One month had passed since the start of school; leaves had fallen cruelly to the ground in a mess of brown and red, crunching and crumbling under everyone's footsteps. Long sleeves were worn by all students, and now the trio didn't get weird looks for wearing them.
Tucker had taken to wearing a black leather jacket on top of his red shirt, something Sam chastised him about constantly. Sam started wearing black jeans instead of shorts to school, while Danny had stuck with his hoodie; having an ice core had its advantages.
Things had been rather uneventful lately, which was weird. Not many ghosts had decided to visit, leaving Team Phantom to worry. What was going on in the Ghost Zone that even Skulker didn't show up more than twice a week, already looking like he had taken a beating?
At lunch, Danny, Sam, and Tucker all sat down, food forgotten while they all adorned expressions no teenager should wear.
Expressions only seasoned warriors could muster.
"We need to take a trip to Ghost Zone." Sam stated after a few moments of silence, looking rather dejected.
"But, how are we going to do that? My parents are taking the Speeder apart, and I can't investigate anything if I'm carrying you two." Danny groaned, flopping down onto the table top, forehead resting on his arms.
"I can try talking to Technus next time he shows up about making something for us, but he hasn't made an appearance in almost a month." Tucker said dejectedly, leaning his chin atop his palm.
This conversation was going nowhere.
"Maybe I can get something out of Boxy; he usually opens up pretty quick." Danny suggested after a few silent minutes, lifting his head up from his arms. Black locks were mussed from resting against his sleeves, going every-which-way in front of his baby blues.
Sam reached over the table, painted fingertips running through the ink black strands until they were in a less disheveled state.
"I guess that's our best bet. Maybe try Skulker if he doesn't open up, or whoever shows up first." Sam said softly, plopping back down into her seat once she felt Danny's hair was in a more normal style.
Of course, just in time for his Ghost Sense to go off.
"Just my luck... I'll be back in a minute guys, I'll call if I need help." Danny said as he stood, lazily swinging his legs over the bench with a wave over his shoulder.
Sam and Tucker didn't do much more than sigh and return the wave, knowing Danny would be fine without them.
Seconds later, the famous (or infamous- depends on who you talk to) Danny Phantom shot out from the school, spiraling through the air like a rocket with his spectral tail moving like a flag behind him.
Students cheered when they saw their hero zip off into the distance, shouting words of encouragement at the top of their lungs; many students rushed out of the building in hopes to catch a glimpse of the illusive Phantom. Even teachers joined in, though lacking the same enthusiasm their students carried. Valerie stuck out like a sore thumb with her boos, causing many to glare at the poor girl, who honestly didn't seem to care.
Danny, who of course had supernatural hearing, winced at volume of which his classmates screamed, thankful Tucker and Sam just waved their arms about to imitate cheering.
Just like his everyday attire, Phantom's signature uniform had changed as well. Gone was the hazmat suit, long since ditched due to lack of mobility and protection. His new outfit allowed for far greater mobility, as well as special plates of armor along his most vital areas.
And, of course, it was all by Sam's design.
Now, if one were to look up at the sky and spot the mysterious Phantom, they would see him dressed in near equal amounts of black and white. He was dressed in a white insulated and fireproof under-shirt, which was covered by an ectoplasm and bullet-proof black vest with his insignia. The vest sloped in by his arms, allowing him full ability to move the limbs in every which way without hindrance. There were also slits along the sides, curving down to a white belt which allowed the hard material to bend with him while he ducked and dodged. The top of the vest looped around his neck, in turn making it so he could push his arms back freely, while the bottom wrapped around his waist for protection.
His pants were black, also made of a strong, resistant material that still allowed him to move nimbly in a fight. There were also two white upside-down raindrop shaped plates of armor, one on each leg, protecting him from any slashes that could sever a major artery. Above these sat two ovals, made of a vibrant ectoplasmic green. These ovals could bend and transform with the help of Danny's own ectoplasm, easily creating different melee weapons if Danny needed extra power in close combat, or if he just wanted a bit of extra fun. All of the armor was pleated on the inside, that way it could bend with him. His gloves went passed his elbows, black at the joint and up, then white down to his fingertips. His boots were still white, though they came up to protect his knees now, of course slotted to permit free movement.
Overall, he was a warrior, dressed to the teeth in armor. Thankfully, Sam had access to the latest in lightweight technology.
Seeing the ghost on his way, Danny groaned in annoyance at who it was. It was Skulker of course, and Danny had really been hoping for the Box Ghost.
It was infinitely easier to make Boxy talk than Skulker.
Well, usually.
Usually, Skulker doesn't come up to him in a frantic state, green eyes wide in what Danny must've mistaken for fear, because Skulker doesn't show that emotion.
