Breaking the sky Chapter four " Warning Signs "
Albedo's observation log - 3rd planet of the sol system – day 423 of the Galvan year.
Connecting via closed stream tachyon burst transmission.
Location Terra-prime/Sol3/Earth
Security scanning running . . . . . . . . .complete.
Results: faux-Omni-Matrix usage 17 transformations; attempts to tamper with unit 2; penetration of security shell %0.002
Risk level short term: Low
Risk level mid/long term: insufficient data.
Contents of holographic log file.
" Updating this blasted log yet again, to keep my Omnitrix from shutting down. Oh pardon me! Their can only be one of those, this is a crude copy patched with software debugging tools. Anyway, despite the extreme ineptitude of whatever local organization gathered this information on your neophyte half-breed Ecto-Lord it seems to mostly hold true. He was at first recording a scale 7 entity and I'm reading him on the cusp of level 9 strength now. That means the estimated chart of this potential development was mostly accurate. Thus far I have seen him engage with entities that not overwhelming in power seem to actually use technological tools. There are far to many for a portal we couldn't spot from orbit, so that means it is either being shielded or some level 2 technological caveman somehow stumbled into creating artificial one. As per your instructions I will not engage anyone directly until speaking with you in real time. Albedo out. "
The white haired negative copy of Ben Tennyson overlooked Amity park from the roof of an electronics store with disdain.
" Cavemen all of them. "
The criminal looked around the roof for any kind of machinery. He noticed the cabling going out to a telephone pole on the street.
" Can't even manage wireless energy transfer, I see. "
He followed the cable to where it connected to the building, and began to pry the power box open with his hands.
" Stone tools, and bear skin are a technology too I suppose. "
He pulled a hand full of wires then the store, and the block went dark. After unceremoniously kicking in the door leading down to the building itself. His mind drifted as he went imagining a hide wearing human watching a log rolling down hill, and pondering information that could lead to the wheel. After entering the store and seeing middle of the road TV's, remote controlled cars, and last years luke warmest PC, the caveman in his daydream picked up the log and tried to eat it. Albedo shook his head in protest.
" Damn this backwater world, and its hairless apes! "
Twenty minutes later he cobbled together a display model laptop with a mostly full battery, an antenna from a ham radio kit, and some software he ad-libed on the fly to hack a local ISP. Fenton Works showed up as client, and with its ipaddress in hand, he got to work on their firewall.
" I must make mention in my next report, " Better then average level 2 security, but nowhere near sufficient." "
**
Max Tennyson walked into the old Plumber base he'd reactivated to train his " helpers " . His son Carl had called him about an hour ago, Ben didn't come home last night. Gwen, and Kevin hadn't seen him. His girlfriend Julie's parents said she was home all night. He dug his badge out of storage, and tracked the boy here. Something in his old bones didn't feel right. Ben wasn't a loner, as a matter of fact Max had always thought his Grandson needed people around. Being an only child will do that to you some times.
" Ben is that you? "
The old Plumber caught the smell of the all organic soy coffee he kept in the kitchen as a half awake voice followed.
" In here. . . ewww this isn't coffee is it. "
Max walked into the room, and sat next to Ben. The boy had dark circles under his eyes, though he was trying to hid it under his sleeve Max could see the Omnitrix flashing red.
" You had everyone worried last night Ben. "
The boy talked, but didn't look at his Grandfather.
" I found someone last night. . .for the team maybe. She had this boyfriend, he's got her good and scared. I was up all night because she wouldn't let me leave the room. "
After raising two boys of his own, and knowing the age his grandson was at Max could see where this might be going.
" Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, do you have something you need to tell me? "
The sound of his full name jarred the boy a bit more awake as the implication sank in.
" I was in a chair all night, I swear. "
" Ben you've been acting strange since you fought Vilgax again. People are worried, your parents are afraid, and now I hear Azmeth is coming to earth with the Galvan delegation. "
Ben took another sip, before speaking.
" Why does the little guy need a ride, he can just pop out of the watch? "
Max's voice sounded dry as he answered.
" Maybe because it's been broken for a while. "
Ben finally seemed more engaged in the conversation, as he finally looked at his Grandfather.
" It is not broken! Trust me I've been looking at screen after screen of alien code for over a week. Somethings missing, it might have something to do with Chrome Stone getting smashed by Vilgax. The problem is its all in like forty log files, that I have to read backwards, and at best ten minutes at a time till the watch times out and Brainstorm goes away. "
Max tried to listen to him, despite his own instincts the boy was never one for telling lies. Even if a summer vacation a long time ago had tough him Ben, from time to time needed to be protected from himself.
" If you want Grandpa I'll go over the entire thing with you. Just please, let me deal with this boyfriend of hers first. "
She walked into the room before he could say another word. The " girl " looked about 18 if she was a day wearing a dress that Max swore had less material in it then what his wife wore when they met at Woodstock. From out behind a mess of tangled egg colored hair peered a pair of deep blue eyes that honestly looked trapped, and angry.
**
Danny threw up an energy shield as four heat seeking missiles exploded inches from his face. As the blast cloud cleared he saw Skulkers shoulder blade smashing his shield and slamming him into the pavement. The hunter ghost grabbed Danny by his shirt, and held him to his face.
