Chapter 2: Almost a Memory
At first it didn't feel like anything at all.
But.
-he could feel-
Then.
-heart beat against his ribs-
What?
Why had he let Sam and Tucker talk him into this?
This wasn't.
Sure, the portal was cool and all, but it was also really creepy-
No, stop! He didn't want-
Why had he let Sam and Tucker talk him into this? How had he let them talk him into this? Sure, the portal was cool and all, but it was also really creepy, and he could feel his heart beat against his ribs in protest of the whole thing.
Oh, yeah. Because they wanted to go in, and he wasn't going to let them do that without making sure his parents hadn't left one of their goo-shooting guns in here first. Or a 'Fenton Firework.' Or... Honestly, the list was too long. He was talking (thinking) about the people who had once sucked the house into an alternate dimension, after all.
Why did they want to look at it in the first place? Because Sam thought portals to the underworld were 'super Gothic,' and Tucker wanted to check out all the 'killer tech.' Maybe Danny was just jaded, but, honestly, he'd rather be upstairs, playing a game, or talking about the movie they were going to see later (Dead Teacher III: Death-tention!).
Well, this hadn't been too bad so far. He had actually kind of gotten used to the weird, electric chill in the tunnel. Maybe they'd actually spot whatever was wrong with the thing in the first place, too, and cheer his parents up. Tucker was really good with electronics, Sam had sharp eyes, and Danny knew FentonWorks technology pretty well, so together they might be able to see something. Not that they'd do anything. Danny didn't want to accidentally screw anything else up. Or give anyone a shock. Or cover them with goo. He'd made sure that the portal was firmly off and unplugged before going in, but you never knew with these things. Also, he knew that his parents had mentioned something about capacitors, and although he wasn't 100% sure what the difference between those and batteries were, he knew that they stored charge and could be dangerous.
The tunnel was narrowing, and Danny was almost to the back wall, when he tripped. He dropped his flashlight and caught himself on a protrusion on the left hand wall. This would have been fine, except that part of the protrusion depressed and clicked ominously under his fingers.
Danny stumbled back to the center of the portal walkway, staring at the little box. He wasn't horrified. Not yet. Not even when he saw the words 'on' and 'off' staring at him in green and red. Actually, for a split second he was relieved. He had only hit a stupid button. He might have even hit the 'off' button.
Then he started to hear the portal waking up around him. Activating. Turning on. He heard his friends shouting at him Run, Danny run! and he tried to do just that.
But then there was a flash of light and Danny was burning and there was green everywhere and it hurt so, so much.
I screwed up. I screwed up bad.
He could hear himself screaming. Wow. He didn't know he could get that loud.
At least I didn't let Sam and Tuck come in here with me. That was good.
It was cold now, unbelievably cold. And still somehow hot. He felt like his bones were melting.
Mom and Dad are fine, too. Knowing Dad, he would have hit the button without even thinking about it. Heh. Talk about 'killer' tech.
He could see, but also not see. Hear, but also not hear. He didn't like it, but the sensation was nothing next to the crisping of his skin, the seizing of whatever was left of his muscles.
I'm the only one that's feeling this.
He was, bizarrely enough, thankful for that. No one else should have to through this kind of pain. No one else should die like this.
Everyone else is safe.
But...
Were they?
He could hear screaming.
Surely that couldn't all be him. Right?
(He would have thought that his vocal cords would be dust by now.)
He could hear screaming-
Nearby?
He knew those voices.
Who?
Were they hurt? Were they hurting like he was?
No, no, no, no. No!
He had to-
Do what?
Help them!
How?
It hurt so much and he was scared-
(His thoughts were no longer anything even approaching coherent, but he wrenched himself away from the fear and back to the problem at hand.)
He needed to help them!
And then, thought became impossible. Danny became impossible. A passive observer to two worlds being filtered through his soul and extruded into one another. He saw everything. Remembered nothing. Because it was too big, and too beautiful, and there was pain everywhere, and people everywhere on both sides.
He needed to help.
An almost passive observer.
(There was a distant sensation of approval and regret.)
The two sides suddenly crashed together, and Danny was back, and the pain was back, although it had never really been gone in the first place. It was worse now, though. He wasn't even screaming anymore, and this was agony, and he was still dying. Still transfixed by electricity and whatever the heck the portal was doing.
There was something new now. Something in him that hurt, but hurt differently, in the center of his chest, right below his heart.
Then whatever was holding him in place stopped, and he dropped to the portal floor, too exhausted to even whimper. Still in too much pain to even contemplate moving.
(He was a little shocked that he still existed.)
But something tickled the edge of his jumbled mind. The screaming- Had there been others? He had to know. They might need help.
(He didn't even remember his own name at the moment. Could barely comprehend that not being in pain was an option.)
He crawled at first, but that was too slow, and he wouldn't be much help like that. He needed to be lighter, and suddenly he was, and now he was stumbling out of the portal, leaning against one wall for support.
Out of the portal, everything was so not-green. Was that normal? Then he blinked and faces, people, came into focus. He had no idea what they were saying, but they looked okay. Much more okay than he felt, anyway. That was good.
He shut his eyes, and stopped fighting the pain.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone