#It was slightly manipulated by Clockwork so she could have a son of her own but he will never admit to it

[bet-on-me-13]

Ellie worked undercover at Cadmus

So, Ellie has grown up and become an Adult living on her own by now.

She is doing her best to make the most out of her life. She went to school, graduated from College, and even got a Job.

She grew up in a Lab, and learned quite a bit about Genetic Engineering over the course of her life both before and after escaping (Both from Vlad, and from Danny during that Point in time where they were trying to permanently stabilize her).

So, when she gets an offer to join a new start-up Company called Cadmus, she jumped at the opportunity to use her Knowledge to help others. (She was told it was a Research Company that used Genetic Engineering to make medicines)

It wasn't until she had already signed the NDA that she figured out that this was an Illegal Cloning Lab.

Thankfully, she was immune to the Mind Control that they had tried to use on all of the Scientists to make them okay with all of the illegal shit, but she still had to play the part so she could help the poor clones who would be created in this project.

She went Undercover for years. Any time a Clone was deemed a "Failure", she would try her best to save them. She did manage to save a few, sending them to Danny so he could help them find a home, but unfortunately she couldn't save them all.

After a few years, the other scientists began to stress out. The K-Series had been a total failure so far, and none of the Clones had even come close to being Viable. Even the most successful one, identified as Match, couldn't come close to being called an actual success.

So, they went a different route. If Kryptonian DNA didn't want to be Cloned, then maybe they could splice it with some other DNA and force it to work with them?

The Scientists began splicing Human DNA into the Genome, running trials to see if it would be Viable at all before even attempting to create a Full Clone. And they did find some success, preliminary tests showed that Human DNA was uniquely adaptable when it came to splicing, and theoretically it could be used to make a Fully Viable Clone!

When Luthor heard of this, he deemed that nobody aside from himself was worthy of being the "Father", and gave his own DNA to the Scientists to use for the Experiment.

Ellie was put in charge of transporting the DNA to the Lab, but in a random accident (we both know it wasn't, Clockwork), she ends up dropping the Sample. In a rush, she just puts some of her own Blood into the Vial and gives it to the Scientists working on the Gene Splicing Project. (She was panicking, ok?! Nobody would be able to work in a lab like this without getting a little bit of anxiety, and she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep in days at that point!)

They are thrilled! They don't know why, but Mr Luthor's DNA was so much better at Splicing than any other Human DNA they had ever tested before. He was certainly right about his own DNA being the beat suited for the Job!

Ellie meanwhile is having a bit of a meltdown. She can't believe she just gave them some of her DNA! And they already used it to make a Fetus! She's a mother now! She never wanted to be a Mom!

But she guesses that none of that matters anymore. She's has a son now, and she needs to get him out of there. But how to do it? As the only successful K-Series Clone, he was under the most heavily guarded security imaginable, so there was absolutely no way she would ever be able to sneak him out of there. Even if she used her powers, the Security was primed to scan for any and all foreign energy signatures, even Ecto Energy.

So for now, she was stuck. She couldn't break him out, and she also couldn't just leave the Company and let them abuse all those poor clones like that! She just needed to wait for the right opportunity to get her son out of there, even if it meant that she would have to stay behind.

It wasn't until a team of errant Sidekicks broke into the Lab a few years later, that she had a way out for her son.

[flutteringdreams-matw]

Out of Time (11)

First/Last Read on AO3 Word Count: 7411

Previously: Danny and Sam narrowly escape Dan - but not before a large blast hit its target.

Now: The fallout.

Link to the next chapter will be in the replies once posted. As always - please let me know what you think!

"Of course she did," Jazz said, sighing through the Fenton Phones. Tucker imagined Jazz's frustrated face, pinching the bridge of her nose. He fidgeted in his chair, looking at snack and energy drink covered console as he waited for them to say anything else.

"When was the last time you spoke with her Tucker?" Maddie asked worriedly.

Tucker frowned, looking at the time. It was Noon. "A few hours ago," he said, scanning the radar again. No Fenton Phone in range outside of the city. "She went out of range about a mile out. She was supposed to be back by now."

"And you're sure you had found Danny? Sam wasn't going in blind?" Jack confirmed; his voice tight.

Tucker glanced at Clockwork who still stared at the screens intently, eyes darting through each screen but staying expressionless as ever. He waited, hoping for some clue that they were okay, that he hadn't let Sam walk into a trap before responding. "Yeah, there's no question."

Jack sighed tiredly. "Danny's shield is still up," he said matter-of-factly. "And Sam is a capable girl. Between the two of them, they'll look out for each other. We're needed here - once we get rid of these Shadow Copies then we'll head out after them."

"Dad," Jazz started worriedly. "What if Sam was right? How can you be so sure they'll be okay?"

"Because we have to Jazzy," he replied simply, his normally booming voice quiet and reserved. "We have to believe it."

Tucker bit his lip nervously in the silence that followed. "Another thing," Tucker added uncomfortably, his hand twitching above the keyboard. "I think I figured it out."

"Tucker - that's great!" Jazz exclaimed.

"I knew you were good Foley!" Jack boomed.

"Except…" Tucker started worriedly. "It's not exact." He pulled up the ecto-signature code he had been working on all morning, looking at again with a thoughtful frown. "If I'm wrong and Danny's still out there, we'll strand him. Worse - if he's injured or hurt, he'll be a sitting target."

The line went silent. Tucker let out a deep shuddering breath, hands shaking as he ran them over his face.

"How sure are you?" Maddie asked him. He couldn't tell from her voice what she was feeling.

"Eighty percent," Tucker admitted bitterly. He glared at the screen. "Eighty-five if I'm optimistic." The line went silent again. The implied "what do I do?" hung in the quiet.

"Tucker," Maddie said gently. He heard her let out a shuddering breath of her own. "Danny trusts you. We trust you," she told him. "Whatever decision you need to make, do it."

"But-" he started.

"She's right," Jack agreed softly. "We'll stand by it. It needs to be you."

"He's your son!" Tucker blurted out anxiously. "I'm just-"

"His best friend," Jazz told him smoothly, trying to get him to calm down. "One of two people he trusted from day one. You have as much right as any of us. Tucker, you've been working on this straight for three days - taking everything into consideration. You are the best person to make that call."

Tucker swallowed nervously, staring at the button to launch the shield. He was silent for a few minutes before he answered. "Danny's shield is still up. I'll keep working on the code. Unless we know for sure that this will work, I won't use it." He looked at the radar again, shaking hands curling into fists. "Mr. Fenton's right, let's keep at those Shadows in case Dan shows his face in the city. I'll keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary."

Tucker disconnected the line, rubbing his temples. He was starting to crash. "Did I make the right decision?" he asked conversationally to the ghost beside him. Clockwork, again, stayed quiet, making Tucker sigh again. "Come on, you must know something!"

"Even if I did," Clockwork replied with a hint of annoyance. "It wouldn't be much help."

"But slipping the Ecto-Enhancers to Sam is fine?" Tucker shot back with an eyebrow raised. When Sam had told him she took the enhancers and there was a note on them, he kept thinking how she would know where they were… until he remembered who suggested the lab bench to begin with.

"I did nothing," Clockwork replied, turning slightly. "I reminded her to arm herself in battle. What she decides to take with her is her choice. As this is yours."

Tucker sighed, annoyed. "Sure." They were silent again, Tucker looking hopefully at the radar again. "Anything interesting?"

Clockwork's frail hand pointed to one of the screens close to the school. "Another crack," he said with a frown. "Perhaps we need to contact the human in charge of that evacuation housing area."

Tucker frowned, looking at the list Mrs. Fenton left him and groaned. "That's Mr. Lancer. I'll-"

Clockwork gripped his staff tightly, falling to ground as a desperate piercing scream echoed through his mind. He gasped as the world slowed violently around him, feeling it fraying the fabric of time. "Tucker," the Time Master called urgently. When he got no response, he looked up with wide eyes. Tucker was moving slowly, the Time Medallion reflecting the lights of the console in front of him. The Time Master gasped as time shifted again, returning it to normal and left him out of breath on the ground.

"I'll tell - Clockwork!" Tucker exclaimed, jumping out of his seat over to the Time ghost. "What happened?"

Clockwork's eyes narrowed, mind racing. "Time just slowed." Tucker looked at him, down to the medallion around his neck and back at Clockwork. "I'm aware of that, yes" the ghost snapped irritably, before Tucker could comment. "Whoever just manipulated time also managed to affect anyone wearing the Time Medallions."

Tucker's eyes widened as he helped Clockwork up, the latter barely able to stay floating without his staff. "I thought you were the only who can stop and start time. Master and all that."

Clockwork's intense red eyes found the young teen's. "I am," he replied worried.

Tucker swallowed, looking at the screen and back to the ghost in front of him.

Clockwork waved him off. "I'll be fine," he assured, wincing slightly. "We need to warn the others. Quickly."

Tucker nodded, heading back to the console just as Ethelwulf and Frostbite came through the portal.

"Clockwork!" Frostbite cried, running to the Time Ghost, Ethelwulf at his heels.

"I'm fine," he dismissed, frowning at both of the ghosts. "We have bigger problems to deal with."

"That's why we're here," Ethelwulf replied grimly. Frostbite nodded vigorously, grabbing Clockwork's chest and helped steady him. "All of those Shadow Creatures just disappeared from my shield."

