Author: Back after a month long break! I got a lot of writing done, but, alas, not enough for weekly updates. Therefore, we shall have bi-weekly updates, as I don't want to leave you guys hanging for a month again. I hope you like what I've to show for the hiatus.

Disclaimer: I've got a Clockwork T-shirt, but that's it. Nothing else belongs to me.

Chapter 11

Daniel's phone rang as he was picking his things up from his apartment before heading towards the arcade. He frowned and flipped the phone open, checking who it was. A small smile formed on his face and he answered it:

"Hello?"

"Daniel, great news!" Mark's voice came booming through the phone, the man obviously excited.

"Oh?" Daniel asked, putting his laptop in his bag.

"We're still in business!"

Daniel's face broke out into a pleased, smug smile. "That's great!"

"Tell me about it! I'm glad I don't have to worry about looking for new work, and neither do you."

Daniel nodded. "It's tons of fun working at the arcade. I wouldn't want to work anywhere else."

"Then don't."

Daniel blinked, eyebrows raising slightly. "What?"

"Become a full time employee—no, become my partner. You've done so much for the place."

Daniel smiled and shook his head slightly, forgetting Mark couldn't see these things. "I don't mind working part-time but doing the work of a full-time employee. I'm happy to see things succeed, but I'd rather work a number of jobs at the same time—it gives me a broader experience base. I will be going to college next year."

"Oh...that's too bad," Mark said, disappointment and dejection in his voice before he realized what he had said. "I mean, that's good! Going to college, that is. It'll help you get ahead."

Daniel smiled patiently, amused. "It's alright. I'm glad you like me enough to want to continuously employ me."

"Nonsense," Mark said, dismissing Daniel's comment, "I have a bad feeling I'm going to hold any other employee, part-time or full, to your standard."

Daniel chuckled softly, "You flatter me."

"Take the day off," Mark said after a brief pause.

"What?" Daniel asked, surprised.

"This is a cause for celebration! You deserve a rest."

"But--"

"Seriously, Daniel. I appreciate everything you do, but you should take time for yourself, too."

Daniel smiled faintly. "Fine." He wasn't going to protest any further.

"Good. Relax."

Daniel chuckled softly again and hung up, looking at the cell phone in his hand before closing it with a snap. The smallest of malignant smirks formed on his face before being replaced with mere contentment. Getting the man who had been siphoning their funds to behave had been...fun. Especially considering whom he had discovered was doing so.

He had actually been surprised at how easy getting all the information was considering who he was dealing with. Granted, had anyone else been collecting the information and following the leads, they probably would never have noticed the little things that he did that pointed him in the right direction; he had become very good at seeing underneath the underneath as a result of needing to protect both himself and Vlad.

Afterall, everyone has their enemies, and the higher up one climbs the greater the number becomes. It's almost as if status and enmity increase proportionally to each other. He already had some enemies in his own time (other than the ghostly ones) and had to deal with his father's, which meant that everything in their lives was kept under so many layers of protection that no-one could get past them—and some had tried.

Daniel's retaliation had been vicious.

In any event, people had enemies. Always.

That there had also been little habitual road-marks that pointed him at this world's version of his foster father's dummy company as the culprit was helpful. Again, no-one but someone who was intimately acquainted with the man would have found the breadcrumbs so easily, but, still...he supposed he had been the one to cure Vlad of the tiny habitual patterns of secrecy that he tended to lay.

Daniel had gathered all the information he had received and found in one nice, large file and then had taken another one that was significantly smaller, but much more dangerous and slipped it inside the large folder. He had plans to talk to the Mayor directly—it would be easier to get him to back off that way. Granted, it wouldn't endear him to the man and it would draw attention to him, but as he knew what buttons to push to get what he wanted (every now and then) from Vlad, he figured that was the best policy.

So he had arranged for an appointment and arrived the next day dressed very professionally, folders tucked casually, but securely, under his arm.

"Daniel, to what do I owe this visit?" the Mayor asked him smoothly once Daniel had entered and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

Daniel gave him a small, pleasant smile. "I'm here to call in the favor you owe me."

"I had hoped you had forgotten," the Mayor told him dryly, "considering how close you've come to the deadline."

Daniel shrugged. "Bad habit. Anyway," Daniel continued. "Lately a business I help run—an arcade in the new strip-mall you've built—has been told it is to be shut down due to it losing money."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

No, you're not. "But, you see, according to all my records and calculations, we have been making money. Therefore, some of it must be getting lost along the way."

