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Chapter 26
The Things We Condemn
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Tiffany Snow wore a serious expression on her face. Her mouth was a tight line, eyebrows drawn together, eyes unwavering. She stared straight into the camera, the papers in her hands crinkling under her tight grip. Over her left shoulder was a screenshot of Danny Fenton, mid-morph, with a blazing look in his eyes.
"Welcome, viewers, to Ghost Watch." Her normal jovial tone was absent. "Earlier today Amity Park, North America, the world was shaken by this revelation."
The picture in the corner filled the screen, and a short clip from the most recent Survivalists' video played.
"I'm Danny-[CENSORED]-Phantom!"
The video froze as the DP symbol was revealed. Danny's eyes were an acidic green, their bright glow hinting at his unbelievable power.
The picture was minimized, and Tiffany returned to the screen, eyes flashing with emotion. Some people saw anger, others pity or sadness. Only a few recognize the brief flicker for what it was: a solemn understanding.
Tiffany cleared her throat, shuffling her papers into place, and continued. "Following the revelation, followers of the Survivalists flooded the internet with clips such as this from the original video. Daniel Fenton's declaration confirms Technus' statement from our last interview. Halfas are real, and our own town hero is one of them. We have not been able to confirm whether the other ghosts in question, Plasmius and the ghost girl, are halfas or not."
A new image appeared in the corner of the screen, this one of a large crowd of people standing outside the famed Fenton Works. Many of them looked angry, shouting at the building, throwing their fists in the air, while others stood against them, arms out as if they were trying to push the crowd back.
"It wasn't long until people took to the streets, and mere hours later the rioting began," Tiffany said. "Outside Fenton Works, people started to gather. Some are accusing the family of experimentation, and a number of them are declaring the so-called halfas to be abominations, while others showed their support for the stranded hero. It didn't take long before a fight broke out. To share with you here, we have footage from a cellphone submitted to the station."
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It was hard to hear what anyone was saying, individual voices lost in the tumult of sounds - the phone's weak microphone struggled to distinguish one shout from the next. Whoever was recording stood on the outskirts of the crowd and was slowly making their way towards a large brownstone building, Fenton Works.
"I'm here, outside Fenton Works." The camera flipped to reveal a teenage boy. He looked like he was the same age as Danny's class, though the only thing distinctive about him was the tattoo peeking out from under his shirt collar, the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. He lowered his phone and glanced away, looking casual.
"It turns out that Danny Fenton is a ghost, or part ghost. I don't really know. He's Danny' Phantom. Which is so cool." The boy glanced down. "But he's still a dick."
He went on to grumble about vomit, lunchboxes, and monkey bars before flipping the camera forwards again. For a second only pavement was visible, the camera swaying as he walked, until the focus went from sidewalk, to grass, to the crowd again. The boy had managed to slip up next to the building, so he had a clear view of the frontline.
Not everyone was facing Fenton Works. Some stood with their backs to it and were shouting at the protestors.
"People are going crazy," the boy said. The camera swivelled to focus on the building, revealing a broken window pane. "Someone threw a brick, like, a minute ago, and- holy shit, that guy has a gun!"
A large man had shouldered his way to the front of the crowd and was staring down one of the people defending Phantom and his family. The camera zoomed in on the rifle in his hands, the barrel of which was shoved under a smaller man's chin.
The shouting started to die out.
"This family of freaks did something sick and created that... that thing," the man with the gun rumbled. "You know how many people it killed last year?"
"That wasn't Phantom," the one being threatened said. His voice had the slightest waiver, but his eyes and stance were firm with conviction.
The man with the gun narrowed his eyes, jerking the barrel so the other's head was forced back. "And now our kids are in needs to pay for what that freak's done!"
There was loud crash and the boy holding the phone jumped, the video becoming a blur of movement as he fumbled to catch his phone. A loud bang and the unmistakable sound of a gunshot was followed by a number of piercing screams.
"No one talks about my baby like that!" A woman shouted.
