Disclaimer: All rights go to the respective owners, SyFy and Nickelodeon/Butch Hartman. The author of this story owns nothing; this story is for fun, not money or profit of any kind.
Chapter 3: Welcome to... Well, You Know the Rest
Later the same night after the meeting with Danny, Pete and Myka headed home; at Mrs. Fredric's orders. She had said she would inform Artie, as well as the Regents. Needless to say, Artie was... vexed, to say the least. While he welcomed extra help, he was less enthused about having another teenager around. Claudia was 'teen, enough, as it is', in Artie's words. Pete and Myka were still a little shocked, themselves.
After the decision was made for Danny to join, he invited them all down to his parent's lab. He showed them the Ghost Portal, and asked for their help in shutting it down. It really was a multi-person job, and while he could have managed to do it by himself, the extra help meant it got done in half the time; although Mrs Fredric elected to stand aside during the process, claiming she wasn't that scientific of a person. Danny even removed the Ecto-Filtrator, and dismantled the Portal as much as possible.
Mrs. Fredric then went over a few more details with Danny. The location of the Warehouse, and the basics of what they did there. She then said she would return in the morning with a plane ticket. She asked if he would like to spend the night in a hotel room. Danny declined, saying he would like to stay there once more, and he needed to pack what he wanted to take. She had nodded, understanding. She warned him to pack light; and that the Regents would keep his family home safe and clean, should he ever wish to move back in.
Danny was grateful for this. His home was still his. He hadn't slept well that night, though. Not at all, actually. He roamed his house, from from room to room. He was overwhelmed by emotions. His dark future self had destroyed his life, as promised. But unlike that version of himself, this time he had a small glimmer of hope. He slowly went through and picked out a few mementos of his family.
He chose his sister, Jazz's, beloved stuffed bear she had since she was a little girl. For his parents, he chose a couple of their blueprints and smaller inventions, seeing as how that was what he remembered most fondly of them. He had a spare PDA that belonged to his best friend Tucker, and he had a spare gothic charm bracelet that Sam had unintentionally left at his house one day. It had small silver bats, and skulls dangling off of it, but the most noticeable trinket on it was a small silver version of his stylized DP insignia. Lastly, he chose his favorite picture. The one of himself and his family and Sam and Tucker outside his house. It was taken the day he had gotten his powers.
He packed a duffle bag with clothes, and waited for the sun to rise. He had changed into clean clothes, ditching his trademark white t shirt, (though, he still had it packed in his bag). He wore a simple, long sleeved black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up over a dark blue t shirt. Over that, he wore a black trench coat that Sam had once bought for him. It went to just above his knees. It wasn't 'goth', surprisingly. It was just a nice, black jacket. Despite her dislike for fancy things, she did have good taste, plus, she was rich, so she could afford anything she had wanted. He wore black jeans, and got rid of his red tennis shoes, deciding they were too worn out, (and stinky!), and wore the spare pair of black tennis shoes from the back of his closet. He usually never wore this much black, as that was Sam's thing, but he decided it suited his present mood. He was in mourning, after all.
Around 8:00 AM, Danny was waiting in the living room with his bag, lost in his misery and memories. He then heard a knock at the door. He opened the door, and saw a large man holding an envelope. He handed it to Danny, and left. Danny was a little weirded out. He opened the envelope, and found a plane ticket and a piece of paper with the exact coordinates of the Warehouse. No address? Odd. Taking one last glace around, he picked up his bag, and turned into Phantom, and headed to the airport, invisible.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What? We're getting a new member to the team?" Claudia asked. It had been late in the night by the time Pete and Myka had returned, so this was news to her. Leena and H.G. were equally surprised. Everyone was gathered at the B&B for breakfast. Artie rubbed the sides of his head at the barrage of noise of overlapping voices.
"Who is it? I mean, isn't this a little sudden?" Leena asked.
H.G. looked thoughtful. "It might be interesting, having someone new around here," she commented. "When do they arrive?"
"ENOUGH!" Artie yelled. Everyone shut their mouths. "Now," he said, irritably. "Mrs. Fredric was very vague, as usual. All she said was that he would be coming sometime today. As for who it is, his name is Danny Fenton. He's seventeen, just like Claudia. He just lost his entire family and best friends. Also..." he trailed off, before scoffing in disbelief.
