A/N: Hi everyone. I hope you are all doing well. Uh, slight warning; In case you haven't noticed the rating for this story is T mostly due to violence, so minor warning there. I really hope you enjoy this chapter.
Alex looked at the tall sky scrapers which contrasted greatly from the small Texas town he lived in. He could see people's second glances at the small group. He was positive that the people on the streets were curious how the small group of six were related.
He wished that he could have stayed in the underground tunnels, but Catalina insisted on the four teens follow the pair to Philadelphia for Vlad's business meeting. Currently the woman was walking step with step with the older man, Alex could tell she was a little jumpy.
"How much longer are we walking?" Thalen asked from behind.
Vlad turned to look over his shoulder, "Just a couple more blocks. You five will have to entertain yourselves while I'm in there. It shouldn't take more than an hour."
"What can we do here?" Sylvia asked from Alex's left; it was Saturday and the artist decided to go with the team of halfas.
"I thought I saw a movie theater a block ago," Abigail answered from beside Thalen.
The group walked until Vlad stopped at a tall shiny skyscraper. "I'll be back in an hour. Try not to get in trouble," Vlad said taking a step toward which was matched by Catalina. "Catalina, you're not coming with me."
The woman pouted, "But what if there are killers up there?"
Vlad gave the woman an unamused look, "I'm sure I can handle it." The woman sighed, but conceded taking a step back and letting the man enter alone.
"So, I'm going to take a walk. Just meet up with me in an hour back here, "Catalina said with a wave before walking away skip in her step. Alex watched her walk away surprised that the woman would leave them alone.
"Hey Abigail, want to go to the theater? I'm sure something good is playing," Thalen suggested. The girl answered that it sounded fun and the pair left leaving Sylvia and Alex behind.
"Uh, What do you want to do, Alex?" Sylvia said speaking up quietly. Alex shrugged not really caring what the two did to pass the time. "I saw an art museum ahead. I was thinking about looking at it."
Alex looked at the girl who was an inch taller than him realizing that the timid girl was inviting to go with her. "Sure," he responded liking how the girl was seemingly honest and didn't have an alternative motive. "Lead the way." The girl gave him a smile and Alex could feel his stomach do a flip.
DP~DP~DP
Catalina sat at the edge of the skyscraper letting her legs swing lazily. She had her eyes shut as she focused on her enhanced hearing. She was focusing on Vlad's heartbeat, just in case. She smiled to herself as she listened to the oddly comforting sound.
Red steam passed her lips before something cold clamped itself around her mouth making the woman jump in surprise. "Okay, luv. I really prefer it if you don't scream," a male voice with an English accent said smoothly. The voice would have been charming if the owner wasn't holding her captive.
Catalina snarled before sinking her fangs into the hand that was across her face. The ghost yelped before releasing the female halfa. She narrowed her red eyes; the ghost in front of her must have been very weak to have snuck up on her. The ghost was dressed sharply in a nice suit. Catalina smirked at the white-haired ghost. "You should be going. I'm not in the mood to play, ghosty." She was confident that the ghost in front of her would be an easy target.
"The name's Somber," the ghost said with a bow tipping the hat on his head. "And you don't have to play. You just have to watch."
Catalina tipped her head confused, "Wha-" She clamped her hands on her head as a splitting headache drove her to her knees.
"It's nothing personal, luv. I'm sure you heard about that Phantom kid. I don't want to be his next victim," the ghost said leaning beside the woman to whisper in her ear as the woman's vision became white.
…..
Catalina stood looking at both halfas in front of her. She looked to the younger and tried to give him a smile. The teen lowered his crystal blue eyes which became obscured with his black locks. "Are you sure you need me to go?" she asked the older turning to him, really hoping that he answered no.
"It's imperative that you speak to Skulker," Vlad said arms crossed. Catalina sighed, but resigned herself to doing what the older halfa said.
"Hey, don't burn down the mansion while I'm gone. And when I get back, I have a new recipe that you both will try and love," Catalina said with a smile already picturing her return and the great evening she planned for both halfas.
"You're only delaying us from trying that recipe," Vlad stated. Catalina chuckled, but left with a wave.
The female halfa flew through the green space of the Ghost Zone when she realized that she had forgotten the strange device that Vlad wanted to give Skulker. Catalina bumped the heel of her hand against her head, "Good job, Cat. You had one job and you forgot it."
The female halfa flew at top speed back to Vlad's portal. "Hey funny story, Vla-" the woman stopped her explanation at the loud scream that echoed through the lab. Her red eyes widen as she saw Danny Phantom floating in the air emitting so much ecto-energy Catalina could feel it like pressure in the air.
