Okay, an important piece of news before we start on this update. I now have a story on Amazon for the Kindle that you can all buy and download. There is a link at the top of my profile page and the story is called "Dead Man Walking." It is an urban fantasy novel that involves wizards, zombies, and talking teddy bears. If you like my fanfiction, I suggest you buy it so you can enjoy my original work. And tell your friends about it. Tell your family. Tell your arch-enemies. Tell random strangers. Spread the word.
Thank you for your attention. Now we will return to our regularly scheduled program.
Jazz watched Valerie a moment as she angrily chewed one of the burgers, ripping it apart like it had personally offended her. Then, before she could take another bite, the red-head decided to dive right in.
"You know it's all right to be mad at him, right? Everyone else is."
"I know. I just don't want to work with him. He can't be trusted," Valerie muttered. "He'll turn on us the moment it's in his best interest."
She shrugged, "Possibly. Or he might have actually changed and want to make amends."
"What? How can you say that? Especially when the guy's been messing with your family the most out of everyone."
"Because someone has to consider the possibility," Jazz said. "After all, there's no good reason for him to have come back. Especially when something powerful and evil is about to start knocking on our front door. I don't trust the man, even if he's had less to do with me than anyone else in this family. But he may honestly want to help, even if it is dangerous and he might be killed in the process."
"Please," she rolled her eyes. "Give me one reason why I should believe he'd suddenly decide to turn over a new leaf and be friends with the people he hates the most."
The teenage met her gaze firmly and said, "You did."
That remark left Valerie silent. The dark-skinned girl eyes dropped and she stared down at her food. Jazz didn't know whether or not to believe Vlad's apparent reformation. It was possible, especially after something as life-changing as the events surrounding the Dis-asteroid. But it was equally possible that it was all part of some long-term scheme. But if there was even the slightest possibility that he wanted to be a better man, it would only work if he was given a chance. And since no one else in her entire family was willing to consider the possibility, Jazz had no choice but to be the open-minded one.
She wouldn't be able to make anyone else trust him. He'd have to do that himself. And she knew it would take a lot of work for anyone to trust Vlad after all he'd done. The best the red-head could hope to accomplish was that she might be able to keep someone from shooting the man's head off before he had the opportunity to show whether or not he truly wanted redemption. Maybe she could at least convince Valerie that working alongside the man, someone who betrayed everyone in the past, wasn't completely crazy.
The man did a lot of harm to a lot of people, but it wasn't that long ago Valerie was trying to shoot Danny out of the sky. People could change. And when the fate all humanity and all the ghosts were at stake, they couldn't exactly be picky when it came to teammates.
"We don't have to like him. We don't have to trust him. We don't even have to forgive him. No one is asking you to," she continued. "Just don't be so angry and stubborn that you can't work with him temporarily. Be open to the possibility that he might be telling the truth and actually want to change. Don't let your temper get the better of you. Just… keep an open-mind."
The red-head saw a rather thoughtful expression cross the teen's face at her words. She didn't know how much Valerie would accept about what she was saying. She certainly didn't expect the brunette to be best friends with the man. But she seemed to be considering Jazz's words. For now, maybe it would be enough. Maybe they could all work together without too many problems.
"Besides," said Jazz, trying to lighten the mood, "you and Skulker can compete to hunt him down after the current disaster is over."
There was a brief hesitation before Valerie smiled. Jazz could see a faintly-evil gleam in the girl's eyes, but she would take what she could get.
"That could be fun," she said.
"Okay, this is my spare PDA. Do not lose it," stated Tucker as he handed over his precious piece of technology to the tribe of yeti ghosts. "Or break it. Or freeze it solid."
"Do not be concerned, friend of the Great One," Frostbite assured. "We shall treat your device with caution and respect."
Danielle watched as the teenage boy nodded and said, "Good. An alarm will go off when we're ready for you and everyone else to show up. When you hear the signal, Wulf will slice a hole to the mall. He says he remembers where it is from when he was wandering Amity Park trying to track Danny for Walker."
She glanced at her furry companion. She'd like to hear the complete version of that story someday, but she'd managed to pick up the basics of what happened. And if she ever ran into that Walker person, Danielle decided she'd kick him in the face.
"That means he can tear a portal to the right spot," Tucker continued. "It also means Wulf will have to stay here for a little while. Sorry about that."
"It'll be fine," Danielle assured. "We can survive being split apart."
"I was apologizing to him," the boy corrected. "Frostbite's people are nice and he'd probably get along with Cujo. But he'll also be hanging around Klemper for a few hours…"
He looked towards the pajama-clad ghost with a small grimace. He was still cuddling his tiny and adorable puppy. Honestly, Danielle didn't see what the big deal with Klemper was. He was protective and nervous about his dog, but that didn't seem that bad. There was no reason that she could see that would make Wulf staying be a bad thing. Plus, maybe he could play with the puppy for a while before the battle against the supreme evil ghost could begin.
