Pearl: Hey, gang! Nothin to say today!
Vlad muse: -gasps- It's a true miracle!
Pearl: -rolls eyes- Hilarious.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
Chapter 24: Sabotage
Invisible and with a smirk on his lips, Danny Phantom intently watched six business men step into the castle after Derek opened the door. However, the ghost looked entirely human this time, leading Danny to believe that the butler was most likely a shape-shifter. As for the other ghosts in the house, they seemed to have literally vanished, but Danny could still feel they were around.
The younger half-ghost had been up in his room when he had heard the door bell ring. That kind of occurrence around here, of course, was rare and too much of a temptation for him not to come down to see who it was.
Deep within, Danny had hoped—forgetting for the moment the consequences it would bring—that it was his parents at the door…or anyone else he longed to see…
But seeing these men step inside instead brought him back to reality, and a totally different train of thought came into focus. And that thought was what had the teen smirking.
He was currently debating what he should do with these unexpected visitors, who—from what he had heard the men say just now—the billionaire had invited to his house for dinner. That his arch-enemy actually had a life outside of his being the evil ghost hybrid that he was still psyched the boy out.
Before coming here, Danny had always imagined that Vlad spent every waking hour scheming revenge plots against his father and him. But now, he could see that the guy actually did normal things, too. He went to work, he had hobbies that didn't involve his obsessions with his mom and the Packers; heck, the teen had even seen him watching TV a few times! And now, the man just revealed that he had a social life as well… What a shame Danny had a good mind to ruin the latter right about now.
"Good afternoon, gentleman. I hope you were able to get here with no trouble," Vlad stated, walking into the foyer before shaking hands with the men.
"No, no trouble at all," one of them said, "We would like to thank you for inviting us to your grand home, Masters."
Vlad smiled and waved dismissively. "Oh, there is no need for that. I am honored to be the host of such fine fellows."
Danny rolled his eyes as Vlad and his guests continued to compliment one another. Seriously, was every wealthy person that self-absorbed?
He sighed, before a strange expression appeared on his face. No, not everyone was like that…. Sam wasn't like that at all. She was different. She was… special.
Danny suddenly shook his head, and quickly focused his attention back to the men.
"Right this way, gentlemen," Vlad escorted them, "Dinner will be served shortly, and afterwards, we can get down to business, hmm?
The men nodded and followed their host.
But before Vlad left the foyer, he shot a warning glare at the invisible Danny. In response, the teen laughed, but quickly covered his mouth to quiet his amusement.
"That important, huh?" he whispered mischievously, before following the men into the dining room.
Vlad's right eye twitched when he realized Danny was in the room with them. "If he ruins this, I am going to hang his head on my wall," he thought darkly, quoting his ally.
For some time Danny simply watched Vlad and his guests as they just talked about some business while they waited for supper to be served by Derek. The teen was trying to figure out what Vlad was up to with these people. But… the older-half ghost just continued chatting away with them.
Eventually, the still invisible Danny let out a yawn of boredom. He had never been around people as boring as these! He barely had any clue what they were conversing about. If he had not left yet it was only because he got a kick out of seeing his evil nemesis twitch nervously because of his presence. Obviously, Vlad didn't want him here. And the glares the man occasionally sent his way left no doubt.
Danny grinned as he finally decided to make a move, and do a little more than make Vlad twitch. He flew over next to him and whispered in his ear so only the older hybrid could hear, "What are you up to, Plasmius?" he asked, doing nothing to hide the amusement and mischief from his tone of voice.
Vlad made no indication of having heard, let alone know the teen was right beside him. But then he brought his glass of water to his mouth, and before taking a sip he discreetly whispered back, "Leave. This doesn't concern you, Daniel." He lowered the glass, and without skipping a beat, responded to the man that just addressed him, "No, I haven't taken a tour of the branch here in Wisconsin just yet. But, rest assured, I know full well what I have invested in."
Danny chuckled before answering to Vlad, "Leave? But you haven't even introduced me yet, fruit loop."
Vlad's grip tightened on his salad fork, and he quickly hissed, "Don't make me force you, boy!"
"Excuse me?" the man closest to Vlad asked at hearing his host say something he didn't catch. "Hmm? Oh, no, just coughed," Vlad answered, which the man nodded at and turned his attention back to the person talking.
It was then Vlad realized… Daniel was no longer beside him…
"Let's turn this up a notch," Danny thought wickedly as he hovered near one of the business men. Knowing the effects ghosts had on humans, he purposely inhaled and then blew out air at the man.
Instantly, the man visibly shivered, "Goodness, It got really cold in here," he chattered, his breathe actually showing for a moment.
