The rain had already stopped, but the sky was still dark. A little because of the time and a little because of the dark clouds that still covered the sky. The city had returned to some normality even with everything that had happened. People seemed to have already forgotten that downtown had been the epicenter of the fierce fight between four ghosts in favor of the biggest news Amity Park had had since the city disappeared into the ghost zone for a few hours.
The destruction from the fight, the previous explosion, the damage from the chase… all people were talking about was the identity of Danny and the mayor. If only they knew what was really going on. Ignorance really was bliss.
Vlad was inside the guest room, alone and lying on the bed with his hands on his chest, thinking. His life as he knew it was over. Daniel could tell that his had also been upside down as well, but never to the level of what the mayor was going through.
"Coming back for Danielle was a mistake." He thought. Luckily, he had transferred his money to his overseas account the night before upon arrival at the hotel. But now that was the least of his worries. Getting out alive was the priority and not just for him.
If this Dan was anything like him, he was sure he knew Clockwork would never be handed over to him. And that gave another meaning to that fight. Could he have killed them? Yes, but he had preferred to expose them to the world. It was a basic tactic: put a target on your enemies so they don't just focus on you. But what did Dan get out of all this? He would not search for Clockwork on his own account.
And what did he want Clockwork for? He already existed outside of time, so his powers were ineffective on him. So many questions that were going through his head since he and Daniel fled from the castle in the ghost zone, and only one person who could answer them. He knew his plan was risky, very likely to go south, but someone had to do this if they wanted answers. He just had to wait for the right moment to execute it.
He sat on the bed and took one of his spy beetles out of his pants pocket. It had been the first thing he had retrieved from the things Valerie had brought with her in her bag and had hidden it before anyone saw it. He stood up and walked to the door, putting his ear to the wood to hear if anyone was near the room. He detached himself and walked towards the back of the room.
- Open the portal and send the notification. - He whispered on the back of the beetle. – Tell him that I will give him the best exoskeleton if he delivers me the prey in less than 10 hours.
The beetle closed its wings and Vlad opened the window slightly to let it fly free. He closed the window and went back to bed. Now he only had to wait for an opportunity to get out of there. The problem was the people who were in the living room at the time.
- This is weird.
Jazz, Sam and Paulina turned to look at Tucker. The 4 of them were sitting in the kitchen dining room, although only him was doing something.
- What's weird? – The redhead asked, not very interest.
- There was an interview scheduled for today with the GiW to discuss what happened.
- And? – Sam said with her head on the table.
- The link was canceled and they only issued a redacted statement.
- Oh yes. Very rare – Sam mocked him.
Tucker rolled his eyes and looked at Paulina out of the corner of his eye. She had her gaze fixed on the living room of her house. On Valerie, to be precise. He was also a little uncomfortable about the whole situation with Val, especially the part of keeping her frozen for almost an hour. But he also understood that letting her go would be bad, not just for Danny, but for all of them. For the moment, she was unreliable.
The doorbell of the house rang at that moment and the 4 raised their heads.
- About time. - Jazz murmured. – I'll go for Danny and… Dani.
She stood up and the other girls did the same.
- I'll go get Vlad. – Sam commented.
Paulina picked up the money that was on the table and walked towards the door. The doorbell rang again and she opened the door very carefully and slowly. She stuck her head out and saw a boy, maybe her own age, who was looking back at his motorcycle on the street. The thermal backpack that hung from his side and the jacket with the logo of the pizza place confirmed that he was the delivery man.
Making sure she didn't open the door too wide; she stood in the doorway to receive the food. The boy turned around when he heard the door opening and ducked his head to read the order label.
- Good night. Sorry for the tardiness, but the streets are chaos right now. – He read the name on the ticket. - Pizza for… Paulina Sanchez?
- Yes, that's me.
She raised an eyebrow as the boy looked at her in surprise and slightly open-mouthed. She had that effect on guys, but at the time she didn't feel like dealing with it.
