Phantoms of the Past

by Kairi 'Shadow Sage' Taylor

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the premiere of Danny Phantom; 10 years after Danny saved the world from the Disasteroid, an old enemy returns with plans to conquer. Danny will need all the help he can get, and it comes from a very unlikely place...

Danny Phantom: Phantoms of the Past

By Kairi Taylor

PROLOUGE

Lab 10 was a rather unique facility. Located somewhere in the badlands of Arizona, the teams housed within the research center, which had 13 floors built underground, focused on a multitude of areas, which included bionic limb development, FTL engine study and, oddly enough, making a non-fattening potato chip. But the most ambitious of projects were housed in Holding Area 256, on floor 8. Very few people had the privilege of knowing just what was experimented on in that floor, or what precisely was stored. And it was there that 2 of the facility's most trusted scientists were headed.

In the elevator stood the two of them; one a fair haired woman in a pink blouse and matching fedora. The other was a grey haired, rather short man with beard and brown coat. He looked at the woman's hat and asked her "Seriously, must you wear that hat indoors as well my dear Dr. Ward?"

"Oh come now, I rather fancy it Dr. Hurt," Dr. Ward replied blithely. "And it kind of seems fitting for me, if you pardon my expression."

"I do. Seems more fitting for someone in the field of archaeology than spectral analysis." The older gentlemen sighed as he stared at the above LED display, watching the numbers slowly tick down. In a few seconds, they would enter the holding area and see what was going on. Each of them had received a signal that the holding area was experiencing a Level 1 Security Breach on their personal cell phones. "I hope it's not another attempted portal experiment gone awry. We had to ban those outright after all the disturbances lately and our current situation in Amity Park."

"Knowing this department, another artificial A.I. system probably became sentinent and is trying to rule the world using the toasters again," Dr. Ward sighed. "Nothing we can't handle. But it would be nice for a change if it was actually a legitimate threat."

"Careful what you wish for, my dear," Dr. Hurt warned her, "That's how the last disaster got started. Now then, we're here. Card keys ready."

A panel slid open near the elevator keys and each scientist dipped their card keys into the slot. Seconds later, a green light above lit up and a drab male voice announced "Welcome to the Holding Area. Please take note; we are under a Level 1 Alert. All firearms must be at the ready." The door quickly slid open to reveal something that made the two scientists gasp in shock.

Within the large bay area, where an assortment of metal crates all stood, there was, amazingly enough, a huge pool of light pouring from what looked like a literal tear in reality. In front of that tear floated someone that they thought could never breach their system, Vlad Plasmius. But Vlad looked different. His hair was much longer now, and it flowed down to his waist. His skin was a darker shade of blue and seemed to crackle with energy. Most notably different was his costume- he now sported an all-black cloak and suit, with red gloves and boots. In his hands was a small box, tightly bound by chains.

"My word!" Dr. Hurt exclaimed. "Vlad Plasmius! But how—"

"Oh, so sorry to come in like this, but I was just in the neighborhood and decided to do a little shopping." Plasmius sneered. "Now, I could just explain myself, but that would mean you'd actually do something foolish like try to stop me. Let's do something else instead like, oh I don't know, activate the lab's self-destruct switch." And with that, Vlad snapped his fingers. Seconds later, the lab's alarms rang out loudly in their ears.

"Ok, I take back what I said about wanting something more exciting to happen!" Dr. Ward shouted. "We got to stop him!"

"Really, which is more valuable, stopping me or saving your fellow scientists?"

"Both, my dear boy." Dr. Hurt calmly replied as he reached into his coat pocket and held up a compact ecto-blaster. On instinct, Vlad made his body intangible as Hurt opened fire and before he could fire at him again, hastily made his exit through the tear, As Dr. Ward ran over to the nearest control panel, she frantically typed at its keyboard. "Vlad's good but not that good at learning about this area's systems thankfully. Just give me a couple of seconds and we should be ok."

"How interesting." Hurt rubbed his chin as he stared at the tear, which now slowly began to shrink, indicating that it was closing in on itself. From one of his jacket pockets, Hurt withdrew a small rectangular device and pointed it directly towards the tear, staring intently at the numbers being generated onscreen. Seconds later, the alarms for the lab shut down as Dr. Ward sighed and told her colleague "Not so bad for a day's work. But Vlad Plasmius…I thought..."

"Yes, we all did. We'll have to think carefully what we do next. For what it's worth though, these readings indicate we're dealing with more than a Ghost Zone related problem. Vlad came in here through a Spatial Tear. And judging by the looks of it, he's done this for quite some time."

"Wait, travel through a Spatial Tear? I thought it was theoretical at best." Dr. Ward replied to him. Dr. Hurt rubbed his chin again and closed his eyes in thought as he informed her "Apparently someone else has progressed more than we think. First thing's first though- we need to call the Director in from Amity Park. Then we need to find out precisely what Vlad stole."

Amity Park, April 3, 2014…

The rookie adjusted his belt as he walked to the parking lot in the police station. While he had only moved to Amity a year ago, he had learned much about the city's rather interesting history. It had been 10 years now since the day of the Disasteroid, and the world had undergone so much in that time span, the most notable being what happened with Amity Park. The existence of ghosts and other assorted supernatural creatures had no longer been a topic of uncertainty and now many of the world's top scientists had devoted a good deal of their time observing and studying them, or attempting to find ways to master the use of ecto-energy. In turn, the ghosts themselves, not used to having such attention foisted upon them, reacted accordingly; while some sought solitude, many rather enjoyed the attention and made it work for them in their own way while others of the more notorious variety only increased their infamous activity. Thus the need came for more organized law enforcement, especially in regard s to the supernatural. New York itself had a solution that many people soon picked up on; using the local government to hire paranormal investigators to control any ghost based phenomenon. Other cities like Amity went one step further and trained their local police to handle these issues. The new recruit was one such product of the new age.

Running his hand through his short black hair, the young man carefully checked on his weapons as he made his way to the patrol car he was assigned to. The short, single barrel ecto-blaster he had, a product of FentonWorks, was on his opposite leg from his standard service pistol and he made sure that the Fenton Thermos was visible on him. He looked at the vehicle in question, which was a modified Ford Crown Victoria, fitted with various equipment meant for detecting spectral energy. The rookie looked at this car and whistled "Wow, this is nothing like what we had in Texas."

"I doubt any of your vehicles in your old precinct had any anti-gravity modules built in."

The rookie turned to see, standing behind him, a tall, sort of busty, African American woman standing behind him. She had her hair cut short and she wore a white blouse and brown workpants, a similar weapon strapped to her side. "You must be the new guy I'm helping out today until we get you a new partner. Welcome to the force, Officer…"

"Ridgewood. Nathan Ridgewood, ma'am!"

"Ah, don't be too energetic, I haven't had my morning cup yet. I'm Detective Valerie Grey." The detective walked over to the vehicle and said to Nathan "I know this is your first patrol here in Amity Park, so I'll be telling you some of the finer details about this place."

"I read up about this city before I got here actually," Nathan informed her. "I'm quite familiar with the backstory."

"That's nice. But believe me, firsthand experience does wonders for you."

The police vehicle cruised down the streets of downtown Amity as Valerie drove, relating her tale to Nathan. "So, basically, I had been doing a lot of these patrols on my own in high school," she told the young officer, telling him of her days as a ghost hunter, "but I was really reckless about it. I had access to a lot of weapons but I never questioned who was supplying me until much later and I kind of had what we call a serious grudge against all ghosts because of that incident in my dad's old company. In retrospect, I was just a kid and stubborn as hell, but I did do quite a bit of damage. I'm just glad I didn't end up like Master's Blasters. Those poor saps can never work in that field again."

"So I heard. Didn't one of them—"

"Pose for Playgirl recently? Oh yeah, I know about that. "

"I'm not going to go further into that." Nathan replied. "So, what happened after the Disasteroid Incident?"

"You already know that all of Vlad's assets was divided up. His job was taken over by Mayor Foley and his company was taken over by my dad. After I graduated, I went to college and also enrolled in the Amity Police Department. In a few short years, I made some progress and became the kick ass detective you see before you. Of course, I don't mind showing the rookies the ropes every now and then, SOMEONE has to."

"Yeah, I kind of heard about this other officer that used to help out with training. Baxter was his name, right, Dash Baxter. He got fired over an incident with a meter maid."

"And now you know why we had you take an extensive sexual harassment course." Valerie nodded.

"That was draining. Now what about these 'ghost levels' they keep on referring to?"

"Ah, my favorite subject. Now our city is unique. For us, there are a certain types of interaction with ghosts. Now if you get called on a level 1 case, it's the same as a domestic disturbance. Look over here for example." Seconds later, Valerie pulled the car over to the curb and pointed to a yogurt shop. Outside floated the perennial thorn in everybody's side, the Box Ghost, floating over a young couple sitting at a table. "BEWARE!" the Box Ghost unconvincingly bellowed "The fat content in that fruit smoothie is HIGHLY FATTENING! It WILL go right into your thighs."

"Yes, fascinating," the young man said, "but could you stay 5 inches to the right? You're blocking my sun.

"Again. BG?" Valerie sighed. "At the very LEAST you could put some effort into annoying people."

"Hey, I have a full schedule nowadays." Box Ghost pouted. "I already spend enough time helping out at the docks and entertaining the kids at parties, which I will add I get compensated for very well. I barely have enough time for a 30 minute haunting."

"Yeah, whatever." Valerie sighed, writing in her notepad. "You know the drill; just pay the ticket as usual."

"Aw man!" Box Ghost sighed, floating down to take the ticket from her. "Oh yeah, you must be the new guy. Welcome, I'm Box Ghost, dreaded Spector and Jack of All Trades."

"Uh, thanks I suppose. Is this routine?"

"Yeah, nowadays it is. This is probably the best you can hope for. While most hauntings are usually handled by other investigations, other stuff like this gets handed to us. Now level 2 cases, that's more up your alley."

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life as a voice on the dispatch alerted the pair "Attention all units, we have a Level 2 crime in progress. The subject in question has been identified as Nikolai Technus. All available units please report to the Direct Deal at Hartman and Marmel right away!"

"Speak of the devil." Valerie smiled.

The front of the Direct Deal was a diorama of chaos if an apt description was needed; the customers all poured out of the doorways as various electronic equipment came to life and began to attack. As one man struggled to prevent a vacuum from ripping his pants off, the patrol car pulled up alongside him and Valerie casually drew her ecto blaster from the holster and opened fire, keeping one hand on the wheel. The vacuum exploded into pieces as Nathan surveyed the area. "Whew, this looks pretty bad." He concluded.

"Meh, not nearly as bad as his last attack on Black Friday." Valerie sighed. "That day was a nightmare. Ok, first thing we do is locate our suspect. And knowing our overdramatic friend, he will be making his grand entrance right about…"

Precisely 4 seconds later, the doors to Direct Deal would fling open as Technus floated out of the department store. Sporting now a set of oversized goggles on his face, the technology obsessed phantasm had floating about him an assortment of laptops, HDTVs and computer parts. "Indeed this store has a far greater selection than Radio Shack could ever hope to obtain!" Technus bellowed. "These items will be a fine addition to my collection!"

"I'm afraid not, Tech-Nut!" Nathan confidently shouted at him, quickly drawing his weapon and aiming it at the suspect. Valerie shot him a puzzled look and asked him "Tech-Nut?"

"Hey, I'm new to this city, cut me some slack."

"Fair enough. You heard the kid. Drop the gear and give up peacefully, unless you want a face full of laser!"

"Ah, Detective Grey! Always so eager to jump into battle. Allow me to indulge you with my latest brainchild. I rarely reuse an idea, but for you I'll make an exception!" It was then that several more computer parts and equipment shot out of the store behind him and were fused into a nearby sedan. Seconds later, the car underwent a rapid transformation as Technus's powers altered the structure of the once harmless vehicle. Before the officers new it, before them stood a hulking robot, standing 9 feet tall, wielding a makeshift mace in one hand and in its other an arm cannon. It aimed at them as Technus proclaimed "Meet Car-Puter Mark 3! It shall take you on a one way trip-TO YOUR DOOM!"

"And now we have a Level 3 problem!" Valerie groaned as the Car-Puter powered up its arm cannon.

"I figured. What do we do?"

"There are 2 things we can do. Hold this thing off until backup gets here or-"

"Let ME take care of it." Another voice cut in.

Nathan's eyes went wide. There was no way…it couldn't be. Looking above him, he whispered to himself "It's…him…"

Above Valerie and Nathan hovered the most recognized face on the planet now; Daniel Fenton, or now more commonly known to all, Danny Phantom. He was more muscular now for someone of his age, not built like a jock but well-toned enough to catch the attention of a girl if he wanted to. His hair had grown down and reached past his shoulders. His standard black and white jumpsuit now had the addition of a long white jacket added. His hands glowed bright neon green as he smiled at Valerie and asked her "Mark III? You mean to tell me he built a second one of these things?"

"You shouldn't laugh it off. Remember when you fought the first one?" Valerie chided him. Danny shrugged his shoulders and said "Hey, I was having an off day. I'm much better at this than last time, remember?"

"Let me be the judge of that, ghost child!" Technus defiantly proclaimed.

