12/13/24: I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write with the coming holidays, but I will try! I've been spending all my free time writing when I really need to be wrapping gifts and stuff lol.

12/19/24: I am posting this tonight because I won't be able to post again until Sunday.

And seriously guys, if I put as much effort into my novel as I have Taken and this one…it would be written by now XD. 18 years on the novel… it has 114 pages. Between Taken and this one I have 630…oops.

Also, I've always pictured Ki-oh as if he looked kinda like Jung Hae-in, the Korean actor. The photo's of Jung Hae-in with short hair and his bangs kinda spiked up is what I imagine when I think of Ki-oh.

As for Do-hee, I picture her kinda like Park Eun-bin, the pictures of her with long hair, like when she was in Castaway Diva. Just thought I would say this if ya'll were curious lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

–

Chapter 32: Rescue Mission

–

Another month passed. Time felt like it was both flying and crawling by. Flying because the children were growing before everyone's eyes, and crawling because everyone was getting antsy about being cooped up in the house for so long.

There was a plan in the works for going after Mira at her compound to try and eliminate the threat so they could get back to their normal lives, but there had been constant setbacks, including Sam's health.

Sam, to her credit, was ready and raring to go, but Danny was forcing them to wait until she reached a certain threshold of being seizure free. Even though she was now a month without one, he still wanted to wait. Her seizure induced by battle made him jumpy.

The engaged couple were getting ready for the day, Danny in the bathroom doing his morning ablutions, while Sam got the twins changed into their clothes. Danny had again taken the night shift, allowing Sam to sleep. She sincerely appreciated him getting up with them, but it definitely made her feel guilty. However, whenever she brought it up, he would wave his hand and remind her he didn't need as much sleep as her.

The twins were four and half months old now and really starting to show personality. Jackson was the calmer one while Aurora didn't seem to stop moving and wiggling. She was also quick to anger if she didn't get food the moment she wanted it.

They were giggling a lot now, especially at peek-a-boo, and were masters of rolling over, tummy time, grabbing things and had fantastic neck control. Aurora had also figured out how to go invisible and there had been more than one heart attack from the humans in the house if they were watching her and she was suddenly gone. The infant somehow seemed to understand what was happening, and after the adults would panic, she would reappear with a giggle. She had quickly learned this tactic did not work on her parents or Vlad as they could feel her signature and knew exactly where she was.

The pair suddenly heard a high pitched scream followed by a slightly deeper screech. Danny raced out of the bathroom and into the living room to find Do-hee standing there with a hand over her mouth, and Skulker in the middle of the room with a hand over his chest.

The young ghost calmly went over to Do-hee and bowed. "My apologies, Do-hee. This is Skulker, and while he is a ghost, he's not a threat."

The small woman gave the hunter the side eye before nodding to Danny.

Danny then turned and gestured towards his bedroom. "Let's go you big scary monster," he said sarcastically. "That's a nice girly screech you got there," he added with a grin.

"Oh, ha ha, Phantom," Skulker started as he followed the younger ghost. "Keep it up and I will reconsider my decision to not mount your pelt on my wall."

"Seriously?" Sam said when they entered the room. "I'm a dragon, you would think my pelt would be more valuable than his!"

Danny stopped and stared at the goth incredulously. "Are you seriously complaining that Skulker isn't hunting you?"

"She is right," the hunter responded. "You're last week's news, as they say. Were I still your enemy, I would be hunting her instead."

The young man rolled his eyes at Sam's smug look, a little offended at being called 'last week's news', before turning back to Skulker. "On that lovely note, why are you here?"

"Wulf is gone."

Sam's alarmed eyes met Danny's. "Mira has him, you know she does," she said.

A pained expression crossed Danny's face. "There's never witnesses, which means we don't realize the ghosts are missing until days, sometimes weeks, later. He's already dead."

"Not this time," Skulker replied. "Clockwork came to me and told me when it happened."

Danny's brows furrowed in confusion. "He did?"

"Is he interfering because it's Mira?" Sam asked.

"And if that's the case, why tell us after he's taken?"

Skulker crossed his arms. "I asked that very thing. Clockwork's response was that, while we can't allow Mira to obtain his power, it had to happen this way."

"How cryptic," Sam said dryly.

