Summary: Valerie's not a cat person, Maddie's not a ghost person, and Vlad's not a people person.
Rating: T
Pairing: Uh, if you don't count my huge, obvious crush on Valerie Gray, none
Vlad Masters, Valerie Gray thought while alternating between staring at her surroundings and the remote in her hand, must think I'm fifty shades of stupid.
In fact, it wasn't even that he thought it—he just operated under the assumption that she was. After all, she was currently standing in the middle of his big, stupid evil lab, in front of his big, stupid ghost portal, and it apparently hadn't occurred to him for a second that she might put two and two together.
Of course, he didn't know that she already put two and two together, but really. What had he said again? Some crap like, "You know, I couldn't believe that a ghost put a secret lair in my basement! But, well, I thought it'd be a shame not to utilize it. For good, of course! Take this key to my ghost portal, which I, of course, also have for strictly not-evil purposes."
Right.
Valerie knew she was partly to blame for his ridiculous trust in her—she'd never outright questioned anything he'd asked her to do before. After the whole mess with Danielle and her destabilization, Valerie had resolved to put Vlad on her list of ghosts to hunt, but it didn't exactly work out that way. Namely because Vlad had designed her suit. Which meant he could probably fry her with the click of a button. Now, don't get her wrong, she definitely wanted to kick the crap out of Vlad. Had wanted to, for the past two years. But she generally erred on the side of caution when it came to people who, in all likelihood, could kill her remotely.
So, she continued doing Vlad's dirty work through the years. Not that any of his work was all that dirty. It mostly involved hunting a few ghosts, fighting Phantom, tracking stuff down like he'd asked her to do today, fighting Phantom, cleaning up Amity Park's streets, fighting Phantom… To be honest, most of it boiled down to Phantom.
She didn't necessarily mind this. She still had a revenge to take and all that. Besides, her fights with Phantom were good for several reasons: a) they helped her get rid of a lot of pent up aggression, b) they kept Valerie in Vlad's good graces, and c) every fight encouraged Vlad to underestimate her.
Because, see, here was the thing. Valerie hadn't been going after Phantom with the intent to vaporize him for over a year.
She, of course, still wanted to make his afterlife miserable for landing her and her father in that crap-hole apartment, and she still trusted him about as far as she could spit, but Valerie had been more worried about Plasmius than Phantom the past few months. So, she deliberately let up in their fights. Made Vlad think that she was being outclassed. She managed to maintain a solid mask of anger and frustration while she was in the thick of things (made easy by Phantom's very punchable face), but kept a reign on her power. Eased Vlad into thinking that, yes, his little pet was good, but not too good. Not a-threat-to-me good.
So, these fights had their advantages. But, they also had their downsides. One being that Vlad now constantly threw her at Phantom, using her as the human equivalent of a thorn in the Ghost Boy's side. And, she figured that this was likely one of those situations.
Because, honestly. That recording? Vlad could design hoverboards and evil suits but couldn't be bothered to spend more than two minutes on Audacity layering a couple of sound bites? The crash, at least, sounded real, but Maddie Fenton's voice obviously didn't fit in the clip. It was like the audio equivalent of that one time half of Amity Park's sophomore class got the flu on picture day, so the yearbook club tried to Photoshop people into club pictures. That is to say: sloppy and poorly done.
Phantom hadn't crashed that bus. Which meant Vlad did.
Vlad clearly thought that she would buy it, no questions asked, but the sucker didn't realize that she hadn't trusted a thing that had come out of his mouth since she'd seen him as big, blue, and ugly. Valerie definitely knew Vlad was up to no good—had known it the second the trip was announced. The problem was determining how to navigate the situation. There were only three clear routes she could think of.
1. She doesn't go on the mission.
2. She goes on the mission but does not meet Vlad at their designated rendezvous point.
3. She goes on the mission, meets up with Vlad, and delivers the key.
Routes One and Two ended, as far as she could tell, with her getting blasted sky high. Route Three probably ended with Vlad successfully taking over the world. Needless to say, neither of those options were looking too good.
For now, she'd play it safe and follow Vlad's instructions. When she had the key, she could figure out how to make sure Vlad never got it. There were plenty of places she could 'lose' it in the Ghost Zone.
