2/13/25: I can't believe I hit 60 chapters…Taken was 30. I'm already more than double the word count of Taken as well.
Here it is, the beginning of the end. This chapter is so long compared to previous ones. It's definitely the longest one in the series so far. I worked very hard to get it done on schedule! Enjoy!
Theme for this chapter is "Limits" By Bad Omens.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
–
Chapter 60: In the Lion's Den
–
The next morning, everyone involved in the mission was gathering on base out on the tarmac. The Marines were there waiting on the ghosts. Danny was with Skulker getting the ghosts from the Ghost Zone.
It was mostly cloudy with the sun peeking through every now and then. The clouds, though many, were bright white, so there was no threat of rain today.
The Marines Sam had worked with were thrilled to see her, especially Lt.'s Lorne and Ford.
"Look at you!" Lorne said, giving her a loose hug. "It's been so long, I almost forgot you were pregnant."
"It's good to see you," she said with a smile, returning the hug. "All of you," she added, looking around at the smiling platoons.
Sam wasn't in her usual Shade outfit for this as her growing belly was awkward in a crop top. So she was wearing a simple black t-shirt with skulls on it and black leggings so she could be comfortable.
They didn't get to say anything else before ghosts suddenly started teleporting in, taking all of the humans by surprise. It was clear the Marines were a bit nervous, but they didn't shy away.
Danny and Skulker were last, making sure all the ghosts made it first. As soon as Danny appeared, the Marines saluted. He was wearing his uniform: black, tight-fitting t-shirt with the hidden 'D' symbol on the chest, black cargo pants, belt and boots, as well as his trench coat with 'D' symbol on the back.
"Captain!" Lt. Lorne said.
"At ease, soldier," Danny said in his commanding voice, sending a shiver through Sam. "Are all the Marines ready to go?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do we have any equipment left to take with us?" the ghost asked then.
Lt. Lorne shook his head. "No, sir. The government refused to provide any more attack helicopters or any ground vehicles for this mission."
Danny looked around the tarmac. "So we have three Osprey's to transport troops, and that's it?"
"They are armed with one .50 cal machine gun on the loading ramp, sir, but nothing else. They're faster than an Apache, but that's the only advantage they have. I doubt they'll last very long against their laser guided missiles," the Lieutenant responded honestly.
Danny looked troubled. General Hammond had been trying to convince Congress to give him some Viper's for this, but to hear he was unsuccessful put a dent in their plans. "We can't use them for attack then. I won't risk the pilots when the odds are stacked like that."
"Understood, sir."
"I believe we can be of assistance in this case." Danny, Sam and both lieutenants turned towards Aragon as he walked up to them. "We managed to make twenty amulets. We can put twenty dragons in the air against their metal contraptions."
"You saw the video on what the Apache's are capable of, right?" Danny asked.
Aragon nodded. "We did. We are willing to do this."
"If even one of those missiles hits their mark, your chances of survival are low," Sam added.
"We understand the risks. She took my sister from us and has killed countless other ghosts. If we must sacrifice in order to stop her, we shall," he responded, not unkindly.
"If you can get in close and fly up under them, you can grab them and use your weight to drop them out of the air, just watch out for the 30mm cannon on the front," Sam suggested.
"I appreciate the advice. I will let the others know," he replied with a small smile.
Movement caught the eye of the small group as General Hammond and Lt. Col. Sheppard walked up. Danny and the lieutenants saluted.
"Gentleman," the general greeted before nodding to Sam. "Ms. Manson." The pair stopped before the group. "I'm sorry I couldn't convince them to give us more soldiers or Vipers."
"It does put a dent in our plans, but I did bring some backup," Danny replied. He turned then and whistled, waving Vlad, Skulker and Frostbite over. Once they joined the group, Danny pointed to each one in turn. "You know Vlad and Skulker. This is Frostbite, leader of the Far Frozen. And this is Prince Aragon. He will be leading the dragons into battle."
Danny then pointed to the Marines in turn. "This is General Hammond, the leader of the Marines. This is Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard, second in command here. And these two are Lieutenants Ford and Lorne."
Everyone exchanged greetings before George raised a brow and nodded approvingly at Aragon. "Dragons, huh? If they're anything like Ms. Manson, we'll gladly take the help."
"I have not seen her fight, but if she is as tenacious as my sister was, then you are welcome," the dragon prince said.
His statement confused the general who did not know the story of Sam's half ghost creation. "It's a long story," she said when George sent her a confused look.
The general nodded. "Are we ready?"
"I think so," Danny replied. "Vlad is going to stay with Sam for dedicated protection, Aragon and the dragons are going to engage the Apaches, Maddie and Jack will help coordinate getting any civilians out of the area, and Bruce and Dash will be behind the lines taking care of any wounded. The rest of us are going to engage Mira and the Hybrids. Frostbite will lead his people and Skulker will lead the rest of the ghosts."
