Danny Phantom Fan Fiction ❯ Danny Phantom: Facing the Future ❯ Danny Phantom: Facing the Future - Part 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Danny Phantom: Facing the Future

Part 7

By Aaron

No doubt about it, Amity Park had been on a wild ride the last few hours. Between Sam getting ghost powers and three Danny Phantoms turning part of the city into a war zone, the day had certainly been filled with ups and downs. And just when it looked like Future Danny and Future Sam were finally going to bring everything to a welcome end, Vlad Plasmius came along and ran everything off the rails!

“Ahhh,” he sighed, a look of twisted satisfaction on his face, “The unbridled might of three future ghosts, each in their prime. And now, all of it mine to command. Of course, it's no mastery of time, but it makes for a very nice consolation prize.”

It was then he looked down to see Danny still lying unconscious in Sam's arms, who could only look up at Vlad with Tucker and Valerie, all glaring in futile defiance! Sam was the only one with ghost powers still in the fight, but with the combined strength of Future Sam, Future Danny AND Dark Danny behind him, it was clear that there was no way she could possibly take Vlad down!

“Oh, and to think young Daniel is snoozing away during my moment of triumph! Isn't that just typical?!” Vlad complained, “So now what, I'm forced to gloat to the peanut gallery?! And here I was hoping there would be at least SOMEONE worth demonstrating my awesome new power on…what?!”

Just then, Vlad's boasts were cut short as the gauntlet on his left hand began to throw off a series of sparks. But before he could determine exactly what was going on, the gauntlet exploded off his hand, blasting through the sky like a missile before floating in mid-air just a few yards away! Ecto-energy was pouring out from the gauntlet's opening, but for some reason, it wasn't dissipating! And it soon became apparent why! For a moment later, the energy warped and molded itself into shape before exploding into an unmistakable form that the others could only look at in horror! Not only had Dark Danny emerged from the gauntlet, but now he appeared to be completely healed!

“Same old Vlad,” he noted with a sinister chuckle, “You always did claim victory before you ACTUALLY won. It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.”

“But…but how…?!” Vlad could only stammer in surprise.

“It's because he's pure ghost,” Tucker concluded, “When Vlad used the gauntlets to absorb him, he must have absorbed the energy from Danny and Sam when he was inside and it gave him his power back!”

“Oh, just ducky!” Vlad yelled, “This is what I get for trusting one of Jack Fenton's inventions!”

“Hey, I'm not complaining,” Dark Danny replied, “But I have to say, I wouldn't mind a little more of that. So what do you say `Unkie Vlad'? You hand me the other one and MAYBE I'll consider thinking about letting you live…for another day or two.”

“Ha! YOU threaten ME?! You think 10 years is enough to make you MY equal?!” Vlad mocked. However, his defiance only drew an amused chuckle from Dark Danny.

“Oh…do you have any idea how badly I was hoping you'd say that?” he replied with a twisted grin.

Vlad only scowled in response and wasted little time in bursting through the sky, making a beeline straight for Dark Danny! But Dark Danny wasn't about to be outdone as he charged forward as well! And with both of them blazing with ecto-energy they'd stolen from Future Danny and Future Sam, the reaction when their fists made contact was like a bomb going off in mid-air! The force of the shockwave rocked Sam, Tucker and Valerie to the core, but that wasn't all it did! When the shockwave hit, it caused further damage to a wall that had been damaged by the fuel tanker explosion. A wall that was now crumbling down on an unconscious Future Danny and Future Sam!

“No!!” Sam cried out as she whipped her hands out, throwing out two large Ghost Ray strands that lashed around Future Danny and Future Sam, pulling them out of harm's way and just barely saving them both from being crushed! As Sam dragged them both over to where she was still caring for Danny, Tucker pulled up in the Specter Speeder.

“Come on!” he shouted, “We've got to get out of here!”