Pete picked up for Artie, more excited. "He's a superhero," he said. Everyone except for Myka and Artie looked at Pete like he was insane.
"Come again?" H.G. asked, the term 'superhero' eluding her.
Pete pointed at her. "That's what she said," he joked.
Myka slapped his arm. "Pete, focus."
"Alright, alright," Pete said. "Yeah! I mean, the kid can fly! And, he can shoot these green beams out of his hands, and turn invisible, and stuff! He's like, I don't know, got ghost powers, or something."
Leena frowned in confusion. "Ghost?"
Artie shrugged at her confusion. "That's what Mrs. Fredric told me," he sighed.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it, myself," Myka admitted.
"Yeah, isn't it cool?" Pete grinned. "Wanna know his heroic alter-ego's name? Danny Phantom!"
Claudia raised her eyebrows. "Huh," she muttered. "The name is so similar to his real name, that no one would suspect him. Smooth."
Pete nodded, still not believing he had met a real superhero. "I know, right?" he said. "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if he was part of some secret team of superheroes, like the Justice League or the Avengers?"
Artie sighed. As if one teen without powers wasn't enough...
H.G. looked slightly disturbed at the mention of ghosts. "So... let me get this straight. Ghosts are.. real?" she asked in her cultured British accent. "I thought they were myth; silly superstition. That there was no scientific bases for the phenomenon."
Artie threw his hands in the air, giving up. "So did I! But, heh, evidently, ghosts and superheroes exist! What's next? Godzilla turning out to be real?
"But, we can wrap our heads around it later," he continued. "Regardless of what he is, he's just been through a very traumatic experience. Let's not overwhelm him with questions when he gets here. Let's just go about our day, as we normally would. Uh, Leena? You might need to get a room ready for him."
The plane carrying Danny landed at a tiny airfield in a small town called Featherhead, South Dakota. He didn't see anyone waiting for him. Danny huffed. He glanced down at the paper with the coordinates for the Warehouse. It was seven miles outside of a nearby town called 'Univille', in the Badlands. Sighing, Danny silently thanked God for the GPS on his phone. Turning up the collar on his coat, he headed for the bathroom, duffle bag in hand, and turned into his Phantom form. Invisibly, he flew out of the airport.
After flying for almost half an hour, following the directions on his GPS, Danny looked down to see a large, rusty building embedded in the side of a mountain. 'Must be the place,' he thought. He landed softly outside of the building, and transformed back into Fenton. Danny stared at the building for several moments, wondering when the "endless wonder" would begin. The Warehouse looked beat to hell, and the area around it was desolate. Then again, he was in the Badlands of South Dakota.
Danny then heard a faint whistling coming from behind him, overhead. Without even turning his head, he reached behind, and caught the oncoming object with one hand. Bringing the object around, he noticed it was a beaten up football. Wait, a football? From the sky? He hadn't seen any football fields near here when he flew over.
"Whoa, nice catch, dude," came a voice behind him. "Never seen anyone catch that thing before, let alone without looking."
Danny slowly turned around to see someone wearing an over-sized straw hat, goggles, and what looked like some kind of re-breather mask, holding a strange, pole-like contraption. Whoever it was, it was a female, that much Danny could tell, and it was too short for Myka. The two stared at one another for a long moment, Danny's ice-blue eyes intently staring, as if attempting to dissect her. "And you would be?" he eventually asked.
"Oh, uh, yeah," the mystery girl said. She pulled off her hat, goggles, and mouth breather. "Sorry, it was my turn to, uh, fix the fish."
Danny raised an eyebrow at the statement. The girl looked about his age, with red hair that framed her face and fell just below her jaw line, with a green stripe running along the right side. She wore a tight, purple shirt, with a short black denim vest, covered in various buttons and pins, tight jeans, and red sneakers. On her waist hung a strange tool belt, with things that shouldn't be in a tool belt, like a snow globe. Privately, Danny had to admit she was hot.
She handed Danny her pole and hat in exchange for the football. "Did you throw that thing at me?" Danny asked.
