Disclaimer: To quote twilightgal, I do not own Danny, the "sexy delicious complete idiot";)
Metanoia
Chapter 10
"Where have you really been?" Valerie Gray asked her best friend, the moment they were out of Lancer's line of vision.
"You just overslept again, didn't you?" Tucker grinned, interjecting before Danny could reply.
"Uh, yeah. Kind of." Danny rubbed the back of his neck, visibly relieved. He couldn't believe that Lancer had let him off without a detention.
He grimaced, stopping to massage his shin where he had tripped over Dash's chair. He had never been this clumsy for years. Amity High seemed to be reawakening old habits and demeanors that he thought he had left behind for good, especially after being subjected to Vlad's constant cognitive drilling to always be aware of his surroundings at all times.
Owing to his abnormally rapid healing abilities, the bruise itself would be gone by lunch, but Danny could not fight the sinking feeling that spending so much time in a normal, safe environment without having to exert himself daily was making him complacent. Perhaps his benefactor was not merely being strict when he insisted Danny continued to upkeep his training.
"You okay?" Valerie laughed, snapping him out of his reverie.
"Yeah." Danny grinned sheepishly in reply. "I'm fine."
Sam laughed and shook her head, and Danny was glad to see that the ghost attack had not fazed her at all.
Danny silently observed the Goth before him, subtly checking her lithe form for injury. He curled his hands into fists, enraged to notice the beginnings of a faint purple bruise forming at the base of her jawline where Skulker had threatened to strangle her.
But apart from that single injury, there was no other visible evidence that she had been attacked. She still carried herself with the same dignified demeanor that she always did, and if Danny had not just witnessed her being attacked, he never would have guessed she had just fallen victim to one of Skulker's interrogations.
He turned his gaze to Valerie, inspecting his best friend for injury, although less intensely than he had surveyed Sam. The Red Hunter didn't need looking after.
"What about you two?" Tucker asked, redirecting the conversation towards the girls. "Were you really attacked?"
"I was." Sam grimaced, barely stopping herself from massaging her tender jaw in response.
Her best friend's eyes widened in concern. "What happened?"
The Goth shrugged, unable to explain the true reason for the attack in the presence of Danny and Valerie, who were unaware of her acquaintance with Phantom. "Invisio-Bill and the Red Hunter saved me."
"Seriously?" Tucker demanded, disbelief evident on his features. "Did they talk to you?"
"A little." Sam replied noncommittally.
"What was the Red Hunter like?" The techno geek pressed. "Tell me everything."
"We didn't talk for that long." Sam rolled her eyes, exasperated. "She just stuck around long enough to make a few passing comments."
"What did they say to you?" Danny queried, confused by Sam's dismissive attitude towards his alias.
"Is she single?" Tucker interrogated, butting in, the fervor of his query surprising Valerie.
"No idea." Sam conceded. "But I know for a fact she's not going out with Invisio-Bill."
"Yes!" Tucker punched the air in some manner of ill conceived victory dance, raising a laugh from Danny and strange looks from several of his peers in the hallway.
"You're pathetic." Valerie Gray snorted, shaking her head.
Tucker opened his mouth, about to retaliate with what would have been an undoubtedly witty reply, when his best friend interjected.
"We're still going to your hotel room this afternoon, aren't we?" Sam asked, determined to uncover the true reason for his secrecy that afternoon.
"Uh, yeah." Danny replied, surprised that Sam had remembered.
He had been bemused to say the least when his friends had suddenly requested to see his living quarters. The trio usually hung out in Sam's house after school, due to its large size. Their newfound interest in his hotel room was strange to say the least. If anyone else had asked to see his room, Danny would have been suspicious about their true motives. But Sam and Tucker were two of his best friends, and they knew nothing about his or Valerie's government involvement.
Thankfully, he had hidden all incriminating weapons, training equipment and containment devices in the wall of his suite recently to allow room service to tidy it up, or so he hoped. Even with intangibility, he didn't trust himself not to forget to conceal all his equipment.
"Great." Tucker grinned as they parted ways. "See you after school."
Valerie laughed. She waved after them as they doubled back towards their registration classroom after retrieving their books. "Your friends are cute."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it's not just Tucker you're referring to?"
"Idiot." The ghost hunter retaliated by shoving him hard on the arm. "I was just saying that I wish we had been friends in freshman year." Her expression softened. "Everything could have been so different."
"Yeah." Danny sighed. "It could have."
"I went patrolling with Phantom this morning." Valerie informed, grinning.
"So I gathered from Sam." Danny replied. "I thought you two didn't get along."
"We do now." His best friend shrugged. "He's less of a dick than he used to be."
"Maybe all you needed to do was give him a chance." Vlad's protégé suggested.
"Maybe," the ghost hunter mused, as they seated themselves at their desks, oblivious to the disapproving look Lancer cast in their direction for their once again tardy arrival.
Danny grinned at his best friend as he took his seat. He was glad that Phantom's relationship with the Red Hunter seemed to be steadily improving, with their newfound banter replacing the heavy insults he used to be subjected to during missions.
He was grateful that Valerie had chosen to re-examine her opinions on his alter ego. It felt as though Phantom and the Red Hunter finally understood each other.
Hopefully, he would soon be able to reveal Phantom's identity to his best friend. No one deserved to know more than Valerie. His trust in her was absolute. Phantom would place his life in Valerie Gray's hands. It was time the Red Hunter realised that she could do the same with Danny Fenton, despite how weak and pathetic she perceived him to be.
Danny winced as the shrill squeaking of Lancer's board marker against the white board interrupted his line of thought. The agent glanced up to the front of the classroom, and was surprised to notice that he vaguely recognised the majority of the mathematical operators the vice principal had scrawled on the board. Perhaps he was finally catching up with the schoolwork he had missed when he had left school during freshman year.
The ghost hunter sighed as the leaden atmosphere of boredom in the classroom slowly permeated his being, his previously optimistic attitude replaced by one of dull tedium. He fumbled through the textbook exercises Lancer had assigned, berating himself for not paying more attention during the previous lesson. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing.
Danny had never been bored in Wisconsin Castle. Vlad always had something for him to do, whether it was a field mission for Phantom, a new training regime, or merely a tutoring session on cryptology. After three years of being out of the education system and working on field missions, the sheltered world of school life seemed surreal, even pointless. Casper High was hardly an accurate microcosm of the real world.
With nothing remotely interesting to occupy his attention, he found his thoughts returning for the nth time in days to Samantha Manson. In his brief encounter with Sam, she had once again managed to throw him off completely. He had been under the impression that his exchange with Sam as Phantom had gone well, since she had accepted his apology. Now, he wasn't so sure.
What he could not understand was her refusal to discuss Phantom in front of him. While he known all along that a relationship between them would never work, he had hoped that Sam would reciprocate his feelings. Obviously that was not the case. Maybe Sam had told Tucker about the kiss, and for some reason had decided to hide her involvement with Phantom from him.
Perhaps she thought that he would be jealous of Phantom, and did not want to hurt his feelings. Danny frowned, spinning the pen between his fingertips with practiced ease. But he had never given her the slightest indication whatsoever that Danny Fenton was interested in her.
Danny still couldn't believe that he had kissed Sam as Phantom, when he had known all along that pursuing a relationship with her would be a huge encumbrance to the mission, especially since Vlad's allowance of a week's rest to save him from suspension was almost up.
Why had he told her that Phantom would see her later? It had been beyond stupid on his part. He had intended to apologise to her, and leave it matters as they were. Vlad would be livid if he ever found out.
The ghost hunter frowned, surprised that he genuinely wanted to see her again as Phantom. What excuse would he be able to fabricate to justify seeing her again? Perhaps another ghost attack-
He suppressed the urge to swear as he felt the familiar, slight shudder sweeping his form. Putting a hand over his mouth, he faked a yawn, concealing his frosty breath from the others in the classroom.
He surreptitiously glanced in Valerie's direction, checking to see if she was already aware of the spectral threat. If not, she was sure to be alerted soon. His ghost sense almost always went off before her equipment did. Hopefully she would incapacitate the threat before anyone got hurt.
Danny shook his head, annoyed at himself. The Red Hunter had proven herself countless times to be an extraordinary ghost hunter. Hadn't the incident with the spectral dragon convinced him not to meddle in the duty of other ghost hunters?
He suppressed a sigh of relief as his best friend suddenly stiffened, a familiar look of determination crossing her features as she caught his eye.
"Cover for me." She mouthed, her lips moving so slightly that if Danny hadn't known what she was about to say anyway, he would have altogether missed the exchange.
Danny nodded, as he allowed understanding to permeate his features.
Valerie's gaze softened, relieved that he had got the message. Pushing soft curls of dark hair out of her face, she raised her hand to get Lancer's attention.
"Yes, Miss Gray?" Lancer asked, not bothering to hide his irritation that the lesson had been interrupted.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" The ghost hunter inquired, and Danny knew that adrenaline was already pumping through her veins, preparing her for combat.
"If you must," the vice principal conceded through gritted teeth.
He watched his best friend rise in a deceptively composed fashion as she made her way to the classroom door. She shut it behind her, and Danny's enhanced hearing sensed the soft, rapid padding of ballet pumps on the corridor floor as the ghost hunter sprinted through the hall.
He was not unduly worried. The Red Hunter had yet to be defeated in battle. He was far more concerned for the well being of his peers in the classroom, especially since the school's ghost alarm had yet to sound.
Danny ran a hand through his messy raven hair, as he waited expectantly for the oscillating wail of the school's alarm system. He frowned. Perhaps when he left Amity Park he would request that Vlad installed a new ghost alarm for Casper High. The delayed warning could cause someone to get hurt.
A wave of relief washed over him when the alarm finally sounded, as he released a breath he had not realised he had been holding. Some of his classmates started, caught by surprise.
The look on Lancer's face was one of pure ire, as he led the students from the classroom. The teacher was obviously more upset that his lesson had been interrupted than the fact that ghosts had once again attacked the school.
Danny shook his head. Typical Lancer.
The ghost hunter was surprised by the lack of chaos in the hall. Perhaps Valerie had already dealt with the ghost.
He caught the familiar, soft scent of Sam's perfume as she approached him, touching him softly on the forearm to get his attention.
"Where's the ghost?" Sam asked as her class joined his in the hallway.
"I don't know." The government agent shrugged. "We haven't seen it either."
"Where's Valerie?" Tucker added, an alien look of seriousness on his features.
"Val's in the bathroom." The ghost hunter said. "She's probably heard the alarm and is out of school by now."
"Are you sure?" Sam asked, the beginnings of doubt forming in her mind.
"She's a big girl," Danny reassured, grinning. "She can take care of herself."
Tucker didn't look entirely convinced.
"Valerie could be in danger." Sam whispered fiercely. "We should go look for her."
Danny nodded, unable to refuse without his friends becoming suspicious.
The fact that this was not the first time Valerie had disappeared when the ghost alarm sounded had not escaped the Goth. Sam had noticed that over the past three years, Valerie Gray had occasionally vanished just before a ghost attack. Now, Sam was certain that Valerie disappearances were linked to her government involvement. They were far too frequent to be dismissed as coincidences.
But the question remained. How exactly was Valerie Gray serving the state? Perhaps if they could find Valerie, some of Sam's questions would finally be answered.
The trio turned, manoeuvring their way through the crowd of students heading in the opposite direction as they headed towards the girls' locker room.
Sam opened the door, only to be faced with rows of empty cubicles.
"Valerie's not in there," she announced, practically shouting against the alarm.
"Do you reckon she's safe?" Tucker asked, frowning.
Danny was strangely silent, abruptly covering his mouth with his hands. Sam could have sworn she saw a strange look of resolve flash across his features, the expression on his face somehow reminding Sam of Phantom when he was in battle.
"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned.
"Nothing." He shrugged. "We should get back to safety."
Tucker tried to protest. "But Valerie's--"
The techno geek's objections were interrupted by the abrupt crash of an increasingly familiar jet sled into a nearby wall.
Danny bit his bottom lip, worried. Valerie had willingly dismounted her jet sled in the past. The Red Hunter was probably fine. Or so he hoped.
"This way!" Sam insisted as she grabbed Danny's hand, refusing to allow him the opportunity to disappear in case the incident with the dragon was repeated. Finding out Valerie Gray's secret was secondary to the safety of her friends. She was not about to let him out of her sight.
"Where's the Red Hunter?" Tucker frowned, looking back at the riderless jet sled as the school's ghost alarm finally ceased to sound.
Danny was relieved that Casper High had been fully evacuated, apart from his overly inquisitive friends. The safety of civilians was one less issue he needed to worry about.
He swore as they rounded the corner, causing his friends to regard him with a look of astonishment due to his uncharacteristic display of irritation. There were so many ghosts in Casper High that he had not realised their presence until it was too late. They were running straight towards a large number of paranormal beings.
"Turn back!" He yelled, ignoring the wails of protest from Tucker.
"Why?" Sam frowned.
The ghost hunter was saved from fabricating some ill-conceived excuse by the entrance of a pack of spectral wolves phasing through the row of lockers to their right. The trio watched with morbid fascination as the spectres approached with feral grace, the soft clicking of their claws on the tiled floor the only sound in the hallway.
Danny massaged his knuckles in annoyance. He had been under the impression that he had captured the last of the ghost wolves, with a large number of them currently being experimented on in Dalv Enterprises. There was the possibility that they had escaped, but that was highly unlikely. With Vlad's strict security procedures, they would not have gotten far.
Even if the wolves before him were the same beasts he had captured before, what had drawn them back from the ghost portal at Vlad's headquarters to Amity Park? He was determined to uncover why Amity Park's ectoplasmic levels were triple the national average.
Sam started slightly as Danny placed a strong hand on her waist, drawing him towards him. Protectively. Possessively.
His eyes narrowed, and the pair were taken aback by the ferocity in his gaze. "We have to leave. Now."
Sam flushed, her earlier astonishment regarding his fierce assertiveness intensifying. This was not the klutzy, unobtrusive Danny Fenton she knew.
Danny instinctively shifted his weight to the balls of his feet as he readied himself for combat. He could easily take the spectres, even in human form.
But having to protect both Sam and Tucker at the same time could prove a problem, especially when having to limit himself to less powerful, inconspicuous abilities when subduing such a large number of ghosts. His friends were not stupid. Fighting the wolves in front of them would no doubt arouse suspicion.
Danny growled in frustration. The best option was still to make a run for it, and hope that Val was around to save them.
He pulled Sam closer towards him as the wolves began to circle the trio, glancing at Tucker out of the corner of his eye. The techno geek stood motionless, cautious against aggravating the ghosts into attacking. His face was expressionless, but Danny could practically feel the fear radiating off him.
He was surprised when Sam placed a delicate hand on his chest, glancing in her direction in case she needed reassurance.
"What's the plan?" She asked, clenching the material of his shirt in her fist. There was a fierce glow of determination in her pale lavender eyes, reminding the ghost hunter of a cornered wildcat.
"I still say we run." He replied, flexing his fingers as he prepared to scoop her into his arms the instant he saw an opening. Perhaps he could fire a discrete ray of ectoplasmic energy to keep the wolves at bay while Tucker made his escape.
"In any particular direction?" Tucker added dryly.
Danny grinned in reply.
"Even at a time like this, your jokes aren't funny." Sam deadpanned.
Her best friend was denied the opportunity to retaliate as the Red Hunter rounded the corner, hurling ecto grenades at the wolves. Not for the first time, Danny was glad that ectoplasmic weaponry did not affect him while he was human, as the spectral beasts yelped, scattering to escape the violent blasts.
"Get to safety," the ghost hunter commanded, ecto blaster smoking. "I can't protect you from this many ghosts without my jet sled."
Danny did not need to be told twice, ignoring Sam's cries of protest as he swept her in his arms. He sprinted to the exit at the end of as fast as he deemed humanly possible, careful not to leave Tucker behind. He was grateful that the Red Hunter had shown up in time.
The half ghost briefly shut his eyes, sensing for the presence of other ghosts in the vicinity. Thankfully, their route to safety was clear. Valerie had already taken care of the rest of the beasts. To be honest, he was impressed that the Red Hunter had managed to take down so many spectres in so short a period of time, despite lacking the inhuman abilities he and Vlad possessed.
The Red Hunter swore loudly, causing Danny to stop in his tracks as a wolf lunged at her, knocking the thermos from her grasp. He could see that Valerie was fatigued, weary from having to fight such a large number of ghosts on her own. She had probably already captured dozens of wolves. Despite the Red Hunter's exceptional capabilities, she was only human. Valerie would probably manage fine without him, but Danny was unaccustomed to taking chances when his best friend was concerned.
"Get Sam to safety," he instructed Tucker, gently setting her on the ground.
"Where are you going?" His crush asked, refusing to release his shirt from her grip.
"To help her," he responded, his features set with determination. The agent spun, racing back towards his partner with what he hoped would pass as a realistic speed for humans.
Tucker glanced at his best friend, more to confirm their subsequent actions than to inspect her for injury.
"We're not going anywhere." Sam asserted firmly, in a tone that left no room for argument.
The techno geek merely shrugged and returned his attention to the fight taking place at the other end of the corridor. Danny Fenton was either very brave or very stupid. In Tucker's opinion, the latter was far more probable.
"What are you doing, Danny?" The Red Hunter admonished under her breath. "I thought I told you to get out of here!"
"Helping you." Her partner replied, sinking into combat stance for emphasis.
Danny frowned, resolute on restricting himself to basic attacks. Anything too flashy would probably result in exposure. Although he was no longer wary about concealing Phantom's identity from the Red Hunter, Sam and Tucker were still watching this fight. It was imperative that he did not reveal himself to civilians.
The ghost hunter dropped into a crouch as a wolf snarled, charging towards him, as he tumbled fluidly beneath the leaping beast to dodge its attack. He subdued the ghost with a unsophisticated, yet forceful kick to its sensitive abdomen, slamming his foot into the spectre's side, taking advantage of the fact that the lunge had left it wide open.
The Red Hunter raised an eyebrow, silently impressed. "I see Vlad's been keeping you busy."
Danny grinned ruefully in reply. "No one escapes our benefactor's training."
Valerie laughed in response.
Danny glanced back towards the exit, checking to see if his friends had left the building. To his annoyance, they had ignored his request to escape, choosing instead to stay and watch the fight.
He growled. There was nothing he could do about now. "Ecto blaster?" he requested. The situation had to be resolved before his friends' curiosity resulted in them getting hurt.
The Red Hunter thrust the weapon in Danny's direction, already retrieving another set of anti ghost artillery from her utility belt. Although six months ago she would have refused to let him touch her weapons in case he hurt himself, after her best friend's recent display, she no longer doubted his capabilities as a ghost hunter.
"Get the thermos," she instructed.
"Already ahead of you." The halfa smirked, catching the weapon as he sidestepped a spectral beast to dodge its attack.
Danny weighed the gun in his hand as he pulled the trigger, unaccustomed to using weapons instead of his own natural abilities. However, his aim proved true as the blast he fired met its mark. The ghost hunter smirked as he felt the ectoplasmic energy energy present in his target ebb with the attack. Danny frowned. Discharging ecto blasts from an artificial weapon did not feel half as satisfying as attacking with his own abilities.
Sam surveyed the scene before her with astonishment as her crush lunged towards the containment device lying abandoned on the floor, uncapping the weapon with seemingly practiced ease, unable to believe that this was the same Danny Fenton that Dash Baxter took pleasure in beating up on an almost daily basis.
"Identification code?" Danny demanded, activating the thermos as the Red Hunter recited a string of numbers. Sam could have sworn he had finished punching the numbers into the keypad even before the ghost hunter had enumerated the entire code.
He located the discrete red button at the side of the Red Hunter's weapon, pressing it to activate the device's containment function.
Sam shielded her eyes as familiar white light from the thermos swept the hallway, distorting the beasts' already hazy, immaterial forms as they were drawn into the capturing device, the otherworldly glow of their piercing red eyes the last to dissipate.
Danny sighed in relief that the threat had been incapacitated, collapsing into an ungraceful heap on the hallway floor.
"You guys okay?" Tucker queried, concerned as he and Sam made their way towards the ghost hunters.
"Yeah," the agent replied, picking himself up from the ground. His expression hardened. "You two should have known better than to stay. What if you had gotten hurt?"
"I could say the same for you," Sam parried, crossing her arms.
Danny shrugged, unable to justify his own actions. At least his friends had not been hurt.
