Danny Phantom: Black Heart
By
Jaq O'Diamonds
I Own Nothing! Nein!
Chapter One- New Guy In School
"Hello, class. Before we get started, which I am sure you are all extremely eager to do, we have a new student. Let's all give him a nice warm welcome, and let him introduce himself. Mr. Winchester?" a bald-headed man with a goatee says, turning to a slightly tanned green-haired and Mediterranean-blue-eyed teen in grey denim jeans, skater shoes, a red plaid unbuttoned long sleeved shirt with a grey undershirt, and a blackish stone with weird blue-green carvings on it hanging around his neck.
"Uh, hi, there. The name's Sean Winchester. Just moved here from out of state with my uncle, and I hope to fit in pretty nicely, compared to my last school." He says with a killer smile that makes several of the female students blush.
"Thank you, Mr. Winchester. How riveting. Is there anything else you'd like to share?"
"Uh, I guess? But, if I can ask, you seem a bit… unenthusiastic, for a teacher. Any particular reason, Mr. Lancer?"
"Oh, well if you must know, it's because my reasons for becoming one have all been unjustified in the 20 years since I started. Now, as you were going to say?"
"Oh, sorry. Anyways, um, I like music, cooking, and reading. I also like to write. Poetry, especially. Umm, and I love older horror movies, like the Hammer Films Dracula, and stuff. Is that strange?"
"No, not at all. Hopefully you'll be different from all these other ne'er-do-wells. Now, you may have a seat."
"Thanks. Any particular seat you want me to take?"
"Yes, the one next to young Fenton on the left. He's the one in the red and white shirt with black hair."
"Gotcha. Thanks." Sean says, walking there with his book bag and skateboard.
"Hey, the name's Danny, nice to meet you." The teen says, before both of them breathe out a sliver of air, Sean's being grey and misty, and Danny's being cold and blue.
"You, too?" Sean says, comprehension on their faces.
"Yeah. Why are you here?" Danny asks suspiciously.
"My uncle decided to take a while to relax from the business he has going, and he loves the paranormal, so this was the best option for both. Listen, we can talk later, but right now we have schoolwork to do." Sean answers, taking out his notebook and a pen, writing down notes.
Two Hours Later….
"So, now that we're alone, do you mind telling me how you got your powers?" Danny says, him and Sean standing outside of the school.
"Honestly, I don't know. All I know is that I was found by my uncle on a boating excursion thirteen years ago floating in the ocean during a storm with no memories before that, and that since then I've been able to transform into a spook of some sort, as well as sense paranormal phenomena. You?"
"I accidentally got blasted by my parents' ghost portal. Since then, well… Do you know if you ever heard of the name Vlad Masters?"
"Not sure, but the name sounds familiar… Where have I heard that name before… hmm. Well, might as well let that go. No point in forcing it, right? Anyways, where do you guys go to eat? I just moved here last week, and I don't often get a chance to hang out with people."
"Oh, we go to the Nasty Burger. Don't worry, though, the food is delicious."
"Cool. Say, are you the son of the famous, or infamous, to some people, Fenton ghost hunters?"
"Yeah, kind of Ironic, huh?"
"Yeah. Do they know?"
"No, actually. Kind of scared to tell them, what with all the talk of dissecting ghosts atom by atom, and all that."
"Oh. I see. My uncle knows, but he's pretty accepting of it. He was kinda scared when I first told him, but he quickly got over it."
"I see. Want to come over to my place? We can show off each other's forms in the Ghost Zone."
"Sure. Kinda been anxious about doing heroics in another guy's territory, but you seem like a pretty cool dude."
"Oh, no problem, dude. You can take some of the heat off of my back, while you're at it."
"What are you two talking about, Danny?" a new voice asks, startling Sean, while Danny recognizes his friends Tucker and Sam.
"Hey, Tuck. Sam. We were just talking about our similarities, you know? He's like me, but he can't remember how it happened."
"Wait, so the new guy is… That's so cool!"
"Tell me about it. The name's Sam Manson, and this is Tucker Foley. We're his best friends. So, you're another Halfa?" She asks.
"What's a Halfa?"
"What Danny is. It's what the Ghosts call him." Tucker answers cheerfully.
