Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

Note: I am not following the events and dialogue before Danny's portal accident exactly, if only because I can't remember them. Oh, and this is AU.

Prisoner of Duty

A New Half-Life

Three teenagers stood together in the dim laboratory. Before them were the Fenton parents, excitement clear in the way they stood and the movements they made.

"This invention will pave the way to future studies in ghosts, children!" Jack declared boisterously, his wife beaming next to him with two cords in hand.

Although portraying an air of apathy in their stance and posture, the intensity in their eyes betrayed the interest the young teenagers had in this monumental occasion for the Fenton family. While ingenious inventors, Jack and Maddie Fenton's creations had little use; they did not have actual proof of the existence of ghosts save for a glowing green substance that looked more radioactive than otherworldly, let alone had caught one. Considering the fact that almost all of their inventions were centered around the understanding and deterring of ghosts, this wasn't a good thing.

This invention, however, was something on a completely different scale than any of their others though, first conceived in their college years and nearly twenty years later returned to with grander plans and a government grant, the latter because of the fact that it was based in actual science and had highly valuable potential applicability. It was the Fenton Ghost Portal, and if it were successful would connect the living world to the esoteric realm of ghosts, proving once and for all the existence of the other world and its denizens.

Danny did not particularly care for ghosts, but he knew that this invention was his parents' pride and joy and desperately wanted for it to work, if only to make them happy (of course, the fact that it would prove that they were not lunatics would be a bonus, since being an awkward, scrawny teenager with parents that were laughingstocks had made him a loser in the social hierarchy of school, effectively shooting his chances of entering the A-List to nothing.) Sam on the other hand was very intrigued by the existence of the spirits of the dead and hoped that the portal would work. After all, ghosts were pretty gothic. As for Tucker, he did not care for the actual reason for the portal (after all, it wasn't like ghosts actually existed, let alone a whole separate dimension for them) so much as he did for the portal itself; regardless of its purpose, it was a highly sophisticated piece of technology that he just itched to dissect and understand, which reminded him that he so had to get his hands on the blueprints for it later.

Jack and Maddie exchanged fond glances, obvious even with most of the Fenton matriarch's face covered, and they leaned in closer to one another. They had gone through so much together, and the both of them would now activate the culmination of their life since college of research and inventing. Jack took Maddie's hands in his own, which swamped hers, and together made the final move to power up the Fenton Ghost Portal, which in their own words was practically like a third child to them.

The tell-tale loud hum of electricity rose up, setting already tense nerves on edge, and the five people gathered in the lab unconsciously leaned forwards (out of the direct path of the portal though, Maddie having warned what happened to Vlad, hers and Jack's closest friend in college) gazes locked and intense on the gaping hole in the wall.

The electrical sound became even louder, and then, there! A brilliant green flare! A tongue of ectoplasmic electricity, a green color without compare, crackled in the portal. It leapt from the walls and jumped close to the ground, sparking and fizzling out as the electric whine rapidly softened to a quiet but steady background noise that was nearly indistinguishable from that of all the other electrical appliances to be found in the lab.

Dejected, the Fenton parents dropped the cord and slunk away, being too devastated for any words. They appeared slumped over, as if trying to hold the bitter feeling of their failure from escaping them, their bowed heads making their actual expressions impossible to make out.

Danny and his friends watched them trudge up the stairs and out of sight, followed by the sound of a door shutting. The blue-eyed boy felt a heavy weight settle in his gut.

"Man, I've never seen your parents so depressed." Tucker stated callously, although his expression was sympathetic.

"Yeah, I know. I wish there was something I could do to cheer them up." Danny commented off-handedly with a sigh, eyes still fixated on the stairs. Sam's gaze, however, remained locked solely on the non-functioning portal.

"Then why don't you try to fix it?" she suggested. Her voice was slow and seemed as if she were speaking from a distance, as she stared with startling fixation at the failed invention.

"What!" Danny exclaimed, crossing his arms in front of him and shaking his head furiously. His attention slid from his best female friend to the portal, and something about it made him shudder. In a way, the fact that it was broken and empty seemed worse to him than the possibility of having an actual portal to a realm of (un?)dead monsters in the basement of his home. It was just ominous; its shadowed depths almost seemed to whisper to him, of a treacherous future in which an obfuscating fog hung over everything. Danny could almost feel a dead chill creeping over him and unconsciously rubbed his arms, as if to wipe the sensation off.

