Chapter Two: College Buddy
"Why do I have to go along to a stupid college reunion party just because Danny can't keep curfew?!" Jazz huffed, glaring out the window. "This is so stupid! And did we have to take the worst vehicle on the planet?"
"The Fenton RV is the most efficient vehicle out there, Jazzy!" Jack said as he drove. "The best part is that it doesn't run on gas, it just recycles ectoplasm inside of it!"
Danny tensed up silently, wondering just how many poor ghosts they'd used for their Ecto Converter that they installed into the RV. Jazz continued to complain, but he tuned it out and listened to the music playing on the radio.
That night, they found a truck stop and settled down to sleep until morning. Jack told them all about his college friend Vlad Masters, who they were going to the mansion of, but Danny once again tuned it out in favor of listening to his MP3 Player. It was the only thing that gave him peace lately, even with the microchips in his body that blocked half of his four powers.
While they usually had him use his powers freely, the fact that he couldn't get back by 10pm had prompted a trip into the lab to install the two microchips and Jazz had made it worse by saying that Danny didn't really know their childhood when Danny made a "I have...things...as a teenager...You wouldn't understand" excuse, so why should he believe them when they said that they did the same things and got home by curfew?
He sighed and curled up, listening to the music of Dumpty Humpty playing in his ears as he let blissful sleep take him away. Maybe he should've just let those vultures go last night, but they were after his DAD…
And the last thing he needed was for his dad to sleep with one eye open and a gun under his pillow, shooting at any ghost that approached.
.
"Jack!" Vlad Master greeted as they walked up to the door. "And Maddie. You look as lovely as ever." He smiled, gesturing inside. "Come in, come in!"
Vlad showed them sports memorabilia and flirted with his mom after closing the door on his dad, which Danny found weird but Jazz just waved it off with an "As long as he has working bathrooms and mom says no, I don't care."
It became pretty clear that things were tense when his dad came in and joked about Vlad having "those old moves", saying ten years in the hospital had robbed him of that chance. To avoid the tense atmosphere, Danny retreated upstairs.
"Danny?" He heard his mother walking behind him. He froze, obediently holding out his wrist for her to snap a green and white bracelet onto it. "Alright, now you can go explore. Remember, don't leave the building." She held up a device with a screen on it.
"Yes, mom." He gave an empty smile and walked on. He sensed eyes on him and glanced back to see Vlad's attention had turned to him, a concerned look in his eyes. He gave a cheerful wave and forced a smile before he ran off down the hall upstairs.
.
"What was that about?" Vlad asked, walking over to her.
"Well, in our business we have a lot of enemies and money, and Danny has been kidnapped a couple times because of it. We started putting that bracelet on him so we would know where he is at all times." She showed him the screen.
"The poor boy." Vlad frowned, watching him go. "He must be terrified of strangers. Rest assured, though, he is safe in my house."
"No offense, Vladdy, but it has been twenty years and we don't know your staff." Jack said, joining the two at the foot of the stairs. "We'd rather stick with what we know works."
"Of course." Vlad nodded. "I didn't mean to intrude; I was just…concerned about him.
.
Danny only had two abilities right now, transformation and intangibility. Not much use if they ran into trouble, but he was woken the night by the blue mist escaping his lips and he changed form, slipping through the walls.
"Those are the vultures from before." He mumbled to himself, seeing his father being trailed. Frowning, he slipped under the floor and followed his father, pulling him down before he was pecked.
"What the?" One of the vultures said.
"Hey, guys, remember me?" Danny grinned, coming back up in front of them.
They looked at him and let out a scream, scattering. "Uh, that doesn't usually happen." Danny said, frowning. He gasped and bit back a scream of pain as he was suddenly blasted from behind. "Ow!"
"So you're the one who interfered in Amity Park! I was aiming to attack Jack Fenton, but you'll do!" A harsh, high voice said. Danny turned to see a blue humanoid ghost in a white tunic and pants, white cape swirling behind him and black boots and gloves sitting bolding on his hands and feet. His hair was spiked up, looking like something out of a horror movie. "'Danny Phantom', right?"
"You know of me?" Danny asked, then cried out as he was suddenly shot at again, knocking him to the floor.
"Of course I know of you! The whole of the Ghost Zone knows who YOU are!" Another blast, which Danny went intangible to avoid. "You're the little ghost boy who uses his powers for good. Oh, please." He flew towards him, Danny quickly getting up and backing away from him.
Great, of all the times to be without FLIGHT! Danny went intangible and ran into a room, the older ghost giving chase. They seemed to be in a library, which, of course, only had one door and didn't lead to anywhere. He gasped sharply as he was fired at again and turned to the older ghost.
"What do you hope to gain by that? Approval?" The ghost taunted.
Approval? Maybe, maybe not. Danny wasn't sure. He just knew he wanted to protect his city from guys like this one.
"Why don't you fight me?" The ghost laughed. "Or put me in your THERMOS?"
Danny paled and went intangible, running through the wall. He had to get back to his room, how could he have forgotten his thermos?! The ghost chased him and overtook him easily, red eyes sparking as he loomed in front of him, his shadow falling on the boy.
.
Maddie frowned as she saw that Danny had stopped moving and grabbed her gun, hurrying out into the hall. She reached the hallway he was in just in time to see Vlad kneeling over the unconscious and beaten boy with a look of concern. "Vlad!"
"Maddie." Vlad looked up at her.
"What happened?" Maddie knelt next to Danny.
"I don't know, I just got here myself." He admitted. "He looks like he's been beaten badly."
Maddie gently pulled him close, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Oh, my baby boy…"
"I can take him to his room." Vlad offered.
"No, I can do it." She got up, carrying Danny in her arms.
"I'll accompany you, then. It disturbs me that he's in such a beaten state in my mansion and I must know why." Vlad said firmly.
Maddie nodded, letting him follow her back to Danny's room. Sighing, she gently tucked him in and kissed his forehead.
"Nn…m-mom…?" He slowly opened his eyes, wincing in pain.
"Vlad, would you let me talk with him alone?" Maddie looked at him.
Vlad nodded, leaving the room. He waited by the door, listening closely.
"Danny, what happened to you?" Maddie asked softly.
"Mom…I should've told you sooner, but dad is being targeted by these ghost vultures. I thought I could handle them without my powers, but there's a much stronger ghost in here that's after dad." Danny said. "Please…I need my other powers. I have to protect dad."
"Did that ghost do this to you?" Her voice bristled with rage.
"Mom, please…my powers…"
She sighed. "I want you to stay by my side at the party tomorrow. Don't leave our sight, do you understand?" She got up and left the room, passing by Vlad. Vlad waited until she was gone to go back inside the room.
.
"You gave me quite the scare just now." Vlad said pleasantly. "I'm glad that you seem alright."
"Sorry for the scare, Mr. Masters." Danny said, gripping his blanket.
"Oh, what's a little scare between friends?" Vlad smiled and turned to the door. "Sleep tight, little badger." He walked out and shut the door, Danny lying down as he did. Walking away, he changing to his ghost form and cackled. "Yes, sleep tight." He went intangible and slipped into his lab.
So, the boy was monitored and his powers were blocked in some way. He would be an easy capture, but how to get him down here?
Oh, Vladdy, Vladdy. You don't know the half of it. ~ Zone