"I'm dreadfully sorry," Vlad calmly apologized, although his hands were fisted under the table, "I'll go fix that inconvenience." He stood, and then added, "Permanently."
"Oh, no, it's quite alright. I'll live," the man said with a chuckle, while gesturing his host not to bother.
Reluctantly, Vlad sat back down, but his eyes stayed on Danny, following his every movement as if he could see him.
The teen flew around the table, which caused a shiver to travel down all the visitors' spines. He then flew up and hovered at the opposite side of the table, facing Vlad.
The older half-ghost didn't need to see the boy to know that he was most likely grinning widely at him, enjoying every second of this humiliating situation he was putting him through. It took a lot of self-restraint for Vlad to suppress his desire to make a Plasmius duplicate and attack the annoying rat. Oh, how he would love to do that, but he knew that the last thing he needed was a 'ghost fight' in front of these men.
"Masters, are you alright?" one of the men asked, noticing his host had his eyes locked into empty space.
"Of course," Vlad answered him offhandedly, turning his eyes to his guest.
Noticing all the men had their gaze on Vlad, Danny turned visible and waved at the half-ghost billionaire. The second he got his attention, he willed green energy into his hands and smiled wickedly.
Vlad felt his face pale as Danny pointed to the man closest to the teen and gestured he was going to shoot him. Forgetting that his young rival would never harm an innocent person, Vlad impulsively rose from his sit and exclaimed. "Do not dare!"
Danny instantly became invisible even though everyone was staring at Vlad. The six men looked at their host, before turning their heads to see who he had shouted at. Not seeing anyone, they turned their bewildered stares back to him.
Noticing the looks he was getting, Vlad laughed nervously. "Yes, do not dare try your steaks without this exquisite sauce my chef makes!"
The men blinked at him for a moment, before they slowly nodded. "Alright," they mumbled, lowering their forks.
"Derek?" Vlad called, sitting back down.
The butler, who had been standing right outside the dining room, quickly walked in. "Yes, sir?"
"Please be kind enough to bring the steak sauce," Vlad said with a tight smile.
Derek looked perplexedly at his employer. But at receiving a hidden glare from him, he made a silent, "Oh," before stepping out.
Unable to hold in his laughter any longer, Danny had flown out of the room via the ceiling, and was currently cracking up on the top floor. He was laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach from the ache it produced.
Vlad looked up as his sensitive hearing picked up the boy's hysterical laughter. Instantly, his blue eyes turned red, but remembering his guests, he quickly brought his anger back under control, and with a smile, continued conversing as if nothing had occurred. "Mr. Gonovi, I heard you will be opening a new automotive industry in a month's time. How's that going for you, hmm?"
Meanwhile, Danny had finally gotten a hold of himself… and also had gotten another idea… Now human, Danny strolled down the stairs with a mischievous smile on his lips. He soon made it to the dining room and didn't hesitate to walk in. "Uncle Vlad!" he exclaimed.
Vlad dropped his fork, and his face turned paper-white. "Daniel," was all he could say.
Danny grabbed the shocked billionaire around the neck, before giving him a quick nuggie. "Hey, Unkie Vlad, what ya up to?" he asked, flashing him an innocent smile and a not-so-innocent flash of his green eyes.
Vlad stared at him, wanting nothing more than to punch the boy across every corner of the room. But instead, he grabbed Danny's hand that was still around his neck and gently moved it away, before he stood.
Vlad looked at his guests, who had been muttering to each other while looking curiously at Danny. While straightening his 'nuggied' hair, Vlad calmly introduced him, "I apologize for the interruption, gentlemen. This is my nephew, Daniel."
The visitors stood up and greeted the boy with a hand shake which Danny returned a little too enthusiastically.
"I didn't know you had family, Masters," one of the man stated after ripping his hand from the teen's iron grip.
"Yes, a sister," Vlad replied, Struggling to keep the anger out of his voice.
"Well, since you're here, will you be joining us, Daniel?" one of the guests asked with a smile, while thinking how lucky his host was to have such an innocent and sweet nephew.
"No!" Vlad exclaimed, but the stares he got quickly made him backtrack, "I-I meant, Daniel, don't you have homework?" he said, grabbing one of the teen's hands and squeezing it tightly.
Danny squeezed back while smiling sweetly at him. "Uncle Vlad, you have such a great sense of humor!" he said with a loud chuckle, before slapping Vlad roughly on the back.
