A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome for another chapter. As I said last week, this chapter is taking the place of the one that would have normally gone up next week. As such, you won't have another chapter of this until the 26th, so the wait will be a bit longer. I do hope you enjoy, and remember to comment and review!
Danny shifted nervously as he looked around the meeting room he, Ron, and Kim had been brought into. While working with Global Justice had largely been a positive experience, he had been working with them far too much for his own liking recently. He had started being a hero to simply stop the ghosts that came through his parents' portal, but now he had been dragged into the world stage of heroism. He knew he shouldn't complain, he had powers, he should be using them to help where he could, but dealing with actual supervillains had been causing him some significant stress. Global Justice with all their secrecy didn't help. They told Danny only what he absolutely needed to know, and nothing else. What concerned him even more was the surveillance they seemed to always be doing. Learning that they had discovered his identity before he had even told his own parents was alarming, couple that with the spying they had done on people like Jake Long and Lilo Pelakai, had concerned him more. Was there no one who was immune to their spying? Was anyone who possessed even the slightest amount of superhuman ability under their scrutiny?
Danny before all of this had considered himself a very private person, as any attempt to open himself up to others outside of his immediate friends had always backfired. Global Justice had taken a lot of that away from him, and while he knew in the grand scheme of things they were doing good for the world, Mindhacker would have been impossible for them to deal with without their assistance after all, it was still something Danny worried about immensely. Was security a good enough reason to give up privacy? Danny didn't have an answer for that, he was just a 14 year old with superpowers.
Kim seemed to notice his anxiety, which was a far cry from Ron, who found the entire thing awesome. She patted him on the back, rubbing it a little. "I'm sure everything's fine Danny. If it was some big bad guy they needed us to deal with they probably wouldn't keep us waiting like this. They're usually pretty quick on business like that." She said, her voice calming Danny a bit.
"You're probably right, I just don't like this. How are you managing to stay so on top of this world saving stuff? You were just a cheerleader looking for babysitting jobs when you started. How are you not freaking out at having world saving put on your shoulders?" Danny asked, looking to his red-haired girlfriend.
Kim smiled at him. "Because It's never just been on my shoulders. I've always had Ron, and Wade picked up a lot of the slack shortly after we started. I've also got my parents who help alleviate some of the emotional burden. Not to mention all of the other people who work to mitigate some of it. I handle the supervillains, other people handle the other stuff. I just look at what I need to do and do it. You'll get the hang of it, but it'll help if you stop thinking you're doing it alone. Anytime there's world saving stuff, you know I'm right there with you. Soon we'll have Sam, Alex, and Clover too. A five strong super team, six once we get Ron up to snuff."
Ron looked over with an indignant look on his face. "I'm totally up to snuff! The Ron's totally a capable team member!"
"You have to admit you're no good in a fight Ron. At least not right now." Kim said, looking over at her longest time friend.
"Fine, I'll admit The Ron could use some assistance in the kicking butt area of our job." Ron said, pouting a bit.
Danny took a moment to appreciate the levity. Kim and Ron were such good friends it made him feel more at ease just being near them, and seeing them bounce off of each other was a comedy in and of itself.
Dr. Director stole a good deal of that levity as she came in, though. Her authority filling the room with a seriousness that chafed Danny slightly. He'd get over it though, he knew they were only called for something important. "Ms. Possible, Mr. Fenton, Mr. Stoppable. Thank you for meeting with us. As I stated when I first recruited you, one of the benefits of working with Global Justice is access to our research and development department. While it may not be completely obvious, we are constantly working on new gadgets and equipment we hope you will eventually be able to make use of. What I have here is the first piece of equipment I believe you may find useful." Dr. Director pulled a small metallic bracelet from her pocket, setting it on the table in front of them. "This is what we call the Centurion Project. A team of independent scientists were working on it until recently, intending for it to be a suit of protective armor for soldiers in battle. While they were brilliant scientists, they lacked a proper understanding of the logistics of supplying soldiers, and failed to recognize that their armor idea was impractical for widespread military use. However, it is perfect for being deployed to small teams or individuals, so we acquired it, as well as brought those scientists into our fold. We've had some adjustments made from its original design to more properly integrate into its new role."
"Dr. Director, not that I don't trust you… but that's just a metal bracelet." Kim said, looking at the object on the table.
"Quite, this is its travel or inactive form, when you wear it and activate it, it will expand, covering your body in a high tech powered armor. I'm sure you are familiar with the superhero Iron Man? Similar concept." Dr. Director said, picking up the bracelet and handing it to Kim. "Please put it on, and I will provide further instructions."
Kim took the bracelet, examining it for a moment before pulling it over her wrist. "It's a bit big, is it meant to be an arm band?" Kim asked.
"No, simply keep it in contact with your skin and think of shrinking it to fit." Dr. Director said, and as Kim sent the thought, the bracelet contracted.
"Woah! Freaky!" Ron said, surprised by the action.
"Quite. The initial design when we acquired it had the suit activate based on stress levels, but we've found that quite a number of our agents tend to experience less stress in combat than in other aspects of their life, which made testing with that original design awkward. One of our safety inspectors was hiding an anniversary present from his wife, and had been lying about where he had been when purchasing it. The stress from the lie had caused the armor to activate prematurely, which had been an issue. It has been retooled to respond to your brain's beta-waves, so while it may react slower, it will have much fewer accidental activations, which we believe is a net benefit." Dr. Director said.
