Chapter 12 – A New Arrival

Fenton Works

"You guys mentioned earlier something about a new experiment?" Danny asked as he and his family finished their dinner. "Something that caused the Ghost Portal to go haywire?"

Jack looked at Maddie, who nodded back. "Well, since you asked, Danny, we might as well go into the details now," she explained. "You see, Danny, our latest focus on Fenton machines has been focused on fighting ghosts on a more hand-to-hand physical combat kind of way. We have guns, bazookas, ecto-sticks, the Jack o' Nine Tails…but those are all hand-held weapons. If they get so much as knocked out of your hand, then…well, how well do you think humans can fight ghosts without an ecto-weapon?"

"Not very well would be my guess," Danny answered in a deadpan tone, Jazz nodding in agreement."

Jack got up from the table. "Maddie, I think it would be best to show them instead of telling them. So let's get down to the lab!" He bolted out of the door and raced down the lab faster than anybody could blink.

Danny stared after him. "How is it that I'm the one who can fly at over 200 miles per hour and yet he can somehow vanish out of thin air like that?" he asked nobody in particular.

"You know your father, Danny," Maddie sighed, "sometimes he has a bigger obsession with his gadgets than that of most ghosts."

"Tell me about it," Jazz agreed as they all followed him down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Jack was already waiting for him, with two new metal gauntlets covering each of his hands.

"I present to you!" Jack proclaimed proudly as he held them about. "The all new Ghost Gauntlets!"

Danny instantly went pale and his face clouded with horror. Jack was the first to notice the disturbing change over his son. "Danny? You all right, m'boy?"

"Dad…" he breathed in a ragged whisper, "the Ghost Gauntlets…don't you remember? Vlad…he used them to…to…"

His normally comical and absentminded father instantly realized his mistake. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, son!" he hastily corrected. "These aren't THOSE Ghost Gauntlets. You know your mother and I wouldn't do a single thing that could even possibly let that bad future of yours happen! No, no, no, this is something completely different! The only thing that's the same is the name, which…" he couldn't help a small chuckle, "I have to admit, I thought was pretty catchy." One glare from Maddie and his smile instantly faded. "But if you don't like it, Danny, won't be a problem at all to change it!"

But by now Danny had sufficiently recovered from his brief panic attack. "It's fine, dad!" he plastered a smile on his face, not wanting to worry his family further. "If it's something entirely different from Vlad's invention, dad, I don't care what you call it."

"Are you sure, son?" Jack gave Danny another concerned one-over.

"Positive."

"All right…" he nodded, deciding to let the matter rest. "Anyway, Danny, these gloves are the beginning of a new, state-of-the-art style of ghost fighting! What they do is simple, yet if we've done our jobs right, incredibly effective!" He held up one of the gauntlets. "Danny, I need you to fire an ecto-ray at me, it's the only way to properly test these."

Jazz raised an eyebrow. "Uh, dad?" she pointed out. "You might want to put on some protective gear, at this point even some of Danny's weaker ecto-rays are stronger than most ghosts'."

"Jazz is right," Maddie agreed, "no scientist should be conducting a potentially dangerous experiment without safety gear!"

Jack looked a bit grumpy at having the experiment delayed a tad, but he nodded and quickly erected a Fenton Peeler armor around himself without complaint. He picked up the Ghost Gauntlets and put them on his hands again. "Fire away!"

Danny lifted his hand and blasted an ecto-ray at his father. Jack lifted one of the Ghost Gauntlets and intercepted Danny's ray with it. To the Fenton children's shock, instead of exploding on contact, the Ghost Gauntlet seemed to suck in the attack, leaving no trace of the original ray behind. Only now, the Gauntlet was glowing with green energy that hadn't been there before.

"These Gauntlets can absorb attacks from ecto-attacks and store them as ghostly power," Maddie explained. "While they're charged, you can do two things with them." She lifted a remote and pressed a button. Suddenly, two steel walls rose up from the ground.