The young ghost shrugged. "I've learned that Clockwork says cryptic things when it means it has something to do with keeping the timeline the way it should be."

She lifted a brow. "He can't just say that?"

Danny sighed, going over to the bed and grabbing his daughter. "I won't pretend to know what goes on inside my guardian's head," he responded, walking over to Skulker.

He watched the hunter for a moment, causing the other ghost to lift a brow in question. "Hold out your hands," Danny requested.

The hunter seemed wary and unsure, but did so. He was rewarded with an infant. Skulker stared at Aurora with large eyes, not accustomed to holding such things. The small child babbled and cooed.

"Why am I holding your offspring?" Skulker asked nervously.

"You have a cold core, right? I'm testing to see if it's just me she wants, or if she's okay with other ghosts who have cold cores."

"Didn't Clockwork hold her?" Sam asked, trying to keep the laughter from her voice.

Danny grinned. "Alright, fine, you got me." He turned mischievous eyes to the hunter. "I just wanted to see your reaction."

"Shouldn't we be focusing on Wulf?" Skulker asked with an eye twitch.

Danny waved off the question. "I'm already formulating a plan in my head." He walked past them and stopped to stage whisper to Aurora, "Have fun with Uncle Skulker."

"I am not its Uncle," Skulker said in annoyance.

Sam stood from the bed, holding Jackson on her hip now that he was big enough and could easily hold his head up. "First, Aurora is a 'she', not an 'it', and second, she likes you. Also, if you keep holding her at arm's length, she's going to get mad." The goth smiled at him as she left the room as well, following Danny who was calling everyone for a meeting.

Skulker looked at the small child in his hands, his look of distaste melting into something more neutral as she smiled at him. He wasn't used to any children liking him, be it ghost or human, as he was, by all intents and purposes, 'scary'. It was odd to see a child so happy to be held by him.

The hunter looked around to make sure no one was watching before giving the small child a smile of his own.

–

"I don't think charging in there guns blazing is the best option," Vlad said exasperatedly.

Turns out, Danny's grand plan was literally just storming the place and tearing it apart to find Wulf.

He'd gathered everyone in the living room. Skulker, Vlad and Danny were standing in the middle of the room while the rest of them took various spots on the couches or in chairs. DJ was sprawled in front of one couch on his back practically snoring through the noise.

Sam had Jackson, Jazz had Chase and Maddie was holding Aurora with the cooling blanket. The infant had not been happy when Uncle Skulker handed her over.

Sam scoffed. "Really? I'm literally a battering ram. Just let me run in there and knock the whole place down," she reasoned.

"She is the size of a small building," Danny replied with a shrug, arms crossed.

"If I didn't know you were talking about her dragon form, I would be offended on her behalf," his sister commented.

The billionaire groaned. "It's just so…disorganized."

"Do you hate the plan just because it's disorganized, or is there another, more valid reason?" Tucker asked, brow raised.

Vlad sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sam had a seizure during her last battle and this entire plan hinges on her ripping the building apart. Can we trust the medication is at the right dose to prevent another?"

Sam frowned, but couldn't refute his logic. They weren't only planning to break Wulf out of there, but to also grab any ghosts that might still be alive, and to try and destroy the place once and for all. A lot of that plan did hinge on her dragon form.

But she refused to back down from a challenge. She was also feeling something, something she could see reflected in Danny's eyes as well: they loved working together in tandem the way they had a month ago. The excitement over the possibility that they could, once again, have an epic battle that way was nearly overwhelming. She knew it wouldn't always happen, as they would have to adapt to the changes in battle, but there was something just so cool about riding into battle like a knight.

"We upped the dose of medication, so I think I'm fine," she countered.

"The first problem is you both have a point," Ki-oh interjected. "The second problem is that you'll never know for sure if she can handle it unless she joins the fight."

Bruce nodded. "It's the best test to see whether or not her dose is appropriate. With the very nature of being a ghost and half ghost, there will always be a dangerous element to your lives, so she needs to be able to live that life without fear of seizing in the middle of a fight."

Sam wanted to shout 'Ha!' but refrained at the expression on Vlad's face. The man truly cared for them, and it was obviously causing him emotional pain to possibly send her out there to be killed if she had a seizure in the middle of it.

