The New Adventures of Danny Phantom
A Danny Phantom Fanfic by Quill N. Inque
I do not own Danny Phantom.
Ch. 21: Things Fall Apart
Washington,D.C, 6:00 A.M
Danny Phantom soared through the skies over the U.S. Capitol. Below him, people stopped and waved, pleased and reassured by their hero's sudden appearance.
The reality was much, much darker, for this was not Danny Phantom.
He preferred to be called Daniel.
Stopping just above the Capitol Mall, Daniel's hands began to glow a sickly green, as he concentrated more and more energy into the opening shots of his master's war.
The puny humans below him screamed in terror as Daniel let loose a thunderous blast. Several historic buildings were destroyed instantly, their beautiful architecture vaporized by the concentrated energy. People ran screaming in panic, and Daniel amused himself for several moments by disintegrating any pedestrians who caught his eye. He flew away as quickly as he had come, leaving more than two city blocks in smoldering ruins.
Daniel increased his altitude as he approached the Capitol Dome, landing upon its apex as he contemptuously blasted the statue of Lady Liberty that resided there. With a smack of his hand, he sent the Stars and Stripes, flagpole and all, plummeting toward the ground. That done, Daniel went about systematically destroying the U.S. Capitol's most recognizable feature.
Inside the Dome, Senators and Representatives yelled in surprise as masonry and rubble collapsed around them, crushing several unfortunates who happened to be too close. Daniel roared with evil joy as he listened to the howls within, and, just for kicks, sent a beam of energy that snapped the Washington Monument like a twig. Several dozen tourists were killed instantly.
The carnage below sent the blood roaring through Daniel's veins. Such power! Such glorious power! The humans were little more than insects compared to his might! His eyes shined with malevolent glee as Vlad's favorite son sent the crumbling remains of the Capitol Dome crashing toward the street below.
Something roared past Daniel's ear. He whirled around, his eyes scanning for the source of the irritation. Ah, there. The humans had brought tanks and soldiers in the hope of stopping him.
Fools, Daniel thought as he nimbly dodged another shell. His green eyes glowed furiously and two tanks exploded in bursts of flame, cutting down a dozen soldiers who'd gotten too close. An attack chopper crashed to the ruined pavement, cut clean in two, and the human "defenders" began to retreat in terror.
That was the farthest they got.
Daniel watched the humans turn to ashes, relishing their screams of agony, as Washington, D.C. began to burn.
Fentonworks, 7:30 A.M.
Danny Fenton woke with a yawn as the sun shone through his window. It was a beautiful day outside, with not a cloud in the sky. All around, the people of Amity were waking up, some for a day in the classroom, others for another grind in the office. Birds sang merrily in the trees as the halfa pushed the sheets aside, discarding his pajamas for his usual blue jeans and monogrammed shirt. Snatching his backpack on the way downstairs, Danny opened the front door-
-and was confronted by a small army, with GIW agents K and O in the lead.
Danny tried to smile. "Whoa, guys. Where's the fire?"
"Washington," K growled. "Don't you remember?"
"What?"
O laughed. "Don't give us that! You spent almost an hour burning our nation's capital to the ground! Turn on the news, ghost kid, and tell me what you see! Go on!"
Danny put his hands up placatingly. "Okay, okay. I'll turn it on right now," he said calmly as he switched on the kitchen's tiny set.
As soon as he did, Danny wished he hadn't. The screen gave him a birds-eye view of the ruined city, just before footage of himself began to play. As the terrible events on the film unfolded, Danny gasped in horror.
"It can't be…This has got to be some kind of sick joke."
"Only to you, Fenton," K snarled. "You're coming with us!"
Danny sighed, apparently resigned to his fate, as the handcuffs tightened painfully around his wrists. "What about my friends?"
"They're accessories," O said. "They may not have had a direct role, but nonetheless, they will share your fate. You are a terrorist, Fenton, and have therefore given up your civil rights, as stated in the Patriot Act."
K grinned maliciously. "I'd say this wasn't anything personal, but then I'd be lying."
"My thoughts exactly," Danny said as he broke the cuffs like a paper chain. "I don't know what's going on here, but I will get to the bottom of it!" he yelled as he transformed.
