Chapter Three: From One Hell to the Next
"Someone tried to paint the walls red but missed and killed everyone inside instead." - Sean "Jacksepticeye" McLoughlin
Vlad
Daniel waves his hand, and huge spikes of ice burst from the ground and knock the agents back. The doorway is blocked off now. Operative L calls for back-up into her wrist-com.
Like the good samaritan he can't resist being, Daniel steals a moment to slam one handful of Healing Touch on to my chest while still facing the doorway.
If the circumstances were different, I would allow myself the indulgence. For now, I grab his wrist and pull his hand down. He whirls on me with wild eyes that glow too brightly. "You cannot afford to exhaust yourself," I snap.
Before I can warn the boy, Operative B punches through the barrier. Shards of ice fly everywhere. I instinctively lift my hands in front of my face. Bitter-cold scratches pepper my exposed skin. Daniel is unphased; it's his ice, after all.
Operative B lunges at us with a roar. We dodge his robotic fists. Daniel shoves me into the wall and meets the man's attacks with his own. The agent lands a hard punch on Daniel's shoulder, but the boy is either too powerful or too enthralled in Obsession for it to do much more than aggravate him. Quick as a wink, Daniel grabs the agent's meaty bicep and swings the man over his thin shoulder, crashing him to the ground. He recovers quickly. During their fisticuffs, all three tables are pushed around. Bottles and equipment clatter to the floor, and jars break and scatter glass shards.
Meanwhile, Operative L is attempting to aim her ecto-gun. Thinking fast and not willing to be useless, I whip off my ruined shirt, tearing off my cape in the process - both of those will return when I transform, anyway - and pull it over her face. She makes a strangled noise and fires off her weapon. The beam completely misses Daniel, who is now standing on the wall, and leaves a blackened spot on the ceiling. Operative B glances over his shoulder, distracted by his partner's cry.
Something Daniel takes advantage of. "Vlad, move!" he shouts.
The boy spins forward in the air and kicks Operative B in the chest. I leap out of the way in time for the large man to be thrown back and land on top of his smaller partner. The two lay in a heap in the corner of the room.
Daniel lands beside me. Despite our situation, the corners of his mouth quirk upward. "Not bad for a geezer," he jests to me. Still smiling, he rubs his shoulder with a dry, "Ow."
There's the Daniel I know. "You're not so bad yourself. For an insolent child," I add with a smirk.
He laughs a little. Our banter is a welcome splash of normalcy.
But, it doesn't last. Back-up has arrived in the form of four more agents, including Admin, storming in. Daniel once again growls and steps in front of me. I check my powers. Still nothing. Damn it.
All four of the new Guys carry handheld weapons, though Admin's better resembles a rifle than the small ray guns the others hold. Operatives B and L struggle their feet with help of a brunette female agent.
"Well, well," Admin greets with a wicked grin. "The ghost kid himself. I'm not surprised. You just love playing hero, don't you?"
Daniel steps forward, his fists balled and glowing green at his sides. "Let him go."
Him. Not us. Him.
"Not in the mood for one of your trademark quips, Phantom?" one of the agents snarks.
"Some people aren't worth the effort," Daniel replies coldly.
The agent pouts. "Ah, really? I was hoping to have some fun."
That man was meant as a distraction. I don't figure that out until Admin aims his anti-ghost rifle at me and blasts me dead in the center. Pain explodes through me as I fly back and crash into the wall and flop to the linoleum floor.
Big mistake.
The roar is deep and guttural yet oddly feline, like a monstrous panther. It takes a moment to realize that the sound came from Daniel. The agents are as thrown as I am. Daniel clamps his mouth shut and blinks a few times. Evidently, he is as surprised as the rest of us.
"That's new," he comments.
Admin recovers first. "Scream all you want, ghost scum. Now that we've got you, we're not letting you or your friend out. Looks like all those preparations you made us do won't mean a thing now."
While Admin is boasting, Daniel turns to me long enough to mouth the words, Cover your ears. I do as I'm told.
Admin is about to find out that telling Daniel to scream was another mistake.
