Chapter 3: Preparations
Silence. An endless void of noiseless air that surrounds someone as they remain, motionless in their place. That was the only way to describe the tense atmosphere of Danielle's room as Danny and Sam sat on the bed. They had been sitting there for almost an hour, but neither of them knew what to say or how to say it. Sam's phone lay discarded on the floor after having fallen from her hand. However this did not worry either of them in the slightest. Their minds were hundreds of miles away with Danielle and neither of them knew what to say about what had just happened.
Sam's throat closed up tightly as a few stray tears dripped down her face. She didn't know whether to be relieved that Danielle was ok, or to absolutely lose her mind over this. Never did she expect that on her birthday, she would get a gift like this. Danielle was alive, and though she seemed well, Sam wouldn't be satisfied until she was sure of it. Until she was back in her arms, safe and sound.
Danny was having similar thoughts as he sat next to her. Danielle was ok. She was really ok! Or, as ok as she could be on her own. Sure she had Cujo with her, which was a relief to him, but of course it was only a matter of time before she fell back into her old life. Living on the streets, cold, hungry and miserable. And that was not something Danny was going to let happen. Regardless of her feelings about them and about what happened.
Danny quickly jumped to his feet, startling Sam out of her own thoughts before looking at her. Sam's eyes quickly met his, and she could see the look of determination in his clear blue eyes. With a steady hand, Sam wiped the tears and the remnants of her makeup from her face and jumped to her feet. With a single nod, she grasped Danny's hand tightly in her own, solidifying her determination with his. With a deep breath, Sam opened her mouth, her voice returning to her.
"We need to find the others. It's time we got Danielle back," she said.
"We should split up," Danny said. "I'll go to the Ghost Zone and tell everyone there. You go around town and get the others. Hopefully Tucker will be able to track the signal back to the source."
"Well then what are we waiting for?" Sam said with as smile. Danny smiled back as both began to transform. As Sam stood next to Danny, she couldn't help but admire the handy work of her newest design for his costume.
Sam remembered back when she had first designed new suits for both him and Danielle. Not that she didn't like his old one, but in her free time she would often doodle and think of ways to change it or improve it, even ever so slightly. Then, after Danielle had run away, Danny had asked her to have the suit made for him. Sam was confused as to why he suddenly wanted to change it, though when Danny told her that it reminded him too much of Danielle, she understood that he needed to try and dull the pain and failure of losing his daughter and that his suit was just a constant reminder of it.
Sam got to work on getting the suit together without hesitation. Replacing his old jumpsuit's lower half were specially designed cargo pants that were light in weight, but extremely durable in material. His feet were adorned with new white boots that could help him stomp out any enemy that came his way. His pants were held up by a new belt that had special hooks on it for any of his parent's weapon as well as his thermos. The upper half of his suit was now a skin tight short sleeve shirt that showed off his muscles. A special hood was attached to the back and had two drawstrings. His gloves were soft, but strong as they came up to his wrists. On the front, dead center stood the Phantom insignia; the crest of his family, something that Sam would never allow him to go without on any of his costumes or clothing in his phantom form.
Danny kissed Sam quickly before turning intangible and slipping through the floor. Sam turned intangible as well and took to the sky, heading off to find her friends and prepare for a rescue mission.
The dark green sky of the Ghost Zone was a blaze with ectoplasm, fueling Danny's resolve even more so then before. His first stop was a simple one as he came upon a particularly unique door that he knew all too well. As Danny came upon it, he steeled his nerves. Knowing that this was going to be a very difficult conversation didn't make it any easier to swallow his pride. Especially when the person he was going to had more pride in her than anyone else.
Danny knocked on the door, waiting patiently for it to be opened so he could get on his way. He didn't have to wait long for the occupant to come to the door, though she didn't look any happier then she usually did.
"Well well. Look who it is. What's the scoop, dipstick?" Ember said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Ember. Always nice to see you and your….fiery personality," Danny said, sarcastically as he crossed his arms as well. "Look, I'm not here to trade banter with you. I'm here because I have some news for you."
