The Third Generation Part 1: JJ
Chapter 1
Jack Aloysius Fenton Jr., JJ for short, woke up on Friday around four in the morning. Checking the time he immediately started stretching. He did this every morning for 15 minutes ever since he was 6 and started being trained in martial arts. He was the fourth best in his weight class. After he was done stretching JJ started doing leg lifts. After 300 leg lifts he did 75 Guillotine pushups, followed by knuckle pushups, and finally regular pushups. He then lifted his legs and using only his arms did 40 Planche pushups. After his pushups JJ did 300 sit-ups, followed by 150 calf raises, and finished with 115 squat thrusts.
JJ was sweating but ignored it as he headed for his family's training room. Thanks to his Dad, Jack Phantom, being the heavyweight MMA champion as well as a superhero, they could afford to build a training room in their house. JJ was the only one their and got a heavy staff off the wall. JJ started his various staff forms and kata from his Dad's style, Shaolin Kempo Karate. By the time he was finished, Jack came in and saw his son finish a particular complex kata. "Well done. Next time, stay on the balls of your feet, your sole touched the ground for a second. In a fight, your opponent could have taken advantage and gotten you."
"Got it, Dad," JJ said, then redid the kata. "Perfect," Jack congratulated, then got his own staff and started his own kata. While he did this, JJ started on the staff forms of his Mom's style, Savate. Once he was done he moved on to nunchuku, then dagger, and sword forms. JJ's Mom April then arrived and started doing her own forms. JJ moved on to the empty handed moves of both martial arts. It was around seven that he was done and headed for the shower and to get ready for school.
After getting ready he ran out in time to see his siblings Cooper and June get in June's car. JJ got in the back and they drove off for Charles Woods High. The three of them separated and headed for their classes. JJ's first was International Literature. They were studying the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, namely Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Mr. Woods had everyone read passages out loud and then examine it for themselves. It intrigued JJ, the idea of an 'over-man' that was essential to the plot. He took his notes diligently then headed for his second class, Geology, when the bell rang.
Mrs. Hernandez had them all examine the various rock specimens she brought then draw pictures of them, and try to identify them. JJ managed to identify four of the twenty specimens from memory as quartz, onyx, moonstone, and one that was actually concrete. When he pointed it out Mrs. Hernandez congratulated him, she didn't think that anyone would get it. The rest he identified with his Net-Textbook on his phone. Mrs. Hernandez assigned the class to bring a sample of rock to class tomorrow, and a list of observations they made about it.
The bell rang and JJ headed for his third class, Algebra. All they had to do for this class was take notes. Before they went to lunch Mrs. Lee assigned them to take more notes, and read three chapters from their Net-Textbooks. On the way to the cafeteria JJ saw one of the lacrosse players push a freshman down. "Watch it, noob!" The lacrosse player, JJ saw it was Tyson Banks from his dyed green hair, yelled and acted like he was about to use his foot to drive the point home.
JJ got between them and said, "Back off Tyson." JJ used a neutral tone, and remained completely calm. Tyson looked like he was about to punch him, but JJ wasn't worried. I am one with existence. There is no self, only existence. He had cleared his mind of all identity, and showed no fear, or anger, or any negative or positive emotion. Tyson looked cowed and backed off, saying, "You're a creep, Fenton, you and your whole freak family." JJ ignored him and helped the freshman up. "You alright?" "Y-yeah. Wait a minute, you're JJ Fenton; you're Brawler!" The freshman excitedly said; using the superhero name the media had given him.
"That's what people tell me," JJ said. "Where you headed?" "Lunch," the freshman said. "Name's Rudy, Rudy Redfield." JJ shook his hand and said, "Your parents must have hated you." Rudy chuckled and said, "It's after my Grandpa." "I understand that," JJ said as he and Rudy walked to the cafeteria. "What did you do to that guy to make him stop? Some ghost power thing?" JJ chuckled, "No, it's an ancient martial arts technique, The Gateless Barrier. I erased my identity within my spirit and mind, making myself nothing. You feel nothing, and can't hit nothing; so he stopped."
Rudy was mystified then JJ said, "My sister June thinks that what happens is that my body language doesn't show bloodlust or fear, the two emotions that need to be present to fight, so they instinctively back off." Rudy let that sink in as they got to the cafeteria. JJ and Rudy got their food and separated. JJ went outside and spotted the girl he was looking for, Stacy Cao. He sat beside her while she finished her lunch. "It's good to see you," she said. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," JJ told her. JJ quickly ate his lunch and saw she was reading an e-book on her phone.
"What are you reading?" he asked her. "One of your Grandfather's biography's, the one your Grandmother wrote. He sounds like such a…a…" "Goofball? Klutz? Idiot?" JJ suggested. "Human," Stacy said. JJ smiled at her and said, "Of course he sounds human, he IS human after all." "Not completely," Stacy said. "People are too caught up in the 'half-ghost' they forget he's also 'half-human'," JJ said, "It's why he retired, he couldn't keep up anymore. A human can't fight almost daily for over 40 years without health problems. He got slow."
Stacy looked him square in the eyes and asked, "Then why do you want to be him?" JJ looked into her eyes and said, "Because the world needs heroes." "Does it? Or do you need to be a hero?" Stacy replied. That question hit JJ hard. "You've already done so much, you stopped 34 burglaries, 57 muggings, 12 rapes, and 2 bank robberies since you were 14," she said. "They haven't stopped. Criminals are still out there, just before school started June and Cooper helped seize over 1300 pounds of drugs. They won't quit, and neither will I," JJ said, fire burning in his eyes that briefly glowed green.
