Categories > Cartoons > Danny Phantom > The Wielder
The Wielder
Chapter 3: Awakening
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City Hall – Basement
Kenneth Irons was deeply frustrated. He came to Amity Park hoping he could finally unlock the power of the Witchblade, but so far the only thing he accomplished was losing his prized relic. His colleague, Vlad Masters, had stumbled in light of constant boasting that his ghost technology could unlock the power. In addition many of his advanced machines were damaged or destroyed in the process. The Witchblade didn’t take kindly to his experiments and ran off into the busy streets of Amity Park.
The ancient weapon was more alive than Irons had anticipated. It seemed to have a mind of its own that helped it discern true wielders with imposters. But whatever consciousness it had, it was clearly primitive. The reaction to the ecto-fusing process was wild and uncontrolled, hinting a very basic state of being. That lead him to believe that it couldn’t have gone far and within an hour, a call from Ian Nottingham confirmed his suspicions.
“So the Witchblade found its wielder and bonded with her,” summarized Kenneth as he stood outside on the steps of City Hall, “Do you know how it has affected this Samantha Manson girl yet?”
“No, Master. After the screaming stopped she passed out and as far as I know she’s still out. Should I try to retrieve the artifact?”
“Don’t bother. Your swords will do nothing against the power of the Witchblade. If you’re to have any hope of subduing her, you’ll need a better weapon. Meet me back at my hotel suite and we’ll see what we can figure out.”
“As you wish, but is it even possible to separate the Witchblade from a wielder once it’s bonded to her?”
“I’m already working on it,” replied Irons, “You just keep working on that girl.”
Irons hung up his cell-phone and sighed. The situation has just grown much more complicated and he was going to have to rethink his strategy. At least he knew where the Witchblade was and who wielded it. Getting it back would be a challenge, but he refused to let one of history’s greatest relics reside in the hands of some teenage girl.
“Irons!” shouted Vlad as he stormed out onto the steps of City Hall, “You’ve got a lot of nerve! Do you have any idea how long it took me to develop those machines?! My experiments have been set back at least six months because of you and that Witchblade monstrosity!”
“Cool it, Masters,” said Kenneth calmly, “It’s not like you can’t afford to buy replacement parts.”
“That’s not the point! We had a deal!”
“And I intend to keep it. We just have to adjust our plans accordingly.”
“Are you senile, Kenneth? I just told you the deal is off! You can keep your fancy relics!”
“Don’t be foolish, Vlad. If it’s that big a deal to you I’ll pay all the expenses plus a little extra to get your experiments going again. And since your ghost technology showed it could affect the Witchblade, I’m willing to offer a little bonus.”
Vlad was still very angry, but he immediately calmed at the mention of a bonus. Because when Kenneth Irons offered more, it was not to be taken lightly.
“Bonus? What kind of bonus?” he asked curiously.
Irons turned to him and grinned.
“Need I remind you that I have connections in places even ghosts can’t get to? I know people who can help extend your power over more than just this one town. You seem to like being mayor, but what about being a governor? Or a senator? Or perhaps even more?”
“What makes you think I couldn’t just buy my way to those positions?” said Vlad skeptically.
“Oh I’m sure you could,” said Kenneth, “But your power will only be legitimate with the right connections. Trust me, if they don’t like you they’ll uncover whatever secrets you have to destroy you…and I just may be inclined to help them.”
Vlad looked at him strangely. He wasn’t sure if this was an offer or an ultimatum. With Irons it was always hard to tell the difference.
“Are you threatening me or bribing me?” he asked bluntly.
“Let me put it this way…you can either accept my charity or risk my wrath. You know what I’ll do and rest assured I won’t hesitate to expose your secret even if you expose mine. The question is which one of us is more prepared?”
Kenneth Irons made a hard bargain. He wasn’t giving Vlad much of a choice. He had no doubts that Irons would make good on his threats. He was older, wiser, and every bit as ruthless as he was. If he were to reveal that he was half-ghost, he would be finished. The guys in white would be after him and all his ventures would fall apart overnight. But if he continued helping this man, he may not only keep his secret he may also further his goals. As nice as the mayor’s house was, he heard the governors mansion was much nicer.
“Fine…I’ll do it,” said Vlad bitterly, “What’s the plan? I assume you have one now that the Witchblade is on the loose.”
“Let me worry about that, Vlad,” said Irons as he stared ominously into the night sky, “All you have to do now is gather up the rest of your ghost equipment and move it to my pent house suit at the Amity Park Plaza Hotel.”
“And what exactly am I supposed to do while you wrestle with this monstrosity?” said Vlad, still skeptical after what he had seen so far.
“Your machines have already shown that ecto-energy can affect the Witchblade so start looking for a way to transfer the power from the girl to another more fitting wielder. Work fast because the longer the Witchblade is with a wielder, the harder it is to separate. I don’t care what it takes. I must have that power.”
Vlad shook his head, still unable to grasp how Kenneth could be so obsessed with this Witchblade gauntlet. But he didn’t ask questions. The old adage of ignorance is bliss might best apply here. And while he would have to organize yet another transfer of his equipment to Kenneth’s pent house, Kenneth would have to find a way to capture this girl. If Ian’s reports of this Samantha Manson were accurate, it wasn’t going to be easy. He just hoped she didn’t learn too much about the kind of power she now wielded.
Sam’s Room – Morning
“No…no! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Sam shot up in her bed in a cold sweat, awakening from what was by far the strangest nightmare she ever had. Her heart was racing and she was breathing hard. Everything around her was still spinning. It was as if she was somewhere in between dreaming and consciousness and wasn’t sure which was which.
“Sammy-kins? Are you alright?” came a voice from the other side of her door.
“Huh…what?”
Her mind quickly snapped back to reality upon recognizing her mother’s voice. The world stopped spinning as she tried to reorient herself.
“Yeah mom, I’m fine,” she said, “Just…a bad dream, that’s all.”
“Oh poor dear. Want me to make you some pancakes? We’ve got strawberries!”
“No thanks. I’m not hungry. Just…just give me a minute.”
Her mother seemed to buy it and walked off. It was a good thing too because she didn’t need her parents thinking she was more messed up than she already was. Besides, it was just a dream. It was over now and she could get back to the real world.
