Orbits of Glass
By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse
Chapter Eight
The peace of evening was broken by a crash and scream. Danny stood up and turned towards the sound. Robin winced as another scream pierced the air, instincts trying to kick in. Danny's back was to him but he could see that he was shivering in the warm air.
"Stay here," Danny ordered. "Whatever you hear, I want you to stay here. I'm gonna get help."
"I can help." Robin started to stand but froze at Danny's next sentence.
"You're hurt. Stay here, Please."
"Alright," he nodded even though Danny couldn't see it.
Danny pulled something out of his pocket. He half turned and tossed the object. "If I'm not back in ten, call 911. Tell them that there is a ghost attack near Westhill Park." He clutched the phone as Danny ran out of the playground, leaving Robin on the swings. He took a left and disappeared behind a building.
"Sure. I'll stay here…for ten seconds." He shoved the cell phone in his pocket and left the swings to the wind and ghosts of the past. He was going to find Danny and find out what was going on...
Robin ran after Danny, his sore ankle ignored. Looking down a side street a flash of red caught his attention. He entered the dark alley to investigate. Leaning against a half-rusted dumpster was Danny's backpack, its owner absent.
He left the bag where it lay, trying to figure out which way Danny disappeared. He looked around the alley before spying a rickety fire escape with its ladder partially down. He pulled the ladder down to the ground and kicked debris away from the base. Taking a chance that he might be wrong and lose precious time, Robin climbed the escape three floors up until he reached the empty roof. He feared that he had chosen the wrong direction until an emerald light passed by his head and hit a vent next to him. Following the path of the stray shot he ran to the northern edge of the building.
Ash and dust coated the street below and filled the air. The haze created a surreal landscape of unrecognizable objects only lit up by the numerous green blasts flickering below. The lights streaked up and down the street from two different sources, one visible and one hidden by the dust.
The creature he could see looked like hell's version of a phoenix. The giant bird was mostly black, green flames traveled across its body and tattooed its wings. Red eyes burned above a beak sporting jagged teeth and it was surrounded by a subtle green aura. It hissed as green light filled its mouth. The light shot away from the bird and illuminated the street as it headed towards a target Robin couldn't see. Flames smashed into the pavement, throwing smoke into the air and adding to the artificial fog already created.
"Hey, Eagle Eyes! I bet you can't hit the broad side of a barn!" a voice taunted from the impact zone. It sounded familiar but without a face Robin couldn't place the voice. The phoenix shrieked and dove towards the ground. It pulled up sharply and chased something towards Robin's building. Robin backed up until a set of stairs sheltered him from the blasts. With the new protection he looked across the roof and got his first glimpse of the firebird's prey. It was humanoid, a blur of black and white tearing around much faster than the phoenix.
It dove into a side street and disappeared into the dust before reappearing and striking the bird. As it had passed over his head a second time the figure rolled on its back and shot a green beam skyward. Unlike the bird's attacks, this one struck the left wing. When the phoenix crashed to the rooftop the figure stopped and floated in midair, its attention solely on the fallen bird. 'It' was a boy with white hair, face marked by soot and the dust from the street below. He wore a one piece jumpsuit made of black and white. But what stood out in Rob's mind, more than the dirt-streaked face or the jumpsuit, was the pair of glowing eyes that matched the unholy fires of the bird.
The boy smirked at the injured phoenix. "Tag, you're it," he shouted, his words punctuated by another blast of green light. He circled around the bird and flew towards the street where Robin first saw the fight. The phoenix didn't take kindly to the taunts or the blasts. The fire around its body flared and it chased after the boy.
Robin abandoned his spot to watch the few remaining seconds of the fight. Leaning over the rooftop's edge he could see that the boy was at ground level, flying just a few feet above the street. He easily dodged blasts from his opponent but he was flying a lot slower, zigzagging around and looking at the ground.