"Maybe."

"No, sir, I'm sure of it. Therefore, I did some investigating, and I found that, indeed, someone had been intercepting our profit."

"Oh?"

Daniel took out a few sheets of paper from his large file, walked over to Vlad's desk, and laid it before the Mayor. "Have you heard of the Dalv Corporation, sir?"

"In passing," Vlad said, apparently bored, picking up a piece of paper (which happened to be an abridged version of a stock portfolio).

"Well, they are the ones who have been stealing my—our—profit."

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"Mark and I are but the owners of a small business, sir—we have no standing in the larger economic world. We're just another asset to a larger parent organization; therefore, I would be laughed at should I try to confront this business, seeing as it's quite large and influential."

"Indeed," the Mayor said, a hint of dryness in his voice.

"So I need your help," Daniel said and produced a few more pieces of paper. "I have done much of the legwork for you, sir—I've found out exactly how they've been stealing my money." He placed them before Vlad, allowing him to look them over. "Those are bank statements of various sorts from all over the world. From how complex a pattern I had to follow, this company is very good at what it's been doing."

Vlad remained impassive, although he could see a little bit of surprise in the set of his shoulders. "So it seems."

"Do you think you would be able to get them to back off and repay the debt that my arcade has accumulated?"

"Hm...that I'm not sure about. I might not have enough leverage either."

Bullshit. "Well, I have some to donate, then."

"Oh?" Vlad asked, apparently intrigued in spite of himself.

Daniel took out the small folder and placed it in front of Vlad, keeping his hand firmly on it. "I've also done some looking into the staff."

"Really now?" Vlad asked, his eyes focusing on the folder Daniel was pinning to his desk.

"In particular, the CEO of the company."

Vlad looked up at him sharply and Daniel allowed himself a small smirk. "I'm certain that the information included in this little packet would be more than enough to...convince said person."

"Really now?" Vlad asked, to all appearances keeping his cool, even though Daniel could see the wariness in his eyes.

"Mm-hm," Daniel murmured and opened the folder, giving the man a glimpse of the contents long enough for Vlad's eyes to skin the newspaper articles and settle with a slight start on a particular photograph.

Vlad reached out for the folder quickly, but Daniel was faster, pulling it off his desk and snapping it shut, unable to entirely restrain a smug smirk. "Well? Do you think you would wield enough evidence to coerce said company into replacing all the funds they appropriated?"

"Quite possibly. I'd have to see the contents again."

"Not until you promise that you'll get the Dalv company to replace the funds and clear up any lingering issues the parent company may have with my small business."

Vlad gave Daniel a long look that he returned evenly, not allowing triumph to show on his face. He knew he had Vlad by the balls and it was just a matter of time until the man submitted.

"How do you know I won't take it and turn it on you?"

Daniel allowed himself a small, malignant smirk. "Because I happened to do more research than what is just included in this folder. Should you decide to try to use this against me...well, you can kiss your political and economic career goodbye."

"Is that a threat?" Vlad asked coldly.

Daniel gave him an impish smile. "Is it, Mayor Masters, sir?"

Vlad looked away from the teen before him and at the papers on his desk, leaving Daniel waiting in silence. You better say yes, fruitloop. I will ruin you if you say no.

The Mayor of Amity Park spoke again after a long moment, "You're dangerous."

"Very, sir," Daniel confirmed.

"You do know it's a very bad idea to make an enemy of me."

"I like to think of you less as an enemy and more as a partner in business. Should you accept doing this as the favor you promised me, you will receive something equal in exchange—information, and very dangerous information at that."

Silence reigned once more before the mayor gave Daniel a small, wry smile. "You're very smart. Resourceful. I like that in a person."

"Mm-hm. Do we have a deal or not, Mayor Masters? Because if we don't..." Daniel merely shrugged.

Silence fell again and Daniel watched Vlad carefully, trying to read anything about what the man was thinking.

Eventually, the Mayor sighed and shook his head. "Very well. I'll see what I can do."

Daniel walked back over to the desk, but kept the folder out of reach as he extended his non-occupied hand. "Shake on it?"

The two clasped hands and Daniel just barely kept the triumph from showing in his face. As soon as they let go, Daniel dropped the small file of incriminating materials on the desk and allowed himself the faintest of smiles as he collected the legal information he had shown the Mayor.

