A/N: Merry Christmas, everybodee! Yes, contrary to popular belief, we're still in the Christmas Season—for the next 10 days in fact (you know, the 12 days OF Christmas are the 12 days AFTER Christmas, not before!) So, again, Merry 2nd Day of Christmas! But I'll pass on the two turtle doves! LOL! And since I'll be posting tonight and not next week, I'm also going to wish everyone an early Happy New Year! Now, back to the story. It's getting hotter and hotter for our hero, so I'm just going to say that I don't own the DP characters but this story is all mine. Here is Chapter 45. Enjoy!
Gold Tested in Fire—Chapter 45—Level 9 Ghosts and Spirits—Running Out of Time
Jack and Tucker glanced at each other in utter helplessness as Sam continued to bawl. They had no idea what to do, yet each of them couldn't deny the tightness they felt in their throats as they continued to listen to her in tense silence.
Sam, meanwhile, continued to feel what she sensed was her boyfriend's reaction to something horrible. Though she wasn't sure what had upset Danny, she nevertheless felt completely consumed by the emotions of shock, sorrow, and remorse that she somehow felt had been channeled to her from her beau. She wasn't even aware that she had already dropped her face into her cupped hands while she continued to weep.
However, several minutes later and as the girl felt her crying began to ebb, a sudden thought was able to come to the forefront of her consciousness: desperation. But this was not a feeling of surrender or hopelessness. No. Sam's logical, sensible side was mentally screaming at her to get a hold of herself. That part of her was emphatically pointing out the fact that though she was tiring, she wasn't actually physically weakened by this round of empathetic feelings like all the other times, nor had she fainted from them. And so, that meant that she must be actually getting strong again; and—more importantly—had no excuse not to get a hold of herself!
But she still felt the lingering effects of her boyfriend's—and her own—emotional turmoil and she knew from her quivering lower lip that she was about to resume weeping.
Once again, the girl's more rational side desperately searched for a way to help her snap out of her funk. Almost instantly, another important thought flagged her attention. It was something she could use to pull her out of this emotional quagmire.
The thought drove itself right into the girl and she clung to it for strength as her weeping melded into soft whimpers. She lifted her face out of her hands, clenched her teeth in determination; and commanded herself to stop crying all together by purposely slowing her breathing almost to a halt.
Now irritated with herself for getting all emotional again, Sam impatiently and roughly wiped the tears from her eyes. Nevertheless, she was still slightly emotional from her ordeal. But then, she sighed deeply, which completely helped her steel herself enough for her to face the two males in the room.
When her eyes met Tucker's, however, the girl instantly felt her cheeks flush. Ignoring the heat that must now be coming from her cheeks, she still forced herself to frown in a mixture of irritation and determination. She knew she had to say something; but she didn't want to apologize this time.
She managed to control her voice in spite of its being slightly cracked from all that crying; and she felt herself grow stronger with each word: "Enough of this! Too many people are in trouble and are depending on us to help them."
But then, Sam felt a pang of anxiety unexpectantly shoot through her and she added with less self-confidence, "So, could we, uh, please, go back to the lab and find a cure to that stupid sleeping sickness? That is, after I can have another one of those shakes, okay?"
Mr. Fenton's face cracked into a big. relieved smile and he enthusiastically replied, "Now you're talking, Sam! Let's grab a shake in a lab flask….Er, I mean,…"
Sam gently interrupted him and said, "I know what you mean, Mr. Fenton."
"That would be cool as long as we make sure not to take the shake down to the lab!" Tucker added with a weak smirk.
The trio chuckled slightly in complete relief about this episode before Danny's father returned to the kitchen to make more shakes.
Once they were through with their energy drinks, the man and the teens headed downstairs to the Fenton's lab.
Picking up where they left off, the threesome went right to work on the tasks upon which they had agreed before all of those unexpected interruptions.
As time had passed and after they had finished their mini-experiments, they had eliminated several substances that they knew could not be in the sample they were examining. But they still had several possible things that might be the main ingredient in the black goo; and they were now tackling in narrowing the list. They all secretly hoped that they could do that before they ran out of the relatively small sample they originally had.
One fact that the trio had determined almost right away was that the black goo was of ghostly origins. They had already guessed to check on that first, considering that Tucker had detected a ghost before he had been attacked and, of course, that Danny had obviously been attacked in his room by some ghost as well. So, Jack had confirmed their assumptions with one of his many ghost detectors. That was actually good—and maybe—bad news. Good, because there was usually a human equivalent of any ghostly item; and so they could use all available resources such as their archives of ghost information and what they could search on the internet about similar human things to help them in their quest.
But it could be bad news because often times, ghostly equivalents of real world items acted very differently from their counterparts.
Sam tried to remain focused throughout her assignment. After testing the last of her samples and writing down the results, she went over to the computer and opened a search engine tab in order to research about pharmaceuticals.
She and Tucker had already researched viruses and bacteria that could cause a sort of sleeping sickness, but they had already ruled that out. It had really surprised them all because that's what they had guessed had been the cause in the beginning…So, that only meant that the black goo must have been some kind of drug.
But the more Sam read about the medicines to induced sleeping, the more she doubted she was on the right track.
None of the research so far indicated that any sleeping formula currently available was affected by air either in solid or liquid state. She bit her lower lip. Maybe that was because these particular chemicals were artificially designed…
On a hunch, she typed in 'organic sleeping formulas' in the search engine box. She half-frowned when several 'hits' lit up the screen. Oh, great. More research!
The girl sighed at not being any closer to an answer. She wondered how Tucker and Danny's father were faring….
She looked up from the computer; and when she saw that Tucker and Danny's father were too engaged in their own tasks, she decided not to disturb them. But that mental distraction was enough for her thoughts to drift slightly. She suddenly realized that even though she was tiring faster than she normally would, she didn't think it was as bad as those other times up until now. Maybe drinking those shakes were enough to make her feel better. True, she hated to admit that she hadn't completely recovered and was still having a hard time controlling her emotions, but she did think she was feeling better physically and, more importantly, mentally…
Maybe she could try to reach Danny again…
The girl leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes before she began to concentrate on her boyfriend.
She felt the familiar pressure growing in her mind and the almost instantaneous counter-pressure from what she knew must be a kind of interference since she still felt that her boyfriend was in all sorts of trouble and in great turmoil from them.
Nevertheless, Sam concentrated harder and she felt encouraged when she could feel the beginning of a pathway open to her…
Finally, she thought she had possibly reached her boyfriend, and she mentally called out to him.
But what she heard in response was not what she had expected nor wanted to hear. And once again, she didn't expect to be overwhelmed by all the emotions that she felt were coming from Danny as a result.
The emotional blow was too much for her to fight off and she suddenly gasped in dread.