Stacy put her hand on his and said, "You're not all powerful, you have to stop. After school, come see me at the skating rink." Of all the girls to fall in love with, why did I have to choose her? Stacy looked at him, waiting for his answer. JJ swallowed and said, "Okay, after I'm done with my homework." Stacy nodded and the bell rang for them to head for their final class, Spanish. They held hands as they headed for the room.
Chapter 2
It was around 5:30 when Stacy and JJ reached the skating rink. The whole time JJ was conflicted. He didn't want to lose Stacy; of all the girls he'd met she was the only one who treated him as a person, not a superhero or a celebrity. But he knew that somewhere in the city of Rangeville, Nevada someone needed help. He could be there helping them, instead he was on a date. It ate at him so much he started to feel nauseous. Over 81,000 people, any one of whom might need his help. Stacy snapped him out of it when she suggested they get drinks.
"I need green tea, in a bad way," JJ told her, he needed it to soothe his stomach. She went to the machine to get their drinks, and JJ sat down at a table. He cleared his mind and tried to meditate to calm down before he threw up. Stacy arrived with his tea and he sipped it slowly. "What are you doing about the Halloween party coming up?" she asked him. "I don't know. I considered just going as myself, but that's a waste of energy. I might go as something else, maybe a comic hero."
"I'm going as Armor, from X-men," Stacy told him. JJ took a moment to imagine her in an X-men costume. "I thought she was Japanese." "You know how many people know the difference between Chinese and Japanese people from looking at them?" Stacy said. "Good point," JJ admitted. After he finished his tea Stacy dragged him to the skating rink. "Oh no, that's asking too much," JJ told her. "Come on, I already got your skates, and tea," she told him.
"Yeah, but who's going to help my dignity?" he asked, whenever he skated, he always fell flat on something. Last time he had bruised his shoulder. "Oh this is rich, Danny Phantom's grandson, afraid to skate," Stacy joked. Ouch, "Alright, just once," JJ said as they got in the rink. After five minutes, nature took its course and he fell on his butt and slid ten feet before stopping. Stacy skated circles around him before helping him up. "Just relax already. You're too tense and over-thinking it." She helped him up and held his hand as they skated around the rink together.
"I can fly over 200 miles per hour, lift 140 tons, beat guys twice my size, but I can't skate," JJ lamented, glad that his skin tone didn't show him blushing. "You need to let go of everything, just focus on skating," Stacy told him. "I can't. I try to forget, but it's like a bad rash. No matter how much you ignore it, it still itches," he told her. "Then try that meditation thing you do, 'The Gateless Barrier.' Let go of yourself, just act on instinct," she said as they continued skating. JJ swallowed and cleared his mind like he had earlier that day.
Before he knew it he was skating beside Stacy, all by himself. "See, you can do it," she said. They continued to skate like this for another hour before her phone rang. Stacy checked it and said, "We gotta go, my Dad's calling." They got out of the rink and got in her car and drove off. They got to her house and hugged each other goodbye then JJ started walking to his house five blocks away.
Halfway there he heard a scream. JJ pounded his fists together, white rings flowed over his body turning his eyes green and changing his street clothes to a sleeveless black jumpsuit with red belt, boots, gloves, and JP symbol on his chest. JJ flew in the direction of the noise and saw three big guys hassling a woman with two kids. "HEY! BACK OFF!" JJ yelled at them as he floated down. One of the big guys with a grey horse tattoo on his right arm said, "Back off freak, this don't concern you."
"This is my city, and no one breaks the law and gets away with it in my city!" JJ said back, making his eyes glow to get the point across. The two other guys pointed guns at him and said, "EAT THIS FREAK!" JJ quickly made an ecto-shield, stopping the bullets. Not wanting to give them time to reload, JJ phased through the first guy with the tattoo and kicked one of the others in the solar plexus, taking him out of the fight. The second guy tried to punch him.
JJ redirected the punch then hit him in the throat, taking him out. He turned to see the third about to stab him. JJ redirected the stab then grabbed his opponent's arm and hit his elbow with his other hand, breaking it; then following it up with an open-handed strike to the temple, knocking him out. JJ turned to the woman and said, "Are you alright?" The woman nodded while her kids looked at him with awestruck wonder. "I can take you to the Police Station and so you can report this, send these guys to jail for a long time," he offered.
The woman swallowed and said, "Okay." JJ focused his ectoplasmic energy to make a bubble around the muggers then said, "I'm gonna have to carry you there." The kids got big smiles while their Mom looked nervous, "Don't worry, I'll fly slow." The woman gave her consent then JJ picked her and the kids up and focused to make the bubble holding the muggers follow him as he flew to the Police Station.
As soon as he got there he let the woman go and picked up the still knocked out muggers and took them in. He walked up to the front desk and said, "I need to report an attempted mugging." The officer on duty looked up and saw him carrying the three guys and their victims behind him. "Put them in the cage, you know the drill," he told him. JJ put the muggers behind bars and stayed their while the woman made her statement. The officer on duty wrote everything down and said, "You're free to go as soon as you escort Mrs. O'Toole and her kid's home."
"Got it," JJ said, and he walked Mrs. O'Toole and her two kids home, then flew up into the sky to start looking for other crimes.
Chapter 3
JJ woke up the next day and went about his usual training and exercises. His Mom and Dad slept in that day; he trained alone before getting ready for school. Nothing exceptional happened that day until after Geology. He saw Tyson Banks shove a kid into a locker. JJ got between them and said, "Leave him alone, Tyson." JJ entered The Gateless Barrier again, Tyson glared at him and JJ didn't respond. I am nothing, there is no 'self' only existence.
