Danny Phantom, chapter 21: a haunted past

After treating their parents that got attacked by Vlad, Jazz starts to mess with the main computer. She makes sure that Pariah can't visit unannounced. Suddenly the alarms in the entire house go off and start quarantine. Their parents tell them about an assignment they never finished. It had come back to haunt them.

Danny's view:

Mom and dad were really easygoing even though this unknown danger was outside of our house. They walked around in a slow space finding weapons in all kinds of small places. They found them behind a wall, inside a wall, under the ground etcetera. Dad had opened the door of the lab and was bringing all kinds of crazy weapons into the lab. Jazz, Tucker, Sam and I looked at it with awe. Jazz couldn't take it any longer. "How did you hide those weapons mom? Dad is walking around with a weapon as big as a chair! How did Vlad not destroy that?" Mom grinned. Why did I feel uncomfortable by her smile? Dad grinned while pulling up the gun. It was enormous and I was still wondering how the hell he was holding it up. "Easy question Jazz, it's our freezer! If you pull out several handles it will look like a freezer and work. There's no way he could destroy all of our weapons!"

We said nothing back. It felt so surreal. I was always surrounded by my mom and dad's inventions and it turns out I hadn't seen all of them yet. Mom came down with the coffeemaker. I just couldn't help but remark. "Don't tell me that's a weapon as well?" Mom grinned. She pulled the electric cord of the coffeemaker and the entire machine started twisting in small parts turning into something resembling a belt. She put it on her hip and activated it. It had many similarities with the fenton ghost peeler, but a lot tighter. I pointed at dads' weapon. "What does that thing do?" Dad pulled a trigger. The round canon like weapon started turning in blue lights. It started to suck me up. Was it like a fenton thermos? I resisted the beam and tried to distance myself, but it was very difficult. Dad let go of the trigger.

"It seems it is still functioning after all those years. This is the prototype fenton thermos kids. The ones you have are powered down but still strong enough for ghost of the ghost zone. This weapon was meant for Remainers, the ghosts that belong in the human world. Unlike the light organization that we worked for, we didn't want to kill all the ghosts we encountered. So we created this." Mom laid her hand on dads arm. She continued the story. "We wanted to study them and converse with them. This gun traps ghost inside small thermos like containers like the fenton thermos that you use." I held up the thermos on my belt. "Yes, we still have them and they are a lot easier to carry?" Mom nodded. "But Remainers can escape them with ease. They just have to bust the thermos to free them, but this weapon turns that power they use into the polar opposite and traps them in it."

Sam nodded. "That's nice and all, but what has it to do with us now? Who is that Remaining outside of the house and why should we be so cautious?" Dad sighed. "It's because of the decision of the Light." Sam directly interrupted dad. "The light? As in the organizations known as the Ectquisitors?" Why did that sound so familiar to me? Didn't Sam talk about it some time ago? Sam seemed to remember some of it. Mom showed a surprised face. "How do you know of that name? It should be one of the greatest secret organizations on earth?" Sam grinned at mom. "I happen to read a very interesting tome full of information about the ancient ghost zone that should have been erased from everyone's memories. It also mentions the organization known as the light. You were members of the light?"

Dad looked at mom and nodded. "Yes we were members of the light. After our portal had started functioning they contacted us. They tried to brainwash us with the idea that ghost were super evil and stuff. At first we did believe them. We hunted ghost down and sealed them, but we grew an interest in them. We wanted to know more about them, so we designed this weapon. She was the first ghost we captured. We secretly kept her and communicated with her, creating weapons and armor that would work on ghosts. Although she was captured, she didn't really hate us at first. She was happy to talk after so many years of fighting. Together we created weapons that would track and bind ghost, not kill them."

Tucker interrupted. "Let me guess. If this was a movie plot, the organization of Light found out about the female ghost and captured her. She was probably tormented before she freed herself and started hunting you?" Mom looked at Tucker with astonishment. Tucker grinned from ear to ear. "I'm an expert in everything computer related miss Fenton. It's easy to figure out." I didn't fully agree with Tucker. I had seen many movies to, but I hadn't thought it through like that. Mom nodded. "Yes Tucker, that's basically what happened but what she doesn't know is that we were the once to free her." Jazz sighed. "So we just have to tell her that you wanted to help her escape and everything is done? She likes talking right. Since I'm skilled in communication, I'll talk to her." Sam snorted. "She would kill you first Jazz."