"The first thing you can do is blast the ecto-energy back at the original attacker," she signaled to Jack. He nodded and raised his hand, just like Danny had done. Instantly, a beam of ecto-energy stronger than the one Danny had fired blasted out of the Gauntlet's open palm, exploding into one of the steel walls and blasting it apart.

"Holy…" Danny breathed. "Did that just…"

"The Gauntlets can contain and amplify the power within them somewhat so long as it doesn't overwhelm their max capacity," Maddie continued where she had left off. "We didn't want to make it too dangerous since these are our first completed versions, but they can certainly take anything a ghost could throw at you and hurl it right back at them without a problem."

"That's not the only thing they can do!" Jack added, seemingly eager to show the second function. "Danny, fire another ecto-ray into the Gauntlets!" Danny did so, and soon enough the contraption was glowing with energy again.

"Watch this!" Jack declared. He walked up to another steel wall and began punching it repeatedly with the Gauntlet. Whatever Danny and Jazz had been anticipating, they certainly hadn't expected their father to dent a solid steel wall with one blow. Their shock only escalated as Jack punched the wall twice more, actually folding it in on itself. "When I say these things pack quite a punch, boy do they pack quite a punch!"

"That's…that is so cool!" Danny exclaimed. "It can't be disarmed so easily AND it works for both close combat and ranged? This has gotta be one of your best inventions yet!"

"Hold your horses, Danny," Jazz berated him. She turned to Maddie. "Are these Ghost Gauntlets safe for Danny? Like, can they hurt him?"

"Yes and no," Maddie replied. Jazz raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "The Gauntlets will only work when used by the four of us," she clarified. "It's been designed to recognize only Jack's DNA, my DNA, your DNA, and Danny's ecto-signature. In anybody else's hands, it's completely useless."

"But if I happen to get in the way of a gauntlet's ecto-ray or a punch, that thing's gonna hurt like heck?" Danny assumed. Maddie and Jack nodded.

"As much as I hate to say it, son, we haven't been able to make the Gauntlets so that they can ignore your signature entirely. That being said, there's a limit to how powerful their attacks can be." Jack sighed. "The ecto-rays shouldn't be anything you can't deal with, but you should probably keep away from the punches."

"Got it," Danny agreed. "Though hopefully I don't end up in a place where you're trying to pummel my head against the wall," he joked as they all chuckled. He suddenly remembered something. "So how DID the portal get blown up?" he remembered. "Did you accidentally shoot an ecto-ray at it or something?"

"Errrr…" his father looked a bit sheepish.

"Let's just say one of the main things we're going to have your father work on during our training sessions is his aim," Maddie sighed; that was all any of them needed to know.

"Right…" Jazz drawled. She suddenly found herself grinning. "Still, imagine what these bad boys can do once we finally get the hang of using them! Heck, Danny might not even have to leave class all the time to fight a stupid ghost who tries to screw around with Casper High once you get the hang of using these!"

"You think Valerie might want a pair?" Danny asked. Everyone knew, of course, that he was talking about the Red Huntress' true identity. After the Disasteroid crisis had been averted, Valerie had offered an apology to Danny for misunderstanding him for so long. Danny had been happy to forgive her and even offered to let her join Team Phantom, but she'd refused. Not because she still held a grudge against him, but because she preferred working independently as part of her style. In a way, she kind of reminded him of Danielle; they both shared a desire to be on their own.

Maddie shrugged. "If you want to mention it to her, go ahead, but keep in mind that this is currently our only pair. We'll need to test them further to make sure things don't go sour, but after that it should be a lot easier to make more of them." She looked up at the clock. "It's eight o'clock, Danny. Aren't you and Jazz going to go out on patrol now?"

"Yep!" they answered together. Jazz collected a few Fenton weapons and raced up the stairs, Danny following closely behind her. Jack and Maddie watched contentedly as their children disappeared from view.

"Isn't it great, Maddie?" Jack asked after a while. "Our son and daughter, our pride and joy, following in the Fenton family footsteps?"

"It might not have been the life either of them expected, Jack," she replied with a knowing smile, "but God knows they do it better than anyone!"