Tyson growled, "You wouldn't be so tough without your ghost powers." JJ exited The Gateless Barrier and let Tyson see his rage, "I don't need ghost powers to beat a coward, Tyson." Tyson Banks paled when he felt JJ's utter contempt and rage, all directed towards him, and backed off. Nothing else noteworthy happened until around Lunch time. He saw Stacy there, looking frustrated. "What's wrong?" he asked her. Stacy sighed and said, "It's nothing." "Are you sure?" JJ asked, getting concerned now. "Just drop it," Stacy told him. "But-" "Drop it." she said again.
What's going on here? JJ took a deep breath; he had to drop it, for now. "Okay, moving on. You ready for the Spanish test?" "Tu papá es un gorila excesivamente musculoso, y tienes cuestiones," she said. "Ouch! Eso fue demasiado cerca de la marca," JJ responded, and she laughed. "Me gustaba patinar contingo anoche. Espero que podamos hacerlo de nueva mañana." "¿Quire decir eso?" she asked him. Before he could answer in Spanish the bell rang. As they walked to Spanish class he said, "I do."
After Spanish JJ called his parents to tell them he was going on patrol. He went Ghost and flew off after saying goodbye to Stacy. Around six he took a break to find someplace to eat. "Hey, JJ!" JJ looked to see his brother, Cooper, flying next to him, his afro hair swaying in the wind. Cooper had a short sleeved black jumpsuit with green belt, boots, and gloves and CP symbol on the chest, and a backpack. "You know someplace to eat?" JJ asked. "Have you tried home? Seriously, it's been forever since you've eaten dinner at home," Cooper said.
"I'm working. Soon as I'm done eating, I'm back on patrol. What's in the back pack?" JJ said. "Our weapons. Mom sent me to give you your Gauntlets, Boots, and Jack O' Nine Tails," Cooper said. Cooper handed him his weapons then looked where they were. "There's a shawarma place nearby, we can eat there," Cooper suggested. "I thought you already ate," JJ said as they flew to the restaurant. "I always have room for more," Cooper said. "That's why you'll never get a six-pack, you eat too much," JJ said as they turned human and went in. The restaurant wasn't too busy; they had their food soon and were out in about ten minutes.
"I think that cashier girl likes me," Cooper said before taking a bite of his shawarma wrap. "Only in your head," said JJ. Cooper took time to savor his food while JJ wolfed his down in five minutes. "Hurry up, Coop, we're on the clock." "Sheesh, take a minute and enjoy life already. You seriously need to get laid," Cooper said, though he did start eating a little faster. "Thousands of murders around the world every day and you want me to get some!?" "You can't change that, no one can," Cooper said. "I know that. But I'm not going to sit by when I can change something. If I save at least one person tonight, I can sleep easier," JJ responded.
"We have power, Cooper, power that no one else can imagine. We are obligated to use it to help those who don't have power. It is our duty to change whatever we can for the better." "Not at our own expense. There's a reason that Dad, Aunt Chloe, Uncle Jerry, and Grandpa Fenton are all happy. They took time from ghost fighting to have a life. Let's face it JJ, a fichus has more of a social life than you," Cooper said. JJ was about to say something when his and Cooper's Ghost Sense went off. "Showtime!" Cooper yelled as he and JJ went Ghost and saw a giant bear ghost flying around.
Cooper built up and ecto-energy ball and blasted it at the bear, getting its attention while JJ focused his ectoplasmic energy to make a maul hammer. JJ swung and hit the bear over its head, knocking it back. The bear ghost roared at him and fire sprang out of its mouth. JJ quickly blasted his ice ray from both hands to counter the fire. Cooper blasted a ghost ray at the bear, distracting it and allowing JJ to get his Ghost Gauntlets on while Cooper flew around, letting the bear chase him.
JJ flew over and gave the bear a one-two combo and Cooper blasted it a third time with an ecto-energy ball, knocking it out. Cooper sucked it into his Fenton Thermos and said, "That was awesome!" JJ shook his head and flew off to look for anyone who needed his help after taking his Gauntlets off. Around 11 at night he saw some suspicious characters enter a warehouse. JJ followed them and phased into the warehouse after turning invisible.
He followed the guys in, all of whom carried briefcases and wore some nice looking suits. One that was tall, at least 6'6" looked like their leader as he went over to another group in the warehouse. A more average sized man with large hands walked over to the tall man and said, "Are you sure this is safe, Ramirez? We lost a lot of product in this state thanks to the teens that live here." "If you mean the Phantoms, don't worry, I have taken appropriate measures. What I want to know is why you haven't dealt with them yet." The shorter man with big hands looked angry as he said, "They're SUPERHEROES for Christ's sake, real live goddamn SUPERHEROES! They can phase through damn near anything, can lift up tons, TONS, and shoot lasers out their hands.
"We don't have anything to fight THAT!" the short man yelled. The tall man, Ramirez, said, "As I understand it, they have a human mother here. I have sent men to deal with her."No you don't! "You're all under arrest!" JJ yelled as he made himself visible. "SHIT! The short man screamed while the rest of them started to unload some Uzis at him. JJ went intangible and waited for them to run out, then flew down and made a staff with his ectoplasmic energy, "Give up now, scum."
Ramirez looked at him then got a ghost blaster out of his coat, "Who are you calling 'scum', freak." JJ looked the man in the eye and said, "You gangsters are nothing but school bullies with guns, and a bully is just a coward with more meat on his bones." Ramirez looked angry at that one and fired. JJ quickly blocked it with an ecto energy shield then ran forward, creating more shields that were destroyed with each blast of Ramirez's ghost blaster. JJ closed the distance and jabbed Ramirez in the solar plexus, stunning him while JJ flew around taking out gang members right and left. Ramirez tried to aim at him as the last gangster was defeated, only for JJ to blast a ghost ray at him, knocking him out.
