Author's Note:
Remember this story? Probably not? That's fine, because it was originally posted in 2012 and it's being rewritten from the start. So, not to worry!
Now, let's get the ball rolling! It may be quite different to what you remember, if you read either of the two previous versions. It will not make sense if you do not read it from the beginning.
All the best! I'm rather proud of how this is turning out, so please enjoy.
Forever a Phantom
A fanfic by Pseudinymous
~ 1 ~
A Prologue: Nothing Lost, Nothing Gained
His parents had always said that the hypnotic, lazy green swirls of the Ghost Zone were something to be marvelled at, that having the privilege of seeing them with one's own two eyes would signify the pair's greatest achievement.
How Maddie and Jack Fenton had come to the conclusion that the Ghost Zone itself was covered in lazy green swirls was beyond their poor son, however, who stared up at the Fenton Ghost Portal with wide, brightened blue eyes. A miracle of science and sorcery, they had said. The fruit of twenty-two years of tireless research and development. And it didn't work, not even slightly.
Danny was a small teenager, and very weak. His grades were only a touch above average but his curiosity and aspirations were near boundless — he wanted to go to space, to see the Earth like few others could ever hope to see it, to do something that truly mattered to the human race. He wanted to be an explorer. He wanted to find new things, do new things, see things that people had never thought possible. And he had felt it even as a child, that some part of him was different. Even in spite of his relative weakness, and his not nearly outstanding enough grades, he would… do something amazing.
That spark of excitement, the itch of a true explorer, erupted to life from within him as he stared up at his parent's longest project, and their biggest failure. A strange tickle had begun in his stomach and worked its way up into his chest, where it blossomed into an insane urge that told him to ignore every warning not to interfere in the lab.
Danny wasn't supposed to be down here, not without strict supervision from his mother (apparently, supervision from Jack didn't count). They had always been able to count on him as the good boy, the dutiful son, and now he was playing that to his advantage.
"This machine can almost certainly kill you, Danny. You must not touch it."
Maddie's words were echoing in his head. She had told him that years ago, and reiterated them to both Jazz and himself many times since. But he was fourteen now, he knew what he was doing around electrical wires and plugs and switches. It was safe — if you were sensible — and Danny was very sure he would be fine indeed.
Something about this… felt far too right.
In reality, however, the boy was woefully unprepared for anything to go wrong. If something happened, no one would be around to help him. He would be all on his own, and that was if he was left alive at all. And what would happen if he truly did find himself in the Ghost Zone, perhaps unable to get back? He didn't know. And for some reason, that was more exciting than he could ever describe.
Danny looked to the cupboard for the hazmat suit his parents had ordered for him, an item of clothing he had only ever worn once simply to check the sizing was correct. He had grown just a touch since then, and thus the suit was a bit too tight around the shoulders and gloves, but it was still wearable. This sort of thing was important for lab safety, or so he had been told. Although, he wasn't sure what the Jack Fenton sticker stuck to the front of it had to do with that, so he peeled it straight off. He couldn't go exploring the Ghost Zone with that on his chest. If ghosts were friendly, Danny was sure they would laugh, and he would probably never live it down.
He paused for a moment after zipping up the suit, his lips moving momentarily before settling on one of the biggest problems of all. What if everything worked perfectly, but the ghosts weren't friendly? What then?
The boy felt his heart stop for a moment, and restart in little flutters that made him feel very nervous indeed. Even if the portal didn't work. Even if it was a complete failure. Even if he, like his sister, thought that the ghosts his parents spoke of were some kind of weird fantasy derived from a substance they'd never own up to taking during college. What if everything went right and he couldn't defend himself?
Danny stared at his gloved fingers, wondering about what to do. Weren't ghosts intangible? So what could he possibly do to hurt them back, if they tried to come after him?
His eyes travelled to the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick, which lay majestically on a holder above one of the workbenches. It had been crafted especially for what Danny's parents assumed would be Jazz's first dangerous forays into love. It had also been sealed with a coat of ectoplasm, because apparently Maddie and Jack were concerned that one of these first forays might in fact be with a ghost, which he was sure was a paranoia that could only exist in the Fenton family household. Nonetheless, it seemed good enough, so he grabbed it.
All that was left was the portal, now. It was just him and the giant foreboding machine in the wall, sitting there, waiting for someone to figure out how to fire it up properly. A spark of sadness shot through him; if his parents — who were with all their faults still brilliant engineers — couldn't bring the atrocity to life, then what made him think he could do it? It was arrogant to think that he even stood a chance.
But curiosity drove Danny Fenton like an addictive drug. He was helpless for it.
Each step towards the Fenton Ghost Portal felt important, significant. Danny didn't know why. He tried to picture himself taking the infamous walk towards the space shuttle, ready for a mission — his first. He thought about the danger of it, and in spite of the infernal roar at the pit of his stomach, he managed the smallest grin of glee.
He was going to be a different kind of astronaut, and in his complete unpreparedness, he felt ready.
"I can do this," said Danny, confident in his words.
And he entered the portal, in his little hazmat suit and with the Fenton Anti-Creek Stick, to go to a place where no human had ever gone before.