Danny Phantom: Reborn
Pilot
The person, or should I say people, that I see most are my grandparents. Notice I never said, "next to my parents," or "after my parents." I don't see my parents often, because I live with my grandparents. My insane, ghost-obsessed grandparents. I'm actually named after my grandfather, Jack. He's not all too bad honestly, if you get past his low IQ and ghost obsession caused by it. My grandma and aunt Jazz keep him in line though. My grandmother, Maddie, is pretty cool. Just don't bring up ghosts, and then she's almost as crazy as my grandpa. For example, her, "I remember" stories involve my father, and almost tearing him apart.
The people I see 2nd to most are my friends, whom I've known for as long as I can remember. First there's Kieth, my gay Asian friend. Then there's my friend Diana Foley. She's the mayor's daughter. My mother said she and my father were best friends with the mayor, and my dad was friends with the mayor's wife.
The people I see 4th to most is everyone on my mom's side of the family. That includes my mother and younger brother Randy. I don't know what my mom does, but I'm positive my father's to blame. I usually see her when I'm upset (which is more often than not) or when I'm at her house. I also get to see my awesome great-grandma too, who's old but Betty White old. Meaning she's super old but just as energetic. I go to her for the advice I never have, then she shoos me out of the house a bit rudely. Then there's Randy. He's my 6-year old younger brother who's…well, to put it simply he's 6 years old. He's sweet though, and a really nice kid to have around.
The people I see 5th to most would be my Aunt Jazz and her family. They live in New York, close enough for my Aunt Jazz to go to work at Yale. Their end of the family is the smart end, I should say. My cousin Isabel (or "Bell" as we call her) is the nicest of my three cousins, and probably the smartest. She's 16 and takes up more after her mother. Her brothers, Mike and Jeff, are twins about my age. They're perfect, absolutely everything about them. Perfect grades, perfect athletes, perfect brothers, and finally, absolutely PERFECT jerks. Aunt Jazz's husband, my uncle Dash, is a fantastic football player but an even better baseball player. It also turns out that he bullied my father during his high school years, and I love him for that.
The person I see the absolute least is my father, Daniel "Danny" Fenton. Yeah, big hero and everything, and yes, I look up to him, but that doesn't mean I can't be mad at him. The only time I've seen him or he's seen me would have to be the day I was born, and then he had to leave for 14 years on some sort of business and only got one day off to make my younger brother. And it's not just that but he says he'll make it to the holidays or a birthday or over the summer, but then he keeps his lazy butt in Florida. He never follows through with anything and I hate that about him. I swear, he's Mike and Jeff's role model on jerkiness.
"So how were your weekends?" Keith asked Diana and I as we walked down the school hall.
"Too short, I didn't have time to finish debugging Jack's weapon upgrades," Diana nudged me with her elbow with a joking smile. I rolled my eyes.
"Terrible, my mother came over," I groaned, reliving the tragedy.
"It couldn't have been that bad, I mean, you're always talking about when your dad says he's coming," Keith pointed out stopping at our lockers.
I sighed, "I know but whenever I see her it's "Jack, you look more and more like Danny every day," or "Randy was talking about you the other day,"" I finished making solid voice impressions of my mother. "I hate it! If I become more like that guy any more than I already am, I swear I'll-"
"Explode? Destroy the Earth? You're just being melodramatic, calm down. It's a good thing to be like your dad, right?" Keith said trying to calm me down. I went ballistic.
"No, I'll-" I got cut off as a jock walked up, pushed me into my locker, slammed the door and walked away laughing. Diana moved over and opened my locker; quickly stepping aside as I fell out. There was a thud as my back hit the ground and I looked up at my two friends.
"Get shoved in your locker? Yeah, that'll really teach your dad to have you for a son," Diana chuckled with Keith.
"Shut up," I growled in embarrassment.
"Jackie!" I heard my grandfather shout from the kitchen when he heard my voice. He instantly jumped in front of me and stuck a giant GUN in front of my nose so it touched the cold metal.
"Check it out! I call it, the GO-ST," Jack said with pride.
"Uh, that's great and all, Grandpa, but I have a ton of homework to do, so I'll just be in my room," I said moving the gun out of my face with my finger. I was about to move towards the stairs when he grabbed me by my back collar.
"You'd like to hear more? Great," he shouted as he flung me against the couch. He plopped down next to me. "GO-ST stands for Ghost Operated-Standard Technology."
"What does it do?" I asked him, already knowing the answer.
"I don't quite know yet, but when I do find out it's going to be big!" He exclaimed. Great, another worthless piece of junk that will be kept lying in the basement. Like that Fenton Thermos thing that I've only seen them use for soup. There's also that portal that they're 'upgrading'. It's been just an empty, sitting skeleton. It supposedly became that skeleton the day I was born. Bell says that it used to work, and that she vaguely remembered it from her few visits.
I looked up to see him continue his babbling.
"That's great and all, but I've REALLY got to do my homework. You see, I have a test tomorrow and if I fail Mr. Smi-"
"Who cares Jack? You could always retake the test," my grandfather exclaimed.
