Dan


Are you frickin' kidding me?, I yelled in my head, breathing heavily through my teeth; I had been lost for over five freaking hours just to find I had missed the way out all this time! I couldn't allow myself to lose control of myself; not in front of him.

To him, I was just a rat in a maze... A rat with no cheese for a reward! (Ironically, I don't care much for cheese, despite being half-cheesehead) The least they could do is reward my pain and suffering by stimulating the pleasure center of my brain or something... But then again, I'd probably become addicted to that and end up a tool for whatever they'd want me to do.

Better yet, I'd preferred if they sacrificed one of their own to me like the gods of olde. In retrospect, I might have actually left Amity Park alone, or at least not try as hard to destroy it if every month or so they sent some unlucky bastard outside the shield with offerings for me. I'd kill him and take even more pleasure out of it then normal because I knew this guy knew he was doomed instead of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time...

Wait, what was I talking about?... Ah, yes... my psychological torment.

I put my hand on the knob, trying not to crush it in my fist, before swinging it open. It, of course, led right back to the concrete dome that formed my main enclosure. I was glancing around to find something to do (it gets pretty boring not destroying anything) when I saw a purple door left open just below me.

I lost it.

"Are you shitting me!" I yelled "I was lost in that thing all night just to get twenty feet from where I STARTED! I hate this place!" Energy was whipping around my fists. I was pissed and someone or something was going to pay. "I wanna tear this whole place DOWN!" I released my rage in twin blasts of mammoth proportions out.

The siphon sucked up half the energy I gave but I managed to make darkened scorch marks on the concrete walls of the dome, not to mention the satisfying muffed screams of cowards from behind glass.

But it was still nowhere near satisfying enough.

When I saw that the only damage I had done was minimal at best, I put my hands on my forehead, trying to think of something, anything, really. Nothing ever broke in this place and I didn't even know if it was the damned ghost-proof materials or my current weakened state that was stopping me. Either option was pretty depressing.

I had tried everything! I already knew that even my ghostly wail wouldn't cut it with the glass, and smashing into it only hurt me! I tried every trick, every gimmick, every underhanded tactic I knew and they would either ignore it, catch it thanks to one of their damn gizmos or just not believe me. The only thing I haven't tried was...

No; my handler wouldn't fall for my human disguise. He's stated once or twice that his monocle sees ectoplasmic energy, and a ghost of my power could never be suppressed by my human skin.

The other wizards... they didn't have little scanners all the time like he did. I cracked a smile as the plan fell together. I'd merely have to find a hidden corner of the hamster trail, somewhere no one could see me change, then I'd yell for the nearest scientist and say the evil ghost that was in the tunnels tricked me and locked me in here. The soft-heart wizards would undoubtably run off to open the tunnel systems to save the innocent teenager inside.

My smile faded as I glanced to see him and that damn wolf helper of his still staring at me, studying my emotions through the opening of the intra-dimensional doorway. The wolf-man bore his teeth at me; he knew I was up to something. The wizard's expression was softer, an expression of pity with a dash of worry. He probably knew I was thinking of something too. Damn!

"Attention," A mechanized female voice stated, muffed by both the glass and the distance from me and the door the sound was coming from "Would Dr. Percival Goddards please make his way to Test Chamber #17b? Your team members are awaiting your arrival."

"Huh." the wizard shrugged "How can the Physics Team be waiting for me already?" He asked his man-servant as I watched "Why, it's only– 8:47!"

The wolf-man mouthed his masters words silently as the wizard ran his hand through his hair. "Oh, bloody hell..." the wizard continued "By the time we get suited up, we'll be over an hour late! We could get suspended for this!" The were-wolf's raised an eyebrow "Well, I'll be suspended. You... technically don't work here..." he said hesitantly "But still! How are we going to–?"

"Hey!" I yelled at duo "Instead of contemplating how late you both are, how about just leaving!"

