Chapter 19: Sin

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Weakness is a sin." Sir Crocodile (One Piece)

Chapter 19: "Sin"

(Tuesday-October 31, 2010)

"…You…are going to a party?" Vision questioned carefully.

"Yep…" Phantom nodded. He adjusted his hat. The halfa was dressed as a cowboy. A bandanna under his hat covered his head and a pair of shades made sure no one would see his unique eyes. Because he was going to a high school party, he refrained from even having fake gun holsters, knives, or ropes. Other than that, he looked just like a character from an old western.

"Why, if I may ask?" Vision gave Phantom a confused look from the dining table. Vlad was standing by a wall and was merely observing the conversation.

"Because my friends invited me." Phantom answered simply.

"Because…your friends…" Vision did not seem pleased. "Are you kidding me?"

"Excuse me?" Phantom blinked.

"I do not understand what you are doing." Vision glared. "You avoid everyone like their infected for a week and then…you just become this social butterfly. You have never been socially active…ever."

"Maybe I want a change?" Phantom suggested.

"A change this drastic…it's not natural." Vision sighed. "You always push yourself to keep working. Every single day, you train, work on your machines, go out on patrol, go to your Team for more training, then come home and try to sleep. Yes, you have moments where you socialize, but…"

"What Vision is trying to say, Daniel, is that you have completely changed how you act…and it's troubling to everyone." Vlad spoke up. "You spend every moment with other people. Usually, it's Dani dragging you to go out, but now it's backwards. You dragged Cujo to play fetch for hours. And…you even howled at the moon with Wulf. What was with that?"

"I just want to have a bit of fun." Phantom shrugged.

"At the expense of everything you worked to build?" Vision questioned. "You abandoned all your work. Inventing. Your school work. Patrolling. Even training. We are extremely concerned."

"You shouldn't be. I'm fine. After all, I'm still a teenager, right? I should enjoy being young." Phantom noted.

"Yes, but…this isn't you. And I know it's because of that simulation that the League put you up to." Vision clenched her hands.

Phantom was silent.

"Talk to us, Daniel." Vlad encouraged. "You've been so reliant on other people lately, but you refuse to talk about what happened in that training exercise. We gathered some of what happened by what you said when you first got home, but…We need to know the details."

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about it." Phantom shook his head.

"But you talk about it with a member of the League?" Vision eyes grew dark. "They were the ones that caused this, yet you confined in Black Canary before anyone in your family."

"Fright Knight knows." Phantom sighed. He knew they were spying on him. They couldn't do it inside the Cave, though, because the League made sure that there were measures to stop Vision's birds from spying on them.

"Of course he does, but you know he would never tell anyone your secrets or even try to change your mind if you don't ask for his advice." Vlad interjected. "You're obviously going through a difficult time, yet you refuse to talk to your family about it."

"…You would overreact." Phantom frowned.

"We already know that your powers have weakened again. That much we can sense." Vision stated. "You don't have to fear about that."

"It's not that…It's that I don't have…" Phantom went silent.

"Don't have what?" Vlad questioned.

"Look, I just want to spend more time with the people I love." Phantom smiled. "Life is short, right? We have to make the most of it. I mean, I've spent more time with you two as well. I don't see the big deal here."

"I always see guilt on your face when you look at me." Vision noted. "That's what the big deal is. I will find out what happened. Even if I have to invade your privacy."

"Vision…" Vlad began.

"No, I have been patient enough." Vision stated. "I wanted to let you come out with this on your own, but if you refuse to cooperate, I will have learn what happened from another source."

"Then do it." Phantom shrugged. "I won't stop you."

"You…don't care?" Vision asked carefully.

"No, I don't really." Phantom mentioned. "

"Look, I have to go." Phantom waved. "I'll talk to you guys later."

"One more thing, Daniel." Vlad stated. "Miss Grey says that you refuse to talk to her. I must admit that I'm curious, why avoid only her when you cling to others?"

"…Because I don't deserve to be around her…"

"Is everything ready?" Dani questioned her friends. She had been tempted to get a Spirit costume, but she thought that might not work out for the best. Instead, she went for the zombie look. In fact, it turned out that Vision had talent with makeup and got Dani looking like she jumped right out of the pages of a Walking Dead comic.

"Let's check…" Nyx looked at her list. The shadow user was dressed like a punk rocker with spiked clothing, leather, and chains. Oddly enough, this look fit her. "Costumes?"

"Check." Dani looked around everyone was dressed and ready to go.

"Giant bags for candy that we'll most likely make the boys carry?"

"Check."

"So you admit that you make us carry all your heavy crap." Victor frowned. His costume was simpler than the girls. He was dressed as a football player.

"Just deal with it, dude." Youngblood shrugged. His costume…well, much to their amusement, Youngblood was wearing a Danny Phantom costume. He looked absolutely ridiculous, and everyone was enjoying the irony that he was once an enemy of the halfas.

"Easy for you to say. You have ghost super strength…" Victory grumbled.

"Hush, both of you." Rachel glared. She didn't want to wear a costume, but they made her. Their first choice was a Moon Sailor outfit…but that was quickly turned down by the half-demon. The second choice was more acceptable. She was dressed as a vampire with dark makeup, fangs, and a cape.

"Eggs, spray paint, and stink bombs?" Nyx continued.

"Check."

"Toilet paper grenade launcher?"

Dani lifted the bazooka like prank weapon over her shoulder. "Super check."

"You actually got your brother to make that for you?" Victor questioned.

"Of course not…my Dad did it." Dani smirked.

"How did you pull that one off?" Rachel asked with genuine curiosity.

"It's quite simple, my dear Watson." Dani's face twisted in a cute pout. "I'm adorable, and Dad can't resist my puppy dog pout."

"That's the stupidest argument that I have ever heard." Nyx snorted. "It can't be that simple."

"Oh really…" Dani pouted at her other friends. "Would you hold my bazooka for me, please?"

"Of course." There was no hesitation in Victor's voice.

"You got it." Youngblood nodded vigorously.

"Sure." Rachel agreed.

"Rachel!?" Nyx looked horrified.

"Sorry, but that is one convincing face." Rachel shrugged. "You could get an Eskimo to buy ice using that face."

"See?" Dani state smugly.

"Whatever…" Nyx grumbled.

"So…just so that I'm following this crazy plan…" Victor shrugged. "We're going to trick-or-treat every house in the city, then we're going to prank them, even if they give us candy?"

"Yep." Dani nodded.

"…Can I just point out that you are filthy stinking rich and could easily buy a mountain of candy?" Victor suggested. "Why are you going through all the trouble to trick-or-treat anyway?"

"One, because it's fun." Dani stated. "And two, free candy tastes a whole lot sweeter."

"Amen to that!" Nyx grinned.

"But then, why are we still going to prank them?" Victor questioned. "It's trick-or-treat, not trick-and-treat."

"It is to us." Rachel noted.

"And you're actually supporting this? You're barely motivated to do anything besides read." Victor noted.

"Seeing Dani and Nyx make fools of themselves greatly amuses me." Rachel noted.

"Hey!" Nyx glared.

"She's not wrong." Dani shrugged. "We are pretty hilarious when we do crap like this."

"Gah…"

"Plus this gives me a chance to change the color of this town." Rachel pulled out a can of spraypaint. "It's far too bright for my tastes."

Victor sighed. "Whatever…"

"Don't worry, Vic, we're going to go straight up gangsta on those houses." Youngblood stated.

"…Don't say that. Ever."

"What?! Why?"

"Because you are the whitest white boy I have ever met." Victor noted.

"…Fair enough."

"Man…" Victor sighed again. "I really need different friends."

"I say that every day." Rachel agreed.

"I was referring to you too."

"I know. I just like to mock you."

Agent Z took a deep breath in into his lungs and sighed deeply. "It's almost time."

"That it is." Joel responded calmly from his cage.

"You aren't worried?" Agent Z questioned.

"Worrying will not make my problems go away. We have created the best plan possible and prepared as much as possible." Joel noted. "That is enough."

"…You are way to calm for a kid." Agent Z snorted.

"Well…truth be told, I'm freaking out on the inside…" Joel looked pale. "There's such a good chance that I can die today. It's hard to keep my heart from pounding in my chest and to keep my hands steady…Usually, I can keep a cool head…nothing really seems to get to me, but I can't shake this one off."

