Disclaimer: All rights go to the respective owners of Marvel and Nickelodeon/Butch Hartman.
Chapter 2: Knights and Gamma Giants
The next morning, Danny woke up bright and early, for once. He wasn't sure what time Banner was arriving at the airport. Dr. Banner was a very shy, and quiet person, and he had a tendency of simply appearing out of nowhere. This was likely to make up for his Hulk persona's habit of being heard coming a mile away. As a precaution, Danny asked his parents to lock the Ghost Portal while Banner was visiting.
After all, the less stress Bruce had, the safer everyone was! The last thing Danny wanted was some ghost like Technus or Spectra showing up. After showering, Danny made his way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Before he got there, however, a knock at the door stopped him. He answered it to find Sam and Tucker at the door. "Uh, hey guys," Danny said. "What are you guys doing here so early?"
"Are you kidding?" Tucker exclaimed. "I wouldn't miss this for anything! Especially some dumb town hall meeting. It's Bruce Banner, for crying out loud! He is the expert on gamma research! He's the mind behind some of the greatest inventions in modern history!" Sam rolled her eyes at her friend.
"Gee, Tucker," she said. "I'll bet Danny had NO idea! After all, he only helped save the world with the guy." Danny snickered at Sam's snark. He moved aside to let them in. They headed into the kitchen, and sat down with Jazz.
"Hey, Sam," Danny said to his girlfriend, kissing her on the cheek. "Say, isn't it a bit early for a goth to be up?"
Sam yawned, and replied, "Yup. But I wanted to meet this guy face to face. In goth circles, he's a real hot topic, right now. I bet he's got some dark, depressing stories in that noggin, after being on the run for all these years. Plus, having a real Dr Jekyll-and-Mr Hyde thing going on only makes him even more interesting."
Danny rubbed his neck, remembering a rather depressing tale Banner told during the Helicarrier attack. "Um, yeah," he said. "I'm sure he does. Listen, Sam. Try not to depress the guy too much. I don't want him Hulking-Out in my home."
Suddenly, Jack Fenton busted into the kitchen. "YES!" he bellowed. "Brucey's plane just landed! He just texted me on the Fenton-phone! I'm going to go pick him up! Come on, Maddie! Let's go fire up the Fenton Family Assault vehicle!"
"Jack," Maddie scolded. "We're not going to go pick up Dr. Banner in that!" Jack looked saddened and lowered his head. "We'll take Jazz's car, instead," Maddie clarified.
"What?" Jazz said with an odd look of being startled and confused at the same time, with her eyebrow raised.
"Aww, but Maddie," Jack whined. "I don't wanna be seen picking up my old high school chum in that ugly pink thing! No offense, Jazz." Jazz simply frowned at her father, putting her hands on her hips.
"No, I don't wanna hear it, mister," Maddie said. "And that's final." She then took the keys from Jazz, and they headed to the door. "Danny," Maddie called. "Why don't you wait here while we go get him? We won't be gone long!"
"And you better not make him angry on the way home! Or you guys are buying me a new car!" Jazz yelled at her parents as they shut the door.
Suddenly, Danielle floated down through the ceiling, still in her pajamas, her long black hair more resembling the Bride of Frankenstein because of her bed-head. Yawning, she looked around as she sat at the table. "What's all the commotion?"
"Mom and Dad went to go pick up Dr. Banner," Danny said.
"WHAT?!" Dani shrieked. With that, she blasted off, phasing through the ceiling. Less than a minute later, she phased back down, fully dressed, and her hair neat and tidy, pulled back into it's usual ponytail.
"Well, that was fast," Sam said.
Dani shrugged. "Are you kidding? It's the Hulk," she said. "I don't want to miss this!"
Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Dani were sitting out on the front porch. It had been about half an hour since Jack and Maddie left to get Bruce. "Ugh," Dani said, flopping back on the porch. "Why couldn't you or me have flown to get him? There, and back, five minutes!"
Danny chuckled. "Somehow, I doubt that you or me flying him here would be the best idea," he said.
The four heard a strange sound from above them. It sounded like a rocket, almost. "What was that?" Sam asked.
"Couldn't have been Skulker; we totaled his suit yesterday," Tucker said. Glancing up, they saw a small, red glint in the sun.
"No, way," muttered Danny.
A red and silver suit of armor flew above the skies of Amity Park. Heading straight towards the Fenton household, AC/DC began blaring through the built in speakers. The suit of armor belonged to one man only: Tony Stark. Iron Man landed in front of the household, the music cutting out. Sam, Tucker, and Dani stared slack-jawed. Danny crossed his arms, only slightly surprised.