JJ got his phone out and called the police. "This is Deputy Phantom, code-name Brawler. I have suspicious activity at the warehouse by Rachel and Crow Street. Need someone to help clean up here." "Copy that Brawler, sending units to you now." JJ gathered the gang members together and waited for the police. When they arrived JJ gave his statement and flew back home to sleep.
Chapter 4
The next day was a Saturday. JJ got up and spent fifteen minutes stretching. He didn't go through his usual exercises because on Saturdays his parents tested him and his siblings' martial arts by sparring. He needed the energy to spar. After stretching he went to the training room to see his parents already suited up. His Dad had a staff and his Mom had a baton about the length of a cane. "You ready?" April asked her son. "I'm ready," JJ told her. "Wait for June and Cooper to show first," Jack reminded him.
JJ took a staff and practiced a little while he waited. After ten minutes Cooper and June were there and got there weapons, June took down two batons and Cooper one from the wall. The family then put on all their sparring gear and got into position. They all stood there, Jack and April on one side, their kids on the other. No one moved for who knew how long, waiting to see who would make the first move.
April sprang at JJ who quickly blocked and counter attacked. April leaped over the attack as Jack took on June and Cooper together. For five minutes it went like this until Cooper came to his brother's aid. April nimbly dodged and blocked her sons' attacks and even managed to counter attack several times. JJ then left to go after Jack. Jack took his attacks in stride and kept him and June on the defensive with his furious attacks. June went to help Cooper after a while, leaving Jack and JJ to go at it. Father and Son fought with all their skill, but Jack was the far more experienced fighter and quickly had him on the floor, ten seconds later April did the same to Cooper and June.
Everyone was covered in sweat and Jack said, "You're all getting better, especially you JJ. But, you're focusing too much on using your strength still, you need to use more speed, less power." "And June, you need to stay on the balls of your feet more. You're better than last month, but you're still on your soles too much," April said. "And Cooper, you need to work on your cardio more, you need more stamina," Jack finished. "Got it," the three teens said.
April and Jack smiled as they got their gear off. "I think we can go out for breakfast today, what sounds good?" Jack asked. "There's a new waffle place over by the movie theater," June suggested. "Sounds good, any objections?" Jack asked. No one said anything, and they all got showered and dressed and headed for the new waffle place, Momma Jo's. They got there and got a table quickly, one of the perks Jack got for being the World MMA Heavyweight Champion. "Drinks?" the waiter asked. "Water with lemon," Jack said, "Water, no lemon," April, "Sweet tea with lemon," ordered June, "Chocolate milk," Cooper ordered, "Green Tea," JJ ordered, and the waitress went to get their drinks.
"So, June, how's Bradley? Haven't seen him around lately," April asked. "He's doing fine. He hasn't come by since my grades have been getting better, but we're still together. I've gotten him to join Carol, Sean and me in basketball. He's getting pretty good." "Can't believe you're still dating that nerd," Cooper laughed. "Hey, he's smarter than you, and a lot sweeter, and cuter-" "And a good kisser," Cooper finished, making June glare at him.
"No fighting at the table," Jack warned as their drinks arrived, "Alright, Coop, let's hear about you and Alicia." Cooper gave a big smile, "We're so good. Oh yeah, we're on the high hog. Just last week she suggested I see her at Lover's Rock next Saturday." "Just remembered, you're on patrol next Saturday," Jack said, and Cooper just looked at him in shock at the betrayal. June and JJ just laughed at the look on his face then the waiter came and asked, "Alright, what will it be today?"
"I'll have the chocolate chip waffles," Cooper said, "I'll have the Bacon Omelet Special," said Jack, "I'll have the regular waffles, side of eggs over easy," April said, "strawberry waffles," said June, "I'll have the Hungry Son special," JJ ordered. The waitress took their orders and left. "That's a pretty big meal, JJ," Jack said. JJ shrugged, "I feel hungry today; I think it's because of that gang at the warehouse last night, fighting them then sparring this morning has me hungrier than usual." "Speaking of more than usual, you and Stacy are spending more time together," April commented.
"Yeah, I…don't know if I like it. I want to do stuff with her, but every minute I'm with her, I'm not out helping people. It's driving me crazy," JJ said. "JJ, you need to take time for yourself. You won't do anyone any good if you burn yourself out," Jack told him. "But Dad, every night I see more and more crimes happening. I stopped 58 muggings, 34 burglaries, and 12 rapes. And that's just this year alone. They aren't stopping, so I can't," JJ said. "You need to take breaks from it. You are having an effect JJ, crime has actually dropped since you, and June, and Cooper started going on patrol and fighting regular crime. There are 30% less violent crimes being committed than before you guys started. You need to take a break, especially today," April said.
"I am, today. I'm seeing Stacy at the skating rink this afternoon." "And do what, talk? A three legged dog skates better than you," Cooper said. "Stacy's teaching me to skate better," JJ said, glaring at his brother. "Whatever. Is she even your girlfriend for real, or do you just date her out of pity?" JJ just glared at him and let his eyes glow green when the waitress came with their food. JJ ate in silence while everyone else chatted. After breakfast they went home and JJ walked to Stacy's house. He was happy that even though people knew who he was, they didn't bother him.