Valerie was quick to help Sam load the others into the back of the Specter Speeder, allowing Tucker to speed them away. Luckily, neither Vlad nor Dark Danny were anywhere in the immediate area to stop them, or even to see them leave. Vlad was picking himself up, rubbing the back of his head in a daze. The force of the impact with Dark Danny had sent him flying through the hood of an abandoned car. But as he looked up, he saw Dark Danny slowly emerge from a plume of smoke and dust. But as Dark Danny grinned at Vlad wickedly, there didn't appear to be even a scratch on him! He simply chuckled as he cracked the knuckles of his right hand and his voice lowered into an evil hiss.

“You KNOW I'm going to hurt you…old man.”

Vlad sneered in contempt as he threw two full power Ghost Rays straight at Dark Danny! But Dark Danny merely smirked as he threw up an ecto-energy force field. The Ghost Rays struck the field a moment later, erupting into an explosion of raw power!

Tucker parked the Specter Speeder into a deep alley a few blocks away as the battle raged off in the distance. Future Danny and Future Sam were still out cold. The only way they were going to get back into the fight was by getting those gauntlets back. Danny, meanwhile, was still unconscious from his surprising transformation and only time would tell when he was going to recover again. Tucker and Valerie knew they were going to need Danny back on his feet if they were going to mount what was left of their forces to the fullest. Still, with both Vlad AND Dark Danny to worry about, both of them now stronger than ever, their chances of actually winning were ranging from slim to none.

Sam kept watch on the ramp as Tucker and Valerie did what they could to look after the others. And a worried look crossed her face as she saw the Ghost Rays flashing in the sky, hearing the explosions like a fireworks show in the middle of the day. There was no way she'd be strong enough to repel an attack if either Vlad or Dark Danny found them and she knew it. And Danny was in no shape to help them because he'd wiped himself out trying to protect her. When she made the decision to acquire her powers, Sam had pictured so many scenarios in her head of the kinds of things that would happen. But she never imagined for one second that it would all go so wrong like this. Looking up into the sky as the war continued on, Sam could only feel completely helpless. And to think, she went for these powers so she wouldn't HAVE to feel that way anymore. Just then, she could hear every other voice echoing in her head at once and suddenly, the choice she had once been so sure of, didn't seem so clear…

…“Sam, have you thought for one second what Danny would go through if you were out there with him and got hurt? What it would do to him?”…

…“You're not ready to roll with THIS!”…

…“Sam, I just…didn't want this for you.”…

…“Hmph! Rookie.”…

“Uuunh…oh man…” Danny's voice broke her out of her depression as she whirled around to see him wide awake! Tucker and Valerie even looked as surprised as she did. They had only taken their eyes off him for the briefest moment, and there he was already sitting up! Sometimes, it was just unbelievable how Danny was able to bounce back from these things so easily.

“Sam? Are you okay?” he asked, Sam being the first person he looked for when he came to. And seeing her up and around again was enough to make Danny smile weakly. And he wasn't the only relieved one. At first, all Sam wanted to do was to grab him and hold him and not let go. But immediately after, she found herself pulling away. After everything that had happened up to that point, she just couldn't bring herself to face him. But before Danny could react to her turning away, Tucker provided a timely distraction.

“Dude, are YOU okay?” he said, rushing over to him, “It got pretty bad out there for you.”

“I'm alright,” Danny replied, stretching his joints to work out any kinks, “How long was I out?”

“About 10 minutes…maybe 15,” Valerie answered, “But man, I cannot TELL you how glad we are to see you right now.”

“Hmmm,” Danny responded before looking over to see Future Danny and Future Sam lying beside him, “I'm gonna wish I was still unconscious, aren't I?”

“Well, we've had a bit of a plot twist,” Tucker explained, with apprehension in his voice, “See, well…Vlad showed up and…”

“VLAD!” Danny shouted, cutting Tucker off as he snapped to his feet, “Oh, that's just great!”