"Hey, Casper," Tony Stark said, his face plate lifting up. "Long time, no see! Wow, you have grown. You're what, 18? That means we can drink together, now."
Danny grinned at Stark. "Good to see you, too, Trash Can," he shot back. "What are you doing here?"
Tony shrugged. "What?" he asked. "I can't come visiting my favorite ghost, unannounced?" Danny raised an eyebrow. Tony rolled his eyes. "Fine," he sighed. "I was bored. No baddies right now, Pepper's running the company in Malibu, Rhodey's busy with the Air Force doing his War Machine thing, Rogers is boring, Romanoff doesn't like me that much, and Barton and Thor are God-knows where. And, to top it all off, my buddy Bruce leaves to go see his old high school pal; who just so happens to be your old man. So..., I thought, 'Why not go see what all the hubbub's about?'"
"And?" Danny deadpanned.
Tony rolled his eyes, again. "Alright! Damn, your sharp for a kid," he said. "I also wanted to see the tech your folks are into that Banner was so excited about, okay?"
Danny grinned, triumphantly. "That sounds about right," he said. "So, I see we've ditched our traditional red and gold?"
Stark was wearing a shiny new Iron Man suit that was red and silver; instead of the usual red and gold. "Yeah," Stark said. "Pepper thought I should try something different. Gotta admit, I kinda like it. Kinda snazzy."
"Whoa," Tucker whispered. "Your Tony Stark. Iron Man!"
Tony glanced at the kid. "Uh, yeah," he said. "Last time I checked." The armor opened up, and Tony walked out, wearing a long sleeved shirt and black jeans and sneakers. Tucker bolted up, grabbing the billionaire's hand, and shaking it hard.
"You are my hero!" Tucker cried. Sam grabbed Tucker by the ear, and dragged him off the hero.
"Whoa, easy, big fella," she said.
"Uh, Tony," Danny said. "This is my girlfriend, Sam; and my best friend, Tucker. He's a tech-geek who worships the ground you walk on. And this is my little sister, Danielle."
Dani waved at Tony. "Sup?" she said.
Tony nodded back. "Uh, kid?" he said to Danny. "She looks just like you, only a girl."
Danny sighed. "It's a long story," he said. At that moment, Jack, Maddie, and Bruce pulled up in Jazz's pink car.
Bruce stepped out, and upon seeing Stark, he asked, "Tony? What are you doing here?"
Tony smirked. "Hey, Jolly Green," he said. "Told you I could beat you here."
Bruce frowned at the statement. "You mean you were actually being serious about that?"
Jack and Maddie glanced at each other, uncertainly. "Tony Stark?" they asked at the same time.
"You mean to tell me we've got two Avengers in our home? Cool!" Jack exclaimed.
Danny crossed his arms. "Ahem," he announced.
Jack glanced back at his son. "Oh, yeah," he said. "You, too, Danny! Three Avengers!"
Bruce walked over to Danny and shook his hand. "Hey, Danny," he said.
Tony put an arm around each of their shoulders. "Well, well," he said. "Look at this. Quite the little reunion we got here, huh?"
Jack and Maddie walked over. "We would be honored to have you join us, Mr. Stark," Maddie said.
Tony shook his head. "No, please. Call me Tony," he said, ever suave. "Mr. Stark was my dad."
Walking into the house, the group was met by Jazz. "Hello, Dr. Banner," she introduced herself, shaking his hand.
"Hi. You must be Jazz, right?" Bruce asked. "Your dad said your studying to become a psychologist. That's a tough field to get into. Maybe Tony here could be your first patient? Pepper always says he belongs in a nuthouse." Jazz grinned, while Danny, Sam, Tucker and Dani snickered.
"Hey, watch it, Banner," Tony growled. Glancing around, he took in the Fenton household. "So," he said. "This is Casa Fenton, huh? Not bad. I mean, you know, it's nothing compared to my place, but still. It's cozy." He walked over to a panel on the wall.
Danny slapped his hand away. "Don't even think about having JARVIS hack into my house," he warned. Tony grinned, and moved away from the panel.
Bruce and Jack were sitting on the couch, talking about high school. Bruce actually seemed to be having a good time. He was actually smiling. "Huh," Tony said. "Would you look at that? Our big, angry friend is actually having a nice time, for once. So, Danny, can you show me what's inside that big... thing on your roof? It looks like a UFO."
"Uh, sure," Danny said. "Follow me." He led Tony to the kitchen, Sam and Tucker in tow.
