Fear was not something new to Dana Edwards.

It was an old friend that had settled into her bones at a young age, when she learned to constantly be on guard and make herself small and unseen in her own home. She'd worked to crush it over the years, locking it away under the dark water that corrupted her veins and the anger that kept everyone- except for one persistent girl- at arm's length.

At the sight of the man- monster?- at her door, terror reared its head. For a moment, her stomach dropped and the arm holding up her blaster felt like lead. Her eyes widened, just a fraction, and she instinctively stepped back. But then she smoothed her features out and regained her composure, falling back into her cold facade that wasn't really a facade anymore.

The first thing that came to mind was that the monster must be a Dark Bane. His skin was bone-white and his veins were sickly gray. Horns protruded from his forehead, and similar spines jutted out of the skin on his biceps and forearms. His fingernails were now claws, dark black and deadly sharp, and his eyes were sunken and scarlet. He was unlike anything Dana had ever seen before.

But she knew those eyes, that scowl, that intimidating stance. She may not have recognized him at first, but there was no denying it.

"Dr. Blakk," she spat as he stood before her. He scowled and Dana saw that his teeth were now sharpened into fangs. They reminded her of when Loki would bare his teeth whenever she got too close to Twist.

She simultaneously felt like throwing up and pulling the trigger on her blaster, but both of his shoulders carried full carriers of ghouls, and, most concerningly, a gattler sat on a holster on his lower back. Tubes connected the menacing blaster to the ghoul carriers. The memory of the first time Dana had seen a gattler in action, back in Dojang Grotto, kept her from instigating a duel.

"You used to look at me with respect. Admiration, even," Blakk growled, and it truly was a growl, something beastly and unsettling.

"That was when I thought you could help me. But you lost," Dana hissed, hesitating for a moment before lowering her blaster. If a fight did break out, her goal would be to escape, not to defend. "How are you even still alive? I thought the Dark Bane would've killed you for failing them."

It hurt to think about how the man who had promised her everything now just inspired the same frustration and disdain in her as most people in Slugterra. But for all his promises, he'd fallen short. He'd let the Shane Gang reach the citadel and shut down the terraportal, and Dana had to watch them live happily ever after while she was left with nothing.

"You insolent child," Blakk hissed, stepping forward. Dana tensed, ready to spring to the side and dash out the door, but a second voice sounded, and Blakk froze in his tracks.

"Relax, Blakk. She's just a child."

Blakk scoffed and rolled his eyes, but he stepped aside, letting another man into the cabin. This one was shorter, and while he didn't look as mutated as Blakk, he looked uncanny. His skin was ghastly pale, and what little skin showed through his gear was often scarred or sporting gray veins. His nails were also sharp and blackened.

He wore tattered clothes- a shirt that was likely once white but now was a dusty gray, dark, ripped pants, and black boots. Dark Bane armor covered his chest and forearms, and a frightening helmet hid his face. It was decorated with horns and a faceguard mimicking fangs. Through it, Dana could make out scarlet eyes and a dark, ragged beard and hair.

His voice sounded vaguely familiar, but what really drew Dana's attention was the ghoul that sat atop his right shoulder. It was a Goon Doc, and as the man spoke, the Goon moved and gestured in sync.

"Dana Edwards. You live up to what I was told. What an interesting stock of energy you possess."

Dana narrowed her eyes, forcing herself to holster her blaster. She looked over the ghoul carefully, taking in the feeling of his dark energy. It was focused on him, but it also ran through the nervous system of the man he possessed. She could feel that he was just a hollow puppet.

"You're the Goon Doc. You possessed Eli Shane, but you failed, too," she said coolly, glancing back and forth between Blakk and the Goon. "What is this? Some kind of alliance? How did you escape the Deep Caverns? And..."

She trailed off, a shiver running down her spine. These two weren't the only sources of dark energy nearby. There was more outside.

"What else did you bring?"

"We're tired after a long journey. May we sit?" the Goon asked, not waiting for an answer before walking past Dana and taking a seat at the small table in the center of the cabin. Dana crossed her arms, her fingernails digging into her biceps, but she sighed and sat at the edge of the cot across from the Goon. Blakk looked equally annoyed, taking a seat next to the Goon's slinger.