"So, I just think it and it'll armor me up?" Kim asked, looking at the bracelet on her wrist.
"Correct. We have conducted rigorous safety tests, and have encountered no issues with the armor itself being dangerous, so we believe it is safe enough for proper field trials. Given the frequency in which you fight supervillains, and your skill and ingenuity, we believe you are the best fit to conduct the initial field trials." Dr. Director said. "This is not something we intend for you to keep as part of your standard kit for quite some time, but a test run is something we think would be beneficial. We're calling this the Mark 1, and we hope that by Mark 3 it will be suitable for continuous use."
"What makes you think this one isn't suitable?" Kim asked, as she armored herself up with it. The armor wrapped around her body, effectively forming itself in three layers. The lowest layer was a bodysuit that appeared to be made of some kind of kevlar-like material. The second layer was a series of metal rings that encircled parts of her body that required movement, but didn't need a large range of motion. The final layer was a much harder solid metal layer that formed around areas that didn't move often, and seemed very sturdy. Kim stood there, looking more like an astronaut than a superhero.
"While we don't know of any major flaws with the design, we fully expect there to be some bugs that need to be ironed out that only field testing would provide. For example, while we've had people use all of its features together and separately, we won't ignore the possibility that some specific combat scenarios may overwork the system in ways we hadn't thought of. We've vetted it to the best of our abilities, and I would not put you in this suit if I believed it was unsafe. I do believe that there are improvements to be made, and we won't be able to discern what they are until we find the limits of the armor." Dr. Director said.
"Cool! When do I get a suit of armor?" Ron asked, his eyes sparkling at how cool he thought the armor looked.
"When we are satisfied with the results of whatever armor makes it to regular use, we intend to have a suit prepared for you as well Mr. Stoppable." Dr. Director said.
That seemed to satisfy Ron, who simply gawked at the armor with all the awe a child seeing his first fire truck does.
In the ghost zone, traveling through the inky blackness, was a familiar hover car. The blue-skinned pilot looked around the bizarre locale, his nerves bothering him. "Killigan, you're certain this… Soul Shredder is real?" Drakken asked, looking to the Scottsman who joined himself and Shego in the hovercar.
"As sure as I can be." Duff Killigan said, his exaggerated highland accent on full blast, as he thumbed through a book he brought with him. "I remember stories of the Fright Knight from when I was a wee lad, I had thought all this ghost nonsense was hooey, but after seeing what I have from those Global Justice hooligans, I believe."
"Still not sold on this whole 'ghost' thing Dr. D. Are we sure that that Phantom kid just doesn't have normal super powers?" Shego asked, filing her nails as she sat languidly in the passenger seat.
"While their status as the spirits of the deceased are perhaps still up for debate, the creatures the Fentons call ghosts are certainly very real. Aside from the threat that Phantom was to us with the tick fiasco, Professor Dementor also said that he caused him trouble, and Monkey Fist states that he fought with a separate ghost as well." Drakken said. "The Fenton's research on this portal technology is also nothing to sneeze at, this whole dimension is supposedly full of ghosts."
"And yet we haven't seen a single one. Also, are you really trusting Monkey Fist to be a reliable source of information?" Shego asked.
"He's tangled with Possible before, I'd argue that gives him some credibility as a supervillain." Killigan said.
"He was beaten by the sidekicks!" Shego exclaimed. "Why he even posted about it on LinkedEvil is beyond me."
"You know how important posting schemes, both successful and unsuccessful on LinkedEvil is for villain clout Shego. It makes it much easier to find partners to work with when you have a history to show them." Drakken said, as he piloted past a rock that was in their path.
"You posting your inventions I get, that's marketing your services for other villains. But his weird monkey thing? Really?" Shego asked.
"You post your inventions on LinkedEvil?" Duff Killigan asked.
"Of course I do… is that not why you came to me with those plans you stole for that portal from the University of Upperton?" Drakken asked, looking at the portable portal device he had made. Killigan had somehow stolen the archived plans for Jack and Maddie Fenton's original portal, and had given them to Drakken to refine to make a portal big enough for them to use.
"No, I don't use LinkedEvil. I play in a recreational disc golf league with another villain, calls himself Motor Ed. He recommended you." Killigan said.
Drakken facepalmed, dragging it down as he processed the information. "Of course you know my cousin… why wouldn't you… wait, disc golf? Why not just play more regular golf?" Drakken asked.
"I'm banned from all the courses in the world, so I needed an outlet. Disc golf is a similar game, and I like it well enough. What of it?" Killigan said, crossing his arms and looking at Drakken with annoyance.
"Nothing, nothing." Drakken said, as an uncomfortable silence fell over the hovercraft. A beeping on the console revealed that they had arrived at their destination. A large ominous castle, gothic in design with tall towers that came to incredibly sharp points.
"Aye, that's it. Just like from the storybooks. The Fright Knight's castle." Killigan said. "These self important types always keep their stuff at the highest central point, ignore the front door, let's head through that window."
"I'll ignore you giving me orders since I was thinking much the same." Drakken said with annoyance, as he pulled up close to the window. Looking through it, they could see a room filled with skeletons, much larger than a normal man's, and sitting next to a large sarcophagus, was a pumpkin with a green sword embedded in it. "Shego, if you'd please." Drakken directed, gesturing to the window.
