Look! More reviews! That means more chapters!
Thanks for sticking with the fic this far. After reading them for years, I've finally gotten around to writing a Fic of my own and it's encouraging to see the enthusiastic response.
Anyway, here comes chapter numero dos. Time to get things running.
Surrounding the humble brick and mortar home, a blanket of darkness covered the streets and windows, kept at a distance from the building by the neon glow of a sign that boastfully read "Fenton Works," the image of the sign softened by a light fog. Inside, the only active sign of life came from the nigh claustrophobic steel laboratory immediately below the surface.
A booming voice bounced off the metal walls and down the lengthy stairwell to reach the slim figure in a blue jumpsuit that absorbed herself in unending pages of squiggles, numbers, and tables. She squinted at each, piecing together a puzzle and letting her thoughts drift to and from her work regularly.
"Maddie, are you coming up soon?"
The lady in the blue jumpsuit smiled.
"I will soon sweetheart, just need to finish running statistical variance tests on the data from the trials this morning."
"Do you want some fudge before bed?"
"No, Jack. Go to bed, I'll join you later."
The woman smiled. Thinking of her husband brought a lot of good memories to her mind. She let herself be distracted from her work long enough to remember the day they first moved to Amity Park, not long after the birth of her daughter Jazz. This house held a lot of good memories for her, and she recalled the time he saved her from an errant poltergeist at their last college reunion. She couldn't thank him enough for the family he's given her, one she had desperately wanted as a college student.
She didn't notice the conspicuous shadow in the corner that remained dark despite the bright lights above.
She returned her thoughts to her pages and pages of data. Each represented a different variable or entity that had to be tracked, controlled, manipulated, or removed whenever she needed to in order to assure their results remained unbiased. Every now and again she stopped and marveled at the fact that ghost hunting, once a fun topic to read about in books and movies and later a fun time-waster of a hobby, had become her main method of income. Who knew the government had such interest in ectoplasm-based oils and materials? They'd even approached the family about the possibility of making them full-time contractors and starting whole new departments based off their research. It was exciting seeing how others reacted so enthusiastically to their research.
The woman collected the papers into a single stack, and then signed her name at the top to signal they were finalized and they could continue with their research the next day. She beamed as the table was cleaned and she prepared to shut the lab down for the night. She reached for the light switch.
"Maddie…"
She froze instantly, her purple eyes wide with confusion and a hint of fear. She swiveled around, but found nothing but the ghost portal, open and the sickly green amorphous inside still swirling ominously on the far side of the room. Her right eyebrow peaked as she advanced toward the portal.
"Maddie."
It came from behind her. In an instant, her Fenton Lipstick was removed from her pocket and aimed as she swung to confront the intruder.
"…Vlad?"
From a darkened corner by the stairs emerged the fully suited Vlad Masters.
"Hello Maddie."
"But— But how did you get in? You didn't come in through the door or Jack and I would have heard you and there's no way you came through the por…"
"Maddie, relax. How I entered is unimportant. I need to speak with you. It's rather urgent."
Maddie narrowed her eyes at the man.
"What is it now, Vlad? Another attempt to convince me of Jack Fenton's incompetence?"
The now ex-mayor let the silence hang for a minute as his eyes locked into hers.
"Not quite, Maddie. It's not about Jack, actually."
Maddie show him a confused and disbelieving look before returning to her desk to finish cleaning some errant scratch paper.
"Well whatever it is Vlad, I don't know why you came to me in the dead of the night in my own basement. Go at least get Jack, then maybe we can talk about whatever crazy thoughts may be in your hea-"
"Maddie, did you happen to see the speech I gave earlier today?"
She stopped moving.
"I did. Why?"
He didn't answer immediately. Maddie noted how unlike Vlad it was to keep utterly quiet, not even so much as a jest or riddle.
"Maddie, I need you to do something for me." He sighed and averted his gaze.
"And what could I possibly do for you, Vlad? You have everything, from the biggest house to the sleekest vehicles, and you even had a political position of power. I can't do anything for you."
"Maddie, there seems to be a subtle hostility to your voice tonight. Is everything alright?"
She brandished a fist in his direction. "Listen, Vlad. I've seen enough of you the past three years. You've been holding onto a childish grudge against my husband for over 20 years now and have only shown yourself a distant and selfish individual who cares nothing for my well-being or that of this city, and yet you have the audacity to announce to the town your resignation, throwing the square into enough chaos to warrant police intervention. You've been completely silent and retracted from the world for the past several months, Vlad, and my children speak of you like you're a monster. What's wrong with you?"
He stared. Stared into the depths of her lavender orbs, all the way down into her soul as he steeled himself for what he was about to tell her. He wasn't sure if it was the best course of action, but he felt obligated for a personal reason.
"I'm dying, Maddie."