"Good. Do you want to make a speech before you head out?" George asked, catching the ghost off guard.
Danny felt his mouth go dry, not really wanting to be put on the spot like that, but knowing it would probably put some people at ease.
He floated up and whistled again to get the attention of everyone gathered. All in all, there were too few of them, but they needed to end this. Mira's army was only growing bigger and getting stronger.
He cleared his throat, cheeks tinged green with everyone's gaze on him. Being a leader did not feel natural to him, no matter how much Sam insisted it was.
"I cannot express my gratitude enough to all of you for being here. For some, this isn't your fight, but you're here anyway. For others, you've been touched personally by Mira and the atrocities she's committed. Mira is a threat to all of us, humans and ghosts alike.
As much as it kills me, I cannot promise to bring all of you home, but I can promise to try my best. Once we're out there, we're going to need to take care of each other regardless of where we come from. And maybe, just maybe, when we get through this, it can be the start of a new age where humans and ghosts can coexist peacefully. Thank you for being here and for being brave enough to face this with us. Now, let's go kick some ass."
There was an eruption of cheers from both humans and ghosts at the end of his speech. It wasn't fancy, but it got the job done and he began to see ghosts and Marines co-mingle and introduce themselves. It gave him a spark of hope.
He floated back down and was surprised when Sam enveloped him in a hug. "That was perfect," she said with a smile.
He returned it before looking around. "It's a far cry from my battle with Eden."
"We aren't alone anymore," she said in agreement.
"Alright Marines, let's load up!" John called, directing the troops to the Osprey's. Jack, Maddie, Bruce and Dash followed. Once they were loaded, the rotors started up, creating a cacophony of noise. Within moments, they were in the sky, the rotor's tilting to get them moving forward.
Sam shifted into dragon form and Danny stifled the instinct to force her to go invisible. The entire point was for her to be seen and her dragon form was large and easily recognizable, even to the civilians.
Danny floated over and settled into the saddle before noticing the appalled look on Aragon's face. "Yes?" he asked with a raised brow.
"You dare ride such a noble creature as if she was nothing more than a mount?"
Sam snorted, smoke billowing from her nostrils. "I'm the one who had the saddle made. This dynamic makes us a powerful team," she explained as she lifted her wings and took off.
The ghosts followed closely, keeping behind the pair. Aragon caught up to them. "To me it is…unnatural," he stated, though not unkindly.
"And that's okay," the goth replied. "This just works for us." The prince eyed them for a moment before nodding.
The rest of the flight was in silence. They were headed to the large national park Danny and Sam had crashed into months before as it was the only area within the city that had enough room for all the Ospreys and it was well away from residential areas to help mitigate collateral damage.
Sam flew low over the buildings, making sure she was seen and taking a slightly lazy, winding route to the park for maximum exposure. Mira would likely know it was intentional as she wasn't stupid, but they hoped she would show up anyway. She did have the advantage and might feel cocky enough to make an appearance.
Finally, they made it to the park. The Osprey's were already there and nearly finished unloading. Sam banked, bringing them around before rearing up and gently touching down. Even in this form she looked pregnant, so she was mindful of her larger stomach as her paws touched grass. Once settled, she waited, not shifting just yet.
It wasn't until the Marines were all on the ground and the Osprey's were back in the air and moving away that she shifted, though not before releasing a fireball that exploded above the lake and then letting out a loud and deafening roar as a challenge.
Bruce and Dash set up a small triage area away from where they expected the bulk of the fighting to take place while Jack and Maddie joined Danny, Sam and Vlad for now.
Then they waited.
And waited.
Danny hadn't expected it to be quick, but the Hybrids were taking so long to show up that he was getting nervous that this might all be in vain. Finally, after fifteen minutes, half ghosts started appearing from the trees. They made no move to attack, but Danny subconsciously put Sam behind him while Vlad positioned himself at her flank.
John walked up. "There's not that many of them," he commented, eyes warily scanning the tree line as the influx stopped.
"There's countless more in the trees–I can feel the signatures," Danny replied darkly.
A few more tense minutes passed as they waited, each side staring down the other just waiting for them to make a move.
Finally, Mira materialized in the air nearly a hundred yards out, a smirk on her face. There were so many half ghosts that Danny had been unable to distinguish hers from the others.
What Danny and Sam had not been expecting was for Ki-oh to materialize next to her. "Ki-oh," Sam said softly. Danny felt her try to move around him but stopped her.
"He's at her side. We can't be sure of his allegiance," he said.
But the goth could see the sad look on the Koreans face. She refused to believe he was truly on Mira's side. She pulled on John's shirt, getting his attention. "Whatever you do, don't hurt that man," she pleaded.
