Ch. 21

The residents of the Far Frozen rush about, the air thrumming with urgency. Danny stands atop a stone platform, calling out orders and relaying information through a radio. His voice rings clearly across the plaza, and the yeti never hesitate to follow his commands.

"You seem to have everything well under control, Mr. Fenton," Lancer comments, coming up beside the halfa, "But then again, you've always been a leader, haven't you?"

"Have I?" he replies dryly.

The teacher nods, "I anticipate great things from you…Mr. Phantom."

"Wha…" Danny's rendered speechless, "How…?"

"It's the only piece that solves the whole puzzle," he shrugs, "How you've been hunting ghosts without anyone seeing you, why Ms. Manson always looks ill whenever Ms. Sanchez gushes about Phantom, why you're so well known in the Ghost Zone…" he shrugs, "Mayor Masters claimed he was half-ghost. That shock inside the portal added more than a little ecto-energy, didn't it Mr. Fenton?" he smirks.

"You're very perceptive, Mr. Lancer," he smirks back at the teacher, a flash of green swirling through his irises, "I wonder why my mom hasn't figured it out yet?"

"I'm not emotionally invested," the teacher replies, "I can step back and look at the whole picture. She can't."

"I hope you'll continue to keep it secret for now, Mr. Lancer."

"Surely you plan to tell her?"

"Of course," he snorts, "It's time I tell her and Dad…preferably at the same time. They're going to want answers about the whole…dead thing…"

"So…were you?"

"Maybe," Danny shrugs, "Frostbite said something about my ghost half holding my human form in some sort of suspended animation while fixing it up. Ghosts aren't just…dead, Mr. Lancer. They still move, think…death is the absence of life. Ecto-energy is more like anti-life; it's still a form of energy, of life."

"I didn't know you were such a theorist. You should show this much thought in school."

"This is just the result of studying with Clockwork. And I'm doing pretty well in school this year, considering that I'm also learning two languages and the history, politics, and structure of the ghost zone. Oh, and don't forget my ancient weapons training and the actual ghost-hunting," he snorts.

"You really are busy," he gasps.

"So you'll understand next time I show up in class late or miss an assignment?"

"I think I will," he frowns, "…and who's Clockwork? I've heard mention of him several times during this trip, but…"

"Clockwork is the master of time, Mr. Lancer," Danny smiles, "He sees the world that exists, the worlds that have existed, and the worlds that can exist. He's the strongest ghost I know. He hasn't gotten involved, so I assume that the course we're on leads to the possibility of a favorable outcome."

"You seem to have a lot of faith in him."

He shrugs, "We both want what's best for both realms. Why wouldn't I trust him?"

"What about what's best for you?"

"You'd be surprised how much they correlate to one another," he replies shakily, turning on his heel and vanishing amongst the thrumming crowd.

-BREAK-

"It's today, Val," she can hear Tucker smile, "We're coming to get you."

"What's the plan?" she whispers.

"Well, we'll start quietly; try to break through ourselves and weaken Walker's front line. Then we'll surprise him with a second wave of Far Frozen. Then, while he's dealing with a bunch of angry yeti, we slip through and find you. Danny's trying to do this without revealing his secret."

"Got it."

"I'll let you know when it starts. Be ready. Can you tell us anything about your location in the prison?"

"I think we're somewhere in the middle. There aren't any windows in here."

"Got it. See you in a few, Val."

"Tucker…"

"…yeah?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. What's your code?"

"Will it do any good now?"

"It's for good luck."

"362554583227," she recites, a wry smile playing on her face, "See you soon. Get these cuffs off of me so I can whip out my suit and wreak some havoc!"

"Sure thing, Babe!"

"Did you just…?" But he's already gone. She feels her face heat, and shakes her head.

"I told you that he's got a thing for you," Star smiles from her spot. Her hair is tangled after days without a brush, but she's remained cheerful despite the circumstances.