He handed the thermos to his partner, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
Valerie blinked in surprise as Danny extended a hand towards her in acknowledgment. "The Red Hunter." He greeted, an unfamiliar note of formality in his voice. "I've heard about your recent successes from our benefactor."
"Daniel Masters." She acknowledged, playing along as she realised the purpose of his deception. Danny was trying to help maintain the secrecy of her identity, something she was grateful for. Sam and Tucker were becoming increasing familiar with Valerie Gray, perhaps well enough to recognise her behind the mask.
She smiled in return, taking his hand, inwardly laughing as Tucker's jaw dropped. "A pleasure as always."
Danny released her hand, grinning. "The pleasure is entirely mine."
"I must say I am impressed." The Red Hunter laughed. "Although I knew it was only a matter of time until you took up ghost hunting."
"Vlad wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, it was just self defense." Danny scratched the back of his head, sheepish. "I've had hardly any training."
Sam frowned. So her hunch had been correct. Danny was a ghost hunter. Or a ghost hunter in training, at least. Perhaps she had finally found the reason behind his newfound secrecy.
Still, she could not help but feel there was still more to Danny Fenton that she had yet to discover.
"You know her?" Tucker interjected. "You know her and you never told me?" He demanded, favouring Danny with a look of incredulity.
Vlad's apprentice raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I have no business revealing my benefactor's contacts."
"He's right." The Red Hunter asserted, addressing the techno geek as she placed a fist on her hips. "You had absolutely no right to know we were acquaintances."
Tucker blinked, opening and closing his mouth in a manner that reminded Sam of a gaping goldfish. Had the Red Hunter just spoken to him?
"You're Tucker, aren't you?" The huntress laughed, extroversion replacing her previously cold demeanor. "Danny tells me you're quite the fan."
The techno geek shoved his PDA unto his back pocket to conceal his autographed wallpaper from the subject of his idol worship, in an endeavor to save himself from further embarrassment.
The ghost hunter cocked her head in an amused fashion, and Tucker could not hide the sinking feeling that she had seen the autograph anyway.
The jovial atmosphere was ruined by the arrival of a pair of immaculately dressed agents clad in white suits, their eyes hidden behind uniform dark glasses. Danny felt his hackles rise, unable to quell his instinctive feelings of dislike towards the ghost hunters. The ghosts had been incapacitated. The Guys in White had no further business here.
His eyes narrowed, prepared to protect his best friend if necessary, adopting a discrete battle stance as an agent, undoubtedly the operative of higher rank, approached Valerie.
"We meet again, Red Hunter." The Guy in White sneered. He spoke with a clipped accent that Danny could not classify as anything but artificial.
Danny suppressed the low growl rising in the back of his throat. Val had never told him that the Guys in White had given her trouble in the past. If he had been informed, Phantom would have long since remedied the situation.
His partner did not appear fazed by the rival agent's presence, drawing herself up to her full height.
"You've failed Amity Park once again." Valerie taunted. "Although I must give you credit for actually turning up this time."
The ghost hunting operative ignored the mockery, squaring his shoulders as he approached the Red Hunter. "You have not been given clearance by our executive operator to continue hunting ghosts in Amity Park."
Despite the difference in height and stature between the two ghost hunters, there was no doubt in the trio's opinion of who held dominance over the conversation, as the Red Hunter raised her head in a commanding, almost regal fashion.
"I hunt ghosts because I can," the Red Hunter replied coldly. "Amity Park needs competent, experienced ghost hunters that do not require payment for their services, of which you are neither."
She favoured the pair of government agents with an icy glare. "Our taxes are wasted on renovating your headquarters and other pointless activities that do not further your ability to hunt or capture ghosts."
"We have tolerated your impertinence for long enough, child." The Guy in White spat. "If you continue to defy our organisation, we will be forced to undertake drastic measures." He let the unspoken threat hang in the air.
"I answer to Vlad Masters, and Vlad Masters alone." The Red Hunter declared, fingering the safety on her weapon. "You have no authority over me."
"This is your final warning to leave Amity Park." The white clad operative maintained as his partner followed suit, reaching into his blazer to confirm the presence of his ecto blaster as a staring match ensued.
