Chapter 22: Ghouls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Nothing can make injustice just but mercy." Robert Frost

Chapter 22: "Ghouls"

(Monday-November 22, 2010)

"I'm going with you." Valerie stated firmly.

Danny looked up from his station. He was packing weapons into his Portable Fenton Crammer. "You are?"

"Yes." Valerie nodded. "I am. I was with you when you first investigated the Ghoul Project, and I want to be with you when you finish it."

"This is different." Danny noted. "This time, I'm working with Young Justice at the same time. This is a two sided mission. Not only that, this is Bialya. If this goes wrong, we could cause an international incident. I don't want you to get caught in that."

"But you're taking Wulf, Cujo, and Dani?" Valerie frowned.

"I need Wulf for a quick escape if necessary. Dani's decided to come no matter what, and I know Cujo will look out for her." Danny explained.

"So it's okay if Dani forces you to let her go, but not me?"

"You know Dani. If I said no, she would just follow anyway." Danny sighed. "And she wonders why we won't show her duplication. We would never be able to control her. Besides…she is…she has…"

"She has superpowers and I don't." Valerie clarified.

"…Basically. Look, she can take a ton of punishment without even flinching. You twist your ankle the wrong way, and you can't walk." Danny stated. "This is clearly going to be a trap. And…I don't want to worry about you."

"On the level of being my boyfriend, that's sweet. However…" She flicked him on the forehead. "You're being an idiot. I'm going. No arguments."

"But-"

"Look, I already regret spending all that time being disappointed in myself about the war. I could have helped, but I didn't. I won't let that happen again by letting you go off to the Ghoul Project without me." Valerie smiled. "From now on, I will always have your back, Danny."

"I know…and thank you…now I have to explain that to Batman…" Danny sighed.

The halfa had presented the data he got from Savage to both his family and the League. Danny claimed that the data came from a contact in the Shadows. Thanks to Danny's practice and skill in lying, he managed to pull it off. Thankfully, the story was believable.

Batman agreed that the Ghoul Project needed to be stopped, but they couldn't just charge in. Both the ghosts and the League had to remain political. So, they waited until an opportunity arrived. Luckily, well, not really for the people of Qurac, Biayla was having an…incident with its neighboring country. This meant that things may be chaotic enough to do something.

So, there would be two teams acting in Biayla. With Kaldur and Artemis busy, Robin would lead a squad of Kid Flash, Superboy, and Miss Martian to stop Queen Bee's attempt to take control of Qurac. On the other hand, Phantom would lead a squad of his own to infiltrate the Ghoul Project, rescue its captives, and shut it down.

Danny knew this was most likely a trap. Why else would Savage give him this data? He couldn't ignore this, though. The halfa had to at least look into it.

"It think it will be fine." Valerie stated. "A squad of five isn't that big."

"Some people will have to fly outside the Bioship, but yeah…" Danny sighed. "But I have to clarify this. When we're on the mission, I'm not going to act as your boyfriend. I'm going to act like team leader. I don't give special treatment, and I expect you to obey orders with minimal argument."

"Oh? So you're the big bad team leader?" Valerie questioned as she draped herself over his back. She leaned around and kissed his cheek. "That's fine, as long as you know I can still kick your ass."

"How could I forget when we spar every other day…" Danny grumbled.

Valerie chuckled. "Good boy. Oh, and by the way. If find assertive men very attractive."

"Do you?"

"I do." She turned him and gently kissed his lips.

"Val, I still need to get ready. I don't think we have time…"

"We can make time…"

"Okay, we're almost to the drop off point." Phantom addressed everyone in the Bioship. "When we get there, Robin's in charge."

"Yeah…right…I got this…" Robin nodded.

"We're going to handle the Ghoul Project. You guys make sure you find out what's going on with the leader of Qurac." Phantom noted.

"Roger that, captain." Kid Flash soluted Phantom.

"What happens when we both finish?" Superboy questioned.

"The drop off point will be the rondevu location." Phantom explained. "We'll wait there once we're finished."

"Wouldn't it be better if we went to back up them after we're done? We'll finish long before they do." Spirit rationalized.

"I have no idea what condition we'll be in after this." Phantom explained. "It's possible that we'll be too injured or tired to help."

"If that's the case, then how about we send the coordinates of a safe location if we find one." M'gann offered. "That way, you're not in the open."

"Sounds good." Phantom nodded.

"Try not to make it too far, though." Red Huntress suggested. "If everything works out, we'll be bringing back two to three people, if not more. We might have trouble carrying them."

"There's always a Fenton Thermos." Spirit suggested.

"Might not be the best idea if they're too injured." Phantom stated. "Cramming them all in there might kill them if they're too injured or unstable."

"True…" Spirit nodded slowly.

"Alright. Anything else?"

Silence.

"Okay. Miss M, how close are we?"

"Almost to drop point." Miss Marian stated.

"Alright." Phantom placed a hand over his ear and activated his Fenton Phones. "Wulf, we're going out now."

"Si!" Wulf grunted. "Ready!"

"Okay. Miss M, open the hatch."

A hole appeared in the floor of the Bioship. Spirit and Red Huntress both dropped through the floor and flew next to Wulf and Cujo.

Before he jumped, Phantom stated. "Stay safe, guys. I'll see you soon."

Hearing the words of agreement, Phantom leapt out of the ship and flew beside his fellow ghosts and ghost hunters. The group of five turned and began to fly in a different direction from the Bioship. The coordinates of the Ghoul Project had been programmed into Phantom's Tucker Phone, so he could lead them right to the facility.

"You have a layout of it, right?" Spirit questioned.

"Yeah. I know where everything is." Phantom nodded.

"And you got that from the assassin? Why did she change her mind?" Red Huntress frowned.

"She's a weird one." Phantom shrugged. "Jen does what she wants."

"I see…" Valeire looked away.

"Grr…how many enemies?" Wulf growled.

"Enough to make us cautious. It will be one hell of a fight." Phantom sighed. "It isn't going to be easy…"

"When is it ever easy for us?" Red Huntress raised an eyebrow.

"Good point."

"Wake up." Agent Z's voice caused Joel to snap back to the land of consciousness.

"…What?" Joel blinked tiredly.

"I know what the big bosses are planning." Agent Z grinned. "Turns out this is good news for everyone. You and Grundy get to go free, and I get what I want most."

The ex-GIW agent grabbed Joel's chair and ripped it out from the ground. He then dropped it down and began to drag it away. Joel looked around as he was dragged out of the room. Guards were dropped everywhere. He couldn't tell if they were dead, though.

"What did you do?" Joel questioned.

"Poisoned them." Agent Z snorted. "Put something to knock them out in their food. They won't wake up for a while."

"Why? Won't this ruin your deal?" Joel questioned.

Agent Z snorted. "Deal? My deal was for them to stabilize me. Thing is, they don't have anything to stabilize ghouls yet, and I am out of time. In a few days, I'm gone. They said that they had something that might help in a different location, but they were lying. No, they were just trying to get me out of this place without finding out that my other goal was coming here."

"I don't understand." Joel noted.

"You will soon enough." Agent Z laughed.

