12/16/24: Rest of the battle happens now!
A lot of authors put translations at the end to avoid breaking up the chapter, but I find it annoying to scroll all the way down and then back up several times to understand what's going on. I've inserted the translations immediately following the conversation to avoid this.
I listened a lot to "Unstoppable" by E.S. Posthumus. It's an instrumental track, but it makes for really good battle music lol. I could see Sam fighting.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
–
Chapter 33: Shade's Return
–
Sam and Danny rejoined the fight, the pair entering the building from where the goth had destroyed the walls. It was a large and complex building, and at this point, Sam knew it better than Danny, as the ghost had only been held here for a day, while Sam had been here for weeks.
He looked at her and nodded, signaling that he would follow her lead.
Sam waited a moment, thinking about where they might be keeping Wulf. She hadn't seen any ghosts here during her time, but there was one particular section of the building she hadn't been allowed in, and that was the section she'd first been in when she was turned half ghost. It seemed like the most logical place to keep Wulf and it was on the other side of the warehouse.
She took off down a hallway, Danny hot on her heels. As they rounded a corner, three half ghosts stopped in surprise before squaring up.
Sam, out in front, never stopped.
An ecto-blast was thrown at her as she got close. Sam dropped, landing on her hip with the top leg straight and the bottom leg bent at the knee. She used her arm for support as she slid across the floor, leg colliding with the first half ghost and sending him careening to the ground.
She came up spinning, the heel of her shoe hitting the next one in the side of the neck, sending her to the ground. The remaining one engaged, going to punch the goth, but she deftly dodged by ducking her head to the left and struck out herself. They exchanged a flurry of punches before Sam managed to knock his arm away and then strike with lightning speed, landing a throat punch which caused the man to grab his neck, gurgling.
Sam then turned, using her leg to trip the woman who had gotten up and reached behind her, grabbing the ailing man by the back of the head and flipping him over her front. He landed on the ground on top of the half ghost woman with a grunt.
The goth charged a searing hot violet ecto-blast before dropping to one knee and slamming her hand onto the guy's chest, the blast melting a hole through him and the woman below.
Sam stood then, the first guy she'd sent to the ground now up. He stared at her with wide eyes before fleeing down the hallway. Against her better judgment, she let him go. Getting to Wulf was more important than chasing down errant half ghosts.
"Jesus Christ, Sam."
The goth looked back at her fiance to see his shocked face looking at the carnage. She hadn't even given him a chance to help, she was just so fast even while wounded.
"How did you not wipe the floor with me?" he asked, wonder in his voice.
She scoffed. "Don't sell yourself short, Danny. You're far more skilled than they are."
"Yeah I just…gosh it seems like yesterday I was teaching you how to fight," he commented as he caught up to her.
"You taught me well, but fighting is one thing Mira was adamant that I learned. I guess I at least owe her that much, as I've really improved," she responded as they continued down the hallway.
"I'd say," he answered as he sidestepped the dead enemies. "But…are you going to be okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked as she turned left down a new hallway.
"Well, you've killed a lot of people lately. That kind of sticks with you," he explained, ruminating over his own guilt for the things he'd done.
The look on her face darkened. "Some people just need to die," she stated darkly.
He sent her a worried look. While he didn't necessarily disagree, it was not something he expected to hear from her.
The truth was, though she kept her outward stoick look, inside she was thinking the same thing. Ever since they snapped her out of her brainwashing, she felt like instead of Shade going away, it was like they were now joined.
She did not have a burning desire to murder Danny, so at least that was normal, but she definitely had a much darker side that hadn't been there before. Was it Shade, or was it a product of how she was created?
Either way, she was at least grateful that she now had the balls to do what she had to in order to create a safer world for her kids, even if that meant she had to make sure there were less people in it.
As they progressed down the hall, the lights shut off, the sound of the ventilation also dying. They stopped briefly and looked around.
"They shut off the power?" Danny asked.
"Must have. They must think it'll slow us down or give them an advantage," Sam answered.
The ghost scoffed. "Did they forget half ghost's can see better in the dark than humans? And I can see even better than that."
The goth shook her head and continued on, Danny falling in beside her. "It's still a disadvantage, however slight. They also could've simply lost power; I did do a number on the building."
"True."
The pair continued on, taking a right turn and then another left before Sam stopped abruptly, Danny nearly running into her. "What is it?"
She looked around as the hall they were in continued straight, but also branched off to the left and right. "I've only been to this area once when I was turned half ghost. I think this is the area we need to be, but I'm not sure which hallway we need. The shielding here is stronger, and while I know he's in this general area, I can't pinpoint which direction," she explained.
