A/N: UP-DATE! And guess what? I'm gonna give you a link at the end for something so be ready!


The Art of Integrity

Chapter Seven


"Crawling in my skin,
This wounds they will not heal..."


Jasmin's voice rang throughout the many tunnels of the sewers like a siren through empty space. It came to the cavern where the H.Y.B.R.I.D.S. were currently practicing aim and anxiously waiting for Jasmin's return to get started on a few new weapons the two males had in mind. But their anxiety was answered to quickly by the sound. Tucker was the first to hear it. He looked up from the blue-prints he was looking at and turned towards the mouth of the cavern. His eyes narrowed. A shot of plasma echoed slightly as Paulina tried out her aim like she always did. Tucker put a finger to his lips and hissed. "SHHH!"

Paulina and Dash looked at him. Tucker's eyes were glued to the mouth of the tunnel, but no other sound had come just yet. "What is it?" Dash inquired softly, his hand snaking towards a plasma gun sitting on the table nearby.

"A...scream," Tucker answered him, then his eyes widened as another sound came. This time it sounded very familiar. He turned to Dash and locked his eyes onto his. "It's Jasmin!"


"Danny, please!" Jasmin pleaded. Tears now fell from her eyes at the sight. Danny struggled with keeping his form true to his ghostly half, but was failing. His mind was giving him incorrect conclusions and sights. His mind was, as said before, blocking out everything he knew had happened since Jazz had found out about his powers. To him, she still didn't know and his secret was at risk.

"Jazz..." Danny forced through clenched teeth. The pain was beginning to be even more unbearable if that was possible and now his whole body felt as if it were on fire. He forced his body to curl up as far as he could in futile attempt to get rid of movement and make the pain go away. But nothing worked. Whatever had been in that beam must have been powerful. And bad.

"Danny..." Jazz whispered, her voice choked. She felt so useless, but she didn't know how to help or what to do! She would need Tucker's help for this. Or Dash... They knew more about this than she did.

"Jasmin!" came a familiar voice. Only now was Jazz aware of the foot steps echoing through the tunnel. She turned to the right of her and her eyes widened. Tucker, Dash, and Paulina came running out of the darkness of the tunnel.

"He's hurt! I don't know what to do! Sam did something!" Jazz exclaimed frantically. She watched as Tucker came towards her and put down the weapon he had in his hand. He went down on one knee and looked at Danny curled body.

"Dash, hand me the box I gave you," he ordered, holding an arm up and behind him towards where Dash was standing.

"Alright," Dash murmured and pulled out a small box from a pouch strapped to his waist. "Here." He handed Tucker the white object and Tucker opened the lid. Inside were dozens of small, inch-high bottles. As Paulina comforted Jasmin, Tucker went to work. He took out three of the bottles before putting the box down. Holding the three bottles between the fingers of his left hand, he began to speak to Danny, " Listen. I'm gonna have to check the wound, got it? Don't hit me or anything." Then he turned towards Dash and said, "Hold him down in case his reflexes are better than it looks at the moment. Pain can sometimes blur your senses." Dash nodded and came around to pin Danny down. He forced his hand off the wound and before he had a chance to lash out, grabbed his other arm too.

"Paulina, his legs!" Dash said. Danny's eyes opened a crack, but Tucker was sure he could hardly see a thing if his vision wasn't blurry. Paulina nodded rushed towards where Dash was before pinning down Danny's leg by the knees.

"Guys, keep your grip," Tucker mumbled as he examined the wound. It wasn't deep, but he was surprised at what he saw. Green mixed with the redness of blood. "What the..." he whispered.

"What's wrong?" Jazz asked, frantic still.

"Nothing," Tucker murmured. He also saw that there was something blue there too, shiny. "Okay, I think I know what happened..." He got one of the bottles he'd pulled out and opened it to reveal a syringe and a greenish liquid. "If he would stop moving, this would be easier..." But Tucker went along with what he was doing. He squeezed the top of the syringe and with that action out came about five drops of the green-liquid falling into the wound. Danny howled and squirmed before his movement died down. Now he only panted and made facial gestures of lingering pain.