Joel observed the now quiet Ghoul Project. Several of the cages were stained with green blood. They must have been killed. The soldiers were killing the least stable ghouls to get them out of the way. Does that mean that the others were going to be moved like Agent Z?

"They were going to move everything?" Joel questioned.

"Everything but you and Grundy. You're the investment after all." Agent Z stated.

"What do you mean by that?" Joel watched as Agent Z dragged him into the Ghoul Project's arena.

"It means that they were going to leave you here for Phantom to find." Agent Z explained. "They want him on their side, so they were going to give you to him out of good will. Not like it mattered too much. You're going to dissolve in less than a year and Grundy's wanted by the League. This was just a show to make it look like they're cooperating."

"Phantom?" Joel's eyes widened.

"Yes, and this give me the perfect opportunity. I may not get to live, but I sure as hell am going to get my revenge." Agent Z grinned darkly as he dragged Joel to the far side of the arena. They were far away from the door. "That's what you are for. I'm going to use you as bait."

"…I see…" Joel frowned. "Are you going to kill me?"

"We'll see. I know that Phantom will most likely come with back up. You're to make sure they stay out of it." Agent Z explained. "After I kill Phantom, you'll be free to go, but if I'm forced into a corner, I'll do what I have to..."

"How will you keep the others out? They can turn invisible after all." Joel reasoned.

"Don't worry…" Agent Z laughed. He held a tablet. On the screen, it said 'Lockdown.' "I have a plan…"

"This is it?" Spirit questioned. "This is literally a hole in the ground."

"There is a door, though." Red Huntress shrugged.

They were both right. The Ghoul Project was, in fact, metal doors leading down underground. Part of them thought that the Ghoul Project would be something more. Something like an outlandish building or hovering fortress. This, however, was just another underground lair.

"The interior will be a bit more impressive." Phantom stated. "Wulf and Cujo, tear open those doors. Spirit, RH, and I will blast the guards and form a shield to stop the bullets."

Everyone got to their positions. With combined roars, the canine ghosts ripped the doors right out of the ground. The others were about to attack the now open facility, but stopped when they saw the downed soldiers. For a second, they thought it was a trap, so they didn't put their guard down.

Slowly, the group made their way into the facility. As they went, they saw more and more downed soldiers. They were met with no opposition.

"What's going on?" Spirit questioned.

"No idea…" Phantom frowned. "Something's definitely wrong, though."

"Is this part of a trap?" Red Huntress questioned.

"Woof!" Cujo barked.

"Smell is wrong…" Wulf sniffed the air. "Poison. Soldiers…"

"They were poisoned?" Spirit knelt down by a group of soldiers. She checked on them. They were alive, but their pulse was faint. "But why would they be poisoned?"

"This has to be a trick." Red Huntress frowned.

"No…it's not that…" Phantom stated. "It's something else…"

This place…it felt odd. The air was heavy. Energy seemed to be flowing around him. It caused his head to buzz gently. The halfa recognized what this was. This was the weight of Death in the area. A lot of people had died down here.

"Hello, Phantom." Agent Z's voice sounded throughout the entire facility.

"Agent Z?" Phantom questioned. "I thought you were a prisoner…"

"No, I've taken this place over." Agent Z explained. "All in preparation for this. I'm ready for you, ghost. It's time for our rematch."

"Z, you need to stop this!" Phantom yelled. "You can get out without getting hurt. But if you fight, we'll be forced to take you down. I've read your files. You can't handle much more."

"I know that I'm going to die. That means that I have nothing to lose." Agent Z laughed. "You know the layout of this place, right? Come to the arena, and be quick about it, or I might lose my patience and take it out on my hostage…"

"You think he really has a hostage, or is he just messing with us?" Red Huntress questioned.

"He probably does." Spirit noted. "From what I remember about the jerk, he's not afraid to hurt people. Who would he take that would interest us, though? Grundy can take a lot of punishment."

"No…It's the kid." Phantom frowned. "He knows that I would never let a kid get hurt. Damn it, let's go."

As they walked, Wulf spoke up. "Trap."

"I know." Phantom grunted. "But what can I do?"

"We need a plan. We can-" Red Huntress was cut off.

"I can see and hear everything you do." Agent Z's voice called out. "You can't do anything without me knowing. Now get to the arena, or I cut off Joel's ear!"

"Fine!" Phantom and the rest of the group ran the rest of the way to the arena. The doors were wide open to reveal Agent Z and a boy that was tied down with chains to a concrete chair.

"Phantom…" Agent Z smiled cruely. "It's good to see you. You look terrible."

"You're one to talk, Z." Phantom scowled. "You look like you aged twenty years."

"This place takes its toll." Agent Z did nothing to argue with the halfa.

"What do you want?!" Spirit yelled into the arena.

"I just want a rematch. That's all." Agent Z explained.

"Fine, you got it." Phantom was about to enter the arena when he was stopped.

"No you don't!" Agent Z placed a hand over the boy's head. He began to squeeze and caused the boy to groan out in pain. "Not yet unless you want me to kill the boy. Take off your jacket and empty your pockets. No weapons in this one."

"Fine." Phantom complied. He took off his trench coat and threw it to the ground. Then, he emptied his pants pockets.

"Danny…" Spirit warned.

"I'll be fine. Go find Grundy. I'll deal with Z…" Phantom stated to the others and walked into the arena.

"Before we begin, do you give your word that you don't have any weapons." Agent Z glared. "I know you and your type. Your honor won't let you swear on something lightly."

"…I swear on my honor that I don't have any weapons." Phantom stated.

"Good." Agent Z grinned. He then lifted the tablet he had in his free and used his thump to press a button.

Alarms blared around Phantom as the doors closed behind him. With a groan and crash of metal, he was completely cut off from the others. "You got what you wanted. Let the boy go."

"Fine." Agent Z shoved the boy away.

"Gah…" Joel grunted as he hit the floor. "…Phantom…You need to warn your friends…The other ghouls…"

"Huh?" Phantom blinked at the boy on the floor.

"The button I just pressed didn't just close the arena doors." Agent Z smirked. "Before I killed them, I had the scientists hook up the whole system to this tablet. When I activated the system, all the cages in the facility opened. Your allies are being swamped by ghouls as we speak. I don't want to give them a chance to find another way in after all."

"I see…" Phantom frowned.

"Now come on…" Agent Z crushed the tablet and threw it to the side. "Let's finish what we started during the war."

Bang! Crash! Smash!

"Come on!" Spirit roared as she, Wulf, and Cujo rammed themselves into the door. "Damn it! What are we supposed to do now?! He needs our help!"

"That won't work." Red Huntress noted as she examined the metal. "This thing was made to hold back ghosts. No way through like this. We need to find another way."

"Create portal?!" Wulf questioned.

"That could work…" Red Huntress nodded. "But it's not very subtle or completely accurate. Z has a hostage, after all. One wrong move from us, and the kid's dead. We need to be careful."

"What do we do, then?" Spirit questioned.

"Danny gave us each a copy of the layout. I'm sure we can find something." Red Huntress stated. "We just have to look."

"Right!" Spirit nodded. "Let's get-GASP!" Blue smoke escaped her mouth in waves. Spirit trembled and shook from the sudden tsunami of coldness. "Holy crap…what's with that."