Sheppard looked at her curiously before glancing at Ki-oh. "Is he one of the ones with her against his will?"
She nodded. "I believe so. You remember me telling you about Se-ri?" she asked, continuing at his own nod. "He's her father."
It clicked in the man's mind. "The woman we found in the mine, Do-hee, she was his wife?"
"Yes. He thought that by joining Mira, his family would be safe. I don't think he knows she's dead."
Sheppard looked hard at Ki-oh before turning to Lt. Lorne and sending the message down the line to try not to hurt the Asian man. Then all eyes turned to Mira when she spoke.
"Using your little bitch as bait to lure me out, huh? I'm not stupid, but I think you are," she chuckled. "Do you really think your little band of misfits can stand against us?"
"We can sure as hell try," Danny countered, his glare hard.
She laughed again. "There's so few of you–you don't stand a chance. This must be what happens when your precious city loses faith in their supposed 'hero'."
"We never lost faith." All eyes turned to see a human walking up behind the Marines.
Danny, Sam, John and the Marines were shocked to see it was Mark, the mayor. He stopped beside the Lieutenant Colonel and glared defiantly at Mira. "We were simply biding our time."
Movement at the back once again drew attention and gasps went through the crowd as at least a hundred humans joined the Marines and ghosts, all armed with anti-ghost weapons. They were citizens of Amity Park, most of which had escaped with the help of Danny, Sam and the Marines.
"You thought we would believe your lies, but we stand together and we stand with Phantom. We will take back our city, even if it costs us our lives," he said proudly. "You took things for granted and now look at you: on top of a kingdom you built out of cards."
Mira still looked cocky on the outside, but they could see the rage swirling in her blue eyes. "A few more humans will not help you," she rebutted.
"What's wrong, Mira? Did your tactics not work?" Danny asked as he stepped forward. "You set me up as the villain; you took what you wanted and flipped it in your favor, but it didn't work."
"That doesn't negate the fact that this is your fault. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you," she countered, but then her expression changed and another smirk donned her face as her gaze moved to Sam. "Actually, it's Sam's fault, isn't it?"
The goth's eyes widened and she took a step back, bumping into Vlad who reached out and steadied her with hands on her shoulders.
The woman's smirk widened. "See? Even she knows it's her fault."
Danny looked confused. "Why would it be her fault? She had nothing to do with this until you forced her to become half ghost."
Mira floated down some, a little closer, but still a good distance away. "Tell me, sugar, would you have ever stepped into that portal if she hadn't convinced you to do it? You could have lived a normal life if it weren't for her; graduating high school, going to college, getting a normal job in a normal town. It's her fault you became half ghost, it's her fault you were abducted and forced to murder, it's her fault you're in this mess and it's her fault you died," she tsked and shook her head. "My mother didn't kill you, she did."
The ghost turned and looked at his fiance. There were tears running down her face and she looked terrified, but she couldn't look him in the eye. Instead she turned away, pushing her face into Vlad's chest. The billionaire held her tightly, his concerned gaze meeting Danny's.
Danny could tell from Sam's reaction that this was something she'd thought about before, and perhaps was something Mira had told her in the past.
The white-haired ghost's look turned hard then and he set his glare back on Mira, eyes, scar and the 'D' symbol on his black shirt glowing brightly as his core powered up. "None of this is Sam's fault," he said firmly. "I was just as curious about the portal as she was; I would've gone in there at some point, with or without her. And even if I wouldn't have, I still don't blame her. I could have lived a semi-normal life as a half ghost if some deranged woman hadn't kidnapped me to carry out her demented ideals. Besides, Sam is what makes my life worth living, so you can take your words and shove them so far up your ass that you can taste them," he growled.
Sam turned her head and peeked at Danny, swallowing hard at his words.
Mira looked unimpressed and raised a brow. "You really believe that, don't you?" she said in a way that suggested she felt sorry for him.
He scoffed and shook his head at her. "Yeah, I do," he answered resolutely. "Do you really think we're going to believe your lies? Well, everyone's listening," he said, arms stretched wide. "And they know the difference. You won't convince us."
Danny could see her facade crack as she sneered. "I won't take back a single thing I've said or done," she snarled.
His glare darkened as the temperature in the area dropped suddenly. "Trust me, I'll make you wish you did."
Danny took off, heading straight for Mira. It created a domino effect as suddenly everyone joined in and chaos reigned.
Vlad scooped Sam up and flew her towards the back and away from imminent danger as Jack and Maddie brought their weapons up and slowly backed away. Since it appeared they wouldn't be taking civilians out of the area, as they had decided to fight instead, they would fall back and protect Bruce and Dash.