"It's interesting, that you are doing something for someone else rather than claiming a reward for yourself," Vlad said, flipping through the folder, his hand hesitating over the photograph. "You don't seem like the kind of person who would normally behave in such a way."

"You're right—I don't tend to like doing things for other people unless there is something in it for me. I thought I was cured of my selflessness, sir; however, it appears I was wrong." Daniel finished packaging his materials before giving the Mayor a polite nod. "It was a pleasure meeting with you again. If you wouldn't mind getting in touch with me with the results of your…inquiries into Dalv, I'd appreciate it." He placed a small card with his cell number on it on the Mayor's desk before turning and leaving, the smallest of malignant smiles on his lips.

"How did you get all this?" Vlad murmured, obviously not intending for Daniel to hear.

Daniel stopped and turned, half-facing the Mayor-billionaire. He gave the man a secretive, smug half-smile and purred, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

The Mayor looked visibly surprised as Daniel turned away and exited the office.

Wonder what surprised him, Daniel thought as he bid the secretary farewell, casually flirting with her as he left, making her chuckle. I was meaning to annoy him.

The next day, he had received a phone call from the secretary telling Daniel that Vlad had followed through on their agreement, and it had taken another day for the notice to reach their establishment.

Daniel had promptly called the man and thanked him—might as well be courteous.

He allowed himself to indulge in a soft chuckle as he sank into his couch, eyes sparkling in malign amusement.

A day off for a job well done.

A reward for being a manipulative bastard.

Funny, how the world rewards the cruel and belittles the pure.

--

"Daniel, what am I going to do?"

Daniel gave his younger self a patient smile over the edge of his laptop and shook his head slightly. "Your best. That's all that can be asked, right? At least you don't have to go to school every day."

"Yeah, but, still. It's finals."

Daniel voiced an utterly unsympathetic chuckle. "Look," he said, hands resting lightly on the keys of his computer as he took a brief sweep of the arcade, "it won't be as bad as you think. I've guided you through math and science, and I think you actually have a grip on all the concepts. You have to drill dates and useless facts into your head for history, go over your notes and Lancer's expectations for English, and practice and memorize vocab and grammar for your foreign language exam. You'll survive."

"You make it sound so easy."

"You're just being melodramatic," Daniel teased. "If you're really that worried, though, I suppose that a little supernatural help would be in order, no?"

"What?" Danny asked, slightly suspicious.

Daniel laughed. "Nothing to do with ghosts. I have a study charm that I bought in Japan from a shrine in Kyoto. I don't know if it actually works, but it made me feel better when I was taking the SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject tests. Do you want to borrow it?"

"...I guess. It can't hurt, right?"

"It's a good-luck charm, Danny."

"I dunno...I feel like Desiree could come and mess things up if I use it."

"Hm...good point," Daniel murmured. "Well, that, at least, can be easily fixed."

"It can?"

"Put a ghost shield around the room you're taking finals in. It'll keep any ghosts from interfering while allowing humans to pass in and out freely."

"But using a machine from my basement is annoying, since they're big and clunky...hey, hold on. How come I've never actually seen your ghost shield generator?"

"Because it isn't big and clunky. It's about the size of an alarm clock. It rests on the table right next to my door."

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah."

"Can I borrow it? Just for those days?"

Daniel hesitated. Could he support a ghost shield of his own from the ING and the electronics store? He wasn't entirely certain.

...wait a minute..."Can't you create a ghost shield of your own?"

"Well, yeah."

"So why don't you do that?"

"Because I have to be in that form to be able to do so."

"You mean you don't know how to support something as simple as a ghost shield while in human form?"

Danny bristled slightly. "No, do you?"

"And if I do?"

Danny stared. "Seriously?"

"Danny, we have established that I don't lie to you."

"But...how?"

Daniel hesitated. Should he tell him?

"Well? How do you know?"

Daniel sighed heavily. "I just do. I have studied ghosts."

"But you made it sound like you could make one on your own."

"Do you think I would be able to make one?"

"You've surprised me tons before."

There's no way to get out of this, is there? He sighed inwardly before he opened his hand and a small green ball of ecto-energy formed in the middle of his palm, casting its eerie glow around Daniel's hand.

Danny's jaw hit the floor, making Daniel smile faintly. Daniel closed his hand and the energy dissipated. "Anyway, when are you parents planning on dragging us cross-country? And what are they using? I need to know so I can get the appropriate time off."