"What!?" Tucker exclaimed, looking at the wolf ghost before he looked back at the screens. "Why would-" Tucker paled, watching more of the shadows appear toward the East part of the shield. "Oh no…" he stood frozen for a second before switching the line of the Fenton Phones on again.

"We've got incoming!" Tucker told them urgently. "Those Shadows are concentrating on one point of the shield - they're trying to break through."

"Ethelwulf," Clockwork called, getting his attention again. Ethelwulf whipped his head around, yellow eyes trying to figure out what was wrong with his friend. "Sam went after Danny; if that shield breaks-"

His eyes widened briefly. "Ancients," he swore, looking at Frostbite. "Frostbite-" The Yeti leader nodded.

"You must go," Frostbite told him. "I can tend to the wounded in your absence - the Great One will need you more."

The ground rumbled under their feet as alarms sounded. Tucker gasped, staring at the various monitors. "The shield," he said quietly as they watched part of it explode and various shadows came into Amity Park. "Danny…"

:-=-:

Danny and Sam landed with a thud, skidding across the earth. With a small groan, Danny pushed himself up slightly, blurrily looking for his friend. His whole body burned in protest as he moved. "Sam," he murmured, coughing.

His blood ran cold when his eyes found her; she was sprawled across the ground, unmoving. No. "Sam!" Danny called hoarsely, coughing at the rawness of his throat. No response. Dread pooled in the pit of his stomach as he called out again. His vision swam, making him groan as he pushed away anything he was feeling. Please let her be breathing. He managed to pull himself across the ground, letting out small cries of pain as he made his way over to her. "Sam, wake up!"

With extreme effort, Danny reached her, hovering in the air slightly as he looked her over. She was covered with scrapes and bruises but nothing too serious. In fact, the worst injury she seemed to have was the large hand sized bruise on her wrist from where Dan held her captive. "Come on," he whispered desperately, shaking her gently. Eventually, he saw her chest rise and relief washed over him. Danny let out a small laugh; she was alive – the blast didn't hit her.

Relishing in his relief a little more, Danny looked around their new surroundings. He could dimly see the town from where they were in the forest, a little further away from where they were previously. Or maybe they were closer - he could make out some of the buildings now. Thankfully, the shield was still intact but Dan was still out there.

And currently, they were sitting ducks.

Danny turned back to Sam with a frown, before landing and pushing himself upright, ignoring the sharp pains going up and down his body. Focus. Find cover. He managed to grab Sam under her arms and dragged the both of them to a small cover of trees. Finally reaching a suitable spot under a large oak tree, Danny collapsed with a grunt of pain, sending both teens to the ground. Worriedly, he looked over at his best friend as he gasped for air; she was still out cold. He pushed himself up from the ground, arms shaking in strain as he lugged himself closer toward the tree. "Figures," he wheezed, leaning back against the tree for support. His chest burned as his breathing recovered slightly. "You always were a late riser."

He pulled her close to him, feeling her chest rise and fall steadily against his against his ragged one. She made no move of waking, making him frown in thought. Dan's ectoblast hadn't hit her – had it? He made it in time right? He checked her over again, looking for anything he could of missed the first time.

Dread bubbled in the pit of his stomach as he saw a dark pool of liquid started to stain the side of her jumpsuit.

"How could I have-" Danny berated before stopping himself suddenly with a gasp. It wasn't blood - at least not anymore; dark green ectoplasm gushed out of his side and onto the both of them. "Shit," he whispered, wide eyed. The blast hadn't hit Sam – it hit him.

Panicking slightly, he brought his left hand to his side to try and stop the bleeding; groaning as he finally realized the situation they were in. He bit back a scream, throwing his head back against the trunk of the tree as he gasped for breath. Everything hurt. How the hell could he not notice? Dan was still out there, the shield was up, Sam was still unconscious, the ghost shield wasn't fixed and he apparently was bleeding out. Clockwork had said there was one favourable outcome – there must be a way out of this. They needed more time.

Glancing toward the city again, Danny frowned as his breathing became more ragged. His vision seemed to go dark around the edges as he focused internally, trying to sense whether the shield would hold. He felt something stab at his core, crying out softly as the pain moved through him. He looked at the unconscious girl briefly before looking back toward the shield. There was no sight of his evil self.

If that goes down, the city would be in jeopardy, he thought bitterly. But if Dan finds us, we're screwed. He contemplated his next move, trying to figure out what would make the most sense. He looked down at his side – his white glove was coated in too much ectoplasm. Grim realization caused him to let out a shuddering breath. There wasn't much time. Concentrating, he focused what he could on making them invisible, biting back a groan as his core fought against the abuse.

Danny closed his eyes, his breathing coming out in small gasps. Come on Sam, he thought hopefully. You gotta wake up. He felt his body weaken as ectoplasm continued to ooze through his fingers. His core continued to send sharp pains and sparks through him as he tried not to panic. Okay. You're losing ectoplasm. It could be worse right?

Danny bit back a scream as his core sparked to life. His mind left his body, back toward the shield protecting the town. He could see Dan's shadowy minions attacking the shield, their attacks bombarded his senses. He tried to put energy into the shield to hold it, but his core violently protested against him. The shield cracked, crushing pain against his ribs and electricity coursed through him. He vaguely felt his back arch against the attack as he bit back another scream. It was too much - it needed to stop. The invisibility was starting to wane slightly as he lost a grip of his powers. Making a split second decision, he released his hold on the shield. Danny gasped as he was thrown back to his body, hearing the explosions in the distance. He opened his eyes dully, still gasping heavily as part of the dome on the Eastern side of the city shattered, creating the opening Dan's forces needed to attack his home.

He groaned as he felt the shield crumble more."Still could be worse," he quipped darkly, wincing at how raw his voice sounded.

It was getting harder to breathe as the time passed. He closed his eyes again, trying to keep the invisibility going for as long as he could. He already failed the city; he wasn't going to fail his friend. He wondered briefly if this was what dying was supposed to feel like – slow, agonizing defeat. Clockwork warned me this would happen. It was always a possibility. He hugged Sam tighter with his right arm.

Relief washed over him as Sam finally stirred. He didn't move, still trying to focus on staying conscious for a little longer to keep the invisibility. Suddenly, she jerked in his grasp, making him hiss in pain. "Sam – it's me!" he whispered urgently, vaguely aware of how faint he sounded now. "It's okay!"

Sam stilled against him. "Danny?" she questioned, relief, worry and confusion coming through the one word.

Danny swallowed. "I need you to check if we're safe," he pushed. He scrunched his eyes tighter as he tried to suppress any show of pain from his injuries. "Okay? Let me know if I can drop the invisibility."

Sam nodded against his chest as she moved. She didn't let go, crouching low as she surveyed their surroundings. Sam frowned as Danny's breath hitched slightly, but made no comment. "Coast is clear," she told him. She broke away, feeling herself become visible as she waited for Danny to drop his powers. The slight smile on her face slid off as Danny reappeared in front of her.

His head was thrown back against the oak tree, facing upwards to the sky. He breathed hard, almost as if he couldn't get enough air in his body. There was a large hand shaped bruise that curled around his neck, turning purple against his pale skin. As Sam ran her eyes over his battered body, they stopped dead at his left side at the sight of the ectoplasm running through his gloved hand. Breaking out of her stupor, she moved quickly, putting her hands on top of his and applied pressure. Danny let out a strangled gasp, filling Sam with dread.

"Don't move," she murmured, her voice wavering. "That's… there's…"

"Sam," Danny gritted out. Green eyes fluttered open, staring up at the sky. Sam felt unnerved at the reserved look on his face as his aura flickered dimly. "It's too much."

"No," Sam told him firmly. "We're going to get through this. You're going to get through this. We're going to get you back to Ethelwulf okay?" Eyes widening slightly, she looked down at her jumpsuit, letting go of Danny's wound as she tore through the pockets. "Where the hell…" she whispered frantically before letting out a cry of triumph as she pulled out a sleek, black pouch. Opening them quickly, she took one of the syringes and hesitated, looking between the syringes and the fallen boy in front of her. Had Ethelwulf checked these out? Were these safe? Danny had his eyes closed again, breathing becoming ragged. She couldn't chance it. Making her decision, she injected the contents into his leg.

The effect was instantaneous; Danny's back arched as he took a deep gasping breath. His aura shone brighter as his body relaxed against the tree, panting in exertion. Sam put pressure back against his side, trying to stop the bleeding as he composed himself. She sighed as his breathing became more normal, looking him over some more. His chest had a large burn, his left leg had a large gash and she was pretty sure she saw ectoplasm from behind his ear. The trail ectoplasm she had noticed earlier stemmed from a gash just under his hairline. They sat in silence for a long time, Sam quietly assessing how to help as she continued to apply pressure to his side.

Eventually, Sam noticed the slowing of ectoplasm from his wounds and some of the smaller scrapes and bruises healing. He didn't speak, out of exhaustion or pain Sam didn't know, but his aura flared up again and he let out a soft groan.

"These Ecto-Enhancer seem to be helping," she told him quietly, moving one of her hands behind his head. Whatever head wound that was there had scabbed over slightly. "You're healing faster than you normally do."

Danny chuckled, coming out more of a wheezy cough. "Fat lot of good that'd do me," he said hoarsely.