"I mean, why not?" by now Sam had turned back to him, and there was an odd twinkle in her eyes. Had Danny not been taken aback by her sudden proposition, he would have noted that it was almost as if she was possessed, like his parents mentioned ghosts were capable of.

"I'm not a techno-geek, Sam; that's Tucker!" Danny tried objected, really not wanting to get caught up in with the ghost portal. It had seemed cool before, but since failing it now just seemed creepy and maybe dangerous also. Like a sleeping dragon; harmless at the moment, but with the possibility of suddenly endangering them at any moment. Besides, if his parents weren't capable of getting the portal right, what chance did Danny, who had never stood out in anything, have of fixing it?

. . . Mr. Lancer's lessons were really rubbing off of him, he thought.

"Hey, I resent that! And no, I am not going anywhere near that thing; who knows how dangerous it could be?" Tucker piped up, fervently rejecting the diversion that Danny was using of him to take Sam's current focus.

"That's why you'll wear this. Besides, your parents' blueprints are supposedly correct; it's most likely a loose wire or something that's wrong." Sam was rummaging in a closet set just a little off from the portal entrance, and flung something white and limp at Danny, who only just caught it in his arms. He grimaced when he identified what it was: the jumpsuit that his parents had custom-made for him just a month ago, declaring that as the heir to the Fenton name and with the ghost portal almost finished that they would make a ghost hunter out of him yet. Danny had avoided his parents for several days after that and had not even touched the suit. Sam wanted him to wear this of all things?

"Really now?" he asked with a tone of disbelief, holding up the jumpsuit that was specially designed to protect its wearer against abrasive injuries, chemical spills, and especially exposure to ectoplasm. A blinding flash of yellow-white light went off suddenly for just a moment, and after Danny blinked away the violet spots dancing in front of his vision saw Sam standing there with a camera and a grin on her face.

"Come on, please? For me?" Sam pouted, turning big eyes on him. Danny's resolve melted away. Even if he wouldn't admit or even recognized it, he did have a crush on her, and he simply couldn't resist a request of hers when made in such a fashion. Actually, this was quite a surprise, as typically when she wanted someone to do something she would threaten (or commit) the act of kicking them in the shins. And with those steel-toed combat boots of hers, that hurt.

"Fine." sullenly, Danny pulled on the suit, marveling in the way it did not feel uncomfortable with his clothes on nor bunch up oddly even as he zipped the front up. There was also no noticeable crease where the zipper was. To complete the deal he also pulled on the black gloves and boots – both surprisingly tight but maneuverable – that accented the white body of the suit, along with snapping on at his waist a black belt designed to have small equipment like ectoplasmic handguns strapped onto it. He idly wondered how much the entire ensemble must have cost, knowing that the company that produced them made every one custom and met the demands of his parents (include the ectoplasm resistance. Danny supposed that money had more sway than apparent state of mind.)

"Hold on." Sam said and walked up to Danny, placing her hand on his chest. He blushed at the sudden action, even if he couldn't feel her touch save for its pressure through the thin but durable material he wore. Then, with a faint sound of something peeling off she pulled her hand back to hold up a large sticker of a caricature of Jack Fenton's face to Danny.

"You can't go around with that on, even in the privacy of your own home." she explained. Danny groaned as Tucker snickered, although he still stood off a bit, his stance expressing the unease he felt with the situation. His expression dropped once more, and he approached Danny with an awkward shuffle to his step.

"Dude, I really don't think you should do this." Tucker warned, shifting his feet. It was clear that his eyes desired to roam anywhere but to make contact with his friend's, but he stood his ground and met Danny's blue gaze.

"What's the worst that can happen? Besides, who knows what cool things exist on the other side?" the other boy waved off his friend's worries. There was definitely a shake to his tone of voice, uncertainty of the action he was going to take clear, but he had already consented. Sam would never let him live it down if he backed off. Besides, he thought it was pretty impressive that he was braving the portal, and the desire to explore the unknown had been the main reason he had set his dreams at being an astronaut. To go bravely forth where no man has gone before; what would the history books say of him if a dimension of ghosts really did exist and he paved the road into its exploration?