"Um... Why are we in the kitchen? I mean, I like a nice kitchen as much as the next guy, but still," Tony said.
Danny smiled. "Our house is... unusual," he replied. "The easiest access to the Emergency Ops Center is in the kitchen. Taller ceiling." He pressed a switch on the counter. "Four to the Ops Center," he said clearly. Four large, see through tubes came down from the ceiling, and pulled the group up through the house, into the Ops Center.
Tony smiled at that. "Cool," he said. "I want that for my home in Malibu, straight from my garage to my bedroom." Tony made a note to ask the Fenton parents how much they wanted to install one for him later. Looking around, he noticed the Ops Center had a panoramic view of Amity Park. "This place is like the SHIELD Helicarrier, only homier," he said, noting the tile floor.
"So, Tony," Sam said. "What's it like being Iron Man? Must feel good, doing good, after all those years making weapons."
Tony raised his hands. "Ouch," he said. "Your girlfriend knows how to cut to the bone!"
Danny grinned. "Yeah, well, she's an individual," he said. Sam slapped the back of Danny's head.
"And she's right here," she growled.
Tucker looked over to Tony. "Could you show me how the arc reactor works?" he asked. "How does it keep shrapnel out of your heart? Do you plug it into something to charge it, or do you swap it out every time it runs low? Also, what was it like going through that wormhole? We know all about portals around here, but how did your tech react?" Danny and Sam sighed, face palming. They knew Tuck couldn't help himself for long. Thankfully, Maddie came into the Ops Center
"We're going to show Dr. Banner our lab in a moment, if you would like to join us," she offered Tony. He smiled, thankful for the distraction from Tucker. Questions like that would have sent him over the edge and gave him a panic attack before his little run in with the terrorist known as the Mandarin, but thankfully he had recovered from his PTSD.
"Yes, please," he said.
In the lab, Jack and Maddie were showing Tony and Bruce their many inventions and studies on ghosts. Bruce was like a sponge, absorbing every bit of info. He found this fascinating. Any new science was fascinating to him. Tony, on the other hand, was like a kid in a candy store with the tech. Despite their curious ways, the Fentons were very intelligent, and very ingenious with their inventions.
They then came to the Fenton Exo Suit. The Fentons were in the process of building a new one, after the first one was stolen by, and later destroyed by, Vlad Masters. Tony whistled. It would stand far larger than any of his armors; once it was completed. However, it was only partially built; it was missing it's right arm and the torso had yet to be fully armored.
"With this bad boy, we can fight any ghost! Not matter how powerful," Jack explained. Maddie then went over the specs.
"Hmm," Bruce hummed, thoughtfully. "I wonder how it could fare against the Other Guy." He and Tony had been toying with the idea of an Iron Man armor that could stand up to the Hulk, but they had yet to finalize some of the calculations. Maybe the Fenton's suit could help them?
"Nonsense," Jack said, smiling. "With this, we could kick your butt all the way to Maine, B-Man! Uh, not that we'd try, of course."
Bruce chuckled. "No," he said. "I hope that's the case. It's good to know there is something out there that could stand up to him."
With that, they came to the crème de-la crème. The Ghost Portal. "So," Danny said. "Here's where it all started for me."
Bruce and Tony looked over at Danny. "This is how you got your powers?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah," Danny nodded. "When my parents first built it, it didn't turn on. So, me not wanting to see them sad and with a little pushing from Sam and Tucker, I went inside. It was dark, so I ran my hand along the side for support. I don't know, I guess I hit a switch or a wire, and the thing turned on. I was promptly electrocuted, while bathed in pure ecto-radiation straight from the Ghost Zone. Not something I recommend. I blacked out, and fell out of the Portal with white hair and green eyes. And the rest is history!"
Bruce and Tony grimaced at the thought of the experience. "I know how that feels, kinda," Bruce said.
Danny nodded. "Yeah, we're quite the dynamic duo," he joked.
"Yeah, but you can control your powers," Bruce said. "At best, I can aim the Hulk. I'm not me in that state." Jack put a hand on his old friend's shoulder in sympathy.
"Please," Sam said. "Danny here couldn't control himself at first, either."
Danny glared. "Thanks a lot, Sam!"
Sam smirked, teasingly. "Yep," she said. "Danny's pants kept turning invisible every time he saw a pretty girl."
Tony snickered. "Oh, yeah," he said. "Can't tell you how often that type of thing happens to me."
Danny threw his arms in the air. "Sam!" he yelled.