The Marines and ghosts charged forward as did the half ghosts on Mira's side. Anti-ghost weapons fired from both sides, equally deadly to humans and ghosts alike. Mark and the civilian's held back for now, choosing to wait until the Marines had broken the Hybrid's front lines before charging in.
Meanwhile, Danny put on a dazzling display as he ignited his body in ecto-energy, becoming a bright ball of green light streaking across the sky. The sight not only instilled courage in those who were with him, but caused a swell of pride in Sam.
Mira sneered as she teleported out of the way. Danny shot past her before halting his flight, the energy fading from his skin. He turned around to face her before sending a glare at Ki-oh. The man swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bouncing, before flying away.
The ghost, still a little angry and disappointed at the man, muttered "Coward," under his breath. His gaze went back to Eden's daughter.
"By the end of the day, one of us will be dead," she said darkly.
He lifted the corner of his mouth in a small smirk. "I'll tell you what I told your mother: if you're throwing me to the lions, you should know I'm not afraid of dying."
"No, I don't suppose you are. But while you might not be afraid of losing your life, you are afraid of losing something," she countered. "And that something? My money is on Sam."
The ghost felt a spark of fear as Mira teleported away and appeared down below not far from where Vlad was protecting Sam. He teleported as well, whipping his head forward at the same time so that when he reappeared directly in front of her, he headbutted her in the forehead.
Mira grunted and fell back, glaring darkly at Danny. They began to exchange a flurry of blows, both of their hands glowing with energy. Each landed several hits, leaving small burns on their clothes. The ghost landed a good hit on her side, giving her a small burn there, and she managed to spin and land a good kick to his stomach.
He fell back a few steps, giving her time to create an ecto-dagger. She charged and he put his arms up to block, but she surprised him when she teleported behind him, grabbing his trench coat, spinning and literally throwing him.
Danny let out a sharp yelp of surprise before his flight kicked in and he stopped his tumble through the air. 'I told Sam a trench coat wasn't practical in a fight,' he thought before shrugging the garment off and letting it fall, leaving him in his cargo pants and tight shirt, symbol glowing on his chest.
He flew back to her and she teleported into his flight path, but just to the side. She stuck her arm out and clotheslined him, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. He grunted, unable to teleport away in time before she was literally on top of him, driving the blade of her dagger into his left shoulder.
Sam, watching nervously from the sidelines, yelled when she saw Mira's hand reach for his chest. "Don't let her touch your core!" she screamed.
The ghost went intangible and vanished into the ground, leaving a small puddle of ecto-plasm. Mira growled in frustration and floated up and away, glaring as her eyes darted around for any sign of him.
Danny came up behind her quickly and grabbed her in a headlock. She grabbed his arm before her eyes widened and she teleported away and out of his grip. She reappeared a few dozen feet away and looked at him with a confused stare.
"How does your core have the same frequency as Sam?" she asked. "No two cores are alike."
"Shit," Sam said, not at all happy that Mira had figured out Danny's frequency.
The ghost smirked. "Pretty sure we're made for each other."
Eden's daughter rolled her eyes. "I don't believe in such frivolous nonsense."
"It doesn't matter if you do," he countered before launching at her again.
Their fight was a blur and Sam was getting more and more nervous the longer it went on, especially at each close call when Mira got close to touching his core.
Mira then landed a hard kick, sending Danny flying back with a grunt. Sam yelped, moving out of the way as he sailed past where she'd just been standing before his ghost flight stopped himself.
"You can't beat her alone," Sam said, worried.
"Then what do you suggest?" He asked, a dark glare on the approaching Mira.
She held her hand out and his eyes met hers, the corner of his mouth lifting. He grabbed her hand and power bounced between them, their eyes a swirling mix of green and violet. Both raised a hand and charged ecto-blasts, letting them go at the same time. Sam's was purple with green swirling around it while Danny's was green and enveloped in purple flames.
They struck true and Mira got thrown back. When she recovered, she set her sights on them, blue eyes brightly shining in hate.
–
Meanwhile, the Marines were getting hit hard, but holding their own. The civilians had now joined the fight, backing them up, while the ghosts were sprinkled in amongst them all, helping to keep the Hybrids at bay.
Then the sound of choppers reached their ears and the Marines looked up in dread as six Apaches headed their way.
"Time to go!" Aragon shouted, shifting. The twenty others with him did the same and all of them took off towards the enemy choppers.
The closest Apache started firing its payload of 70mm rockets at the ground where many of the Marines were, but the pilots didn't seem to care if what they hit was friend or foe as they also strafed their own line. The ghost's in that section erected shields, using devices on their belt developed by Jack and Maddie to strengthen them. With those, despite the anti-ghost tech in the rockets, the shields held, saving the ghosts and humans alike.
The noise from the exploding rockets was deafening though, and the Marines and civilians covered their ears from the onslaught.
