Amity Legacy
Prologue
Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Nickelodeon.
Amity Daily News, page 2, January 3, 1995
Tragedy struck Amity this morning when an (at this time) unexplained explosion took out the building known as Fenton Works. Jack Fenton, his wife Maddie, and their daughter Jasmine were victims of this unfortunate incident. They were declared dead several hours later.
If there is a silver lining, there was but one survivor: Danny, their youngest and only son. Through sheer miracle, Danny was mostly unscathed by the debris and is currently receiving treatment at Amity Blue Ribbon Hospital.
According to an anonymous source, Jack and Maddie had listed one Vladimir Masters (from Wisconsin) as the godfather and guardian of both Fenton children in case anything ever happened to them. A shame that only one Fenton child survived.
Third-person perspective, January 4, 1995
The man's eyes open instantaneously, having been sedated for what feels like days. When he comes to, he looks at his surroundings; a simple, modest bedroom consisting of a bed (which he was currently sitting on), a writing table, and a television set. This was not his room, he determined, given its monotone color (white) and the lack of books.
His name is Norman Masters. A week ago he and his family had been kidnapped by unknown individuals. The obvious question he asked himself was why.
A knock at the door startled him. He turned his attention when the door opened, revealing a meek man in a simple white lab coat and thin, wired glasses. He motioned for him to follow him, and Norman, wanting to understand what was going on, did so.
Exiting the room, Norman came across a large room filled with people in similar white lab coats. At the center of the room was a big man in a black suit. He appeared uninterested and totally disconnected from everyone in the room, and yet he also looked like he meant business.
Feeling a bit bold, Norman walked up to the man; he was barely controlling his anger.
"Who are you? What do you want? Who are all these people? And where's my family!?" Norman inquired.
The man looked up unconcerned, and yet Norman could detect signs of amusement in his posture.
"We've barely met and already you want to get straight down to business? That's good, Dr. Masters, you'll need that approach in the coming days. But we'll get to that soon. First, let me show you something." Snapping his fingers, two other men entered the room, carrying a five-year-old redheaded girl. She wasn't conscious but was evidently alive.
They laid her down, and Norman came to check her condition. Satisfied that she was okay, Norman turned to the big guy, expressing his confusion.
"Who is this girl?" questioned Dr. Masters.
"You don't know? You really don't know, do you? Okay, I'll simplify it for you. Her name is Jasmine Fenton. She is, by most accounts, you niece, especially considering that your brother recently adopted her brother. It's a long story, and I'll let you figure it out later. In regards to your family, they are here as well. If you cooperate with us, then no harm will ever come to them."
Norman narrowed his eyes, frustrated that his family and this girl were being used as leverage in order to force him to do their bidding. "What do you want from me?"
"All in good time, Dr. Masters," the infuriatingly smug man replied vaguely.
Amity Daily News, January 5, 1995
It has been confirmed that Daniel Fenton was adopted by Vladimir Masters a day ago. Mr. Masters confirmed in a (very) brief interview that he taking the young boy with him to Wisconsin.
He (Mr. Masters) refused to go into detail about young Daniel's condition (mental or emotional). One does not have to be a psychiatrist to know that the boy is not "okay."
Third-person perspective, January 7, 1995
She wakes up, her light blue eyes taking in her surroundings. She feels a mixture of fear, confusion, and curiosity. She senses someone to the right side of the bed she is laying on, and turns to the individual.
The man looks to be in his mid-twenties. He has nicely combed black hair, reddish-brown eyes, and Caucasian skin. He's wearing a modest-yet-elegant black suit with a white undershirt and blue tie. He's smiling gently at her, indicating that he's friendly.
"Hello, sir. Not to be rude, but, who are you?" she inquired as politely as she can, with a hint of anxiousness.
"My name is Norman Masters. Although, you can call me 'Uncle Norman,' if you wish." His voice is calm and jovial at the same time.
Her forehead crinkles as she thinks. The name "Masters" sounds familiar. Realization hits her and she brightens. "Are you my godfather's brother?" she asks.