"A stroke of good luck allowed us to return to the 99 Caverns relatively unscathed," the Goon said pleasantly. "You should know that you were my original plan. After I visited the Deep Caverns to see the Dark Bane for myself, I planned to return to this realm and seek your assistance in creating a terraportal."

'Seek your assistance' seemed like 'forcibly possess you' to Dana, but she didn't comment on that.

"But instead, we were graced with slugs powerful enough to bring a small action squad to the 99 Caverns. Several Dark Bane accompanied Blakk and I," the Goon finished casually, as if he was discussing the daily news. Dana's heart leapt into her throat and her eyes widened. She had appreciated the Dark Bane's ferocity, but even Dana's shortsighted, power-hungry behaviors had never been able to dispel the deep unease she felt around the creatures.

"We come offering a chance at redemption," Blakk said bluntly. "I wasn't the only one to fail during the Dark Bane's invasion. You allowed Alana Caelum to best you and help Eli Shane's healer deactivate the terraportal."

Despite her anger with him, a small part of Dana couldn't help but feel guilty at the disappointment in his voice. But she couldn't dwindle on it too long, because the Goon's slinger suddenly shuddered, just slightly. If every nerve in Dana's body wasn't on high alert, she wouldn't have ever noticed it, but she saw the brief flex of his hands and tension grow in his neck before he relaxed again, settling back into a stoic, but relaxed, pose.

More interestingly, Blakk seemed to notice as well. He gave a quick sideways glance at the shorter man before continuing.

"The Goon carries knowledge that could guarantee the conquering of the 99 Caverns," he said. Dana couldn't help herself, raising an eyebrow and interjecting.

"It took us years to get where we were," she argued. "What could a single ghoul know to change that?"

"I know how to do in days what took you years," the Goon answered. "Speed will be our greatest ally. We will attack in quick succession, not giving the people time to recover and understand the threat they face. I was overeager when I first arrived in these caverns. I underestimated your people's tenacity. But a quick, sudden attack is something I've seen work before."

The Goon's slinger tilted his head slightly, and through his mask, Dana could see a flash of his sharpened teeth in a grin.

"I employed a similar strategy to conquer your old friend's home caverns."

Dana instinctively scowled at the thought of Alana, glancing down and trying to ignore the urge to break something. The Goon took notice of this and had the gall to laugh.

"That is why I wanted to seek you out. From what little I was able to see of Eli Shane's memories, I deduced you would be a valuable asset. Dana Edwards, in return for your assistance, I will replenish your ghoul arsenal to its full extent, and I will do everything in my power to give you what you want. If that's Alana Caelum laying dead at your feet, so be it. Or, if you still wish for her to be your ally once more, I can be... persuasive," he said.

The Goon stared at Dana, his single scarlet eye looking more sentient and knowledgeable than any other slug or ghoul Dana had ever seen. She bounced her leg impatiently, running her hands down her face and closing her eyes for a moment.

It's not like she really had a plan for the rest of her life. She'd been living the last few months in a state of mere survival. Her only goal had been to not be found by the Shane Gang while she recovered from the fall of Blakk Industries. But past that?

She could go after Alana. She could go after her family. She thought of Antimony Cavern every day, but she couldn't think of a reason she hadn't gone back yet. She had the perfect opportunity when she knew the gang was occupied in Gateway Cavern. None of the other slingers they partnered with would have been able to reach Dana in time. She could have been in and out in minutes.

But she hadn't gone. She'd stayed hidden away in Snowdance.

The dark energy festering beneath her skin had been laying almost dormant after so long without fighting. But now, at the promise of a powerful ally and more ghouls, Dana could feel it coming back to life. She opened her eyes and crossed her arms once more, straightening her spine.

"You can ghoul slugs, and I've always been confident that enough dark energy could essentially ghoul Alana. I got close, once," Dana said sourly, remembering the failed attempt and the jagged scar across her cheek it had resulted in. "So, you try it with Alana. It's the only way I'll get her to listen."

The Goon's slinger nodded slowly, and the Goon seemed to think for a moment.

"I am confident that I can ghoul her," he said carefully. "In my past experiences with the Caelums, I admit I have never tried. My goals have aligned with... other means. But if my plans succeed, I will have no need for her, although she would make a powerful ally."