The camera steadied just long enough to focus the man with the gun flat on his back, a bright green substance splashed across his chest, before the video cuts out.
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Tiffany was grimacing when the news studio returned on screen.
"Following the exchange, both parties broke into a brawl. Police responded to the scene, and while several arrests were made," a number of mugshots flashed across the screen, including one for the large man with the gun, and another of Maddie Fenton, "they were unable to contain the event."
"On behalf of the mayor, we are issuing a warning for everyone to stay inside and lock your doors until the rioting stops. Firefighters, police officers, and other emergency personnel are responding as fast as they can. If you are in need of assistance, dial nine-one-one and find a safe zone until help can arrive."
The words EMERGENCY MEASURES started scrolling across the bottom of the screen, followed by bulleted points of Tiffany's statement. The red banner did not fade, but continued in a loop.
The image of the protestors was replaced with the bold, black and white logo of the Guys In White.
"In related news, most attempts to contact the Guys In White on the matter have been met with silence. As some of you may know, yesterday weatherman Lance Thunder and local teen Wesley Weston confronted the GIW on their efforts to find the Survivalists on behalf of the station, and the rest of Amity Park. They were subsequently arrested and detained within the GIW headquarters." Tiffany's eyes gleamed with unshed tears. "There has been no news from them, or their situation, since, and the GIW director, Agent A, refuses to shed light on the situation. I was able to reach him earlier, and this is our recorded conversation."
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Tiffany: Hi, this is Tiffany Snow of Amity Park News. Who am I speaking to?
Agent A: I am to understand, Ms. Snow, that you have made several attempts to contact us on the past half hour?
Tiffany: Yes. Who am I speaking to?
Agent A: GIW director, Agent A.
Tiffany: Mr. Director, hello. What are the efforts of the Guys In White to find the Survivalists?
Agent A: All GIW operations are classified.
Tiffany: Can you confirm whether any rescue efforts are being made?
Agent A: Ms. Snow, your associate had already asked us these questions, and he has been detained for trespassing, and interfering with government operations. Anything related to GIW activity requires level six clearance, which you do not have.
Tiffany: Were the Guys in White aware of the existence of halfas?
Agent A: ...
Tiffany: Now that you are aware, what does this mean for Phantom, and the other alleged halfas?
Agent A: Danny Phantom is a level eight entity and will be dealt with accordingly.
Tiffany: I'm sorry, what?
Agent A: Any further attempts to contact us will be treated as treason. Good day, Ms. Snow.
...
"We have not tried to contact them again," Tiffany said gravely. "I later spoke with Mayor Masters, and he issued an unofficial statement condemning the actions of the Guys in White. When we have yet to see them act, we can't help but wonder: what have they already done that needs to be condemned?"
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I'm so pumped right now! I've been a little down the last couple of months, and starting in September I'll be moving to Germany for a year, so I've been stressed about a lot of stuff, which is why my updates were so slow, but thanks to Astro Lux (account name Astrovagant, Check out their stories) I got my drive to write back! It feels so good to be posting so much again.
ChelJosh: I won't say who they are, but they are an OC, and I can guarantee the discovery of their identity won't be as dramatic as you're thinking. Dani never tried to hide her ghostliness in the show, so I figured, now that Danny's secret is out, why would she try now?
Great: (Chapter 24 review) You are very perceptive. I won't tell you what's going to happen, since it will happen next chapter anyways, but kudos for you very accurate guess! And Danny will be very panicky when he realizes what he's done
Cutiepie120048: Hopefully this cleared some stuff up about what's going on with Wes and Lance. The PJ reference was near the start, during the game of twenty questions. Rux rhetorically asked if "Dionysus loves diet coke?" Sorry you didn't get to see a lot of Danny's parents in this chapter, but they will have a better scene soon
Aquariss: Amity has definitely flipped :P It is crazy there right now. And while it's totally hilarious Wes got himself arrested, I can guarantee he's not laughing right now
WildRosa13474: I know, right?! NoIsY has no time for anyone's s*** right now, even their own!