Danny put a hand on Vlad's shoulder and squeezed. "She can do it," he assured the man.

Vlad looked defeated and simply nodded quietly.

"Now, here's the part where everyone gets mad," Danny continued, wincing at the looks he was receiving. "We don't have the luxury of time; we've already wasted enough. That means anyone who can't fly is staying here."

It was Skulker who held his hand up and cleared his throat when the objections started, quieting those in the room. "Wulf is the priority," he started, "not your pride."

"I'm not mad!" Dash noted.

"Maybe put it a little nicer next time," Danny said, noting the hostile looks being sent to the hunter.

He then switched gears. "It's going to be me, Sam, Vlad, Skulker and Ki-oh going, so–"

"Uhh, yeah that's not a good idea," the Asian man said, gaze flicking to his wife who was staring at him in confusion.

Danny's eyes widened before he went over and grabbed the man, pulling him from the couch and to the corner. "You said last week you were going to tell her," he whispered.

"I know I just…I chickened out," Ki-oh explained, facial expression looking like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"I know you don't want to fight, but if something happens to Sam, I need you there. We don't have much time; you have to tell her now," Danny said low, voice kind but firm enough he left no room for argument.

Ki-oh swallowed hard before slowly turning back to the room. Do-hee watched him with worry in her eyes. "What is it, yeobo?" she asked, using the Korean word for 'honey'.

He knelt in front of her, placing a gentle hand on his daughter's head, and sighed. "Do-hee, Nae Sarang," he started, calling her 'my love'. "I am also half ghost," he said softly.

She looked so confused at first before she shook her head. "No, that's not right."

Ki-oh looked into her dark eyes and willed her to understand. "I was human when we met and when we got married. But Mira, my sister, the one who's after us…she made me half ghost. She forced it," he explained.

"Our daughter–"

"Is not," he assured her. "Although…if you want more kids, at least with me, they will be."

She looked everywhere but at anyone's face, clearly flustered. Finally, she swallowed and met his eyes. "Okay," she nodded. "We will talk when you return."

It was a start, so Ki-oh reached up with his hand and cupped her cheek, internally glad when she didn't pull away.

He stood then, going to the cabinet where they kept their medical to-go bag and taking it, and then went back over to the ghosts. "Please tell me we're going to teleport, because I don't think I could fly the whole way there."

"Yes!" Sam cheered, handing Jackson off to his namesake. "Time to kick some butt!"

"You seem a little too stoked for this," Jack commented.

"You do remember she's the violent one, right?" Tucker asked with a raised brow.

Sam shrugged. "It's always been my dream to tear a building apart piece by piece."

"Really?" asked Jazz, skeptical.

"Isn't it everybody's?"

"No…no not really," Jazz replied.

The goth shrugged. "Just me then!" She went over to Ki-oh then, slapping him on the back. "Buckle up, buttercup! Teleporting is a hell of a ride."

"Right, you can't, can you?" Danny said, genuinely having forgotten that detail.

The Korean man shook his head and then looked down when Sam grabbed his hand. "Don't worry, we got you. Just remember to hold your breath or it's really going to suck."

As the group teleported away in a cloud of smoke, those left behind could hear Sam's cackle of excitement.

"She's insane," Dash said, shaking his head.

–

Green, violet and magenta light flashed across the landscape when Sam, Danny, Vlad, Skulker and Ki-oh suddenly appeared just outside the shipping port area.

The poor Asian man coughed several times, the teleportation affecting him despite holding his breath. Sam let go of his hand and patted his back in comfort. "Easy does it."

Once he recovered, Sam stepped away from the group. "Once I shift, she's going to know we're here, if she doesn't already," she said.

The goth received a round of nods before her form blazed brightly, her light shining almost like a second sun in the daylight as her form grew.

"Impressive," Skulker commented when she was fully transformed.

The dragon grinned, fangs glistening against her dark scales. Danny flew to her back and situated himself in the saddle. "We'll need the distraction first, then we'll come in. Ki-oh will stay here in case anyone is injured."

Vlad and the hunter nodded.

Sam shook her large head like a dog, smoke billowing from her nostrils. "Let's get going, I see a building that needs to come down."

Skulker leaned over to Vlad. "She scares me a little."