Sam sat down with dark look. "She was tormented, believing that she was betrayed. Just a few words won't be enough. Luckily we have our own ghost that could fight her head on. Right Danny? What if she finds out that your son is a ghost as well?" Mom sighed and shook her head. "Our best option is to fight and capture her. After that we can talk it out. Sam is right about the tormented part." I interrupted the conversation. "What is her name and power? I like to know that before our fight starts." Dad nodded and pulled mom closer. "Notrada, she uses light to blind and burn others. She lived together with her husband in the Notre dame; it was her haunt till the Light chased her out. Her husband was killed in that fight and since then she started roaming, fighting off one organization after the other."

Jazz scratched her cheek. "Why was she in America then? Or did you go to Europe?" Mom shook her head. "The Notre Dame was built around 1200, America as you know it wouldn't exist for another few centuries but the organization of the Light did exist. Hundreds of ghost flew towards those untouched lands finding nice haunts to live. The organization of Light couldn't touch them there at the time. They lived peaceful lives here, till humans started coming to America. The organization of the Light founded their first base in 1800. After living for all those years in peace the ghosts were mad at the Light for ruining and hunting their homes and started their offence. Those are called Remainers. Ghost that stayed on earth after being hunted down. You could call Notrada an immigrant, seeking a better life."

A large banging sound vibrated in the house. Mom grits her teeth. "It seems she knocked out the steel ghost door. Danny ready yourself to fight her. Immobilize her and make sure to block her attacks from reaching us. Disintegrating light beams hurt." Dad nodded. "We shouldn't have shown her all those fantasy movies." I felt a bit out of place. Mom and dad didn't talk about her like they did about ghosts. It was like they were talking about something like an aunt. Jazz had the same expression on her face. And who would show fantasy movies to a ghost they captured? Sam and Tucker activated their fenton ghost peelers. Sam really looked hot in her black suit. Jazz activated her suit as well.

Mom opened the doors to the training room. "We'll be able to fight here for the best. This place has the most space!" Tucker shook her head. "Wouldn't outside be a better option? Danny can bring us there with ease?" Mom shook her head. Sam answered for her. "Tucker, she can manipulate light! Where do you think her attacks are stronger, inside with lamps or outside with the sun?" Tucker snorted. "Okay, I'll lower the outputs of the lights just enough so that we'll still be able to see." Large banging was heard on the door of the lab. She was already inside the house. I flew towards the door opening of the trainings room. The door slammed down on the ground.

A woman in white clothes with blond here floated in its place. Her face was full of anger. She reminded me off those jump scare ghost in horror movies. Without saying a word she shot something resembling a yellow beam at me. I blocked it with an ice shield. The beam tried to melt my shield, but I kept freezing it and let the beam reflect back to her. She evaded her own beam and stared at me. "Who are you and why are you blocking my path?" I shrugged. "I'm Daniël Dark, I'm protecting this place." Her face looked astonished. "You're from the Dark family? So the seal has truly been lifted?" Her face went back to anger. "Go away; I have to destroy those two people in the house! They ruined my life, handing me over to the Ectquisitors. You should know how terrible that kind of punishment is."

I shook my head. "No I do not know, because I have yet to run into them, although I fought the Exilers not to long ago." She looked at me with pure bewilderment, but she recovered her angry face. "You'll die with them then!" I blocked her beam again and reflected it back. She evaded and a small hole appeared in the wall. Her attacks burned right through the thick walls. I started to lower the temperature in the room. I did it slow to make sure she wouldn't notice right away and blocked her beams. It was rather easy to just reflect them back. I covered the walls with a layer of ice so that the beam started to bounce off them. She was almost hit with her own beam and gave a yell of surprise. She gritted her teeth. "You're strong I give you that. Your ability's really resemble Alcafoar." She knew Alcafoar?

Sam and Jazz came into action and started shooting at her from behind me. She evaded them and blocked some by shooting them down. She looked into the trainings room and tried to shoot a beam at my parents. I blocked it with an ice wall. Notrada cursed. "Why, why do you keep me from my revenge? They tortured me for years!" She shot multiple beams at me. I blocked with an ice shield again. "It isn't easy to explain to be honest." Rather it was a pain to explain that I was half ghost but turned into a full ghost, because of Alcafoar. "Let's just say I'm friends with them." Notrada looked pissed. "They will betray you and hand you over to the Light! Just like me."

