I'm always glad to see so many new people aboard! Thank you for reading, reviewing, and putting me and this story on your assorted lists. This week, I offer you hot chocolate and baklava.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, The X-Men, Superman, or "U.S. News & World Report." Elves, trolls, and orcs are generic fantasy characters.
Chapter 10
Things settled down a bit. All of Danny's group appreciated the food they had been brought. Danny decided that fans could be useful, and that was probably a good thing.
After a couple of hot dogs and a soda (it was weird to have them for breakfast, but they were at a concert in the middle of nowhere, and it was free, so far be it from him to say 'no' to it), he found a quiet – or at least, a less noisy – place and decided to check in with the professor.
"Hello, Danny."
"Hey, there, Professor. As you can probably hear, we made it to Gothapalooza. We got the gem."
"Good work, Danny. Did you manage to stop somewhere for food?"
Danny put a hand on the back of his neck. "Not intentionally. However, the Goths gave the Mutants an awesome reception, and Magneto says we can afford to stay here for a bit."
Charles smiled. "And Erik is precisely right. You have been in nearly constant motion since you left Amity Park, and constantly under hostile circumstances. I would suggest that you rest, get something to eat, if you haven't already, and enjoy the concert for a few hours. The team of X-Men who are on their way to saving your parents expects to get there by about 1:30pm Central."
Danny sighed in relief. "That's great! So the pressure is off to hurry, but we still shouldn't take too long. I mean, the gems are activated by touch. The last one is the Gem of Fantasy. At a comic book, sci-fi, and fantasy convention… That could work out to be really cool or really dangerous."
"Indeed. And despite Erik's probable insistence that the likes of a gem-sponsored Superman, or an extra Elf, Troll, or Orc might not be a bad thing, it is one thing to pretend to be such a thing. We know all too well the consequences if such a thing became real beyond the moment."
Danny shivered as he thought of all the violence he had seen and been involved in since yesterday, the last day of school, and realized that it only rivaled the senseless violence of his own worst nightmare. "Yeah, we do."
"Get some rest, Danny. Perhaps noon is soon enough for you to continue your journey to San Diego."
"That works for me. 'Bye for now, Professor."
"Good-bye, Danny."
One inconvenience of holding captives that Freakshow hadn't anticipated was the need for food, drink, and bathroom breaks for his captives. After the 10:00am parade of individuals from the cages to the Port-a-Potty and hand sanitizers, he distributed the sandwiches and bottled water he had Lydia steal from nearby Oshkosh. These mundane details took the romance out of holding hostages for three days, and it was only Day 2. Or was it only Day 1? These minute details he hammered out as he discussed them with the Ghost Boy's sister.
This child argued captor's responsibilities to the captives. The adults… he felt no compunction to listen to them, as they clamored for freedom until they realized the futility of their situation. But the girl…
He felt an odd kinship with the child. She seemed to understand his longing to (dare he think it?) BE a ghost, at times.
He remembered his rant from the night before. He expressed his preoccupation with ghosts and commanding them to perform and entertain, which – until that ghost Danny Phantom destroyed the staff that GAVE him control of the minds of ghosts - was his family's trade. The girl mentioned her annoyance at her parents' profession and obsession.
The ringmaster opined, "My parents loved ghosts more than me. My audience loves ghosts more than me. And deep down, I think I love ghosts more than me."
She said, "Tell me about it."
They subconsciously chorused, "Sometimes, I wish I were a ghost."
The girl might resent him for keeping the children's parents captive, and he might have to kill them later, but for now, at least one human seemed to know where he was coming from. Come to think of it, he might spare… Jasmine was it?
Yes. Out of his captives and the insolent children who stole the Reality Gems, he might spare Jasmine once he became Ringmaster of All Reality. He couldn't think what he would do with her, but having her around might be useful.
Her odd notion of him having a serious case of 'ghost envy' was troubling, but perhaps she had something.
The captives were held in three bear cages, one to hold Jack, Maddie, and Jazz Fenton, one to hold Maurice and Angela Foley, and one to hold Jeremy and Pamela Manson. The bear cages were in line with each other, parallel to the train, about one car-length away. The Port-a-Potty stood at the Fenton end of the line of cages, and an industrial refrigerator and generator to power it were at the Manson end. The campfire was between the cages and the train, but closer to the cages. Jasmine's influence over the ringmaster's sense of responsibility showed itself once again.