Not expecting it, Vlad lost his grip on the younger hybrid's hand and grunted as he almost stumbled forward. "I'm on vacation, remember?" Danny continued, "You brought me here to spend some quality time with you! …Besides, you haven't fed me in over two days! …And people wonder why I'm so scrawny!" Danny placed a hand on his stomach as if it hurt from hunger, while lifting an arm to show everyone how skinny he was.
Frowning, everyone turned to Vlad who looked a little nervous. But then he chuckled and patted Danny on the head. "Daniel, stop joshing our guests." He turned towards his visitors, "He's very well fed here, I can assure you."
The frowns instantly vanished from the men's faces and they laughed lightly, believing Danny was indeed joking with them.
"Derek, set up a place for Daniel," Vlad commanded as his guests and he sat down at their respective seats.
"Right away, sir," was the ghost butler's response.
Danny plopped down on the chair closest to Vlad and placed his elbows on the table, before starring intently at the strangers around him.
Vlad glared at Danny's manners, but decided to ignore it. "As I was saying," he continued "The investment you gent-"
"Uncle Vlad?" Danny interrupted sweetly while pouring himself a cup of water.
Vlad gritted his teeth, but managed to address the teen as a caring uncle would. "Daniel, Uncle Vlad is discussing something very important at the moment, please do not interrupt." He looked back at his guests, and resumed, "The invest-"
"But I need a drink," Danny answered with a pout.
"Daniel, your drink will be here shortly. Be patient." He tried again, "The-"
"What kind a drink am I getting? Because you know that citrus drinks make me sick, and I'll just end up barfing all over the place."
"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed, not believing the teen had the audacity of saying something like that while others were eating. And he was right, for his guests had cringed at Danny's sickening comment.
Perhaps, the boy wasn't as sweet as they had thought.
"What? It's true!" Danny defended, his hands lifting above his head in emphasis. Unfortunately for Vlad, Danny just so happened to be holding onto his full glass of water at the time.
"Ahh!" the two men in front of the teen shouted, standing up in shock as the cold water splashed their faces.
Vlad, too, stood up in alarm, while Danny blinked innocently at the two wet men in front of him. But he quickly reacted, and exclaimed, "Oh no! I am so sorry!" Danny grabbed his napkin and ran over to them. "Here, let me get that for you," he said as he stuffed the napkin in one of the man's face, making Vlad gasp in disbelief.
The now soaked and shocked man stumbled backwards, trying to get away from the cloth currently suffocating him, but Danny just persisted more. "Don't worry, dude, I'll get to you, too," he said to the other wet man, who stared at him wide-eyed.
"Daniel, stop!" Vlad shouted, grabbing the boy by the arm and pulling him away from his guests.
"Gentlemen, I apologize for my nephew's behavior. He doesn't know any better sometimes."
The man who Danny 'attacked' nodded as he straightened his attire. "Quite alright, Masters. He's just a kid after all," he said politely.
"If you all would excuse us for a moment," Vlad said, before dragging Danny out of the room with him.
Danny winced in pain from how hard the billionaire's grip around his wrist was, but did nothing to escape just yet.
"What in blazes do you think you're doing?" Vlad growled in a low and angry voice once he had reached a safe distance away from the dining room.
Danny let out a pained, but amused chuckle. "What do you mean?" he asked, continuing his innocence façade.
"Don't josh me, you little rat! This business deal is very important to me! If you ruin its closing, I'll personally break that scrawny, little neck of yours! Do I make myself clear?" he threatened, pulling the teen closer in an intimidating manner.
Danny finally phased out of his enemy's hold with another chuckle. "Oh, Uncle Vlad. What makes you think I'd mess this up for you? It's not like you have given me a reason to, right?" he said, punching the man hard in the arm.
Vlad hissed at the boy's action, before pushing him away. "I'm warning you, Daniel, go to your room."
"No, I don't think I will, Plasmius," Danny stated darkly, dropping his act and amusement for a glare. "You dragged me here. Now you get what you brought," he threatened, before turning and walking off toward the dining room.
"Daniel! Get back here!" Vlad hissed, quickly walking after him and grabbing a hold of his arm to stop him from going any further.
Danny turned his head and glared at him with green eyes. "Unless you want a bigger show, you better let go of me right now," he growled. But then his anger vanished and he grinned. "Plus, our food's getting cold, Uncle Vlad."
Vlad studied the smirking half-ghost with a serious expression, before reluctantly letting go. "You are going to regret this."
Danny shrugged, before continuing forward. "Not anymore than you, Plasmius," he shot back calmly.
Vlad walked after him and fell in step with the boy. "Don't be so sure. The only one you are hurting with these childish games is yourself, Daniel… But try me enough and we'll have to add Jasmine to that list." The man sounded calm, but the underlying message was very clear.
