Chapter Twenty Eight
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"Fuck." Danny had forgotten what with the mess that he was dealing with, but depending on how long he had been trapped down here, then that probably meant it was Christmas Eve. He was missing Christmas because he had been kidnapped by ghosts. Of all the fucking- The one year he was looking forward to things!
With Vlad no longer being his 'arch enemy' he had managed to end the Christmas feuding between his parents and have them get along for the holidays. They had a nice little family gathering planned, only a small chance of the food coming to life, and he would have gotten to spend the day entirely with Andrew and Randy. Instead he was here, in a cage, trying to find a way out.
Not only that, but he had discovered that Walker was possibly working with the Guys-in-White and giving them information on ghosts and how to capture and defeat them! That would explain why they had suddenly become so powerful. They had an old member helping them out… Section 13, god, why did that sound familiar. He would need to remember to ask Vlad and Clockwork about all this. No doubt all of them were going nuts at figuring out he was missing - would Randy have told them all or just Andrew?
Not bothering to hide his scream of rage, Danny kicked against the bars of the cage that was keeping him trapped. He was utterly unsurprised at the pain that shot through him since he had kicked with his hurt ankle. This day just couldn't get any worse, could it?
Gathering his wits, Danny looked around again to try and find some way out. It was still pitch black, only the faintest of glows that naturally made up the Ghost Zone to give off any light. He was mostly maneuvering on feel, but that could only get him so far. He needed to find a way to get these cuffs off, or find someone who could. Not that that was very likely considering where he was trapped.
He really hoped Andrew and Randy were doing okay… No doubt Randy was blaming himself for Danny being taken, and if Danny was feeling so much panic and fear at being separated from his mate, he could only imagine what Andrew must be going through at the moment.
"Please be safe, you two." He knew how they could act when things got tense and they fought others. If they found Walker and couldn't find Danny right away…
"The Sanctum, Danny, the Sanctum. Surely he must have mentioned it? The Priest of Death left such a legacy, after all."
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"You aren't any fun." Alarms were blaring across the halls, sickly red and green light filling the area as shouts and rioting were heard from the courtyard. "I thought you would be fun to play with, Walker." Andrew was pouting as he watched his target, knife held loosely in his hand as he swayed and danced through his movements. It was so strange to see his knives and the halls stained with green instead of red.
"What the hell are you." Aw, poor little ghost. He hadn't even known- Oh, he knew his name, but lots of people knew that. Oh, but no, no, no. No one knew the terror that came with that name. Really… Such a foolish little creature to believe that he could stand a chance against the Priest of Death. "You ain't ever somethin' that was human."
"No… No, I don't think I was." His coat swished around his legs (purple, not black, and no, that was wrong). "Death gets everyone in the end." His grey skin glowed sickly in the lights (grey? it should be tan), his body not turning as quickly as it should have (he should be leaner and quicker but he would make do if he had to he would make do). Focus. There was a mission to finish, after all, and a target to kill. "It even got me."
Walking forward his footsteps were measured and even, yet they were as soft and light as a feather (death flowing towards you). "You didn't even really know, did you? How did you not know?" A hum clawed its way up his throat (a lullaby of death and rot) as Andrew got closer and closer. "You should have known what would happen when you took him from me." Danny, Danny, Danny, (Danny Danny Danny).
Purple (not black), grey (not tan), taller and fuller (not smaller and quicker), and he was so different to where he wasn't even the Priest anymore, but… He could never escape who he really was, could he? This time, though, this time he had chosen the target. He had never been able to choose his target like this, but now… Oh, now he couldn't wait to kill this one.
"If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord they God, in transgressing his covenant." The words slipped out of him like sweet, sweet honey, filling his mouth as if they had always belonged there.
"What are you talkin' about, boy!" Walker had power glowing in his hands and oh, he was by no means a weak ghost, but, well. Andrew was stronger.
"Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones," Andrew trailed off for a moment, eyes trained on Walker as laughter bubbled out of him, knife warm and willing in his hand. "Til they die…"
Sorry. He was so sorry, Randy, Danny, but he couldn't keep that promise, because just… Just once more. Just one more life- But, it wasn't really a life, was it? They were all dead. They were all God's lost children and Andrew was just doing what he did best. He was returning them home.
"Amen."
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"Come on, come on, I need to get out of here." Danny had paced the circumference of his cage at least three times and no matter what he did he couldn't find a way out. If what Walker had said was true then he was probably somewhere in the Old World. Andrew had explained that it was broken pieces of the Spirit World and Randy had taken him to see a few biomes, but he had never been in a place this dark. It felt as if it was a place where not even time existed. Taking a shaky breath, Danny leaned against the cage bars.