Rob winced in sympathy when one of the bird's attacks finally struck the boy in the back, driving him against a brick wall and dropping him to the ground. He stood up slowly, leaning against the building for support. The firebird landed only a few feet away and blocked any attempt to escape. The boy took a step to the side but stopped when the bird hissed loudly. He froze, only moving his head, seeking a way to escape. With no warning he broke to the right, running full out, catching the bird by surprise. He tripped but was able to get up and immediately rolled out of the way of a near hit. Running again, he slid to a stop and grabbed something off the ground. Spinning around he pointed the object at the phoenix.
"Bye, Bye Birdie!" he yelled. A blue light erupted from the object and it surrounded the phoenix. It shrieked and tried to fly up but it was pulled towards the boy instead. Dust spun in the air and swirled around the trapped creature. With one last cry it disappeared along with the light. All that was left was the boy in the middle of the street. As he floated up off the ground, Robin decided to get out of the area. He had been gone too long and Danny might have already returned to the park. He climbed back down the fire escape, trying to think of an excuse if Danny was there.
He jumped off the ladder but didn't move away from the building, hands still on the rungs. A new thought occurred to him, something that had been bothering him for a couple of days. He had seen those green eyes before. The view of his face only lasted a couple of seconds but he was sure he had seen those disturbing glowing eyes. Then it came to him.
He saw those eyes in the middle of the night, after an upset Danny stormed out of the apartment after a nightmare. When he left, he didn't have the light blue eyes. His eyes were green and they were glowing.
Robin's own eyes widened. It was freaky but it made sense. Sometimes a person with feelings that were unacceptable by society projected those feeling and attributes onto another person. Danny acted hostile to superheroes. What if he was born with powers and feared discovery? By acting hostile and sharing the same mindset as the town, he would be less suspect to being different. What if Danny was the same boy with the white hair? Could his host be a super in hiding? Amity Park was the one place on earth where a super would be safe if his secret never slipped.
Robin finally turned from the ladder and limped back to the park. Right now wasn't the time to solve this little mystery. He would have to wait until he was alone to figure this out.
oOo
Ash and dust swirled around the vortex as he drew the ghost into the thermos. With one last shrill cry the firebird vanished. A satisfied smiled brightened up his dirty face. It was one of those easy, satisfying victories where casualties and property damage stayed minimal and his collection of bruises remained small.
Danny pulled the Thermos' strap over his head. The weight settled across his back while sweat dripped down his face and chest. The cooling sweat provided relief to his overheated skin. He swiped a glove across his forehead, leaving more soot on his face. The Ghost Phoenix barely got a hit in but its attacks produced a lot of excess heat in the area. He was still in the air, trying cool down before he had to fly back to the park and explain to Rob where he disappeared to.
The sound of jets behind him caught him by surprise. He swore to himself and cursed his luck. He had a hunch who exactly was behind him and there was no time to fly away or pretend he was invisible. Trying to act cool he turned in midair to greet the one Patrol Hunter he liked least of all. 'Echo' may avoid the Fentons like the plague but it was nothing compared to Phantom's hate for 'Goldie'.
He hated the hunter so much that he would like nothing more than to banish her to the most isolated regions on earth. Flashy, narcissistic and gun-happy; she was the star of the Patrol. Goldie usually took the spotlight and credit for other people's work, Danny loathed her in every possible way. He fought against her appointment to the patrol. She likewise fought against the Patrol's acceptance of friendly ghosts' help. If she had her way, he would have been forced into the Ghost Zone by now.
"Phantom," she greeted him coldly.
"Gloria," he said in return. He crossed his arms defiantly, unaffected by her tone.
"Don't call me that!" she hissed. Her perfectly painted lips pulled back into a sneer. Everyone else called her 'Goldilocks' or just 'Goldie'. Danny preferred to use her real name and it irked her every time. As he smirked she narrowed her eyes at him with hate spoiling the angelic face. She was very young for a hunter, only eighteen, but she couldn't hold the title of youngest ghost hunter of Amity Park. He and Val were the youngest, only fifteen when they joined, and Phantom had his own special place in the Patrol.