“Yeah, well, somehow he got his hands on those gloves from your parents' lab,” Tucker continued, “And then he tricked them out so he could steal the ecto-energy from your future selves. But when he did that, he ended up giving the evil you his powers back and now, they're pretty much…”

A thundering explosion roared overhead, cutting off Tucker's words as the Specter Speeder shook from the force! Running down the ramp, Danny looked up and the sight that greeted his eyes didn't agree with him one bit. Clearly, both Vlad and Dark Danny had to be stopped for Amity Park's sake, if not the entire world. But with Future Danny and Future Sam powering them up, Danny obviously wouldn't stand a chance in a toe-to-toe slugfest. He was going to have to play this smart.

“Okay,” he said, calming down and giving himself a moment to approach the situation with a clear head, “I think I've got an idea.”

“You `think'?” Valerie replied, “Not exactly a ringing endorsement, Danny.”

“Well, I KNOW I don't have time to think of a BETTER one,” Danny argued before transforming, “Every second counts here. But I don't know if I can do this alone. Sam, I really hate to ask but…Sam?”

Danny looked over to see that Sam was no longer on the ramp of the Specter Speeder. Looking outside, he saw Sam standing away from the vehicle, almost towards the edge of the alley, with her head hanging low. Gently, he walked over to her, but he made sure she could hear him coming.

“Sam?” he asked softly. He reached out to her slowly, but a heavy sigh from Sam forced him to pull his hand away.

“Some protector I turned out to be, huh?” she said solemnly. Danny found himself sighing as well as he slowly turned away.

“Sam…look, I'm sorry about yelling at you before. It all came out wrong. It's just…I saw you like that and I didn't know what to think…I…guess I overreacted.”

“No you didn't,” Sam replied, turning around to face him, “You were right. All of you were right.”

“Huh?” Danny looked at her curiously.

“I'm in over my head!” Sam yelled, more at herself than at Danny, “Everyone tried to warn me! Jazz…you…even me…all of you tried to tell me I was being stupid…and I just wouldn't listen!”

Sam turned back away from Danny, crossing her arms over her stomach as she sighed again.

“What was I thinking? I can't believe I was such an idiot.”

“Hey, come on. That's not fair,” Danny said, trying to sound reassuring as he walked up behind her and gently put his hands on her shoulders, “What happened to my girl who said she had her own way of doing things? This doesn't sound like her.”

“Danny, what about you?!” Sam argued, “I almost lost you today! All that talk, saying I wanted to protect you and what good did it do?!”

“Sam,” Danny gently held her face in his hands, guiding her eyes up to meet his, “You DID protect me. If you hadn't gotten through to me when you did…I don't know what would have happened.”

Danny looked at her intently, his eyes never wavering for an instant, and Sam could only look into his eyes as he continued.

“Look, I…don't remember much about what happened. Most of it is just a blur to me. The only thing I remember clearly was you…seeing your face…hearing your voice. I don't know how you did it, but you did it. You pulled me back, Sam, from wherever I was. Don't forget that.”

“But if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have HAD to be pulled back,” Sam replied, not really feeling better, “If I hadn't been so reckless and screwed up when I did…”

“What, so that's it?” Danny argued, cutting her off, “You make one mistake and you're just gonna hang it up?”

“Danny, this whole thing was a mistake!” Sam argued back, her voice slightly cracking, “Look, I…I thought I was up to this. I really, really did. But right now, all I can think about is what could have happened and…”

“Hey…but it didn't,” Danny cut her off again, reaching out and gently grabbing her shoulders. Sam could only look at him with a hint of surprise. After everything he'd said before…after what had almost happened to him…why was he suddenly being so supportive?

“Okay…you screwed up. It happens,” Danny continued, pausing with a hollow chuckle, “I mean…look at ME. Sam, I've screwed up so many times I can't even count them all anymore!”

Danny paused for a moment to offer Sam a reassuring smile.

“But you know what? There's something I've learned after all this time…” he added, gently propping her chin up between his thumb and forefinger.

“…It doesn't matter how many mistakes you make…it's never too late to make things right.”

As Danny's words began to hit home, Sam suddenly found herself welling up with emotion. It was the same swell of happiness she felt when Danny gave her his class ring. And as she struggled to hold back tears, all she could do was smile as she closed her eyes, running her hands up Danny's arms and softly pressing her forehead to his.