Tucker and Jack immediately startled and looked toward the girl when they heard her gasp. And their eyes widened when she broke down and started to cry her heart out again.
Just as Vlad was re-checking the data that his computer had acquired, he frowned in both confusion and fascination. The results were definitely beginning to form a pattern.
"Maddie?" he suddenly asked.
"Yes, sir?" she responded.
"Have you completed any preliminary conclusions about all of the data we've collected on Daniel concerning those power fluctuations and his ability to re-generate his power?"
"I would like to collect a bit more information before I answer that question, sir. I want ninety-six point five percent or better accuracy versus the eighty-eight point five percent accuracy I have at this point, sir," she answered.
The man smirked. He just knew that he couldn't egg her to make any kind of hypothesis after that statement.
She suddenly changed subjects and asked, "What is your next set of orders, sir?"
But before he could answer her, he heard a knock on the door.
Vlad briefly glanced at the clock and smirked.
"Come in," the man said in expectation.
Skulker floated in for his scheduled check on the creature in the cylinder-shaped device. His eyes met the man's and the robotic ghost nodded slightly in greeting.
Vlad frowned slightly when he could tell that Skulker was still sulking. The man honestly thought that the ghost would have moved on by now….He paused and then nodded in agreement to himself after his next thought. Maybe that would explain it. Something new must have disturbed the cyber-ghost.
The older hybrid's eyes drifted to the monitor displaying the list of programs that had been used or were in the queue. Even though Vlad didn't like to see Skulker in a bad mood, he knew that at least he had to move on….
Trying to sound both casual and upbeat, Vlad instead addressed his computer as he re-scanned the Fantomos Ecto-Scale of Ghosts and Spirits, "You know, Maddie, it's really not fair."
"What's not fair, sir?" she asked with a puzzled look.
"To rate the ghosts with the spirits," he replied. "We really should separate them, since ghosts cannot even begin to match the spirits' strength and power…"
He paused a moment and his mind momentarily slipped away from thoughts of Skulker. Then thinking about his own power level's being at nine fantomos, he chuckled, "Well, at least for full ghosts, that is!" He paused at his very next thought, before he added, "Still, it is complicated… "
He mulled over that same thought, which was about his—and Daniel's—last encounter with a spirit. That had been none other than Iluzisto, an ex-Observant who had acquired a power level of thirteen fantomos—unheard of in the Ghost Zone or spirit realms.
And really, it was true. As far as the man knew, Iluzisto had been the most powerful spirit and supernatural being he had ever fought—even if Iluzisto had obtained that level only after stealing and then infusing himself with Daniel's and the billionaire's powers along with using other powerful items. Yet, fortunately, Iluzisto's power would have been temporary and the evil spirit had been destroyed; but only because of a few Timeless Magic objects. Vlad had to simultaneously use both Justeco's and Okulo's orbs and Daniel had wielded Clockwork's staff to defeat the spirit.
Suddenly, Vlad's face reflexively scrunched up. A completely unexpected memory bubbled up, which had to do with two things that had gnawed at him since that encounter. One of those points was when he and Daniel were in the midst of fighting Iluzisto for the last time; and the evil ghost was trying to keep them from effectively fighting him.
Even now, the destroyed Observant's words still haunted him, "You hope in vain, Vlad Plasmius. …The boy will never be yours. He will never care for you like you care for him."
And the echoes of that memory plus thinking of the battle and of the Time Master's staff again triggered the distaste he had for…Clockwork.
Though the older hybrid wouldn't admit it to anyone—especially himself—Vlad was jealous of the Time Master's father-like relationship with Daniel. It was one of the many real reasons why he had hatched his master plan in the first place. If Vlad could finally get Daniel's will to break—which actually looked as if it was about to happen soon—the man could mold him so that he would not only have the boy at his side, but willingly so. And then he would show that smug spirit who cared for the boy the most—and more importantly—whom Daniel cared for the most!
But there was more to his plot than to get Daniel at his side. He would make it a permanent bond. And to do that, he would have to make sure that the boy would forsake all of his friends.
Of course, Daniel's human friends would be no problem now that Vlad was sure that they would never recover from Formula 286-psi-1A. In fact,he was sure that enough time had passed by now to make that a reality.
His face broke into an evil smirk when that thought led to another…which fit perfectly in his plans. But then, along those lines, another thread of thought immediately followed…
The man would also make sure that Daniel would forsake all of his ghost friends as well. He was sure the boy was already convinced of that from all that had transpired up to now, especially for those ghosts whom the boy had thought had been destroyed from his doing.
The man paused with the thought. Too bad it hadn't been real—for now anyways! Still, he didn't care one way or the other as long as Daniel ended up being his…son.
In the end, Vlad wanted Daniel to depend on him and him alone, just as any family member would.
Family.
His smile deepened at his next thought. The reality was within his grasp, especially since Jack must be gone by now — by fate's hand, of course!
It was about time, too, since fate had also brought this half-ghost boy into his life. It was only right that the half-ghost boy should have a half-ghost father.
The thought swathed his mind in his other dream: to have Maddie as his wife. After all, he had never planned to let her die from that sleeping potion. He just had to keep her safe and wait for Daniel to convince her that he wanted Vlad as his father.
Especially when they would find out that Jack had succumbed….
Vlad sighed. He supposed he would have to wait a respectable period for Maddie and maybe even Daniel to grieve before all of his plans would come together. He suddenly frowned. Oh, there was the girl….He even supposed that he could tolerate having Jasmine as a 'daughter'. True, he suspected that she would object to her 'new family' but he really didn't care about that. After all, the girl was essentially grown, so he wouldn't really have to deal with her much. And if she decided to break off ties because of what happened, so much the better!
Yes, the crux of his desires was now almost for the taking. And after that, there was even more he wanted —what he had built in Central Park would guarantee that. Even with that slight snafu the last time he had been there, the overall preliminary test results were beyond his expectations.
"Sir?" Maddie the computer generated image finally asked, which effectively stole his thoughts away. "I am waiting further instructions from you. Should I activate the next phase of your Master Plan 485? For the last few minutes, you looked as if your processes had become frozen and were in need of a reboot."
Vlad chuckled softly and didn't notice that Skulker had paused in his task and cocked his ear toward the conversation after hearing the computer's comment. The man knew that his computer really was right. He had drifted away for a moment. Part of that was from his own fatigue. He had been taxed from all of that energy he had to use to prepare that second part of his master plan. Once he had Daniel at his side, none of that would really be completely necessary any more…
Nevertheless, as he shifted mental gears, he knew that his computer would be able to tune right back in where he had left off with her. He replied, "Yes, you're right, my dear. But as I was saying, the Fantomos Ecto-Scale is more complicated than as I have it. The spirits should really be placed on a different scale, since they are much more powerful than regular ghosts…Well, that really doesn't apply to those passive and idiotic Observants. Though they are spirits with great power, they are still essentially passive creatures who are reticent to use their powers. So for simplicity sake, though their fantomos are made up of different energy than ghosts since they are spirits, the most simplistic way for us to compare them is to place them on the same level as ghosts with power levels of nine fantomos—after taking all of these factors into consideration, of course….But as for the other spirits…."