The Ghostly Wail is one of, if not the most, powerful attacks known to ghosts. For one thing, it is loud enough to be heard from miles away when in use. (So, pressing my hands over my ears does absolutely nothing.) It also sends an intense wave of fear into everyone who hears it. (So, I would definitely have that panic attack if I didn't know that it was being used to help me and not hurt me.) Most notably, the Ghostly Wail causes massive shock waves that destroy everything in its path.
In this case, the so-called ghost-proof room.
The lights shatter and litter glass all over us. As ghosts, Daniel and I are scratched at worst by this. The agents have other things to worry about. They fly backwards from the force, chunks of the door and wall with them. Daniel limits himself, stopping once the agents have been hurled through two walls.
Like with Eileen's Compulsion, I shudder to think what someone less kind could do with such a power. Unlike with Eileen, I fear what Daniel could do once his rampage begins.
The agents don't move even after that hellish noise stops. Dead or unconscious? Probably the latter. Daniel always holds back with humans.
I tentatively lower my hands and watch Daniel brace himself against the wall. He moans as two rings of white light appear around his waist. I cringe at the sight. The Ghostly Wail drains Daniel as much as the Healing Touch, but instead of doing so gradually, the Ghostly Wail knocks him down instantly. Since he's used both in quick succession and has been fighting on top of it, he must be truly exhausted.
But, he powers through the instinct to transform and straightens. He sways on his feet but regards me with the same cold determination that he showed while healing me. "Get out of the way."
Heavens, even his voice is trembling. I scramble to my feet. "I hope you don't plan on Wailing us out of here when you can barely stand!" I point to the damage he caused. "Everyone who would oppose us is incapacitated. Therefore, nothing is stopping us from simply walking out the front door."
Except for the alarm that blares, "Lock down engaged. Powerful ghost roaming the premises. This is not a drill. Lock down engaged."
From where he and his goons are starting to rise, Admin smirks at us.
Daniel whips his head back to me and nearly collapses in the process. "Out of the way, cheesehead."
Very well.
I run behind him and cover my ears - it's better than nothing - and Daniel unleashes a Ghostly Wail that destroys another wall. Cool night air seeps in, and I can see the town through the huge gap. When the Wail ends, I want to sprint to freedom.
But, I can't because I have to catch Daniel when he falls. He starts to transform but fights it off again. At this rate, he'll destabilize in my arms. My core screams at the thought.
Behind us, I hear the agents getting their bearings. I nearly belt out a curse.
Daniel tilts his head all the way back and gazes at me with pleading green eyes. "Can you fly?"
I pull him forward and jump a few times and narrowingly avoid tripping over the rubble.
"Son of a bitch," he breathes.
Shaky hands lift me bridal style before I know it's happening. Daniel almost drops me but his grip holds firm.
"Daniel!" I snap. "You are already on the verge of collapse!"
His eyes are glassy and distant. I can feel him swaying and trembling. His voice is no more than a whisper. "I can do it."
As ecto-gunfire starts to rage from the agents, Daniel shoots us into the air. The boy's flight is slower than it should be, but it is enough to put distance between us and our attackers.
"We're safe, Daniel," I beg once the agents are out of sight. "You can put me down now!"
The boy doesn't seem to hear me. "I can do it. I can- I- I can't…"
He transforms mid-flight. Luckily, we aren't that far above ground, and we land on the soft grass in the park. The impact makes me roll out of the boy's grasp and land on my stomach.
A blinding heat overtakes me, and a huge sigh of relief blows past my lips. I don't know if any of my powers are working, but the fact that I can return to human-form is a promising sign.
Now that the danger has passed, I let myself sink into the grass and just breathe. I'm not in that room. There are no restraints holding me down. No one is poking and prodding at me and sending waves of indescribable agony through my person.
Tears prick my eyes. I am safe. Not fully recovered, but safe.
A small noise prevents me from breaking down right here on the grass. A very human Daniel Fenton is lying in a similar position. His limbs twitch, and his breathing disturbs the still grass.
It isn't my Obsession that lifts me up by my arms and makes me give the boy's shoulder a small shake. "Danny? Talk to me, little badger!"
Long dark eyelashes flutter open. Glazed blue eyes look up at me. A tiny smile graces his lips. "Looks like I've really fallen for you, Plasmius."
I knew everything would hit me once we were out of there.
Boisterous laughter bursts out of me. The force of it drops me to my elbows and makes my sides hurt and sends tears down my face. I don't think I've ever laughed like this. It is exhilarating and goes on far too long and I can't stop.
Daniel rises to a sitting position but remains silent, content to let me get it all out. When I glance up at him, I see a smile of pure understanding.
And, eyes that are wholly black.
My laughter stops as suddenly as it started. What time is it? It must be long past midnight by now.
That means it's the last day of Daniel's reckoning.
I swallow hard. "Daniel, I think you should-" Get to the Ghost Zone. The words die in my throat when I see him switch back to ghost-form.
I scamper backwards on all fours and hide behind a shrub. Daniel either doesn't notice or doesn't care. I remember how I felt before my rampage began. My mind went fuzzy, and my body was somehow light and heavy at the same time. Then I blacked out. When I came to, the town of Fallen, Nevada was no more.
My heart pounds in my ears. I attempt to turn invisible, and thank god it works.
Daniel's body shakes as though wracked by an earthquake only he can feel. His white aura shines twice as fiercely. He climbs unsteadily to his feet, resembling a marionette with loose strings.
He unleashes that panther-like roar into the sky.
It begins.
Jazz
We hear a roar in the distance. Dad assumes it's the call of a giant ghost cat, so he and Mom grab their weapons and investigate.
Less than a minute later, Mom appears in the kitchen. The hood and goggles of her teal-colored jumpsuit cannot hide how pale she is.
Since no one was going to sleep anytime soon, Sam, Tucker, and I had started passing the time by sitting at the kitchen table and playing Go Fish. (I'm winning.) We slam our cards down the moment we see the look on Mom's face.
We know what's going on before Mom speaks. "Kids, Danny's rampage is starting. All of you stay here while Jack, the Red Huntress, and I keep him under control."
Sam leaps from her seat so fast that her chair is knocked over. "If you think we're gonna sit here and do nothing, you've got another thing coming!"
"What's he even doing here?" Tucker asks frantically. He stands up as well. "He went to the Ghost Zone. Why is he back?"
"I don't know," Mom says. "But, there's no time to wonder. Just stay here under the Ghost Shield-"
My turn to stand. "No, Mom. We love Danny too, and we know what it will do to him if this ends in destruction. We're helping whether you and Dad like it or not."
Mom grits her teeth, ready to argue. But, she sees that we're not backing down. "Fine. Head down to the lab and arm yourselves. And, please be careful," she adds shakily before rushing back outside.
"I'll call Reaper," I say. I reach into my back pocket.
Then my other back pocket. Then both of my front pockets.
Dread seeps into me. "Where's my ghost phone? I know for a fact that it was just in my pocket."
I scan the kitchen floor. Then the living room floor. Sam and Tucker join me when they realize that their ghost phones are gone too.
"What the hell?" Tucker curses. "I don't know about you guys, but I am not careless with my tech. Something's up."
Sam grunts and tosses her hands at her sides. "Screw it. We're wasting time. Let's just grab some weapons and get out there!"
We are silent as we run down to the lab. Sam chooses the Fenton Rod and the Fenton Wrist Rays. Tucker takes the Jack o' Nine Tails and the Fenton Saber; he straps on a weapons belt so he can carry both with ease. I take a small ecto-gun and the Lipstick Laser.
"Think this'll be enough?" Tucker asks.
A Wrist Ray is attached to each of the wrists Sam places on her hips. "It's Danny, so…" She shrugs.
I put the Lipstick Laser in my pocket. "Mom, Dad, and Valerie are out there too. I'm more concerned about whether or not the townsfolk remembered to activate their Ghost Shields."
"If not, we'll deal with it," Sam says.
I hate this. We all hate this.
What could have brought Danny back to Earth? He knew about Clockwork's prediction, so surely he couldn't be here by choice. But, like Mom said, there's no time to wonder.
We take the stairs two at a time and stop when we see Cujo on the couch. His ears are back, he's shaking like a leaf, and he lets out the saddest little noises I've ever heard.
"Oh, yeah, Cujo," Tucker exclaims. "He's strong. He can help us."