Her head jolted upwards, completely taken aback by the revelation. She didn't answer. She just took in the sight of a green-eyed youth dressed in a white lab coat whose spiky crew cut swept back below his neck in a mullet typical of the decade. She rolled her head right, gazing into a mirror. She contemplated the girl that stared back at her. Hardly 21 with luscious and full orange hair that fell beyond her shoulder in bunches and curls and a certain naiveté to the large earrings and loose-fitting ankle warmers that contrasted the stark white lab coat identical to her visitor's.
She brought her eyes back to Vlad. She waited for him to say it, the same line he delivered to her 25 earlier as a starry-eyed college student pursuing all her innermost desires without a thought for the rest of the world, the same one that smashed her emotional stability and left her crying in a dorm room for weeks: "But I'll wait. I won't die without you."
The words were left unspoken. Total silence only raised the tension between them.
Neither of them said a word. Only stared, attention fluctuating between now and then.
An eternity passed.
"What's wrong with you, Vlad?"
He didn't move at first.
"Maddie. I need you to do something for me before I go. I'd like Daniel to spend some time with me over the summer. About a month, perhaps."
She wasn't sure how to react, so she didn't.
"I know this seems rather spontaneous and out of character for me, but… just trust me, Maddie."
"And why would I trust you, Vlad?" Maddie retorted, regaining her composure.
"Maddie." He approached her slowly, putting his face directly in front of hers. There's nose briefly collided before she pulled away.
"Do you remember the summer after our sophomore year?"
She started to lose it as a rush of memories resurfaced.
"Do you remember that first year of college? Or the holidays we spent together all through high school?"
She couldn't look him in the eye any longer. She turned her back to him and put distance between the two. Before she could croak out a response, Vlad continued.
"This may be the last time you see me, Maddie. I can't tell you why I'm doing what I'm doing, but please, do this for an old friend. For me."
Maddie held back water that wanted to stream from her eyes.
Ok.
"What the hell!"
"That what I said!"
A few passers-by shot the teenagers annoyed looks as their conversation jumped in volume.
"I don't want to spend a second of my summer anywhere near that fruit loop!"
Among the three, only the goth girl thought to address their lack of consideration to the public.
"Danny, calm down. I'm not happy about it either, but screaming about it to everyone around isn't going to help."
"I know, Sam" he lowered his voice, "this is just seriously pissing me off."
"What did you do when they told you?" Tucker interjected.
"I told 'em off. No way they're going to tell me what to do with my summer. I'm almost a senior for God's sake."
"A senior that can't drive," Sam teased.
"Well, yah, it's not much use when I can fly…"
"Your parents don't know that."
Danny sighed.
"The last thing I need is time with 'Uncle' Vlad," using air quotes to emphasize the sarcasm.
"I dunno, Danny. You said before we needed to keep an eye on 'em, and this way you can do that twenty-four-seven. The whole 'keep your friends close and enemies closer' thing, I guess."
This was met with an eye-roll.
"When are you leaving?"
"They're shipping me off tomorrow."
"That's… really sudden. I'm surprised your parents would allow it."
"My dad couldn't care less. He loves Vlad as a brother. I didn't expect my mom to go with it though. She knows what kind of a prick Vlad can be."
"What does Jazz think?"
"She's no happier than I am, but she's also upset with me for reacting so violently."
The two friends shrugged. There wasn't much either could do to prevent his departure.
Sam started off slowly, "We should set up a daily video chat or something to keep track of each other. I mean, if you're going to be staying with your mortal enemy for a month, it'd be a good idea to keep a log of what goes on."
Glances were exchanged around the table.
She continued "And, uh, it would be nice to make sure he hasn't killed you or anything."
Danny erupted in high-pitched laughter.
"I'm a ghost, Sam. Killing me would be kinda difficult." He punctuated the last word by flashing his eyes a glowing emerald green.
Before Danny could finish the conversation, an icy blue stream escaped his lips.
The uncharacteristically cold breath sent chills down the spines of each of them, but not because of the temperature. Without a word, each jumped from the parkside bench and landed in a fighting position. Tucker reached into his book bag to retrieve the Fenton Thermos while Sam grabbed two hand-sized ecto-blasters and Danny scanned the immediate vicinity for a spot away from the prying eyes.
Blood pulsed quickly as each investigated the surrounding streets, bushes, and skyline looking for anything glowing green or floating suspiciously. Danny was dismayed to find the busy park too crowded for him to rely on a tree or a bush as cover. He needed an enclosed space, one nearby, one quickly…
With a deep sigh of irritation, he bolted for the only personal space he could find― a porta-a-potty. He slammed the plastic door as best he could and politely turned the knob to read "occupied."
"Jesus Christ this stinks…"
Instantly, a ring of intense light circled the center of the porta potty. The one ring then separated into two, one floating upwards past the top while the other sank towards the ground. The porta potty rocked and swayed, threatening to tip, before a ghostly figure emerged through the roof, phasing straight through the plastic.
The unique-looking character, dressed in a black and white jumpsuit that glowed with energy, rose above the urban landscape and caught the eye of every surrounding bystander. His snow white hair contrasted with the darker environment below. Two glowing emerald eyes scoured the vicinity.