But for now, once the bathroom break was over and lunch eaten, they were just passing time after 1:00pm. The hum from a distant vehicle was lost as Freakshow made some calculations of his own. He was planning to be king of the world, and Jasmine explained that the supply and demand of standard commerce had to continue. Still, if he controlled all reality, certain aspects of the laws of physics could take a vacation at his whim: loop-de-loop highways, boring, prosaic national monuments could be turned into circus rides, the possibilities were endless!
However, at 1:30pm, a black school bus drove through the meadow to mere yards away from his circus train. Curiosity held Freakshow back from any serious defense, as he would have sent Lydia to set something up at the return of the Guys in White. He did call her to his side, just in case.
The bus disgorged three very interesting people. One appeared to be an average-looking man who wore modern-looking sunglasses that were so opaque that it was impossible to determine the shape and color of his eyes. It was amusing to note that the lens (as there appeared to only be one) was rose-colored.
The woman was lithe but shapely, and she had dark skin and white hair. It was an unusual combination, but then again, it was no more unusual than the teenagers who usually made up his audience in Circus Gothica.
The third character gave him reason to pause. He was a rather large man, but he was blue and furry. He moved like a man, not like a ghost, though the only individuals Freakshow had known of that were blue were ghosts.
Quite logically, the ringmaster asked, "Who are you?"
All eyes were on the newcomers, but the Fentons recognized Dr. McCoy, who answered, "We are teachers in the school where these parents' children will attend summer session."
Pamela gasped, "But… but you're…"
Jack beamed delightedly. "Danny did say that Professor Xavier would send help in a pinch. He was right! We need help, and here you are!"
Freakshow stamped his feet as he shouted bitterly. "No, no, no! This is not how this is supposed to work! Phantom is to bring my gems, and… all of you… Mutants are interfering!"
Storm smiled as a breeze ruffled her white hair, and only her hair. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Lydia! Do something!"
The ghost frowned she set her tattoos into motion. Fifteen separate creatures separated from her body, hovering menacingly around the newcomers, screaming and howling, baring teeth, and were on the verge of darting forward to claw at their intended victims. However, Lydia hadn't anticipated the one with the rose-colored glasses shooting beams from his eyes and vaporizing whatever he hit.
The ghost narrowed her eyes, deciding that this was serious; simply harassing these people wasn't enough. She sent hordes of tattoo-creatures to distract, frighten, and even harm these people.
It was a clear afternoon, but clouds gathered, thunder sounded, and lightning struck other threatening formations of her tattoos.
It was now a race between how fast she could send forth the tattoos to harry the Mutants and how swiftly they could destroy the mini-menaces.
While this battle carried on, Freakshow tried to back away, deciding that these freaks were far more powerful than he was, and they weren't even ghosts. Dr. Henry McCoy displayed why he aptly carried the Mutant name Beast when he simply caught and overpowered the man and growled, "Give me the keys to the cages, and you get to maintain your good health."
The ringmaster looked to his faithful minion, who normally had no problem multi-tasking, but these Mutants – who he might otherwise have respected on principle – were overpowering Lydia.
He knew every trick of misdirection, as it came with the territory of capturing the attention of an audience, but this large man had outmaneuvered him. Freakshow's sense of self-preservation beat any instinct of showmanship he might have had. "The keys are on the desk in my sleeper car on the train."
Beast moved his hands from the man's shoulders to his forearms and held them behind his captive's back. "Then take me there."
Freakshow tried to slither out of the blue man's grasp, but the teacher just applied pressure. "Ow. Right, then." He led the Mutant to his desk. Hank not only put the key ring in his pocket, he took two of Freakshow's bowties and used them to bind his hands behind his back. He then took a spare vest, tore it into strips (with his bare hands – as annoyed as Freakshow was, he was impressed) and reinforced the binding for his hands. The Mutant pocketed the extra strips for leg bindings for later.
When they emerged, Lydia lay on the ground, unmoving. Her tattoos were back on her body as she recuperated from the drubbing she took.
"Cyclops, take care of this clown's legs. Storm, please take the keys." Hank threw her the key ring as Scott used his leg to knock Freakshow's legs out from under him. Hank tied the strips of the vest together to bind the demented ringmaster further. Between Hank and Scott, they tied the cretin's legs together, rendering him harmless.