"What the—I'm 24 years old! Get some new insults already!" Danny angrily replied. The Car-Puter then seized the moment. Raising the arm cannon at Danny and the officers, a volley of concentrated fire headed their way.

Instinctively, Nathan moved to dive for cover behind the patrol car, but what happened next made him hesitate; Danny put one hand in the air and a second before the blasts hit, a large green shield formed all around them, nullifying the attack before it could land. Danny grinned confidently, and said to Technus "I suggest next time you buy the extended warranty on that model."

"Uh oh. I know where this is headed." Technus muttered underneath his breath. The shield disappeared and before it knew what hit it, Danny zipped forward in front of the Car-Puter, reared back and punched the mechanized terror in the center. In a matter of moments, the machine exploded and collapsed in front of him, becoming a mass of flaming metal. "I kind of like these sorts of battles. They don't require me to come up with overly complicated strategies on the fly."

"That's nice Danny but, uhhh…" Valerie pointed over to Technus, who was trying his best to slink away unnoticed. Danny merely pointed to Nathan and said to him "I kinda figure I should let the new guy make his first bust. Care to do the honors? Oh and go with the bolo."

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Nathan quickly reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a set of green bolos. Swinging quickly, he launched the projectile at Technus and watched as it sailed through the air, wrapping itself tightly around its target as he dropped to the ground. As Technus landed, face first, onto the pavement, he grunted "I am the world's foremost master of ALL TECHNOLOGY! You cannot hope to—"

"Save it for the guys in the containment unit!" Nathan cut him off as he raised his Fenton Thermos and pressed the red button. Technus would scream more obscenities than a drunken sailor at Mardi Gras as he was sucked inside, his capture now complete. Nathan patted the thermos as Valerie crossed her arms and asked Danny "So, just how long were you gonna let us squirm?"

"Oh come on, I just got here!" Danny took the defensive as he explained his situation. "I've been busy all day looking for the right gift for our anniversary!"

"Uh huh, I heard that one before."

"Wait, are you two—"

"NO!" Both of them said adamantly. "Well, we DID for a short time in high school. It's kind of complicated." Danny clarified. "Actually, I was looking for a gift for Sam today but I sensed Technus in the area."

"That reminds me, how's the Goth holding up now? Didn't think it'd be so easy running her own bookstore/café with the way she does things."

"She somehow made it work." Danny answered her. "But gift buying, that is more terrifying than fighting Spectra when she's having a bad hair day. Any suggestions?"

"You could just get her a stuffed bat or something." Valerie pointed out.

"Woman's got a whole shelf of them."

"If I may, you could get her tickets to Lovecraft's Acre. They're pretty cheap now and they are having a special for couple's this week." Nathan suggested. Danny nodded his head and replied "Yeah, that can work to my advantage. Thanks. Uh, do you two—"

"Nah, we're good. I can take over from here. You just need to get those tickets and not disappoint the would be Mrs. Fenton if you catch my drift."

"Geez, you're worse than my parents!"

"Hey, I'm taking it easy on you today. I could have reminded you about how the two of you broke up for a year and you tried to cope by dating Ember!"

Nathan's eyes went wide as he looked at Danny. Danny blushed and simply stated "The 3 of us had one hell of a year…"

Tucker sighed as he relaxed in his office chair. If anyone was to ask where they would see Tucker in 10 years, there was a strong possibility that no one would say 'Tech Company CEO' as their first response, especially given his lack of enthusiasm for school work. But it is quite interesting how a pending world disaster and the fallout from it could benefit some folks. After 2 successful terms as the youngest mayor of the city (as well as receiving some of the funds from Vlad's fortune) Tucker had founded his own company, Foley Acres, and made a name for himself in the cybernetics field. Given that his idea to help Danny make the planet intangible worked out in the end, it certainly didn't hurt his credentials. He also managed to find a use for many of Vlad's leftover experiments and engineered them for far more constructive, less evil goals such as exploration of the Ghost Zone and areas within the solar system.

As Tucker typed at his own computer now, looking through various game files, the sound of a cat meowing alerted him to an incoming phone call. "And as expected, she's right on cue." Tucker smiled. Picking the phone up on and activating the speaker option, Tucker yawned and casually said "OK Star, you're on Air Foley."

"VERY cute." The voice deadpanned. "I'm just checking in to see if you are ready for the party this afternoon."

"Party? Oh yeah, sure. I'm always ready. Who's bringing the Tostitos?"

"Tucker, do you even know which party it is?"

"Uh…yeah. It's the big TitanFall premiere! Who doesn't know about that?"

"No no, that's next week. See, this is why you should be glad we're dating. If I didn't remind you about these things, you'd probably be attending the Cinco de Mayo office party in a toga."

"Oh come on, I've been booked for at least 5 different parties the past 4 months, not to mention countless premieres, demos and convention attendances, can you forgive a man for being a little memory deficient?"

"Not when it's a friend's anniversary party." Star informed him. "Oh, duh! How'd I let that slip my mind?" Tucker slapped his forehead as he looked at his clipboard. "Did you get—"

"The newest edition of Tobin's Spirit Guide? Since you first alerted it to me. I also got them a vacation package they can use later on for a potential honeymoon if Danny ever gets the nerve to finally pop the question. Of course, when it comes to guys, a subtle hint is usually barely enough."

"Have I thanked you for being way mellower than you were in high school yet?" Tucker replied.

"Sweet talk will get you nowhere. And you also need to speak with Damon about unlocking those last files that were found in Axion Labs. He thinks it's really important."

"Oh sure, a simple hack job. Knowing those files it's probably another collection of files on Vlad's Packers fantasy football plans." As Tucker turned back to his computer, a separate video screen popped up, with the concerned face of a bespectacled young woman. "Uh, Mr. Foley! There's something you need to know!"

"Oh, another cute girl working at the lab? Aren't you the charmer?" Star teased.

"I'm glad you're not the jealous type. Uh, Angie, what is it has someone tried breaching the firewall again or did Irving visit a certain banned website rife with malware again?" Angie shook her head and answered "No sir, I'm afraid it's far more serious. Remember when you told us to call you if any of our satellites detected any unusual activity within our orbit?"

"Yes?"

"Well, you should see this. It was captured sometime ago around Mars." A picture then popped up on Tucker's ship. The object looked to be a large black and green ship, with the Vladco symbol on the side. Tucker frowned and said "Star, I need to place a call to Damon right away. Something just came up."

"It's bad isn't it?"

"Worse than Paulina's acting at her embezzlement trial."

Fright Knight stood at the helm in the control room of the ship. His gaze was unwavering as he stared at the display monitor before him, looking at the vast empty space outside, the flash of lights whizzing by almost hypnotizing him. It was all still a wonder to him, the joys of travelling through space in such a majestic ship, but it was a joy he would not neglect.

He heard the doors open behind him and a voice say to him "Yes, it is rather beautiful to behold at first, but when you're stuck out there on your own it's not such an exciting sight."

Vlad walked into the control room casually as Fright Knight bowed low and greeted him. "I trust your mission went well, judging by your tone."

"Oh indeed, faithful servant, it did. It did take a considerable amount of time but the item I was seeking is now in my possession." Vlad held up to Fright Knight's view the small chained box in his hand and said "With this artifact, my plan for world conquest shall be complete. Not even Daniel will be able to stop me at this point now."

"There is one pressing matter we may have to consider," Fright Knight "which is the possibility that the people you stole it from may want it back."

"I very much doubt that." Vlad smiled. "I've looked at the files they have in that little warehouse of them. There is no way they have anything remotely capable of travelling through the void to get to me. And even if they did, they have no idea I'm not even on the planet. Plus with the army we have at my beck and call, whatever resistance they couple possibly put up will most surely be put down. First things first though. I will send a scout ahead to take care of some personal business. Open a portal up next to the moon and send a trooper to FentonWorks when we get there!"

"And his orders?"

"Terminate Jack Fenton and anyone who gets in his way."

"Why would you want to waste your time on that buffoon?" Fright Knight asked. The flash of fury that gleamed in Vlad's eyes burned brightly as Vlad angrily growled "That buffoon in question not only stole the one woman I ever loved, but left me out there in space to die. I will make an example to him and finally settle my accounts with that oaf. After that, the world WILL bow to me."

"This is most disturbing indeed." Dr. Hurt said as he looked through the computer's history records. "But it does make what I suspected true."

"You mean you have an idea how Vlad came in here?" Dr. Ward asked.

"Yes. It all dates back to about 5 years ago actually. There were reports of a series of strange disturbances in the security and archives area, but no one back then could make do with what was going on. At least not with the equipment back then. " Dr. Hurt then pointed back towards the holding area and said to his colleague "All these signs indicate that Vlad had a working knowledge of our past systems, came back here at a further point in our history and used a backdoor of sorts to get in and take what he wanted."

"Hold on, are you saying that he used time travel? But I thought it was theoretical!"

A voice on the nearby walkie talkie interrupted them. "Well, not quite, Dr. Ward, we were actually making progress a while ago."

"Director is that you?" Dr. Hurt asked. "You got here rather quick!"

"I had some prior engagements that got finished rather quickly. I also took the time to remotely look through those records too. I'll be in the holding area in about 15 minutes, but I do know what was stolen. Tell me now, was it a small, chained box?"

"Yes."

"Just as I thought. We need to go after Vlad and get it back before it does any harm."

"That may be a bit tricky, sir." Dr. Ward pointed out. "It's been a month since Vlad disappeared and we have no idea where he could be. It's possible he's with—"

"Yes, well that's the thing. That's not our Vlad. Well, it is Vlad but not one in the same." The director sighed. "I'm afraid we are dealing with a parallel universe problem."

"What?" Dr. Ward gasped out. "I—I'm not too sure if I can believe that."

"Oh, it's possible. This is not the first time I've run into this problem. Remind me to bring up the Neutron-Turner case file to you some day. This problem however, it's going to be a bit tricky. We first need to open that tear again and follow that trail he left"

"This is where I come in." Dr. Hurt smiled. "The boys and I down at R&D have something prepared for an occasion such as this. Let me introduce you to Ichabod." Dr. Hurt then pulled out his laptop from a nearby satchel and booted it up. Within seconds, he typed in a few commands into the computer and told them "We have been experimenting with manipulating the natural gateways into the Ghost Zone so I suspect that the method of opening the tear should be rather similar. Now then, where did Ichabod go…ah, here you are."

Dr. Ward looked up into the holding bay area nearby and sure enough, a small, circular looking robot rolled into view. Sporting a set of treads and a small antenna on its back, the small robotic probe circled around the area where the tear first opened. "My, it's a rather curious looking one, I have to admit." Dr. Ward observed. "It looks like something we could have used for moon exploration."

"That was one of the original intents for Ichabod, but we decided we could better use it for interdimensional travel. Now then, Ichabod, see if you can't open up that tear for us."

In response, Ichabod beeped twice. A couple of seconds later, a small needle popped up from the side and shot out a concentrated ray of green energy. In a matter of moments, the tear reopened and Dr. Hurt said "I say it looks as if we have our doorway after all. Let's see what strange world awaits us on the other side, eh?"

"Man, I should have seen this coming years ago. The once great Dash Baxter, all-star, certifiable hunk and ace cop, reduced to THIS." Dash furrowed his brow in irritation as he looked out at the restaurant floor before him. Being the head manager of the Nasty Burger where he had eaten as a teen would be ironic to most, but then again the meaning of irony was lost on him. He sighed as he looked over the clipboard that contained the day's orders and to-do list. "Can't believe I've fallen so far in such a short amount of time."

"If I recall, in the years since your graduation from Casper High, you were kicked out of your college for sexual harassment issues and eventually lost your job with the police department for the same thing. If anyone is to blame for your poor choices in interacting with the females it's mostly you."

The voice of condemnation belonged to Mr. Lancer, who sat at the counter drinking a large cup of coffee. Dash narrowed his eyes and asked him "You're just enjoying this aren't you?"

"Well, I hate to say I told you so, but that little speech I gave before the tests was kind of a spoiler alert. Now maybe if you showed some initiative like Kwan…"

"Don't remind me. I can't believe his luck." Dash muttered, stuffing a napkin holder full of paper napkins.

"Who knew the boy had such a way with poetry? I just hope he will be able to sign my copy of his latest work at the book signing today. He's part of a growing pantheon of Casper High's most notable success stories, aside from Danny of course."

"Yeah yeah, I know. I just feel lucky that he didn't give in to the temptation to cave my face in first chance he got."

Suddenly, the windows of the Nasty Burger were bathed in a flash of bright light, forcing everyone inside to cover their eyes. Seconds later, the patrons, Dash and Lancer would behold a strange sight; a literal crack of light formed in the middle of the air and out of it fell a small robotic drone with treads. Ichabod beeped twice before a small camera stalk popped out of the front area. Turning around quickly, Ichabod made its way down the street towards the downtown area of Amity.

"Sense and Sensibility, what was THAT?" Lancer exclaimed in shock. Dash turned to Lancer and asked "Do you ALWAYS use book titles to express your emotions?"

"So, this is what Amity Park looks like on the other side." Dr. Hurt observed as he manned the controls of Ichabod, guiding the probe along with a small joystick with one hand and the other with a couple of knobs, using them to adjust the cameras. "Notice, Dr. Ward, that there are actual spectral beings floating around the city. The people seem to have adjusted to their presence for some reason."