Bruce chuckled. "You know," he said to Jack and Maddie. "I'll bet Dr. Foster would love to speak to you guys. She's been trying to make portals to other worlds ever since Thor first came here. And here you guys beat her to the punch."
Before any more could be said, a deep, ominous boom hit the other side of the Portal. Everyone froze. Danny's ghost-sense went off. "Uh, Mom?" Danny asked. "You guys locked the Ghost Portal, didn't you?"
Maddie nodded. "Of course," she said. "I did so myself!"
The noise sounded again; this time, louder, and leaving a noticeable dent in the heavy door. Everyone took a step back. Jack and Maddie drew their anti-ghost weapons, while Danny shouted, "I'm going Ghost!" As he transformed into Phantom, a large glowing green sword pierced the door on the Portal! Sam and Tucker shared a worried glance.
"Is that what I think it is?" Tucker asked.
"If your thinking it's the Soul Shredder, then, yes," Sam replied, worriedly. The blade retracted, and the doors were ripped open.
Bruce and Tony stared in wide-eyed disbelief. A large, imposing figure the size of Thor stood in the doorway, holding a long green blade. Clothed head to toe in ebony armor that looked like it was from the Middle Ages. Only this was far more intimidating. Flaming silver gauntlets and matching armored boots and pauldrons adorned his outfit. A skull sat on his belt, acting as a belt buckle. His spiked black helmet left his face in perpetual shadow, with only his eyes glowing menacingly. His head was surrounded in an unnatural purple flame, as well as a flaming purple cape. The whole effect was terrifying.
"Finally," the entity snarled in a fearsome deep voice. "I am free once more." He looked at the people in front of him, and shot two purple ghost rays out of his eyes, blasting Jack and Maddie away. Tony and Bruce ducked for cover.
"Fright Knight," Danny growled. He launched himself towards his enemy. Fright Knight threw a purple crystaline meteor at Danny, sending him flying back through the wall.
"Danny!" shouted Sam and Tucker in unison. They dove behind where Tony and Bruce were crouching behind an upturned table. Without his suit, Tony didn't want to get into a fight, and Bruce had no desire to turn into the Hulk. He desperately tried to keep his heart rate in check.
Taking one final glance around the room, the Fright Knight then summoned his horse, Nightmare. Bruce and Tony looked in abject shock as an unholy looking black horse stepped out of the green mist of the Ghost Zone. The steed was jet black, with a flaming green mane, a long horn between it's brow, large bat-like wings, fangs and red eyes. It's hooves also spouted flames, as did it's tail. It wore armor similar to it's master.
Fright Knight mounted the horse, and looked at Banner and Stark. "You," he said pointing his blade at them. "Heed my words, lest ye be destroyed. My reign of terror begins anew. Stand not in my path, for vengeance is assured. You, one called Hulk, are a most important tool of fear. Fool yourselves not; for your end draws ever near!" He then reared back on his steed, and flew out of the house, phasing through the ceiling of the basement. Danny, Jack, and Maddie all sat up, rubbing there heads, groaning.
"Um," Tony said, still in shock. "What the hell was that?" Sam and Tucker rushed to help Danny to his feet.
"That was the Fright Knight," he explained. "He's a real threat." He turned to his parents, and asked. "Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine, son," Jack said. Maddie looked over at the Portal.
"Jack," she said. "We have to get that door fixed or more ghosts will come through! Danny, you go after that creep, while we stay and fix the Portal!" Danny nodded, and was about to fly through the roof when Tony stopped him.
"I'll come with you, kid," he said. "Your enemy is my enemy, now, too."
Danny smirked and gave a mock salute, "Thanks. Tucker, Sam, let's go!"
Bruce stood up shakily from behind the table. "I'll stay here," he said, still sweating from almost Hulking out. "And help Jack and Maddie."
Tony, Sam, and Tucker rushed up the stairs. Jazz was looking out the window. "Jazz, where's Danielle?" Sam questioned.
Jazz turned to her and replied, "She flew out with Danny."
Tony ran out the door and got back inside his armor, as Sam and Tucker got on their scooters. "JARVIS, buddy," Tony said. "We got a couple ghosts to catch."
"Picked up a new hobby, sir?" JARVIS questioned.
Tony smirked, taking off, following Danny and Danielle. "Yeah, just now," he said. "Huh. So, the little girl has powers, too? Interesting." As he flew to catch up to the two ghosts, he noticed that the weather had become incredibly gloomy. The sky was a dark, ominous overcast; not at all like the sunny, warm day it had been.
As he caught up to the two, he asked, "So, where has our scary ghost and his demon horse gotten to?"
