I DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM OR MASS EFFECT

Danny Fenton was woken by his ghost sense. Years of battling had his body transitioning to either jump into a fight, or run for a place to go ghost in secrecy while his mind was quickly transitioning from sleeping to the wit needed to survive ghost attacks for years. The hybrid was turning his head, searching the room for anyone, be it the ghost or any human. But the world was devoid of any light.

"How horribly slow. I could've attacked by now." A voice called in the darkness. The voice was enough for Danny to automatically go ghost. Fenton turned as the transformative rings bathed the room in light, but Danny was only focused on the ghost floating in front of him. Vlad Plasmius. The younger ghost didn't care to come up with a strategy and just tackled the older ghost. "You're twenty years old, I would have thought you grew more mature in the years since we've last fought, son."

"Don't you DARE call me son!" Danny yelled, allowing his hands to glow green with energy as he threw wild punches at the elder hybrid, though Vlad easily deflected each blow. "You killed the only people who had the right to call me son!" Vlad backhanded Danny, sending him into the ceiling.

"You're mistaken, Daniel. I wasn't the one who unleashed his most powerful attack on them." Vlad was floating over the teen, looking at his hand nonchalantly.

"I was trying to protect them! Protect them from YOU!" Phantom pulled his energy into his hand and forced it at Plasmius. Vlad simply put his hand out to project a mirror-like construct that sent the energy away from them.

"You may have saw it that way, but how do you think they saw it?"

"They-" Danny paused, actually thinking of what they went through in their last moments, until he realized that Plasmius was just messing with his head. Danny flew around the room to gain speed, until he turned to use the momentum on Vlad. But Plasmius stopped Phantom's advancement by grasping his hands. "They knew I would never hurt them!"

"Really? Did your parents know that their 'precious' son was also one of the things they hated most in the world? Your friends, sister and that useless clone may have known you were trying to help, but did they fare any better?"

"I-It was your fault!"

"We could argue like this all day and get no where. We need an impartial third party." Plasmius turned his attention to the lightless room and asked, "What do you think?" Before Danny could turn to face what he assumed was one of Vlad's duplicates, he felt sharp pain at every side. The white-haired ghost collapsed on the ground and was threatened with losing consciousness as the pain increased with the tick of a clock. He forced his eyes and a charged hand to face the direction one of the attacks was coming from, only to find that it was his mother. Danny jumped back and saw that the other people attacking him were the rest of his family and his best friends. They moved the ghost weapons onto his form, which forced the hero to react by pulling up a ecto-shield. But he wasn't expecting the kick to the back. He looked around to see Dani, with her hands glowing green, and the rest of them approached. Before the hybrid could phase through the ground, someone trapped him in a ghost proof net. As they got closer, Danny noticed that each one of them looked five years older then when he lost them. Everyone he cared for leveled their weapons at Danny.

"No!" Danny yelled, trying to pull away from them. He grunted in pain as he landed hard on the ground. The hybrid looked around to see that he was still on the Normandy. Looking down, he saw that he was still Fenton. He pulled his wallet from his pocket and retrieved the picture that was taken at his birthday, after he and Sam got together, which one could see by the kiss he planted on her cheek. The picture blurred as tears filled his eyes. This wasn't the first time he had that nightmare, but it was all too real, no matter how many times he was subjected to it. After the pain dulled to a level where he could think again, he remembered something important. His parents were the most honest and kindest people he had ever known, but they had devoted themselves to hunting ghosts, believing it was the right thing. His thoughts moved onto his new teammates. Mostly to the woman who was loyal to the human-centric organization, he realized she could believe Cerberus was doing what was right, and he swore that he would at least give her the chance to explain her views. The hero transformed to his ghost half and flew out of the room. But as he was floating to Miranda's office, Danny noticed the area was devoid of any activity. Turns out he woke up while everyone else was asleep. The hybrid realized that he couldn't get back to sleep and, after asking EDI to alert Lawson that he wanted to talk, decided to look more around. He had just phased through the ceiling to find himself in some kind of closed box in Mordin's lab. The ghost nearly blasted the bug, but EDI told him Miranda was up and ready for Danny.