"It… okay," said Wulf in the fragments of English she'd been working to teach him."You go… I stay."
Smiling at her friend, the halfa floated over and wrapped her arms around his furry neck in a hug. She really liked the overgrown furball, ever since they met. Danny had Sam and Tucker while she had a werewolf-looking ghost who spoke gibberish, but it was nice having him around.
Leaving him behind even temporarily felt weird, but Danielle wouldn't admit it out loud. She had a reputation to maintain. She could take care of herself, even if Danny's family was planning to keep her. She didn't need anyone thinking that she wouldn't be all right without her friend. Still, she couldn't leave without saying something.
"Be careful," she said quietly.
"Bonŝancon, mia amiko," he responded before releasing the hug.
"Guess it'll just be the three of us on the trip back," remarked Sam, shrugging off the furry blanket reluctantly.
"Wulf, would you do the honors?" Tucker said, mirroring her action and handing the borrowed blankets back to Frostbite. "Let's go back somewhere warm."
The furry ghost nodded and extended his claws. Then with a quick motion, he tore through the dimensional barrier with practically no effort. Danielle smiled one last time at Wulf before joining the older teens in diving through the impromptu portal back to Danny's basement.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from the endless snow of the frozen wasteland of the Ghost Zone to the dim basement. Then, before she could greet her cousin or say anything about how their mission went, she froze. Standing there just a few feet away was someone she never expected. Someone she never wanted to see again. For a second, everything was in a state of stunned silence and she felt numb. Then, as an eruption of mixed emotions began to bubble up, she grabbed onto the first one that she recognized and shoved away the others. And the feeling she chose was rage.
The halfa launched herself at the man she once called "father," swinging a right fist at his face before anyone could react. She felt it impact, the momentum behind her strike ensuring that it made firm contact with her target. But she also felt a painful shock that repelled her. Thus, both of them were sent flying backwards from her attack. Danielle felt herself knock into something that yelped on impact. It didn't take a genius to realize she'd crashed into Tucker as she sent them both tumbling to the ground. All she cared about at the moment, however, was lashing out at Vlad some more.
"Time out," she heard Danny shout. "I can explain."
At the boy's words, Tucker's arms wrapped around the girl to keep her from attacking her target further. Danielle knew she could just phase through the octopus-like grip of the teen, but she forced herself to stay put. She wanted to punch Vlad again. She wanted to kick him, beat the stuffing out of him, blast him at full power, scream at him, beg him why she wasn't good enough… But Danny wanted her to stop. To wait until he explained. And as much as she wanted to lash out at the man, she trusted her cousin. Danny had to have a good reason for what was happening. She'd give him a minute and then she'd go back to attacking the man.
"Start talking, Danny, because I'm shooting him if he even twitches," stated Sam.
Danielle looked up to see the teenage girl aiming her wrist-mounted weapons at Vlad, who rubbed his jaw gingerly. She hoped it really hurt. The gathered ghosts seemed either uncomfortable (the princess and the black-and-white boy) or entertained (everyone else). Maddie and Jack were no longer looking at their science stuff and seemed to be on the verge of helping her beat up the man again. Good. She'd appreciate the back-up. Danny floated over the scene, annoyance clear on his face. And naturally most of it was directed at the older halfa.
The man glanced at the weapon directed at his head. He seemed rather unfazed by Sam's actions. Danielle hoped she would shoot him a few times.
"Samantha, you might be more threatening if you used something other than an ecto-based weapon. Thanks to the insistence of Daniel, I'm rather immune to them at the moment." He gestured towards the weird and ugly belt he was wearing. He glanced momentarily in Danielle's direction, which set her teeth on edge, "In fact, I'm surprised that punch even landed. The only thing I can figure is that the pure momentum of the swing was enough. It probably wouldn't have even hurt me except someone managed to hit the exact same spot with a previous punch." He looked back at Sam, "For now, ghosts and ecto-weapons are off the table."
"Fine. Of course, I'm human. I could always just aim a combat boot toward something vulnerable instead," the Goth teen retaliated.
"Why do you keep choosing such violent girlfriends, Daniel?" he asked, eyeing the combat boots in question rather carefully.
"Did you actually tell this fruit-loop we're dating or is he yet another person who figured it out on his own?" she growled.
"Hey," Tucker interrupted, never releasing his grip on the youngest halfa, "can someone explain why Vlad is back from space and in the basement instead of orbit? Because I feel like that's more important than whether or not he's up to speed on everyone's love life."