"News about what?"
"About Danielle."
Ember's demeanor changed instantly to a serious one at the mentioning of the young girl who both she and her brother had come to care about. Her headstrong nature and sharp tongue reminded Ember a lot of herself, and to hear that they had actually found something that could lead them to her had Ember's full attention.
"Jake! Get in here, now!" Ember yelled as she stalked into the lair. Danny planted his feet onto the plush carpet and walked in, allowing the door to close behind him. The lair looked very much the same since the last time he'd been there. However, he did notice that there were a few pictures with Danielle in them. Danny wasn't surprised considering Danielle was Youngblood's best friend, but seeing her only made him even more determined to find her.
A loud bang sounded off as a door in the back of the lair opened up and a cannon ball few through the air. Danny yelped as he ducked down, preparing to dodge the ball. Ember, on the other hand, wasted no time unleashing a searing blast of fire from her hand, destroying the projectile.
Danny looked up from his spot on the floor, lifting the hood from his head as the remains of the metal sphere disintegrated into nothing. Seeing that it was all clear, he stood to his feet and dusted himself off just as the young pirate came bouncing through the door, fending off another pirate with his sword.
"Haha! No one can beat the great Captain Youngblood!" he proclaimed before shutting the door to his part of the lair. With a smile on his face, he turned to his sister, only to feel the smile fall as his eyes fell onto the form of Danny. "Phantom? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here because I need your help, Youngblood," Danny said. "We've found a possible lead to Danielle."
"What! Really!? What did you find!?" he asked excitedly.
"She called us from a random phone, though we're not exactly sure where. But it was her. Without a doubt, it was her. And we're going to go find her."
"Well then why do you need our help?" Ember asked.
"Sam and I are getting together our friends and we're going to go find her. However, to do that, we're going to need to leave the town. But I can't leave it unprotected and defenseless. And so, I'm asking you, not as a favor to me, but to Danielle…will you protect Amity Park in our absence?"
Both ghosts were silent throughout the entire speech. It was shocking to say the least, especially considering that both ghosts had a record of having terrorized the town. Though Youngblood had helped save the town once or twice before, Ember was a totally different story. She was only known for having battled it out with Phantom and causing destruction with her siren-like abilities. But ever since her friendship formed with Youngblood, Danielle seemed to have brought out a certain more positive energy out of her. And even though it was only a small part, she knew it would make Danielle happy. Of course it could damage her reputation, but she could repair that easily enough with a simple attack later on. So for now, she'd co-operate. For Danielle.
"Fine. I'll do it for the kid," Ember said, holding out her hand to Danny. Danny nodded his head as he grasped her hand, giving it a firm shake to seal the agreement. Danny turned his attention to Youngblood in hopes of getting a similar answer. However, the sour look on the boys face was not what he expected.
"No. I'm not going to do it," he said, surprising both of the elder teens.
"What?" Danny asked in surprise.
"Excuse you?" Ember said, her patience snapping like a twig. "What did you just say?"
"I said, no. I'm not going to do it."
"So you're just going to let the town, the home of your best friend, be unprotected? What kind of memory to her is that, Jacob!?"
"I'm not going to do it, because I am not staying here to protect it. That's her job, and the only way for her to do her job is if we bring her back."
"We?"
"Yep," he said before looking Danny right in the eye. "Phantom, I'm coming with you to find her. Danielle's my best friend, and I won't rest until I find her."
"You found her!?" Tucker shouted in astonishment. The young mayor jumped out of his chair as he shouted, knocking it over in his haste. Though the boy didn't seem to notice nor care, Sam Flora did as she stood in front of his desk, hands over her ears as they rung a bit from his shouting.
"Easy," she snapped at him. "Super hearing, remember?"
"Sorry, but this is great news! I can't believe you found her! Where is she!? How's she doing!? Is she on her way home!?"
"Whoa, there, Tucker. Calm down. We haven't found her. At least, not yet."
"What do you mean?"
"Danielle called us from a random number, but we don't know where it's from. That's why we need your help. We need you to trace the number and help us to track her down. Will you help us?"