"No," she replied. "It takes awhile to come back around." She then tossed the thing like a pro, but what surprised Danny the most was the fact that the ball just... kept going. And going. Straight up, and out of sight. Danny eyed the girl, suspiciously. Either that was no ordinary football, or she had Superman-level strength.
Claudia turned back who she assumed was the new guy, given the fact that he had a duffle bag on his shoulder. She tried to ignore the faint flutter in her stomach when those icy blue eyes stared into her. And that thick, black hair... Shaking off those kind of thoughts, she took her equipment back from Danny. "So, how did you get here?" she asked. "I don't see a car anywhere."
"I flew," Danny replied, honestly.
Claudia glanced at Danny. "Oh, right," she said. "Super powers. How does that work?"
Danny sighed. "Well, it's complicated. I take it you work here, too, huh? Mrs. Fredric didn't really say who else worked here, aside from Pete and Myka."
Claudia smirked. "Yup," she said, giving the Star Trek Vulcan salute. "Claudia Donovan, resident Warehouse tech-guru, and all around bad-ass."
"Danny Fenton. Uh, new guy, and, uh, expert on the paranormal," he awkwardly introduced himself.
Claudia grinned. "And bad-ass, ghostly superhero, from what I hear," she said.
Danny chuckled softly, and rolled his eyes. "Well, ghostly, yeah," he said sadly. "Not so sure about the second part, anymore."
Claudia gave him a sad smile. "Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?"
Danny grunted, as the two headed for the entrance. As they entered, they down through a long, white tunnel-like hallway. Danny noticed strange, slim, glass pillars lining the hallway every few feet, labeled with the word 'Danger'. "Don't touch the bombs," Claudia stated, not looking back. Danny looked at her, bewildered.
'Bombs?' he thought.
They reached the end of the tunnel, and Claudia handed Danny her hat, and long pole contraption. She bent down, and let her eye be scanned by a small box next to the door. Danny heard a large locking mechanism retract, and the door opened. Claudia took her things back from Danny, and stepped into the door, Danny right behind. He took in the large room. It had a surprisingly comfortable air to it.
The room was very steam-punk, with a coppery brown tone to the walls and floors. There were rugs on the floors, and file cabinets and papers strewn upon the various tables. A large bookshelf lined one wall, with various trinkets sitting on top. A circular staircase led up to another floor above, and a kitchenette was in the corner. A large window with blinds looking out into the Warehouse. In front of the window sat a desk with two computer monitors that were also steam-punked. A piano keyboard sat next to the desk.
Sitting at the desk was a slightly over weight man with messy, curly graying hair, a goatee, and small oval glasses. He seemed oblivious to the fact that Danny and Claudia were in the room with him; his attention wrapped on the scrolling screen in front of him. Claudia set her things down, and rolled her eyes. "Ahem," she cleared her throat. "Artie?"
Artie waved his hand. "Yeah, your back," he muttered, not paying attention. "Did you fix the fish?"
Claudia groaned. Danny looked on, slightly amused. "Yes, Artie," she said. "I've also lost an arm, and I'm bleeding terribly."
Artie nodded, absent mindedly. "Good for you...," he muttered, not paying attention.
"Oh, for pickles' sake," Claudia threw her arms in the air. "Earth to Artie! We have company!"
Artie jumped, and spun around in his chair. "Oh, God, sorry," he apologized. "Um, Artie Nielsen." He walked over to Danny, and shook his hand, noting how cold his hand was. "Mrs. Fredric told me you were coming. I'm sorry about what happened." He then walked back over to his desk, and picked up a plate of fresh cookies. "Oatmeal scotchie?"
Danny nodded. "Thanks," he said, taking a cookie. "Speaking of Mrs. Fredric, where is she?"
Artie shrugged. "She shows up whenever she wants," he replied.
Danny nodded, looking around. "So, what is this place exactly?" he asked.
Artie chuckled, softly. "Well," he said. "You see, we, here at the Warehouse, are responsible for collecting and storing dangerous artifacts from around the world. Our job is to find whatever is threatening to ruin the world's day, and snag it, bag it, and tag it."