Cujo responds by whining louder and hiding his face under a throw pillow.
"Or, not," Tucker says.
It hits me and breaks my heart. "Of course. Cujo is so loyal to Danny that there's no way he would fight against him."
Sam kneels down by Cujo. "We don't wanna hurt Danny either, boy. But, we don't have a choice."
Cujo shimmies further under the pillow.
"Forget it," I say. I step forward and scratch Cujo's back. "Hold down the fort for us, boy. We'll handle Danny."
I want to scoop Cujo into my arms when he looks up at me in that way, but we've wasted enough time.
Sam, Tucker, and I burst out the front door without another word on the subject. Icy winds and a torrent of snow greet us. It's the middle of summer, so even knowing about Danny's ice powers, we weren't expecting this.
We're shivering and our skin feels blistered with the cold, but we see what's happening and decide to risk hypothermia.
Valerie is suited up and flying on her hoverboard, blocking Danny's attacks with her blasters. She's keeping the buildings safe from any debris that would get through the shields.
Mom and Dad are on the ground trying to distract Danny. Mom is running around with every weapon she could fit on her belt and has a Fenton Thermos in her hand. Dad is driving the Ghost Assault Vehicle, an act that's arguably more dangerous than Danny.
And, what is Danny doing, you ask? At the moment, he is wielding an entire tree like a club. Even from this distance, I can see that his eyes are black and his supernatural glow is brighter.
Mom blasts at him with the Thermos. It's a direct hit, and Danny is instantly sucked inside of the small cylindrical container. The snow disappears, and the tree crashes into the street, miraculously not hitting anyone or anything. Looks like the townsfolk were smart enough to stay home.
"It can't be that easy," Sam says.
It's not. Mom flails the Thermos around. By which I mean, the Thermos flails her around and nearly topples her over from the force. The Thermos shatters, and Danny pops out of it, landing on all-fours like an animal.
The sight breaks my friends and I from our trance, and we run to the scene.
Danny lunges for Mom, but Dad blasts him with a bunch of foamy ectoplasm, knocking him to the ground. That foam is meant to slow ghosts down, but all it does is make Danny angrier. He unleashes that weird cat-like roar, and massive spikes of ice shoot out of the ground. Everyone leaps out of the way to avoid getting speared.
A familiar scream makes my stomach drop. Mom is on the ground with both of her legs encased in ice.
"Mom!" I shout and rush to her side.
Sam beats me there. The Fenton Rod is already active in her hand. "I got her. Go help the others."
While she beats at the ice with the Rod, Tucker and I join the fray.
Danny shoots into the sky. A light blue cloud forms over the area, and the snow starts up again. Full force. A concentrated assault of bitter cold hunks of-
Hail.
This isn't snow. This is a myriad of basketball-sized hail.
"Take cover!" Valerie screams before being knocked out of the air and crashing to the ground.
By this point, Sam has pulled Mom from the ice. "Get under a Shield!" Mom shouts.
Dad stops the GAV and opens the door. I think he's crazy until I realize that the hail is bouncing harmlessly off of the vehicle. I forgot that a Ghost Shield was built into it.
The gigantic hail is separated enough that we aren't constantly being pelted, but avoiding getting crushed isn't easy. Tucker runs to help Valerie, who is limping despite her protective metal suit. Sam screams when she gets nicked in the arm; her arm is limp now and blood pours over her skin.
The four of us scramble toward a house. Hail slams into the shield and bounces off, littering the front yard. Craters form on the street where the hail crashes into the pavement. The tree splinters from the force of it. I don't allow myself even the slightest bit of relief until I see Mom climb into the GAV with Dad.
"I'm going back out there," Sam says.
Tucker grabs her good arm. "Sam, you're hurt! Let's ask the people who live here if they-"
Sam yanks her arm away. "I can fight one-handed!"
"I'm coming too," Valerie says. She is sitting on the ground and has undone just enough of her armor to examine her leg, which is bent at an odd angle. "Might be a little tricky on one foot, but-"
Time to be the protective big sister. I point to each of them. "Both of you are out of commission."
"No!" they snap.