"Short version?" Danny said tensely. "He came back, offered to help, and Clockwork's advice means we can't just kick him to the curb."
No. No, no, no. He couldn't be serious. Danielle could see that her cousin wanted nothing more than to get rid of Vlad. But he was going to let him stay. She couldn't work with that man. She wanted nothing more than to be far, far away from him. She couldn't… She could only manage to hold onto her blind fury for so long before the other tangled emotions began to escape and ruin everything. And she'd rather stick with anger than deal with any of the others.
"He's been warned to be on his best behavior and he's stuck with the Specter Deflector until show time," he continued. "No one is happy so far, but beggars can't be choosers. We need everyone that we can scrape together."
She wanted to beg Danny to get rid of him. She wanted him to fix this mess. But he was right about them needing all the help possible. Danielle knew it, but she hated the fact he was back in her life. She wanted Vlad gone. He made everything horrible and complicated.
Then he made it worse. Vlad looked at her, his expression something almost apologetic.
"Danielle," the man said softly.
That was the last straw. The girl phased through the restraining arms before shifting instantly to her human shape. No longer a ghost, her punch to his face only hurt him this time as she yelled in wordless fury at the man. Her intention to beat him to a pulp, however, was interrupted once more as someone grabbed her and pulled her straight through the ceiling.
As everyone watched Vlad wince at the result of being punched in the face three times by rightfully-furious girls with serious grudges against him, someone gave off an impressed whistle.
"Is there anyone here that doesn't hate Plasmius?" asked Ember.
She fought against the grip, wanting to get back downstairs to hit him some more, but the arms wrapped in a tight hug around her never loosened. Danielle shrieked and struggled, but she didn't transform. As much as she wanted to escape, she wanted that protective and dependable presence holding her far more.
"Danny?" she heard voices call from nearby, but the girl ignored them.
She felt herself slowing down, her attempts to lash out weakening. Instead of trying to break free, she found herself returning the embrace. Her fingers dug into his costume. Danielle realized there were tears on her face. The girl refused to consider the idea she was crying. They were berserker tears. That was a thing, right? Getting mad enough for tears to form? She liked that explanation more than the alternative. That explanation didn't make her sound weak.
"I'm sorry," Danny's voice assured. "I'm sorry you came back to that."
"I hate him," she choked out. "I hate him. Why couldn't he stay away?"
"I know. I'm sorry, Danielle," he soothed.
"I'm guessing she ran into Vlad?" someone remarked from close by, causing the young halfa to abruptly release her desperate grip on her cousin and quickly wipe away any sign of tears.
"Valerie? When did you get here?" she asked, spotting the familiar face.
Danny had apparently phased them into the living room. Standing near the doorway to the kitchen was Valerie and Jazz wearing identical concerned expressions on their faces. On the one hand, Danielle didn't want to be pitied. On the other hand, she liked having more people who cared about her enough to worry.
When the female halfa nodded in response to the question, the older girls headed over ot the couch and gestured for her to join them. She only hesitated a moment before finding a spot on the cushion next to Valerie. Danny quickly sat on the other side of Danielle. Fitting all four of them on the couch wasn't exactly easy, but they managed somehow without shoving Jazz onto the floor or having to sit in anyone's lap. She wished Wulf was present too, but this wasn't too bad. The dark-haired girl rubbed the Danielle's head affectionately, clearly happy to have see her again.
"Did you get to punch him too?" Valerie asked.
"Twice," confirmed Danny. "I think she hit the same spot you did."
"Nice," she grinned.
"I feel that I should say something about how we shouldn't be fighting among ourselves, but he does kind of deserve it from Danielle," commented Jazz.
"He definitely deserved it," said Danny. "But we can't have Danielle beating him up all night."
"Why not?" she exploded, throwing her arms in the air. "I can't work with him. I hate him. He's horrible. He's cruel, manipulative, heartless, and awful. He used me like an oversized puppet and tossed me aside for the newest model. He tried to turn me into a puddle of goo for science. He's done so many horrible things. He lied. He said he cared about me…"
Her voice betrayed her, cracking as she fought against the return of tears. Danny looked at her with his glowing green eyes, somehow managing to apologize for everything that happened to her without saying a single word.
"He said he loved me, that I was his daughter… He just used me. I was just a stupid part of his stupid plan. I hate him because it hurts. I wanted him to be my dad. It hurts that he didn't want me, even if he's a horrible person."
