12/26/24: On to the next major arc. I am not actually sure how long this one is going to be yet, I just knew I wanted to do this, but I haven't really mapped it out yet. This was not originally in my outline…

12/31/24: Another quick update for you for New Year's! Happy New Year's!

I will say this: Unlike Taken where Danny's trauma is only shown in snippets and implied in conversations, this one is going to show it in real time. I'll put warnings up, but this is where the T rating comes in for violence, torture and gore. Probably not what you want to hear. That being said…

WARNING: Strongly rated T for language, violence and torture. (Though I will slightly censor stronger words…seems stupid but I don't cuss myself, so I don't tend to use language like this.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

–

Chapter 37: The Hell We're In

–

Sam was up early in the morning, unable to sleep long, not only because she was worried about Danny, but also because she realized this meant Mira knew where the twins were. They were going to need to come up with a contingency plan.

She put her hair up in a ponytail, her raven locks cascading down her back in waves and her bangs shadowing her eyes. She donned Shade's usual attire, this time adding fingerless gloves for the chilly air. She kept the collar of the trench coat up to help block the wind from her neck. She then left the bathroom and went to the dresser where she'd placed the new swords Ki-oh had managed to make for her–as she'd lost her originals when fighting Mira–and picked them up, admiring them.

They were Japanese Katana swords, both hair-splittingly sharp. Ki-oh had purchased them and then not only sharpened them himself, but added the ghostly tech her old swords had that allowed them to ignore a ghost's intangibility. He'd also dyed the leather hilt on one in a pattern of black and purple, and the other a pattern of white and green, adding an emerald to the pommel of the latter and amethyst to the pommel of the former. She sheathed them, one on each hip, and grabbed the six smaller throwing knives, placing them into specially made slots on her sword belt, three next to each katana.

Finally, Sam turned to the full length mirror in the bedroom and turned to see the back of her trench coat. Do-hee, who was extremely adept at sewing and embroidery, had told Sam that if she was to be one with Shade, she needed to embrace that side of her. On the back of the coat was a beautiful 'S' in purple thread, the top curve of the 'S' ending in a gorgeous dragon head spitting fire. The rest of the letter was intricate and stylized, with overlapping scales sewn with thread that went in different directions so that they each reflected light differently, giving it a 3D effect. The Korean woman had stayed up all night to do it.

The goth looked at herself in the mirror, satisfied. She would strike fear in the hearts of her enemies.

With that, she exited her room to find Ki-oh and Vlad waiting for her, as well as Tucker, Jazz, Jack and Maddie. She went to Vlad first. "I assume you got my message?"

He nodded. "Bruce delivered it."

"Skulker?"

"Should be here any moment."

"Thank you," she said before turning to the others. "It occurs to me that Mira knows our location now, which means we need to figure out what to do."

The billionaire raised his head. "I have been working on that for just such a possibility, but it isn't finished yet."

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"A ghost shield that recognizes only certain signatures, allowing us in and out, but keeping all others out. It's an extremely difficult task to achieve, however, as allowing only certain signatures goes against the very nature of standard ghost technology," he explained.

"Jack and Maddie have already done that," Tucker said.

"You have?" Vlad asked, looking between his college friends.

"Ah, you must mean the Boo-marang," Jack replied. "It's something that can track down a ghost based on a specific signature."

The billionaire nodded. "I would love to take a look at it. It may be the key to getting the shield working properly."

"I agree, but we still need to figure out what to do in the meantime. Mira isn't only a threat to my kids, but to everyone here," Sam said. "Also, I think we should take the Boo-marang with us. It should still be keyed into Danny so it might help us find him."

"It's likely that where they are, it's being shielded like the warehouse was," Vlad reminded her. "But it could still be worth a shot."

"I'll go get it," Jack said before trotting off.

Before anyone could respond further, Skulker appeared, raising an eyebrow when he spotted Sam in her clothes. "Small but mighty," he said appraisingly.

She rolled her eyes. "Says the ghost who is actually a tiny blob within a mechanical shell."

"Ouch," Jazz said with a wince.

"Personally, I think you look badass," Tucker said, giving the goth a smile.

The hunter sighed. "Why do I put up with this?"

Jack returned and handed the Boo-marang to Vlad, who attached it to his belt.