Danny glanced at Iron Man. "Everywhere," he said. Iron Man looked around to see people panicking, and running for cover. Not far off, they noticed Fright Knight's horse, Nightmare, causing mayhem.
"Hey," Dani said. "Where's Fright Knight at? All I see is his horse!"
The trio looked around, seeing nor sign of him. "So, guys," Iron Man said. "What's this evil Sir Lancelot, you know, do?"
Danny frowned. "He's the spirit of Halloween." he explained. "Open up any old books from the middle ages, and you'll find stories about him. He exists only to cause fear. Do not let his blade touch you; the Soul Shredder won't cut you, instead, it'll transport you to an alternate dimension where your worst fears are a reality."
"Good to know," Iron Man said. "Wait, the 'Spirit of Halloween'? Isn't he a little early? Halloween isn't for a couple of months."
"That is where you are wrong, fools," said an ominous voice behind them. They spun around to see Fright Knight hovering above them. Before they could react, they were struck by a massive purple fireball, knocking them all to the ground. As they groaned, and tried to get up, the Fright Knight floated above them. "All Hallow's Eve may be a few months from now," he said. "But now that I am free once more, every day will be a day of terror. This world will drop to it's knees, and taste my blade of fear!"
He was then knocked back by a green ghost ray from Dani. "Don't count on it, creep," she growled, as she and the others got to their feet. "The only one who should be afraid is you!"
Danny grinned, and gave her a high five. "Nice banter," he commented. Danny turned back to Fright Knight. "You can't fight all of us," he said.
Fright Knight rose to his feet. Sam and Tucker wheeled up behind him, blocking his exit. They jumped off their scooters, and raised their ghost hunting weapons. "Your words are true," Fright Knight growled. "I cannot defeat you all at once. But did you think I was foolish enough to come here alone, without a plan?"
Back in the Fenton's basement, Jack, Maddie and Bruce were working double-time on repairing the door to the Ghost Portal. Bruce took off his welding mask and wiped his forehead. "I'm sorry, Bruce," Jack said. "I didn't want our little get-together to go down like this."
Bruce shrugged. "Don't worry," he said. "After working with Tony these last few weeks, I've kinda gotten used to surprises and explosions."
"Still," Maddie said. "We should have re-enforced the doors." They had gotten one of the sliding doors back up, and were working on the second. Jazz had joined them, helping with what she could.
"Hey, you think one of them is the right one?" came a raspy voice from inside the portal.
"How should I know?" came another voice.
"Well, your the one who said we should go without seeing his picture," came yet a third voice.
"Forget it, let's just grab the one with glasses," said the first voice. "He doesn't look familiar."
Without warning, three vulture ghosts wearing fezzes and sunglasses swooped out of the Portal, and grabbed Banner, who yelled in surprise. "Bruce!" Jack, Maddie and Jazz yelled at the same time. The three ghosts and Bruce phased through the ceiling.
"Jazz," Maddie yelled. "Turn on the Ghost shield! We have to contain any more ghosts that come through here!"
Bruce struggled in vain, breathing hard, trying not to let his heart beat too fast. "I hope this is the right yutz," one of the vulture ghosts said.
"Eh, who cares?" said another. "We're two thousand years old; we make mistakes at this age. Regardless, this one should make a decent splat once he hits the ground."
'Crap!' thought Bruce in desperation. 'Oh, no, no, no!' He screamed as the vultures dropped him, high above the city. The last thing Bruce saw was green, as he plummeted towards the street below...
Fright Knight pointed to the sky. "Behold, my new instrument of chaos," he said, before turning into a swarm of ghostly bats, flying away. Dani and the others gasped, seeing the falling figure.
"Oh, no," Danny said.
"Banner!" Iron Man yelled, his helmet zooming in on the falling person. He, Danielle and Iron Man flew as fast as possible, trying to reach the falling figure before it was too late.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Banner slammed into the street below, forming a small crater. Dani gasped, covering her mouth, tears in her eyes. Phantom and Iron Man glanced at each other, worriedly. They both had a scary feeling what was coming next. Below them, a group of people began to approach the rubble-filled crater, which began moving slightly.
"Everyone, clear out now!" Iron Man shouted. The crowd gasped, and pointed at Iron Man and the two ghosts.
"Is that Iron Man?" someone asked.
"Why are the Avengers here? I thought they broke up," said another.
Danny held up his hands. "For crying out loud, listen to us," he shouted. "You people need to get the heck outta here! It's an emergency!"
