Sometime later the two girls entered the Ghost Zone. Choosing to trust Clockwork at his word they'd indeed taken a brief detour that left Jazz with her arm set and in a sling. She'd regained her ghostly form as well: with the injury treated Jazz found it easier to focus. Nonetheless, she'd told both herself and Ember they'd be best not to strain themselves. The other ghost-girl wouldn't explicitly state it but Jazz had a feeling she, too, hadn't fully recovered from their fight with the darker Danny Phantom.

"Wow," Jazz breathed, staring up at the looming complex before them: an angular building the color of steel with long windows scattered throughout. Electric white energy crisscrossed over each one—frozen in place, just like Clockwork said. The building itself sat atop what might best be described as a floating chunk of rock. It was a grayish-purplish color and it was above this the girls hovered.

"Is there a reason we didn't materialize inside?" Jazz asked. Ember's scowl hadn't moved since they'd departed and it deepened now as she answered.

"I needed to make sure there weren't any additional security measures made since I left. Phantom took all of this very seriously."

"I can see that," Jazz replied. This certainly looked like a supervillain's fortress. She cringed almost immediately: supervillain. Her little brother. A boy who fought to protect his home, his friends and family until it almost killed— until they wound up in their current situation. How had that boy, that Danny Phantom grown into a red-eyed ruthless monster? She still didn't know. Maybe she never would. Or maybe—"Hey Ember?"

"What." Jazz hesitated. Ask. You need to ask. You did all this to help him, right?

"What was all of that back there, about Danny's human half?" Ember didn't respond—well she did, but did so in silence, lifting further into the air.

"Hurry up," she said, approaching the wall. Okay, Jazz thought, message received. They still hadn't reached an appropriate time for answers. She followed the other girl, pausing when she stopped outside one of the dark jagged walls. "You can phase through stuff, right?" Ember asked.

"Of course I can," Jazz frowned. "I know how to use my powers."

Ember rolled her eyes. "Duh, but you're injured. Just checking."

"Oh. Yeah, no I'm fine," Jazz replied. She held up the medallion. "Let's get this over with."

"You don't have to tell me," Ember said, and then she passed through the wall. Jazz willed herself intangible and went after her.

Inside the fortress was a disorienting array of passages and doors of all different shapes and size. Jazz supposed she shouldn't be surprised, given its exterior; nonetheless her pace slowed, taking it all in. She didn't pause long; Clockwork hadn't indicated an immediate time limit but anxiety chased her ghostly tail all the same.

They came upon the laboratory soon enough. This, too, looked exactly like Jazz expected something in the Ghost Zone would: all angles and fluorescent colors. Rows and rows of screens lined the walls, for this was a computer lab after all. They found their host frozen over a small table, peering into a distorted (and floating) microscope of sorts. First Jazz, then Ember dropped to the floor in front of him.

"You ready?" The halfa-girl asked.

"As I'll ever be." Jazz handed Ember the medallion. It had to be Ember, she realized on their way: hers was a face Technus held no (or less) animosity towards. The blue-haired ghost didn't move right away, but her hand tightened around the accessory and if she weren't already deathly pale Jazz guessed the other girl's knuckles might've bleached with the force of it. Again doubt prickled her brain and again she pushed it aside.

"We want to avoid a fight, remember?"

"I remember," Ember said. She leaned over the table and hung the medallion around Technus' neck. The spell broke almost immediately: the Master of Technology (as he so often called himself) pitched forward, arms like pinwheels on either side until he found his balance. Weird, Jazz thought. Wouldn't it make more sense to phase through the table? Or fly out of the way? Interesting. Maybe she could use that. Maybe.

"Hey dipstick." Ember said. "Time to get up." She placed her hands on her hips, one popped to the side. Technus raised his head, his bushy brows high up his forehead.

"What are you talking about?" He screeched in his naturally obnoxious tone. "I was not—" and then he paused. "When did you get here?"

"That's not important." Ember slammed her hands on the table. Technus flinched and clamped his own around his microscope.

"Don't do that—"

"We need the antidote. Now." Ember leaned even further forward, almost nose to nose. From where Jazz stood she saw Technus work through the solution on his face.

"What antidote?"

"Don't play dumb with me. The one for the Phantom-kid. Where is it?" For one long moment Technus didn't answer. Then he laughed.

"Surely you must be joking. I, Technus, the Master of Technology would not willingly cure the ghost child of his ailment." Technus set his equipment back down, floating away from the table…then he froze. Suddenly the room around them began to rattle and a high-pitched hum reverberated through the walls. Technus raised his arm, pointing vehemently at Jazz. "What is she doing here?"

Crap. "It's not what you think," the halfa-girl jumped in. "I'm not looking for a fight."

"Is that so?" The techno-ghost snarled.

"It is," said Jazz.

"If that is the case, why do you still carry that cursed thermos?" Jazz paused.

"I'm not carrying the…" but when she looked down, she noticed it was, in fact, still strapped to her hip. She could have kicked herself. Are you kidding me? Ember finally turned around; when she caught sight of the thermos she rolled her eyes.

"Nice going, dipstick."

"Hey," Jazz shot back, "You're not exactly helping our cause, either."