"Enough talk, we need to get to the mayor's office so we can figure out a game plan and start looking for Danny," Sam said sternly, reaching over and grabbing Ki-oh's hand. Without another word, she was gone, leaving an exasperated Vlad and Skulker behind to catch up.

–

Danny had hung by his arms all night. He hadn't really realized how heavy he was before until most of his weight was being supported by his arms for hours, and with the drug inhibiting his core, he had no way of floating up to relieve it.

He wasn't even sure what time it was or exactly how long it'd been since he was abducted, but now that he was alert, he was absolutely kicking himself. How the hell had he managed to let himself get kidnapped again?!

He couldn't even blame it on being drunk because his core filtered out alcohol much faster than the human system could, so he hadn't been lying when he told Bruce he was fine.

But he had gotten complacent in this thinking. He never even thought to scan the area before he took the trash out. It was completely his fault that he was in this situation again.

The door to the room opened and Mira walked in, followed by a shorter man. When Danny got a look at the man's face, he glared, noting the scar over his eye.

But the ghost's attention was pulled to Eden's daughter when she stopped in front of him. He could see the simmering anger underneath, but she smirked. "Good morning, sugar. I trust you had a restful night?"

Danny didn't respond, not wanting to give her the satisfaction.

She shrugged, taking it in stride. Using her hand to indicate to the man behind her, she said, "This is–"

"Declan," Danny finished for her, his glare settling on the scar faced man.

"I see you remember me. Your little girlfriend did as well," Declan remarked with a grin.

"I heard she broke your nose," Danny retorted, smirking when the man's grin turned into a scowl.

Mira rolled her eyes at the male posturing. "You won't be cocky for long," she said. "Declan here is the one who is going to have a little fun with you."

"I didn't know he was into guys," the ghost quipped, smirking again when a little vein on the man's head started pulsing.

"Asshole," Declan spit.

Mira put a hand on her hip and shifted her weight to one side. "You better watch that pretty little mouth of yours," she warned. "He's liable to take your tongue." She then walked forward, hand darting out and quickly grabbing his chin, her nails digging into his skin. "I remember that mouth of yours. Mother managed to get it in line, but in your freedom you seem to have forgotten your place." She squeezed harder before letting go, Danny working his jaw a little. "But don't worry, you won't live long enough for your smart ass mouth to matter this time."

She glanced at Declan. "As long as you don't kill him yet, or damage his core in any way, feel free to do what you like," Mira said before walking out.

Declan grinned wickedly as he pulled a small knife from his belt and began to circle Danny. "So, full ghosts can't really die unless you break or rip out their core, or," he started before pausing in front of the ghost and pointing his knife at Danny's throat. "Taking the head off." He continued his circling. "What that means is, I get to be a little more…creative in what I do to you than with my normal victims." Declan came back around to the front and crossed his arms with a smirk. "This is going to be fun. Though, admittedly, not as fun as the women I've tortured."

That comment left a horrible taste in Danny's mouth, knowing from the grin on the man's face exactly what that meant. The ghost made a mental note to kill this man as slowly and painfully as possible. He would likely be one of the few people he felt no remorse over.

"Sadly, I never got the chance with your bitch. I would've loved putting her in her place, which, let's be honest," he said, pointing down. "Is beneath me."

Danny yanked on the chains, murder reflected in his green eyes, as he nearly growled. Declan just laughed, having received the reaction he wanted.

He circled again. "See, when you're gone, she's all mine."

"She's not nearly so weak as you," Danny snapped, eyes trying to follow the man.

Declan tossed the knife up, catching it by the handle. He repeated this action as he talked. "Her power might rival your own, but you're still the stronger one. Yet," he stopped, spreading his arms out with a raised brow. "You're here. All it takes is one dart."

The ghost tried to kick out but missed, eliciting another peel of laughter from the shorter man. "F* you," Danny snarled.

Declan smirked. "No, I'll f* her," he said before striking out and burying the three inch blade between two of Danny's ribs.

The ghost grunted but refused to cry out. He would not give this sick man what he wanted, at least as long as he could help it.

The half ghost pulled the knife out, making sure to twist it as he did so. "Perhaps I shouldn't start with the big guns just yet. I just couldn't resist; I love a good stab."

