Gravitational Phantoms: After the Storm

Chapter Twelve: Supernatural Protection (Part Three)

Let's play spot the Brooklyn Nine Nine reference! Also, is it hard to tell that I really liked Darlene? Because I did. A lot.

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Wendy thrashed and struggled against the the thick ropey webs that secured her to the wreckage of a rusty old car. One that had several mysterious fluid stains on it that she was not going to think about the origins of. Eww.

The spider-woman ("Call me Darlene, honey," she purred) was perched in a nearby tree. She was rubbing her front legs together, eyes glowing black as a smirk adorned her face.

Ugh. This was really gross. Almost worse than that one time-actually, Wendy decided that she wasn't going to think about that when she was probably going to die.

Darlene smiled at her predatorily. "You're not going to get you of that, girlie. My web is the strongest in the county. Except for maybe one of my cousins', but she doesn't even use hers to snag prey! A real disappointment if you ask me. Even works to help catch the criminals. Some kinda secretary job. This is a much better use of my abilities, doncha think?"

The lumberjack glared daggers at her captor, trying to send several, ah, rather unsavory words in her direction with only her angry green eyes. Her ax was gone, still lying in the street somewhere in town. Hopefully Danny had it.

Danny!

Oh man, Wendy hoped that he hadn't done anything stupid. If he was smart, Danny would go straight to either Ford or to some of the more powerful members of her fledgeling supernatural police.

Like Rusty or Sardonyx. She could really use a dragon right about now.

Speaking of which, at least now she knew what the giant spider was that bartender at Gnasty's saw. A literal giant spider.

Something hummed by her ear.

The redhead turned her head as much as she could, wincing as some of the hair was pulled out of her scalp.

One of Mauve's cousins was peeking out of the leaves near her face, bright blue wings fluttering.

"We're ready to get you out of here!" She chattered excitedly. "Just say the word!"

Wendy blinked. and tried to say, "Um, actually, please don't do that and go tell Danny, Candy, and Grenda that this is a shitty plan."

But instead of the intended message, the pixie heard muffled sounds and mouth noises. So naturally she assumed that Wendy was giving her the "go ahead."

Naturally.

Mauve's cousin zoomed away, piping in her tiny pixie voice, "Wendy says go! Go, go, go!"

Wendy's eyes widened frantically, and she started to squirm in desperation. No!

Darlene hissed and jumped from her spot, landing only a few feet above the teenage girl's head.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

That, of course, was when everything went to hell in a hand basket.

Grenda burst out of the foliage, Candy perched on her shoulders. The muscular girl let out a loud war cry and launched the smaller teen off of her body and into the air.

"Candy, attack!" The tiny Korean girl screamed as she was rocketed through the air.

She pulled out a butcher knife and stabbed down at Darlene. The spider-woman growled and scuttled away before Candy could make contact. But she wasn't fast enough to dodge the ectoblast that nailed her in the abdomen.

Darlene wailed and rolled aside. Then she lifted up two of her hairy arachnid legs to the corners of her mouth and... turned her body inside out.

Of course.

The monster's mandibles snapped at thin air, and Wendy hoped that she had missed the ghost boy. Luckily, the second blast (this one made of ice) hit the spider-woman from behind.

Someone-a young centaur named Jessabelle-cut Wendy free and pressed her ax into her hand. The lumberjack smiled at the other girl.

"You ready to kick some spider butt?"

Jessabelle whinnined in response and took off, clearing a path through the sticky webbing. The centaur slammed her front hooves down on Darlene's back, before being ensnared by the horrifying spider monster.

It was Wendy's police force verses a rather overpowered spider-woman, and soon the winner was clear.

Darlene didn't stand a chance.

Not too long after the fight started, it was over.

Darlene was dead-killed by what Rusty claimed to be a "stray blast," even though they all knew that the young scarlet dragon had done it on purpose.

Wendy was free, if missing some skin on her arms, legs, neck, and face. Those webs felt kinda like bandaids when you pulled them off, only much worse.

Ouch.

Danny dropped back into visibility not long after the monster was killed, nervous about the amount of people and creatures in the small clearing. There were just... so many.

Thankfully, Wendy soon noticed his discomfort and caused a diversion that allowed him to slip away unnoticed.

The ghost boy alighted down at the Mystery Shack, tired beyond belief. He had just fought a giant spider-he needed some rest.

He needed to sleep.

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Far away from a less-than-sleepy town in Roadkill County Oregon, a man sat at a well-organized desk. He drummed his fingers on the top of it, flicking absentmindedly through several files, until one in particular caught his eye.

He frowned and pressed the button for the intercom system.

This simply would not do.

There was a faint tickle at the back of his mind, and it was followed by a peculiar sensation as if something were rooting through his mind and leaving no stone unturned.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

He forced himself to stay calm. "And who might you be?"

"The name's Bill. Bill Cipher. I have a little... proposition for you that I think could be mutually beneficial."

"What's in it for me, Mr. Cipher?"

He could practically hear the smirk in Cipher's voice. "I know how to find a certain someone that you've been looking for..."

"Oh, really? And who might that be, exactly?"

"A Halfa by the name of Danny Phantom."

The man started, before smirking. "I think that that will do nicely, Mr. Cipher."

"That's what I thought. I'll come collect my payment later."

Then the presence was gone, as if it had never even been there in the first place.

He reached out, contacting his secretary this time.

"Stephanie? Be a dear and send over Jack and Madeline. I have a ghost for them to hunt."

Agent Z smirked. Oh, the Halfa menace known as Danny Phantom wouldn't get away from them this time around.