Storm opened all three cages, and handed Pamela out a bit more gently. Mrs. Manson asked, "That… man said you were from Sam's summer school."
Ororo nodded. "Yes. Dr. McCoy, Scott Summers, and I are three teachers."
Pamela frowned. "But we were told it was a very exclusive school for the gifted."
Scott wandered back to where the parents, and who he figured had to be Jazz, were gathered. "Xavier's School for the Gifted is indeed a very exclusive school. The academics are first rate, and it would have made the ranking of high schools in 'U.S. News & World Report', but it is so exclusive, they might not have heard of it."
Angela asked, not belligerently but curiously, "What makes the school so very exclusive?"
Dr. McCoy answered. "The target audience of the school are Mutants. In addition to regular courses, enrichment learning, or remedial courses, if need be, our school offers resources to help practice with and develop powers. As far as Sam, Tucker, and Jasmine are concerned, the academics signed up for will be what they study, but they will also work as a team to practice fighting ghosts in a safe, controlled environment."
The Mansons wanted to argue, but they couldn't find the words.
Maurice cocked his head. "What about Danny?"
This man's care for his son's Mutant friend made Storm smile. "He will be doing all of that, but he will also focus on practicing with and developing his powers."
Jeremy wanted to retort, but thought better of insulting their saviors, and quite possibly their ride home. So he asked, much more softly than he originally intended, "So why were we never told? I mean, about the whole Mutant thing?"
Scott sighed. "Honestly? Whatever it is that your daughter wants out of the school has nothing to do with the fact that the school is a safe-haven for Mutants. Everything you were told about the school is true."
Storm wasn't sure she liked the Mansons. "Does it make such a big difference to you, now that you do know more about the school?"
Jeremy and Pamela shared a glance. While they were unhappy with the Mutants, as they gave an added level of weirdness to the ghost stuff with the Fentons, to respond negatively would go against their 'attitude of gratitude.'
Pamela covered her mouth with a white-gloved hand to hide her indignant moue. Then she sighed, resigned with her decision. "No, I guess it doesn't. As long as my Sammikins can take advantage of a top-notch education, then I suppose… the unexpected aspects of the school are irrelevant."
Maddie smiled. "I'm glad you figured that out. Otherwise, we would be having words, and you would not have enjoyed the experience." Pamela gulped.
Cheer brightened Maddie's visage as she turned to the beautiful woman who was one of the teachers. "So, we've met Dr. McCoy, and the other gentleman must be Mr. Summers. I didn't catch your name. I am Maddie Fenton, and you are…?"
This conversation lasted a few hours as they waited for Wolverine and Kurt to join them with the children.
Lydia sat up, somewhat recharged, and her refreshed tattoos produced a green screen that rotated around her until she disappeared.
Freakshow muttered, "The children have collected all three Reality Gems, not that this fact can help me as I am."
As Logan looked for a place to land the X-Jet, Danny looked out the window and cringed. There were billboards that flashed pictures of Danny in human form, soon replaced by images of him in ghost form, replaced yet again with the words, 'GHOST KID'S IDENTITY IS REVEALED', and then the cycle started over again.
Danny sighed sadly. "Now I know I'll never be able to hide using my secret identity again, unless I erase everyone's memory of the knowledge with the Reality Gauntlet."
Mystique was about to respond, but Magneto got there first. "But my Daniel, you should never have to hide. You are perfect as you are. Consider Mystique. She can look like, and sound like, anyone at any time. But look: she is never as magnificent in any form as she is right now." He rested an arm around her blue shoulders and gave her a squeeze.
Kurt wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. He had once suggested that Mystique use her talents to blend in with normal people. But the fact remained that on this issue, Magneto was correct. She was beautiful. When he didn't let standard prejudice cloud his judgment, he recognized that there was nothing wrong with her but her hateful attitude towards average humans.
Magneto continued. "And both of your forms are the real you. You shouldn't fear that the world knows. You should glory in it, as now they can appreciate you for who and what you are."
Tucker piped up. "Danny, you are a rock star. This is actually seriously cool. The kids at Casper High figured this out." He left out his speculation about Valerie, as she very well might NOT have reconciled her former grievances with Danny's ghost form. But then again, she might have. "The folks at Gothapalooza were all over this. And now… Just go with it."
Danny gave a half-smile. "If it weren't for the Guys in White, maybe I could."
