Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been working on my latest story, Kings and Enemies. It's a crossover between Danny Phantom and Heroes of Olympus, so don't forget to check that out if you have the time :).

Danny looked up when Dan came striding back in.

"The machine's done," Danny said with a smile.

Tucker had done all the calculations. Hopefully sucking Dan into another dimension would work. His enemy leaned over the machine skeptically.

"And what about having to harness your friends and family's essence?"

Danny's teeth gritted together. Don't lose your cool now. Not when you're so close. Danny paced around the machine, trying to mimic Dan's walking style.

"Oh we'll still need my old friends and family to make it work."

"Excellent. My ghosts have already made another Ezra clone. I guess all we need now is dear Mom and Dad... and my cousin."

The way he said that last part made Danny flinch. He didn't trust himself to respond. So he pretended to just inspect the machine instead.

"Where are they?" Dan asked suddenly.

Danny's head whipped up in surprise.

"How would I know?"

"Don't play coy with me. Even if your story was true, they had to disown you somewhere."

"Wow, you really have a way with people. I set them down in front of Fentonworks. They saw that I changed and demanded that I leave. Nothing more, nothing less."

Dan's eyes narrowed. His younger self puffed out his chest, eyes set. Does Dan believe me? Come on, pretty please with a cherry on top. Dan turned to his minions and snapped his fingers. The ghosts bowed their heads in respect and went intangible.

"My ghosts will find them. You stay right here and relax. You've earned a rest."

Danny wanted to protest. He couldn't let his guard down, but the way Dan said it, he knew he didn't have a choice. Another ghost led Danny away from the room into a plush room with a large sofa. The room looked so warm and cozy that Danny's eyes started flickering. Wow, how long had it been since he last slept? Two, three days? His body sagged with exhaustion. He didn't even make it to the sofa, collapsing onto the oriental rug.

Dan held up Pandora's box. Opening the machine's panel, he tore apart some wires and reattached them with the box. After hooking it up to the amplifier, he took a step back.

"All good, then."

Jack and Maddie were pacing furiously, thinking over their encounter with the Fearling. How could there not be room in the thermos? There was always room! Tucker knocked and poked his head in, eyes wide.

"Um... I think you should see this..."

The couple looked at him quizzically. They walked out into the living room and gaped. Dani was sitting in the middle in a meditation pose. The thermos was hovering in front of her face, a pale blue glow emanating out.

"What's she doing?" Jack whispered.

Dani grunted, annoyed.

"I'm trying to share an experience with the Fearling."

"What do you mean?"

"Fearlings are large, dumb creatures. But they can be tamed. Back when I was Dan's adviser, Fearlings were used as the everyday means of transportation. Dan helped me build up my mind to resist the fear. Fearlings send out the fear through telepathic waves. I figured out how to loop the wave around so that I'm looking in its mind. There might be something to help us with Dan."

Jack, Maddie, Tucker, Sam, and Valerie all crowded around the girl. Maddie's shoulder brushed against Dani's, and she gasped. The entire room went dark. She was sitting in a cage, a shackle on her arm. She looked up to see cages filled with other ghosts. One was a large warrior with armor and a spear. Another looked like a younger version of Dani. Dan was out of the cage, picking through some artifacts. He turned to the warrior ghost with a deadly gleam.

"Where is it?"

"I would never tell you."

"Come on, make it easier on yourself. You know I'll find your box either way."

Pandora growled, a sound that made Maddie shiver. Dan's lips curled up into a smirk.

"If you don't tell me, I'll unleash my Fearling beast on Danny's loved ones. Do you know what the beast does? It drives them to insanity, a shell of their formal selves. Their insanity will be on your conscience."

Pandora blinked.

"W-what would you do with it?"

"Oh, you know, making Danny evil, sucking all the good that was ever in his heart. Stuff like that."

Maddie and Jack gasped. A trickle of sweat made it way down their foreheads. Their son... Pandora sneered, her eyes narrowing.

"Ha! I would never help you with such a task."

Dan shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, be that way. I'll just find your box myself."

He marched off, leaving Pandora in a stunned silence. But before he left the warehouse completely, he turned with a smirk.

"You knew the consequences if you didn't tell me-"

He snapped his fingers. Maddie and Jack jumped back in surprise as their cage door flew open. Dan's lips curled up even more. He dug around in a pocket, bringing out a small piece of cloth. It bright orange... Jack's jumpsuit.

"Come 'ere, boy. Find 'em and sic 'em."

Dan's image became blurry, almost nonexistent. Maddie and Jack shook their heads feverishly.

"No... we have to see more! Wait!"

Maddie yelped as she fell back into her own body. Every sense was awake and tingling. Her whole body was trembling, but she didn't care about that. Dani was gripping her head in pain, a sleepy look on her face. Maddie sat up quickly, which was a mistake. Her stomach flipped dangerously. She looked at the others, eyes wide.

"D-Danny's in danger! We have to save him!"

No one got the chance to respond before they were attacked. The ghosts came in, howling at plunging towards them. They took Sam first, their paralyzing claws raking down her face. Next came Tucker and Valerie, until Jack and Maddie were the only ones left. They gathered into a tight circle, back against the others'.

"Are you ready for this?"

"If it means saving Danny."

The ghosts dived in. Instead of whipping out their weapons, the couple closed their eyes and winced as they felt themselves being paralyzed. They were on their way to Danny. Please don't let us be too late, Maddie thought.

Somewhere in the ghost zone, the Observers slammed their fists on the table.

"Clockwork, I thought you said you'd fix this!"

"I am! I'm designing a special time bubble to trap the Evil One in."

"That's not good enough! He'll figure out a way to escape. This creature is a menace to all creation. We must eliminate him."

"Is that your answer to everything? All you do is observe! Let me work in peace, and you'll have your results."

"What do you need to do in order to get him to the Time bubble?"

Clockwork scratched his head uneasily.

"I-If we could reroute Dan's portal to the bubble, then someone could push him in."

The Observes didn't say anything. They stared at him for what felt like an eternity. A collective sigh ran through the ghosts.

"Very well. Continue with your work. We expect results soon."