Marvelisawesome: I'm really excited for the moment you guys get to meet the group chat people. It's going to be great (at least it seems so to me). I'm really happy you like the writing style!
The Artsy Bookworm: Thank you, I'll do my best!
Mar: I'm on an inspirational roll :P
Sirrius The Moonblade: Haha, that's good then. I enjoy writing it myself. And you're welcome!
Cry-Pom: Thank you! And another fast update it is!
Gamerbox: Ah, yay, that makes me so happy! I hope you didn't bump anything :P
Killua Lawliet: I don't know a lot about it, but when I decided to name a character KingArthur, I looked up a bunch of stuff about the round table and all that. It's so cool! I definitely need to look up more
WindSpriteLuxara: Oh yeah, there is plenty of mayhem
Lumigo Akvo9504: She may respond eventually :P But for now she is mentally only two, so she gets overwhelmed easily
Mia: Thank you! And you've just come at the right time, for the past couple months my updates have been pretty slow, but I've got lots of inspiration right now
DannyPhantomPhandom: You know, I hadn't actually put too much thought into that yet, but you might have just given me an idea
LittleLuffy: Haha, thank you! I'm glad you liked it!
Nobody: So creepy! It was so much fun to write fake Leo, and you are very close to the truth about the calmness. Yep, Wes is in GIW prison, and you'll get to see more about that
Joy Phantom: Thank you! Rux and Will are among my favourites too, but I've gotten a lot of mixed feelings about them, Rux especially. I guess she's just one of those you love 'em, or you hate 'em characters. I SWEAR ON MY HONOUR I WILL NOT FAIL YOU!
Aeon The Dimensional Girl: I hope this explained a bit about Wes' situation. If you need a sort of reminder, check out the middle portion of chapter 23. But you are right, I really do love that
Wiseguy2415: Of course. It's what happens in real life, isn't it? :P
Zela Night: Technically, nothing, but the GIW are jerks
Slenderbrine: Yes, KingArthur's names have been said ;)
Cato Yugi: Thanks!
Starfang's Secrets: Mwahahaha, because they're evil! And other reasons that I won't tell you :P
I'm Here For The Fluff: And I appreciate every review! Knowing you guys enjoy the story and look forward to more is part of what keeps me writing. It wouldn't feel right if I didn't take the time to acknowledge everyone's reviews personally. Thank you for reviewing!
Cyan Quartz: Totally important answer… When it comes to Corn Nuts, I gotta admit, I've never tried 'em. And that's just it, I had to look them up to know if they're legit. So yeah, this was quick and I'm not so good at the rhyming schtick so… yeah :P
Lovepatrolalpha1344: I really wish your day had gone better so you didn't need cheering up, but I'm also really happy my story was able to do that for you. I hope today was better, and that the rest of your overnight church seminar thing is as well :)
Guest: Thank you! I'm sorry you thought I dropped the series, but you can be rest assured knowing I made a solemn vow to never abandon a work. Even if it remains untouched for a while, I will always have the intention of returning and finishing what I started.
Silent Blue Rose: I'm excited that you're excited!
Sapherer: Thank you, and sorry to torture you like that :P
ItsSoCute: Thank you! I'm so happy you're enjoying it! I was a little iffy about using this format at first, but it works so well with the whole mystery/unknowing aspect of the story. And yes, you can expect action and injuries catching up soon!
KnightOwl247: I loved reading your reviews as you read the story. So, in order: (2) I'm really glad you found it now. (4) Thank you so much, and I agree they are all idiots. (5) At this point you'll know that YourFather did finally get to fulfil his task. (6) I was really excited to include Wes in this story, and I can neither confirm nor deny Artie's emotional state after Jazz's little talk. (9) Ugh, I know, right? I made him kind of douchey at the start. (10) That makes me so happy, I love writing them!
Two quick things before I go! I've got something this weekend, so the next update won't be as fast, just thought I'd give you a heads up. Second, can any of you guess who the boy from the video was?
'See' you next time!