Daniel enjoyed spending time with this younger self, finding amusement in the little things he did and said. Three years, the deaths of his entire family, a suicide attempt, and lots of touch-and-go with medication had really altered him from the person he had once been. Any opportunity he could take to hang out with Danny was a pleasure, although he would have to be careful about his medication around Danny's family. He didn't want questions asked, but got the bad feeling that they would be asked. He'd have to come up with a plausible story that wasn't too far from the truth—he wouldn't be able to keep it consistent otherwise.

"Where'd you get the ghost power?!"

Obviously he's not going to be sidetracked. "Genetic mutation." It was true. Getting zapped by the Ghost Portal had modified his genetics enough that his ghost powers could be considered a mutation of his human DNA. At least, that's what the blood tests said.

"And you haven't told me?"

Daniel shrugged. "There was no need to."

"No need to—!" Danny sputtered and glowered at Daniel who merely shrugged.

"Is it going to change me any more than telling you about my sickness did?"

Danny was obviously about to say something to the effect of 'YES!' but forced himself to consider a moment. Eventually, he sighed. "No, it won't."

"There you go. I'll still be who I am, which translates to a lovable pain in the ass."

"More like just a plain pain in the ass."

Daniel chuckled and gave Danny a wry smile.

"What can you do with what you have? Were you just born with ghost powers or did you get them somehow?" Danny asked, curious.

"I can use some offensive and defensive moves...and I received my ghost powers. It was because of an accident…stupid peer pressure," Daniel finished in a grumble.

"Peer pressure?"

"Yeah, my friends goaded me into causing the event that gave me my powers. That's not important, though. What is important is that I can teach you how to shield when you're in human form."

"Do you have a ghost form?"

Daniel sighed heavily. Why can't he let himself be sidetracked this one time? "Yes, I do."

"What does it look like?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yeah! I wanna see it!"

"You're awfully interested in this," Daniel said dryly. "Why?"

"Just because."

Daniel paused, and gave Danny a long, weighing look. "Danny, do you know who I am? Don't answer right away—take some time to think. I know it's asking a lot of you, but I'm sure you can do it."

Danny bristled briefly at the last comment before calming and looking confused. "What do you mean?"

"Right now you have an idea, have come to a conclusion, and you want me to confirm or deny it for you. The thing is, I don't think you've entirely worked that idea through. Ponder it later. Right now I'd like to focus on teaching you so you don't have to worry about interruptions when you're taking your tests."

"Will using my energy to make a shield make me sleepy or unable to concnetrate?"

Daniel shrugged. "Does using your ecto-beam when you're in human form make you sleepy or take undo amounts of concentration?"

"No, not really..."

"Same thing. You're just molding your energy into a different form. You already know how to make a shield, right? You just can't sustain it without being in your other form."

Danny nodded.

Daniel opened his mouth to continue, but shut it, then frowned. How would he explain it? It was more a sense of...of...feeling things, just knowing them intuitively than learning them.

Perhaps that will work? I've never tried using it in such a way before, though…

"Danny, come here."

Danny walked over and Daniel held a hand over the younger teen's heart as he closed his eyes. It took a little tweaking, but eventually Daniel managed to force his energy signature to vibrate in sync with Danny's. There was the familiar sense of vertigo and the odd sensation of having a dual existence, but Daniel ignored it; however, he was almost thrown out of it when Danny panicked and pulled away, but he managed (barely) to maintain the connection.

"Relax, Danny. I will never ever hurt you," he told the younger teen softly.

"What's going on?" Danny asked, the slightest note of panic to his voice.

"I'm synced with you—and because of that, I have a pathway into you, as you do happen to be half-ghost. Again, don't worry. I can't teach you if you don't calm down."

Danny looked at Daniel, and the older teen could easily read the fear in his eyes. Daniel gave him a small, gentle smile. "I promise I won't hurt you. Now come back here. The closer you are the easier it is for me to teach you and the sooner I'll drop out."

Danny came hesitantly over and Daniel lightly pressed his palm over Danny's heart, closing his eyes.

Do you feel that? Daniel asked, directing Danny's attention to the cold at his heart. Your energy—both of them, ice and ghost—reside there. Your heart is your 'core' in both human and ghost senses. Before I really get into what to do, you have to get a better feel for what you are.

Daniel guided Danny in exploring the extent of his energy, feeling out what it was when inert and when he exercised it in human form.