A loud "mrrow" echoed through the quiet lab, drawing Valerie from her thoughts. She spun around, suit whirring as she summoned a gun, but she paused when she saw the source of the noise.
It was that horrid cat, perched on a row of machinery and glaring at her with beady, self-important little eyes. She drew her lips back into a snarl and lowered her arm. To think, she used to feel bad for the thing. Now all she saw when she looked at it was Vlad's ugly mug reflected in the way it held its nose up, all prim and proper, despite being the most unattractive cat Valerie had ever seen.
"Scram." She said.
It blinked at her lazily, gave a nice, satisfied stretch, and padded over several probably-important buttons. She huffed. Whatever. She could care less if Vlad's pet decided to screw with his stuff.
"Is that you, sweetums?"
Valerie jumped when a voice reached her ears this time. Several horrible ideas ran through her head at once (it was a ghost, or, worse, it was Vlad, and he'd realized she'd turned on him and had come to vaporize her-) but before she could charge up another gun to fight back, something flickered into view. It wasn't a person. Or, not a real one, anyway. The dumb cat must have hit something, because there was a hologram materializing and-
"Vladdy-darling? Are you back for tea?"
-was that Maddie Fenton?
Oh. Gross. Nope. Nu-uh. She was so not opening that can of worms. She pitched forward and fumbled around the dashboard, looking around for whatever button the cat had pushed and found it, bright red and helpfully labeled "Maddie." It was a relief when she slammed it and the holographic Maddie Fenton disappeared before another nasty, sickeningly sweet thing could come out of her mouth.
Ugh. She did not need to know what Vlad got up to in his free time.
"Shut up." She said to the cat, who was not saying anything but was looking at her like it was amused. Screw that cat. It probably did it on purpose.
She shot one last glare at it and turned back towards the as-of-yet offline ghost portal. It was time to get going. There was always the off-chance that Vlad would come check on her, and she couldn't have him show up and notice her standing in the middle of his lab and looking at his stuff like she wanted to trash it. Which, she really, really did. She wanted to wreck it all so bad.
But. She wasn't. Going to do that. Because she had self-control. A lot. A lot of self-control.
She tore her eyes away from a row of beakers that was looking particularly breakable. Right. Time to go.
From her pocket, she produced a remote—one of two things Vlad had given her last night. Unlike the tracker, this one was simple in design, with just a big red button in the center. Essentially, it was an inter-dimensional garage door opener. He'd handed it to her with instructions to open the portal and close it once she'd gotten in. Something about security.
She pressed the button, watching with mild curiosity as a spark jumped to life in the middle of the metal frame and spiraled into what seemed to be a big, round, swirly doorway. She stood before it with a mix of dread and determination churning her stomach, in tune with the spinning of the ectoplasm. The second she walked through there, she was going to be strapped with several worries: the class and what Vlad was doing to them, the key and how to find it and keep it out of Vlad's hands, and where Phantom was in the middle of all of this. It was going to be tough to juggle. But, since when did Valerie Gray back down from challenges like that? Trick question, she didn't.
Besides, she may as well commit. She was dead no matter what she did, because her dad was going to kill her when she got back home for sneaking out.
So. This was her. Committing.
She stepped forward.
The rush of traveling through a portal was unfamiliar and left her feeling tingly in a gross, unpleasant way. She'd only ever been to the Ghost Zone a handful of times, and all of those trips had been involuntary, so she hadn't really paid attention to the whole going through part. It was gross. If she had to pick one thing she was grateful to Vlad for, it was that he didn't make her go on missions into the Ghost Zone.
It looked exactly as she remembered it, all floating doors and green, slimy skies. Random floating rocks were interposed here and there, breaking up the monotony. Valerie's face hardened at the sight of ghosts skulking around between the doors and the rocks and she resigned herself to a day full of hunting. That wasn't all to bad in and of itself, but it was when she was surrounded by enemies. This was going to be a stressful morning.