Danielle couldn't help venting all her frustration, anger, and heartache. Besides Wulf, who else could she talk to about this stuff? She'd just been bottling it all up and ignoring it for a big chunk of her life since she learned the truth about Vlad. And after coming face to face with him so unexpectedly, she couldn't contain it anymore. The words just kept spilling out in a tangled and confusing mess that she could barely organize into sentences. And she definitely couldn't censor her thoughts enough to keep the worst parts hidden away.
"It hurts I was stupid enough to believe his lies. It isn't fair. I know he's a heartless jerk, but… part of me is so dumb… even after everything he's done, part of me is stupid enough to still love him. I hate it. I hate him. I hate that I still think of him as 'father' sometimes. He doesn't deserve to be called that. I know that. And I shouldn't care what he thinks or… or even if he still exists, but I do. And I hate him for making me feel like this and I don't know how to stop feeling like this. It's just a mess and I can take care of myself, but I don't know what to do. I want to hit him and kick him and knock his teeth out and ask him why I wasn't good enough to be his child all at the same time. But mostly hit him. It's so stupid. How can I be this stupid?"
"You're not stupid," all three of the teens shouted in unison.
The unified statement was enough to end the girl's rambling, but Danielle still thought it startled them more than it did her. All three blinked at each other, apparently trying to figure out who should speak now and what they should say. After what appeared to be a silent debate performed completely through the use of significant looks and shrugs, it seemed that Jazz was selected to be their representative in the conversation.
The red-head teen stated, "I know a lot of things about your life can't be called normal, but the feelings you're describing are." When Danielle opened her mouth to argue, Jazz held up a hand to stop. "Trust me. I know what I'm talking about. Forget about the cloning situation for a minute and look at the basics. Vlad raised you and your earliest memories are of him in a parental role, right? So it's perfectly natural to think of him as your father, regardless of what you learned about him or how he acted later. And because you viewed him as your father for a large portion of your life, it's normal to care about him and seek his approval. And those feelings won't disappear instantly just because he has betrayed your trust and harmed you with his actions. Your subconscious still sees him as your father even if you know your relationship with him has changed. It will take time for your emotions to stop reacting to him as a parental figure and there may even be a few lingering feelings that won't ever leave, but it isn't stupid to still love him even as you hate him for what he's done. As long as you don't blindly ignore his faults and actions because of those feelings, and understand what he did was wrong and that you deserve so much better, then you'll be perfectly okay. And remember that there are people who love you, support you, and want you to be safe and happy. We want you, Danielle. And if you need to talk, we'll listen."
The halfa girl had to admit; the red-head was good. She sorted out the tangle of conflicting emotions, rationalizing and explaining their existence in a way Danielle could never manage to put into worlds. The teen never dismissed or said those feelings were wrong. She said it was normal. She wasn't crazy or stupid because she couldn't banish all her past emotions about Vlad.
And then Jazz said that they wanted her, that they loved her. Those were words that made the girl feel warmer every time she heard them. She'd missed out on those kinds of reassurances over the course of most of her life or the times she did hear them would turn out to be lies. Danielle soaked in those words whenever she could. True and honest affections was something precious and the black-haired girl would never belittle their importance.
"Thanks," she said quietly, smiling slightly.
Then Danielle was swallowed up in an impromptu group hug. She was trapped in a tangle of arms so tight and warm that the girl was worrying that she'd have to phase through them in order to escape. But like the hug from Maddie earlier in the evening, Danielle didn't really want to end the embrace. She kind of liked being hugged by Danny, Jazz, and Valerie all at the same time.
"All right, girl," Valerie finally said, bringing the hug to an end, "now we need to focus on more important things than that jerk. Like the fact you're awake at this hour."
"Hey, it's not like I have a curfew or something," she complained.
"That'll probably change in the near future," muttered Jazz.
Danny shrugged, "We're fighting a super-strong, evil ghost tomorrow afternoon. I think all of us should get all the sleep we can."
"But I'm not tired," Danielle stated, stubbornly refusing to yawn.
"Yeah, but have you seen the time? It isn't even the middle of the night anymore. This is insanely-early-in-the-morning," Valerie pointed out. She gave the white-haired boy a thoughtful look, "Listen, since your house is packed full with random people already, how about Dani stays over at my place?"
"Really?" she asked, the idea of hanging out with Valerie and getting away from Vlad were equally tempting concepts.
"Sure," the older girl grinned. "It'll be like a slumber party."
Jazz pouted slightly, "But I wanted to have Danielle stay with us. I always wanted a little cousin. Or sister."
She couldn't help it. The young halfa started chuckling. After spending so much time thinking only Danny (and maybe Wulf) wanted her, she now had a couple of teenage girls fighting over who got to keep her. It was just hilarious to see the difference. All that was missing was Wulf growling protectively over her.