"She scares us all," the billionaire replied before motioning for them to head out.

Sam and Danny waited with Ki-oh. Very soon they heard explosions and the tell tale sounds of men screaming and ecto-blasts.

Sam rolled her shoulders, kneading her claws into the ground in anticipation. Ki-oh eyed her. "You seem a bit too excited for this."

The goth turned her head, bringing it down to the Korean man's level. "You know what they say: payback is a bitch." She chuckled, the sound like rolling thunder within her chest.

Sam and Danny felt when Vlad flared his core, the signal for them to start their attack. The dragon lowered herself to the ground. "You ready?"

"Hell yeah!" Came Danny's response.

Sam lifted her large wings before pushing off the ground and getting airborne with a strong downward thrust. They were in the sky instantly and Sam roared, long and loud. It was a battle cry, one that foreshadowed destruction.

She tilted her wings and tail fins, ascending sharply and pushing Danny down into the saddle.

Once at sufficient height, she dove down, wings tucking in tight. She aimed herself like a bullet at the warehouse, expanding her chest and forming a fireball. The ominous whistling noise added to the image of a scary black dragon as they streaked across the sky. Finally, she released it, the shockwave causing trees in the area to practically lay down before popping back up, though some snapped and remained down. The fireball hit the building, exploding with force, pieces of debris scattering in all directions.

Sam snapped her wings open then and tilted her tail fins, sharply bringing them out of the dive. Instead of ascending back into the sky, she reared up, pushing her legs out in front and catching as much air as possible in her wings. As they stalled, she touched down just feet from the building, folding her leathery appendages close to her body.

She sent another fireball into the side of the building, faintly hearing shouts from within. Then, she descended upon the building, using tooth and claw and brute strength to pull the outer walls of the warehouse down.

Some half ghosts broke off from the fight with Vlad and Skulker and went after the large dragon. While on the ground, she was more vulnerable to fast moving ecto-blasts. This is where Danny came in. He dismounted and flew up to meet the enemies, brows drawn down in an angry frown.

His brows quickly rose back up to his hairline in shock when a giant piece of wall smashed into two of the half ghosts, falling to the ground and crushing them beneath it. He looked back at Sam to see her give a satisfied snort before going back to tearing the rest of the wall down.

Vlad and Skulker were at the other end of the warehouse trying to keep the rest of the half ghosts they faced in that location and away from Sam as she decimated the warehouse to find Wulf, but she was causing such a ruckus that it was attracting attention.

Danny easily fended off the two that were left after Sam's wall throwing. He took one down with an ecto-blast and battled the other with swords, easily coming out on top. As the other man brought his weapon down, Danny dodged and, with a flick of his wrist, cut a neat line through the man's neck, effectively ending his life.

He turned quickly when he heard Sam roar in pain. She'd gotten through the outer walls and was tearing through inner hallways. Someone from inside had slashed at her snout, cutting her sensitive scales there.

Before Danny could react, Sam turned her head sideways and her neck snapped forward like a coiled spring, snatching the enemy from the hallway he was hiding in and pulling him out. She tossed the poor man behind her, using her tail to then hit him, slamming him hard into the ground. He didn't get up.

Several others were using the same hallway to hide in, taking turns swinging at her nose. She got annoyed when she couldn't grab them. Violet light showed through her chest and neck plates before she lit the place up, flames traversing the narrow passageway too quickly for the men to flee.

Danny was partly impressed with the ease at which she took down enemies, but was also worried. Yes, Sam had dispatched at least two men during the battle just before the Headmaster showed up, but murder on this scale seemed extremely out of character for her. She was an ultra-recyclo vegetarian afterall, and tended to value life.

Perhaps he could chalk it up to her being a mama bear and taking down anything that threatened her children, but it seemed more extreme than that. She wasn't enjoying it per se, but she certainly didn't seem to be struggling with the morality of it, either.

Now that the dragon had breached the warehouse's defenses, their ghost sense was starting to work. Sam felt signatures triggering all over the place, a sign that there were far more half ghosts than they'd realized. But she also caught a faint clear signature that was pure farther back into the building.

"Danny, I think I feel him," Sam shouted.