“What a nightmare,” she groaned, “I must be stressed or something.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, she stretched her limbs and wiped the sweat off her forehead. But as she did, she noticed something. There was something on her wrist and she didn’t remember going to bed with any jewelry on. She quickly looked down to see some sort of metal bracelet with a dark purple jewel on top. It perfectly resembled the jewel she saw on the gauntlet from the museum the other day and if that weren’t weird enough, it was on the same arm that had been consumed by that thing in her dream.
“No way!” she said in disbelief.
Slipping out from under her covers, she ran into her bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Maybe she wasn’t totally awake yet or something. This had to be some sort of breakdown.
“Get a grip, Sam! It was just a dream. Just a regular, run-of-the-mill dream that just happened to involve some freaky artifact you saw the museum.”
For a moment she leaned over the sink and stared at her reflection. She didn’t look crazy or even sleep-deprived. She looked like some messed up girl who just had a really intense dream. She must have stared for a whole minute. Then she noticed something else.
“My arm…”
She felt over the bandage she had applied last night and to her amazement, there was no pain whatsoever. Curious, she removed the bandage to reveal that the bruise from yesterday was completely gone. There wasn’t a trace of it ever having been there in the first place. It sent another chill down her spine. Bruises like that don’t just heal overnight. Something was definitely up.
“What’s happening to me? Am I going crazy?”
She looked back down at the bracelet. She didn’t remember having something like this in her collection let alone wearing it to bed. She held it up to the light and looked at it carefully, feeling the same strange draw to it she felt yesterday at the museum. Something told her that whatever this was it was responsible for what was happening to her even though she didn’t even know what this thing even was.
“What are you?” she mused as she ran her hand over it.
Suddenly, the bracelet moved. Just like in her dream, the mysterious ornament came to life and started engulfing her arm. Only this time it wasn’t painful or overwhelming. It was as if it were just another limb. From the jewel, a blackish, metallic gauntlet formed around her hand and forearm. It was like armor, only it moved as though it were a living creature. When it reached its final form, she recognized it as the same artifact from the museum.
Samantha Manson was officially shocked. She had seen some pretty weird things in her ghost hunting adventures with Danny, but this was really something. She moved her hand and arm, finding that the gauntlet reacted as if it were part of her own body. It felt strange, but at the same time very natural. After a minute of staring at it, she concluded that her so called dream wasn’t a dream.
“Okay, I’m officially freaked out! I better call Danny and Tucker!”
Outside Sam’s House – One Hour Later
Danny and Tucker each yawned as they neared Sam’s house. The sun had barely risen when she called them and they were still half-asleep. After a long week of school and yesterday’s incident with Skulker, they were all in need of some rest. Why she would wake them up this early on a Saturday morning was anybody’s guess, but she sounded pretty frantic over the phone.
“Remind me again why we’re up this early on a Saturday?” said Tucker with another yawn, “I thought we all agreed this was our day to sleep in.”
“I don’t know, Tuck. But Sam sounded pretty serious when she called,” said Danny, who was also still groggy, “I hope she’s okay.”
“Well whatever it is, I hope we can get it over with soon. I need my beauty rest.”
Danny rolled his eyes. He was sure that whatever was going on, she had a good reason for calling them. Sam wasn’t the kind of girl who would get worked up over minor things. It had to be pretty significant for her to call them like this.
When they reached Sam’s house, they found her pacing restlessly on the sidewalk. She appeared impatient and disheveled. She didn’t even wear as much makeup as usual, which was really telling because she always found time to put on her goth-styled appearance. But when some ancient artifact latched itself to her body her priorities immediately changed. When she saw her two friends walking towards her she let out a sigh of relief and rushed over to them.
“Glad you guys are here. We have a seriously freaky, possibly ghost-related problem and I need your help!” she said in a panicked tone.
“Whoa, slow down, Sam,” said Danny, “Take a deep breath or something.”
“Yeah, some of us still aren’t fully awake,” said Tucker with another yawn, “What’s this all about anyways?”
Sam looked around to make sure nobody was in hearing distance. Since it was early on a Saturday morning the streets were pretty empty so they shouldn’t cause too much a stir. She took a deep breath and prepared to tell them what happened, knowing full well that she had no clue what was happening to her.
“It started yesterday at the museum. I sort of wandered off and saw this weird artifact on display. I don’t know what it was, but I swear there was something really strange about it. And I know this sounds strange, but I think it recognized me.”
“Recognized you?” said Tucker in only a half-serious tone, “How does some old artifact recognize you?”
“I don’t know! But seeing as how we’re both standing to someone whose half ghost, don’t I deserve the benefit of the doubt here?!”
She had a point. Their standards of strange were pretty broad given what they had dealt with in the past so Sam definitely deserved a little trust on their part.
“Take it easy, Sam. We believe you,” said Danny, “Which artifact was this anyways? Do you remember?”
“Does anybody ever remember a lecture from Mr. Lancer?” quipped Sam, “All I know is that by the time we passed the display again the thing was gone. I thought it was over, but then last night I had this dream that it was in my room and trying to…to merge with me or something. I don’t remember the details, but it was really intense and I swear that thing was alive! And when I woke up all the bruises I from yesterday were healed and I had this on my arm.”
She held up her arm to show the mysterious bracelet that the Witchblade had formed to hide itself. Danny and Tucker didn’t seem too impressed though. To them it looked like just another piece of jewelry. It definitely fit Sam’s style, but it sure didn’t look like some living relic.
“Uh…didn’t we see something like that in a jewelry store at the mall yesterday?” commented Tucker.
“It’s not what you think,” said Sam, “It must have some kind of mechanism or something to help it blend in.”
“And how do you know that?” said Danny, finding this increasingly strange even by their standards.
“I don’t,” she said bluntly, “It’s like some sort of…here, I’ll show you.”
Sam pulled Danny and Tucker off towards the side of her house so they would be safe from prying eyes. Once clear, she took a deep breath and held up her hand. She wasn’t sure how she got this thing to work the first time. She didn’t even know if she could control this thing because it seemed to have a mind of its own. But if she did it once she could do it again. She had to prove she wasn’t crazy.
“Watch…I swear this thing is alive,” said Sam intently.