"Huh," Danny said. "So, these artifacts, are, what, magic?"
Artie waved his hand in a so-so motion. "Eh... not really. You see," he said, putting his hand on Danny's shoulder, leading him to the balcony outside his office. "Certain moments in time, in moments of extreme emotion, or if someone has a special connection to an object, it can... you know, uh, well, it's kind of hard to explain."
Danny shook his head. "No, I kind of get it," he said. "These objects are given a sort of life of their own, in a matter of speaking. But even if they do something good, there must be a downside if they have to be locked up."
Artie nodded, surprised. "Yeah. Yeah, that's one way to look at it. Huh, you caught on to this more quickly than a lot of other people have in the past." They walked out onto the balcony.
"Mr. Fenton," Artie said, gesturing grandly to the Warehouse. "Welcome, to Warehouse 13."
Danny was struck by the sheer size of the Warehouse. It seemed to go on for miles. Row after row after row of shelving with crates and items of all shapes and sizes. There was even a pyramid like the ones from Egypt! And a massive maritime cargo ship hung from the ceiling. The whole place was bathed in a slight amber glow. "Wow," he whispered in awe, his momentary sadness forgotten.
"Officially, this place is K-39, triple Z, on the North American grid," Artie said. "But, I've always thought of it as 'America's Attic'. I'm thrilled you're on the team."
Claudia joined them on the balcony. "Aw," she teased. "Artie loves to be all dramatic. Honestly, I think something like 'Earth's Junk Drawer' sounds cooler." She walked over, leaning on the balcony ledge. "So, newbie. Want to take the tour? Speaking of, Artie, where are the others?"
Artie frowned at her. "Out on the floor, doing their jobs," he replied, walking back into his office. "Go, give him the tour. Show him around. But don't touch anything!"
Danny had left his bag in Artie's office, and he and Claudia were walking among the stacks. Claudia was giving Danny a history lesson on the Warehouse, with some Claudia flare. "So, the first Warehouse was started by Alexander the Great, way back in 336 BC, back when Artie was in kindergarten," she said. Danny smiled, sadly. In some ways, Claudia was like Sam. Very individualistic and creative. In other ways, she was like Tucker, in the way she talked so passionately about technology.
An odd, sparking noise echoed down an aisle as they walked past. They looked down the aisle, and saw a large ball of electricity bouncing off the shelves! "Whoa! Lightning ball! Look out!" Claudia, grabbed Danny, and shoved him to the ground, and the ball of electicity bounced over head, and fizzled out. Claudia sighed in relief. "The inventory sometimes kicks up some mondo static, and, uhh..." she trailed off, realizing she was laying on top of Danny! The two blushed, their faces only inches apart. Claudia then cleared her throat, and they awkwardly stood up.
"Sorry about that," she muttered.
"Oh, uh, yeah, no problem. Static, yeah," Danny replied, quietly. They both rubbed the back of their necks.
"Um, shall we continue?" Claudia asked.
Danny nodded. "Lead the way," he chuckled, nervously. They continued walking down the nearly endless stacks of artifacts. Claudia explained about how they neutralized artifacts with the strange purple goo, before Leena and Artie found the right place to store it in the Warehouse.
They turned a corner to find a tall woman with long black hair. She had a clipboard in hand, taking stock of the shelves. She looked up to see them, and smiled. "Well, hello, there," she said in her elegant British accent. "You must be our newest member." She held out her hand. "My name is Helena, but everyone calls me 'H.G.'" Danny shook her hand. "Oh, my! You are dreadfully cold."
Danny shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "Yeah, sorry about that," he said. "Danny Fenton; nice to meet you. If you don't mind, why do they call you H.G.?"
Helena smiled, coyly. "Not at all. My full name is Helena Georgia Wells."
Danny chuckled. "So," he said. "They call you that because of the author, H.G. Wells. Funny."
H.G. grinned at Claudia. "Dude," Claudia said. "She is H.G. Wells. The genuine article."
Danny looked at her confused, and then back at Helena, then back at Claudia. "Uh... What?"
Helena nodded. "It's true," she said. "A long, painful story, but the short version is, well, let's just say the Warehouse from my time, Warehouse 12, was involved. And here I am, a woman out of time."
