I do not own Danny Phantom or the inspirations I've used in this fic.
Chapter 1
Danny Fenton snapped his communicator shut and hoisted his guns on his waist. He grabbed a couple of small syringes, placed them inside a clear, small pouch and dropped them to his vest's breast pocket. He slammed the SUV door and turned to the head agent monitoring the perimeters of the building.
"Agent Fenton, ATU."Danny introduced himself as he nodded to the buzzed-cut redhead, bulletproof vest-wearing man who acknowledged his presence.
"Millers, FBI." The man answered smugly, the air of superiority surrounding him was almost palpable. His tall frame and muscle-bound torso did not do any good, looking down on Danny, he smirked. "Lancer now recruits boys?"
Danny chose to ignore this. He was considered a young agent, but he was definitely not a boy anymore. He might not be as freakishly towering as this six-foot plus jerk but he was taller than most men. And he absolutely had the strength and speed that could pummel this man any second but Danny was not in the mood to demonstrate that. What Millers doesn't know would not hurt him, especially his ego.
"We have orders to penetrate the building and locate the subject who released the virus."He stated instead and turned to go to the hotel's main entrance.
"Whoa!" Millers held up his beefy hand, stopping Danny on the chest. "Impatient, aren't we? Well, boy, I have orders not to let anyone out or in. So when I say nobody gets in, nobody gets in. Understand?" Millers saw Danny opened his mouth to protest but he shot him a glare.
"I'm the one in-charge here, prince charming. That son of a bitch who let the virus out is probably lounging in a bar , getting his ass drunk and petting the cash he received by now. He isn't likely to hang around and risk himself infected. There's no point to go searching for him."
He jerked his thumb to the building behind him. "Those people inside believe they just caught a bug flu and need the anti bug flu medicine that's coming but the delivery vans carrying their meds have been stuck in an unfortunate traffic jam. So they'll be waiting there, inside till the FBI's research and medical teams arrive. While you, and the rest of the others will be secretly guarding the entrances and exits so no fucking panic will arise. Believe me, boy, that is how things really work."
Danny's anger flared. His eyes flashing to neon green so quick Millers could have noticed if he was not so busy lecturing Danny. He gave the man a swift assessment and ran a few possibilities in his mind.
He could do the easiest thing, knocked this jackass so fast, he'd wake up in the next time zone and ran inside the hotel. Nobody could stop him anyway, not when they could not even see him. It was the fastest way in though he'd have to face the consequences later or he could—
"Fenturd's getting on your nerves, sir?" Dash Baxter suddenly chimed in, flashing Millers a fake empathizing look and sending Danny a wicked grin.
"Not really, just giving him the basics." Millers shrugged and shared a fucking dark chuckle with Dash.
"Sorry about him."Dash said not really being sorry. "He's actually from the Research department. Lancer sent him to assist me because he's a geek who happens to be somewhat helpful in cases like these. Probably his first field mission, isn't that right, Fenton?"Dash gave Danny a playful shove backwards that would have toppled any normal person down the ground. Except that it didn't. Well, for starters Danny was really nowhere near being normal. He didn't even budge an inch.
Both Baxter and Millers' eyes widened a bit. Danny would have thrown a wise comment -or crumple a steel bar with his fingers in front of them just to see if their eyes would fall down from its sockets- if his communicator did not beep. He grunted a makeshift excuse and turned his back on them, rising to his full height and exposing fluid grace as he walked away.
He made sure he was well out of anyone's sight as he flipped his mini laptop open and Tucker's scrunched brows and grim-pressed mouth greeted him.
"I'm going to kill Pointdexter." His friend grumbled, not bothering with formalities.
"I'm more than willing to do the same with Dash and that FBI Minotaur."
"Minotaur?" Tucker's irritation was gone in an instant.
"Yep, I'll tell you some time. What's up?"
"Oh, yeah. You're alone, right?"
"Yeah." Danny double-checked his surroundings, using his superb senses this time. "Clear." He confirmed.
"Alright, I've got good news and bad news."Tucker whispered, leaning to the camera so close Danny could see his best friend's pores and the heavy, dark rings under his eyes.
He thought about bursting words like "tacky" or "cliché" but refrained himself. This was no time to joke. Urging Tucker to continue, he said. "Shoot."
