"There's no secret trapdoor here, but… these murals." Tucker swept his fingertips along an unbroken glass panel shielding a line of tribal paintings. "They're very… odd…"

"How so?" Sam stood, dusting herself off and walking to Tucker's side.

"Look," He said, pointing to one on the farthest left, then drew his hand rightward. "They depict a scene… or a ritual. The people of the village are fighting this other group of people here who are coloured black."

"Ok…" Sam frowned at the little stick figures, all brandishing spears and pointy objects angrily.

"Then here… they defeat their enemy." Tucker continued.

Sam found the crude picture of prone black figures with gaping mouths, spears sticking out of them at all angles and blood running beneath them strangely grisly.

"That's all normal stuff to depict… but here." Tucker pointed to the next picture. "Is where it gets weird… Look, the enemy is defeated, but now the people are all bowing to some weird god or something."

Sam looked at the next picture and found herself drawing back in disgust in spite of herself. While the figures were all made in crude detail, this new figure was very graphic. With huge rolling eyes and lolling, dripping tongue the monster squatted grotesquely in the blood of the enemy. It was a truly nightmarish creature, with misshapen limbs and an asymmetrical body shape it was uglier than anything Sam had ever seen. With a huge, wolfish maw, its mouth gaped hungrily at the prostrating figures before it.

"What… does it want?" Sam asked, wondering—even as she asked the question—how she knew the monster wanted something.

"That, I suspect." Tucker said, his voice very low. And he pointed at the next picture.

Sam looked, and immediately regretted doing so. She swallowed. The picture she was looking at depicted what looked like a sacrificial pyre, upon which one of the black figures lay, blood still dripping down the sides. One of the other figures held aloft what Sam assumed to be the dead man's heart while yet another man offered a bowl of blood to the demon.

"They offered… for it… to drink?" Sam couldn't quite make herself say it.

"It seems their god wasn't the only one that drank the blood of the dead." Tucker said quietly. And as Sam looked closer she could see many bowls in the hands of the figures surrounding the pyre.

"So they…" Sam was utterly disgusted.

"Looks like it… then they had some kind of crazy party…" Tucker said. And indeed the next picture showed the figures all dancing wildly around the monster.

"That's sick." Sam turned away from the wall sharply. "And it has nothing to do with what we're here for. So just… ignore it…" And she bent down to continue sweeping the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Tucker agreed, kneeling to join her.

It didn't take long before Sam made a discovery of her own.

"Tucker! Hey Tucker! I think I found something. Come look!" Sam beckoned Tucker to her and he crawled over to her side, gazing down at what she was looking at.

At first glance, it looked like a manhole cover, except it bulged outward in a wide half-sphere. It was made of a heavy looking dark metal and seemed very old. Carved into the center of the metal piece was a short passage of writing in an unknown language, around which were seven deep impressions.

"What do you think goes in these?" Sam said, passing one finger over the impressions.

"I don't know." Answered Tucker. "But this must be it, the door to the subbasement! Now we just have to find a way to open it!"

Suddenly, the light in the room went out and a howling wind swept over Sam and Tucker, knocking them to the ground. A loud, thunderous slam rocked the room as the doors closed forcefully. Jazz's distant calls went unheard in the screaming wind.

The two teens pushed themselves to their feet, straining to see in the storm of swirling dust that formed in the middle of the room and scarce light that came, stuttering, from the flapping curtains. A shard of glass flew by, striking Tucker across the cheek and he yelped before falling into a protective crouch, bringing Sam down with him. Together, they managed to crawl behind a slab of granite and cowered there as the winds grew steadily stronger. Tucker had never been so thankful for his glasses; they at least provided some protection. Sam however, was huddled into a tight ball, hiding her face between her knees.

After several torturous minutes of the winds howling dangerously around their pitiful bodies, tossing dirt, glass and small pieces of wood into the air, it abruptly stopped. The winds ceased and the suspended glass and wood fell like rain around the pair.

Sam and Tucker did not move for many moments, they just sat there, trembling wildly and breathing frantically, wondering what was going on. Finally, Tucker shook himself to his senses, then grasped Sam by the shoulder.

"Sam, Sam, c'mon, get up." He pleaded.

Finally, after a few seconds, Sam looked up, her eyes wide with fear and mouth slightly open. "Tucker?"

"Yeah, c'mon, get up." Tucker rose, and pulled Sam to her feet.

Sam seemed to be coming to her senses as well and she shook her head. "Right, right. Okay… I'm okay now…"

But when she received no verbal response she looked up at him, only to see him staring open mouthed at something behind her.

"Tucker?" Sam said, her eyebrows furrowing in worry. Slowly—cold dread forming a stone in her belly—she turned, head rising to look upward… and as she did, a soundless scream left her lips and she stared.

'Humans. You dare come seek the reliquary of Legion?'

The monstrous Hound pawed the ground with a leg formed of pure darkness and opened its maw in a fearsome grin that displayed rows of gleaming teeth longer than Sam and Tucker were tall.

'You shall feed well the souls of the condemned, impudent mortals.'

"Tucker…" Sam hissed through the corner of her mouth. "Call Danny… Now."

Vlad carried Danny all the way up to his room, and, with infinite care, laid the unconscious boy down on the bed before taking off his shoes and drawing the covers around his shivering form.

The elder man swept a hand over Danny's sweat slicked forehead, brushing the bangs back from his face, but Danny grimaced and moved away from the touch. Vlad sighed and stood.