"No, this is the re-" he cut me off. Again.
"How often do you get to see your grandparents turn the Ghost Portal back on?" He asked. I didn't respond, because I knew what he wasn't looking for was an answer.
"Exactly, which is why I want you to watch us turn it back on," he boasted.
"Could I call my friends up so they could witness this…historical event?" I asked.
"Why not?" He shouted with excitement. He jumped down to the basement where I heard a large thud. I pretended I saw nothing and ran upstairs to my room, which had apparently been my dad's room before me.
I tripped and my face fell next to my bed. It wasn't like I hadn't seen things under the bed before that were my dad's, it had always fascinated me. So I was always under it looking at his stuff. Everything about him always fascinated me. The way he looked like me, all his fights, how he kept a secret for so long, and the fact that he was a halfa (half-ghost, half-human). I never sort of inherited his ghost powers(all I can do is make my eyes turn green), which was a surprise to us, but because of it he was my hero. I learned way too much about him, which made me mad when he never showed up. It doesn't mean he still can't be my hero, right? So, yes, my dad is my much hated hero and I'm an angry child.
The thing that surprised me was that I hadn't seen this bit of information. It had snuck past me for 14 years. I quickly snatched it in curiosity, wondering what it was.
When I stood back up I wiped the layer of dust on top of it; revealing an old Polaroid. Not the camera Polaroid, but that picture thing that came out of a Polaroid. They're called Polaroid Pictures or something like that. I stared at it in a bit of disbelief and walked up to a mirror. I stuck the photo up against the glass and looked at it and then myself.
It was an old picture; I don't know how old but old. It was a picture of my father from when he was around my age, maybe a year or two younger. To his side was the current mayor, Tucker Foley, one of my father's best friends. On his other side was my mother. They were the same age, and smiled happily at the camera. The thing I was looking for in the photo wasn't that though. I was looking at my father's features. We had the same nose, facial structure, face, eyebrows, and jet black hair colour (and white, I guess). The only differences were our eye colour and hair. His were a sky blue, but mine were a mix of his and my mother's. Mine were a navy blue with a purplish hue. His hair was all black, while on the right side of mine was a white streak that appeared to glow from time to time.
That's the moment I feel like started this whole mess.
Diana and Keith stood beside me in their usual attire; like how I was. Keith always dressed in a white polo shirt with a collar. He wore khakis and black shoes that he shined literally every day. He wore a purple pullover tied loosely around his neck. His dark hair was always neatly combed and he wore a silver watch that had multiple clocks on it. I had to admit, he had a lot more style than me.
Diana wore a red long-sleeved shirt and long jeans that I was afraid she'd always trip on. She had blue converse which complimented her tomboyish style. Her frizzy brown hair or "lion's mane" as we joked fell down to her shoulders and resembled brownie batter.
I, on the other hand, had no sense in style besides putting clothes on. I was honestly mistaken for a colour blind person. It's that bad, or so I think it is. Like usual, I never care about what I wear as long as I like it. So I just throw things on and hope for the best. I typically wear a black t-shirt with red trimming, some casual jeans (handed down from my father) and some random bright green converse. Yep, I am not colour blind.
We watched as my grandparents made sure everything was plugged in to the correct socket.
"You kids ready to have your minds blown?" Grandpa asked. My friends murmured apprehensive 'yes's while I just shrugged. Again, I didn't care. The most I expected was a sizzle or spark.
Then, in a bit of overdramatic excitement, my grandfather plugged two plugs in. They all waited for a large flash, while I just stood there and yawned. They received a small sizzle and spark from the plugs, but nothing from the portal itself. The portal stayed off, its hollow skeleton showing off its failure. My grandfather let out a disappointed moan.
"It's okay, Jack, it didn't work the first time we turned it on, remember?" My grandmother comforted him.
"I know, but my calculations were all correct! What went wrong?" Jack asked sadly.
"How about you go over them again while I make some fudge?" Maddie suggested to him. He instantly got a smile on his face; which was as good as a yes if you asked me. The two headed upstairs.
"Are you coming upstairs, honey?" She asked me.
"In a sec," I replied. I noticed Keith with a mischievous look once the portal didn't flicker on. He wanted something. She just smiled and herded my grandfather upstairs for fudge.
"No," I told Keith once they were out of earshot. I turned to him and instantly noticed the 20 year-old camera in his hands. I knew what he wanted.
"Please?" He begged with a smile.
"No," I said shaking my head. "How could you even do that anyways? You don't even have a costume, and even if you do it's not reversed," I told him. He held up a black and white costume. Where did he stash this stuff? He barely had enough room in his pockets for the camera, let alone a jumpsuit!
"Diana's going to edit it out along with your eyes and hair, pretty please?" Keith begged. I hesitated. He got down on his hands and knees and started to plead, "please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please-"
"Fine, I'll do it," I cut him off, hoping he wouldn't continue. I'll get my revenge later, by getting him to do something embarrassing or something. He threw the suit at me and I sighed. This would be fun.