Sam frowned, moving her hand towards his neck. He winced as she brushed against the purple bruise. It wasn't healing at all she noticed. Faint explosions from the town broke through the silence as she put her hand against his cheek, wiping away some dried ectoplasm from a small cut under his eye. "Thanks for getting us out of there," she said, guilt rising up from within her. "I should have run when you told me to; you took that blast for me."

Danny grunted, opening one of his eyes to look at her. "If you ran, I would be dead twice over by now," he told her, slightly coughing. "I would have bled out." He scrunched his eyes tightly as he released a shuttering breath. "Still might."

"Don't say that," she scolded, worriedly looking him over again. He let out a small grunt of pain but said nothing else. "What happened? Frostbite told us you were headed back when you disappeared. I thought -"

"He ambushed me," Danny told her, wincing in pain. "My ghost sense went off went off, was going to tell Frostbite but was knocked out before I had a chance. Next thing I knew, I was in that clearing. It was too far to teleport in one go. Thought I could distract him enough to get away," Danny coughed, wheezing slightly. "Didn't work." Sam frowned, watching him shudder slightly as a wave of pain hit him. She took out the first aid kit, grabbing an anti-septic wipe and started to dab one of his head wounds. He hissed painfully. "Stings," he grunted, inhaling deeply as he kept his eyes closed. "Realized what he wanted too late - he wanted me away from the shield to weaken it. Guess it worked."

"Danny," Sam whispered before she sighed. "Don't beat yourself up about it - you kept it up for hours after… that." She shuddered as she remembered his screams, Dan's hand through his chest. One of Danny's eyes opened, watching her worriedly. "I'm still amazed you were able to keep it up when he was blasting you with all that energy - it was at least an hour."

"What?" Danny asked, confused.

Sam's frown deepened, continuing to wipe away some of the dried ectoplasm from his face. "You don't remember?" He shook his head. "After you passed out, he wanted to wake you - to … you know," she gestured vaguely, implying their last encounter with the ghost. "But you wouldn't wake up - at least not coherently. Dan got frustrated and decided to forcefully wake you." Her eyes hardened slightly. "I played right into his hands - got a few hits in before he got me. I tried escaping, but couldn't get past the damn duplicate; I'm sorry I couldn't get you out earlier."

Danny closed his eyes again, a small gasp of pain escaping before he chuckled. "Sam Manson is no damsel in distress," he wheezed in amusement. "Kicking ghost butt one handed."

She glared half-heartedly, smiling slightly as she got another anti-septic wipe and started to clean the scab behind his ear. He gasped, shaking slightly as his fist curled. Her smile fell, searching for the source of his pain. She checked his side again, watching as the ectoplasm started to clot and breathing a small sigh of relief. "The Ecto-Enhancer is working," she told him soothingly. "Once Tucker gets that ghost shield up, you can take down the shield and we can get you back to FentonWorks."

"Sam," he said forcefully, green eyes finding purple. He sighed, pushing himself more upright despite his protesting body. "There's a good chance I won't make it."

"Says who?" the Goth replied angrily. She looked to the shield briefly. "If we get close enough I-"

"Clockwork," he said softly, making Sam stop, turning toward him slowly with wide eyes. "He told me there were three outcomes of this fight. Only one of them is favourable for the timeline."

Sam stared, their conversation back in the Ops Center starting to click. "What does that even mean!?" she exclaimed angrily. "One favourable. His view of the future is skewed anyway - you're here, you're going to be fine."

"Clockwork can't see past this moment," he continued, smiling sadly as he looked up at the sky. "There are three ways this goes down Sam. The best chance I have is to take Dan down with me."

Sam stared at him, lost for words, before an intense look of anger came across her face. "For once in your life, stop being such a self-sacrificing idiot!" she yelled, making Danny wince at the volume.

"Sam, look at me," Danny said seriously, gesturing to his body. "Even with the Ecto-Enhancers, I'm not healing enough. Dan will attack again and we're not ready for him – I certainly wasn't." He smiled ruefully. "He wants to break me Sam, and worse - he can. I won't be able to heal fast enough to face him before he tries again. There's only one way out of this to save the timeline. I'm - "

"Who cares about the timeline!?" Sam exploded. Danny's head turned to her quickly with wide-eyes; Sam's eyes were shining with tears, hands curled into fists as she shook with rage. He rarely ever saw her like this. "What outcome saves you Danny? Have you even considered it? Or did you just automatically just assume you wouldn't make it? Between you and Clockwork I'm sure one of you can figure out a way to defeat Dan while saving yourself. Tell me!"

The tears that threatened to fall did as her chest heaved from her outburst. Danny watched her, recognizing the worry underneath the anger. There was something else hidden there, something deep and raw that he didn't recognize just yet. "Sam," he whispered, reaching out to comfort her, but wincing in pain from the movement. They stared at each other, only the distant sounds from the city intruding in their conversation.

"Do you want to die?" Sam asked him dangerously quiet, silent tears still falling down her angry face. "Is that why you're giving up so easily?"

"No," he answered quickly. "Of course not!" Danny fought against the pain and pushed himself closer to her, grunting with exertion. Sam moved quickly, grabbing him slowly as he settled closer to the tree. She stayed by his side, waiting for Danny to regain his breathing as she checked the blast wound. It had stopped bleeding, thankfully, but now she could see how far the blast had hit. If that hit him as a human… She let out a soft sigh, releasing her anger and worry as he composed himself.

"You never give up," she said to him softly. Danny blinked back at her. "Never. You could've earlier, when Dan was attacking you. No matter how much you insist you aren't afraid of Dan… you are afraid Danny. You're doubting yourself, playing into his trap." She swallowed slightly, strengthening the conviction in her words. "Don't let him get to you - you can do this. Believe in yourself. Like everyone does - Like I do."

Danny stared at his best friend for a long time before he realized what he was missing; Sam wasn't just worried or angry… she was scared. She was scared of losing him. "I'm not sure I can do this Sam," he admitted softly, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, they flashed green for a moment as he looked at her. "Dan is… I don't think any of us are ready to face him."

Sam let out a deep breath. "I think you are," she assured, surprising Danny with her confidence. "You're letting Dan and Clockwork get in your head. Our plan is working, Danny. Those Shadow Ghosts? They're slowing Dan down. Amity is fighting with you Danny, you aren't alone. So think; if anyone can figure out how to save the timeline and survive it, it's you."

Danny stared at her for a second, before a look of determination crossed his face. "I'll give it my best shot."

She smiled sadly at his resolve. "Let's just focus on getting you to Ethelwulf," she said gently. "We can figure out how to face him later." She shuddered as she remembered the last time she saw Dan. "Danny, you need to figure out what you want from all this timeline stuff. I'm sure you'll make it happen somehow."

Danny frowned slightly, taking in the girl's words in front of him. What did he want? He looked at Sam, her face inches away from his. He was taken back briefly to their conversation back at FentonWorks, before he realized what was at stake. He wanted to defeat Dan. He wanted to live. He definitely wanted a nap. Most of all he wanted….. Danny remembered what she said - about him regretting decisions; He didn't want to regret anything.

So what did he want? A strange expression came across his face as he really looked at her. Sam's violet eyes were staring at him, like he would disappear at any moment. There were dried tear stains down her face, mixing briefly with a small cut across her cheek. His heart jolted; suddenly full of nerves and adrenaline.

He acted on instinct – closing the gap between them and kissed her.

Time seemed to slow as he moved, feeling freer than he ever felt. All of his injuries seemingly disappeared as he moved up toward her. Sam stiffened in surprise for a moment as their lips met before relaxed into the kiss. His brain went all fuzzy, no cognitive thought running through it other than the euphoria of the moment. She smelled like lavender and ectoplasm. It was nothing like he could imagine. His heart felt like it was doing somersaults in his chests. Their foreheads rested together as they broke apart, their breathing hard yet in sync. He had kissed her – actually kissed her.

"You did say later," he joked breathlessly, suddenly feeling self-conscious. They stayed like this for a few more moments, relishing in their bubble for a little longer before Sam moved her hand to his cheek.

"Promise me," she murmured breathlessly, looking him directly in the eyes. "Promise me that you're going to do whatever it takes to defeat Dan. Promise me that you're going to do everything you can to come back to us – alive. Promise me you'll win."

Reality brought him back to the severity of the battle to come, what it could mean for him. Determined green met worried violet ones. "I promise," he told her softly. "I'll do whatever I can to survive and defeat Dan." He frowned worriedly as he held her gaze. "But I will do whatever it takes to protect the people I care about. Sam, if there's no other way-"

"I know," she whispered, distraught. She closed her eyes, pressing her head against him. "I know. Please, just try."

He nodded, feeling her relax slightly as he did so. "I'll -" his attempt to reassure her was cut off when Sam kissed him. This one felt different, more grounded in where they were but it didn't matter. He was here, with her, kissing her and it felt wonderful. Better yet, she kissed him. That had to mean something right? He moved; trying to deepen it before reality, again, dragged him back from his bliss. Pain shot through him as his core sparked to life, sending ripples of electricity through his body. He broke their kiss with a cry of pain, hunching over as it grew in intensity.

"Danny!" he heard Sam cry out, feeling her hands push him back against the tree. He breathed through the pain, gritting his teeth as more electricity passed through him. Eventually, it subsided, leaving him panting against the tree once more. "What was that?" Sam asked worriedly. "Was it the shield?"

