A Chance to Trust (YJ/DP)

-27- Dealing with the Devil

Danny emerged from the other side of the wall, looking back to see the absence of his ghost half. He frowned in panic, why hadden't his ghost half come with him? He would have gone back but a faint glow caught his eye. He turned to look and he sucked in a breath in worry.

Clockwork was hanging by his wrists in the air, which he noticed was even more lacking in the ecto-energy department. His aura was little to none, his head hung in a foreboding way, his entire being was still.

He looked dead.

The walls had a green glow to them, sucking away the ghost life giving energy. It sent an eerie look across the blue ghost, who had many cut marks and a large gash in his side. Danny approached hesitantly and horrified. He noticed the clock that was in his chest was barely moving from side to side, the glass casing cracked in a corner.

"Clockwork?" He whispered hopefully. He didn't know why he whispered, if anything he should have shouted.

He didn't move.

Danny inched closer, then flinched as the staff began to glow sharply. He blinked got used to the sudden white light that sent the ghost's shadow onto the wall, looking ever creepier.

"Clockwork?" He asked again, louder but still in a hushed tone.

Danny surged forward as the ghost's head lifted.

"Clockwork!" he cried, hugging the ghost with surprising strength.

He released the ghost as he began to cough, a stream of ectoplasm dripped down the corner of his mouth.  His dull red eyes blinked at the white light his staff gave off, just then recognising the boy in front of him.

"Danny." he croaked, he sounded like he looked, horrible and tired. Danny nodded and concentrated before flying up to his chained hands. Clockwork's head lifted with him, seeing his destination, "If it's all the same to you, I think I'll keep those on, considering it's the only thing keeping me off the floor."

Danny stopped and floated down quizzically, "What's wrong with the ground?"

"It hurts ghosts, they made this cell especially for me you see. I cannot phase in or out and I need my staff to teleport- my staff!" He was explaining but then saw his scepter in the human Danny's hand.

"If I hold onto my staff then you can let me go, just, do it slowly." Clockwork said, his initial energy he had was beginning to fade. But with his staff he would be much better, it stored ecto energy and could not be siphoned unless the staff ejected the energy.

Danny floated up again, putting the staff in one of the open hands before grabbing his wrists and with great effort, made them intangible.

For a horrible second Clockwork fell, looking to smack right into the poisonous ground. But his staff hit the ground first and he lifted himself up shakily. He heard him sigh deeply in relief.

"Thank you Danny."  Clockwork said, the glow from the staff dimmed as the glow around Clockwork grew. All his cuts disappeared but the gash in his side stayed, along with the cracked glass.

Danny nodded again, not really sure how to take a compliment.

"How do I have powers?" Danny asked, gesturing to his human self. Clockwork tilted his head to the side, a little confused but now that he had his staff he could see what had happened to the halfa.

"Ah, yes, you've been split, this isn't a very good time to talk about that but I'll humor you." Clockwork said, he seemed distracted, like something else was going on. "Basically, humans become the ghosts in the Ghost Zone, while ghosts are the 'humans' in the Ghost Zone." Clockwork explained with little thought as the ghost was focusing on something else and not really paying attention to what he was saying.