“Aw, Danny…”

“Ooookay, that was good. That was really nice,” Tucker suddenly appeared beside them with a look of impatience, snapping them out of the warm moment, “Now if you two are done rehearsing this After School Special, do you think maybe you could get a move on and actually go after the bad guys now?”

Danny and Sam needed a moment longer to stop the blushing reflex. But as they looked back at each other, Danny merely smiled and shrugged.

“Hey…you heard the man,” he said, tracing his finger under Sam's chin, “So…think you're up to it?”

Sam didn't answer him. She didn't have to. Taking a moment to wipe away the tears, she simply took a deep breath before opening her eyes and flashing Danny a determined smile.

“Okay, so what's the plan!?” Sam called over as the two raced through the sky towards the small war that was taking place just a few short blocks away.

“A VERY small window of opportunity!” Danny replied, determined to get to the battle quickly, “But we've got to move fast! I doubt Vlad's going to last much longer!”

“Vlad?! Why him?!” Sam asked, “How do you know he's not going to win?!”

Danny didn't answer right away. Only an intense scowl came across his face.

“I know.”

Even if Vlad could have heard Danny's prediction of who was going to be the winner in this fight, he would have had a VERY hard time proving him wrong. As the smoke cleared after their last exchange, Vlad looked to be almost out on his feet as he stood slumped over, barely able to lift his arms. Dark Danny, meanwhile, was standing just a few feet away. All signs indicated that he was just as battered as Vlad was, but he didn't seem to be showing nearly the same level of fatigue. He was even laughing a little.

“Awww, what's wrong?” he taunted with a confident smirk, “Getting old in your old age?”

Glaring in anger, Vlad charged forward, his fist blazing with all the ecto-energy he had left to give! But his attack was all in vain as Dark Danny simply side-stepped him, reaching out and grabbing his hand that was still wearing the gauntlet! Unable to react fast enough, Vlad could only gasp as Dark Danny's free hand let loose with an explosive Ghost Ray, striking Vlad with such force, it actually tore his hand out of the gauntlet, sending him bouncing along the street! And without the gauntlet's stolen power to sustain him, Vlad was instantly transformed out of his ghost form as he passed out! Meanwhile, Dark Danny hovered overhead, chuckling wickedly as he clutched his new prize!

“Ah, I have to admit, that was very enjoyable,” he stated with a twisted contentment. Just then, his eyes went wide as he felt a sudden surge of inspiration.

“Hmmm, you know, I just had a thought. Spur of the moment, top of my head. Tell me what you think,” he said, looking down at a still unconscious Vlad with evil intentions as he prepared to put on the second gauntlet, “I wonder how much more power I'll get with YOU in the mix.”

But Dark Danny wouldn't get the chance to find out! Just as he was about to put it on, the second gauntlet disappeared from his hands! A split second later, the gauntlet he was wearing disappeared too, and Dark Danny found himself completely caught off guard!

“What the…?! What's going on!?!” he cried out, unable to react in his moment of confusion. Just then, he caught Danny appearing out of the corner of his eye, flying back to the street with both gauntlets in his hands. This was exactly the kind of reaction Danny was hoping for when he came up with this idea. Vlad most likely wouldn't have been so thrown off by such a relatively simple strategy, but on an impulsive hothead like Dark Danny, it was just perfect!

“Sorry!” Danny called out tauntingly, “But due to reports of misuse from irresponsible ghosts who have no business using it, I'm afraid this product has been recalled!”

“You…” Dark Danny muttered acidly through gritted teeth. Then, with a roar, he unleashed an enormous wave of ecto-energy, heading straight for Danny! Fortunately, Danny had planned for this as well. He knew he had little chance of outrunning the attack, but thanks to the second part of his plan, he wouldn't have to!