Danny shook his head. "Dan did something to my core," he told her. She noticed that his voice was stronger now, less raspy than before but the claw like bruise on his neck was still a deep purple against his pale skin. "I think that was the Ecto-Enhancer trying to heal it." A large explosion and screams drifted toward their ears, making Sam whirl around toward Amity Park. She frowned as she watched a ton of shadows flock into the Eastern part of the city. Above it, a figure with flaming white hair floated triumphantly.

"Dan," she whispered, eyes widening before turning back to the injured half-ghost beside her. "He's attacking the city."

Danny nodded. "I couldn't keep the shield up after I got blasted," he said bitterly. "How close was Tucker with the Ghost shield when you left?" Sam shook her head; Danny sighed. "We need to get him away from the city."

Violet eyes narrowed. "Yeah, and how are we supposed to do that?" she asked sarcastically. "In case you weren't aware, we're both covered in your ectoplasm from when you were bleeding out. There's no way you're up for a battle by yourself."

He cringed. "He's going to go after them Sam," he said worriedly, pushing himself in more of a sitting position. Sam's sarcastic glare melted, hands moving to his shoulders to help support him. "I can't lose them."

"I know," she agreed. "But you're not going to last in another full battle on your own if you fly in there like this. You just said he wants to break you; don't you think he wants this?" She cupped his face gently with one hand. "Danny, you could have -"

"I know," he said softly. He leaned into her hand, relaxing slightly. "I know, Sam. He almost got me. But I don't want to live through any of those visions." He sat up straighter, steeling his resolve. "I never want to live through it again."

Sam's face softened slightly as she tried to think of a way to convince him before a voice called them from above.

"Sam! Danny!"

Both teens looked up to see Ethelwulf flying down towards them; his black leathery wings flapping majestically under now the green clouds. Sam waved at him as zeroed in on them, touching down softly on the grass. His yellow eyes widened as he took in the two teens, quickly noting the injuries on Danny and the amount of ectoplasm covering the both of them. "What-"

"Dan," the boy replied quickly. "I'm fine."

"Like hell you are," Sam argued irritably.

Danny winced at her tone. "Okay, more fine than I was," he amended. He frowned worriedly, turning to Ethelwulf. The wolf ghost moved toward him, already assessing injuries. Sam pointed to the huge blast mark on his side. Ethelwulf frowned as he touched it, making Danny flinch heavily. "How's the city?" Danny asked, looking for any clue from the shapeshifter on the wellbeing of his loved ones.

Ethelwulf frowned. "Dan's forces got in through the Eastern part of the shield; thankfully Frostbite's forces and some of the other ghosts are holding them back while the human volunteers get the people to safety. Dan is facing off between Vlad, the Red Huntress and the smaller Phantom."

"What about my Parents? Jazz? Tucker?" Danny urged, concerned.

"They're all fine," Ethelwulf assured, tilting the boy's neck slight to look at the bruise with one of his claws gently. Danny sagged in relief, allowing Ethelwulf to address more of his injuries as Sam put a comforting hand over his. "I went looking for Sam when the shield started to fall. I was worried I was too late."

"Perfect timing actually," Danny replied. Moving out of Ethelwulf's reach, he grabbed onto the tree trunk, attempting to stand.

"Danny no!" Sam cried, scrambling to her feet as Ethelwulf moved backward in shock. Danny continued to rise; small grunts of pain escaping him as he did so. Sam rushed forward, supporting his injured torso as he pushed forward. "You're still hurt!"

Once on his feet, Danny tested his weight on his left leg. Seeing that he could support it, he nodded toward Sam to let go. She let go reluctantly, watching Danny in concern as she stepped back.

Ethelwulf's frown deepened as he watched the halfa stand. He could sense the pain and exhaustion from Danny from here, but could see the stubbornness across his face. Whatever the boy was planning was going to be a terrible idea.

"Danny, your core -"

Danny nodded, swallowing slightly as a small wave of pain moved through him. "It's healing," he said quickly. "Sam used one of the Ecto-Enhancers. I'll manage."

"You're not going to fight him, not like this!" Sam argued desperately.

Danny shook his head. "You're right," he agreed. Danny turned to the wolf ghost. "Ethelwulf, with the shield up around the Ghost Portal, do you think you'll be able to teleport us into the town? Even if we're a few miles out?"

"Shouldn't be an issue," Ethelwulf replied, frowning slightly at this line of reasoning.

Danny nodded. "Stay with Sam," he told his mentor. "Wait for me here and teleport us back."

Sam frowned. "Where are you going?"

Danny sighed, looking grim. "We need to lure Dan out of the city. The only way we do that is if he sees me."

"You can't be serious," Ethelwulf said disapprovingly. "There's no way you can go into battle the way you are now."

"I know," Danny repeated. "But we don't have a choice. I'm not going to fight him – just use myself as bait. Get him to chase me out of the city. I can use my core powers to teleport and defend if I need to." Sam's eyes narrowed. "Trust me, I don't want to do this either. If you're right, then destroying those shadows are our best option - the last thing we need is if Dan joins in. I can bait him out, buy Tucker more time to get the shield up and be far away before he realizes."

Sam stepped forward, biting her lip. "Danny, this is risky," she said finally. "There's no way you'll get back here without needing to defend yourself. We barely got out of there last time."

He gave a reassuring smile. "I'm okay," he told her. "The Ecto-Enhancer is working still, my base powers are a little more stable. I can fight if I need to." Sam looked down, crestfallen at his response. "Hey," he said softly, grabbing her hand in his. She looked up at him with wide eyes, sad and confused. "Still believe in me?" he asked with a small smile.

Sam smiled in response. She squeezed his hand tighter. "Always," she replied. She glanced to the discarded pouch on the ground. Breaking away, she picked up the rest of the Ecto-Enhancers and offered them. "Take these with you. They may come in handy."

Danny nodded in response, taking the pouch. "Thanks," he said, stuffing it on of his jumpsuit pockets.

Sam watched him worriedly, uneasy at his resolve. "Danny," she started, making the half-ghost look at her expectantly. She threw herself around him in a hug, nearly toppling them over. He staggered backward, stunned as she tightened her grasp. She smiled into his shoulder, trying to reassure him of his decision. "You made me a promise Ghost Boy."

Danny wrapped his hand around her, chuckling into her hair. "I remember." He turned to Ethelwulf as they broke apart, smile sliding off his face. "Keep her safe," he said.

Ethelwulf nodded. "We'll be waiting."

Danny nodded, not trusting his voice. He turned towards the city, watching the explosions from afar. They were both right; he would need to fight to get to Dan. He frowned in thought, before he summoned enough energy to teleport.

Ethelwulf and Sam watched him vanish; staring at the spot he was just in for a few moments. Sam balled her fists, the wheels turning as she thought of a plan. She picked up the rest of the first aid kit hurriedly as she heard Ethelwulf sigh.

"We're not staying here," he asked. "Are we?"

Sam's eyes narrowed. "No," she admitted. "We're going to destroy some Shadows. If Danny's fighting - let's make this a fairer fight."

Ethelwulf sighed again, kneeling down. "Hop on then," he told her. Sam gave him a quizzical look. "We can take out more from the sky."

"You're not going to stop me?" Sam asked, climbing onto his back apprehensively. Ethelwulf laughed, a dark eyebrow raised skeptically at the girl.

"The one thing I've learned after all these months," he said, yellow eyes sparkling in amusement, "is that Danny will not stop if he feels his friends and family are in danger -A trait that he shares with many people in his life. He's too afraid of the outcome. So if I can help save him from himself, I will."

Sam frowned, taking in the ghost's words. "Save him from himself…" she whispered a small determined smile formed on her lips. "Sounds about right."

[miduhadi]

Department 19: The Rising by Will Hill

Several things about this book annoyed the heck outta me, including:

I have begun to detest Jamie who is a Mary Sue if there ever was one!

Talbot stared at Jamie, admiration on his face. “Bravo”, he said. “There are men and women a lot older than you who fail to understand that. You’re absolutely right…”

He is the youngest this and the smartest that while also being the best at everything! Oh, and he actually left his female friends behind because he “couldn’t bear if anything happened to you”. One of them is a vampire with superstrength and other powers. Both of them are members of a covert organization that keeps the supes under check. They are at least as old as Jamie is.

The worst part: they let him They understood he was just worried about them. Needlessly worried but Jamie’s just so sweet, y’know? Ugh!

There are at least two instances of a character who looked as if about to say something but “then the door rolled shut with a loud thunk.

Every development was repeated endlessly. If one character found out about it, they’d tell the others and we’d be there for every conversation!

We are almost 65% into the story and a new character who is supposed to be dead shows up. And I am not even talking about the other character who also died in the first book and showed up in this one alive. At least, that guy had the decency to arrive right from the start!

We also spend a lot of time learning about people who have nothing to add to the story. Seemed like filler so the book would swell up to 560+ pages.

So yeah, bad experience! Read my review of the first book here.

  The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

During my second visit to Discworld, I discovered the following to be true:

Luggage is my favorite character:

“The Luggage said nothing, but louder this time.” 

And then there is all the Pratchett-ness to love and laugh at:

“It looked like the sort of book described in library catalogues as ‘slightly foxed’, although it would be more honest to admit that it looked as though it had been badgered, wolved and possibly beared as well.” 

