Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Charles Babbage, or his Difference Engine.

Extended Summary: AU. The year is 1895. While the Spiritualist movement flourishes, two inventors build a Ghost Portal as an attempt to bridge the gap between science and religion. Their son, Danny, is caught in the midst of it all, and in an accident with the Portal, becomes half-ghost. To finance his dream of becoming the pilot of his own airship, Danny "Phantom" poses as an entirely human ghost-hunter, ridding buildings of supernatural phenomena for a small fee. As he realizes that the ghosts are mainly coming from the Portal, he abandons his occupation and begins the life of a hero. With Danny Phantom's ghostly nature coming into public awareness, and with the new sport of ghost-hunting on the rise, life as a half-ghost vigilante becomes more dangerous than ever.

Author's Notes: For those of you following "Deadly Things," this is the story I mentioned in the author's notes at the end of chapter six. Now, this has never, ever been done before. Ever. I checked. No one has ever written a steampunk Danny Phantom story - at least, on this site. I am so glad to be doing this, because I feel like this is just something new and exciting for people to read. And why not have a steampunk Danny Phantom? DP's already technically sci-fi, the technology is there, and the Spiritualist movement was a big deal during the Victorian era. Death was accompanied by so many Victorian superstitions, especially where ghosts are concerned. I just hope you guys like it.

A brief history lesson. Charles Babbage was a real person. He really did invent a Difference Engine, but it never recived the funding for him to complete it. The Difference Engine was basically a Victorian computer, but - of course - since it wasn't finished, we never benefited from it. The quote in the story was actually from Charles Babbage. The blueprints for the Engine were eventually found, and a Difference Engine was constructed for a museum. It was an amazing device. Yay, Babbage!

Now, a brief stint on steampunk. Steampunk is like cyberpunk, only Victorianized. It plays off of a lot of "What if?" factors - in many cases, "What if Charles Babbage finished his Difference Engine?" Steam technology is predominant, accompanied by gears, clockwork, copper, and brass, and the technology is typically what the Victorians did not actually have at the time, like jet packs and time machines. Steampunk can be set in the Victorian Era, or it could be in the present or future, too, so long as the present/future is still Victorianized. Basically, steampunk is really Victorian sci-fi, and technology is always, ALWAYS a huge part. Steampunk can also play off of supernatural, dystopian, and utopian themes. Two examples I particularly love are Boneshaker (Now a part in the "Clockwork Century.") by Cherie Priest because I adore zombies, and Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series. If you want to learn more, look it up. Steampunk is marvelous.

Chapter One
The Fantastical Ghost Machine

Spiritualism, some said, was an ungodly movement. The souls of the dead were judged based on Earthly behaviour, and then were subsequently sent to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory, as was the common belief. The talk of so-called "mediums" contacting spirits residing in a "spirit world" or on Earth was absolute rubbish – a hoax, a con, a mass case of fraud – to some, yet many flocked to séances. Ghosts were in vogue; their popularity was undeniable.

The existence of ghosts was much more questionable. While one should have thought that matters beyond the grave concerned religion alone, scientific inquiry began to delve into matters of the spirit. It was no surprise – in that day and age, technology seemed to be the answer to everything, as it could do virtually everything. Things one could only dream of before the "Golden Age" were now possible, and it was all brought on by one man.

Babbage began the work on his incredible Difference Engine in 1822, and completed it in 1853. The Difference Engine was, according to Babbage, "the application of machinery to the computation of astronomical and mathematical tables," which meant that it was a sort of mechanized computer – that is, one who computes. The Difference Engine laid the base for invention and improved scientific experimentation, and by 1870, the Difference Engine began to improve, with heightened accuracy and smaller, more intricate designs.

What was not inspired by the Difference Engine was inspired by Babbage himself; a whole new generation of scientists was created, all of whom wanted to bring about the next great breakthrough in technology. From that generation spawned flying contraptions, jet packs, time machines, and a whole manner of other gizmos and gadgets. Industry vastly expanded, dirigible air trade was at its peak. Many people called the time period "the Golden Age" and "the Second Renaissance."