He nodded, diving towards her. "I do too." He settled himself back in the saddle, quickly sending an ice blast to an enemy that suddenly appeared from one of the exposed hallways.

Sam grabbed the ceiling of the hallway in front of her within her jaws, the direction towards which they felt Wulf, and yanked up, pulling a large chunk away. She continued to do this, Danny keeping enemies at bay, while she occasionally sent fire into the building.

Technically, she could simply enter and take out enemies in her humanoid form, but she wanted to destroy the warehouse to the point that it could no longer be used as a base.

She stopped suddenly, her sensitive ears picking up an odd whirring sound, and pulled her head out from the hallway she'd shoved it down. She spotted what looked like a news helicopter hovering some distance away. "Great, we've attracted unwanted attention," she said in a huff.

"Yeah, well, that isn't the only one!" Danny pointed to another chopper inbound to their location. It was one of Mira's, a Blackhawk armed to the teeth with deadly weapons.

"My ghost shield doesn't work against the weapons on those things," Danny said warily.

His fiance backed up, turning and hopping out of the wreckage. "Then we'll have to take it down quickly," she replied with determination.

"Need I remind you about the last time I faced one of these in combat?" he said, hoping to convince her to not engage.

She didn't respond, instead charging a fireball, the whistling an ominous sound as she carefully aimed. Sam released the fireball, but the Blackhawk was ready, and released a missile. They collided in the air about midway between the chopper and Sam.

The dragon growled. "That was my last charge," she said.

"Then I suggest we get Wulf and leave!"

Sam turned her large head, glare settling on the ghost on her back. "So we can fear her sending it after us again? No, we need to take it out now," she argued.

"Don't be reckless, Sam!" he argued back.

She snorted, smoke coming from her mouth and lips curling in annoyance. "That's not what this is and you know it. It's not going to let us just search for Wulf and run away, you're just afraid."

Danny looked stricken by her words. She was right, but that didn't mean her insinuation didn't hurt. "Of course I'm afraid," he said softly. "I nearly lost my life to one of those, and you could go into a seizure at any moment. I can't guarantee your safety if that happens."

Her look softened as well before she turned her head back towards the enemy chopper still heading towards them. "I understand your concern, but we don't have a choice here. We have to face it and we stand a better chance together." She glanced back again. "We can do anything together."

He felt a vibration in the saddle and against his legs. It dawned on him that she was purring lightly, her effort to try and calm his nerves. She was thinking of him even now.

The young ghost leaned forward and patted her shoulder. "Let's do this," he said, his deep voice full of conviction.

"Brace yourself," she warned before taking off. Danny held on tight as they rose into the sky before taking a sharp turn and heading in the opposite direction.

The young ghost flared his core and Vlad popped into existence next to them, keeping pace. "Can you and Skulker try to take that thing out while we distract it?"

The billionaire looked behind them, eyes widening at the chopper in hot pursuit before looking back at Danny and nodding. He peeled off, heading back to Skulker and signaling for him.

Meanwhile, Sam was doing her best to keep ahead of it for now. They heard the M60 machine guns spin up and it sent chills down Danny's spine. "Intangibility won't work on these because of the ghost tech they use. Can your armor stop those bullets?" he yelled over the wind.

She shook her head. "I have no idea. It wasn't designed with human guns in mind," she replied. He could hear the worry in her tone. Unfortunately, even if it was, her back, her legs, and the back of her neck weren't covered.

She snorted, steeling herself. "You have two options: you can get off this ride and join Vlad and Skulker, or you'll need to hold on for your life!"

"I'm not leaving you to take the hits!"

"Then hold on!" she shouted as she tilted her tail fins. They ascended sharply just as the bullets started coming, the chainsaw-like noise sending a shock of fear through both of them. The chopper rose with them, but despite its well-known agility, it couldn't quite keep up, giving the pair hope.

Until it released a missile.

The Blackhawk was equipped with a helmet-mounted display and tracker system that used infrared, lasers, and heat seeking missiles. It was locked onto them.

Sam rolled to the side in avoidance, but it followed. Danny looked back and aimed, sending an ecto-blast at the offending weapon and blowing it up, shrapnel and fire blasting out with a loud bang. "Nice shot!" Sam commented.

She then heard him grunt before feeling something sticky drip onto her scales. "Danny?"