The hunter's words moved a mile a minute, barely letting the poor halfa come to a stop before barraging him in a panic.
"Clockwork needs to see you, tonight. There are humans in white coming into the Ghost Zone and destroying ghosts. It started off with beatings, but now they're killing us. We can't even flee to your world; everyone's a target. They almost got Ember! We don't know what's going on anymore and—"
"Whoa, whoa! Slow down, Skulker. I can barely understand you. You're saying the Guys in White are invading the Ghost Zone? For what reason?" Danny questioned, crossing his arms over his chest while they conversed.
He knew the Guys in White were crazy, but to just randomly invade the Ghost Zone for no reason seemed a bit far-fetched; it would involve getting their pristine suits dirty after all.
"That's what I'm trying to tell you! We don't know why! Clockwork just sent me here to tell you he needs to see you. He made it very clear that you need to see him tonight." The robotic ghost insisted, suddenly vanishing into invisibility and leaving poor Danny to stand there like a fish out of water.
The eighteen year old knew one thing after that, it being the only thought running through his mind as he flew back to school: he had to see Clockwork.
DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP
After giving a rundown to Sam and Tucker after school, having had no time to do so during lunch or classes, they all agreed that Danny needed to see Clockwork.
By four in the afternoon, the half-ghost was fully equipped to set foot inside the Ghost-Zone, choosing to go alone instead of risking Sam and Tucker's safety. Thankfully, his parents were off doing errands for a few hours.
They had packed him up a bag full of ghost nets, communicators, though he had one placed in his ear, recording devices, and cameras to prove the Guys in White were there.
Danny said a quick 'see you later' to his friends, transforming and becoming intangible before gliding into the Ghost Portal.
Not even two feet into the Zone did Danny see just how much chaos the Guys in White caused, and it left him furious.
It was like someone had set off a bomb; debris floating about the vast swirls of ectoplasm, all charred and cracked. Doors were broken or smashed in, and there was ectoplasm everywhere. And not in the typical Ghost Zone way, no, it looked like a massacre had taken place.
These were remains.
It made Danny want to throw up. The smell was horrid; rotting ectoplasm had to be one of the worst smells he ever experienced, and it felt like he was inhaling acid from its toxic properties. He could only imagine what this would do to a human's lungs, considering his own were in searing pain. Somehow, he managed to fish his camera out of his bag, covering his mouth and nose with a gloved hand in hopes to block out the stench.
Going to the video option, Danny pressed record and started to film. Occasionally he zoomed in on some things he thought would be important, such as the broken ecto-guns that were labeled G.I.W., along with the remnants of anti-ghost bombs, also labeled.
It all seemed so brutal to the teenager, and he was quick to finish filming the slowly melting ghost remains before he got truly sick. He could never get the picture of a melting humanoid leg out of his head.
He needed to get to Clockwork, and fast.
Keeping the camera out, Danny set it back to photo mode, snapping pictures of the horrid scene around him. It seemed the further he went, the more gruesome the Ghost Zone became.
Limbs and heads were scattered about, slowly beginning their process to return to the Zone. They belonged to many different beings, anything from a simple ectopus, to ghosts he was sure he'd fought before.
The Zone itself looked dimmer; the greens weren't vibrant and full of energy as usual, instead faded to a near black in some places. Even the swirls were dull and slow, not even close to their previous vortex like state.
How could the Ghost Zone have gotten this bad in just a few weeks?
After ten minutes of flying at top speed, Danny finally made it to Clockwork's tower, having to hold back bile the entire time.
Poor Danny stumbled into the gaping entrance, glad to escape the suffocating scent of rotting and burnt ectoplasm within the confines of Clockwork's lair. It left the halfa gasping for air, even if his need for oxygen was far less in his Phantom form.
Once he caught his breath, Danny started searching for the ever changing master of time, replacing the camera in his bag.
Clockwork, being Clockwork, greeted Danny before he even set eyes on the elder ghost.
However, it was the way he was greeted that made Danny jumped, toxic green eyes wide and wondrous at the words.
"Hello, my King."
DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP
As an answer to review questions: ShadowDragon357, I am not currently planning on any pairings. However, if I see a lot of requests for a couple, I might add them in, though it would be canon. Thank you for reviewing!
Natellah, thank you! You're very sweet! I will be uploading consistently, however I am a full time high school student. So far I have three chapters currently written out, and they just need a bit of revision. As for number of chapters, I'm currently unsure of a total number, but there will be at least fifteen, none with a word count of less than 1,700.
I have images of Phantom's design on my Instagram! Username cinemapsychosis
Criticism always welcomed! Please review, follow, and favorite if you like it! No flames please.
I do not own Danny Phantom.