We'll work on ghost form later. You don't want to transform in the middle of the arcade, do you?

'No!'

Once Daniel was absolutely certain that Danny had an intimate understanding of what exactly his half-ghost genes had gifted—or maybe cursed—him with, he allowed himself to fall out of sync with the younger teen, briefly disoriented as he settled back into his skin. He took a quick look at his watch and smirked faintly. About 5 minutes had passed from when he had started training Danny.

He turned his attention back to the arcade as Danny struggled to readjust to it being just him in his skin.

He has confirmed it by now, I have no doubt. He was a part of me as much as I was of him...and while I much better at keeping myself separate and safe...it's hard to miss all the similarities that closely connected.

"So, again, about that trip. When, where, how long, and by what means are we traveling?" he asked casually, quickly checking his e-mails.

"Well...after Jazz's graduation party--" Danny said slowly, gaining his wits again.

"Jazz is graduating?"

"Yeah, I know. It's weird...I'd forgotten until Jazz mentioned it."

Daniel whistled softly. Damn. I'm her age or older. Ow my brain. "I'll have to say congrats next I see her. Where is she going?"

"Princeton."

"Good for her. It's half-impossible to get into it if you aren't a legacy."

"A legacy?"

"One or both of your parents went to the university."

"Oh."

Daniel leaned back and smiled faintly. "I was able to get into University of Wisconsin hands down. In a way, I have a triple legacy."

"What? How?"

"My birth parents and my foster father all went there. I wonder if I could have used deceased relatives, though..."

"Dunno," Danny said vaguely thoughtful. "But, my parents graduated from there, too."

"IIIIIIt's a smaaaall world aaaafter aaaall," Daniel sung intentionally out of tune, making Danny mock-wince. "Anyway. So we leave after Jazz's graduation. How long are we gone for, where are we going, and what are we going in?"

"In a way...it's up to you. Mom and dad work from home and neither me or Jazz work."

"Neither Jazz nor I work," Daniel corrected absently. "Huh. Interesting. Well, I'll talk it over with my bosses. I'm fairly diligent as workers go, so it shouldn't be too hard to convince them." And if they don't want to agree to what I want...well, there are a number of easy ways around that. "So, I dictate for how long. Where are we going and how are we getting there?"

"Well, again, depending on how long...but I heard my parents throwing around New Orleans, Philadelphia, places in New Mexico, places in Georgia, and a hunt for real 'ghost towns' in the West. Then again, you can never really tell with them where you'll end up. We'll probably take the Fenton RV, but depending on how long you can get off, there might be a chance we'll use the jet..."

"You have a jet?" Daniel sounded impressed and slightly excited. He had never used the jet, even though he'd always wanted to.

"Yeah," Danny said with a grin.

"You've driven it before?"

"Yup."

"Ah, man. I've only ever been allowed to sit in one."

"That's not fair!"

"Tell me about it," Daniel groused. He looked over at his younger self and gave him a small smile. "You look tired. Learning what you did takes a lot of concentration and energy. Go home and sleep. Don't oversleep, though! You need to study, y'know. What's your schedule?"

"Monday: History. Tuesday: Science and Foreign Language. Wednesday: Nothing. Thursday: Math and English. And then I'm done."

"All done in one week...doesn't sound too bad. Come by my place Wednesday and we'll go over Math and English, being as they're your two weakest subjects."

"Hey!"

Daniel smiled faintly when Danny yawned. "Go. Rest. I'll see you around."

Danny nodded absently and Daniel watched him go with a small smile. He was about to turn back to his work when his ghost sense went off and he was thrust into a near panic.

Shit! Danny won't be able to take this guy on in the state he's in!

Daniel quickly scrambled out of his chair and came upon Danny just as the battle was about to start. He was horrified to see how weak Danny appeared from the paces he had put the younger teen through.

He didn't bother to stop and think after that. He was here to protect the younger teen from whatever was trying to kill him as well as train him, and he'd be damned if he didn't do exactly that. He split apart, sending a copy back to where he was supposed to be working as he transformed into his ghostly self.

Well, at least this gave him an opportunity to test the move he'd been developing based around Danny's Ghostly Wail.

He gave two sharp whistles that slammed into the ghost, making it whirl and focus on Daniel.

"Hello, Minimus," he purred, gathering energy around him, having immediately recognized the ghost.