/

Amity Park lay in ruins. Its buildings destroyed, its streets aflame, and its people screaming and fleeing in terror from the wake of a vicious battle. In the center of the chaos, two figures were lunging at each other with ferocious wrath, each striving to destroy the utter completely and utterly.

"I should have torn you apart from the moment I met you, little badger," Plasmius hissed as he hurled a red ecto-sword at the defender of the ravaged city. "Back when you were no threat to any of my plans, back when your power level wasn't even the tiniest blip compared to mine!"

Danny conjured up a frozen ice shield and knocked the sword out of the air. "You're just pathetic, Plasmius!" he retorted back. "Your dreams were nothing but worthless lies from the beginning! Mom never loved you and never will, and you've spent twenty years for a goal that's completely impossible! And having me as your son? Hah! You still haven't figured out the cloning technology, fruit loop, and since dad destroyed your last lab you never will!"

"For which I got my sweet revenge, Daniel!" Vlad howled with laughter. "Can you imagine the look on his face as I strangled the life out of his eyes? Seeing him clawing for breath as I paid him back in full for turning me into what I am and more than twenty years of suffering? Watching him die was the greatest satisfaction I've ever felt in my entire life!"

Danny's eyes glowed red with rage. "Monster!" he roared. He reared back his head, prepared to scream…

"HALT!"

The image on the Observant Courtroom's screen paused as one of the Observants pointed towards it. "The future that you see before you cannot be allowed to happen, Clockwork. Vladimir Masters cannot be allowed to become the new ultimate enemy of the world."

"Yes, yes…" Clockwork muttered, already knowing where this was going. "Plasmius degenerates further into depravity and insanity, decides to take vengeance on the ones he believed have wronged him and returns to Earth, unleashes mayhem and destruction upon the entire world in the process, and attempts to kill all of Danny's friends and loved ones with varying degrees of success. All leading to a final battle in which one will destroy the other."

"Then you know what must be done?" another Observant asked. "The safety of the future must be maintained, Clockwork. You know this better than anyone."

"Of course I do," the Primordial of Time rolled his eyes. "That is one of my duties as Lord of Time, is it not?"

The Observants looked at each other. "You will not accept the strategy that we have planned, will you, Clockwork? The elimination of Vladimir Masters from any traces of existence from this point forward?"

Clockwork smiled. "Then it appears we understand each other well, Observant. No, I have a different strategy in mind. One that I have already presented earlier. One that will be far more rewarding for all whose fate has ever been intertwined with that of Vladimir's."

An Observant dressed in more ornate robes floated forward; Clockwork recognized him as one of the leaders. "Clockwork, may I speak with you in private in my chambers?"

"But of course, High Minister Oculus!" he smoothly replied. "After you!"

Oculus and Clockwork floated out of the courtroom until they were in Oculus' private chambers. "Clockwork," Oculus finally spoke again once they were in the privacy of his office. "I am well aware that many of my comrades are nearsighted and blinded by their own sense of superiority. Quite a few of them are still disgruntled over the fact that you chose to save Danny Phantom as opposed to destroying him. Even though it has been recognized that your actions yielded far better results in the long run, many of our kind are stubborn beings and refuse to admit the truth."

Clockwork nodded at the minister's speech. Oculus was one of the few Observants that he genuinely respected, since he was more open to discussion and considering other perspectives instead of the one-track, brute-force approach of his kin.

Oculus sighed. "I am willing to allow you one chance to do things your way, so to speak. If you have my approval supporting you, Clockwork, the interference you will encounter from us as a whole will be all but nonexistent. No interruptions, no intrusions."

"Hmm...knowing what I do about your normal policies, that IS a generous offer." Clockwork's eyes narrowed. "Almost too generous. I take it that you wish for something from me in exchange?"

"Only this," the Observant leader replied. "That if your plan fails, and Vladimir Masters refuses to step away from his current path, that you accept our strategy to destroy him."

"You wish for me to send his soul to Oblivion?" Clockwork asked skeptically. "That seems rather extreme, even considering his evil."

