Hidden by Fate

by BardofWorlds

When the School Year ends, summer fun is the last thing on our heroes minds. As secrets are revealed and lies are shown, everything changes. Will our heroes survive to find their happily ever afters? Or will the tide of fate be too much for them to weather? Connected Story with series.

p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"A basic black background, Danny is in the rubble of a stone building on his hands and knees as he seems to be struggling with pain, to his right is the Red Huntress trying to form a shield as a giant stone Dragon is in front of them is rearing its head back with its mouth open as the GIWS watch from behind the Dragon, Sam is behind the GIWS looking at her grandmother in a hospital bed, a shadowy humanoid figure with bat wings behind her. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
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p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"A white-haired teen in a black jumpsuit with a black tail in place of his legs flew through the night sky over the town of Amity Park. emAnother slow night, it's nice but… But I can't help but feel something is coming, something that will change me and my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut with school starting tomorrow, the new semester, and the trip Vlad is sponsoring while the school updates are finished, plus the field trip tomorrow, I guess I'm just nervous./em Danny thought as he flew. He shivered suddenly released a breath of cold air. He looked around and saw a ghost octopus flying towards the far right side of town and smirked. "Hello misplaced aggression, I've missed you!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny flew after the ghost and smirked as he charged up a blast when suddenly the octopus dodged and fired back at him, hitting him and sending him falling for a few feet before he caught himself and stabilized his flight, glare at the ghost as it flew away. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""That's new, they never did that before," Danny said as he shot after the ghost, seeing it at the edge of his sight. He fired a few blasts that the ghost dodged as it fired back and they flew downwards towards the ground and it reached down with its tentacles and grabbed a rock it threw at Danny who blasted it into dust but some of it got into his eyes. He rubbed it away but when he looked up he saw that the ghost was gone, it had used the distraction of the dust to escape him./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"He flew in the direction that it had gone and after a few moments he had reached a decrepit construction site that had been left abandon. emThis is great, a ghost octopus able to fire blasts and smart enough to find a way to distract me so it could get away, just wonderful!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIf Vlad was behind that thing then if he can create an army of them they'd go through most of GIW's like a chainsaw through butter! /emHe thought as he looked around for a few more moments before scoffing and letting his legs reform and he drop to the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Looking around he saw he was in a construction site, but by the look of the houses around him it was abandoned, and had been for years if the growth of the grass was anything to go style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFrom a unfinished foundation that was just a rectangle hole at this point, to a house missing one side with most of the second floor having rotted away./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I can't believe, after that chase it got away from me, this is perfect Phantom, real good," Danny muttered to himself as he looked around the site as the rain started to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"And now rain, a perfect end to a perfect night!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Calling up a little of his ghost power to cover him in a shield, he gazed down into the foundation and frowned, he took a step towards it and then he suddenly went to a knee as his head started pounding, his eyes closing as he tried to gather his strength. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"After a few moments, he got back up and shook his head as the pain in his head lessened and he got his bearings. emThat was something, I mean I've been getting headaches for the last few weeks but that was even stronger than normal. I gotta get my head on straight; if I mess up when it counts people could die! /emHe thought as he was about to investigate further he heard what sounded like a car coming towards him. Not wanting to scare anyone or give any would-be 'groupies' a chance to see him he went invisible and flew away back towards his home, not bothering to stick around. A car drove by moments later and a light from a flashlight went around the construction site. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs the rain started to pick up, the driver stayed in his car not bothering to look for any tracks the rain was no doubt washing away./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Nothing, thought I saw something, must have been my eyes playing tricks on style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAfter everything that happened to me here, somehow this is just perfect, a perfect end to my duty style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWell, good or bad once tomorrow's done I can either stay on and get some more help to protect the work until its done or I can say goodbye to this place," The drive said as he panned the light over the site and after a few passes back and forth he sighed and shook his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"I think I'll retire, maybe get a job down style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnything would be better then here."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"So without any other actions, he drove his car away and the site was left as it was before Danny and found it./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Within the foundation, the ghost octopus had slipped into a cave and looked out into the darkness as the light panned over the darkness and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanUnlike what Danny thought, this ghost wasn't working for Vlad, no it had come to the world of the living only to cause chaos and pain to the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs it chuckled lightly it never noticed a large red eye open behind it, the eye looked at the ghost as it moved out towards the mouth of the cave, obviously planning to go and carry out its objective only for it to bounce off an energy shield blocking the only way out. It looked confused before it went still as heat suddenly came from behind it./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"strongspan style="color: #0e101a;""IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME SINCE FOOD HAS COME OF ITS OWN ACCORD,"/span/strongemstrongspan style="color: #0e101a;" /span/strong/emspan style="color: #0e101a;"A voice boomed behind it and the ghost turned around and screeched in fear as it saw what was /strong/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Outside above around the construction site, the screech died out and the few animals that were still around looked at the empty foundation a knowing look in their eyes before they scurried away from what they knew as a death pit. strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;""Mmmmmm, calamari!" /strong/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; tab-stops: 291.0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny sighed as he walked into Casper High, his head still bothering him. emwhat the hell is wrong with me, I mean /em emI haven't felt like this since just after the accident!/em Danny thought before he looked around and spotted the busses were dropping kids off and heading towards the back of the school. "Of course we can't even just gather out back, not they have to, they must be waiting until it's time to leave, hope they've got a book to read," /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny sighed before he walked in, hoping his headache would go down. As he moved through the school towards his locker, he dodged the other students and paid them no more mind than they did him. After dodging Dash and his fellow football jocks bothering a band member Danny reached his locker and had just finished getting ready for class when suddenly…./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hey Danny," A voice from behind him caused him to turn and see a girl his age with light skin, black hair, purple lipstick on and violet eyes with a black choker around her neck, a black tank top that exposed her midriff with a purple oval in the center, a black striped skirt with a green crosshatch design, purple leggings, and black combat boots. She had on a pair of black bracelets around both of her wrists. She looked tired and her eyes looked like she had been crying and Danny felt his heart break a little as he looked at her. emI can't believe this, she doesn't deserve any of this! Her parents are slime and only care about appearances and now this, her only alley in the family? I don't care what I will after to do I will help her however I can!/em Danny thought as he fought to keep his feelings from showing and kept his face kind./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hey Sam, I guess the news is bad," Danny said as Sam nodded as she tried to gather herself back together and sighed. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Grandma has maybe a few days left according to her, the doctors think it will be longer and then there's the fact that she wants to talk to me today after school," Sam said and Danny looked at her and Sam looked away. "Strange as it is, she's at peace with it."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny looked at her concerned and worried about just what was else bothering her, knowing that she wouldn't look away because of what was happening to her grandmother. "Sam what is it? You know you can tell me if anything is bothering you."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah….. is it bad that I'm so scared that my parents might send me away to a boarding school to turn me into a 60's housewife once she's dead? " Sam asked and Danny shook his head./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""No Sam, it's not," Danny said and put a hand on her face and smiled at her. "People are complicated, that's a truth I've learned over my life and about my other emsecret/em."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Thanks Danny," Sam said as she looked at him and sighed. "I…. can you come with me after school, Grandma asked me to bring someone I trusted with me."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny looked away and blushed. "I'm honored that you trust me."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam looked away with a blush and smirked, trying to play it off. "Why shouldn't I? And what's wrong with that you?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Headache since my run last night and the calamari I had for a snack almost went down the wrong pipe," Danny said with a scowl and Sam sighed./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Again? That's a bad sign," Sam said and Danny chuckled and grinned at her./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hey Guys!" A cheerful voice caused them to turn and see Tucker, an African-American teen with turquoise eyes, black hair, and black glasses. He had on a long-sleeve yellow shirt and green cargo pants with a black belt and brown boots along with a red beret and a backpack. "Isn't it great that we have a half-day, and because of Vlad of all people! And there's a sale at the Tech-Shack that starts after lunch so life is good!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Tucker, get real," Sam scoffed and Tucker frowned and looked at Danny who stared stonily back. They didn't notice the new school janitor move closer to them, close enough that he could hear what they were saying./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What I miss?" Tucker asked in total confusion and Danny sighed as Sam facepalmed at his obviousness./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Why would Vlad give us a half-day?" Danny asked and Tucker frowned and looked from Danny to Sam/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I don't know, why?" Tucker asked in total confusion. "Is he trying to score points with Danny or some other reason?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""So Danny could be there if something happens," Sam answered with her arms crossed and Tucker's mouth dropped open./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Oh, I did not see that. Okay let's see if I can find anything about the building they're taking down," Tucker said with a shrug as he brought out a PDA and started to type. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Done! By the time the bus leaves I should have something about what's being destroyed."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""That's the best we can do, we just have to hope this is just another business thing and not an emother/em thing," Danny said with a scowl as Sam sighed. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Why do you think he's trying to score points with Danny?" Sam asked and Tucker grinned./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Well there is the weekend cruise latter, remember?" Tucker asked and Sam sighed as Tucker started to stare into space, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. "The ship has free wifi, the best food and there are two pools, one inside and outside! I can't wait until I can see the girls in their bathing suites!" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam snorted and was about to say something however before she could speak some called out from behind them/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" "Ahh miss Samantha, there you are on this gloomy day," The voice caused the three friends to turn to see three teens their age walk towards them, a boy leading two girls. Each of them was what most people would consider 'goths', pale and a somber air about them but Danny wasn't too sure about that, something about that wasn't ringing true to him. The boy was Bob 'Belphegor' Jonson, a tall teen with black hair and eyes and always dressed in black clothes with a black coat that went to his knees. To his right was a redhead girl with a curvy body in a black shirt and skirt that was only one inch longer than school regulations demanded skirts are and she hair in a bun while in school but they had seen her about town with her hair down to her waist and she seemed to always have red painted bedroom eyes above blood-red lips and talked with a sensual purr to her voice and while she had been named Helen but preferred the name Hecate. To Belhegor's left was a blond-haired girl with blue eyes, black lips and the same figure as Hecate who wore a red shirt and tight black pants and her hair short and was named Lyla, but only answered to Lamashtu. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Wonderful, Bobby and his bimbos, just what this day needed to start it!" Sam said as she glared at the three other 'goths' as Paulina always called them. The three had been trying to get her to join their 'coven' for years, ever since puberty they had been after her with more fever. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Oh Sam, why won't you come and embrace your true self?" Lamashtu asked as Sam glared at them and snorted./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Your way, is not mine," Sam said and Belphegor smiled in what he felt was inviting but made Sam shudder and caused Danny to glare at him./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""But it could be your way my dear, all it takes is to but take a single step and invite the change in," Belphegor said with a smirk and reached out with a hand towards her but dropped it when Sam glared at him./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I think I know my path better than you," Sam said and Lamasthu giggled./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""But then they say no fool is like the fool who's lost their way," Lamasthu said as Hecate laughed as Belphegor sighed and shook his head./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Well this time my dear I will let you go without showing you the truth, but you will learn it one day," Belphegor said and Danny looked at him with a hard look./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Sam is allowed her own choices, and I'll be helping her make them, every step," Danny said and Sam looked at him with a smile that Hecate saw and scowled./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Come Belphegor, let's leave the poser with the normals," Hecate said with a sensual purr and as she turned away, a scowl on her face. emThat one has always been different since that accident a year ago, but this is too much! Will we have to break their relationship before we can finally gain a fourth? /emShe thought as she added a swing in her step that drew the eyes of the other boys beside Danny as the blond laughed musically as she walked away. ed/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" "Your right, Hecate, Lamashtu. We have better things to do with our time before 2nd period," Belphegor said as he turned/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What about 1st?" Tucker asked and Belphegor snickered as they walked away./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Study hall," Hecate called out as the three walked away as she and Lamasthu laughed./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As soon as they were out of hearing Lamasthu scowled and it kept all her voice low. "Why can't that girl understand we are the people she should be with, she looks so sexy I so want to see her after we're through rocking her world!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""And she's I think she's a natural brunet, we so need one in the group!" Hecate said with a pout and Belphor laughed a little./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Don't worry my pets," Belphegorsaid as he put an arm around both of the girls and started to smirk. "I have a feeling that soon that will happen."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" Back with Danny, Sam and Tucker Sam stared at them as they walked off before scowling and slamming her locker closed./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I don't know why I don't slug that bastard and his bitches!" Sam snarled as she clenched her fists. "Or better yet, send the GIW after them! There has to be a way to send them!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Calm down Sam, I get it," Danny said smoothly. "I hate Joseph too, have for years. And ever since he 'realized who he is' I've always felt he was slime, but let's not give the teachers a chance to do something to us, and we have a half-day because of that Vlad thing."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""There's that at least, all we have to do is see a speech and then I can get to the hospital," Sam said as she smirked and Tucker chuckled a little. "What is it Tucker?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Nothing, it's what Danny said. The teachers probably punish the rest of the school because they have to do something to control the school after being up the A-List's assess, I wonder what Dash's smells like?" Tucker said with a laugh as they walked to class, none of the three noticed the new janitor had overheard them and was scowling at what he had heard./span/p