Danny didn't hesitate to respond in the same calm, but threatening manner. "You do anything to her, and I swear you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Not only will you have no way of keeping me here anymore, but you can be sure I'll tell my parents, I'll tell everyone, everything you've done. I'll tell them who you really are." His eyes briefly flashed green, betraying his calm exterior. "I don't care if I have to go down with you. I'll do anything to keep you away from my family, got that?"
"Be careful, Daniel," was Vlad's only reply before they stepped in.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to throw my water at you," Danny said innocently to the men he had splashed.
"It's fine, really. I know it was an accident," one of them said, patting Danny on the head while the other nodded his agreement.
Danny sat down just as his drink and meal were placed in front of him by Derek. The teen stayed quiet as Vlad and his guests returned to their business conversation. However, his silence was not because he had heeded to his enemy's threats. No, he was waiting for the right moment to strike. He needed to catch Vlad off-guard.
Danny calmly took a sip of his ice tea, his eyes turned to the man currently speaking, "Mark Vazier Industries has several branches. Aside from the one that was just inaugurated here in Wisconsin, all of M.V.I's branches have been successfully running for at least a decade now; the main one in Germany is actually approaching its fiftieth anniversary. I can personally guarantee you are making a wise business move with this one, Masters."
"I'm well aware of that, Mr. Walche. It is precisely its global influence that interested me in M.V.I. in the first place But, if you are so fond of your partnership with Mark Vazier, then why give it up to me?" Vlad asked calmly.
Mr. Walche chuckled, "Well, as much as I enjoyed being a stock holder of M.V.I., I think I will enjoy the two-and-half million dollars you are offering me for my share much more."
"Yes, it is indeed a hefty sum that none of us could have said 'No' to," another added with a smile.
Vlad smirked, "Hmm, yes, I suppose it is," he answered, earning laughs from his guests.
"So, Masters, tell us, have you met with Mark Vazier yet? I'm curious, since after today, you will be the major stock holder of M.V. I., apart from Vazier. Is he aware of his new, one and only partner?"
Vlad almost grinned wickedly at the question, but kept his calm appearance. "No, not yet. But I will be meeting with him as soon as we close everything tonight. I'm sure he'll be-"
"Uncle Vlad?" Danny causally interrupted, before putting a fork-full of wild rice in his mouth.
A bit surprised by the boy's sudden interruption, Vlad just turned to look at him.
"When are we going to go get your cat?" Danny asked, chewing on his food and staring merrily at the half-ghost billionaire.
Vlad's mouth gaped open. And before he could compose himself and respond, one of the men at the table did it for him. "A cat?" he repeated, clearly baffled.
Swallowing his food, Danny smiled at Vlad. "Yeah, a cat," he said, turning his eyes to the man who spoke, "Uncle Vlad gets so lonely here in this big house, so I told him a little kitten would keep him company!"
The visitors just stared at the bright red Vlad, who stared at "his nephew" in shock. Clearly, he was at a loss at what to do or say to Danny.
Mr. Walche cleared his throat to break the silence, while the others looked away, trying to keep themselves from laughing.
"Oh, well, that's… a marvelous idea," the man that had been addressing Danny finally replied with a slight squeak in his tone.
"Oh, yes, cats are wonderful companions," another added as the tension became too much.
"See? They agree, Uncle Vlad! That settles it! Tomorrow we'll go to the pet store and pick one out that looks like you!"
Vlad, who had taken a swig of his beverage to drown his embarrassment, instantly choked after hearing Danny's words, but then his eyes flared red. Luckily, everyone was staring at the boy with a shocked expression on their faces, and so they didn't notice their host's ghostly eyes.
Fighting back the urge to stand up and strangle the young hybrid in front of his guests, Vlad finally addressed him. "Daniel, we'll talk about the cat later," he said through his teeth.
Vlad turned to his guests, "Gentlemen, you'll have to excuse my nephew's behavior." He suddenly smirked at Danny and added, "His father dropped him on his head when he was a baby. But luckily, he's getting the best medical care." He raised an eyebrow at Danny, who was frowning heavily at him and asked, "Have you taken your medication yet, my boy? Perhaps you should run off and do that, hmm?"
"No, I haven't taken them since you told me to take them at the same time you take yours," Danny said back sweetly, although his eyes were now narrowed.
With the same facial expression and tone as the teen, Vlad said, "Ah, yes, I forgot that you are so incompetent at math, you cannot count out three pills. But that's alright, little badger, that's why you have me, your dear Uncle Vlad."
