The Source
From somewhere in the state of Colorado, Danny Phantom had begun to air once again starting with a season four. Fans were exited to have the show back on and loved the new episodes.
Nickelodeon heard of this and naturally they wanted to sue whoever was airing the new Danny Phantom episodes.
Episodes 54, 55 and 56 were fresh out from the Source. He or she received a letter warning him or her that they had to stop production immediately or face lawsuits.
The war began. The Source responded by releasing episode 57. Nickelodeon sent a lawsuit to the Source. The lawsuit was sent back, with the words address non existent send back to sender.
The fans became aware of the oncoming war and they were worried that the Source would shut down so they went to the location where they thought was his or her working address. They had gone there to protest against the shut down of Danny Phantom.
From somewhere across the street came a paper airplane flying. One of the fan girls picked it up and unfolded it. "There is something written on this! Listen! It says that the producer cannot reveal his or her identity but will not shut down the production of Danny Phantom. The war is on." She handed the paper around. "But why does the address always change?" Another paper airplane came flying from a different direction and another fan caught it.
He read it aloud.
"So that Nickelodeon will not be able to pin point my location." They all looked up at the sky. Partly cloudy skies, no signs of the source of the paper airplanes.
With no signs of where the airplanes came from, no clue to who the Source was and no signs of life the fans eventually went home.
After the release of episode 62, Nickelodeon was enraged and tried to blame Butch Hartman for releasing material that belonged to the cartoon company. More lawsuits tried to find their way to the Source. Butch Hartman went to court but was able to prove that he was not the Source of the episodes. Nickelodeon could not prove he was guilty so he went free.
Episode two revealed that Danny Fenton was a father to a girl named Lilith. Nickelodeon tried to sue but without results.
Rumors began to spread, one of them was that Butch Hartman was secretly involved and that he had an RV that he lived in. Therefore, he could not be sued as he kept moving. Butch heard of the idea and told the Source, the RV idea was added in episode 63. Danny Fenton, Sam Fenton and their daughter lived in a trailer because they were on the run from the guys in white.
Curious fans tried to figure it out, they tried to contact the Source in various ways, they tried to get ahead of the episodes they hired an investigator. The thing was that Nickelodeon had the same idea. Two investigators searching for the same person. That one person watched from the safety of a well chosen hiding spot. Watching the agents trying to track him or her down. Episode 64 had the secret agents trying and accurately failing to catch Danny Phantom and his family.
As the events in the drama surrounding the Source was always put in the episodes, the fans realized that the Source was always watching. Like a hawk. The Source had a pretty good idea of what was going on and therefore easily avoided the eyes of fans and enemy alike.
Again, Nickelodeon tried to sue and this time the government was on their side for theft. It was believed that he or she stole the rights to the cartoon show. They wanted him or her to appear in court. This was added in episode 65. The guys in white wanted to sue the Fenton's for keeping a half ghost within the family.
This time, the Source had nowhere to run, nowhere to turn. He or she had no choice but to show up in court. They wore a hoodie, the hood hiding the face. The sweater was dark grey and the jeans were black. The Source was determined not to reveal name, gender or occupation, nobody could figure out why. It was to protect himself or herself that the Source was doing it like this.
Fans and Nickelodeon alike wondered who the Source was and why he or she was being so secretive. The person was so secretive that the only way they would communicate was to write. So in court the Sources lawyer had to read the notes out loud.
Nickelodeons CEO looked straight at the mysterious Source.
"Why are you continuing the a show that needs to stay cancelled?" A smile broke out on the face of the Source. The white teeth glistened in the little light that reached them. The Source picked up the pencil and scribbled a paragraph.
The paper was handed to the African American lawyer who read it out loud.
"The show was never supposed to be cancelled to begin with. Danny Phantom has a large fan base of both genders, all ages. I have enjoyed the show from the start and like all the fans, I was enraged when you cancelled it. I am not a fan, I am not against the show. I am part of it."
Everyone looked at the lawyer then at the Source. Why did he or she say that they were not a fan when they loved the show? Why are they a part of the show?