Shego rolled her eyes, covering her fist with their green glow and swung a punch at the window. To her surprise, her hand went straight through, failing to make any real contact with the glass. "Uh… Dr. D. The window's not there?" Shego questioned, trying to touch it with her other hand, which phased through it.
Drakken experimentally reached out to the window and confirmed that it seemed to be completely intangible, and touching the wall revealed the same. "Interesting… is this castle some kind of illusion?" Drakken wondered. He carefully attempted to pull the hovercar through the wall, and found it went through without issue, the passengers phasing through the wall and into the castle with no issue.
Making their way down to the floor, they examined it closely. Shego held onto the side of the hovercar taking a tentative step onto the floor. It somehow, was solid. "Floor's fine… but the walls aren't? Weird."
"Maybe in this ghost dimension it's us humans who are the ghosts." Killigan suggested.
"Perhaps, but that thought is for another time. Tell us Killigan, you refused to elaborate much on this Soul Shredder sword, but what is it?" Drakken asked as they looked at the blade sheathed in the pumpkin.
"The Soul Shredder is supposedly a blade that, if it cuts you, sends you to a dimension where you live out your worst nightmares. With a weapon like that, surely that lassie Kim Possible wouldn't be able to stop us from ruling the world." Killigan said, looking at the blade.
"Very well then. Shego, grab the sword so we can leave." Drakken said. Shego rolled her eyes, but walked up to the pedestal and grabbed the sword, straining as she pulled it from the pumpkin.
As the blade left the gourd however, the skeletons in the room began to rattle, their bones reforming themselves into giants. Drakken and Killigan looked on with fear as they formed. "Shego! They're… bowing?" Drakken called out, surprise filling his voice as the towering skeletons began to bow to them. "Ah, they must recognize those who wield the sword as their new master. Perhaps we could make use of that."
"You would be half right, blue one." A deep voice said, as from behind Shego a new figure emerged.
He was massive, possibly 10 ft. tall, and covered in dark plate armor, with spikes on his shoulders and helmet that gave an air of menace. "Hand over my blade, so that I may use its power to take over the world!" The figure said, his deep voice rumbling with menace.
"That's our plan laddy! Who're you to try and steal what we've rightfully stolen?" Killigan asked.
"I am the Fright Knight! Spirit of Halloween. If you will not relinquish my blade, then I shall take it back by force!" The Fright Knight said, beginning to walk with purpose towards Shego.
"Not a chance buckethead!" Shego said, her fists aglow as she charged forward to hit the ghost with her enhanced strength. Her fist connected with his torso, and a loud clang rang out. The Fright Knight did not move, and simply looked down at the green woman.
"Dr. D! Tall, dark and metal here's made of tough stuff!" Shego said, as she backflipped away, creating some distance while she held onto the sword.
"I've got just the solution. Fore!" Killigan said, as he used his golf club to hit a golf-ball towards the Fright Knight, the ball exploding on impact, sending the figure stumbling a bit. "That was less effective than I thought it would be admittedly."
"Keep shooting them, I'll open a portal and get us out of here." Drakken said, fiddling with the portable portal device.
"Let's see how you handle the back nine you medieval specter!" Killigan said, shooting off more golf balls in quick succession. They succeeded in at least slowing the Fight Knight down. "I'm running out, Drakken, I didn't come with a full golf bag today!"
"Got it!" Drakken said, as the portal opened. He drove the hovercar through, Shego grabbing on along the way as they headed through the portal.
Once through to the other side, Killigan kept shooting golf balls through, trying to slow the Fright Knight down as he moved to follow them through the portal. "Shut her off Drakken!"
"I can't! It's got a minimum time to keep the portal open as a failsafe!" Drakken said, frantically trying to switch off the machine. "How many more golf balls do you have?"
"Three!" Killigan said, before knocking another one through the portal. "Two!"
Shego activated her glowing fist, smashing the portal device, which closed the portal as Killigan shot his final golf ball through. "There! It's off. We got the dumb sword."
"Yes, and with this Soul Shredder sword, we will finally defeat Kim Possible!" Drakken said, before laughing maniacally.
In the park, Star sat on a bench, happily sipping away at a pumpkin spice latte as she watched some of the workers from the Amity Park Public Works Department finish decorating the park for their annual Halloween bash. Something that made her very excited. Looking over, she saw her boyfriend, as well as her other friends making their way into the park, and she waved them over. "I'm here guys! Thanks for meeting up with me." Star said, an overwhelmingly excited smile on her face.
"No problem babe. Surprised to see you so excited, you never really struck me as the Halloween type." Danny said, leaning down to kiss her. "Gotta say though, you're rocking the Ulala costume."
Star stood up and gave a small twirl in her costume, a retro-futuristic crop-top and skirt combo worn by space-faring reporter Ulala from Space Channel 5, a video game Star was a fan of. "Thanks Danny. I'm glad you like it. So, what are all of you guys doing tonight? I know Danny's joining me here for the town's Halloween bash. What about the rest of you?" Star asked.