"You asked to speak with me?" She asked as Danny phased into the room.

"How did you get involved with a group like Cerberus?" Danny decided to come right out with it.

"The Illusive Man was associated with my father. He took me in when I ran from my Father." The Cerberus operative didn't know what came over the ghost, but she knew this could be her best chance of turning him to Cerberus. Or at the very least, keep him from destroying Cerberus first chance he had.

"Why did you run?"

"My father wasn't looking for a daughter. He was looking for a legacy. He had to control everything in my life, my biotics, my intelligence, even my DNA." She noted as the ghost clenched his teeth, and eyes lit up as she described what happened.

"Phantom, report to the CIC. I think you'd like to hear this." Shepard called over the intercom before Danny could continue the questioning. Seconds later, Danny was in the aforementioned room. Shepard motioned him closer to the console where Kelly was standing. "Play the message." The psychologist pressed a button on the console, resulting in a voice coming on over the speakers.

"S.O.S. Someone please help! There's..something flying through the walls and making things float. We don't know how much longer-"

"Here he comes!" A second voice called out, followed shortly by screams and static.

"When was this message sent? From where?!" Danny asked, fearing he was too late.

"It's stamped for about two minutes ago, from a small company on Eden Prime."

"When will we be there?"

"Two minutes." Shepard told him. The hybrid went back to his room to retrieve the thermos he had on him when he entered the Zone to capture Vlad. The hybrid flew to the Kodiak, where he was waiting for the bump that came with using the mass relays. While waiting, Danny recalled everything he was told about Eden Prime. Apparently, when Shepard and the original crew first joined together, Eden Prime was where the commander had started with his role with the Reapers. Thanks, in no small part to an ancient alien device called a Beacon, which transmitted knowledge directly to Saren, a rogue Spectre, and Shepard. Also, the Council, the group that governed Citadel space, was less than enthusiastic about Shepard's involvement with Cerberus and promised to reinstate his Spectre status under the condition that he limited his activities to the Terminus system. The bumps made Danny return to reality, to see everyone was joining him in the Kodiak.

"What's everyone doing here?"

"You didn't think we were letting you go down alone, did you." Shepard asked.

"No choice. It's too dangerous." Danny responded.

"It's too dangerous for us to join you, but not you to go it alone?"

"I've been fighting ghosts for close to seven years. Meanwhile, you guys didn't even know ghosts existed before Omega."

"We don't have to fight any ghosts, the rest of us will be on hostage rescue."

"But-"

"It isn't up for debate." Shepard said as he and the rest of the squad entered the ship.

"Fine. But you do what I say, when I say it. Got it?" Danny said, sitting down. Some were reluctant of the idea that Phantom would lead, but everyone recognized he was the only one with the experience and agreed.

"What should we expect?" Garrus asked once the Kodiak closed and Shepard manned the controls.

"Well, you guys already know about the basic powers."

"You said that some ghosts have abilities unique to them. Any idea what attacks this one will have?" Lawson asked. Danny began mentally running what he knew about the ghost from the transmission and the ones he fought before. The person on the transmission warned of 'him' coming, meaning it wasn't a formless or female ghost. Also, the people in the transmission sounded like adults, eliminating Young Blood. But, other than that, he didn't know who to expect, which he relayed to the others. The doors opened to see a small base that held no distinctive markings and as they left the smaller ship, a wisp of cold air passed through Danny's lips.

"Ghost sense. One of my powers." The hybrid explained at the crews blank faces. The group moved forward, to find the door was left open, which allowed the squad forward. After a few minutes, a few humanoid mechs came out of nowhere and opened fire.