“Heads up, Sam! It's all you now!” Danny called down, firing the gauntlets back down to earth with a Ghost Ray blast before throwing up an ecto-energy force field to protect himself. Just then, Sam came bursting through the air from behind a pile of rubble. With her hands blazing, she quickly formed a set of ghost ray claws as she crossed paths with the gauntlets. And with a single swipe of her arms, she slashed them both into a hail of scrap!

With the gauntlets destroyed, the ecto-energy that was contained inside them exploded into the sky, streaming back to the Specter Speeder and striking Future Danny and Future Sam! As their eyes snapped open and the pair flipped to their feet, Tucker and Valerie could only look on and smile at each other, confident that Danny and Sam had done what they needed to do.

“Good to have you back!” Tucker stated, “You guys feeling okay?”

“We'll be okay later,” Future Danny replied as he and Future Sam looked over at Tucker and Valerie with glowing eyes, “Right now, we're too mad!”

Future Danny's feelings were quite obvious as he and Future Sam transformed, blasting off into the sky with enough force to shake the Specter Speeder! Meanwhile, Sam was feeling pretty pleased with herself as she examined the wreckage of the gauntlets lying at her feet.

“Hmh! Claiming victory before you actually won!” she stated, referring to Dark Danny, “Gee, I wonder where you got THAT from…”

Unfortunately, Sam didn't get the chance to finish her boast as a smoldering Danny smashed into the street beside her, cutting off her words! Lying in a man-sized crater, Danny could only make raspy breaths as Sam approached.

“So…was THIS part of your plan too?” she asked as Danny struggled to focus his eyes so he could see her clearly.

“Unnh…Admittedly…this hurt more than I wanted it to,” Danny groaned as Sam knelt down to sit him up. Just then, a dim glow caught the corner of her eye and she looked up in shock to see a barrage of Ghost Rays raining down on them like meteors! Acting on instinct, Sam held Danny close, phasing them both as the Ghost Rays exploded harmlessly around them into the street! Confident that they were safe, Sam waited until the attack was over and made sure there was no more flying debris before turning her and Danny tangible again.

“You think one of these days, you're going to remember you can actually DO that instead of letting yourself get blasted all the time?” she mentioned as she helped Danny to his feet.

“Oh great,” Danny commented as he brushed himself off, “I'm getting lectured now by `Jenny-Come-Lately'.”

“Nice!” Sam shot back sarcastically, flashing an amused half smile as she lightly slapped his arm. But one person who was clearly not amused was Dark Danny as he landed with such force that his feet actually smashed into the asphalt! His flashing eyes and blazing fists were clear signs of his rage as he stomped towards Danny and Sam, every molecule in his body screaming to do something nasty! But the pair seemed oddly unaffected by the threat as they simply smirked at each other.

“Awww,” Sam spoke tauntingly to Danny, “You know, I don't think he's happy with us.”

“Gee, I don't think he is either,” Danny replied, “But he's REALLY not going to be happy with THIS.”

With that, Danny and Sam closed their eyes and curiously tilted their heads away from each other. But a split second later, an enormous Ghost Ray passed between them, slamming a surprised Dark Danny hard in the chest and sending him flying through the wall of a nearby building! The pair didn't even have to look to see who the blast came from, because right after, Future Danny and Future Sam landed on the scene! And their angry glowing eyes showed that they were definitely spoiling to get some hurting done!

“WHERE IS HE?!?!” Future Danny yelled, looking around before he spotted a groaning Vlad slowly regaining consciousness just a few feet away, “WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM…!!!!”

“Whoa there, big guy,” Sam chimed in as she cut off Future Danny's advance, flying between him and Vlad and trying to hold him back, “You've still got a job to do, remember? Leave it to us. WE can handle this.”

Danny flew in right behind her to assure Future Danny that they had the situation under control on their end. And Future Danny had to admit that Sam had a point. He did have more important things to worry about than Vlad. But as Vlad looked up at him in a daze, all Future Danny could think about was all the pain he wanted to inflict! Unfortunately though, responsibility had to come first.