He chalked it up to people not expecting a superhero to just walk down the street, when he could fly. This is crazy, I should be patrolling, looking out for people, not going on dates! His stomach started to get queasy, and JJ looked around and went into a convenience store. He bought a bottle of green tea and left. She's the most important person to me…I can't think like that! The greater good! Damn it, why did I have to fall in love?! JJ focused his senses, looking for any crimes. His senses weren't as great as his Dad's, or his cousins, or his Grandfather's, but it was more than humans could boast. About a block away from Stacy's house he heard something, "Alright, we gotta get this product out tonight! The Phantom punk got Ramirez, last night; we gotta get the rest out of here and salvage what we can."
JJ focused and looked for the speaker by taking a back alley. White rings passed over him, turning his eyes green and replacing his clothes with a black sleeveless jumpsuit with red belt, boots, and gloves and JP symbol on his chest. He went invisible and followed the talk. "Where did Tyler say to take it?" "The old theater by Kinsey Road." JJ flew faster and soon found the speakers. JJ made himself visible and said, "Give up now, and I'll go easy on you."
The two men pointed ghost blasters at him. JJ flew up and zigzagged, letting them waste the guns energy before he flew down and knocked them out with some kicks to their heads. He looked into their truck and found a lot of drugs inside in plastic wrapping. JJ put the thugs in the truck and lifted the truck and flew it to the Police Station. The officer on duty was flabbergasted when he saw JJ and the drugs. He gave his statement and then flew off.
When he got to Stacy's house he went back to his human form and knocked on the door. Mrs. Cao answered; she looked surprised to see him. "Stacy! JJ's here!" Stacy's younger brother David poked his head out and chanted, "Stacy and JJ sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Stacy came out blushing, "Be home by 4," Mrs. Cao told her. "Got it," Stacy said as she and JJ got in her car. "Your Mom looked surprised to see me," JJ commented as she drove to the skating rink. "Well, this is the first time you came to my house in forever," Stacy pointed out.
"Touché," JJ said. "Oh, crap, I forgot my purse, and my wallet," Stacy said as they reached a stoplight. "I got it covered, got enough to pay for skates, and lunch," JJ told her. Stacy let out a breath as the light turned green and they went. "You look a little tired," she observed. "Mom and Dad had me, June, and Cooper spar against them today, exercise and training is one thing, but actually having to use it is another. Still haven't landed even a single blow on either of them."
Stacy laughed a little, "Are you surprised? Your Dad's been training since he was six; and your Mom since she was 9. They're in a whole other league from you." "I know, but I thought that I could at least land one hit on them. By the end Dad and I were going mano-e-mano, and I barely blocked his attacks. All I could do was block by the end, and he still took me down." JJ shook his head, "Maybe this is what happens when you only fight weaker opponents. None of the scum I've had to deal with was close to my level."
"Or, maybe you just over think things too much and need to learn to relax," Stacy said as they got to the skating rink.
"That's why we're here," JJ said as they got in. He ordered their skates and started skating. JJ did better than he did Thursday, but he still fell on his butt. Stacy helped him up and they stuck together skating around the rink together. JJ looked up through the clear window on the ceiling when a shadow fell over the rink. "Holy Crap!" He saw a plane coming down, smoke coming from its wing. "Go," Stacy said as JJ went Ghost and phased through the ceiling.
JJ quickly caught up with the plane and saw by its angle that he had to raise it. JJ phased into the pilot's cabin. "-DAY, MAYDAY, WE'VE LOST ENGINES 3 AND 2 CONTROLS ARE NOT RESPONDING!" "PILOT!" JJ yelled, "DO WHAT YOU CAN, I'LL TRY TO FIX THE ANGLE OF DESCENT!" Without further ado the young halfa phased out of the plane and grabbed the bottom of its nose and pushed up as hard as he could. Damn, this thing is too heavy! JJ concentrated and made an exact duplicate of himself and they both pushed. Still too much! He concentrated harder and made a second copy and the three of them pushed as hard as they could. The plane started to decline less, but he could tell that it needed to be raised just a little higher.
JJ concentrated and begged the Powers That Be to let him make one more copy. He never made more than two before. He groaned as a third copy appeared and he pushed the plane up with all his might. The ground came closer and closer, he pushed harder and harder. Just as his foot touched the ground JJ went intangible and watched the plane drag on the desert ground after five minutes it stopped and he flew down and went into the plane. "Is everyone alright?!" he yelled. The passengers and stewardesses all had a few bruises but no one was seriously injured.
JJ leaned on the wall a little as he absorbed his copies. He went up to the pilot's cabin and said, "I'll get somebody up here, keep everyone on the plane till then, alright?" "Y-yeah…how are we still alive?!" the co-pilot yelled. "I pushed the plane up so that it wouldn't crash as hard into the desert. We're about 50 miles away from Rangeville." JJ told him then flew back to the city and notified the Rescue Personnel about the plane. He was with them as they helped people out. News vans come and took pictures of him as he went about his business.
JJ left rather than give an interview and went back to the skating rink. He saw Stacy waiting for him. "Are they all alright?" she nervously asked. JJ gave an exhausted smile and said, "Yeah, everyone's okay-" He forgot what else he was going to say when she all of a sudden wrapped her arms around him and kissed him hard enough that he felt it in his teeth. He hugged her back and kissed her, forgetting everything else for a few minutes, just enjoying this moment with the girl he loved.
Chapter 5
The next day was Sunday, which to JJ meant that it was the one day that he had to be on his A-game. He went through all his exercises, and went to the training room and went through all the numerous kata, kempos, and techniques he knew. He then took fifteen minutes to stretch and become as flexible as he could. He came out of the training room and saw his Dad. "We need to talk," Jack told him. "Is it important?" JJ asked. "Yes, very important. Come on," Jack told his son as he went Ghost. White rings went up and down Jack Fenton's body, turning his black hair white, brown eyes green, and his clothes became a black jumpsuit with green belt, boots, gloves, and JP symbol on his chest.