"I'm with Jazz," Tucker says. "You guys are lucky that broken bones are all you got from that. Fight while injured, and you'll suffer a lot worse."
Valerie looks like she would punch Tucker if she could stand. "I'll make you suffer if you keep me out of this."
"That goes double for me," Sam snarls.
I start to argue, but Tucker cuts me off. "Let me put it another way. Danny is going to feel horrible enough when he snaps out of this and sees what he did. Imagine how much worse he would feel if he killed you."
That was my exact argument. Great minds think alike.
And, it works. Sam and Valerie look away in reluctant defeat.
A door opens, and we all turn toward the call of, "You guys okay?"
"Dash!" I say in surprise. "This is your house?"
The tall, muscular former bully cringes at the sight of Sam and Valerie. "Yeah, and it looks like you two need a hand. No pun intended," he adds when Sam glares at him. "Why don't you come inside? I'm no doctor, but I know some medical stuff."
"Do it," I command when the girls hesitate. "It's either this or try to get you to the hospital."
As if he heard that, Danny slams into the Ghost Shield. We all jump at the loud ping and the sight of Danny baring his teeth at us. He cries out inhumanly and whirls around when something blasts him from behind. The hail finally stops.
I blink multiple times and shake my head, but the image doesn't change.
Paulina has come out of nowhere. She is wearing dark blue yoga pants and a matching sports bra, and her long black hair is pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head. She wields an ecto-gun in each hand, having presumably found the one I dropped during the hailstorm.
Not sure what she's doing here, but I won't complain about the help.
"Man, that's hot!" Dash and Tucker say at the same time.
Oh, brother.
The rest of us glare at them. Tucker grins sheepishly, and Dash coughs into his fist and says, "I'm not great with ghost stuff, but like I said, I can treat injuries. Danny's my friend too, and I wanna help somehow."
"Fine," Sam says after a moment.
"Fine," Valerie repeats.
Sam hands Tucker the Fenton Rod, and I help her take off the Wrist Rays and slip them on my own wrists.
Sam helps Valerie to her feet, and the two hobble up to the door. On the way, Sam mutters, "I can't believe I'm being upstaged by Paulina."
"Tell me about it," Valerie gripes. She presses a button on her wrist, retracting her armor for the time being.
Dash's mouth falls open. "V-Valerie? You're-"
Valerie waves him off. "Yeah, yeah. Red Huntress. Secret identity. Now hit us with the iodine, white boy."
"I forgot Dash and Paulina didn't know about Valerie," I say.
Tucker shrugs. "One of them does now. The other probably will soon. Now, let's get back out there and-"
"WWWHHHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAA!"
We throw our hands over our ears, but the act is useless against Danny's Ghostly Wail. I'd been hoping he wouldn't bust it out.
The ground shakes. Any streetlights that weren't already knocked over go out, shrouding the streets in darkness. Hail and pavement and other debris shoot through the air. Terror shoots through me, though whether it's truly my own or a by-product of the Wail, I can't say. I look through the green light of the Shield and see that Mom and Dad were able to drive behind Danny before he started.
Paulina isn't so lucky. She is clutching the tree branches for dear life while shock waves try to send her flying. She loses her grip or the branches break or she gets hit by something, and she is hurled backward. This time, I know the fear is my own.
Tucker braves the now-metaphorical storm. Flying debris pounds against him, but he perseveres. Careful to stay out of the worst of the shock waves, he whips out the Jack o' Nine Tails and throws its tendrils at Paulina. They wrap around her - good thing she's not a ghost, or she'd be electrocuted on contact - and Tucker retracts them back into their cylindrical container, pulling Paulina to safety.
Once the Latina girl is free, Tucker yanks her under the safety of the Ghost Shield. Paulina has cuts all over, and her hair has come undone and is hanging in a tangled mess. Somehow Tucker's glasses are in one piece, but his beret is gone and he is bleeding from various cuts, most notably a gash above his ear. I think Paulina thanks him, but I can't hear anything over that awful shriek. I'll be so proud of those two (mostly Tucker) when the sheer terror wears off.
Suddenly, the Wail stops. The relief doesn't last.
