Avenging Phantom
Chapter 3
~•~oO0Oo~•~
Tony had had many things slip through his fingers. Friendships, relationships, and sometimes his sanity. But he could not come up with a logical reason the kid had gone through his hands. It didn't make sense! Unfortunately according to what Natasha had recovered they weren't dealing with something that followed logic.
Now they were back in the warm penthouse of the Avengers Tower while flurries of snow drifted down to ground outside their windows. They had all gathered in the kitchen, eating. Tony was uncharacteristically silent as he flipped through the holographic images. It unnerved the others because he was only silent when he was brainstorming. When he brainstormed it usually ended up with something being blown up or the world saved. They never knew.
The only reason he hadn't left the table was because he and Natasha too busily going through one of the hard drives they'd recovered. Tony was searching for the child who'd slipped through his fingers, Natasha was looking for the mystery of the twice deceased SHIELD agent.
"Stop," Tony commanded, then he zoomed in on two different, inverted pictures of the same child. It was obviously not taken long ago. There was a dark bruise decorating the child's jaw, identical to the lighter one he'd seen hours prior. Tony remembered the haunted (no pun intended) look in his eyes right before he darted away like his life depended on it.
"Danny Fenton," Clint read, peeping over Natasha's shoulder. "The perfect half ghost hybrid. With two different but similar forms. His DNA is balanced between human and the substance ec-ecto-ectoplasm? What's that?" The blonde turned to face both stormy faced scientists. One was skimming over all the horrid 'experiments' they'd done to Danny in both forms. The other reading through the charts the GIW had made.
"It appears to be sentient and malleable... Goop. From the readings I've seen it gives off so much radiation that a small vial could power a city for decades, but it doesn't have any negative effect on humans," Bruce said adjusting the glasses and sweeping back his light brown hair. He showed them the charts, knowing full and well it made no sense to the others except Tony.
"Think we could scan for it?" Tony asked. If the teenager- Danny had the radiation in him they could find him.
"I think I could get something that would work... It might take a bit though," he said.Wonder if Ultron would ever be able to scan for it, the man thought even though the robot wasn't yet up and running. I should add that feature. "Let's find out about our little friend. JARVIS, give us all we've got on one Danny Fenton."
"Right away, sir," the AI's said with his british accent.
A few reports showed up most showing three words in large letters. Tony blinked. "The Amity disaster?"
"Yes, it appears Mr. Fenton is shown to be deceased along with the rest of his family."
"That happened ten years ago right? ("Yes, sir.") So then he was three when he was taken..." Tony didn't know whether he should be relieved that the child didn't remember his old life and what he lost or saddened. His emotions were mostly well concealed anger. Anger pointed towards the GIW. The whole team seemed to share this feeling as well.
"How did it happen, JAR?"
"The explosion originated from the home of the country's leading paranormal scientists, the Fentons. None of the home was salvageable but it was theorized that they were building a portal to another dimension and something malfunctioned," the AI explained, then pulled up a slideshow of pictures.
Tony blinked, once again shocked. Twice in one day, new record, he thought. Then the man stood and left the room.
"Where you going?" Steve called after him, concerned, tearing his eyes away from the destruction on the screen.
"Patrol," was all that was said without so much as a backwards glance. They heard the elevator shut and shared glances were exchanged.
Until Clint tilted his head and spoke first. "Since when does he go on patrol?"
"Since he needs to clear his head," Natasha said, deadpan. "Or to do something stupid."
.oO0Oo.
DP23 could stand the cold, in fact it had always just felt good to him. The way the frozen water lightly landed on his hair, identical in color, calmed him and reminded him of a nagging memory- more like feeling- that he couldn't shake. The thing he did know was that he was truly in his element in the cold. He found himself enraptured by the steam that fell from the New Yorker's mouths as they shuffled along. Not even once glancing down the alleyway the three hid, dunked behind a smelly dumpster.
Ember and Youngblood however, were not as lucky in their immunity to the cold. In fact both were shivering lightly as DP23 tried to figure out some sort of plan but their situation was beginning to feel hopeless.
"Hey Dipstick," Ember coughed, that's not good, while waving her hand in front of DP23's face which was starting to look troubled. "We need to find a portal back."