The wizard jumped slightly at my snappy tone but quickly shuffling around to find some fast mode of transportation. "Yes! Of course! I mustn't make myself any more late." The oversized wolf rolled his eyes and slipped the golf-bag-like pack off, grabbing its handles with his teeth. "But how on Atheneum would I ever–?" What's 'Atheneum' anyway? I had considered asking him once or twice but I figured I'd be in for a hour's worth of lecturing and since it was used so rarely, I doubted it had anything to do with me.

The wolf bumped the side of his head against his master "Akiri sur." he motioned for the wizard to get on his back.

"Oh dear." I heard the wizard mutter to himself before he cautiously sat of the wolf's back, just behind the shoulder blades. The wolf growled at me once more with a hateful expression I matched before blazing off out of my limited vision.

I casually flew back through the door and floated just above the floor as I watched the other wizards eating and conversing. I couldn't wait put my plan into action, so much so that I had to resist changing right then and there.

Changing into my teenage human form was always slightly uncomfortable, like wearing a jumpsuit three sizes too small, and much to my chagrin, it did not allow me to pass through ghost shields. However, it had proven useful whenever I needed to hide from the anti-ghost army Valerie rallied against me. But that was when I was younger, weaker, back when I actually had a need to hide.

As I pondered my escape from this hell, I began thinking of all possible variables. Every ten days or so, the scientists would strap me down and drain the ecto-converter, and myself, of most of my energy, which was both very painful and served to weaken me further, at least for two or three days afterwards. It had to have been about a week since the last draining, so I'd probably be better off waiting until I recovered from the next one.

Since most of the tunnels and room of the hamster trail ('Exploration Vent' was just his pathetic attempt at sparing my pride, which it did not) were supported from the ceiling, I had to change near the cafeteria, where the room actually touched the floor. The cafeteria also had the highest concentration of people, so my fake cries for help would not go unnoticed.

I crossed my arms over my chest as two scrawny wizards, one brunet the other with dulled-red hair, were pushing themselves cautiously towards my glass cage. The two were so busy whispering to each other urgently that they gasped and jumped back when they found themselves face-to-glass-to-face with me, less then five feet between us.

"Ask it!" The brunet whined through his teeth, pushing the redhead closer to me as he coward behind him. "You're the people person between the two of us."

"Are you mad?" the redhead said in a terrified hushed yell. "First of all, I am not a people person! Second, that... thing–" Ugh, again with the depersonalization! I huffed in annoyance, only because there was nothing I could do about it. "–is barely a person!"

It was one thing to think that people thought of me as more animal then man, it's another when you get direct confirmation from someone who acts like you're not even there. I decided my usual silent routine wouldn't help me here so I spoke up. "I'd beg to differ."

The two flinched before urgently looking around, hoping I was talking to someone else. Either that or they were searching for the great Percival, their so-called 'Monster Tamer'. No such luck in either case.

I touched down on the floor, putting my hands behind my back. "That's right; I'm talking to you." I purposefully kept my tone of voice light, not to make them think I enjoyed talking to them, but that I was up to something sneaky. After all, why else would an 'evil villain' be happy if not because of the formulation of some maniacal plot?

The redhead pointed nervously at himself before his friend again whispered "Ask it!" into his ear. I nodded with a smirk, casual cracking my knuckles before willing an ectoplasmic flame into my hand.

I heard the redhead gulp before he stuttered his question "Tha-that in-insignia on-on your c-chest." He pointed at the ghostly 'D' on my suit.

I glanced down at it for just a split second before starting to toss the small ecto-fire back and forth from hand to hand. "What about it?" I replied in a genuinely bored tone.

"That's the insignia of the halfa, Danny Fenton." he stated "And we–"

"Don't you mean Danny Phantom?" I scoffed. They couldn't have known the duel identities, that Fenton and Phantom were one and the same. As paper-thin as the disguise was, I had been too careful about changing as a teen to have let some race of nerds that lived in some distant recesses of what looked to be the Ghost Zone see me go ghost. But then again, Jazz seemed to have figured it out and she was just a smartalecky sixteen-year-old.