"You hide it well." Agent Z noted.

"I learned a long time ago that showing your stress doesn't help." Joel frowned.

"Still, you're what? Ten?" Agent Z questioned.

"Yes, but I have learned a lot in a short amount of time." Joel closed his eyes. "Life is short and hard, and it certainly isn't fair."

"That's true." Agent Z agreed.

"…I've been thinking." Joel stated. "About ghost obsessions...they need them to survive. Yours is obviously about vengeance. Mine, though…I can't think of anything I particularly care about. All my life, all I wanted was a simple life. To have peace…"

"So that's your obsession? To find peace?" Agent Z smirked. "That's got to me the most cliché thing I have ever heard. A ghost's obsession is to find peace. I feel like laughing."

"Yes…I just want to find the point where I'm content to live normally. To not stop being constantly concerned about the fight between life and death." Joel sighed. "But I don't think that will ever happen."

"Of course not." Agent Z grunted. "You're a ghoul now. Your life isn't going to get an easier even if you escape and get stabilized. You'll always be fighting. Whether it be humans, regular ghosts, or the Ghoul Project jackasses."

"That's the problem isn't it…" Joel reasoned. "I won't find peace. Especially after we leave, because I'm constantly going to be thinking about what's happening back here."

"And why would you do that?"

"Because we're going to get the failed ghouls killed." Joel clenched his fists. "The guards will shoot to kill, and we're going to sacrifice them so that the three of us can escape. It's reprehensible."

"They're dead anyway." Agent Z noted. "They'll dissolve in a week even without us acting."

"You think that matters. We're still killing them. Taking away the time that they have left. It's wrong, but I'm still going through with it because I want to escape." Joel looked disgusted. "How can I ever be at peace with myself if I let them die for me? But I also can't be at peace if I stay here. Either way…I'm screwed."

"At the same time, though. You'll still be working towards your obsession no matter what." Agent Z reasoned.

"That doesn't matter to me…" Joel frowned.

"Kid, you can't always have the moral high ground. Sometimes, it's either you or them." Agent Z suggested. "No one would blame you for choosing yourself."

"I would."

"You can't have it both ways, kid." Agent Z sighed. "Either you die with all your morals intact, or you live a long life by compromising at least some of your beliefs. Eventually, everyone realizes that."

"That's what I'm afraid of..." Joel closed his eyes painfully. "And that's why I don't think I will ever find peace."

'…Is he that stupid?' Phantom questioned as he watched the speedster dressed as a werewolf flirt with M'gann. The halfa looked to the mummy Kryptonian clone. He whispered, "Are you okay with that? He's flirting with your girlfriend."

"Gah…" Superboy rolled his eyes. "I trust M'gann, and Wally's just being Wally."

"You have a stronger will than I…" Phantom noted "I would have decked him for flirting with my girlfriend like that in front of me."

"…Do you think we should tell him then?"

"Nah. It's too funny to watch him fail like that." Phantom snorted.

"Woah…babe, eat my brains any time." Wally stated as M'gann shifted into a zombie bride.

"See what I mean?"

"Great minds think alike." Captain Marvel with zombie makeup approached them and smiled.

"Captain, you look terrific." M'gann complimented the man. "Are you going to a Halloween celebration too?"

The Captain gained a shocked look. "Er…sure. I'm going with…I mean, you did invite the whole Team, right?"

"Yeah, we'll all be at the dance all night. Don't worry about us. Go. Have a good time at your party." M'gann encouraged.

Recognized: Artemis B07, Zatanna Zatara A03

"Oh hey, Zatanna." Artemis who was dressed as a vampires greeted. "You look great."

"Oh thanks, you too." Zatanna who was ironically dressed as a witch smiled. "Oh look. Zombie Captain Marvel. That's hilarious. Is the Justice League having a party, because my Dad didn't mention it."

"No! Nonono! You see…" Zombie Captain Marvel scratched the back of his head. "Fine. I'm going trick-or-treating." He flew over to the Zeta tube. "And I'm not sharing my candy."

"…Trick-or-treating?" Phantom questioned as he stepped towards the females. "That's weird. You think he wanted to go to the party with us?"

"What? He's a grown adult. Why would he want to go to a school dance?" Artemis questioned.

"Yeah…you're right." Phantom nodded. "It just seemed weird to me. He looked a lot like Spirit does when I say she's not allowed to come with me to places."

"Huh…You might just be imagining it…" Zatanna suggested. She turned around to see M'gann wrapping Conner in more bandages. "Unlike that…So, how long have Conner and Megan been a couple?"

Artemis laughed. "Ha! Couple? No, they're not a…" Her jaw dropped when she saw M'gann and Superboy flirt and basically undress eachother with their eyes.

"A couple." Phantom suggest.

"…And you knew?" Artemis hissed.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

"I'm waiting."

"And I'm waiting to come up with an answer that won't get me kicked in the balls." Phantom noted. "And I think intangibility is that answer."

"You…" Artemis glared at him and began to storm off.

"Wait." Phantom placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I thought that you would find out on your own. They're pretty obvious about it. Hell, they make out in the open all the time."

Artemis's look surprised him. It wasn't angry or sad. The look was kind of jealous…no…more like wanting. "You don't get it."

"Then explain-"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Damn…" Phantom looked at his phone. "…I have to take this."

"Yeah…I bet." Artemis turned away.

"I'll talk to her." Zatanna offered.

"Thanks, Zatanna." Phantom smiled at the magic user.

"Yeah, yeah. You men…You can't handle emotional problems" Zatanna smirked as she walked away.

"You have no idea…" Phantom answered the phone. "This is Danny."

"Torch says to come to Lake Eerie." Torch's voice sounded through Danny's Fenton Phones.

"Torch? What do you want?"

"Torch needs to talk to DP. Come to Lake Eerie now." Torch commanded.

"I'm in the middle of something right now. Can this wait?"

"No."

Click. Torch hung up.

"…Okay…" Phantom turned to the others. "Sorry guys, but something's come up. I'm going to be a bit late to the party."

"That means you aren't coming, right?" Wally questioned.

"…Probably." Phantom sighed.

"It's fine." Conner sighed. "It happens, right?"

"Right…" Phantom noticed that M'gann was oddly silent. She wasn't even looking at him. In fact, she hardly ever looked at him anymore… "I'll see you later, I guess."

"Yeah…" M'gann muttered. "Later."

"I think things are progressing quite nicely…" Dani smirked.

"Yeah, half the city is covered in toilet paper." Rachel rolled her eyes. "That's real progress right there."

"But we also have a ton of candy!" Nyx grinned.

"That you're making us carry…" Victor grumbled.

"Mmhhmm…" Youngblood mumbled.

"Stop eating our candy!" Nyx snapped.

Youngblood swallowed. "Ah…What did you expect? You gave me the candy. That's like giving a dog a steak and telling it not to eat it. Not gonna happen."

"Fair enough." Rachel conceded to the logic. "Vic, carry Charlie's stuff."

"What?!" Victor scowled. "He eats your candy and I get punished? How is that fair?!"

"He's going to be punished." Rachel explained. "I shall unleash a voodoo curse on him that will cause him to throw up constantly for twenty-four hours."

"What?! No!" Youngblood cried. "That's cruel and unusual."

"Exactly." Rachel nodded. "That's what makes it funny."

Dani laughed. "Remind me not to get on your bedside."

"You did once. Remember that day your chair collapsed in class and you fell in the toilet?" Rachel questioned.

"What? You cursed me?"

"Of course not. I just sabotaged you." Rachel shrugged. "That's what you get though."

"What did she even do?" Nyx questioned.

"She took my pudding cup." Rachel answered.

"What?! That was Nyx!" Dani gasped.

"It was?" Rachel looked to Nyx for an answer. The shadow ghost shrugged. "Oh…too bad, then."

"Too bad?! You sabotaged me, and you're just going to let it go for her?" Dani glared.

"The punishment has already been dealt. I have no control over who it goes to." Rachel mentioned.

"Er…Yes…You do actually…" Victor frowned.

All it took was one glare from Rachel to shut him up.

"Hahahahahaha! Come on guys, we need to hurry up and get to the rest of the houses if-Gasp!" Blue smoke escaped Dani's mouth.