    A big part of that is because he can poke fun at almost anything. Have a look at his disregard for the Asgardian deities:

In fact the Gods were as puzzled by all this as the wizards were, but they were powerless to do anything and in any case were engaged in an eons-old battle with the Ice Giants, who had refused to return the lawnmower.

Also, I finally figured out that I am Twoflower. Evidence:

It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate beauty, he just appreciates it in his own way. I mean, if a poet sees a daffodil he stares at it and writes a long poem about it, but Twoflower wanders off to find a book on botany.

That Rincewind will stay true to his character. Even when he has a chance to be less cowardly, he does the expected…or the unexpected!

A fun book and quickly finished.

  The Dinosaur Knights by Victor Milán

One of the complaints that I had after reading the first book:

Insufficient dino-action. Yeah, that complaint wasn’t remotely true for this one. Epic dino-battles shook the world like literally!

A quote that stayed with me:

Through the trees on the far heights emerged a colossal silvery-grey shape. Even the Companions gaped: it was a Tirán Rey, a bull Tyrannosaurus rex, most feared of all Aphrodite Terra’s dinosaurs. Even at this range Jaume could see the monster dwarfed Falk’s albino adolescent Snowflake. “Beautiful,” murmured Rupp. “He must weigh seven tonnes!” Jaume found a smile inside himself. “You shame us, my friend, finding Beauty where even we find only terror.”

The other complaints, such as the princess being a pain in the butt, remained as they were. In fact, she was even more of a pain in this one. She is improving but her getting her friends killed in every scene can get tiresome!

We finally get to see the Grey Angels in action and it is pretty much horrifying what they can do. I loved every bit of it!

I wanted to rush in to read the next book in the series immediately but found out that the author recently passed away.  Sad sad news but it made me want to save the last book to read later. Because there will be no more Game of Thrones and Jurassic Park hybrids for us!

  Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

Thursday Next steals people’s hearts and I am no exception. She gets into all sorts of literary trouble but handles it in a no-nonsense way. She is into solving problems and not whining. Next also isn’t afraid to ask for help or doesn’t judge people by their looks, species, gender, or whether they are real or not. I like her; it is likely that you will too!

Plus, the humor in this series is decidely Douglas Adams-ish! Next named her son Friday Next. Has a pet dodo whose son is a hooligan and doesn’t have the decency to go Plock. He goes Plick just to be contrary! This book also had cameos by the Cheshire Cat, Hamlet, and many other literary darlings.

  Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones

I was reading reviews for this book on GR and people seem to think it was dull, cheesy, and repetitive. I don’t get how it can take them 8 books to realize that! Since I will be reading it anyway, why bitch?

  Endurance by Jay Lake

I wonder how I ever got along with the protag from this series — well enough to have completed the first book! She is annoying, reckless, rude, manipulative, and as if that wasn’t enough, she also thinks she is better than everybody else! Should I explain it all away by saying that is how teenagers are? I don’t think I should!

There were other issues that made this a difficult read, such as the copious amount of foreshadowing. If only she had known…if only she had done that…and so on! Aptly placed and lightly done foreshadowing is always welcome but this book didn’t have it.

The only part that made me laugh:

though five centuries past this had been the very pinnacle of architectural taste in Copper Downs. A good education never went to waste. If I did die here, at least I would have the comfort of knowing I’d passed on amid high style.

The only part that stayed with me:

I wondered how it had been for the miners, back in the morning of the world. Had they broken open the crust of the world only to find a population of haunts and legends already awaiting them? Or had they brought their fears with them on first creating the Below?

Some readers might like the endless descriptions of everything that was around the protag at any given time but I didn’t!

So, there. If I do read the next one in the series, I wouldn’t be reviewing it.

  Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs

An okayish installment since I wasn’t too worried about anything bad happening. After the horror stories we were told about Underhill, a visit to the place didn’t have that intensity or scariness.

Then there is the Walking Stick. I think the author got that it was turning into a deus ex machina and got rid of it — even if it took her the whole book to do that!

And, of course, Mercy didn’t shift. Not even once.

The good things about this one:

No Stefan. I have no idea why he was even introduced in the series

2. Adam finally realized what his pack had been doing to Mercy since like forever. I mean what he did next was the worst thing he could have done but at least, he opened his eyes.

3. A Doctor WHO reference!

4. The scary-ass little not-really-human but not-fae-either kid that the pack had to provide shelter to! He broke my heart by being so broken.

I hope the next installment is more exciting!

  Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman

The book refers to a backstory that I read and reviewed before. You will find the review here.

  The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Something about this series makes me think not-YA. It could be that the main characters are struggling with darkness and the struggle is real. Whatever it is, while the story failed to wow me — and I could see the major reveal coming from a mile away —, I still liked the book.

So, this is what I did in February. What have you been doing?

February — A Wrap Up Department 19: The Rising by Will Hill Several things about this book annoyed the heck outta me, including:

[cabinboy100]

12 MONKEYS SEASON 3 TRAILER

So…Syfy’s posted a new trailer for season 3 of 12 MONKEYS. Usually, I would do my best to dodge promos before a show or movie is actually released. I like to get hit w/the text with minimal hints and no spoilers, as little pre-text as possible. But, given the paradigm-shifting “linear-binge” release of this season—leave it to 12 MONKEYS to Splinter an entire season (encompassing centuries =) into a single weekend, with all 10 episodes beamed in order over May 19, 20, and 21—I’m thinking I’ll need to get my wheels-spinning crazy talk wherever I can. And thusly, I tumbl…

I posted a version without screenshots here. Along with the stills, this v.2 is slightly wordier (can you believe it?), including some edits and additions to the first post’s text/crazy talk.

The first new shot of Cole, from the front and then from behind, has him holding a tech-festooned staff. The design calls to mind a computerized tuning fork, *just* the thing for time/dimension/reality-hopping, or tuning/dialing. Perhaps one of its components is a tank of red tea, reloadable via Keurig-like cartridges? With a regulated IV feed or retractable needles in the handle? Maybe this device enhances or adapts Cole’s mental time travel abilities, allowing him to view specific points in time or even what-if?s. Could it be a way to enable him to physically travel? A staff version of the vests? =)

Titan appears as a complex/city in the distance with a sea with rocks or wreckage or maybe ice floes in the foreground. Does Titan only move in Time and not space (relative to the Earth)? Is it always in Colorado? Climate change is real, people!

We see someone with great posture ascend the steps within Titan to meet w/Tall Man, or perhaps his father, both surrounded by robed figures. RE: that posture…It reminds me of Ethan Seki, but knowing that he’s in this season, I’m thinking Gaius Baltar.

Someone sits at the center of a spiral of glyphs drawn in white on a dark floor. My funnest thought about these is that they might be a new form of math, notation, and/or language, developed specifically to describe and understand Time. Unfamiliar to most humans, but somehow native and natural to Time. These characters represent values, constants, operators, functions, ripples, and paradoxes and describe relationships between them that we wouldn’t understand, but someone whose mind is steeped in Time would. The Witness…maybe Primaries…maybe maybe some human geniuses or those with an intuitive knack and understanding of Time…

That first shot of the four hat-and-coated figures, silhouetted in the fog or smoke in the dark…The three lights on each of their vests powering on…Gorgeous! Evokes DARK CITY for me (a good thing =), and some kind of clockwork men. I want the tech to be embedded in these people, but a later shot shows us that this is likely tech mounted on a vest. Portable Splinter/Titan units, a la Doctor Who’s Vortex Manipulators? In a future world (like, the future of the future, post-2044) of 12 MONKEYS, that’s where my head immediately goes. Although, honestly, that seems very unfair, no?

Still, if that IS what they are, I'd associate them with some very interesting story/logic that necessitates their not being usable before some year. After all, if the Witness's forces *ever* had this tech, they could have used it in the times Team Splinter has visited, right? Maybe the use of these vests shreds spacetime, and jumping back beyond a certain point would undo their invention in the first place? Or, y'know, something like that. =)

I’m *really* hoping that these figures are Something Else, tho. At the bottom of the season 3 poster, we see them standing in front of a console with the Witness’s/Titan symbol, and so, we want to associate them, right? But what if that’s just a couple of these…Time Shadows entering the Titan city limits? What if these guys are representatives of another player in the war across/for time? Perhaps descendants of the Witness and the Titanians, who know more than W does…Or are using W as their agent in their relative past?

Or maybe they serve a Time Variance Authority. Some organization—who knows under what authority/morality?—that watches over and polices Time and History, countering and punishing anyone who seeks to change too much. Maybe to preserve their own existence, Time’s existence (assuming damage is done by reckless splintering), or their own ideal mission outcome.

Cuz, how great would it be to have everyone we know, set up as enemies and rivals in so many permutations, ultimately be on the same side versus some (apparently) greater Time fascist?

Or greater threat to Time itself? If we take the Red Forest being an End-of-Time paradise as a feint, constructed to get all the splinter chess pieces into the right places to bring about the birth of the Witness, then the Witness was never really about that, right? Maybe he didn’t come up w/that threat himself, tho. What if he adapted it from a greater threat to Time? So…Casserole & Son (*and* Jones, Jennifer, Ramse & Son, Olivia, the Daughters, the X-Monkeys, & Agent Gale, Primaries, Monkeys, Druze et al) are destined to fight someone who truly does want to destroy all of Time and replace it with… Well, nothingness seems like a good ultimate goal, let’s go with that for now.