Her looks and her ability to con any living creature allowed her to access the latest technology and got her as far as she was. For example, most hunters patrolled on foot or in land vehicles. Gliders were used by only a couple of hunters like himself. The majority of the hunters had a hard time with balancing and the foot pedals on the gliders. They preferred the more conventional methods of travel but advances in the area of transportation did happen. The latest mode of personal transportation was a set of jets mounted in a carbon-shell suit that mimicked the way ghosts moved. The wearer could literally fly. Instead of taking the time to perfect the system, it was wasted on the blond skank.
The last time the he and Goldie butted heads it was over that stupid suit. She flirted her way into the project and then the suit itself while he fought its use for ghost hunting. He told the Patrol it wouldn't be a practical device. She had scoffed at his opinion saying she could fly it better than a ghost could fly naturally. The challenge made, he proceeded to prove how wrong the woman was. As Phantom, he easily flew faster and out maneuvered the suit in close combat. He even lasted longer than the fuel the jets utilized. In fact, most ghosts could out fly her. The only strong point was that it looked good on the nightly news.
She wore that test suit right now. It was the only way she was able to look him straight in the eye at fifty feet above the ground. While he was motionless in the air (except for the breeze that blew his bangs to the side) she hovered in a six foot area as the jets tried to compensate for the wind. Sunlight reflected off the metallic gold paint on the suit, very flashy but very useless. An array of gold plated weapons weighed her down and caused the jets to whine slightly.
Their staring contest ended when a hoarse voice yelled at them from the street. "Hey, get your butts down here." Goldie sighed before making her way unsteadily to the ground. She took it slow, the twitchy jet system fighting her the entire way down. Danny waited until she dropped the last couple of feet for a hard landing before he started his descent. He dived smoothly but he didn't stop at the street. He dove into the pavement and came up behind the hunters before touching down.
They whirled around to see him jumping up onto the hood of a jeep painted, you guessed it, gold. The Patrol's emblem stood out in a solid black on the doors. His new perch let him rest while leaving him above eye level of the two humans. Goldie bristled at seeing him touching her precious vehicle. The man just shrugged and nodded his head in greeting.
While Goldie's style was over the top with a golden touch, her male partner was completely understated. Tennyson wore a black jumpsuit with gold accessories to appease his gold-obsessed partner. Tenni was older, face starting to wrinkle and hair showing hints of grey. He talked little but overall was a decent guy and a competent hunter.
"This was supposed to be our ghost. We've been patrolling here for days," Goldie whined without letting her partner speak. Danny rolled his eyes. Some hunters hated it when Phantom showed up and got in the middle of their business. Goldie just hated him in general.
"There was a ghost here," Danny said unapologetically. "I happened to be here. I took care of it. What's the problem?"
"I don't know how you get off, Ghost," she growled. "You're place isn't among the living. Go back to your little green hell and leave the work to the real hunters."
"As enlightening as you conversations always are, I have to go. I just stuck around so you would know that the ghost was trapped." He jumped off the jeep's hood. "Take care Tenni." The male hunter grunted his goodbye and got into the jeep.
Danny turned to leave when a hand grabbed him, maybe so she could get in the last word. The perfectly manicured nails bit into his sleeve but he just phased out of her grasp. Goldie huffed and got into the passenger side. Danny stepped out of the way so the vehicle could pass. The jeep only moved a few feet before stopping. The window rolled down to show Tennyson's expressionless face. "The newbies are almost ready for a scare. Thor's teaching them. Anyone who sees you is supposed to pass on the message."
"Thanks," he said sincerely. Just because he hated the guy's partner didn't mean he was rude to the other hunter. He pitied anyone stuck with the Golden Skank for any period of time.
With that the jeep sped off and Danny was free to leave. He took off into the air and flew a couple of blocks to the alley where he stashed his red backpack. As he landed familiar rings encircled him, reverting him back to his human form. One water bottle and a little scrubbing clean the soot and sweat off his face. He put the thermos and water back into his bag and slung the whole thing over his shoulders.
Deciding that he had left Robin alone too long, he turned invisible and flew to the park. Touching down he ran around the last corner to the playground. Robin was just where he had left him on the swings and he was messing with the phone. He looked up in surprise as Danny sprinted the final distance.
"Are you ok?" the teen asked.