"I would wager that there must have been some kind of a mutual understanding between ghosts and humans that allowed this to happen." Dr. Ward replied, closely monitoring the screen. "If only we had more time to research how that happened. I am dismayed that we didn't land at wherever Vlad is."

"We're fortunate that we landed in the same dimension as Vlad. I doubt we could precisely go to wherever he is with our current tracking equipment, but after a few adjustments, perhaps I can lock onto his energy signature and pinpoint where he is. Ah, pardon me." Dr. Hurt steered Ichabod past a couple of women as it travelled further along.

"Just what should we do now anyway?"

"I was thinking if we can find this world's counterparts of the Fentons, we may

be able to get some answers about what Vlad has been up to."

"Are we sure we should?" Dr. Ward asked cautiously. "While the Fenton's are exceptional inventors, their methods and bravado are, well, costly if you catch my drift."

"I know my dear, but they have proven themselves quite often. And remember, the Director feels they can be of great use to us. Uh oh…"

"Is that who I think it is?" Dr. Ward's brow was furrowed and for a good reason; Standing before Ichabod was one of the Ghost Zone's most infamous felons; Skulker. However, he was slightly different; on one of his eyes was a red lensed scope and fused to his arm was rather large cannon, colored grey. He gazed at Ichabod and said "This one looks promising."

"This is going to be tricky." Dr. Ward said. "Any ideas?"

"Good, I came here just in the nick of time!"

Dr Ward and Dr. Hurt looked behind them to see the source of the voice. Standing in the room with them was a man wearing a pair of round green lensed goggles over his eyes and a black hood over his head. His mouth was covered by a black facemask and underneath his long grey trench coat, he wore a tactical vest over his red shirt and blue cargo pants. In his hands was a black walking stick, about half his size in length. "Uh, sir," Dr. Ward began to ask, "Surely you don't intend to waltz into another dimension dressed as that!"

"Trust me, it wouldn't be the first." The Director replied. Reaching into the right pocket of his jacket, he pulled out an earpiece and placed it on his right ear as he informed the two "I set up the system so that you can communicate with me via the interdimensional radio system. I'm going into the portal now and I'll see if I can convince our friend there that hunting season is officially over. My assistant will be here shortly, whatever you do, do not let him follow me. We need to take this one step at a time and he has a habit of jumping the gun."

"Wait, sir are you sure you should be doing that? We have no idea the effects of another world could have on us and—"

"I'm sure it will be okay. We're just lucky Vlad didn't come from a world full of candy people."

"I'll try to do what I can to keep Skulker busy." Dr. Hurt assured the two as he twisted a knob, operating a claw that came out from Ichabod's front bumper.

"First day on the job, and I get to see this too?" Nathan whistled, staring at the glowing portal before him. Scratching his head, Nathan adjusted his tie as Valerie continued her questioning with Dash and Lancer. Lancer's description of the event was rather animated, one could say.

"It was like something out of a H.G. Wells novel. Positively alien in origins I dare say!" Lancer exclaimed. "The metallic wonder looked at us for a few seconds before it went straight downtown!"

"Wait, we're dealing with aliens now! Oh man, as if that Pariah Dark thing wasn't bad enough! I just got a new apartment too, WHAT MORE DO THESE GOONS WANT?!" Dash shouted.

"Relax Baxter, no one said anything about an alien invasion." Valerie sighed. "That's EXACTLY what they want you to think." Dash retorted. "It starts out innocent enough, then before you know it, giant bunny monsters are running around and eating people!"

"That sounds like something out of a really, REALLY horrible anime." Valerie deadpanned. "In any case, we may as well call in the containment squad before anything else can happen. Who knows what else will pop out of this thing?"

Seconds later, Valerie got her answer- The portal again pulsed brightly before the Director emerged from within, landing on his feet. He looked all around him, taking in the surroundings and saying to himself "Well, I'm not gasping for air, so I guess that means the air is breathable to me. But travelling through that void, quite a surreal experience…" He then looked to his right and saw Lancer and Dash gawking at him, Dash rubbing his eyes, as if to clarify he was not having a dream. Valerie and Nathan, both looked at each other, and then back at the Director before Valerie said "Ok, what the hell just happened?"

Looking at all of them individually, the Director nodded and said "Ah, so you must be this world's counterparts of the citizens of Amity Park! And, judging by how you look…7 years older! Odd, not only have I landed in a parallel world, but a future one as well. Valerie? Is that you?!"

"Uh…yes. Have we met?"

"Well, yes and no. See, I don't even know if the me of this world is the same, much less alive at this point and if I am, I must be doing SOMETHING interesting I hope. I really wish I had enough time to explain, but I'm afraid I'm on a mission of sorts."

"I knew it, INVADERS!" Dash screamed before running off. The Director looked at the retreating manager of the fast food restaurant he was abandoning and said "Ok, so the Dash of this world also has issues. Nice to see some things are consistent!"

"So…what do we do?" Nathan asked Valerie.

"We're kinda still drafting policies on people from other dimensions." Valerie explained to him. Lancer scratched his head, asking "By any chance did you send a probe into our world?"

"Ichabod? Uh yes, we did actually. He seems to have run into Skulker, that's why I followed it. By the way, where is he?"

An explosion in the distance perked their ears as Nathan said "I think we found him."

Danny Fenton walked down the street now, in his street clothes and currently depowered, as he continued his conversation with his sister on his cell phone, earpiece set. "So, how's rooming with Dani gone so far?" he asked the elder sibling. "Well, that depends—did you know she had such a big appetite before you recommended she stay with me while she attended college?" Jazz grilled him.

"Uh, that detail MAY have slipped my mind."

"Riiiggghhht. I'll remember this little brother, especially come Christmas time. Speaking of unexpected surprised, did you actually remember the anniversary gift for Sam this time?"

"You're the third person to assume I forgot. I managed to get the gift this year, seriously! You have no idea how many hoops I had to leap through for this one; even the saviors of the planet don't get any special treatment for tickets."

"Hey, at least it wasn't this complicated when you were going out with Ember."

"Again, it was for a year and we BOTH moved on. None of you are going to let me forget that, are you?"

"I caught you in my room doing You Know What! What did Dad tell you about those tiers again?" Danny sighed in exasperation as he said to Jazz "All I want to know is are you going to make it to the party tonight? This is a very big deal for us."

"Yes, I know Danny. I wouldn't miss this for the world. And you know Mom and Dad will be there too. Just promise me that you won't break out the karaoke set if either Dad or Tucker ask for it!"

"I've learned my lesson about that, believe me." Danny assured her. "I rather fight a fully blood lusted Skulker than let them sing." However, Danny's quip would come back to haunt him; in front of him landed a Riot Squad armed police officer, bruised and knocked unconscious as seconds later, a loud explosion rocked the ground. A second officer raced over to him and yelled "Hey, is he ok?!"

"Yeah, he's fine! Dazed and sleeping but he'll be ok. What's going on?"

"Skulker's on the rampage and he's trying to take out this weird robot!"

"Heh, that's the story of my life."

"This day just keeps getting better and better!" Valerie groaned as she looked at the sight before her; several dozen officers were down, nursing injuries from Skulker's arm cannon as he traded fire with them while Ichabod kept him at bay with what looked like a cattle prod. Nathan pointed Ichabod out to the Director and asked "Ok, just what was the purpose of sending it anyway?"

"Well, if you were stepping into another dimension, wouldn't you take some needed measures?" the Director pointed out. "We're fortunate though that Skulker can't get a hold of its technology so easily."

"We're just lucky he hasn't spotted us yet." Nathan observed.

"Ah, Detective Grey! I was wondering when you'd show up."

"And so much for that hope." Skulker turned and aimed his cannon at the trio as he boasted "I think you'll find I am a lot more difficult to subjugate than your normal felon. Now back off, the robot's mine."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Skulker." The Director said to him. "I just don't care for people who can't refrain from touching other people's things especially if it is mine."

"Oh? In that case, I think you should let me have this rather unique item. It's not like you have a choice in the matter."

The Director raised his hand, palm outstretched. "Actually, I do have a choice."

Skulker looked amused at the gesture that was being made at him. As Skulker raised his arm cannon in response, the Director just uttered two words. "Mine's bigger."

Nathan looked to Valerie. "Uh, he does realize we're all directly in the line of fire, right?" Before the two could move though, the following occurred; as Skulker opened fire, a large orange fireball, almost the size of a mastiff, formed and flew from the Director's hand. The force of the fireball's launch sent him back a few feet but what followed was even worse for Skulker as the flaming projectile, absorbing the shots he sent at the Director, slammed into him hard and exploded in a nearly blinding burst. Skulker was sent through the wall of the building behind him as windows shattered and the ground shook. When the dust settled down and Valerie looked up from her spot behind a car, she saw the Director standing among the ruins, staring at his hand. "What the hell was THAT?" Valerie shouted in shock.

"A standard fireball spell. Well, it was supposed to me." The Director said to her, his gaze still on his hand.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"It's kind of hard to explain, but magic in other worlds doesn't always adhere to the same laws as the previous one. I wanted a rather small fireball, but my energy output was a little unstable…"

"That is an understatement." Nathan deadpanned.

"In any case, if I use any magic from now on, I need more focus. Now then, where's Ichabod?" The aforementioned droid rolled into view as Valerie asked him "Ok, now what?"

"Now this is the part where someone explains to me why I don't kick his butt!"

Looking up, the Director saw Danny Phantom floating up above them, his arms crossed. "Kind of a funny story, actually." The Director began, "but your friend Skulker decided he wanted something of mine. I disagreed with that."

"And you disagreed by blowing up a city street?"

"I didn't say it was a peaceful disagreement."

"Yeah, well you're coming with me. I have questions and you're gonna give them to me." Danny replied. "I'm sure you do, but I think we should conduct that conversation elsewhere." The Director suggested.

"Uh huh, right. You do realize when I said you're coming with me, I was implying it was in handcuffs."

"I wouldn't try it, my boy."

Danny smiled. "Yeah well you're not me."

"Danny, wait—"Valerie tried to warn him but it was too late. Danny rocketed down towards the Director and threw a punch towards his head. At the last second, the Director caught it with his own right hand and went for a left hook. Danny quickly dodged the fist, back flipped over the Director and went for a thrust kick, which was quickly parried. As the Director and Danny continued to fight each other, matching blow for blow, Nathan looked to Valerie and said "I feel like we should say something, but I don't know if I want to stop such a kickass fight."

Valerie shrugged her shoulders "That's typical Daniel Fenton for you, too stubborn to listen to reason sometimes. I'll stop this." Unholstering her service weapon, she aimed and fired at their feet, forcing them to leap back and look at her. "Ok, you two had your silly pointless Heroes Have a Misunderstanding and Fight Each Other moment, but we kind of need answers. NOW."

"But Val—"

"No BUTS DANNY! Sir, we would kind of appreciate it if you explain to us now what's going on."

Ichabod rolled up in front of Danny and a voice cut in. "So, this is the Danny

Phantom of this world then. He grew up remarkably strong."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Did it just talk?"

"Yes, we're communicating via the void between your world and ours, and apparently different times as well. I've been using Ichabod's sensors to access the World Wide Web. So it's 2014 then in your world?"

"Yeah…wait back up a second, parallel worlds?" Danny asked "And you're from the past?"

"We are. My name is Dr. Hurt and I'm with Dr. Ward, researchers at Lab 10. We had a break in by your world's Vlad Plasmius a short time ago and we followed him back here."

"Vlad?" Valerie's face became much sterner. "I thought we were rid of that creep a long time ago!"

"Me too," Danny added "but it looks like he's still very much alive. If he's in Amity we'll find him."

"I'm afraid he's not here." The Director sighed. "We could only track him by the trail but as far as his exact location, that is very much a mystery to us. That is why I came here, to seek your help. I was hoping your parents would be able to help us pinpoint his location."

"Yeah that would be a good idea," Danny agreed "and we could use Tucker's help as well. His company has got a satellite system designed for this sort of thing and—"

"Wait, Tucker owns a company? Wow, this is a unique world. Tell me, is he dating Star here too?"

"Uh yeah actually…wait you know him in your world too?"

"I do, as well as your parents, Valerie, Lancer, Sam…perhaps its best if I just take this off and get this out of the way now."

The Director then reached up and removed his face mask before pulling his hood down and removing his goggles. The face revealed was that of a man, looking to be in his mid 20s, a bit of stubble on his face. His eyes burned a fierce green and long blood red hair tied in a ponytail fell down across his shoulders. "Hello Danny. My name is Altair York."

Damon Gray looked all about him as he was led into the monitoring section of Foley Acres by his armed escort. The room itself was quite huge, the size of a small auditorium, and filled with various tables and consoles fitted with massive computer stations. Workers with headphones typed furiously at their stations, each of them carefully looking over the data that was assigned to them specifically. "I have to say, this is quite impressive, but you don't think you're all over doing this?"

"Normally, I'd agree with you, but our problem seems to have gotten rather serious." The voice came from Tucker as he approached Damon, shaking his hand. "We detected the ship about an hour ago. It literally popped in out of nowhere, best we can say, and it's making a beeline for Earth."