He paused as his thoughts refocused on Clockwork. His face reflexively narrowed in irritation.
That spirit was near the top of the heap according to his calculations, though he would not let himself be impressed by that.
Still, there was the problem of severing the boy's…feelings for that meddling spirit, and that would mean moving the program up in the queue.
That would make some sense since there was still another spirit lower in fantomos than either Clockwork or the Observants. And that would be Frostbite. But now that he had made Daniel think that he had killed the Far Frozen leader, he really couldn't use that program.
No, that would not do.
Still…there were those other spirits on the scale between the Observant and Clockwork.
He paused.
He was actually hoping that he wouldn't have to use any more programs at all on the boy. Maybe the boy was done; and there would be plenty of time for him to get the boy to reject his mentor. But somehow, he wanted to make sure. Should he use this program or wait and use it later?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something metallic falling to the tile floor.
"Sorry," Skulker merely grumbled as he picked up the small metal instrument he had been using to change the caliber of the power of the coffin-like device that kept the creature within it in check.
But Vlad was happy that the cyber-ghost had done that since that gave him an idea. He was sure that Skulker would know whether the boy was broken because somehow the robotic ghost was always able to sense the condition of his prey.
"Quite alright, Skulker," Vlad replied before he added, "Are you about finish there?"
Skulker looked at the man. He could tell that Plasmius wanted something. However, he simply grunted and returned back to the coffin's monitors.
"Good!" Vlad remarked before he slowly added, "And I was wondering if you could do something else for me?"
Skulker didn't answer right away until he was satisfied that the receptacle was still effectively doing its job.
Vlad, meanwhile, waited with patience for his friend to finish. If he knew one thing about Skulker, it was that the cyber-ghost didn't like to be disturbed when he was focused on a particular task.
Finally, Skulker turned back to the man and asked, "What do you need, Plasmius?"
"Even though some of the data support that Daniel has been mentally broken, I can't be sure unless you confirm it with that marvelous sense that you have," the man replied with a smirk that conveyed a mixture of expectation and admiration.
Skulker felt his central core tighten with slightly more conflict than that which he had been dealing with lately. Even though he was flattered by the man's request, he didn't want to find out the condition of the younger hybrid. Still, his…friendship with the man was the stronger of his feelings at the moment, and he knew he would…help his friend.
"Alright," the robotic ghost slowly said. "But I will have to get near him in order to smell him."
"Of course you will," Vlad agreed before he commanded the hologram, "Maddie, make sure that Daniel is in delta sleep and then deactivate the ghost shield."
"Right away, sir," the female holograph replied just as she pressed the command buttons.
Skulker turned intangible just a few moments later and phased through the stealth window of the control room. But as he floated closer to the incapacitated Ghost Boy, he felt his central core unexpectedly constrict with a flare up of his internal battle.
The robotic ghost gritted his teeth in irritation and quickly threw those thoughts away. He had a task to fulfill and nothing was going to keep him from it! He increased his pace until he was close enough and hovered next to the whelp. He stared down at the pup and took in a large whiff of air.
Skulker frowned at the mixed results. He hadn't told Plasmius that he couldn't be completely sure about the condition of the whelp unless the boy was awake because his continued wrestling with his…conscience over the pup had momentarily blurred his more rational side. Still, he could tell this much about the boy right now: even though the Ghost Child was mentally distraught, he wasn't totally unstable or broken yet.
In some ways, Skulker was relieved about that, but in other ways, he wasn't. Nevertheless, he quickly retreated back into the simulation room to report to Plasmius.
"The whelp is still 'in the game' as they say," Skulker tersely reported before he quickly added, "Is that all for now, Plasmius?"
Vlad frowned in disappointment before he cupped his chin and tapped the side of his cheek in thought a moment. He then answered, "Yes, Skulker, that is all for now…Thank you."
The robotic ghost grunted in reply and wasted no time to leave.
In the meanwhile, Vlad's thoughts came full circle at the news. He had made his decision. He smirked at the unintended pun: it was still the perfect time to get rid of the rest of his rivals.
Maybe what he had planned about the Time Master would work better on Daniel now rather than later after all—even if it were out of sequence—because it could mean in the end that Daniel would finally and completely breakdown mentally….But if the boy didn't break, then it would definitely result in the Daniel's unquestionable rejection of that infernal Time Master!
The man smirked at that last thought in particular because one of Vlad's ulterior motives all along was to permanently rend Clockwork's relationship with the boy...
Vlad then frowned at his next nagging thought. He wished he hadn't had to come this far; and he wouldn't have if Daniel had given up by now. But the boy was too blasted stubborn! Still, if the billionaire had to use any further programs, it would be the boy's own fault. True, there was a minute risk to his plan if he had to use this or any other future programs, even how slight. And that was because with the exception of Skulker's being able to capture a very unique spirit, he hadn't been able to obtain any ecto-DNA samples from any spirit except for the Observants—and that was because for the most part, they were too powerful to capture by Skulker—or even by himself, much as he hated to admit that…
And that meant that he really couldn't equal their power levels perfectly in these programs. In fact, trying to equal their power artificially with his simulation room abilities really taxed the system. He would have to shut all power to every other part of his castle to do that except for the very bare necessities and revert all that power to boost the controls in his simulation room.
Yes…his plan did allow some leeway in it for just this kind of …development. So what if that meant shuffling things around?...After all, he wanted to more than shuffle Daniel up! So, maybe moving Clockwork's program up the queue, which really had no effect on what the spirit's true power rank was on the Fantomos Ecto-Scale, would finally push the boy over the edge…
"Hmm…" he continued to muse to himself, "If not, there are still even more powerful spirits—and even a few ghosts— that are still ready for 'their turn' to make Daniel surrender completely—if necessary, of course—which I hope won't be the case."
"Alright, Maddie," Vlad finally said with decisiveness. "We are changing things up again. Activate File 289-9 Beta.
"At once, sir," the computer replied without further comment….
Danny's dulled mind slowly oozed out of his forced sleep; and just as slowly as molasses, his random thoughts partially focused on some kind of semblance of awareness...
Still, somehow, he wasn't sure if he was awake or dreaming. And truly, he was on the cusp of being both awake and asleep. But he didn't remember dreaming anything, though his still random thoughts then realigned themselves on what he remembered before this recent blackout-timeout.
He suddenly felt the tears rush outward again. He had caused the annihilation of an entire planet! He could never forgive himself!
He just as suddenly hurt badly in his central core and he felt that white lightening charge up and stab at his spine again.