Tucker's eyes darted left to right and the image of him rattled as he lifted his own version of communicator, putting it on top of a white something with a red pole attached to it. Danny squinted to get a good look and it took him moments to realize Tucker was using one of his own bug inventions which he simply dropped on the lid of his cup; the red pole was actually a straw.
Danny suddenly heard someone from the background yelling at Tucker to go get something. "Damn. The nerd's doing it again." Tucker mumbled. Then Danny saw him leaning away, "Yeah, on it!" He shouted back.
He turned to his computer and Danny heard the fast clink of the keyboard. "I'm waiting here, Tuck."
"What's taking so goddamned long?"A whiny, gritty voice interrupted. Making both Danny and Tucker almost jumped. Danny caught a sight of a sleek black hair and rimmed glasses before Tucker's eyes flashed to the speaker, his hand accidentally knocking off his cup. His reflexes took over and attempted to stop the spillage, it did but he was a second late. The lid, not being secured enough, tipped to one side, the bug slowly daring to dive into Tucker's drink.
"I-it's the freaking firewalls." Danny heard Tucker answered the voice, partially facing the offender, and angling his body away from his drink.
"For Pete's sake, Foley, shoot down the firewalls! You didn't get hired by simply whining about them." Danny recognized Pointdexter's irritated, feeling superior voice. He clucked his tongue impatiently. The guy was really giving Tucker a hard time. For a nerd, Pointdexter was one hell of a bully, in a completely dorky, techno way.
Danny then sensed someone coming. His eyes scanned the place; he chose this side of the building because of the shaded trees it offered. He didn't see anyone. His location was not yet discovered. Whoever it was, he was still out of earshot but he'd be damn near soon. Whatever Tucker was going to share, he had to do it now.
"I was going to… but there's a fly soaring around. And it's still there." He heard Tucker say and turned in time to see that Pointdexter was leaning so close to Tucker, he could easily spot the bug if he just… No, don't turn your head. Focus on the monitor, you idiot.
"A fly got in and it's distracting me. I'm protecting my drink, who knows what disease it could bring?" Tucker was blabbing as he typed codes on his keyboard.
"I don't give a damn!" Pointdexter wrinkled his nose as he tried to get a good look on the screen.
Curse you, Pointdexter! Tucker glanced subtly to the bug. He wanted to wring his neck right there. The call was taking too long. It should've been a come-and-go maneuver. A basic message delivery. A smooth move. And it should've been over by now. Tucker tried not to press down the letters too hard as he noted Danny's wary glance from the tiny screen. He blinked at him twice then exclaimed, "Holy cow! It's in my drink. The fly poisoned my drink!"
Tucker made a move to grab his drink, further overturning the lid and the bug sliding its way inside the cup and all Danny could see was white walls and a drowning pool of cappuccino. "Damn it! It went there." Tucker gave the cup a nice shake, managing to create little, brown cappuccino tsunamis. "That son of a bitch fly is still inside!"
Danny watched as the screen crackled and frizzled. Then it went blank. He slammed his mini laptop shut. What in the world just happened? Tsk. Stupid Pointdexter. Stupid Dash. Stupid superiors. Stupid fly.
Tucker's words echoed in his mind. "That son of a bitch fly is still inside!" That son of a bitch…is still inside? Still inside. Then it dawned on him. STILL INSIDE!
Danny felt a surge of excitement coursed through him. "Tuck, you're a genius." He was still inside. The suspect-whoever the hell he was- was still inside the building. He pocketed his communicator, carefully planned his tactic, turned around and was surprised to see a very suspicious Dash Baxter face-to-face with him.
"Who the hell were you talking to, Fentina?"Dash sneered.
"Chief." Danny answered quickly, the lies flowing smoothly through him. "Wants me to engineer an antidote based on the partial studies sent by the dead intel. Well, of course, she sent them before she died." He fished out the pouch of syringes from his jacket and held them out to Dash's face, tilting it for effect. "Geek from Research department, remember?"
The other agent was still glaring at him. Danny sidestepped him and began to walk away. That was enough explanation. A few more sentences and he would be arrested for not being loyal to the agency. The secret in making and keeping white lies? Make them short, specific but tricky and keep a good track.