"So your messenger told me." Damon replied. "Anything else I need to know?" Tucker nodded and informed him "Other than the fact that it's apparently a Vladco ship, every government agency has been trying to hail it, hoping for some sort of contact. I doubt that will happen, but if it did, I think we know what he wants."

Damon nodded his head in agreement. "And my bosses aren't exactly too keen on letting Vlad have his way either. Any of your people find anything else unusual?" Tucker adjusted his glasses and replied "Well, we checked all the areas our satellites have been placed in to see if there was any other unusual activity going on, see if we could spot anything unusual that has gone down, you know like weird fluctuations and such?"

"And?"

"For starters I found out what fluctuation actually means. But the thing is, for the past few years, there have been reports of strange activities occurring on Earth. In certain key areas, there have been random energy spikes that preceded a robbery or an attempted break-in. We thought at first it was someone in the Ghost Zone who found a way of creating their own portals. But that kinda got complicated."

"Complicated? What do you mean?" Between the two popped in Sydney Poindexter, dressed in his own lab coat and with an unusual set of goggles on his face. "We've been having our own odd happenings in the Ghost Zone too."

"Whoa hold on…he's working for you?!" Damon asked, obviously shocked.

"Hey, ghosts have needs too you know." Sydney explained. "I don't exactly have the need to stay all the time in the confines of a 50's high school you know, I do have ambition and ideas to work on. Besides, why let Tucker have all the fun?"

"Good point."

"As I was saying, we have had highly unusual energy spikes in our realm as well, as if someone was using the proverbial back door to come in and out. We thought the reverse was true and that someone had made their own ghost portal similar to Jack Fenton's. But up until now, we couldn't narrow it down because the portals would close almost as quickly."

"And then a portal opened up here in Amity," Tucker continued, "And I got word that there was at least one robot probe and a person in a trench coat popping out of that portal. Somehow, it all ties in, but I just can't figure out how."

"If I had to wager a guess," Damon began, "I'd day that Vlad's been doing some experiments of his own on portals for these past few years while out in exile. I recall that when he was in charge of the R&D department for a time, he worked on several deep space projects like satellites, but there was one that was classified top secret. If we can crack the last of his Axion files, we can figure out what he was working on. As for our visitors, I think that he may have made some new enemies."

"The man always had a way of making new friends." Tucker pointed out. Suddenly, a loud alarm blared throughout the room. "Ok, when hat alarm goes off, that is never a good sign."

"Sir, the ship has halted somewhere around the Moon!" one of the workers reported. "And just a few seconds ago a smaller ship was ejected towards Earth. It's going to enter our atmosphere in about 5 minutes!"

"And where will it land?"

"Right here in Amity!"

"You're a teacher?" Danny asked York.

"Part time. I've kinda been teaching in my world's version of Amity for some time now. We've got our own rather troublesome situation and as of right now, we're bracing ourselves for a pretty bad attack. Vlad's intrusion couldn't have come at a worse time. Well, your Vlad at least."

"I'm still rather fuzzy on the parallel world detail," Valerie said to the two of them, "so, uh, if one of you two can please fill me in on that part before we conduct any more business…"

"Oh, yes, I understand. Are you familiar with String Theory?"

"Vaguely" Valerie answered. "It's kinda boring to talk about it."

"I know, so I'll spare us all the gory details and just say its part of the explanation." Danny said to Valerie.

"Yes, well basically, the Ghost Zone is a place that is between dimensions. It's like a hub of sorts for various odd spirits and energies. Essentially, ghosts not native to our realm dwell their but we have yet to figure out why, or how portals to the past and future are generated there. But parallel world travel is highly rare, especially intentional travel. There were a couple of instances where I encountered other people from separate realities. It was quite odd really…"

"Yeah, quick question York," Danny interjected, "Were their names Turner and Neutron?"

"The first time yes. The second time it was a couple of girls, one named Cindy Vortex and another named Tootie." York replied. "I think they were their girlfriends. Have you met them before too?"

"Oh yeah. If I get the chance, I'll fill you in on the incident at Volcano Island."

"Anyway, the reason why Vlad came to my world was to steal something that may have originated here. It was a rather curious artifact that landed somewhere in the American Midwest in the 50s. The government decided to research it after taking it out of storage, but at that same time, there was an attempted burglary of that item. They didn't know how it happened, but someone had tried to break into their base using a crude method or portal manipulation. I was given the artifact to look after under the provision that I would report my findings on it immediately if a breakthrough was made."

"I think I get it." Danny rubbed his temple in deep thought. "It has to be some kind of ancient weapon, something Vlad can use to make himself more powerful or something, but he couldn't get it because of the fact he was not familiar with your world's security systems. Maybe all those instances was him experimenting with time travel over the years. And I'm guessing he found that loophole he was looking for."

"I daresay Danny may be on to something," Dr. Ward's voice cut in. "Now we just have to figure out the nature of the artifact and plan a way to stop him."

"Then you've come at just the right time." Danny assured them. "My parents came up with some rather wicked tech to counter anything Vlad may come up with should he ever return."

"Uh, hold on Danny I'm curious…just how was Vlad exiled from Earth anyway?" York asked him. Danny raised an eyebrow "Uh, isn't he a major criminal in your world?"

"Sort of. He tried to orchestrate an event where he would be humiliated when Jack and his Master's Blasters went to destroy the Disasteroid. But at the last second, he was caught altering the flight's controls. He hadn't quite recovered from the bad PR after that one. Why, is that important?"

Danny and Valerie looked at each other and frowned before Danny said "Yeah it is. He actually DID succeed in altering my dad's controls. And after the mission failure, he revealed himself to the world as Vlad Plasmius and tried to blackmail us into handing over the world."

"You left out the part where he also boasted he bragged about making you give up your powers, and rubbing it in to your dad about stealing Maddie when it was all done." Valerie pointed out.

"I was TRYING to forget that. He learned the hard way he could not phase the Disasteroid himself."

York blinked a look of shock on his face. "Wow…I knew the possibility of Vlad losing himself like that was there but…there's more isn't there?"

"Well, my dad kinda…left him out there."

"Ah, that will push him over the edge." York sighed. "And now we have a bigger problem."

"Bigger problem? How so, if I am allowed to ask." Nathan spoke up. Danny and York looked at each other, then back at Nathan before Danny said "If his Vlad is anything like our Vlad, then there is a good chance he still is in love with my mom. That alone makes him do very stupid things, but also very dangerous things as well."

"And there is no doubt he places blame on Jack on all of his misfortunes, along with losing the favor of Maddie." York continued. "Now imagine being up there in space for 10 years, outed as one of the most dangerous threats to humanity and left to die by the man that had considered you his friend."

"In other words, he'll be gunning for this town first." Nathan concluded.

Seconds later, a streak of red flashed through the sky as something crashed into the ground several blocks over.

"I would say that is a yes." Dr. Hurt's voice pointed out. "Gentlemen, I fully expect that one of you should be getting a phone call from a friend soon."

Precisely 3 seconds later, a strange upbeat tune came from Danny's pocket. York looked at Danny and asked "Is that your ring tone?" Danny nodded and explained "Yes, someone named Guy Moon did it for me."

"Catchy." Danny took his phone out of his pocket and asked "Tucker, what's wrong?"

"I think you may have noticed that streaking ball of fire that came out of the sky a few seconds ago." Tucker answered his friend. "You may be interested to know it was launched from a spaceship that's in orbit alongside the moon."

"Let me guess, its Vlad related, isn't it?"

"Yeah, actually it is." Tucker replied, obviously taken by surprise. "How'd you know?"

"A couple of new friends I just made have some issues with the jerk. Anyway, has anyone from the government contacted you yet?"

"Oh yeah, big time. They want to know what you intend to do about it and if they can lend some backup." Danny rubbed the back of his head and told Tucker "We probably will. I seriously doubt they'd allow me to handle it just by myself anyway. I think we need to call in some favors. And where'd that thing land anyway?"

"About 10 blocks from FentonWorks."

"Oh. PERFECT." Danny let out an annoyed grunt as York looked at him and advised "Guess we know what he wants to take care of first. May I suggest we insure that his plans go sour?"

"I'm all for it. First things first though, we need to have a word with Skulker. Please tell me he's still intact." Everyone looked at the hole in the building where Skulker was laying as the hunter slowly made his way up. One arm was completely mangled and hung by a wire uselessly, the other a partially melted lump. "My suit still functions well, thank you very much!" Skulker grunted.

"Good. Now then, we have need of you." York walked over to Skulker and with one motion, grabbed him by the head and effortlessly ripped it away from the rest of the suit. Reaching inside, York extracted the small ghost from within and carelessly tossed the head away as Danny said "Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you. I don't like picking on small fry anyway."

"Very funny, Fenton!" Skulker squeaked out. "Now what do you want from me?"

"I just need you to go to the Ghost Zone and call up some old friends of ours. Let them know that Vlad's come back." Skulker looked up and crossed his stubby little arms, defiance flashing on his face. "I'm not under contract you know."

"It's better than the alternative, which is where I take you to Maddie Fenton and allow her to conduct a series of very painful experiments on you." York pointed out. "Or if I could be so bold, I would give you to HER." Valerie waved at Skulker, a sinister smile creeping up on her face.

"Ok, ok. Just let me get a suit and I'll see what I can do."

"Just what the hell is that?!"

The words that came out of the officer's mouth was understandable. After all, while it was one thing for the officers to deal with ghosts, whatever it was that had now emerged from the crater in the middle of the street was utterly different. The figure that had risen was 6 feet in height at least, it's body clad in silver and black metallic armor with Vlad's emblem in the center. In its hands was a large, double barreled rifle and affixed to it was a large scope. The head of the creature resembled that of a great dragon, with red scaly skin and large horns protruding from its skull, which had a humanoid shape. The eyes burned red as it slowly made its way down the street, in the direction of FentonWorks. The half dozen police vehicles, all with police personnel that had their own heavy gear and ecto weapons, said otherwise.

The lead officer, bullhorn in hand, raised it to his mouth and shouted "You there! I don't know if you're a ghost or not, but whoever you are, throw your weapon to the ground and place your hands above your head! Do it now or we will open fire! I repeat we will open—"

"Terminate Jack Fenton! Eliminate all who get in the way!" it growled!

"Oh boy, this will get ugly"

The creature aimed and fired, sending a volley of blasts towards the police vehicles. The blasts flipped them in the air and sent all of the officers scattering as they attempted to return fire to the creature, who slowly but steadily made its way through the streets. As the lead officer picked himself up, he muttered "Ok, we need a bigger gun."

"And here it is."

The lead officer looked behind him. Standing proudly was Jack Fenton, in his standard orange jumpsuit, but now with a vest of his own. In his hands was what could best be described as the FentonWorks version of a Minigun, painted silver, with his face emblazoned on the side. The lead officer looked at the Minigun and whistled "Nice weapon. Now could you do me a favor and point it at that big freaking hulk of a monster that apparently has come for you?"

"Strange, I never seen that thing before in my life. Wonder what it wants with me?" Jack muttered. "Considering your reputation as a ghost hunter, as well as a walking insurance nightmare Jack, I would say someone somewhere is VERY angry with you." The lead officer guessed.

"It goes with the territory I suppose. Get your men out of here and let me take him. If he's really after me, I'll give him more than enough reasons to rethink his mission."

Jack walked towards his opponent, a fierce look of determination on his face as the creature turned to look at him. "Target identified: Jack Fenton has come into range. Commencing with plans for extermination."

"Yeah, allow me to formally welcome you to Amity!" Jack opened fire immediately, a rain of intense and concentrated ecto powered blasts slamming into the creature's body. The force of the assault from Jack's weapon pushed it back, but the creature remained on its feet, slowly but surely making its way forward again. It raised its weapon and fired at him. Jack, realizing quickly what was going to happen, ceased fire, diving to the side as a concentrated blast flew swiftly past him, destroying a random car behind him. "Ok, this one requires a little more finesse I suppose." Jack sighed. "Should have brought the Ecto-Bazooka." Jack dropped the Minigun on the ground as he withdrew a pair of large ecto guns from holsters. "Maybe a shot to its face will slow him down." As he raised one up, besides him dropped down his ever so faithful wife, Maddie, in her own blue jumpsuit and vest. In her hands was a rifle of her own design and her hood was down, exposing a small streak of grey in her bowl cut hair. "Jack dear, I'd like to point out that accuracy was never one of the strongest assets you had with those weapons." She reminded him.

"You're never gonna let me forget that, are you?" Jack asked her.

"Nope. That armor it's got is going to be a problem, so you are right about the head shots. But I don't know if my weapon will do anything to faze that creature."

"We'll have to hope for the best. And it seems to be focused on killing me."

The creature looked at Maddie, then growled "Updating prime directive: Terminate Jack Fenton and capture Madeline Fenton!"