"Too bad. I saw her before you did, Jazz. I have dibs on Danielle," declared Valerie smugly, crossing her arms in an obvious (and successful) attempt to make the young girl laugh more.
"But she's my cousin and I saw her first," Danny commented, a smile threatening to break across his mock serious face. "Shouldn't I win the tug-a-war then?"
"Nope," the dark-skinned girl said before scooping up the laughing halfa in her arms. "Because I'm kidnapping her. Come on, Danielle. We'll call them later."
All thoughts about Vlad and the confusing emotional reactions his presence caused were completely banished as Valerie ran out the door with her captive companion laughing too hard to escape. Danielle could barely manage to wave at a chuckling Danny as the older girl summoned both her battle suit and hover board and took to the sky.
He knew it wasn't going to be easy when he decided to return. Vlad knew that he'd caused too much harm for anyone to trust him. He knew that many of his past mistakes would be thrown into his face and he'd be forced to answer for what he'd done. He thought he was prepared for what he would have to deal with, but it would seem that he was wrong.
Valerie throwing a punch to his face had been a definite surprise. He didn't expect her to have buried the hatchet with Danny, but it wasn't that shocking upon reflection. Especially since Danny Phantom's secret identity was no longer a secret. And at least she wasn't wearing her suit at the time and being half ghost did make it easier to recover from many injuries, so there wouldn't be a bruise. While he certainly owed the young lady a few apologies for using her for his own agenda (though he did provide her with the tools to do what she wanted, so maybe that balanced things out a little), there were plenty of people with far greater grievances that he would prefer to deal with first.
The bigger shock was the arrival of Danielle. He didn't even know where to start with that mess. If anyone deserved to hate him more than Danny, Jack, and Maddie for his actions, it was her.
Cloning Danny was a foolish attempt to force things to happen. Vlad wanted Danny as his son, no matter the cost. So he decided that since the boy was too stubborn to willingly make the smart choice and brainwashing wasn't reliable enough, he'd just make a perfect son. Granted, cloning people wasn't exactly his field of study in college, but he never let a little thing like a lack of knowledge get in his way. Besides, after a couple of decades as someone half ghost, he was the closest thing to an expert on their unique makeup at the time.
It didn't take him long to discover the pros and cons of attempting to clone a half-human, half-ghost hybrid. The instability of the genetic and molecular structure made it easier to tweak the physical appearance of the clones so they could be aged faster. Otherwise, he'd be left with an infant Danny rather than the one he desired. Aging was a complicated issue for ghosts, changing due to their self-image and stress rather than the mere passage of time, but Vlad had long since determined his human half still controlled his own rate of aging for the most part. But with his clones, he could "trick" them into maturing faster.
The biggest problem with cloning Danny was that the same instability that allowed him to accelerate their aging temporarily also made them… unstable. Their minds and bodies were prone to collapse, incorrect development, and always dissolved into ectoplasm. It took several attempts before Vlad could even create one that survived more than an hour. Apparently human DNA and ectoplasm doesn't mix well into viable structures. In hindsight, it was a miracle that he and Danny survived to become stable beings since even using samples of the boy's DNA was resulting in disaster. The DNA kept mutating during the process of recreating the half-ghost hybrid. But with each attempt, he came closer to success with his insane plan of replacing Danny with a perfect copy who would serve as the ideal son. Each imperfect and failed clone served as another stepping stone to his goal.
Which led to Danielle. She was the result of the ectoplasm-permeated DNA reacting in yet another unexpected way. Instead of bulking up the clone, creating extra limbs, dissolving the skin, rearranging the organs so that some were on the outside, or causing the limbs become malformed, the Y chromosome was dissolved while the X multiplied. It was an odd event, but no more so than any of the other changes to the genetic makeup he'd witnessed in his attempts. What was interesting was how she was self-aware, showing more intelligence and will power than the previous clones. But in his selfish and foolish pursuit of his goal, he did not really notice or appreciate that she was a real person who could be an actual daughter for him. Instead, he merely saw her as progress towards his desired clone of Danny and yet another tool he could use.
That was one of his greatest and cruelest problems in the past. He saw the world as a giant chessboard and everyone were pieces to manipulate. They were tools he could use to further his goals. They were puppets and he was the one pulling the strings. All that mattered was getting exactly what he wanted, what he thought he deserved in life, and anyone else existed to be used or disposed of when it served him best. That selfish view of the world was one that destroyed his life. Vlad could no more be that man any longer than he could reverse the flow of time. He was no longer that person.
But the damage was long since done. He treated a girl who could have been the family he'd always lacked as if she was a cheap and disposable asset. Because he saw her only as a means to an end, he was cruel and heartless to her. He nearly killed her with his actions because he just couldn't see that she was special, that she was a child he could have raised and he could have found contentment. But like everything else in his life, he ruined and destroyed that chance. She deserved better.