- Hi-hi Paulina... - The boy got nervous and smiled at her, but she just crossed her arms.
- Do I know you?
- I... no... well... yes... although... you'll see... - The young man began to babble things that ended with what little patience the girl had left.
- Are you going to give me my food or not? – She said hardening her features.
- I am! Sure. – He opened the backpack again and took out the 5 cartons. – O-one vegetarian, two with cold meats and two with 4 cheeses. – He extended his arms with the cardboard and tried to smile at her. – That would be…
Paulina cut him off, leaving the bills on the top cardboard and quickly held the stack from below. The boy took the money and removed his hands from the boxes. Quickly, Paulina backed away, whispered "thank you, keep the change" and closed the door with her foot. The boy was somewhat paralyzed before he could react.
- Eh… thanks for your preference! - He said aloud for her to hear.
Paulina walked briskly to the table where Tucker was beginning to pick up his things to make room.
- You could have been a little nicer to Mikey.
- Who? - Pauline asked.
- The delivery man. – He replied pointing to the door with his head. – I mean, we only studied together for 6 years.
- I do not remember him. - Pauline admitted.
- Weird. – Tucker said, arranging the pizzas on the table. – He used to do your homework.
Paulina stared at the floor while the others reached the dining room. She made eye contact with Tucker for a few seconds before settling into a chair to eat.
- Yes! – Dani said enthusiastically as she grabbed a slice.
Vlad and Tucker took a plate and ate standing up, while the others sat at the table.
- Don't you think we should give her something? - Tucker asked pointing to Valerie with his slice.
- Can we trust that she won't start screaming as soon as that thing is taken out of her mouth? - Jazz asked.
- Let's finish and then we'll talk to her. – Vlad commented. – Perhaps if she's hungry she'll be more willing to… cooperate.
- That sounds like torture to me. – Paulina murmured.
- I have an idea. - Danny commented. – But I'll need our ghost data base.
- I have them there. – Tucker commented pointing to his equipment.
- Then let's hurry up.
To say that she was bored would be an oversimplification of how she felt. She had been trapped in the ice for almost an hour and, although her suit kept her mostly warm, not having her helmet on made her feel cold. Other than that, she was hungry, her neck ached from the stiff position she held and she was beginning to want to go to the bathroom. She watched movement in the kitchen and moments later, she watched Danny, Vlad, and Dani approach her. She automatically hardened her features.
Dani was carrying a plate with 3 slices of pizza and a glass of water; Danny was with Tucker's Tablet and seemed to be looking for something; finally, Vlad was behind them with his gaze fixed on her.
- I'll take that thing away if you promise not to scream. - He told him.
Valerie remained serious.
- Yeah. - Vlad confirmed. – She doesn't intend to cooperate.
- Valerie, I'm going to tell you everything. - Danny said. – But I need you to trust us when I tell you that we are not your enemies.
Danny met her eyes and she held his gaze. The boy exhaled after a while and turned the tablet so that she could see it. On the screen was the same menu of the ghost files that she and Danielle had reviewed that morning.
- Dani told me that you found the hidden folder. – He said clicking on it. - I hid it because it was a ghost that, in theory, I would never have to face again…much less see again. – He entered the password and the file opened. – This… is Dan.
Valerie looked away from him to the screen, where she saw a ghost with pale skin, flaming hair, red eyes, and what appeared to be a black suit. The photo was a close-up of the face and it was not very good quality, but it was distinguishable.
- He's… something that should not exist. – Danny resumed talking. – I fought against him when I was 14 years old and managed to defeat him with the help of another ghost called Clockwork. Now, Dan is not your average ghost…- He locked the tablet and looked into her eyes. – He comes from the future. Or he came from the future. From a future that no longer exists. But since I captured him inside a thermos and removed him from his timeline…
- He now exists outside of time. – Vlad completed for him.
There was another brief pause, trying to figure out if she was listening to him or not.
- Another thing that makes him peculiar is that he was… my future. - The way Valerie frowned at him confirmed that she was listening. – He is the mix of my ghost half with Vlad's.