What if the super-future is amazing, but in a universe in which time travel is ever invented, history must be choreographed in order for it to be realized and persist? So, this paradise future has a black ops arm that manipulates events in the past to keep it safe. The paradise is a wonderful destiny for humanity, but it robs humans in the past and present of free will. Which side would you fight for in that scenario?

Hrm…Looking a little harder at the season 3 poster again…Are there four Time Shadows (that works, right?) holding, like, an Ark of the Witness between them? I thought it was some kind of console/control panel, but now I’m seeing it differently. Interrrresting…

A funeral for Time? For the Witness?

A Time bomb?

If the vests aren’t vortex manipulator-y, maybe their portable splinter device?

A Witness trap or cage?

Time picnic dinner?

The Word of the Witness is shown preserved in plastic or lucite, hanging in a candelabra-lit room, a red-vine patterned banner (or glass pane?) behind it. Its Ramse-torn corner is still absent. Does Ramse still have that swatch tucked in a coat pocket somewhere?

COLE: The man behind the apocalypse is my son?

Seems like Cassie’s breaking the news to him there. What if this is soon after the pointing-the-gun-at-wee-Witness scene? What if he draws on L’il W, hesitates, and Cassie finds him, stops him, and explains the horr-ironic truth?

Meet Johnny (Night Room), Jr. =)

A clip of some creepy Edgar Allen Poe-y Masque(rade) of the Red Death…EYES WIDE SHUT Cole and Cassie apparently in attendance. Hrm…Red Death…I had a theory back in season 1 that the Army might be an influence throughout history responsible for all major epidemics/plagues, as a way to thin the herd, perhaps disable or control meddling Primaries, and keep a population manageable via their resources and manipulations.

Cross fade to Cass and Cole going Nicholas Nickleby/Christmas Carol on some cobblestoned street…

KATARINA: It's been about them…

That's Jones apparently referring to Cass and Cole.

<aside> What would Cassandra name her child? I’m guessing, sadly, that Cole won’t be present for the birth. Assuming it’s a boy, maybe she’d go with her father, whom we haven’t met yet. Has Cassie mentioned him by name on the show? If not that grandpa, then how about Cole’s father, Matthew? (I don’t think we have confirmation that he’s James’s bio dad, but we never saw anyone question it.) Or—How about someone important to *both* of them? The person responsible for bringing them together? Katarina Werner Jones! Boy, *that’s* gotta sit well with Katarina, eh? (see/watch above line of dialogue =)

So, how about Jones? Like the space cat in ALIEN! Or Jonas? Jonas Cole. Jonas Railly? Or…Werner? Not so cute, but somehow fitting for a Witness-to-be, eh? Werner Cole, The Witness. Yeah. That’ll look good on his business card.

I’m hoping for Morris. =) </aside>

RAMSE: About time we set things straight…

If that is actual dialogue between Jones and Ramse, it signifies the formation of an alliance, between Ramse (and Olivia and her X-Mon/Orphans of Time) and Jones and Project Splinter. Their goal? To undo and/or destroy the Witness, which would likely pit them against one or both of his parentals. Ramse *does* like to boast about how he eats blondes for breakfast…~

Next we see an eyes-burning return to the Emerson Hotel, sometime in the mid to late 80s.

Will we ever see the lightning storm/strike that freezes the lobby’s clock? =)

Cole is dressed as Marty McFly. O, man! Are we gonna get an in-universe origin/inspiration encounter for BACK TO THE FUTURE? Whoa…

So, how about this? Agent Gale’s granddaughter, Roberta, has somehow inherited his dossier on his wacky misadventures with Cole & the Gang, and is staking out the Emerson in the 80s, perhaps at her grandpa’s direction, but maybe on her own. She meets them, maybe joins them in splintering, if the tech allows (Deacon as Time…ummm…Peter? Paul? Judas doesn’t seem right, right? =) helps them out, but of course, is sworn to secrecy—who’d believe her, anyway?—but hey, disinformation as a 3-movie franchise wasn’t disallowed, right? Story credit: Bob Gale. =)

CASS: Help me save him.

It’s just a pronoun, people. "Him" could be anyone…Junior/Witness, Cole, Deacon, Nessie the Time Puppy… =)

Christopher Lloyd, wearing the Titan pendant, apparently standing in an event-y tent illuminated by standing and hanging lamps…a remote location? An excavation site? A wedding reception? A pop-up portrait studio?

The pendant and wardrobe sells the Tall Man's father identity pretty hard. As far as we know, he wouldn’t have any Messenger blood. So, if he’s not enhancedly long-lived, what era/s would he have been operating in? Given the garb, perhaps from within the clergy? Maybe late 19th century into the first half of the 20th, to find/meet Vivian in the 40s. There’s gotta be a story there about why/how Vivian returns to the Army after rejecting the Witness. I still would really love for Tall Man to be playing a long con within the Army, a sleeper agent of revenge upon the Witness for doing his mother wrong.

Maybe Christopher Lloyd's playing TM’s *adopted* father or Army mentor? Cuz I still *really* want his biodad to be Agent Gale! =)

Oh! What if he’s a missionary to the Druze?! Oooooo…I *like* that. That’s how/why he acquires the Titan pendant. In this scenario, he might not even be part of the Army! Although, if not, then he’s definitely an unwitting pawn or asset of theirs. Yeah, I definitely like that.

COLE: If there's something wrong with him, he got it from me…

We see some drawings of gun-pointing Cole, surrounded by arcane, rune-ish characters… There’s also a shot somewhere earlier in the teaser, looking down on a figure in the center of a spiral of similar marks on a floor, suggesting that the figure has drawn them. Jennifer? Young W?

What if these aren’t all different drawings of the same moment, but of two? One in which James reconsiders killing the Witness, and a second in which he follows through?

What if what if—relative to James’s personal timeline—the first time is when W is an adult and the second time is when he’s a child? OOooooooo~ That would be a history-rewriting temporal nukular option! =)

The drawings are followed by a matching image of Cole pointing the gun in reality, the exact some POV. If this were season 2, I’d say the drawings were done by a Primary who’d been targeted by Cole. His mission would have been to kill the Primary before a Messenger could paradox him or her. Could that strategy still be in play by the Witness or another party?

Or are these drawings by the Witness, who has seen that Cole would come for him as a child? Does Cole know at this gun-pointing time that W is actually Jimmy, Jr.? I’m guessing not. Hrm…

As determined as Cole might be to do in baby Witler, pointing his gun at any child should give him pause, especially with his own child no doubt foremost in his thoughts, separated by centuries.

We see Katarina approaching the mothballed/covered up Splinter device. A beautiful moment I think. When is this? In history and in her personal timeline? Could this be a flashback to when she first arrives at Raritan National Labs from Spearhead? Or a visit that calendar-year predates that (maybe in Kat’s past, maybe her future), after the Army shut down Mr. Dr. Jones when Cole and Ramse went off-Word. Or her return to the lab, in a future (splintered-forward?) visit, post-2044.

OLIVIA: …the very edge of time…an inch from falling over…

I *think* that’s what she says. Is there an End of Time? Following thru on the idea that Time is a living thing, given life by Humanity, the End of Time would be coincident with the end of Humanity. Maybe Titan’s “home” setting is that era? If only Titanians live then, then they (and their one or few Primaries) basically ARE Time, no? Whoever lives then, would essentially *be* Time.

We see someone bathed in the *golden* light of the Beast. This splinter event does not look optimal. Hopefully the splinterer survives…. Remember that the splinter beam goes to yellow/gold when zapping forward in time, and blue when zapping backward. I believe red is shutdown-slash-fail.

Hrm…Those splinter colors do seem to match those of the lights on the Time Vests…Time Packs?

We see Cass approach a pedestal with a Witness plague doctor mask mounted on it…The mask is lit from above, but the space is lit by candles. This may be the same space in which the WotW is hanging.

JENN: Stop talking like a super villain.

Jennifer continues to rock! Olivia and Jennifer seem to be speaking to each other through a chain link fence. Olivia’s lucky there’s something separating them, cuz *that* is going to be an interesting reunion. I wonder how close the nearest stabby item is when that happens. =)

THE COMPLETE NEW SEASON

KATARINA (or the new girl?): Don't make me put you down…

As Jones pushes thru double doors (at Project Splinter?)…Daughters behind her?

JENN: They're coming—they're coming!

This may be Jennifer the Titan-zapped girl-out-of-time dropped into WW1 (or later, 2?), exercising her Primary abilities to warn her unwitting captors or guards of imminent Monkeys Army meddling.

DEACON: Go!

This looks like a shot from the season 2 finale, caught between a rock and robed-and-masked place, facing Witness acolytes in Titan, holding the pass so that Jennifer can escape get coin-tossed into Time. Maybe just cuz that footage is available, but maybe cuz we’ll see it again when we learn how he survived.

Ramse, leading with a gun and firing…Nothing new there, right? Actually, when I saw this, something in the shot, maybe the building interior, got me thinking this might be from Berlin.

IN ONE WEEKEND EVENT

CASS: He's mine…

Cut to Cass apparently giving birth…a new age-y red leaf infused water birth?

Tall Man looking true-believer-ecstatically pleased…Maybe a shot we’ve already seen?