"KP and I are hitting the streets for some good ol' trick or treat action. Upperton, Middleton, Lowerton, all donating to the candy stash." Ron said, confidence in his voice. "Kim wouldn't agree to my costume idea in time, so I'm going as Batman from Batman Beyond. Something about him speaks to me."
"Aren't you a little old to be trick or treating Ron?" Valerie asked, looking over at the blond boy.
"Not according to the Silver County Commission! There was a proposed ordinance to limit trick or treating to ages 13 and younger, but it didn't pass! Official confirmation that I'm not too old for trick or treating. Booyah!" Ron said, as Rufus popped out of his pocket and did a victory hand shaking motion.
"Yeah, I was happy that the ordinance failed too, especially since Wade and I worked this out." Tucker said, pulling up a map on his PDA, with a path drawn that covered a significant portion of Amity Park, Middleton, and Upperton. "Wade and I worked out the most optimal route for maximum candy within the 4 hours we're allowed to trick or treat. By our estimates, I can hit a new house every 31.3 seconds."
"Let me see!" Ron said, taking the PDA from Tucker's hands, examining it closely he saw something. "You've got some red zones on here you go out of, what gives with those?"
"Granola bars." Tucker said, and Ron simply nodded.
"Understandable. KP we've gotta go with him! So much candy!" Ron said.
"About that Ron… I'm going to be spending Halloween with Danny and Star. You know, a date?" Kim said. "You and Tucker can go and I'm sure you'll get more candy than you can possibly imagine."
Ron seemed a little sadded by that, but Tucker patted him on the back. "Just means more candy for us dude. It'll be great."
"I guess." Ron said dejectedly, but sighed and looked up. "Alright, you enjoy yourselves then okay? If you don't go trick or treating but have a bad time at your party I don't want to hear any complaining!"
"You got it Ron." Kim said, before looking at Valerie. "You going with them?"
"Just because I'm dating the nerd with the candy optimization fetish doesn't mean I'm supporting it. I don't know what I'm doing, but it's definitely not going to be going with him." Valerie said. "Sorry Tuck, I'm not going to sit here and watch you rack up a dentist bill."
"Your loss." Tucker said, as he and Ron examined the map further.
"You going to stick around for the Halloween Bash then?" Star asked.
"Probably not, Paulina or Bonnie will probably just find me and start ribbing me for my boyfriend blowing me off for candy. I don't care what they say, but it doesn't mean I want to sit around and listen to it." Valerie said.
"You could come with me to the Skulk and Lurk Bookshop. They're having a 'Myths of Halloween' event, books about monsters and Halloween myths are half off, and there'll be people telling ghost stories and stuff on the open mic." Sam offered. "Maybe not entirely your cup of tea, but it's good fun. If nothing else, they've got good coffee and pumpkin pastries."
"I'll take you up on that. Seems like as good a way as any to spend the holiday." Valerie said.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. Mom and Dad wanted me to remind everyone to keep some ghost-fighting stuff on them tonight, just in case." Danny said, looking over everyone.
"Got a wrist blaster on me anyway." Sam said.
"Ditto." Tucker said, holding his up.
"Laser Lipstick here." Star and Kim said, pulling it from their purses.
"I've got that suit in my bag since it folds up so small." Valerie said.
"You all keep the ghost fighting gear on you all the time?" Ron asked.
"You never know when a ghost is gonna show up." Danny said, and as if on cue, his ghost sense went off. Danny glanced around, seeing if he could find the source of it, and he was incredibly surprised to see Ember walking through the crowd. "Ember?"
Star and Kim's eyes widened as they looked around, eventually laying eyes on her. "What's she doing here?" Kim asked.
"I don't know… I'm gonna go find out. I'm going to hope she's not here for trouble, but I'm sure you all will recognize if I need help." Danny said, before walking off towards the ghost rocker.
Ember had her eyes on the street lights that surrounded the park, giggling a little to herself at the jack-o-lantern faces that had been put on them for the event. She saw Danny approaching, and she paused for a moment, unsure what to do.
"Ember? What are you doing here?" Danny asked, looking at the ghost girl.
"Kitty and Johnny wanted to go on a date to this party. Kitty said I should 'get out of my realm and try to enjoy the human world a bit'. It was either this or be forced to go to a halloween party with Spectra, and I'm not doing the latter." Ember said.
"You know Spectra?" Danny asked, somewhat surprised.
"All of us who you've dealt with more or less live in the same 'neighborhood' of the ghost zone. We know each other. Spectra tries to hang out with Kitty and I to try and understand youthful girls, since Kitty and I are both effectively permanently 18." Ember said, rolling her eyes.
"Really, permanently 18?" Danny asked.
"Yes and no. From what Kitty's learned, ghosts can age if they perceive themselves to, our forms are malleable, so what we look like is the mental picture we paint of ourselves. We can expend effort to temporarily change our appearance, like what Spectra does, but it's hard to keep up." Ember said casually.
Kitty and Johnny walked up to the pair, Kitty handing Ember a candied apple. "Hey Phantom! Hope it's no problem for us to be here enjoying the party." Kitty said, an upbeat smile on her face as she dug into her candied apple.
"As long as you're not terrorizing people or causing any harm you're fine. I'll even be a little lenient on some light-hearted spooking in the name of the season." Danny said jokingly. "Also, if I'm like this, it's Danny."