"Are you kidding!? Of course I will! Let's go find her! I'll go home and pack up my stuff and we'll set out to wherever she is and bring her back!"
Tucker quickly hoped over his desk and ran up to his friend, grabbing her in a hug of excitement. Sam couldn't help laughing, even though she had never been much of a hugger.
"But what about the town? I don't think it'd be a good idea for the Mayor to just up and leave town like that without notice," Sam laughed as he put her down.
"I'll tell my staff that I'm on an extended leave of absence for some special work. And if it takes longer than expected, I'll tell them I'm on vacation. Besides, they know how to reach me in case of an emergency. No way am I gonna sit back on the sidelines and let you guys do this without me! I'm in!"
"Of course, great one! My people and I are more than willing to help you in any way possible," Frostbite said joyously. "Tell me, what is it that you require of the people from the Far Frozen?"
"Thank you, Frostbite," Danny said, shaking hands with the furry creature. Youngblood stood by his side, dressed in his skater punk look with the addition of a dark green jacket, scarf and gloves. However, unlike Danny, Youngblood was freezing since he didn't have an ice core, and the young ghost was not particularly happy to be standing in the coldest part of the Ghost Zone, knee deep in frozen water.
"Can we speed this along, "Oh great one"? I'm freezing my all the way down to my ectoplasm over here!" Youngblood complained.
"Just a minute, Jake," Danny said, ignoring the boy next to him and focusing back on Frostbite. "Anyway, I'm here because Sam and I are planning on leaving to and go find Danielle. We might have found a lead to her, but I can't leave the town unsafe. So I came here to ask if you'd send some of your men to assist my parents and Ember in defending the town every so often. I just….I need to know it's in good hands. Would you be willing to do that?"
"Of course! I shall have my men at the ready for any call that comes from your Earthly companions!"
"Super, great, are we done here!?" Youngblood said impatiently.
"Hold! Jeez. Anyway," Danny said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a small video communicator that his parents had designed and handing it over to Frostbite. "My parents will call you on this if there's any extra trouble that they need any help with."
"Very well, Great One. And if you need anything more in your search for young Danielle, do not hesitate to ask," Frostbite said, shaking hands with Danny as he took the communicator and gave him one of his signature yeti smiles. "Now, you best get going if you want to find her quickly. Not to mention your friend seems to be quite cold."
"Don't worry. He'll be alright," Danny smiled back before turning to the young Ghost who was literally half frozen. "Come on, Jake. We've got one more place to go, and I think you'll like it better there."
"Finally!" he yelled, teeth chattering like crazy.
"So she actually called you!?" Valarie asked in amazement as she and her father sat on the couch. Sam stood before them with a smile on her face at their enthusiasm, though she was still a bit skittish about the fact that Valarie had nearly blasted her when her ghost detector had gone off.
"Yes, she actually called us, but we're not sure where from which is why we're taking Tucker and we're going to track her down. Where ever she is."
"That's fantastic news, Sam," Damon said.
"I know. But that's not the only reason I'm here," Sam said, turning a bit more serious. "We need help. Your help, Valarie."
"My help? What can I do?"
"You're the best when it comes to tracking ghosts. Not to mention your aim with an ecto-gun is outstanding. The three of us can't do it alone, Val. Please, I'm begging you, come with us and help us find her."
"Sam, I…" Valarie was stunned. She never knew Sam thought so highly of her skills, especially since that had been competing for the same guy not long ago. And yet, here she was, asking for her help. Of course, Valarie would have decided to help even if Sam had said nothing about her skills whatsoever. Danielle meant a lot to her, not just because she was Danny and Sam's daughter, but also because she cared about the girl personally. Danielle was more than just a friend to her. To Valarie, she was more like a younger sister, and she wouldn't let anything stand in her way of helping finding her. With a determined smile, she stood, holding her hand out to Sam who smiled in return. "Of course I'll go with you. Let's go get Danielle back."
"I'm glad to have you on board, Val. Oh, um, Mr. Gray, are you ok with this?" Sam asked as she turned to her friend's father.