"Now that I did NOT need to hear!" Jack shouted. He aimed and fired rapidly, hitting the creature right below the neck as Maddie fired a shot of her own, a blast bouncing off of its skull. Slightly staggered, the aggressive hunter pulled out a bolo and, without missing a beat threw it hard at Maddie. The projectile wrapped itself around her, forcing her to drop to the ground. "Jack! Look out!" Maddie screamed as the creature raised its weapon again and fired, three bolts of energy racing towards him. However, before they could make impact, a green wall of energy formed before Jack. The blasts bounced harmlessly off of the energy construct as Danny phased into view, standing before his dad. Seconds later, York swung in besides the two on a cable. As Valerie and Nathan helped Maddie remove the bolo, Danny said to his father "Hey, see you met one of our town's latest visitors."

"Some visitor," Jack said "he's probably in the running for worst tourist here. But this guy, who the heck are you?"

"Altair York, visitor from a parallel universe. Also, Vlad Masters really wants to kill you."

"Figures. Wait, parallel universe? You're not from Avalon are you, I thought things were cool with us."

York looked at Jack. "Ok, that is a very interesting question, but I'll ask about it another time."

"He's right; we need to stop that thing, NOW!" Jack nodded and said "Sure, but that dragon headed monster is packing some serious heat! We need to disarm it fast."

"And that is my cue." York quickly ran at the creature, staff in hand. As it raised the weapon again, in a flash, York disappeared and reappeared right next to it. Gripping one end of the staff, he unsheathed a long blade from within and in two lightning fast strokes, struck the weapon, cleaving it in two. "Remind me to get one of those for Christmas." Danny said to Jack."

"No weapon I'm afraid. I'd like to see what you're capable of no—"York's speech was cut short as the creature responded with a fist to his chest, sending York flying backwards and to the side of a car. Groaning, he spat out "That will hurt in the morning." The creature quickly barreled down towards him, but York rebounded quickly and leapt forward, striking it in the face with a strong thrust kick before Danny dove in, attacking with a flurry of his own punches to the face. Jack and Maddie raced over to York as Maddie asked him "Wow, are you ok?"

"I'm good. But that monster is a heavy hitter."

"So am I!" Jack growled as he pressed a few buttons on his gloves. They began to grow green with energy as Jack dashed in and punched the creature hard in the jaw while Danny hit it with an elbow of his own. "I see Jack improved the Ghost Gauntlets here."

"You know my husband?" Maddie asked "Yes, in my world we're old friends, all of us." York told her.

"It's a LONG story Mrs. Fenton." Valerie said as she and Nathan joined them. "I'm not surprised really; remember I'm married to a man who sucked our house into another world more than once." Maddie pointed out. "But that's beside the point, what's going on and how much of this involves Vlad?"

"Just about all of it."

"Figured." As The creature grabbed Danny and threw him into the air, Danny flipped and steadied himself as he fired off a few ecto blasts from his hand and hit it in the face, while Jack ripped up a meter from the sidewalk and swung hard, smashing it into the chest. "I have to say that is one hell of a strong ghost." Nathan whistled.

"That's no ghost." Maddie said flatly.

"Wait what?" Valerie muttered. "I've been scanning that monster for spectral energy and as far as I can tell you, that is not a ghost. It's…SOMETHING, but not a ghost."

"Then we really are dealing with an alien." Valerie realized. "Yes. This does make our job most difficult." York said. Suddenly, Ichabod rolled up next to the group. "Excuse me, sir! We have a bit of a situation!" Dr. Hurt's voice contained n air of concern.

"What is it, we've got a very touchy situation here, we just found out aliens do exist!"

"Yes we know, we were scanning the creature too, but that's not the problem. It concerns your assistant!"

"…what about him?"

"Well, he arrived here a short time ago and saw the battle you were engaged in with the monster. And then he saw it attacking Jack and—we tried to stop him!"

York groaned and said "Please tell me he didn't—"

"He went through the portal. I estimate that his arrival will be in 15 seconds."

York sighed as Maddie asked "Is there something wrong." York smiled and replied "Yes and no. You all may want to stand about 3 feet back. The flash of light is disorienting"

Danny and Jack stood side by side, breathing hard and rubbing their faces as the creature stood before them, seemingly unaffected by the assault the two brought. As it raised its fist, suddenly a figure appeared before it in a flash of light and struck it, hard, with a glowing green uppercut, sending the creature high into the air. The figure turned to them and everyone gasped; before them was Danny Phantom, well to be precise the younger version of Danny. He wore a black jacket with a hood attached. On his hands was a pair of white fingerless gloves and he now sported a pair of black cargo pants and white sneakers. The only thing that was left of his original uniform was his shirt, with the emblem designed by Sam on the front. His hair was shoulder length now and slightly unkempt. He looked at everyone and said "Hi! Sorry to cut in like this, but you know what they say, a hero always arrives late!"

"And what did I teach you about showing off?" York sighed shaking his head.

The other Fentons all looked on in shock as York said "To avoid confusion I'm just going to refer to you as Teen Danny. Teen Danny, meet Original Danny."

"What the-what the hell did you just do?!" Danny asked Teen Danny.

"Oh, concentrated my energy into my fists and feet and used them to boost my body's abilities." Teen Danny explained. "Uh, wait hold on, stand back!" Seconds later, the creature crashed into the ground face first. As it began to stir, Teen Danny said to Danny "We can talk about this later! Right now, we need to freeze this guy in his tracks!"

"Hey, funny you should mention that." Danny raised his hands and let loose a deep blue blast of energy, encasing the creature in a column of ice up to its neck. It grunted in its struggle as Teen Danny said "You know, I sometimes forget that I had access to that power."

"How could you it's literally one of the coolest powers you have!"

"Yeah, but I've been learning a lot of other awesome things. Can you clone yourself too?"

"20 max!"

"Wait, 20! Damn, all I can do right now is 5 but that's only because—"

"Hold it, HOLD IT!" Maddie shouted. "Explanations, NOW!"

"Right, sorry. Like I said I'm the younger version of your son, but the parents in my world only just now found out I'm a part time super hero. And York's kind of been training me."

"Training you?" Danny asked. "Why?"

"It's a LONG story." Teen Danny said, "And we kinda got ourselves a pretty big fight coming up. But what about you, what have you been up to for the last few years?"

"Oh you know, fighting your standard villain of the week, maintaining an outstanding public image, making sure Sam doesn't drive me crazy…" Danny smiled. "Normal stuff."

"You left out the part where you saved the world again when Pariah Dark was revived." Jack said to Danny. "I gotta say, you looked quite different when you were younger."

"This would be a nice time to get nostalgic, but we still have a problem on our hands." Maddie pointed to the creature still encased in ice. Ichabod rolled up to the trapped being and Dr. Ward's voice said to them "The scanners on here are through with their analysis and they have found something rather interesting. Apparently, there is a device attached to the alien's neck about 3 inches below the collar. I suggest destroying it to see what will happen."

"Uh, doc is that even safe?" Teen Danny asked. "I'm fairly certain in a case like this, that may be a very bad—"The young teen's words were cut short as York threw a punch at the creature, shattering through the ice and denting the metal of the armor. Seconds later, the creatures eyes went from red to gold as its head slumped down.

"You were saying?" York responded.

"Man you are spry for someone your age." Jack whistled.

"I'm over 2000 years old, so yes spry would be appropriate." York crossed his arms as he began to examine the creature closely. "Seems his breathing has slowed down a bit. This armor's metal is like nothing I've seen before…We should take it to the lab, see what we can learn from it."

"Whoa hold on there, we're not the Guys in White." Maddie said to York. "We do have SOME protocol."

"This coming from the mother who wanted to dissect me." Danny said. "Oh come on dear, I apologized enough didn't I?"

"At least she didn't react the way my mom did." Teen Danny said.

"And she reacted by…"

"Masking herself in a ninja outfit and fighting me to a draw at her sensei's hometown." Teen Danny answered.

"Wait, I know ninjitsu?" asked Maddie, shocked at the revelation.

"Something tells me your Earth is a pretty funky place." Jack concluded. York smiled and said "You have no idea. Now then, to our frozen friend here, what shall we do?"

"Wh-where-am I?" Everyone else looked at the creature as it began to talk, its eyes darting back and forth. "I guess your friend here has come to its senses." Nathan sighed. "Uh, hello, um, visitor. You are on Earth. We are—"

"Humans. Yes I know. I'm not slow witted despite my appearance." The creature said to Nathan. "Your attempt at communication does not go unappreciated however."

"Thanks. Look, I'm new at this job, so I'm not too sure how I'm supposed to be doing this," Nathan began, "but to be frank, I'm trained to deal with ghosts and other supernatural entities, not alien life forms."

"Ghosts? Ah, I see. Now I remember…I apologize for what I may have done, but I'm afraid I have not been in control of my body for a very long time. In fact, it was a ghost like being who sent me here I'm afraid."

"We figured." Danny replied. "Tell me, did this ghost like guy have long fangs in his mouth, bad horn shaped hair, blue skin and a really annoying superiority complex?"

"Yes. And you over there are you Jack Fenton?"

"One and only. Vlad actually talks about me?"

"Not favorably. Now if you do not mind…" Suddenly, the ice around the creature broke as he shook his body, and he stretched his arms as he asked them "I require a warm beverage. Can we talk somewhere where those are in great abundance?"

"We lost contact with the scout." Fright Knight said to Vlad as Vlad looked over his controls.

"I can see that!" Vlad spat out. "The question is HOW. Computer, show me what's happening in Amity right now! I want to know where my scout is!"

"Acknowledged." A sterile voice said as seconds later, the following was shown to Vlad and the Fright Knight; His formerly remote controlled scout walked down the city streets, now joined by The Fentons. Along with them was Valerie Grey, an officer with her, a strange robotic probe and, to his disbelief, not only his accursed foe Danny Phantom but what appeared to be a younger version of him with a man wearing a trench coat. "No!" Vlad shouted. "Those two must have followed me through the portal! I was certain their technology was not up to date. "

"Will this change your plans?" Fright Knight asked Vlad. Vlad shook his head in defiance and instead told his henchman "If anything it means I can accelerate them. No doubt Foley's been made aware of the presence of my ship here and he will have gotten the world's governments on alert. We mat as well give these fools what they want. Gather the troops; time is still on my side so to speak."

Sam's bookstore/café, called the Witch's Cauldron, was a host to many an odd sight in its lifetime. But Sam, currently wearing a jet black long sleeved shirt and jeans, could not be prepared for who had earlier stepped into her place of business; her longtime friend and lover, Danny Fenton, along with his parents and what appeared to be his younger self, accompanying a guy who looked like he was the offspring of a dragon/human marriage.

As she watched the alien sitting down on the couch, drinking from a thermos of tea, Sam brushed a strand of hair from her face and asked Danny "Ok hotshot, there's an alien, a you from another universe and some guy who could double for an urban vigilante in a gritty urban city sitting and drinking tea. And if I recall, a few minutes ago you were all trying to kill him!"

"A lot can happen in a half hour." Danny clarified.

"Exactly. Now, this should be the part where someone would panic, but given our history and some of the odd things that have happened in this café, I am not. Someone please start talking."

"I must say this 'tea' that you humans have cultivated is quite invigorating." The creature said. "What is this one?"

"Darjeeling," Sam said. "And thank you. I don't get too many people drinking that much tea in one day."

"I'm afraid for this body, after being exposed to cold temperatures like that I have to. Believe me, having this one is rather hard to adapt to."

"Wait, go back." York said. "What do you mean? This is a host body?"

"No, not exactly. Truth be told, this was a body I had to assume after a previous battle. My race has that kind of ability. My true form cannot be perceived in this realm I'm afraid so we have to change bodies to adapt to an environment. But we have to touch or be touched in order to assimilate that form properly."

"Like a chameleon. Rather ingenious." Maddie pointed out.

"Yes, but we do get their weaknesses along with the strengths and knowledge they possess." Nathan, sipping from a cup given to him by Sam, said "I hate to pry but um…what is your name…"

"In your language it would be pronounced Draco."

"Yes, Draco…just how did you get caught by Vlad?"

"Ah, yes I thought I would have to speak of that. Truth be told, it was all by accident. My people, they have existed for countless eons in the universe. Before what you knew as human history began, we had travelled throughout countless galaxies, wandering ad learning, studying civilizations and amassing their wisdom. We sometimes appeared before these civilizations in certain forms. You may not know it but certain legendary creatures and beings on your planet were, in reality, us, trying to foster the growth of your world. Or, in certain cases, trolling you really hard."

"Let me guess, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster?"

"Your Bigfoot is real. The Loch Ness Monster is actually a creature called the Skarasen. Blame the Zygons for that. But in due time, my people were drawn into a war with a warlike race called the Skaars, and they were as ruthless as you can imagine. They too were like us, existing for eons, but they sought to conquer and subjugate. Our two races battled and the ramifications were dire; the Skaars were almost wiped out utterly but my people had reached their limits. We also knew that if we were to continue our war here, we would end up involving the Earth. So, we elected to escape to another realm, a place between dimensions, and we would send the last of the Skaar into limbo itself. However we did not know that the Skaar had did something horrendous; they found a way to control their dead. From their deceased bodies, they extracted the spirits of the fallen Skaar and load them onto countless ships, prepping them for one last assault. It was my mission to stop them, but that meant I had to stay behind while the rest of my people fled."

"What did you do?" Danny asked.