. . . Well, so long as they didn't turn out to be homicidal, evil creatures like his parents warned and ended up invading the world, he would say his reputation would be a good one. Hopefully.

"Just be careful then. The power is still on, after all." the techno-geek said solemnly. He'd rather Danny not go in there at all and leave it to someone who understood what they were looking at, like Danny's parents. But . . . it wasn't really working anyway, and it wasn't like anything bad could really happen.

"Yeah, and save for a little flash of light it did absolutely nothing. But I will be, so don't worry." Danny rolled his eyes at Tucker's concern, even though he was touched by the gesture (not that he'd admit it.)

Reassured by his friend's conviction and promise, Tucker nodded.

His friends' encouragement – or at least acceptance of what he was about to do, in Tucker's case – pushing him on, Danny turned around and strode over to the portal until he stood right before it. He stopped then, doubt stilling his legs. It was much larger and darker this close up, and from what little he could see into the portal he could make out many thick wires strewn across the floor like disemboweled entrails. A slight shudder wracked the teenager's scrawny frame at the thought, like prey before a ravenous carnivore. That wasn't a reassuring thought, especially since the hole-in-the-wall did kind of look like a mouth when his eyes were squinted.

Looking over one of his shoulders Danny saw his friends and the expectation written over their faces. Even Tucker, who was reluctant about the whole idea, was edging him on with his expression, wanting to see what would happen. Danny's shoulders drooped and he exhaled a soft sigh; he had already come this far, hadn't he? He might as well carry on.

"Well, here goes."

With that declaration, he entered the portal. The electrical sound became louder, humming incessantly in his ears and surrounding him. Danny felt that if he spent too long in the portal it might just drive him mad. He dragged his gloved left hand unfeelingly along a wall of the portal to keep his bearing as it became dark to the point that he could make out nothing but indistinct shadows.

So far so good.

A sudden jolt of adrenaline lanced through Danny's body and his heart started pounding like crazy as a foot caught on one of the many treacherous wires lying around. He flung an arm out to steady himself, and while he did not feel the button underneath his hand as he smacked it due to the gloves he wore, he could feel the sudden depression as it sunk in under his forceful touch.

The electrical noise accelerated into an intense whine that was akin to a scream as a faint white light swirled into being at the back of the portal, throwing the interior of the portal into high relief, including the button labeled OFF and the one next to it that was covered by Danny's hand, over which was the word ON . . .

LINE BREAK

Danny had barely registered what had happened, and the horror had only just started setting in when a bright flash of green-tinted white light overwhelmed his entire being. A lance of blistering and impossibly agonizing pain raced up the hand and arm that had made contact with the button. He could feel it crawling over his body, digging into his pores and swimming through his body, as a powerful blunt force accompanied by a solid green substance hit him and sent his form, stock-still, flying through the portal. Danny could feel it, every last cell giving way to a deathly cold that was as burning as the pain like bare skin that had been in contact with snow for a long time only so much worse. His breath fled from his lungs and his heart stilled, replaced by a steady pulse of chill in the center of his chest.

Then it was over, and Danny was sent shooting at a neck-breaking speed, tumbling head over heels for many cycles without cognition – being far too dazed and disoriented – until his momentum gradually died down before it gave out entirely. He fell forward and sprawled onto his hands and knees, his limbs shaking feebly. Danny's form was wracked with strong tremors from the ordeal and he stung fiercely all over, but all he could think about was how thankful he was to be alive. The cold coalesced in his chest was a relief, flooding him with a soothing cool feeling that numbed the pain from the electrical shock he had received. Then there was the air itself, which seemed to be saturated with a sort of ambient energy that he could actually sense, like as if it were thrumming like the constant presence of electricity at standby in the Fenton Laboratory . . . both the cold and energy felt right; natural and comforting in that, like the steady rise and fall of his chest. If he had chosen to linger on this unnatural change Danny might have been disconcerted or even disturbed – after all, his chest was not moving with the act of breathing – but as it was he did not get the chance, for at that moment the sound of heavy footfalls alerted him to somebody approaching.

Sam.

Danny thought assuredly. Beside his father, Sam had the loudest steps that Danny knew of thanks to the combat boots she wore combined with the fact that she was always stomping out of anger over something and everything more often than not.