He hitched in a scream. He didn't deserve any release after what he did. After all, he was…evil!
Suddenly, that thought just made him so numb that he suddenly didn't care. But really, did it matter what he did or didn't remember at this point if in the end he didn't care? But then, that feeling of indifference suddenly terrified him. How could he not care about all those innocent ghosts that he had just killed?
The teen was so distraught that his mind slipped back to detaching himself from his true emotions; and part of him was too weak to even fight against the growing indifference. After all, why should he care anymore if all he did was cause things to get worse? Or ended up being totally worthless when trying to do the right thing? Or even worse, end up bumping his ghost friends off and nearly getting bumped off by most all of his enemies?
Why should he even try anymore?
But in spite of his seemingly cold thoughts, the young hybrid felt tears forming around his still closed eyes. He felt so depressed, so upset at how everything was turning out. He really didn't understand how it could happen. He had always been able to figure out a way to defeat his enemies and keep his friends safe. But since those lame Observants had thrown all of these 'tests' at him, his whole notion of who he was and how he should fight and act were turned completely upside down.
But then, his mind drifted toward a random thought. He was tired. He was so very tired in spite of getting some regiment of sleep. It just seemed as if the sleep weren't the right kind.
And though the boy didn't know that, he was right on the mark with that.
Not only that, he never seemed to get his hunger satisfied. In fact, he couldn't even remember when he had last gotten some decent food. And right now, he would settle for a gallon of water as well.
He really had no idea then but especially now why the Observants had expected him to 'do his best' when they weren't taking care of his needs at all lately.
He rubbed the stubbles on his chin. Especially not even letting him shave. Sure, the Observants hadn't really kept him from shaving. Lately, he had been too depressed to even think about it, much less take care of his other 'amenities' except the basic, absolutely necessary ones.
He sighed and felt a tear escape and slide down his cheek. How he wished he could just keep his eyes shut and sleep…forever. That way, he wouldn't have to make himself care about what had already happened, or anything else that might happen in the near future…
Still, he frowned. He was lying to himself. Deep down, he knew he still cared, even if this sudden numbness was trying to squelch it. Caring was just part of who he was… But the problem with that was that he was quickly forgetting who he was. And that only meant that if he didn't escape from this nightmare soon, he was going to lose everything that made him worthwhile.
Nevertheless, Danny scrunched his eyes tighter at all the mixed emotions swirling around him, poignantly aware that they were all vying at their chance to devour him and, yet, also feeling something….deeper…and reassuring…digging itself out from under all his negative emotions.
He lay there almost stuporous until, suddenly, he felt a soft wind caress his face…and then a smell of…flowers permeate his nostrils.
Was he imagining that?
But then, his ears perked up…
What was that sound?
The boy scrunched his eyes even tighter and his face contorted into a bigger frown in confusion.
No, it couldn't be.
He really couldn't believe what he was hearing.
It was a soft sound, a soft melody…soothing and yet all at once so full of hope, love and excitement.
Danny knit his eyebrows, though he kept his eyes closed. He still couldn't be certain if he was awake or dreaming, since his hearing this music couldn't be possible right now…Still, he felt his mind drift to other thoughts on the matter…
Some people would call what he was hearing too old-fashioned, or not 'with it' enough. But as he let himself be caught up in its sweet sound, he smiled. He really liked that melody….And one day…he really wanted to hear it when he and….
His eyes jolted open with that thought and he gasped in surprise when he could see that he was now standing up when he could swear he had been lying down a moment ago.
He didn't remember moving from the spot he had been in!
Nevertheless, the boy could see that he was in a garden of some sort. And there were several people sitting in two sets of neat rows of chairs on the thick, lush lawn just to the left of him and then to the right of him. But the rows of chairs on the left had almost four times the amount of people than the ones on the right. And he was facing a long stretch of an open grassy path right between the rows.
Outdoor arbors, which were lattice-like archways, were covered in flowers and greenery and placed along the grassy aisle ever few yards or so.
Danny inadvertently shifted a bit and startled slightly when the wooden floor beneath him creaked. He glanced downward and discovered that it really wasn't a floor at all. He was standing on some kind of platform.
The young hybrid gazed at the people again. He didn't really recognize anyone except…
But his thoughts were interrupted by a whisper….
"So, are you ready, dude?"
Danny gasped at the instant recognition; and turning his head in the direction of the voice, he blurted out rather loudly in slight shock, "T-Tucker?!"
Tucker blushed but kept a fake smile on his face at his best friend's outburst and said through gritted teeth, "Gee, buddy, I know you're nervous and all, but can you tone it down? I mean, you've been waiting for this, like, forever!"
"B-But," Danny stammered, still stunned.
He shook his head in disbelief. Tucker….Tucker was…older and taller! True, his best friend was still young, but he looked a few years older than he should be….Either that, or somehow Tucker had had a very radical growth spurt!
Not only that, but Tucker was dressed in some kind of suit. But it wasn't like any suit he had ever seen before. Unconsciously, Danny glanced down and jolted a bit in more surprise. He was wearing the same kind of grey pin-striped pants, winged-color tuxedo shirt with a grey and black striped ascot tie, sleek grey vest and long, black cutaway jacket. In fact the jacket looked like the one Tucker had worn at his first 'mayoral' speech way back in that memory of the now non-existing events surrounding the 'disasteroid'. Not that it looked bad. In fact, he liked it. And it looked, well, good on him!
Still, Danny blurted out again, "But why are you and me wearing a…?"
Though Tucker had quietly interrupted his best friend, he was smirking as he whispered, "It's called a 'morning suit'. It was your idea, remember? You don't like the usual fanfare, and it makes sense to wear this right now because, well, heh-heh, we're wearing it in the morning!"
Danny blinked, not having any memory of wanting to wear anything like this, though he still wondered why. Maybe he was dreaming?
But before he could think about it any longer, the music that had been softly playing swelled and Tucker quietly insisted, "Now, no more talking, dude! It's time!"
Suddenly, however, the entire scene darkened and even blurred.
Though slightly alarmed by the radical change, Danny didn't move from his spot.
And when he could finally see through the dark mist, the scenery had only lightened just a bit, until everything around and in front of him was bathed in sepia, as if he had been caught in a snapshot from very long ago, only it was not an old snapshot at all….
Oddly, though he was definitely standing still, the entire scene in front of the half-ghost was moving toward him and a small, modest new home on a corner lot laden with newly planted foliage and trees was fast approaching him. But even though he knew that one day that yard would probably be extremely shaded, the landscape had been meticulously planned so that everything looked attractive to the eye.
The boy's face brightened as he mused, "Sam would love this place!"
But then, he heard laughter escaping from the now obvious open windows of that same house. And he could tell that there was not just one person laughing…there were several.