“THIS JUST BECAME THE LUCKIEST DAY OF YOUR WORTHLESS LIFE!!!” Future Danny snarled before he turned around and flew back to Future Sam's side. Meanwhile, Danny and Sam turned to Vlad in order to handle their part of the problem.

“I really don't know why I'm surprised,” Danny sighed, shaking his head as Vlad struggled to his feet, “Leave it to you to come along and screw it all up just when everything's going fine.”

“Oh please,” Vlad replied with his usual dismissive air as he casually brushed himself off, “Do you really think your contempt is going to make me feel bad?”

“Well then,” Sam answered, her hands blazing with ecto-energy, “I guess we'll just have to see what a few months of traction will do.”

“You can't be serious,” Vlad stated with a hollow chuckle as he transformed back into his ghost form! Sam, meanwhile, wasted no time in unleashing a barrage of Ghost Ray strands, wrapping Vlad up as tight as she could! But Vlad merely tossed a confident smirk and Sam could only look on in surprise as he worked his hand out and grabbed the strands with seemingly no effort at all!

“You're not at the kids' table anymore, little girl!” Vlad announced as pulled the strands hard, yanking Sam off her feet! But this time, it was Sam's turn for a surprise. Instead of sprawling, Sam burst into the air, flying straight for Vlad at top speed as her Ghost Ray strands unraveled! Acting on instinct, Vlad threw his fist out to strike her, but Sam surprised him a second time as she went into her phased form, passing harmlessly through him! Instantly, Vlad whirled around to retaliate, but what he saw was Sam floating in mid-air just inches away, pulling back a blazing ecto-charged fist!

“Neither are YOU!” she shouted, smashing Vlad across the face with a powered up left, sending him flying straight towards Danny! Not about to let up the assault, Danny charged his fists, blasting Vlad with a pair of point blank Ghost Rays, sending him flying into a pile of debris! But Vlad wouldn't be taken down so easily! Erupting from the rubble, he quickly re-emerged, only this time, split into his four ghost copies!

“You're not the only ones who can play the numbers game, you know!” he gloated, once again sensing an easy win!

“You don't say!” Danny replied, causing the Vlad copies to look around and see four Danny copies standing around them, “Now I know you've heard this one before, but let's see how you like it in SURROUND SOUND!”

Sam picked up on Danny's cue and covered her ears as she hid behind a nearby car! And she was wise to do it! Because a second later, all four Danny copies unleashed a Ghostly Wail attack on the four Vlad copies, trapping them in a swirling vortex of sound wave energy! Vlad tried his best to fight against the crushing pressure and deafening sound, but it was only a matter of moments before he lost his concentration and his copies vanished! But as Vlad crumpled to his knees, the strain of launching the Ghostly Wail from four different directions took its toll on Danny as well as his own copies disappeared and he struggled to keep his balance!

“Uuunh…okay. That…was spreading it a bit thin,” Danny groaned in a daze, holding his head to try and keep it from spinning. Sensing the chance to strike, Vlad punched the ground hard, unleashing an explosion of ecto-energy before Danny could mount a defense! But luckily for Danny, Sam swooped in at the last second, grabbing Danny and phasing them both through the wall of energy as she flew him out of range! Meanwhile, Vlad was still standing in the crater he'd created from his attack, smirking at Danny's exhausted state.

“Ah, still confusing arrogance with intelligence, I see,” he remarked smugly.

“Oh is that what you call it?” Sam replied, still holding Danny up as he tried to clear his head, “You know, Vlad, there's something I've figured out about you. All this time you've spent trying to take power away from everyone else, you weren't being smart…”

“…You were just a coward.”

“You know,” Danny added with an amused chuckle as the haze started to lift, “I don't think I could have said it any better myself,”

Vlad simply glared at them as Danny pulled away from Sam, his strength coming back. And Sam had to admit that she was quite impressed with Danny's ability to recover so quickly. Hopefully, it would be an ability she would get herself before too long. But there were more important things at hand to deal with first. And Sam's fists blazed with ecto-energy as she stood firm beside Danny, both of them flashing each other a confident grin as they prepared for Round 2. And Vlad was more than happy to kick things off by firing a pair of Ghost Rays at them!