I shook my head. I was fairly certain that my parents wouldn't hand me over to the Light. Notrada looked at Jazz. Her eyes seemed puzzled. "Jazz, you've grown so big? It has been years since I last saw you." A shot towards her shoulder woke her out of her trance. She evaded but remained silent for some time. I flew a bit further into the trainings room. "Should I start the ice dome? This fight is rather easy. I'll weaken her and then you can capture her." My parents nodded. Just like I said, I started the ice dome inside the lab. A cold wind together with heavy snow started falling. Notrada showed an astonished face once again. Instead of freeing herself she walked around inside the ice dome and started touching the barrier surrounding it.

Why wasn't she cold? Why didn't she freeze like Vlad? If her powers resembled light, she should be warm and cold should be her nemesis. She took a hand full of snow and made a snowball. I felt rather stunned, watching her enjoy the snow like that. She heated the snowball into liquid. The liquid immediately froze. She noticed my gaze and smiled. "I probably should have mentioned that I came from the frozen parts of the ancient ghost zone. Cold won't do a thing against me, but your barrier is too strong for me to break. You really resemble Alcafoar with this blizzard thing, but to think that it's not the same? Who's your mother?" How should I answer that question? It would be rather awkward to say that my mom is the one she was hunting down, together with my dad.

Mom and dad came close with the weapon. Notrada didn't look so happy. "So there you are Maddy and Jack. You're here to lock me up again and hand me over to the Light. You even pulled your daughter into this mess!" Maddy sighed. "Notrada, it's not what you think. We quit the Light after you were captured. We just pretended to be on their side. Telling everyone that ghost are so bad and evil, so that they would leave us alone." Notrada snorted. "You think I'll believe you? Those sidekicks are wearing highly advanced suits that you made. Even their weapons were designed to kill ghosts!" Sam interrupted. "Sorry girl, but they capture ghost, once captured we throw them into the ghost zone till they escape again. We don't kill anyone; we practically saved one from the Exilers a few days ago."

Notrada shot her light beams, but they didn't penetrate the barrier. She grinned and beams appeared outside of the barrier aiming for mom and dad. I raised multiple shields and blocked them all. A hole in my blue cape became visible. Damn I couldn't reflect them all. Mom and dad retreated back. The light beams appeared at random places. "How is she doing that?" Mom yelled the answer. "She gathers light wherever she wants and shoots. The lamps will flickers when she does, so pay attention to the lights!" I evaded a beam aiming for my back. Tucker walked up to me. "Danny, try to freeze her. She may be from a cold climate but if you could freeze her body, she wouldn't be able to move!"

I nodded and tried to concentrate on the ice dome. Normally this cold was enough to freeze people, but not harm them. I tried bringing the temperature down. The floor inside the dome started to break. Outside the barrier a small layer of mist became visible. Notrada stopped her sneak shots. She shivered. Her white skin started to look blue. The snow stopped and only hail rained down. The dome itself started to freeze as well. Notrada raised her hands. "Stop, I'll submit. I do not wish to be frozen and sealed. I'll refrain from killing Maddy and Jack." Why did she submit? I would have just turned her into an ice stature and lock her up. Vlad never submitted?

Notrada snorted. "What is with that look Daniël Dark? Do you really think I would want to lose my life?" Lose her life? "I would have frozen you, so that they could suck you up into a thermos, I never intended to kill you?" Notrada laughed. "So Alcafoar didn't tell you? You really are very young aren't you? You tried to kill me just now by freezing my existence!" My face felt cold. I tried to do what? Mom grabbed my arm. "There's no need to kill her Danny." I nodded. "I never intended to, it was Tuckers idea to be honest, but Vlad survived being frozen?" Mom looked at Notrada with a smile. "It's nice to see that you're doing well Notrada. Would you mind dropping your revenge, till we tell you our part of the story?"

Dad pushed Jazz forward and smiled as well. "Look Notrada, Jazz has grown up just like you said she would and this is Danny our son. He's seventeen." Dad pointed at me. Notrada's mouth fell open. She raised her finger. "That's Alcafoars son right?" Dad shook his head. "No, but this Alcafoar guy intends to make him a ghost. He's a halfa." Notrada fell completely silent; she could only point at me. Dad gripped my hand. "Stop the barrier son. I think we can speak to Notrada now, without getting killed." I let the ice dome disappear. Notrada sat down looking at me and then at mom and dad. "Your son is a halfa? How did you keep him away from the Light?"