Another ghost enters the scene. The ghost has greenish blue skin and black hair in a horn-like style and a white cape with red underneath. I'm torn. On one hand, Vlad seemingly wants Danny's reckoning end with limited bloodshed as much as we do. On the other hand…it's Vlad.
Still, if Danny is going to keep using the Ghostly Wail - and apparently ignoring the toll it takes on his body - and pelting us with giant hail, we can't exactly say no to a potential ally.
Danny shrieks in that weird cat-like way, focused on Vlad now. My brother fires ghost ray after ghost ray. Vlad blocks them with a dark pink shield. Until Danny throws out a more powerful beam that breaks the shield and makes the older halfa scream in pain. Even Vlad is struggling.
It's no secret that Danny is incredibly powerful. But, this… I have never been more grateful for my little brother's inherently sweet nature.
"Why are we still standing here?" Paulina says. "I didn't sneak out of my house just to sit on the sidelines!"
I have a million questions. I don't get to ask any of them.
"What are they doing?" Tucker's exclamation draws our attention back to the scene.
The GAV zooms around the craters, and a long glowing rope shoots out of the top. It completely misses Danny and winds itself around Vlad instead. The roof of the van opens, and Vlad is pulled inside.
"This could be a problem," I say.
"How is this a problem?" Paulina asks. "That was Vlad Plasmius, wasn't it? Danny's arch-enemy? Surely keeping him around would only make things worse."
Mom and Dad must be thinking the same thing.
Tucker and I grimace at each other. He nods at me. Since Paulina and Dash know Danny's secret, odds are we were going to have to do this at some point. Danny has been looking for some way to tell our parents without angering Vlad, but we don't face the same issues with Dash or Paulina.
I bite the bullet. "Plasmius is also the mayor. He's a half-ghost like Danny, and in this case, we think he actually does want to help."
"And, you can't tell anyone about his double-life," Tucker adds, "because if you do, he'll tell everyone about Danny's."
Paulina's eyes widen, and her mouth opens and closes. She shakes her head clear but still looks dazed. "Um…alright…"
The GAV drives away, but Mom remains. She whips an ecto-gun off her belt and blocks Danny's incoming ghost ray using a miniature shield that spreads out from her wrist.
Paulina throws her hand toward the chaos. "Again I say, why are we still standing here?"
I want to tell her and Tucker to go into Dash's house and tend to their wounds, but their cuts don't look very deep. The gash on Tucker's head concerns me, but his eyes are clear and head wounds tend to look worse than they are.
Besides, there's no way Mom can face Danny on her own.
Jack
"I used to think you were the stupid one, but it turns out you're both morons!"
Vlad Plasmius is starting to give me a headache. That ghost-proof binding leaves him unable to move or use his powers, but it doesn't stop him from talking.
And, talking. And, talking.
He didn't shut up on the ride here. Or, when I threw him over my shoulder and carried him down to the lab. He became more and more wiggly on the way down, but I still managed to keep my grip.
He didn't notice that I'd silently summoned Cujo, who'd been curled up in a sad ball on the couch, to follow me. Plasmius was too busy screaming at and insulting me to notice the little green dog-ghost.
Until I toss Plasmius on the floor of the lab, and Cujo crouches down in front of him with his teeth bared in a growl.
"I see you two know each other," I taunt as I watch Plasmius shrink back as much as he can while tied.
"Let's just say," Plasmius says, "that this creature solidified my status as a cat person." He flinches when Cujo snaps his jaws. "But, you're a handsome boy! Yes, you are!"
A self-satisfied smirk pulls at my lips, but I can't stick around to enjoy the show. Maddie had decided to stay on the scene while I brought Plasmius here so he couldn't do any damage. The kids are doing their part in the fight, which simultaneously makes me feel better and worse. I need to get back out there.
"Cujo." The dog keeps his eyes on Plasmius, but his small black ears perk up at my voice. "Make sure Plasmius stays put. If he tries anything, you have my permission to do as you see fit."
Cujo's growl deepens, resembling that of his monstrous other form.
"You're making a huge mistake!" Plasmius argues for the umpteenth time. "I am here to help you!"
"So, you keep saying."
When I turn to leave, Plasmius switches tactics. "You know that's your son out there, right? Your own flesh and blood is causing mass destruction! I may not be at full-power right now, but you need all the help you can get!"