The two halfas went intangible and flew off; Jack led his son to City Hall. "What are we doing here?" "The Mayor wants to give you the Key to The City in a ceremony tomorrow for saving that plane yesterday." JJ stopped flying. Jack turned to him and looked at him with pride, then saw that JJ didn't want it! "What's wrong?" he asked him, concerned. "Do I have to do this? It's just a publicity stunt, it doesn't help anyone, and it's a waste of time," JJ said. Jack crossed his arms and said, "You really think I didn't think this through? While you accept the Key to The City I'll be out there protecting people. You deserve a break."
JJ sighed, he hated not helping people. Even when he knew that other people could do his job, it was HIS JOB. Ghosts showed up only like three times a week on average in Rangeville, human crime was the main thing he fought against. He wasn't in it for the glory, it was his job. And they lived in one of the worst places crime wise in the U.S. The Police were practically begging for his family's help. "Give me a minute?" JJ begged. Jack checked the time, "You got ten minutes," then flew to City Hall. JJ took his phone out and called Stacy, "Hi, JJ. Can't see you today, going shopping with Mom today." "That's not why I called. Don't freak out, alright?" JJ told her. "What's wrong?" Stacy asked him, concerned. "I'm going to receive the Key to The City tomorrow," JJ said, and heard Stacy gasp in surprise.
"JJ, I'm so happy for you. You earned this so much-" "I don't want to do it," he told her. "What?!" Stacy exclaimed, barely keeping her voice below a yell. "How can you NOT want this!? This is the city's highest award!" "It's just a large paperweight. And I could help more people by not going," JJ said. Stacy just sighed and said, "You don't know anything about people. You think that you just saving them is enough? It's not; people need to know that you're out there helping them, and this will help them know that." He couldn't think of an argument against that.
"Okay, I'll accept it. Thanks Stacy…I love you." "I love you too," she said, and they hung up. JJ flew to City Hall and spotted his Dad waiting for him. "You ready?" Jack asked him. "I'm ready," JJ answered, and together they went into the Mayor's office. Mayor Li was about mid 60's, average sized, of Chinese/Korean heritage. His smile was pretty big, his face almost looked like all teeth as he shook Jack and JJ's hands and asked them to sit down. "This is a great day for our city, Mr. Fenton. You and your children's efforts have greatly reduced the crime rate in our city, and it is about time you were rewarded for it. Fifty years ago no one would have thought that superheroes would be possible.
"And now, here I am, sitting with two of them." "I always figured that life always throws curveballs, you gotta look out for them," Jack said. "Too true, too true; now," Mayor Li turned to JJ, "no doubt your Father has explained that I will be presenting The Key to The City to you tomorrow. Now, that will involve some things. First, you need to tell me now if you have stage fright." "I'm not afraid of standing in front of crowds, sir," JJ said. "Good, good, now, I will be standing first. I think that it will help if you were to stay in your Ghost Form when accepting the Key, and maybe you can fly to the stage too, just to give the People a little show."
Great, not only will I be wasting time, I gotta showboat like Cousin Ivan! "Got it," he said, keeping his annoyance out of his voice and off his face. "Now, people will expect you to say a little speech, nothing much, just tell them how honored you are to receive the Key, a few other comments blah blah blah, answer a few reporter's questions and we're done." "I see. Arrive, say some stuff, and go back to doing my job," JJ said. "That's basically it. I'll declare tomorrow a holiday and that's basically it," Mayor Li said. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," JJ and Jack shook Mayor Li's hand and walked out of City Hall.
"This won't be that bad son. You earned it, think of it as a vacation," Jack said as they left. JJ sighed and said, "I know, but I can't help but feel like it's a waste of time. There are thousands if not millions of violent crimes around the world. I know I can't stop the ones elsewhere, but I can make a difference here, when I'm out on the streets, taking the fight to the scum." "JJ, you're not in this alone. There's a reason you don't fight that many ghosts. That's what I do; I fight most of the ghosts that show up. And June and Cooper are helping you too, don't forget that. And you have made a real difference, just check your fan mail sometime and you'll see," Jack told him, speaking to him not like his son, but like a man.
"Okay, I'll do that later today, but I gotta do some things first," JJ told him. He then went Ghost and flew off, heading for Lover's Rock. He knew Cooper, if he couldn't have some action next week, he'd accelerate his plans. Sure enough he saw Cooper's girlfriend Alicia's car. He floated down and looked in a window to see Cooper put his hands under her shirt. JJ knocked and they excitedly looked to see him. "Give me ten more minutes will ya!?" Cooper yelled. "No. Say bye and come on, this is more important," JJ told him. He heard the two lovebirds in the car give several impressive curses directed towards him but just stood there and waited for his brother to come out of the car.
Cooper came out and said, "Damn it JJ, I was this close!" "Chew me out later; this is more important than that. I need your help," JJ said. Cooper shut up right then and there then turned to Alicia, "I'll see you later." Cooper went Ghost and the two halfa brothers flew off. "You know where June is?" JJ asked. "Basketball court, over by Center Street," Cooper said, and they headed in that direction. They watched as June in a sports bra made a slam dunk to see her friend Marilyn grab the ball and start dribbling as June's boyfriend Bradley struggled to keep up. "Hey Sis, JJ needs ya!" Cooper yelled down. "See you guys later," June said to her friends as she got her shirt on and went Ghost. White rings went up and down her body turning her black hair white and hazel brown eyes green while her clothes were turned into a long sleeve tank top half sky blue and half white with one white glove and one sky blue glove and pants that were white with sky blue highlights and sky blue boots.