Danny closed his eyes and concentrated, pulsing his core in a way that was not unlike echolocation. It was an ability Sam didn't have, but she could feel his pulses and understood what he was doing.
After a moment his eyes flicked open, the glowing green iris' eerie in the darkness. "He's to the right," he said.
They followed the hallway on the right, Danny continuing to pulse his core. As they came to another intersection he pointed and they followed it to the left. This hallway was lined with doors that had little windows in them. They peeked in each one, but they were all empty, save for the farthest one down on the right.
"He's in here," Danny said, reaching for the handle. It wouldn't budge, but he could see the ghost lying in a heap on the floor inside. He slammed against it several times, but the hard steel door and frame would not give.
"Let me," Sam said, waving him out of the way. She grabbed the handle and channeled her hot core into her hand. After a few moments, the handle began to melt. Once she ripped that off, she did the same to the lock above it.
"Never realized how much a hot core comes in handy," he smiled at her.
They shoved the door open to find the wolf ghost on his side and unconscious, but groaning. "I think he's trying to wake up," Sam commented as they made it to his side.
"Hey," the ghost said gently, lightly shaking Wulf's shoulder.
Slowly he came around, reaching up and rubbing his head before opening his eyes. The wolf ghost startled and tried to scoot away.
"Hey!" Danny said, hands up. "It's me, it's Danny. You're safe."
"Mia amiko Danny?" Wulf asked tentatively. He was still disoriented.
"Jes, jes estas mi," Danny replied, nodding with a smile. He pointed to the goth. "Ĉu vi memoras Sam?" (1)
Wulf looked at Sam and tilted his head as a dog might. He did remember her, but he could feel the same signature from her as those who took him. He backed away a little. "Ŝi sentas sin kiel la malamiko." (2)
"What did he say?" Sam asked at the distressed look on Danny's face.
"It's nothing," he told her, but she gave him a look that said she obviously didn't believe him.
He turned back to Wulf. "Ni estas ĉi tie por eltiri vin." (3)
The wolf ghost looked excited, tail wagging. "Ĉu vi savos Wulf?" (4)
Danny smiled gently. "Kompreneble. Mi ne lasus vin ĉi tie por morti." (5)
Wulf got up quickly and licked the young man across his face. "Vi estas bona amiko!" (6)
The young ghost laughed, wiping his face. "Dankon," he thanked the wolf ghost. "Ĉu vi povas uzi vian portalan potencon?" (7)
"Ne de kiam ili venigis min ĉi tien." (8)
"Well that might be a problem," Danny commented.
"What is it?" Sam asked, looking between the two ghosts.
"He can't use his portal power to get away," Danny explained.
Sam looked around, deep in thought. "It's probably due to the shielding on this place. We'll need to get him closer to where I broke through before he can use it."
The young man looked at Wulf. "Post kiam ni eliras el la konstruaĵo, vi devus povi uzi ĝin kaj eskapi." (9)
"Dankon, dankon!" Wulf said excitedly.
"Alright, let's get moving. We haven't seen many enemies and it's making me nervous," Sam stated before going to the door and peeking out.
The area seemed clear, so she signaled for them to follow and entered the hallway. Danny wasn't entirely comfortable with letting her take the lead–it went against his instinct to protect her as a man–but after watching her take out the last three enemies, he knew she could handle herself, even with the gunshot wounds that must hurt. Besides, he was down a hand, so it wouldn't be easy for him to protect them both in a fight. He was proud of her and how strong she was, grateful that she could keep them both safe when he couldn't.
Sam led them back through the maze of hallways before they saw light from the destroyed section ahead. Before they could reach it, four enemies materialized. Sam looked back at Danny. "Tell Wulf to just get out of here, we can handle them."
Danny patted the wolf ghost on the arm. "Vi devus povi uzi viajn potencojn nun." (10)
Wulf reached out, extending his claws. He clawed the air and a portal appeared. He gave Danny one last lick before diving through, the portal disappearing quickly.
–
(1): Do you remember Sam?
(2): She feels like the enemy.
(3): We are here to get you out.
(4): You will save Wulf?
(5): Of course. I wouldn't leave you here to die.
(6): You are a good friend!
(7): Can you use your portal power?
(8): Not since they brought me here.
(9): Once we get out of the building, you should be able to use it and escape.
(10): You should be able to use your powers now.
–
The pair breathed a sigh of relief once Wulf was safe, but then frowned when another three enemies ran up and stopped behind them. They were trapped now between seven half ghosts, Sam facing four and Danny facing three.