"Send his soul to Oblivion, have the Primordial of Death claim him, whatever it takes to take him out of the picture permanently," Oculus asserted. "This is a matter of trust, Clockwork. You've accomplished the seemingly impossible in the past, so I am going against Observant tradition and giving you full control of the situation. What I ask in return is that you return that control to us if your plan results in failure."

"And not a single Observant will interfere? Not even a single visit to question my actions?" Clockwork pressed.

"While you are taking care of business you will not see even a trace of our existence," the High Minister promised. "I will see to that personally."

The Time Master smiled. "Then we have a deal, High Minister," The two of them shook hands. "As a matter of fact, I was planning on beginning my plans anyway, though our little arrangement will certainly accelerate my progress."

"And one more thing, Clockwork," Oculus interrupted. "About the ghost child and the new state of power he has unlocked…"

"All in good time, High Minister, all in good time."

Clockwork's Tower

"Back so soon?" Dan snorted as Clockwork teleported back into his tower. "I would have thought the Observants would have drawn you into another three hour long session discussing something that could have taken about ten minutes with any competent council."

"Don't you have something you ought to be doing right now?" Clockwork pointed his staff at the door.

"I know well enough," Dan sneered as he picked himself up off a chair. "So, my next target is a rapist?" His face contorted into a look of absolute hate and disgust. "Bah! The lowest scum of them all. An act that transforms one into a degenerate animal without even the barest traces of dignity. Destroying him will be my personal pleasure." He floated into the air and flew out of the tower with a furious speed.

Clockwork watched him leave before allowing himself to dive into his own thoughts. So, the Observants were going to give him free reign for the time being? Good. He didn't need those annoying eyeballs barging in at the worst times.

Their solution to the problem of Vladimir Masters had been so predictable. Destroy him to prevent him becoming a threat. The same rationale that they had used against Danny Phantom back when he was in danger of becoming a monster corrupted beyond hope of redemption.

There would have been no need to send beings such as the Boxed Lunch or Skulktech 9.9 to destroy Danny if Clockwork's intent had ever been to crush him. He was Primordial of Time, after all. He had the potential to wipe anyone he chose out of existence and they wouldn't even realize what was happening. It would be so effortless, so simple to "remove" Masters from the equation.

A pity that it would also be so unbelievably wasteful and unproductive.

Killing Vladimir Masters would be easy, not even worth a few minutes of his time. But redeeming him, now that was a task worthy of his attention and his efforts. It would certainly be much more difficult to steer him on a path of virtue than with Danny; the younger halfa was fundamentally a good person, if a tad reckless and impulsive at times. Unlike him, Vlad had decades of bitterness infused within his very soul, and had long since accepted a path of evil. But the capacity for redemption was there, he and Danny had both seen it in the timeline where Dan had ruled supreme. To turn that capacity into reality would require finesse and careful handling, perhaps even more than the situation with Danny. It would most certainly be challenging, there was no doubt in Clockwork's mind about that. But then again, it was a fact of life and afterlife that the best rewards came only after dedication and difficulty. And if there was anything that Clockwork truly anticipated, it was a challenge.

"The first steps have already been taken," he thought. He knew that Vlad would be going through a roller coaster of emotions before he reached that final stage of anger and hate, the point of no return. Despair, loneliness, grief, all of them would roil through his mind. But there had been a time when he was feeling guilt and remorse as one of the stages, around the same time that the Disasteroid was about to crash into him.

It was then that Clockwork had acted. As the Disasteroid was about to collide into him, he had frozen time around Vlad so that he would be in stasis during the time when he was closest to repentance. He had then called upon his beloved sister and fellow Primordial Spatia, Empress of Dimensions and Reality, to transport the frozen Vlad into an isolated dimension, safe from the prying eyes of any but the Primordials themselves. There would be no harm done to Vlad himself; in fact, if and when Clockwork decided to unlock the temporal and spatial seals on him, he would not remember anything beyond the moments of the Disasteroid's advance.