He jolted at the next lone cry of glee he heard….Was that Sam laughing just now? Suddenly, he wanted to know. And then he heard the golden giggles of the innocent. There were children in that house, there had to be. And one more happy cry erupted out of the brood of mirth, yet this one belonged to a man. In fact, the man wasn't really laughing; he was chuckling. And that chuckling sounded awfully like his own kind of laugh.
All the young hybrid wanted at that moment was to draw nearer to what clearly was warmth and happiness surrounding this...home.
As soon as he moved, however, the scene in front of him darkened and blurred once again and before he knew it, it had brightened again and he felt his mind muddle again; yet he was suddenly aware that he was standing on the same platform he had been on when he first got here…with that melody ringing in his ears.
He turned to his left and saw Tucker again in that 'morning suit' as he called it.
Even though Tucker had his eyes on something in the distance, Danny grinned at his friend this time in spite of having a foggy head. Tucker looked so happy! But then again, what was his friend looking at?
Danny shifted his eyes in the same direction as Tucker's and immediately saw the reason for his friend's grin…
The music was still playing and yet a beaming Valerie was slowly walking up the grassy path between the two sets of chairs. She looked absolutely stunning in that deep purple floor-length gown!
Danny chuckled a bit as the dark-skinned girl seemed to glide down to the platform. But when she got to the right of the base of the platform, she turned around and looked back in the direction from which she had come.
Danny glanced back at Tucker for a moment, but startled when his eyes inadvertently drifted a bit past Tucker's left. Danny could swear he hadn't seen that man a moment ago. He was sure he would have noticed a man dressed almost entirely in black.
Nevertheless, Danny checked on Tucker again, who was already looking down the aisle once more.
Just as Danny turned in the same direction, however, the scene blurred and was replaced by a sepia-draped one again.
When it cleared again, Danny knew by the aroma and the sights that he was somehow meshed right into some kind of dinner party.
All the guests there seemed to be having a good time, though no one in particular was speaking to or acknowledging him.
But then, one conversation managed to escape the rest. For some odd reason, however, Danny could not see who was speaking, though he could tell it was an old woman talking:
"Really, my dear, how do you do it? You are devoted to your family and yet you have the time to host these fund-raisers for such worthy causes..."
"Well, I really can't take credit for it," the other female voice replied, "I couldn't have done it without my hus-…"
Danny jolted and he really didn't hear what that last voice said at the end. He was reacting to who he thought to whom that voice belonged! That sounded like Sam again, only that her voice sounded a bit more…mature. But it was also very nice and pleasant-sounding.
The half-ghost quickly moved through the crowd, searching for her as he did. Then he saw a slender and tall woman who had her back to him. But her hair looked the same and so he called out, "Sam?"
But she didn't seem to have heard him…
Instead, the scene distorted as before and when it refocused, he was back on that same platform next to Tucker— listening to that same song.
He now wondered if he was spacing out for some odd reason, especially since he could swear that he had cotton stuffed in his brain during this entire time.
Nevertheless, he glanced down that aisle and this time he saw Jazz! And she was smiling as well as walking all alone up that path. She was also wearing a beautiful gown, only this one was mostly deep purple yet partial swathed in white lattice.
Danny smiled when his sister's eyes briefly met his before she gently broke their gaze. Danny continued to watch Jazz as she headed to Valerie's left, slightly nodding at the dark-skinned girl before stopping when she was at the base of the platform and at Valerie's side. And just as Valerie had done before, Jazz turned completely around and looked down the grassy lane.
Danny didn't know how this was happening, but he was catching the excitement of his sister and friends. But just as he followed his sister's lead and turned toward the empty aisle, the scene radically changed like the other times, and that dull, sepia hue suddenly oozed over the entire atmosphere, and blurred the scene.
But once the landscape cleared—if Danny wanted to call the drably dressed landscape 'clear'— he was some distance back in front of that house in which he had heard the laughter….Only the house looked…much older. Sure, it had been obviously tended to, but he could tell by how tall the trees were—which had definitely shaded that home as he had predicted— that time had had to have passed.
The small house was quiet this time. And the windows were shut. But then he saw a car pull up and a young family get out. The young man carefully pulled out a little girl and the young woman held a toddler in her arms before he protested and squirmed out of her hold. But the young woman was sure to place the young boy onto the ground and watch as he waddled to the front door.
Danny wondered who this could be, but had a sudden hunch. He swallowed thickly and watched, all the while still wondering how this was all possible.
In the next instant, the front door of the little house opened and a slender couple with white hair stepped out and greeted the younger couple and their children.
"Come in, bubeles!" Danny heard the older woman giggle as she clapped her hands and shepherded the two small children into the home.
Danny frowned. What was this about? And that old woman? Who was she? He moved closer to get a closer look. But as if to steal his answer, the atmosphere pulled out of focus and Danny was right back in the garden and on that wooden platform!
Suddenly, that melody that had never ceased while he was here in this place suddenly paused only a few moments before it swelled louder. Everyone in the audience suddenly stood up.
Danny felt something brush his arm and when he looked toward it, Tucker silently cocked his head as a signal and pulled himself up to his full height. Not to be outdone, Danny also pulled himself to his full height and looked in the same direction as his best friend.
Danny almost fell over backwards at what he saw….
Everything about her was dazzling…her gown, the cascade of white roses in her hands, her smile, the way she carried herself…And her face….it was aglow with beauty and…purity. But what really mesmerized him were her sparkling eyes…He had never seen such eyes brim with as much happiness, hope and….love as those amethyst jewels that never took their gaze off of him.
"We had it all wrong. White is definitely her color," the young hybrid suddenly blurted out and Tucker chuckled a bit in response.
And suddenly Danny's mind totally cleared. This was his and Sam's wedding day!
But then, the scene abruptly twisted into its 'blurry-and-color-change' thing and when the new scene emerged from the chaos, the sepia surrounding it was a bit darker…
This time, Danny was in a hospital, which was bustling with activity as usual. He walked along the corridor and was somehow hurriedly directed to the next door to his right. He saw the name on the door and frowned in confusion. Nevertheless, he entered.
There he saw her again…only that she was lying in bed and…old…very old. Yet, the light shining out of her mesmerizing lavender eyes was still blazing with love.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Sam's cracked, weak voice then said, "But we knew that this day would come…And I want you to know that I never regretted a moment of it!"
Before Danny could respond, however, the room twisted as if it were taffy.
Danny somehow knew he would end up back at the wedding.
And he was right…only that the scene he melded back into was not the happy serene one. He heard a loud noise…only it wasn't because of the music!
People were screaming and running amok as they tried to dodge the hot red rays that had suddenly appeared out of thin air and showered the area.
"NO!" Danny heard Tucker scream above the din. "Sam!"