The goth crossed her arms and glared. "All of you trained with me. You know for a fact you don't stand a chance," she taunted.
The man in front rolled his shoulders in preparation. "That was before, but now you're just Sam," he shot back.
Her glare gained an almost evil air, amethyst eyes glowing brightly in the poorly lit area. "Who says I'm Sam?" she quipped before her form flashed.
It started at the top of her head and travelled down, her long hair now laying in waves and her clothes changing. She was once again in knee high boots, tight faux leather pants and a black faux leather corset, her long black trench coat nearly reaching the floor and the collar popped up. This time, she had two ghost swords on her hip.
"Uh…Sam?" Danny said, now extremely worried.
She looked back over her shoulder at the ghost, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It's Shade, honey."
The men she faced yelled as they charged, clearly not getting the hint that they should run. Shade scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her and grabbing her swords with the opposite hands. She pulled them from their sheaths and spun them in a flourish before settling into a battle stance.
Danny, still wary, faced off against his opponents as well, keeping an eye behind him to make sure Shade didn't attempt to attack him instead of the half ghosts.
Shade used her swords to block ecto-blasts sent her way, charging her enemies. As she reached the first one, she swung at his neck. He ducked, crouched over. She took the opportunity to leap, rolling over him back to back, going from his right side to his left, her trench coat flaring out. As she came down and landed beside him, she brought her right sword up and sliced him through the abdomen. The man cried out as he fell, but the goth was already engaging another opponent.
The remaining three also carried ghost swords, a favored weapon of Mira for the half ghosts. Eden had preferred guns, especially for the human soldiers, but Mira rarely used humans to fight now that she could create half ghosts. And the half ghosts came with their own 'guns', so-to-speak, in the form of ecto-blasts.
She blocked a strike from her right as she swung her left sword, backing up and jumping up, spinning in a circle, coat billowing around her. The heel of her foot connected with the right most enemy, while her swinging sword cut through the neck of the one in the middle.
Meanwhile Danny was expertly holding his own, having dispatched two of his opponents. He squared off with the last one, shooting an ice blast from his good hand, while dodging the swing of a sword. As the sword cleared, Danny quickly grabbed the guy's wrist and twisted, not only snapping the man's wrist, but also pointing the sword at his chest. The ghost growled as he shoved and plunged the weapon into the man's chest.
He looked up as his enemy fell to find another five approaching. "How the hell does she have so many of them?" He asked, voice low.
Danny looked behind him to see Shade behead her last opponent, but could already see another group down that end of the hallway as well. "There's too many," he said.
Shade ignited her swords. "Unless you want to die, I suggest you get out of range."
He went to protest but the look she sent him over her shoulder stalled him. "I need you to trust me."
Danny looked at her long and hard. She still seemed like Sam, at least in the sense that she wasn't trying to kill him, but there was definitely a harder edge to her now. Could he trust her in this state? Finally, he nodded.
"Teleport out of here," she said, returning her attention to the approaching enemies.
He hesitated before sighing and finally deciding to do as asked. He teleported above the building, and while he couldn't see what was going on, he stayed there in case she needed him.
The half ghosts didn't waste any time and they ran at Shade from both sides. They didn't notice her smirk.
The goth channeled as much heat into the swords as she could, knowing that most ghosts had cold cores, meaning the majority of these half ghosts should have cold cores and be unable to withstand the heat.
She charged full force at the smaller group on her left, not even bothering to stop and square up. She simply started swinging, flaming swords clashing against theirs and slicing through bodies. From the outside it looked like a carefully choreographed dance as she spun and twisted her way through the throng of enemies.
Suddenly they were bunched up at her front, coordinating their attacks. Shade flipped backwards, her hands still holding her swords and never touching the ground. She landed gracefully on her feet, but cried out when a ghostly sword sliced a thin line across her upper back.
The goth turned then, putting the wall to her back and facing the two groups of enemies that were now one. She swung to her right, parrying an enemy sword, and then to the left, slicing through a man's wrist. She then kicked out and knocked a woman off balance before bringing her sword down and cutting straight through the spinal cord.
Shade grunted as an ecto-blast hit her shoulder, and again when a sword cut a neat line up her side. She fell back again and glared at the half ghosts around her.
"Not so cocky now, are you?" one of them taunted.
She clicked her tongue, scoffing in defiance, before entering the fray again. She blocked an incoming sword strike on her right, kicking out with her left leg to shove an enemy back at the same time. The goth spun then, swinging her swords low and taking out the legs of two half ghosts; they fell, screaming.