The men had kept their eyes on their drinks the entire time, clearly uncomfortable with the 'conversation' between the half-ghosts.
Danny bit his tongue at being unable to think of a retort to his enemy's last jab. But he quickly remembered there was a better way to get under Vlad's skin. "So!" Danny said with a grin, turning to the other men. "Do you guys have any kids?"
"Daniel, that is not any of your business," Vlad said with a frown, his hands fisting under the table once more.
"Oh, it's alright, Masters," Mr. Gonovi quickly intervened, feeling relieved with the change of subject. He looked at Danny. "Yes, actually, I do. I have three."
"Three?! Cool!" Danny exclaimed, acting extremely interested. "My uncle doesn't have any kids." He laughed lightly and added, "That's why he loves me so much!"
Vlad rolled his eyes at the boy's comment, which the men didn't catch since their focus was on the younger hybrid. "The only way I'd love you is if you were six feet under," he growled under his breath.
Danny's sensitive hearing caught his enemy's comment, and his grin widened.
"I can see he does," one of the men replied to the teen's comment, although internally he wasn't sure if he meant it.
"How old are they?" Danny continued.
"Well, Mathew, my oldest, is nineteen, Tiffany is fourteen, and Kim, my youngest, is six. You know, I think I have a picture of them with me," Mr. Gonovi said, before pulling out his wallet.
"Oh, let's see then!" Danny answered as he pushed his plate aside, and then leaned half his body across the table.
The actions nearly knocked several things down, but Vlad quickly steadied the wobbling items as he kindly said with great effort. "Daniel, get off the table."
Danny ignored Vlad as Mr. Gonovi showed him the picture. "Hey, your son looks like you. You got very cool kids, sir," Danny commented politely. Then, sitting back down on his chair, he added. "Man, family's great, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is, and important, too," Mr. Gonovi agreed with a smile.
"It sure is! I would hate to end up a bitter old man with no family. I'd probably become a crazed up fruit loop!" Danny said with a chuckle, which the men also lightly chuckled at.
Vlad didn't hesitate to calmly add to the conversation. "Yes, but it's even worse to have family and not be able to see or be with them. Ever. Again." At the end, Vlad sent a fierce look at the teen when no one was looking.
Danny quickly returned it, and placed a piece of steak in his mouth to keep himself from attacking Vlad.
"That would be most unfortunate," one of the men commented in an unsure tone, trying to figure out why they were having such a strange conversation.
"Yeah, I bet that person would do anything to be with them again. I would hate to be in the way of someone like that." Danny added darkly, taking a sip of his drink.
The strangers just stared wide-eyed at the boy. But then Vlad chuckled airily, breaking the silence. "Children say the most humorous things, don't they?"
The tension immediately vanished, and everyone laughed heartedly; everyone, except for Danny, who had looked down at his plate to hide his glowing green eyes.
Danny continued with his meal, while Vlad went back to talking business with his guests. But when Danny looked at his boiled vegetables, he immediately got an idea. He smiled up at the half-ghost billionaire who was still immersed in conversation.
Danny picked up his glass of ice tea and poured half of it into Vlad's own glass without his noticing. He then stabbed a piece of broccoli and placed it into his mouth, only to quickly spit it back out. "Oh gross! I hate steamed vegetables!" he exclaimed, bringing everyone's attention to him once again. "Uncle Vlad, you like these, right? Here, you eat them," he said, picking up his plate to put the vegetables on the man's plate.
Vlad quickly lifted up a hand, having heard Danny spit out food back onto his plate. "No, thank you. Just don't eat them, Daniel," he replied with annoyance and disgust.
"But then they'll go to waste! Think about all those poor starving kids out there. You like them, so here." Before Vlad could stop him, Danny pushed the vegetables onto his plate.
Vlad swallowed roughly to push down the sick feeling rising up from his stomach. But seeing it wasn't helping, he picked up his beverage and took a drink.
"I also gave you half my drink since I know I won't be drinking it all." Danny added nonchalantly as he chewed on a piece of steak.
Vlad had to place a hand over his mouth to keep himself from spitting out the liquid in his mouth. He forced himself to swallow the tea-slash-backwash in his mouth, before lowering his hand. "Daniel, whatever you don't want just keep on your plate or glass, alright?" Vlad almost pleaded, looking a bit sick.
The men just silently stared at their host and his nephew, feeling a bit disturbed with Danny's actions.
"Okay!" Danny said with a heavy nod, before addressing the visitors. "Man, this food's really good! My uncle's cook sure knows how to cook! He can make just about anything! Just yesterday he made me…"
Throughout what remained of dinner, Danny made sure to keep the men's focus on only him, and ate as rudely as possible, knowing both actions were angering Vlad to no end.