A massive green fist slammed out of the rubble, followed by a deep growl. The people gasped, and began to run, as the Hulk himself crawled out of the rubble, looking none to happy. He snarled as he ripped the remainder of his shirt off. Danny and Iron Man hovered a little ways above, holding their hands up, not wanting to alarm the green behemoth. "Easy, big guy," Phantom said. "Remember us? We're your friends." Hulk sneered, and growled at the two.
Dani flew up behind Phantom and Iron Man. "So cool," she whispered.
"Dani," Phantom whispered. "I want you to go help Sam and Tucker find the Fright Knight."
Dani raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Excuse me?" she asked.
Iron Man nodded. "Listen to your brother," he said. He then gestured to Hulk, who was glaring up at them. "Leave Banner to us."
Hulk the roared in anger, and jumped up, swatting Iron Man to the ground. "Danielle," Danny shouted. "No arguments; just go!" Huffing, Dani flew away to find Sam and Tucker. Phantom turned back to Hulk, who had turned his attention to him. "Uh, I'm guessing this is a bad time to mention that you need stretchier pants," Danny said, turning intangible, avoiding Hulk's blows.
This only enraged the beast even more. Hulk bellowed, in frustration. and picked up a car. He hurled the car at Phantom, who caught it and set it down. Momentarily distracted, Hulk pounced on Phantom, pinning him to the ground, pummeling Danny with his massive green fists. Danny managed to kick the brute off of him, sending him into the side of a building. Shaking his head, which rang like a bell, Danny stood up, and wiped his bloody nose.
"Wow," Phantom grunted. "Not many guys that can bust me open." Hulk jumped back out into the street, rage boiling. The two circled one another, Phantom floating a few feet above the ground.
Nearby, a news reporter was filming the whole scene. "This is Lance Thunder, reporting live from downtown. What started out as a lovely morning has taken a frightening turn for the worse, as none other than the Incredible Hulk has crash landed at the intersection of Hartman and Kirby Avenue. Now, Danny Phantom and Iron Man himself are confronting the angry giant. The area has largely been evacuated, leaving this reporter wondering: Why am I the only on sigh reporter in this town?!"
Iron Man flew up behind Hulk, punching him hard in the jaw. The blow had little effect, and Hulk grabbed Iron Man and began slamming him repeatedly into the pavement. Iron Man groaned in pain, rolling over to look at Hulk.
Hulk snarled. "Hulk... Smash... Metal Man," he growled, lifting his big foot to crush Iron Man.
Iron Man used his repulsars to rocket away just in time. This was not a good situation. His armor was already almost trashed, sparking badly in certain places. He looked over to see Hulk rip out a street light, and run towards him. "Hey, Hulk, you need to chill out," Danny shouted, using his ice powers to freeze Hulk in place from the neck down. Hulk roared in pure, raw anger.
"Nice job, kid," Iron Man sighed.
Danny grinned. "Yeah," he said. "Ghost ice; nothing is stronger, so nothing can break it. Now, we just wait for him to calm down, and we can-" CRACK! The looked over to see Hulk struggling, his face twisted in anger. Danny stared with eyes wide, and his mouth gaping. "Holy God," he muttered. The Hulk was straining so hard against the ghost ice that it was actually breaking!
"Hulk... Is... STONGEST ONE THERE IS!" the Gamma Giant bellowed. The ice prison surrounding him shattered into pieces, the shards acting like shrapnel!
"Shit," Iron Man said, raising his arms to shield himself. "What now?"
Danny stared at the beast, an idea forming. "I have an idea," he said to Iron Man. "Cover me, while I-"
Suddenly, a green disk of ecto-energy struck Hulk's back. He turned around to see Dani flying up to the Hulk. She gestured in the universal sign to 'bring it on'. Hulk growled, and stalked towards her.
"That was your plan?" Iron Man questioned. "Summon your little sister?"
Danny shook his head. "What is she thinking?"
Hulk snarled, and swiped at the ghost girl, but his strikes only meeting air. "Hey, tough guy," she said. "What are you doing? Stop picking on my brother!" She flew forward, a ball of black and white. She lashed out, and struck the Hulk in the jaw, sending him flying back into a car.
"Dani," Phantom shouted. "What are you doing?! I told you to help Sam and Tucker!"
Dani shrugged. "He's gone; no sign of him," she said. Sam and Tucker went back to our place to help with the Portal." Suddenly, Hulk jumped towards her, and punched her dead on, sending Dani through a building.
"Danielle!" Phantom shouted in panic.
Iron Man leveled his remaining weapons at Hulk. "Slugging little girls, now? That's a new low for you, Banner!"