"Who's the genius?"
Danny froze. Had he really said that out loud? Stupid loud mouth. "What?" He slightly turned around.
"You said, 'you're a genius' .Who are you referring to?" Of all the times Dash could be so infuriatingly observant, he really chose now?
"Me. I'm referring to myself." Danny replied calmly. Looking Dash straight in the eye. Lying right through his teeth was similar to involuntary actions now, like breathing or blinking. Practice does make perfect.
"You talk to yourself?" Several emotions crossed Dash's face and Danny watched as he named it all inside his head, disbelief, doubt, confusion and finally, disgust.
"Freak." Dash muttered and Danny left him, smiling to himself. Well, Dash, you have no idea.
One of the advantages of not being in good terms with assigned colleagues? They kept communications as short and sparse as possible. They even gave the liberty of peace and alone time. Which for Danny was the best thing Dash had done to him so far.
He went back to their SUV using the 'research department' excuse. His little medical pouch did come in handy in times like these. He felt like an actor overexposing his prop.
He sat down inside the SUV, shut the door and opened his communicator; he logged in to his account and clicked on the schematics file Tucker had sent. The three-dimensional overall blue print of Amity Park Hotel revealed itself; the fifth floor in red highlight, giving Danny the virtual route through the vents and the service staircases. As well as the possible escape route the subject had trudged and might have found.
Memorizing the basic outline of the building, he transferred the file to his PDA. He pulled open another window to check ATU's research files. He hit the search box and typed the words, Cassiopeia Cruise.
A small window asking for password popped on the screen. Danny's long fingers raced across the keyboard as he entered the needed password. The system accepted his password and Danny's eyes widened as he absorbed every bit of information he could.
His blue eyes scanned the file from top to bottom and he quickly closed it. He cleared his entire computer's history cache and shut his laptop closed. He then put it in black messenger bag, placed it on the backseat and checked his surroundings through the dark tinted windows of the company SUV.
No one was visible.
Of course, to any ordinary observer no one was around but to a highly-trained agent like Danny himself, the place was teeming with people.
He glanced at the forest, sure enough small movements could be traced in the shadows. He turned to the nearby buildings and scanned the tops of it. He spotted at least three snipers from different angles.
Danny checked the area for surveillance cameras. As a trained agent, he had to avoid those. As a detectable human, he needed to be seen in the footage. He sighed, this feels like a long day.
5… 4… 3… 2…1!
Danny cracked open the vehicle's door and leaped out. He slammed it shut and carefully rolled under it. He lied flat on his back, braced himself and grabbed one of the car's steel pipes. He hooked his feet around a metal joint and lifted himself up.
"Somebody put that car to the back entrance!" He heard Millers approaching.
"Fenton, you heard the man, drive that fucking car!" This time it was Dash's screechy voice barking orders, clearly mimicking Millers arrogance.
"Fenton?" Both men were now standing on the left side of the SUV.
One of them yanked open the driver's side, it was unlocked and empty.
"Where the he- "
"Stop asking and just drive that car!" Millers commanded, giving Dash not a chance to ask where in the world his supposed to be partner had gone.
Dash jumped in and was about to start the engine when he turned to Millers, "What are you going to do with Fenton?"
Millers huffed. "He's MIA, he's rude. And he's suspicious. He's either a lousy idiot who's bound to die today or he's a double-crossing idiot who's bound to be hunted or killed after today. Either way, he's an idiot I don't give a damn about. Now put that car there and enter the building. We have lives to save."
If Danny wasn't clinging to avoid detection, he might have given hot-headed Millers something to chill with. Like freezing him to the extent of giving him hypothermia or something, he would. But like Millers said, they have lives to save and to be brutally honest, he completely agreed on him on that one.
Dash drove the SUV to the back entrance of the hotel as Millers said. He parked, grabbed his gear and climbed out. However, the moment his foot hit the pavement, his vision blackened.
Dash's balance swayed a little and his arm grabbed the top of the vehicle. Dash blinked and when he reopened his eyes, it was a shade of glowing green.
He robotically reached for the black messenger bag, slung it across his body and shut the SUV door.
In an astonishing movement that would make Edward Cullen jealous, Dash Baxter fluidly entered the building unnoticed.