"I'm fine. Just had to run to find help," he gasped out between breaths, half-pretending to be winded. "Did you call?"
"Well…" Rob looked nervous and guilty and he didn't answer the question. Danny leaned closer and glanced at the phone's screen.
"You got sucked into Tetris," he said disbelieving. On the screen little blocks fell unchecked and the iconic theme came out of the speaker. Robin breathed out a breath and looked sheepish. "I'm sorry. I lost track of time."
"I don't know about you," he told the boy, "but I'm not up to any more walking." He debated mentally for a minute before rescuing his phone from the Tetris fiend. He hit one of the speed dial numbers and waited nervously for an answer.
"Fenton Works, Maddie speaking."
"Hi Mom," he said hesitantly.
"Danny? Are you alright?" She sounded panicky. Danny rarely called his parents without reason. His friends normally called for him.
"Yeah, I'm ok. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," she answered in return.
"A friend and I were on the way over and we got sidetracked. Is there any way you could come pick us up?"
"Oh honey, I can't. I'm just finishing up..." She started to trail off before speaking up again. "Actually, I can't pick you up but I can get you a ride."
"Is it Dad?" he asked, getting ready to decline the offer.
"No, he and Jazz left for Baltimore yesterday. There's someone else here that can come and pick you up."
"Who?"
"It's a surprise," his mom said, smile evident in her voice. "Where are you?"
"We're at the playground in Westhill Park. Can your mystery person pick us up?" He waited a minute or so for his mom to answer. He could hear voices in the background but he couldn't understand or recognize them. He started to pace, finally able to see smoke and dust from his fight rise above the buildings as the wind blew it in their direction. There was the sound of sirens form a distance, heading towards the deserted fight zone.
"Danny, are you still there?" his mom asked.
"Yeah," he said, returning his wandering attention to the phone.
"Your ride will be there in a couple of minutes."
"Thanks, Mom."
"I'll see you in a little bit, Honey. Bye."
"Bye." He closed the cell phone and took a seat on the swing next to Robin.
"What did she say?" he asked as he stole the phone. In seconds the Tetris theme started to play.
"She's going to send someone over to pick us up."
"Oh," was all Robin had to say. Neither of them talked as they waited, Danny nervously tapping his foot and Rob off in his own little world. The sound of a lone car brought their attention to the street. A little Toyota Prius pulled up to the curb and the engine turned off. Out stepped a girl that was familiar to Danny. Her black hair was pulled into a pony tail, purple streaks visible even from this distance. Tinted glasses covered her purple eyes. Her shirt didn't cover as much, cut to show a toned stomach and belly button ring. An Open black jacket, torn jeans and combat boots completed the look.
Danny stood up, feeling shocked and then laughed in relief. He was afraid his mom was going to send over a Patrol Member or one of her crazy friends. He ran towards the girl and swung her around in a hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were back?" He asked with a smile.
"Because I just got back, dork." She returned his hug.
"So you survived an entire month with your parents?" he asked as he let go.
"No. I survived an entire month hiding from my parents," the girl said with a huge grin. "I had a blast with Grandma and her friends. I even learned how to play bridge."
"Love the belly button ring," he commented. She looked down at the silver ring with purple stones glittering in the last of the sunlight.
"My parents freaked out. Andre loved it and grandma almost got one herself but Mom talked her out of it. We'll try again on her seventy-fifth birthday."
"Andre?" he asked with a teasing tone. The girl blushed until she spotted something off to the side. He turned around to see that Robin standing uncomfortably a little ways behind him.
"Sam, I want you to meet Robin. Rob," Danny introduced, "this is Sam Mason."
"Hi," she said with a smile, shaking the other boy's hand while leaving an arm wrapped around Danny's shoulders.
"So which of Valerie's relations ran you out of her apartment this time?" she asked the halfa. He didn't question how she knew. It was one of those little mysteries how Sam picked up on things without being told.
"Grandpa Ray." Sam winced at the name. She had heard all about Grandpa Ray and even had the bad luck of meat him once.
"So how do you know this guy, Rob?" she asked as she turned back to the new kid.