She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to summon whatever it was that bonded to her. Tucker and Danny watched, not sure of what to expect. She seemed to be struggling, trying to draw on something she didn’t even have a name for. She called on whatever inner strength she could. She remembered Danny telling her about how he channeled his ghost powers by focus and concentration, but whatever this thing was it didn’t seem to behave like ghost powers because it wasn’t doing anything.
“Come on! Stupid thing! What’s wrong with it?!” she exclaimed, banging her hand against it.
“Must not have come with an instruction manual,” said Danny, now starting to worry that Sam was really losing it.
“Don’t look at me like that! If I knew what this thing was then…”
Suddenly she was cut off by a deep voice.
“It’s called the Witchblade,” said a tall dark figure in a trench coat that emerged from the street, “And the reason it’s not working is because you are too young to comprehend its power.”
“Wow, where did you come from?” said Tucker.
“That you don’t need to know. I’m here for the Witchblade and since it’s attached to you, little girl, you’re coming with me.”
Ian Nottingham wasn’t used to dealing with teenagers. His usual tasks were of a far more mature nature not for the faint of heart. Had he not seen what these three were capable of earlier he never would have bothered putting his vast talents to work against them. But Kenneth made it very clear to him that no one, not even a teenager, was to be taken lightly when they had the Witchblade in their possession.
He was an imposing presence, but Danny and his friends had faced plenty of dangerous figures before and they were ghosts. This guy was no Skulker, but he looked serious and seemed to know more than they did about this matter. And for that very reason, Sam was in no hurry to go with him.
“Witchblade?” said Sam, looking down at the relic, “Just what the hell is this thing and why do you want with it anyways?”
“You can ask your questions later. Now are you going to come quietly or am I going to have to drag you kicking and screaming like the little brat you are?”
“Okay, just for that you’re not taking Sam anywhere!” said Danny as he took a defensive stance in front of his friend.
“Boy, you have no idea who you’re dealing with,” said Ian in a threatening tone.
Reaching into his trench coat, Ian pulled out a long decorated katana his master had given him for just such a fight. On the surface it looked like a normal sword, but once he held it in an attack-ready stance it flashed bright yellow, revealing a hidden power that was specifically tailored for fighting ghosts in addition to subduing the average human.
“Wow…that’s a big sword,” said Tucker nervously as he took a step back.
“You’ll need a bigger sword to get through me!” said Danny, his eyes flashing bright green.
“Wanna bet?” grinned Ian.
With a swift, fluid slash a bright yellow beam shot out from the tip of the sword, impacting Danny squarely on the chest. He tried to phase through it, but somehow his ghost form reacted to it and he was sent flying into a wall.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”
“Danny!” exclaimed Sam.
“Trying to use those ghost powers of yours?” taunted Ian.
Danny rubbed his head and groaned, reeling from a mix of pain and shock. It wasn’t enough this guy knocked him senseless, but he also appeared to know his secret. That was definitely not good.
“What? Ghost powers? You…”
“You don’t have to play dumb with me kid (not that you would know the difference). I’ve been watching you and your little friend. I know what you can do. And you will NOT come between me and the Witchblade.”
“In that case, you won’t mind if I even the odds. I’m goin’ ghost!”
Danny Fenton transformed into Danny Phantom, not bothering to hide his power now that this mysterious stranger knew. That sword of his may have packed a punch, but it would take more than one blow to knock him out of a fight.
“That won’t do you any good,” said Ian.
“I’ll risk it,” he said bravely, “Tucker, Sam…run!”
Danny began his assault by taking to the air and rushing the dark stranger, but he quickly showed off his agility by leaping into the air and flying over him. It was a pretty impressive show of acrobatics, but Danny didn’t have time to be impressed. He few up into the air and fired a barrage of ghost rays down on him. As he expected, the stranger countered them by swatting them away with his katana. His reflexes were pretty fast if not too fast to be human. But Danny didn’t care about hitting him. He just had to give Sam and Tucker a window to get away.
Tucker was trying to take advantage of it, grabbing Sam’s hand and leading her away from the danger. But for some reason, she wouldn’t go.
“Uh Sam? I think that’s our cue. Let’s go already!” urged Tucker.
“I’m not leaving,” she said, shaking off his grip.
“What? Sam, what are you…”
His words fell on deaf ears. Sam was back in that dazed state again. Just like the first time she laid eyes on the artifact, it had her in caught up in this feeling again. Only this time it didn’t feel so surreal. Looking down at the bracelet that hid the living weapon within, she began to truly feel it. This thing didn’t try to consume her. It chose her. It time she understand that choice.
“The Witchblade…” she said distantly.
Now more focused, she summoned the power and the bracelet came to life. And just as it had done earlier, the gauntlet formed over her arm. Only this time, it didn’t stop at her arm. It spread all over her body, tearing through her clothes and hugging her like a second skin. The same metallic/rocky texture of the gauntlet formed an armor-like body suit that extended down her legs, partially covered her face, and formed a matching gauntlet on her other arm. Around her upper body the armor hugged her feminine features, creating a bikini-like ensemble that bore the distinct form of the Witchblade.
“Whoa…that’s hot,” said Tucker with an awestruck look.
Ian Nottingham, who was still deflecting ghost rays, saw this as well and grew more frustrated. He remembered what Kenneth told him about the wielder and the Witchblade. The longer they were together the harder they were to break apart. He had to subdue her now before she learned the full extent of her powers.
“Oh no you don’t!” grunted Ian.
Ducking another ghost blast, he rolled off to the side and fired another bolt of energy at Danny as he hovered above him. He tried to avoid it, but this man’s reflexes were too quick and he was knocked out of the air.
“Auuuuugh!” he grunted as he fell to the ground and de-powered.
“Danny!” exclaimed Tucker, rushing to his aid.
With the ghost boy now subdued, Ian turned his attention to the wielder. She looked to be in a state of shock, gazing over her body which now bore the emblems of the Witchblade. She clearly did not know the extent of her new power. Her ignorance would be his advantage as he approached her with his sword menacingly aimed at her.
“That power is not meant for you,” said Ian strongly, “If you won’t reject it now I’ll do it for you!”