"That I am, Jasmine," he confirms.
Any feelings of comfort as slightly brushed away as worry takes hold of her thoughts. "Where are we?" she asked.
"Do you remember anything before waking up here, Jasmine?" he inquires gently.
"I remember being called to the nurse's office during class," she recalls. "While I was waiting, I felt a needle being pricked into my neck. Not long after, I felt sleepy. That's all." She gasps. "I never came home. My parents and Danny will probably wonder what happened to me!"
Norman's eyes droop sadly. He wanted to break the news to her gently, but given the individual he was dealing with, he decided on a more radical course of action.
He places his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently yet firmly. "Jasmine… your parents died in an explosion in their house five days ago."
"No… no, no, it… it can't be!" she tried to argue reasonably, however, she could not find the right words. Her eyes filling with tears, Jasmine simply wrapped her arms around Norman's neck, weeping into his shoulder. Norman did his best to comfort her and calm her, hugging her and soothingly whispering to her.
After five minutes, she finally looked into his eyes. "What about my baby brother?" she asked firmly.
"Danny is alright, Jasmine," he assured her. "He was adopted by your godfather, so he should be alright." She seemed calmed by this. However, Norman frowned, letting her know that something else was wrong. "I don't know how to explain it to you, but... to the world you also died in that explosion."
Jasmine gasped. She looked horrified. "How is that possible? I never got on the bus, so I never made it back home!"
"I don't know all the details, but they… they found a body that looked just like yours buried in the remains of your home. As horrible as it sounds, I think some… horrible person wanted it to look like you had died along with your parents."
Jasmine panted. Tears were in her eyes again. "Why, though? Who would be horrible enough to do such a thing!?"
Norman cradled her in his arms. "I don't know, sweet, Jasmine." But I will figure it out soon enough, he thought to himself.
Norman Masters' Journal, January 10, 1995
For days now I've been a hostage of an unknown individual, alongside other notable scientific minds and our respective families.
The men in suits who first greeted me are rarely here. They gave me the "gist" of what was going on: the man holding us hostage has a grievance against my brother, Vladimir, and has set in motion events that will eventually see the realization of his plan to destroy my sibling. First was the death of the Fenton family… as well as the death of a "genetically-modified android" made to look like Jasmine. The android was placed there to make it look like Jasmine had died, but in reality the mysterious "benefactor" intends to use the true, living Jasmine as leverage against my dear brother. I felt sick to my stomach. Could it get any worse?
Then I learn some truths about Vladimir and Daniel that our "caretakers" seem to know about. Vladimir and Daniel… they're both half ghost.
Then I learn that the men in suits acquired samples of Danny's DNA. It not only gets worse, but it also gets absolutely confusing! What are they planning? Why take Danny's DNA?
Later they show me scenes from a timeline that once was… you read correctly. They are looking at a time that could've been, where Daniel became a "halfa" much later in life, and my brother was his enemy!
But one thing they are looking at intently is the creation of what they believe is a clone of Danny.
Now I know what they want from me and the other scientists. They want us to create this "clone" and bring her into existence much earlier. It is not clear for what purpose, but it can't be good.
We don't know much from the "historical images," but we do not see the process in which this "Danielle" was created. I tell them one thing I am certain of: Danielle cannot be a clone.
You see, a clone is an exact genetic duplicate of an original person. From what I've seen in the "future that once was," Danielle may share some physical and mental similarities with Danny, but there are enough differences that she is her own person. In other words, she can't be his clone.
One of the suited men seems to understand what I'm saying. He also seems anxious and a little disappointed. He asks me, "If she's not a clone, then what is she?" That was a very good question. The answer holds the key to how Danielle came to be.
It takes me eight hours before I find the answer. I come back and call a meeting with my fellow scientists.
"She's an Augment! Danielle is an augment!" I exclaim jovially.
They all murmur about excitedly, knowing exactly what I was talking about.
For those who don't understand, an augment is a genetically engineered human.
One scientist asks me how she looks like Danny if she is not a clone.