Phantom jumped forward to protect a shield, but when he looked back, he saw that they were hiding behind a few bookcases and a couch. Danny dropped the shield and became invisible. The robots scanned the room, before turning to the others. Danny reappeared further away, but before he could blast the robots, the squad dispatched a majority of the robots, some of which laid dormant near the ceiling. Phantom ignored the quick demise of the robots and they continued forward. When they came to a fork in the hall, Shepard suggested splitting up so that they could cover more ground and increase the chances of finding the hostages. The hybrid weighed the options mentally. On one hand, he knew they couldn't hold their own against a ghost. But then again, he made a point and it might help the hostages, even if only as a distraction. "Alright. But even one sign of the ghost, and you call me. Got it?"

"Got it." Shepard and all the others took off in the other direction. Phantom entertained the idea of creating an invisible duplicate to follow them, but quickly shot it down, fearing that they would discover one of his hidden powers.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After parting with Phantom, Shepard's group followed the buildings twists, where the Commander noticed a strange absence of, well, anything. Before long, a group of LOKI mechs attacked, which took very little effort to eliminate, allowing the squad to push ahead.

Following a few minutes of silence, they found a single, locked door. After bypassing and opening the door, they were greeted by the hostages, who jumped up from a wide desk, most likely expecting the ghost that had been haunting them. The hostages released the hold on their weapons as soon as they saw the ones behind the door were not like the ghost that had been haunting them. They were about to lead the group away, when a laugh echoed through the room. The hostages leapt back behind the desk, awaiting the appearance of the ghost. The ground squad followed the sound to find the ghost they were called for. A man was floating over the door. Like Phantom, this ghost wouldn't appear threatening if he weren't doing things that shouldn't be possible. But, unlike Phantom, this one couldn't blend in if he wanted, as he had a blue complexion that was similar to an asari's. The ghost was also short and clad in a pair of overalls and a toboggan cap. He put his hands out, making the computer equipment float over head. The blue-skinned enemy sent it at them, which they were barely able to dodge.

"Jack, Miranda, Jacob. Hit him with biotic attacks."

"On it." Miranda replied, before the biotic group took on a blue hue and aimed their powers overhead.

"Mordin, see what you can find out about this ghost."

"My pleasure." The Salarian Professor pulled up his omni-tool to scan the ghost.

"Garrus. You, Grunt and I will shoot down whatever he sends our way." Grunt responded with a feral smile as the three pulled out their individual assault riffles. "Phantom," Shepard called over his omni-tool. "We found the ghost."

"What?! Okay, I'm on my way. Can you describe him?"

"Beware!" The ghost bellowed before Shepard could describe him.

"Oh, no." Danny groaned, before hanging up. Meanwhile, the ghost sent more of the equipment at them. The gun part of the squad tore through the medium sized box, causing the metal inside to rain over them. The destruction of one of its weapons seemed to anger the ghost, as he levitated all the items in the room, along with some that came through the door. The boxes dropped to the ground as the ghost became intangible to avoid the biotic attack. But he brought his hands back up to prepare for another attack. The team avoided the equipment, but every time they did, the floating items would just take on more and more erratic flight patterns. Too many things were roaming for the team to aim at anything. Before long, the makeshift weapons were pinning them to the center of the desk.

The ghost laughed mockingly, then said, "You cannot hope to defeat me. For I am the mighty–"

"Box Ghost!" Phantom appeared out of one wall. The white-haired ghost stood in a stern stance, with arms crossed. But what surprised the team was the look he had. Phantom's expression was one of boredom.

"Did he just say 'box ghost'?" Garrus asked, disbelief evident in his voice. Now that Shepard thought about it, he realized that everything the ghost sent at them were in boxes.

"We both know what will happen next." Phantom said, pulling a metal cylinder from his belt. "But whether you go with injuries or not is up to you."