Eventually, dinner ended, much to Vlad's relief, since now, he had an excuse to make Danny leave.
Arriving at the foyer with his guests and Danny, Vlad turned to the boy. "Daniel, these fine gentlemen and I have important business to attend to. Do be a good boy and go to your room, alright?" Vlad asked kindly, even though his eyes turned red as a threat that only the teen saw.
Danny willed his eyes to turn green as he nodded innocently. "No problem, Uncle Vlad," he answered sweetly, obviously not meaning it. He walked off, but then turned back to the men. "Bye, it was nice meeting you all!" he said to them, waving before heading up the stairs.
"That nephew of yours is such a good boy," one of the man stated politely as they watched Danny go up the stairs.
"Yes, but good doesn't quite cover it," Vlad replied darkly.
The men blinked at him, but Vlad quickly changed the subject. "Right this way, gentlemen," he said, escorting them to a meeting room.
Making sure Vlad and his guests had left the foyer, Danny slowly and quietly came back down stairs. He poked his head down a corridor and watched as they all stepped into a room.
Danny chuckled darkly as he heard the door close, almost sure the other half-ghost had locked it as well. "Like that's gonna stop me." He turned into Phantom, before turning invisible and flying towards the room. "I'm going to make you wish you never met me, Plasmius, even if it's the last thing I ever do," he said with narrowed eyes.
One of the six men Vlad had invited was his private attorney. Unlike some of his other business deals, this one was actually honest, for he was really buying and not stealing the men's shares. And when he did things 'by the book', he always made sure everything was in writing. And that meant a long boring process of reading legal documents and all the other nonsense that came along with it.
Vlad calmly waited for his attorney to begin reading everything as he resisted the urge to groan in annoyance from the whole thing. Perhaps he should have just overshadowed everyone… But no, that would have been unwise. This particular deal needed more brains than brawns in order to accomplish what he ultimately wanted. The thought made him secretly smirk at all the men sitting to his left and right.
He turned his eyes to his attorney, who was currently standing in front of him, across the large rectangular table in between them. But as the man was about to speak, Vlad felt the boy's signature come to life, and he soon felt Danny enter the room. "What are you doing here?!" Vlad yelled angrily into what appeared empty space as he stood.
Vlad cringed as he looked back at his guests who were staring at him in surprise. Quickly looking at Derek-- who had been serving tea, but had stopped upon hearing his employer's shout-- Vlad addressed him, "You're supposed to be waiting over there," he said, covering up his blunder by gesturing to his butler to move to another area of the room.
Derek just blinked at the billionaire, but then slowly complied.
"My apologies," Vlad stated with a smile at his visitors, "I don't believe it is very courteous to bring in the tea without all you gentlemen comfortably seated first."
His lawyer nodded appreciatively, before sitting down. Vlad, too, sat down, and gestured to his attorney to begin.
Vlad gritted his teeth as he felt Danny poke him on his side. "If you keep that up, Plasmius, these people are going to discover what a fruit loop you really are. I'm sure then they'll think twice about doing business with you," Danny whispered to his enemy, before poking him again, this time letting a spark of ecto-energy shoot out of his finger.
Vlad bit his tongue to keep himself from yelping loudly in pain. Despite this, he decided to ignore the teen the best he could and did not say a word to him.
Danny, however, had stopped paying attention to Vlad and was currently looking at his invisible hand with a frown. He had not meant to make the energy he let out that strong. But he quickly shrugged it off, and returned to annoying the evil man beside him.
"Hey, Plasmius, I gotta ask, is your human hair white because you're weird, or because you're old?"
Vlad rolled his eyes, but still said nothing.
"What? You're ignoring me now?"
Still no answer.
Danny let out a hurt sigh. "Fine, I guess I'll find out myself…"
Vlad jumped in his seat as he felt the teen yank out several strands of his hair. The man's hand instantly went to rub the tender spot as he looked around to make sure no one saw his actions. "Are you mad? What are you doing?!" he hissed quietly at the invisible Danny beside him.
Danny chuckled. "I heard that white hairs from oldness don't hurt when you yank them out. Guess that means you're just weird. But I better make sure…"
Vlad grunted as he felt the boy pull out more of his hair. "Yup, you're weird alright," he whispered, before letting go of the strands in his hand.
Vlad watched as white hairs drifted down onto his cup of tea. "Daniel," he said calmly. "This is your last and final warning."
Danny remained quiet for a moment, making Vlad believe he had actually frightened the teen. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Danny chuckled quietly, before softly saying. "Then I better make it count, huh?" And with those words the young half-ghost left his side.