Hulk rounded on Iron Man. "Hulk not puny Banner!" He charged Iron Man, when he stopped, and got a confused look on his face. Iron Man stared, ready for action, but noticing the strange green glow to Hulk's eyes. Well, they were always green, but they never glowed like that. Iron Man glanced around, but didn't see Danny Phantom anywhere. He looked back to Hulk, who was grasping his head, as if in pain.
Danny had over-shadowed the Hulk. Inside Hulk's mind was a nightmare. A swirling, angry, green nightmare. He tried to sift through the rage. It was unlike anything he had ever possessed before. He attempted to take control of Hulk's body, but Hulk was fighting back Not because he knew what was happening, more out of instinct. Danny sensed another presence inside, as well. 'Bruce?" Danny asked, mentally.
'Danny?' came the frightened reply. 'How are you in my- Our mind?'
'I over-shadowed Hulk,' Danny replied. 'I'm trying to calm him down!' Danny sensed Bruce's fear, and sadness. 'You've got to help me, Bruce! I don't think I can do this alone! You have to help me cage the beast!'
'You can't,' Bruce replied. 'I... I can't. Not when the transformation was this sudden and shocking! He'll only get stronger if I try to stop him! It's like a nightmare, Danny. I'm watching the Other Guy attack you guys, but I can't do anything to stop it. I'm so sorry!'
'You have to try, dude!' Danny implored. 'If you can't control the Hulk, SHIELD and Stark can only protect you for so long! I think what's holding you back is your own fear! Your afraid of the Hulk! Your afraid of yourself! Believe me, I know what that's like! I'm afraid of myself, and what I might do if I ever lost control! But you can't let that control you! I made peace with that part of me a long time ago! You can, too!'
Bruce was silent for several moments. Danny was losing hope. Had Banner given up? Danny didn't know what to do. But he knew he couldn't stay inside Hulk for much longer. Hulk was fighting back. Hard. 'Alright,' Banner finally said. 'I'll do it.' If Danny could grin, he would have.
Iron Man watched as the Hulk began shouting, and started to spasm violently. He reared back, and Iron Man saw Danny fly out of Hulk's head! Danny grunted, as he hit the ground. Danny slowly got to his knees, as Iron Man crouched next to him. He looked over at Hulk, and saw him start to shrink. Iron Man sighed in relief.
"I don't know what you did, kid," Iron Man said. "But it worked."
Danny was breathing hard, looked over to Hulk, who was now Banner-sized. "Look after him," Danny said. "Get him back to the house. I need to check on Danielle." He shakily rose in the air, and flew to the building Dani had been sent through.
He found Sam and Tucker helping her slowly sit up. She had turned back into her human form, and looked a little woozy. "Are you okay," Danny asked worriedly, as he crouched down beside her. She looked up at him for a moment, before grinning.
"That... was... AWESOME!" she cried. "I got to fight the Hulk!"
"Yeah," Tucker said. "And you got your butt handed to you in the process." Everyone glared at Tucker.
"Hey," Dani pouted. "Not cool, dude! I didn't see you out there, fighting the big, green, rage monster!" Dani then promptly passed out. Danny rolled his eyes, and picked her up in his arms.
"Oof," he grunted. "She is way heavier than she looks!"
Soon, back at the house, Maddie had tucked Dani into bed, and Bruce was sitting on the couch, a blanket around his shoulders, drinking a glass of water. He was still shaky and tired after being the Hulk. Jazz was speaking to him, softly. Tony had paid for the damage, and Tucker, being mayor, had gotten right on the job. Danny and Sam were in the living room, also. "So," Danny said. "What happened to the Fright Knight?"
Sam and Tucker both shrugged. "No clue," Tucker said.
"Yeah," Sam said. "After the Hulk showed up, he and his steed just... vanished."
Danny stroked his chin. "That's so weird," he said. "Why would he just come here to release the Hulk, and then leave?" Tony walked in from the kitchen with Jack. Tony had a beer in hand, and Jack had a plate of food for himself and Bruce.
"Hey, Danny, Bruce," Tony said. "I've been toying around with an idea the past month or so; since SHIELD fell. What if we got the band back together?" All eyes went to Tony.
"You're serious, Tony?" Bruce asked.
Tony pointed at Bruce. "Deadly serious," he said. "I know, I know, the world doesn't need us all working together right now. But, why wait for the next big threat? Why not stay together, as a team? Keep the world safe, so it's never in danger? As individuals, we can keep small areas of the world safe, sure. A town here, a city there. But as a team, as Avengers, we can keep the world safe as a whole."