"Strictly speaking, I snuck onto their mother ship and sent a massive ecto-shock throughout the whole fleet. As I said, they were the army of the dead, and I needed to send a strong enough energy signal to shut down their controls. I also took the one device that gave their commander control over the dead armies and sent it through a random portal after sealing it in chains. It was my hope that it would be lost to them forever, even if somehow the Skaar still survived. But I didn't count on the ship putting me in suspended animation or its computers recording these events before it and the fleet crashed on one of Jupiter's moons. Somehow though, Vlad Plasmius found me, along with the lost fleet, and put me in his control."

The group all stared in silence as Draco finished his tale. "Man, if I was a writer I'd be using this for a really good comic book." Jack muttered. "Hey, maybe I should…pulp action tales of the unknown written by Jack Fenton. That could make me some good cash."

"I'd object but given your career, it could work out." Teen Danny pointed out. "I'm still at a loss at the fact that you left him out there,"

"Yeah well, he DID blackmail the world, humiliated my father and tried to make everyone's lives a living hell." Danny pointed out. "Prison would not

have been good enough."

"Yeah but, WOW…still, space."

"I don't regret it one bit." Jack sighed, "Even at the end when I tried to make amends to him, he was bent on conquest. I think my friend died a long time ago…"

"You shouldn't blame yourself Jack," York reassured him, "after all, the only person responsible for the misfortune that came later is Vlad himself. But we'll have to worry about it later, there's still the matter of how he survived out there."

"It was a space station."

Everyone turned to see Tucker enter the café, a look of determination on his face. "Before I get started, there are two Danny's here along with a dragon guy, a trench coat wearing badass and a robot. I missed out on a lot I take it."

"Yes." Everyone said.

"I'll get the cliff notes version later. Damon and I finally cracked the last of Vlad's files from Vladco and Axion. Turns out that along with secret satellites, he managed to build himself a very snazzy fully operational space station orbiting alongside one of Jupiter's moons. He used a lot of top secret government tech and some of our own to develop it too. Not only that, it can open portals to the Ghost Zone."

"So now it all makes sense." Teen Danny said. "He's been hiding out in that space station all that time. And he must have found that lost fleet too while he was in the area."

"And I bet he's been using it to experiment with portals to other dimensions too, stealing any tech he can to upgrade it!" Danny finished. "He's a crazed up fruit loop, but he's a brilliant one at that."

"If anyone has any idea what to do next, I'm all ears." Jack said. York nodded and said to Draco "The item he stole from the mother ship, but was the only way to control the Skaar's Undead, correct?"

"Yes," Draco answered. "If we can destroy the armlet, they will cease to exist in any realm. But it is locked up by a special key and—"

"Vlad has the Skeleton Key. It's capable of opening any lock. We have to assume now he has the item and will attack." York stated. "We have no choice but to strike first before he brings the fleet to Earth's orbit."

"Uh yeah, about that…" Sam pointed to the TV, which at the moment began to hiss as the screen went black. Seconds later, the screen came back to life, but with a most unwelcome sight; Vlad Plasmius, in full gear, standing at the bridge of his ship. On his right arm was a glowing red armlet and he spoke with an air of superiority in his voice. "Ah, good to see you again, people of Earth! Remember me, your old friend, Vlad Masters? Well, get used to calling me by my new title—VLAD, SUPREME RULER OF EARTH!"

"Wow, crazy much?" Sam deadpanned.

"Now you'd think 10 years of being stranded in space, by a complete oaf named JACK FENTON, would make a man bitter. No, actually it made me get quite creative and inquisitive. I was thinking, all this peace and co-existence in your wretched little mud ball was lacking something. And I decided, just for the hell of it, why not take over? After all, you are lacking a leader to set the world in its proper place among the stars. Oh I know what you're thinking 'we'll count on good old Danny Phantom to save the day again!' Well, FORGET IT! As I speak, I'm sending a small contingent of my forces to wipe out him AND Amity Park from the face of this Earth, just to show you how committed I am to the new path your will all follow. And once Amity Park falls, the world and the Ghost Zone will bow to me! Observe carefully, for this will be the fate of all that oppose the New Order!"

The screen went dead as everyone looked at each other. "And just like that, Vlad gets the drop on us? No fair!" Tucker moaned.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Teen Danny asked Danny.

"If it involves hauling ass to Amity Square, then YES!" Danny yelled. Before anyone can stop them, the two Danny's flew as fast as the wind out the window. "This is not good." Nathan sighed. "First day I'm on the job, I get to witness Armageddon unfold."

"You get used to it, trust me." Valerie patted him on the shoulder. "Come on rookie, let's go to HQ and get you suited up!"

"I wish to lend my services to your cause!" Draco told the two. As Valerie and Nathan stared at him, Draco clarified "It is the least I can do after being under his control. And I owe him."

"Hey don't leave us out!" Jack smiled as he eagerly leapt up from his seat and raced out the door. "FINALLY! I get to test out the new RV!" Maddie sighed and said to York "If Jack in your world is as eager as mine-"

"He is. And I would not have it any other way."

"Least now I can test my latest project too." As Maddie followed after Jack, York looked down to Ichabod and said "Looks like I need to lend a hand. Dr Ward and Dr. Hurt, I need you to scan the areas with Tucker's satellites, see if you can detect anything unusual. I suspect that this may be more than we anticipated."

"On it!" Dr. Hurt said. Tucker and Sam looked at each other before turning to York. Tucker pulled out his cellphone and said to him "I need to make a phone call. I'll be joining Danny too."

"I'm a non violent person…part time." Sam said. She reached into a nearby cabinet and pulled out a large black leather bound book from its depths. York looked at it and said "Elminster's Spells and Incantations?"

"Yup."

"Here. You need to have the updated version." From his coat pockets, York pulled out a bigger version and handed it to Sam.

To best describe what was occurring in Amity Square right now would be the words "mass hysteria": crowds of people and lower level ghost were all in the process of fleeing as Danny and Teen Danny flew in, landing abruptly on the ground. Looking skyward, the pair watched as a large, bright blue tear manifested in the sky over them, and sounds of howling escaped from within. "That is definitely NOT a friendly sound." Teen Danny said, his eyes narrowing.

"It never is." Danny agreed. Seconds later, the two witnessed a swarm of ghosts spew forth from within the spatial rip; they were skeletal in appearance, but like Draco had dragon like skulls. Each of them had an axe like weapon grafted upon one arm while the other had long, claw like protrusions sticking out of their glove. They hovered using bat like wings, staring at the two lifelessly. As the numbers grew, Teen Danny turned to his counterpart and asked "Ok, you've been at this loner than I have, you obviously have a plan."

"Actually, I have a tendency to make it up as I go along." Danny admitted. "With this many, I tend to wing it."

"Its times like this that make me wonder if you really are worth all the trouble of hunting." Both Danny's shrugged as they turned to see Skulker land behind them. His new suit now came with a large shoulder mounted launcher along with a rather intimidating rifle in his hands. "My receptors must be malfunctioning, because I'm registering two of you!"

"Parallel universe." Teen Danny quipped.

"Oh. Anyway, I see Vlad has decided to make a most unwelcome return indeed. Lucky for you I did call in that favor you asked of me."

"I don't think he's made a whole lot of friends in the Ghost Zone either." Danny said to Skulker. "Indeed," the hunter agreed. "So the number of

volunteers I could get was larger than I hoped. But, um…"

"What is it?"

"I think you should know You Know Who is also coming. This won't get awkward, will it?" Teen Danny looked at Danny and Skulker and said to them "Uh, can I ask what could actually make Skulker ask if someone coming would be awkward?"

"Uhhh…"

"You didn't tell him?" Skulker laughed "Hoo boy, this will be interesting." Danny turned to the other and said to him "Look, I don't know how to quite explain this but—"

"Well, hello there sexy!" Seconds later, Danny found his right shoulder was draped with an arm as besides him materialized Ember McLain. The spirited rocker no longer had a ponytail for her flaming hair, instead letting it flow down to her waist. She sported a long black leather jacket and white tube top shirt and strapped to her shoulders was a large custom built purple guitar. "I know you didn't think the former love of your life was gonna sit this one out did you?"

"No…but something tells me that Sam is going to kill me for this." Danny muttered. "And that's what makes her so damn attractive!" Ember grinned mischievously. "Ok I see someone has been holding out on me, you have a brother I take it?"

"Wait, hold on, YOU AND EMBER?!" Teen Danny gasped out. Ember sighed as she removed herself from Danny. "It's a long story. Baby Pop and Goth had a falling out, he was miserable and I was depressed, we had one HELL of a year. It was fun—more fun than I think I should tell you but we kinda decided to go do our own things. Although…" Ember began sizing up Teen Danny as she said "I wouldn't mind reliving the classics."

"Oh please, you're worse than me." The voice came from Desiree as she floated in. "And it's so obvious the kid's taken."

"You're just jealous you haven't had a decent date in 1000 years." Ember said, crossing her arms. "MAYBE if you weren't so hell bent on screwing people over…"

"And here comes the claws." Skulker said. "Ladies, can we save it for the enemy before us, there will be plenty of catcalls later." Suddenly, a motorcycle pulled up besides Skulker as Johnny 13, in a leather biker jacket of his own and accompanied by Kitty arrived. "I heard cat fight. I must be at the right place." Johnny laughed.

"Oh don't you get started." Kitty pouted. "Hey, cool to see there's two of him now."

"Yeah, but we're gonna need a few more guests before we can get this party properly started." Ember pointed out. "Where are the big guns?"

"Right here."

Everyone turned to see approaching them was the Box Ghost, dragging on a chain a rather large crate. "No offense, but she said big guns, not a pea shooter." Skulker sighed.

"No offense taken. But you all forget you are dealing with the Box Ghost. Emphasis on the word BOX." Box Ghost then snapped his fingers and the lid of the crate flew open. From within floated a host of heavy duty ecto-weapons which he proceeded to arm himself with. As he checked on the two blasters he now had in his hands, Johnny asked "Dude, you actually have access to all that?"

"I am a Jack of All Trades remember? Besides it helps if you stay in the good graces of the government these days."

"Yeah, this confirms it; we are at the End Days." Desiree said. "Hell must be freezing over.

"I suppose that may be my doing." From behind approached Frostbite, a legion of his troops at his command. "And it brings me pleasure to aid you in your hour of need, O Great One."

"I will never get over you calling him that." Admitted Skulker. "Now where is Sydney? He said he was bringing his girlfriend with him."

"Look above." Johnny pointed as in the skies came down a large white dragon, with Sydney on top. "Dude, I think we should be adequately prepared for—"

"Not so fast." Ember pointed past him "We got one more guest star."

Suddenly, a flash of green light landed right in-between the two Danny's. Materializing before them stood Dani, noticeably taller and with longer hair. She had on her own classic version of her uniform but with a white scarf around her neck. "Hey there cousin and…cousin. Ok, this is weird."

"The short story: parallel universe Danny." Teen Danny said to her.

"Figures. So, are we gonna kick Vlad's ass now or what?!"

"First things first, we take care of pest control." Danny said as he turned to the oncoming swarm ahead of them. "And I know just how to start this off!"

As Danny walked forward, Skulker turned to the other ghosts with him and said "We probably should all get behind him. 12 feet at least."

"Uh oh. And me without earplugs." Ember sighed. As Danny prepped himself, he was then joined by Teen Danny and Dani at either side of him. "And you two are…"

"Joining in. If you're doing what I think you're doing, I think I should lend my voice to it as well."

"And I kinda wanna show off. I'm not letting you have all the fun!"

"Alright then, let's do this by the numbers." Each of them took a deep breath and as the mob of ghosts drew closer, Danny and the two each unleashed their own Ghostly Wail simultaneously. The effects was greater than anyone could imagine as a great deal of the ghosts dissipated into vapor while others were tossed back into the portal or slammed into a collapsing building. After a few seconds the 3 of them stopped and Dani went down to one knee, saying "Ok, that took out a little more than I thought it would out of me. I'm ok."

"Good, because they're still coming!" Teen Danny said to her.

"In that case, GUITAR SOLO!"

Before the ghosts could regroup, Ember strummed her guitar and within seconds a great shockwave came forth from her instrument sending more of the other ghosts back. The aggressive spirits screeched in anger as they continued to approach, not noticing the gathering large grey clouds above them. It was then that a series of lightning bolts ripped forth from the clouds, electrocuting a great deal. Everyone turned to see both Sam and York enter the battlefield, Sam with book in hand and York with sword drawn.

"I have to say, this updated version is pretty handy." Sam told York. "I'm keeping it by the way."

"Yes, I know. I hope we didn't arrive too late."

"No, in fact you are just in time." Skulker said. "Let the hunt BEGIN!"

And indeed the battle for Amity was underway as the ghosts swooped down and the others began their work. If a casual observer was to see the fight in question they would be hard pressed to follow all of the fights many moments; Ember had used her guitar to send shockwave after shockwave against any large groups in the sky and any that got too close would be victim to a hard swing from her guitar or her fist. Skulker and Box Ghost, surprisingly worked side by side, using various ecto powered weapons to blast apart their foes.

"You're actually good with those!" A bewildered Skulker admitted. The Box Ghost shrugged and said to him "When you've been on the receiving end as long as I have been, you pick up a few hints."