My smirk returns, bigger this time. I turn back around. "If you think you can shock me into letting you go, you're gonna have to try harder than that. Danny told me and his mother about his secret identity." Surprisingly, Plasmius doesn't seem very, well, surprised. "That means that your animosity with Phantom has a hell of a lot more weight to it. I don't know how you got away from the Guys in White, but I'm not letting you anywhere near my son. Especially not at a time like this."
Plasmius mumbles something and leans his head back against the wall. Thinking he's finally given up, I start to leave again.
"Perhaps I can shock you into letting me go."
I should ignore him and keep moving. But, the utter defeat in Plasmius's tone makes me turn around.
Plasmius is still staring at the ceiling. "I hope I don't regret this," he mutters.
Twin black rings appear around him. They trace his body up and down.
My knees threaten to give out. Vladimir Nathaniel Masters is tied up where Vlad Plasmius once sat. His dark blue eyes look upon me with a quiet fury.
I find my voice in spurts. "Y-you… He… You're…"
Plasmius- Vlad- That guy on the floor speaks calmly to start, but his words become increasingly less patient. "Yes, I am a halfa like your son. Before you ask what happened, know that I am one of those ghosts who becomes aggressive when asked about their death. And, as much as I would like to watch you choke on your own blood, I have more important matters to attend to. So, if you would be so kind as to untie me, I would be ever so grateful!" His eyes flash red at the end.
Cujo turns his head toward me, awaiting orders. He isn't phased at all. I recall Jazz mentioning that animals, living or dead, can recognize the ghosts of people they know. Cujo probably knew about Vlad all along.
The kids must know too. Danny, if no one else. He said that he was keeping a secret about Plasmius, something bad enough to make the man keep Danny's alter ego a secret in exchange. This has to be what Danny was talking about.
I know I can't ask, but I'm aching to know what happened. Vlad has been my best friend since college. We drifted apart after the accident - my own fault, I know - but we picked up right where we left off at our college reunion. Vlad was a bit standoffish with me after we met back up again, but I had chalked it up to the passage of time. It had been twenty years, after all. People change.
Apparently more than I imagined.
When I'm too stunned to move, Vlad's anger crumbles. "Jack, please. My own reckoning was… I-I don't want Danny to go through that!"
His voice cracks at the end, and his eyes reflect the lab's lighting a little too well. I realize with a pang that I've never seen Vlad cry before.
And, I don't want to see it now.
Cujo steps away when I kneel behind Vlad and work on his restraints. This could be the worst idea I've ever had. But, I've also never heard Vlad beg before. My gut is saying that he's sincere.
I want to ask about his animosity with my son, about what happened at Vlad's reckoning-
I pause when an image appears in my mind. Video evidence of a ghost destroying a town. A humanoid ghost with wholly black eyes and an overbright aura.
Just like Danny has now.
"Fallen, Nevada," I breathe. Vlad tenses against my fingers. "That wasn't some rogue ghost attack. That was your reckoning, wasn't it?"
Vlad says nothing for a moment. "Untie me, Jack."
"Vlad-"
Vlad whips his head around to glare at me over his shoulder. His tears remain stubbornly behind his lashes. "Untie me, Jack."
I obey, though my hands are shaking so bad that the process takes twice as long as it should. Ghosts weren't public knowledge then, so the events of March 15, 1985 were written off as a terrorist attack by the government. Survivors who mentioned a flying man with black eyes and deadly powers were passed off as being delusional from trauma. That town was leveled. Fallen isn't even on the map anymore.
Oh, Vladdy… How did you survive the guilt for this long?
Given your actions in ghost-form…maybe you didn't.
The moment the binding is limp on the ground, Vlad stands up and switches back to ghost-form. I rise and call his name when he rushes for the stairs; the lab is phase-proof, so he can't get out that way. He faces me with an annoyed sigh.
"I know I can't ask how it happened," I say shakily, "but-but can you at least tell me how long you've been this way?"
"You have to ask?" Vlad storms up to me. "Is your singular brain cell so overworked that you cannot figure it out for yourself?"