She popped back the cover of her gauntlet and took a look at the tracker built into her arm. Vlad had given her a physical one yesterday, though she hadn't the slightest idea why at the time—her suit already had one. But, then she realized that, as with most things of Vlad's, it was probably a surveillance tool of some sort. He was fond of those, but she wasn't. She didn't want his eyes on her during this. So, last night, she had plugged in the ecto signature of the target and promptly hidden the other tracker under her bed, effectively ditching it.
The little green dot on her map showed her the location of her target, which was a good ride away. She was set to go. Just one last thing.
With a flourish, she crushed the remote to the Ghost Portal in her fist, leaving it wide open behind her. As if she was going to trap herself like that. Seriously, how dumb did Vlad think she was?
Jazz was going to give her a lecture about sleep deprivation in the morning, but currently, Maddie could care less. She hadn't woken up Jack for his watch. So, what? It wasn't like there was anything to watch in this awful cell, other than the guards walking back and forth. She had tried throughout the night to keep track of them, to memorize their schedules, but without a way to tell time thanks to the confiscation of her electronics and due to the guards being identical in form, it was simply impossible. It was maddening.
Maddie was, admittedly, a bit tired. Or, exhausted. Whatever. The lack of sleep was clogging her brain and making it hard to think and that, along with the anger bubbling low in her core, was becoming a cocktail of murderous rage. She was going to tear that ghost to shreds the second she got her hands on it. If she ever got her hands on it, anyway. That was only if it for some reason decided not to keep them locked in this cell for the rest of their natural lives, and that was difficult to imagine.
Her fingers caught on a knot in Jazz's hair and her gaze jumped down. She stared at her daughter, who slept on peacefully and obliviously under her. Maddie simply couldn't believe that she'd gotten her kids into such a dangerous situation. Of course, Jazz wasn't a kid anymore, she knew that, but she was still her kin, a Fenton, and Maddie would do anything to protect her and Danny, and she hadn't succeeded.
And, oh, Danny.
Now her eyes flickered up, catching sight of Danny, Sam, and Tucker huddled up together in the corner of the cell. Tucker's legs were splayed over Danny's, Sam's elbow was twisted into his ribs, and his head had bobbed around to rest of Sam's shoulder. His face was soft with sleep but there was a distinctly uncomfortable pallor to it—like he knew even when he was resting that he was in danger.
Maddie had put him in danger.
Danny had never liked ghosts, had never liked her job. She knew that. But a little part of her (the one not focused on all the incredible scientific opportunities presented to her) had been stupidly, stupidly hoping that she could convince him that there was something to ghost hunting through this field trip. Had been hoping that he could watch she and Jack blast a few ghosts and would think, "Hey, maybe Mom and Dad are a little cool, after all."
He hadn't wanted to go on the trip, though. He'd looked at her, bitten his lip and asked, "Mom? Have you ever… actually been to the Ghost Zone before?"
And she had said no. But, it's okay, Danny. We're prepared. And I'll protect you. You don't have to worry.
Yet, here they were.
Madeline Fenton fancied herself a genius. Not many people- even people with doctorates- could say that they built a gateway to another dimension with, not a team of scientists, but her husband and some good old determination. She had brains. She had skills in several martial arts. She could run a household and fight ghosts, no problem.
But, her big brain had failed her this time. Fat lot of help being a genius had given her when that ship crashed. All she'd managed to do was put her son, her baby, in danger. That doubt he'd had before the trip had been well placed. She'd failed him.
Her skin drew taut over her knuckles as she clenched her fists at the mere thought of it. How could she have messed up so badly? They should have been more careful. Shouldn't have relied on the infallibility of the Specter Speeder Bus. Should have had more defensive measures in place. More backup plans.
They were stranded in the Ghost Zone, the kids had hardly eaten since yesterday morning, and now they were captive to a ghost Maddie had never encountered face-to-face before—had only ever heard of through its fights with Phantom. She had no way to gauge its abilities, no guesses as to its strengths, and no understanding of its lair, which they were currently trapped in. Frankly, they were screwed.
Maddie traced the lines of her son's face with tired, heavy eyes. She never should have gone on this trip. Her overzealous excitement had overshadowed any genuine safety concerns that may have come up, had she been thinking a little more clearly. She had just been so excited, and it was happening so quickly—she hadn't thought far enough ahead. It was her fault.