"Gotcha Danny." Kitty said. "How are you enjoying the ectostorm? Doesn't it feel great?"
"Ectostorm?" Danny asked, confused.
"Oh, I forget you haven't been a ghost very long. Ectostorms are when there is really high levels of ectoplasmic energy in the air, usually from the border between the human world and the ghost zone getting fuzzier. For us ghosts, it means that being in the human world makes us feel more energized than usual." Kitty said, before taking another bite of her apple.
"Huh, hope that doesn't mean any ghosts are going to come cause any trouble." Danny said, hoping he could have a quiet night to spend with Kim and Star.
"Probably shouldn't have any issues, Halloween is a ghost zone holiday too, so most people are probably too busy celebrating. I know Spectra was trying to get Ember and I to go to a party with her, but her friends are buzzkills." Kitty said. "Bunch of old fogeys and people obsessed with gaining more power. They won't even play any fun games."
"Why you're friends with that woman I'll never know." Johnny said, shaking his head.
"Better than being her enemy lughead." Ember said, with a sigh.
"I'm not certain that's the case." Danny said, chuckling. "If you're her enemy you get to punch her and not feel bad. It did wonders for me."
"Not surprised her little high schooler trick didn't work out for her. She make you miserable too?" Kitty asked.
"That and tried to kill my sister, so Spectra's pretty much #2 on ghosts I dislike the most." Danny said, before looking back at his friends. "I better head back to my group. You guys enjoy the party, just don't cause any trouble okay? I'd rather not have to catch you guys in a thermos and ruin both our evenings."
"I'll keep these two wildlings under control. I owe you big anyway, without you I'd still be stuck in limbo right now." Kitty said, shooting him a big smile.
Danny waved, before walking back to Kim, Star, and the rest of his friends.
"So, no fighting… what's she doing here?" Kim asked, glancing nervously over where Ember was.
"Enjoying the holiday with Johnny and Kitty. As long as she doesn't cause any trouble, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones here." Danny said. "Kitty said she'd keep her and Johnny out of trouble, so I'm hopeful it'll work out fine."
"You seem awfully trusting of a girl who mind controlled you and tried to take over the world." Star said, looking at Danny. "You sure you can trust that?"
"I know, and maybe a part of it is what I learned while I was under her control. She's… she's not bad, not really. I know it's hard for you to believe me, but I think she was just lashing out. I think that trying to just treat her like a person will maybe help her to not do something like that again." Danny said. "I'll be the first to stop her if she causes problems, but I'm willing to give her a chance to get better, to not just be a bad guy."
"You're too good for your own good Danny." Sam said, rolling her eyes.
"Maybe, but someone has to be." Danny said with a smile. "For now, we can just enjoy the holiday. According to them, ghost activity should be lower because everyone is celebrating, Halloween is apparently a big holiday in the Zone, so with any luck we'll have the night to ourselves."
"You recognize you've probably just jinxed it dude." Tucker said, as he put on his costume, a set of Groucho Marx glasses with attached nose and mustache.
"Like it wasn't going to happen regardless?" Danny countered.
"Touche, well Ron, ready to hit the streets?" Tucker asked the blond boy, who nodded as the pair headed off.
"Guess we better head to the Skulk and Lurk if we want to get some coffee before the rush, Valerie." Sam said, checking her watch.
"Alright. You three have fun at the party!" Valerie said, as she and Sam walked off to the bookshop.
An hour later, and the party is in full swing. A playlist of popular dance music, as well as some occasional Halloween favorites pumps over the loudspeakers of the park. Danny can't help but smile as Star excitedly twirls around, enjoying the atmosphere.
"I swear, she's like a little kid!" Kim said good naturedly, watching her friend enjoy the festivities.
"Come on! You two just aren't getting in the spirit! You didn't even get costumes!" Star said, gesturing to their normal clothes.
"Sorry, I haven't done a costume since I was like 10. After Jazz stopped trick or treating, Mom and Dad left us at the house to give out candy while they 'cleaned the neighborhood of ectoplasmic activity'." Danny said. "No trick or treating eventually just meant no costumes."
"Ron's the trick or treat fiend, I don't mind dressing up but Ron's idea for this year was… well not something I was down for." Kim said, rolling her eyes a bit. "He wanted to do one of those two person horse costumes."
"Huh, figured Ron would try and put you in some kind of superhero outfit. You'd make a decent Batgirl." Star pointed out. "Oh! That'd be fun, we could have been Nightwing, Batgirl, and Supergirl! We even look the part!"
A voice from the sky catches their attention. "Kim Possible! You have thwarted my plans on a number of occasions! No more! Today I send you to a dimension formed from your worst nightmares! Shego! Get her!" Dr. Drakken said, as Shego hopped from the hovercraft, a green sword in her hands that seemed to glow, although its glow was different from the one that Shego normally had.
"Come on Kimmie, let's dance one last time." Shego called out menacingly, swinging the claymore in a massive overhead arc, which Kim managed to dodge out of the way of.
"Danny! Star! Get everyone else out of here. I'll handle Shego." Kim said, as she acrobatically kept dodging Shego's blows.
Danny and Star nodded at each other, Star running to try and keep people away from the action, while Danny made his way towards a secluded area to transform. Star's job had been easier than expected, a crazy woman swinging a glowing claymore had caused most normal people to run away from the scene, something which Star was glad about. She trusted Danny and Kim to handle this, so kept close by, but out of what she would imagine the primary threat area would be.