I took a hesitant step into the portal's skeleton, a replica of my father's jumpsuit clinging to my skin. I walked a few steps further into the machine, my footsteps making an echoing thud on the dark metalwork.
"Okay, now strike a pose," Keith demanded of me. I did the first thing that came to mind and gave him a body-builder pose. "No, no, no, something more…subtle," he told me. So I stood on one foot and put my hand to my chin. I was now, the Thinker. He shook his head. "No, think of what your father did before his accident," he explained to me.
I put my foot and hand down and turned around. I pretended to scratch my butt.
"Okay, now you aren't even trying," he told me.
I turned around to face them. "Then what do you want me to do?" I asked, leaning against the portal; unknowingly leaning against a small, green button that's only warning was a small click before I was zapped with green light. The only thing I remember doing was screaming.
I fell onto the cold concrete ground that seemed to burn against my hot, steaming face. I instantly shielded it with my hands and sat up.
"Jack?" Diana asked me with worry in her voice.
I opened my eyes and slowly drew my hands away. The suit's white had turned black and its black white. Diana looked worried and Keith gaped at me. Both were illuminated by an eerie green backlight. I looked behind me to see different hues of green being swirled inside the portal. Wasn't I just in there? Does this mean…no, it couldn't be, right? All the evidence was here though, except…I turned back to my shocked and worried friends and quickly patted my hair down with my hand. It was white.
"No," I muttered in disbelief. "No no no no."
I quickly got up and ran to a mirror, or a piece of glass or something.
My black hair was now white, except for where the streak of white once was, it was now black. My hair, or whole body I should say, seemed to give off a ghostly glow, except for the one black spot of hair. My navy-coloured eyes were now a glowing bright green. The jumpsuit that was once my fathers was now sort of my own. It was every bit his but in reverse. I was now a duplicate of my father's ghost form. I looked down at my hands again.
"Jack, is everything all right down there?" I heard my grandmother shout as her shadow spread near the stairs.
"Oh no," I muttered, touching my face. "What do I do?" I looked over at my friends in confusion and they just returned the look. "What do I do?" I panicked. Just then red rings appeared at my waist and separated across my body turning me human again. What just happened.
"Jack, is everything okay? We heard you scream and is the Ghost Portal working?" she said in shock. I turned around and faced them.
"Uh, yeah, it just needed a couple of minutes to warm up," I said, "It surprised me so I screamed." I looked at my friends for help but they looked just as frightened as I was. "…with joy?" My grandfather slapped me on the back with a giant smile.
"Be glad you witnessed it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity you know," he said proudly.
"Tell me about it," I muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," I answered quickly.
"Jazz and Danny will be so excited," my grandmother mused in front of the portal. The topic got a bit uncomfortable when my father was mentioned.
"Uhm…we'll be up in my room doing homework if you need us," I trailed off unnoticeably. I looked at my friends to follow me. We quietly snuck into my room.
"What are you going to do?" Diana asked me as soon as I shut the door.
"Well I can't tell them," I told her, putting my arm against a wall and leaning against it. Without warning it turned intangible and I fell on the wall with a thud. I quickly pulled away and looked at my arm, which turned tangible once I looked at it.
"Then tell us what you're going to do, you can't hide it forever and you look too much like you're father," Keith explained to me.
"You can't control your anger, let alone ghost powers," Diana backed him up.
I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose.
"I can't tell them right now, look at what just happened. The Ghost Portal just turned on after 14 years and they think we had nothing to do with it. What do I say? What do I do? How do you think they will react, let alone my mother?" I asked them. They just stared at me blankly.
I sighed, "My father never told them about his secret ad he wasn't even the person who told them. My aunt Jazz told them he had ghost powers after they thought Phantom blew up," I looked at them pleadingly. "It'll be a giant mess and-"
"We totally back up whatever you do, we just want to know your plan," Diana said. I gave them a confident smile before pounding my fist into my palm.
"Here's my plan so far," I told them. "Hide my ghost form until my dad comes and prevent the ghosts that come out of that portal to take the town. Until, you know, my dad comes."
"Nice plan," Diana said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.
"Oh, like you could do better Diana," Keith told him off.
"By 'nice plan' I mean, didn't Danny Phantom already use it?" Diana asked.
"All we have to do is wait this out until he drags his lazy butt back to Amity Park and stop this again. Then I can tell everyone and we can move on with our lives," I explained.
"That sounds simple," Diana said.
"It's supposed to be simple, and it shouldn't take too long either based on the sound of it," Keith remarked.
"It's effective immediately, so be prepared for some butt-kicking ghost-stopping action," I told them, punching the air.
"Going home," Diana said.
"Me too," Keith followed her out.
"Uh, yeah, rest up for the…action and I'll stay here, waiting for the…action," I trailed off awkwardly.
*Please Read*
This is the pilot for a series of fanfictions I have written. However, I have planned on making said fanfictions into a comic. My deviantART account name is listed below if you have any notes or questions or comments please contact me. (I have no life) Thanks!
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