"Catalina," Vlad's shocked voice called her name. The female halfa looked at the man. He looked weak and he was shaking; something was very wrong, she couldn't sense Plasmius. "The Gauntlets," the billionaire said pointing to a pair of metal gloves that were in the corner of the room next to Danny Fenton. Catalina did a double take looking from the human side of Danny and the ghost that stopped screaming to lock its red eyes with Catalina's.
"Danny," she called out cautiously before being slammed backwards with a bright green ecto-blast. She put up a shield as another blast hit her shield. "Very funny, Danny. Come on, what's wrong?" she asked the floating ghost who refused to speak to her, but chose to shoot another blast. The green blast of energy shredded through the blue ecto-shield striking the woman and sending her skidding along the floor.
Catalina floated up back to her feet only to be met with a fist filled with ecto-plasm. She tried to shake off the stars that filled her vision when another green ecto-blast struck her in the stomach. She tumbled along the ground hitting a table knocking the equipment off of it.
She met Vlad's eyes for a moment as he was leading Danny Fenton out of the lab. She never seen the man scared before. Catalina looked back to the hovering phantom. The ghost boy picked up the ghost gauntlets and gave the female halfa a feral grin. Catalina could feel fear beginning to chill her ectoplasm. "Daniel," Vlad's voice scolded as the human teenager with a hero complex tried to throw a punch at his human half.
Catalina got to her feet as the ghost grabbed the teen's arm before ripping it from his shoulder. The woman felt sick to her stomach and anger burned through her veins. Before the ghost could strike again, Catalina jumped on its shoulders sinking her fangs into its throat.
Phantom sparked with electricity causing Catalina to drop away from the ghost as she became human involuntarily. Phantom turned his attention to Danny. Clawlike fingers swiped at the teen's eyes. Catalina watched helplessly as the ghost attacked the teen. Gathering as much energy as she could she created an ecto-blast and shot it at the ghost. Distracting the ghost, Catalina created a duplicate to draw attention away from the trio.
Vlad had gotten to the teen and was carrying him. Catalina flew to him and wrapped both in her arms. She grit her teeth as she attempted to teleport the three of them. She shut her eyes as she felt herself burning as if she were a flame.
Opening her eyes, she found herself beside Vlad in the small forest near his mansion. She could feel her core stuttering and she coughed up ecto-plasm. But she couldn't concern herself on whatever it was that was causing her core to ache, she looked to where Vlad laid down Danny. "Vlad," she called out her voice cracking. She could feel tears creating streams down her cheeks.
The older man looked at her with sad dark blue eyes and slowly shook his head.
…..
Catalina panted on her hands and knees looking at the roof of the skyscraper as her tears hit it. The emotions from the memory raw and ten times as potent. Fear, helplessness, desperation, pain, guilt. They swarmed in her head causing her stomach to become sick. She could feel herself shaking uncontrollably. "Well, luv. That was pretty enjoyable if I do say so myself. It will do nicely," the strange ghost from before said a look of pleasure on his face. "I best be off then. Good day." Catalina knelt there unable to move feeling as though the ghost had taken all her energy.
DP~DP~DP
Robin Peary walked with his sister through the streets. She had insisted that she had to see the new Disney movie and Robin was more than happy to take her. "That was a good movie, wasn't it?" the younger girl said with a smile.
"I did like it. Did you want to get some ice cream?" Robin asked. The younger girl nodded excitedly. Cool mist left his mouth, but the younger girl didn't notice. Robin's hazel eyes searched the sky for the ghost that set off his ghost sense.
It was brief but Robin caught sight of a suit-wearing ghost fly through the skyline. "Naomi, we're going to have to have the ice cream another time." The girl complained, but Robin didn't listen. Dropping off his sister at their apartment where his parents were, Robin started to hunt after the ghost that he sensed earlier. He ran down an alley and turned into his ghost persona. He narrowed his now silvery blue eyes as he took off to the sky.
DP~DP~DP
"It was a shame that the theater didn't have anything we wanted to watch," Abigail said to Thalen.
"I guess. But that arcade was pretty fun. I'm sure my high scores will be there for years," the teen said, "You weren't so bad yourself."
"Oh thank you," Abigail said with a slight blush. "Look a park. Do you want to go there?" the girl asked pointing to said park which was pretty empty.
"Sounds good to me," Thalen said, "Besides, it's going to take forever for Vlad to finish." The teenage girl smiled brightly as she led the way to the park.
The two sat at a park bench peacefully talking. Abigail listened to the other teen as he talked about the experiments that were once performed on him. She didn't know what to say to the boy, but he seemed comforted by having someone listen to him. The pair stopped speaking when their ghost sense went off.
They turned simultaneously to the cause of the disturbance. A ghost with white hair in a suit floated off the ground.