Unfortunately, Future Danny and Future Sam weren't doing quite as well in their early goings. Their first couple of attacks hadn't gone so well and as they charged at Dark Danny for another assault, Dark Danny simply swept them back with a pair of Ghost Rays! Future Danny and Future Sam were both still able to stay on their feet, but the Ghost Rays were enough to send them skidding back along the street! And Dark Danny flashed an evil grin as they both seemed out on their feet, their bodies still smoldering!

“Awww, what's wrong? Not winning as easily as you thought?” He taunted confidently, “But then I guess that's what happens when I've still got most of your power, even without those stupid gloves!”

“You know…you may have a point there,” Future Danny replied, cracking his neck before he and Future Sam exchanged glances. And Dark Danny couldn't help but be confused. Was he actually…chuckling?

“I guess that means we'll just have to take off OUR kid gloves.”

As Future Danny spoke, Future Sam reached up and pulled her hair band off, letting the small ponytail on the top of her head fall away. And Dark Danny could still only look on confused. After all, they couldn't possibly think they still had a chance of winning…could they?

“Okay…be kind,” she stated, “After all, we don't get to do this one very much. We're still working out a lot of the kinks.”

Before Dark Danny could ask himself anymore questions, Future Danny and Future Sam stood tall. And he couldn't believe what he was seeing! It looked like they were transforming, but this time, the rings of ecto-energy surrounding them weren't white! They were green! And it didn't take long to see what it meant! Future Danny's muscles bulged, becoming visible even through his jacket! An ominous green aura surrounded his body! And his hair…his hair had changed into white flames! And Dark Danny could only look on in shock! He looked…just like Danny looked when HE had undergone that strange transformation before!

But Future Danny wasn't the only one showing changes! As Future Sam transformed as well, her body took on the same green glow! Her teeth grew into sharp fangs! Her fingernails turned green! And her hair grew to such and incredible length that it not only draped along the ground, it even covered the left side of her face like a veil! And as they both stared at Dark Danny with glowing eyes, Future Sam's lips curled into a twisted smile!

“Okay,” Future Danny said with a deep breath, “Let's try this again.”

Future Sam didn't speak, her face still showing the same sick grin as she raised her hand! Suddenly, her fingernails began to glow and shot out to three times their length! A moment later, it looked like she had turned invisible. But a split second later, Dark Danny soon realized that wasn't the case as he felt a searing pain across his chest! Future Sam hadn't turned invisible at all, but had charged at him with so fast, his eyes couldn't follow! And she had slashed at him with such force, she had actually taken him off his feet! He wouldn't even get the chance to land, because before he could hit the ground, Future Danny just appeared in front of him, ready to strike with a blazing fist! Dark Danny felt like he was moving in slow motion, while everything else was moving around him at warp speed as Future Danny lashed out! Plowing him across the face with an ecto-powered right, Future Danny sent Dark Danny smashing into the street, creating a massive crater! Dazed and hurt, Dark Danny had to struggle just to sit up as he looked up to see Future Danny and Future Sam staring down at him from the edge of the crater!

“Awww, what's wrong?” Future Danny taunted.

“Not winning as easily as you thought?” Future Sam added with an evil hiss as Dark Danny glared up at them in frustration!

Meanwhile, Danny and Sam were having frustrations of their own. Their fight with Vlad had been going fairly, but it seemed no matter how many times they knocked him down, he kept getting right back up. And they had lost track of how many rounds this had gone.

Vlad had taken the offensive, lashing out at Sam, who managed to phase through his attack at the last second before countering with an attack of her own! As Sam drove the air out of Vlad with an ecto-powered punch to his stomach, Danny countered with a pair of Ghost Rays to his head, sending him flying through a hole in the wall of a nearby building!

“Hwooh, I really hate to say it, but I've got to hand it to him,” Sam noted, bracing her hands on her knees and trying to catch her breath, “He can TAKE it. Any thoughts?”