Logan just smirked. The kid would get used to it. He landed in the park in front of the San Diego Convention Center. Once they passed the marina to get closer to the Convention Center, the group of them were noticed, but were entirely unremarkable, as the convention-goers wore all manner of costumes. There were people dressed up as little green aliens, fantasy creatures, and a preponderance of people dressed up as Danny's ghost form and like Sam.
A random teen took note of their group. "Dude, you guys have awesome costumes." He went on his way.
Sam snickered. "At Gothapalooza, they appreciated us for who we are. Here, it just works because of who they think we are pretending to be."
There were people who dressed in dark capes and helmets, or wore snug spandex and masks, or wore pointed ears. Kurt and Mystique won much acclaim for their appearances, but especially for not shedding oil, powder, or pigment if they were bumped into.
But with the distinct proliferation of Danny Phantom and Sam costumes, no one thought to dress like Tucker, who groused, "What? No Tuckers? Am I not geek worthy?"
John smirked. "I guess not."
"But that's not fair! I even come with gadgets!" Tucker took out his PDA and cell phone as a demonstration.
John raised an eyebrow. "Dude – you use gadgets. I make fireballs and otherwise control fire, and I get no attention, either. Shut up." He flicked his lighter to make his point.
Magneto was truly amused by the conventioneers. They might be normal humans, but it appeared their creativity knew no bounds.
Danny took a breath and observed, "So far, everything appears to be normal."
Sam scrunched her face incredulously. "How would you know?"
Danny ran a hand down his face. "You know what I mean. It doesn't look like anyone has activated the Gem of Fantasy."
They entered the main facility of the San Diego Convention Center that had a lobby/entrance hall that was so long, the opposite ends couldn't be seen, with all the people ambling through it. The vaulted ceiling curved in an elongated dome.
The long corridor was lined with booths, souvenir kiosks, and concession stands against the walls, as the various fans (who collectively called themselves "Fen") wandered from one pre-convention attraction to the next.
Logan put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Again, I put it to you, kid – how would you know? If Mutants besides us showed up, you could tell the difference between them and costumers under the influence… how?"
When a monster that appeared to be made out of crystal, a Samurai warrior with a distinctly Anime look about him, and a woman with wolfish claws and muzzle levitated above the crowd and started a panic, Danny pointed and exclaimed, "That's how!"
The three new villains landed in the center of the hall with a slam, causing the intelligent Fen to clear a space. They had no idea what these characters would do, but it would be interesting to watch their comic book characters that had come to life from the safety of a booth farther away than they used to be.
The Anime Samurai pointed his sword in Danny's direction, so the villain could face down a known hero, and shot a pink ray from the tip of the sword at him. Danny grabbed Sam and Tucker and dove four kiosk lengths out of the way, so the blast hit the ticket booth and destroyed it.
The crystal monster reached for Danny, who shot him with an ectoblast. The monster had the blue gem in his hand, and Danny's blast knocked it out of his grasp. The monster grabbed Danny and threw him past the information booth, fifteen kiosks down the hall, into a stand selling Danny Phantom comic books.
Danny landed on his back, with the comic books scattered around him. One landed open, over his face. He picked it up to see what it was, and he realized it was all about him. "Hey! I never approved of this!"
Tucker moved to pick up the gem, but Empress She-Wolf looked dangerous as she blocked his way.
The Anime Samurai grabbed the gem, and the newly empowered super villains took their brand of chaos outside.
Danny shouted, "After them!" Wolverine and Kurt took off after their quarry.
Magneto put a restraining hand on the boy's arm. "But why should we? These teens whom the gem affected are now newly minted Mutants."
Danny rolled his eyes. "No, Magneto. They're fantasy fans with delusions of grandeur. They are just playacting their fantasies. Once the concept of consequences hits them, they'll be mortified. Right now, we have to save them from themselves." With that, he turned intangible to slip out of Magneto's grasp, and flew out the door. Sam and Tucker followed.
John peered at Magneto. "Now what do we do?"
Mystique shrugged. "They seem to be newly formed Mutants who are asserting themselves. I don't see that anything special needs to be done."
Magneto tapped his chin. "I don't know. While I agree with you, my dear, I think it wise to be present when the third gem is collected. It seems to be in our best interest to save Daniel from his own aspirations. The Reality Gauntlet and its gems would be fantastic additions to our power base. At the very least, we should see if the boy is safe."