"Portal?" DP23 croaked. They had, not long ago in fact, poured liquid Blood blossom down the teen's throat as an 'experiment'. He hadn't been able to fully recover from the injuries since the Agents issued them as often as he received it.
"Youngblood, are there any portals nearby?" Ember asked, with a concerned glance to DP23. She'd been there since he was captured and had practically raised him.
The young pirate ghost shook his head sadly. "I don't sense any," he whispered. The smaller ghost usually could sense the portals with the help of his familiar and adviser who'd been destroyed. Torn apart molecule by molecule by the GIW. Unfortunately the smallest couldn't locate natural portals long range without it.
DP23 had long since started pacing while watching his two companions shiver, being able to do nothing but stay away. The white haired ghost emitted the cold, not what his friends needed.
Ember stood, and walked to the nearest metal can, rubbing her arms. She tore off the lid and looked inside.
"I don't think we need to dumpster dive just yet," Youngblood said, struggling to his feet. His flight was gone, also not good. If they didn't find someway to get warm, DP23 could loose his only two friends.
"Shuddup pipsqueak, I got an idea," she said her hands flickering with weak blue flames. She shot them into the garbage can, catching fire to it's contents. With a sigh of relief the two moved closer and DP23 stayed away.
"We need to find a way back," Ember said suddenly.
"No duh," Youngblood said leaning against the can.
"We need to make a portal," Ember spared a glance to the green eyed teenager that was staring into the crowd.?
DP23 paused. "A portal?" He hoarsely asked, his voice not loud enough to be heard outside the alley.
Ember nodded then a faraway look took over her face. "One time a family made a portal. All of the ghosts were elated to finally see the materiel dimension many of us came from after so long. Before that we'd have to wait for a natural portal which was a rip in time and space allowing us access. And those were... Unpredictable. You never knew where you'd end up."
The rocker ghost's became somber. "They were so excited they rushed through the portal. Overpowering it through sheer number and ecto-contamination. The scientist's ecto-filter just wasn't built to handle the opening feedback... They didn't see it coming." She put her face in her hands as tears started forming in her eyes. DP23 came forwards and put a hand on her arm in a gesture saying 'you don't have to tell me'. She sniffed and her face grew hard again. "I'm fine dipstick."
The rocker took a deep breath and continued. "When all the ghosts rushed through, it fed portal energy and it did something no one expected... Again. It became bigger until it took up the scientist's entire basement. They knew they could stop it but it would come at a price. When they," she hid a wet cough, "managed to make it shrink it basically fried every ghost who was inbetween the portal at that moment. And since ecto-energy is particularly explosive..." She trailed off and DP23's eyes grew huge. "Those that had managed to escape the portal were injured in the blast... The GIW managed to find us."
"Then why would we want to make another one?" He asked, mind swirling with newfound anxiety over the possibilities of things that could go wrong.
"We have to go home DP. We, unlike you, can't be away from the ghost-zone or ectoplasm for long," Youngblood grumped.
DP23 frowned. "How are we going to make one?"
"Easy, there's only one place in New York, which is where we are, with enough technology and equipment to create one..."
DP23 didn't know what was going on but apparently Youngblood did as his eyes grew comically. "Do we have to?" Youngblood wined. "The old man never shut up about how smart his kid was." The child pirate turned to a mocking voice,"'I remember his first robot, he named it DUM E.' 'The first time he tried to make the Iron Man armor was when he was seven.' Almost glad he got his yap got fried."
The rocker ghost smacked the pirate upside the head. "It's our only choice at this point. When I was alive and before we were captured Stark industries was the leading innovator in technology," Ember said with a disapproving look at the younger ghost's whining.
She liked this no more than the other two boys but they had no other choice. If they wanted to get home and to the relative safety of the Ghost-zone they needed a portal. And if they needed a portal they needed supplies and there was only one place they could get it.
"I'll call the others," Youngblood sighed, taking off. His strength was returning slowly thanks to the fire's warmth. "They probably haven't had much more luck finding a natural than us. Won't last long here, not enough ecto energy in the air to sustain us."
Ember- who also seemed to be the leader- simply shook her head and motioned for Youngblood to go. DP23 cleared his throat, wincing only slightly. "We'll need to find somewhere with enough energy to punch the open the portal. Ember, can you find a powerhouse powerful enough to do it? I'll go get some supplies for us and find a place to stay until we can get off this Earth."