As Shade came up, one opponent thrust his sword at her chest. She artfully dodged to the right, bringing up her left sword and cutting the man's arm off, before plunging her other sword into his neck. She then turned just in time to deflect an ecto-blast with her swords, bringing them up in a 'x' shape in front of her.
One of her opponents behind her grabbed onto the collar of her trench coat, yanking her back and then wrapping his arm tightly around her neck. Shade sneered, spinning the sword in her right hand around and shoving it behind her around her right side. She felt the resistance when it penetrated, but the man did not let go.
The goth let go of the sword and reached up, grabbing the offending arm around her neck. She dropped her weight and pushed her butt out like Danny had taught them and flipped the man over her front. She yanked her sword from his side after he landed and jammed it into his chest.
When she looked up, she realized even more had joined the battle.
Shade knew she couldn't take them all on, and the longer she stayed in battle, the higher the risk of the stress triggering a seizure. Now it was time for her final move, the reason she told Danny to leave–a trick she'd learned from him; she'd just been waiting for the buildup of energy in her core to reach the level she needed.
She spun, swinging out with both blades to gain some room before twirling the sword in her right hand twice, then bringing it down as she dropped to one knee, and slamming the point into the floor. There was a sharp snapping sound before a rush of noise as energy shot out.
The shockwave that was sent from that point knocked down every enemy around her, many getting thrown into the walls. Dust and debris began raining down from the ceiling and Shade looked up just in time to see the roof buckle and fall.
–
Danny was getting nervous the longer he was up here and away from Sam. Or was it Shade? He wasn't even sure who she was right now.
Then he heard the loud rush of sound, a booming noise like rolling thunder. At the same time, a point in the roof of the building punched up, the rest of the roof following suit in a wave like the sea, but that central point buckled, pulling the rest of the ceiling along with it.
"Sam!" he shouted, his core dropping when she didn't teleport out. As the dust settled, he flew over the area frantically, shouting her name. He could see blood and ecto-plasm from beneath sections of the roof, but each time he dug out enough to see the person, it wasn't Sam.
–
Mira let go of Shade's collar, shoving her back and onto her rear. The woman had teleported in, grabbed Shade, and teleported out just as the roof collapsed. They were in an untouched part of the warehouse where the shielding was still intact. Their signatures couldn't be traced here.
"You've certainly made a mess of things, Sam," Mira growled, spitting the name like it was poison.
The goth stood, a smirk settling on the woman to hide her wincing from pain. "It's Shade, actually."
That gave Mira pause and she cocked her head. "Then why aren't you trying to kill Danny?"
Shade sheathed one sword and settled the remaining one point down in front of her, both hands resting on the hilt. "Because he destroyed your brainwashing. I no longer desire to kill the man I love. But I desire to kill you," she said darkly. "When the brainwashing went away, so did the wall that separated us. Unfortunately for you, that means I get the desire to kill you from Sam, and all the skill, talent and complete lack of guilt with which to do it from Shade. So yes, Shade does still exist, but I am also Sam."
Mira scoffed. "Even as Shade your fighting skills don't compare to mine."
"My fighting skills are just fine, thank you," Shade countered.
"Then show me," the woman said as a challenge.
Shade smirked, quickly sending a fireball down the blade of her sword. She then kicked it, sending the fireball at Mira and swinging the sword upright at the same time. The woman deftly dodged the shot and charged the goth. Shade swung her sword out but Mira ducked under it, coming up right in front of Shade with an evil grin.
The goth was shocked at Mira's speed, the woman moving even faster than she herself could manage.
Mira spun around and grabbed Shade's arm with the sword, slamming it down over her knee. The goth yelped and dropped the sword, attempting to pull her arm free or at least kick the woman. Mira was quick, though, and reached back, grabbing Shade's other sword and pulling it from her sheath, before tossing it away. She then backed up and smirked at Shade, who was now unarmed.
The goth glared defiantly before rushing at Mira. The pair met fists flying as they punched and parried. Shade was managing to land hits, which bolstered her resolve.
Shade spun in a circle, kicking out as well as swinging her arms. Her kick missed, but one swinging arm got the woman in her shoulder, throwing her off balance. She took the opportunity to kick again, foot planting neatly in Mira's stomach and shoving her back.
Eden's daughter grunted as she stumbled back, righting herself and then spinning out of the way when a fireball came at her. She powered up an ecto-blast and fired but missed as well. Her brows were drawn in annoyance as she charged at Shade again, feigning a punch before kicking the goth as she had done to her.