The thought of his close friend made him remember warmth, of blood coursing through his veins with every strong beat of his heart.

Lub-dub.

His heart started beating then, pitifully faint, but living nonetheless, a spot of heat and movement in his too-still body. The pervasive chill receded back into the spot of energetic (if that was the right way to put it) ice. Danny gasped loudly (and winced when the action strained his ragged throat) as a powerful tingle ran through him, as if he were rapidly defrosting.

"Well, what do we have here? I thought it was just a brat, but now I find myself with valuable prey!" a strange voice – definitely not Sam – met Danny's ears with a rumbling chuckle.

LINE BREAK

Skulker had felt it, as every ghost in the Ghost Zone had: an intense suction as if their entire world was being drawn in by a vacuum, only for it to jar to a stop after several drawn out moments and leave them disoriented. That wasn't all though, for next thing they knew a backlash of energy had lashed out and rocked their world. The ripples of the energy wave carried on throughout the Ghost Zone.

And with the aftereffects they had detected an unfamiliar ecto-signature, one that seemed oddly tainted – or perhaps not tainted, but too lively. Yet despite this quality even they could tell that, though it was the signature of a new ghost, it was unusually powerful.

The hunter did not care that the ecto-signature was a strange mix of repulsive and drawing with its unusual vivacity, all he knew was that it was extraordinary because of that and surely must belong to some rare specimen. In other words, he had to have it for his collection. It was with that thought in mind that the mechanical suit's wings snapped out from his suit and he flew off with a trail of ectoplasmic residue streaming behind him, out to quell his curiosity.

Skulker arrived at the source of the peculiar ecto-signature, and was surprised to see a scrawny ghost kid sprawled onto a chunk of earth, his body smoking slightly. Hmm, not what he had expected, but he wouldn't underestimate him since, after all, Technus was a dweeb and could still achieve some pretty impressive things when he put that brain of his to work. The self-proclaimed greatest hunter of the Ghost Zone heaved a sigh, knowing that he would at least have to help the poor kid get some strength before he actually hunted him, as it would tarnish his reputation if he were to strike his prey while it was weak and not of his doing. No one would make a fool of Skulker if he could help him; that had been his drive, to acquire his powerful battle suit to accommodate for his less-than-impressive physical stature and to hunt creatures of all kind, showing that he was not a ghost to mess with.

He descended onto the piece of earth with a thud, his suit's wings folding onto his back as he approached the boy, a Jack o' Lantern grin stretching wide over his metallic visage. Just as he neared the small body however, he inhaled sharply and stepped back, for two brilliant halos of white had spread over the child's form, turning him into – a human?

Skulker announced his presence then with a biting remark, although he still kept his weapons away. After all, it was just a whelp and he had to help him before he could capture him in a glorious chase.

LINE BREAK

They were not alone. Most of the denizens of the Ghost Zone were staying away from the source of the disruption in their realm, not wanting to risk the potential chance of coming across something that was more than they could bite off. But not Skulker, whose pursuit of unique specimens would surely lead to the end of his existence one day.

Not Walker and his minions either. As far as the warden of the Ghost Zone's most infamous and general prison was concerned, such an anomaly was against the Rules, and he would see that whatever caused it was brought into his parameters of justice.

And of course, it was an anomaly of the utmost degree. After all, he had just arrived to catch sight of the ghost whose ecto-signature was sensed all throughout the dimension turning into a human. Now that was just against the laws of nature, ghost or otherwise! Unfortunately, the Rules didn't cover the laws of nature, seeing that this was the Ghost Zone, where they didn't exist, were warped, or were just plain ignored. Now he would have to consider updating his book to include them, though.

"Warden, should we arrest him? And Skulker, who is currently wanted for the act hunting of endangered creatures and in unauthorized zones?" Bullet, Walker's deputy, inquired of his superior. The skull-faced ghost mused on this, rubbing his chin between one of his thumbs and index fingers as he thought while staring at the robotic hunter and collapsed child.

"Not quite yet. I would like to see how this plays out; perhaps there is something we can gain from this. Inform the others to hold their fire at the present time." Walker ordered.

"Yes sir." Bullet spread the order to the other minions that had come out to the scene with him and Walker.

Walker started watching the exchange between Skulker and the unknown halfa.