But then his best friend turned back to him and with both anger and tears in his eyes, Tucker cried in anguish, "How could you, man? Why?!"
Danny frowned in confusion but he reflexively scanned the scene. And then he jolted when he searched through the melee and down the aisle and saw what Tucker saw.
Sam! She was still in the aisle but was now lying on the ground.
"NO!" Danny gasped.
The bouquet of white roses had been thrown out of her hands and had been crushed under the weight of several frantic feet trying to escape the scene.
But there was something more terrible….
Her gown was no longer white…it was scarlet. And her beautiful eyes were now staring coldly at him, no longer amethyst, but dulled and gray!
"Sam!" Danny screamed, feeling as if his heart had seized to a stop and not even aware that one of the still projecting ectoplasmic rays bit into his shoulder.
He quickly lunged forward even as he was already feeling the grief-filled pressure in his eyes and throat…only to feel himself being violently sucked backward and into some kind of black worm hole!
A heartbeat later and all was still and he was on his knees and sitting on his heels on some kind of firm surface…before the loud cacophony of clocks phased into his ears.
But Danny didn't care where he was at the moment, especially since he couldn't even see where he was if he wanted to because he was crying. Somehow, he knew he had to have just witnessed the murder of the love of his life! In fact, in the next moment, that thought seized his heart with the truth of it; and before he knew it, he was crouching down to the ground before throwing his face into his hands and pouring his grief out at the emotion of what he had just witnessed. He felt so much emotional pain tightening around his heart and mind. He could feel the veins around his head pounding and a sharp pain shot through it and seemed to make his ears ring…How could this be? He had to be having a nightmare. With all of his being he wanted this to be some kind of nightmare. But something inside of him told him it couldn't be…because it all felt so real. But how could it be real when he was sure it was not going to happen until the future?
Future!
The boy finally began to pull himself up off the ground before he hurriedly and firmly wiped his eyes on his sleeve when he finally realized that he was hearing the sound of clocks ticking. And that meant he had to be….
He lifted his head and saw that he was indeed in Clockwork's Tower! And he was half-sitting in front of the Time Master's Viewing Orb, which was still 'turned on' to that horrific scene.
The young hybrid closed his eyes immediately after he saw that in an effort to try to steel himself in spite of the few tears that had nevertheless managed to push through his eyelids and escape.
Still, that really only upset him more because if he was at Clockwork's and seeing that awful scene on the Viewing Orb, that would only mean that it was going to happen!
Wait…or was it?
After all, his mentor had always said that the future wasn't set in stone and he knew that who he was now was living proof of that, especially when the time when he should have become evil had already passed.
Danny finally managed to get a hold of himself when he spied the youngest form of the Time Master with his back to him and standing in front of one of the only two windows in this Focal Room of Chronology. One of the windows was clear and was framed by a fairly ornate border. The boy could see the Realm Beyond Time atmosphere through that window. Just to the right of that window and separated by the other by a narrow portion of the wall that made up the support structure of Clockwork's Tower, was the other window, which had a plain frame. Its glass plane, however, completely obstructed an observer's view.
The younger ghost frowned. He had never seen Clockwork in front of the opaque, unadorned one.
"Clockwork?" Danny still called out after choking a bit on his words from having bawled moments before.
But the adult Time Spirit didn't so much as flinch at the sound of his name.
Standing up and now more relieved at seeing his mentor, Danny slowly moved toward the spirit.
"Clockwork!" he said more loudly and clearly. "Thank goodness you finally came to help! You don't know…uh, scratch that. I know you know what the Observants have been doing to me!"
But the now old spirit didn't move or turn away from that opaque window.
Danny floated over to the Time Master's right side and gently said, "Hey, I'm not mad at you, Clockwork! I know you have your reasons for not interfering and I trust you. But I don't know why the Observants are doing this to me!"
Still, young Clockwork didn't budge.
Danny frowned in confusion. What was wrong with the spirit? "Well, aren't you going to say something, Clockwork? Otherwise, why did you bring me here or show me all of that awful stuff just now?"
Once again, the mature Clockwork stayed where he was, almost as if he himself was frozen in time.
Panic now shooting through Danny, he asked more desperately, "Clockwork? What's happening?"
This time, the oldest form of the Time Master answered the boy. But he didn't turn away from the blackened window at all. He slowly and sadly said, "Sometimes, the burden of my job is immense. But I do what I must."
Danny didn't like the way his mentor had said that, and even though he suddenly had a very bad feeling about all of this, he floated even closer to the spirit.
Just as the boy reached out to touch the right sleeve of his mentor's cloak, however, Vlad tensed. The man was about to order his computer to put the boy into delta sleep when he breathed a sigh of relief under his breath. Daniel had hesitated at the end and had pulled back his arm.
Just then, the younger hybrid asked with a twinge of pleading in his voice, "So, why did you show me all of that, Clockwork?"
The equally young Clockwork didn't respond to the boy's request. Instead, he continued to peer out of the blackened window and said, "This window seems to have no purpose, yet it is because of what it is that gives it meaning."
Danny's face scrunched in confusion. He didn't even care to try to figure out what his mentor meant by that. Instead, he glanced at the opaque pane and remarked, "But you can't see through it."
"True, you cannot see through it unless I allow it," the Time Spirit said, his voice laden with foreboding. "But it always shows me things that are sometimes too horrible to see and bear."
"I-I don't understand," Danny said as he glanced between the dark window and his mentor. He was getting even more upset that Clockwork had yet to look at him.
But instead of answering the boy, old man Clockwork remained quiet while still staring out of the opaque window.
The sudden silence between the two was unsettling.
Finally, the most youthful form of Clockwork spoke again; but his voice was almost in a hush, as if he were sorry— and even afraid— to say what he had to say. And he still did not address the boy directly.
"I have tried so hard to protect the timeline and keep it on course. Without fail, I have always done my duty to Time while still preserving the free will of the lives of every being in it unobstructed…I never felt the need to do things differently…That is, until I was aware of a very special being in the cosmos…He was a shining star, only the second rarest find of all the finest treasures in the universe. His heart was on fire with purity and justice, both focused and eager to do the right thing at all times. And he was only the second half-human whose existence I witnessed that possessed these and more fine qualities. Yet, the two were very different and had completely different roles; but the one about whom I speak existed in the current timeline…"
Danny blinked, trying to comprehend what Clockwork was talking about while at the same time getting a very creepy feeling about all of this.
The fully grown Time Master continued to not look at Danny and his voice seemed suddenly slower and even sadder as he went on, "I felt drawn to this human, more interested than I ought to be…all because of whom he was…." He paused only a moment and said, "And because of my feelings for this boy…I dared to interfere with…Fate."
Danny's heart jumped and his stomach clenched in fear. Fate! Was she real then? He was about to ask when Clockwork spoke again.