"…not good…" Wulf snarled.

"WOOF!" Cujo barked and bared his teeth.

"What is it?" Red Huntress questioned.

"An army…" Spirit froze at the dull roar that seemed to be sounding though the halls.

A wave of green appeared in front of the group of four. Dozens of ghouls were charging right at them ready to attack. The four Amity Park dwellers' eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Crap!" Red Huntress shouted. "What do we do?!"

"Fight or run!" Wulf exclaimed.

"We can't leave Danny!" Spirit scowled. Her hands began to glow. "I'm taking a stand. They're unstable ghouls after all, all we need to do is knock them out.

"Easier said than done…." Red Huntress raised her wrists guns and fired at the charging ghouls. The blasts knocked a few of the ghouls away, but not too many of them.

"We can do it!" Spirit activated her Spectral Claws. "We just need to be careful!"

"Careful? Us careful?!" Wulf argued.

"…Good point. Be reckless then!"

Joel struggled and pulled against his restraints, but like before, he could do nothing to break them. No matter what he did, though, he was stuck. If only he could use his powers, then he might be able to help Phantom out. As it was, though, he was no help.

So, all Joel could do was watch as Phantom and Agent Z faced off against each other.

"You don't have to do this, Z." Phantom tried to reason. "It's not too late to surrender yet."

Agent Z chuckled. "It's been too late since I first attacked Amity Park, spooks."

Phantom sighed. "You know you're too unstable to fight me. If I win, you die. If I lose, my friends will probably kill you. There's no way for you to win."

"It's not about winning." Agent Z's arms began to glow. "It's about killing you."

"Fine then." Phantom slid into a self-defense stance. "I'm waiting."

With a roar, Agent Z extend his arm into a punch. The arm shifted into goo as it stretched at neck breaking speeds towards Phantom's head. The white-haired teen managed to dodge the blow and following attacks. He then sent a barrage of ectoplasmic blasts at Agent Z.

Seeing the approaching barrage, Agent Z prepared. He created shield in front of him. Phantom's blast's hit the green ectoplasmic shield. There were several small explosions, but the shield managed to hold back the attacks.

Not being idle, Phantom flew towards Agent Z. As he went, the halfa continued to blast at the ex-GIW leader. Unfortunately, the teen's approach to his enemy slowed his ability to attack. This gave the failed ghoul a chance to lower his shield and instead dodge the blasts coming his way.

Hoping to stop Phantom's approach, Agent Z used his ability to extend his limbs to try and hit the halfa teen. This proved to be useless. His white-haired opponent flew around the attacks with practiced eased. Soon, both fighters were close enough to move to hand-to-hand combat.

Joel grew worried. Agent Z was a formidal hand-to-hand combatant even without his powers. The only reason Joel even survived their fight was because of Joel's experience in using his powers and the older man was trying to incorporate unfamiliar powers into his fighting style. Now, though, the ex-GIW leader had a lot more experience in using his powers. Phantom might be in trouble…

…Wait…No, it appeared that Joel was wrong…

Once Phantom was close enough, Agent Z sent a quick roundhouse kick at the halfa's head. In response, the ghost ducked under the attack. When the kick passed him, the vigilante raised his fist to uppercut Z's chin.

This caused the man to lean back in order to dodge the blow. He then tried to kick the teen back. Phantom, however, rolled out of the way. As he came up, the halfa spun and sent a spinning back to the ex-GIW leader's head.

The blow was blocked by Agent Z. His arm stopped the blow and managed to grab the arm that was attacking him. Pulling the halfa, the veteran punched at the halfa's head in an attempt to break open the boy's skull. In response, Phantom brought his leg up and kicked Agent Z in his ribs.

Both blows hit their marks. Agent Z was forced to let go of Phantom's arm, and both combatants were forced to go skidding back. Each one of them was clutching their new wounds as they glared at each other.

Joel blinked. That was rather impressive. From what he saw in the reports and news, Phantom relied more on raw power than anything else. He never hat this kind of finesse before. These couple of months must have changed something in him.

"I'm surprised, spooks…" Agent Z grunted out. "Didn't expect you to get so good so fast."

"I have good teachers." Phantom noted. "Your blows are a lot stronger than I thought. It's not near at the Exoskeleton's level, but you know how to make them hurt. I guess the Ghoul Project gave you a power up, huh?"

"That it did. The cost was high, though." Agent Z grinned nonetheless. "I may die, but I won't be going alone."

"You keep saying that, but you don't have to die. I have ectoplasm boosts in Amity Park." Phantom stated. "They won't stabilize you, but it will postpone your degradation."

"Right. And why would you want to help me? I killed your best friend, started a war against you, and tried to kill you multiple times." Agent Z rationalized. "If I was in your position, I just kill you and get it over with."

"I'm not you." Phantom sighed. "I forgave you a long time ago."

"…Then you are a batter man than me." Agent Z clenched his fists. "I cannot forgive. I cannot forget. I…always knew that what I was doing was wrong. I just never cared. I was too far gone to care."

"Everyone deserves a second chance." Phantom stated passionately. "I don't think that there's a point where you can't find at least a little redemption."

"You're wrong." Agent Z chuckled. "Some people are beyond redemption. For example…"

Using his ability to extend his arms, Agent Z punched to the side. His arm extend and flew across the room. It landed on the only other person in the room.

"GAH!" Joel cried out and spit out blood as the fist landed on him. Unfortunately, his restraints and chains till held out, though. Agent Z had made sure not to hit those.

"What are you doing?!" Phantom yelled.

"I'm using the boy as leverage." Agent Z chuckled. "If we keep fighting, he might accidentally get hurt by our stray attacks."

"You…" Phantom growled.

"Of course, if you don't fight back, then I'll be able to control my attacks better." Agent Z smirked cruelly. "That way, Joel doesn't get hurt.

Phantom paused. He couldn't let the kid get hurt because of him. Perhaps he could free the boy? No, that wouldn't work. Agent Z wouldn't give him enough time to break the chains. If only he could do duplicates, then maybe he could do something. Unfortunately, his ectoplasm boost didn't restore his duplication of Ghostly Wail. He was trapped…

"I thought you wanted a fight?" Phantom glared.

"No, I want you dead." Agent Z stated. "And I'm going to get it."

The ex-GIW leader punched Phantom in the face.

"ACK!" Phantom was sent tumbling back.

"This is going to be fun…"

Things were not going all that well for Spirit and the others. That was basically how the situation could be summed up. Things were not going well at all.

They were outnumbered ten to one and were being pushed back. Luckily, their power and intelligence were vastly superior compared to the failed ghouls. Thus, they managed to hold out and soon they would push them back.

"I need to find a way to help Danny!" Red Huntress yelled after a few minutes.

Spirit frowned. While she did agree that Danny could use some help right now, it wasn't like they had a lot of people to spare. They needed all of them to make sure they didn't accidentally kill the failed ghouls. Their unstable forms couldn't take a whole lot of punishment right now. "If we all work together, we can finish this quickly, though!"

"By that time, Danny could be killed!" Red Huntress argued. "Agent Z has a hostage to use, after all! You know Danny won't fight if the kid is threatened!"