Quietly, she shook herself. Maybe that was true, but that sort of thinking wasn't going to get them out of here. She had to focus on coming up with an escape plan. That was what her big brain was good for, after all. Now take a scientific approach. Form a hypothesis.
Hypothesis: They were never going to get out of here.
Okay, now she was just being a downer. She let go of that thought and tried to thread together another. Maybe she should have slept. This was unnecessarily hard.
Let's try again. This was what she knew:
They were trapped in the lair of a potentially volatile ghost. The lair appeared to be structured like a regular human prison, implying the ghost's tie to the physical realm involved the justice system in some way, shape, or form. It also implied that the lair had a jail-like structure to it, which also meant that there were probably several exits. That was good. That meant that a comprehensive escape could be planned, so long as they got out of this cell and had some time to look around the building.
Maddie closed her eyes and breathed out. She could do this. She loved solving problems. This one was just going to be a bit of a challenge, that was all. And didn't she love challenges?
A loud clanging noise startled her out of her internal monologue. A guard was banging a baton against the bars of the cell. If she strained to hear over the sound, she could hear the same task being performed for other cells.
"Get up," said the guard, its voice carrying with a ghostly echo. The students groaned and began to stir. Jazz's eyes fluttered open and she stared uncomprehendingly up at Maddie before realizing where she was and flying up into a sitting position. Her red hair danced to the side as she looked around. Maddie's heart panged when she realized who she was looking for: Danny.
Jazz had been watching over Danny better than Maddie had. Through this whole trip, and maybe for longer than that. Jazz had probably known that Danny was being picked on by the ghosts, whereas Maddie, his mother, the ghost hunter, hadn't noticed. She hadn't just failed him with this trip. She'd been failing him for a long time.
It was becoming apparently to Maddie that the final bridge between she and Danny that she hadn't been able to cross might not have been a bridge at all. It was river. Or a moat. And Jazz had spent the time and effort to swim across it, and Maddie hadn't. Maybe that was why, when Jazz saw the anger in Danny's eyes as he awoke, she didn't seem nearly as surprised as Maddie was.
Maddie could not hide the awe in her eyes as she watched Danny glare at the guard, staring it down like it was a minor annoyance he was being forced to deal with. Where she had been expecting terror- because Danny was terrified of ghosts, always had been, always would be, right?- there was only lividity.
Danny, her Danny, looked about ready to go toe to toe with that ghost.
It was a silly thought. Danny was scared of ghosts, and he didn't know the difference between a jab and a punch. He wasn't about to take on anyone. But, for a second, Maddie found herself picturing him doing it. There was a fire in his eyes that Maddie often saw in seasoned fighters. He looked like he could take it down with his stare.
Then, the mere thought of it faded away as Danny's gaze met hers and everything about him shifted. There was her baby boy again, nervous and scared as could be. She must have imagined that anger.
"Up and at 'em." Someone said, but it wasn't the guard this time. Everything in Maddie tensed as the white ghost- Walker- appeared again, a key ring around his finger. "It's time for breakfast."
Maddie could only stare in disbelief as Walker took one of the keys and pushed it into the keyhole, unlocking their cell with a simple click. She opened her mouth to say something- what, she didn't know- but before she could, the ghost had left. No provocation, no gloating, nothing. It just… left.
This didn't just unsettle Maddie. The class shifted uneasily as the guard gestured for them to get up, hesitating before complying. Amity Park's usual ghosts were known for banter, taunts, and, on occasion, puns. Even what she had heard about Walker were detailed accounts about him being provoked by Phantom into being hot-headed. The lack of Amity-esque behavior was worrying. This wasn't what they were familiar with. It was uncharted territory.
Maddie shook Jack awake when it became apparent that he hadn't roused. "Jack. Jack, you have to get up. It's breakfast time."
Jack rolled over and lifted his upper body with his forearms. "Is it?" He blinked the sleep out of his eyes before making a strange face. "Wait, breakfast? We're in the Ghost Zone."