He went to the door and opened it, grabbing a cart and rolling it into the room.

Danny could feel the ecto-plasm running down his side as looked over the various instruments on the cart, most of which he was at least partially familiar with, and none of which looked pleasant.

Declan picked a few up before settling on a short black stick with two prongs at the end. He pressed a button and electricity arced between the prongs. He gave the weapon an approving look. "This will do for the first one."

The half ghost walked around Danny again. "Let's see…where's the most vulnerable spots?"

He went around Danny's back where the ghost couldn't see him. "Is it here?" he asked before jamming it into his lower back.

Danny arched his back and forced his jaw to remain closed. He clenched his eyes shut and reminded himself that he'd been through worse. The muscles spasmed, causing pain to radiate out from the central point, the electricity sending shocks of pain throughout his nervous system.

Declan pulled it back. "Guess not," he said contemplatively and continued around. "What about here?" He asked, this time putting the shock baton against Danny's ribs.

Again, the ghost didn't make a sound.

"Oooh, what about here?" The half ghost shocked Danny in the armpit. It was a new sensation for the ghost as it's not an area most think of with torture, but it certainly hurt like hell.

The ghost did jerk, trying to pull away, but continued to be quiet.

"Damn," Declan said. "This one isn't so fun." He returned to the cart, ignoring the glare the ghost was sending his way, and looked through the weapons again.

"This one looks promising," he said as he picked up a long iron rod with a word on the end of it. "This is a branding rod and the cool thing about this one is that it's made of ghost material. In fact, you'll find that most of these weapons that are designed to cut or make marks on the skin are made from this material, which means your full ghost status won't save you from the scars." He grinned as he showed off the branding rod and Danny felt cold when he realized it was Mira's name on it.

Declan cackled. "She wants to brand you before you die, so that when your little bitch finds your dead body, it'll be marked by Mira."

The half ghost then grabbed a blow torch and heated the end of it up until it was white hot. He didn't miss the nervous look in Danny's eyes as they followed the tool. He again went behind Danny and stood there a moment. "I think this is a good spot."

Danny steeled himself but was not prepared for the pain when the searing hot iron pressed against his upper back. He gritted his teeth, eyes screwed shut, as he heard the sizzling of his own skin. The relief was only slight when the iron was pulled from his skin, taking the first few layers with it.

Sweat was beading on his brow and neck. He instinctively tried to activate his core to try and lessen the pain, but it would not respond.

Declan walked around the front and gave the ghost an appreciative look. "Still didn't make a sound; I admire that. But it won't last," he mocked.

He looked over Danny's bare torso, from his defined pecs to his six pack abs. "You know, if she finds your body and you're on your back, she won't see it."

Danny immediately knew where this was going and he shifted a little, putting a little more weight onto the balls of his feet to keep himself steady.

Without preamble, Declan jammed the hot iron into his chest, right above his death scar. Danny wasn't quite sure how he managed to remain quiet.

The ghost could smell his own burning skin, the sound of melting and sizzling flesh deafening to his ears. Finally, the half ghost pulled it away, once again taking layers of skin with it.

Both wounds burned like fire, the pain grating on the damaged and sensitive nerve endings. He opened his eyes and looked down, realizing with dismay that it really had burned a perfect 'Mira' onto his chest.

Danny then settled his glare on Declan, working his jaw against the pain.

"Still trying to be tough, I see," the shorter man said. "Again, it won't last long." He stopped smirking long enough to send Danny his own glare. "When I am done with you, you will have forgotten what it's like to not know pain."

–

Sam, Vlad, Skulker, Ki-oh and the mayor were standing around a large table in the mayor's office with a map of Amity on it. The mayor had been quite shocked to see all the ghost's and half ghost's, but had quickly calmed down when they all presented a friendly demeanor. Though, if he was honest, he was still nervous with the hunter as the city was familiar with Skulker from previous attacks perpetrated by said ghost. However, it seemed Danny had a positive influence on ghost's, as the hunter hadn't attacked in quite some time, and was here to help.

Mayor Roswell already had extra law enforcement running down possible leads to the whereabouts of Mira. Unfortunately, that much movement wasn't going unnoticed, and the news was already reporting speculations and statements from witnesses. So far, they hadn't been able to determine exactly what was happening, but it was only a matter of time before word got out that Phantom was missing.