"Then you ghoul her," Dana said simply, shrugging. "But from there, she gets to decide what to do. If she wants to stay and help you with whatever your endgame is, then she can stay. I will, too. But if she wants to leave, then we leave."

"You're hardly in a position to make demands," Blakk grumbled, glaring over at the Goon. "We don't need her. We have enough ghouls, and the Dark Bane will follow our command."

"And none of that will matter if Alana Caelum is able to undo our progress," the Goon replied tersely. "And if she needs to be removed from the playing field, what better advantage than her old friend?"

The Goon turned back toward Dana, his host turning in sync.

"I accept these terms. Ghouled or not, I have a respect for the Caelums, and I have no need to make one my enemy. Once she's turned, both of you are free to leave, if you wish. When I succeed and bring these caverns to their knees, you will be spared."

The mere thought of success after so long sent adrenaline flooding through Dana's veins. She didn't care for whatever the Goon's overall plan was. If she could finally get Alana back and the Shane Gang out of the picture, she'd gladly go along with it.

"One last thing," she said, fighting to keep her voice uninterested to mask her excitement. "Your host."

The Goon and his host tilted their heads.

"What of him?"

"I don't know anything about the Eastern slinger you brought here, but I saw the footage of Eli Shane terrorizing Gateway Cavern," Dana explained. "It was effective in terrifying the 99 Caverns. And because when you came here, you specifically drew out Eli Shane, that means your host matters. They need to have the physical skill to fight on your behalf."

Dana leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and peering into the host's helmet.

"And anyone good enough at slinging to qualify as a host has to be well known to some extent. It would be better to show his face and use that to your advantage, make the people scared that one of their own turned against them again," she continued. "And you know that. But you're not doing it. So who do you have under that helmet?"

For the first time since his arrival, Blakk looked amused, scoffing and leaning back in his seat, glancing down at the Goon Doc, who fell silent for a few moments while he thought.

"I suppose it would do well to get your opinion on my host before we confront the protectors. I know from my time in Eli Shane's mind that keeping my host's identity hidden until a time where the reveal will throw him off will be more useful," he said carefully. "But I don't have the insight to predict how Alana Caelum might respond."

The host reached up and pulled off the Dark Bane helmet, setting it on the table with a heavy thud. Dana frowned as she stared at the man's face. His black hair was jagged, hanging in his face. His beard looked like it wasn't a conscious choice, and its choppy ends made Dana think that he'd just cut it whenever he could with whatever he could. His scarlet eyes were surrounded by black sclera, and were sunken with dark circles beneath them. She'd seen what being possessed did to Eli, and this looked worse, almost like the man had already been in bad shape before he'd lost control of his own body.

Something in Dana's gut just knew that she'd seen him before, but she couldn't match his face to anyone she'd seen recently. It had to have been years ago.

Seeing Dana's confusion, the Goon- well, his host- laughed and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, yes. You only met him a few times. Always briefly, always in passing. You never cared much for him, even when you and Alana Caelum were close. He kept his distance. He didn't want to scare you away, when he knew how much Alana loved you," he said. He grinned wickedly, as did the Goon. "He regrets that, now."

The recognition hit, and the blood drained out of Dana's face. Her eyes widened and she gaped, quickly recovering and bursting out into a sharp laugh, leaning back and running a hand through her hair.