Everyone froze. Either one of Dani's family was here to check on her or…

"Ah!" Dani shouted as a pair of hands grabbed her ankles and pulled her now intangible body down into the concrete.

"Dani!" Her friends cried.

"Ack!" Dani grunted as she was thrown onto the roof of a building. The ghost that grabbed her pulled her down through the ground and up through a building before she had the chance to react. Now what she was freed, though, she now could concentrate enough to change. "I'm going ghost!"

"Oh…" Her kidnapper raised an eyebrow. "So that's what the halfa transformation looks like. Interesting…"

"…You…" Spirit stared at her kidnapper. "You're that mummy ghost that Nocturne took."

"That I am." The mummy nodded. "My name is Hotep Ra, and I have a job for you."

Spirit looked down at the mummy ghost's hand. "You…have a black power ring."

"That I do." Hotep Ra nodded. "My new comrades gave it to me. I must admit…this thing gives me more power than I can even imagine."

"You need to take it off." Spirit warned. "If you don't, then it will begin to change you. Vision says that they corrupt a person's very soul."

"Perhaps…But it's worth it." Hotep Ra grinned. "But it's still not enough. Cursed weaponry can still harm me. So I need your help to get a certain sword for me."

"And why would I help you?" Spirit questioned.

"Because your morals won't let you ignore what Harm did and will do." Hotep Ra noted.

"What? Who's Harm?"

"You'll soon find out!" Hotep Ra raised his hand. Black energy escaped his ring. It swirled all around them. This was the sight Dani's friends saw as the came to back up the halfa. They tried to push past the energy, but it was too solid. Eventually, the energy did fade, but not because of their attacks.

It was because both Hotep Ra and Spirit were gone, and the children had no clue where they went…

The lights were flickering. Alarms were going on and off. Automatic weapons were deployed and shooting at everything that moved, even the guards and scientists. Luckily, they were only set to stun, but humans were naturally weaker than ghosts or ghouls, so the humans would be far more hurt by the weapons.

Joel instantly knew what that meant. "It's time."

"Hurry!" Agent Z shouted. "Get out of there!"

The ghoul quickly acted. He created a simple key for his cage and unlocked it. Then, the boy lunged towards Agent Z's cage all the while avoiding the chaos going around them. Agent Z, however, didn't need Joel's help. The ex-GIW leader shifted his hand into ectoplasm, and rammed it into the keyhole. With a click, Agent Z was free.

"Stay down, kid." Agent Z pushed Joel to the floor to avoid a stray ectoplasmic bullet.

"Right…thanks…" Joel nodded.

"Don't thank me yet, brat." Agent Z scanned the room. "This isn't going to be easy…"

"No, but we have a plan." Joel noted. "I'll head to the control center now."

"I'll go get Grundy." Agent Z agreed. "I'll try to free as many failed ghouls as possible as I go. They'll buy us some time."

"Right." Joel crouched. "Stay safe, old man."

"I'm not old, brat." Agent Z grumbled.

"Yeah…whatever." Joel took off. As he did this, the boy quickly changed into his ghoul form. This allowed the ghoul to fly through the facility at a rapid rate. Still, the boy was forced to dodge the automatic turrets, soldiers, and ghouls whose cages were damaged in the chaos. Luckily, his lack of participation in the fighting made him lower on the priority list for the combatants. If they were outright attacking him, Joel was sure that he would be struck down rather quickly.

That couldn't happen. Joel had to get to the control room. If he didn't, then escaping would be next to impossible. The closer they got to the exits, the more likely the guards were to turn their attention on the only successes of the Ghoul Project. After all, if they escaped then most of the guards and scientists would be killed…

And thus another heavy weight sank into Joel's heart. How many beings needed to die for their escape? They were sacrificing so many of them. It was likely that very few would survive the consequences of their escape. Yet they were still doing it. Hundreds would die for three ghouls…

Joel had to fight the bile that was crawling up his throat. He couldn't think like that. The ghoul still had to concentrate on the task at hand. 'Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.'

…He couldn't stop, though…

Arriving at the control center, Joel rushed into the room. Many scientists were there hiding. They were trembling in fear.

"You!" One of the scientists that was responsible from his transformation shouted. "Did you do this?"

"Yes." Joel answered simply as he stepped to the main computer.

"Damn you!" The same scientist glared. "Do you realize what you've done? You've doomed us all! None of us will survive this event, including you! Do you really think the bosses will just let you leave? No way, they'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth."

"Then I will run to a place that they can't reach. Heard the Ghost Zone's nice." Joel began to access he computer. The virus was doing its job. No one could access the computers if they didn't know the pass codes. Luckily, Joel did.

"You won't be able to do anything! We already tried. If we can't stop this, what makes you think that you ca-"

The scientist was silent as all the power in the facility was suddenly shut off. They were surrounded in complete darkness. No one moved until Joel used his ectoplasm to create a bit of light for them.

"You were saying?" Joel raised an eyebrow.

"P-please don't kill us…" One of the cowering scientists begged. He obviously thought that Joel was after revenge. That was the furthest thing from the truth, though.

"I don't intend to hurt you for what you've done." Joel stated. "That wouldn't change anything."

"Liar!" The first scientist pulled out an ectoplasmic pistol. Why he didn't pull that out sooner, Joel didn't know. Perhaps he planned to sneak behind the ghoul as he was working on the computer and was trying to hide his intention.

"Put that away before I'm forced to hurt you." Joel instructed.

"Never! I know that you could never forgive us for what we did to you! That's why you plan to kill me when I put this gun down!" The scientist screamed.

"Forgive you…That's funny." Joel blasted the gun from the scientist's hand.

"Gah!" The scientist grabbed his smoking hand, but was forced to let go when Joel grabbed the front of his coat and pulled him down to the boy's level.

Joel's eyes burned with hatred though his face remained cold and uncaring. "Of course I will never forgive you. You gleefully tortured me. You killed hundreds of innocents. You deserve to die. But I'm not the one that will kill you. No, I actually value life. I will never kill anyone, even if they deserve it. Instead, I'm going to give you a chance…"

Joel blasted open the sealed door. "Either you can stay here and die, or you run away like dogs. It doesn't matter to me, though. I gave you a chance, so for you, my conscience is clear."

"Y-you…" The scientist stuttered.

Joel threw the scientist to the ground. "I may not want you to die, yet, but I do want you to rot in hell when you do one day. Goodbye, doctor. I hope I never have to see your ugly face again."

"What do you want Torch?" Phantom quested as he floated towards the fire ghost above Lake Eerie.

"Torch has heard that…Hahahahahahaha!" Torch burst out laughing when he saw what Phantom was wearing. "What is that? You a cowboy now?"

"It's a Halloween costume, Torch." Phantom took off the hat, bandanna, and glasses that hid his appearance. "I was going to a party before you called. So I'll ask again, what do you want?"

"Well, right now Torch wants to take a picture of you and put it on the Internet." Torch controlled his laughter.

"Whatever…" Phantom sighed. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you, Torch. I'm going back."

"In the mood, eh?" Torch raised an eyebrow. "Because Torch heard that you've been in a really weird mood lately."

"…So that's what this is…" Phantom frowned. "Vision called you."

"That she did." Torch nodded. "She's concerned."

"And you?" Phantom asked. "Are you concerned?"

"A bit." Torch shrugged. "Torch never figured DP would be the needy type."

"Needy?" Phantom raised an eyebrow. "I am not needy."

"Really…because it sure seems like you are now." Torch mentioned. "You've become reliant on other people. You cling to them for comfort over something while never really talking about what the problem is. Torch gets the last part. People like us don't like talking about our weaknesses. Generals can't let their soldiers see even a moment of weakness. But what you're doing…it's worse. The leader does need to seek advice from the soldiers, but you can't cling to them like that. It sends the wrong message."

"I don't need advice from you on being a leader." Phantom frowned. "I've been forced to do it more times than I can count."

"Then why don't you act like it?" Torch questioned.

"I do. This isn't about leading. This is about spending time with my friends and family." Phantom argued. "There's a difference."

"No, there isn't…" Torch shook his head. "Leaders never get to just stop leading. It's a constant. They always lead by example, and you're setting a poor example."