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p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
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p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"A black limo pulled up to a building on the edge of town and as soon as it stopped a man with short white hair and a goatee got out and wearing a black suit with a scowl on his face got out and walked towards a foreman before three Bulldozers and two backhoes and a bulldozer before a gate connected to a stone wall, a four-story house painted brown could be seen through it, the building had black stone gargoyles on it, at least ten a story with a large one on the roof with a few stone heads pointed over the wall here and there./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Mayor Masters, hey. Look I know we should have gotten the wall down but," The foreman began when the black-suited man exploded/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Why haven't you started yet?! This place is part of the new industrial park and we need to break ground within weeks!" Vlad Masters barked and the foreman looked over his shoulder behind him and Vlad looked and was able to see an old man standing between the machines and the wall holding onto a grey walker. "Of course, him!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The old man huffed and puffed as Vlad walked towards him and glared at him. "I don't care what you say, this land is mine! As long as I breathe I will protect this place!" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I offered you a perfect settlement and then I had to pass a motion that forced the issue, you don't even live in there!" Vlad said as he looked at the man who glared back./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I'm not supposed to live in it, I'm supposed to protect! As long as I live I will protect the….," The man began before he went still and fell backwards. Vlad looked at the man laying down before he dropped to his side and felt for a pulse. Finding none he tried to get the man's heart beating but after a few moments he stopped and sighed and shook his head./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Mayor Masters?" The Foreman asked as Vlad walked away and looked tired. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Call an ambiance, this man was right, as long as he drew breath he would protect this place," Vlad said solemnly before he stopped and looked around as he thought he heard a roar from a long-distance away. Looking around Vlad saw the other workers were spooked as well, and given how the town was that was saying something on its own./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Did you hear something sir?" The foreman asked and Vlad shook his head./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""No, I didn't hear anything," Vlad said as he reached out with his senses and didn't feel anything at all like a ghost beyond the few traces that he had left for the law he had made to have this place fall under his new law. emI never thought that the old man would die like this, but all in all good for me! I'll use a quarter of the money to give him a nice funeral and then….why am I having a problem believing that this will be something simple, why do I think that this will cause more problems than I know? /emVlad thought as he looked around and moved towards where the podium was being set up. "Why do I have the feeling that I should contact the GIWS sooner or later?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"A tall curvy woman in a blue rubber jumpsuit with long black gloves and boots stood in a kitchen writing something style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHer shoulder-length auburn hair hung freely and she smirked with red lipstick covered style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I'm almost done with the last few equations, so far my idea to increase the yield looks good!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSoon we'll be able to really hunt down more specimens and dstroy all those ecto-monsters!/emspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe thought with a grin. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The woman, Medline 'Maddie' Fenton was Danny's and Jazz adopted style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe had been after the destruction of the 'Ghostly Menace' for style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd there were reasons why she wore a full body jumpsuit most of the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe had met Jack when they had both been after a ghost in their teens, and they met Vlad at college./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The sound of a door opening caused her to look up and see a very tall and bulky with black hair with some white in the back and blue eyes. He wore an orange jumpsuit with black gloves and boots and he smiled at her as he saw style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Just finished the maintenance on the Ghost Assault Vehicle style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe guns have been replaced and the engine was particle rebuilt, had to get at the flywheel and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanToo bad we couldn't make it to V-man's shindig."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Good Jack, but at least we can watch it," Maddie said and smiled at him as he walked to the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I can't believe that Vlad became the mayor!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd after that consular the school said we should talk to convinced us not to see style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI didn't like that we had to transfer either, my experiment was left to run without me!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut at least the ones I've been able to run over the years here have grown fruit./emspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMaddie thought with a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe still hadn't been able to send her research to others, it was still ongoing but she was wondering who to send it style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The old professor who had listened to her and understood her had passed on years style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd from what the few contacts she had at the college, the person who had taken over wasn't the right fit with style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe knew that if that person ever saw her research, then they wouldn't style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAll she had to do was have hope until she found someone who would style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd then once her research was done, then the world would benefit from it./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Jack smiled as he grabbed some style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe was always happy to work with his hands, reminded him of his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhile he was a great mechanic his real passion was fudge!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs he grabbed a box of it out of the fridge he smiled as he walked towards the couch and turned the TV on./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Maddie laughed a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanPart of what drew her to Jack was his simplicity, and how easy it was to manipulate style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe looked up the stairs at Jazz and smiled as she heard the music she played when she was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHer daughter was perfectly normal, she was so glad they had taken her in after rescuing her from those ghost scum! /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Move it people, calm and orderly, first ones go to the back, we full up a bus we go to the next, we've got all of them so don't worry there's room for all," Mr. Lancer , a bald man in a blue shirt and black pants and a goatee said loudly and as Danny came out of the school with his backpack on and looked around the yard and saw that the A-Listers, were staying towards the school's front doors, waiting until they could sit up front and the new janitor watching them. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Of course they do the same thing always do, use the system against us," Sam muttered as she stood there with her backpack and Danny laughed a little. "Hey where's Tucker?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Said something about grabbing a book, his search bot should be finished and there he is," Danny said as he looked around and saw Tucker walking towards them with his backpack in one of his hands. "Hey Tuck, got by without Dash seeing you?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Guys, I found something on a blog about the city's myths and history, it's something," Tucker said ignoring what Danny had said, something that caused looks of concern to be shared between Sam and Danny./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hey guys, want to sit together?" A voice caused them to turn and see Valarie Grey, an African-American girl with long, curly hair and dark green eyes and a little curvy figure and was wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt and orange skirt with white tennis shoes and had two bracelets on each wrist, one yellow and the other orange. She had been an A-Lister until her dad lost his job when a ghost dog that in life his customers had trained and used as a security system until Valarie's dad had a more high tech replacement and the whole pack had been put down. The dogs' spirits had merged together into the ghost dog, Cujo as Danny called and it had rampaged until it recovered their favorite toy. Unfortunately, Vlad had found out about how Valarie blamed everything on ghosts and given her a high-tech suit and she had been on a one-woman crusade against all the ghosts in the world until Danny had to destroy her suit but it had been upgraded by Technus. Since then she has been a terror for any ghost that fell into Amity Park, from accidents to attackers all were her enemy and subject to destruction, Danny couldn't count the number of times he had to save 'good' ghosts from her, but recently it had spiked to once every other day, and he didn't want to know if she delivered some to Vlad he or she had a way to store them./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hey Val, didn't think you weren't going?" Sam asked and Valarie shrugged./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah well, my dad might become the head of security to the complex while it's being worked on so I might as well go and see what it is," Valarie said with a smirk./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Miss Valarie, with my please!" Lancer called out. "Next Bus!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""And Lancer is on my case lately," Valarie said as she walked off and Danny frowned./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Think Lancer and the others are stepping up protecting the A-Listers more than normal?" Sam asked and scoffed when Danny looked at her. "Come on, this has to be because she defended that girl a few days ago from Paulina."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""The new girl, Kimiko right?" Danny asked as the three friends moved towards one of the buses, hoping to keep Lancer or any of the teachers from noticing them./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah, I mean I always thought they were just bad teachers, but maybe they're just sell-outs," Sam said as she eyed the few teachers around them and Danny felt his headache spike and kept a sigh in as he realized that Sam might be onto something. "But what'd you find Tucker?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Come on, I'll tell you about it on the bus," Tucker said and moved towards the bus and they were soon in the back and noticed that they had the fewest students as the A-Listers claimed a bus for themselves and Danny shook his head as the convoy of buses started./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" "Okay, this was…..interesting," Tucker said as the bus moved off./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"The demolition is in the area of the city that was called, Rich Clan Road, a kind of gated community that was proposed about one hundred years ago," Tucker said and looked at Danny and Sam. "But after the first three buildings were finished the development fell through and the company went under, the three houses did have residents lined up but all three families died, and then the houses were in limbo beyond a single caretaker. But until about twenty years ago people would always report seeing lights from the buildings, and the one that Vlad is flattening was the first finished."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Anything else?" Sam asked and Tucker looked concerned. "Tucker…"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Okay, okay," Tucker said and released a deep breath. "A while back I wanted to look into old town legends, there's a story about how people would hear a strange roar once or twice a year that started about thirty-five years ago but stopped twenty years ago. The tale goes that it started after a circus came through town burned down, and they never found all the animals or attractions; among them was a supposed lion; a lion cub that responded to orders emotherworldly /emif you know what I mean and what's worse is that the records of missing pets dropped dramatically around here twenty years ago to ten years then it spiked again after the portal was opened," /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Oh hell," Danny said and Sam winced; once or twice they had seen some of the Zone's 'animals' feeding on each other and self-aware ghosts. And what was worse was he had found a few ghost 'Animal' eating from garbage or dead birds in Amity Park. From what Frostbite said that was normal and a reason for Kingdoms to gather together, to protect themselves as Lairs could be broken into if the 'animal' was strong enough./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""And Freakshow proved that people can control ghosts," Sam said and then went still. "Twenty years, both stopped twenty years ago?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Right after the Fenton family moved in with their ghost tech, yeah," Tucker said and Danny winced./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Okay, so what about after they made their greatest invention?" Danny asked and Tucker shook his head knowing what Danny meant./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""No sightings at all, not surprising really. The only person who even went there was the caretaker, but three months ago when Vlad passed a law that any abandoned house that hasn't been lived in where ghosts are detected is to be demolished to 'chase away any specters'," Tucker said and Sam sighed. "Yeah, those are my thoughts exactly."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""So Vlad wants to do something with the land, any ideas?" Sam asked and Tucker looked down. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""It's supposed to be a new industrial park," Tucker said and held up a hand to cut Sam off. "And before you say anything about it, while only the first three buildings were finished, the other lots were cleared of all plants and they all have at most half-finished buildings and were left to grow wild."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Anything about that circus?" Danny asked as he looked out the window and frowned. emWait, I've seen some of these structures before…../em Danny thought as he started to feel worried./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Nothing, it was long ago but I checked the Index of Circus, government agency to keep an eye on those things, don't ask why, but nothing," Tucker said and shook his head. "But something about that name…. I don't know."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What name?" Danny asked as he looked ahead and frowned as his mind was recognizing the general location but he wasn't exactly sure how./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""The name of the circus, I don't know…. " Tucker said with a shrug. "I'll look over the name and see what my database back home has."