Thanks for the continued support everybody! It's much appreciated!
Spoilers: MM, BR, UJ
Rating: PG for some minor intense scenes
Notes: Sorry this has taken so long. xP I'm working on several projects right now and finals are coming up. Eek!
Chapter Seven
Danny breathed heavily as he waited for what would happen next. His heart was pounding in his ears, his fingers were twitching. The adrenaline that had fueled his attacks was now slowly dying every second that Vlad didn't say a word. Danny narrowed his eyes into the darkness.
"Vlad?" He asked in an even voice.
The returning, menacing chuckle echoed from every direction. Danny spun around where he stood, hands glowing a neon blue color again.
"Silly child," Vlad laughed from one specific direction. Danny turned to see the figure stroll out of the darkness. "Did you honestly believe you could defeat me that easily?"
"It's usually that easy...." Danny mumbled through his teeth.
Vlad chose to ignore the comment as he stared past Danny. "You are surrounded right now, Daniel. My power has increased since the last time we faced one another and now I am able to create clones of myself at will..." To prove his point, Vlad's body glowed a bright pink and a separate copy of himself materialized to his side. "...at any moment." He finished with a smile.
Danny crouched, ready to fight again.
But Vlad simply laughed. "You are no longer a challenge for me, Danny Phantom." He spat. "Why would I waste my time and energy on such an easy fight?" He reached behind his back. "Besides, I'm sure I could just take care of you by using this..." Vlad pulled out a familiar-looking device from behind his back.
Danny's eyes widened. "The Fenton Thermos..." He breathed.
"Actually, the Master Thermos. I think it has a nice ring to it, don't you?"
Danny ground his teeth together. "How did you get that?!" He demanded. "That was my dad's design! You had all of the ghost technology destroyed!"
Vlad's smug smirk didn't leave his face. "Actually, dear boy, it was your mother's design. Your father is a blithering idiot." He grimaced once but the leer came back. "And I never said I destroyed all of the ghost technology. In fact, the Guys In White use quite a lot of it."
"But the Ghost Portals-"
"Those are destroyed." Vlad interrupted. He narrowed his eyes on Danny. "Why would I keep the Portals around when I have everything I want and need right here?"
Danny kept his glare on the villain. "I'll find a way to stop you." He warned in a low voice. "I'll make everything right again. I'll change it all back-"
Danny's words were interrupted by Vlad's malevolent laugh. His crimson eyes flashed in wicked delight at the boy in front of him. "I'd like to see you try." Vlad hissed. "It might actually be fun..." He tossed the Fenton Thermos into the air and caught it again. "If my agents don't catch you and drag you off first, that is."
Danny jumped into the air, his hands still alight with blue energy. "Where is my dad?" He asked again.
Vlad smiled in amusement. "If you really must know, the old nitwit lives near Axion. You shouldn't miss the house. If that's what you want to call it...." He laughed maniacally as Danny took to the skies, headed straight for Axion Labs.
(pagebreak)
The skies had quieted down a bit, Danny noticed as he flew invisibly over the town. The Guys In White were still scanning the streets in their fluorescent vehicles, but there wasn't a sense of chaos like there had been before. He kept himself focused as he flew. The time stream wasn't the only weird thing here. Vlad was hiding something and Danny couldn't tell what. Usually, the villain was so easy to read, almost as easy as Technus, but Vlad just wasn't giving him any clues now.
Danny knew if he got upset now, he'd lose focus and probably "fall into the wrong hands", as cliched as it sounded. He needed to stay alert. He needed to make sure he wouldn't get caught... and heading right for Axion Labs, and probably a ton of agents, might not have been the best idea.
Danny sighed to himself as he came upon the massive building. At least he still had the cover of darkness to work with. He surveyed the grounds from his vantage point until a large wooden sign caught his eye.
The boards were tacked together carelessly with big, painted letters on the front reading, "FentonWorks", with the "s" facing backward.
Danny slapped his forehead. "As subtle as ever...." He mumbled to himself, and floated to the ground. Making sure no one was around to spot him, Danny closed his eyes. Two rings of pure, white light shot out from his middle in a ring and extended outward, transforming him from his ghost half to his human half.
Danny Fenton opened his eyes and took another quick look around before he sprinted through the low underbrush to the large, wooden sign. Standing just behind the sign was a small lean-to. Danny's expression fell when he saw the condition the old shack was in. One of the only two windows was boarded up. The tin roof had scorch marks on the top of it. The clothes line, on which hung a few old socks and some undergarments, was broken and laid across the front lawn. There were several tall devices surrounding the old house, each one made of old, rusted metal, cracked light bulbs, shredded tires and other bric-a-brac. A stack of cinderblocks stood next to the shack, helping to keep the lean-to from falling over completely into the shallow creek that snaked through the small ditch to the left of the shack.
Danny stepped carefully forward, taking in the landscape around him. He was absolutely speechless. How could his dad stand living in a dump like this? What must have happened to him to cause him to fall this low?... And what would his dad be like in this strange alternate world?
He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and with a determined look on his face, marched forward to the old screen door that was missing the actual screen. Danny took a deep breath to calm himself and rapped loudly three times on the wood next to the door.