"Oh. Oh. This is too perfect!" she laughed, shaking her head and glancing over at Blakk, who looked equally pleased with the situation. "Stick with your plan, ghoul. Keep that helmet on. Ghouled or not, if Alana sees this, I think she might kill you."

~~~~~~~~

3 Days Later

In hindsight, something about this time should have stood out to Alana.

In the couple weeks since the gang had successfully gotten Eli more interested in slinging again, things went pretty well. Junjie made significant progress in his recovery. He didn't become more talkative by any means, but he was more comfortable sharing space with the rest of the gang.

He'd made lunch with Pronto a few days ago and it was actually pretty good, and he'd reviewed past fight footage with Trixie for hours, getting caught up not only on the Shane Gang's adventures, but their slinging styles as well. Almost an entire day had been spent with Kord in the garage after Junjie had given the cave troll permission to modify his mecha to have a bike mode like Alana, Eli, and Kord's.

Alana hadn't really spent time alone with him. Opportunities hadn't presented themselves often, but while Alana felt fine being around him when someone else was there, she couldn't get herself to actually have a one-on-one conversation with him. It felt like there was too much to say, too much to just pretend like nothing had ever happened.

But even with the occasional awkwardness, things had been peaceful. The gang had only been called out twice, and while Eli and Junjie had elected to stay at the hideout, Alana wasn't worried about Eli as much anymore. He'd trained multiple times with Junjie. They usually went off by themselves, but the few times they had stayed nearby, Alana had heard them quietly discussing their experiences, both as protectors of a realm and as victims of the Goon.

And Alana herself felt fine. She finally felt settled in after the Goon's attack. She'd even been sleeping well the last few days, sleeping through the night and feeling well-rested in the morning. Later, when she looked back on it, she wondered if her body knew something was coming and was trying to prepare.

The morning everything changed, nothing felt out of place.

Trixie, Kord, and Pronto had left the hideout in a flurry at first glow, excited to test out some new gadget Kord had made. Alana was pretty sure Trixie had told her more when the redhead had excitedly knocked on her door, but Alana hadn't really been awake enough to comprehend it, so she'd sent Trixie off with a half-effort promise to come see later.

Once she rolled out of bed, changed out of her pajamas, and tied up her hair, she'd stumbled downstairs, past a half-open door into a small side room off the living area. She vaguely remembered Eli, Kord, and Trixie starting a Max Jackson movie there last night when Pronto refused to relinquish the living room's TV to continue his analysis of a documentary about the making of Kisses From a Hoverbug.

Alana bit back a yawn as she poked her head into the room. The lights were off, but the television was still on, lighting up the room in a soft glow. Max Jackson was on the screen, rambling about some epic rivalry battle that would go down in history. A slew of slugs, including Burpy, were awake, watching the movie intently (as if they hadn't seen it dozens of times already), but their slinger was passed out on a hammock.

Alana smiled softly, waving at Burpy before grabbing the remote from next to Doc. She lowered the volume a bit, keeping it just loud enough for the slugs to hear. She carefully set the remote back down before backing out of the room and silently closing the door to hopefully give Eli a little more sleep.

Ash and Mage were both already pulling apart a banana by the time she made it to the kitchen. She grabbed a slice and popped it in her mouth as she walked by, sticking her tongue out at Ash's offended trill. She spent a solid minute debating whether or not it was acceptable to just reheat a piece of pizza for breakfast, but she finally settled for the healthier option, frying up a few eggs (she'd long learned to make three, because her slugs would end up eating at least one).

Later, she'd be glad she went for the better option.

But for now, she hummed as she made a quick breakfast, laughing when her slugs did inevitably steal an egg off her plate, divvying it up and devouring it with borderline concerning speed. She hung her blaster up on a hook next to the garage door, pausing when she heard Junjie's soft voice, talking presumably to his slugs since the rest of the gang was accounted for. He was easily the most consistent early riser of the group, and while Alana liked to get her day started on time, she definitely wasn't ever going to willingly rise before first light.

"What do you guys think for today?" she asked, collapsing down into her bean bag chair next to the living room couch and eating her eggs at a far more acceptable pace. "Go see what the three troublemakers are up to, and then maybe I talk Kord into doing practice calvary duels? It's still too hard to shoot from Midnight when she's in bike mode."