Aragon aimed for that one first, noting the autocannon at the front turning towards him. He snarled as it started firing and he dropped through the air to get under it as Sam had suggested. Several bullets penetrated his wing membranes, but he ignored it.
As he came down under the chopper, he pulled his legs forward and grabbed the underside of it, using the strength in his large wings to pull it off balance and let go. The Apache was unable to correct its flight before it smashed into the ground, exploding in a hail of debris.
The dragon prince turned then and spotted two of his comrades get hit by missiles and fall from the sky. He let out a keening sound before his eyes turned murderous and he aimed for the offending chopper.
He took several more hits from the cannon, not caring as they pelted his shoulders, and let out a torrent of fire. His sharp ears could hear the screams of the men inside as they burned alive and the Apache fell from the sky.
Aragon let loose a victory roar, spurning on his comrades before briefly returning his attention to the rear of the battlefield. His red eyes spotted something terribly wrong. It was time for him to intervene.
–
John was pinned down along with some Marines and civilians. They were using some trees for cover as there wasn't much else in the area. The Lieutenant Colonel winced when a grenade went off nearby, his heart clenching at the screams from some of his soldiers. He knew they were going to lose people, but knowing didn't make it easier.
He peeked out from behind his tree and fired off a few shots, hitting one of the Hybrids and taking him out before ducking back behind his hiding spot.
Lt. Ford came up to him, crouched low. "We're taking heavy fire on the east side, sir," he said.
"We're taking heavy fire on every side, Lieutenant," Sheppard responded tersely.
Before they could say anything else, a grenade landed next to John and he paled before quickly snatching it up and throwing it back. He covered his ears and head as it exploded, sending dirt, rocks, branches and bits of flesh flying through the air as it killed three enemies.
"Shit, this sucks," he commented before he heard the tell-tale sound of tracks from a tank. "Damnit," he cursed. "This is going to get ugly."
"Sir!" Ford shouted, yanking on his superior and pulling him out of the way as a dead dragon fell from the sky and landed where John had been moments ago with a sickening crunch.
Sheppard stared at the dead ghost and swallowed. "Well, that's not good," he said before thanking the Lieutenant for saving his life.
He didn't get a reprieve as the sound of rockets hitting the ground and exploding hit their ears. They looked up just in time to see an Apache heading towards them while unloading its entire payload of rockets.
"Shit!" John and Ford ran for the nearest ghost, which happened to be a young woman with blue hair, and ducked under the shield she erected.
Her shield held and John breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank you," he said to the ghost.
She winked at him. "Anytime, baby pop."
"There's too much going on," Ford said, voice shaking a little. "It's too hard to keep track of what's coming and it's killing a lot of people."
"We need to tackle one thing at a time," John said thoughtfully before a loud boom echoed across the park, signaling a shot from a tank. "Starting with the tank."
"I'll cover you," the ghost said, having heard the conversation.
"Thanks, uhh…" John started before he realized he didn't know her name.
"Names Ember, but you can call me whatever you like," she winked at him again with a grin.
"Right, Ember," Sheppard said uncomfortably and cleared his throat.
"What are you going to do, sir?" Ford asked.
John spotted the tank through the trees not far from their position. On the ground between him and the machine was a dead hybrid with a grenade belt. "Something really stupid," he replied. "I'm going in!"
He darted out from their position and made a beeline for the belt. He swiftly leaned down and grabbed a grenade as he passed, barely slowing down. An enemy spotted him and started shooting but Ember took him out quickly.
John approached the tank from the side and quickly climbed up it to the hatch on top. He did the first thing that came to mind, which was to knock on the hatch and yell, "Pizza delivery!"
The hatch opened and an enemy popped out. "What the hell?"
The Lieutenant Colonel threw the grenade into the tank and slammed the hatch door on the guy's head, giving the mechanism a twist to keep the door shut and then hurriedly hopped off the tank and ran.
He ducked behind a large tree just as it exploded, sending shrapnel into the sky. "I can't believe that worked," he said with a breathy chuckle.
–
Sam and Danny were doing a good job keeping Mira at bay but it was pissing her off. Her attacks were bringing her closer and closer to the goth and it was making Danny's anxiety rise. He pushed Sam back. "Time to finish this on my own," he said.
"I can help," she complained.
"I know you can, but she's getting too close for comfort," he explained before charging the blue eyed woman.
Mira dodged and pulled back. "You know, I don't have to touch your chest to make your core shatter. It doesn't work as well, but in close enough proximity, it still gets the job done," she said with a raised brow. Danny felt the dread seep into his bones as he prepared to either attack her or dodge her new power.
But it wasn't him she was after.
As her gaze slipped sideways towards Sam, he realized the implications of her words and the world suddenly seemed to go in slow motion as Mira's hand lifted and pointed towards the goth.