"Augmentation is somewhat similar to cloning," I reason. "It is not unheard of for someone to use the DNA of an existing human to fill in the gaps of an augment."
But why is she female, they asked.
"An augment's gender is determined by the process of creation," I stated. "All you have to do is add an 'X' during the middle of the 'production' phase. Despite sharing a likeness to Danny and few personality traits, she will be a unique individual. So I don't think there will be any issues in using the boy's genetic code."
Norman Masters' Journal, January 12, 1995
Two days after figuring out how we would 'create' Danielle, the men in suits came back. They informed us of further information they gained from the "alternate universe." They went into detail about a girl named Samantha Manson who befriended Danny in that world, and could potentially do so in this world. They had acquired samples of her DNA as well, and they said the man in charge wants us to create an augment with that DNA. Oh, and they also said they wanted the augment to be male.
This provides us with a dilemma. While making a female subject from a boy's DNA was relatively simple, creating a male subject from a girl's genetic code was far more difficult. In this case, we required an "egg donor" from a relative… the relative could be very close or a bit distant in relation; it didn't matter so long as there was some connection between the original and the donor. Also, the relative had to be male. What luck, eh?
Fortunately, we managed to find a relative that fit our needs… he'd been dead for a year already, and he was Samantha's grand uncle. With that, we now had the means to create two augments.
We had very little information from the "alternate universe records," but we were certain that in that "long past world" Danielle was unstable due to growth acceleration. For the most part we wanted her to have a healthy, stable, life. With just the tinniest bit of growth acceleration, we will have a baby Danielle by March.
This has been made possible through the availability of advanced augment technology. In fact, I believe this tech was used to create the long-rumored, unconfirmed super-augments! My brain is awed and excited by the possibilities. Since I'm still an uber-nerd (that, and the fact we have very few limitations in what we can do), I'll take it upon myself to make the best use of the augment science. The boy, whom I will call "David," will be the latest superhuman! Superior strength, superior immune system, advanced intellect, advanced life-span, and probably super-speed! But then I calm down and start to think clearly. Stories about superhumans tell of their volatile aggression, their unhinged ambition, and their highly diminished sense of morality.
Looking at records (actual records) of augments provided by our suited men, the stories were confirmed. Wanting to avoid such issues, I decided I would put emphasis on morality into the consciousness of the boy, David. This would clearly diminish his advanced intelligence (by 51 percent, by my estimates), but I think it'll be worth it. This boy needs to understand the importance of humanity, and he has to be able to distinguish between right and wrong. Some of my colleagues, however, warn that the traditional augment traits will present themselves from time to time. They also assure me that these will be rare occasions. One suggested that a companion could ground him and remind him of his own humanity. The latter part of our discussion is purely theoretical, of course, but scientists can be optimists as well.
Next we discussed Danielle. While David would be a (mostly)-pure augment, Danielle was a different matter. We wanted Danielle to have an advanced immune system, an advanced lifespan, and somewhat advanced intelligence. Everything else about her would be different. She would mostly be a human girl, as well as half ghost; Danny's altered DNA insured the latter result.
What would Jasmine think of this? A part of me knows I'll have to have a discussion with her. All things considered, Danielle will be Jasmine's genetic sibling (and Danny's!). There's so much going on that I'm afraid she might not be able to understand. I need to be there for her. I'll also need to help her understand… because Danielle will need her.
Norman Masters' Journal, January 13, 1995
Phase One of the creation of the augments began at 5:00 this morning. Given the advancement of the augment technology, Danielle should be "born" by March. The other augment (I've taken to calling him "David") will take a bit longer; he should come into existence a measly two days after the girl. Despite the circumstances, I'm quite fascinated by what we're trying to achieve.
Off topic, I've personally taken it upon myself to school Jasmine as she grows older. Taking on the dual role of scientist and teacher certainly is a challenge I look forward to.
Norman Masters' Journal, January 20, 1995
Day eight of augment experiment. We've seen notable progress in the development of the girl and boy; however, we are not attempting to rush them. Such action could lead to the subjects ending up unstable or worse.