There were X's on the map in areas that had already been ruled out, with circles on areas that had leads or held the possibility that Mira was there simply based on their location and population density. It was tedious work for a certain goth who really just wanted to barge into all these places to find Danny. She was getting impatient and Vlad was trying his best to subtly remind her to keep Shade reigned in.

"We need to be able to search these areas without the media present," Sam said, her frustration showing through.

Mayor Roswell nodded. "I've instructed law enforcement to do what they can, but this country has free press, so while we may be able to prevent them from entering any buildings we search, there's nothing we can do about them standing outside and reporting on it."

Vlad hummed, eyes roaming over the map. "Whatever happens, we must be sure not to do or say anything that will alarm the public," he said before his gaze settled on the mayor. "I don't believe we should lie to them, should they get the information that Daniel is missing, but we should do what we can to assure them that they are safe, at least until we gather information to the contrary."

The mayor agreed with the billionaire, and was finding he quite liked the man. It was a bit of a shock to learn this ghost was once Vladimir Masters, but the man had an eloquent way of speaking and was astute and level-headed, something the mayor admired in these kinds of situations.

"That means keeping yourself in check," Skulker said, pointedly looking at Sam.

The goth glared.

Mayor Roswell cleared his throat to try and dispel the awkwardness. "Mira would have had to find a place quickly, so unless she already had a place lined up, she couldn't have gone far. It makes sense to look elsewhere at the shipping port, but there's not many places likely to be big enough," he explained.

"That leaves larger abandoned buildings within Amity, likely on the outskirts in more abandoned areas to avoid notice," Sam added.

The goth was another person the mayor was impressed with. She was quick to anger and had a temper like a feral hog, but she was strong, determined and clever. It was also obvious she was dangerous under the right circumstances, but he'd yet to determine if that was good or bad.

"We can choose the most likely candidates and then split up to search," Mayor Roswell said. "However, that brings me to a slightly sensitive topic," he added, garnering everyone's attention.

"The cleanup from the shipping port was…gruesome, to say the least. From what you've now told me, these people aren't just half ghost, but they're also half human. That affords them certain rights, including the right to justice," he said, eyes pointedly shifting from person to person. "No matter what they've done, I cannot condone wanton murder in my city, especially now that the government is following this closely. If any of you end up killing more of these half ghosts, you'll need to defend yourself in a court of law," he warned.

Sam's brows drew together in worry and annoyance. He was right–that was how the real world worked–but it made the job of eliminating the threat so much harder. "And if we find them?"

He gave her a sympathetic look. "You'll need to bring them to law enforcement so they can be charged accordingly."

Skulker crossed his arms. "I do not follow your laws," he stated in defiance.

Mayor Roswell nodded. "That is true, but you also do not have the same rights as humans under the law, which means I cannot protect you should the government send the Guys in White."

The hunter frowned.

"What about self defense?" Sam countered.

"If there is a way to determine that for sure, such as with video or witness statements, I will prevent your arrest and subsequent charges. However, if there is not enough direct evidence of self defense, I will not be able to protect you and you will be charged with either murder or manslaughter and will have to defend yourself in court."

Sam glanced over at Ki-oh, noting the poor man was green. He was way in over his head and it made the goth feel immensely guilty.

She reached over and pulled on his sleeve, indicating with her head to step away. Once alone she gave him a sad smile. "You have Do-hee and Se-ri at home. If you don't want to be here, you can go home. We can take care of this," she said gently.

Ki-oh shook his head. "Danny took me in even when he didn't trust me; I can't back out now."

"Yeah, but–" Sam cut off when they heard a ruckus outside the mayor's office door. The sounds were muffled at first before someone started getting loud.

"I do not care!" a woman screeched. "He knows where she is and I demand answers!"

"Ma'am, you cannot go in there right now, he's in an extremely important meeting," they heard the assistant say sternly.

"Get out of my way!" the woman shouted shrilly.

"What in the blazes?" Mayor Roswell commented, on his way to the door.

But Sam was wide eyed. She knew that voice…

"Dont!" she said before the mayor reached for the door, but even though he stalled, the door was opened from the other side and swung in, nearly colliding with the mayor.