"Duly noted." Skulker turned to his right and fired shots from his rifle as his shoulder launched sent out missiles of his own design. Frostbite's army currently held off an incoming group of spirits as Frostbite himself fought off a rather large beast that emerged from the portal, which resembled a giant lobster. The leader of the Far Frozen smiled as he charged at the creature before leaping high in the air and with his hastily formed ice sword, felled the creature in one motion. Another one emerged from behind it, but just as quickly it was demolished this time by the actions of Dora the Dragon.

"It is my imagination," Johnny said as he and Kitty were in the middle of punching out a few more "or are there still more coming out?"

"Looks like it!" Kitty said "At this rate, we'll be here all day!"

"Bummer! We need some bigger guns!" he shouted.

"Just what the doctor ordered!" The voice belonged to Jazz as she walked next to Johnny and Kitty. "Uh, hi." Johnny nervously chuckled. Kitty rolled her eyes and said "Come on Johnny I doubt she's here to kick your ass. Although I can't blame her."

"I'd like to walk down memory lane, but I see my brother could use a little help. Now, if you don't mind…" Jazz pressed a small button on the grey and green bracelet she wore. Seconds later, her body became encased in the Fenton Ghost Peeler armor, but now of a sleeker and more form fitting design. She rocketed up above the couple and began her own assault firing her weapons at any ghost that came into contact. Eventually joining her was Tucker, in his own version of the Fenton Battle Suit. "Wait Tucker, when the hell did you find time to build that?" yelled out Danny.

"I had a free weekend! I managed to work out all the kinks!" Tucker replied as he slammed his fist into a large monster that approached it. "Oh, and by the way, LOOK OUT!"

The ground shuddered as from out of the portal emerged a large ship, with a triangular shaped bow. As it slowly hovered in the skies over Amity, Ember said "No fair, they got one of those? Tell me we have something just as good."

Her answer came just in the form of a pair of missiles slamming into the ship's side; the Fenton Speeder, 3 times as big as before, raced down from the clouds above. On the ground below, a fully reinforced Fenton RV, tires screeching, raced towards the ship, launching its own payload of weapons. Behind it followed a good portion of the Amity PD Emergency Response Team in similar vehicles of their own, trading fire with the massive ship. Another vehicle drove up to Danny and York, and as it halted, the doors popped open and out leapt Nathan and Valerie in full gear along with Draco. "I said I'd bring backup!" Valerie happily boasted as she ran towards the battlefield, opening fire.

"It's nice to see that we got so many volunteers but I had a thought; where is Vlad in all of this?" Nathan said to Danny."You'd think someone like him would be here to bask in his conquest or something."

"He's right," Draco said "Vlad has to be somewhere nearby."

"Knowing him, he's probably watching this from his ship nearby." Danny guessed. "We could have someone go through the portal and take it out."

"True but…" Draco hesitated. "Someone worries me. Before I was put under his control, I faintly remembered Vlad mentioning something about 'Clockwork'. Do you know what that means?"

Danny and York looked at one another. "All this…was a diversion." Danny said. "But why is he going after Clockwork?"

"Good question. We need to get to a Ghost Portal and FAST." Teen Danny landed before the two and said to them "Uh, you know, we do have a rather quick way to do that." He then turned and pointed to Desiree, who was in the middle of blasting the nearest monster in the face.

"Wait, what do you have planned?" York asked Teen Danny.

"Oh nothing much. Just realizing we have a Deus Ex Machina on our side that no one ever thought to put to use."

"You are quite bold to confront me, even in my own lair." Clockwork said to Vlad as he stood face to face with him, accompanied by the Fright Knight. Vlad merely laughed at the elder spirit as he said to him "Ah, but that is the beauty of it, catching even you unaware. While everyone is busy dealing with the first of my troops, I will secure the one soldier I need to make my victory absolute. Of course, if you would be willing to let him go…"

"I don't do requests." Clockwork's eyes narrowed.

"It wasn't a request." Vlad raised his hand as he and Fright Knight fired two ecto rays at him, forcing Clockwork back against the wall. Vlad then floated over to the nearby cabinet and extracted a rather dusty Thermos with a face shaped dent on the side. "Who would have thought that you still held onto this after all that time? No matter, it's on to bigger and better things."

"I don't think you really understand the situation you are in." Clockwork smiled. "I am a master of time, and I see events from different perspectives. I knew you would come here Vlad, and I know of what you want to do today."

"And yet you failed to stop me."

"I didn't. I was actually biding my time. See, I am expecting 3 visitors today."

And then, before Vlad knew it, a portal opened next to Clockwork. Out from it stepped 3 people he had wished never crossed his path; Danny Phantom, Teen Danny and Altair York all stared a hole into him as they entered Clockwork's domain, Danny the first to speak. "Hello Vlad. Nice to see the years have not been kind to you."

"We would have taken the long way, but then I remembered 'hey, there's a genie here why not let her pop us right next to you' and well look at where we're at!" Teen Danny continued.

"Of course it took some sweet talk on my end…also I owe her dinner and a movie." York finished. "Now put the Thermos down."

"Really gentlemen, you have me at a loss. I really was hoping you'd come here with grand speeches about justice and putting a stop to my nefarious plans." Vlad scoffed.

"Funny, Joke around Danny is not here at the moment. We've all become real tired of your antics and quite honestly, nothing now would please me more than burying my fist in your face."

"Well too bad Daniel, because I intend to show you the best part of my plan. Time to meet your better half." Vlad pressed a button on the Thermos and dropped it to the ground. Seconds later, it exploded as a large figure came forth from within; Dark Danny stood before them, a wicked smile etched onto his face. "Finally…I was getting a little cramped in there." He coldly stated. "And I see that the one who put me in that accursed thermos is alive and well. I will remedy that right away."

"Don't be so hasty. After all, I need you alive for my plans." Vlad said to the malevolent spirit. Dark Danny turned to Vlad and said to him "You presume to give me orders? I am far stronger than you, Masters!"

"Perhaps you were ten years ago. But not anymore. I do propose a temporary alliance for the moment and you can start to earn my trust by stopping the 3 fools before us."

"And why should I bother teaming with you?"

"Because your existence depends on my survival I believe. Oh and I'll let you run rampant over the city of Amity as a bonus."

Teen Danny stared directly at ark Danny, his emotions mixed. Memories of a very bad day began to swell up in his head as Danny looked at him. "I take it this is not exactly the second time he's run into him." Danny asked York. Nodding with a grim look, York said to him "I'm afraid it's a pretty dark chapter for us. We need to stop these 3 right here and now. I will take Dark Danny—"

"No. Let me do it."

Teen Danny's fists began to pulse and crackle, his eyes becoming brighter as York asked him "Are you sure about this? You don't have to do this again I will—"

"No, professor. I've got to face him. Alone."

York sighed, "Ok, but don't blame me if you die. I suppose it will be up to me to take care of the Fright Knight then." Brandishing his sword before him, the Fright Knight held it high as flames formed on the edge, as he loudly proclaimed "Fool! You know not who you are dealing with, for I am a foe far more powerful and fearsome than any you may have—"

Before he could continue, he would have his speech cut short in a most unexpected way, as York appeared quickly before him and slammed his fist into the side of his face, sending him through the wall. "Excuse me, but we need to hold this conversation outside!" York quickly leaped out after the Fright Knight through the freshly added wall as Danny and Vlad locked eyes. "Guess that leaves just you and me, old man." Danny smiled as he raised his fists.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, whelp!" Vlad said as the armlet on his arm glowed. "I do hope you savor this fight however, for I don't think there will be much of Amity left after this one. Did you really think that all those ghosts I sent were all of the Skaar's army I had under my control? As we speak, another loyal servant of mine is sending the full fleet over!"

"From your secret space station right?"

"What. How did you-"

"You should take care to delete every little file you leave behind. We know about the space station and the lost fleet you managed to free. But you made one other mistake: you pissed a doctor off."

"Oh, this is so much FUN!" Penelope Spectra giggled as she watched the last of the fleet enter the portal from her office in the space station. Along with her stood Bertrand, who carefully monitored the frequencies of the station's portal generation system as he asked "Which part, sending a legion of the dead to destroy our old haunting grounds or being Vlad's rebound girl?"

"Very cute." Spectra haughtily replied. "I can't complain though, after all if I am by his side, I get all the benefits of hanging out with the ruler of two worlds. Well, at least until I find my own way of usurping his power for myself of course."

"But of course. The fleet should be joining up with the main ship alongside the moon in a few minutes...wait a second. Something's wrong!"

Spectra turned to face Bertrand and asked "what is it, is a ship missing?"

"No, it's the readings on the core unit for the portal generator. They're rising fast and I don't know why!"

Bertrand's panic would soon rise further as a loud and ear shattering alarm pierced the quiet of the room. "SECURITY ALERT! SECURITY ALERT! MAIN GENERATOR CORE CHAMBER BRACHED! THERE IS AN INTRUDER IN THE MAIN GENERATOR ROOM!" Spectra's face became a mask of fury as she yelled "Who the hell is in there?!" Her answer would come as on her screen flicked on an image of Dr. Hurt in the main generator room, which was now filled with red lights. He waved at the camera and said "Ah, hello there. I'm afraid I have to cut this conversation short but I was curious, do you know much about wormholes my dear lady?"

"No I do NOT you old coot! Who are you and what are you doing there?!"

"Well, I came here to teach you a lesson about stealing things from other dimensions. It's just not proper etiquette you know. By the way, I was here studying this lovely machine and then I realized something about how you got this running. In order for you to maintain the tunnel, both sides have to maintain a constant flow of energy to keep the tunnel stable. But, strictly speaking, what if this generator was to receive more energy than it should? I wager that this station of yours has about, say, 30 seconds of life left in her if no one bothers to stabilize it."

"And we will!" Bertrand shouted as he typed furiously at the controls.

"Not with your systems shorted out I'm afraid. I took the liberty of also disabling all of the computer access you have. I'd invite you to come along with me, but I'm afraid you have more pressing matters to attend to. Goodbye then." Dr. Hurt then raised up a remote and opened his own portal, leaping through quickly and closing it behind himself as seconds later, the core imploded upon itself.

"This has NOT been my day," Spectra sighed, sitting down in her chair and reclining before the massive explosion took effect.

"He did WHAT?!" Vlad growled.

"He asked Dr. Hurt to go to your space station and destroy the portal generator the second that you sent that fleet of yours through. Ironically, they kind of live up to their name as The Lost Fleet now, what with being stuck in a wormhole for all time. Kind of sucks to be you huh?"

Vlad blinked and then let out an aggravated cry of anguish as he rushed towards Danny, letting loose with a series of ecto blasts. Danny batted away each and every one of them as he too flew towards Vlad, fists ready. The two punched at each other and the blows connected with one another, the impact shaking the building that they were in to its foundation. In a flash they were at it, trading blow for blow, trying to one-up the other. Meanwhile Teen Danny started down Dark Danny, who had smiled and said "Vlad always did have a temper problem. Me? I don't have such issues."

"So I noticed. And I really don't care at the moment."

"Ah, I must have done something to cause you such great agony. Share it with me."

"Better yet, I'll show you."

In a flash, Teen Danny suddenly appeared before Dark Danny, leaping up and kicking him broadly across the face. Dark Danny found himself flying backwards as Teen Danny flew forward, swinging with a fist aimed at his head. At the last second, it was caught and Dark Danny threw his assailant high towards the ceiling. He raised his hand and fired a series of rays at Teen Danny, who carefully dodged each one. The younger fighter then flew down quickly, cutting the distance between the two short as Dark leapt up and tried to intercept him with his own fist. Teen Danny quickly sidestepped it and attacked with his own fist flurry, telling Dark Danny "You're as strong as I remember you!"

"Good, that means you know how much trouble you're in."

"No, it just means I know now I surpassed you!"

York and Fright Knight continued to trade slashes as their swords clashed with one another, the two of them searching for any kind of opening, "You are indeed a worthy swordsman," Fright Knight proclaimed "but you know that you stand no chance against me!"

"It's not the first time I've heard this speech!" York said as he thrust at the Fright Knight's face. Managing to teleport himself a few feet away from York, Fright Knight glowed as several meteors formed around him, which he then launched. York quickly slashed down each of the rocks with his sword as he asked "Surely you have better tricks than that."

"I do. Let me show you the power of the Soul Shredder." Teleporting again, he appeared behind York and before he could attack, Fright Knight slashed him on the arm. All went black for a few seconds as York lost sight of his surroundings until, seconds later, he found himself alone in a barren field. The sky above him was starless and the grass was grey and lifeless. As York looked around him, bewildered, a voice said "So, this is what you fear. A world where only you remain. Most odd." The Fright Knight appeared before him again as York looked up and asked "I take it we are not in the Ghost Zone."

"We are in a dimension of your own design. The Soul Shredder sends anyone I cut to a place where they must endure their greatest fears. And it is this place that has been chosen for you. How does it feel to be in a place where there is no one to speak to, no one to enjoy your company? How does it feel to be alone?"

"...I'm relieved."

"What-are you MAD?"