"Of course I'm ok with it. As a parent, I understand the need to do whatever it takes to find your child. I'd do the same thing if it were Valarie, and I would never stand in the way of someone like this because I wouldn't want them to stand in my way," Damon said, smiling to the two girls. "Besides, Valarie's so headstrong on this I doubt I could stop her if I wanted to. But it might be a good idea if you contact the school and tell them about your leave of absence."
"Good idea. Though, I've got someone in mind you'll probably be able to take care of that," Sam said.
"Whoa! This is so cool!" Youngblood said as he and Danny walked the halls of the medieval castle. "This place is amazing! I can't believe I never thought about being a knight! Or a King! They're so cool!"
"Stay focused, Jake," Danny said as they walked toward the doors of the throne room. "We don't have time for site seeing. We're on a tight schedule."
"Yeah, yeah. And it's Youngblood to you, Phantom. Only people who can call me by my real name are Ember and Danielle because she wouldn't stop calling me that even when I told her not to."
"Yeah, well as long as you're going with us, you're gonna have to go incognito, and that means, you're not getting called by your ghost name," Danny said as the guards bowed to them before pushing the door open and announcing their arrival.
"Presenting, Sir Danny Phantom and his cohort, Captain Youngblood," the squire proclaimed. Danny and Youngblood progressed into the throne room as all that were in attendance bowed or curtsied to them. Youngblood smiled as they came closer to where Princess Dora stood, hands folded in front of her.
"Sir Phantom, Sir Youngblood. It is a pleasure to see you both again," Dora said. "To what do we owe this visit to the Kingdom of Aragon?"
"It's good to see you again too, Princess Dora," Danny said as he kneeled down in a show of respect. Youngblood followed suit, doing the same and bowing to the princess.
"Raise. Friends do not have to bow to friends in my Kingdom."
"Thank you. And thanks for seeing us on such short notice, Dora. As you know, we've been searching for my daughter, Danielle, for some time now."
"Yes, of course. However, if you have come looking for information, I'm sorry to report that no news has reached our ears."
"I know, and I thank you for being so attentive and keeping an eye out for anything you could. But I'm not here to get information. I'm here to give it," Danny said with a smile.
"Why, does this mean…? You've found young Danielle?"
"Not quite, but we have a lead to where she might be," Youngblood said in excitement.
"My word, that is truly good news!"
"It is, and that's why we're here," Danny said, his green eyes shining with the same bright energy as his smile. "I was hoping that we could, in certain situations, perhaps borrow some of your knights?"
"Alright, so I've got all your guys assignments for the rest of the semester, and have talked to all of your teachers. If we don't make it back by the end of the semester, you can make up your exams during a special arranged meeting time," Jazz said as she dropped a pile of books, papers and other assorted materials in front of the three teens, all of which grimaced and groaned in disgusts. "Oh, quit your whining. We're going on a long mission here, people. You've got plenty of time to do it."
"Right…anyway, where's Danny? I thought he'd be here by now," Valarie said.
"He should be here soon. He went to the Ghost Zone to talk to some of the Ghosts," Sam said as she looked over the pages and pages of work she had ahead of her. Her purple eyes scanned over the math problems of all the things that she hadn't learned, and she could only sneer at it distastefully. "I don't even remember learning this stuff!"
"And that's why you have me," Jazz said proudly. "Even though I'm not the best at ghost fighting just yet, what I lack on the physical side of fighting, I make up for in brains. Brains, that I will use to help educate you all-"
"Boring!" A voice called. Everyone turned as Danny phased up from the basement, Youngblood at his side. A bright flash ignited from his form as he changed back into his human side. "Jazz, if you're gonna be boring us all to sleep like this, maybe you should just stay here."