The young man pulled his arm in, cradling his hand. A large piece of metal shrapnel had struck him in the hand, burying into his palm. It was bleeding badly and he was having trouble moving his fingers.

Sam pulled her head around and gave him a worried look when she noticed it. "Are you okay?"

He gritted his teeth. "I don't think I'm going to be able to use it to fire any more blasts, or hold on."

"Can you hold on with one hand?"

"Yes, but I can't stop any more missiles," he replied, brows drawn in worry.

She turned her head back to the front. "Don't worry about me. Just concentrate on holding on."

Speaking of said Blackhawk, it was catching up. Sam flipped her tail fins back down and began a dive. This was easier for the chopper to imitate and it kept up easily.

The dragon made a beeline for the trees, intending to use them as cover. Just as she reached them, another missile launched. Sam tilted her right wing up and left wing down, mirroring the move with her tail fins and sharply turning left. This put trees between them and the missile which proved to be a good idea when the missile hit a tree and exploded, bark and large chunks of wood spraying across the forest.

They could hear ecto-blasts as Skulker and Vlad engaged the Blackhawk, but the chopper was not deterred. Instead, a man opened a side door and started shooting a minigun at the ghosts, keeping them at a distance. It continued to pursue Danny and Sam.

The ghost looked back as Sam twisted and turned through the trees, incredibly and impressively navigating the maze without hitting any of them. He spotted a large gun moving down to aim at them and realized it was a 50 cal–an absolutely massive gun. By the way it was moving, Danny could tell it was being aimed with the eye tracking in the helmet.

"Sam! That gun can blow a hole through the side of a building!" He shouted.

Dread nearly paralyzed him as it fired.

She'd heard him and right as the gun fired, an enormous boom filling the forest, she twisted to expose her chest and belly where her armor was, hoping beyond hope that it would mitigate the damage.

It struck her in the chest with such force it flung her off course. She hit the ground and slid through the snow, hitting a tree. Danny narrowly avoided being crushed against the tree trunk, it hitting just behind him right before he was tossed from the saddle from the impact.

He grunted when he hit the ground, sliding a few feet. He shook his head to clear it before getting up and rushing back to Sam.

The dragon growled low in her throat before trying to right herself. She knew she needed to be quick with the Blackhawk still on them.

Thankfully, Vlad and Skulker got in front of it and held it off long enough for Danny to check her over.

There was a huge dent in her chest armor where the bullet hit, but he was shocked to see the armor intact. It had stopped the bullet, though he noted blood seeping from the joints in the armor, likely damage from the armor caving.

She snarled as she rolled onto her stomach, snapping at the air from pain. "I'm pretty sure a few ribs are broken," she said.

"That's not bad considering what you were hit with. Damn, what did you make this out of?" He commented before moving so she could stand.

"I'm not sure, exactly. It was all Tucker, I just know it's some kind of composite, though it looks like steel," she groaned as she stood, the dented armor pushing into her chest.

"Can you keep going?" He asked, worried.

"Do I have a choice? I don't think they can keep it at bay, it seems pretty hell bent on us," she replied, breaths heavy from pain. "I have an idea. You should stay here."

He shook his head. "Hell no, I'm coming with you," he answered while getting in the saddle.

She took off, growling again at the pain that shot through her chest as she pumped her wings.

Currently, Vlad was trying to hold off the chopper, but was barely holding his own. Skulker had broken off to deal with more half ghosts.

As soon as the chopper saw Sam and Danny airborne, it broke off from the billionaire and pursued, the side minigun still firing at Vlad.

Sam pumped her wings hard, getting as much distance as possible before ascending higher. Once she gained enough height, she stalled their flight, wings opening wide. "Get as flat as you can," she warned.

Danny laid himself flat against her back as they flipped over and dove towards the chopper. Sam tried to make her profile as small as possible, but that was difficult when one was the size of a small building.

The M60 lit up, bullets charging towards them. Tracer rounds gave them an idea on where the bullets were going, allowing Sam to use her wings and tail fins to adjust their flight to avoid the bullets. As they got closer, though, this became impossible.

Sam roared as she was hit by bullets, several glancing off her head and neck armor, while others planted themselves neatly in the unprotected parts of her wings and shoulders.