"Will someone please explain to me what is going on?!" The surrounding vibrations shot to an ear-splitting whine, the wall of screens spitting static as Technus lost his temper. Ember's hand went to her guitar. Jazz reached for the thermos but halted mid-motion, an idea occurring to her. A stupid idea, probably and definitely a risky one. Nonetheless, she yanked the Fenton Thermos from her belt and dropped it at her feet. Jazz squared herself, meeting Technus' glare with a sharp one of her own. Her heart leaped to attention again while something unpleasant squirmed in her gut.

"Listen to me," she said. "You don't have to like me, and you don't have to trust me but if you don't help us, you're going to condemn every single one of us to a dangerous future. Human and ghost alike."

"Why should I, Technus, believe anything you, a half-ghost child, have to say?"

"Because," Jazz said. "I know you're afraid of him—and you had good reason to be."

"She's right," Ember cut in. She hovered back around, landing beside Jazz. "That other Phantom wasn't who we thought he was. He didn't want to kill the ghost-kid to make our existence easier. He wanted his guarantee he'd still come to be."

Was it Jazz' imagination or did the chaos sound a fraction less so? Technus' mouth parted. Whether shock or disbelief was anyone's guess. "…what?"

Ember's ponytail blazed above her. "Don't you get it, idiot? That ghost was an older version of Danny Phantom and if we let his human half die we're in for a lot worse than we've got already."

"Ember!" Jazz hissed but the damage was done. An ugly looked settled deep into the technopath's features. The electronic racket revved back up and Jazz swore under her breath. So much for avoiding a fight. The halfa-girl dropped to her knees. The motion rocked her arm, seizing her in a grasp of momentary pain. Technus took the opportunity, launching himself into the sky. He didn't get far: Ember leaped with him and when fluorescent blue cubes appeared around him the rocker-ghost tore her guitar free and slammed it into his back. Technus cried out, hurdling towards the ground. Hurdling towards Jazz…but Jazz was ready for him.

She scooped up the thermos, willing herself and her ghostly abilities to push her out of the way. She secured it under her arm and when he was close enough she yanked the cover off. She'd never caught a ghost in this condition, and the subsequent force of the spiraling light nearly stole away her aim. It didn't: the beam found its target and Technus shrieked.

"No! I will not go back inside that—" his voice, along with the rest of him, disappeared deep within the thermos. Jazz slammed the lid back on and screwed it shut. Once secure, she sagged.

"That could've gone better," she said as Ember descended. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking we wanted to avoid a fight." The ghost-rocker huffed, but it lacked the same venom. She crossed her arms, looking around. "Are you alright, at least?"

Jazz nodded. "Yeah. Well…no. We never got the antidote." Now it was Ember who cringed.

"Right. That."

"Yeah. That."

Ember scowled. "I get it okay? I made a mistake. I'm sure there's got to be one in here."

Jazz paused. The same unsettling feeling churned her stomach. "You mean you don't know?"

"I'm pretty sure—"

"That's not the same thing!" Jazz's voice jumped an octave. Of course it wasn't that easy. There was nothing easy where ghosts were involved. She drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes fell to the thermos still clutched in her hand. Begrudgingly, maybe desperately, she began unscrewing the cap.

"Whoa whoa!" Ember yelped, dashing over to her. "What do you think you're doing?" She reached for the canister; Jazz yanked it away.

"Trying to save my brother."

"And you think letting Technus out's gonna solve that?"

"It would," Jazz retorted, "if you hadn't ticked him off." Again she tried to unscrew the lid and again Ember lunged for it. Jazz willed herself intangible, sending the other girl crashing into the wall of screens behind them.

"Really not cool," Ember hissed through gritted teeth. Jazz wasn't listening. This was a bad idea, she'd give Ember that, but what other options were there? She glanced at the blue-haired ghost gliding across the ground below: like she'd formed her own solution and skulked off to carry it out alone. The halfa-girl groaned. She didn't have time for this…except I do, she realized. I have all the time in the world. Another light switch flipped on and Jazz descended once more.

"Hey," she said, landing a little ways behind Ember. "I'm uh…sorry about that. It's just…there's a lot riding on us."

Ember slowed to a stop. After a pause she turned around. "I know that. I don't want to live in that world either. And you know, saving the—your brother and all." She added, when Jazz raised a brow.

"As long as we're on the same page," said the halfa-girl, and then she let it go, already speculating their next move. Clockwork sent them here for a reason. A reason only they could fulfill. Her, a half-injured half-ghost and Ember who…seemed to be on their side? At least for now? That's good enough, Jazz thought to herself. She walked past Ember, scanning the length of the laboratory. It was larger than at first glance, with cabinets stacked at odd angles in the center of the room. Was it possible they'd find a cure already-made? Is that why Clockwork sent them? Her mind jumped to Technus, crammed and no doubt stewing inside the thermos. Let's try for plan A first.

"If there is an antidote in here," Jazz said slowly, "I'm going to need help finding it." She held out her hand and tried to muster a smile. "Truce? Again?"

Ember hesitated. Then she accepted, wearing a bemused little grin of her own. "Yeah. Truce. Again."

They broke the shake and Jazz was off, darting to the first stack of cabinets. "Come on," she called over her shoulder. "I'll do this side of the room, you get the other. We'll cover more ground that way."

"You got it," Ember replied, lifting into the air once more. Stay calm, Jazz, the halfa told herself again. Use your brain. You'll find what you're looking for. She hoped so. She really, sincerely hoped so.