Chapter 5: Into the Inferno
⸻
Aftermath in the Ruins
Danny's ears were still ringing from the explosion. Dust and smoke choked the air, and rubble clattered around him as he pushed himself upright. His head was spinning, but the only thought running through his mind was:
Where is she?
The blond girl—Tanya—had vanished into the chaos. One second she had been locked in battle with them, the next, she was simply gone, swallowed by the carnage of war.
Shego groaned beside him, coughing out dust. She was cradling her side where the rifle strike had hit her earlier, and Danny winced at the dark bruise forming beneath her torn jumpsuit.
"Shego, you okay?" he asked, helping her up.
She shot him a glare. "Peachy. Just got my ass kicked by a twelve-year-old Nazi. What about you?"
Danny shook his head, scanning their surroundings. The battlefield had shifted. Soldiers from both sides were either dead, dying, or pulling back from the fresh bombardment. Fires raged in the distance, and the already-destroyed city was crumbling even further.
They were running out of time.
"Shego, we need to move," Danny said. "This place is turning into a graveyard."
Shego spat onto the ground. "And where exactly do we go, Spooky? In case you didn't notice, we're in the middle of World War Nope with zero idea how to get out."
Danny clenched his fists. He knew she was right. But standing around arguing wasn't going to help them survive.
"We find shelter first," he said. "Then we figure out a way to—"
A new sound cut through the chaos.
Boots. Marching boots.
Danny's breath caught in his throat as he turned toward the noise. Through the smoke, figures in Imperial uniforms emerged, their rifles raised.
And at their head—
Tanya.
She was still covered in dust from their battle, a fresh bruise on her cheek where Danny's punch had landed. But she wasn't angry. If anything, she looked… amused.
Danny felt a chill run down his spine.
Tanya raised a gloved hand.
"Seize them."
The soldiers moved instantly.
Danny and Shego had half a second to react.
Then the world exploded into violence again.
⸻
The Fight Against the Imperial Forces
Danny didn't even think—he moved.
A burst of ectoplasm shot from his hands, blasting back the first wave of soldiers before they could even pull their triggers. Shego was already in motion, flipping backward and launching a volley of plasma at the advancing troops.
The air filled with the sounds of gunfire, magic blasts, and the eerie hum of Danny's ghostly energy.
Danny dodged left, phasing through a hail of bullets before countering with an explosive wave of ectoplasmic energy. Soldiers went flying, some screaming in panic as they hit the ground hard.
Shego took down another group, using the ruins for cover as she launched rapid bursts of plasma. The Imperials weren't prepared for opponents who could fight like this—who didn't rely on guns or magic, but something else entirely.
For a moment, it looked like they had the advantage.
Then Tanya stepped forward.
And the entire battle changed.
Danny barely had time to react before she raised her rifle and fired.
Not at him.
At the ground.
The bullet hit hard, not piercing the earth but detonating on impact. Danny and Shego were thrown backward by the shockwave, the force of the explosion sending rubble flying in all directions.
Danny crashed through a collapsed wall, the air knocked from his lungs. He gasped, blinking through the dust as Tanya calmly walked toward him, her rifle still raised.
"You're fast," she said, her voice carrying over the battlefield. "And stronger than expected. But you're not used to fighting a real war, are you?"
Danny gritted his teeth. He forced himself to stand, his hands glowing with ectoplasmic energy. "Yeah? And what does that make you?"
Tanya smiled. "Efficient."
She fired again.
Danny phased, but the bullet still passed too close for comfort. It exploded against the rubble behind him, the force knocking him forward before he could react.
Tanya didn't hesitate. She closed the distance in an instant, swinging the rifle like a club.
Danny barely managed to block with his arm, but the impact still rattled him.
She's strong. Too strong for her size.
Shego, recovering from the earlier explosion, leapt forward with a snarl, plasma crackling in her hands.
Tanya pivoted flawlessly, dodging the first strike and countering with a vicious kick to Shego's ribs.
Shego crashed into the rubble, coughing hard.
Danny felt something snap inside him.
He didn't hold back.
His eyes burned green as he blasted forward, his fist crackling with ghostly power. He aimed directly at Tanya's chest, putting everything he had into the punch.
She dodged.
At the last second, she twisted to the side, grabbing Danny's wrist and using his momentum against him. With inhuman speed, she swung him around and slammed him into the ground.
Pain shot through Danny's back, but he refused to stay down. He rolled away, barely avoiding another shot from her rifle.
Shego recovered fast, launching a concentrated beam of plasma at Tanya.
This time, Tanya didn't dodge.
She countered with her own magic, a golden shield flaring to life around her. Shego's attack dispersed on impact, the energy flickering uselessly against the barrier.
Danny's stomach twisted.
She's not just fast.
She's not just strong.
She's a monster.
Tanya lowered her rifle, tilting her head.
"You two are quite the interesting specimens," she mused. "I was going to have you captured, but perhaps I should reconsider. You might actually be worth dissecting."
Danny's blood ran cold.
That was all he needed to hear.
His ghost aura flared, his energy spiking as he prepared his strongest attack yet. If Tanya wanted a real fight—
He'd give her one.
——————
Before he could unleash his power, an unexpected roar of engines cut through the chaos.
Danny's eyes snapped upward—
A bombing squadron was approaching from the horizon.
Tanya frowned, glancing at the incoming aircraft. Then she sighed.
"It seems we'll have to continue this later," she said, shouldering her rifle. "Try not to get killed before then."
Then, without another word, she vanished—launching herself skyward with a burst of magical propulsion.
Danny didn't have time to process what just happened.
"Shego! MOVE!" he shouted.
The two of them sprinted as the bombs began to fall.
Fire and shrapnel rained from the sky, leveling the ruins even further. Danny grabbed Shego and phased them both through the wreckage, desperately searching for cover.
Finally, they found refuge in an abandoned bunker, diving inside just as another explosion rocked the city.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Shego, still breathing heavily, laughed bitterly.
"Well, that sucked."
Danny groaned, rubbing his aching head. "Understatement of the century."
They sat there, exhausted, listening to the distant sounds of war.
They had survived.
But Danny knew one thing for certain.
Tanya wasn't done with them.