Chapter 2
Maddie watched Danny's face as Jack activated the band for any signs that it was working. Danny's eyes slid shut and his frantic breathing slowed. He looked so peaceful it was almost as if he were asleep. Watching him, she was once again reminded of her son. He often had that expression while he was relaxed, but like before when she saw his fear, she brushed it off. There was no way she was going to equate this ghost and her son. She tapped the side of his face, forcing him to open his eyes and look at her. When he did, she was surprised to find his pupils were dilated to the point that almost no green was showing.
"Mommy?," he timidly questioned in a tiny voice, "Don't you love me anymore?"
Maddie's eyes widened at that. She turned to Jack and said, "I think you have it turned up too high. He thinks I am his mother." Again, he had sounded just like her Danny had when he was little. Slightly miffed that this ghost could make her sympathize with him in this way, she waited until Jack finished fiddling with the knobs and gave his assent to continue.
Opening and closing his eyes several times in what seemed to be an attempt to focus, Danny then slurred "I think this is what it's like to be drunk." Upon hearing this, Jack continued to work at the console until Danny seemed to go into a trance-like state, staring straight ahead with unfocused eyes.
Maddie saw this and waved her hand across Danny's face, and upon getting no response told Jack, "I think we are ready. Let me ask him a couple of questions before we go out there."
Jack nodded and responded, "Sure hon, just don't take too long. It sounds like the mayor will be ready for us soon."
Maddie looked down at the young ghost at their mercy and once again a wave of sympathy hit her. He looked so innocent, but she knew from experience that looks could be deceiving. After all, hadn't he blasted them and taken the mayor hostage? Now she was in a position to get the truth out of him and she was not going to let this opportunity get by. She had to know what he knew about her son's disappearance. He hadn't been seen since he had left his detention the day before, and it wasn't until Sam and Tucker had come by that morning to walk with Danny to school that they had known he was missing. She felt so guilty in not noticing he was missing because she and Jack had found the ghost boy lying on the floor of their lab just waiting for capture and were so excited that they hadn't even come up for dinner. They had just assumed that Danny was spending the night over at Sam's or Tucker's because Jazz had said that she had overheard his plans to do so that morning. Banishing those thoughts and her guilt from her mind, she began her questioning.
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Meanwhile, Danny's mind was in turmoil. When the band had first been activated, he felt very distant and out of contact with his body. He certainly didn't have any control over what he was saying or doing, since the band seemed to take away all of his inhibitions. He was dizzy and disoriented and could barely string together more than a few words of conscious thought. Soon though, that feeling slipped away as he felt even more disconnected with his body. It didn't even want to respond to his desire to blink when his mother passed her hand over his eyes. His thoughts though, became clearer and clearer, and he clung to the hope that since the band was designed to only work on full ghosts, the fact that he was half human would have some effect on how well it worked.
He knew he was about to find out when she looked at him pointedly and asked, "What do you know about my son's disappearance?"
Danny hesitated for a second then answered, "He is being held hostage." He was surprised at how monotone his voice sounded and noted that he had some control over what he said. He knew he would not be able to lie, but he could at least word the truth to his benefit. He hoped that he was not asked anything about his secret, but if he was he believed that he should be able to protect it, as long as they did not come right out and ask whether or not he was half human and who his human half was.
Maddie continued asking questions about her son and his involvement with his disappearance, but became frustrated in receiving the same answers as before. When Jack returned to let Maddie know that the mayor was ready, she turned to him and said, "Jack, I don't think it is working. I just asked him the same questions as we did before and he just gave me the same answers. He couldn't have been telling the truth."
"Sure he is Maddie. The band is supposed to put a ghost in something similar to a hypnotic trance. You know you can't lie under hypnosis. (Just assume this is true) Come on honey. The mayor is ready, and I can't wait to show everyone that we have captured the ghost boy!"
While still outwardly unresponsive, Danny was thankful that he still retained some control over what he could say, and that the questions his mother had asked him were easy for him to answer without giving up too much information about himself. He had a feeling that that would change as soon as they began questioning him in front of the city. His parents wheeled him out of the room and on the stage behind the curtain, and adjusted the table he was confined to until it was in an upright position facing the audience. He felt like a lamb being led to slaughter as his mother went out beyond the curtain and explained that they had captured him and had brought him before the town to answer for his crimes before being turned over for experiments. Though he didn't show it, he was desperately hoping for someone, anyone to come to his rescue and help him escape before they could experiment on him. All too soon for Danny's taste, his mother was done with her introduction and explanation and the curtain was opened, revealing his captured form to the audience's gaze. A collective gasp went up, almost as if they had not believed Maddie's words.
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Sam, however, just sat there in the audience in stunned silence. Seeing Danny for the first time since he had been captured, her heart nearly broke. He looked rough. His hair was dirty and matted, and there were numerous tears and stains on his suit. It looked like Skulker had beaten him pretty good before he had gotten him back in the Ghost Zone. When she had heard that the Fentons had captured him she could not believe it. It wasn't until Jazz had explained how and where they had found him that she was able to understand. She was worried though about the note, knowing that Danny would have to go after Vlad in order to be able to become human again. The elder Fentons did not even know that Jazz had told them, and Sam knew that the rest of the audience had no idea that they thought that he was responsible for Danny's disappearance. She could only imagine their reaction if they were to find out.
As she studied Danny further, Sam was puzzled by the sullen look on his face and his silence. She knew Danny would normally be unable to be quiet when faced with a danger such as this. She figured that his parents had done something to him, possibly even drugging him to keep him quiet. She was only partially right as Jack enthusiastically explained his new invention, the Fenton Band, which according to him, made it impossible for a ghost to lie. Sam's eyes widened at that, and she looked to Tucker, who was already typing furiously on his PDA.
"I'm hacking into their security system so I can shut that band down and release his bonds," Tucker whispered absently at her inquiring gaze, continuing to work without looking up. "It shouldn't be that hard, but it may take a while. I hope I can get it shut down before the questioning goes too far." At this, Sam turned back to the stage and waited for the questioning to begin.
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