Vlad transformed and reached out to Valerie, removing the ectoplasm that was keeping her mouth shut. To stop her from screaming, Dani stuffed the slice of pizza into her mouth. Although she wanted to refuse to bite into the pizza, her body accepted the food gladly.
- My ghost side corrupted Daniel's and that's how he came to existence. More powerful than both of us. – Vlad spoke.
- And more unstable. – The blue-eyed young man spoke again. – In his timeline, Dan destroyed the whole world. And as far as I know, he's the only ghost that… well, dares to kill.
- The destruction of my lab? That was him. This morning's accident? It was him too.
- And that's not all. – Dani said, keeping the pizza in her mouth.
- He assimilated Pariah Dark, the ghost king. And along with the ring and the crown, he has unlimited power to destroy the world... again.
Valerie swallowed what was in her mouth and looked at the three of them.
- Why do you tell me all of this?
- Because we need your help. – Dani said. – We can't fight him alone.
- Well, forget it.
Dani wanted to say something, but her "cousin" stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder.
- At least… can we count on you not telling anyone where we are?
- And to whom could I tell, genius? You have me captured.
- Just… don't do it. Please.
Valerie narrowed her eyes as she saw him turn into a ghost. He placed his hand on the ice and little by little, it melted. Although she was numb and stiff, she was ready to attack them, but Vlad came forward again. With ectoplasm, he bound her wrists together as well as her ankles. Held down, she fell onto her bottom on the floor.
Dani approached her and placed the plate and glass of water on the floor, close to her. She gave her a weak smile before heading towards the stairs. Danny and Vlad walked after her, until Valerie's voice made them turn around.
- Do you want my silence? - She said looking at Danny. - Tell me what she is. Because I'm sure as hell you're not cousins.
Danny looked at Danielle for a second, as if he was asking her permission on whether he could or couldn't share that information.
- She's a clone. His clone. – Vlad answered for them.
All eyes went to Vlad. Danny with some fury and Danielle not being able to believe what he had just said. Tucker, Sam, Jazz and Paulina had also heard the revelation and had left the kitchen upon hearing it, although the only one really shocked had been the Latina.
- What? – The tied down girl said between nervous laughs.
- I created her to destroy Daniel. But things didn't turn out as expected... That's why she didn't transform when she fell unconscious.
- Vlad… - Danny warned.
- Because her original form is her ghost form. She is a clone of Danny Phantom.
- Vlad! - Danny yelled grabbing his arm.
- What? – He broke free. – She was going to find out anyway. And I don't think it matters that she knows…since tomorrow probably none of the 3 of us will still be alive.
Dani, still in ghost form, went flying up the stairs. The rest of the Phantom team followed after her, except for Danny.
- Can you watch her for a few minutes? – He asked Paulina.
The girl just nodded and Danny tried to pull Vlad away, but the older man resisted. When he turned to see him, Vlad pointed to the ceiling. They both turned intangible and flew up to where the others were.
Paulina stayed downstairs, watching Valerie and her inner shock at the revelation. She wasn't all that affected by such revelation, but the brunette was another matter. Valerie was a friend of the girl.
Valerie had completely stopped eating, her gaze lost on the plate the young woman had given her. And now there was yet another lie to add to the pile. At this point, she shouldn't mind finding out that something else she believed in was a lie, but it still hurt. She hardened her features, willing to bury that part of her once and for all.
- Don't do that.
Valerie turned to see Paulina without understanding what she was referring to.
- Don't blame her for what someone else did.
She wanted to yell at her for meddling in things she knew nothing about, but decided to save her words. Reasoning with Paulina was impossible given her low ability to process ideas outside of the realms of beauty and style. Although she appeared to have changed over time, she knew that Paulina could not change. It would be the last straw if she was even wrong about that.
