Dedicated to ectonommy on tumblr for the wonderful fanart they did for me! It can be found in the 'dp guardian au' tag on my tumblr ibelieveinahappilyeverafter. With that, enjoy these two new chapters!

Warnings for : plot, dark themes

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Chapter Thirty Seven

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"And you'll be able to program them to separate coordinates from this side?" Maddie Fenton had to bite her tongue at the question, instead giving a tense nod to the scientist as she went back to her calculations. The base skeleton frames of the three portals were near completed, and the mechanics were almost done. Now it was mostly up to her and Jack, and their calculations from years of work and study. "Alright...please feel free to ask for help, however-"

"How many ghosts have you seen." It was less of a question, and more of a bit out growl, Maddie's gaze sliding over to the scientist talking to her. "How many portals have you built? How many times have you ran these calculations? How many times have you watched ghosts murder in front of your eyes, and how many times have you stood up to fight back? I don't need your help, sir."

Turning back to her work, she didn't look up again until she felt a nudge to her shoulder. Glancing over to her husband, she raised an eyebrow at his grin. "So. How many scientists have you embarrassed today, dear?"

"Oh, just the odd half dozen, or so. You?"

"Eight," Jack snickered, pulling a chair up next to her and scanning over the calculations, nodding in satisfaction. "Apparently, being large and clumsy means I'm an idiot. Who woulda known!"

"Really? The one who skipped multiple levels in all college math classes and who made the teacher cry in inadequacy? I find that surprising," Maddie mused, smiling softly at the kiss to her cheek. She really had been lucky in at least one area of her life. "The frames?"

"Almost done. Just a bit more and we can start work on the inner structure- Did the cables come in?" Right. Just another science project. Another experiment. Another task to do. Jack could handle that much, at least, any more… He'd rather not think about the 'more'.

"Mm, should be arriving here tomorrow. I still don't think we needed to order so many of them...won't that affect the energy output we'll be getting?" Maddie clicked through to another page, pausing at the readings. "That's strange…"

"Hm?"

"This area was stable for a portal yesterday, but now the readings are saying that it's likely to collapse-" Jack frowned as Maddie suddenly went quiet, the man leaning over her shoulder and reading over everything himself.

"What do ya mean, Mads? Everything here says it's a viable location for portals."

"...Yes, it does… I could have sworn a second ago… Must have been a glitch in the system," Maddie shook her head, looking almost contrite. "Or perhaps I'm just seeing things...we've never had portals made on this big a scale before, after all." Jack nodded in understanding, kissing the woman's temple before standing up. "Heading back to embarrass more mechanics and scientists?"

"Of course." Maddie gave a last smile to the man before she went back to her work, frowning in concentration. The readings...they were very bad- They had settled in Amity Park for a reason. It was the weakest spot they had found between dimensions, a natural spot to tear into another world. She had seen readings like she had once before, just before they had opened the first portal. They too, had vanished, however.

"Just...chasing ghosts, Maddie. That's it." Chasing ghosts, huh…

Story of her life.

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"Hello, Mr. Masters, your schedule was updated with two new meetings scheduled this month and I sent you two reminders about it. There were also a few packages dropped off, as well as some letters, that I put into your inbox."

"Thank you, Stephanie. Can you hold all calls for the next hour? I have some people I need to talk to." Hardly sparing his secretary a glance, Vlad strolled into his office, gaze going to the shadowy creature that was lurking in the corner. "Oh? News, already?"

Image and words flowed into his mind, Vlad giving a considering nod at the information as he went to his computer. "Madeline is a smart woman, she always has been… Keep interfering with the data, do what you must to make sure they continue to build the portals. As for Axion Labs...let them think what they will. As long as they keep making weapons, that's all that's needed."

Sitting down behind his desk, he paused at sensing another presence, the halfa glancing over to another shadow, twisted and worn. "Oh? Now that's not a look of good news…" More images and words, the first shadow backing up at hearing the shrieks of the new arrival being burned to nothing. "I don't like bad news…" Sighing, Vlad slipped on a pair of reading glasses, pulling open the things he needed.

"Daniel can be allowed to play a little longer, I suppose. It would preferable to get him out of the way before this all truly beings, so another attempt will be made soon." A whisper of the council growing, Vlad scoffing and brushing it off. "The Council was a fairytale that shouldn't have survived. It'll die out, as all stories do, however. Daniel wants to pretend he can save the worlds? Let him keep playing his games, he'll see they have to end, soon enough."

Deep inside, there was a voice that screamed that this was wrong, that it was never supposed to go this far, that it was so wrong. It begged for this to end.

It was a voice easily silenced.

::

The Treasurer of the Observants, guard of their most sacred and powerful artifacts, casually wandered the halls he spent his days in. The reading he had done had been rather enlightening. Guardians, for as much power as they had, could be killed just like any other spirit. The right attack to the their cores and there would no longer be a problem to deal with, in his opinion.

Of course, as an Observant, he was forbidden from acting upon any desires or thoughts. Besides, even if he were to use one of the artifacts in here...that would be too messy, too traceable, too...ostentatious. Ah, but a demise of their own making… It would have to be a powerful enemy to take out the budding Council, strong enough to at least do in the one named Danny Phantom.

But who...the ghosts he faced as a child were too weak for him now. They would have easily fallen in line upon learning he was a Guardian. Pariah Dark had presented a challenge...no, no. It would be too much trouble to go through releasing him from his sleep. Too much work to get him put back, and no guarantee of safety for any of them.

He needed an enemy he could control. Could bend to his will...Vladimir Masters was too weak as well, at least, for now. Besides, as he was still part of the human world, Treasurer couldn't get to him easily. No, no, a ghost Danny had almost died at the hands of...someone he would be afraid to face-

Oh…

With Clockwork unable to see the impact the Observants had on the timeline, and with the Clock Citadel forced to let him through - and not see him if he so wished - well… He certainly had a plan, now. Maybe not a perfect one, but it was good enough, for now.

Time to unleash the Guardian's greatest fear.

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The average prisoner would think nothing of a few chain links hitting the ground. It was still far away from being free, after all. Alvarro - the Worldbreaker - was no average prisoner. Ten thousand years of waiting, and plotting, and scheming, and it was all coming to a head at last. A very long chess game that was nearing completion.

Oh, yes, there had been a few wild cards and unexpected pieces...but even if Phantom freed Aldora and managed to find him, it was already too late. His plans had been in motion for centuries. It was all stitched together in a way that nothing could unravel it now. The portals, the humans he used, the Observants and their own schemes, and two foolish little humans that had sought to enter a world that was not their own, and paid the price.

His chains were breaking. Ten thousand years of keeping him chained and unmoving, forced to unravel who he was and feast on the energy of the bottom of the world itself...forced to suck the life out, and drain it into a barren wasteland that was dying. Ha, even if he wasn't about to escape, he would have killed the Spirit World in time, anyways. Oh, yes...everything was falling into place perfectly, and that little Alvarro couldn't do a thing about it.

The door to freedom was slowly opening.

::

"Petit mec? Hey, you alright?" Randy, who had been changing the teen's bandages, paused at seeing the teen looked...almost scared. "Danny?"

"...The chains are breaking…"

A few more links fell to the ground.

You know what makes me almost break down each time I realize it? I still have near 30 chapters to 'rewrite' for this story. Ahahahahaha. Q.Q