In 1895, there were two inventors in particular who attempted to breach the gap between science and religion. They boasted a rather unique claim: the invention of "ectoplasm-based technology." This technology was meant for the dectection, study, and hunting of ghosts. Some in the scientific community thought it madness, others thought it a scam, nothing more than the work of two charlatans, and another party thought of ghost-hunting as a new form of sport.

Of course, they were not mad, nor were they charlatans. (Ghost-hunting did seem like it could become a novel hobby, albeit a dangerous one used for the common good.) The two scientists were only scientists – nothing more – who wished to prove the existence of spirits and a spirit realm. They had worked on a similar project twenty years prior with a comrade, and now, they wanted to create their "ghost portal" on a large scale. Improved schematics were drawn, formulas were computed, construction began, and in the end, it didn't work. Scientists ridiculed them, calling the project, "Jack and Madeline Fenton's Fantastical, Unfuctional Ghost Machine."

Then, one day, miraculously, the Portal began to work. No one really knew how or why, but it made headlines. The Fentons received more credibility than they ever had, and their success was more than enough revenge toward those in the scientific community who had jeered at them. The Portal functioned – it was a testament to scientific power, a breakthrough in shining brass, a milestone of the Golden Age.

None knew – not even Jack or Maddie – that their fourteen-year-old son, Daniel, was in the laboratory with his friends, Samantha (who daringly sported the practical, functional, and controversial new fashion of women's trousers) and Tucker, a tinkerer who wished to be a thriving inventor someday.

None knew of their curiosity, which swarmed about the Portal like a fly enamored by jam.

None knew that, as the media swarmed about his parents, the youngest Fenton stowed himself away in his room, suppressing his screams.

None knew that Danny was now noticeably transparent, that he could pass through solid objects, or that he could float in mid-air.

None knew that Danny was frightened to glance in a looking-glass for more than one second, for he feared that he would be trapped inside.

None knew, save Sam and Tucker, who had witnessed his initial transformation. Danny had went inside the Portal, pulled a lever, and was immediately struck by some sort of force – it was like lightning, enveloping the entire entrance of the Portal with a bright, green-tinted light. The light was soon replaced with a swirling vortex, and when Danny emerged – it had to be Danny, though, for a moment, they did not recognize him –, he was incredibly pallid and weak. His hair had turned white as bone, his eyes were now the brilliant colour of undiluted absinthe, and he glowed with a soft, unnatural light.

Danny did not understand why his friends had gawked at him, nor did he understand why they were gazing up at him, or why the floor of the laboratory seemed so far away. Upon understanding exactly why, Danny tightly shut his eyes, wishing for nothing more than for this nightmare to be over, and soon, he collapsed onto the ground. He noticed that his hair was once again dark, that he no longer posessed a strange aura, and that he was incredibly sore.

This was precisely when, in a showcase of impropriety and in an act of desperation to be alone, Danny left his friends to shut himself away in his room, where he could privately go into shock. As he hyperventilated, he realized that this was no dream, nor was it a nightmare.

This is real, he decided. The reality of his situation was made very clear by his hand suddenly disappearing. As much as he felt like a ghost, he felt somehow human as well. He breathed, and, when he placed his hand upon his chest, he felt the frantic, irregular beating of his heart.

Is it possible to be both a human and a ghost? he thought. Suddenly, something rather terrifying occurred to him, something which would make him question the preconceived notions of life and death.

What if I'm half-ghost?

Author's Notes: This chapter has been revised. Why? Because I am hypercritical and can't bloody stop editing my own work. That's why.

Well? What did you think? Actually, my favourite thing about this is the insult, "Jack and Madeline Fenton's Fantastical, Unfunctional Ghost Machine." Yep. So, I named the chapter "The Fantastical Ghost Machine" just because I can. :3

I'm on the fence about continuing this as a story. I wonder if I should make it a collection of one-shots about this alternate, steampunk universe. I do know that there will be one other chapter concerning Danny's feelings over this whole thing. Otherwise, I need to think about it. Imput is appreciated, as are reviews. -hint, hint- ;)