Holding his sword high, Ian prepared to attack. His superhuman agility should be more than enough to take down a 14-year-old girl. He didn’t have to kill her. He just had to let the power of the sword react with the power already in her, either knocking her out or injuring her enough so he could take her away.
Time slowed for Sam as the stranger’s sword lunged towards her. She didn’t know what was happening to her, but her instincts kicked in and she promptly defended herself. The Witchblade seemed to do the same, forming a large shield over her arm that she used to block the incoming slash.
“Whoa…that new,” said Sam.
“Hrrrrrahhhhhh!” yelled Ian as he launched another attack.
Sam instinctively fell back, using the shield to block his relentless slashes. Every time his glowing sword collided with her shield, strange sparks shot out. It showed two distinct powers colliding with one another. Ian was bigger, stronger, and faster, but the Witchblade wasn’t about to let any harm come to its new wielder. It would take a lot more than some powered up sword to defeat the offspring of the Darkness and the Angeles.
The Witchblade guided Sam’s body through the motions, helping her defend herself against the onslaught. Sam had no choice, but to go along with it. And since she didn’t understand what was happening to her, the ancient relic could only do so much for her.
“Little punk!” grunted Ian.
Fed up with her resistance, he delivered a solid kick to her gut when their weapons clashed again. This knocked her back against the wall of another house and into a couple of trash cans. Grunting in determination, she struggled back up to her feet. But Ian was closing fast with no mercy in his eyes.
“Time to end this,” he said strongly, “I’ll give you one last chance to come quietly.”
“I may not know what’s going on, but I know enough NOT to go with someone like you!” said Sam defiantly.
“Have it your way.”
Ian prepared for a final assault. Sam raised her arm in defense, but this time the Witchblade did more than shield itself. A new power flowed through her, causing her hand to glow a brilliant fiery yellow. She felt a pressure inside build. It grew fast until it erupted in a powerful, concentrated beam of energy that hit Ian dead on and sent him flying up into the sky, sailing over several city blocks and landing in a dumpster.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Yeow! That’s gonna leave a mark,” said Tucker, cringing at the blow the stranger took.
It surprised even Sam. She looked down at her arm where the Witchblade was firmly in place. The awe she felt when she first laid eyes on it at the museum had turned to amazement. She didn’t just feel this thing protecting her body. She felt it deep within her core. It was as if it had become a part of her and there was no going back.
With the stranger gone, Danny shook off the lingering soreness from the blow he suffered earlier and rose up. He was just as amazed as Tucker at what he had just seen. Whatever had happened to Sam last night, there was clearly more to it than any of them suspected.
“Sam?” said Danny as he and Tucker approached her, “Are you…”
“I’m fine…I think,” she said, looking over her body, “Hold on, let me see if I can…”
She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to manipulate the Witchblade as she had tried to do earlier. This time it was easier. It responded to her thoughts and shifted back into the form of a gauntlet and then back to a simple bracelet. But in the process, it revealed an unexpected side-effect. Because once the armor of the Witchblade was gone, so were her clothes. It gave both Danny and Tucker an unabated eyeful of her naked body.
“Waaaaaaahhhhh!” exclaimed Sam, throwing her hands and arms over her private areas.
“Wow…” said Danny, his eyes widening in amazement.
“Stupid thing! Turn around already!”
Danny and Tucker covered their eyes and looked away while Sam grabbed a nearby trash lid to cover herself. She then ran back into her house in search of a change of clothes, leaving them dumbstruck by what they just saw. Seeing her wield some ancient relic as a weapon was surprising enough, but seeing her naked was just as shocking. Danny was especially struck. He blushed profusely, knowing that image of her wasn’t going to leave his mind anytime soon.
“Dude, all this before nine? Something is seriously up,” said Tucker.
“No kidding,” said Danny with a goofy grin on his face, “We uh…better look into it.”
“Definitely, but first you better put your eyes back in your head. Sam sees you with that look on your face then you and that trench coat guy are going to have a lot more in common.”
Danny rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. It was going to be hard looking at Sam the same way again without remembering this. It wasn’t enough he thought he might have a crush on her. Now he had this to deal with. But for her sake, he set it aside and focused on the current problem that faced them.
“So…any idea on what to do next?” asked Tucker.
“Not a clue,” sighed Danny, “That guy called this thing the Witchblade. Any idea what that is?”
“Not a clue,” said Tucker, “I could look it up on my PDA?”
“Don’t bother. Something tells me we’re going to need expert advice on this thing. And I know just who to ask.”
Ian Nottingham
Garbage was not ideal for cushioning a fall. Ian found that out first hand when he landed in a dumpster after being blasted several blocks by the Witchblade. Kenneth told him a lot of things about the relic, but he never told him it could back such a heavy punch. His body was sore all over once he came to. He stumbled out of the dumpster, brushing off bits of rotting fruit and old food in the process. He knew his master wouldn’t be pleased. He wanted that girl brought to him before she learned to use the Witchblade’s full power. Now it appeared he was too late.
After collecting himself, he called his master and told him what happened.
“So the girl has already learned to wield part of the Witchblade’s power…”
“Yes. I’m sorry, master, but I wasn’t strong enough. Give me another chance and I swear I’ll bring her in!”
“Don’t bother. With her power and the ghost boy by her side, they’re too strong.”
“I can take them! I know I can!” said Ian strongly.
“You fight the battles you can win, Ian. I promise you’ll get another chance, but now is not the time to let your pride get the better of you. I need your help in other matters.”
Ian let out a bitter grunt. As loyal as he was to his master, he hated it when he held him back. It was an insult to his honor. A teenage girl had just humiliated him by knocking him into a pile of garbage. That kind of defeat could not go unpunished. But for the sake of the mission, he swallowed his pride and listened to Irons.
“What are my orders?”
“Return to my pent house. I need you to help me set up Vlad’s equipment. Now that the Witchblade has bonded to a wielder, we’ll have to find another way of tapping its power.”
“But what about the girl and the ghost boy?” said Ian strongly, “How do you plan on getting close to them now?”
“We’ll worry about that later. For now, we must rest and regroup. I assure you, all is not lost. The Witchblade may have gotten away from me for now, but the power will be mine. As for this Samantha Manson…she may be a wielder, but she will NOT come between me and my destiny.”