She ate what was on her plate in intervals of silence, which were interrupted by some shouting from upstairs. "You didn't have the right", "What's wrong with you?" and some other not-so-kind things were coming out of the Phantom team's mouth against Vlad. After a few minutes, things seemed to have calmed down up there and silence reigned in the Sanchez household.
Valerie stood up and Paulina quickly pulled the teaser out.
- Calm down, will you? I just have to go to the bathroom.
Paulina pointed the teaser at her and looked at her nervously.
- I don't think you can… - She pointed at her with her eyes.
Valerie rolled her eyes and clasped both hands on her chest. Her red suit gradually disappeared until it was contained in the wristbands that she carried in each of her wrists. She raised her eyebrow as if to say "Happy?" and the Latina just lowered the teaser and nodded toward the door that led to the bathroom. Jumping, she was moving until arriving at the door.
His gaze was lost at a random point on the street. His face did not show any emotion and in his dark glasses it was visible the reflections of the flashing blue and red lights coming from the ambulance and the many patrols. If someone was talking to him, he hadn't heard anything. His brain seemed to be blocking any input of new information in favor of processing the one he had received a few minutes ago. He wished the rain hadn't stopped, or at least that it would fall again to clean the red stains he had on his skin from the blood of his fallen comrade.
He had to give a statement, he knew there was a policeman somewhere in the building looking for him to take his account of the facts, but at that moment he didn't care. Neither that, nor the protocols, nor the press releases... he just wanted to end it all.
A hand on his shoulder made him turn his head slightly. O didn't say anything, just stayed silent next to him watching the clouds that moved quickly in the sky.
- We saw the surveillance video. – He said after a while.
- Did you show it to them? – K asked when he observed the police forces leaving the building little by little.
- We had to. - He removed his hand from his shoulder.
- And now what?
- Now we hunt that bastard down. – O made a brief pause. - But for now, we need to get back to the Fentons.
She had a hard time doing something as simple as washing her hands when they were tied. "Stupid Danny." She couldn't help but think. When she removed all the soap from her fingers, she turned off the water and when she reached out her hands to take the towel, she heard a bang from outside. Her senses went on high alert and, carefully not to make a sound, she opened the bathroom door. As a precaution, she just stuck her head in and found Paulina lying on the ground, apparently unconscious. She had fallen backwards, her hair covered part of her face and in her hand she still had the teaser.
Although it was the perfect opportunity to run away, she took things cautiously. After all, whatever had brought Paulina down might still be there. She jumped up to the girl and noticed that she appeared to be asleep, with no indication that she had been drugged or knocked out with violence. When she straightened up again, a hand covered her mouth and forcefully pinned her against the wall.
- Do not make a sound. – Vlad said seriously. – Let's do this quickly, shall we? I have other things to do and so do you.
Vlad held up his other hand and Valerie noticed that he was handing her the backpack with those weapons that hadn't been disassembled inside.
- Now, I'll free you, but if you make a scandal, I'll do the same to you that I did to her. – He pointed to Paulina.
Valerie just nodded, skeptical of what the still mayor was up to. When Vlad released her mouth, she moved forward, intending to headbutt him. Irritated, Vlad stopped her and pinned her down again, but now he took her by the neck and floated with her until her head hit the ceiling. The girl began to shake her limbs desperately due to the lack of air before the older man's stern look.
- You've always been a disappointment, Valerie… - He said, turning her head a little to the left. – I was wrong to think that the current situation would make you a little more… reasonable.
Vlad released her and she fell to the ground with a loud thud. She began to cough violently and brought her hands to her neck. Vlad slowly descended to the ground and with an ectoplasm beam released the bonds on the girl's limbs. When she looked up, she took the smack of her backpack full on her chest.
- Thanks to your "little stunt" we don't have much time. So, we'll have to do this the hard way.
Valerie still didn't quite understand what was happening when Vlad flew towards her and possessed her.
Upstairs, another Vlad was sitting on the edge of the bed with his arms folded and his eyes closed, while everyone else was around him, taking turns to complain to him about what he had done, except for Dani, who was just huddled in a corner. and, just like her "father", she was blocking the sound coming from the voices of others. She was looking down when she heard a thud coming from downstairs.
