Chapter 53

"Where's Danny anyway?" Jack asked, after explaining how the suit works to Danny who was awkwardly riding in the passenger seat. "I thought he'd be with all of you," he added.

"He's…safe," Jazz said.

"This better not be like the time he ran away!" He exclaimed.

"He didn't run away. He's just…doing some things behind the scenes?" Tucker suggested.

"I guess that makes sense," he said, pulling up to the Old Town Hall. "You're sure this is the place?"

"Yep," Danny said, before they all got out of the RV and started getting things ready. "This is the first place he bombed Amity Park. It's here or his mansion."

While Danny flew up to the suit and carefully placed it on the ground, Sam handed Jack a pair of Fenton Phones.

"This ghost has a mansion?" Jack said, as he put the Fenton Phones in his ears.

Danny grimaced. "I mean…" Without warning, the earth shook beneath their feet and they saw smoke billowing up from the roofless town hall. Danny's ghost sense went off. "Oh no."

He left behind the suit, zipping quickly to the town hall. Once he opened the doors, his breath caught in his throat. When the others caught up to him, they all went silent. The large room was completely transformed; clean from all its rubble, dimly lit with candelabras encircling the room, Pariah Dark's guards all along the wall, and in the center, a large golden throne and a smaller one to its side. In front of the thrones was a recently lit brazier.

Jack was completely taken aback as he saw Vlad sitting on the throne, alongside Maddie, whose eyes were glazed over.

"Vlad?" Jack questioned.

Vlad smirked, standing with conviction, in a long red cape with white fur lining. "What a pleasant surprise, Jack!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" He said, pulling the stone out. The entire room glowed green from its aura.

Danny tensed up.

"Why do you have that?" Jack asked.

Vlad's eyes locked with Danny's. "Since this is the end for all of you." His eyes flicked back to Jack, as a black ring formed around his torso and ran up and down his body, revealing him as Plasmius.

Jack's eyes widened. "I – I don't understand!"

"Of course you don't," Vlad seethed. "You've always been a bumbling fool. Why stop now?"

"But – but how did you become this way?"

"It was all you, Jack," he said, eyes locking with Danny's again. "And I'm not the only one that was transformed by your own foolish errors."

"What –" He looked over at Danny whose eyes said it all. "What is he talking about?"

Danny looked away and swallowed hard, then leveled his gaze at Vlad. "Vlad, this isn't the time for your mind games. You're making a huge mistake. Do you really want to see the world burn?"

"Why, yes, Daniel, I do," he said simply.

Suddenly two duplicates appeared on either side of Danny. A third became visible in front of him and placed a Specter Deflector around his waist.

"Agh!" He yelped, crumpling to the floor. It was much stronger than the ones his parents had made. The white ring formed around him, and he transformed back to his human half. Electricity kept zapping him intermittently as he writhed in pain.

Jack's expression fell. "Danny?!" He cried, starting to go toward him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Vlad said, sing-songy, aiming the stone at Danny. "This stone will obliterate him."

The skeleton ghosts formed ecto-handcuffs on Jack, Sam and Tucker's hands and feet and removed the Fenton Phones from their ears, but Vlad had different plans for Jazz.

"Come, child," he demanded. Jazz furrowed her brows, taking a few steps back. When he threatened Danny with the stone again, she quickly made her way to him. "The rest of the world will be destroyed, but you and Maddie will be safe. I'd want nothing less for my daughter."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "And did you decide that before or after you tried to kill me?"

Vlad smirked. Skeleton guards came to her sides and removed the Fenton Phones from her ears. "You will obey." He said as he lifted the scepter toward her.

Her eyes became glazed over, and she nodded. "Yes, father."

"No!" Danny cried, still suffering from the Specter Deflector's bolts of electricity shocking him every second. The pain was insurmountable, and he felt himself beginning to pass out.

This was it. The end of the world…He had failed.