Now she was back, upstairs and furious with him. She was with Danny, which meant she would undoubtedly be fighting Ammit. Even if someone tried to force her to stay away from danger, she was too stubborn for that. No one could make her do something she didn't want to. Vlad knew that fact very well. She was yet another soul Vlad couldn't stand to see die. He'd failed the girl in so many ways, so many times. No wonder she hated him. After all he'd done, Danielle had no obligations to him. He, on the other hand, needed to ensure she survived the coming battle. He could do that much right at least.
There was a plan. It was even a decent plan. Vlad hadn't expected that when he returned to Earth, but he wasn't going to complain about a bit of good fortune. They might actually stand a chance if they were very, very lucky. Of course, Vlad knew death was still a strong possibility, even with the interesting collection of allies and the weapon meant to destroy ghosts that was currently being designed. The threat posed by Ammit was too high for him to hope everyone would escape unscathed.
But Vlad Masters would protect them, no matter how much they rightfully distrusted him and hated him. That was why he even came back from space. Maddie, Jack, Danny, Jazz, and now Danielle. He would make sure that, somehow, they would survive. He knew that even if he managed to succeed his self-appointed goal, he wouldn't be forgiven for his past. He didn't expect or deserve it. And he knew that they would not thank him if they survived Ammit's attack.
Mostly because he did not expect to be alive by that point.
"I still think that Danny's crazy to let you crawl back into our lives," muttered Sam, pulling Vlad's attention back to the numerous death glares directed towards him by all the humans and a few of the ghosts in the room.
"To be honest, I'm quite surprised myself. Especially since I was unaware of how much he had shared with his parents," he confessed.
"You mean like how you used to beat up our son in regular fights and you decided to clone him when he refused to be loyal to you?" snapped Maddie.
Flinching slightly at her tone, he said, "Yes, such as that."
"We heard a little about the story. It was a real drag," the black-and-white ghost commented from the corner where he floated with the girl ghost in a dress. "I'm not surprised the doll flipped out on you."
"Clone a kid and nearly kill her because she wasn't an exact copy of Phantom? Yeah, I'd encourage her to rebel against her dad like that," added the musical ghost.
"Too bad Wulf isn't here," Sam commented, studying the Fenton Wrist Rays strapped to her arm. "He'd probably try to rip your face off, even with the Specter Deflector on. He's pretty fond of her."
"I'm sensing some real hostility, Samantha," Vlad remarked dryly, years of habit at being in control of the situation overriding his intentions to make amends. "Is there a reason why you in particular are having such difficulties with me offering assistance?"
"After watching you run around trying to destroy everyone's lives in a petty attempt to make you happy while still making it seem like you were a nice guy really annoyed me," she said. "It's kind of nice that we don't have to pretend anymore. You're a heartless monster and you made Danny's life miserable for way too long."
"This is rather entertaining. Perhaps we should find some popcorn," Skulker commented before the blue-haired ghost jabbed her elbow into his chest.
Vlad stared at the girl carefully. He'd studied Danny's friends during the course of their enemy relationship. He knew that she was sort of a hippie activist, but he also knew that she assisted Danny during his battles against aggressive ghosts. He'd wondered at times if they were dating or if they were still in denial because it was obvious that they had feelings for each other, especially in the time shortly before the Dis-asteroid. Now that they were obviously dating officially, she'd apparently become even more protective of Danny. Which explained why she was reacting so badly to Vlad's presence.
Perhaps their relationship would be better than his attempts to win over Maddie. He hoped so. They deserved to have happiness.
"I am fully aware of exactly how much damage I caused," stated Vlad.
"I highly doubt it, Masters," muttered Jack, not even looking up from his work.
Yeah, that still hit him harder than he expected. He never imagined that he would manage to make Jack hate him. The amount of venom in his tone and how coldly he now spoke to Vlad was a little disconcerting. After being annoyed by and hating the man for so long, he now missed the days where Jack acted like they were best friends. He missed the familiarity of it.
"Well, Danielle headed to spend the night with Valerie," remarked Danny as he flew down the stairs. "She'll be all right, but I definitely suggest keeping the girls away from him tomorrow." He gave Vlad a stern glare, "If you even think about going near Danielle, I'll stuff you in the thermos with Undergrowth. And I don't care how tough you are, I'll knock you back into orbit if you do anything to hurt her ever again. Understand?"
He held his hands up in surrender, "I wouldn't dream of it, Daniel. You've made your feelings about her well-being quite clear in the past. I didn't even intend to upset her this time."
