Wow, so, uh here's the fourth chapter. If anybody was wondering how there was blue ectoplasm, allow me to remind you that Vlad's got loads of pink stuff. I haven't got any major questions so far, but I'm only treating myself as lucky. If I don't answer your questions in this chapter, seriously, ask me about it. Unfortunately, Inviso-Al, I can't answer questions that directly reveal the plot, so I apologize for not giving you what you want. But honestly, people, I need something to respond to. Well, enjoy the fourth (chapter? Or something more?)

Rainosa

Chapter 4: Fourth

"One more time."

Valerie groaned, laying spread-eagle across the floor of the Fenton's basement, "How much can it possibly take to memorize three stupid words?"

"C'mon, one more time," Tucker pressed, PDA at the ready.

Valerie sighed, "Beware the halfas."

"That just makes no sense to me!" Sam unfolded her arms and stepped away from the wall, "All the halfas have a good, solid alibi, and there's not a ghost in any universe that thinks of a halfa as a remote threat to them. Who could have done it?"

"Maybe you're overestimating the ghosts. Maybe they really do get scared around Danny," Tucker proposed.

"Pfft! Yeah right!" Valerie sat up, "Everyone knows ghosts don't feel! The best they could do would be to sense that someone was stopping them from obsessing."

"And you have proof of this, how?" Sam countered, leaning threateningly towards the sitting girl, but Tucker grabbed her arm.

"Doesn't matter right now," Tucker pulled her back and returned to his device, "We're just waiting for Danny to come back from the Ghost Zone. I need to record his talks with the other ghosts."

"I still don't understand why I'm trusting this twerp," Valerie scowled, "He's a ghost. I don't trust ghosts. No human should," Valerie stood up to truly face down the others.

Sam coughed, "Excuse me?"

Valerie stood her ground, "You heard me. Why are you hanging around this freak? He's a ghost. Ghosts are evil. Evil is the thing that kills people. Are you looking to get killed?"

"In case you've forgotten," Sam growled, "Danny's half human, too. He's a person. Like you! Why can't you wrap your mind around that? He's got people he cares about, an entire family to protect. Most of them want to kill him, but not once in the years has he ever, ever given up trying to stop this town from falling apart. Do you even understand? He's saved your life more times than you can count, and still, all you can do is hate him and shoot at him and call him names until he breaks. Can you even say his real name? Because it's Danny, in case that slipped your mind too."

"I know his name!" Valerie insisted, "Why are you screaming at me like I'm the bad guy?"

"Because you are the bad guy!" Sam roared, "You always have been, and I have no idea why he trusted you enough to tell you about him. You clearly can't handle the secret without trying to kill him with it. He still trusts you, but in my eyes, you will always, always, be the bad guy."

"Uh, guys—" Tucker tried to cut in.

"No way am I the bad guy!" Valerie ignored, "I save people from ghosts! I'm good!"

"Danny saves people from ghosts, too!" Sam argued, "That makes him as good as you!"

"Guys, there's something—" Tucker tried again.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Valerie seethed, "Why would someone try and capture their own kind like that?!"

"Ever heard of the police?"

"GUYS!" Tucker boomed.

"WHAT?!" the two turned.

Tucker pointed across the room at the Ghost Portal.

"Hi," Danny gave a timid wave.

Both girls instantly assumed their most embarrassed stance and began to weakly explain the situation, neither making a truly coherent word. Danny waved them down.

"Whatever, I don't need to know why you were fighting," Danny assured, "But I do need to know it's over, because I'm going to need everyone's help on this one."

"What is it, Danny?" Tucker asked, putting emphasis on the name to establish who's side he was one, ending the fight. Majority rules.

Danny shook his head, "No, I mean everyone's help. We've got a list of everyone on our side, right?"

Tucker headed over to the computer, "Yeah, of course, but why do we need them?"

"It's better if I just say it all at once," Danny insisted, floating down to put his feet on the ground.

Sam and Tucker nodded, and Valerie marvelled at the way they blindly accepted everything Danny said. It was almost mind control. One command from the halfa and they were off, performing like a decorated soldier. If he told them to jump off a bridge, they would. Valerie's face hardened into resolve. She had to stop them. Break their psyche. They were in trouble, because of their ignorance, and Valerie had to protect them from the danger their friend posed. She just couldn't let this freak take over innocent people like that.

Valerie took a deep breath and calmed herself. Openly attempting to dissuade them seemed like a not-so-trusty tactic, and probably wouldn't affect any actual mind control. With no clue on how to disrupt ectoplasmic mind waves, Valerie was forced to resort to her last strategy: subtle betrayal.

"No, it's better if you tell us, your friends, first," Valerie pressed accusingly.

"Say what?" danny faced her with a shocked look, "Ok, first of all, you are not my friend. Second, you have no clue what I'm about to say. It very well could be something that I have to announce publicly."

Tucker stepped away from the monitor, "Got that list for you, dude."

"Perfect. Sam, I want you to find Dani and – Vlad? Why's Vlad on this list? We'll skip him. You only have to find Dani. Hope that she's still hanging around town after … recent encounters. Tucker, me and you are going into the Ghost Zone with the Spectre Speeder to find Wulf and Frostbite. I'm gonna see if we can't whip up a big Yeti army. Get it? Got it? Good."

"Excuse me!" Valerie huffed, "I'm feeling really ignored over here!"

"Oh, um…" Danny tapped his fingers together nervously, thinking, "Did you wanna run upstairs and grab Jaz?"

"Not that!" Valerie spit out, "Tell us what's going on! I've already asked once, so this is the last time you're gonna hear me say it: What did the other ghosts tell you?"

Danny took a quick inventory of the faces around him. Sam, of course, had a solid frown illustrating her devout loyalty to him, and Valerie's firm defiance was unmistakable, but Tuckers features spelled out a much less steady emotional base. Although he would never admit to it, Tucker was curious, and Danny knew it.

So he gave in.

"It's not much," he began, "Mostly just rumours. A few ghosts swore on their afterlife, though, swore they saw… it."

The need for knowledge sparked in Sam's eyes, "Saw what?"

He gave her a strained look that begged for her support, "It's… it's unbelievable. It's another one… a-another me."

"What, like a second clone?" Tucker assumed.

"No," realization widened Valerie's eyes, "You're kidding."

Sam took Danny by the shoulders and shook him, "What do you mean, another you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Valerie breathed.

Danny nodded to confirm her fears, "It's … they're like me."

"A fourth halfa."