The question was asked and a new sheet of paper was handed to the lawyer.
"You cannot handle the truth about me. Just be assured that I love the show, it is me." It did not clear it up but made the Source more mysterious.
"Who are you?"
They heard a soft laugh from the Source. A new paper was handed to the lawyer yet again.
"You cannot handle the truth."
"Why can I not handle the truth? Who are you? Why are you stealing Danny Phantom?"
"I am not stealing anything. You are. You stole the series when you cancelled it. You tried to lock it up and make the fans forget about the greatest show on earth."
"Why won't you speak?" "Are you ready for a truth that will destroy Nickelodeon? Your company will be shut down if I reveal my identity. My voice alone would reveal who I am."
"Throw that imposter into a jail cell and throw away the key!" screamed the irritated CEO. A new paper was handed to the lawyer.
"You can always try, but you cannot hold me. I'm not out to destroy you, only to take what is rightfully mine."
Nickelodeon came with papers claiming that Danny Phantom belonged to them. The Source took one look.
He or she wrote a new message.
"Can you prove that these documents are not doctored?" The CEO looked very surprised to hear that coming from the Sources lawyer. In short Nickelodeon could not prove that the papers were not false and the Source was triumphant. He or she was warned to stop production of face jail time. The Source waved a hand rapidly in front of his or her face. That was such a strange move, but nobody thought much of it. Maybe a bad smell had hit the Sources nose.
Fans of Danny Phantom were worried that they had seen the last episode of Danny Phantom.
Just the opposite. Episode 66 was released, Danny Phantom went to court for not turning himself in. He escaped by having a large fan base.
All attempts to sue the Source was evaded, episode 67 came out. The Source was now a wanted person.
The problem was that he or she did not dress like they did in court when they went out. Nobody knew what they were looking for. The lawyer refused to hand over the notes with the Sources handwriting.
The only thing people knew about the Source was that they were six foot seven inches, but then again stilts were always an option to appear taller than natural.
Episode 68 came out and it continued until episode 70 in which there was a sudden hiatus. No explanation, no word if episode 70 was the final. The Source had mysteriously disappeared.
Nickelodeon felt satisfied. The pesky thief had finally stopped production.
"Now we finally won the war against the Source. Let's just hope he keeps his nose out of our business."
A few weeks later, episode 71 hit the TV stations. Nickelodeon then threatened to sue any TV station that aired their ghostly super hero. As a result there was a long hiatus. Just like when season three was nearing it's end, long weeks between episodes.
It seemed that Nickelodeon had won the war. Fans of Danny Phantom were enraged. They refused to watch anything on Nickelodeon, however there were enough fans of the other shows to keep the cartoon company going.
Then out of the blue came episode 71. It seemed as if the Source had managed to get a TV channel on his or her side. The fans were happy and all was well with the world.
But there was a burning question on everyone's mind. How did the Source get a TV station on their side? And who was this mysterious person?
One brave fan by the name of Emily Barkley decided to find out. She 18 and curious as a kitten! As nobody knew what the Source looked like it was no use to search the crowds, markets or stores.
Instead she hired a private detective to try to find the Source. The detective was however just a decoy. She knew that the Source was always watching. Nothing could ever slip by his or her watchful eye. It had occurred to Emily that the Source may very well be a group of people rather than one person that was keeping the show going. Either way it was enough to make a person think that Danny Phantom was real.
As the detective went one way, Emily headed a different way. She headed to a nearby town that was renamed to Amity Park. It was similar enough to the fictional town and the high school looked a lot like Casper high, only the schools real name was now Amity high. There was even a replica of the Fenton Works, neon sign and op center to complete the building. It looked so real. It was however a fact that the building was used a bed and breakfast. Emily looked up at the neon sign and jumped. There he was! Danny Phantom! She studied him and realized it was an inflatable life sized figure. The eyes had green led lights. The inflatable ghost looked alive.