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""You have a database?" Sam asked and Danny turned his head and looked at Tucker who grinned./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Custom built, got the parts from the salvage yard, I head there once a week and get a few pieces to sell online, built up a good offline system," Tucker said with a smirk. Danny listened with one ear as he felt that strange feeling he had last night and then as the bus turned a corner he realized where they were going./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Oh hell," Danny breathed and Sam and Tucker turned to him in concern. "This is…."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Danny?" Sam asked as she put a hand on his shoulder and Tucker looked at him./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""This is where I started to get emsick/em last night on my emwalk,/em" Danny said and Sam's eye's widened and Tucker looked between them/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""How'd you get sick?" Tucker said and Danny looked around before he spoke./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Calamari that I had for a snack last night," Danny answered and Tucker winced and looked around the street as the buses stopped and looked at the construction machines. As the buses stopped Danny could see a news van with a reporter setting up and he wondered if the school was here for a publicity stunt for Vlad./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Well maybe this won't be so bad," Tucker said as they got out of the buses and looked towards Vlad standing before a podium. Danny said nothing, he just looked around before going still, causing Tucker to walk into him. Following Danny's eyes, Sam and Tucker found what Danny had, an ambulance that was driving away and without its lights on, the sign that whoever it was carrying was dead./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hey Fen-turd, you and your losers have a fun time so far?" A nasal voice caused Danny to scowl as he turned and saw the A-Listers coming towards them in their usual arrogant swagger. Leading the way was Dash Baxter the quarterback of the football team, a musical blond teen with blue eyes in a red-and-white letterman jacket, with a black t-shirt underneath and dark blue jeans and white shoes. Next to him was Paulina, the captain of the cheerleaders; a tan-skinned Hispanic girl with curly black hair that went to her waist had a seductive figure. She was wearing her usual clothes, a pink shirt that reveals her midriff, light denim capri pants, and white flats./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""You know I expected them to be upfront you know?" Kwan said. Kwan was an Asian teen with black hair and eyes and was wearing the same clothing as Dash and next to him was Star, another cheerleader with a figure like Paulina and had hips-length golden blonde hair with spiky bangs and turquoise eyes and was wearing a white T-shirt with a thin orange collar, orange cuffs, and a backward P in the middle, dark orange jeans, and white flats./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Just ignore them guys, they don't matter at all," Danny said as he started to move and ignored them, after the last year he had finally wised up and thrown the ideas about the school social hierarchy was nothing but trash./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What was that Fen-turd!" Dash growled and Danny just waved him off. "Running away with your tail between your legs like that sister of yours, always running her mouth!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Paulina giggled a little but stopped when she saw Star had paled and turned and saw Danny slowly turn, a hard edge in his eyes that scared and shocked her./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""If it isn't the Asshole-Listers I didn't hear you, how have you been lately, forced some students to do your homework or something?" Danny asked sarcastically and Dash actually looked shocked and Sam smirked. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Now Danny; don't taunt the stupid," Sam said with a cold edge to her smile as she looked at them, glad that Danny had finally decided to let loose. "After all this is the best they will ever have it, once they're out of school it's all downhill."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Paulina looked at Sam and Danny as they seemed to exclude a sense of rage and danger as she tried to catch her breath and suddenly Star was in front of her./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Guys, I know Dash went a little far with that, but let's not give the teachers something alright?" Star asked with big eyes and Danny calmed down and looked at Sam who nodded and they walked away. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Paulina looked at them and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Your friends still have their bite, pet?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd to think I was thinking they had been beating style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI wonder if I can play with the two of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/emThe personality in charge of Paulina body sent the thoughts deep within. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Vlad looked over the students and then he saw Danny and his friends move away from the A-Listers and he smirked as he caught enough of the reaction between Danny and the so-called empopular crowd/em that she could only smile, Danny was so much more once he tore him away from Jack and Maddie had taught him to let others walk all over him, it wouldn't be too long that he'd have a perfect heir./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Everyone can hear me, this is on?" Vlad asked into the mike and as he heard his magnified voice he smirked. "Excellent. This place has been a blight on Amity Park for years, a gaping wound on our city that time has finally caused to be healed, and it's going to be a major part of our future! This is the site of the new technology park, a development that will bring in new jobs and new members of our family once construction is finished! I don't have to tell you that chance can be terrifying, but it can also be a good thing!" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Vlad looked at the students as they looked at him, a smirk threatening to break out on his face as he saw Danny and Sam both trying to figure out what he was after. emPoor little badger, you wouldn't understand my plan until it's done. After all, this is chess, and I am just making my opening moves./em Vlad thought with a grin. "This place was never finished, the people these houses were meant for died before they even stepped into them, so let us watch as we return this place to history! Start the construction of the newest part of Amity Park!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"At Vlad's scream, the bulldozers started, and as the students cheered they crashed into the wall and revealed an overgrown garden with over twenty black stone statues of gargoyles at least five feet tall here and there, some on stands of white rock. Each gargoyle had bat wings on their backs, clawed three-fingered hands and two clawed feet and mouths barred in grins of savage-looking teeth./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny looked at the statues as the bulldozers moved towards them and frowned. emWhat is this, I know those aren't just statues, why do I know that? Wait what?/em Danny thought as he looked at the statues and saw one of them move its head down to look at the bulldozers as they moved closer and closer to it./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""You think Vlad would want to recover the statues at least, maybe sell them at an auction or something," Sam said and then Danny went still and paled. "Danny?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Dude?" Tucker asked and Danny shook his head./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Guys, move slowly towards one of the buses, now," Danny said calmly. "I think I saw one of those statues move its head."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam and Tucker looked at each other and moved backwards slowly, hoping that Danny was wrong this once but knowing differently. As one of the bulldozers speed up and charged at one of the statues it suddenly came to an abrupt stop as soon as it hit the gargoyle. The drive could only look on in confusion that turned to horror as the statue turned its head to look at him before it roared and flared its wings./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As soon as the first gargoyle roared, the others started to screech and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs they took flight, they hovered for a few moments as they looked at the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs soon the crowed started to scream the gargoyles charged at them./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The bowl dropped to the floor as they stared at the TV, the screen had gone back to the station as even the anchorman was staring in style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""We'll we've lost contact with our man at the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFolks it looks like theres another ghost invasion happening, I would go to a ghost shielded shelter now, I'm going to make sure the staation's is on now!" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I THOUGHT YOU SCANNED THAT PART OF TOWN!?" Maddie cried out as she and Jack ran for the armory./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I did!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou drove us around there remember?!" Jack cried as he opened the armor, revealing a lot of high tech style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Then they had to have been hiding!"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMaddie said as she grabbed a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"But how?!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI thought our scanners could detect them even if they were hiding!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe need to recheck everyplace we cleared! There are so many places near that we ignored…. We have to check them all!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAt least we'll have a week to travel!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/emShe thought as she ran towards the garage./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT span style="text-transform: uppercase;"SOME GHOST pumpkin!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWatch the house!"/span Jack called out as he ran./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As a large steel grey truck with green highlights, a glass front cab above two large wheels and a cabin on tank treads peeled away from the house a green shield formed around it./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Keep moving, get to the buses!" Lancer roared and looked around when he realized that Valarie was gone from his sight. Danny was lost in the rush, pulled away from Sam and Tucker who had gotten onto a bus and as Dash and Paulina piled onto a bus before Dash closed the doors, locking it in style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs one of the teens outside pounded on the door a gargoyle came towards them but as it reared back as a blast of red energy hit it and sent it flying away./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""GET AWAY FROM THEM!" A voice roared as Valarie in her Red Huntress guise, her black and red armored form riding her hoverboard appeared from above the bus and started to fire away at the gargoyles and the teens cheered, especially when Valarie shot the locked door and it fell inward. The other teens climbed into the bus, most of them glaring at Dash and Paulina, Kwan and Star amongst them. As the drive climbed into his seat he looked at the kids and saw that he was over capacity and cursed himself for what he was about to do. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""EVERYONE HOLD ON!" As the words died down the bus driver started to drive, the other bus following him as the other teens who couldn't get on ran after them, some cars from the construction crews and the single news van following behind them, the back doors open and full of teens who grabbed those who couldn't get on/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny saw the bus's carrying his friends away from the battle from the side ally where he had ducked into when he had gotten to the back of the pack and willed a white ring that spilt in two and transformed him into his Phantom form and shot into the air and blasted a gargoyle that had attacked Valarie's back. Valarie heard the explosion and scowled when she saw Danny hover there firing at the other ghosts as far as she was concerned./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Phantom! I knew you had to be behind this!" Valarie snarled as Danny looked at her with an exasperated look./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Of course, because I'm blasting what I control, sure it's all part of my plan!" Danny said sacristy and went intangible to avoid a gargoyle but it shoulder slammed him anyway and carried him to the ground. He looked up as it reared back but Valarie shot its head off./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I'm the only one who gets to destroy you spook!" Valarie spat as she flew at another gargoyle and used the energy blade between it to cut off its head and as the head roared at her the body decomposed. emThe head is still 'alive' but the body was destroyed., so headshots!/em Valarie thought as she started to fire at the heads of the gargoyles but only two went down. "What the hell?!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"A roar caused Danny to look towards it and see thirty more gargoyles coming towards them, ten of them hovering in front of the mansion as the other twenty charged at them. "What, are they protecting that place, why?!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Vlad meanwhile had gotten to his limo drove off, setting in the back as he watched from a drone he had launched as he had left, scowling as he watched the feed. "Oh I do hate it when I'm right about this; I can only hope that the area won't be too damaged once this is done."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Sir do you want to head to town hall or the police station?!" His driver asked and Vlad scowled./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Get me to town hall, I need to control this situation!" Vlad barked and grabbed his phone and quickly dialed a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Ahhh /spanAmy, don't style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt seems the construction went belly up after all, I want a full evacuation to every shelter, and prepare our special projects for deployment, not everything just yet, just the first tear."/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;""Of course sir, do you want Line A or Line W?" A sensual voice asked and Vlad frowned./p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;""Line W my good woman, we can't let Line A out just yet, and keep Line C asleep/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Vlad looked upwards as he heard the sound of jet engines and smirk. "Well let's see what will happen when the GIWs come out to play!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny dodged another blow from one of the flying Gargoyles and stole a look at Valarie and saw twelve GIW skysleds with four loaded out for bombardment and cursed. "HUNTRESS, UP NOW! GIW BOMBARBMENT INCOMING!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny shot skyward and Valarie looked at him for a second before willing her board to climb skyward as well and moments before that happened missiles hit the gargoyles and the mansion, covering all of them and the mansion in an explosion that almost caused Valarie to be blown from her board./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What the hell?" Valarie breathed and looked and saw the mansion had been destroyed but the gargoyles had gone still and they had turned towards the mansion, the missiles having turned it into rubble, the stone creatures not moving. emThose stone things are still, was the mansion the source of their life? What the hell are they, they can't be ghosts but what?/em Valarie asked as she moved her board forward an inch before a bolt of blue energy flew past her./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""FREEZE!" A voice barked from the direction of the other skysleds and Valarie turned and saw four skysleds facing her and she stared as she saw that their weapons were pointed at style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe grew angry as she tried to comprehend what they were doing, what they were thinking but coming up with nothing./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What the hell are you doing, I'm not a ghost!" Valarie said as she looked at the GIWs who only kept her in their targeting sights."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Red Huntress by order of the Federal Anti-Ecto Control Act, Article 4, Section 2, subsection B you are under arrest!" Operative K, a brown-skinned bald man in the uniform of the GIWs, a white suit with black tie, black gloves, boots and black sunglasses said as others GIWs aimed at her as four skysleds aimed at Danny as he hovered there and formed two blasts with his hands./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What the hell are you doing?!" Valarie demanded as she prepared herself to react to whatever the GIWs did next./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""The Anti-Ecto Control Acts also limits what hunters can use," Danny said as he looked at the GIWs and scowled. "Maybe even how many ghosts one can capture, it's all about control with them."