She had an excellent point. None of them thought that Agent Z was above using the boy as leverage again. If that happened, Phantom would be helpless. They had to at least find some way to get the kid away from the fight.

But if Valerie left, then the numbers would be even more unmatched. There was the possibility they could be hurt. However, some of the failed ghouls were already unconscious. They might be able to win with minimal injuries if Valerie went to help Danny…

"Go!" Wulf roared. "Help friend!"

"WOOF!" Cujo barked.

"…Right. Go!" Spirit nodded. "We can handle this."

"Thanks! I'll be back as soon as I can!" With that, Red Huntress flew off to find another way into the arena. Some of the ghouls chased after her. That would help them here.

Spirit turned her attention back to her attackers. These failed ghouls were less intelligent than the ones that made it to Amity Park. That meant that there was a difference between them. It could be genetic, luck, or just the different ways the experiments went. No matter what, though, these ghouls were acting more like wild animals.

This meant they were more vicious but less strategic in their approach. Spirit could easily handle that. She was kicking away the unstable ghouls with practiced ease. Her dodging abilities and Premonition made it that none of her wild enemies could hit her. All she had to do was be careful of their numbers and hope that her friends didn't get overwhelmed.

It would take a lot more to rattle her than a couple of wild animals.

"RAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

Everyone paused when they saw a violent Solomon Grundy charge in like a tank. He caught a few of the failed ghouls off guard and flung them into the wall. Each one of the beings that were hit by Grundy slid to the ground unconscious.

"Grundy!" Spirit exclaimed.

"GRAW!" Grundy kept charging into the group. He sent wild punches at everyone. Even Wulf and Cujo were forced to dodge the brute's attacks.

"Stop it!" Spirit yelled. "We're here to help you!"

Solomon Grundy refused to listen. He continued to attack everything that moved. His eyes were crazed and fearful. Spirit realized now that he didn't recognize any of them. The Ghoul Project had taken its toll on the zombie's mind. He was completely mindless at this point.

"We're going to have to knock him unconscious…" Spirit noted.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhh!" Grundy managed to grab Wulf and swing him around to hit several of the failed ghouls away.

"Stop it!" Spirit leapt into action. She flew up to the back of Grundy's head and sent an ectoplasmic empowered kick to his head. The force caused him to let go of Wulf.

Retreating, Wulf clutched his wounds and growled. "Grundy…"

"Wait, Wulf." Spirit yelled as she dodged Grundy's blows. "Don't get mad! He's been tortured! He's scared and confused! But we still need to stop him! Just try not to be too brutal!"

"WOOF!" Cujo barked as rammed into Grundy and caused the large zombie to stumble.

"Fine…" Wulf grunted. He could understand what Grundy went through. The brute got a free pass this time…

"Rack!"

"Graw!"

"Nwa!"

The failed ghouls seemed to gain their bearings and once again attacked. With that, they were all forced into an all-out brawl. Spirit frowned as she danced around her attackers. This wasn't good. With this chaos, they wouldn't be able to limit the damage the ghouls received.

That meant that these failed ghouls would most likely die in the mosh pit.

'Damn it!'

Crack!

Phantom groaned in pain as Agent Z's foot landed on his ribs with great force. The blow caused him fall back and clutch his broken ribs. He was already incredibly injured, and his regeneration wasn't working right now. All he could do was withstand the punishment right now and hope that he gained some help soon.

"Get up." Agent Z ordered.

"Gah…" Phantom forced himself to his feet. "Why? Don't you want me broken on the ground?"

"Yeah." Agent Z nodded. "But I want to draw this out as long as I can."

He then proceeded to punch Phantom in the face. The force caused Phantom's nose to break. The halfa covered his now bleeding nose and closed his eyes in pain.

"What's the point in revenge if I don't enjoy it as much as possible?" Agent Z chuckled.

As this was happening, Joel continued to struggle against his restraints. It was no use, but he had to try. Phantom was being hurt because of him. The ghoul couldn't let the teen get killed because he was being held hostage.

Like before, though, the chains did not budge. Without his powers, he didn't have the strength to break the chains. There was no way for him to move right now.

The only way he could get free is if someone helped free him. Right now, though, the only people that could were Phantom and Agent Z. Neither were likely to free him, though, considering the circumstances. They needed help, and they needed it now…

"Get away!" Red Huntress yelled as she fired shots at the failed ghouls with her wrist guns. The half-breeds managed to dodge the attacks, though and continued to charge.

Using the schematics of the facility that she received from Danny, Red Huntress managed to find the entrance to the observation room of the arena. Her movements were delayed heavily by the ghouls on her tracks. They were a persistent bunch, but she didn't have the time to deal with them properly. She could feel it. Danny was in trouble and needed help now.

Grabbing the door to the observation room, Red Huntress moved into the room that overlooked the arena. As she went, Red Huntress flung a grenade behind her to blast back the ghouls. They would probably dodge the blast, but all the ghost hunter wanted to do was to buy time. That's why after she shut the door, she also used her wrist guns to burn the door shut and fill in the cracks.

"Okay…I don't have a lot of time…" Red Huntress whispered to herself. She ran to the window and looked down. "No!"

Agent Z was beating Phantom to death. The halfa was on the ground bleeding. It wouldn't be long before Phantom ran out of time. She had to do something now.

Red Huntress tried to shoot through the glass that showed the arena. Unfortunately, the glass was durable and was resistant to ectoplasm. This made sense considering that the arena was meant to contain ghoul fights. Too bad that meant that her attacks had absolutely no affect.

"Damn!" RH looked around the room desperately. There had to be a way to get something in there…

Thinking quickly, the ghost hunter tore through the electrical equipment. Maybe there would be an opening. All she needed was a small one. One quick shot was all she needed.

Bang! Crash! Bang!

The failed ghouls were trying to smash through the door. Red Huntress's actions delayed them, but it wouldn't hold forever. The ghouls had enough power to break though. It was only a matter of time.

"Come on…" Red Huntress looked in through the now completely destroyed equipment. There had to be something…

Yes! There was! On the far side, there was a speaker. If she unhooked it, the she could get her wrist gun though. Then she might be able to help Danny.

Reaching her hand into the space, Red Huntress managed to unscrew the speaker to the room and create an opening. Peaking though, she saw that she had a perfect shot to her target. While shooting, though, she wouldn't be able to see all that well. She would have to be careful.

CRASH!

The ghouls had managed to get into the room. They were swarming towards Red Huntress. The ghost hunter didn't have any more time. She would only get one shot at this. By the time she was able the disable all the failed ghouls, Agent Z would kill Danny.

Memorizing the angle, Red Huntress shoved her hand through the opening. If she tried to shoot through the opening, the wires and metal scraps would get in the way. So, she had to shoot blind. That was okay, though. She could do this.

This time, it would be her that saved Danny.

Boom!

Her wrist gun managed to get one shot off before the ghouls over took her. Almost anyone else would have missed the literal shot in the dark. The chances that she would hit her target the exact way needed was near impossible. Even the slightest error would have caused her to fail. Even the best archers in the world would say that the shot would be impossible the way she was trying hit.

Logically, it was impossible.

Fortunately, Red Huntress didn't care about that, because she had just saved Danny Phantom's life.