LINE BREAK

Danny shivered where he lay, wondering why it had gotten colder all of a sudden. A tendril of fogged breath escaped unnoticed from his lips. Then a voice distracted him, and he perked up with worry. That was definitely not Sam, although the boots resembled hers. Craning his head up, a yelp rose in his throat only to be strangled as he choked on his surprise. The cold stung his throat, and there was a strange taste to the air that was . . . sweet? It wasn't a good sweet, though; it was cloying and stuck to the roof of his mouth, like a dying flower.

Of course, that surprise didn't compare to who – or rather, what – stood before him. It was a bulky construct of blue-grey metal, human shaped – was it an android? His parents had come up with androids and gynoids of sorts, but this was far more advanced he could tell with his single, short glance – and oddly enough was dressed in rather typical looking clothes, albeit all black with metal accessories and a skull-adorned choker. The weirdest thing about it though was its hair (although Danny had to wonder how and why an android had hair.) It was made of fire and green in color. It actually looked kind of cool, but he had no idea how any of this was possible.

Oh, wait, this had to be a dream. There was no explanation. Danny snorted, blaming his friendship with Sam and Tucker that, of all the things he could have dreamed about, he had conjured up a goth android. Apparently, the actually somewhat intimidating android took offense to this action of his, if the way the android's mohawk flared and his visage twisted into a scowl – an impressive feat, considering his metal face did not look pliant.

"You dare laugh at the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter, Skulker?" he bellowed, which had Danny chuckling. Looked like even his parents were influencing his dreams now.

"That is the cheesiest thing I have ever heard, and I'm friends with Tucker!" he winced at the hoarseness of his voice, and a hand rose to the teenager's throat and rubbed it, wondering why it hurt so badly to speak. He swallowed, now quite aware of the pain.

Skulker's expression only darkened, and now he pointed an arm at Danny. The hand at the end was curled into a fist, and from the gauntlet rose out an ectoplasmic gun that activated with a whirring whine and a green light. Danny stared into the barrel of the weapon, the sound it made and the way it lit up reminding him of the . . .

. . . the ghost portal.

Oh. Shit.

Danny, hardly aware of what he was doing, raised a hand and pinched one of his cheeks hard, eyes widening as he felt the pain of the fingernails digging into his skin. A vague recollection of the recent events whipped through Danny's mind: the portal looming before him; the buzz of electricity that grew louder and louder; shuddered at the remembrance of cold and pain – a shriek resounding all around him that could stop the heart. A green glow flickered into his eyes as all of this came back to him, followed by a flash of light around Danny's midsection that, when it faded away, left him a ghost once more, not that the half-ghost was aware of this.

"If you're energetic enough to make banter with me, then I suppose you can manage a hunt with your head as the prize, hm?" a menacing rictus backed up the ghost's – who was pleased that his quarry had taken up his more powerful form once more – threat, and Danny scuttled back, wincing at how the action made his body ache but otherwise paying the soreness no heed, as the discomfort had nothing on the prospect of his life.

He had to get out of here, get through the portal. Warn his parents and get the guns ready. He should have believed them; they were smart and obviously knew what they were doing. But how could he when ghosts were never there? They belonged in campfire stories, like how murder belonged in the news and cheating in high school gossip. Ghosts were never something that a person was supposed to be affected by, like all of those other things.

Danny cringed at the expression that remained fixed on the hunter's face, and tore his gaze away from the unwavering green one before him to look behind him, to the portal.

Only nothing was there. Where was the portal?

Where?

He noticed now, for the first time also, the dark swirls of colors and shades, an expanse of broken earth in a space without top or bottom.

No portal. He was lost, and at the business end of an unpleasant-looking weapon in the possession of an evil ghost.

"Not so much spunk now, eh?" the ghost laughed with twisted mirth, the energy composing the green pits that were his eyes coiling with cruel amusement, "what's wrong, aren't going to run? So be it, you may prove to be good entertainment in the future."

With that, Skulker stepped towards Danny, reaching down with his currently unarmed hand to pick him up.

Before he could do so, however, a few green shots blasted him a few feet to the side. The ghost stumbled and shook his head to rid himself of the disorienting effect of the concussive force of the attack – not powerful enough to do more but eat through his wife-beater shirt and leave scorch marks on his metallic body. Whipping his head around, his eyes widened as he caught sight of several armored ghosts arranged in a half-circle and focusing ectoplasmic batons at him, while the infamous white figure that was the ghost warden stood just a bit behind them.