Sam's eyes widened and she prepared to teleport, but Mira's power was faster. Even Danny wasn't quick enough as he teleported to Mira and tried to throw her aim off.
'Move!' Shade shouted in the goth's mind, but even her darker half knew they weren't fast enough.
A shockwave of sound blasted from the woman's hand directly at Sam's chest. Vlad, fighting off a half ghost, was also unable to intervene in time.
The goth gasped as the shockwave hit her, tears coming to her eyes as she felt her core break apart, the pain ripping through her as she screamed involuntarily.
"Sam!" Danny screeched, raw emotion making his voice waver.
Aragon suddenly appeared then and went for Mira, his large jaws missing her by mere inches as she dodged.
Danny used that distraction to teleport to Sam and catch her as she fell, gasping for air.
"Oh God, Sam," he said, tears trailing down his cheeks. "What do I do?"
Jack and Maddie ran over, the redhead falling to her knees beside her son.
The goth was in too much pain to speak, but hoped her eyes conveyed to him how much she loved him and that it was okay.
Danny felt the panic setting in, his own heavy breaths matching hers and it felt like his own core was shattering as well. He could feel his core calling to her, but her core did not respond.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I won't accept it," he said firmly, gently laying her down as he collected himself. He placed his hand over her chest and began to funnel his ice energy into her.
She gasped, nearly crying out at the pain it caused as he used the energy to try and force the pieces back together.
"Use whatever energy you have left, Sam. Gather all of what's left–all of your heat–and send it to your core. Melt the sonuva bitch so we can fuse it back together," he pleaded, not even sure if this would work.
She gripped his arm tightly, nails biting his skin and drawing blood, but he didn't care. She was shaking, her eyes not leaving his as she tried to do as he asked. Her breaths caught as the shattered pieces of her core were put back where they should be and she tried to use her energy to fuse them.
But it wasn't working. She didn't have enough energy left and her core wouldn't fuse. Danny let out a sob as she became weaker, her body starting to succumb.
Then he felt it–a foreign presence in his mind. It was a gentle touch, familiar, and yet not. It enveloped his mind like a warm hug radiating heat and comfort. He thought he could hear the sound of a beautiful voice humming a melody he'd never heard before, but it was faint.
He watched as Sam's form glowed white, the radiance then spreading up his arm and to his core. He felt lightheaded as a rush of power filled him.
Sam screamed at first, the pain intense as her core melded back together, before the warmth overwhelmed her and the pain lessened. The glow around them flashed as her core once again became whole and she started coughing.
She felt like she was suddenly able to breathe as the incandescence around them faded away. The serene presence in Danny's mind left him and he was speechless as Sam started to come around.
He pulled her in close then, tucking her face into his neck as he gripped her tightly to him, more tears falling from his eyes.
"What…what was that?" Maddie asked.
"I don't know," Danny said, his voice full of emotion. "And right now, I'm not sure I care." He pulled back and ran his free hand over her head, sweeping her hair out of the way and giving her a smile as she looked around, bewildered.
"H-how…how am I alive?" she asked, hand going to her chest and feeling around as if that might give her answers.
Danny, emotionally overwhelmed, chuckled, just elated that she was okay. They were interrupted by Vlad, who flew over quickly, having dispatched his adversary.
"I hate to break you apart, but Aragon isn't holding his own," he warned. "I can keep an eye on her."
Danny was loath to leave her, but Sam nodded to him. "Go, you need to finish this," she said.
The ghost nodded and turned back to the fight. Aragon was keeping Mira busy, but she looked bored. He may be a large and fairly powerful dragon, but he did not possess Sam's speed.
The dragon prince flew in a circle, coming around to go straight for her, fangs bared. "For my sister!"
Mira rolled her eyes and flew sideways out of his way, her left hand coming up and grazing his chest. Aragon's eyes went wide and he roared, a sound that slowly died in his throat as he began to plummet out of the sky.
"Aragon!" Danny yelled, flying to him. The dragon hit the ground hard, rolling a few times before stopping in an awkward position.
Danny went to his head and placed a hand on his muzzle, but realized very quickly that the once great dragon prince was dead. She'd used her power to shatter his core.
Some of the ghosts in the area had seen Aragon go down and a few of them yelled in anguish, while others started losing their want to fight. He'd been a strong ghost and Mira had killed him so easily.
Danny's eyes blazed a brilliant green and he turned on her with a dark glare. "I'm getting tired of you killing my people!"
His choice of words–"my people"-did not go unnoticed by the ghosts and they looked between each other, finding a newfound respect for their once enemy.
Mira scoffed. "Humans and ghosts alike are such weak creatures; you were born to be ruled."
"You can rule over hell after I kill you," the ghost sneered.