She continued, all the while she had a strong feeling she was being watched. She glanced behind her. No signs of being followed. People were coming and going, entering and exiting buildings, some were taking pictures of the fake Danny.
She moved a few more steps but had a strong feeling she was being watched. She looked up to see if there were any drones in the air. There was none. She not only felt like she was being watched, but she also felt like the watcher knew what she was doing there.
All other people and their pets were calm, they didn't seem to notice that something was going on. She began to walk as fast as she could trying to lose the spy in the crowd. She headed back to Fenton Works.
She decided that she needed pepper spray in order to continue. She headed home.
She was quite surprised when episode 72 came out and had the same basic plot as the evening was for her. Had it been the source that was watching her?
As she headed out the next day, the Source watched her closely. He or she followed, keeping just enough of a distance so that if Emily turned around that she would not realize who it was that was following her.
This time, Emily quickly slipped into Fenton Works. She just couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched! She hoped that the Source did not have bad intentions. She turned around and felt like she had stepped into the show itself. She almost expected one of the Fenton's to come and greet her. Naturally that did not happen.
Instsead a scrawney man approached. "Hi, my name is Jack Jonson." Emily jumped and turned around. She felt a bit unnerved. She wanted the mystery solved.
"I wonder if you could help me hunt down the Source of the Danny Phantom episodes?"
"I cannot, but I know what you can do get him to come to you."
"Him?"
"Him or her." He brought out a bag of chocolates they looked like ferrero rocher chocolates.
"How are those going to help?"
"Trust me. The Source will come. Bring out a table and put these on the table. People love free chocolate and they will come. So will the Source.
Confused she did as Jack Jonson had instructed. People came and took chocolates and they left. People of all ages. Jack Jonson watched, waiting for Emily to discover the Source.
"This will be on the next episode." Said Mr. Jonson. "I realize that." Said Emily.
"Who is the Source? Is it a person? A group of people?"
"The Source has visited you twice now. The person took three. One the first time and when you didn't say anything then they came back and took two more."
Emily was surprised. The Source was that sneaky? She tried to remember the faces, tried to remember who came back for more.
"Don't worry. They will show up again." Said Jack Jonson. True to his word, the Source did show up again and grabbed another two.
The Source was standing there eating a chocolate right next to her and she was looking at the other people. Her eyes swept passed the Source twice.
"Mr. Jonson, how do I know who it is? The Source could be anyone!" Suddenly three wrappers were put neatly next to her hand. She saw the hand and her eyes went wide. She knew instinctively that the hand belonged to the mysterious Source. Her eyes quickly travelled up the arm and to the face. She dropped her jaw. The person smiled kindly and put a finger to his lips.
The Source had inky black hair, bright blue eyes and looked just like an adult version of Danny Fenton from Danny Phantom. Emily wanted to ask him if he was who he appeared to be, but couldn't find her voice. The young man showed her the wrapper from the chocolate he had just eaten. She glanced at it before her eyes went back to his. He folded the wrapper into a bat and gave it to her before again, putting a finger to his lips and with a smile, left.
"Now don't go ruining the secret." Said Jack. Take good care of that secret and you will have a loyal friend for life. Jack Jonson smiled.
"Can I stay here for a few nights. I want to meet… this person again."
"Sure."
The young man well hidden among the other people, watched Emily as she put out more chocolates and scanned the crowd. Only time would tell if Emily would keep the secret.
The next day Emily came back with more chocolates, and waited for the young man to show up. He was sneaky as a cat, silent as a mouse, he never said a word. Again he was there before Emily knew it.
When she spotted him he smiled. She smiled back. "Are you what you look like?" She asked. The young man just smiled wider and winked at her as he took another chocolate. Now and then again he would wave his hand infront of his face. She wondered why he did that.
The young man stayed for a few minutes longer per visit this time. He made a silly face that made Emily laugh. Suddenly he was gone.
When Jack Jonson was out of those chocolates, she could no longer lure the young man to come up to her. She was not sad though. She now had a new theory that the wanted to tell her friends. Remembering Mr. Jonson's words that if she kept it a secret, she would have a new loyal friend for life, she didn't say a word to her friends. All she told them was that the Source was a good person, and that they would not quit the show.