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Quite ghost. Surrender for experiments, lots of painful experiments," Operative K said and Valarie went pale as she heard that./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Experiments?" Valarie said pale and her eyes dilated and then she gritted her teeth as parts of her family history flashed through her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs she came back she prepared herself to go down fighting at least when suddenly…../span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""RROOOOAAAR!" A savage roar came from the mansion and as the rubble was flung away and a dust cloud covered the land. As they watched two large wings made of black stone burst out of the dust clouds. First came a black stone serpentine head on a long neck connected to a body of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt had four long legs that ended in clawed hands and a tail that ended in a spiked ball. At the base of the neck on the back were two wings with yellow gemstones on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs it reared its neck back they starred at a stone dragon that was as long as the mansion. The Dragon let loose a roar that rattled Valarie's ears before it fired a blast of black energy from its mouth, targeting the bombardment style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs the stone Dragon roared as the skysleds exploded, twenty of the gargoyles screeched and shot towards the remaining GIWs while the rest of them charged into town./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Procedure Omega operatives!" Operative K barked and the GIWS began firing against the charging gargoyles that swarmed closer and started to claw at their foes and destroyed a few of the sky sleds sending GIWs falling to the ground. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny could only look at the carnage and swallow. emThis is beyond anything I could have imagined happening today! Wait those others are going into town!/em Danny thought as he looked around and then looked towards the center of /em/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"emspan style="color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;" /span/em/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"emspan style="color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Danny could only watch as the monsters charged after the busses,span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spana roar from the dragon caused him to make a choice, and hope he wasn't making a mistake./span/em/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Huntress, go after the gargoyles heading into town, go and protect the people! I'll try and handle this but just go!" Danny called to Valarie who looked at him and readied her gun as she looked at him as the GIWs tried to handle the Gargoyles./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""And why should I listen to a ghost?" Valarie barked and looked at the gargoyles as they moved into town. emBut he's right damn it! if regular people are hurt and I could have stopped it from happening!/em She thought as she grimaced before scowling at Danny. "Fine! But not because I agree with you ghost!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As Valarie flew away Operative K saw and overheard everything and notice the treason of the Red Huntress before a gargoyle roared and charged at him but he dodged it and saw that he had lost all of his bombardment sleds and two of the others. "All forces fall back, contact base and request all operatives to sortie!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As the GIWs fell back, Danny stayed and fought on, blasting apart ten of the gargoyles before the Stone Dragon took notice and roared again, taking flight and charging at him. Danny dodged to the left and three gargoyles slammed him to the ground. As he struggled to get free he looked up and saw the Stone Dragon hovering, its head pointed at him and its mouth open as it built up a charge./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny tried to struggle free but after a few moments he realized he couldn't and tried to figure out how to survive. emThink Phantom, think! How can you get out of this how can you…./emDanny went still as he realized just what he had to do. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""One chance!" he called out as the Dragon released its blast as he went intangible moments before it hit and the blast destroyed the Gargoyles and sent him down and into the ground, but Vlad's drone didn't see him as the explosion kept what was happening from its sight./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"A glass dropped from Vlad's hand as he watched with widened eyes as the Dragon took flight and more Gargoyles followed after it. emI can't believe this, so that thing was able to best him. And it's coming into town!/em Vlad thought as he quickly pressed a button and sighed when he heard a siren in the distance and saw people look up and start running towards the nearest safe location, cars all moving in the same direction as they abandoned everything else to get to safety./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Well at least the public safety announcements worked," Vlad muttered as the limo entered into a garage attached to town hall and he moved towards his office to handle this, smiling as the security guards the GIWs had trained moved to prepare to defend the seat of government. "Maybe I should look into getting a station set up near the school….. in a weak they'll probably have enough on the emteachers/em there to blackmail most of them or to get those people blacklisted and fired."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Vlad walked into his office and looked at his secretary who was waiting for him./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""The shields are up at all shelters sir, the GIWs just contacted us, all operatives have been deployed and the police are getting whoever remains to the safe zones," She said as she walked into the office after Vlad, the glow of the shield visible through the windows./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""And strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"them/strong?" Vlad asked as he sat down and called up a holographic screen with a map of the town showing the shelters and the Gargoyles path into the city. He frowned as he looked at the screen, they weren't spreading out, they were all concentrated in one area, strange they seemed to be spearing through town towards the mountain on the other side./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""The Fenton's contacted us and that they're taking their Assault Vehicle to reinforce the GIWs, she said that they'll bring the strongest man portables they have," She said and she looked out the window and took a step style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanVlad looked at the windows and saw the Dragon in the distance, it's maw releasing a , Vlad frowned before he heard the sound of blasters firing and he realized the stone creatures had reached the town hall./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Do activate the secondary defenses, and call me if something changes," Vlad said as the woman nodded before running away and the doors closed automatically. The ringing of his phone caused him to look at it and sigh when he saw the number./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Ahh Amy, just who I wanted to hear style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYes I want all agents ready to deploy with Line W products, and prepare the Line A special V-Prime, we might need it after all," Vlad said and listened to the reply. "Yes I'm sure the town can survive until I can get away, the GIWS are out in force and I expect them to die buying us the time I'll need to get away."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As the busses made it to school Sam looked on as Lancer waited for the students at the doors and for a moment she almost had felt ashamed of how she thought about the teachers, but only until the most of the top A-Listers made it in and Lancer slammed the doors shut once the Football players and the rest of the A-List were all style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As Sam stood there shocked steel plants slammed over the school's windows and as she stood there other students tried to get in, banging on the doors and windows as the Ghost Shield formed a dome around the entire block the school was on, with most of the busses just inside it at the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSam got off the bus and saw Star and a few of the lower level A-Listers were outside too, each of them trying to find a way in with the others./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""That bastard, he locked us out!" Tucker snarled and Sam looked at the school, a cold hate starting to form in her as she glared at the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah, but the others need someone to help them, come on!" Sam said as she grabbed Tucker and they ran towards the students gathering by the doors as a loud roar echoed from town, Sam almost stopped but Tucker broke free and ran to a girl who a turned around towards where another shelter was./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""We can't get in!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWait what about the other shelter a few blocks away?" One female nerd asked but Tucker grabbed her and shook his head./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""No, this model of shield shocks anything living that touches it!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe've got to get to the gym, I think I can hotwire the doors to open!" Tucker said as he led the mass of fifty students towards the gym, Sam stayed at the back, looking towards the town and slipped a modified waist blaster on, her eyes scanning for any hostiles./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"At the front Tucker led the way as they reached the end of the school and ran for the gym style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs the group made it there some of them tried to pull the doors open but they were stuck style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanPulling off his backpack Tucker brought out a few tools and opened a metal box set against the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs he removed the covering and saw the mass of cables inside he frowned and connected a wire to a PDA and quickly found the program he was looking style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Okay, let's see what I have to…..span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHello! The school never upgraded the firewall?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt's still the same piece of crap it always was when the year began?!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI thought they upgraded this over the summer!?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI mean… I need to look into this later, all I need to do is!/em Tucker thought with a smirk as the doors opened and the others poured into the gym, Sam coming last as she looked at Tucker as he started to repair what he'd done./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""How's it going Tucker?!" Sam asked and Tucker grinned at her./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Everything's great, I even sent me a copy of the last few minutes of the only camera that works in the front of the school, it even shows Lancer turning away from teens banging on the doors hard enough to shake it," Tucker said and Sam grinned evilly as they stepped into the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey never noticed that Star had been listening in on them and frowned at what Sam said next./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Nice, more evidence to take this place down," Sam said and Tucker nodded./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As they talked, Star kept looked at them, completely style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"They're gathering evidence against the school?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThat's amazing!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIf I can give them some things to look into, I could switch to homeschooling and I won't need to put up with Dash and Paulina anymore!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/emStar thought with a grin, but before she could say anything to them, the doors into the school opened as the A-List, the other students, the teachers and the principal all saw the teens already there and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Star bit back a curse and moved through the crowds as they merged and slipped behind Kwan as everyone suddenly heard a loud roar from outside and the lights went out for a few moments before the school's generator kicked in./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam looked towards the roar, her heart beating faster as her thoughts went towards Danny, cursing that she couldn't fight alongside him this time, Tucker feeling the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"A man with combed back orange hair with a spiky part at the back dressed in beige pants and a white shirt moved a large garbage pail out the back of a fast food style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe hummed to himself as he moved it towards a dumpster before a roar caused him to turn. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe sounds of something slamming made him look towards the door, only to see an iron wall between it and the ally./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Growls form behind him caused him to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThere were two of the stone Gargoyles came charging towards him and he sighed as he put the pail down./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As one of them slashed down with its right arm the man jumped over them in an arc as his eyes became slits and two fangs grew from his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"SSSSSSooo prey comesss to me on itsss oooown?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOh Great Predator!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThank you for thisssss gift."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"When he landed he shot towards the two Gargoyles as two purple circles appeared in front of his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFrom them came two short swords with dark green gems in the center of the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs he landed he shot forward and slashed down at the closest Gargoyle, his blade trailing a dark green style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As the blade cut one of the arms, the Gargoyles slashed out with the other arm and the man blocked it but he was thrown style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs he looked at the two Gargoyles, he looked at the 'wound' he made and frowned as he saw that the monster wasn't style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hu," He style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"So these things are really made of stone, then they must be!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut then that means… this is good!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI guess that make it fun! /emspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe thought as he grinned style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"With a smirk on his face, he charged at the two Gargoyles and jumped over one as it tried to tear his head style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe land behind it and slammed his right blade through the back of its neck and it went still before it fell to the ground./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"He grinned as another Gargoyle landed and growled as it looked around the alley./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny shook his head as he got up from where he had fallen. "Okay Phantom, that wasn't the worst thing that you've ever been hit by, so walk it off! Now where am I?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny looked around and beyond a few slivers of light from above it was completely dark. Danny formed a ball of energy and as the light from it chased away the darkness he saw he was in a natural cavern with a large mass at least five feet tall at least twenty feet away from him that Danny saw move up and down slowly and rhythmically. emYikes, that's something. If it didn't react to me then and the chaos above its sleeping deep! And speaking of upstairs I need to get back to it!/em Danny thought as he silently flew upwards and hit a barrier as he reached the ceiling. "What the hell?!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""This is?" Danny muttered to himself as he felt along a strange barrier that kept him from moving through the stone. emOkay, this is acting like the 'Zone, but this is the human world, so how do I get around this? I mean how on earth could someone make this place impassable for ghosts one way but not the other….. that's a mousetrap or a prison…wait prisons have prisoners…../em Danny's thoughts trailed off as realized just where he was./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"strongspan style="color: #0e101a;""YOU CAN NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE HALFLING, ONE ONLY MAY LEAVE," /span/strongspan style="color: #0e101a;"A rumbling voice caused Danny to turn and stare. The mass was unrolling into a large brown lion at least ten feet tall with a mane of crimson flames and claws of black obsidian, two tails that ended in rubies that blazed with a crimson light and it had two eyes of jade flames and saber fangs of obsidian. strong"THIS PLACE HAS BEEN MY PRISON FOR MANY YEARS NOW, BUT WITH YOU I MIGHT FINALLY HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY TO ESCAPE!"/strong/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Okay, so how can I help you get us out of here?" Danny asked causing the lion to chuckle. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What's so funny?