She snapped her head up and strained her ears, picking up other sounds.
- What was that? – She stood up.
- Dani? What are you taking about? – Danny approached her with concern.
- That noise… it came from below.
Danny was going to ask her about it, but she moved quickly towards the door, under everyone's watchful eyes. Opening the door, she ran into a purple shield blocking her way. All eyes returned to the adult, who had one hand extended toward the door.
- Vlad… - Danny warned him. - What are you doing?
- We only waste time hiding. - He opened his eyes. - Someone has to do something.
- What did you do? - Danny's eyes flashed green.
Another sound came from below and now, Danielle knew what he was doing.
- Valerie… - She whispered.
Dani turned intangible and phased through the floor to the ground floor. Seeing this, the mayor raised both hands in the air in surrender and returned to his human form. Now that the door was free, Tucker and Sam ran downstairs while Danny and Jazz kept an eye on Vlad. When the two reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw an unconscious Paulina on the floor and Dani closing the front door.
- Tucker, help her. – Sam told her as she ran towards the kitchen.
The dark-haired man crouched down at the girl's head, trying to find an appropriate way to lift her up.
- She's gone. – Dani murmured leaning on the door.
- And she took her weapons. – Sam said returning to the room.
Tucker straightened Paulina's torso and rested it on his chest, and a pleasant fruity aroma invaded his nose, but the brief moment was interrupted when the girl's body went sideways. He managed to catch her before she landed on the ground and straightened her up again. As best as he could, he hugged her and slipped his arm under her legs to try and lift her up princess style.
- Don't drag it out, pervert. – Sam scolded him.
- Hey! It's not that easy! – He defended himself. – She is heavier than she appears.
- Remind her of it when she wakes up. – Sam added with a smile.
Tucker grunted with the effort of picking her up and trudged her to the largest couch in the living room. Sam looked at Dani and walked over to her.
- We'll take care of her. – She put her hand on the girl's shoulder. - Go upstairs.
Dani just nodded and flew back into the bedroom, where she found Vlad lying on the bed ignoring Danny's questions.
- Valerie. What did you do with her? - She asked, violently approaching the man.
Vlad opened one eye and raised an eyebrow.
- Me? I was here all along.
- She's gone!
- Then ask her.
- Tell me what you did with her!
Vlad watched Danielle's face fill with annoyance, but he wasn't going to let her interfere with her plan.
- Or what?
- Vlad… - Danny threatened him.
- Are you going to torture me? Beat the truth out of me? – He paused to see the frustration on their blue-eyed faces. – Because that's not his style… heroes.
Dani clenched her fists in anger and let out a frustrated cry. She turned intangible and went through the wall, looking for a place inside the house where she could hide for the moment. For his part, Vlad just sighed and closed his eyes again.
- But don't worry Daniel. I intend to stay in this room to serve my… house arrest.
- If something happens to her...
- Would you mind ending your threat elsewhere? I need to rest if you want me to fight Dan tomorrow.
Danny growled and stormed out of the room, Jazz trailing behind him. The boy's mind was in a storm. As if Dan, Valerie, the Guys in White and the rest of the world knowing his identity weren't enough, now he had to worry about Vlad too. He needed to calm down, so he quickly went downstairs. The noise he made going down the steps caught the attention of his friends downstairs. Without a word, he returned to his human form and walked over to Sam.
- Danny, are you…?
Sam was silent as Danny hugged her as if his life depended on it. He buried his head in his girlfriend's neck and inhaled her scent, a tried and tested method for calming his nerves. Startled, she could only place her arms behind his back and lightly pat him to reassure him. A part of her wanted to hug him back with the same intensity, but she remembered that Danny was still hurt.
- What happened? - She whispered in his ear.
- The usual… Vlad is Vlad.
Sam rested her head on Danny's shoulder and allowed herself to enjoy this moment, no matter how brief.