The two nodded and took off. After they left DP23 took a deep breath and nudged the warmth near his core. It spurred and lazily grew until the once familiar ring appeared around his waist. It divided and went in opposite directions, turning him into his weaker human form. He had raven black hair and baby blue eyes. His ghost form was also tanner than his human.
But otherwise DP23 looked like a very skinny but otherwise normal teenager on the outside. But if you looked closely you'd see purple bruises peeking down from his hairline near his left ear. He walked with a concealed limp, his leg had long since been shattered and healed wrong. But most of all his eyes, the baby blues took in everything around him. Some would call it observant but it was in fact suspicion. Evident of someone who'd been broken inside multiple times before.
DP23 peered around the corner at the coming mob of people, bundled in sweaters and jackets. He faltered right before he tried to jump into the crowd. Every sense in his body was telling him to run for the hills... Or anywhere besides the sidewalk.
But then he steeled himself- remembering that this is for his friends- and cautiously stepped out from the alley and dove into the crowd. Blending seamlessly with the steady thrum of people as the sun began rising. Shining a lazy light on the sleep deprived city.
.oO0Oo.
DP23 didn't like doing what he was doing- the word: stealing popped into his head. He knew they, or at least he, needed food and shelter. They had no supplies and no way to get to their home. So after swiping a pretzle from a vendor he was looking for a place to hole up in until they could get back to the Ghost World.
The rushing streets terrified him, people bumping past and into him in a hurry, looking down at their glowing devices. The constant noise was deafening, honking, talking, yelling, slamming, loud. Too loud. He took a deep breath of the chilly winter air when he realized they were becoming shallow and harsh. The cold calmed him down enough to regain control.
DP23's nimble fingers continuously worried the bottom of his filthy sweater as he did his best to avoid being bumped by the much taller people, weaving and dodging as many as he could. He kept an eye out for any abandoned buildings to help shelter him and his friends, but found none so far. It seemed that wherever he was that people were packed into every corner possible. It was sufforcating to him. Why would anyone purpously want to live here? Maybe they didn't have a choice...
The halfa narrowed his eyes and turned down an empty alleyway, which he followed. He took a few more turns and it eventually led him to a few blocks of neighborhood that looked like it would be less than safe for him if he was a normal human.
As it was he kept his distance, cautiously staking out the perimeter from the shadows. The outside wasn't awfully crowded outside but there was a lot of life forces in the area. He guessed they were still inside their houses. He saw a few vacant buildings that no one would notice if the escapees occupied them for the time being. He took note of the numbers on their front, they seemed important enough.
Suddenly he was aware of a presence following him and his slow heart rate quickened as adrinaline entered his veins. Whoever it was was extremely sloppy in their stalking techniques. Their breath was wheezing loud enough he didn't have to strain to hear. The smell of liquor and smoke in the air was enough to make DP23 gag. Not GIW, he reminded himself, they may have been anal about their suits, but they were trained.
As they approached DP23 he tensed ready to fight off whoever it was. Like when he was paired against another ghost, ectoguns pointed at his back, guarding off all escape... Except that wasn't here for the time being.
He let his attacker grab his arm and push him against the brick wall. Pain flaired up his spine and he winced, he couldn't remember exactly what experiment had caused it. Probably a spinal-tap of some kind, there were so many he never bother counting.
He just about allowed himself to blast the man into his next life for touching him and make run for it, but he didn't. He couldn't. If that happened it would just be drawing unessusary attention to himself and the others, the logical part of his brain reminded. He reigned in those instincts and acted along, he was uncomfortable with this man being this close but he was far from scared. A glance at the swaying mugger concluded he only had a rusted- or at least he hoped it was just rust- knife as his weapon.
"Hey," a loud and very familiar, metallic voice started, both turned to see the metal man- from the facility- land less than ten feet away. "Leave the kid alone."
.oO0Oo.
Am I a horrible person for not updating this yet? Yea... This story is going to be taking place through several of the Marvel movies (including CW, S-M HC, and (eventually) IW). This is right before Age of Ultron, like within the months of AoU. This will be edited later (and will then make sense), but I just wanted to hurry and get something out to you guys.Word: 2,500
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