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"strongspan style="color: #0e101a;""YOU MAY HELP ME BY BEING MY FOOD HALFLING, AS ALL OF YOU HALFLINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE," /span/strongspan style="color: #0e101a;"The brown lion said bluntly and Danny pales more and looked at the creature as it slowly padded towards him, moving away from it./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""With me, wait you want to eat me?!" Danny said as the creature nodded its head as it stalked towards him. emWonderful, first a stone dragon and now a giant lion wants to eat me! /emHe thought as he looked around, trying to find any hint of a way to escape./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"strongspan style="color: #0e101a;""YES, SINCE I ESCAPED FROM MY FORMER CAPTIVES I HUNTED THE FLESH OF THE LOW BORN HERE AND GREW STRONGER AND THEN HUNTED THE HIGHBORN UNTIL A MIDDLE BORN TRAPPED ME HERE AND SIPHONED OFF MY POWER TO CREATE THOSE THAT ATTACK THE MIDDLE BORN ABOVE US," /span/strongspan style="color: #0e101a;"The lion rumbled and Danny prepared himself for a fight, the lion only looked resigned. strong"THEN YOU WILL NOT LET ME SLAY YOU SWIFTLY THEN." /strong/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Sorry but I have a real problem with helping those who try and kill me!" Danny said as he took flight and the lion looked at him with what Danny thought might have been respect. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"strongspan style="color: #0e101a; text-transform: uppercase;""THEN SO BE IT. KNOW THAT I AM XINGLA of ignis/spanspan style="color: #0e101a;"! LET US DO THE ONLY DANCE THAT MATTERS, THE DANCE OF BATTLE AND EVOLUTION !" /span/strongspan style="color: #0e101a;"Xingla called ut and charged at Danny, throwing two orbs of fire from its tails that he shot and dodged as he flew about the top of the cavern, taking shots that didn't faze his foe. Xingla looked at Danny and flicked its tails until it had formed twenty fireballs that it sent at him./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny scowled as he sped up and dodged the fireballs as he tried to figure out a way to defeat this thing. emMy running blasts aren't doing anything, if I can charge a shot then maybe but I've never really tried to charge it while I was moving! Still first time for anything/em! Danny thought as he flew around the chamber as he cupped a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe formed a green blast in his hand and let the energy build up instead of releasing right away. As it reached the maximum he fired it, hitting Xingla's right hind leg and blasting it off, causing the 'lion' to stumble and fall to the ground./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""YES!" Danny called out with a smirk that fell when the leg flew back towards Xingla body and remerged with style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanXingla got back to its feet and roared, Danny felt horror go through him as he realized it would heal if he damaged it. "No."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Xingla looked at him with a tense air for a few seconds before it reared back and slammed its front legs down and four spears of rock flew at Danny, one of them scoring a cut on his right side, the wound oozing greenish-red blood./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny held back a snarl and fired a few bolts at the Xingla as he flew style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe lion olny slammed a paw down and shot stone arrows that intercepted the bolts. As Danny flew around the chamber the lion looked at him and roared, sending a flash of heat that almost sent Danny to the ground./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"strongspan style="color: #0e101a;""span style="text-transform: uppercase;"An Ice powered Halfling!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spantruly then this is over!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFall to my CLAWS/span!" /span/strongspan style="color: #0e101a;"Xingla roared as Danny tried to struggle to his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe Lion just looked at him as it moved closer, its mouth opening ready to bite./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny glared at it as he shakily raised a hand and tried to call up style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanemThis can't be the end, I won't let it! I have to fight back I can't let this thing eat me, if it does then who will protect Amity?! Who will the town?!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanTucker, Jazz, Sam…that dragon will kill everything!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWithour me. no….no!...NO!/em Danny thought as he reached beyond what he knew and grasped style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe didn't know what it was, but part of him style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs he grasped it, and explosive force of energy came from style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Before Xingla could strike a wave of black energy shot from Danny that sent Xingla flying backwards./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Xingla looked up and saw Danny standing there, a cloak of black energy surrounding him as he got up and a black energy scythe formed in his hands and as his eyes blazed red. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"strongspan style="color: #0e101a;""span style="text-transform: uppercase;"What is this, wait you're a/span!"/span/strongspan style="color: #0e101a;" Xingla bellowed and roared as it fired a blast of lava at Danny who disappeared and sliced down with his scythe taking off Xingla's right foreleg and as the lion moved away Danny appeared by its right side and sliced down, chopping off its right foreleg! Xingla roared, the sound waves sending Danny backwards through the air before Xingla stomped its back left foot and sent a stone spear at Danny who only he sliced through it in an style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Xingla moved away as it regenerated its maimed limb and looked at Danny who only grinned back, two fangs showing from his upper style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanXingla knew the battle had turned against him, but he didn't back down, they were both trapped style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey both needed the others power to escape and there was no way to stop, even if his foe hadn't changed. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="text-transform: uppercase;"Ever since I was trapped here and used by them, I have lived a death life, used to chain others!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanEating whatever happened upon this style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDeath would be a release….. no matter what, this ends toda/spanyspan style="text-transform: uppercase;"…/span/emXingla thought as it's leg was finally regrown and it growled at Danny as he stood there with his weapon on his shoulder. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; tab-stops: 171.75pt;"span style="color: #0e101a; text-transform: uppercase;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"strongspan style="color: #0e101a;""span style="text-transform: uppercase;"So that is what you are, then this is not as easy as I thought it would be. But I took the battle dance seriously, so may evolution favor one of us/span!" /span/strongspan style="color: #0e101a;"Xingla said as it roared and charged at Danny but Danny disappeared and bisected Xingla and it roared as it condensed into a spark of brown energy that hovered as Danny collapsed to the floor, his eyes closing as the energy scythe and aura died down, his ghost form fading away before he fell to the ground./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"A few moments later Danny woke back up and held his head, slowly getting to his feet. "What happened…..wait where's that Lion and how'd I detransform?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny looked around and saw the hovering spark and looked at it as he saw what color it That has to be the lion, but what happened to it? And why am I drawn to it? /emDanny thought as he approached the spark and touched it, going still and screaming as a well of energy blasted upwards, breaking the ceiling as the energy well climbed high into the atmosphere./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As they drove through town listening to the police scanner, Maddie wondered what those ghost scum were style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs soon as they left the house, they had tried to find anything on the FFenton Ghost Scanner but nothing came style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""This doesn't make sense, the readings are all wrong!" Maddie said before she punched the front style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Nothing makes sense, there's a barely a blip on the scanner!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhat does this mean?!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI thought we had calibrated our sensors to dectect all ecto!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAll of our research supports this!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthe only way. …..the only way./emspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMaddie thought as her eyes widened as she realized just what this had to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Oh style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe've never encountered these things before!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThat means….!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""A new kinda ghosts Mads!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOnce we take them apart molecule by molecule, maybe we'll find out how to track that Phantom spook!" Jack said with a wide smile as he realized the same thing Maddie style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe gripped the steering wheel and smiled so wide his blue eye seemed to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Maybe…" Maddie said absently as she looked at the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe didn't know but something about them sparked a memory of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMaddie didn't have time to worry about that as moments latter a Gargoyle appeared and dived at the GAV style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMaddie reacted and pressed a button, a joystick popped up before her and a blaster appeared from the top and shot its wings style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt crashed to he ground and Jack drove over it, turning it to stones./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Jack almost stopped the Assault Vehicle before he noticed a few of the Gargoyles attacking one of the shelters, strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"through the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJack had seen the specs of the tech used by the official shelters, that shouldn't have been style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut it was, and that was another point in favor of these things being something that they hadn't encountered before today. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"How could these things have been active for so long without even being found?! /emJack thought with a grin. "Let's go Mads!"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As they barreled towards the monsters, Maddie could only hope that there would be enough left of those things to let her and Jack find out how they could during the dissection style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHowever when they turned they saw a blond man in a blue suit cowering from a Gargoyle./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""TARGET LOCKED!"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJack bellowed as he drove at the Gargoyle, canons appearing from the top of the GAV that fired and destroyed the stone monster./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As the dust settled the blond man coughed and looked at the GAV as it pulled up./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""You alright?!"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJack asked and the man style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Good…. Say. Aren't you Lance Thunder?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah, and the camera's busted!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNow how will I cover this?" Lance asked and Maddie looked at him before glancing at Jack. Jack grinned and nodded causing Maddie to sigh./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Get in, if you can get into the station, you can stream everything from in here," Maddie said and the cameraman got in first and looked at the back before looking at Maddie./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""No camera in here, I think I can…Oh," He said after Maddie pushed a button up front and a camera came out of the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe looked at the station behind the two rows of seat and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Yeah, I can use this."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Good!" Maddie said as Lance got in and the doors style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe grinned as he went to work, the worm program she had set into the system would let her put a back door into the TV station's style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBy this time next week, nothing that they saw would be secret from style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe felt a little bad for doing this, but she needed all the information she could get so that one day all ghosts would be destroyed./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam looked around the gym as everyone huddled in small groups as she leaned against the wall as Tucker tried to get a signal through the barrier as the teachers tried to keep the students under control. emOf course, they act like they care about everyone now!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI'll bet that if anyone, otherwise it's only the A-Listers who matter! /emSam thought in disgust as she looked at the teachers as Tucker typed away at his phone. "Any luck?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Nothing, I can't even get a single channel or update and the net's down!" Tucker said and shook his head with a disgusted expression. "I thought these things Vlad emdonated/em let wireless signals through."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""That's what the specs we read at the Fenton's said…. But give a guess why that is here; think about where we are," Sam said with a snort and Tucker looked at the teachers and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah, I can see that," Tucker muttered and looked back at his phone and tried to work around the blockage. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"So they spruced ip the outside then?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWouldn't/em/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah, that's for sure," Sam muttered as she looked around and caught sight of Belphegor leaning against the wall of the far side of the gym with Hecate and Lamashtu around him, a strange and smug look on his face. emAnd then there's them. I've always thought that those three are wrong somehow but how they're reacting to this is not right… maybe I can get the guys to see what I'm talking about with them; maybe we should look into them. /emSam thought before she heard Tucker cough a little. "What is it?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""That," Tucker said and pointed towards the teachers. "Look alive, the only good A is coming towards us."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam sniffed, spelling the familiar scent of cat and looked up and saw Star walking towards them and frowned. emWhat does she want? She's the only one of the A-Listers that I don't hate but she follows Paulina around and…..well that's enough really./em Sam thought with a slight scowl as Star walked towards them./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Sorry to bother you, but have you seen Valarie? I know she was on Lancer's bus but I couldn't see her anywhere and…," Star began but Tucker interrupted her./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""GOT IT! I've got signal! Let's see what's on the news, oh hell," Tucker said causing Star and Sam to look at the screen and pale. As kids around them heard and gathered they looked down as well and as the gathering was noticed and Lancer started to walk towards them./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""….to all those just turning in, again this is Lance Thunder, so far reports from all shelters show that the shields are strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"NOT WORKING! I REPEAT THE SHIELDS DON'T WORK!/strong" As the teens around let what Lance said sink in they all started to scream and run around in a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam saw most of the A-Listers and teachers move towards the door into the school and she style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"What are they doing now?!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI wonder…. I thought the idea of a secret shelter was just a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMaybe I should bring this up later, or now./emspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSam thought as she looked at Star as she style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Tucker lost the station for a second and was able to get it back, sending the audio to the speakers so everyone could style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""….For those that just turned in, I'm currently in the Fenton's Ghost Assulat Vehicle after they saved me and my camera man from one of the monsters!