She glared back. "I'm not sure how you managed to save your precious bitch, but you'll regret that mistake. That child must die."
Danny's form glowed as he prepared to charge, but she smirked. "Ah, ah, sugar. I've got a surprise for you." She lifted her arm and sent an ecto-blast in the air like a flare.
A moment later a half ghost appeared and handed Mira something, which she grabbed by the leg and held upside down. Its cry pierced the air and Sam felt her heart stop as she realized exactly what it was.
"Jackson!" she screamed.
The color drained from Maddie's face. "If she has Jackson then…what happened to Jazz and Tucker?"
Danny teleported over to Sam for support and held his hands up to Eden's daughter. "You don't need to bring my son into this."
Mira smirked. "I wouldn't have had to if you would have let her die," she said simply. The hand holding Jackson's leg lit up with energy.
For the first time in his short life, Jackson's core awakened and his parents felt the desperate call of his core for the first time and so strongly that it set Sam and Danny's cores ablaze. Their son screamed a terrible sound–one that could only be made by an absolutely terrified young child.
Sam's motherly instincts kicked in and all shreds of fear faded at the sound of her son's primal cry. Her eyes turned murderous as she prepared to tear the woman limb from limb, but was stopped by a gentle voice.
"Mira, there's no need to bring an innocent child into this." They watched as Ki-oh materialized to the left of his sister.
She scoffed, the glow of her hand disappearing. "They started it, I am merely finishing it," she countered.
"But with an infant? Really?" he asked. "Don't you think it's a bit cowardly to pick on something that cannot defend itself?"
He was slowly realizing his sister was too far gone when she gave him an evil smirk. "I will use whatever I have to in order to achieve what I want, even if that means killing a child."
When it was clear the woman was about to restart her torture of the young child, Ki-oh couldn't stay out of it any longer. As her hand lit back up, eliciting another scream, the Korean man darted for Mira–a move she was not expecting.
He pulled Jackson from her hands and took off at speed towards Sam, his sister screaming in frustration behind him. He gingerly placed the still screaming child in the goth's arms, giving her a sad smile, before heading back to Mira.
Sam checked her son over, noting the hand shaped burn on his leg, but he seemed otherwise okay, if a little shaken up. Vlad reached out to her then. "I can take him to Bruce to get the burn tended to," he offered.
The reluctant mother handed her son off before facing Mira again.
Meanwhile, Jack had found Skulker. "Skulker, could you get back to the house and check on Jazz and Tucker? Mira somehow got Jackson and we're worried," he explained.
The hunter looked concerned. "I'm on it," he answered before teleporting away.
–
Skulker appeared in the house and immediately knew something was wrong. The glow from the shield was gone and the living room was in disarray. Furniture was everywhere, there was broken glass on the floor, and even a blood trail leading into Danny and Sam's bedroom.
He cautiously made his way in the direction of the blood trail, peeking into the bedroom. He found Tucker lying on the floor on his back, head supported by a pillow. Jazz was sitting next to him, sniffling as she held Se-ri in one arm and used the other to hold a towel to what looked like a gunshot wound on Tuckers chest. Aurora was sleeping in her crib.
When Jazz noticed another presence in the room, she startled, nearly screaming before she realized who it was. "Skulker!" she cried, immensely relieved someone had found them.
He flew over and began to assess Tucker. "What happened?" he asked.
She sniffed again. "The shield suddenly went down and then three of them just barged in. Tucker tried to stop them but he got shot. I couldn't stop them from taking Jackson…I failed…I failed," she explained, new tears trailing her cheeks.
"You humans have an emergency call, correct?" he asked, taking a quick look at Tucker's wound before placing the towel back over it to staunch the bleeding.
She nodded. "Yes, but they aren't working in Amity Park. I have no way to get him to the hosp–" she was cut off by a groan, wincing and curling in on herself.
"Are you alright?"
She took a few deep breaths and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure I'm in labor."
Skulker looked around before looking back at the redhead. "I will be right back. I will bring Dash back for the kids and I will personally teleport you both to the hospital."
Jazz nodded and smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
–
When Ki-oh made it back to Mira she gave him an earful. "Who do you think you are?" she shouted. "I didn't graciously let you back in for you to foil my plans! How dare you betray me?!"
"Betray you?" Sam interjected, gaining Mira's annoyed attention. "Does he even know what you did to Do-hee?"
That got Ki-oh's attention and he looked between the women in confusion. "What does she mean?"
His sister smirked, crossing her arms, but didn't answer.
"Do-hee is dead, Ki-oh. Mira had her kidnapped and let Declan kill her," Sam explained, eyes both hard and full of sympathy. "Your sister didn't keep her promise."
The color drained from Ki-oh's face and he looked at his sister with agony in his eyes. "Is this true? Did you lie to me?" he asked.