Danny followed Skulker's gaze to the ghosts that had confronted them, and his jaw dropped. Not just one ghost, but he had to come across more? But the way they had attacked Skulker, were they helping him?

LINE BREAK

Walker had watched the interplay between Skulker and the unidentified half-ghost with surprising patience, what with his reputation of jumping the gun when it came to the persecution of individuals who broke his Rules or whom he had been scorned by. Half-ghosts, or halfas as termed colloquially, were very rare though. With their only knowledge of them being the shadowy but ruthless Plasmius, it was best to take caution in this case.

With the hostile actions of Skulker however, it would appear that intervening before the situation became too ugly was prudent.

"Men, get into your positions, half-ring." Walker ordered, and his private militiamen did so, albeit their numbers were too small to form enclose the rogue hunter as he would have desired. Had he known that the bi-annual inspective patrol of the Ghost Zone would have turned out like this, he would have definitely brought a force of at least twice as many strong.

"Right flank, fire once at Skulker! Avoid hitting the boy!" he barked when Skulker came too near the halfa for his liking. The three minions on his right side did so, and Walker saw with satisfaction that the three blasts had all hit their mark and distracted their target. Ah, he saw the way that Skulker's expression changed, and relished it. It pleased him that even the "Ghost Zone's mightiest hunter", who admittedly did have a good arsenal of weapons and respect by the general community but did not respect the Rules, was cowed by his presence.

"Skulker, you are under arrest for breaking hunting regulations and trespassing! Relinquish your weapons and come quietly, or we will subjugate you with force!" Bullet demanded. Skulker hesitated, still taken aback, before he sneered at the authorities and activated his wings, darting off in the opposite direction.

"Bullet, take the left flank and give pursuit, I will handle the circumstances here." Walker instructed his deputy, who saluted before towing the three minions that had not shot into the conflict after Skulker.

"You are to act as my backup; you shall not take initiative. Is that clear?" Walker asked of the remaining goons, eyes narrowed to get across his point with an unstated warning. They nodded eagerly, following after Walker as he floated towards the saved half-ghost boy.

He neared just as the boy was picking himself up, dusting his suit off with a bemused expression on his face. When the halfa noticed the warden's approach however, he tensed up. For a moment, Walker was half-certain that the half-dead boy would either attack or make a break for it, but when he did nothing but eye him warily, Walker put those concerns to the side for now. It seemed as if the boy was willing to give a meeting with him a chance, and Walker knew that he had to handle the situation carefully lest he either flight-or-fight.

Surprisingly, the boy decided to take the first step in contact.

"Err, thanks for that. I'm Danny. What was up with that anyway?" there was a pause, and then, "You're not going to attack me also, are you?"

LINE BREAK

Danny noticed that the oddly expressive skull of the new ghost – who really stood out with his white suit and weird black hat – made a move that looked remarkably as if he were thinning his lips at that last question. He waited for a response, standing his ground and prepared to flee if this ghost made any move to attack him. He wouldn't be caught off-guard again like with that Skulker guy, especially around ghosts, of all creatures.

"I am Walker, warden of the prison. Skulker is a wanted individual, and you yourself don't look to be in such a good position at the current time. Disrupting the peace and breaking the laws of nature. However, I am not going to attack you unless you give me good reason to." the new ghost stated. His tone was dry and blunt, with a slight threat when it came to informing Danny of his current standing. However, the mere fact that he was being told something straight-out by an adult – even a dead one, odd as that was – and given a chance was a refreshing change. With his parents and teachers it had always been that they would come to their own conclusions or take only the other side's account of things, which quite frankly stung. Besides, this guy was a prison warden and had saved him, which definitely had him as good in Danny's book so far.

"All right then, if you just point me back to my parents' portal – can't miss it, big, metal, hexagonal – I'll get out of your hair." Danny smiled sheepishly at Walker, hoping that he could just get home without further incident. Or just get home, really. The smile was not reciprocated.

"I am afraid that is impossible. Not only are the whereabouts of your portal back unknown, but allowing you to return would be against the Rules." Walker explained matter-of-factly, watching as the smile slipped rapidly from the halfa's face, to be replaced by a frown.