Danny Phantom was gone before anyone could fire a shot.
The Manson Estate, 7:35 A.M.
Sam gasped as Danny roughly shook her awake. "What the hell…."
"No time to explain," Danny said, his voice low and urgent. "Something really bad's going down, and apparently I've been set up to take the fall. Every government agency in the United States is after me, and you and Tucker, too, guilty by association. We need to disappear for a while so we can figure this out."
"What were you framed for, exactly?" Sam asked as she got out of bed. Danny turned around politely.
"Destroying D.C, apparently. Video footage caught an impersonator destroying the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument, as well as the FBI headquarters and other buildings." Danny's eyes shadowed. "People died, Sam. And whoever framed me knew what he was doing; this guy could have been my identical twin."
"Wow. You're not kidding," Sam whistled, buckling on her combat boots.. "This is bad."
"C'mon," her boyfriend said. "We need to get to Tucker before the GIW do."
"What about Dani and Chad?"
"I contacted them on the way here. They'll rendezvous with us later."
Sam shuddered. "Who would do this? I can only think of a few ghosts who could perpetrate destruction on such a scale. Pariah Dark, your evil future-self…Do you think that was him? Dark Danny?"
"No," Danny sighed as he took her hand. "I checked with Clockwork; he's still doing time in the thermos. I suppose it could be Amorpho, but he doesn't possess near enough power to do that kind of thing. And he's more mischievous than evil."
Sam turned white suddenly. "Danny…remember what MacFinn said?"
Recognition dawned upon him, and Danny's eyes widened. "Of course," he breathed. "Only one person has ever tried to clone me, and only one man is twisted enough to try and tarnish my reputation like this…"
"It's true then," Sam whispered. "He's returned…"
Her boyfriend's fists tightened and he spoke the hated name with clenched teeth. "Vlad Plasmius…This has his fingerprints all over it! He tried to duplicate me before, to create a perfect servant…"
"Only this time, it worked," Sam sighed as she and Danny flew toward Tucker's house.
The Tucker Residence, 7:45 A.M.
Tucker's face lit up with delight as he stuffed a sausage into his mouth, chewing it with relish. He almost choked, however, when Danny's disembodied voice spoke in his ear.
"Tucker!"
"Danny?" the tech specialist said, spluttering. "What are you doing here? It's not even time for school!"
"Forget school!" Sam's voice said. "We've got a major problem. Turn on the TV."
Tucker did so, and his jaw dropped. "Oh, snap. What did you do, Danny?"
"It wasn't me!" his friend snarled. "But we need to go underground until we can expose the truth!"
"Which is?"
"Tell you later," Danny said shortly as his invisible hand grabbed Tucker's arm. "Hang on!"
On the television, a news anchorman was speaking outside the flaming wreckage of the U.S. Capitol.
"Lance Thunder here outside what used to be the Capitol Building in downtown Washington. Just an hour ago, our very own hero, Danny Phantom, went on a sudden, inexplicable, and bloody rampage through the city, destroying everything in his path and killing dozens. The FBI, NSA, CIA and Interpol are all seeking the cooperation of worldwide law enforcement in apprehending this fiend, who has so suddenly gone from protector to destroyer. Danny is considered armed and extremely dangerous; if you see him, call the hotline number on your screen. Now the question everyone wants answered is how, and why. Now back to you."
In his lair, Vlad Plasmius turned the giant TV set off with a click. "Well done, my boy," he said to Daniel. "Everything is going according to plan."
"I live to please you, Master," Daniel replied humbly. "Shall I track Fenton down and destroy him?"
"Not yet; let's let him squirm a little. In time, Danny will meet his demise, but not before I have tarnished his name forever and taken my rightful place as ruler of this planet. Why don't you go out and play?" Vlad asked, making a "shoo" motion with his hands. "Go on; kill things."
A slow smile spread across Daniel's face. "Okay."
A/N: Wow! I gotta say, as diabolical plots go, this one's a gem! Hope you guys are ready for more, 'cause I'll have the next chapter up either tomorrow or Thursday! ^^
Your humble servant,
-Quill N. Inque