Joel heard when the speaker came undone. It came from the observation deck. He had been so focused on Agent Z's assault on Phantom that he completely ignored what might be going on above him. The speaker falling quickly caught his attention, though.

He was confused at first about why would that happen, but when he saw the hand come through, he knew. The boy didn't know who or how, but he did know the why. Someone had come to save them.

Boom!

The blast of ectoplasm soured through the air. It rocketed towards Joel in a blaze. Joel had to force himself to stay completely still. One twitch might make the shot miss. His efforts proved fruitful when the blast hit his chains perfectly and caused them to snap.

Joel was free.

White rings formed around Joel's waist instantly. It separated into two and began to travel up and down Joel's body. In a blaze of white light, Joel turned into his ghoul form. It felt good. For the first time in months, Joel felt whole. But…it was also different, because Joel was different. He was no longer just Joel now. No…

He was Dusk.

Feeling the Numbness fill him, Dusk jumped to his feet. The damage was still there, but he could now ignore it. Turning to Agent Z, Dusk smirked. It was payback time.

"Too late, brat." Agent Z stated as he raised his fist above Phantom. "I win."

Agent Z's hand fell. It was aiming at Phantom's head. The ex-GIW leader was planning on crushing Phantom's head and putting him out of his misery. It would have worked if Dusk didn't use his Pendulum Nunchucks to trap Agent Z's arm and stop it from falling.

With a tug, Dusk pulled Agent Z away from Phantom.

"Not so fast, baldy." Dusk stated. "You'll have to deal with me first."

Kicking a couple of ghouls away, Spirit flew towards Grundy. The brute saw the charging halfa and responded. He sent his huge hand towards the female halfa's body. If the blow would have hit, Spirit was sure here bones would have cracked. Thus, she decided to drop down out of the way.

The thing about such massive powerhouses was that they were often extremely heavy. Throwing them would be extremely difficult. Carrying them was even more difficult. Thus, you could imagine the stain on the knees as they carried the massive Solomon Grundy. Even the giant will fall without his knees.

So, when Spirit spun around sent an ectoplasmic empowered kick to his knees, the giant of a man could do nothing to stop from collapsing to the ground.

Jumping on his back, Spirit placed her foot on the back of Grundy's head to hold him down. "I'm not the same person you fought back in July, Grundy. I won't flinch because I see a little blood. I've gotten past my second guesses."

'Lung at girl. Tear her to pieces.'

Listening to her Premonition, Spirit lunged back to avoid being hit by the ghouls. This allowed Grundy room to move, however. Using his massive strength, the brute flung himself into the air. This caught the ghouls that attacked them and sent them crashing into the ceiling. Both ghouls were smashed between the monster and the ceiling.

Gravity came into play again. Grundy fell back down to the floor and landed on his feet. The ghouls on his back slid to the floor unconscious.

Head lowered, Grundy heaved and panted for air. "Gack! AH! Raw…"

"…Huh?" Spirit blinked as Grundy raised his head. Tears were running down his face. His eyes and face screamed terror as he looked around in alarm.

"Gah! Stop hurting Grundy! Stop it! STOP IT!" Grundy sobbed.

Spirit gave him a look of pity. This was different than the first time they fought. That time, he was fighting and rampaging out of pure rage. Now, he was frightened and terrified to the point that he couldn't think straight. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he went through. Right now, he wasn't an unthinking brute.

Right now, he was like a small child that felt scared and alone. Fighting him would do nothing to ease his soul. She couldn't fight him. Perhaps, she could reason with him…

"Grundy…" Spirit smiled gently. "Grundy, it's me."

"RAW!" Grundy roared at her.

"I know that why we are alike now. I know that we both come from Danny." Spirit gently stated. "The only difference is the circumstances. I come from a time of peace, and you come from a time of war. That's where the anger comes from. But Danny let go of the anger. You can to."

"GRAW!" Grundy began to charge at the halfa girl.

This time, Spirit did nothing to move. "I won't hurt you anymore. I'm sorry. Please stop, and we can go home. We can go to Amity Park, and you'll be protected. You won't be hurt anymore."

"AH!" Grundy raised his fists high into the air and brought them down.

"You don't have to be angry anymore." Spirit stated.

Grundy's arms froze above Spirit. Slowly, he moved his staking arms away from her. His tear stained face looked at her. "D-Dani?"

"Yes, it's me, Grundy." Spirit nodded encouragingly.

"Grundy…Grundy sorry… Grundy doesn't want to hurt sister…" Grundy sobbed.

"I know, Grundy. I know." Spirit smiled.

"Grundy wants to be free." Grundy cried. "Please help free Grundy."

Looking over to Wulf and Cujo, Spirit noted that they had defeated the rest of the failed ghouls. Both Canine ghosts were looking over to them. Spirit nodded. It was over.

"It's already done…." Spirit hugged Gryndy's massive arm. "Let's get Danny and go home."

…Wait...

"Crap! Danny!" In the chaos she completely forgot. They still had to help Danny. Hopefully, Valerie managed to do something.

Phantom groaned from his place on the ground. His injuries had proven too much for him to move. All he could do was lay there bleeding. It wasn't as though he wasn't trying, but his body didn't want to respond.

So, all he could do was watch as the boy fought Agent Z.

Dusk formed his Burst Gauntlets and tried to punch at the ex-GIW leader. His wounds and fatigue caused him to be rather slow in his approach, though. His opponent dodged and responded with a vicious kick to the boy's side.

Grunting, the boy slid back. He tried to get further away, but Agent Z did not let him. The failed ghoul continued his assault to the boy. Several blows struck the ten year old's body. His Burst Gauntlets crumbled as he was pushed back.

The boy was too injured and weak to defeat Agent Z right now. It was only a matter of time before Joel was defeated. Phantom wasn't sure what Agent Z would do to the boy. Would he kill him? It was hard to say…

He had to do something.

"Come on…" Phantom tried to force himself up, but his arms gave way and he landed on his face.

The halfa couldn't do it. Agent Z's attacks had broken his body. The attacks had been brutal and devastating. The ex-GIW leader was looking to hurt Phantom as badly as physically possible. It had worked apparently.

The pain was too much for Phantom. He was forced to clench his eyes shut as blood trickled out his mouth.

Damn it! He needed to move! Why couldn't his powers work just this once!? He needed them!

They can work.

…What?

Your powers can work now. You just need to listen.

Listen? He was listening. He heard the random voice after all. Was he going crazy?

No, not to me, my avatar. Listen to the others. The voices of the fallen ghouls. They scream for blood.

Voices of the fallen? Why did that sound familiar? He heard that once. It happened back during the war when he had died. Danny could absorb the power of ghosts that were either touched by death or recently died. That was how he reformed his body. When he did it, though, he could hear the wills of the ghosts that had fallen. The energy of a ghost were tied to the user's will after all. That was why it was difficult to control the opposing energy if the will of the ghosts opposed Phantom's will.

Their wills won't oppose you, though. Listen.

"Okay..." Phantom focused.

"Help us!"

"It hurts so much!"

"I want this place to burn!"

That was the voices of the failed ghouls that had passed on. The voices of the dead were speaking to him. They wanted the Ghoul Project to be destroyed.

