Okay, people, I'm back! Without delay, I present to you, CHAPTER THREE! It's not my best, as it's mostly just a retelling of TUE plus reactions. But still! All the same, it's not an entirely necessary chapter for the most part.
Chapter 3
Learning Dan's Story
Danny stared at the table. "Dan… He really isn't spoken of. A taboo subject, a sensitive spot for all involved. Or those who know, that is, to say, Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and myself."
Jazz squeezed his shoulder gently. "You said you'd go all the way," she reminded gently.
"I was hoping to avoid this subject," he muttered. He met the concerned gazes of his parents. "My most difficult fight… was against an evil, twisted version of myself."
They gasped, but still looked confused. So Danny launched reluctantly into the story.
"Dan is the product of an alternate timeline. In that timeline, I cheated on the CAT test, and when Mr. Lancer called you to the Nasty Burger to talk about it, it exploded. You two, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Mr. Lancer were all there, along with me. I was the only one who survived.
"So, in the alternate timeline, according to Vlad, I went to him, 'the only one who could possibly hope to understand my situation.' Apparently, all I wanted was to make the hurt go away. So, he ripped out my ghost half," Those present all appeared disgusted, and Danny continued, "the half that feels emotions more strongly." Still not quite forgiving that particular bit of prejudice, Danny cast a pointed look at his parents, who appeared guilty.
"This was a really bad idea; a ghost is often fixated for months on the last emotions it felt when it was alive. When we are half-human, apparently we still count as 'alive' in that respect, but in any case… My ghost half was angry at Vlad. Furious, it seems, for past offenses, not to mention temporarily fixated on the pain, the guilt, the anger, the grief of losing those closest. So my ghost half ripped out his, and attempted to overshadow it. But his evil ghost half overwhelmed my good one, and thus, Dan was formed.
"Dan went on a rampage; within ten years he had taken over the entire world, and the Ghost Zone, except for Amity Park, a small area enclosed in a powerful ghost shield. This is where our time stream comes in.
"The Observants, seeing my potential future as the most destructive ghost in the world, ordered Clockwork, the Master of Time, to kill me. So he sent," at this, Danny snickered softly, diffusing some of the tension, "Box Lunch, daughter of the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady. You saw the Nasty Burger after that fight. And the empty refrigerator." They nodded.
"Anyways, after that, SkulkTech 9.9 was sent. He is Skulker and Technus fused together, or, as they said, Skulker, the Greatest Hunter in the Ghost Zone, with Technus as his operating system. Personally, I think that it is extremely sad that Battle Tactic Purple-Backed Gorilla still works on him, Technus and all. Anyways, when his Time Medallion, which is something that pulls you out of the time stream and enables you to function outside of your own time, fell off, me, Sam, and Tucker were all pulled to Clockwork's Tower." He decided not to reveal that Clockwork had 'attempted' to kill him.
"Soon after, we went into the future and met Dan, who attempted to kill Sam and Tucker. I tried to fight him; That time, it was the most hopeless battle I'd ever tried to fight. He had developed so many new powers, and each one was so much stronger than any of mine. It was like an ant trying to fight a lion." He shivered at the memory. Jack and Maddie, both knowing the raw power their son had at his disposal, looked slightly frightened at the prospect of someone with that much more.
"Anyway, Sam and Tucker pulled off their medallions and were transported back into our present time. I tried to follow, but Dan fused mine into me and I passed out. Later, he cast me into the future Ghost Zone and took my human form, going into the present day timestream, after fusing another into himself. There, he took my place and cheated on the CAT instead of me. So Mr. Lancer called you and Dad and had you meet him at the Nasty Burger. Jazz, Sam, and Tucker decided to follow.
Jack's eyes widened at the similarities. Maddie emitted a soft gasp. Where was this going? And why didn't they remember this?
"I floated in the future Ghost Zone. Then ghosts who's lives had been ruined by Dan found me and started to beat me. It was hopeless; I was helpless, bound, and outnumbered. I tried to tell them to get away, I hadn't done it yet, after all. Eventually, it was louder than anything I've ever heard before, and that… That was my Ghostly Wail, my strongest power. They were all rendered unconscious; Ember, Johnny, Kitty, SkulkTech 9.9, Johnny's Shadow…
Danny gulped slightly. The notion still terrified him. Jazz winced. Maybe they should work on that kind of thing, sometimes she thought Danny was afraid of his own powers.
"Then, the Boooomerang found me, with a note from Jazz tied to it, telling me to go to Vlad's. When I found him…"
Danny winced at the memory. Jack frowned.
"What was wrong with him?"
Danny's eyes were slightly distant. "He was beaten. Broken. Without hope. An old man. Powerless. I'd never seen him like that before, and I haven't since. It's surreal. He was repentant. He was helpless in ever sense of the word."
Jazz squeezed his arm. "Archenemy or not, that must have been quite a shock."
Danny nodded dazedly. "Vlad removed the time medallion from me, and I popped back here. You were tied to the Nasty Sauce boiler, which was about to explode. Dan was there. I fought him, one of the few fights where I got seriously hurt, I swear I could have died if we weren't both sure he would vanish if he killed me. I won, eventually, using my Ghostly Wail twice, and captured him in the Thermos." His eyes clouded with grief with his not-so-dead loved ones. And Mr. Lancer. "But it was too late. I tried to run to save you, but I was too slow. The Nasty Burger blew up, everyone still tied to it."
He closed his eyes. "I will never forget that one, heart-stopping moment when I thought everyone I cared about was dead. The heat of the combusting Nasty Sauce burning my body, the gut-wrenching grief tearing my apart, the force of the explosion blowing me back, and the knowledge of the fact that you were gone. Dead."
He opened his eyes again, focusing on their horrified looks. He took a deep breath. "Then Clockwork stopped time, and saved you. I can't begin to explain the relief. He turned back time so I could do my test properly, making the write choices this time. You were all safe, and the timeline was too."
He sighed, looking down. For a moment, there was silence. Then, both his parents approached him, tentatively placing their arms around him. When he responded slightly, they both proceeded to squeeze the life out of him, and he squeezed them right back. Jazz quickly joined and the family shared a full-on, honest hug, containing total, honest understanding of each other. There were no secrets, not right now.
They drew back. Danny whispered, "I'm still afraid of becoming him. If I take advantage of someone. If I cheat on anything, even the smallest game or something. If I lose someone I love. If I get too angry. I'm just paranoid about becoming him, after seeing the havoc he wreaked on the world..."
Jazz turned to him. "Danny, you won't turn into him. If I didn't know better, I'd say your Obsession was being good, although I guess that's close enough. You won't turn into him. OK?"
He nodded slightly, but his parents knew better. Maddie gently grabbed under his chin and pulled his head up to make him look her in the eye. "Danny. Listen to your sister. You are probably one of the least corruptible people in the world. You may have power enough to keep a massive ghost invasion at bay nearly by yourself, but you rarely, if ever, use it for personal gain. This alone shows your restraint. You will not turn evil. I know it. Jack knows it. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all know it. The only one who doesn't seem to know it is you. So learn it. Okay, Danny?"
He nodded, looking happier.
"Good. Now let's go find something fun to do, shall we?" Maddie smiled.
OK, I don't think that was too bad. I could have advertised their reactions a little more, but even so... I think it worked out. R&R! Bye!