The Master of Time suddenly felt a being of extreme power coming towards his tower, and he smiled as he recognized her unique signature. "Excellent!" he thought. "It appears my dear sister has finally arrived."

As if on cue, Spatia herself crossed the threshold of the tower and into his vision. Of the three Primordials, her appearance was by far the most regal and queenlike. Spatia's silver hair flowed behind her and glowed with the appearance of starlight, and she shared the same pale skin that her brother had. Unlike him, however, her eyes more closely resembled those of a human, and were colored a deep purple. Her robe and cloak were black, but with gold trim at the edges and stars twinkling throughout the garment. In her hand was a staff similar to Clockwork's, but golden with a half-sun half-moon shaped orb in its crest. In short, the Empress of Dimensions and Reality was exactly as beautiful as Clockwork remembered her, and more.

"Brother," Spatia greeted him warmly as the two embraced. "It has been a long time since we last met face to face, has it not?"

"Several centuries, though I can be more specific if you wish." Spatia laughed at that; her brother always did have a wry sense of humor. "How is our brother Death?" he asked.

"Busy as always," she sighed. "You know all too well that the Reaper takes his duties very seriously. Too seriously, one might say. But anyway," she changed the topic, "I trust that soon the time will come to implement your plan, Clockwork? The one revolving the elder halfa?"

"The time is indeed nigh upon us, Spatia," Clockwork agreed. "I will be sending Dan Phantom on extensive errands and criminal hunts during the next few days. I do not want to deal with the headaches and complications that will occur if Dan Phantom were to meet Vlad Plasmius."

Spatia frowned. "Personally, Clockwork, I would have already banished him to Oblivion if I were you," she commented. "His actions in his own timeline have certainly warranted such a fate."

"You know full well why I cannot allow that to happen, sister," Clockwork responded. Spatia only nodded in response, though she still didn't seem entirely pleased.

"Speaking of Dan…" she asked. "I've been looking forward to meeting the young halfa who has accomplished so much despite the heavy burden he has worn on his shoulders. Danny Phantom is truly a unique individual, is he not?"

Clockwork grinned. "I know it all too well, sister. And do not worry, you will get the honor of meeting him soon enough. Although many would say that it is Danny who will get the honor of meeting you."

The Empress laughed out loud at that. "I suppose, given our reputations," she smirked, though it rapidly faded. "Though I have heard that yours has become somewhat more defined by fear than it has been in the past, Clockwork."

"I will not deny that I have had to adopt a more…unpleasant demeanor in recent times," her brother admitted. "But even if we removed the factor that I care greatly for my student, Spatia, my duty is to ensure the security and safety of the time stream for the greater good. And if that requires me to throttle the threat out of an evil future or an imbecilic hunter, I will gladly do so with no remorse."

"Just be sure not to overdo it, brother," his sister cautioned before her lighthearted smile returned. "So then! Are you ready to proceed with your plan to redeem Vladimir Masters yet?"

"There is no need to be hasty, Spatia," Clockwork smiled. "Business can wait until later. We have several centuries of catching up to do first, after all."

/

So that's my introduction of the second Primordial. Please give a warm welcome to Spatia, Empress of Dimensions and Reality! I imagine her to be the kindest of the three Primordials, though like Clockwork she's also omniscient (all three Primordials are in fact). If Dan ever tried to manipulate her she'd probably just bitch-slap him. With a reality distortion blast that will hurt just as hard whether you exist in or outside of time.

Spatia means space in latin by the way. Sorry for the lack of originality :P

I used to be a huge Pokémon Platinum nut, so yeah :P You have your deities of time, space, and death :P I'm not sure if I'll bring the Reaper into the story yet, though. For now I'm just focusing on these two.

I'd like to think that not EVERY Observant is a stuck-up, nearsighted asshole. Fortunately, one of the ones who can actually think outside the box happens to be their leader.

I do think Clockwork loves a good challenge, otherwise what is he going to do in his tower all day to not keep himself bored out of his mind? And redeeming a man like Vlad certainly won't be a lolez walk-in-the-park.