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Up next: Sam begins to learn about the nature and power of the Witchblade.
Chapter 3: Awakening
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City Hall – Basement
Kenneth Irons was deeply frustrated. He came to Amity Park hoping he could finally unlock the power of the Witchblade, but so far the only thing he accomplished was losing his prized relic. His colleague, Vlad Masters, had stumbled in light of constant boasting that his ghost technology could unlock the power. In addition many of his advanced machines were damaged or destroyed in the process. The Witchblade didn’t take kindly to his experiments and ran off into the busy streets of Amity Park.
The ancient weapon was more alive than Irons had anticipated. It seemed to have a mind of its own that helped it discern true wielders with imposters. But whatever consciousness it had, it was clearly primitive. The reaction to the ecto-fusing process was wild and uncontrolled, hinting a very basic state of being. That lead him to believe that it couldn’t have gone far and within an hour, a call from Ian Nottingham confirmed his suspicions.
“So the Witchblade found its wielder and bonded with her,” summarized Kenneth as he stood outside on the steps of City Hall, “Do you know how it has affected this Samantha Manson girl yet?”
“No, Master. After the screaming stopped she passed out and as far as I know she’s still out. Should I try to retrieve the artifact?”
“Don’t bother. Your swords will do nothing against the power of the Witchblade. If you’re to have any hope of subduing her, you’ll need a better weapon. Meet me back at my hotel suite and we’ll see what we can figure out.”
“As you wish, but is it even possible to separate the Witchblade from a wielder once it’s bonded to her?”
“I’m already working on it,” replied Irons, “You just keep working on that girl.”
Irons hung up his cell-phone and sighed. The situation has just grown much more complicated and he was going to have to rethink his strategy. At least he knew where the Witchblade was and who wielded it. Getting it back would be a challenge, but he refused to let one of history’s greatest relics reside in the hands of some teenage girl.
“Irons!” shouted Vlad as he stormed out onto the steps of City Hall, “You’ve got a lot of nerve! Do you have any idea how long it took me to develop those machines?! My experiments have been set back at least six months because of you and that Witchblade monstrosity!”
“Cool it, Masters,” said Kenneth calmly, “It’s not like you can’t afford to buy replacement parts.”
“That’s not the point! We had a deal!”
“And I intend to keep it. We just have to adjust our plans accordingly.”
“Are you senile, Kenneth? I just told you the deal is off! You can keep your fancy relics!”
“Don’t be foolish, Vlad. If it’s that big a deal to you I’ll pay all the expenses plus a little extra to get your experiments going again. And since your ghost technology showed it could affect the Witchblade, I’m willing to offer a little bonus.”
Vlad was still very angry, but he immediately calmed at the mention of a bonus. Because when Kenneth Irons offered more, it was not to be taken lightly.
“Bonus? What kind of bonus?” he asked curiously.
Irons turned to him and grinned.
“Need I remind you that I have connections in places even ghosts can’t get to? I know people who can help extend your power over more than just this one town. You seem to like being mayor, but what about being a governor? Or a senator? Or perhaps even more?”
“What makes you think I couldn’t just buy my way to those positions?” said Vlad skeptically.
“Oh I’m sure you could,” said Kenneth, “But your power will only be legitimate with the right connections. Trust me, if they don’t like you they’ll uncover whatever secrets you have to destroy you…and I just may be inclined to help them.”
Vlad looked at him strangely. He wasn’t sure if this was an offer or an ultimatum. With Irons it was always hard to tell the difference.
“Are you threatening me or bribing me?” he asked bluntly.
“Let me put it this way…you can either accept my charity or risk my wrath. You know what I’ll do and rest assured I won’t hesitate to expose your secret even if you expose mine. The question is which one of us is more prepared?”
Kenneth Irons made a hard bargain. He wasn’t giving Vlad much of a choice. He had no doubts that Irons would make good on his threats. He was older, wiser, and every bit as ruthless as he was. If he were to reveal that he was half-ghost, he would be finished. The guys in white would be after him and all his ventures would fall apart overnight. But if he continued helping this man, he may not only keep his secret he may also further his goals. As nice as the mayor’s house was, he heard the governors mansion was much nicer.
“Fine…I’ll do it,” said Vlad bitterly, “What’s the plan? I assume you have one now that the Witchblade is on the loose.”
“Let me worry about that, Vlad,” said Irons as he stared ominously into the night sky, “All you have to do now is gather up the rest of your ghost equipment and move it to my pent house suit at the Amity Park Plaza Hotel.”
“And what exactly am I supposed to do while you wrestle with this monstrosity?” said Vlad, still skeptical after what he had seen so far.
“Your machines have already shown that ecto-energy can affect the Witchblade so start looking for a way to transfer the power from the girl to another more fitting wielder. Work fast because the longer the Witchblade is with a wielder, the harder it is to separate. I don’t care what it takes. I must have that power.”
Vlad shook his head, still unable to grasp how Kenneth could be so obsessed with this Witchblade gauntlet. But he didn’t ask questions. The old adage of ignorance is bliss might best apply here. And while he would have to organize yet another transfer of his equipment to Kenneth’s pent house, Kenneth would have to find a way to capture this girl. If Ian’s reports of this Samantha Manson were accurate, it wasn’t going to be easy. He just hoped she didn’t learn too much about the kind of power she now wielded.
Sam’s Room – Morning
“No…no! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Sam shot up in her bed in a cold sweat, awakening from what was by far the strangest nightmare she ever had. Her heart was racing and she was breathing hard. Everything around her was still spinning. It was as if she was somewhere in between dreaming and consciousness and wasn’t sure which was which.
“Sammy-kins? Are you alright?” came a voice from the other side of her door.
“Huh…what?”
Her mind quickly snapped back to reality upon recognizing her mother’s voice. The world stopped spinning as she tried to reorient herself.
“Yeah mom, I’m fine,” she said, “Just…a bad dream, that’s all.”
“Oh poor dear. Want me to make you some pancakes? We’ve got strawberries!”
“No thanks. I’m not hungry. Just…just give me a minute.”
Her mother seemed to buy it and walked off. It was a good thing too because she didn’t need her parents thinking she was more messed up than she already was. Besides, it was just a dream. It was over now and she could get back to the real world.