Suddenly pointing to the clear, ornate window to the left of the darken one he was still in front of, Clockwork added, "As the Master of Time, I can look through time. I could just use my Time Staff or Viewing Orb to accomplish that, but I always have more than one means to do that as well. I use that window to see the present."
He unexpectedly and quickly turned 180 degrees away from the window so that Danny was now to his left. But the now youngest form of Clockwork never steered the line of his vision toward the boy.
Instead, the Time Spirit just continued to speak, "I also have three other hidden doors that can transport me to any timeline."
Danny frowned in more confusion as he listened. Except for the mysterious opaque window, he had already learned all about Clockwork's many time-wielding instruments from his mentor from the many visits he had made. So, why was Clockwork making a point to tell him all of this?
While making sure not to chance having to look at the boy next to him, the tallest form of the spirit once again turned unexpectedly back to the opaque window. He then paused for what seemed to be eons, and the air surrounding that pause was so thick that Danny felt like he was choking on it.
Suddenly, however, even in the midst of his fatigue, worry and angst, Danny felt a bit of pressure in his head and he felt that his headache might be flaring up again. His face puckered a bit at the odd yet familiar feeling but he was too tired to even try to begin to focus on or understand that feeling. The pressure really didn't really hurt at all but was demanding his attention all the same. Had he'd been more rested, he would have recognized that his girlfriend was trying to use their telepathy to contact him—like a few times in the most recent past…But then as quickly as it came, it left when Clockwork interrupted his thoughts…
Danny frowned even more when it seemed as if the white-bearded Time Master was hardly able to utter out what he wanted to say this time, "But this window which I am in front of is the one I most dread looking into and…."
The spirit trailed off, as if he didn't want to continue.
"W-Why?" Danny finally managed to say, his voice cracking with anticipation as well as sudden fear.
At first, young Clockwork didn't answer him and Danny swallowed thickly. This was bad. Really bad. But before the teen could prod anymore, the time spirit spoke once more.
"Because it shows the broken timelines…"
The adult Clockwork continued to stare through that blackened window. His voice, however, seemed colder as he added, "You see, every human is meant to have a happy, content life when they have made all of the right choices…But if another human—or even ghost— makes an evil choice when crossing the path of the person who is on the right path and choses to snuff out that person's life, then that dead person's timeline is broken, lost to the cosmos. Yet, it does not escape the eyes of this window."
The oldest Time Master's eyes narrowed a bit as he added, "This window shows what that life should have been before it was prematurely snuffed out, but that path is always cloaked in shadows…"
Clockwork paused.
The sense around that pause was so laden with innuendo that Danny could feel the message being hammered into his brain. The boy's eyes widened at his next wild thought. No! It wasn't possible! There had to be some kind of kind of mistake! Still, he was driven to ask, "Why are you telling me all of this, Clockwork? What's this all about? And why did you show me the future….and…" He paused briefly before choking out, "…and maybe a…broken timeline?"
Suddenly, Clockwork's usual youthful face whirled around to face Danny and his eyes were flaring red as he forcefully replied, "Because in spite of my efforts to help you stay on a true path, you will betray everything you hold dear and become the evil Phantom that in the end you were always meant to be!"
"NO!" Danny screamed in both denial and dread. "You-you know I won't become that!"
"Untrue!" The adult Clockwork insisted through gritted teeth as he moved quickly to circle around Danny so that the boy was now between him and the opaque window. He jerked his hand toward the opaque window and accused, "Your evil self killed your beloved Sam! And you also murdered Tucker and many of your other loved ones that day!"
At first, Danny was stunned to silence. He had only seen…Sam dead! Not the others! So, was it true? And if it were, was it possible that his alternative evil future self had somehow been able to get into this dimension again? He had to know, even when he was still denying what his mentor had just said.
"NO!" Danny insisted back, his throat tightening with the emotions suddenly whirling within him. "You have to be wrong, Clockwork! He's back in his own dimension now, he can't possibly be—"
Pointing his Time Staff violently at the boy, the oldest form of Clockwork hotly interrupted him, "That Evil Phantom is in his own dimension! What I speak of is that the Evil Phantom who killed Sam and your other loved ones was your future!"
Danny felt a large lump hitch in his throat which choked him to silence and disbelief once more. He looked down at the floor, unable to comprehend what this might mean. It could not be possible…he would never…
Suddenly, he felt that same pain ringing in his head and then he felt as if he were floating away for a moment until he just as suddenly thought about….Sam!
"Sam, I would never hurt you!" he hoarsely whispered, feeling the pressure increase within his eyes. "I could never even think about killing you!"
Now in even more distress, Danny cried out, "This is all wrong, Clockwork! You know me! You know I couldn't do something like killing anyone I love or even who I hate! And you said I was not anything like that other evil Phantom! I'll never be like him!"
"Untrue!" the boy Time Master hotly countered. "You killed Frostbite! And all the Theracites! Danielle's death was your doing as well! And you wanted to kill Razilo when he destroyed Johnny 13!"
Danny about choked on his gasp! But suddenly, he felt a pain form and almost boil out of him as he screamed in denial, "NOOOOO!"
Once he had stopped yelling, Danny suddenly felt a little dizzy and unfocused. But that woozy feeling suddenly left him and when his mind cleared, he looked up at his mentor and said with desperate pleading, "Tell me this is all just a bad nightmare, Clockwork, and I'll believe you."
The adult Clockwork's flaring red eyes seemed to bore holes in him as the spirit gravely replied, "I cannot deny the future when it is shown in the opaque window. And I can no longer hope any more. I can no longer deny that deep down, you want to be evil, that you want to be like that other despicable creature. In fact, your future evil self who will live in your time stream stole one of my medallions and traveled back into time…"
"No," Danny softly denied, shaking his head as Clockwork continued.
"You had to ensure your own evil future in this timeline…"
Danny closed his eyes in distress and wasn't ashamed at the tears that had finally escaped even as he whispered, "Never!"
Clockwork's white beard bristled and his words were escalating as he continued to accuse the boy, "Just like your other evil self, you had to make sure that the seed to destroying all that was good in you was sown!"
Looking squarely at his mentor this time, Danny forcefully wiped his tears away and insisted, "You're wrong!"
But as if the youngest Time Master wasn't listening—or didn't want to listen—to Danny, he emphasized each of his next words, "You had to make sure of it by killing someone who would have kept you true. By. Killing. Sam!"
Danny stood paralyzed at his mentor's words, still denying it and yet, feeling the dread of it capture his heart. Clockwork never sounded surer about the future than he did now. But it couldn't be…
But Clockwork interrupted his thoughts.
With his eyes blazing even more violently, the strongest of Clockwork's forms raised his Time Staff and it burst forth with a throbbing, ominous purple energy before he aimed it at the Ghost Boy and darkly announced, "Therefore, I must seal you away to your own inescapable fate!"