"What, but why!" he exclaimed, already thinking that it was necessary to revise his opinion of this ghost in front of him, who had seemed like a pretty okay guy before.

"Because supernatural entities are not allowed to go to the human realm." the warden had to hold back a sigh, exasperated with the obstinate behavior Danny. It was understandable, but nevertheless vexing.

"But I'm a human!" was Danny's objection.

"Not now, you aren't. At the very most you have the ability to take on a human form." Walker decided that it was better to just spill the beans, than to lead the boy on about his current state of living. Really, he would come to accept it, and if all went well would be a boon to his prison force.

"What?" Danny asked in disbelief, although the portal accident rose unbidden to the front of his mind once more.

"I suggest you take a closer look at yourself." too bad he didn't have a mirror, as Walker was sure the effect that would have on Danny would be far better than seeing a currently faint glow around his body.

Danny, refusing to believe what Walker said, looked down at himself. The colors of his suit had reversed, sure, the now black body of it becoming so dark that it seemed to absorb light, whereas his white gloves and boots could put snow to shame in their pureness of color, but what of it? It wasn't that unusual if one put aside the fact that their coloring used to be reversed. He was about to look back up and shout at the warden when something caught his eye, and he squinted to get a better look. Was that . . . no way! He was actually glowing! Danny's head snapped back up, looking up at the taller ghost with wide, fearful eyes that were an impossible green to be human.

"I'm dead?" his voice was small and quivering.

"No, not quite. You're a very rare entity, known here as a halfa. Half human, half ghost. Nevertheless, you may not return to your world."

Danny attempted to wrap his head around the concept of being between life and death, or existing as both at once, whatever, but unable to do so just shook his head and shot Walker a glare at his denying his return home.

"Why not?"

"Because ectoplasmic beings do not belong among the living." Walker nearly snapped, his expression becoming displeased.

Danny opened his mouth to object once more, and the ghost warden cut him off there.

"It would not work out. You are half-dead, you are not like them. Your powers will start developing, and they will be unstable at first. You're not going to be able to hide the changes, and at best you will be killed fully; at worst, you will be taken to a lab and carved up like a frog. You won't be human to them. Do you get this?" his tone was frustrated as he attempted to drill this into the thick head of the half-dead boy before him.

Predictably, the half-ghost blanched, especially as it hit home that he was – apparently, although he was inclined to agree after that shock he received and his changed physiology – not quite living. Worse, Danny was part ghost, and his parents were obsessed with ghosts! Never before had they caught one simply because they had never come across them before, so Danny thought; what were the chances that they wouldn't leap at dissecting and tearing him apart molecule-by-molecule?

"What do I do now?" Danny asked quietly, and Walker barely heard him. However, he was quite pleased by what he did hear, although he made sure not to show it.

"If you come with me, I can give you what you need. I actually have a proposition that I would like to discuss with you, if you do choose to come with me to my prison." the warden offered.

Danny mulled over this for a few moments. Really, what other choice did he have? Really, it was fortunate that, of all the ghosts he could come across, that it was Walker that he had met so soon after coming to this wretched realm. So Danny nodded, and allowed himself to be led by Walker to the penitentiary.

LINE BREAK

Author's Note:

My first time writing a lot of these characters. The chapter ended up shorter than I expected because I ended up scrapping some stuff and eventually rewriting the whole thing, but I'm pleased with it, especially for something written in two days. All feedback would be greatly appreciated, especially since I do plan to continue this story (probably soon), and would like to know how to improve it.

P.S. For the last entry of this collection, 'His Heart', a reviewer brought up the fact that I went with 'oh he's so hot'. I did that on purpose not for the sake of let's make the main character hot. After all, if anyone here has seen Snow White and the Huntsman, they will note that pretty much everyone in it is filthy and probably not in the best of health. Whereas Danny is really clean in comparison, is well-fed and taken care of (to a certain extent), and has probably developed some muscle mass from his many fights (I'm of the opinion that, even if Danny's ghost strength doesn't transfer over to his human form even at all, that at least the actions he takes carry over.) Nevertheless, I would like to thank the reviewer for pointing this out, since I was actually concerned how it was sounding and now know how I should make it better.