"Fenton, Phantom. Same human!" The brunet snapped, still hiding in safety behind his little friend. So much for the I-was-too-smart-for-them theory... Fun how teenagers always think they're so smart until they grow up and look back on the idiotic things they've done or thought.

"We know he's the same person," the wizard explained. Great, more lecturing... "because we wizards have been watching those Fentons since before the boy was even born. We witnessed the accident that gave the boy his powers in secret and have watched the child closely ever since."

I froze, my self-made fire missing my hand and burning out of existence on the floor. They knew Danny Fenton. If they've been studying him/us since he/we were born, they'd undoubtably recognize my human form as Danny Fenton's. And if Danny Fenton just randomly appeared in my cell, they might stop and ask themselves how that could be possible instead of blindly rushing to help an innocent child.

And they noticed I bore Danny Phantom's insignia! If they figured out my past, I'd never hear the end of it. I'd be subjected to endless psychological treatments, even more poking and prodding into my body and, God forbid, I would be forced to return to my heroic origin against my will. I don't know how they could, but something tells me they'd find a way, if they haven't already.

Now, the only way my human trick could work is if Danny Fenton was brought here, just long enough for word to get around that he was here. If I could manipulate someone here to do that, then distract or dispose of my weaker self, I could have a chance at escaping. Just one chance is all I would need.

"Yes," The redhead agreed, nervously adjusting his shirt collar, which only reminded me of my own collar. "A-And we were wondering i-if you were related to him a-at all... And if Danny Phantom was a ba-banshee as well."

Related? That's it!

I sighed heavily, somberly, almost dramatically as I turned away to hide my wide grin. The two moved to the side of the glass room, cuing me to hide my brimming face. I put on an expression of regret as I put my back against the wall and slid down to the ground.

"Something wrong?" The redhead asked, the terror in his voice now replaced by vague concern.

I sighed again, looking up at nothing, perfecting my act as I went along "Just thinking of things that can never happen now, apologies that can never be made... Advice that can never be given to my... little half-brother." They could check my DNA against that statement. I was more-or-less half-Danny Fenton. Technically, I could be considered Danny Phantom's half-brother.

What added to my story was the so-called 'Banshee Gene', which, from what I've heard, was a supposed gene that allowed whatever ghost that carried it the awesome power of the ghostly wail. I had that power and my weaker self had that power. What I hated most about the whole thing was that I was being imprisoned for study for having it while my other self was allowed to roam free.

"You're Danny Fenton's half brother?"

"On his ghost side, of course." I answered, nearly forgetting to add the somber tone I needed to be believable. "But, yes, I am." I got up off the floor and turned my back to them "But unlike him, I made some bad decisions that led to where and who I am now and," I shook my head with a sigh "and now I can't even give my little brother warning on how to avoid becoming like me..."

I desperately wanted to look at their faces, most likely painted with pity and shock, to see my manipulative handiwork. Instead, I opted for a more melancholy exit and silently flew up into the clear-glass tunnel and took off.

Once I was sure the two wizards could no longer see me, I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Percival's constant proclamation of my humanity must have started seeping through the skulls of his co-workers, leaving the cowards defenseless against any sob-story I could come up with. Although my pathetic handler would probably never fall for my acting, (his monocle could detect my heart rate was well as ectoplasm, and often called my bluffs and lies) his unskilled associates would swallow it hook, line and sinker.

That blond wizard would lure my weaker self to me, on the promise of an apology, an once I escaped, I would end both of their lives. I didn't need my weaker self to survive anymore. I didn't have to hold myself back as I had before. He would charge into battle, over-confident in his inferior abilities, never even suspecting that he had only glimpsed a fraction of my true power.

Out in one of the large main halls, I paused to gaze out through the tunnel at the bustling groupings of wizards that were passing me by, not even bothering to glance in my direction. I landed in a kneeling position and put my hands against the glass. I would be free again. And on that day, they'll learn all they'd ever want to know about a banshee's power... first-hand.