"Gah…" Phantom opened his eyes as he rolled into his back. Someone was standing above him.

It was Death.

"Use their power." She said soothingly. "Do this and destroy the Ghoul Project once and for all."

Phantom's attention was shifted away from the girl when Phantom saw Agent Z and Joel finish their fight. Agent Z had knocked out the boy and was now approaching him.

"Now then, let's finish this." Agent Z grabbed Phantom by his throat and lifted him up into the air. This caused Phantom to close his eyes from the pain of the choke.

"Danny, reach out and take it. The power is yours to use."

"Goodbye, Phantom." Agent Z raised his other fist to smash open Phantom's head. It almost hit the halfa until the teen's hand rose to catch the fist. "Huh?"

CRACK!

"Ah!" Agent Z shouted as his hand was crushed. "What?"

Phantom's eyes opened. They looked at Agent Z and caused him to shake in terror. The ex-GIW leader remembered those eyes. He saw them in his nightmares. They were the eyes of a judgmental god. Phantom's eyes were pure white as white and slightly golden ectoplasm danced around him. It was just like what happened during the war.

Once again, Phantom had managed to obtain the power of the ascended ectoplasm.

"No…" Agent Z whispered fearfully.

"Yes…" Phantom stated. He took his free hand, placed it on Agent Z's chest, and pushed.

"Wha…" Agent Z blink as he was sent flying from such a small gesture. His back rammed into the far side of the arena with great force. "Gack!"

"You wanted a fight, Z, so you got one. This time, though…" With a wave of his hand, a white and gold shield formed around Joel's now unconscious form. "You won't be able take any hostages to use against me."

From the observation deck, the Red Huntress gasped as she fell the power that hung in the air. It had caused the failed ghouls that were attacking her to fall to the ground in whimpers. It wasn't like Red Huntress was any better, though. It felt like there were a ton of bricks on her back.

Despite this, Red Huntress still dragged herself to her feet. She looked out the window and was in awe by what she saw. Danny was wrapped in a halo of white and gold. She recognized it instantly.

"He did it again…" She whispered in awe.

Across the Ghoul Project facility, similar things were being thought.

"What that?!" Wulf flinched as a wave of pressure hit all of them.

Cujo whined and placed his head on the ground as he whimpered.

"Gah!" Grundy trembled in fear. "Power…"

"I recognize this…" Spirit whispered. "It's just like during the war. Ascended ectoplasm."

"That means…" Wulf looked towards the locked door.

"Yeah, I don't think Danny needs our help at all."

(Play: My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark/Light 'em Up by Fall Out Boy)

Dusk could only watch in awe as the energy around Phantom danced. It seemed like it was a miniature sun. Strands of energy seemed to whisk out and wave in the air. It looked dangerous, like it would lash out at any moment.

At the same time, Joel could feel a sense of peace and warmth from it. When he reached out and touched the shield protecting him, he didn't feel like it wanted to hurt him…if that made any sense. While the energy was powerful beyond words, it wasn't anywhere near malevolent.

"No…Not again! I won't let this happen again!" Agent Z roared.

The ex-GIW leader used his extending limbs ability to send a barrage of blows to Phantom. Each strike hit its mark. It didn't seem to matter, though. The halo of energy around Phantom blocked each blow. The halfa didn't even flinch as the blows pounced off him as if they were nothing more than a slight breeze.

"This doesn't have to end the same way. Surrender, and I won't have to hurt you." Phantom stated.

"Shut it!" Agent roared. He then formed a massive ball of energy above his head and threw it at Phantom. Once again, the halfa did not move. Joel watched as the teen was blasted by a wave of green.

"See! I can still win!" Agent Z smirked.

"No, you can't." Phantom's voice appeared behind Agent Z.

In shock, Agent Z whirled around. He moved to attack, but was stopped. He was easily sent flying back by Phantom's backhand. It wasn't a vicious or relatively strong blow at all. Yet, his fist managed to almost break the failed ghoul's jaw.

"Ack…" The ex-GIW agent grunted as he pushed himself up. "Shit…"

"Will you stay down now?"

"Not until you're dead!" Agent Z rushed to Phantom. He did everything in this power to hit the halfa and knock him down. Punches, kicks, attempted throws and sweeps, and even headbutts were all thrown to Phantom. Nothing worked, though. He was like unbreakable wall.

"Damn!" Agent flew back to gain some distance and avoid being hit again.

He didn't get too far, though. Phantom caught up to him in an instant. In fact, the halfa moved faster than the failed ghoul. He surpassed Z and sent a massive roundhouse kick to Z's midsection. The ex-GIW leader instantly crumbled as he felt his ribs crack and insides shift.

"With this power, I beat you while you were using you're the Fenton Exoskeleton. You don't even have a fraction of that power right now. It is impossible for you to win." Phantom stated.

"Raw!" In fit of rage, Agent Z flung himself Phantom.

Joel watched as this continued. Phantom would knock Agent Z down. The failed ghoul would get up and attack again, and he would get knocked down again. It was a brutal process. The boy was finding it hard to watch.

And, apparently, Phantom didn't like how this was going either. It was apparent that Agent Z would keep getting up while he could. In order to defeat the ex-GIW leader, Phantom would have to make sure he would stay down, but if he did that…Agent Z might become unstable. If it continued like this, though, the same thing would happen. That meant…

Either way, Agent Z was going to die.

"You couldn't have just made this easy…" Phantom sighed. "Okay, then. I'll end this."

"As if! I won't let you win again!" Agent Z went for one final punch. Phantom's block knocked him completely off balance. He went stumbling back like he was hit in the head with a bat.

While this was happening, Phantom waved the energy around him in a swirling pattern. A white and golden vortex formed around him. It was almost beautiful in away. Destructive and dangerous, for sure, but the white and golden lights were worthy of awe.

"Gah..Wait!" Agent Z cried.

It was too late, though. With a wave of his hand, Phantom sent the vortex of energy at Agent Z at speeds that were nearly impossible to dodge. The failed ghoul was covered by the wave of energy.

Boom!

The force of the ensuing blast knocked Agent Z back into the far wall. That wasn't all, though. Agent Z was blasted through the nearly impenetrable anti-ghost steel wall. The metal twisted and distorted as Agent Z went through it and into the hall behind it.

Phantom waited for a second, but Agent Z did not get up this time. It was over.

Joel watched as Phantom walked to where Agent Z had went. As he walked, the shield around Joel disappeared. The boy no longer needed it.

The ghoul tried to get up, but couldn't. He was too hurt and tried to move anymore. His body was too damaged. But…he didn't have to fight anymore. Joel could let himself rest. So, after Phantom walked out of his line of sight, Joel allowed himself to lay down and enter the land of sweet unconsciousness.

Phantom approached the downed Agent Z. The force of his last attack sent his foe into a hallway outside the arena. It was away from the entrance, though, so no one else was around.

The halfa looked down at the ex-GIW leader. The man was bruised, burned, and beaten. His body was now too damaged to do anything other than lie on his back while in pain.

"Gah…I lose it seems." Agent Z grunted out.

"Yeah…but it didn't have to be this way." Phantom sighed. "I gave you every chance to give up. You were the one that chose this, not me. This one isn't on my conscience."