The blue ghost, now identified as the box ghost, flew at the walls opposite the white-haired man. But not before turning to the living on the ground and saying, "Beware!" With very little enthusiasm, Phantom aimed the end of the device at the box ghost and released a blue beam of light. "I'll be back!" The ghost yelled as it was pulled into the cylinder.

"Unfortunately." Danny said. He saw the looks of fear on the people that had been stuck there. But he also saw his teammates had been having trouble with the ghost. The hero barely held a smile before flying through the ceiling.

After leaving the crew, Danny allowed his laughter to begin. In fact, he was so busy laughing, he didn't think about where on the Normandy he was flying, until he landed behind Joker. At which point, the hybrid's laughter escalated to the point where he was having trouble standing.

Joker watched as the ghost laughed hysterically. He figured the ghost would have been grabbing his sides if he were alive. "What's so funny?"

"The crew couldn't...handle the...Box Ghost." Danny managed to get out between laughter.

"Who's the box ghost?" Joker asked, not sure he understood the joke.

"His only unique power is control over boxes." Danny explained, while wiping a tear from his eye. "He's literally the lamest ghost in the entire Zone."

"Just because I am in this cylindrical container does not mean that I do not have feelings." A voice sounded from nowhere.

"Forgot about you." Danny said, receiving a metallic thermos from his belt.

"How dare you forget about–" the voice started speaking from the thermos, before being muted as Danny pressed a button on the side.

Joker didn't know whether to laugh or worry about the news. Hoping Phantom was lying, Moreau opened communications with the ground squad. "Did you really just got beat by a guy whose only power was to control boxes?" Joker asked.

"It was a ghost." Jacob defended. "Our attacks went right through him, literally." Danny's laughter was reignited by the incredulous expression on Joker's face. 'Worry. Definitely worry.' The pilot thought.

"I swear I'll f€*+king kill you, Phantom." Jack threatened.

"I'll let you think about what you just said for a minute." Danny responded with a straight face. After a minute of silence, Phantom broke into laughter. Which died down before the squad stepped out of the elevator.

"What was that device?" Miranda asked.

"Simple. It's a ghost catching device called a Fenton Thermos." Danny said, holding the silver and green device.

"How'd you get your hands on that?" Shepard asked.

"From a ghost hunting couple." Danny said, which, technically wasn't a lie. Only he was talking about the original one, not the one he had in his hands. He had added the mute button in the newer design, along with a few additional features.

"Fascinating. Would like to study. Perhaps better equip us all for potential future ghost attacks." Mordin stretched his hand out to touch the thermos.

Danny snatched the new thermos from its position, earning strange looks from his teammates. "The person who gave it to me warned that it was designed to self-destruct if someone tried to take it apart." Again, a lie. He still wasn't sure if he could trust the team and didn't know if he could allow them a way to capture him once the mission was over. "The Fenton's taught me how to build their technology." Believe it or not, that was actually the truth. He was thinking of keeping all ghost hunting related issues away from them until he knew who to trust, but after seeing how poorly they fought against the weakest ghost in the zone, Danny knew he couldn't let them go on without weapons. "All I need is ectoranium."

"Don't believe I've ever heard of ectoranium." Mordin said.

"Ectoranium is an anti-ghost material, and key part of the Fenton's ghost weapons." Looking at their faces, Danny remembered that they haven't seen any ghosts before he came along. Ergo, they didn't know what it looked like. "It's a glowing green rock that hurts ghosts on contact."

"There are no known elements that match that description." EDI said.

"There isn't?" That confused the teen, as Fenton Industries relied heavily on the element and wasn't a secret. Deciding it wasn't important for the moment, he turned his gaze to the blue orb that represented the ship's AI. "I guess I could write a tracking algorithm, but I would need to input the information once I got done."

"Access to the AI core lies past the medical bay." Danny flew to his room and began writing the program. Fortunately, he had already designed the program while running Fenton Industries, so he just had to repeat it. Before Danny could finish it, he was called to Mordin's lab, where he was told of their mission to Horizon.

-.-. .-.-.-