Danny found a portapotty and closed himself inside, transforming before flying out invisibly, landing a solid punch to Shego's side, as he planted himself next to Kim. "Seems like you could use some help Ms. Possible." Danny said, trying to seem slightly less familiar with Kim while in his Phantom persona. Kim was Danny's girlfriend after all, she was just Phantom's teammate.
"Glad for the assist Phantom, sorry you got called in for one of mine." Kim said, keeping up the facade.
"Yeah yeah, superhero team up. I'm gonna carve you both like turkeys!" Shego said, rushing forward with the sword again.
"You're a month early!" Danny said, phasing low through her legs while Kim dodged to the side.
Shego dug her boots into the ground and turned around, rage evident on her face as she began to slash more and more erratically.
Danny and Kim's teamwork at taking down Shego was impeccable. They took turns running distraction and damage, landing hits that continued to slow down the metahuman while they stayed in top shape. As Shego tried to bring down the sword onto Danny's head, he caught her hands in his own grip, the two superpowered beings fighting each other's strength.
"Ms. Possible, think you can knock that sword away?" Danny called out as he held Shego's arms fully in place.
"With pleasure!" Kim said, cartwheeling into a back handspring that had both of her feet connect with the flat of the blade, knocking it out of Shego's hands and into the ground.
As the sword plunged into the soft soil, Danny felt a massive burst of ectoplasmic energy come from the sword, which pulled his attention away from Shego. She capitalized on this, slamming her feet into his chest to break his grip on her hands, and dashed towards the sword. When she tried to pull it out though, she found herself unable.
"Ugh! What gives? Why won't this stupid thing budge?" Shego fumed, putting her whole body into pulling the sword from the ground.
Danny however had his attention pulled away from the sword as a bolt of ectoplasmic lightning fell from the sky, alerting him to the massive storm clouds that had formed overhead.
"Phantom, is that a ghost sword?" Kim asked, looking over to him.
"Seems like it. Hey, Shego! Where did you find that thing?" Phantom asked.
"Some dumb castle in the ghost zone, is it yours or something?" Shego asked, irritated as she gave up pulling the sword from the ground. "Well, it never said I had to hit you with the sword to make it work, maybe I'll just hit the sword with you!"
Kim dropped back into a combat stance, ready to square off with her adversary, when the whinny of a horse caught everyone's attention.
Entering the park on the back of a massive winged horse, the towering figure of the Fright Knight emerged. "You fools thought to take my blade from me, and now you shall pay for your insolence. I'll destroy you pathetic whelps, and then begin my conquest of this world!" The armored ghost said, hopping down from off of his horse and walking with purpose towards his blade.
"Not on my watch Dork Knight." Danny said, flying forward at full speed to land a punch into the Fright Knight's stomach. The impact with the armor hurt Danny's hand, but the Fright Knight took the blow easily.
"Insolent whelp. You're beneath my notice." The Fright Knight said, grabbing Danny by the arm and throwing him off the side and into one of the brick walls that surrounded the square they were in.
"Shego! Abandoning this plan. Get on board!" Drakken called out, flying over to where Shego was and picking her up, flying off into the distance.
"Figures that they'd turn tail and run if something bigger showed up." Kim said, rolling her eyes. "Guess it's time to try out this Centurion Project." With a thought, the armor enveloped Kim again, the bulky suit covering her body, as shoulder cannons appeared. "I don't know who you are, but taking over the world is strictly against the rules here."
"I am the Fright Knight, Spirit of Halloween. With my Soul Shredder, I will spread this storm across the globe, bathing it in fear! With all that fear at my fingertips, I'll be unstoppable." Fright Knight said, as he continued his step toward the Soul Shredder.
Danny sat up from his impact with the wall, disoriented, but recovering. Johnny knelt down next to him. "Phantom are you crazy? That's Fright Knight, he's out of your league."
"You know this guy?" Danny asked.
"You humans tell ghost stories about us… we tell Ghost stories about the Fright Knight. You know how it took me, you and Skulker to take down Walker? I'm not convinced three Walkers could take down Fright Knight." Johnny explained, looking over at Fright Knight with fear in his eyes. "You don't stand a chance against him."
"Doesn't matter, I've got to try and stop him." Danny said, getting up. "Clear on out… I'll figure out how to handle him." Danny then charged forward, interposing himself between the Fright Knight and the Soul Shredder.
Johnny watched as Danny and Kim kept throwing themselves at the Fright Knight. Kim fired blasts from her shoulder cannons while Danny kept physical pressure. The Fright Knight was stronger than them, Johnny knew that, but he also knew he wasn't invincible. Danny's blows seemed to hurt him, if only a little, and the blasts that Kim was shooting from her suit seemed to at least annoy him. Johnny watched as Kitty hid in an alleyway, fear on her face at the presence of the ghost. Phantom was over there busting his ass again trying to save everyone, and Johnny was just sitting here, cowering like a little baby. Johnny grit his teeth, Shadow manifesting behind him. Johnny pulled out his tire iron, and Shadow manifested one himself, the two unlucky ghosts charging at Fright Knight in a pincer manuever.