The white-haired boy looked like he wanted to say more, but he thankfully let the matter drop. He was glad he didn't have to deal with his past mistakes anymore for the moment. He'd faced enough guilt during his time in space, contemplating all that he'd done that destroyed his life. Anything they might say was something he'd long since realized and regretted.
"Sam, Tucker, there's food upstairs in the kitchen if you're hungry," the boy said finally. "Interested?"
"You bought my salad?" the girl asked, receiving a nod. "I guess a little food couldn't hurt."
"Maybe later," the bespectacled boy shrugged, poking at his PDA. "I've got stuff to do."
"Sure thing, Tuck," Danny said. "Don't stay up too late with your technology. We've got to get some sleep before Ammit shows up."
"Make sure you fall your own advice, dude," he nodded.
"And who'll keep an eye on him while we're busy?" asked Sam, gesturing at Vlad.
Skulker grinned with far more malice at the man than someone that used to supply weapons to the hunter ghost should receive. Apparently the loss of all resources and ability to outfit a hunter with firepower was enough to dismiss all past loyalty. He missed having the capabilities to bribe other ghosts to help him out.
"Guarding Plasmius is my job for the moment," he said. "If he causes any trouble, then I get a nice trophy to hang on my wall."
"Not planning to toss his pelt on your bed?" smirked Danny.
"No, Ghost Child," replied the hunter. "That's reserved for you."
"Joy," he said in deadpan tone.
Fighting back a yawn, Tucker went over the list of preparations on his PDA. He didn't want to forget anything. Everyone else needed to focus on the upcoming battle, big-picture issues, and the whole "no one wants to work with or trust Vlad" issue. But someone needed to handle logistics and manage the available resources. Someone needed to keep the population safe and under control. Someone needed to be Mission Control once it began.
He'd already arranged Ghost Drills for the schools to take place in the morning. He'd called to arrange people to set up huge flat-screen televisions sets in the Casper High gym, the food court at the mall, and the lobby of Axion Labs while also having them wire a direct connection to his computer so he could deliver announcements and instructions to the emergency locations. He was also having them wire in surround-sound speakers and ordered his assistant, Vicky, to take his copy of a certain song to be replicated and dispersed to those three locations. He'd considered arranging for the speakers to be placed all throughout the city, but the time and monetary cost could be better spent on another aspect of his preparations. So he limited the speakers to the areas that would be protected by ghost shields. Finally, he'd sent a message to the closest 24-hour electronic store and practically confiscated half their stock, having it delivered to the Fenton garage. That last one was where most of his "emergency situation" budget went.
As Mayor Foley, he'd done all he could currently do to ensure the safety of his hometown. As Tucker Foley, resident techno-geek with access to both the numerous wonders of an electronic store and a technopathic ghost, he was just getting started.
Making sure that the weapon-creating team was still on the planning stage, he borrowed one of Sam's Fenton Phones she used as earrings. Then, fighting yet another yawn that threatened to overwhelm him, Tucker poked Technus in the back.
The floating calculators and diagrams scattered around the specter like a strange and geeky nest were knocked down in surprise as the ghost spun around to face the boy. Even with the square shades hiding his eyes from sight, Tucker could see a brief moment of pure confusion at the human's presence. The boy knew the feeling, getting so drawn into a project or pastime that you forget about the rest of the world. But that moment of confusion quickly passed only to be replaced by annoyance with the interruption.
"Can't you see that I, Technus, am busy at the moment?" he shouted dramatically, gesturing at the formulas and equations that he and the Fentons were producing at relatively high speed.
"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton can handle the designing for a little while," said Tucker. "I need your expertise and unique skills. No one else can do it. Especially not in the time we have."
A little flattery and the hint of a challenge was enough to pique the ghost's interest, so the boy led Technus out of the basement. Let no one say that Tucker Foley didn't know how to motivate a fellow fan of technology.
"When Ammit shows up tomorrow, we'll need to be organized. Someone needs to be able to keep an eye on everything that's happening and be able to relay that information to whoever needs it. Otherwise we could be outmaneuvered, trapped, tricked, or simply killed off one at a time," Tucker summarized. "It might also allow us to spot patterns or weak spots. That's where you come in."
Technus, listening with clear interest, tilted his head to one side and raised an eyebrow, "What do you have in mind?"