Danny found himself breathing hard as well, keeping on guard for Vlad to emerge from the building. He had to admit, he was starting to run out of options. But just then, a thought shot across his brain like a bolt of lightning!

“Wrap him up!” He said to Sam, “As soon as he gets out, tie him up with your Ghost Rays! As many as you can make!”

“What good will THAT do?” Sam asked, unsure of what Danny's plan was, “They'll NEVER hold him.”

“They won't HAVE to!” Danny replied, readying himself, “Trust me!”

Just then, Vlad appeared from the hole in the wall, his eyes glowing in rage! But Sam wasn't about to let him attack again. Whipping her hands out, she did as Danny instructed and unleashed dozens of Ghost Ray strands, more than she'd ever used before. But Vlad seemed entirely unimpressed as the strands completely wrapped him up from the neck down.

“Hmph! This again?” He said simply, “Don't you have anything new?”

“You want something new?!” Danny called out, getting Vlad's attention. Looking over, Vlad saw Danny standing right behind Sam, his hands reaching around and folding over hers! Just then, his hands glowed with blue ecto-energy.

“Make a note of THIS!”

And with that, Danny let loose, firing his blue ecto-energy and sending it traveling along Sam's Ghost Ray strands! Unable to escape in time, Vlad could only gasp in shock as the energy struck him, leaving him bound and frozen in a miniature glacier! Meanwhile, the Ghost Ray strands connected to the glacier turned brittle and fell to the ground like delicate icicles.

“Wow, cool,” Sam noted with some surprise as she clapped some lingering frost off her hands, “But…how did you know that would work?”

“I didn't, really,” Danny replied with a shrug, looking into her eyes and flashing an affectionate smile, “I just figured…maybe we were compatible.”

Sam returned Danny's gaze with a warm smile of her own before she reached up, holding his face in her hands as she pressed her forehead to his. Danny immediately followed suit and put his arms around her to hold her close. Unfortunately, the tender moments would have to wait as a body smashed into the ground just a few feet away! A moment later, Dark Danny emerged from the small crater and Danny and Sam couldn't believe what had happened to him. He was battered almost beyond recognition. His uniform was in tatters. He looked like he had just fought an entire army. But as a green glow caught their eyes, Danny and Sam looked up to see Future Danny and Future Sam floating overhead, both in their transformed states. And they soon realized that it was an army of TWO that Future Danny had just been fighting!

“Whoa,” Sam said, her eyes wide in shock, “That…is unbelievably cool.”

Unfortunately, the moment of awe would only last for a moment as Future Danny and Future Sam slowly floated back down to the ground. As the green transformation reversed itself, both of them crumpled to their knees in exhaustion.

“Okay,” Future Danny stated, breathing heavily, “I think that's enough of THAT.”

Both Future Danny and Future Sam were still in their ghost forms, but it was clear that they were in no shape to be fighting anyone else for a while. Fortunately, Dark Danny was in no better shape. Beaten and drained as he was, it would take no effort at all to finish him off now. But as he struggled to lift his head and saw Danny and Sam standing just a few feet away, his eyes still managed to glow with anger.

“You…” he uttered through grinding teeth before his voice rose to a loud bellow!

“YOU!!!”

Delirious from rage and pain, Dark Danny charged forward, bearing down on Danny and Sam with all the strength he had left to give. He had no way of harming either of them, as weakened as he was. But he was too far gone at that point to realize it. Danny and Sam, meanwhile, simply flashed each other a confident smirk before turning back to Dark Danny, each of them pulling back a glowing fist…!

POW!!!

That did it. Dark Danny's eyes rolled as he was stopped dead in his tracks from Danny and Sam's combined blow. A second later, his head reeled and he crumpled to his knees, completely unconscious! But he wouldn't stay there long. A moment later, Dark Danny's body was sucked into the new Fenton Thermos, courtesy of Future Danny, who was still breathing hard, but still managed to give a tired chuckle of satisfaction.

“Get out of THAT…if you can.”