Robin didn't answer. How do you tell a stranger that you were attacked by an emotion-eating ghost and a couple of strangers took you in? Danny decided to come to the rescue. "He had a run in with Spectra. Val and I are helping him out for a little while." That comment left everyone in an awkward silence. Sam ducked out from under his arm and started to head towards her car.
"Well, if you want to get in," she motioned to the little black car. Robin got in the back seat while Sam took the driver's seat and Danny took shotgun. She started the car up and soon they were on their way, passing through residential and business districts. He didn't live far from the park but she seemed to be taking the long way.
"You seem to know each other pretty well," Robin observed from the back seat.
"Best friends since eighth grade," Dan said proudly.
"His mom swears that we're twins separated at birth," Sam added. "I ended spending a lot of time at Danny's house after I moved here."
"It would explain some things, us being twins," Danny continued. "You sure didn't inherit your parents' personality."
"Thankfully. So Rob, do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asked.
"No. Only child," Rob said as he turned to look out the window.
"Oh…Kay?" Sam said slowly. "Did I miss anything while I was on vacation?" she asked to change the subject.
For the rest of the trip they gossiped and swapped stories. By the end of the ride even Robin was laughing at some of Danny's stories. Sam also shared some of her adventures in Spain. She had to attend three different weddings, all cousins on her father's side. There she met the crazier side of her family and had a good time (as long as her parents stayed out of shouting distance).
Finally she stopped her car on a small street. Robin climbed out but he didn't move any farther. He stopped to stare at the huge metal 'thing' perched on top of an otherwise normal two-story. A large sign hung off the front of the building read 'Fenton Works'.
"You live here," he asked Danny. Danny nodded with understanding while Sam went inside. Fenton Works was something else, that's for sure. It was not something a normal person expected to see in the middle of a normal neighborhood.
"This is where I grew up," Dan told him as they walked up the steps. "My parents moved here right out of college. They are both ghost hunters and spend a lot of time doing research. My parents have been at it for years." They entered the front door to a seemingly normal living room with a modern flare. Sam waited for them, resting on a couch with a glass of water in hand. "They're here Mrs. Fenton," she yelled as soon as they were in the door.
Out of the kitchen his mother came, clothed in her normal jumpsuit and carrying a small box. Robin tensed up when she walked in the room but Danny didn't have any more time for observation as his mother pulled him in for a hug. Unlike the last time, he returned this hug right away. She pulled away from her son to get a look at the other boy.
"You must be Danny's friend," his mom greeted Robin with a smile. "I'm his mother, Maddie."
"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm Rob," he said a little warily. She didn't notice because she went right back to talking to Danny.
"So what brings you out here?"
"Do you have my old clothes, the ones from ninth grade?" His father was notorious for being a pack rat and he saved the weirdest things at their house. He was counting on that compulsion so they wouldn't have to go to the mall.
"Of course," she answered. "They're in Jazz's old room. What do you need them for?"
"Rob is staying with Valerie and me for a couple of days but he lost his luggage. Instead of buying all new clothes I figured he could borrow some of mine." He crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping his mother would believe the story.
"That's so sweet of you," was her response. "I'll bring them down for you."
Sam leaned over when his mom ran upstairs, "So why dig out your old things?"
"Because you were out of town and Val's Dad didn't get paid yet. Anyways," he whispered. "I have a feeling it would be better to be inconspicuous. Buying a whole new wardrobe for a kid no one has ever met seems kind of odd."
While they were talking Danny's mom ran upstairs and returned with a plastic blue tub labeled with 'Danny' in permanent marker on the side. Robin opened the first one while his mom went up for another container. Danny and Sam helped him sort the clothes, a sad smile finding its way on his face as old memories surfaced.
Maddie returned with a second container as the teenagers finished sorting out the first one. He stood up and stretched while Rob put the clothes he didn't want back. Danny felt a tap on his shoulder. Sam was behind him and leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
"Danny, can I talk to you alone?" Sam asked as Robin moved on to the other plastic tub.
"Sure," he said and followed her into the kitchen. He grabbed a soda out of the fridge while Sam filled her glass with more water. She waited until he took a sip before talking.