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSo far only the armor that Mayor Vlad made a requirement are holding back the beasts….Oh god! Folks, we're at Main Street and the GIWs are fighting the gargoyles! They looked like they were about to be overwhelmed when we rolled up and now the GAV is joining the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe seem to be stopping them here! This machine's firepower is holding the line!span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWe seem to be holding here, but this reporter suggests evacuation plans are started now!"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLance Thunder's voice caused everyone who heard it to look at the speaker/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Tucker frowned as he opened another window and tried to get the view of a camera style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe felt Sam's hand on his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe looked at her and then followed her gaze and scowled. He was the person who found the rumor style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe had never looked into the school's finances, maybe he style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanA crash and a roar from outside caused everyone to go still. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Folks I don't know how to say this but there's a black stone Dragon flying towards us! All nearby shelters if you can; get out of here!" Lance Thunder's voice came over the speakers and once more pandemonium started as something slammed against the walls!/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Paulina only looked with a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"So those things did track us, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWell little one, will you let your 'friends' die or will I take a little more from you?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/em'Paulina' felt a bitter agreement as something was feed to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe grinned and moved against the shadow on the wall and moments later she was gone, with no one the wiser./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The doors into the school opened and in the confusion, Lancer and the teachers escaped with most of the A-Listers on their style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe only ones who had stayed were Star and Paulina, but no matter what she did, Star couldn't find Paulina./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Outside the gym two Gargoyles were pounding on the wall, until two large black feathers pierced the camera above the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs the Gargoyles turned to look at the crash, the feathers disappeared and a haughty laugh came from the right, moments before two more feathers flew at style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOne of them roared and the feathers fell to the ground moments before a shadowed figure armed with a sword appeared behind them and slashed out./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Vlad looked at the screen showing the battle as it spilled into Main Street and scowled. emThis shouldn't have happened, everything was perfect! I can't believe this, but at least those evacuation plans from when the town was taken into the Ghost Zone works, even if the GIW isued shields don't!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWell that's just another thing that I can bring against them I guess. Still, I might have to go out there and take care of this myself, that is if I can get away./em Vlad thought as he watched a screen in the mayor's office and looked up as his secretary came into the room with a look of fear. "What is it?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Sir, the GIWs called, they want authorization to prepare something called 'Operation Exodus'?" She said and after a few moments of silence she looked up and saw that Vlad was looking at her in shock, his pupils dilated./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Exodus?! Call them back and tell them that if they even call me back with that proposal again then they won't like what I'll do!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanEverything I have on them will be sent to Washington!" Vlad barked as he shot up from his chair and she fled from the room with Vlad's glare following her./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Exodus, of all things!" Vlad said as he leaned back into his chair. emI thought I told them not to even think about making that thing! Once we survive this, I need to find out just what those idiots have been doing!/em Vlad thought as he glared at the holo map and wondered how Amity Park would survive this day./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Valarie flew over Amity Park with a scowl on her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe had only been able to destroy one of the stone monsters and had no idea where the Dragon style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanA roar /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"strafed the Dragon and it roared as she blasted away at it; the evacuation of people from this part of town had almost been but when the Gargoyles had reached the area and attacked, the GIWs had made it and were only attacking the stone creatures and the and the Fentons had rolled up in their Ghost Assault Vehicle and started to blast away, saving some of the GIWs who had lost their skysleds and had used it as a rallying point as they escorted the civilians from the area as they all fell back towards the nearest shelter and she thought they could handle it but then the Dragon had appeared and the other gargoyles had surged forward, somehow stronger than before/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Come on Mads, we can get this thing down!" Jack said as he reved the engine only for Lance Thunder to scream./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""NO!"./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""He's right! Stay there Jack, we need to protect the people, once they're safe we can come back for samples!" Maddie said as she looked at the readings the sensors gave style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSo far the/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Of course those two are like that," She muttered as she surfed on her board and dodged another Gargoyle as she fired a few blasts as she looked tried to figure out what was happening. emI really need something to see what's happening around me, maybe I should try and make a drone or something! /emValarie thought as she flew around the battle and tried to figure out something and smirked as she saw the Assault Vehicle destroy one of the Gargoyles, blasting its body apart and destroying its wings and arms. emYES! If we take out the smaller ones first then we can gang up on the bigger… wait. What's that thing doing? /emValarie thought as she looked on in horror as she surfed around and could only look on, shocked at what she was seeing. Valarie could only watch with horror as the Stone Dragon charged up and fired a blast of black energy at the Gargoyle that the Fenton's had destroyed, and within moments the gargoyle got back to its feet, fully recovered. "FUCK!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The Gargoyles roared and charged at the Assault Vehicle as the GIWs started to fire away as the Fenton's activated their vehicle's weapons to meet the horde as Valarie surfed down shooting, thinking the last thoughts that she ever thought she would ever. emWhere are you Phantom?!/em Valarie thought as she tried to surf past a Gargoyle only one from below her to strike and destroyed part of her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanValarie's board started to fail and she angled to land on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs soon as she landed, she started to fire everything she had, letting her fire power help to hold them back! /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""You okay Huntress, when can you get airborne again?" A voice caused her to look down for a second and saw that it had come from one of the GIWs. Valarie saw an update on her mask about her board, it would need a few minutes to recover and then she could get back into the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe looked around and made a judgment call, one that seemed right./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Soon!" Valarie said as she looked at the Dragon as it stood there and seemed to just look at them as the Gargoyles ran into their fire./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""How long?" The Agent asked as he battered down a Gargoyle and shot its head off/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Just Soon!" Valarie called out as she started to fire blasts from both her arms at a Gargoyle that tried to get around them to attack the civilians running away from the battle./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Not detecting a lot of trust lady!" The agent called out as he fired away at the Gargoyles as they moved ever closer./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""You did try and arrest me earlier, so don't expect me to give you my tech-specs!" Valarie spat and she heard the Agent react too her /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Wait, What?!" The Agent asked in shock./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Within the GAV Lancer held his head as his camera man manned the station in the back of GAV, Lance muttered a few style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHis cameraman was looking over the data that Maddie let him see. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Why didn't I get that transfer!?"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLance moaned as he tried to think of any way he could survive style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs soon as he saw the Dragon, he knew that this was it, he was dead and he knew who to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAny other person wouldspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanrun away, but those idiot Fentons drove at the monsters!/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""ROOOOOAAAARRRRR!" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"They all turned as the roar echoed around them and they saw the Gargoyles break contact and move towards the Dragon as it reared back its neck as energy started to spill out its mouth and they realized what it was going to do./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""hell, Everyone get to cover! If you any of you have anything that can block its blast then now's the time to use it!" The agent barked and Valarie willed her suit's shielding systems to form an energy wall just in front of the GAV moments before the Stone Dragon released a large energy blast that she barely held back before her shield fell. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Valarie panted as the others kept shooting as the Dragon looked right at her causing her blood to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe saw a look of hunger in the Dragon's eyes as she stared back into style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs the stone Dragon flared it's wings, Valarie felt a deep regret for not having said goodbye to her father that morning, both of them having missed the other. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As the Dragon got ready to leap at them, she tried to form another shield but her suit showed that she was too style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs she tried to figure out if she could lead it away as she prepared to jump off the GAV when suddenly a wall of volcano grey stones shot up twenty feet right in front of the Ghost Fighters, blocking of a blast from the Stone Dragon that slammed into it, destroying it moments after the beam stopped./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hey, I'm getting a big energy reading!" Jack called out and before they all heard the roars of the Gargoyles and the slice of something and a roar from the Dragon as the wall broke apart. Valarie stared in awe as from the dust Phantom appeared swinging a brown long sword with magma veins on it. He had on gauntlets of brown metal that went from his hand to his elbows. As a Gargoyle charged at him Danny slashed in in two down the middle and stood there as the Gargoyle crumbled to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe stood there, just slowly raising his sword until it pointed at the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe Dragon just who roared, commanding the Gargoyles to charge at him./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny raised his sword and stone pillars rose from the street and speared the Gargoyles's center, each one being destroyed after his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The ghost hunters only stared in shock and horror. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe Fentons were wondering why Phanom had always held style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe GIW, some of them started to wonder if Phantom was really a ghost and not something style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanValarie could only look on in horror, Phantom had just proved to her he was thespan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spantop threat in Amity style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The Stone Dragon reared its head back and roared, moments later the Agent who had been talking to Valarie's free hand went to his earbud. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What…. What?!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhy didn't you…..Oh hell! Listen up! All the Gargoyles are leaving the shelters!" The Agent barked out and started to recheck his riffle. "I want everyone to rearm themselves and get ready, if they're leaving the other shelters alone because that thing roared then they'll be coming here! Before that happens we need to get the civilians out of here! You staying or coming Huntress?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Valarie looked at him and tried to figure out what to do when her suit detected motion come from all around them. "Too late, we've got incoming!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The Agent and the others looked around at the rooftops and saw Gargoyles all around them snarling and looking at the cowering civilians and swallowed before he made a choice. "Okay, fighting time! Fentons, move this thing backwards and use every weapon, everyone else protect the civilians!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Got it, if I see a shot I'll take Phantom down!" Jack said and the Agent looked at him before paling and grabbing Jack through the open window. "Hey, what's the deal?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Leave Phantom alone, that stone things are the threat!" The Agent barked at Jack and he felt the stares of the others on his back./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Agent Z, are you sure sir?" One of the other GIWs asked as they fired at the Gargoyles as they tried to protect the civilians./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Directive 1; Protect the People above all else," Agent Z said and kept firing with his rifle as he backed up and the Ghost Assault Vehicle moved backwards as Jack used the inbuilt weapons to blast away the Gargoyles./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Valarie jumped off the roof of the Ghost Assault Vehicle and formed up her board and started to fly upwards, blasting away at the Gargoyles as they flew at the people, the GIWs and the Fentons adding their fire to hers./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny meanwhile had finished off the last Gargoyle and pointed the sword at the Stone Dragon with one hand and a pillar of black and red stone sprouted from the ground and tore away the Stone Dragon's left wing as it tried and almost succeeded in dodging what Danny caused to form under it. It roared and flexed it's other wing and the Gargoyles broke off from attacking the civilians and flew at Danny. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"He looked up and jumped at them, spinning around and slicing with the sword and he destroyed one Gargoyle with each blow, landing one-handed he pushed off and spun around in the air and landed looking at the Stone Dragon and shot at it. The Stone Dragon opened it's mouth and shot balls of black energy that Danny dodged or sliced apart as he dashed towards the Stone Dragone until he sliced off its right back leg. As it tried to balance itself as Danny ran around beneath it and sliced off its left style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs it tried to balance itself Danny jumped upwards, his sword glowing red and he cut through its neck just behind its head, leaving a slice on the neck that released a strange black style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The rest of the Gargoyles flew towards Danny when he jumped and thrust his sword into the wound he made in the Dragon's neck and red veins raced from his sword up and down the neck before the Dragon roared and it's whole neck and head melted style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanInstead of falling the Dragon still moved, slashing out with its arms as the , revealing a gemstone that was the source of the black glow. Danny pointed his free hand at the gemstone and fired a sphere of red energy that hit the gemstone and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHowever the explosion released a ring of energy shot style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs it passed through the Gargoyles their eyes stopped glowing and they fell to the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs the wave passed through the GIW's weapons they started to short circuit, and the Ghost Assualt Vehicle even sparked but it stayed on./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The wave few through the town, it left everything with a ghost shield over it alone but the rest of the electronics all sparked for a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt went out of town, dying out after it went ten miles over land, but it kept going over the water of the Great Lakes./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Within a darkened room the energy wave flashed through and a pod rolled off the table is was on and landed on a fallen pillar and rolled until it hit style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt stayed there until it started to force itself down into the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAfter it was buried by a forth, it to pulse and beat as it took root./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Within a cave system the wave passed through, and as it passed by two crystal pillars around fifty feet apart started to glow a deep red./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny blinked and looked around. emWhat the hell? The last thing I remember I touched that spark/em emand then…. wait what!