Jasmine just finished reading the first half of Frankenstein. She's such a brilliant girl; I have high hopes for her.
Report Assessing Progress of Scientists, February 9, 1995
Progress of augments is coming along smoothly. Under normal circumstances, I might feel compelled to hurry up the scientists; I do not because our benefactor is a patient man, and he's paying us enough to be patient also. The money is well spent.
A minor incident yesterday; we were running out of the necessary electricity needed to power the tech's basic power core. One the scientists managed to fix it in forty-five minutes with no issues; the augments were fine.
Norman Masters has managed to be a competent leader for our band of scientists. His skills are quite excellent. He's motivated, so that could be a factor as well.
We will continue to observe as we come closer to the "birthdate" of the augments.
Norman Masters' Journal, February 15, 1995
Jasmine has been interacting with my children lately, which is good; it gives her time to build on her social skills. She gets along with my girls, Emma (already three years old) and Laurie (Jasmine's age). She's also interacting a lot with my oldest son, Nicolai. They have discussions about "Frankenstein" and about how the monster was as fallible as the creator. They're quite mature for their age.
The "super-children," as I like to call them (calling them augments has become tiresome), are coming along splendidly. The technology has proven invaluable.
I know that their creation in this new world was the result of some vile plot, but… I'm going to make certain that they'll have a life and a purpose that's greater than what's been intended.
Norman Masters' Journal, February 18, 1995
I've kept Jasmine in the dark for too long. Today is the day I pull the rug from her eyes… or whatever the phrase is.
I walk her with me to the lab, and once we enter the first thing we see is a baby in a cylindrical tank filled with liquid. She's developing really well, but still needs more time.
I kneel next to Jasmine, who I suspect is very inquisitive. "Jasmine," I say, and my eyes focus on the tank. "This will be your new baby sister, Danielle." She looks at me confused. I take the time to explain everything as best I can.
Once I've finished, I look into her eyes. She appears to understand. She walks over to the tank and looks on with awe and wonder.
I come to her side. "Despite what some may think, she's as human as you or me. She's as real as anyone else." I pause briefly. "She'll need both of us, but you most of all. You can be the big sister that she'll need as she grows up. So, Jasmine, are you up for it?"
I look down and she looks me in the eye. She smiles, but I can also see firm determination in her eyes. She looks back at the girl in the tank, and she decides. "Yes I am."
Norman Masters' Journal, March 3, 1995
The Big Day has finally come. Danielle is finished developing. We gently take her out of the cylindrical tank and drain the liquid out of her lungs. The process of cleaning and drying takes less than five minutes. Eventually, one of the scientists – in a state of motherly emotion – takes the child and dresses her.
Jasmine comes in wondering about her new baby sister. "Is she here?" she inquired. "Is she healthy?"
Holding the little wonder, I look down at Jasmine and smile tenderly. "She is, dear Jasmine. Would you like to hold her?"
She nods happily, and handing her the little bundle, Jasmine can't help but rock this newborn back and forth and speak to her.
"Hey there, baby girl. I'm your big sister," she cooed lovingly. "I don't care how you came into my life. I'm going to look out for you for as long as I can. You'll never be alone, sweet Danielle. I promise." She lightly kisses the baby's forehead and continues rocking it. Later she takes Danielle to her own "temporary room."
I later visit her room and hear that Jasmine was singing to her. Danielle was sleeping soundly in Jasmine's arms. I come in.
Jasmine sees me and smiles. "She's pretty sweet when she's asleep."
I smile down at them. "I think it is time we put your sister in the cradle we set up for her."
"Aw, man, can't I keep hold of her for a little longer?" Jasmine implores.
"Jasmine, it has been two hours now. Danielle needs her sleep."
She grudgingly agrees and hands her back to me. We walk back to the lab where Danielle was born. She notices that David is still in his cylindrical tank.
"When will David be with us?" she asks.
I look to the tank one final time. "Soon," I reply.