The Tempest
Hello again! I'm back from the bottomless pit that is university for a while, and since I promised everyone I'd start posting this this week, I am! Tempest is going to be the last story I write featuring Will Spirit and the gang. Sadly, I don't have time to continue the series and my other stories and get good grades. I'm hoping this will be a good end to the series, though, and I think I've outdone myself in some aspects. I also think this is the shortest chapter by a long shot. The others are longer, I promise!
Before we begin, I'd like to thank Golden Lunar Eclipse and Snickerer for betaing the story for me. You've helped a lot guys! Thanks infinity!
Chapter 1: Home
I do not own Danny Phantom, but I do own Will Spirit, Cathy, Helena, and GEIST.
The crowded and lively auditorium hushed as the tall man of about fifty walked onstage. He paused in front of the podium in the center of the floor space and adjusted the microphone.
"Good evening, and welcome to the third ghost lecture to be sponsored by the city of Amity Park." His voice was authoritative and had a nasal edge. "So far in the series we have discussed the nature of ghosts and ectoplasm, and the basic powers that ghosts have, for which we are indebted to Phantom and Spirit for providing the demonstrations." The man made eye contact with several members of the audience, including a dark-haired teenager sitting in the back with his family.
"Tonight we will continue the series by going over what distinguishes malevolent ghosts from friendly spirits. As you are aware from the previous lectures, ghosts make use of several different colours of ectoplasm, to generate both their bodies and their powers. For good ghosts, the most common colours are green and blue, with purple and pink being the next most prevalent. For malevolent ghosts, the ectoplasm is either green or red, which tends to correspond with the more dangerous types. In addition, fire is a very consistent indicator of a bad ghost, but not all bad ghosts have it."
The man, William Lancer, head of the educational division of the Ghost Education and Information Support Team (GEIST), hit a clicker that he'd taken off the podium, and a moment later a photograph of Danny Phantom appeared on a screen to the side of the stage.
"I don't think I need to tell you that this is an example of a good ghost. Notice how Phantom's eyes are green, as are his ectoblasts and other powers."
He clicked the button again, and a grainy picture of Pariah Dark, the ghost king who had invaded Amity Park two years ago, replaced that of the town's chief protector.
"I trust you all remember this ghost? Good. Notice how red is dominant not only in his powers but also in his clothes. He is also armed, which is another sign of malevolence.
"The good and harmless ghosts tend to obsess about something innocuous, such as dances..." With a third click, a young girl in a medieval gown appeared on-screen.
"Writing..." A pale ghost in a library replaced the girl.
"Or, in the case of Phantom and Spirit, protecting the town.
"On the other hand, ghosts that willfully attack people, state intentions for control, or otherwise seek to cause harm are clearly dangerous. Familiar ghosts of this type are Technus..." With a click, a green ghost in a trench coat materialized on the screen.
"And Spectra." A woman with spiked red hair and a tight-fitting suit replaced Technus, filling half the screen. The other half was taken up with her alternate form, a black mass with glittering pointed teeth and red eyes.
"Be cautious with ghost animals as well. They react more violently than wild animals, and cause more damage. You will find more details on everything in the pamphlets available by the door on your way out, but I've given you the basics already. The most important thing is to trust your instinct. If you want to run, you probably should.
"Now, the next step after recognizing a dangerous ghost is to learn how to protect yourself from them. For this, I would like to call on several students at Casper High, who have prepared a thorough presentation for us. Please help me welcome Paulina Sanchez, Dash Baxter, Valerie Gray, and Tucker Foley." Lancer turned towards stage right and began clapping. The audience took the cue and the four teenagers came onstage. Lancer adjusted the microphone for Tucker, then left.
As Tucker began reading his notes and the others began demonstrating procedures, a woman Lancer's age walked up behind the balding man and slipped her hand into his. They stood watching the performance from backstage for a while before the woman spoke.
"Dani's staying the night at the Fentons. They want to run some tests on her to make sure the stabilization's holding."
Lancer nodded. "Okay. They did say they wanted a checkup after a month. How was she today?"
"Pretty good. She's a bit frustrated with English spelling though. That might be something you want to go over with her."
"All right," the man replied, chuckling. "I think I can understand that. How was your day, Cathy?"
"Fine. Got another package from Matt's lawyer and took it out on the Box Ghost. Met Jazz at the Fentons this afternoon. Nothing much happened other than that." She squinted at the performers again. "Is the Hispanic girl Helena's daughter?"
Lancer looked at Paulina, who was wearing a tight pink shirt that buttoned up the front and a slightly darker pencil skirt. The girl was currently doing a spectacular job of playing Spectra, while Val and Dash showed what do to and what not to do, respectively. He chuckled.
"Is it that obvious?"
The four teens had moved to the end of the stage and bowed to slightly perfunctory applause, so Lancer let go of Cathy's hand and moved back onstage, clapping as well.
"Thank you." He turned back to the audience as the two boys and two girls left the stage. Val was teasing Tucker about something he'd said on stage, by the looks of things.
"Does anyone have any questions?"
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Half an hour later, the doors of the auditorium opened and the townsfolk of Amity Park spilled out across the parking lot, bundling themselves up against the mid-December chill. The sounds of laughter and gay chatter filled the parking lot as neighbours talked about their Christmas plans, and children chased each other between the parked vehicles.
The noises dimmed for a moment as everyone became aware of the snow that had finally begun falling on the city. Then the laughter increased again as everyone who wasn't already in a good mood felt their spirits lift. No one noticed the grey-skinned ghost floating above the city and sending two beams of red ectoplasm into the cloud cover.
A/N: Review! Please review! If nothing else, tell me what the ghost's doing….