Ash nodded excitedly, promptly bursting into flames in excitement. Mage leaned away without changing her expression, far too used to the Infurnus's fits of passion.

"Okay, that's a yes," Alana laughed. "Maybe we can head out to the Slug run route Eli ran, that was-"

She was cut off by an abrupt yell sounding from the side door Eli was sleeping in. Before Alana had consciously processed the sound, she was flying out of the beanbag, stumbling as she ran to the door. No time to go back across the room to get her blaster from the kitchen, energy ran through her veins, glowing faint blue and sparking like electricity.

She burst through the door she'd only just quietly closed to give the Shane some peace, baring her hands and looking around frantically for the threat. But she was met with no enemies, only a group of concerned slugs and Eli getting up from where he appeared to have fallen to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Alana asked, sighing and letting the energy sizzle out, reaching a hand out to Eli and pulling him up. "What happened?"

Burpy chirped, hopping up on his slinger's shoulder. Eli looked troubled, rolling his shoulders and shaking his head before smiling nervously.

"Yeah, sorry- just a bad dream. Too many action movies."

"Ah," Alana said, nodding and raising an eyebrow. "I get it. Are you sure-?"

"Anyways," Eli interrupted, sliding past Alana and walking into the living room. "Have you seen Junjie?"

Alana frowned, off-put by his response. For a second, she thought about pushing the issue, about asking him again to let her know what was wrong.

Why didn't she?, she would wonder later. It probably wouldn't have made a difference. What was done was done, and at this point, things were already in motion.

Instead, she nodded towards the garage.

"I heard him out there," she said. "I think Trixie, Kord, and Pronto are still out in the woods doing... something with racing, I think?"

Eli laughed, although it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Seems right. Thanks."

And with that, he turned and left for the garage. Burpy turned and shrugged at Alana before Eli disappeared around the corner.

Alana sighed and went back to her chair, relieved that in her flurry, she hadn't thrown her eggs on the floor. She finished her breakfast, her appetite fading. At least Eli was willing to talk to Junjie about whatever was troubling him. Alana knew the pain of being shown some of the horrors Eli had been shown, but she couldn't pretend to know what it was like to be possessed by the Goon.

By the time she finished eating and was setting her newly-cleaned dishes on the drying rack, the door to the garage opened, and Junjie and Eli emerged. Alana looked over both of their expressions, but neither of them looked distressed. Eli, in fact, looked particularly excited.

"Hey, Alana, me and Junjie are gonna duel out front!" he said cheerfully, a completely different person than he was a few minutes ago. "Do you wanna come watch?"

Alana raised her eyebrows at the sudden change, but she couldn't help but be excited at the offer. Eli and Junjie usually gave themselves space when they dueled, and the gang didn't want to encroach on that. But an outright offer to come along? She couldn't say no to that.

"Yes!" she said, beaming as she grabbed her blaster and holstered it, following the two out of the hideout to the winding tree bridge that connected it to the ground of Wild Spores.

"Limited arsenal? Four slugs max?" Eli suggested, stretching his arms as he made his way further down the bridge while Junjie took position closer to the hideout entrance.

Junjie nodded, and Alana sat on the ground a dozen feet away, cross-legged as she watched the two slingers prepare. Eli's slugs were certainly more relaxed than Junjie's. It didn't seem like he was using slug fu, but the Eastern slinger's slugs moved in sync, jumping into slug tubes with the grace of Hoverbugs. Alana wasn't sure if that was an Eastern thing, or just a Junjie thing.

Junjie pressed a fist into his other hand, bowing to Eli, who repeated the action. That definitely showed how often they'd been dueling. Alana, however, still wasn't quite used to seeing Junjie in action, watching carefully as Junjie loaded his blasters, their blades protruding from his forearms. The sight at least didn't make her stomach churn, but it still stood out to her.

"Ready?" Junjie called, shifting his weight as he prepared to fire. Eli nodded, his eyes alight.

"Ready. Bring it!" he called, loading and firing his Armashelt.

Banger soared through the air toward Junie, who fired an Arachnet. The purple slug spun a web, entangling the Armashelt. Junjie moved his hands in the motions Alana knew indicated slug fu, although she still wasn't able to watch the movements and the targeted slug at the same time. The Arachnet flung the Armashelt to the side, sending it crashing into a nearby mushroom. The Arachnet continued its path, spitting out another web at Eli, who was able to dive out of the way, coming dangerously close to the side of the bridge but keeping his footing.

Eli straightened his stance, firing Rookie at the same time that Junjie fired his Frostcrawler. Rookie spouted a few blue grenades as the Frostcrawler collided, sending several of them off course, spiraling down off either side of the bridge. One landed close to Junjie's feet, but he didn't falter as he moved his arms.