His third circuit showed that they had a faint glow to them which meant they were either doused in blood blossoms or they were ghost resistant. Danny wouldn't be surprised if it was both considering how drained he was feeling. "Please… I need to get out of here." God, who was he even begging? There was no one and nothing down here but himself. "Randy's probably driving himself crazy with guilt and Andy will hate himself if he lets go. Please, I need to get to them."
Anything. Anyone. He needed to get out of here. If he was in this cage surrounded by ghost proof bars then his aura - if it wasn't already suppressed - would be near completely blocked. Randy may have been more sensitive to auras than most, but not even he could track Danny down like this. Walker had thought this through, that was for certain. "Please…"
There was silence in the cavern, Danny shivering from the cold that seeped into him - out of him? - as he stared at the bars. Silence- No. Dripping water, pebbles and stones falling from the cave ceiling, and a constant hum were there. That constant hum that proved he was in the Ghost Zone. And… No. No. He was not letting it end like this.
"Fine. I'll just help myself." Gritting his teeth, Danny looked around his cage with renewed determination. He was the hero of this story? Fine. He'd be the hero, but he was going to do it on his terms this time. "They need me and I need them just as much. I'm not letting this all end just because Walker put me in a stupid cage!"
Shouting, he realized, was probably not the best thing to do in such a large cavern. The only reason he realized this was because there were now giant boulders tumbling down onto the top of his cage. Dropping to the floor and tucking himself into a ball, Danny squeezed his eyes shut and waited for it to end.
When it finally did, Danny opened his eyes to see a thin layer of dust in the air and… You had to be kidding. The cage… One of the rocks had broken the cage and there was now a big enough hole for him to climb out of. Staring at the spot for a long moment, Danny finally let out an incredulous laugh as he stood back up. "Right. Right. Let's see if I can't get a little closer to them, yeah?"
Climbing around the jagged and broken bars, Danny glanced to where the cuffs were still around his wrists and ankles. They at least provided a little light, enough for him to creep forward until he found a wall, Danny narrowing his eyes as he placed a hand against it. Definitely a cave, but that didn't narrow it down much. Maybe it was the Black Woods instead of a biome? That was one of the most dangerous parts of the Ghost Zone and filled with plenty of dangerous things that would want nothing more than to kill him. Again.
Right, completely lost and with no idea where he was and limited to no access to his ghost side. Par for the course for him, really. Shaking his head, Danny groaned as his headache got worse. He kept having the lingering feeling ever since he had woken up that he was running out of time. Time… Shouldn't Clockwork have managed to find him by now?
He wasn't meant to interfere on order of the Observants - the fuckers - but due to the events of Dan, Clockwork had made it to where he was allowed to interfere in Danny's life. By now Jazz or someone should have told him and he should have been able to track him down, yet there was nothing but darkness and silence.
"Let's see… If I was an insane warden who wanted to trap his most hated prisoner away from everyone in the world, what would I do?" Ghost manacles to trap his powers, as proven. Humans maybe had some 'ghostly' ability in the Ghost Zone, but it was limited. Ghost manacles, stealing him when no one was looking, and… And, and, and… "Oh."
Moving along the wall, Danny stopped at seeing glowing colors of red and black and smelling that sickly sweet smell that burned. It was death and hatred and cruelty and- "This… This makes things harder."
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Everything was so blurry. It hurt. His head hurt. He couldn't think and everything felt so wrong- "Ssh, ssh, ssh, it's alright, dear little brother, it's okay." French words - his mother tongue - were sweetly cooed to him, the voice hardly more than a purr. "Just focus on me, my dear one, just on me." Brother…
"Ra- Randy?" The memories clicked into place with sharp clarity, Andrew's breathing stopping. He had managed to get Walker pinned and badly hurt before throwing a knife towards his core, and then a ringing gunshot and he was pressed against the ground- "Walker?"
"Alive, for the moment. Although he might not be when I get through with him." The growl was far more comforting than it should have been, Andrew relaxing at once and hiding his face against Randy's chest. He had almost… They had sworn to never do anything like that again and god if Danny had ever found out- "It's alright, Andy, nothing happened."
"I wouldn't call that nothing." Slowly sitting up, Andrew glanced over to Walker, wincing at how bad off he looked. "I… I definitely wouldn't call that nothing." The ghost wasn't even moving and Andrew wouldn't be surprised if he had lost consciousness.
"Well, maybe not nothing, but you and I both know it could have been a hell of a lot worse." Feeling himself pulled to his feet, Andrew didn't fight the hug he was pulled into, instead burrowing closer with a quiet sigh. "Alright then, Walker, let's talk, shall we?" Oh, so he was awake, then.
"And just what makes you punks think I'm goin' to be doin' any talkin' to you," Walker sneered, Andrew wincing at the gunshot that dug itself into Walker's shoulder, the scream proving that Randy's new blood blossom bullets were very effective.