"That's right." She said, hopping to her feet and grabbing Jack, pulling him up with her. The kids were staring between her and the guard, wondering who to follow. It was good that they were waiting for her. "We're being taken to…" She looked to the ghost for prompting, making it abundantly clear that they wouldn't be moving without knowing where they were moving to.
"The cafeteria." The guard said testily. "Now, if we could get going, that would be great."
Maddie's brow knit as the ghost began to float away from the cell, nodding over its shoulder for her to follow. She glanced at the students before giving them what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Let's get going, kids. Stay close. Jack, you'll take the back of the group. I'll take the front." She wanted to be ahead so that she could give the kids ample time to make a break for it if they were put in a dangerous situation.
Which they most likely would be.
Maddie took the lead and the others began to trail after her, steps nervous and unsure. There were rows of empty cells lining the walls, and Maddie couldn't help but wonder where the other prisoners were. Then, she realized— they were probably in the cafeteria.
Oh, boy. This was going to be fun.
She kept track of all the turns they made down the maze of halls, which were admittedly few. One right, one left. Then, they were at an intersection of several hallways, which led to a big, heavy pair of double doors. The guard pushed them open and Maddie was immediately assaulted by two things: the smell of food and the incredible volume of ghosts.
Amazingly, the food was what her brain decided to fixate on first. It smelled… human. Real. Edible. This was absurd. While ghosts often followed human traditions due to their ties to the mortal world, they had no need to eat. The mere idea that they regularly kept their lairs stocked with food was unheard of, if not incredibly wasteful.
The ghosts came next. She immediately put her hand up to halt the class behind her as every dead eye in the room turned on them. Some of these ghosts she recognized- a blue ghost with blond hair who often used the pretense of being "friends" to attack humans, a green ghost who wore the dress of a typical cafeteria worker and commanded food as a weapon, a genie ghost that granted convoluted wishes- but some were new. Unfamiliar. That was bad.
The guard barked an order for them to get in or they wouldn't get breakfast. Maddie slowly, slowly led the class forward towards one of the uninhabited tables, furthest away from the general mass of ghosts. The crowd raked their eyes over the kids predatorily, but backed off when their eyes caught something towards the rear of the group. Maddie spared a glance back and found her husband Jack, standing there protectively with a hand on Danny's shoulder, leading him and his friends to the table. She swallowed a smile. They must have seen how big and tall he was and decided not to mess with them.
Jack slipped into the seat next to Maddie after wrangling the rest of the teens. Another guard floated over and insisted that they get in line for breakfast, but Maddie was uncomfortable with a) the idea of eating food prepared by a bunch of ghosts and b) moving the students again in a room full of enemies. She and Jack shared a glance.
"The food smells real." Jack said to her. "And it doesn't seem unsafe…"
"It could be poisoned." Maddie frowned.
"Why would they want to kill us now, Mads?" Jack countered. "They could have done that instead of capturing us. There's no point in capturing us alive and bringing us here to fry us. Mads, I say we get the food. The kids haven't eaten in hours. They need their energy up."
Maddie bit her lip. That was a very valid point—there was simply no purpose in bringing them here alive and killing them immediately after. While the logic of ghosts was beyond Maddie, it was a safe bet that its aim was not to kill them here.
"Okay." She said, conceding. "But the kids aren't getting up. I don't want them near any ghosts. We're taking trips."
With that, Maddie got up and grabbed Mr. Lancer- who was still shaken up, the poor man- and took him to the food line. The ghost working the line looked annoyed, but didn't argue with them as they began taking trays back to the kids, who stared down at them in wonder, likely confused as to whether or not they were supposed to eat it.
When everyone else had a tray, Maddie brought back hers and Jack's. No one had so much as picked at theirs yet, staring at Maddie again for guidance. She turned to Jack, who shrugged and picked up a plastic fork (she had to commend the ghost in that sense- it certainly had a dedication to authenticity). He gathered a fork full of what looked to be mashed potatoes and jammed it in his mouth.
And, he swallowed.
Maddie released a breath when her husband didn't immediately collapse as a result. He licked his lips thoughtfully. Finally, he said, "Tastes like high school cafeteria food."