"We need a network of mobile cameras that can feedback information to a central headquarters where I can manage things," he described, looking through the list of requirements he'd recorded on his PDA. "Flying cameras would be best since most ghost fights are airborne. And if you can add speakers, that would be great. But not necessary. They need to be able to target important aspects of the battle without input, but I'll need to also be able to directly control any of them if needed." He held up the Fenton Phone. "I'll also need lots of these, enough for everyone to wear one. That way, everyone can hear and be heard. It'll keep everything coordinated, maintain contact with the rest of the group, and it'll let someone call for help if things start going bad. Finally, I need a control center for me to operate from. I'll be managing the cameras, the Fenton Phones, a trio of television across the city I'll probably need to broadcast to at some point, and maybe a way to hack into the local news stations."
The green-skinned ghost stared as the boy finished reciting his list of requirements. He knew it was a lot to ask. It would take a normal team of people days to possibly produce what Tucker needed, especially without access to a specialized assembly line to manufacture the objects. But that was why he needed Technus. The ghost could build high-tech creations quickly and without all the appropriate parts simply by using ectoplasmic energy to force it to work the way he wanted. Ghost powers were like the ultimate cheat code.
"Well, you certainly have a long list, boy," commented the ghost awkwardly.
"Nothing too complicated for your skills, right?" Tucker smirked. "You are the Master of Technology last time I checked."
Bristling at the insinuation that the ghost couldn't do what the boy needed, he shouted, "Your meager toys are barely challenges for I, Technus: Master of All Things Beeping and Electronic. But even a great genius of my caliber and funky-fresh skills cannot create something out of nothing. I need at least most of the correct pieces of technology to construct what you ask. I need a solid and high-tech foundation to build on."
"I thought you might say something like that," remarked Tucker before opening the garage and revealing the freshly-delivered boxes of supplies.
The grin that spread across the ghost's face was about two-thirds childish glee at having technology to play with and one-third evil inspiration from the depths of his genius. Tucker wondered if he looked like that when he bought a new PDA or upgraded his software. A glow surrounded the high-tech objects as they floated out of the box and began to orbit the cackling ghost.
"Ahahahahaha! Stand back, my hip little friend, while I show you how a real radical dude gets the job done."
Tucker quickly added a note to his PDA to tell Technus to cut back on the slang. Assuming they survived the coming battle long enough for him to do so.
There was a building ahead. He found that interesting because it wasn't abandoned like the other locations Ammit had passed. Instead, it appeared to be filled with many trapped and terrified ghosts. It took a moment to realize that he was approaching a prison. Instantly, he dismissed the possibility of finding an entertaining foe within those walls. If they were so weak that they could not escape, then they would undoubtedly fall to him in seconds. He'd kill them regardless of how boring it would be, but it didn't lessen his disappointment.
Then Ammit saw figures floating in formation, standing against the approaching shadows. How intriguing…
Most were similar to each other. Green skin, red eyes, and wearing uniforms. And they were afraid. They were definitely afraid of him. But they were also loyal to someone, loyal enough to face certain destruction at their orders. Perhaps a worthy foe?
In front of the gathered guards was a ghost, his face and clothes as white as bleached bone while wearing a strange hat as black as the approaching darkness that surrounded Ammit. The ghost floated there, his glowing green eyes unyielding and unrelenting. He did not care that he faced destruction. He would not bend or waver in his choices.
"This area of the Ghost Zone is off-limits to unauthorized persons," the white specter announced. "By approaching my prison, you are breaking the rules."
Ammit grinned. Yes, this might be worth a few minutes of entertainment if he was careful to drag things out. The tendrils of darkness lashed out at the waiting ghosts and the slaughter began.
Yeah, not a cheerful chapter for Danielle. Let's face it. She's had a pretty crummy life so far. Vlad isn't going to win any Father Of The Year awards anytime soon and she's missed out on a lot of consistent love and reassurance. And even if she's physically, mentally, and emotionally about twelve years old, she's actually really young. I think she's entitled to the occasion freak out when unexpectantly confronted with the idea of teaming up with her not-so-great father figure who nearly reduced her to ectoplasmic goop in the past.
As for Vlad, yeah… He's not really planning to survive the coming battle. He figured coming back to Earth when Ammit was coming was a suicidal move and just because they have a plan doesn't mean he's that hopeful about his chances. It isn't like he has much to live for anymore. He destroyed everything with his actions at the end of "Phantom Planet." So he's resigned to the idea of going out in a blaze of glory making sure the Fenton family is safe to make up for some of the damage he caused.
Behold, Tucker demonstrating exactly why someone in high school is able to be mayor of the most haunted city in the world. Through the use of various preparations, careful planning, and technology, he can get ready for the coming storm.
Once again, go and buy my book. There's a link on my profile. You can buy it for the Kindle or download the Kindle app thing for your smartphone. You can probably even download it on your iPad or other computer things. Just go out and support my original piece of fiction, please. Reviews are nice (and I always appreciate them), but fanfiction doesn't pay the bills.