"I stopped by the Patrol HQ before coming here to see your mom. There's been a surge of activity. Smith said there's been a higher number of ghost sightings in the past three days."
"I haven't kept track," he admitted.
"Weird thing is that they're not coming from the Fenton Portal or from Wisconsin."
"A wild portal?" he suggested.
"That's the rumor." A wild portal was rare and it caused a lot of concern. Normally the Patrol tracked ghosts going in and out of the Fenton Portal. The Patrol also set up sensors on the Wisconsin boarder to track ghosts coming out of that state. It was impossible to tell what came out of a wild portal or what was going back through. Danny leaned against a counter, mentally going over the ghosts that he knew. "The only ghosts that can create portals are Wulf and the Witch Doctor. Wulf wouldn't do that and she's locked up in a Thermos at HQ."
"We don't know how long the Thermoses are good for. It could already be weakening."
"Which means he could get out again," he said, his tone grim.
"That's not what I'm saying," she said, verbally backpedaling.
"You were hinting at it," he told her before turning his attention from his best friend to the window outside.
"At least we know who he'll go after," she said to his back.
"Jazz..." he whispered harshly.
"We don't know Dan will get out," she told him to comfort him while hugging him from behind. "All we know is that there is a wild portal somewhere nearby. It might not be the Witch Doctor's work either. A ghost could have gotten a new power and it decided to mess with us."
"Sorry," he apologized, regretting his harsh tone. "I'm a little on edge. I ran into Goldie before you picked us up."
"As Phantom?" He nodded.
"What did the Blond Bimbo have to say?" He snorted at her too accurate description of the female hunter.
"Nothing important," Danny finally said as Sam let go and he turned away from the window.
"What else is going on?" Sam pressed.
"Who says there's anything else?" he asked without looking her in the eye.
"You can't lie to me Daniel Edison Fenton." He looked at her. Sam crossed her arms and she gave him The Look.
"Things didn't adding up when Val and I found him…Robin," he admitted. "The situation felt wrong. That's when it all started." He said the last part softly but Sam still heard.
"When 'what' started? What's wrong, Danny?"
"Things are out of balance. Something has to shift to bring back the balance." The natural balance wasn't something he used to believe in until the events of the past couple of years happened. His world kept doing one-eighties between things going right and the awful things that happened to him, his family, and Amity Park. It was similar to the hero-villain balance his Grampa used to tell him about.
"How out of balance are we talking about?" Sam asked.
He stared at the floor. When he did answer it was in an emotionless voice. "The last time was during my suicide attempt. The other times like that were the Witch Doctor Incident and when Dan got out and kidnapped Jazz."
"You think something big is going to happen?" she said, more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah and it's not something good." He wrapped his arms around his stomach while he frowned with concern. The good mood created in the car long gone.
"You know that I'm here for you and so is Tucker, when he gets back." She rested her head on his arm and pulled him into a loose hug. She gave a lot of hugs after the car accident two years ago. Even Tucker was prone to hug him from time to time. He thought it was to make sure he really was there so he never complained.
"Thanks," he told her with a small smile.
"Tucker doesn't get back till next Sunday. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
"I've got a patrol class to go to tomorrow," he said.
"That's nice," she said. Thinking that she was done Danny started towards the living room.
"Don't wreck the door again," she called from behind him.
"Why does everyone say that," he asked the Goth, guilt sliding onto his face.
"Because you destroy a door every time," Sam told him when she caught up.
"Not every time…"
"Right," she drawled out before laughing at him. He tried to defend himself even as the two of them walked back into the living room to see the damage done while they left Robin and his mom alone.
R&R
Thanks to : silvermoonphantom, Lumias, LokiWaterDraca, Tetsukon, katiesparks, WingsOfMorphius, MiaRose 156, firehedgehog, The Lost Hibiki, SDB, Haikari Archersight, Gmasangel, AirGirl Phantom, teenyugiohpotterphantom, Darth Frodo, Anne Camp aka Obi-Quiet, WolfDaughter, Mischievious Murderer, JPElles, and Aki.
Edited