"No way, Danny! You are not going to search for my niece without me."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Danny said as he walked over to the table. Youngblood quickly floated over to the table and took a seat next to Tucker who fist bumped with the young ghost. Danny's demeanor became serious as he looked upon his assembled companions, preparing to lay out his plan. "Now, on to business. As you all know, earlier today Sam and I received a call from Danielle. Based on what we could gather from the brief call, she is ok. However, she refused to tell us where she is. That being said, it is now our mission to track her down and bring her home. I won't lie to you, this mission could be long, dangerous and a stressful. So, Sam and I would understand if you wanted to stay here and protect the town while we're gone. But, we, on the other hand, are going no matter what."
The room was silent for only a minute before Valarie raised her hand, a smirk on her face.
"So, when do we leave?"
"First thing tomorrow morning. 8 am, sharp. We're taking the Ops Center Jet. It's our fastest mode of travel, and we're going to need it to catch up to Danielle," Danny said with a smile.
"Well then I guess we better get packing," Jazz said as she prepared to head upstairs and pack her bags.
"Val, mind helping me with some of the ecto-weapons?" Sam asked.
"Sure, Sam," she replied, getting to her feet.
"I'm gonna check on the food situation," Youngblood said with enthusiasm.
"I'm right there with you, dude," Tucker said, but paused as Danny placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Actually, Tuck, I need you for something else. Do you think you can track the signal to the phone she used? Or at least get a read on where she could be?"
"No problem, dude. You that tech is my spec-" Tucker stopped short as his eyes feel upon the screen of his PDA. The flabbergasted look on his face quickly caught the attention of everyone as his hand began to shake violently in fright. "No…NO….NO! This isn't right! They can't do this! It isn't right!"
"Tucker, what's wrong?" Sam asked, grabbing his hand and steadying it.
"THIS!" He cried, as he ran over to the small TV on the counter and turned it on. Everyone looked on in confusion until they too saw what caused Tucker's strange reaction.
On the screen was a government issued breaking news announcement, and though it was shocking for a government news break to be issued, the only thing more shocking were the ones calling the press conference. Everyone watched intensely as Agent's O and K of the Guys in White stood, addressing the audience as the banner moved across the bottom of the screen. Everyone silently read the message, each shocked by the words that read "A reward is being offered to anyone with information on Danielle Phantom."
"We now go back to the live press conference with the Government agency, Guys in White," Lance Thunder said. The camera then panned over to the two who had sinister smiles on their faces.
"Once again, we are offering a reward on any and all information that can be proved to the agency on the whereabouts of one, Danielle Phantom. She is wanted for the terrorizing of the citizens of the town, Amity Park, and her crimes have lead us to believe that she is to be considered dangerous and a menace. We advise any and all to be cautious and not to try and apprehend her on their own," Agent O said before allowing K to speak.
"Should you find her, please notify your local authorities or call this special number on your screen. I know some of you may be conflicted because of the news of her being Danny Phantom's daughter, but unlike the…hero…of the world, she has proved to be more of a problem then a solution. This is a high priority emergency, and the sooner we can capture this Ghost menace, the closer we get to having a safer world."
Danny couldn't listen to any of it anymore as he quickly strode over to the TV and shut it off, nearly breaking the knob off in his rage as his hand shook. Though his features remained calm, it we clear to everyone that he was close to blowing his top. Clutching his fists, Danny rounded on his friends who all looked back to him, his natural leadership beginning to grow as he opened his mouth and began to bark orders.
"Change of plans. Sam, Valarie, Jake, go down to the vault and get any and all weapons that you can and get them up to the Ops Center. Tucker, get to tracking that signal from Sam's phone, send out an APB of our own and then help Jazz pack up our food supplies. I'm going to get the jet set to take off as soon as we're ready. Suit up because we leave, ASAP. There's no way in hell that those bastards are going to get my daughter," Danny declared, eyes flashing bright green in rage as his fist slammed on the counter.
To Be Continued….
Sorry it took so long. I've been having some serious computer problems, and my family has been driving me up the wall lately. But anyway, as you can see, the GiW have made their move, and Team Phantom's time is now short because if they don't get to Danielle first….
Well, you know what, I want to hear what you guys think will happen to Danielle is the GiW. If Team Phantom were to fail, what do you think would happen to her? Let me know in the reviews. Anyway, laters!