A Quick Note: For the purposes of this fic, Clockwork is not omniscient. He can manipulate time and he's rather practiced at calculating possible outcomes, but he cannot actually see the future. After all, the Observants have to be good for something, don't they?

DISCLAIMER: Danny Phantom is property of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon.

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Scars of Time
Part 1

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Clockwork studied the destroyed and long deserted city around him as he waited. The outskirts of Amity Park lay in ruins around him, but still he waited. It wouldn't be long now.

A portal opened in front of the ancient ghost, and it wasn't a moment later before its creator came through the swirling vortex.

"Right on time," Clockwork commented dryly to the newcomer.

Dan gave a surprised start at the unexpected voice, but merely glared in irritation when he recognized the speaker. "What do you want this time, Clockwork?" he nearly growled at the other ghost.

The Time Master shrugged carelessly. "Just the same old song and dance. You know the routine by now," he allowed a wry smile to cross his features before continuing, "I try to get you to see reason. You allow your anger to get the better of you. We end up fighting, and, eventually, one of us is forced to retreat."

"So why do you keep showing up if you know that nothing is going to change for all of your efforts?" Dan snapped out.

Clockwork chuckled without humor. "For the same reason you continue to attempt to annihilate what's left of Amity Park, I suppose. An entirely all-too-futile hope that something will change."

"I will destroy that miserable town, and all of its pitiful residents!" Dan raged, "That infernal shield won't be able to protect them forever. I will find a way around it. And when I do, nothing will stand in my way!"

"And then what?" Clockwork inquired in a bored tone, as if they weren't discussing the mass murder of thousands of humans.

"It doesn't matter!" Dan yelled, the flames on his head flaring up higher, "As long as that accursed town is reduced to nothing but ash, I DON'T CARE!"

"Humans often find it rather unsettling after their life's goal is accomplished. They don't know what to do next. They have no direction afterward. Nothing to drive them onward. Nothing to live for."

"I'm not human," Dan hissed back spitefully.

"You're the one responsible for that," Clockwork stated simply.

"I don't want to be human!" Dan insisted with a snarl, "Why on Earth or in the Zone, would anyone want to be that weak?"

"Weak? I seem to recall Miss Valerie Gray giving you a difficult time the day before last," Clockwork smirked slightly as Dan's expression darkened further, "I believe the wound on your side from one of her shots still hasn't fully healed yet, has it?"

"It was a lucky shot," Dan growled at the other ghost.

"It hasn't been the only time she's managed to get a 'lucky shot' in," Clockwork reminded Dan without apology.

The flame-headed ghost growled at the comment before changing the subject away from the female ghost-hunter. "Why are you here, Clockwork?"

"If you really want to know," the Time Master replied casually, not caring to press the matter of the human huntress, "it's because the Observants are getting anxious."

"The Observants?" Dan questioned blankly before catching on. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Oh, yes. The floating eyeballs. What do they matter?"

"Phantom, it's only a matter of time before they decide you're too big a problem to be allowed continued existence," Clockwork said seriously.

"So?" Dan asked, already completely bored with the conversation about the group of ghosts, "What are they going to do about me? They're a bunch of spineless weaklings that never get anything done because they're too busy arguing amongst themselves to do anything."

"They're the governing body of the Ghost Zone."

"And not one ghost besides yourself and the pathetically weak listen to a word they say," Dan retorted, "The only two reasons they've stayed in power this long is because they're so busy yelling at each other they don't have time to enforce any of their ridiculous laws and all the ghosts are allowed to do as they please.

"The other reason is you. If, by some chance, someone decides that they don't like the way the Observants are doing things—not that they ever actually do anything to begin with—they have you to stop the rebellion before it even starts.

"Face it, Clockwork," Dan snapped at the older ghost, "Your precious Observants are absolutely useless."

"Without some form of government, there is chaos," Clockwork argued back in a calm tone.

"Have you taken even a passing glance at the Ghost Zone lately, Clockwork?" Dan demanded, "The Zone is already in chaos! Those floating gobs of ectoplasmic optic-nerves are ineffective at best!"

"Most of the chaos is directly related to your activities," the Time Master stated.

Dan gave Clockwork a nasty smile full of twisted glee before simply saying, "I know." He paused before speaking again, "I bet I could get those weakling ghosts in the Zone to do whatever I wanted them to, every last one of them. I doubt it would even be that difficult."

There was silence for a moment, and then Dan stretched another twisted smile across his face. "Guess what, Clocky," he said, using the nickname he had given Clockwork long ago with the express purpose of annoying the other spirit, "I do have another goal to complete after I destroy Amity Park."

"And that would be...?" Clockwork inquired warily when the ghost didn't continue.

Dan didn't waste any more time in giving voice to his maniacal plans. "After I'm done burning Amity Park to the ground, I'm going to go back to the Zone and destroy every single Observant before taking control of the Zone myself. No one will be able to stand in my way! And soon, I will have both Earth and the Ghost Zone trembling under my rule!"

"That's insane!" Clockwork exclaimed, momentarily knocked off balance by the sudden declaration, "You'll never get that far, Phantom. Once the Observants see this in the Time Stream they'll send me to eliminate you from existence!"

"YOU!" Dan laughed darkly, "You've spent the last ten years pestering me. You haven't destroyed me yet, and you never will."

"For the last ten years I've been trying to get you off of the destructive path you've been following, not on a mission to eliminate you," Clockwork sighed heavily and lifted his right hand to massage his forehead, "I have been interfering on my own whims until now, but once the Observants get involved you won't be given the chance to fight back anymore. I will be forced to stop time and finish you off once and for all. They may even have me do so in the past in order to reverse all the damage you've already done!"

"Is that so?" Dan snarled more than asked, "Then I'll just have to get rid of you NOW!"

Clockwork barely managed to dodge as Dan lunged at him.

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