"Well maybe it's time for me to stop leading then." Phantom mumbled.

"You don't get to make that choice! You forced yourself in these positions!" Torch yelled. "You can't just stop now!"

"I may not have a choice…" Phantom turned away. "Look, I promised my friends that I would meet them. If this isn't an emergency, then it can wait."

"No it can't…" Torch growled. "Vision asked Torch to get DP talking, so Torch will."

"Not happening."

"Yes it is!" Fire danced around Torch's arms as a black and red scythe was formed in his hands. "Vision thought that you might be like this, that's why she asked Torch. She knew Torch could beat some sense into you."

"That doesn't sound like her." Phantom turned back.

"That's why she sent me." Flames danced around Torch like a halo. "Now get ready, it's time for your rematch with Torch."

"And what if I refuse?" Phantom questioned.

"You don't have a choice!" Torch swung his scythe. A wave of flames was sent flying at Phantom. The halfa flung himself out of the way.

"I'm not fighting you, Torch!" Phantom glared.

"Why?! You used to respect the integrity of fighting! What happened?" Torch flung fireballs at Phantom's head.

Phantom continued to dodge. "That's not going to work!"

"Then maybe this will!" Torch raised his scythe. Flames jumped above him. The fire seemed to collect together and change shape. A giant bird of flames danced above Torch.

"Woah…since when can you do that?!" Phantom shouted.

"You think that Torch has been idle?! Torch has been training just like DP! Torch was determined not to fall behind you!" Torch grinned. "Now let's fight!" The flame bird was sent flying towards Phantom.

"Well crap."

"Okay…I'm officially mad." Spirit noted. She was standing on the edge of a rooftop. Down below here was the city of New York. It was rather quiet actually. Maybe it was just the tension in the air, though. The atmosphere seemed heavy, and it was hard to breath…luckily that didn't matter to the ghost.

The halfa had to question if this was just because of Holloween, or if this was normal. New York was known for its crimes, but she doubted that New York usually had this atmosphere. Thus, the second option was doubtful. This city wasn't Gotham after all. No, it had to be something else.

Perhaps it was the presence of the black power rings…No, nothing like this happened before in Amity Park after the times the black power ring users showed up. Something else was wrong. Spirit just didn't know what it was. But for some reason, she thought that it had to do with what Hotep Ra had said.

For some odd reason, Spirit believed the mummy ghost. Hotep Ra was now one of the few enemy ghosts that had no bad history with the halfas. There was no bad blood…yet. He gained nothing from just attacking her other than satisfying his comrades. Not only that…her Premonition sensed no ill intentions to her from the mummy. He was being sincere.

Thus, why would he teleport her here and give her such strange information if there wasn't some truth to his words? Someone called Harm was causing problems somewhere. Instinctively, the hafa wanted to stop him. If a black power ring user said that what he did was bad, then it must be terrible and unforgivable

At the same time, though, Spirit wondered why Hotep Ra teleported only her here. He had the chance to send her friends here as well. If this Harm guy was strong enough to give a black power ring user pause, then Spirit reluctantly had to admit that she could be in trouble. Considering his tone and words, the mummy wanted something from Harm. Perhaps she was the distraction for him to get it, but she could be more help with others…

"None of this makes sense…" Spirit muttered. "And Hotep Ra took my phone, so I can't call anyone…I could ask someone to use their phones, but who knows how they would react…Oh well, I guess I'm going to have to sign a few autographs. It could be worse-Ah!"

Blue mist escaped her mouth.

"Spoke too soon…"

"Secret."

Spirit turned. She saw a young blond girl wearing a white cloak. This girl was looked like the complete opposite of Raven. "You here to fight?"

"Secret."

"How is that a secret? You either do or you don't." Spirit argued.

"Secret."

"Okay. That's going to get annoying. Can you say anything else other than Secret?" Spirit questioned

"Secret."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that…" Spirit sighed. "I don't sense that you want to fight, and you haven't tried anything yet. You must want something then…"

"Secret."

"Of course it is…You know, all ghosts are staying in Amity Park and the Ghost Zone for their own safety. You must have a good reason for being here. Don't say anything, but could you at least point me in the right direction, blondie?"

The blond girl who Spirit dubbed Anti-Raven…or Secret…or The-Girl-Who-Annoys-Me-With-One-Word…pointed into the distance.

Spirit looked in that direction. "I don't see anything."

Boom!

"Wow! My timing is totally off tonight." Spirit blinked. She turned back to Anti-Raven. "Thanks for…And you're gone. That must what humans feel when we disappear. It's annoying being on this end, but it's freaking hilarious on the other end."

Spirit then flew off to the explosion. "And I'm talking to myself now…Maybe I just like the sound of my own voice…Yeah, that's probably it."

When Spirit arrived at the scene, she found a blazing fire on the streets. It didn't seem natural. Either fossil fuels were involved or some form of alternate energy. Floating above the fire, Spirit suspected the later.

Crash! Bang!

Spirit turned to the noise. She couldn't see anything over the uneven rooftops. Her fight instincts were tingling, though. Something was going on, and it involved violence. That thought brought a smile to her face.

It wasn't hard to find the people fighting. They were making quite the scene. It was two girls fighting off one guy. The man had long brown hair, incredibly pale skin, and a white trench coat with holes in the shoulders. There was also the fact that he had four long scars on the upper right side of his face and a huge sword at his side…and was that a zombie arm on his back?

Weird…Cool, of course, but still weird…

The other girls, or at least one of them were more familiar to Spirit. "Artemis…"

Spirit would recognize any members of Danny's Team. While she liked them all personally, the halfa girl had a distaste for them as a whole. They were the ones that caused Danny to become Dr. Fate and later have a mental breakdown after all. It was hard not to hold a grudge, even if Artemis was a cool girl. They even texted and talked a bit before the Injustice League thing.

That fondness may have faded, but Spirit knew that Artemis was a good person. She fought beside Danny after all. The dark haired magician girl beside her was obviously her friend, while the sword dude was the enemy. That was good enough reason for Spirit to attack the hippy pale guy.

Deciding to go with a silent sneak attack, Spirit flew down behind the guy. She intended to kick him in the back of the head. If that didn't knock him unconscious, then he would at least be stunned. That would be enough to gain the upper hand.

'Cut behind me. Stop attack. Kill attacker.'

Spirit instantly heeded the warning of her Premonition. She was glad she did too. The man followed through with his intentions. Spirit barely dodged the initial strike. The attacks that followed were no joy either. The sword was lightning fast.

"Gah!" Spirt flung herself out of the way after dodging several attacks.

"Spirit?!" Artemis shouted as she saw the ghost girl barrel to the side to get away from the man. "What are you doing here?!"

"Long story!" Spirit didn't take her eyes of the man. "Tell you later, Goldie Locks."

Despite the situation, the raven haired girl snickered.

"Zatanna!" Artemis glared.

"Sorry, but that's funny." The now identified Zatanna stated.

"It seems that many of the weaker versions are coming out tonight." The man noticed. "Perhaps the its all wish for Harm to come to them? Otherwise the its wouldn't be seeking Harm out."

"Harm…" Spirit narrowed her eyes at the man's wording. Was this the guy that Hotep Ra mentioned?

"Spirit, we need to regroup and figure out a plan!" Artemis shouted.

"You go do that!" Spirit grinned. "I'll just be here kicking Harm's butt."

"It thinks that it can hurt Harm. How humourous." Harm smiled cruelly. "But it doesn't realize that Harm is about to hurt it."

"Yeah, you can try…" Spirit activated her Spectral claws.

"Gnirb tiripS ot su!" Zatanna yelled out.

"Gah!" Spirit felt an invisible force grab her and began to pull her to the girls. She recognized this feeling. This was magic. "Let me go!"

"Not likely!" The girls continued to run over the rooftops. "You can't take him alone!"

"I don't plan to! I just need to hold out until your backup arrives!" Spirit struggled against the invisible force pulling her.

"Er…"

"…You do have backup coming, right?"

"You know. That would have been a great idea." Zatanna mentioned to Artemis. "Why didn't we think of that?"

"Because we're busy running for our lives." Artemis argued. "But I'll try."

"Wow…and people call me stupid…" Spirit rolled her eyes.

"And why aren't you doing it?" Zatanna glared.