/em Danny thought as the last half-hour coming back to him and he looked down at the sword in his hand as it disappeared along with the gauntlets. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"He looked around, noting the GIWs and his parents as they aimed at him and decided to freak out later before going transparent and flew away, a frown on his face. Somehow when he formed his legs into a tail; it felt emweird/em./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"The people from the nearby shelter who had seen everything stayed silent for a few seconds before they started to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWith the GAV Jack and Maddie stared into space, shocked./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Maddie had known that Phantom was em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt had acted like nothing she had ever seen, and now those rocks and sword?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe didn't know just what they could do to finally catch it, she knew that they needed to scrap all the plans they had made./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As Jack got out, he looked at the Gargoyles/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Tell me you got that, tell me you're still broadcasting?" Lance demanded, something like that was the shot of a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAt the thumbs up from his cameraman, Lancer laughed with joy./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""You saw and heard it here folks!" Lance said with a smirk as his cameraman gave him a thumbs up. "The threat of the Stone Gargoyles and the Dragon is gone, thanks to Amity Park's Phantom!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Valarie saw a squadron of GIW skysleds coming and speed off, not willing to risk that these GIWs wouldn't attack her, a strange feeling going through her. emWhat happened today?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI can't believe that those idiots thought they had the right to arrest me!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDo they have that power?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI mean when was the last time they ever paid for any of the destruction they caused? I think I need to look into the Ecto-Act a bit. And the next time Vlad sends me out after a ghost I'm going to ask him about them, and what he does with them/em. She thought as she flew away, her mind going strange places./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"On the ground Agent Z removed his sunglasses and looked at the Red Huntress as she flew away, a frown on his face as he tried to figure out just why his agency had decided to go after the girl, one thing was sure, there was something very wrong with the local branch. Jack got out of the Assault Vehicle and brought a scanner over the remains, grinning as he did./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Maddie grab some samples, these things are amazing!" Jack said as he looked at her. "These things are giving off a kind of ecto-energy we've never seen before!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""And they'll stay there!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd you are going to isolation for a day!" Agent Z bellowed and Jack looked up as the other G.I.W. agents surrounded him, trying to loom over him./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Oh Fudge," Jack said as he looked around with a nervous smile./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"In the gym, the students all gazed at the screen of Tucker's phone in silence before someone reacted./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; tab-stops: 417.0pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""WOOHOOO!" Kwan screamed in savage style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe others in the gym crowding around Tucker all started to celebrate as they realized they were all style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe pounding had stopped minutes ago, and no matter what he did Tucker couldn't find any camera outside that could tell them what style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"PHANTOM KILLED THE DRAGON, YESSSS!" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Where'd you think he got that sword from?!" One of the girls asked with stars in her eyes. "Do you think he has matching armor?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""It was a broadsword, the kind of sword Excalibur was said to be, the old weapon of knights!" one of the nerds said and a few of them got strange looks on their faces. Sam smirked and Tucker slammed a fist into his palm and grinned. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanA teen tried to open the door to the outside and after a few moments he called style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""This way's blocked!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe need to go through the school!" He called out and the crowd of teens turned and started to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs she walked, Star looked around for Paulina, finally finding her friend lying against the wall knocked out./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""PAULINA!" Star called out as she rushed to her friends side, Sam following but staying back./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""….Star?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanwhat happened?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI remember being pushed and then!" Paulina said drunkenly before she looked around the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"And where's the others?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""They left us here to die," Star said darkly and Paulina looked at her before scowling./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Oh did they!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI think I need to rethink my relationship with Dash!" Paulina said darkly and Star giggled./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As the two helped each other to follow the others, Sam stayed back and moved silently as she thought about what she had style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Part of her was sure that Paulina had lied, she didn't know about what but it was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe had been worried about Paulina ever since she style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe couldn't really understand it, but something about it always bothered style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam kept silent as she slipped through the crowd leaving the gym, but as they passed the teachers room Lancer poked his head style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs he saw the teen pass by, he grinned as he realized that they were style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""So the rats scurry out of hiding?" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Lancer turned and saw Hecate looking at him with a cold style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;""What was that Miss Helen?" Lancer asked as the other teachers came up behind him./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;""Just that when people run, their true colors are style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd now we know yours and the other teachers," Lamashtu said as the two girls grabbed each other's arms and walked style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;"As the teacher's all looked at the other students they saw the anger and disappointment in most of their eyes and some of them looked style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;"Lancer didn't but he knew that he had to do something, anything to get the authority of the teachers style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe looked around and saw Sam and Tucker walking by and he grinned./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;""Did not expect anyone to call them out like that," Tucker admitted to Sam who nodded./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah, I'm heading to the hospital, you?" Sam asked Tucker as they walked towards the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #0e101a;"Tucker just sighed and shook his head. "Gonna head home, look over a few things."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Tucker moved to leave the building when someone dropped a hand on his shoulder. Looking back he saw Mr. Lancer looking down at him with a frown./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Let's talk about how you got around the blocks we put in place Mr. Tucker," Mr. Lancer said frostily and Tucker winced as he tried to figure out how he would get around this./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Isn't that illegal under the town's laws?" Tucker asked weakly and Mr. Lancer just looked at him stone-faced./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam meanwhile moved to stand behind Tucker/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Let's talk about locking the doors on us, leaving us to die… and we have witness by the way," Sam said just as coldly and the other teens who had been locked out and left in the gym all moved to stand behind style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLancer looked from one face to another as he paled before he walked away/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Danny flew back towards the construction site and saw a bulldozer blocking a building and went through the walls and saw nobody was in it smirking he transformed back to human form. He leaned against the wall and panted. emWhat was that, where'd that sword come from…/em Danny's thoughts died as he saw a door in his mind, it opened and the sword and gauntlets were there, waiting to be called upon. As Danny focused on the armory he saw something beyond the sword and gauntlets but her couldn't see it clearly, but the sword and gauntlets were as clear as day and he knew what they were. "Volcanic Arms!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As he cried out he held out his hand and lava surged up to his elbows from his hands and formed the gauntlets, the sword formed in his right hand. Looking at the hilt he saw a ruby on one side of the pommel and a brown gemstone on the other. He looked at the veins of magma on the blade and saw them pulse with light as he held it./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Amazing, but how do I?" Danny muttered as he looked at the weapon in his hands and the gauntlets on his arms. emStrange, it's like I know what I can do with these things…/em he thought/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"He started to swing the blade around for a few moments before he raised his free hand and a column of red crystal grew to his palm from the ground. He looked at it and grabbed the top and broke off the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe moved his hand holding the sword down and the pillar sank until it style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe looked around the clearing, only the chunk in his hand was the only evidence that the pillar ever style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe held the shard and willed his weapon away, the gauntlets and sword disappeared with the chunk style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe held it and it felt warm to the touch, not too warm/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Amazing!" Danny breathed as he pocketed the shard and walked off. emMaybe I can use this to make something from this…..any way I wonder why I'm so thirsty, and what was that? /emHe thought as he walked back towards his home. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out and saw a message from Jazz and he smiled./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: justify;"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Psychgirl/span/strongspan style="color: #0e101a;": Danny where are you!?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI heard Phantom was fighting the stone ghosts, are you okay, are you at the hospital?/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="color: #0e101a;"SkyBoy/span/strongspan style="color: #0e101a;"; Hey sis, heading home. Will tell what happened when I get there. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Behind the restaurant, the man looked around and saw three destroyed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe grinned and dropped his swords, before a small broach appeared in his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe pointed it at the remains and a beam shot style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIn moments the remains were gone and nothing showed that anything had style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Perfect!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSome Golem-Stone was just what I needed for a few recipe!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWith these and the other, I'll be able to really create a few wonderful destroyers!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd I don't have to go anywhere to get them!/emspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe smirked as he turned and walked back to the resuant and pounded on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"A woman in a red shirt and black pants under a white apron looked at him and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"God boss!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhen the lockdown happened I was worried!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Don't style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI was fine," The man said and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Really Irving?" A woman asked and Irving Burns shrugged./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I just hid when the shutters came style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNow get back to work, we might have more customers tonight!" Irving called out as he looked around the em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Nasty Burger/em's kitchen./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam walked into the hospital and stared as she looked around and saw a lot of people waiting or being helped as doctors and nurses moved around. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Do you need help?" Sam looked to the side and saw a tall Japanese woman with her black hair in a bun and a sensual figure in a white lab coat over black slacks and jeans walk towards her rubbing her eyes with glasses on her forehead. She squinted at Sam and then brought her glasses down and then winced. "Oh it's you Sam, here to see her then?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hey doctor Kobayashi, how's the hospital handling this?" Sam asked and Maiko Kobayashi laughed bitterly. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""With those government hacks commandeering the other entrance because of 'security concerns' we've had to get everyone through admissions. Thank god we set up the emergency entrance separately after the first time this happened," Maiko said bitterly and Sam winced. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah, it was terrible." Sam said as she looked at Maiko. emI can't believe what happened, the GIWs are terrible fighters but to have actually stood their ground instead of running, I might have misjudged them a little./em Sam thought as she walked and stopped when she noticed Operative K was talking on a phone near the bathroom and moved closer to listen in./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""…..Yes, we've got no choice anymore. The others will hear about this, we have to purge the labs of all our research and what we were able to get from the Fentons," Operative K said and nodded. He started to turn and Sam slipped into a nearby room and closed the door, leaving it open slightly so she could hear him as he walked past the room./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yes, we need to send copies of all the research to the secondary base…We can't let those fools in Washington stop us now, once we have the tech right we'll show them the truth. No, the creatures weren't ghosts, they were based on the secondary power, also Phantom was detected wielding the same power. Yes we have to prepare Exodus no matter what Masters says," Agent K's voice came and stopped and Sam felt the door twitch as Agent K slammed his free hand against the door. "Agent Z did what?! I suppose the directives do say that….. keep an eye on him, we need to be sure that he never finds out about Exodus, he wouldn't understand."