"No, I suppose it's not…" Agent Z chuckled, but stopped when the pain hit. "Gack! Cough! Cough!"

"You seem pretty calm. Do you want to die?" Phantom questioned.

"…Don't know. I suppose a part of me wanted to die for a long time now...or was dead inside at least. I guess just wanted to go out my way." Agent Z stated.

"Well…It looks like that's how it is." Phantom watched as Agent Z's body began to dissolve. His body began to bubble and turn green as he melted on the floor.

"AH!" He yelled out in pain. "Ah…huff…pant…Yeah, I guess this is it. Not like I don't deserve this, though."

"No…you kind of do deserve this. You've done some terrible things." Phantom responded honestly.

"That I have." Agent Z agreed.

"...Do you regret any of it?" Phantom asked as he knelt down. "Are you sorry for anything that you've done to the ghosts?"

"No, I'm not. They deserved it for what happened to my family." Agent Z said with conviction.

"Family?"

"Yeah…Back before the GIW killed ghosts, we tried to capture and reason with them. I was so stupid. Ghosts don't listen to humans. You hate us. That's why when one of them escaped, it attacked my home." Agent closed his eyes at the memory.

"You can't blame all ghosts for the sins of one." Phantom stated.

"Better than blaming myself and losing the will to live." Agent Z didn't know how much that hit home to Phantom.

"…I see…"

"I…I still remember. I relive it every day. The ghost set fire to my home. My poor baby girl was inside at the time. I wanted to go in and save her, but the ghost attacked me." Agent Z began to tear up. "Then, while I fought the ghost back…My son ran inside. He wanted to save poor Ellie, but he never made it out. I still remember their torched bodies. The image haunts me."

"…Ellie?" Phantom frowned. Why did this sound familiar.

"I wasn't the best father. I worked a lot and was grounded too much in reality. My kids had big dreams that I never supported. I wanted them to be more realistic. But if I knew what would have happened, I would have supported their dreams more. Hahaha…I guess it would have been kind of cool to be the father of a famous rockstar and a professional fighter." Agent Z let the tears fall.

Phantom froze. He recognized this story. "W-what were the kids' names?"

"Trever and Ellie."

Memories flashed in Phantom's brain.

When Ember told him about her story back in March…

"I know, I want to." Ember looked at the ceiling. "When I was alive…I wasn't all that popular."

"I know the feeling." Danny admitted.

"Yeah, it sucks." Ember sighed. "All I really had were my dreams of becoming a rock star. But one day this guy-a really cute guy too. He had these-"

"Please, I don't need to hear that." Danny groaned.

Ember chuckled evilly and grinned. "Yeah," Her grin fell. "Anyway, he asked me to go to the movies with him. I was so excited that I was probably jumping for joy. The night of the date, I spent hours getting ready and made sure to get to the movies early.

"I was there a half hour early. I was so ecstatic that first half hour. The next hour I was still on cloud nine. The hour after that was worse. And it only got worse from there. Damn…I was so naïve. I kept saying, 'He's just running late.' I waited there all night like an idiot." Ember sighed.

"I would have done the same." Danny comforted. "Well…you know if it was a girl who asked me out. I'd probably not be as excited if a guy asked me. Flattered, maybe, but not excited."

"Nice save," Ember gained a dismal look. "When morning came, I dragged myself home. I was so tired, I passed out as soon as I got home. Next thing I know…I'm a ghost."

"What happened?" Danny questioned.

"There was a fire." Ember explained. "I was so tired that I slept through it…I didn't make it."

When Torch told him about his story last month…

"…" Torch paused for a moment, but then spoke up. "When Torch was alive, his name was not Torch. It was Trever. Trever…was not the smartest person. Trever dreamed big, though. Trever dreamed of becoming a famous fighter. That man trained every day, but no one thought that Trever could do it. Not even Trever's parents…But there was one person. One girl thought that Trever could become something big.

"She was a sweet girl. Far better than Trever deserved, and Trever knew it. So, Trever cherished her. She was Trever's most precious person." Torch began to tremble. "But then…but then something happened. An accident happened. She was trapped under all that metal and concrete. Trever knew the explosion was coming, but Trever couldn't stop himself. Trever tried desperately to save her, but…Trever wasn't fast enough, and Ellie died."

"Torch…" Phantom mumbled.

"When Trever died and lost Ellie, Trever wanted to give up. To move on and let go, but Trever remembered his dream and Ellie's encouragement…It was then Trever decided that he can't give up and forced himself to live on. That was when Torch was born."

No…It couldn't be…

"You know, when I was alive, I never thought I would be in a situation like this." Ember admitted. "I'm not a strong enough ghost to have all my memories from my first life, but I remember a few things. The day I died is one. The fact that I had a brother and dad was another. But I also remember my dreams. I wanted two things. To be a rockstar and to fall in love."

There was no possible way they were connected like that…

Finally, Dora turned to Torch. "Torch…I'm sorry…But, I…"

"You don't have to say anything. Torch understands." Torch gave her a sad smile. "Torch…has never been one to hold someone back. Torch accepts you decision because this is what you want."

Dora walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. You're such a good man. I…I'm just sorry that this has to happen to you again."

Was...was that why Torch had such an interest in his dating of Ember?

"You and the ghost Ember are dating, right?" Torch questioned.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because so many ghosts have love!" Torch cried. "Plasmius and Vison. DP and Ember. Even Box Ghost and Lunch Lady! Torch needs to find some love!"

"Why don't you ask out Dora?"

"She said no!"

"Oh…Sorry?"

"I-It's fine…" Torch mumbled. "But just remember, treat your lover right. You don't want to lose her or make her unhappy."

…It all made sense…It all connected...How did he not see it before?

"Oh my god…" Phantom whispered. "Did…did you ever think about if your kids became ghosts?"

"…No, I guess I didn't. I was too blinded by hate and rage to even consider that." Agent Z stated.

"What if they did?"

"Then…what I did was worse than I could ever imagine." Agent Z shook his head weakly. "Harming your own kids…There aren't many sins greater than that."

"…Damn it!" Phantom snapped. "Don't make me pity you! After everything you did…After everything you put me and my family through…You don't deserve pity!"

"And I never asked for it…Gah!" Agent Z trembled in pain. His body was now halfway dissolved. His face was distorted in absolute pain.

"…If you had the chance to say anything to your kids, what would it be?" Phantom questioned.

"I..ack… would…gah… say…" Agent Z spit out green blood. "I love you, and I'm sorry…for not being a good enough father for you…"

"…Okay…" Phantom nodded and stood. He would pass on the message.

"I wish I could get to see them in the next life…" Agent Z whispered tiredly. "But I would never get to go to the same place they did…"

Phantom sighed and looked down at him in pity. Not even Agent Z deserved this. To slowly dissolve into a pile of goo…it was torture. He couldn't in good conscience leave him like this. It could take fifteen minutes for him to die. That was far too long.

…He had to end this…

The halfa formed a frozen broadsword in his hands.

"What are you doing…" Agent Z gasped out.

"Giving you a warrior's death." Phantom answered as he raised the sword above his head..

"…I see…You don't have to do this. I'm not worth the effort."