As they came upon the Blackhawk, it tried to swerve away, but Sam extended her legs and claws, pulling up sharply and grabbing onto the underside of the chopper. She used her wings and her weight to bring the chopper down. They descended quickly in a spiral.

As they neared the ground, Sam let go. The Blackhawk couldn't compensate and hit the ground hard, the fuel igniting and setting the entire thing on fire. Debris and smoke shot out from the downed aircraft, signaling its end.

Sam, wings damaged from the bullets, couldn't quite pull up in time and slammed hard into the ground, sliding a few dozen yards through the snow before coming to a stop.

"Sam!" Danny yelled, having flown out of the saddle using ghost powers to avoid being flung out of it when she crash landed.

She groaned, bringing one front leg around and slamming her paw into the ground before lifting her head.

"Are you alright?" he asked frantically, coming around to her head.

"I've been better," she answered before light engulfed her and she shifted.

Danny winced. Her wings, while in one piece, were definitely in bad shape, the bullets damaging the muscles too much for flight. She was also bleeding from at least two holes in her shoulders, and from cuts across her chest that translated over from her dragon form. She also had a very small cut on her nose.

Sam dismissed her wings and he helped her up before picking her up and teleporting directly to where Ki-oh was waiting anxiously.

"Holy hell," the Asian man said when he took in the sight of Sam. "What happened?" he asked, instantly setting about checking her over.

"A Blackhawk happened," Danny responded.

"I'm fine," she grumbled.

The ghost rolled his eyes despite the worry on his face. "You were shot several times by the M60 and then shot in the chest with a 50 cal, you are not fine."

"Those Blackhawks are a nasty business, especially with the 50 cal," Ki-oh added. "But I guess you were in dragon form, as the bullets didn't penetrate far." He opened his medical bag and started grabbing tools.

"I was," she answered, wincing when Ki-oh dug into one of the wounds to grab the bullet and pulled it out.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Last one." He grabbed the last bullet and pulled it out as well before flushing both wounds in antiseptic. He then turned his attention to her chest. "I hate to say this, but I'll need to pull your shirt down some to see where the blood is coming from."

Danny swallowed hard, keeping his temper in check, while Sam pulled the front of her shirt down, revealing a generous amount of cleavage.

Ki-oh inspected the wound, gently wiping away the blood. "Looks like this has already stopped bleeding, so it's fairly superficial."

"I think some ribs might be broken," she commented.

"I apologize for my hands," he said, placing one on her mid back and the other on her chest. He used his fingers and felt around there, before shifting the hand in front to her side. He could see her wince as he touched a few tender ribs. "I don't think they're broken," he said. "I think at least two have slipped out of place, though, which is what is causing the pain. I can put them back, but it's going to hurt."

Sam steeled herself and nodded.

"Three, two–" he jerked his hand in and up, eliciting two loud pops as the ribs reset into place.

The goth groaned. "I knew you were gonna go on two," she complained.

Danny placed his good hand on her shoulder. "Is that better?"

"Much," she responded, giving him a smile. "You need your hand looked at."

The ghost sighed before letting Ki-oh treat his right hand, carefully removing the shrapnel, inspecting and cleaning the deep wound, and wrapping it. "If you were human–or even half ghost–I would say you need surgery to fix those tendons, but your core should heal it on its own. Your hand will be fairly useless for a couple days, though."

"It's fine, I can still fight."

Sam raised a brow. "It's your dominant hand, Danny. What are you gonna do? Bitch slap them to death?"

Danny made an annoyed face to hide the fact that he was trying not to smile at her choice of words. "I trained with both hands. I can still shoot ice and ecto-blasts with my left hand and even use a sword if I need to."

"But you can't do both. And what if you need to use a shield?"

He shrugged. "Then I'll drop the sword."

Sam raised a brow, hands on her hips before shrugging, hiding the wince as she jarred the bullet wounds. "Alright gimpy, let's go."

"Gimpy?" Danny said incredulously as he followed her. "You're the one who got shot, but I'm gimpy?"

Ki-oh shook his head as he watched them go. It was just like them to argue at a time like this.

–

12/16/24: This is longer than expected…in fact it's so long I had to split it. The rest of the fight happens in the next chapter.