"I was kind of teleported here without my phone." Spirit shrugged.

"Teleported?"

"Later. For now… RAW!" Spirit used her Spectral Claws to cut through the magic holding her.

"Wait!" Zatanna warned.

"Move!" Spirit used ectoplasmic blasts to knock the girls away. This happened just in time, as Harm came crashing down and trying to cut at the older teen girls.

"Harm is impressed." Harm noted as he turned to the girl. "It has good reaction speeds for a child, but it cares about the other its too much when it should be worrying about itself." Harm caught the explosive arrow that was shot at his head and threw it back at the girls.

Boom!

"Ah!" The cried as they were sent sprawling back.

"…" Harm looked at Spirit again. "Yet it doesn't flinch when the other hits find Harm."

"That was their stupid mistake." Spirit noted. "And while I don't want them dead, I would prefer they not fight this. I have no experience in teaming with them. Besides, I want to kick Harm's ass myself."

"Harm accepts its challenge." Harm rushed at Spirit. The ghost tried to stop his rush by sending ectoplasmic blasts at Harm. The man easily knocked the blasts away with his sword, though. It was like he was batting away wads of paper.

"Crap!" Spirit was forced to dodge his strikes. The blade moved in a blur. She was force to move back continually. Despite hovering, though, she was still slower moving back than he was going forward. She didn't get the chance to escape, and she doubted that a lunge tactic would work again.

'I have to counterattack.' Spirit thought. 'At least so I can get fly to the edge where he can't follow.'

Using her Spectral Claws, Spirit tried to slice at his open midsection. That did not work. He was waiting for that attack. His sword swung to cut off the appendage. Luckily, Spirit managed to prevent that, but couldn't stop her arm from being cut.

"Ah!" Spirit clutched the cut. It burned unnaturally. This wasn't a normal cut. There was magic in it. That explained the ability to stop her ectoplasmic strikes.

Zap! Boom!

"Gah!" Spirit was sent sprawling to the ground when electricity came out of the sword and hit her in the chest. The electrify shocked her to the point of being paralyzed. She was stuck on the ground unmoving. 'Damn! I underestimated him! I didn't think the sword was that powerful!'

"And its story ends by Harm." Harm brought his sword up and prepared to strike the girl down.

"Spirit!" Artemis and Zatanna jumped to her feet and prepared to help the girl. The archer brought out her crossbow while Zatanna prepared to use her magic. Neither received the chance, though.

Clang! Harm's sword was stopped by another blade.

"…This night howls to me. It calls ordering me to protect my kin and to slay my enemies. On this most hallow of eves, my strength is boosted to its peak. With that, I can instantly come to the aid of those I have come to protect. And when the most import person to my master is in trouble, I have no hesitation…I have no mercy…"

"Who are you?" Harm questioned.

"I am the Spirit of Halloween. I am the sword of my master. But most importantly, I am the being that shall cut you down." The ghost knight with purple flaming hair and black armor stated. "I am the Fright Knight."

"Ah…" Spirit scrambled back to her feet and gained some distance from the two sword users. "Fright Knight…how did you get here?"

"On Halloween, I can do almost anything. Even teleport." The Fright Knight chucked. Then, with a roar, the knight ghost flung the villain back and sent Harm sliding across the rooftop. "Now go. I know that curse sword. It is the bane of all ghosts. Even members of the Council might be made powerless by its curse."

"But you?"

"I have the power of Halloween to protect me." Fright Knight sounded pleased…almost excited. "Leave. I sense a presence here that might be able to help us find his weakness. Find that ghost and have her lead you to where you need to go."

"…Okay…" Spirit nodded slowly. "I will. Just stay safe."

"Don't worry about me." The Fight Knight's sword seemed to gain green sparks. "It is Harm that needs to worry."

"Harm doubts it!" Harm lunged and swung his sword. The two blades met with sparks of magic and ectoplasm meeting. The ground beneath them cracked and shattered under their power.

Spirit ignored this and flew to the other girls. "I need your help. I need to find a ghost. I think she might be able to help us. Her name is Secret."

"That girl was a ghost?" Zatanna questioned.

"Yes, and we need to find her." Spirit nodded.

"Well…" Artemis looked to the side to see the other female ghost waving from several buildings away. "I think I found her."

"Yeah…" Spirit nodded. "I think you did."

Swords clashed in a blur of motions. Each attacker was trying to not only strike the other's body, but also the hands. If a swordsman lost his hands or fingers, then he would no longer be able to use his hands. This was why both Harm and the Fright Knight worked to block and dodge each blow sent their way.

Sparks and energy rose into the air as the two legendary swords met. This caused the rooftops to appear as if a firework show of yellow and green lights was going off in the middle of Halloween. It was only a matter of time before the police were contacted.

This did not bother the combatants, though. They just jumped around the rooftops randomly to avoid the chance of anyone catching up to them.

"Harm is surprised by its ability to keep up with Harm." Harm mentioned as he slashed at the Fright Knight with his electrified sword. "Especially when it cares so much for the other its."

Fright Knight blocked. "Fool! My dedication to my master's kin is what makes me strong!"

The knight ghost then pushed Harm away. The scared man slid back but was not deterred. Harm stabbed the ground and caused the roof below them to become electrified. The Fright Knight reacted by flying into the air. Then, using all his power, the Fright Knight created a large gem of flaming purple energy and sent it at Harm.

The sociopath responded by pulling his sword out of the roof and slashing at the gem. The ectoplasmic attack was cut in two and slash continued to Fright Knight. The yellow magical slash of energy was quickly deflected by Fright Knight into the sky.

Both swordsman stared at each other. They could feel their blood begin to boil beneath their skin. This was a fight that they craved. A real fight between swordsmen. Unfortunately, it was tainted by Harm's terrible crimes against Fright Knight's kin.

Thus, while the Fright Knight would enjoy the fight, he would enjoy cutting the sociopath down a whole lot more.

Joel flew through the chaos of the Ghoul Project. The darkness would have been a problem if the facility wasn't filled with ghosts and ectoplasmic weapons. The number of ectoplasmic attacks being thrown around was uncountable. The blasts made it so the ghoul could see perfectly in this dark prison. It was like the entire place was filled with active fireworks.

And it sounded like it too.

"RAW!"

"Get down!"

"Ah! My legs!"

"How did this happen?!"

The facility was filled with screams and yells. People and failed ghouls were everywhere. Many of them were injured. All of them, however, were running and fighting in this chaos. To Joel, this looked like a war zone. He wouldn't be surprised if this place was destroyed by the end of the night.

Despite everything, though, Joel continued onward to the meeting spot. He couldn't get caught up in a fight. There was only a limited amount of energy he had, after all. Joel would need every last bit of energy he could get while escaping and finding someplace to hide. After a few minutes of dodging and ducking, Joel arrived at the meeting place that had been established.

"You're late!" Agent Z roared as he blasted a soldier away from him.

"Have you looked around?" Joel threw away a failed ghoul that was trying to bite him. "It's safer trying to walk through a minefield than go through all this!"

"It's not stopping him." Agent Z grunted.

"Grundy crush all of you!" Grundy roared as he picked up a cage and flung it at a group of soldiers.

"WAH!"

"HELP!"

"GRAH!"

…The fact that didn't help that the cage was full of failed ghouls did not help the chaos of this situation…It did, however, make it a lot more humorous.

"Well, I'm not a freaking tank." Joel formed his Pendulum Nunchaku and began to knock away the enemies around them. "Did you get the inhibitor collar off?"

"Why do you think he's able to move like that?" Agent Z snorted as he smashed a soldier's head into the floor. "Take that you piece of trash…"

"Then we need to start moving to the exit." Joel mentioned.

"Grundy on it!" Solomon Grundy roared. He ran forward. Bullets bounced off his skin, and people were sent flying from the force of his massive charge forward. Nothing could stop the living tank.

"Try to keep the men off of him!" Agent Z barked. "He may be tough, but if he takes enough damage, even he will fall!"

"Right!" Joel switched to his Burst Gauntlets. The ghoul dashed to the side of Grundy and stopped the reinforcements that arrived to halt Grundy's charge. Even the usually violence opposed Joel couldn't hide his smile as he knocked the men unconscious. These men had terrorized them for months. It was nearly impossible not to justify some payback against the soldiers. As long as he didn't go too far that is…

"Z!" Joel shouted. "That's enough!"