The hero was visible from almost every part of the city, a marker of the city's only memorable feature and the sense of security in a town infected with the incorporeal.
Danny Phantom.
Delayed hoots and hollers from supportive citizens below reached his ears. He briefly glanced at his friends below before continuing his search. He was caught off-guard when a glowing ectoplasmic entity shot past him, throwing him off balance and sending him into a spin.
He circled on his heels several times before regaining control and coming to face to face with his foe!
"Oh great… an ectopuss."
Danny eyed the ghost with aggravation. The vaguely octopus-like ghost hovered high above the ground, eyeing Danny with an idle anger. Its four rough appendages wiggled evenly and it's serrated, flat mouth hung open.
"I really don't want to deal with this right now…"
Danny straightened himself and his face reflected his unamused demeanor. He candidly balled a fist and extended the forefinger in the direction of his enemy, a bright, light-green beam then instantly shot from the tip. It hit the ectopuss squarely between the eyes, causing a visible lurch and brief wisps of smoke before the ectoplasmic entity succumbed to gravity and fell unceremoniously to the pavement below.
Tucker had been waiting for his chance and uncapped the Fenton thermos, aimed the open container in the direction of the ectopuss, and in seconds the ghost was enveloped in a blue-ish white cone that pulled on the ghost, sucking it into the small device. He smiled as he twirled it on his finger in triumph.
Above, Danny didn't let himself celebrate yet. "They always come in pairs…"
A shriek filled the air an identical ectopuss appeared from the canopy of a park tree, screaming towards Danny at breakneck speeds. Danny calmly sidestepped the creature, and as it passed, wrapped a hand around one of its tentacles. If the ghost could speak, it would have let out an audible "oh crap" as Danny spun the creature in circles, letting centrifugal force build up until he let it fly in the Tucker's direction, who caught it in the same manner as the last one before it even hit the ground.
As Danny descended, the cheers and boisterous applause put a smile on his face. A circle of citizens formed around him. Several heroic poses of the famous ghost boy would hit the press the next day.
One girl broke the bubble and advanced towards Danny from behind. She tapped the boy on the shoulder, and he spun around with enthusiasm. He couldn't get a word off as he let his eyes roll over the latina in a tight pink t-shirt that revealed her midriff and blue denim capris.
Hi there Ghost Boy!" She oodled sweetly.
Danny's nerves hit him hard. He tried to deepen his voice, both to sound more impressive and prevent anyone from connecting his two identities.
"Why, uh, Hello there! Paulina!"
"That was some impressive ghost hunting you just did!"
"Ha, ya, it was! Thank you." He chuckled tensely.
Her seductive voice failed to sooth him. "Maybe you and me could get together this weekend and you could teach me a little bit about this ghost fighting business of yours!"
Danny cursed his parents and vehemently damned Vlad to Hell.
The ground rumbled. The circle was approached and suddenly dwarfed by a large, tank-like vehicle that sported a white and ectoplasmic green paint job and a fancifully stylized 'F' on the side, marking it the property of Jack and Maddie Fenton.
"And… that's my cue."
The ghost boy instantly lifted into the air, not wishing to engage in any kind of dialogue with the middle-aged ghost hunters. He flew up and over the Fenton Assault Vehicle, gracefully avoiding flashes of ecto-blaster rays and ignoring the demands for surrender over the machine's speakers.
He loved fighting ghosts. Sometimes he considered his parent's incompetence a blessing in disguise, for making a big enough mistake to change their son into a half-ghost, half-human, all-awesome buttkicker. Danny Phantom was what Danny Fenton never could be: a Hero.
Danny sighed loudly as he set his duffle down and angled his head up to observe the numerous gold-peaked towers that capped a white-brick structure of asymmetrical towers adorned by dark green flags and tapestry. Clearly a Green Bay fan.
The chauffer noisily accelerated down the half-circular drive way, leaving the boy alone on the steps of a massive metallic doorway sporting a gothic lattice design. Danny dropped his head. He had expected Vlad to be waiting for him, and didn't desire to approach the castle-like entrance willingly.
Instead he took several minutes to stand underneath the archway and contemplate Vlad's motives. There's nothing Vlad could gain by bringing him here, unless he just wanted a shot at finally getting rid of Danny for good. How would he do that? Banishment to the ghost zone? Yay for irresponsible parents that leave one open every day of every week of every year.
He rolled his eyes at his own unspoken theories. Whatever ideas or goals Vlad had planned for him weren't going to happen. Period.
He contemplated knocking on the monstrous door when the left of it swung inwards. From the shadow of the inside advanced Vlad Masters.
"Welcome back, Danny."
There's chapter two. So this fic is now long enough to fit my own 5,000 word minimum when I search for ones to read. I guess it's qualified for me to read. *shrugs*
Again, any reviews would be majorly helpful. Try to be as specific as possible if you can, so I can focus on the little stuff.
I already have the overarching idea worked out, I think. The hard part is interspersing all the major events and twists with meaningful character development and entertaining subplots. That I'm not good at.
Thanks again! And remember: The "Review" button is your friend!