Danny was flabbergasted for a moment. He then nodded, after a moment of letting the information sink in. "I know the feeling," he said, sadly. Helena was not expecting that reply, but for some reason... she believed him.
"Pete, be careful!" came a shout from several stacks down. The three glanced down toward the shout.
"Ah, Pete is at it again," Helena commented.
Claudia glanced at H.G. "Tesla target practice?"
H.G. nodded. Claudia grabbed Danny's arm. "Come on, newbie. You'll love this," she said, dragging him towards the open space where Pete was aiming his Tesla pistol at a large coil, that looked like one of those electric balls at museums that made your hair stand on end.
Pete smiled triumphantly, as he pulled the trigger, sending a stream of electricity towards he over-sized target. "Ha-HA! See that, Myka? Told ya I wouldn't miss!" Myka looked unimpressed.
"Well, gee, that is surprising," she said, mockingly tilting her head to the side. "Especially given the fact that you're a trained marksman, Mr. Ex-Marine." They then noticed Claudia standing with Danny.
"Hey, he's here," Pete said. "So, how was the trip?"
Danny shrugged. "No complaints," he replied. Danny then looked over at the large Tesla Coil. "So, target practice, huh?"
Pete nodded, grinning. "Yup, this is a Tesla," he said, showing Danny his steam-punk gun. "Think of it as a tazer gun, but much cooler." He then spun around, firing at the coil. Claudia gave mock applause.
"Ah, these are so much better, since Claudia made it so they don't have to be charged after every shot," Pete commented.
"I must say, excellent work on that, Claudia," Helena commented. Claudia bowed dramatically.
"Odd, how the Tesla didn't effect you, Danny," Myka commented. Claudia and H.G. looked surprised. They looked at Danny.
"Didn't effect you?" Claudia asked. Danny shrugged.
"Nope," he said. "I felt it, but it didn't hurt. I assumed it was a non-lethal weapon, and, besides, it'll take way more than that to take me down."
"Do tell," Helena said, intrigued.
"Hey," Pete suddenly said. "Why not show us some of your powers? Claudia and H.G. haven't gotten to see you in action."
Myka slapped Pete on the arm. "Pete, that's rude," she scolded.
Danny shrugged. "Nah, it's okay," he said, smiling. "I suppose you guys will have to get used to it sooner, or later." Honestly, Danny was feeling a little more at ease. He felt... safe here, somehow. Everyone seemed pretty cool. He already knew Pete and Myka, kind of. Claudia seemed cool. Helena was kind of mysterious; he wanted to talk to her more. After all, she had apparently written some of the greatest books of all time. Artie seemed perpetually on edge, but Danny could tell he had made an effort to be nice. And the energy coming off the artifacts was actually kinda soothing.
"So, what do you guys want to see first?" he asked.
"Well," Helena said. "Pete said you could 'fly', somehow."
Danny grinned. Flying always was his favorite power. He levitated off the ground a few feet. Helena and Claudia's eyes widened at the sight. Pete grinned, and Myka still looked somewhat uncomfortable. Danny remained in the air and crossed his legs, Indian-style, and grinned.
"Whoa, dude," Claudia said.
Helena frowned. "I'm curious," she asked, the scientist in her taking over. "Do you know how that works? Is there some sort of gravity defying energy at work?"
Danny shrugged. "Honestly, I still don't know," he admitted. "But it's easy for me, it's like breathing or blinking to me. What next?"
Pete snapped his fingers. "Can you do that thing where you change into your costume?" he asked.
Danny frowned. "It's not a costume," he said, landing back on his feet. Two glowing white rings appeared at his waist, and traveled the length of his body. His jet black hair turned whiter than snow, and his eyes glowed a supernatural green. Oddly, his eyebrows remained black. His clothes were replaced by a sleek, black outfit, with white gloves, boots, belt and collar. On his chest was his trademark stylized D/P logo.
Everyone took a step back at the sudden transformation. Helena was intrigued even more, while Claudia stared, wide eyed. "And for my next trick?" Danny asked, his voice echoing, and his trademark smirk on is face.