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam left the room a few moments later, worried about what she had overheard and moved to the elevator and was quickly was carried to the floor she wanted. After a few minutes of walking, she entered a room and saw her grandmother, Ida Mansion laying on a hospital bed connected to a heart monitor./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Sammy, with what happened at our unhonorable mayor's ceremony I was worried that you wouldn't come today," Ida said as she reached over and grabbed Sam's hand. Sam smiled back at her and looked at her with a look of concern./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I couldn't stay aware grandma," Sam said as she looked at Ida looked away. "Grandma?"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I'm not," Ida whispered and Sam looked down at Ida with a look of concern and confusion./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What are you saying?" Sam asked and Ida looked at her and sighed/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I'm not your grandmother, I'm your godmother and guardian," Ida said and Sam gasped as Ida looked down and away from her. "I'm sorry that I never told ya, I wanted to before this all happened but I couldn't ever find the time or figure out the way."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""what?" Sam asked and Ida smiled at her and rubbed her cheek./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I took you in you because your mother, your birth mother was a friend of mine," Ida said with a laugh that turned into a cough and she reached for a glass of water that Sam grabbed and hurriedly handed it over. As Ida took a drink Sam looked at her, shocked and confused./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What….. why didn't you tell me?" Sam asked as she stared at her…. God-mother? emIt doesn't matter, this woman raised me more than Pamela and her husband did and this explains everything about why I'm so different from them. /em Sam thought as she looked at Ida who looked back./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I let that idiot son of mine convince me to let him and his wife take the lead, but whenever there was a decision that needed to be made to take care of you I made it," Ida said and gripped Sam's waist. "Never doubt I love ya Sammy, I kept secrets that's true, but they were to protect you and never doubt that I love you."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Grammy," Sam whispered as tears came from her eyes./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""No tears Sammy, this isn't the end just yet, this is just see you later," Ida said forcibly. "Now listen, I set it up so you'll be emancipated, and with what I know you'll be fine once you're out of their hands. I left a book that will explain everything you need to know, it's in that language that you and your friends needed to talk to Big Bad."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Big Bad…that's! You knew," Sammy breathed in shock as Ida laughed./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I knew from day one Sammy, I had been watching you all and when it happened at school the first time I knew it," Ida asked and Sammy could only stare at her./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""How…," Sam asked as she tried to understand the roller-coaster of events, tried to make sense of what Ida was saying and she could only look at her shocked./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I'll explain next time we see each other Sammy, I promise," Ida said before she looked out beyond Sam's shoulder and smirked. "But my lawyer is here to talk to you so go on."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Sam looked behind her and saw a woman in a business suit looking into the room and smiled slightly at her./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Miss Samantha, I'm the lawyer that Ida hired. My name is Rachel Lortong, it's a pleasure to meet you," Rachel said as they shook hands. "There are a few papers that you need to sign, a few I's to dot and well it won't take long."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Go Sammy, no matter what happens we will see each other again," Ida said and waved her off. As Sam left Ida looked at the ring on her finger, and called up all the efforts of strength she had left. "Come on Ida, just ten minutes more than you can rest until you're back."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Belphegor walked around the destroyed battle site with a wide grin with a backpack in his hands as the sky darkened. emOh this was wonderful, I can't believe that my grade had to miss this wonderful carnage! But I always thought that this place was something, but to think I never found the time, what I could have done./em Belphegor thought as he wandered through the ruins towards the building that had been destroyed by the GIWs. "This is amazing, I mean I knew that my beliefs were true with the ghosts but this, this is proof!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"After the siren to show the attack was over had sounded, most people had gone to their homes, he and his girls had gone to this place style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWith the police and the town paying more attention to the living and wounded, this was the best time for him to see if he could find anything here that he could em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"use/em./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"He bent down and picked up a piece of the stone gargoyles, moving his thumb over it and smiled. emOh what I can do with you my pretty! All those old books I bought over the years said there needed to be a spark to give the power, being around ghosts wasn't enough, a few of these each and then we'll really be cooking with true power! And if I can gain enough to craft a few items or even just alchemy, then I might be able to rule this town!/em He thought as he took off his backpack and started to put as many of the stones as he could fit into it. As he reached the limit of what he could carry and move quickly he grinned as he stood up and looked around. "Oh, this is perfect; I don't know who made these wonderful toys but I'm just sorry that they were dealt with so easily!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Hey, don't hog all the good ones Belphegor!" Hecate's voice caused him to turn and see both of the girls walking towards him with bags around their shoulders, each one having taken some of the stones from the destroyed gargoyles./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Don't worry sis, we'll share everything. And this is only until we can find out where they'll move the rest of these things," Lamashtu said with a giggle./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Yeah, but if we can't get anything else then we should grab what we can and leave before anyone comes and confiscates this stuff!" Hecate said with a pout./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""I wouldn't worry my dears," Belphegor said as he moved ever closer to the ruins of the building the gargoyles had come from subconsciously as he looked at the girls. "With the pounding the GIWs took, it will be a while before anyone will be back here, but I suppose you're right, we should leave once I look over this place."/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; tab-stops: 88.5pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"As he turned around and walked into the ruins he heard a crack and within moments he fell through the floor. He dropped maybe ten feet and hit the dirt with his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs he realized what had happened to him he checked himself to make sure he wasn't style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOnce done he looked around, wondering what he had found. The chamber he that fallen into was lined with glowing crystals and at the far end was a tome bound in chains on an altar made of blackwood with white gemstones imbedded in style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThere was an open doorway behind it, it was made of wood and set against a wall of wood that met the stone walls on both sides. He stared at the book hungrily as his meager senses could tell that it was something special./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Master Belphegor, are you okay?!" Looking up at Hecate's voice, Belphegor saw both her and Lamashtu looking down at him from the edge of the hole. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Perfectly fine girls, I found something that I think will help us," Belphegor said as he looked around./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Should we get a rope or call someone?" Lamashtu called and Belphegor laughed./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""No, not yet!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI think I might have a way out of here!" Belphegor called out and the girls grinned at his reply./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Wait, what have you found?" Hecate called as she cupped her mouth./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"I think I hit the mother lode girls!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanStay there I think I know how to get out of here!" He called up with a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe started to walk towards the book, looking around the chamber, and noticed strange pictograms on the wall hidden in shadows, but he saw the outline of a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight app and looked at them as he style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMost of them were of a human holding a book and doing something with the earth before style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe largest showed him creating the Stone Dragon, the next showed the chamber he was in being built by the Dragon and Gargoyles, and the final was the man putting the book chained up onto the altar./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; tab-stops: 88.5pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"He towards the book and as he touched it the chains shot off and he felt something emconnect/em with him, something that told him that his life was forever style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe picked up the book and felt a rumbling. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Looking around he saw the cavern start to collapse and ran for the door he ran through it into a small corridor that led to a staircase up stone stairs and behind him he heard the sounds of falling rocks, all he could do was hope the girls were safe. He saw a door and bashed his shoulder against it, breaking through it into a hallway in a Victorian style with paintings of a man before a statue. /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Before he could take a closer look at any of the paintings, the grounds started to shake. He looked around and saw what he hoped was a door to the outside up a set of stairs He ran towards it, ramming his shoulder into and he came out onto the upper floor. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe ran out the first door he saw that led into the yard./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Looking around he saw the girls across the hole he had fallen into. "Get to the car!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMove!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Hearing him they looked around until they saw style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey grinned before they ran toward where they had parked Belphegor's style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs they ran the ground behind them started to crumble away and it followed after them for a few feet./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Belphegor had reached the car first and turned it on, only waiting for the girls to get in before he floored it./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What'd you find down there?" Hecate demanded as Belphegor drove style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Belphegor only grinned and opened his mouth before they heard the sounds of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe scowled before he turned the car into a side street and turned it off moments before civic vehicles rushed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"He made a motion for them to be quiet as he turned the car back on and drove down the side street, sticking to the back style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""What did I find?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLook for yourself," Belphegor said as he parked and handed her the book he had found./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Hecate looked down at it and frowned as she read the text. "This is Greek… Mageía av petra…. That means Magic of Stone!"/span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;"Belphegor only grinned, a thousand different ideas /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Could this have anything to do with those wonderful, wonderful things Master Belphegor?!" Lamashtu asked and Belphegor started to cackle./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;""Girls we might have finally made it," Belphegor said as they drove towards the main part of town./span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"span style="color: #0e101a;" /span/p
p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"span style="color: #0e101a;"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Danny walked towards Fenton Works and sighed, the day had been worse than he thought it would, from the Dragon to the Lion thing and the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThat was almost as bad as the time Jazz had caught him in the Fenton Thermos when they were all fighting style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe didn't know what that thing was, but he would find out sooner or later, his luck was that bad./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"As he turned the corner he saw the metal sign and Opscenter ahead of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe just shook his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe remembered when that had been constructed, and the grief that people gave him and Jazz about itspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd that just went by the elder Fentons like water down a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSometimes he wondered if those two should even be allowed to/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Danny!"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanA voice called style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDanny looked up and saw Jazz running towards style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe was wearing her usual, black long-sleeve v-neck shirt and aqua-colored pants that hid her figure behind her baggy style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHer long auburn hair went to the small of her back and was held in place by an aqua style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Danny had seen her in her pjs and knew that she was devolving into a sensual and seductive figure as the years went style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhen Sam had asked her why she hid it, Jazz had said something about how she decided to hide it to see if people wanted to get to know her for her brain, not her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd to say that she had been disappointed by how some of her former friends reacted to puberty was like saying water was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe had written a few papers about it that she published under a pen name that the reviews said was insightful.../p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Danny, I saw what happened in the OPS Center, are you okay?"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJazz asked as she hugged Danny and pulled him close to her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm fine Jazz, really," Danny said as Jazz stepped back before his phone style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe accepted the call and turned away from Jazz, not seeing her face as he answered the caller./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey Sam," Danny said and Jazz scowled a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Jazz's feelings on Sam were….. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOn one hand, Sam had problems with her parents like she had with the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut she also loved Danny, and Jazz didn't know how to handle that and her own feelings about Danny and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe blushed as she remembered how Sam looked in that swimsuit when the two had gone shopping style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSam had needed aspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spannew swimsuit for the trip and before that Jazz hadn't known she was Bi./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Something about her bothered Jazz, something she couldn't tell what it was, she liked Sam as a person but there was something that she just didn't know what it was that bothered style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe didn't like them, she thought Sam was a good person,/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, I'm style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust get over here when you have a chance, I fought something style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe have something to look into," Danny said and then he went style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Sam, Sam!?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Jazz looked on as Danny turned around and closed his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Oh style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI'll be at the hospital soon."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Danny turned sad eyes on Jazz and she knew what that style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs Jazz gasped when Danny nodded and Jazz felt a tear slip away as she mourned for Ida, one of the few adults their band of friends could trust./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p