“What a nightmare,” she groaned, “I must be stressed or something.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, she stretched her limbs and wiped the sweat off her forehead. But as she did, she noticed something. There was something on her wrist and she didn’t remember going to bed with any jewelry on. She quickly looked down to see some sort of metal bracelet with a dark purple jewel on top. It perfectly resembled the jewel she saw on the gauntlet from the museum the other day and if that weren’t weird enough, it was on the same arm that had been consumed by that thing in her dream.
“No way!” she said in disbelief.
Slipping out from under her covers, she ran into her bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Maybe she wasn’t totally awake yet or something. This had to be some sort of breakdown.
“Get a grip, Sam! It was just a dream. Just a regular, run-of-the-mill dream that just happened to involve some freaky artifact you saw the museum.”
For a moment she leaned over the sink and stared at her reflection. She didn’t look crazy or even sleep-deprived. She looked like some messed up girl who just had a really intense dream. She must have stared for a whole minute. Then she noticed something else.
“My arm…”
She felt over the bandage she had applied last night and to her amazement, there was no pain whatsoever. Curious, she removed the bandage to reveal that the bruise from yesterday was completely gone. There wasn’t a trace of it ever having been there in the first place. It sent another chill down her spine. Bruises like that don’t just heal overnight. Something was definitely up.
“What’s happening to me? Am I going crazy?”
She looked back down at the bracelet. She didn’t remember having something like this in her collection let alone wearing it to bed. She held it up to the light and looked at it carefully, feeling the same strange draw to it she felt yesterday at the museum. Something told her that whatever this was it was responsible for what was happening to her even though she didn’t even know what this thing even was.
“What are you?” she mused as she ran her hand over it.
Suddenly, the bracelet moved. Just like in her dream, the mysterious ornament came to life and started engulfing her arm. Only this time it wasn’t painful or overwhelming. It was as if it were just another limb. From the jewel, a blackish, metallic gauntlet formed around her hand and forearm. It was like armor, only it moved as though it were a living creature. When it reached its final form, she recognized it as the same artifact from the museum.
Samantha Manson was officially shocked. She had seen some pretty weird things in her ghost hunting adventures with Danny, but this was really something. She moved her hand and arm, finding that the gauntlet reacted as if it were part of her own body. It felt strange, but at the same time very natural. After a minute of staring at it, she concluded that her so called dream wasn’t a dream.
“Okay, I’m officially freaked out! I better call Danny and Tucker!”
Outside Sam’s House – One Hour Later
Danny and Tucker each yawned as they neared Sam’s house. The sun had barely risen when she called them and they were still half-asleep. After a long week of school and yesterday’s incident with Skulker, they were all in need of some rest. Why she would wake them up this early on a Saturday morning was anybody’s guess, but she sounded pretty frantic over the phone.
“Remind me again why we’re up this early on a Saturday?” said Tucker with another yawn, “I thought we all agreed this was our day to sleep in.”
“I don’t know, Tuck. But Sam sounded pretty serious when she called,” said Danny, who was also still groggy, “I hope she’s okay.”
“Well whatever it is, I hope we can get it over with soon. I need my beauty rest.”
Danny rolled his eyes. He was sure that whatever was going on, she had a good reason for calling them. Sam wasn’t the kind of girl who would get worked up over minor things. It had to be pretty significant for her to call them like this.
When they reached Sam’s house, they found her pacing restlessly on the sidewalk. She appeared impatient and disheveled. She didn’t even wear as much makeup as usual, which was really telling because she always found time to put on her goth-styled appearance. But when some ancient artifact latched itself to her body her priorities immediately changed. When she saw her two friends walking towards her she let out a sigh of relief and rushed over to them.
“Glad you guys are here. We have a seriously freaky, possibly ghost-related problem and I need your help!” she said in a panicked tone.
“Whoa, slow down, Sam,” said Danny, “Take a deep breath or something.”
“Yeah, some of us still aren’t fully awake,” said Tucker with another yawn, “What’s this all about anyways?”
Sam looked around to make sure nobody was in hearing distance. Since it was early on a Saturday morning the streets were pretty empty so they shouldn’t cause too much a stir. She took a deep breath and prepared to tell them what happened, knowing full well that she had no clue what was happening to her.
“It started yesterday at the museum. I sort of wandered off and saw this weird artifact on display. I don’t know what it was, but I swear there was something really strange about it. And I know this sounds strange, but I think it recognized me.”
“Recognized you?” said Tucker in only a half-serious tone, “How does some old artifact recognize you?”
“I don’t know! But seeing as how we’re both standing to someone whose half ghost, don’t I deserve the benefit of the doubt here?!”
She had a point. Their standards of strange were pretty broad given what they had dealt with in the past so Sam definitely deserved a little trust on their part.
“Take it easy, Sam. We believe you,” said Danny, “Which artifact was this anyways? Do you remember?”
“Does anybody ever remember a lecture from Mr. Lancer?” quipped Sam, “All I know is that by the time we passed the display again the thing was gone. I thought it was over, but then last night I had this dream that it was in my room and trying to…to merge with me or something. I don’t remember the details, but it was really intense and I swear that thing was alive! And when I woke up all the bruises I from yesterday were healed and I had this on my arm.”
She held up her arm to show the mysterious bracelet that the Witchblade had formed to hide itself. Danny and Tucker didn’t seem too impressed though. To them it looked like just another piece of jewelry. It definitely fit Sam’s style, but it sure didn’t look like some living relic.
“Uh…didn’t we see something like that in a jewelry store at the mall yesterday?” commented Tucker.
“It’s not what you think,” said Sam, “It must have some kind of mechanism or something to help it blend in.”
“And how do you know that?” said Danny, finding this increasingly strange even by their standards.
“I don’t,” she said bluntly, “It’s like some sort of…here, I’ll show you.”
Sam pulled Danny and Tucker off towards the side of her house so they would be safe from prying eyes. Once clear, she took a deep breath and held up her hand. She wasn’t sure how she got this thing to work the first time. She didn’t even know if she could control this thing because it seemed to have a mind of its own. But if she did it once she could do it again. She had to prove she wasn’t crazy.
“Watch…I swear this thing is alive,” said Sam intently.