She sighed. "I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?"
Shade peeked through, then. "You narcissistic, deranged little c*-" she was cut off by a burst of pain in her stomach and she bent over with a shout.
"Sam!" Danny said, grabbing her for support.
As the goth looked down, she realized with horror that her water had broken. "It's too early…" she breathed. "It's too early!"
"Vlad!" the ghost called. The billionaire appeared and stared in shock at the scene. "Get her to Bruce, please," Danny pleaded.
Mira smirked again as Vlad left with Sam. "Looks like I might still get what I want," she said with a grin.
Danny spun around and sent her a death glare. "I'm going to kill you," he threatened.
She raised a brow. "I'd like to see you try."
The ghost launched at her, forming an ecto-sword in his hand. He swung at her and she deftly dodged. As he spun around for another hit, she punched him in the shoulder she'd stabbed earlier and he grunted, quickly flicking his sword out and nicking her arm. She growled in annoyance.
Meanwhile, Ki-oh was struggling with the information that his wife was dead. He'd gone back to Mira because his sister had promised their safety if he did so, but then she killed Do-hee anyway…
The grief crashed into him like a tsunami, his heart fluttering as the sorrow constricted his chest. His wife…his beautiful wife…and what of Se-ri? Sam had only mentioned Do-hee, so his daughter must be okay. But now she'd grow up without a mother. The thought tore him up inside.
He wanted to reach inside his body and tear his heart out.
But then his grief started getting replaced by anger. How dare she break her promise? He was her brother for Pete's sake. They'd had such a good relationship before all this started with Eden. They had been normal kids with normal lives and were full of love for each other.
But now she was a monster. His gaze snapped to Mira, a blue glow emanating from them as electricity sparked within them. How dare she? How dare she?!
As his sister deflected a hit from Danny and backed up a little to try and use her shockwave power, Ki-oh flew in and got in front of her, surprising her.
"What are you doing?!" she shouted angrily. "Get out of the way!"
Her eyes widened when his arm snapped up and his fingers wrapped around her neck. Electricity arced along his arms. "I have stood by and watched you commit atrocities because I remember the girl you used to be and I still love you. But you are not that girl any longer. I cannot allow you to take any more lives."
Mira tried to pull from his grip, and even teleported, but he went with her. His core powered up, blue sparks crackling across his body and in his eyes before he sent it through her. Her body went rigid as he fed as much electricity into her as he could, a sneer of disgust on his face. He held her there for nearly a full minute before he felt her heart stop.
He let her go, her body dropping through the air and hitting the ground with a crack.
Danny stared in shock, his mind struggling to comprehend what just happened. Mira was…dead? Truly?
And Ki-oh, the ever gentle soul, had been the one to kill his sister?
But as the ghost heard the cries of his fiance, he knew he didn't have time to deal with this right now. He teleported to Sam to find her in the midst of a contraction.
"How is she?" he asked Bruce as he knelt beside her and grabbed her hand.
The doctor shook his head. "It's very early, but her water has broken, so this baby is coming whether it's ready or not. But she's going to need a hospital. The baby will likely need NICU care."
Danny looked around at the battle. Now that Mira was dead, the Hybrids started scattering, the battle having been lost on their side. "I'll take the ghosts and try to gather as many as we can," Vlad said.
"And we will go around and bring back any wounded from our side," Jack said, arm around Maddie.
"Go with her," the redhead urged her son.
With a last grateful look to everyone, Danny picked Sam up and teleported away.
–
2/15/25: Uhh, hi! Well, that was a doozy huh? We have one, maybe two more chapters left. I'm still not quite sure as I don't know how detailed I am going to get with this ending.
That said, now that the fear of more major character death is out of the way (mostly)…I will tell you something I've been BURSTING to tell SamXDanny for months but have refused to let myself, though I am surprised with all the crap I've emailed her that she hasn't guessed it.
This isn't the end.
Pretty sure I can hear her squealing XD.
This is turning into a trilogy. The third installment will be a story called "Siren" (for reasons I will not reveal yet) and it will follow Danny and Sam's life as parents. It will show some of their lives as the children grow up, focusing on when their kids are in high school, kinda like DP was originally. It'll be (mostly) good times, with a background theme of 'oh shit' further down the line. Oh look, Shade's potty mouth is rubbing off on me.
It was originally just supposed to be one shots showing snippets of their lives but then my brain ran away with itself and created a story.
Now I just need to come up with a Trilogy name to put in the story titles so people know they're connected. For example: Christopher Paolini wrote the "Inheritance Cycle" which is 4 books with their own names: Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritance. I'm looking for an overall name for my trilogy like "Inheritance Cycle". If anyone has suggestions, please send them my way!
Until next time!