Danny could practically taste the bitter tension in the air between the rival ghost hunters. He knew if he didn't do something soon, Valerie would progress from trading glares with the government operative to trading blows.
"Back off." Tucker demanded regarding the Guys in White with an expression of pure fury. "She's done more for this town than you ever will."
The techno geek's interjection was sufficient to fracture the latent hostility between both parties, as the ghost hunters remembered that there were civilians present to witness their long standing feud. Danny was glad that it had been his friend who had broken the silence. The exchange would not have remained verbal for much longer.
The Red Hunter placed a crimson-gloved hand on Tucker's shoulder to subdue him, her slight hands curling into fists as she regarded the Guys in White.
"I will stay as long as the public requires me." She snarled, challenging the glare behind the agent's dark glasses. "While your incompetence continues to fail Amity Park, the public will continue to view me with higher regard than they trust your entire organisation."
The Guys in White chose to ignore the Red Hunter's response, choosing instead to render Danny the new focus of their attention.
"Daniel Masters." The operative drawled. "Your guardian's persistent attempts to extradite us has rendered you less than popular among our headquarters. I suggest withdrawing your case against us before things get ugly."
"Fenton Works is mine." Danny stated simply, his cerulean eyes frosty.
"Leave Danny out of this, coward." Valerie demanded, her voice cold steel. "We have nothing more to discuss."
The Guys in White straightened their uniform, the finality in the Red Hunter's statement clearly marking the end of negotiations. Danny did not doubt that Red Hunter could easily take down both operatives single handedly, something the Guys in White also seemed to be aware of as they made their retreat.
"You will regret defying the Guys in White." The agent enunciated through gritted teeth as he turned to leave, his partner trailing after him in an almost mechanical fashion.
Danny released a breath he had not been aware that he had been holding, as he allowed the unnecessary adrenaline to slowly to ebb from his being.
"That jerk." Tucker made a violent gesture, glaring in the direction of the ghost hunters' departure.
"Does Vlad know they've been giving you trouble?" Danny demanded.
"I've never told him." His partner shrugged. "I figured he's has enough to worry about as it is."
"He'll want to know." Her best friend growled, and Valerie could not help noticing the similarities in demeanor between Danny and their benefactor. "If you won't tell him, I will."
In all honesty, Valerie Gray could not say she was surprised that Vlad had started training Danny in ghost hunting. Parapsychology was their benefactor's primary field of research, and Vlad was sure to share his interest with his adopted son, especially since he was the biological son of ghost hunters.
The strict resolve her best friend had adopted in the midst of the engagement was the attitude of a highly trained professional, not a typical schoolboy. Her best friend was doing far more than merely dabbling in the practice of ghost hunting.
Perhaps Danny Fenton wasn't half as defenseless as she had thought.
Another unexpected occurrence was that when she had ruffled Phantom's hair earlier that morning, it had felt exactly like Danny's. Even their hair gel smelled the same. Although all she had to rely on was a gut instinct, the ghost hunter had a feeling that there was much more to Danny Fenton than he let on, and Valerie Gray's hunches were never wrong. If her suspicions were correct...
"I can take care of myself," the Red Hunter laughed. "You worry too much."
"Or too little." Danny muttered under his breath, barely suppressing muted rage.
It seemed strange that this was the first occasion that he had ever found himself face to face with the subjects of his reconnaissance mission. He had never held the Guys in White in particularly high regard. But now, he felt his respect for them plummet even further. Danny couldn't believe that the Guys in White had been challenging Valerie's authority all this time.
Agent Phantom's week long hiatus was definitely over.
Author's Notes: I am terribly sorry that the update speed has slowed considerably since I started Metanoia, but I have been working on several other fics that I wish to start posting soon. I feel really guilty when you tell me to update soon in your reviews and I make you wait three weeks.
Many thanks to: vladimir's disease, Henshi-anichan, Black January, eternalLament43, twilightgal, Sasia93, CharmedNightSkye, Pieling, bobalina, kia, Kocinelle, raven luvah, cera meia and shimoragurl for reviewing! I truly did appreciate your comments and words of encouragement:)
Thanks go to timydamonkey for helping me beta!
As always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.
Hugs and kisses,
Twisted Creampuff