Her friends wanted to know more, she told them that she would be able to tell them more in due time. Instead of telling her friends she turned to Mr. Jonson who seemed to know what was going on.
"We need to get more ferrero rchers."
"I have to make them but my boss is on vacation. Those were not normal chocolates."
"They weren't?"
"No. they were ghost treats. To us they taste like normal chocolate, but to a ghost they have an irresistible flavor. The Source at the most." Emily gasped and received goosebumps. Her theory that Danny Fenton was real was true! She spoke to Mr. Jonson about it, holding a long conversation about Danny.
Danny was inside the building, invisible. He was floating a few feet above Emily and Mr. Jonson. He listened carefully to what they said. It was when the FBI burst in that he shot up to the ceiling. The FBI demanded that the Source be handed over to them. He or she needed to be arrested.
"Hold on, how can you arrest the Source? Are you sure that its not Nickelodeons CEO just trying to make a scene? Nickelodeon is not the sharpest pencil in the box."
There was an arrest that day, it was not Danny who was arrested but Emily. The FBI insisted that she was the one who was keeping the show going. Emily received the blame and was put in jail after a short trial. She could not prove her innocence.
Danny had to be careful, at the same time that he wanted to get her out of trouble, he was not ready to reveal who he was.
Now that Emily was behind bars, Nickelodeon was satisfied. The episodes would stop. Danny was enraged. He released episode 73, subliminally calling Nickelodeon idiots.
Nickelodeon realized the mistake but did nothing to get Emily out of jail. That night she sat in her cell, her cellmates watching her cry. She was scared and lonely. She wished that she could escape the prison.
She sat as close to the bars as she could, as far from her cell mates as she could. They gave her the creeps. Suddenly the cell mates stared around as if they could sense something was about to happen. They moved to the far corner as if something had entered. Emily glanced at them and jumped when she heard a voice being whispered into her ear.
"Danny Phantom here. You don't belong here at all. Let's go." Emily was startled and looked to her right. She felt a hand on her left shoulder and a hand under her knees. A second later she too became invisible. It gave a funny feeling in her belly, like pins and needles.
This was naturally all over the news the next day. Emily had escaped and needed to be arrested. It was then that Danny went to court. Again with the hoodie and black jeans. This time his intentions were to destroy Nickelodeon. Once and for all.
The CEO was furious.
"Did you release Emily Barkley from prison?" Danny was silent at first.
"I'll reply to the question, this time my intention is to destroy you." He said, not bothering to disguise his voice.
The CEO growled.
"Is that you David Kauffman? I will have you put behind bars!" Danny put the hood down.
"No, you will go to prison. I'm not David Kauffman, I am the real Danny Fenton!"
"Really? Stop this stupid cosplay and tell me your real name." Danny's eyes flashed neon green.
"I am not playing games."
The ring formed at Danny's waist and split into two rings.
"Going ghost!" Said Danny softly. The rings travelled in opposite directions, he was now a ghost, eyes glowing menacingly.
"I warned you, Mr. Gerdly. I didn't want to destroy Nickelodeon but you give me no choice when you lock up an innocent teen!"
Danny took flight, hovering five feet over the stand.
"Now you know my identity. It is I who have been continuing on MY show. Every bit of it is true, I am a father and I am powerful enough to shut you down without using any of my powers." The legs turned into a transparent tail and he flew a lap around the court room.
"So, you have two choices, shut down and pay Emily for the lost time in jail, or shut down and fight me in a head to head battle. Anyone who wants to continue work on Nickelodeon shows will be allowed to, but I'm taking over and you are fired!"
It was no good to argue now that Danny was real. He was not fictional. Nickelodeon was shut down and taken over by Danny. The new name was Phantom cartoons.
The only thing now was a burning question that Emily had. What role did David Kauffman and Butch Hartman have in the creation of Danny Phantom? It would take several weeks before she got the answer. Danny was so busy producing episode after episode, he could not find the time to visit.