"What?!" Agent Z was stepping on the jaw of one of the downed soldiers. It cracked with ease under the ectoplasmic empowered man. "I can't hear you!"

"Stop!" Joel glared. "We don't have time for petty revenge."

"Don't act like they don't deserve some punishment. You hurt some of them yourself, pacifist boy."

"But I'm not being cruel about it." Joel returned. "Just stop. We need to go."

"Whatever…" Agent Z spit on the downed soldier. "I've had my fun."

The group of three continued to work their way to the exit. It didn't take too much effort to defeat the unorganized and fatigued soldiers. In all, their plan worked perfectly. Within a few short minutes, the three ghouls were standing at the exit.

"RAW!" Grundy rammed his thick hands into the steel wall and began to rip them off the edges.

Agent Z was in the back of their group and was watching for any soldiers of failed ghouls that might have followed. They stopped most of them, but you could never be too careful. "I can't wait to get out. It seems like it's been forever since I've been free."

"Fresh air and an open sky…" Joel gained a longing look. What Agent Z said was true. The few months he had spent in the Ghoul Project had felt like years. "Sounds good."

"Yeah…" Agent Z nodded. "It will be."

"Grundy can't wait!" Solomon Grundy grinned. "FREEDOM!"

With that, the large brute ripped the metal doors away. The three ghouls were instantly met with the fresh smell and cool touch of the open air. They all blinked and slowly walked out of the facility. The sky was dark and filled with stars. Grass crunched beneath their feet. A cool breeze brushed their skin and caused a gentle shiver to run down their spines.

"Freedom…" Grundy looked close to crying as he collapsed to his knees. "Grundy is free."

"It feels…so good." Agent Z breathed.

Joel said nothing. He merely closed his eyes and took all the feelings in. This was what they worked for. This was why they caused all that chaos and possibly death in the wake of the Ghoul Project. It was all for freedom. Despite all the sacrifices and loss, they were free.

And in that moment, Joel felt like it was all worth.

"Eh?" Grundy's voice sounded out. "Who are you?"

Joel's eyes snapped open.

"My name is Psimon, and Psimon says that you aren't going anywhere."

The sky was lit up with flames and explosions. All of them were caused by Torch. Phantom couldn't keep up with Torch's rapidly changing attacks. The fire user wasn't kidding when he said that he had been training. Torch's flame abilities were leaps and bounds beyond what he could do in their first fight.

While Phantom's powers were at an all-time low…

"Ah!" Phantom dodged the pillars of fire that rained down around him. He barely managed to keep dodging the blasts. In fact, his clothes were burned and scorched beyond repair, and his skin was covered in slight burns. "You know I won't get the money back for this costume, right?"

"Shut up and fight!" Torch lunged at the halfa. Flames danced around them in a spiral. Torch decided to keep Phantom from running anymore. It was then that Phantom knew he had to act. Ignoring the pain that was caused by the flames, Phantom grabbed Torch and dragged the fire ghost into the cold water below them.

The halfa didn't have a plan after this. All he knew was the the water would restrict Torch's attacks, if only for a moment. But right now, he was thinking solely about buying time to come up with a better plan. He couldn't win this fight right now, and his chances or effectively fleeing were dismal at best.

The good thing was that Torch wasn't going for the kill in this fight. If he was, Phantom wasn't sure that he would survive…

Torch struggled and thrashed against Phantom. Neither needed air, so that wasn't a problem, but Torch knew that his powers would be weakened while submerged like this. He would need to get out. Phantom held him back, though. The halfa still needed time to…

"Ah!" Bubbles escaped from Phantom's mouth. The cold autumn water was suddenly increasing rapidly in temperature. It began to boil and rage from Torch's power. Feeling his skin begin to blister, Phantom released Torch and began to push himself out of the water. He flew to the surface and then out of the water.

The halfa tried to flee, but was stopped. Torch grabbed the teenage ghost and flung him to the shore. Phantom landed with a crash and came to a sudden stop. The halfa tried to get back up to his feet, but was stopped when Torch pointed the blade of his scythe at Phantom's neck.

"…Torch wins…" Torch frowned.

"…You do…" Phantom agreed.

"Why didn't you use your ice powers?"

"I couldn't."

"Couldn't or wouldn't?"

"Couldn't." Phantom confirmed.

"Torch sees…" Torch moved the scythe from Phantom's neck. Nevertheless, Phantom remained on the ground shamed. "Torch won, so tell Torch what is going on. Why are you weaker than ever before?"

"It's…it's hard to explain." Phantom gained a pained look.

"Try Torch." Torch ordered.

"You won't leave until I tell you, huh?" Phantom sighed.

"No." Torch nodded. "Torch will burn you to a crisp first."

"Fine…" Phantom sighed and began to explain.

Torch listened to Phantom's tale silently until the end. Then he said, "So…Torch died in the dream?"

"Simulation, and yes. But not only you…Everyone died." Phantom clenched his fists. "I couldn't save anyone."

"Torch sees why this is troubling, but you need to get over it. Those people are still alive. It was all a bad dream." Torch argued.

"It wasn't to me." Phantom retorted. "I felt and saw everyone die in front of me…they sacrificed themselves for me. And…I mourned."

"You should be happy, though. They are alive." Torch mentioned.

"I know, and it's selfish of me, but…I can't bring myself to feel anything." Phantom clenched his fists. "There's nothing left. My ghost half thinks that my obsession is gone, and that means that it cannot maintain its form anymore."

"So you will fade away…" Torch frowned.

"My ghost half will, but I have no idea what will happen to my human half." Phantom stated.

"You think that you're going to die. And…you're dealing with it by spending time with your family." Torch realized.

"Yes."

"That is very logical. It is smart to spend time with the people you care about while you can. Most people would do that, but…"

Wack!

"Ow!" Phantom clutched the part of his head wear Torch hit him with the normal part of his scythe.

"You are not most people! You are like Torch! We do not do the logical thing! We do the impossible thing!" Torch shouted.

"What are you talking about?"

"Fight! Find a way! Struggle until your last breath! That is the way we work! Torch never gives up and neither do you!" Torch glared. "Don't lie down and accept this! You are Danny Phantom! The only man to defeat Torch one-on-one! You cannot die until I defeat you with both of us at full strength."

"It's not that simple Torch. No words or logic can help this. It's hopeless." Phantom shook his head. "I've lost too much to keep going. I'm broken."

"You think that you're the only ghost that has suffered? Wrong! Every ghost has his or her fair share of tragedies and hardships! But none of us ask for pity! For only the people with the strongest wills can ever hope to live on after death!" Torch exclaimed.

"Torch…"

"Yes, you may have lost a lot, but don't think that it is impossible to come back from it." Torch frowned. "Torch lost many of Torch's minions in the war. Torch cried. Torch thought about giving up…to tell Torch's remaining minions to leave and never look back. But then, Torch was given a purpose. A way to be remembered and become famed. You gave Torch the chance to make a difference. Without you, Torch doesn't know what would have happened."

"But you didn't lose your obsession, Torch." Phantom shook his head. "I did. I know you care about you minions, but this is different. I lost Dani. I lost the single person I care about the most."

"…" 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."

Phantom was silent.

"Torch does know what it is like to lose your most important person. It's not something that is easy to go through. Torch knows this, but you can't give up." Torch encouraged. "Torch won't let you."

"But…what can I do?" Phantom questioned.

"What you need to."

Greta Hayes

Beloved Sister

Spirit stared at the small grave before her. Secret had led them to what was most likely Harm's home considering the pictures of him and Secret…no, Greta…The halfa was surprised to find a connection between the ghost and the psychopath villain. The shock quickly shifted when Spirit saw the grave. She knew what this meant.

"He killed you…" Spirit whispered. "He killed his sister."

"Secret…" Secret nodded.

"I can't believe, but…how?" Zatanna questioned.

Secret created an image of Harm's dagger above her small hands.

"That…bastard…." Artemis hissed. "How could anyone even think of doing something like this?"

Spirit ignored the other girls and stared at the grave.

Was…was this even possible? To kill you sister like that? Danny would rather die than ever hurt her! Wasn't that the same for all siblings? You had to look out for your family! It was like a religion to Spirit.