"Wh-what happened?" Paulina asked, watching as Danny's chest rose and fell quickly with each breath.

"There was blue in his blood, Sam's favorite weapon using a blue toxin that could have destroyed him," Tucker said. "It affects only ghosts, but can cause irritation to humans. I'e been there before so I developed an immunity, which was a good thing, too." He held up a hand and splayed out his green/red/blue blood covered fingers. He went into the pouch strapped to his waist and pulled out some gauze and small wipes and began to clean around the gash. "Anyway," he continued. "I made an antidote a while back when the ghosts finally began to take over completely. Didn't think I'd find any use of it, but I guess I just did."

"What of Danny?" Paulina asked. "Will it work to cure him?"

"It should," Tucker said, nodding and wiping his fingers clean now before beginning to wrap the gauze around Danny's shoulder as best he could. "I'm not so sure how well it will work, though. It could leave behind some minor after effects."

"Like what?" Jazz asked hopefully.

"Not sure," Tucker answered regretfully. "Never got around to finding that out." Jazz nodded feebly to show she understood. "But it would work better if he could just rest for awhile." Then Tucker grabbed one of the other small bottles and opened the lid before shaking it over his open palm to reveal a small capsule. "It's fairly easy to swallow, and it'll help him sleep, hold his head up." Jazz bit her lower lip, but obeyed and moved to pull up Danny under the arms and onto her lap so he was half-sitting up. The boy groaned and his eyes opened a crack. His mind was cloudy and his vision blurry. But he could see that Tucker was reaching forth with something in his hand. His eyes opened wide and only now did he realize what had happened. "Don't worry," Tucker whispered and popped the capsule into his mouth. Jazz lifted his chin and Danny was forced to swallow the small object. He coughed then before everything around him began to get very blurry this time. And then, everything went black. A couple of echoing voices were the last thing he heard. And they weren't even coherent.

"We should take him back to the cavern," Dash said then. Jazz nodded and began to pull Danny up as best she could so Dash to slip his arm around to carry his motionless body when each one of the teens froze. Around Phantom's waist appeared a glowing, white-blue circle of light. Jazz didn't move, only held him as the circle split in two as one circle traveled down to his feet and the other upwards to his head. As it went, though, his clothes began to change drastically. His black and silver-white jumpsuit was changed into the clothes Jazz had seen before on another teenager in a burnt photograph. The clothes of the boy that reminded her so much of Phantom himself. The only thing left was...

Jazz gasped. As is a last statement, Danny's one silver-white hair turned raven-black. He looked human. He was no longer pale at all. And he felt warm in her arms, just like a warm-blooded sleeping human would. But how...?

"He...changed," Paulina gasped. Jazz nodded feebly, still in a state of shock to see that Danny looked like the boy in the picture.

Tucker's brows furrowed. "Danny?" he asked, as if speaking to the boy, but more so to himself. This scene before him had sparked something in his mind. But it was just a spark, nothing more. There was something about this that seemed so familiar, so known. But then again, something had clicked in everyone's mind, leaving them confused and bewildered.

"Let's get him back to the cavern," Dash repeated. He was the first to recover, but even he could not deny the fact that this sparked something in his mind. Even he knew that something was not right here.

"Right," Tucker said softly, his eyes shifting over the sleeping teenager's face, as if searching for something. He nodded, giving up. "Let's hurry.

"Help me pick him up," Dash mumbled. Jazz pulled Danny up as far she could before Dash carried him fully over one broad shoulder. Then the group began to make their way back to the cavern, each thinking their own thoughts. Jazz was left the most confused, reaching into the pouch on her waist and taking the photo into her hands. She dared not reveal it yet, this was something she had to keep to herself. So into the darkness they traveled and laid Danny to rest while they went about their own work.