"Clockwork, please… It isn't true!" Danny begged in a whisper.
"It is all true!" the Time Master answered back coldly. "And here is one last truth for you: I asked the Observants to do what they are doing to you now. It is the least you deserve for your sins. They were right all along. You are evil, Danny Phantom. And I will never see or acknowledge you again!"
"No!" Danny cried as a large purple beam erupted from the Time Staff and hit him just as he tried to evade it.
The violet force quickly enveloped the young hybrid even as Danny tried to resist it. But the boy's struggle was in vain, for he was violently thrust toward and the swallowed up by the opaque window….
…and knew no more.
A/N: Ah, I see you made it down here! Good! Let me tell you that I'm so glad to finally have y'all see this chapter! I've been itching to post it for quite some time but it was, heh-heh, not time for it until now! (Permission to groan).
For one thing, it has Clockwork in it and he is one of my absolutely fav ghosts, or I should say, spirits. (Yes, I think that CW is a spirit, which means, as I explained above, he is far more powerful than ghosts. And I think he's one of the most powerful spirits as well.) Secondly, it covers a philosophical notion in which I happen to believe; namely, what would someone's life be like had he/she not died prematurely for whatever reason (murder, sickness, accident, etc.)? But the one reason for a shortened lifespan (that is, being murdered) is more fascinating to me. After all, we are creatures of free will and we can chose to give into an evil impulse (and kill someone); or we can chose not to give into that impulse and refrain from killing that same person. Sooo, if you didn't kill them, then their life would go on, right? But did that mean that they were meant to NOT be killed at that moment of impulse that was ultimately rejected by the would-be murderer? Or did that mean that that same path would have happened if they had ultimately become victim of that impulse? And so, I thought it would be interesting to 'discuss' this theory with y'all in this chapter—while allowing Vlad to continue with his evil plan, of course. Wait! Does that mean if I choose for Vlad not to continue in his evil plan that Danny would kill Sam in the end, then? *Bites fingernails in indecision*
What do you think? Be sure to tell me in that little box below!
In the meantime, the Fantomos Ecto-Scale continues:
289-LEVEL 1—Omegas—shapeless ghosts and brainless ones. Also known as Malfortas. Simple nuisances but very easily defeated.
LEVEL 2 GHOSTS—still nuisances, and still very easy to defeat, but require some alertness to defeat. They usually have more intellect (more or less) or have slightly higher powers than the Malfortas.
289-level 2-Iotas—Derek and Sarah—truephan's original characters from her story, TrueHeart
289-level 2-Theta—Dairy King.
289-level 2-Eta—Matilda— truephan's original character from her story, Sleepover Nightmare
289-level 2-Zeta—Klemper (and friend Chilly-Billy)
289-level 2-Epsilons—Box Ghost and Box Lunch
289-level 2-Deltas—Norbert, Ruben and Willie, Vlad's three fez-wearing vulture cronies
289-level 2-Gamma–Cujo
289-level 2-Betas—Mutant Animals from the episode, Maternal Instincts
289- level 2-Alphas—All other ghost animals in the Ghost Zone
LEVEL THREE GHOSTS—easily defeated, but are a bit more aggressive, intelligent and/or conniving than ghosts of lower levels of power.
289-level 3-Zeta—Lunch Lady
289-level 3-Epsilon—Youngblood and his skeleton sidekick
289-level 3-Delta—Sydney Poindexter
289-level 3-Gammas—the Circus Gothica ghosts from 'Control Freaks': Lydia, Tom the dwarf, Elastica and Goliath (the strongman ghost)
289-level 3-Beta—Kitty
289-level 3-Alpha—Bullet
LEVEL FOUR GHOSTS—not too much power. Easily defeated, May be difficult only because of their own weapons or special abilities. If they had no weapons, would be moderately easy to defeat. Or they may have good powers, but aren't too bright.
289-level 4-Zeta—Amorpho
289-level 4-Epsilon—Razilo—truephan's OC from her story, TrueHeart
289-level 4-Delta—Johnny 13
289-level 4-Gamma—Ember McLain
289-level 4-Beta—Bertrand
289-level 4-Alpha—Wulf
LEVEL FIVE GHOSTS —Moderately easy to defeat. The ghosts have special abilities, and are more powerful than lower leveled ghosts, but their powers have major flaws and once those flaws are discovered, they can easily be defeated.
289-level 5-Gamma—Johnny 13's friend, Shadow
289-level 5-Beta—Technus
289-level 5-Alpha—Hotep-Ra
LEVEL SIX GHOSTS- Slightly difficult to defeat. These ghosts may be difficult only because of their own weapons or special abilities. If they had no weapons or special abilities, they would be moderately easy to defeat. Another indicator: they are made more powerful than ghosts of lower levels because of their higher intelligence and less obvious flaws.
289-level 6-Epsilon—Desiree
289-level 6-Delta—Danielle
289-level 6-Gamma—Ghost Writer
289-level 6-Beta —Walker
289-level 6-Alpha—Skulker
LEVEL SEVEN GHOSTS—Difficult to defeat. Would have been evenly matched with Danny at age 14. They usually have only one way of being defeated and can be defeated only after discovering that flaw. Also, Danny could only defeat them at age 14 after he picked up new skills to defeat them.
289-level 7-Epsilon—Undergrowth
289-level 7-Delta—Nocturne
289-level 7-Gammas—Aragon and Dorothea
289-level 7-Beta—Vortex
289-level 7-Alpha—Behemoth
LEVEL EIGHT GHOSTS—Very difficult to defeat because they are relatively more powerful than Danny Phantom at age 14. In fact, he might not be able to defeat them without outside help.
289-level 8-Epsilon —Spectra
289-level 8-Delta — ? Will appear in a future chapter
289-level 8-Gamma—Fright Knight
289-level 8-Beta—Pandora
289-level 8-Alpha—Dazzler—pearl84's original character from her story, Checkmate. (Thanks again for letting me use him, pearl!)
LEVEL NINE GHOSTS AND SPIRITS—Much more powerful than Danny Phantom at age 14 and any one of them could have possibly killed Danny if not for a combo of factors, such as outside help, luck, and using his talents to their utmost. Most spirits are level 9 –and rarely do ghosts get to this level. But occasionally—even if rarely—a few ghosts or spirits can gain even more power.
289-level 9-Thetas—Kvargvid and another Spirit who will be revealed later. Kvargvid is pearl84 and truephan's original character from their story, Seeing is disBelieving.
289—Level 9-Eta— Frostbite
289—Level 9-Zetas—The Observants
289—Level 9-Epsilon— ? Will appear in a later chapter.
289—Level 9-Delta — ? Will appear in a later chapter.
289—Level 9-Gamma—? Will appear in a later chapter.
289—Level 9-Beta—Clockwork
