Um...Heh heh, 6 months, eh? ^^;
Writer's Block.
"Whoa," Danny shivered, chills crawling up his spine.
"What?" Martin sat forward, leaning into the front of the Spectre Speeder. "Is something wrong with Danny?"
"What? Oh! No, he's fine."
Martin leaned back looking relieved, but faintly put out. Danny glanced at the blonde in the rearview mirror,
"Do you just…ever get the feeling that things just got ten times worse?"
0o0o
Dented Thermos in hand, she made her way up the tower of cells perched on the tiny floating island she called home. She flew up to the cell that held the only human she was currently interested in. If the ghost child didn't count as 'human' that is…
It took the two human females a moment to realize that she was there. They just kept on talking, for a moment, like the oblivious idiots she'd always believed them to be. Shewatched, with a satisfied smirk, the blue-ish, spectral tail of the brunette flick back and forth in an unconscious display of her agitation. Yes, she was coming along nicely. And she served as the perfect bait at the same time. Phantom had better hurry up if she was to have any chance of surviving.
Finally, the red-head noticed her floating there and shrieked, backpedaling uselessly as she floated in open...air. The brunette who shared her name whipped around with rather more success, and propelled herself backwards into the far wall of the cage. Her eyes went wide as she stared, and her hands flew up to cover her mouth, "Me?"
"Hello, humans."
"Who are you?" The slightly-less-than-human brunette demanded, clenching her fists.
"I am called Diana," she said, her sneer growing impossibly wide at the hopeless confusion of the humans' faces. "But that name no longer suits me. My sister took that role long ago. I became known as Demeter to another people. I prefer this second name; it suits me better!"
"Wait," the human frowned, "Diana and Demeter as in the Roman and Greek goddesses?"
"They called us gods," the ghost smirked, "Who were we to disagree?"
The red-head managed to move herself forward a few inches, "But then…why are you, like, kidnapping people, and stuff? I mean, what did I do!"
0o0o
The Centre director leaned forward, setting her elbows on the table and propping up her chin in her hands. Her face was set in a mask of cold calculation as her eyes raked the series of holographic screens set before her, studying the anomalous data displayed there.
The neural disruptor lay abandoned on the desk several inches away, not forgotten, but also not needed for the time being. She had been close to using it just a short while ago. Danny Fenton may not have been one of her agents, and he most certainly may have been on her 'suspicious' list, but he was still an innocent (at least until proven guilty) human being and therefore his safety was her responsibility.
When Phantom had possessed Fenton MOM had felt her finger twitch on the disrupter's trigger; there it was, the mistake she had been looking for. She was disappointed really. Having Phantom as an ally would have given the Centre a great opportunity to study ghosts (they had ridiculously little information), not mention, if the reports from Amity Park about him being a pro-human had turned out true, he could have made an excellent agent.
But possessing a human being like that, without provocation or even a good excuse (she didn't believe that bit about Fenton being sick at all), was something she could not and would not tolerate. It was only an unconscious glance at the transparent screens floating in front of her face that stopped her from activating the device.
Fenton's levels had stabilized. Physical and mental stress, brainwave fluctuations, body temperature, all had returned to normal levels, though his temperature was slightly below average. This information itself was not a bad thing since the readings had been approaching an uncomfortable level, but it was the situation that had MOM hesitating.
Possession was the forced physical control of a person's body, a mental subjugation of one's will. It should not have caused the reaction it had in Danny Fenton. His vitals should be rising, his mental activity increasing as he fought for control of himself again, even if, consciously, he had let Phantom in. His instinct for self-preservation should be to fight, not welcome the complete system overhaul.
MOM tapped out several commands to the false U-Watch on the holographic keyboard programmed into her desk, pausing for a moment to look through the Watch's screen as Phantom-Fenton once again steered the Spectre Speeder into the depths of the Ghost Zone. His eyes were faintly glowing green, the only sign that Fenton was not in control at the moment. The Centre director wondered if Phantom's possession of him would affect her results in any way. If it appeared so, she'd simply have to wait until he released the other Danny before trying again. She looked down at the keypad, and back at the screen, waiting for the right moment before selecting Initiate.
0o0o
"Ouch!" Danny flinched, instinctively twitching his arm in to his chest. He glanced at his wrist, or, more specifically, the Watch that was covering his wrist. Frowning at the slight digging sensation, he shook his arm out, steering around yet another door with his other hand, and half an eye on the Zone.
"What?" Martin sounded slightly exasperated this time, as he leaned into the front.
"Nothing," Danny said, "just…pinched my wrist or something."
"Are we there yet?"
Danny looked at the blinking red light that marked their destination, and then at the swirling green of the Ghost Zone. "Um…actually, yeah, I think so."
"Huh," Martin hopped awkwardly into the front seat, and turned to stare out the windshield, "Dark, creepy, ugly-looking floaty thing in the middle of nowhere? I'd say you're right."
Danny rolled his eyes even as he slowed the Speeder to a halt. "Martin, every ghost lair in this place is a 'dark, creepy, ugly-looking floaty thing in the middle of nowhere.'" He let intangibility take him and slipped into the back seat, "Now get back here, there's some things you need to know about how to use Fenton weapons."
0o0o
Valerie actually sighed with relief as the FentonWorks' doorbell rang. She bounded up the steps from the lab and across the living room before Maddie had even stepped out of the kitchen.
"Don't worry, Mrs. F, I got this." Valerie called over her shoulder as she grasped the door handle. She yanked the door open and stepped back. Sam Manson stepped over the threshold, amethyst eyes quickly scanning for either of the Fenton parents.
"So what's wrong with D-"
Valerie shook her head, holding her hand up as if to place it over Sam's mouth.
"Kitchen," she said quietly, with a significant glance in that direction. Sam nodded.
"Valerie? Who was it, dear?" Maddie poked her head around the door, "Oh, Sam! How wonderful to see you! It's been so long!"
"Hey Mrs. Fenton," Sam said with a practiced smile, "Sorry this isn't purely social. Valerie said she needed help with a project or something?"
"Oh! Well, don't let me keep you. I'm making fudge for Jack anyway. Call me if you need anything, though! And you're welcome to stay for dinner!"
"Thanks."
"We'll be in the lab, Mrs. F," Valerie said, motioning for Sam to follow her as Maddie ducked back into the kitchen.
The two girls walked leisurely back downstairs, trying to seem like they really were just planning to do a school project. Once on the lab tiles however Sam rounded on the part-time ghost hunter,
"Where's Danny? What's going on?"
Valerie elected not to answer right away. She activated her hunting suit and jumped onto the glider, then she extended a hand to the Goth.
"I'll explain on the way?"
Does Maddie seem too out of character? Or anyone else for that matter?