A woman with bright red hair with streaks of gray, green eyes, and what looked to be a ridiculously expensive red, floor-length dress came barging into the room, completely ignoring the fact that she'd just nearly knocked the mayor off his feet. She looked around the room before her eyes settled on Sam.

"Sammykins!" she said, her look a mix between shock, happiness and uncertainty.

The goth's look darkened. "Leave."

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Pamela Manson said, ignoring her daughter's command. She stepped closer but Sam backed up.

"Bullshit," Sam retorted. "I never hid from you. You knew exactly where to find me for years."

"Language, young lady," her mother said, hand to her chest in fake shock.

The goth clenched her fists. "Screw you. You haven't been my mother in a long time."

Mayor Roswell could see this was starting to get out of hand. "Miss, please," he tried, reaching towards Pamela to try and usher her out. "We're in the middle of an extremely important meeting."

She looked at his hand in disgust. "Touch me and I will sue you," she snapped.

"You haven't changed a bit," Sam frowned.

"Come now, Sammy," Pamela started in that tone she used that said Sam was just a child who couldn't possibly understand. "I have changed. I could prove it if you just let me see my grandchildren."

Ki-oh watched as the color drained from Sam's face. He began to feel protective instincts kick in, but chose to stay back and let Sam handle what seemed like personal business, for now.

"You saw the press briefing," the goth stated.

"Of course! I told you that Danny Fenton was bad news! How could you end up with such a… such a low life!" Pamela said, arms waving for emphasis. "Now look at the mess you're in because of him! You're…you're…not even human! And you procreated with something that's not even human. What has he done to you, Sammykins?"

The group felt the temperature in the room increase, Sam digging her nails into her palms so hard they drew blood. Ki-oh could see the shift in her when Sam switched to Shade.

"You mean a ghost?" she snapped darkly, intentionally summoning her wings and flaring them behind her. Her eyes blazed amethyst. "My name is Shade."

Her mother recoiled in shock and disgust. "You're an abomination," she said.

That struck a chord, not only with Shade, but with Ki-oh as well. The Korean man couldn't stand by any longer and gently stepped between the mother and daughter, not only to de-escalate the situation, but now that Shade was released, he couldn't guarantee the rude woman's safety.

"In case her reaction wasn't a good indicator already, I suggest you leave," he said, presenting a tougher image that Sam had never seen before.

"And who are you?" Pamela asked, eyeing the Asian man up and down while looking down her nose.

"I'm her family. In fact, she has a pretty large family now, and it seems there's no room for you in it," he retorted.

"Family?" the red-head asked before rolling her eyes. "Family is blood."

"Family is who you choose." The group turned to Vlad as he stepped in line with Sam looking serious.

Pamela realized this newcomer was a ghost and couldn't hide the distaste on her face. "This doesn't concern you," she shot back, her gaze going to Ki-oh. "This doesn't concern any of you except my daughter."

Ki-oh looked over his shoulder when he felt a hand on it, the palm hot with energy. Shade stepped around him, deadly calm. "Go home, Pamela."

"Pamela? I'm your mother!"

The assistant walked in. "Security is almost here."

"Good," the mayor said. "Ma'am, you need to leave or you'll be charged with trespassing and harassment."

"I have a right to see my daughter!" she shouted.

"Your daughter is an adult and can choose to not see you," Mayor Roswell countered with a raised brow.

Security walked in then, trying to usher the irate woman away, but she fought them. They ended up having to physically grab her and drag her out. But Pamela Manson would have the last word.

"I'll take you to court for my grandchildren!" she screamed, fist in the air. "You're an unfit mother! A creature like you could never properly raise a child! Monsters should be locked up, not allowed to reproduce!"

Whatever else she shouted after that wasn't understood as she was taken further and further away by security.

Ki-oh looked at Sam to see her shaking, breaths coming quickly in her anger and grief. "Shade–"

"Don't," she snapped pointedly. "I'll deal with it later. Right now there's more pressing matters."

–

12/27/24: This one was really quick! I worked hard on it.

I feel like I've been saying this a lot but, Pamela wasn't planned lol. So much of what I've done wasn't planned. My poor outline.

The torture in this chapter actually wasn't that bad. But…it's not likely to stay that way.

Also, Declan has a potty mouth…which brings out Danny's. Oops. XD