"It's Maximus," the ghost snarled at him and Daniel laughed, the most devilish of smirks on his face.

"Really now?" he sneered. Daniel vanished and suppressed his ghost signature until it was nonexistent—invisible in every way.

"Where'd it go?" Maximus snarled, distracted from Danny, who floated to the ground and fell to his knees, exhausted even by floating.

"Right now you're too tired to fight," Daniel whispered in Danny's ear, keeping firm hands on his shoulder to prevent him from jumping in surprise. "I want you to keep a safe distance away, and if you won't do it willingly, I will make you. Please, Danny," Daniel murmured.

"But--"

"Quiet," Daniel insisted. "And keep safe."

Daniel left a clone behind with Danny and flew back into the sky, still invisible, looking at the ghost. He recalled the last time they had fought and knew that, should he let this ghost land a solid hit, it would be over for him in a heartbeat.

I hate long-distance energy battles, Daniel groused. He teleported away and became visible to conserve his energy. "Over here, small-fry."

The ghost turned with an angry scowl on its face and lunged for Daniel. Daniel formed a ball of energy in one hand and threw it at the ghost, who dodged it easily. Daniel casually snapped his fingers and the energy ball split apart into hundreds of tiny spheres that peppered the ghost, distracting and annoying it, but not hurting it.

Daniel formed a sphere of energy around him that thinned and squished to form a ring, and he dodged the ghost's physical attacks with apparent ease, the smallest of smirks on his face the entire time.

It's a good thing this one is mostly physical. I don't think I could take an energy-proficient one right now, Daniel thought idly. The ring around him continued to thin and sharpen until it was only barely visible when viewed edge-on.

"Is that really the best you can do?" Daniel sneered. There was a fine line where the ghost got angry/sloppy and where it turned into focused, deadly rage, and Daniel was always bad at reading where that line lay. He only prayed that today he would know just the right buttons to hit without pushing the ghost too far.

"I'm just getting started," the ghost replied, and Daniel relaxed slightly. Arrogance was good.

"I see," Daniel replied before flicking his hand outwards. The ring around him shattered into bird-like blades of energy that honed in on the ghost before him.

The ghost deflected many of them with sheer brute force, but those that penetrated its guard left long, deep gashes in their wake before fading to nothingness, making the ghost scream in frustration.

Had Daniel needed to breathe, he would be gasping. His energy was waning very, very quickly from sustaining his clone in the arcade and the one close to Danny as well as keeping his own body in ghost form.

Last just a little longer, Daniel. Everything is almost ready.

"Who are you?" the ghost snarled as it lunged at Daniel, who only barely avoided the punches and kicks, frustrating the ghost further while making Daniel nervous at his own weakness.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Daniel quipped, teleporting away. He only barely hid is wince as he could feel his energy waning dangerously low.

Get him to talk, Daniel. Distract him with words. That'll keep you from having to move and fight back.

"However, I know who you, are, Minimus."

"It's Maximus!"

"Whatever," Daniel said flippantly. "You're just some washed-up ghost who is more brawn than brains. I wonder that someone like Trantula or Hypno haven't driven you into the ground yet."

"They would never be able to beat me! I'd squish them like bugs before they could get a hold of my mind!"

"Uh-huh," Daniel drawled. "You're not the strongest ghost out there either, you know. I bet the Box Ghost is stronger than you."

The ghost roared in anger and Daniel whistled sharply again and the angry roar turned into a scream of pain and fear as all the little pellets that had peppered him from Daniel's first attack burst into life, draining the ectoplasm around them and changing it into energy before exploding outwards, leaving the ghost looking like so much swiss cheese.

Daniel threw up a shield around the ghost and guided it to the ground, upon which he stepped inside and regarded the ghost with disdain.

"Pathetic," he sneered and froze all the wounds, keeping them from healing while causing the ghost a great deal of...discomfort. He knelt down next to it and smiled faintly, his hand curling around its visible core.

"Now, I have questions I want answered, and you're going to answer them...whether you want to or not."

"Who are you?" the ghost demanded.

"I'm the one asking questions," Daniel reminded the ghost cheerfully and squeezed the ghost's core, making it gasp in pain. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes. How did you get here?" Daniel asked with a small smile, watching the half blasted-off face of the ghost carefully.

"I don't have to tell you," the ghost snapped.