" I've returned for you Ghost Child! The Skulker will not be denied! "
The Danny duplicate his his grasp vanished, as a cold feeling spread over his back, as the real Danny froze him solid.
" Man you are just being a pain in the butt this week."
The block of ice shattered under his rage, and once again charged toward him a 10 inch glowing blade extended from his gauntlet. Danny dogged to his left a hair to slow and got a slash down the front of his chest.
" Feed that to your Ecto-converter whelp! "
" Say Skulker, I'm kind of getting the idea something might, I don't know, be potentially wrong with you. This is like our fourth fight this week, and you're just running at me like I've got a football or something. "
Before he could say a word Danielle appeared to his right and kicked the agitated ghost in the faceplate.
" Leave my puppy alone you meanie! "
Skulker recovered his sense to find Danny holding his cousin by her pony tail as she flailed around comically trying to run or fly in his direction.
" Not a good time Dani, and not while I'm trying to actually talk to him! "
The girls hair was pulled straight as tried to fly at him again. The hunter got eyeball to eyeball with the younger half ghost.
" The mongrel bit me! "
Danny smacked himself in the face, as she crossed her arms and stopped flying. Danielle swung from her hair like a wind chime in the breeze.
" So you do have a dog. . . "
" He followed me home. . . from the Ghost Zone. . . "
Skulker bellowed at the top of his lungs.
" Where is she! "
The Phantoms looked at each other for a second, realizing the normal routine of fight/thermos/ghostportal then repeat had been interrupted by something. Danny let Danielle go, and she hopped to the ground for once without a snaky comment and let him do the talking.
" OK what now? "
" Ember . . she vanished. I know you can cage our kind as a source of power like in days long past. "
" And you know she's not like on stage in I don't know New York or Tokyo right now? "
He almost growled his response.
" She left her guitar, she can't perform without it. "
Danny tried to remember what the ecto-converter running the house was burning this week. It was either a few ecto-pusses or the Box Ghost, but he knew that thing couldn't hold Ember.
" OK, we are not heating the house with your girlfriend, and if you stop trying to take our heads off we'll help you find her. . I guess. "
Danielle snapped.
" Why are we helping this guy? He wants your head on his wall. . . "
" Because people might get hurt if he keeps shotting at us. Now tell me did she say or do anything before she left that might give us a clue? "
Skulker seemed to finally calm down, and speak in something other then a scream.
" She spoke of a battle, at Clockworks tower, and an artifact that could bind a fabled ecto-lord. You use us for our energy, and now we can be summoned and chained. It is like the tales of the time before Pariah. . . .command protocol override. "
Danny looked confused.
" What did you say their? "
" Target identified Ghost-child/Danny Phantom, scale 8. Also Ghost-child(2)/Dani Phantom scale 6. In accordance with directive 5 withdraw. "
His jet-pack popped out of its housing on his back, and he blasted into the sky leaving the pair of half ghosts confused.
" Danny what is with that guy? "
" I don't know, but follow him! "
They took off like a pair of rockets, as Skulker flew totally viable and tangible over the city.
" Skulker hello! "
" Evasion failed, create distraction. "
He cut the power to his engines leaving the Phantoms to over shot him by half a mile, while he ripped a billboard off a building and threw it at them. The words " Argost Lives ! " spray painted over an old election add of Vlad Masters hurtled at them, as Dani screamed.
" Lame we can pass through that! "
Her cousin shouted back.
" It could land on people you know! "
" Oops! "
The each picked an end, and stuffed it in an ally next to some recycling buckets, as Skulker flew off. Dani complained.
" What was that all about? "
**
Clockworks tower – Then, now, and every when in between.
" The laws of probability, must give way to actuality. Schroedinger's cat must living or dead leave the box at some pint. A coin can flip as many times as it likes before hitting the ground, but hit the ground it must. The alternative is oblivion and . . Paradox. "
Professor Paradox appeared, his watch in hand, for the first time total ignoring Clockworks power.
" Why are you fretting? I . . we can still save that world. "
The old Ghost felt older still, addressing the man he used to be. Knowing that however time might shift under them this was his past, and his responsibility whatever might come.
" Do you remember what they said when you where on the Manhattan Project? "
" I'm not a child with a loaded gun, far from it. "
" Paradox, what will you do if this scheme of yours works? You go to Sumeria, because all your intervention in the 21st century has time a fragile as glass. Then you prevent the fall Kur, and set mankind ahead a few thousand years. Whats after that, following them to the stars? Give them a time traveling nanny that will spank other races that dare speak to them with raised voices? What will you do when they become like the Anodite? They will look back on their history, and see that non of it really belonged to them. "
Paradox checked his watch, as if this meeting was running long and maybe it was.
" Or they will realize they hit the lottery when they where young, and can afford to go to Harvard. Good bye Clockwork, I win. "
He vanishes to meet his date with Kur, and destiny.
" Some moments in time, not matter how tragic, must remain fixed. For what its worth I'm sorry. "
**
Next " convergence "
Authors Notes:
Well this ones coming a bit smoother now. Length is a bit varied but I'm cool with that. I was a bit concerned about paradox and clockwork, but they where such a big part of last fic I think they needed to show up at least once.
Also visit it, post things!