Once outside, the newly-minted villains skipped along the tops of at least fifteen street lamp poles (or simply flew the distance) down one of the larger thoroughfares in downtown San Diego, tauntingly causing the Mutants to give chase. They turned to face the heroes. This was what being a villain was all about!
Wolverine and Nightcrawler were simply glad that today was Saturday, so the regular volume of traffic was seriously diminished.
The Anime Samurai fired a pink blast at Kurt, who disappeared and reappeared on the top of a flagpole, so he could take stock of their new foes.
She-Wolf flew three blocks south and took a swipe at Logan with her claws, but he grabbed her wrists. "I don't think so, kid. And you won't try that one again, if you know what's good for you."
The crystal creature took aim as he considered running Logan down, but Danny flew up behind the creature, grabbed its foot, and tangled the kid in the ropes of Kurt's flagpole two blocks away.
The Anime Samurai took aim with his sword and flew at Wolverine. After extending his claws, Wolverine sliced the magic blade in half. The kid jerked back in surprise. Logan grinned. "If it's between my claws and a magic blade, adamantium will win every time."
Kurt noticed a glint from the 'warrior's' hand that didn't hold the hilt of his broken sword. Kurt teleported the half a block from his pole to where the warrior now stood, grabbed the gem from his hand, and tossed it to Danny.
Danny caught the gem and aimed it at the overpowered kids he dubbed 'the Legion of Super-Dweebs,' and all three returned to normal.
The She-Wolf wannabe said, with a slight lisp, "You guys are good." She looked closer at the guy who took down her friend in battle. "But you still have your blades," she observed.
Logan shook his head. "Unlike you, sweetheart, I can't put my toys away when playtime's over."
Danny rescued the poor kid trapped in the flagpole rigging. "Dude, you can't do stuff like that," he said as he removed the boy from his bonds by turning him intangible.
The kid dressed in blue shrugged one shoulder. "I know. But it was kinda cool while it lasted."
Danny rolled his eyes at the kid, deposited him on the sidewalk next to his fellow enthusiasts, and flew back to his friends and the X-Men, who stood on the side of the street closer to the Convention Center. Taking his Thermos from his utility belt, Danny smiled and uncapped the Thermos. "And that's number three. And Freakshow only has one! Now we just need to find our parents, and…"
Lydia appeared behind Danny, as she called back her ghostly tracking devices from Danny, Sam, and Tucker. She removed her hood and created a crowd of tiny green monsters with her regenerated tattoos.
John flicked his lighter, readying a fireball in his hand to aim at the green menaces when he could get a clean shot.
Magneto stepped closer to the Amity Park trio protectively, but the green crowd flew counter-clockwise in a circular pattern around the kids faster and faster until the tattoo creatures could only be seen as a green cloud, and then a whirlwind in which the little creatures were completely indistinguishable from each other, which expanded in seconds to be an opaque curtain, and then it winked out of sight with the green ghost and the teens enclosed by her curtain of tattoos.
"Damn!" Magneto whirled to look at the Mutants. His eyes narrowed as he gazed upon Mystique's child, who was fathered by Azazel, and the cretin with that marvelously malleable (for him, anyway) adamantium skeleton. "Do either of you have a clue of where that… ghost will have taken the children?"
Kurt furrowed his brows. "The professor mentioned a fallow field west of Oshkosh, Wisconsin."
"Take us there!" Magneto ordered Logan. "If either the ghost or the deranged ringmaster harms a single hair on Daniel's head, I will destroy both of them. Vlad Plasmius didn't give me much more than a hint of how, but…"
Logan waved a hand. "I get it, Magneto. But the kids won't be alone with that…" While Mystique wasn't much of a lady, John was still a kid, as were the three teens they just returned to reality, who were watching their conversation. He grimaced, censoring himself, and spat, "Circus clown."
Magneto fumed as he stalked towards the X-Jet. Mystique rolled her yellow eyes at Wolverine. "At least that's a relief. Charles and his team are still somewhat useful."
Logan glanced at Kurt, who narrowed his eyes in concentration, but the Elf's silence gave no hint of what he was so taken by. Smirking back at the woman, Logan quipped, "We try. It'll be 3½ hours from here to that field in Wisconsin. Let's go, before Magneto kills someone just 'cause he can."