"Oh, a defiant one, hm?" Daniel murmured, voice darkly amused. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood—instead of torturing you for the answers I'm merely going to pry them out of that thick skull of yours." A malignant smirk bloomed on his face at the horror that unfolded on the ghost's countenance.

Daniel's grip on the ghost's core grew stronger and instead of he syncing with the ghost, he forced the ghost's energy to vibrate in time with his own.

The ghost went rigid in surprise while Daniel remained impassive, eyes closed and brow furrowed in concentration. Eventually, a smirk formed on his face and his hand clamped down entirely on the ghost's core, dragging its energy into him, replenishing his alarmingly low reserves. He stood and sighed before turning and facing the three horrified teens standing outside his ectoshield. He gave them all a polite nod before vanishing, to the dismay of the curious the group. He slipped back into the clone that had been watching the arcade, dispelled the clone that had been watching Danny, and sighed once he returned to his human form and became visible, taking his rightful place.

He rubbed his eyes vigorously, struggling to keep himself conscious. You can pass out later, Daniel. Stay awake for now. It's only a few hours. You have lots to think about anyway, what with the knowledge that you dragged from that ghost.

Daniel was pleased to find that it had possessed a surprisingly good memory for being so dimwitted. It recalled almost exactly whom he had interacted with and how he had arrived in this time.

How it had arrived explained a few things, the least of them being the occasional shortness of breath Daniel had been experiencing: something was happening between his time—where he and the ghost had come from—and Danny's. The 'bubbles' that Danielle had spoke of were points where the fabric between the two was stretched to the breaking point. The existence of such places made Daniel nervous, as it could possibly, and probably did, mean only bad things for him. In any event, the ghost had crossed times using one of the bubbles, utilizing weaker ghosts as a buffer, as the transition dissolved ghosts into a pure energy state unless sufficiently protected.

This made Daniel wonder about his passage into Danny's time—did he survive because of something the older trio did? Or was he protected by something else? In any case, the walls between the two were becoming drastically thin, and Daniel wondered why Clockwork was allowing it. Wasn't it his, well, job, to make sure things went well with time? Was he slacking off?

Or was this all meant to be? The thought made Daniel nervous. It had a ring of...futility, of helplessness against the future to it, and Daniel was a strong believer in 'life is what you make of it'.

That state of affairs wasn't what was worrying him, though. What worried him was the ghost's knowledge of the ghost population of his home time...as well as who, or rather, what, the ghost had encountered.

His home ghost population was slowly depleting. A great many of the Major Players from his time (sans Walker, of course, as he wasn't a major player anymore; hadn't been for a while, actually) had already been pulled into this time. It was frustrating that he didn't have any news of the human world, but he had expected as much. He wanted to know what was going on with Vlad, but knew that he wouldn't find out unless he asked about Plasmius.

The lack of that particular persona puzzled the teen. Could something have happened to Vlad? Daniel thought before snorting and shaking his head. Like hell. The good die young but the evil never go away. He's also half-ghost...god knows how long his shelf-life is.

He had also gotten an idea as to why ghost attacks had been down lately in Danny's time—something had all (well, most) of the ghosts terrified. Whatever that was had them occupied enough with hiding to not bother about attacking. The ghost had only seen a brief flash of whatever it was before it had crossed over into the human world, and it left Daniel puzzled.

Flame-hair, indeed. Silver, though? White, maybe? It seemed to be physically strong, from how its body shape, what the ghost had seen of it, appeared. Male—again, a supposition based on what little the ghost had seen and the snippet of conversation it had caught.

Then who was the female the vultures were talking about? Did this...thing...get rid of whatever her threat was? Daniel sighed. Too many questions and not enough answers.

Daniel sighed and leaned back into his chair. "Damn," he murmured softly, one hand's fingers tapping agitatedly against the armrest. Life gets more and more complicated. Especially since what conversation this ghost caught had Danny's name in it. Or, would it be Dani? They sound exactly alike, but, unfortunately, he caught no sex-specific pronouns. Ah, well. I'll just have to step up Danny's training. I don't want him helpless against this threat. Perhaps I should bring this ghost's appearance up in casual conversation...Danny might know something. I'll worry about that later. Right now, I have to focus on staying awake.

Daniel idly wondered as he struggled to keep his eyes open what effects his open presence in the ghostly world would have. Would he be discounted as just a stranger passing through? Would he be viewed as a threat? An aid? Only time would tell. Daniel was certain about one thing, though.

Eventually, this Ghost Zone, too, would fear him.