Vlad felt his heart speed up, but before he could ponder Danny's words any longer. His attorney stood. "Does anyone have any questions?"
No one answered.
"Alright, then we can begin signing the contracts." Everyone stood, including Vlad, and they walked over to a small round table.
Vlad looked up feeling Danny hovering right above everyone. "Mr. Masters, should we continue?" the lawyer asked, noticing the billionaire's distracted look.
"Yes, please do," Vlad responded, turning his attention to the matter at hand, although he was still extremely nervous.
Danny was about to do something else, but paused when the men stood. He listened as one of the men began to explain some things. He didn't completely understand everything that the man said, but he frowned seriously about what he did understand. "Knowing Vlad, he's probably tricking these guys into a bad business deal," he thought.
"There are five contracts here, one for each of you. Everyone has personally read and agreed to the terms on them. The amount of two-and-half million dollars will be paid to each of you by my client, and in return, each of you will yield your share held at Mark Vazier Industries. If there are no last minute objections, then my client will sign each contract, and then each of you need to sign your respective contract to close these deals," Vlad's attorney said.
Danny watched as everyone nodded in agreement, before Vlad stepped forward and began signing some papers. At that moment, an idea popped into the teen's head, and he smiled. He would have to face Vlad's wrath for this, but at least he was getting some payback and keeping Vlad from cheating these people with whatever he was doing.
Vlad had just finished signing when he felt as if Danny was in front of him. And he was… in some way.
A gasp left the lawyer causing everyone to turn his attention to him. No one had seen the green hue that had surrounded the man's body a second ago. And no one noticed the man's glowing green eyes, except for Vlad who had just turned five shades whiter.
"Hey, Masters? Do these people know you're ripping them off?" Danny asked from within the attorney's body.
Vlad's eyes widened. "He wouldn't dare," he thought fretfully.
"Is everything alright, Mr. Clare?" one of the men asked the lawyer, frowning after hearing his comment.
"Yeah, everything's fine, except that you people are about to make a bad business deal," Danny replied as he crossed "his arms" on "his chest", and directed a smirk at Vlad.
"What? But you just said everything was in order," another man said, baffled.
Vlad growled under his breath as he came closer to Danny. "Mr. Clare, I think you are not well," he said calmly, placing his hand on one of his lawyer's shoulders.
"And I think I'm perfectly fine," Danny retorted with a smug look. But it soon vanished when he saw Vlad's eyes turn red just before he felt something invade the body he was in. And this something quickly made him lose his control of the lawyer.
Unable to fight against the strange and unseen force, Danny was pushed out of the man's body. The teen grasped his head, feeling a bit dizzy from the ordeal, while the once overshadowed man shook his head, trying to regain his senses.
"Mr. Clare?" the men asked warily.
"Oh, I'm sorry; where were we?" the lawyer asked, visibly confused.
"You were going to tell everyone to sign," Vlad answered him calmly.
Mr. Clare nodded in agreement. "Oh, yes, of course. Please, if you would," he said, placing a pen on top of each contract.
"So everything is as it should be?" one of the five men asked, still a bit unsure.
"Yes, it is. Unless there is something in the contract you didn't agree with," the attorney replied.
Danny growled as he finally regained his senses after Vlad's actions. Now more determined than ever to ruin Vlad's business deal, he quickly decided to do it the easiest way possible.
Danny materialized behind the men who were holding the pens in their hands, about to sign the contracts. Vlad's eyes widened just as Danny asked in mock curiosity, "What are you guys doing?"
All six men immediately turned around towards the voice, and their eyes went wide with fear upon finding a ghostly figure floating right in front of them.
Danny smirked evilly at the shocked men, and calmly said, "Boo."
They all let out screams of fright, before running out of the room and towards the door.
"No! Wait!" Vlad exclaimed as he raced after them.
Danny laughed uncontrollably in the air while grabbing his aching side. "Oh man, that was awesome! I doubt they're gonna want to come here again! And I didn't even know Vlad could run that fast!" It then hit the young hybrid. "Yikes! Vlad!" He quickly took off towards his room, knowing he would soon need the element of surprise. "Guess this party's not over yet," he added with a nervous smile.
Vlad's eyes glowed bright red as he watched the men get into their limousines and leave. With eerie calmness he walked back into his house, but the force he used to slam the door with betrayed his outer demeanor.
Vlad gazed up the stairs as he turned into Plasmius. But surprisingly, he did not take off towards it. Instead, he looked down at his watch, which was now a glowing red device, and began typing something into it.