"No I am quite sane. You see, we're in a separate dimension right? That means that I can freely act without cause for alarm about my actions." York removed his jacket and smiled, but the smile was one not of joy but of anticipation. "See, there's something I've been withholding from my friends; the magic that I wield, it's well, dangerous in the wrong hands. The effects I can have on the environment can be quite catastrophic to anything and everything if I don't hold it together. But here? In a dimension like this where I do not have to worry about such things? I have naught to fear. Yes, I fear being alone—but only because of WHY. Let me show you just how much I've been holding back..."

Danny continued to trade blows with Vlad, striking him with a hard haymaker that sent the elder man to the ground. "For a crazy guy, you sure are stubborn!" he grunted as he leapt down to land a fist into his face. Vlad responded by kicking up and backhanding Danny, saying "You just don't GET IT! Your father—he RUINED ME! He STOLE THE ONE WOMAN I LOVED! HE—"

"I heard it all before Vlad! He also tried to help you, you know! He tried to reach out to you after the accident! It's something he regretted for a long time but you're the one who rejected his offer!"

"That man is a living breathing accident just waiting to happen! I had EVERY DAMN RIGHT to keep him away! But I'll have the last laugh, I promise you, I will—"

"Blah blah blah, CONQUER THIS!" Danny cut Vlad's rant short with a dashing punch to the gut. Meanwhile, Teen Danny found himself surrounded by 4 Dark Danny clones. All poised to strike, Dark Danny taunted him by saying "You know, you probably know what's coming. But why spoil the surprise?"

"You know..." Teen Danny said as his right hand glowed green and his left blue" ...I was thinking the same thing." The 4 of them closed in and Teen Danny quickly moved, crossing his arms together. A column of ecto energy and ice winds formed around him, shredding the clones and Dark Danny until 3 of them disappeared. Dark looked upon the young man, a grimace on his face as he growled "I see someone has been busy experimenting with his powers."

"Oh but wait, there's more." Teen Danny raised his right hand and concentrated. Seconds later, a bright green sword of energy formed around his right arm. Teen Danny held it high as he said "Get a good look at it, because it's the last thing your counterpart ever saw!"

"Whoa. Did not know I was capable of THAT!" Danny said to himself as Teen Danny launched himself as Dark Danny, who grabbed a nearby sword and parried the attack. As this went on, Vlad rose from his spot and said "The young whelp has the right idea. Time to end this NOW!" The armlet on his arm pulsed as Vlad charged up his energy. "I do hope you'll forgive me if I don't leave you with a fitting final insult, but let's just say I will be content with making you a smear on the wall."

"That's not good."" Danny muttered. He thought quickly to himself; Ok, I could charge up my own blast but I'm certain that he has more than enough to overpower me with that relic—that's it! I just hope I can do what my other self did!

As Vlad raised his hands to fire off his biggest ecto blast yet, Danny took action, making himself intangible and flying over to Vlad's side. Reappearing just as quickly, Danny concentrated until his own sword of energy appeared in his hands. Before Vlad could turn, Danny swung and in two fluid motions, shattered the armlet and slashed Vlad across the chest. The energy disappeared as the pieces fell and Vlad sank to his knees. "No...What have you done?" Vlad groaned as Danny stood over him, sword held at his throat. Danny sighed and replied "Stopping you, of course. That's my job. Look, you screwed up big time. I have t admit, I did push you sometimes but everything else, that was on you. If you had stopped being such a selfish power hungry jerk, you'd have realized just how important you were to my mom and dad!"

"Lies."

"No lie. My parents, they talked about you a lot when I was a kid. You were a great friend and you could be still if you, you know, just LIGHTEN UP."

"...I'm afraid it's far too late for me Daniel. I don't think I can be the man I was. At least not at this rate."

"Bah, such sentimental trash!" Dark Danny growled. "I think it's time I put an end to this!" Leaping him, Dark Danny, tossed his sword at the back of Danny. As Danny turned to look, Vlad moved, shoving him aide, a look of shock overtaking his face as the sword penetrated his chest. Vlad slumped down to his knees again as Teen Danny looked on, screaming "NO!"

"Oh stop being so sentimental, I did you all a favor! It was only a matter of time before—"

Dark Danny's words would not be tolerated any more as both Danny and Teen Danny slammed their fists into the side of his face, sending him through the wall. Seconds later, York appeared before them, the Soul Shredder now in a pumpkin. "What happened? My god, who did this to Vlad?"

"It was Dark Danny. He had tossed a sword meant for me but...Vlad saved me."

"Yes well...it's not very sporting...to be stabbed in the back..." Vlad coughed up blood as he grasped the hilt of the sword and removed the blade from within him. He slumped over but was caught by York as Teen Danny asked "Clockwork is there anything you can do?"

"I'm afraid not." Clockwork shook his head "For the wounds he suffered are far beyond what any of us can treat."

"It's ok actually..." Vlad admitted. "Truth be told, I was dying anyway."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked. Vlad smiled and said to Danny "The cost of staying in my current form constantly took its toll on my body. A human with ghost DNA must maintain a balance between his two halves at all times,...because the effects of overreliance on your ghost half is...quite bothersome...I only did all of this out of some semblance of nostalgia actually. If I was...to be remembered as the greatest villain I may as well be that villain to the very end...And even then, I kind of hoped you'd stop me..." Vlad coughed up blood as he smiled weakly at Danny. "I guess...I was wrong...I still have some of that old Vlad in me...after all..."

Vlad's eyes slowly shut as Danny felt the life leave him. Seconds later, a black circle of rings formed and crisscrossed over his body, reverting Vlad to his once human form. Danny laid the body on the ground as he said to York. "With the armlet destroyed, the ghosts of the Skaar should be banished now."

"Yes." York grimly confirmed. "The so called destruction of Amity has been halted."

"Now I wouldn't be so sure of that!" The 4 of them looked to see Dark Danny standing before a nearby portal. "I think I'll pay a visit to Amity, see how the old family's holding up!"

"You!" Teen Danny growled as he moved towards Dark Danny, but he was halted by York's hand. "No. Let him go."

"What?" Both Danny's yelled at him.

"I would listen to him." Clockwork said. "When you arrive in Amity, all will make sense."

"Thank you, professor. Now if you will excuse me..." Dark Danny let out a wicked laugh as he flew into the Ghost Portal leading into Amity Park. "You can't just let that maniac into our town!" Danny said to York, grabbing his shoulder. "Do you know what will happen?"

"Precisely. Follow me."

"Wow...that was fun." Ember whistled as all of the ghosts disappeared. "So who's up for a kick ass after party?!"

"Uh maybe later. I think we're about to have more company." Sam pointed out as another portal appeared. From within flew out Dark Danny, a smile of malevolence broad as the night sky. "Now now, don't you all look exhausted? A pity, but that means you won't put up much of a fight!"

"Ok, who the hell is THAT?" Nathan asked Valerie. "

"It looks like Danny on a really bad day." She replied as she drew her weapon. I have a feeling we are going to need every last person here to take him down."

"No need for that, Valerie." York said calmly as he stepped out of the portal behind Dark Danny, joined by Dark Danny's not so evil selves. "He's not going to do a thing to anyone ever again."

"Ha! And how do you propose to stop me? With a speech?" Dark Danny scoffed.

"More or less. Let me fill you all in. This is what we know in our world as 'Dark Danny' a rather twisted individual from the future. He was brought to life when Vlad Masters' ghost half and Danny Fenton's ghost half fused together."

"Wait, what? I don't get it." Skulker said.

"It is rather complicated. But in an alternate timeline, Danny's friends and family died in an explosion and he sought out Vlad to remove the ghost half. It went all horribly wrong and for 10 years that being rampaged and destroyed both the world and the Ghost Zone."

"So, he's basically an asshole." Dani concluded.

"Yes."

"But why are you telling them this pointless history lesson?" Dark Danny said to York. "We all know what brought about my existence."

"Yes...and that's the problem. Think about it, you exist only because of a single moment in time when Danny Fenton's grief was at its lowest. You exist because of Vlad Masters' ghostly half. But its ten years into the future now, well past the timeline where it should have happened. You just also killed Vlad, which is a vital component of you being alive. HOW DO YOU STILL LIVE IF HE HAS BEEN REMOVED?"

Dark Danny blinked "Oh that's simple...see I...I...I do not now..." It was then that the realization suddenly dawned on both the Danny's as Teen Danny said "I get it...that's why you let him walk out of there..."

"And that's why Clockwork let him go." Danny concluded.

"Yes. And we should be seeing the results..."

Dark Danny looked down at his hands. Slowly they were fading, becoming transparent. "What-WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME—"

"Nothing. It's what you did. The only reason why you were not removed from the times stream is because you were in Clockwork's lair, which is beyond the laws of time itself. You stepping out of there ensured that the paradox in time is corrected. You were safer in that thermos; it would have been some relief.

Like I said, I didn't have to do a thing."

"No, no, this can't be...I am the terror of this wretched realm, I AM THE BRINGER OF-"

Dark Danny's words would become fainter and fainter as he slowly faded away, becoming a shade to their eyes as finally he disappeared, lost forever. York sighed as he said to the people before him. "Now then, where can a 2000 something year old man get a drink?"

The portal hummed brightly as Teen Danny and Danny stood before it, along with Ichabod and Draco. The two sighed as Danny said "I did not actually think he'd honor his end of the deal with Desiree." Teen Danny laughed and said "Hey, the guy's many things, but a flaker he is not."

"I suppose I have quite a lot to submit to my report to the government." Dr. Ward's voice said. "But then again, I'm certain they have their fair share of problems to deal with. Now where is the Director, he is late!"

Dr. Ward's inquiry would be answered as he walked in, Desiree at his side. "Oh, do you have to leave now?" Desiree cooed. "It's so much fun hanging out with someone who knows a thing or two about Persian silk."

"Yes, well I'm afraid we have our own business to attend to in Amity. We REALLY need to finish up our fight with the Wraiths, feels like it's been years." York sighed.

"Ah man. Well, if you're ever in this dimension give me a ring, and tell my counterpart she needs to lighten up." Desiree blew York a kiss and floated

away as Draco commented "You seem to have a way with the ladies."

"I wish. Anyway, Danny, its time."

"Yeah, uh look, I kind of want to ask you something..."

"It's about what Vlad said back there isn't it?"

"Yeah. I mean you heard what he told us What if—"

"Trust me Danny. You'll find a way. Hell, if I can convince my Sam that I'm worthy enough to be her husband, you can manage to find balance too."

"I'm going to leave this part of the conversation out...and the thing with Ember..."

"It's not like you're caught up with a complicated friendship/rivalry between the 3 of you, right?"

"Let's not get into that. Come on Professor, let's go home." Teen Danny gave his elder self a thumbs up as he stepped through the portal back home, followed by Ichabod. As York turned to the portal he then said "Oh yes, one more thing, Draco?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think your current form suits this planet. Try something a little more...familiar." York waved as he walked through the portal and the two watched as it closed shut behind them, leaving only the wind and the sight of an empty Nasty Burger. "I wonder what he meant by that." Danny thought to himself.

"He was telling me to take a humanoid form. And I think I know just which one to take." Draco's body then glowed a bright orange. Before Danny could say a word. Draco transformed himself. Before Danny stood what appeared to be the splitting mage of Altair York. Except he wore now a pair of black pants, a grey shirt and black vest. His red hair was unkempt and he had a slight beard, Draco looked down and said "Well, he was the last person to make physical contact with me when he punched me. Hey, I sound like him too, Remarkable."

"Hmm, not bad. At least we don't have to worry about horn care." Danny said to Draco. Draco raised an eyebrow and said "Duly noted. Now then, I suppose I should be off. Time to explore this world."

"You sure you can manage on your own Draco?"

"My people always find a way to manage. And I'm Altair York from now on. I think this world was missing one anyway."

AFTERWORD:

Ten years ago today, a rather interesting show came into being...

Looking back at it now, at first it seemed like just another random show for Nickelodeon. The brainchild of Butch Hartman and Steve Marmel, 'Danny Phantom', at first to me, seemed like it was going to be yet another comedy from Butch in the same vein as Fairly Odd Parents. Then of course, I sat down to watch it. And I liked it. "Danny Phantom' is best described as 'Spider Man meets Ghostbusters', where we have a teen hero awkwardly dealing not only with the awkwardness of being a teen freshman in high school, but a super powered one who had to deal with a growing threat in his town. The standard Hartman tropes are there. Dimwitted parents? Check? All rich kids are jerks? Yup? The hero in question is a outcast and picked on who is pals with other outcasts? Uh huh. (To save you time, I just also described the pilot of Hartman's proposed Crash Nebula spinoff...)

But other than those noticible points, the show had more depth. In between the comedy there were actual good dramatic moments and genuine conflicts Danny had to deal with. Not only that, but unlike most shows on Nick there were actual story arcs that carried over into later episodes, and many of Danny's decisions had serious reprecussions, for better and worse. It was one of those shows that had plenty of room to grow, and many appealing and not so appealing characters. And then Marmel left. Yeah...not a good thing.

Season 3 was quite a hit and miss season and Marmel's input was sorely missed. Unlike other shows though it did get a proper series finale that wrapped up Danny's saga (even though there were some questions left hanging towards the end) I look back now at the series with some sort of strange fondness, and giving how much I've been writing about these characters for the past few years, I can't help but think what else I'd be doing if I hadn't sat down one day and watched Danny take on that Lunch Lady Ghost...