I hadn't expected so much anger at the question. Maybe it was too close to asking how he died. Vlad is a couple inches shorter than me, but the raw fury in his red eyes makes me feel like I'm the size of Cujo's current form.
Vlad doesn't wait for a response. "You might recall the day I was rushed to the hospital after someone screwed up his little Ghost Portal."
I can barely get the words out. "The accident… The ecto-acne…"
"Ah! Perhaps I miscounted the amount of brain cells in your thick skull."
Vlad had been hospitalized for a month before there was some explosion in his room. The man himself had disappeared.
Or, became a ghost and fled.
If I'm being honest, I never quite forgave myself for sending Vlad to the hospital. And now…
"You," I croak out, "you mean I…"
"Killed me?" I cringe at the matter-of-fact way he speaks. "Made me the creature you see before you?" He holds up a hand before I can say anything. "I don't want your apology. This cannot be undone, and I made peace with what I am ages ago. Besides," he starts to walk out again, "the guilt you feel now surely does not hold a candle to your emotions regarding the other person you killed with a Portal."
Other person? Vlad has to be mistaken! "What are you talking about?"
Vlad whirls around to answer. "Oh, funnel cakes, Jack! You know exactly who…I…" His fierce expression slackens at my honest confusion. "You…you don't know. He never told you, did he?" Vlad scoffs and touches his fingers to his forehead. "Knowing him, he's probably trying to spare your feelings."
"Who?" I nearly shout. "Vlad, what are you talking about?"
Vlad is silent for a moment. Then a cruel smile stretches his lips. "I'm afraid it's not my place to say. But, I'll tell you this. I may attack anyone who inquires about my death, but I know for a fact that your son does not."
My heart stops.
"As such, I suggest you go straight to the source with any questions you may have. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get back to what I was doing before I was so rudely interrupted." With that, he flounces up the stairs, that smile never leaving his face.
Vlad has to be wrong. How would the Portal have hurt Danny? We would have known if something happened, wouldn't we? Danny would have had some mark on him, or someone would have called an ambulance.
Yet, I can't help but stare at the currently closed Ghost Portal, my and Maddie's greatest invention. It's not like our prototype from college. This one works properly. Sure, it took about a week to charge up, but…
A week after we built the Ghost Portal, it started working out of nowhere.
There's a roaring in my ears as I rush to the control panel and turn off the Portal. Completely turn it off. Then I open the doors covering it and stare at the walls of metal paneling within. I can't stop myself from stepping into the machine and noting how easily a man my size can stand upright in here. A short, scrawny fourteen-year-old could easily-
No, Danny wouldn't have done that.
Would he?
Regardless, Maddie and I took every precaution when building this thing. I don't see any loose wiring or missing paneling, and there is absolutely no way to activate the Portal from the inside.
This is ridiculous. I should be outside, helping with damage control. Not walking deeper into an invention I know like the back of my hand-
Something catches my eye. I turn on wobbling knees and stare at it head on.
"Jack, where's that panel with the 'on' and 'off' buttons?"
"I know I put it somewhere… I'm sure it'll turn up."
It took me almost three years to find it, and I get no satisfaction. Only a cold, numbing dread that makes me lean against the wall and sink to the floor.
It would have been so easy for someone to bump into that 'on' button. One misstep, one brush of the hand in exactly the wrong place…
How could I have missed that? I know I've never been the sharpest, but am I really that stupid?
A soft whine and a tiny paw at my side draws my attention. I forgot Cujo was here. I wonder if he knows how Danny died.
First, I killed my best friend. Then, I killed my son.
Who will be next?
"Jack?" Maddie's voice startles me. "Jack, are you there?"
I look around before I remember that I'm wearing a pair of Fenton Phones. I touch the earpiece. "I'm here, Mads." And, I hope my emotions don't come through in my voice.
"Plasmius is back. What happened? Are you okay?"
I'm not okay. As for what happened, I don't know where to start. "It's a long story. But, Vlad…Plasmius is on our side. At least in this."
I hear the sounds of battle on the other end as Maddie forms a response. "I don't know what this is about, but I trust your judgment."
You shouldn't. "I'll be there soon."
"Alright. I love you."
"I love you too."
And, look at what happens to the people I love.