Johnny and Shadow slammed their tire irons into the back of the Fright Knight's knees, forcing him to stumble as Danny delivered a solid uppercut, knocking the towering figure back several feet. "I hope you've got a plan, Phantom; because without one we're signing our second death certificates."
"No plan right now, but I think I can get some back-up. Star! Get Valerie and the Fentons, we need firepower, and lots of it!" Danny called out, as Star gave a thumbs up and ran towards the Skulk and Lurk bookstore.
"Well, if it's firepower you need, how about adding some Embers." Ember said, flying up next to Danny and Johnny. "I ain't one to tangle with someone like the Fright Knight, but he ruined my night and I'm not letting him get away with it."
"Glad for the assist… Ember, how about you head with Kim and keep firing blasts at him. Johnny, Shadow, and I can keep him pinned down more or less. Hopefully we'll have some heavier hitting equipment here soon." Danny called out looking to the rocker.
"On it, we're going to rock this knightly knucklehead into the dirt." Ember said, taking her position near Kim, pulling out her guitar and strumming a power chord that manifested as an energy blast and slammed into the Fright Knight.
Johnny, Shadow, and Danny supplemented Ember and Kim's blasts with a physical assault, the trio of ghosts drastically slowing the Fright Knight's attempts to reach his blade.
The presence of Valerie, who flew in on her hoverboard and began blasting away at the Fright Knight also began to wear down at him, actual damage beginning to show from their combined assault.
Unfortunately, while they were slowing him down, they were not stopping him, and with one surge, the Fright Knight managed to grasp the hilt of the Soul Shredder, pulling it from the ground.
"Foolish whelps. Had you simply allowed me to claim my blade, I might have made your ends quick. Now though, you will suffer. Only one has ever managed to defeat me whilst I wield my blade, and none of you are even close to his level." The Fright Knight said, raising Soul Shredder up to the sky. "All will fear the name of the Fright Knight. All will feel the terror I inflict!"
"Did he just say Fright Knight?" Valerie asked, flying next to Danny.
"Yeah, it's his name apparently." Danny said. "Why?"
"One of the books Sam picked up at the Skulk and Lurk was about this guy… maybe it has a weakness in there?" Valerie asked.
"Worth a shot, see if you can have her find one in the book. Keep her safe, hopefully we can keep him slowed down enough." Danny said.
"You will, because the calvary just arrived!" Came the voice of Jack Fenton over the loud speaker of the Fenton Family Assault vehicle, as a massive blob of ectoplasmic foam shot over the Fright Knight, knocking him to the side.
Jack and Maddie hopped out of the RV, each wielding large Ecto-zookas, while Jazz sat on the turret seat, ready to blast the Fright Knight again. Star emerged as well, no longer wearing the Ulala costume, but covered head to toe in the Fenton Peeler armor.
"Alright! Everyone, we need to keep him pinned, Johnny, Shadow and I will try and wail on him, everyone else, blast whenever you see an opening!" Danny called out, as the trio of ghosts resumed their assault.
While everyone continued putting pressure on the Fright Knight, Technus appeared beside Kim. "That's a fancy suit you got there… you're running out of power though… would you like a boost?" He asked.
"If you've got one Technus." Kim said, wondering where this was going. Technus phased himself into the armor, the silver plates turning the telltale green of ectoplasm, and the darker sections becoming a much deeper black. In the gaps betweeen plates, red light flickered out.
"Technus Centurion integration complete. Power output increased by 50%, laser blasts now charged with ectoplasm. Expected increased efficiency on ghostly opponents: 200%." Technus said, his voice now inside of Kim's own mind. Firing the shoulder cannon again, the red laser had become an ectoplasmic green, and it definitely did more damage to Fright Knight than before.
The fight continued, blasts firing nearly non-stop for several minutes, Danny and Johnny were getting tired, their blows not landing as hard as they were at the beginning.
"Batteries running low on the Ecto-zookas!" Maddie called out.
"Fenton Peeler battery dead!" Star added.
"Armor's at 7%." Kim called out.
"Ecto-foamer's tank is empty." Jazz said.
"Running dry here too babypop." Ember said, her voice weak from exhaustion. Everyone had been pushing themselves to the absolute limit to try and keep the Fright Knight at bay, but nothing was working.
"Your efforts are impressive, none have ever held me at bay for so long, but now you will all feel true terror. Enjoy these last few moments, as they will be the last you aren't experiencing true, uncontrollable fear." The Fright Knight said, as he strutted over to Danny, who readied himself again.
Fright Knight brought the sword down in an overhead swing, and Danny managed to catch it, slamming his hands together on the flat of the blade, keeping it from cutting into him.
"An admirable effort boy, but it's far too late for you. You will succumb, and I'll force you to live out your worst nightmares for all of eternity. Everyone you know and love will die, and you'll watch it happen… over and over again. Every fear, every nightmare, I'll make them manifest and torture you with them until the end of days. You will know fear, and know the name of it. Fright Knight." He said, continuing to force the blade down.
"Phantom! I found it! His weakness!" The voice of Sam said, before continuing. "To stop the storm, to end the fear, the sword must sheath in pumpkin near! You've got to say the poem and shove the sword in a pumpkin!"
With that, Sam threw a pumpkin towards Danny, with Star, Kim, Jack, Maddie, Johnny, Ember, and Valerie each sending one as well. Danny grit his teeth, summoning all his energy, all his might, into turning the blade.