Myka raised an eyebrow. "You were invisible, too," she said.
Suddenly, Danny vanished from sight. Everyone blinked.
"Now you see me, now you don't," Danny's disembodied voice echoed. He then reappeared in the same place, and crossed his arms.
"Can you do anything else?" Claudia asked.
Danny grinned at her, and phased through the floor, intangible, and rose up behind the group. "Ah-ho, man, that's cool," Pete said, like a kid in a candy store. He waved out his arm, his hand passing clean through Danny.
"That is awesome!" Claudia said, doing the same thing.
"All ghosts have those three basic powers," Danny explained. "Any other abilities depend on the ghost."
He then flew overhead, and landed back in his original spot. "So, you got your powers, and decided to fight for truth, justice, and the American way. Nice," Pete said, offering Danny a high-five, which Danny returned.
"How did you get these... unusual abilities" Helena asked.
"Lab accident," Danny explained.
Myka looked slightly skeptical. "How very... comic-book," she said, dryly.
Danny scowled, darkly. "It's the truth! You saw my p-" he voice caught in his throat, and he coughed to clear it. "My parents lab."
Pete noticed Danny's mood change, and decided to change the subject. "So, Danny," he said. "How are you liking the Warehouse, so far?"
Danny took a deep breath, and changed back into Fenton. "Pretty cool," he said. "It'll take some getting used to, but I like it, so far." He glanced around, and noticed something. "Does it always smell like apples in here?" he asked.
Helena smiled, and leaned in, slightly. "That means the Warehouse likes you," she whispered.
Shortly, they all made their way back to Artie's office. Artie told them to take the rest of the day off, and that he would see them in the morning. They made their way back to the B&B, where Leena introduced herself, and showed Danny to his new room.
As the two made their way upstairs, Helena turned to Claudia. "Quite a handsome and mysterious young man, isn't he?" she smirked.
"Oh, uh, hm, really? I hadn't noticed," Claudia stuttered. She quickly left the room, leaving H.G., Pete and Myka. Pete flopped down on the couch.
"Well, that was cool," Pete said. "We've got our own supernatural superhero living under the same roof! Oh, damn, I forgot to ask if he had any arch enemies!"
Myka sighed. "Don't worry, Pete," she said. "You'll have plenty of time to talk comic-books."
Helena frowned slightly. "Myka, are you alright?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Myka said. "I guess I'm just a little, I don't know... uncomfortable with the idea of a ghost living here."
Pete and H.G. glanced at one another. "Hey," Pete said. "I thought you weren't afraid of ghosts?"
Helena nodded in agreement. "Yes," she said. "I admit, I was skeptical, at first, but the boys seems very nice, despite his unusual abilities. He's also just been through a terrible tragedy."
Myka nodded. "I guess you're right," she said. "I guess I just haven't adjusted to fact that, you know, there are people in the world with powers that aren't artifact-related. And the fact that apparently ghosts exist."
Later, Danny was alone in his new room. It was cozy, and small, with his own bathroom. Leena seemed nice enough. Danny sighed, as he took off his coat, and sat at the edge of his bed. He had unpacked his bag, placing the photo he had taken with him beside the bed. Now that he was alone, he suddenly felt the over-whelming sadness that had eluded him while he was at the Warehouse grip him once more.
He couldn't hold back the tears anymore, and silently cried. He was alone, now. No family or his best friends beside him. But, there was a bright spot on his horizon, now. He wasn't with Vlad, so now there was no chance of him turning into his dark, evil version of himself. Taking solace in this, he felt slightly better. Myka had been right. The road ahead would not be easy, but he was still here. He could still help people, and better himself. His family and friends wouldn't want him to wallow in his misery. That was his downfall in the previous timeline.
Taking a deep breath, he wiped his eyes, stood up, and walked out of the room. He decided to get to know his new friends better. After all, he had just joined a group of people who worked at a mysterious Warehouse that housed weird, dangerous, supernatural... things. He silently walked down the stairs, and listened to the others in the next room. They were all talking and laughing about different things. They really were like an odd family. Smiling slightly, Danny joined them, and in the back of his mind, he somehow knew everything was the way it was supposed to be.