Danny Phantom - The Next Chapter

The Battle for Washington DC, Part 6: Danny

Every sense was thrumming as Danny led the charge out of the Ghost Zone into Washington DC. The halfas had already begun destroying large swathes of the city and his glare deepened as he saw civilians on the ground desperately running for shelter. It seemed their warnings had been received as he spotted units of the National Guard helping to usher people to safety with the local police force. Helicopters were scattered about the sky, some with news agencies, others that had to be military. Danny only hoped that they would be able to tell which ghosts were on their side.

He zeroed in on the halfas filling the sky, taking in each detail thanks to his enhanced senses.

'Let's go!' he shouted and put on a burst of speed.

Behind him, the assorted ghosts roared their battle cries and raced after him, breaking off to engage with the half-ghosts that now seemed to realise the danger that was fast approaching them from the air.

Danny's exhaustion from earlier was well and truly being pushed away as adrenaline and ghost energy filled him with power. The half-ghosts that were unfortunate enough to become his first targets didn't stand a chance before he dispatched them with barely a thought. A small part of himself made sure he held back enough to not be lethal, but it was difficult to care as he saw cars upturned and on fire, people screaming and fleeing into the nearest buildings that were being battered with ghost rays.

He forced himself to pull back from tearing straight across the city, keeping a close eye on his family and friends and moving to join Sam as she shot from the jet on the Fenton ATV. It wasn't that he didn't trust she could hold her own, on the contrary he knew she would probably pummel him if he dared think she couldn't, but out of everyone there, she was the most exposed to danger with just her new armour to protect her. The ATV was fast and manoeuvrable, but it offered no protection in the slightest for its rider. A few direct hits and Sam would be down, and that was something he was determined not to let happen.

But that didn't mean he had to abandon the rest of the fight. He paused slightly and his eyes flared with power before two duplicates appeared on either side of him. They each nodded to the others before shooting off into three separate directions, and Danny quickly circled back to join Sam.

He wasn't sure why he was worried about her at first as they joked and fought together just like they had been doing for years. Despite having to control the ATV as well, Sam was proving to be remarkably skilled with juggling it and her weapons. But just as they were getting into the rhythm of fighting together, Danny's ultra-sensitive hearing suddenly drew his attention to the right where a woman was screaming in her car as a half-ghost suddenly fired at it.

Without a word, Danny peeled away, trusting that Sam could look after herself for a moment as he streaked across Constitution Avenue and intercepted the ghost ray with a massive forcefield. The ray collided with a brilliant flash of light that seemed to dazzle the half-ghost for a moment. That was all the time Danny needed to reach him and punch him hard enough to send him sailing backwards straight into one of the walls of the Smithsonian.

'Whoops,' he muttered, more concerned for the building than for the man as he turned back to the woman in the car. She had slammed on the brakes at Danny's arrival and was now staring at him in shock through the windshield. In the back seat, he could see two kids who looked just as terrified.

He quickly phased down through the roof, making the woman shriek, but he ignored her as he grabbed hold of everyone and carried them out and into the walls of the nearest building. People shouted in alarm as they suddenly appeared in what Danny was now realising was the Attorney General but he ignored them and turned to the woman.

'Get underground,' he ordered her as she pushed her kids behind her. 'Don't come back up until the authorities give it the all clear, alright?'

She nodded, finally seeming to realise that he was there to help, and bolted away with the kids. Realising that this was going to be harder than he had initially anticipated, Danny summoned two more duplicates that immediately raced away, searching for more civilians in danger. He wasn't too concerned with the amount of times he was having to duplicate himself, but now that there were five of himself running around, he was noticing a slight dip in his strength.