When Paths Collide (Ben 10/ Danny Phantom)

Chapter Eleven

Although Gwen's idea was probably the best one that the trio could have came up with, it wasn't very fun to put into action.

Not fun at all. 

Danny is the one to make sure that it was safe to exit the gas station, his green eyes almost glowing in the faux fog that resulted from crushed debris. He walked into the open and looked both left and right, using his keen eyesight to peer through the destruction. It made his chest ache in distress to see his town in such ruin. For as far as he can see, it looked like a bomb went off. Multiple businesses and office buildings were completely obliterated, leaving only slabs in their wake. Street lights were bent at unnatural angles and strewn every which way. Danny could only imagine how many people were harmed because of these bad guys- or even worse. 

He gestured for Gwen and Ben to come out, Gwen immediately lifting her hand and lighting a ball of mana as a source of light. Danny did the same, frowning at the ash that sprinkled down upon them all. It clung to their hair and clothes, soaking into their lungs. They tried not to breathe it in, Ben pulling his shirt over his face as he carefully flipped through his Omnitrix, considering his options for what kind of battle that is to take place. 

 It was eerily quiet, the only sounds on the usually congested street now just being their own breathing and a few shrill screams in the distance. 

They walked quietly, avoiding chunks of concrete, stepping over uprooted piping, all the while following the trail of destruction that both Skulker and Dr. Animo left behind. The eeriness was unsettling; there were no wailing sirens, no more blood-curdling screams, it almost seemed as if everything in Amity Park was put on pause. 

"Guys, I think Animo might have shut down the radio tower," Gwen observed, "look," She had her phone in her hand, pointing at her signal. There was none. Ben then pulled his phone out, holding it up to the sky and eyeing his bars. He didn't have any, neither. 

That explained the lack of emergency services, Danny wordlessly concluded, at least for a little bit.

Ben squinted, shielding his eyes from oncoming ash as he tried to peer further down the street,

 "Where is the town's radio tower?"  

Danny hummed, letting his ball of ectoplasmic energy fizzle out as he turned around to face them, "it's in the center of Amity Park, my dad owns the other one- sort of."

Gwen made a face, deciding not to question why Danny's father would have his own personal radio tower. She decided to file it away in her head under 'to be continued', "Okay, new plan. We investigate the radio tower first before executing the original plan. Agreed?"

Ben, always subtlety confused, wondered, what was the original plan even supposed to be?

He pointed straight down the dilapidated road, his other hand balling into a fist, "when we get to the end of this street, it'll be about two miles. If you guys are okay enough to at least fly we can-"

Gwen muttered something under her breath, folding her arms over her chest as a translucent pink platform appeared under her feet. For a moment, her eyes glowed completely pink, "I'd rather walk, thanks though."

Despite the tragic situation that is unfolding before them, Danny actually cracked a small smile. Slowly levitating into the air, his eyes glowed an almost mischievous green, "well alright, then. Let's go."

Ben quickly hitched a ride on Gwen's platforms as they both ran up and alongside Danny, Gwen making sure to stay in step with Ben's stride. They've done this a thousand times before, so they're pretty skilled at it.

Danny took the time to scan the area below them, his eyes threatening to dampen with unshed tears at his town- his home. It almost looks completely wiped off the phase of the earth. He couldn't imagine how much tax dollars would go to repairing everything- if  it all was even repairable. 

Suddenly, his ears picked up more screaming, closer than it was before. All too soon, they could see the radio tower in the distance, a dark, ominous silhouette in the gray of smoke and ash. Every few seconds, it would flicker and illuminate itself in a blue hue, not unlike how lightning would strike in a dark sky. 

Danny quickly motioned for them all to take cover, pointing to a nearby building whose adjoining rooftop looked relatively sturdy. They all crouched down low, staying out of sight.

Skulker's menacing laughter echoed from down below, shrill to their ears. This was the first time that Ben and Gwen saw the ghost-robot-thing  in person, and he really was an interesting sight to behold. From what Danny had said about Skulker before is that he was really a tiny creature controlling the hunk of metal. That thought eased Ben's anxiety a little bit.

Animo, however, was nowhere to be found. Ben hypothesized that he was inside the tower's control center, doing who-knows-what. The guy was too cuckoo for cocoa puffs, off his rocker, etcetera etcetera. Literally anything to describe how crazy he truly was.

Danny scooted closer to the two, being careful not to make his movements noticeable. Gesturing to the area, he whispered, "if I turn invisible to scout, Skulker will still see me. How do you want to go about this?"

Gwen quirked an eyebrow, a small glimmer of something Danny couldn't decipher lighting up in her eyes, "remember the plan?"

"Oh god, not the plan," Ben muttered, "I don't even remember what the plan was and from the way you're referring to it, it sounds terrible."

Danny nearly snorted in amusement, but he made sure that he didn't, "trust me. It's a pretty terrible plan. But it'll work for us. Just stay here and out of sight, then wait for my signal."

Sneakily, Danny shifted away from the two. He made sure to check then double-check again that Skulker was too preoccupied to be aware of his surroundings. He turned intangible, just in case Animo was nearby, and flew to another building, this one shorter than the one that Ben and Gwen had taken cover on. He perched on the ledge, feigning a nonchalance position by crossing his legs and folding his arms over his chest. 

Still intangible, he bellowed, "hey Flame Head! Looking for me?"