"Oh. In that case, yeah, I guess I am. Nice to meet you by the way. Sean Winchester."
"Winchester? As in the famed technological tycoon Chuck Winchester's nephew? The guy who made all of my gadgets? The one who is Sam's parents' bu-mmmph!"
"That's enough, Tucker. He doesn't need to know that." Sam interrupts, putting her hand on his mouth.
"Yeah, but it's no big deal. He's just a normal guy, when you get to know him. He's kinda fun to hang out with. Just don't watch b-rated horror and sci-fi movies around him. He loves to 'Riff' on them, as he calls it. And Sam, I don't care about you being rich. Neither does my uncle."
"Noted. Now come on, guys, let's get going. We're gonna show off our forms in the Ghost Zone. Wanna come? My parents are at a convention right now, and my sister already knows about me." Danny says, easing the tension.
"Cool. By the way, do you know anywhere I can get my amp replaced? Mine blew out during a jam session a few weeks ago, and not being able to play my 68 Fender strat has been killing me, you know?"
"Yeah, I hear ya, dude. Living without my tech would be devastating. There's a place on 6th and Boston called Jimi's Music that has some pretty good stuff. You should check it out." Tucker says sympathetically.
"Thanks. If you want, I can introduce you to my Uncle and see about getting you as a tester for some prototypes he's working on."
"Wait- Really?! That would be awesome, dude!"
"Just don't get your hopes up. He might say no. He is pretty secretive, after all. But I'll ask."
"Thanks, man. This is awesome!"
"Yeah, yeah. And I know what you guys are probably thinking. 'Oh, he's just trying to buy a friend, cuz he's rich' or something. Trust me, I've heard it before, among other things. And no, that's not why I'm doing this. I'm just a nice guy, who happens to have a tech tycoon for an uncle, and you guys seem cool. So, please, treat me as you would anyone else. Although, you might wanna be prepared to be showered with attention from associating with me. My name is pretty well-known among media outlets, after all, being his only heir."
"Thanks for the heads up."
"Hey, Sean Winchester! Can I speak to you for a minute?" a voice yells, causing the group to turn to it, only to see an attractive Latina walking towards them.
"Speak of the devil, and he will come." Sean mutters under his breath, before looking towards the others questioningly, the others sighing in annoyance. "Uh, sure, I guess?"
"We'll catch up later. See you, Sean. And good luck."
"Thanks. Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about, miss…?" Sean asks, studying her in-depth.
"Oh, my name is Paulina Vasquez. You're the new guy right? Quite a handsome one, if I do say so. Anyways, I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out later? Guys like you could fit in a lot better with my friends and me than with Fenton and the others."
"Thank you for the compliment, but I already said I was going to hang with Danny and his friends. Maybe some other time, though." He says, with a strained smile, not liking what he notices about her.
"Oh, um, sure. Anytime. Nice to meet you."
"It was a… pleasure, to meet you too. Have a nice day." He says, walking away without another word.
A FEW MOMENTS LATER…
"So, what's up with that Paulina? Seemed pretty snobby, to me. Shallow, too. Like the only thing she has going for her is her looks." Sean says, having caught up with the others.
"Thank you! That's what we've been trying to tell Danny all this time!" Sam says in agreement.
"Yeah. So, what did she want? Probably tried to get you to ditch us for them, right?" Tucker asks, Danny sulking in embarrassment.
"Bingo, although she was slightly more subtle about it. Like point-five percent. But I told her some other time, perhaps. Left without saying another word. She tried to flirt with me, too. Didn't help her. Anyways, are we almost there?"
"Yeah, Sean. We're here. Welcome to Fenton Works. Come on in. My sister's in, so might as well introduce you to her." Danny says, unlocking the door and letting everyone inside.
"Danny, is that you?" a female voice asks from a couple rooms away.
"Yeah, Jazz. Got a guest with me." Danny says, causing an older girl with long red hair to rush out of the room and head to them.
"Oh, who's this? He looks familiar. I know I've seen him somewhere before."
"Hi. The name's Sean. Sean Winchester. Probably came across a news article that had a picture of my uncle Scott and me in it."