"Maybe I will ask him out," she confesses.

"I hope so."

-BREAK-

::So Mr. Lancer knows now?::

::Yeah,:: Danny replies, ::Apparently, he just…reasoned it out.::

::And yet, your mom is still clueless,:: she snorts, ::I can't believe she eavesdropped on you last night…::

::Chill, Sam,:: he laughs in her mind – something, she admits, she can get used to, ::She's a scientist; she's prone to curiosity, and patience has never been her strong suit.::

::But–::

::Sam, just try to get along with her for now. Once she and my dad know and have a little time to get used to it, everything will be okay. She can't be accepting right now because we haven't told her what she's supposed to accept. Calm down.::

::True. She's still better than my parents.::

::Nonsense, she's not better, she's just…::

::Danny,:: she smirks, ::You don't need to defend them.::

::…they're your parents, Sam.::

She laughs out loud, shaking her head, ::Geez, Danny, don't pretend to be okay with them when they clearly hate you.::

::I don't hate them back,:: he replies firmly, ::But I am terrified of them.::

::You fight evil every day, and you're afraid of my parents.::

::There is nothing scarier to a boyfriend…except his girlfriend.::

::Funny. I'm still working on killing you.::

::Looking for a different brand of poison lipstick? Because I will be more than happy to let you test it on me.::

::You're such a dork.:: He laughs again.

::By the way…how did you know she was spying on us anyway?::

::I just…:: she bites her lip, ::Danny, are we sure that the telepathy is…yours?::

::…I don't get where you're going.::

::Have you heard anyone else's thoughts?::

::No, just yours.::

::I…I heard hers…no, that's not totally correct. I didn't hear them, exactly…I just…sensed it. Almost like an instinct. I could tell when she lied to me. I think I have a specific connection with you, but maybe with everyone else…I can sense what's underneath the surface. I can't sense them from a distance, but…::

::You think…it might be yours?::

::That's silly, isn't it?::

::…not really. Sam, you…you experienced my death, right?::

::Yeah. Kind-of…Wait, are you saying that it linked us?::

::No, it started before that. What if we were connected before that, but experiencing my death gave you…like, secondhand ghost powers or something?::

She feels gears in her head click, ::You said that you thought I wasn't breathing for a moment…::

::A near-death experience.::

::…but what linked us in the first place?::

::That's a silly question, Sam,:: she can sense him grinning across the village, ::fateful, true love.::

She'd hit him if he were nearby, a blush rising to her cheeks, ::Yeah, something like that.::

::I wouldn't have my powers without you, Sam,:: he adds more seriously, ::You're as tied to my death as I am.::

A/N: Congrats to The Talent for predicting the true nature of the telepathy! Thank you all for your reviews! We're at 221 at the time I'm typing this! To answer a common question: Danielle will NOT be appearing IN PERSON in this book. She's slated for #3: "Crown of Fire." Also, while I've introduced the telepathy, it'll be more relevant and important in "Adrift." The raid on Walker's prison begins next chapter! Yay!

Also, I get a lot of comments on my version of Tucker: I always feel like other fanfic authors just…forget that he's out there fighting ghosts with the other two. I feel like the trick to writing decent characters from a series is to remember that in the cartoon, they'll emphasize certain traits of a character, rather than dealing with the nuances. After all; they're episodic in nature and need to make it clear what each character stands for. So you take the main traits from the cartoon, suppress them a little, and flesh out according to the situations they've gone through for the fic. He's not as strong as Danny, but in an arm-wrestling match, my Tucker would be equal to Sam; it turns into a matter of endurance, which she wins. But he's not exactly a pushover. He is, however, aware of his low stamina and therefore fights smart instead of hard. (Hacking into Skulker's suit, for instance.) I'm glad you all like him, because I feel like he never gets enough credit. Everyone just makes him the simple goofball and (often) a coward. Anyway, so there's my Tucker rant.