EVIL ANNIE LENNOX: You can't have him…

She's sporting a 3-lights vest vortex manipulator over her MIB/Stranger/Observer/Chosen One/Time Shadow coat…

Jenn and Cole stomping thru a complex (looks like Project Splinter), Cole loading his gun, Jenn following…

A chapel or small-ish cathedral (I don’t know what determines the difference), the sanctuary heavily candlelit…Are the walls decorated with gilded red vines? A figure before a table before the altar with his back to the pews…It seems the voice we hear should belong to that figure…

W: Mother…Father…After all this time…

Two people walk down the aisle, approaching the figure at the front of the chapel… Seems like Cass on the left, Cole on the right, guns in hand, possibly in those black coats—in disguise?—maybe wearing Time Vests.

Did Cass and Cole ever officially get hitched? Maybe their ordained son can marry them here? =)

Looking harder at this still, I’m seeing that the Witness is standing facing a casket! Is this then a very poorly attended funeral service? Who died? Tall Pops, perhaps? Or is the casket empty? A funeral for Time? Or is it not a box for a body, but an item, a device or a trap? Is this the “Ark” that the four Time Shadows carry in the season 3 poster? Pallbearers of Time?

A Time capsule! Some artifact in this past era that needs to be preserved for use in a future one. Could this be the origin—or a stopover?—for the Annapurna Remains?

Cut to a figure raising a mask to reveal his face during "After all this time…"

Knowing that James “Gaius Baltar” Callis is in this season, I think it's him and his Brit-ish/aristocratic accented voice. Not sure that the unmasking happens in that same chapel space or as part of that same scene.

Based on W’s choice of words, seems like Cass will be separated from her son at some point in his infancy. Sad. =(

Then again, if that’s the case, who’s to say that this person confronting them *is* actually Jimmy, Jr., huh? =)

12 MONKEYS NEW SEASON MAY 19

It’s later than you think =)

Keep on keepin’ on~

[invisibleimpossibilities]

Defenses

Inigo || @armsthriift + Robin

You squander your own potential and waste everyone’s time. Will you ever see what you could truly be?

[ ♡ ] ——– ❝ Allow for me to ENLIGHTEN you. Once you go through many traumatic, HORRIBLE things in your life, you forget about yourself. You cease to care about what happens to you, what you become, who you are. And while I may appear like a PHILANDERING, WORTHLESS, WASTE OF SPACE AND A FOP, I’ll have you know if I wanted to, really wanted to—I COULD RIP YOU TO SHREDS WHERE YOU STAND.

    My mother did not raise me to not be my best. For those who do not think much of me like yourself have not taken the time necessary to know me, and therefore are not worth my time and my maximum effort. Of course, courtesy and manners should be shown to everyone, she taught me that also. I’m afraid YOU just haven’t seen what I truly am. I apologize that you’re missing out, my friend. Now if you’ll excuse me—- ❞

    “’Rip me to shreds’…?” Robin taunts at the retreating figure, “Hardly. How can you claim that when all you really do is DEFLECT…? Even now you take care and twist it into insult rather than standing for it. We’re fighting a war, and you think you’re the only one who’s dealt with trauma? Who’s FORGOTTEN THEMSELF?

    No, I say this because I have taken the time to know you: You hide your truth and your worth behind your father’s same SMILE, and it seems the most you’ve taken from your mother is a penchant for SELF-SABOTAGE. Act like a vapid jerk, and any time someone has some sort of criticism, or doesn’t give you what you want, just blame the image, not ‘what you truly are.’ Call yourself worthless, and you can run off blushing, before you fail, if someone actually expects more than that.”

    Her words may as well be a sword drawn, with every same intention to cut, “Oh, I know you’re not a fop, Inigo. You’re a SELFISH COWARD.”

[ ♡ ] ——– She may as well have slapped him, or with the wound that seemed to burn into his back as she hollered after him, just stabbed him. Tore it through glass bones to fracture him from moving, just as she did. Tapping a boot clad foot into the dirt as he stopped, it was in his mind to just keep walking. IGNORE HER, she’s just trying to get under your skin, you know what happens when people get under your skin.

      Robin was PEELING it back, messing with the blood that she had no business bringing to a boil. Growing hot over the fire that Robin so carefully lit, shoving his face into it before the flames could come to a full burn. Embers danced with the brown in his eyes, turning now with his arms crossed on his chest.

     ❝ I’d appreciate it if you held my mother higher than what your last statement let on. ❞ But she was right. Inigo truly was his father’s son, and he HATED it. Knowing and loving his father was one thing, but he couldn’t know and love what his father DOES. Being compared to him was never something he wanted. and Robin had a way of knowing it, always seeming to REMIND him. The whole time she ragged on him, words dipped in poison and taunts injected to his veins—-it was only natural for him to grow angry.

     ❝ Do you not have anything better to do than to dog on me all morning, Robin ? I would think you have some important route planning to get another ten soldiers wounded by your own impulse decision. As long as it isn’t you, correct ? That’s really the main goal, isn’t it ? Keeping you and the royal family alive ? ❞

    There it is. Blood stirred behind brown. The heat of Inigo’s oft bragged PASSION bubbling beneath the mask. Anger might just be the only honesty Robin can get, so she’s stuck making weapons out of words. He halts, turns, closes off.Shame, really, how he holds back. If he didn’t block his heritage (he can’t even m e n t i o n it with the other comments…); if he didn’t spend so much effort trying to BE COOL, then maybe he could take all that burning in his face and properly channel it through hands to manipulate a tome.

    Ah well, for now it still just creates smokescreen.

    Weak, emotional retaliation consists of glancing blows against a steeled surface. The thought she does put into her actions pads an armor of confidence. She knows what she’s ever done and why and who for, (so must he, or he wouldn’t still be following those same decisions). His stab at her can’t reach any nerves. There’s a difference between argument and insult, and her silent logic easily absorbs the hot air of his empty accusations.

    “Hah! Just as I said. DANCING AROUND the issue,” fingers spin in gestured emphasis, “This isn’t about me or my opinion of your family. It’s about you. Demanding smiles and acceptance from others while only offering a fake front, and then wasting time being upset when they predictably don’t react how you want.”

    Too much of her hand might be starting to tip, showing conclusions and focus that may only have been jumped to, but in the end, well, perhaps being proven wrong about him is what she hopes for.

    “Selfish. Coward,” she repeats, “Can you not even DEFEND YOURSELF?”

[ ♡ ] ——– It wasn’t a matter on if he could defend himself or not, it was a matter of reason. Of course, he could battle with his words well, but with nothing else but a hot-tempered tactician just looking for a fight, it just didn’t deem important enough to stand and be nasty with her. For a moment in thoughts, why she even wanted him to get so riled up wasn’t something he understood. Seeing those around them HAPPY and cheerful was a lot better than seeing them ANGRY and bitter.

     Clenching his fists would start to be painful after too long, fingernails would soon leave indents into his skin from biting back too much. Yet, just listening to her repeat her opinions of him was clockwork—someone always had to tell him what he was doing wrong, why he should do this, why he shouldn’t do that, or how much of an idiot he was sometime during the day. Inigo had always expected it would come his turn to be the subject of her deductions, even more surprised he wasn’t the very first. The mercenary was an easy target—he wouldn’t stand up for himself on most occasions. Once he had enough of it, he would let himself become unglued—but not before struggling to keep all of the pieces of himself intact.

     ❝ What are you on about now ? Is it so WRONG to encourage high morale and spirits in the worst of times ? ❞ there’s a pause, a realization of himself to just stop while he’s ahead. The more he speaks, the more he feeds into whatever game she’s trying to play with him. Despite popular camp belief—Inigo isn’t an idiot. His intentions to play the role of happiness wasn’t to be taken in vain—once he stopped, those around him would suspect something was wrong.

     It was a cruel feeling really: wanting attention so badly to seek it out, yet running from it once someone tries to weasel in between his feelings. Nothing was ever wrong with him, and even if there was something beyond just being rejected that would bother him, there were few he’d confide in. Fewer that could read him when he refused to open the cover.

     ❝ I’m not trying to be rude towards you, my lady, but I think it’s best for you to shove off and continue about your day. I’m certain I have nothing to say that you want to hear. ❞ Biting his tongue was always the hardest part. To be a GENTLEMAN was hard, being NICE was double hard when everyone around you is so .  .  . AWFUL, in many different ways.

     Skin growing hot under his sleeves, he doesn’t dare turn to walk away until she does—as small of a ‘standing-his-ground’ gesture as it is. Eyes narrow towards her under his bangs, cheeks displaying nothing but pale dust with a ever so slightly scrunched bridge of his nose. He knows she isn’t going to just give up there, that was wishful thinking.  What did she WANT ?

    “So I’d provoke you twice because I don’t want to hear your side? Oh,quite sensible.” Her face buries itself in a hand, rubbing out inflamed frustrations. He’s still walled off behind his pride, and it’s infuriating. What, was he trying to spare her FEELINGS? Robin’s been called plenty in her line of work, been given worse glares than he wears now. Social graces were hardly her line of tact when they stood in the way of results. Inigo’s only using them to create a barrier between his ego and her own - hardly sparing anyone. The heave of a heavy sigh brings with it a question if this is all really worth it.

    She only wants to bring out the best in all her soldiers, so, yes, of course his turn would come, especially after seeing what he’s TRULY capable of. For someone to have such talent and spirit and not openly share was something she couldn’t understand, and nothing less than m a d d e n i n g. All the more reason she simply can’t back down.