Meanwhile, Emily hoped to someday meet the half ghost again, but she was losing hope. She was laying on her bed, she lived with her parents, her mom walked in.
"Emily, I have a job for you."
"Hmmmm?" "Well, there is this man who needs a baby sitter."
"Ok. How old is the kid?"
"She is about nine years old and she has a six year old brother."
"Aw, how cute." Despite the fact that Emily was eighteen, she didn't have a job. She had tried to get a baby sitting job to get some money plus she liked children.
"When do I start?" She asked, sitting up.
"As soon as your ready."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You can start tonight for about three hours if you want to."
"Ok."
"Do we pick up the kids, or do I go over there?"
"First you need to meet them. Their father is coming to pick you up. He should be here any minute." Emily waited for the doorbell to ring.
Instead of the doorbell ringing she heard a knock from somewhere inside the room. She looked around, confused until she happened to look out the window. Danny hovered right outside, smiling.
Emily opened the window and let him in.
"Danny needs a baby sitter. He and Sam are going to go and see a movie tonight, and their friend Tucker is the mayor, so he is pretty busy."
"I'd love too!"
"They are a handful. They're both part ghost, and John is trying to get the hang of his powers. Lilith does try to help but John has his own ideas on what to do with them. Such as stealing cookies." Emily laughed at that. She suddenly wished she too was half ghost.
"Just wondering, what about your parents?"
"Oh, they are on vacation, a working vacation. They went to the Bermuda triangle."
"Ofcourse." He picked up up and flew up into the evening sky.
"Danny, I have a question."
"Shoot."
"What role does Butch Hartman have if you are real? David Kauffman?"
"Well Butch is my agent, and I was a teen at the time and did not have time to do my own voice for the show all the time. So David was called in to mimic my voice."
"I thought Butch created you?"
"Nah, he liked ghosts and when he met me and gained my trust and I told him what had happened."
"Ok."
"He made it into a show, telling people that he created it so people would think that it was fiction.
She held on tight to his shoulders as he flew higher above her neighborhood.
"So when I was giving out chocolates, and you kept waving your hand in front of your mouth, was that you trying to hide your ghost sense?"
"Yeah, I had to be careful, I didn't want to be discovered too early."
"What was the ghost?"
"My cousin, Danni. She hangs out with me."
"How old is she?"
"24. I'm 26. She has a family of her own, and a little girl, but she often goes to visit me. She is a little more shy than I am."
He flew into Amity Park but past Fenton Works.
"That is my parents house, Bed and Breakfast was a cover up."
"Jack Jonson?"
"One of Dads employees."
"How did Mr. Jonson and you know you could trust me?"
"Gut feeling." Said Danny.
When they arrived to Danny's house, the children ran outside to greet their father. Danny landed in the grass and turned human. He set Emily next to him. Emily immediately began to play games with John and Lilith.
"Bed time is ten, the movie should be over by eleven. If they have trouble falling asleep, give them warm millk, just heat it on the stove."
"Ok." "I see our baby sitter has arrived." Said a female voice and Emily looked up. She saw Sam in the door way. "I'm Sam. Danny told me about you and you sound like a nice person."
"Hi, nice to meet you!"
"I'm so glad that Danny has continued on his show. I'm also glad to be your baby sitter. Your children are precious!" Said Emily happily. Sam smiled. Her eyes sparkled in the low light, her purple lipstick shiny.
"What movie are you going to go see?" Emily expected them to say Danny Phantom the movie, but they said Cat wings. A movie about cats with wings.
"Oh I love cats! You'll have to tell me about the movie when you get back!"
"We will." Danny picked up Sam and went ghost. "Our number is on the fridge if you need anything. John wont eat veggies, Lilith wont eat meat and they had dinner. There is ice cream in freezer, both regular and vegan."
"Ok, have fun you two! See you in a bit."
That evening was full of games of hide and seek, sharpening the ghost skills and Emily was falling in love with the two children, loving them like her own.