"Have a good rest, my little badger." He said softly.

Vlad made to move away, but halted suddenly. Pensively, he turned back to Danny. With the tips of his fingers, he drew the covers away from the boy's right shoulder. For a moment, Vlad's hand hovered over Danny's chest, recalling silently how the other had collapsed, clutching his shoulder. Making his decision, his hand descended with the intention of drawing down the collar of Danny's shirt and finding out what was on his shoulder.

But before Vlad's fingers even came into contact with Danny, the boy gave a sharp shudder, face scrunching up, a low whine sounding from his throat and passing between clenched teeth. Danny's eyes squinted shut and he squirmed uncomfortably, nearly tossing the covers off his body.

Vlad recoiled, then backed up, both hands raised palm up in a peaceful gesture. As he moved away, Danny immediately calmed and Vlad let out a quiet sigh. Slowly, he walked forward again and, as though sensing the man's proximity, Danny's body tensed. But Vlad only drew the covers back up around the teen before turning and walking to the door.

At the threshold, Vlad paused, taking one last, ruminative look at the pale boy lying prone on the bed. Then abruptly he spun around, flicking off the light and leaving the room.

When Danny's cell phone lit up and vibrated across his table, he remained oblivious, trapped in his own personal nightmare.

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End Chapter 13

To Be Continued…

I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I

Heh, heh… I should probably be running away now, huh? Uh huh… well, ta folks! (dashes away)

MutantLover09: XD Well, yes, Sam's always been a little coughLOTcough hard-headed, hasn't she? Well, at the very least she didn't break in to the museum… just climbed over a whole lot of police tape XP Glad you found that Macrosoft joke funny, by the way, cause I myself thought it was a little funny, but I wasn't sure if that was just me being incredibly nerdy ;p. Oh and this is kinda late (sorry!) but insalubrity basically means 'unhealthy'; so when Vlad said years of insalubrity were affecting Danny, he was saying that Jack was creating an unhealthy environment for Danny to live in :P Anyway, Portugal was fun, thanks! And now I'm back, so you can stalk away XD (Am wondering if I should be scared now… o.O)

sciencefreak330: Hey! Congrats on the awesome marks! Oh and yes, you were right, something bad did happen to Sam and Tucker (grins evilly) poor guys… that's what they get for chasing down the big, bad, evil ghostie without Danny!

Yugisrose: Hiya! And thanks so much for reviewing (twice!)! I'm glad you liked the hiding spot thing, I like describing little bits of Danny's thought process and psychology, so I'll probably have a few scenes like that in the fic…. Oh and certainly something went very, very wrong in the museum… too bad Sam and Tucker have such incredibly bad timing to call when Danny's out cold!... Yeah, I'm evil, I know… XD

TexasDreamer01: Thanks for the review! Whoa… you're already asking about a sequel? Well… to be honest I haven't thought that far yet XD We've still got quite a few issues to work out in thisfic before we can have a sequel! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Thunderstorm101: Typical isn't it, to have rules and expectations that other people must follow, yet not follow them oneself? Sam doesn't see that the very thing she is accusing Danny of doing, she herself is guilty of… but isn't that human nature? ;p Now She and Tucker have gone off and gotten themselves into some major trouble… oh the horror! (Evil grin) I'm not enjoying this! Nope, nope! XD

Velvet Star: Hee, hee, looks like Danny's quite incapable of saving Sam and Tucker at the moment… whatever will they do? I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, hope you liked the chapter!

inukagome15: Uh huh, definitely something weird going on in that museum… but Vlad's not ALL bad… he's just got some major issues going on :P Portugal was great fun, thanks for asking! It was all bright and sunny and warm… what was really cool though was how all the streets (EVERY one of them) were paved in white cobblestones! It made the entire city look bright and open… but goodness forbid you try to walk around in heels! (you WILL die! XP) I, being the clumsy oaf I am, was tripping all over, even without heels XDD. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter!

Anonymous Shadow: Hiya! (Grin) You know, it's really nice to hear that you find this story easy to picture… since I've really been trying to work on that with my detailing and stuff… Can I ask you how you found the fight scene, and also Tucker and Sam's investigation of the museum? I was trying to create this dark, spooky sort of atmosphere, and I'm not sure how it came across ;p Thanks for reviewing!

Plain English: Heya! I'm glad you like Vlad! (Chuckles) I wonder though, what do you think about him after this chapter? Seems like he's not all bad, huh? And yeah, Sam and Tucker got themselves into one BIG mess! XD

Akia Starfrost: Hi! Oh, really? You have an idea of where this story is going? Please tell me! I love hearing opinions and thoughts, sometimes they give me inspiration and other times it's just fun to read what you're thinking! I'm glad you liked the Danny/Maddie moment, I was a little afraid that people would be only expecting action and suspense, and would be bored by it, so it's nice to hear that you didn't find that… Also, to tell you the truth, that part about Danny apologizing jus to resolve things between his friend, I myself have done that… and I feel that Danny is the sort of sensitive, caring person that would do that sort of thing all the time, especially with friends like Sam and Tucker (Sam, who has a lot of pride, and Tucker, who doesn't have much tact). Oh and about that black spot on Danny's shoulder… well… I think this chapter should have answered your question, huh? ;D Anyway, thanks for the long review, it's funny that you reviewed the day before I posted, huh? XD

Adio!