The three of them flew over to the roof of a building and June asked, "What's this all about JJ?" "I need your help. I, I'm taking a vacation today and tomorrow, and I was hoping that while I'm doing that that you can take over for me." Cooper and June looked at each other, then at him. "You never take vacations. Ever. What's going on?" June asked him. "I'm receiving The Key to The City tomorrow for saving that plane yesterday. Today, I'm going to get a speech ready and read some of my fan mail. Can you help me, please?" He asked them, nearly begging them. He couldn't do this if he didn't know that Rangeville was safe.
Cooper and June stood there for a second, then hugged him, "You can count on us, bro. You just get ready to get that Key." June assured him. JJ hugged them back and said, "You have no idea how much this means to me," then the three heroes flew off, JJ for home, June and Cooper to protect the city.
Chapter 6
JJ floated over the podium where he was going to receive The Key to The City. He was invisible, and waiting for Mayor Li to get on it. For once his stomach wasn't bothering him, between June, Cooper, and his Dad Rangeville was totally safe while he was waiting. There was a sizable crowd gathered, he could just make out his Mom and Stacy in the crowd. His Mom was wearing a fancy purple dress and Stacy was in a green dress that looked plain by comparison. The woman on the balcony finally said, "I present to you, our esteemed Mayor," and Mayor Li finally got up on the podium.
And now to see how long his speech is, "Citizens of Rangeville! Today is a great day in our proud city's history. Thanks to the ceaseless efforts of our heroes, our brave police officers, our tireless doctors, and our fearless firefighters, we have experienced one of the brightest years in Rangeville history. But today, we honor another hero; a hero who was blessed with great power; a hero whose actions have spoken louder than any words; a hero who has earned this prestigious award hundreds of times over. "People of Rangeville, I give you, BRAWLER!"
JJ rolled his eyes as he became visible and unleashed some of his ectoplasm in a short but attention grabbing burst. The crowd cheered as he floated down, giving a smile as he landed on the podium. JJ waved and waited a few minutes for the crowd to quiet down. The Mayor then turned to JJ and said, "As Mayor of Rangeville, it is with great pride that I give you this, The Key to Our Great City, in recognition of your efforts you have contributed to our city, above and beyond the call of duty." Mayor Li handed him a large box like the ones for rings, opened to reveal a large gold key. JJ accepted it and stepped up to speak.
"Thank you, Mr. Mayor," How corny can I get!? He then turned to the crowd gathered and said, "Really, I am just one part of a larger effort. My efforts are meaningless without the support of our great Police Force, and the Doctors who care for the injured. I-" JJ was cut off when he saw a woman stand up. "Die, Freak!" she screamed as metal armor tore apart her clothes and she blasted at him. JJ quickly raised an ecto-energy shield that shattered and yelled, "EVERYBODY RUN!" The crowd dispersed and ran for it.
JJ quickly made a more solid shield and kept the assassin's attention away from the people, "You couldn't shoot straight if you had glasses!" The assassin's laser blasts increased, forcing him to stop and stand his ground. Damn! That suit has power! JJ quickly flew up, dodging lasers and throwing his shield as hard as he could. The assassin dodged the shield and a jet pack came out of her back. She flew up, blasting the whole way. JJ dodged as fast as he could and blasted with his own ghost rays. A few hit the assassin, who seemed unaffected. He flew towards her, she kept on firing. JJ made another shield and flew fast, bashing her down with it.
The armored assassin blasted him hard, sending him flying away. JJ just stopped when he saw the assassin still coming. Gotta take out those guns, JJ quickly made a spear and threw it; the assassin dodged it, giving him the opportunity to hit the gun on her right wrist. "You're dead, do you hear me! Dead!" the assassin screamed through her helmet as the armor's shoulders unleashed a missile that headed straight for a nearby Hospital. "NO!" JJ yelled as he flew to get the missile. The assassin took advantage of the distraction to blast him three times, sending him plummeting to the ground.
HELL NO! JJ turned invisible and flew as fast as he could. The missile screeched for the Hospital. JJ got close and pushed the missile upwards, barely preventing it from hitting the Hospital, only for it to blow up, sending him once again plummeting for Earth. He hit the ground hard; a regular human would have been pulped by the impact. JJ turned human. He looked around as he tried to get up, he was near a playground. "It's Brawler!" one of the kids excitedly yelled, and they rushed to see their hero. "Stay back!" he yelled as he spotted the assassin fly near.
"Kids," the assassin said as she flew down to the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground the kids started throwing rocks at her. "I hate kids," the assassin calmly said as she pointed her remaining gun at them. The kids ran but one tripped as she fired. "NO!" JJ screeched as the kid got caught in the blast. "This is what happens when you try to be a hero," she said as she walked up to him and pointed her gun in his face. JJ looked at the face behind the helmet as it smiled. He quickly grabbed the arm pointed at him and pointed it skyward. The assassin punched him in the chest; a wet crack came from it. She then slapped him away with a backhand to the face, knocking out two of his teeth.
No, I can't die; the kid needs a hospital…his vision got blurry. There are too many people depending on me… time seemed to slow down to a crawl.
I can't die, I can't die! I CAN'T DIE! JJ somehow stood up and looked at his opponent. His head felt like it was about to explode. The assassin raised her gun to his head. Just let me save the kid! JJ concentrated, praying for a miracle. He went Ghost once more and ducked just in time then tackled his enemy to the ground and started pounding on her helmet. He started making dents when she pushed him off and aimed her gun at him. JJ blasted a ghost ray with all he had, destroying the gun. "AAAHHH!" the assassin screamed as the gun exploded.