Shade fell back and when Mira approached and attempted to kick again, she grabbed the woman's foot and shoved up, flipping Mira onto her back.
Eden's daughter stared up in shock before rolling out of the way as Shade slammed her flaming hand down with the intention of setting her on fire.
Mira quickly stood and tried to punch at Shade, but the goth grabbed her hand mid swing and pulled Mira towards her, spinning around and then putting her hand on the back of the woman's head, shoving her forward and hitting her head against the wall.
Mira growled, recovering quickly from the hit and spinning around, attempting to send an ecto-blast at Shade, but the goth raised a shield and deflected it. Shade smirked, knowing she was winning this fight.
Mira glared. She would show this upstart who was superior.
The goth charged, feigning an uppercut, instead bringing her other arm around and landing a punch in Mira's side. Mira betrayed nothing, striking out and nailing Shade with a hard hit to a wound on her shoulder. Shade snarled, getting careless and attempting a strike in the woman's throat. Mira ducked before slamming her palm into Shade's chest, pushing her back until her back hit a wall.
Shade had the perfect opportunity to reach up and snap the woman's neck, or at least grab her sides and burn her, but she found herself suddenly hesitating; this was Ki-oh's sister and he still loved her.
Mira could see the hesitation. "Do you give up?" she asked, cocky.
Shade spit in her face. "Screw you."
Mira grinned with an evil glint in her eye and grabbed the goth's collar with her free hand and grinned, before pumping her toxin into Shade's chest. She screamed, trying to shove the other woman off, but the pain from the toxin was taking over her system.
Eden's daughter then teleported them to a remote location and as soon as they reappeared, she shoved Shade back. The goth fell into the snow, gasping for breath as she was nearly paralyzed by the painful toxin.
Mira looked down at Shade in disdain. "You have about 24 hours before the toxin reaches your core and you die. You better pray your lover finds you in time," she sneered before teleporting away.
Sam clenched her eyes shut against the pain. She needed to get out of here, but when she reached for energy from her core to teleport she screamed as the agony intensified. She abruptly cut it off, now knowing full well she had no hope of getting back on her own. She didn't even know where 'here' was.
She opened her eyes, tears now trailing from them and stared at the grey sky above. Snow began to fall but she couldn't admire the beauty. Sam rolled to her side, crying out from the pain. She knew if she didn't keep warm, she'd freeze to death before the toxin even had a chance to reach her core.
So, with another near blood-curdling scream, she shifted into her dragon form and then lay there in the snow, panting heavily, her hot breaths melting the snow in front of her nostrils.
–
"Sam!" Danny was searching everywhere for his fiance but was unable to find her signature anywhere. Vlad and Skulker had joined in the search as the remaining half ghosts had broken off and retreated after half the building caved in.
The young ghost was absolutely panicking, terrified that her lack of signature meant she was–no he couldn't think of it.
She had to be here somewhere, she had to have survived; their children needed their mother.
As he was making another round around the area where the roof caved in, he felt a signature, but it was not one he wanted.
Danny stalled his flight when Mira appeared before him, her purple cloud from teleportation lingering around her as she floated there. He growled. "I don't have time for you right now."
Vlad and Skulker arrived, surrounding the young woman, who seemed completely unphased by it.
"Searching for your precious pet? She put up a helluva fight." she said with a raised brow.
She saw the pain and worry cross his face before he schooled his features, but just barely. It was obvious he wasn't holding it together very well. "Where is she?"
"That, I'm not going to tell you. I will tell you she's alive–for now. In less than 24 hours though…I can't guarantee that," she explained, looking at her nails as if she didn't have a care in the world. "You remember when I told you that a single drop of my toxin would kill if it was injected into the core?" she asked, gaze flicking to Danny's in time to see the anguish on his face.
She nodded with a smirk. "I see you're catching on. I'll tell you she's no longer here, but I would suggest you find her before the toxin reaches her core." Mira teleported away, leaving a devastated ghost behind.
–
12/18/24: Eheh…sorry for the cliffhanger…
I JUST KEEP ADDING STUFF! That ending was NOT supposed to happen. My outline is completely being rewritten. I also thought of a whole other section I'm going to add. Oh Lord…we might have another twenty chapters! Help me! It took me 18 years to write 11 chapters of Taken and now I can't stop!
Funny side note: for this line here: Mira scoffed. "Even as Shade your fighting skills don't compare to mine." My Word didn't like the phrase "Even as Shade," as it doesn't consider Shade a name. It's suggestion? "Even if you shave, your fighting skills don't compare to mine." XD LOL