The Frostcrawler belched out a burst of frost, freezing Rookie solid and throwing him to the ground before continuing to spit out a blast of frost at an unsuspecting Eli. It formed a thick path of ice, sweeping up beneath Eli and carrying him up into the air as it continued forming ice. Alana's eyes widened and she gaped as the Frostcrawler finally returned to protoform when Junjie lowered his hands. Eli fell out from beneath the slug, landing on the impressive ice slide and skidding down it, coming to a halt at Junjie's feet.

"Wow," Alana mumbled, impressed. It wasn't out of the question for a Frostcrawler to freeze another slug like Junjie's had frozen Rookie, but to continue the attack and make such an intentionally designed structure? Things in duels moved fast, and usually, slugs weren't able to keep up with that kind of attack plan. Being guided by a slinger, it seemed, helped alleviate some of the stress it would put on a slug.

Eli didn't seem too worried about being beaten, laughing up at Junjie while the Eastern slinger helped him to his feet.

"Looks like you're finally doing better," he laughed, brushing ice from his shoulders. "That was amazing."

"Thank you for the duel," Junjie said with a nod, a smaller smile on his face. "I am feeling much better thanks to you and your friends' hospitality."

Alana got to her feet when Eli turned to her.

"Hey, do you wanna hop in? It's been a while since we've dueled," he said. Alana's face lit up and she nodded, reaching for her blaster, but winced when an explosion sounded from below the bridge, down to the right of the forest.

A crash and a plume of smoke quickly followed, as well as a shriek that Alana recognized all too well as Pronto. Junjie tensed, raising his arms in defense, but Eli nudged him with his shoulder.

"Don't worry. That was definitely Pronto," Eli assured.

"I think that's where they were heading out to test something Kord made," Alana added. She winced at the sound of another explosion. "Maybe we should pause the duels and see what they're getting up to."

"Agreed," Eli said, leading the way down the bridge and into the forest of Wild Spores. It took only a minute to reach the clearing that Kord, Pronto, and Trixie had claimed for the morning.

Alana laughed at the sight. Instead of something that looked particularly dangerous, Kord and Pronto were racing slugs in what appeared to be little race karts. The slugs- Pronto's Flatulorhinkus and Kord's Rammstones- both wore small helmets. Their slingers were fiddling with some addition to their blasters that reminded Alana of video game controllers. In fact, she was pretty sure those were the controllers connected to the living room TV.

Kord fiddled with the joystick on his blaster, and Bludgeon crashed his kart into Stinky's, sending the Flatulorhinkus spiraling into a bush. Pronto shrieked in offense as Kord threw up his arms.

"Haha, yes! Undefeated!" the cave troll shouted.

"Cheater!" Pronto grumbled, fishing Stinky out of the bush.

Trixie snickered, lowering her camera and waving to the newly arrived trio.

"You guys have to try this out," she said. "Kord made these little helmets for the slugs-"

"They transmit the input from the controllers on the blasters!" Kord interrupted enthusiastically, holding up his blaster. "I got the idea from Junjie's slug fu! Junjie, can we try it against you?"

Junjie looked a little taken aback at the unabashed enthusiasm Kord had, but he nodded, grabbing a canister that Joo-Joo jumped into.

He opened his mouth, and may have said something in response. But at that second, Alana felt the hairs on her neck rise.

The feeling could be equated to the- unfortunately multiple- times she'd been hit with Tazerlings or Amperlings. The buzz in the air as bolts of electricity sped toward her body.

Her back went ramrod straight, and a feeling of dread ran through her body like she'd been ducked in ice water.

She stumbled to her knees, trying to brace herself along the side of a tree on her way down. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and for a moment the world was spinning. She could faintly hear her friends approaching, asking what was wrong, but her mouth felt too dry to respond.

And then, for a second, it all went away.

Air came rushing back into Alana's lungs and she gasped, looking up at the five slingers looking down at her with concern.

"Something just-"

Trixie suddenly shrieked and stumbled back, grabbing at her arm and swatting something away. Alana watched as her Rammstone fell to the ground, leaving a small trial of blood where it had apparently bitten Trixie.

But, no, it wasn't a Rammstone.

It was a Grimmstone.

"What the-"

"Bludgeon-!"

"Banger, Spinner!"

Alana watched in horror as a selection of the gang's slugs shuddered and changed in a red flash, growling and barking wildly as they were transformed into ghouls. Eli had to wrestle Banger and Spinner down off his bandoleer from where they were trying to bite at Doc.

"What happened?" she whispered hoarsely.

~~~~~~~~

"wait but in the movie-" shhh i know i'm changing it