Yet, someone could still do this. This atrocity…how could it actually happen?

"…rit!" Zatanna shook Spirit's shoulder.

"Huh?" Spirit turned away from the grave.

"You weren't responding to us." Zatanna stated. "We think that the Fright Knight and Harm are getting closer."

Boom! Crack! Smash!

"Okaaaaay…They're definitely getting closer." Zatanna frowned.

"Good." Spirit glared deeply. "Cause I'm going to beat that man to the brink of death."

"I get that you're mad, but Harm is freaking insanely tough." Artemis argued. "It might be best to leave it to Fright Knight."

"He deserves to suffer…" Spirit muttered as they saw Fright Knight and Harm battle on the roof of the building.

Harm saw them. "How did the its find Harm's home!?"

"Perhaps you can ask them!" Fright Knight pushed Harm away from him. Both beings were covered in cuts and bruises. The fight had taken its toll of both swordsman.

Magical electricity danced around Harm in his anger. "Get out of Harm's way!"

The force of Harm's swing knocked the Fright Knight away and to the street beyond the fence. It was then that the psychotic villain jumped down and glared at the girls. His eyes showed furry and confusion as to why they were at his home and in front of his sister's grave.

"How did the its find Harm's home?!" Harm barked.

"You secrets led us here." Spirit glared.

"Secrets?" Harm questioned. "Harm is pure. Secrets are no use to Harm."

"No use to you…" Spirit trembled in anger. "Well this secret has no use for you either."

"What does it…" Harm's eyes widened as Greta appeared from the ground. "Ah…it casts an illusion spell."

"Except I didn't speak. Harm knows that it can't cast a spell without speaking." Zatanna noted.

Harm's eyes widened in realization "No…you're dead…How are you…"

"Secret." Greta stared at her brother.

"You piece of garbage." Spirit growled. "You killed your own sister. For what?!"

"Harm…needed to be pure. Earthly attachments make Harm impure…weak…" Harm seemed to bet losing a bit of control. "Harm had to kill the only thing Harm loved."

"Well guess what. You did kill her, but that doesn't mean she's gone." Spirit grinned. "Greta has lived on as a ghost, and ghosts tend to hold grudges."

Secret then began to walk towards Harm.

"No! Harm's heart is pure! Harm's not sorry! I'm not!" Harm yelled. Electricty danced around his sword for a moment, but quickly faded. The magic in the sword could not respond to Harm's wavering will and heart. Thus, Secret could pass through the blade like it was any other normal object. Then, the girl reached into Harm's chest and pulled out what looked like a ball of energy.

"Ah…" Harm collapsed in a heap.

"Well, well…" The Fright Knight landed in front of Harm. His sneering helm stared down at the downed at the psychopath. "It looks like I arrived just in time."

"No! Harm is still pure!" Harm jumped to his feet and tried to cut at the Fight Knight. The sword merely passed through the intangible knight. The sword landed on the ground with a thud. Harm could not lift it again.

"No…Harm's not pure. Harm was never pure in any way." The Fright Knight lifted his blade. "And Soul Shredder agrees."

"No!" Harm desperately tried to move the sword, but the hand sheath reacted to Harm's now clouded heart and automatically re-sheathed itself.

"Have fun in in your own worst nightmare."

Slash! Pop!

Harm was gone.

The girls stared. Zatanna was the first to speak up. "Did…you kill him?"

"No." The Fright Knight shook his head. "Soul Shredder has the ability to teleport people to a realm of their own worst nightmares. I can bring Harm back whenever I want. I have refrained from using the ability because Lord Phantom thinks that its ability is cruel. I shall restore Harm's form now if you want."

"NO!" Spirit hissed. "Leave him there for a while. He deserves to suffer!"

The Fright Knight looked to the young heroine and nodded. "As you wish, Lady Spirit."

"Oh…how cruel of you, Spirit…" Nocturne's voice sounded around the area. Three different ghosts appeared around the ghosts and heroes. They were all the users of the black power rings.

"See? I told you it would work." Hotep Ra stated.

"But I was hoping the girl would die…" Aragon growled. He was in his more human like form. His skin was blue, his eyes were red, and his hair was grey. The ghost's clothes were a royal purple, while his crown of thorns was green.

"You know that would go against the plan." Despite his word, Nocturne did not seemed pleased. "The halfas must live for now."

"Who are you creeps?" Artemis pointed her crossbow at Aragon.

"They're ghosts…I can feel it." Zatanna frowned. "But something is wrong."

"It's their rings." The Fright Knight warned. "Beware their power. They can easily destroy mortals."

"You…" Spirit glared at them. "Why did you send me here?"

"It was my idea." Hotep Ra spoke up. "Harm was both a possible threat and a possible gain. The Sword of Beowulf is a cursed sword that can hurt all ghosts. Even us. At least one of use would have died trying to take it from him, but then I learned of his greatest weakness…Greta."

"We tried to use the little brat, but she would appear before us." Aragon growled. "She sensed the darkness in our hearts and stayed away out of caution. In all honesty, it was a smart thing to do."

"You, though…" Nocturne pointed to at Spirit. "You are so full of cheer and justice. We knew Greta would instantly be drawn to you…even if you are being cruel to Harm. Though, he does deserve it."

"But…you had the chance to take my friends too…" Spirit noted.

"They are not like you." Hotep Ra stated. "They do not do good solely for the sake of doing good. Each of them had a deep darkness hidden in their heart. Their presence would have made Greta avoid you."

"Secret…" Secret looked around in an alarmed state. She looked like she wanted to run.

"Now…hand over the sword." Nocturne ordered.

"And why should we give it to you?" Artemis glared.

"Because we will take it from you if you don't wench!" Aragon barked.

"Can we take them?" Zatanna whispered to Fright Knight.

"With my injured state and their power…no, we can't." Fright Knight sighed.

"The sword…" Spirit glared at the blade. "You're going to destroy it like the other things, right? That's why you want it? It's a threat, so you'll destroy it."

"That's part of the reason, yes." Hotep Ra nodded.

"…Then take it!" Spirit picked up the sheathed blade and threw it at the mummy ghost. "That thing was what caused Greta's death! It's what caused this…atrocity to happen. That sword needs to be destroyed so this will never happen again."

"Are you sure, Lady Spirit?" Fright Knight questioned.

"Yes…" Spirit looked at Secret with sadness. "Enough people have died for that stupid sword already."

"…Secret…"

"Damn it, you big oaf! Stop!" Agent Z roared.

"Grundy can't!" Grundy was swing at the other ghouls wildly.

Joel rolled out of the way. Based on Psimon's appearance, he was most likely a telepath. That would explain why he could control Grundy like this. Grundy did not have the mental strength to fight off mental invasion. This allowed Psimon to use him like a puppet.

The ghoul knew that taking Grundy down without the inhibitor collar would be nearly impossible right now. He didn't have too much energy to spare. To free Grundy, he would have to attack Psimon. The only problem was that Grundy was stopping him from getting to Grundy.

'This isn't a fight where I could win more than I could lose…' Joel realized.

Kneeling off to the side, Joel watched as Grundy attacked Agent Z. The ex-GIW leader was being pushed back. It was clear that Agent Z was exhausted and unstable right now. He couldn't fight off the brute right now. If Agent Z had any chance of surviving, Joel would have to interfere.

But…

Joel looked off to the side. There was a clear path outside. He could easily get to it. Psimon was too focused on Grundy to stop him, and Grundy was dealing with Agent Z. Nothing could stop him from leaving. It would be an easy thing to do.

Except it wasn't. Joel couldn't bring himself to leave the other two ghouls behind. Without them, he never would have escaped, and although he had very little emotional attachment to them, they were still in the same boat. He couldn't leave them in this hell…

Joel did the only thing he could. He created his nunchucks and jumped on Grundy's back. The chained weapon wrapped around the brute's neck and body and held him back.

"Go!" Joel yelled to Agent Z. "Stop Psimon! I'll hold Grundy back!"

"…Right!" Agent Z nodded and ran past the two ghouls.

"…No…" Grundy grunted as he pulled at the chains. "Small boy…needs to run…"

"Don't worry! We're all getting out of here!" Joel yelled.