Hours later, maybe, he didn't know. All he was aware of were the never-ending visions beings sent sprawling through his mind. Images he wished never to see again. Images, he wished he had never witnessed. Words he wished he had never heard cross neither his nor her lips. The moments when he realized Sam was not his friend but an enemy. The words she'd told him and the events...all of them passed through his mind like a movie.

"My parents or Jazz will find me," Danny said. He knew for a fact that electricity didn't just short out his powers. It had a larger effect. "If I can't stop you, they will."

Sam chuckled. "Your parents, your sister, and everyone else who ever knew you including Tucker won't even remember your name," she said. Danny looked at her. "Every ghost beneath our control took away every memory of Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom from everyone in the city. All your relatives and friends have forgotten you no matter where they are."

Danny tossed and turned onto his other side as the dream progressed. He was well aware of it being a dream, but he hadn't a clue how to stop. It was a strange predicament, but he hadn't a choice in the matter. The images kept coming.

She was working for Vlad, and two of his other enemies? That's the lowest of the low. "I'll kill you," Danny snarled. He no longer care for this. If she was telling the truth, then no one would come to help him, no one. She betrayed him, led him into a trap, and worst yet, conspired against him with his own enemies.

Now the only other person awake in the cavern came to notice the restless movements Danny was making. And the sounds and murmurs coming his lips as if he were trapped inside a place he wished to escape. Jazz' brows furrowed as she watched him from her spot sitting against the wall with the photo in her hands.

Sam stood and turned her back on him, walking away. "How long?" Danny managed to ask. He strained his voice to remain even, angry but casual.

"What?"

"How long has this been going on behind my back?"

"Since we met," Sam said. "I'm not a Manson, Danny. I was given to the Mansons as a replacement for their actual daughter who was lost in an accident. My real mother died at the same time the real Sam Manson died. Vlad found me and gave me a purpose for living. To spy on Jack Fenton, befriend his son and daughter. I've been in touch with Vlad ever since you got your ghost powers, before we'd only send occasional letters. But they were for my foster parents, not me."

"All this talk about trust, all that jazz you were saying, it was all fake," Danny snarled. He couldn't believe it. His best friend since they were kids was a spy. She'd faked through every situation only to report it to Vlad. It was...sickening. He looked up again as Sam began to walk away. "I never expected this from you. You of all people," he said. "So are you just gonna walk away? Forget me? I'll make sure you never forget what you did to me, never." She stopped. "To think," Danny continued. "I thought you were my best friend. To think I actually once loved you."

Sam gasped quietly. She didn't move. Only stood there, dumbstruck. "You're never going to live this down, Samantha!"

At this, Danny's eyes snapped open and he bolted straight up, gasping for breath. Only then did he notice the touch of soft fabric against his bare flesh. Wait a sec, where was his shirt? His hand sub-consciously went for the wound that had been inflicted upon him and he touched rough and scratchy fabric there along with a coldness that made his eyes shift towards it. His wound had been wrapped around, but it was bleeding through. His shirt must have bee removed because of the blood.

Blood.

He was in human form. He took a moment to take things in, but soon his emotions flooding back to him. He ran a hand through his hair and his vision blurred against as he closed his eyes and laid back down onto the fabric of blankets that are his make-shift bed. He lay on his side and lay there for awhile as the emotions finally surfaced all the way, coming as a stinging feeling in his eyes. Then he realized what was happening.

Tears had begun to flow down his cheeks. Sobs escaped his throat. His teeth clenched as he tried to clear his mind of these worthless feelings. This won't solve anything, he reminded himself.

Then he felt a warm hand being laid on his shoulder. His eyes opened and he blinked a couple of times before turning to look up at the face that greeted him. The warm smile and soft aqua-blue eyes.

"Jazz..." he whispered. She nodded once.


"Do you think of me?
Do you dream of me?
I always dream about you..."


E/N: The song 'Crawling' (first verse) is owned by Linkin Park and 'How Can I live' (second verse) belongs to Ill NiƱo.

Oh! I drew a picture for one of the scenes in the story. Here's the link if you wanna see it!

www. deviantart. com /deviation /39080076 /