"Must you really?" Rubbing at one of his ears, Andrew frowned at Randy. "They're always so loud."
"Not all of us use knives," Randy teased, rubbing at Andrew's ear himself for a moment before he was darting forward, Walker on his back and a foot pressed heavy over his core. "Now, Walker, let's have that talk. It's really very simple. You tell us where Danny is, we don't torture you."
"'Torture', huh?" The laugh Andrew heard was nothing. Nothing. "You punks don't even really know what hell is, do you?"
"Oh, Walker." Too close. It was still too close. Andrew could feel it in the way his hands curled around a knife that was already in hand, the way he stepped closer as if eyes were upon him at every moment. The way his words came out like a prayer. "We grew up there."
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Fucking blood blossoms. Danny wasn't sure how the hell Walker had managed to get them there, but there they were in front of him. He only had to walk so far before he found them placed around him in a ring, trapping him off. He had to grit his teeth in his rage as he realized that even though the cuffs kept him from accessing his ghost powers, he was still half ghost.
He could feel it thrumming under his skin, an icy cold that kept building that he wanted out. Power that pushed and weaved through him, making him far more - far less? - than human. The cuffs kept him from using it because he could feel it building and building - a reason he could feel the blood blossoms so clearly, he was willing to bet.
They were sickly, twisted things that pushed up against his mind and body, crushing him, pushing him back, caging him off and he wanted out he wanted out he wanted out of here this was wrong this was so wrong he wanted out-
Stumbling back, Danny near screamed at the jolting pain in his wrist and ankle as his back hit the wall. He couldn't even tell if his vision was blurring and fading as his legs slid out from under him. "Andy, Randy…" He wanted Andrew. He wanted Randy. He was just…
He was Danny Phantom. He was Danny Fenton. He was the ghost of Amity Park, the one that 'haunted' it and protected it all at once. He was from a family of ghost hunters that had been around for so very long. He was the hero. He was the hope for the future. He was the one who saved everyone. He was the one who saved everyone. He… He…
He was so tired. He just wanted to rest, he just… "I wonder how much humanity you lose each time you change." Was he even human, anymore? Was he even a ghost anymore. It felt like each moment more he spent in either world was a moment that he was drifting away from the other. For so many years he had closed himself off from the Ghost World and now he was drifting…
Shifting back and forth, drifting from world to world. He didn't know what he was. He didn't know. He just...
"Do you want to be a normal human child? Or do you want to be another average ghost? All this changing and shifting… Who's the real you, Danny? Fenton, or Phantom?"
He didn't know.
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"Wow, can I just say that I'm super grateful for Randy right now?" At the amused tone, Andrew only gave a growl as he struggled against the hold that was keeping him from his mate- "Ankle, wrist, head, and spine." Fine, alright, okay, Danny was hurt, Andrew would be careful, now release him-
"You know, I could be wrong, but I think he's happy to see you." Safe. Danny was safe. Curled up in his arms and pressed against him. Wonderfully, blessedly alive and safe.
"Think you might be right- How'd you guys get rid of the blood blossoms?" Andrew couldn't stop his purr at how easily Danny curled up to him, how happy he was to submit to Andrew's worried checking and poking and prodding. It was only made better as Randy sat down beside them, easily starting to remove Danny's cuffs- Cuffs. Perhaps he had been merciful on Walker. The Priest could have done so much more to him.
"I have enough raw power to level a goddamn town, Andy can rewrite reality as a whole, and we're two master assassins. Did you really just ask how we got past a bunch of flowers?" Safe, safe, safe, wonderfully and perfectly safe.
"Flowers that hurt," Danny gave that brilliant smile. The one that shined so brightly and carried so much pain and hurt and suffering. No doubt Randy could feel the same as what Andrew saw. "So, um, think you can get these cuffs off?"
"Easily," Randy assured, the first pair clicking open before he was working on the others, Andrew shifting Danny to get him more comfortable and oh, his poor little mate. "Do we need to get you new glasses, then?"
"Probably. Feel I should mention that I'm not sure if you're fuzzy because of that, or because of the possible concussion I have. Or at least, I think I have one."
"Knowing you, you probably do. "Randy sighed, shaking his head as the manacles clicked open and fell to the ground. It was hardly a moment before Andrew had Danny completely and tightly wrapped around him, the feeling of his energy coursing and thrumming around him sharp and clear and near overwhelming - although it only made him hug Danny closer. His poor mate, unable to even change.
"I was so worried about you." They were the first words Andrew had managed to speak, a ragged whisper that barely had any volume to it. He honestly thought Danny hadn't heard him before he heard the first sniffle, shoulders shaking and body caving in on itself. "Oh, Danny…"
"Come on, you two." Andrew felt his Randy's hand settle his shoulder, a glancing showing the other was pressing lightly against Danny's back. "Let's go home."