High school cafeteria food being their forte, the kids of Casper High began to eat. Maddie took a leap and nipped at a spoonful herself. Yes, that was definitely an authentic public high school taste. Or, rather, a prison-food taste. Which honestly equated to the same thing.
Slowly, people began talking, chatting. Relaxing. Tension began to seep out of the kids the longer the ghosts didn't attack and the more the food proved to be, at least, edible and safe.
Maddie didn't relax, though. Not for a second. She kept her eyes trained on those ghosts the whole time.
Working with the Idiots in White always proved to be the equivalent of trying to communicate with two six-year-olds that thought playing spies was "cool." They stood dreadfully out of place in the Fenton's lab, much too prim and proper to reconcile with the image of the rest of the volunteers (including Vlad) in jumpsuits. Even on a life-threatening mission, they refused to take off those tacky white suits. It was simply ridiculous.
But, just as he thought, their presence was useful. It served to relax the prattling civilians, and also brought with it the added bonus of high tech gear. Currently attached to all of the jumpsuits were jetpacks which would allow for easy travel through the Ghost Zone.
Unfortunately, there two advantages came at the price of dealing with two professional Men In Black cosplayers. One of whom looked at Vlad and asked, for the fifth time that morning, "Are you sure you will be able to open the portal?"
"Yes." Vlad said easily, tight smile in place. He bit back anything rude, tucking the words behind his teeth. The whole point of inviting these idiots was to get on their good side. He had to play nice. "Maddie and Jack are very close friends. They included me in their family recognition system."
A slight lie. Jack had included him in the system originally, but after their… misadventure two years ago, Maddie had removed him. Luckily, it had been relatively easy to hack it and reinstate himself. So, he could open the Fenton portal with a mere press of the hand.
"Hm," said- uh. Operative E, was it? Vlad couldn't keep track of which was which. They all looked very similar. Anyway, the Operative feigned disinterest in his answer as his little friend began jotting down discreet notes about the inventions lining the Fenton's walls, no doubt to steal the concepts later. Vlad studiously ignored them. He could care less if someone wanted to steal Jack's work. Those inventions were more likely blow up- literally- in their faces than actually pose a threat to any ghost. He'd step in if he suspected, even for a second, that these buffoons were going to develop something that could potentially hurt him.
Apparently seeing an opportunity in the lull in conversation (not that there was much of a conversation happening to begin with), the journalist he'd invited skulked over, smiling a bright smile. He wasn't holding a notepad, but Vlad had no doubt he had a recorder on him. He pasted a smile of his own on and gave him his full attention.
"So, Mayor Masters, I just wanted to say that I'm very grateful, as a concerned citizen of Amity Park, to be given the opportunity to join this rescue mission for our beloved kids." Right. He was likely more grateful for the opportunity to get a big scoop, though that was quite fine with Vlad. It worked out better that way. "I'm sure that under your guidance, we'll be able to find them and get them home safe in a heartbeat. But, are you okay, sir? I'm sure the past day has been very stressful for you."
And there it was.
He'd been waiting for that question for hours and no one had yet asked it—none of the reporters that had called, none of the news stations that had contacted him, no one. This was the crucial question, because this was where he was going to make his next move.
"Yes, well, it has been. Especially with that- well, what I had to put on hold in order to participate in this mission, but I would do it a thousand times," Vlad said, schooling his voice into something humbled and sweet. "If it means that I can see my best friends again."
The reporter looked delighted by the answer, having caught Vlad's deliberate slip up. "With what, Mr. Masters? What did you have to put on hold for this mission?" Then, he seemed to notice his forwardness. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."
Vlad leaned in and the reporter leaned in, too, like a teenager excited to be privy to a big secret. "Well, between you and I," He said, knowing full well that this would all be plastered on the news the second they got back from this. "I've been taking steps to run for Governor next year. I haven't made any big announcements yet, because I was waiting until I was completely prepared. In fact, I was just getting to planning the press conference for next week, though it seems that'll be put off for a while in order to ensure that the class is healthy, both physically and mentally, after their rescue."
The reporter had likely stopped listening at the word "Governor." Well, that was fine—he'd hear the rest on his recording later. Currently, he didn't seem to have much capacity for thought other than those of the bonus he was going to get for this story.