- That's very romantic, guys… but I'm right here.
- Then go elsewhere Tuck. - Danny said without looking at him.
Maybe he came out a bit rude, but he needed to relax. Besides, he'd always wanted them to be like this, so he didn't see any reason for him to be upset.
- Danny, you need to rest. – Sam tried to get away from him, but he refused to let her go.
- Just a little longer...
- Danny. - He recognized that tone. Sam never lost when she used it. - Go to rest.
Reluctantly, he broke away from her and turned to head towards the guest room. On the way he patted Tucker on the shoulder, which boy responded with a slight smile.
- Tucker, can you keep an eye on Vlad? I'll take care of sleeping beauty. - Jazz said.
- Understood. – He said as he picked up the Tablet from the table.
- Sam, could you find Danielle? She's somewhere upstairs.
- Got it.
As she headed for the stairs, Tucker caught up with her. She raised an eyebrow when she saw that Tucker had the deflector on and a weapon in his hand.
- What? Better safe than sorry.
He would be lying if he said that it wasn't a difficult dilemma. The offer was beyond generous, perhaps too generous to be true. But there was heavy feeling in the atmosphere throughout the ghost zone that made him a bit hesitant to go out exploring. There were rumors circulating, but there was nothing concrete. Klemper said that Danny Phantom had changed and had become a violent monster, others said that the Observants were orchestrating something, and the most lunatic assured that Pariah Dark had escaped from the sarcophagus seeking revenge against the ghosts that had risen up against him.
Whatever it was, the truth was that the ghost zone didn't feel safe. There was something dark that everyone could sense but no one could describe. Which was why he wasn't sure about accepting the job. That coupled with the fact that this particular ghost was very slippery, given his unique and peculiar ability.
Vlad had promised him an exoskeleton, not upgrades to his armor like he usually dealt with. The dynamic of his alliance with Walker could change if he got something like what the ghost boy used when he fought Pariah, and truth was that Vlad was harmless to them. The human sought dominance over the human plane and always kept out of what was happening in the ghost zone, so it didn't sound like a bad deal. After all, he had already made multiple deliveries to Plasmius in the past. What could happen if he did one more?
Determined, Skulker emerged from his lair and cautiously ventured out in search of his next prey.
He checked the surroundings and found it curious that there were only two operatives guarding the house. He looked around and noticed that there were no people in that area of the city outside at that time. He became intangible and flew up behind the operatives. The easiest thing to do would be to ignore them and leave them there, but they could cause problems in case a fight broke out inside the house. He decided to knock them unconscious by sticking his intangible hands to their heads. As they both fell to the ground, he turned and went through the gate to reconnoiter.
The Fenton house seemed to be empty, save for the noise of the television in the kitchen. Still intangible, he inspected the ground floor and was able to confirm that no one was there. He became visible to watch the broadcast on the television. Apparently, all the Guys in White had moved to another part of the city in response to an attack. "That explains a few things." He thought as he carefully looked at the images.
There were patrol cars and an ambulance at the scene and, although no official statement had been made, it appeared that one person was dead. Most likely, it had been Dan. But what was he after with that? The Guys in White weren't a threat to him, or any ghost for that matter. If he was Dan (and he partly was), what would he need those clowns for? In what part of his plan would they fit into? He frowned and turned off the television. He had already wasted enough time.
He walked until he reached the stairs that led to the lab and descended very quietly. The lab was messy and looked vandalized, something that was common for Jack, but not for Maddie. The portal was turned off and it seemed that the operational system had not been messed with.
"Showtime". Vlad came out of Valerie's body and the girl fell unconscious to the ground behind him. He walked over to the command center on the wall and pushed the green button to turn on the portal. The lights throughout the house flickered for a few seconds while the inner rings of the portal hummed with the power charge. Within seconds, a green glow could be seen through the slots in the metal door that covered the portal and then lit up in a green light above the structure.