"You may be a terrible jackass, but you're still my enemy…my rival. I can't leave you to die a slow and painful death." Phantom gave him a look of compassion. "Know that I don't do this out of hatred, but out of mercy. Rest in peace, George Zempell."

He brought the sword down and ended Agent Z's suffering.

It was over.

"I'm glad that you had Wulf take Grundy back to Amity Park himself." Spirit stated as she and Phantom walked out of the Ghoul Project.

"Yeah…" Phantom, who had long since released the borrowed ectoplasm back into the air, nodded. "It kills two birds with one stone. Now, RH, Cujo, and Wulf can get medical attention while we secretly hide Grundy. I need to talk to Batman about him before anyone else sees him. He doesn't deserve to be in prison."

"I know, but you think Batman will care?" Spirit questioned.

"No, truth be told, Grundy never really did too much to deserve being in prison. As long as we keep him under control it will be fine." Phantom answered.

"But what about him?" Spirit pointed to the boy being carried on Phantom's back. "Doesn't he need medical attention or to be hidden for now?"

"No, I looked over his wounds, he'll be fine for now at least. Plus, I need to meet with my team, and I'm the only one he knows. He might be scared when he wakes up. A somewhat familiar face might calm him down." Phantom stated. "But I'm feeling really drained right now and might need some help…

"Say no more." Spirit grinned.

"Good let's…" Phantom blinked as he turned. A figure stood in front of them. Behind her were several vehicles with soldiers.

"That was quite impressive." Queen Bee stated. "Z cut off the surveillance in the facility, but anyone could feel that burst of energy. Was that the ascended ectoplasm? It was incredibly impressive."

"You…" Phantom frowned.

"What do you want?!" Spirit glared at the soldiers behind Queen Bee. "You picking a fight?!"

"Of course not. Why would I hurt my future allies?" Queen Bee smiled sweetly. Phantom was awestruck by her beauty. If he wasn't in his ghost form, the halfa was sure that her enthrallment would immediately work on him. He was thankful that his ghost form was extremely resistant to pheromone control.

"Allies? Why would we work with you? We saw what you did in there. You're a monster!" Spirit shouted angrily.

"There are plenty of ways to control people, dear child. My favorite is seduction. You may be young, but one day you'll find that men will do almost anything for a beautiful woman." Queen Bee smiled.

"She's not wrong in that one…" Phantom admitted to his sister.

Spirit merely huffed.

"But I still refuse to work with you or Savage." Phantom glared to the queen of Bialya. "Your enthrallment won't work on me, and I won't be bought just because of Joel and Grundy."

"We still have other ways." Queen Bee chuckled lightly. "But that's another day. For now, I'll thank you for defeating Z. I should have known that he would do something like this. The fool cares more for revenge than for survival. What did you do with him?"

"He's dead. Our fight made him too unstable." Phantom noted.

"A fitting punishment." Queen Bee noted. She walked to Phantom and notted. "You may go, but I'm sure we will meet again soon, Phantom."

Her hand brushed his arm. It sent shivers down his spine. Her look was that of lust, but of one of the body. It was more like one when someone saw a tool or weapon they wanted.

"I doubt it…Come on, Spirit." Phantom noted as they began to walk away. "Oh, and by the way, I destroyed all the equipment down there, and the failed ghouls died. There's nothing left down there besides a bunch of unconscious soldiers."

"Oh, it's the principle of the matter. You should know what I mean." Queen Bee laughed. "We're both very possessive people after all."

(Tuesday-November 23, 2010)

"Gah…" Joel opened his eyes slowly. "Where…where am I?"

"You're at the Logan Animal Sanctuary." Phantom answered from his spot by Joel's bed. "I brought you here after we escaped the Ghoul Project. My Team says that this is a safe spot, so I brought you here to rest."

"Escaped?" Joel blinked.

"Yeah, don't you remember?" Spirit drew Joel's attention to the other side of the bed. "We totally tore that place apart."

"Yeah, you said that…" The redheaded Marie Logan frowned at them from the door. She heard some noised and decided to check up on them. "Are you sure that there won't be any retaliation? Your friend's actions caused them to nearly kill Garfield."

"They won't come here because of that." Phantom stated. "Trust me, they were actually glad that we were there."

"Hmm…" Marie stared at him for a moment and then sighed. "Fine. Gar seems to idolize you and thinks that you can do no wrong, so I'll take your word on it for now. If anything does happen, though, its on you."

"Fair enough." Phantom nodded as she walked off.

"Man, what's got her panties in a twist." Spirit frowned.

"Her son just got hurt. Give her a break."

"Doesn't mean she can be so rude…"

Joel looked back and forth between the two bickering siblings. "Wait. What happened? Why…how did you find me?"

"We actually have been looking for a while." Phantom noted. "But we only recently got enough info to find where the Ghoul Project is."

"We had to wait until there was an opportunity to come find you, though." Spirit added. "There was a thing going on with Quarac, so we snuck in while we had the chance…although, we got found out…But that's just a small detail."

"What about Grundy and Agent Z?" Joel questioned. "I remembered you fought Z, but I don't know what happened after you won."

"Agent Z died. The fight made him unstable. We managed to rescue Grundy, though. He's back in Amity Park already." Phantom explained.

"And the Ghoul Project?"

"We destroyed everything." Spirit smiled. "It's gone."

"Gone…" Joel paused. He couldn't believe it. "This has to be a dream. Please…tell me this is real…"

"It's real." Phantom chuckled gently. "There's nothing left."

"So…it's over…" Joel's eyes widened. Relief washed over him in a wave. "I'm…free?"

"Yes, you are." The ghoul was met with smiles.

"Free…" Joel chocked out. "I…I'm free…I can't believe it…"

"It's okay." Phantom placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can let it out."

The boy looked back and forth between the friendly faces. He shifted in the soft bed below him and pinched himself. He felt the slight pain and knew they were telling the truth. The ghoul was no longer in his cell in the Ghoul Project. He was no longer trapped in that hell.

Joel trembled and fought back tears. He couldn't let himself cry. Crying was a weakness. It got you nowhere. It only brings more pain. The ghoul couldn't let that happen. He couldn't show that weakness to the people that rescued him.

"Hey…" Spirit leaned in and hugged the boy. He froze at the gesture. He had never been hugged before… "It's okay to cry when you're happy."

"Ah…." Joel shook as he finally let the tears fall. The adult presence around him shattered. He now looked like the kid he was. That was fine, though. He no longer had to be hard and tough through everything. He was safe. "Ah!"

"There you go…" Spirit hummed as she rubbed his back.

Phantom smiled. "Everything's going to be okay now…"

Joel cried for a long time. He let out many years' worth of stress. When he finished, though, he was completely drained. Finally feeling completely safe, Joel quickly fell asleep in the warm bed that he was in. The other two halfas in the room quickly followed suit. Spirit laid down next to Joel and drifted into a peaceful slumber. Phantom continued to sit in his chair and settled for laying his head on the bed.

Together, all three halfas forgot the struggles of the Ghoul Project and entered the land of sleep. It was one of the deepest, most sound sleeps that any of them had. This was because they knew that this chapter of their lives were over. The Ghoul Project was dead. Joel and Grundy were safe. And now, finally…

The Phantom Family was complete.