"Oh! That's it! Your uncle's the founder and CEO of Winchester Technologies! Nice to meet you! Big fan of your uncle's work!"
"Thanks. Nice to meet you, Jasmine, I assume is what Jazz is short for?"
"Yeah, but please call me Jazz. More casual. So, what brings you here?"
"He's a Halfa, like me, Jazz. We're going to the Ghost Zone to show off a bit." Danny says.
"Oh. That's pretty cool. How did you become one, Sean? Does your Uncle know?"
"I don't know, and yes, he does. And to answer your next question, my uncle found me on a boating trip in the ocean with no memories, and I've just been able to change ever since."
"Oh. That explains why he has a nephew but no siblings, or in-laws." Jazz says, contemplating it all.
"Now, let's get to the basement. The portal is down there, along with the Spectre Speeder."
"What's that?"
"A vehicle designed to allow normal humans to travel through the Ghost Zone without any real danger."
"Ah. Ok. Sounds cool. Let's go." Sean replies. The group immediately heads downstairs, and Sam, Tucker, and Jazz get into the speeder, while Danny just transforms.
"Well, Sean? What are you waiting for? Transform!"
"About that. Guys, I need to tell you something. I have two forms, not counting human. First is the one I use most, which I call Paradigm, which is kind of the 'Light' side of my spirit form, and then there's Paradox, the 'Dark' side. If you guys ever see me turn into him, Run. Away. Seriously. He's not a good guy. And once he gets going, it's almost impossible to stop. As it stands, he's my last resort when fighting. Luckily, I haven't been forced to use him that much, yet. Anyways, I just wanted to warn you about that. You sure you want me to change?" he explains hesitantly.
"Well, I guess so." Danny says.
"Ok. Let's go. Paradigm Shift." Sean says to himself, before a white mist appears, swallowing him before dissipating, leaving only a specter dressed in glowing silver armor with a blue hood hiding his face in shadow, except for his glowing eyes, which shine white from the darkness.
"What do you think? Pretty epic, huh?" Sean says, his voice like liquid steel.
"Yeah. Pretty sweet." Danny says.
"What's wrong?" Sean asks, noticing the expression.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just envy you a bit. Your form is so much more awesome than mine, and I just wonder how you became able to turn into it. Anyways, let's just change back. We can show off some other time. Gotta do some homework, you know?"
"Yeah, of course. Wait- now I remember! He was the guy that hired my uncle to make a hologram of a woman named Maddie! That's where I heard the name Vlad Masters. To be honest, it was kind of sad… and creepy." Sean says suddenly, causing the others to burst out laughing. "What? What did I say?"
"Nothing. It's just exactly what I thought when I found his lab, and saw that thing. That was a hologram of my mom."
"What? Are you serious? That was your mom? And I'm assuming the guy hologram was your dad?"
"There was a hologram of my dad? …. So that's really weird. Anyways, I gotta do some homework. I'll see you later, Sean." Danny says.
"Same here, Danny. It was nice to meet everybody, honestly. Have fun with homework!" he laughs, the others chuckling as well.
Half an hour later, Sean arrives at home and takes his shoes off, his socks slightly dingy from wear.
"Hey, Sean! You're home! How was your first day of school?" a middle-aged man asks, sitting in the living room on the couch, watching a movie that looks to be from the 70s.
"It went well. Made a few friends, got a chick after my bones unfortunately, and I believe that's all I can tell you. How were things on your end, Uncle Scott?"
"Same old, same old. Watched a couple cheesy movies, unpacked a few things. That sort of stuff. What do you want for dinner?"
"Hmmm. How about some burgers?"
"Sounds good, kiddo. By the way, I saw a couple friends of yours today. They seemed surprised that we moved here, too. Kinda excited to see you after all these years, I believe."
"Who were- no…. Please tell me Gwen isn't one of them. Please!" Sean begs, hopelessness setting in at his uncle's expression of amusement and pure sadism. "Damn it. Can you at least tell me Izzy isn't here, too?"
"I could, but I'm not good at lying."
On the outskirts of town a deer is drinking water from a stream, when suddenly a scream of pure agony is heard from out of nowhere, causing the animal to get startled and run away.