However, when he placed his thumb on the panel that opened the portal door, nothing happened. He tried many times, but the result never changed. He took a better look at the panel and noticed that it was a biometric key. He growled in frustration at the obstacle to his plan. Sometimes Jack had great ideas, but rarely was it something that benefited him.
He heard voices coming from upstairs and quickly became alert. He became intangible and re-entered Valerie's body. He stood up and dropped her backpack to the ground so he could press her wristbands and activate her suit. From the backpack he extracted a weapon and became intangible, waiting for those who were above to enter.
- Maddie! – Jack yelled from the front door. – Someone attacked the operatives.
Mrs. Fenton opened the door wide for Jack to walk in with one of the men over his shoulder and the other under his arm. As Jack deposited them on the living room couch, she surveyed the men. They didn't seem to have been subdued by force, so the assailant was probably not human. Or was incredibly skilled.
- Jack. I think someone turned on the portal.
They both ran downstairs and found nothing strange. The place had been razed by the Guys in White a few hours before, so the disordered state of the lab was normal. Maddie ran over to the panel to check.
- I was right. Someone turned on the portal.
Jack looked at the floor and found an open black bag, he walked over and noticed that there were many ghost weapons inside. However, what really caught his attention was that those weapons did not have the characteristic color green of all their inventions, but an almost reddish-purple hue.
- Madds... Are you working on weapon prototypes? – He said raising the suitcase.
- Not lately. Why?
- Then whose...?
Something materialized behind him and when he turned around, he was met with a blow to the face with a weapon that sent him to the ground.
- That's mine.
- Jack!
The Red Huntress kept her distance from Jack's body as she pointed the gun at his face. When his wife tried to approach him, she pointed another gun at her that she pulled from her back.
- Don't do that. – She threatened her.
Maddie raised both hands and slowly tried to walk towards her husband.
- Stay there and open the portal.
- What?
- Open the portal.
- Look... pal. – Jack said. - I don't know what you want, but...
- What do I want? You to open that portal.
Jack got serious.
- I'm afraid we can't…
- Maddie, open the portal. - Valerie ordered.
- How do you know my name? – Mrs. Fenton asked somewhat curious. - And how did you enter my house?
- Open the portal! – She ordered her, waving the gun again.
Jack took advantage of the distraction to launch himself against the Red Huntress. Stripping her of her weapons and tackling her was not difficult given the great difference in dimensions between the two. When Jack pinned her to the ground, Maddie ran to her husband's side and grabbed a gun to threaten her.
- Stay there!
- Fine, we'll do this the hard way. - Valerie whispered.
Jack felt the Red Huntress' body go limp under him and looked up to see a ghost materialize above him. Maddie froze as she recognized the ghost as Jack got to his feet. Plasmius grabbed his arm and flung him against the portal door. Then he took the gun away from Maddie.
- I told you to open the portal. – He nudged Maddie so that she fell backwards.
- Vlad! Wait! – Jack said standing up.
- Jack. Open that portal now.
- Vladdie, buddy… what are you doing?
- What your son is not willing to do. Now open that portal.
- Danny? Do you know where Danny is? - The tone in Maddie's voice showed concern.
- Vlad, do you know where Danny is? Is he okay?
- And Jazz! What happened? Why…?
- Stop talking! - Vlad yelled.
Plasmius trapped Maddie in a sphere of purple ectoplasm and then attacked Jack, hitting him with a punch to the abdomen that knocked the air out of him. The orange giant fell to his knees and brought both hands to his abdomen, but Vlad grabbed his arm and pulled him to the panel. He forcefully placed Jack's thumb on the biometric panel and the portal doors began to open. Finishing his work, Vlad pushed Jack back to face the portal.
- Vlad, buddy. Talk to me. - Jack begged.
Vlad only looked at him for a few seconds before returning his eyes to the portal.
- Take care of Valerie and, above all, keep this portal open.
- Valerie? – They both said.
Without another word, Vlad disappeared into the portal, while the Fentons stared at the Red Huntress in surprise. After a few seconds, the sphere that had Maddie trapped disappeared.