Yes, it's been a long time since I've updated, but I was having an end-of-the-year sleep over. Yeah... SCHOOL'S OUT, BABY!

Disclaimer: I do not own, or will ever own, Danny Phantom and relative characters. I am not making money off of this story.

"Clockwork? You mean, right now? My help, right now?" Danny stared in disbelief, from the Infi-Map to the timely ghost. "I just got back to school!"

Clockwork sighed. Of course Danny would rebel; this was the only time Danny wanted to be in school. He hasn't been in a stable environment since a week before the asteroid. Though, this is more important than literature, or history… In fact, if someone doesn't act now… there would be no future to continue history. "Danny, as we stand here right now, a great evil will come to engulf the entire universe. And I speak the truth when I say I do not know what this evil is."

"You — wait… you don't know? Is that significant? I mean, you're supposed to know everything. Right?" Danny stood up from his desk. Was this all a joke? Does Clockwork make jokes?

"Further proof that whatever is coming has greater power than I. It has concealed itself from my sight."

If this thing was strong enough to scare Clockwork, how was Danny supposed to defeat it? "What do you want me to do? Sure, I saved the world, but I still needed the help of all the ghosts from the Ghost Zone, too." His legs started to feel like mush.

Clockwork took the flap from the Infi-Map and opened it fully. "I need you to find three ghosts. These ghosts never showed up during the asteroid. They go by the name, the Keepers." He pointed to the white portals glowing on the map. "Within each of these lairs, a Keeper lies dormant."

Clockwork pointed to a door in the shape of a heart. "This is Treah, Keeper of Life." He dragged his finger over to another portal, its shape a Renaissance wall mirror. "This one belongs to William Powers, Keeper of Choices." Finally, he showed Danny the last portal. The door, however, didn't have a form of it's own. It morphed into other doors every few seconds. "And here is Menshan, Keeper of Space."

Danny stared at the map. "What do the Keepers have to do with any of this? And why don't you do it yourself?" Danny backfired.

"Because I, too, am a Keeper. William has made a rule that Keepers cannot interfere with each other until an outside influence forces them to come together."

Danny started to get the point. "And I'm supposed to be the outside influence. Gotcha. All I have to do is get you guys together? That will stop this 'evil?'"

Clockwork nodded. "The combined force of the Keepers will strip the threat raw. Because of our powers, though, it will be hard for you to persuade the others."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought so… any tips on what I should do first?"

Clockwork smiled. Danny was a good kid, and he was proud to be his guardian. "If you had to start with one, I would try Menshan." Danny rolled up the map as Clockwork talked. "He is a personal friend of mine. The hardest part would be identifying his portal. He likes to hide among other doors, and the Infi-Map was based off of his knowledge. But once you go through his door, everything should be fine."

Danny sat back down. If he does gather all four Keepers, he would officially be promoted to 'Savior of the Universe.' Great. That means aliens would come down and take pictures of him, too. "Are Sam and Tucker allowed to help me?"

"Yes, of course. Which reminds me…" He gave Danny two other medallions. Using his staff, Clockwork morphed the pendants so that his symbol was smaller and created more room. "Each time they reveal their powers to you, the medallion will counter their effects, just like mine.

"Danny, I want you to be careful. I haven't seen William or Treah in over a million years, Menshan in nearly ten thousand. They may have changed since then."

"Yeah, sure."

With one swoop of his staff, Clockwork exited the classroom within a similar portal.

"-on!?" Danny jumped as Mr. Lancer finished his question and as time continued. Seconds later, everyone looked around the classroom, looking for the invading ghost. "MR. FENTON! What just happened in here!?!"

Danny sulked. Clockwork didn't stop time first on purpose… then he smirked. I guess he does have a sense of humor. "May I be excused? For the rest of the day?"

Mr. Lancer recollected his cool and relaxed in his chair. "Not off to fight some ghost, are you? Because your parents can handle that." During the week before school, Danny's parents made sure that Danny stays in class, no matter what. No excuses.

"Well…" Danny looked at the pendant around his neck, and the ones he was hiding under his desk. "What if, hypothetically, that the world was going to end, again? Not only that, but the universe as well?"

"Mr. Fenton, being a celebrity doesn't give you the right to use that excuse. Just because one ghost came inside this room and disappeared, doesn't mean that it will destroy the world."

Paulina then dashed from the front of the room to right where Danny is sitting. You could practically see the hearts coming from her eyes. "WEEEEEE!!!" Then Danny was engulfed in the first, ever, real hug directed toward him from Paulina. "Danny's gonna fight a ghost!"

"Yeah, go Danny!"

"I should've brought my video camera…"

"I want to see him go ghost again!"

Tucker and Sam were in tears, laughing. Sam held out her hand. "O-okay, Tuck…. Hahahaha! Pay up!"

Tucker wasn't laughing anymore. "WHAT! For which bet?"

"Why do you guys keep betting on me now…….?"

"The one from yesterday: I bet that the first ghost attack would be in Mr. Lancer's class."

Tucker mumbled incoherently through clenched teeth and handed over a ten. Danny tried desperately to break free from Paulina. "Mr. Lancer, may I please be excused?"

"Fine, Mr. Fenton. But, once you return, I expect you to stay after school."

"Deal. Come on, guys." Danny turned intangible and grabbed Sam and Tucker by the arms. He fled through the wall, going ghost while doing so.

"The Thief Lord, Mr. Fenton! Bring back Manson and Foley, THIS INSTANT!"

"YEAH! Take me instead!!"

Sam chuckled, but then noticed the medallion around Danny's neck. "So… Clockwork is making you do something, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah… and I think… I think Clockwork is scared about it."

"About what, dude?" Tucker asked. "We didn't get a chance to hear exactly what he said."

"I'll tell you on the way to the Ghost Zone." Danny landed on top of a building not far from the Fenton Works building. He opened up the Infi-Map to show Tucker and Sam. "These white portals lead to ghosts Clockwork wants me to get. We have to go to this one first." Danny pointed to Menshan's door, which currently looked like a steel door.

Tucker took out his PDA. Using his Infi-copy GPS, Tucker scanned his map and compared it to the original. "I didn't see these doors when I upgraded our map."

Sam looked at the Infi-Map carefully. "Why these three, though?"

Danny looked around, searching for the portal that was supposed to show up. He spotted it towards his right, just above Town Hall. "Let's hurry. I'll explain everything by the time we get there." He once again took their arms and flew them into the portal.

Deep in the depths of space, trillions of light-years away from Earth, a giant, living entity cackled in delight. Within the clouds of space, it was able to see any potential threats to its plan. "So… a little Earth Ghost thinks it can stop me?" Its deep, rumbling voice oozed out thickly, drowning any stars within reach into total darkness. "The fools. I am invincible. My being is more powerful than all Earth Ghosts put together, including the Keepers of which the boy seeks."

More dangerous than a black hole, it moved slowly through the universe, getting ever closer to the Milky Way galaxy. "I will kill you, no matter what it takes."

Yeah... trying to think of a name for the new evil person, ghost, thingy.

I'm a sucker for many characters in the show, so expect some familiar faces next time I update.

Reviews are nice. If you have to flame, flame politely.