She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to summon whatever it was that bonded to her. Tucker and Danny watched, not sure of what to expect. She seemed to be struggling, trying to draw on something she didn’t even have a name for. She called on whatever inner strength she could. She remembered Danny telling her about how he channeled his ghost powers by focus and concentration, but whatever this thing was it didn’t seem to behave like ghost powers because it wasn’t doing anything.
“Come on! Stupid thing! What’s wrong with it?!” she exclaimed, banging her hand against it.
“Must not have come with an instruction manual,” said Danny, now starting to worry that Sam was really losing it.
“Don’t look at me like that! If I knew what this thing was then…”
Suddenly she was cut off by a deep voice.
“It’s called the Witchblade,” said a tall dark figure in a trench coat that emerged from the street, “And the reason it’s not working is because you are too young to comprehend its power.”
“Wow, where did you come from?” said Tucker.
“That you don’t need to know. I’m here for the Witchblade and since it’s attached to you, little girl, you’re coming with me.”
Ian Nottingham wasn’t used to dealing with teenagers. His usual tasks were of a far more mature nature not for the faint of heart. Had he not seen what these three were capable of earlier he never would have bothered putting his vast talents to work against them. But Kenneth made it very clear to him that no one, not even a teenager, was to be taken lightly when they had the Witchblade in their possession.
He was an imposing presence, but Danny and his friends had faced plenty of dangerous figures before and they were ghosts. This guy was no Skulker, but he looked serious and seemed to know more than they did about this matter. And for that very reason, Sam was in no hurry to go with him.
“Witchblade?” said Sam, looking down at the relic, “Just what the hell is this thing and why do you want with it anyways?”
“You can ask your questions later. Now are you going to come quietly or am I going to have to drag you kicking and screaming like the little brat you are?”
“Okay, just for that you’re not taking Sam anywhere!” said Danny as he took a defensive stance in front of his friend.
“Boy, you have no idea who you’re dealing with,” said Ian in a threatening tone.
Reaching into his trench coat, Ian pulled out a long decorated katana his master had given him for just such a fight. On the surface it looked like a normal sword, but once he held it in an attack-ready stance it flashed bright yellow, revealing a hidden power that was specifically tailored for fighting ghosts in addition to subduing the average human.
“Wow…that’s a big sword,” said Tucker nervously as he took a step back.
“You’ll need a bigger sword to get through me!” said Danny, his eyes flashing bright green.
“Wanna bet?” grinned Ian.
With a swift, fluid slash a bright yellow beam shot out from the tip of the sword, impacting Danny squarely on the chest. He tried to phase through it, but somehow his ghost form reacted to it and he was sent flying into a wall.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”
“Danny!” exclaimed Sam.
“Trying to use those ghost powers of yours?” taunted Ian.
Danny rubbed his head and groaned, reeling from a mix of pain and shock. It wasn’t enough this guy knocked him senseless, but he also appeared to know his secret. That was definitely not good.
“What? Ghost powers? You…”
“You don’t have to play dumb with me kid (not that you would know the difference). I’ve been watching you and your little friend. I know what you can do. And you will NOT come between me and the Witchblade.”
“In that case, you won’t mind if I even the odds. I’m goin’ ghost!”
Danny Fenton transformed into Danny Phantom, not bothering to hide his power now that this mysterious stranger knew. That sword of his may have packed a punch, but it would take more than one blow to knock him out of a fight.
“That won’t do you any good,” said Ian.
“I’ll risk it,” he said bravely, “Tucker, Sam…run!”
Danny began his assault by taking to the air and rushing the dark stranger, but he quickly showed off his agility by leaping into the air and flying over him. It was a pretty impressive show of acrobatics, but Danny didn’t have time to be impressed. He few up into the air and fired a barrage of ghost rays down on him. As he expected, the stranger countered them by swatting them away with his katana. His reflexes were pretty fast if not too fast to be human. But Danny didn’t care about hitting him. He just had to give Sam and Tucker a window to get away.
Tucker was trying to take advantage of it, grabbing Sam’s hand and leading her away from the danger. But for some reason, she wouldn’t go.
“Uh Sam? I think that’s our cue. Let’s go already!” urged Tucker.
“I’m not leaving,” she said, shaking off his grip.
“What? Sam, what are you…”
His words fell on deaf ears. Sam was back in that dazed state again. Just like the first time she laid eyes on the artifact, it had her in caught up in this feeling again. Only this time it didn’t feel so surreal. Looking down at the bracelet that hid the living weapon within, she began to truly feel it. This thing didn’t try to consume her. It chose her. It time she understand that choice.
“The Witchblade…” she said distantly.
Now more focused, she summoned the power and the bracelet came to life. And just as it had done earlier, the gauntlet formed over her arm. Only this time, it didn’t stop at her arm. It spread all over her body, tearing through her clothes and hugging her like a second skin. The same metallic/rocky texture of the gauntlet formed an armor-like body suit that extended down her legs, partially covered her face, and formed a matching gauntlet on her other arm. Around her upper body the armor hugged her feminine features, creating a bikini-like ensemble that bore the distinct form of the Witchblade.
“Whoa…that’s hot,” said Tucker with an awestruck look.
Ian Nottingham, who was still deflecting ghost rays, saw this as well and grew more frustrated. He remembered what Kenneth told him about the wielder and the Witchblade. The longer they were together the harder they were to break apart. He had to subdue her now before she learned the full extent of her powers.
“Oh no you don’t!” grunted Ian.
Ducking another ghost blast, he rolled off to the side and fired another bolt of energy at Danny as he hovered above him. He tried to avoid it, but this man’s reflexes were too quick and he was knocked out of the air.
“Auuuuugh!” he grunted as he fell to the ground and de-powered.
“Danny!” exclaimed Tucker, rushing to his aid.
With the ghost boy now subdued, Ian turned his attention to the wielder. She looked to be in a state of shock, gazing over her body which now bore the emblems of the Witchblade. She clearly did not know the extent of her new power. Her ignorance would be his advantage as he approached her with his sword menacingly aimed at her.
“That power is not meant for you,” said Ian strongly, “If you won’t reject it now I’ll do it for you!”
Holding his sword high, Ian prepared to attack. His superhuman agility should be more than enough to take down a 14-year-old girl. He didn’t have to kill her. He just had to let the power of the sword react with the power already in her, either knocking her out or injuring her enough so he could take her away.