    So breaking Inigo’s shell with force and fire had processed into a second phase of a will more tempered. But a harder surface only makes one more brittle. Rendering him to full pieces had never been her purpose. Still, he gives her nothing else to work with, so keeping the flow of conversation sits again on her lips, “No, there’s nothing wrong with trying to boost morale.”

    Not only does Robin not listen in taking a given exit, boots trod forward. Belts and buckles shuffle with each even step forward over muddy ground, and the extra aura of her cloak adds a slight billow before falling back in place, “But if that’s your aim, then you must look at the statistics, Inigo. Most people you just manage to make angry at you. A few cases only take advantage of you. and the rest of us…WORRY about you.”

    ( You squander your own potential and waste everyone’s time. )

    Narrowed lids match his own, but beyond them, brown eyes glitter. Light twitches upon orbs as they flick in scrutiny of his stern-glazed face, as though he were the only puzzle in the universe she may never figure out. Robin reveres actions thatmake sense, and so rarely did it seem, to her, that his actually aligned with stated ideals.

    ( Will you ever see what you could truly be? )

    “You could, you know,” ponders aloud, almost a whisper, “Make that many people happy, I mean. I think you trip yourself up trying to force it on your own terms. With as much heart as you’ve got? Smiles should just be a natural reaction to your genuine presence.”

    She’s seen it before. Gods, felt it before; recently, at least. Does he think no one pays enough attention?

   ( I do. )

  Encouragement, as best she knows how (even if it comes off as the drill-sergeant, break-you-down-build-you-back-up, ruthless type), is the best she can offer. As always, there’s an urge to PROTECT… but she can’t against an enemy she doesn’t know the name of. Heels dig in further, and brows pull in lower.

    “So what are you so SCARED of?”

[ ♡ ] ——– He hated the way she paced around him like a predator would its prey. He felt VULNERABLE under the heat of her questions, like his skin was nothing but stained glass that she was only tapping away at. Robin didn’t want his short and simple answers, she wanted something more from him, and Inigo was unable to give that to her. It wasn’t something he wanted to do, but it just made him even more upset. Unwilling to share and unwilling to let her into his thoughts. He’d much rather wear a smile and wrap any feelings he ever had in a box and tie it with beautiful ribbons to give it a good look.

     Once that box was torn open, however, there would be nothing but every repressed memory and thought he’d ever had. Nothing but darkness and every violent thought that ever crossed his mind. It wasn’t a nice present, and it wasn’t anything anyone deserved at all. As much as he pined for love, he was just as quick to flee from it as he saw fit. He could put on a good show but under pressure he fell to pieces. Scrambling through the movements until he fell to the ground. It was no wonder why those who didn’t abuse his kindness or shove him off would worry about him.

     He was easy to fall and easy to let down. Inigo spent many hours of his time being upset, even though he thought they were short-lived. IF he went out without a full smile on, it would make others question him, and yet he didn’t even have to be acting for Robin to pull off his mask. It was no use to worry over him, some thing would just never change. He was predictable.

      ❝ Robin, I’ve no interest in your tactical assumptions. If I can’t do something as I try, why would it make a difference should I not ? I accept that people around me just do not like me and that’s how it is. I think you have it a bit backwards. ❞ Inigo was actually tired of hearing her voice. He was tired, and he was tired already of being picked apart. He never had to fight so hard to keep his act up before. This was just exhausting. Her lines were supposed to be encouraging, and they just felt like hammers at his walls.

      Dragging fingers through blond waves at her next question, he’s beyond agitated at this point. She’s ruthless, she has no sense of stopping while she’s ahead–before she unleashes something she doesn’t want, or hell it may be something she does want to see.

     Truthfully, he’s afraid of a lot of things, but nothing he would ever let slip out from between his lips. Having fears makes you human, but it doesn’t make you brave by any means. In his own mind, that is.

     ❝ Gods, I’m not SCARED of anything, Robin. There is simply no time to be afraid. Why don’t you just tell me what you want so I can carry on with my daily tasks. I’m a busy man today. ❞

    “You’re a terrible liar.”

    One more tap; one more tap on rose-tinted glass, and that’s when Robin finally sees that the pretty kaleidoscope dancing on the surface just meant that what was inside the box – were a bunch of pieces already broken, and she’s just shaking them.

    I accept that people around me just do not like me and that’s how it is. I think you have it a bit backwards.

    This is a new attitude, new information that truly does make her stop to think. Backwards…? Hmm… The sharp lines made of her eyelids mean to pierce, but his are pinched tear-ducts making spikes to keep her out. What a difference from not letting misunderstandings keep them apart. …So, then, this is also the beginning of the TRUTH.

    She’s pleased.

    Imposing aura sheathes back into hoods and pockets, tucks into baggy pants and wraps around camisole straps for another day. The corners of brown eyes melt to soften at the edges. Inigo is not a puzzle, not really. He’s a person, with as much complexity as he pretends not to have.

    Which leaves her still confused. She sees nothing ugly about supposedly weaker sides of being human. She’s trained new recruits through their first kill, held her soldiers in hysteria while arrows fly over trenches and heard them whining in mess halls, seen enemies beg for mercy her units knew better than to provide, written letters home to families of victims of the same on her side; she’s heard the worst frights and most selfish desires scream with spasms while she wipes foreheads of the fallen from fever dreams, changed blood and shit-stained sheets from the cots afterward; she’s deflected shouts of jealousy and accusation just from the color of her skin, just from daring to stand so close beside Chrom, shaken off nasty names and rumors. She’s never been bothered, save for the inconvenience caused to endeavors or the detriment to those more loyal. Her soul seems to have room for it all.

    ( …And it’s a wicked swell in central cavities; the ends of ribs poke in like vicious claws, for she finds herself more feasting on the facts - when reality proves to be dark, fearful, HATEFUL. Like this is how it always is, and this is where she belongs. Naga knows, some days it feels as though she were crafted to carry demons. Devouring a few more wouldn’t hurt.)

    She thought it clear in speaking to another Plegian from a future even more wartorn, that she could possibly relate. Oh, well. People often hated her, too. Too harsh, or too tough, or too distracted. A commander doesn’t always have the luxury of compassion; that’s Chrom’s part of the job.

    Heh. Now who’s demanding without offering anything, Robin…?

    “Fine,” she relents with a shrug and a sigh. Eye contact draws apart so she might finally leave, but a sad disappointment shakes out with her head and the swishing of twintails, “You don’t have to talk to me.”

    Though, a warm palm places itself upon his shoulder in her passing-by - one with blemishes she keeps covered, too; it would remain if he lets it. “But all I have to do is look in the mirror to recognize a face that carries too much burden. There’s no need to put on such a brave show by yourself… not all the time, at least.”

    “You deserve better than a heart full of love, and yet a sword in your hand. …But you’re a Shepherd now,” a sidelong glance says it’s a lesson of her own, simply being forwarded, “You’re not alone anymore.”

[ ♡ ] ——– He knew that already. He’d already been told by his own father he was awful at lying. It wasn’t in Inigo’s character to lie outright, and it never would be. He just wasn’t good at covering his own tracks and keeping himself contained afterwards. She’s digging into him, and he doesn’t like it, but there’s nothing left to protect himself. She’s broken down the wall, she’s shattered the glass, she’s taken hammers to the doors and wrenches to the hinges.

     But just like that, she stops. She realizes quickly that he’s not as black and white as he seems. His tension, the pressure within clenched teeth and a tightened jaw keeps him contained, keeps him from running. he’s so tired of running. Tired of trying to get away from everyone and tired of trying to keep to himself when he wanted to pour it out to someone. Just not to her, not yet. She doesn’t need to hear it, nor is it her business.

      GOOD, I DIDN’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU. Arms cross over his chest in reluctance to her words. He’s already made it certainly clear he wanted out of this weird arrangement.

     Though he supposes he understands. To be a commander, one must know their soldiers far beyond their names. It was good to know their weaknesses, their strengths, their fears, anything that could give them leverage in any situation.  He cannot say he feels bad for skimping her on answers, but he truly couldn’t find proper ways to but his feelings into words suitable to deliver to someone like her.

      Letting his head hand as she moves to go past him, jumping slightly at the feeling of her palm on his shoulder. The sweet gesture of both understanding and wanting for him to be comfortable. Apologetic, in a sense. He doesn’t move, doesn’t shy away from her. Inigo allows her to keep her soft grip for as long as she stands there, chipping off the final pieces of her statement to him.

               you’re not alone anymore.

                                    I KNOW.

      But he couldn’t say it out loud. He doesn’t want to drown within his own emotions right now. He knows he deserves better–didn’t they all ? They didn’t deserve to have to pick up swords, and bows, or lances at young ages. They deserved to live with their parents and not have a worry in the world about what they’d eat or where they’d sleep. But it jut wasn’t so. It couldn’t be changed, and it couldn’t be taken back.

     Instead of a real answer, there’s only a nod of blond hair. Flat auras of brown iris’ looking to her with a small grin. He was thankful for her words, truly he was.

      ❝ Thank you, Robin .  .  . I’ll keep that in mind. ❞ Gently shrugging her palm from his shoulder, he’s able to take a small ounce of pride back with him on his walk back to his tent. Maybe a nap would clear his mind, or perhaps just a good read from one of his books. Anything to put the small argument behind him. Behind them.

           For he did want to see her again.