"To stop the storm." Danny glowed a brilliant green, his energy manifesting in a new way.
"To end the fear." Fright Knight pushed harder, but found more resistance than before, he could feel his control over the direction of the sword waning.
"The sword must sheath." Danny twisted his body, using Fright Knights own power against him, forcing him to push the sword forward.
"In pumpkin near!" The tip of Soul Shredder embedded itself in a pumpkin, and a bright beam of light emerged, shooting up into the sky. The mass of stormclouds began to spin backwards.
A whinny fills the air as Nightmare, Fright Knight's horse is sucked into the vortex in the sky, and Fright Knight's eyes widened.
"No, impossible! You cannot defeat me!" He said, disbelief filling his voice.
"From where I'm standing, it seems very possible, now begone!" Danny said, as he delivered one last uppercut to the Fright Knight. With his feet no longer on the ground, Fright Knight was sucked into the portal, his form turning to dust as he came closer. With a final beam of light, the Soul Shredder and the pumpkin it was in disappeared, and the storm clouds vanished, leaving only the stars and the moon in the sky.
Danny reverted, his ghost form leaving him from exhaustion as he tried to stand again in human form. He stumbled, but he managed. With uneasy steps, he, along with everyone else, made their way to the center of the park.
"Thanks everyone for helping… couldn't have made it work without everyone." Danny said, gratitude in his weak voice.
"Is it always this bad son?" Jack asked, the large man taking a seat on the ground, huffing and puffing.
"This is about the worst it's ever been." Danny said.
"You don't get much badder than Fright Knight." Johnny added, as Kitty came up and helped him stand, Shadow returning to Johnny's form.
"Let's hope we don't have to do that again." Kim said, as the armor retracted into her bracelet, the batteries at a critically low level. Technus hopped out of the armor.
"Indeed, that was quite the battle. I am glad we were able to arrive in time." The booming voice of the technological ghost said, taking his own seat on the grass.
"Any ghost with any sense fled back into the ghost zone when Fright Knight got here, so I imagine you'll be free of any trouble for the rest of the night if you want to take it off." Ember said, leaning against the large oak tree in the center of the plaza.
"Implying you don't have any sense since you stayed to lend a hand?" Danny asked with a smirk.
"Not hearing a lot of gratitude for helping you, babypop." Ember retorted sarcastically.
"Oh there's plenty of gratitude I assure you." Danny said, laying down on the grass.
"Kitty and I gotta head back to the zone, even with the ectostorm brewing, I'm completely tapped, I gotta recharge." Johnny said, his motorcycle appearing next to him. "Don't expect me to jump in and save your butt against every ghost Phantom, keeping Kitty safe is always priority one."
"You got it Johnny, thanks for the assist. Sorry you two didn't get to really enjoy the party." Danny said, waving to the pair.
"Considering Johnny now gets to say he helped take down Fright Knight? I think people will start thinking even less about messing with us. Maybe we could finally stop hanging out with Spectra." Kitty said, before she and Johnny shot off down the street.
Jack and Maddie looked to Danny. "Isn't that the ghost that tried to kill Jazz? They hang out with her? Should you really be hanging out with that crowd?" Jack asked, concerned.
"Ghost Zone's a dog eat dog world, you do what you've gotta to make it. Any enemy you can avoid making is a good one." Ember said, rolling her eyes a bit. "Neither Kitty or I LIKE Spectra at all, but it's better to have her as an acquaintance than as an enemy, even if I'm probably stronger than her, she and her little assistant could really mess me up if they wanted."
"Well, I certainly owe you after tonight, so if she gives you any trouble, let me know, I'd be glad to throw more punches at her." Danny said, jokingly cracking his knuckles.
"I'm just glad we're all safe and sound… even if we are tired. How about we load up in the RV and just rest back at the Fentons… is that okay?" Star asked, looking to Danny's parents.
"Yeah, that's probably for the best. Everyone hop in, we'll be there in a jiffy." Jack said as everyone loaded into the RV.
Ember watched Danny, Kim, and Star on the way home, the way they held hands and how he kissed them, obviously thrilled that they were unharmed by the encounter. Despite his exhaustion, Danny pushed through to make sure Kim and Star knew how happy and thankful he was that they weren't injured. Ember felt a stirring in her chest, one she had been trying to quell and deny, but knew that she couldn't anymore. She wanted Danny, she might have already been in love with him. She wanted him to look at her the way he looked at Star and Kim, wanted him to hold her hand and give her a kiss that said "It's okay, we're here together."
Ember knew though, that as she was, Danny wouldn't accept her. She was still bitter, ready to lash out at the world that had taken her life from her those years ago. She'd controlled his mind, and nearly controlled the world, and while Danny was nice enough to look past that to be acquaintances, she knew that even his tolerance for her behavior was limited. If she wanted him, she needed to change, and more than that, she needed to SHOW him that she had changed. He obviously wasn't leaving Star or Kim anytime soon, but if he had space in his heart for two girls… who is to say there wasn't room for a third?
An idea formed in Ember's head, one she would act on soon. It would take time, planning, and more than anything a deep willingness to change, but she'd do it. She'd do it for him, to have the chance to leave the darkness inside her to live in his light.