Time slowed for Sam as the stranger’s sword lunged towards her. She didn’t know what was happening to her, but her instincts kicked in and she promptly defended herself. The Witchblade seemed to do the same, forming a large shield over her arm that she used to block the incoming slash.
“Whoa…that new,” said Sam.
“Hrrrrrahhhhhh!” yelled Ian as he launched another attack.
Sam instinctively fell back, using the shield to block his relentless slashes. Every time his glowing sword collided with her shield, strange sparks shot out. It showed two distinct powers colliding with one another. Ian was bigger, stronger, and faster, but the Witchblade wasn’t about to let any harm come to its new wielder. It would take a lot more than some powered up sword to defeat the offspring of the Darkness and the Angeles.
The Witchblade guided Sam’s body through the motions, helping her defend herself against the onslaught. Sam had no choice, but to go along with it. And since she didn’t understand what was happening to her, the ancient relic could only do so much for her.
“Little punk!” grunted Ian.
Fed up with her resistance, he delivered a solid kick to her gut when their weapons clashed again. This knocked her back against the wall of another house and into a couple of trash cans. Grunting in determination, she struggled back up to her feet. But Ian was closing fast with no mercy in his eyes.
“Time to end this,” he said strongly, “I’ll give you one last chance to come quietly.”
“I may not know what’s going on, but I know enough NOT to go with someone like you!” said Sam defiantly.
“Have it your way.”
Ian prepared for a final assault. Sam raised her arm in defense, but this time the Witchblade did more than shield itself. A new power flowed through her, causing her hand to glow a brilliant fiery yellow. She felt a pressure inside build. It grew fast until it erupted in a powerful, concentrated beam of energy that hit Ian dead on and sent him flying up into the sky, sailing over several city blocks and landing in a dumpster.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Yeow! That’s gonna leave a mark,” said Tucker, cringing at the blow the stranger took.
It surprised even Sam. She looked down at her arm where the Witchblade was firmly in place. The awe she felt when she first laid eyes on it at the museum had turned to amazement. She didn’t just feel this thing protecting her body. She felt it deep within her core. It was as if it had become a part of her and there was no going back.
With the stranger gone, Danny shook off the lingering soreness from the blow he suffered earlier and rose up. He was just as amazed as Tucker at what he had just seen. Whatever had happened to Sam last night, there was clearly more to it than any of them suspected.
“Sam?” said Danny as he and Tucker approached her, “Are you…”
“I’m fine…I think,” she said, looking over her body, “Hold on, let me see if I can…”
She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to manipulate the Witchblade as she had tried to do earlier. This time it was easier. It responded to her thoughts and shifted back into the form of a gauntlet and then back to a simple bracelet. But in the process, it revealed an unexpected side-effect. Because once the armor of the Witchblade was gone, so were her clothes. It gave both Danny and Tucker an unabated eyeful of her naked body.
“Waaaaaaahhhhh!” exclaimed Sam, throwing her hands and arms over her private areas.
“Wow…” said Danny, his eyes widening in amazement.
“Stupid thing! Turn around already!”
Danny and Tucker covered their eyes and looked away while Sam grabbed a nearby trash lid to cover herself. She then ran back into her house in search of a change of clothes, leaving them dumbstruck by what they just saw. Seeing her wield some ancient relic as a weapon was surprising enough, but seeing her naked was just as shocking. Danny was especially struck. He blushed profusely, knowing that image of her wasn’t going to leave his mind anytime soon.
“Dude, all this before nine? Something is seriously up,” said Tucker.
“No kidding,” said Danny with a goofy grin on his face, “We uh…better look into it.”
“Definitely, but first you better put your eyes back in your head. Sam sees you with that look on your face then you and that trench coat guy are going to have a lot more in common.”
Danny rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. It was going to be hard looking at Sam the same way again without remembering this. It wasn’t enough he thought he might have a crush on her. Now he had this to deal with. But for her sake, he set it aside and focused on the current problem that faced them.
“So…any idea on what to do next?” asked Tucker.
“Not a clue,” sighed Danny, “That guy called this thing the Witchblade. Any idea what that is?”
“Not a clue,” said Tucker, “I could look it up on my PDA?”
“Don’t bother. Something tells me we’re going to need expert advice on this thing. And I know just who to ask.”
Ian Nottingham
Garbage was not ideal for cushioning a fall. Ian found that out first hand when he landed in a dumpster after being blasted several blocks by the Witchblade. Kenneth told him a lot of things about the relic, but he never told him it could back such a heavy punch. His body was sore all over once he came to. He stumbled out of the dumpster, brushing off bits of rotting fruit and old food in the process. He knew his master wouldn’t be pleased. He wanted that girl brought to him before she learned to use the Witchblade’s full power. Now it appeared he was too late.
After collecting himself, he called his master and told him what happened.
“So the girl has already learned to wield part of the Witchblade’s power…”
“Yes. I’m sorry, master, but I wasn’t strong enough. Give me another chance and I swear I’ll bring her in!”
“Don’t bother. With her power and the ghost boy by her side, they’re too strong.”
“I can take them! I know I can!” said Ian strongly.
“You fight the battles you can win, Ian. I promise you’ll get another chance, but now is not the time to let your pride get the better of you. I need your help in other matters.”
Ian let out a bitter grunt. As loyal as he was to his master, he hated it when he held him back. It was an insult to his honor. A teenage girl had just humiliated him by knocking him into a pile of garbage. That kind of defeat could not go unpunished. But for the sake of the mission, he swallowed his pride and listened to Irons.
“What are my orders?”
“Return to my pent house. I need you to help me set up Vlad’s equipment. Now that the Witchblade has bonded to a wielder, we’ll have to find another way of tapping its power.”
“But what about the girl and the ghost boy?” said Ian strongly, “How do you plan on getting close to them now?”
“We’ll worry about that later. For now, we must rest and regroup. I assure you, all is not lost. The Witchblade may have gotten away from me for now, but the power will be mine. As for this Samantha Manson…she may be a wielder, but she will NOT come between me and my destiny.”
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Up next: Sam begins to learn about the nature and power of the Witchblade.
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