JJ took the chance and put all his remaining power into his fists and punched as hard as he could. Every blow dented the armor as he kept on going. Before she could counterattack he thrust his arms forward and grabbed the armor. "RRRAAAAHHHHH!" he roared as he tore pieces of the armor off the assassin, leaving her in a black bodysuit. She didn't stop and drew a knife. JJ let it stab him through the hand then knocked her out with a cross to her temple. Police arrived and he handed her to them, "You need a doctor." One officer told him.
JJ ignored him as he went to the kid that the assassin blasted. He was so tired, so sore. He felt his vision dimming again as his adrenaline wore off. The halfa picked up the kid and flew to the nearest hospital. He blacked out as he crashed through the door.
Chapter 7
JJ woke up in the hospital. His ribs were wrapped up, so was his left hand. "JJ!" he heard his Mom yell as he woke up. "Wh- wh-" he couldn't talk, his throat felt like sand. April took a glass of water on a table next to him and let him sip from the straw. "What happened?" he asked. "I called your Dad as soon as I could, but then several giant ghosts came out of nowhere and delayed him. I called Cooper and June but they were also fighting ghosts. By the time they were free you were already in the Hospital." "What about the kid?" JJ asked.
April sighed, and said, "He's fine now; he had a concussion and a broken leg. His name is Mark Coulson, he's healing fine." JJ let out an exhausted, and painful, breath, "I'm going to be here for a while, aren't I?" "You had a Grade 3 concussion, a fractured skull, and four broken ribs, along with the fact that a knife went through your hand, the Doctor's say you'll be here for at least four months," April told him while a doctor came in. April left to call Jack. "Is it true Doc? I'm here for four months?" the Doctor shone a light in his eyes and said, "I'd say that you can leave in two months, but I would suggest that you not do any exercise or strenuous activity for another two after that. But, you are a half-ghost, you might be out sooner."
The doctor then had him follow his fingers and answer a few questions, "You seem to be recovering, no loss of basic motor function or memory. Most people would still be in a coma." "How long was I out?" JJ asked. "Three days," the doctor told him. "I brought a kid with me, Mark Coulson. Can I see him?" The doctor did a few more tests before saying, "I'll need to ask your parents, and you need to not strain yourself. Even if you are part ghost, it'll take a while for you to heal properly." Ten minutes later JJ was being pushed on a wheelchair to the room where Mark Coulson was being treated.
"You sure you want to do this? You need your rest," Jack told him as he pushed his son along. JJ's ribs hurt as he said, "Yeah, I just want to see if he's okay, then I'll go back. It's gonna suck not going anywhere." "Look on the bright side, you can finally work on relaxing, and you have a lot of fan mail to read. Your e-mail is flooded, same with the Post Office." JJ knew that most of the recent ones were probably sympathetic 'get well soon' cards. He had a lot of little gifts in his Hospital room.
The reached the room and saw Mark, he was about 9 and was drawing on a piece of paper. His left leg was all wrapped up and his parents were watching him. Jack knocked on the door. Mr. and Mrs. Coulson saw JJ and Jack and enthusiastically let him in. "Brawler!" Mark said; he looked excited. JJ smiled and said, "I just wanted to see how you were doing." "The Doctor said that I have to stay here for another day; then I can go home," Mark said. "You're lucky; I'm stuck here for two months at least. That bad guy really did a number on me," "You still got him, right?" "Yeah, I got him," JJ said. "Can you sign my cast?" Mark asked him, he looked like it would be the greatest thing in the world for him.
Mr. Coulson gave JJ a marker and he said, "Only if you'll sign mine." Mark happily nodded and he signed Mark's cast and Mark signed his. As they left Mr. Coulson said, "We can't thank you enough, the Doctor said that if Mark had been a minute later, there would have been permanent brain damage." "I was just doing my job," JJ told him as Jack took him back to his room. Inside was June, Cooper, April, and a man in a suit. When JJ and Jack got inside the man in the suit showed a DEA badge, "I'm Agent Simmons of the DEA. I know who attacked you three days ago." "So, who was she?" JJ asked as Jack and April helped him onto his Hospital bed.
"Her name was Clarice Stakow, she was an assassin who worked for an organization known as the Grey Marauders." "Never heard of them," JJ said. "When you captured a man, Vincent Ramirez, you noticed he had a tattoo on him, correct?" "Yeah," "That was a sign of his position in the Grey Marauders. They started out doing low key dealing in France, and they stayed under the radar until ten years ago. INTERPOL believes that they are now the largest drug ring in the world, even the Mafia and Triads don't bother them," Agent Simmons explained.
"How come we never heard of them before?" Jack angrily asked. "They never did anything this big before. Like I said, they stayed under the radar for years. Most of what we know is based on speculation and rumors. We now believe that they will start targeting your family. That drug shipment you two," Agent Simmons pointed at June and Cooper, "intercepted was their drugs. The loss of that shipment combined with the capture of Ramirez moved you to the top of their hit list. We would like to put you in witness protection."
Jack and April looked at each other and then nodded, "That won't be necessary. We won't hide from them." June, JJ, and Cooper all nodded. "They're bullies, Mr. Simmons. They want us to hide, to look scared. I'm not scared. They want to take a crack at us, they can try. We aren't afraid," JJ defiantly said. He didn't care how big or powerful the Grey Marauders were, they were just a bunch of bullies. Smart bullies, but they were still just bullies. Agent Simmons sighed and as he left said, "I hope for your sakes that nothing happens to you. We'll be in touch." JJ watched him leave and thought to himself, I'm not giving up. As soon as I can, I'm taking the fight to the Grey Marauders.
To be continued in: The Third Generation Part 2: June