The instant he was done, Danny's agonizing and heartbreaking screams resonated through every part of the mansion.
Vlad leisurely walked up the stairs, his face still expressing that same eerie calmness. He eventually made it to the boy's room where the cries of pain clearly originated from. But when he entered, the young half-ghost was nowhere to be seen. However, he could sense him, and so knew where Daniel was hiding. Plasmius pulled down the stairs leading to the room's upper lounge, and then headed up. He immediately caught sight of Danny in ghost mode, withering from pain as he desperately tried to get rid of the source of his pain: the device around his wrist.
Danny didn't understand what had happened. One minute he had been waiting for his enemy to show up and attack him, and the next, the white band on his wrist turned bright red and began to pulse sharp, hot pain throughout his body. If he could compare the pain to anything, it would be to the pain he once received from the Fenton Specter Deflector, only that it was worse this time. Danny knew Plasmius was standing right next to him and that he needed to stay in ghost form to have any chance against him, but the bracelet continued to weaken him just like the Specter Deflector would.
Vlad watched as the rings appeared around Danny's waist and quickly turned him human. The boy's cries of pain had become heavy pants as he continued to tug frantically on the still red and pain-inducing bracelet on his wrist. It was indeed Vlad's own version of the Specter Deflector, and so he knew it wouldn't stop hurting the young half-ghost unless he turned the bracelet's feature off. He also had to turn it off before he could touch Danny.
Seeing the teen had stopped trying to pull off the bracelet and was just clutching his arm close to his body, Vlad finally decided to end the boy's current suffering. He pressed a button on the device on his own wrist and the boy's bracelet returned to its normal blue—not white since he was not in ghost form anymore—color, thereby ending its merciless assault.
Plasmius didn't hesitate to grab the weak and disoriented Danny by the back of the shirt, and literally began dragging him out of the room. Once outside it, he turned the boy and himself intangible and went straight through the floor, landing on the lower part of his house.
Danny's head was spinning so much he couldn't even see where his enemy was taking him. But it wasn't long before he felt cold metal bars slamming against him.
"You want to act like an animal?! THEN I'LL TREAT YOU LIKE ONE!" Vlad screamed, slamming the door closed on the glowing metal cage he had just thrown the teen into.
Danny regained his senses just in time to see Vlad lock the cage with a glowing green key. The teen growled when he realized he was at the bottom-stairs lab, inside a cage so small all he could do was sit up.
Danny quickly sat up and tried to free himself. "Let me out, you fruit loop!" he shouted, fighting furiously against the cage's bars.
But the only responses that the boy got were the lights going off and the sound of the door closing as Vlad left the lab.
Now in pitch darkness, Danny quickly tried to transform, his mind ignoring the fact that the bars were glowing for a reason. The boy screamed in agony as jolts of electricity coursed through his body. By the time it was over, the still human Danny slumped against the metal cage, feeling dizzy once more.
Recovering, his anger exploded. He began to kick and thrash against the cage, while screaming insults at his enemy.
Vlad, who had paused outside of the lab after hearing Danny scream in pain—obviously the boy had attempted to transform in the ghost-proof cage—glared spitefully when he heard Danny's violent reaction.
Danny's screams of anger and his insults at Vlad echoed through the house. But suddenly, they became screams of pain. He had tried to morph again.
"He's just as stupid as his father," Plasmius growled with disgust as he changed back into Masters. There was a moment of silence, before the teen began to shout insults at him once more.
Just then, the maids floated into the foyer where their employer stood. Noticing them, he immediately glared and said, "If anyone dares to free him, they'll have to face me!" he threatened, before stomping up the stairs.
"Yes, sir," the ghost maids replied as they watched their employer walk away, although they did not know what exactly he referred to. The two older maids then phased back into the lounge, but the younger one stayed behind.
Niane let out a sad sigh as she watched her master disappear from view, before turning her gaze at the lab's door. She listened sympathetically to the boy screaming angrily from within.
"Niane?" Patricia called, phasing out of the lounge to see what was keeping the girl ghost.
"I'm coming," she answered, still looking at the door, but then she turned away, and floated off towards the employee lounge.
Even after the maids had cleaned the table and tidied the meeting room, Danny was still shouting to be let out. But they ignored it. No one dared to go against their employer's wishes.
And even as eight o'clock approached that night, and the lights in the castle turned off, all within the darkened home still ignored the boy's continuing screams.
Hope everyone enjoyed this latest installment! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I leave you all with a wonderful piece of fanart from Bloodmoon13! Until next time!
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ht tp (:) / (/) bloodmoon14. deviantart. com /art/Checkmate-Sore-Throat-82284415