"Don't understand…in danger…" Grundy said through gritted teeth. "Can hear it from brain man. Trap!"

"What?"

Click! Zap!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"That…is an intense story." Phantom noted to Fright Knight and Artemis as they stood outside the Zeta Tube.

"I teleported Harm back to the physical realm and dropped him off at the police station. Considering all the evidence against him, Harm won't be fee any time soon." Fright Knight explained.

"That's good." Phantom nodded. "Thanks for helping my sister out."

"It was a pleasure, my Liege." The Fright Knight bowed for a moment. "But if you'll excuse me, I am quiet exhausted from my confrontation with Harm. I need to go rest."

"Of course." Phantom smiled as the Fright Knight flew away. He then turned to Artemis. "Thanks for bringing them home. I really need to ask Batman to key them into the Zeta system. That way you won't have to carry them in a Fenton Thermos."

"It's not a problem, but didn't the Fright Knight teleport earlier?" Artemis pointed out.

"Our powers tend to fail when we're fatigued. Besides…I think that the Fright Knight can only do that to himself on Halloween." Phantom shrugged. "This is his night, after all."

"Oh…" Artemis looked over Phantom's burned and bruised appearance. "What happened to you, by the way? I thought you were going to the party with the others."

"Let's just say that a friend chose a weird time to want a rematch." Phantom shrugged.

"Oh…You won, right?" Artemis smirked.

"…Yeah…" Phantom nodded slowly. "Of course. What else do you expect?"

"Not much…" Artemis frowned and looked away.

"You okay?" Phantom questioned. "I know that the Megan Conner thing got to you. Add in the Harm Secret thing…it must have been a rough night."

"Yeah. It kind of sucked." Artemis sighed.

"You want to talk about either one?" Phantom questioned.

"Not really…" Artemis huffed.

"Are you sure? Because you said that I didn't understand." Phantom noted. "I said that once, remember? The best way to help people understand is explain it to them."

"…I guess, I'm a little jealous." Artemis sighed.

"Because M'gann has Conner?" Phantom questioned. "Or because they have eachother?"

"Both, I guess." Artemis shrugged.

"Hmm…" Phantom nodded. "I get that you think that SB's…er…hot. Man, that's weird talking about a guy…But no offence, you two aren't very compatible. I don't think you two would have very much to talk about considering that he barely talks and all you say are sarcastic remarks."

"Yeah, I realized that a while ago. Conner's a great guy and is super good looking, but I would like to be around a guy who doesn't grunt out most of his words." Artemis snorted. "And you know what, I'm happy for them. They make a really good couple. I guess…I just wish you all didn't make it a big secret."

"In my defense, it was pretty obvious. Half the time I see them now, they're making out." Phantom shrugged.

"I guess I didn't want to acknowledge it then…" Artemis sighed. "But if you knew that I didn't know, why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not my place to tell other people's secrets…even if they aren't very secret." Phantom shrugged.

"I guess…wait…" Artemis froze and starred at Phantom. "The way you said that…"

"I know about your family. There's a pretty big resemblance between you and your family." Phantom nodded. "I didn't say anything, because I didn't think it was a big deal. You're my friend, and I would trust you with my life."

"Danny…" Artemis was shocked…but happy. She never thought that anyone would be so nonchalant about her family. "Thank you…for everything."

"Hey, it's no problem. What are friends for?" Phantom smiled.

"…I've been thinking." Artemis sighed. "After the simulation and my talk with Black Canary…I was conflicted by my feelings."

"You mean your extreme reaction to Wally's death?" Phantom noted. "I know you care about him."

"Yeah, but would he lose an arm for me?" Artemis questioned.

"That? That was nothing." Phantom shrugged. "I would do it for all my friends."

"Yeah, but…" Artemis sighed. "I'm so messed up. I guess I just want a moment where nothing matters. To forget about everything."

"I know what you mean…" Phantom nodded slowly. "It's all I think about lately."

"Then you know life is too short, right?" Artemis frowned.

"It is." Phantom agreed.

"…Okay then."

"Okay wha-"

Artemis pulled him into a kiss.

"Hi guys!" Dani waved at her friends as she walked into her livingroom.

"Dani!" They cried.

"You guys won't believe what happened to me tonight." Dani smiled.

"Why are you being so nonchalant about this?!" Victor shouted. "We went to your parents for help, and then we searched, but the knight guy said he found you and disappeared."

"Yeah…is that why you guys are at my house?" Dani questioned.

"Yeah!" Youngblood glared. "We were worried."

"Sorry, but I couldn't call, but Hotep Ra took my phone." Dani waved her recoverd phone in the air. "But I got it back. Good thing too, I think Dad and Vision were close to having aneurysms when I called them…Where are they, anyway?"

"They said something about helping the Fright Knight with his injuries." Rachel explained.

"Oh…" Dani frowned. "Then I guess I'll have to introduce Greta to them later."

"Greta?" Nyx questioned.

"Secret…" Greta turned visible beside Spirit.

"Er…who is that?" Victor questioned.

"Guys, this is Greta!" Dani smiled. "She's going to be staying here now!"

"…Something tells me that this has something to do with what happened when you disappeared." Rachel noted.

"Yep. It's a…well, I wouldn't say good story, but it fits the atmosphere of Halloween." Dani stated. "Greta tells it a lot better than I do, though. Right, Greta?"

"Secret…"

"Exactly!" Dani nodded sagely. "That is the perfect explanation for what happened."

"Secret!"

"Too true, Greta. Too true…"

"…Did you get a word of that?" Nyx questioned.

Her answer was the shaking of heads.

"Me neither…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Joel yelled and fell off of Grundy's back.

Electricity surged through Joel's body. The boy clenched at the inhibitor collar around his neck. Soon, Joel was forced to change back into his human form because of the pain.

Joel breathed and panted heavily. "No…what…"

"Looks like it worked." Agent Z noted. He stood over the downed ghoul. His leer showed no pity as he watched the ally he just betrayed.

"That it did." Psimon agreed.

"I don't…" Joel looked up desperately.

"Really?" Agent Z snorted. "Are you that dumb, kid? You've been played. I had that collar from the start. I knew Psimon could stop Grundy's stupid mind, but you would be more trouble. That collar fixed the problem, though."

"No…" Joel tried to force himself back up, but he couldn't. "Why?"

"Do you really think I'll last out there? As if! Even if we did escape, how would I get stabilized? You think Fenton or his allies would help after everything I did? Not likely." Agent Z grunted. "The Ghoul Project is my best bet to survive. I just needed to get in with Queen Bee's good graces."

"And that you did." Queen Bee walked in through the entrance. She peered down at Joel and then glanced at Grundy who was still being controlled by Psimon. "Everything worked out how I wanted it to."

"But…the ghouls…the soldiers…the scientists." Joel gasped out.

"Those fools failed me far too many times." Queen Bee answered. "This was their final chance. They had the opportunity to stop this, but then they failed to stop the plan of a young boy. They deserved to be put down. This was the best way to get rid of them and rid the Ghoul Project of the unwanted trash in it, while at the same time making sure our only successes weren't killed in the process."

"No…" Joel gasped out.

"I must admit, you are impressive. Your plan would have succeeded if Agent Z didn't inform us of your treachery." Queen Bee smiled. "I can see why Ra's wanted you to succeed him, but it's too late now. Even if this worked in my benefit in the end, I cannot forgive your trying to escape. You will have to be put down after we duplicate your powers."

"No! You can't!" Joel's eyes widened in fear.

"Yes, I can." Queen Bee turned to Agent Z. "And as I promised, you will be free to move around as you wish. I will arrange a room to be set up for you. I take care of my assets after all."

"Thank you." Agent Z bowed his head slightly.

"Now, would you kindly take Joel back down to his new cell." Queen Bee ordered. "And do make sure he's unable to move. We don't want him getting any ideas."

"My pleasure…" Agent Z stood over Joel.

"Wait!" Joel pleaded.

"Sorry, spooks. Nothing personal. It's just who I am." Agent Z brought his foot down on Joel's head.

Crack!

And with that, Joel was taken back to the Ghoul Project. This time was different, though. Now, he knew that he would be put to death as soon as they could duplicate his powers. This time, he would be given no chance of escape.

With that last though, Joel lost all hope for survival as he was dragged back to his own personal hell.