Vlad chose this moment to tactfully retreat from the conversation before the reporter could recover his wits. He had said what he had to, after all, so there was no point in speaking any more. Reporters could get tricky if you gave them too much attention.
He leaned back. "Well, I think it's time to go." He parted with a wink to the reporter. "Between us, right?"
The young man nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir!"
The lie was thinly veiled and obvious, but, again, that was what Vlad had wanted. "Good." When he spoke again, it was to everyone- the parents, the anchor, the police officer, and the Operatives. They had idled this long in the first place because the police officer was actually the police chief, and he had to make calls to the local precinct in order to update them on the situation and give them instructions to run the day smoothly. It was currently seven in the morning, and things in Amity Park were just beginning to start up.
What a nice morning treat it would be for their missing children to be returned home, not a scratch on their heads, hm?
"We're set to go, yes, chief? I fear that the longer we idle, the more danger those children are in." He said pointedly. The officer spat something into the phone before hanging up.
"Yes, yes. All finished, Mayor Masters. Whenever you're ready."
Vlad had been ready for fifteen minutes, though he didn't say that. He turned to the Operatives and, however unwillingly, deferred to their judgment. "What do you say? Are we ready?"
Operatives E and F (well, at least, he thought those were their names) glanced at each other before nodding. "Yes. Everything's all set." They said self-importantly, as if they had been doing anything for the past few minutes than stealing blueprints. Vlad resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to the portal, which he had closed earlier. He examined the small console of machinery before finding the "Fenton Genetic Lock" and sliding his thumb over the sensors. The platelet scanned his fingerprint before chirping an "Access Granted." Another part of the console peeled back, the on and off buttons for the portal becoming visible. Vlad hit the on button.
The portal jumped to life. Several people stepped back, startled by its sudden disappearance. He smiled a charming, disarming smile at the lot of them. "Yes, it used to frighten me a bit as well, back in my college days when it was still in the prototype phase. It seems you get used to it with time. So, shall we go?"
There was a bit more fumbling around as everyone got ready and situated. The jetpacks were turned on so that they could start flying the second they got into the Ghost Zone. The Idiots in White apparently had more compact versions of the jetpacks installed into their shoes, so they flicked those on and hovered with practiced ease and refused to help the people who did not have such practice. Vlad was forced to handle the bunch of civilian adults struggling to familiarize themselves with ghost hunting technology.
He felt the Guys in White's calculating eyes on him the entire time.
When they were finally situated and not hitting their heads on ceilings, they took the plunge and flew through the portal. Vlad ignored the gasps of his team as they set their eyes on the Ghost Zone for the first time (well, besides Pariah Dark, but no one really counted that in the long run) and flew off in a seemingly random direction in order to begin their search. He had considered, for a while, bringing along a tracker in order to track Daniel's ecto signature and make finding the class easier, but had decided against it. Having a tracker would raise too many questions, like, how did he get it? Did he make it? There was only one little blip on it. Who, specifically, was he tracking?
Instead, he had opted to memorize the crash location. It had been several thousand yards away from the portal, just far enough that Vlad and his team would have to look a bit to find them, but close enough that it wasn't more than a ten-minute search. None of the ghosts bothered them, of course not, because he'd taken measures to ensure that any ghost that would have was properly dealt with. It was a smooth trip. He made sure to wander a bit, back and forth, pretend to be looking, all too aware of the unfriendly faces he had in his audience.
Finally, after pretending to be a bumbling idiot for several minutes, they approached the general location he left the class. If he remembered correctly, they should be just about-
Nowhere.
.
.
.
Fuck, sorry, I'm an hour and twenty minutes late with this :( I graduated high school this week, so that cut into my writing time. Still, I felt shitty about it, so I added two thousand more words to this chapter tonight to make up for it!
The plot's picking up some traction, everybody! Now that Vlad AND Valerie are in the Ghost Zone, what's going to happen? Who knows? Do I even know? Probably not!
On another note: Finally hit 50,000 words! That's like the length of a book. That's awesome, I'm so pumped!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Have a good week! And please review! They keep me going!