Danny and Bruce glanced at each other. "Sure, why not," Bruce sighed. "Right now, I'm too tired to care."
Danny chuckled. "Wow," he said. "Since when are you a team player, Stark? I've never heard you so sentimental before." Tony shrugged.
Danny thought for a moment. "But," he said. "It might not be such a bad idea, re-assembling the band. I'm in! But I'm not sure Barton would like the idea. Thor isn't even on Earth, now. No clue where Cap and Widow went after SHIELD fell. It might just be the three of us."
Tony nodded, seeing Danny's point. "Leave Barton to me," he said. "Most of what's left of SHIELD is working for me, now. I've kinda privatized global security. Thor, I can't make any promises, of course. But still, even if they all say no, and it is just the three of us, we can still make a difference. And show the world we're still watching out for them."
"Oh, yeah. 'Cause it worked out so well, last time. And what about Rogers and Romanoff?" Bruce asked.
Tony shrugged. "They'll come around," he said. "Just leave them to me."
Bruce laughed. "Yeah, sure," he said. "I seem to remember a rather threatening voicemail Widow left you a while back." Tony tugged at the collar of his shirt, nervously.
Danny looked to his parents. "So, how about it?" he asked. Jack and Maddie exchanged glances.
"I don't know, honey," Maddie said. "I mean, you are 18, now, but... Your father and I would still worry about you." It was true. Danny being in Amity Park was one thing, but him being off somewhere else in the world worried her. Jack put a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder.
"Maddie," he said. "Our boy is a man, now. We can't keep him here in Amity forever. He's a hero; and the world needs him."
"Oh, alright," Maddie said. Normally, she would have flatly said no, but she realized that Danny had a larger role to play in the world than just looking after his town. His powers meant he had a larger responsibility to the world. "But please be safe! And you have to call us every night your not home!"
Danny rolled his eyes. "Mom!"
Tony cleared his throat, not wanting to seem like a monster taking her child from her. "Mrs. Fenton," he said, turning up the suave. "I would also love for you and your husband to assist the Avengers, as well. I would always love to have more tech to play with. Also, for what I have in mind, I'd like for the two of you to assist me personally with upgrading my tower in New York. Clearly, I'm a little out of my depth with anti-ghost tech. I figured it could be the Avengers official headquarters/living space. I'll pay for everything. Your son can have his own apartment right in the tower, he'll be completely safe."
"Wait," Danny said. "We're all going to be living in Stark Tower?"
Tony shook his head. "No, not Stark Tower," he said. "I haven't fixed the logo on the side of the building. At first, I kinda thought it'd be a nice reminder." After the Battle of New York, the tower had been left with only the 'A' on the side of the building. Almost like a sign of things to come. "I decided to just leave the big 'A' on the side. Repaired, of course. It'll be known as Avengers Tower from here on out."
Sam looked slightly saddened at the prospect of Danny being gone more often. Danny lifted her chin, looking into her beautiful violet eyes. "Hey," he said. "Don't worry, Sam. I'll be fine, I promise! And I won't be gone all the time! You'll always be my top priority."
Sam smiled at Danny. "I know," she said. "I'll hold you to that promise."
"Alright!" Jack said. "I'd say this calls for a celebration! Who wants fudge?"
The Fright Knight entered the secret layer of his master. His new master. He dismounted his steed, and walked over to a chair facing a large wall of screens. The chair was more like a throne. He got down on one knee before the figure sitting in the throne. "I trust your little performance was convincing?" the figure asked, not turning around to face him. Fright Knight bowed his head.
"Of course, my liege," he said. "Unfortunately, Phantom and Iron Man stopped the Hulk from causing any more damage. If I may be so bold, the vultures may have been too obvious; they may have tipped your hand a bit too early." The figure laced his gloved fingers together.
"A calculated risk," the figure said. "It's chess. And the game is still young. Our opponents haven't the faintest idea of our next move. They haven't even a clue of what awaits them. And not Danny Phantom, not his precious team of Avengers, and not SHIELD can play at my level. Unleashing the Hulk was a mere test for Phantom. And Daniel passed with flying colors."
"What is our next move, my liege?" Fright Knight asked.
"Patience, Knight," replied his master. "If there is one thing I've learned after all this time, it's how to be patient. I once tried to take this world out in the open, thinking I was unstoppable; but I was defeated. In part, because of my own arrogance. This time will be different. My next move has already been set in motion. Now, let's enjoy what happens next. Ooh, the chaos will be delicious!" The figure threw his head back, and laughed darkly.