Chapter Fourteen: The Questions are like Whack-a-Mole
Danny gathered supplies hurriedly, searching through his drawers to find what he would need: ecto-dejecto, a special kind of bandage he and Jazz had specifically designed for ghosts, and other items. He needed to be prepared for when he released Technus; the ghost hadn't looked well, and even though he was an enemy, Danny didn't want to see him fade from existence.
The lab was off-limits because Danny didn't know when his parents would be back, so the interrogation was going to take place in his room. He cleared dirty and semi-clean clothes from his desk chair, shoving the ones with blood and ectoplasm stains into his closet. He'd probably have to burn them later; basically nothing could get rid of ectoplasm from clothes. It was why his parents always wore their hazmat suits.
He found alcohol-wipe wrappers and a bloody, currently unusable suturing needle. The wrappers he threw away, and the needle he tucked into his kit to be sterilized and used at a later date. He dubbed the room sufficient for Technus (and how odd it was, that he'd cleaned up his room so he could interrogate the ghost).
He'd contacted Jazz, Sam, and Tucker, detailing his strange encounter in the warehouse. He'd left out the part about his parents, at least for now. He would tell them when they arrived, possibly after speaking with Technus. He ran his fingers through his hair, wondering for the millionth time why the ghost had kept apologizing to him. Had he done something? Was Technus, of all people, behind his exposed status as half-human? But then why not use his name? And Danny wondered who'd injured him so badly—this new ghost? Why?
He heard the front door open and left his room to see who it was, pleased when he realized it was Jazz and not his parents.
"Jazz, up here," he called, going down the stairs. "We're talking to him in my room." She raised an eyebrow.
"Your room?" she asked. She hung her keys on one of the wall hooks and removed her bag, setting it on the table with a surprisingly heavy thump. Danny suspected books, and not bricks, were the most likely candidates for the noise.
"Well, we can't exactly use the lab, can we? Do you want to use your room?" He stepped off the last stair and crossed his arms. He'd thought this through. Really, he had.
"Of course not," Jazz said. "But why not go to Sam or Tucker's? Aren't Sam's parents still out of town?"
"Yeah, they're back tomorrow night. But don't you think the GIW, Valerie, even my parents might come running if they sense a ghost signature on their radars? This is the safest place to question him," Danny explained. Jazz gave him a funny look as she took off her jacket and shoes.
"Won't they just come here instead?" she asked.
"No," Danny said, trying to be patient. He supposed he'd never explained this to her. "Because of the Portal, the house always emits a ghostly signature. There's no way to distinguish a ghost inside the house because of how strong it is. If a scanner's close enough, and if it's been tweaked to ignore the Portal, it technically can, but…" He shrugged. "Mom and Dad don't usually bring those with them when they go out." Jazz smiled at him, stepping closer to ruffle his hair.
"Ah, they grow up so fast," she said. "I remember the days when you were still falling through the floor, and now you're thinking through all your plans." Danny ducked under her hand sourly, swatting at her. She laughed.
"You do not!" he said, indignant. "You didn't even know about my powers back then." She raised an eyebrow.
"Are you saying you haven't grown up since then?" she said, slinging her bag back onto her shoulder; she was probably going to put it in her room, where she could peruse the books at her leisure.
"That's not what I said, Jazz," he muttered. "And Sam and Tucker should be here soon, so hurry up and do whatever you need to do." She rolled her eyes, moving toward the stairs.
"No need to be rude, little bro. I'll be ready," Jazz assured him, heading up to the next floor. Danny went down into the lab, past the bulky, metal door. He needed one final thing: restraints. And the gentle kind, not the cruel monstrosities his parents sometimes liked to build.
It was sometimes strange, being in the lab by himself. He flicked on the lights, banishing the dim, eerie green that had filled the room previously. It wasn't that the ghostly part of the room scared him; in fact, his ghost core seemed to hum louder in proximity to all of the ectoplasm. Rather, it was his parents' instruments, weapons of destruction and torture, which really bothered him. Some were stained green with ectoplasm, which never seemed to truly wash off. Not to mention, he'd died there—right inside the Portal.
Usually, when he was with someone, he was able to push the thoughts from his mind. But by himself, he couldn't tear his eyes from the scalpels and guns, the closed portal doors. Restraints, he told himself firmly, find some restraints. Some phase-proof rope would do, in all honesty. Or some modified handcuffs.
Looking around, he spotted both. He ignored the spiked collar next to them (the spikes going inward, of course), and took both the rope and the handcuffs. Though Technus hadn't looked like he would be able to fly away, Danny wasn't taking any chances.
Going back up the stairs (and shutting the thick, ominous door behind him), Danny heard the front door open. His parents or his friends? He hid the handcuffs and rope behind his back, inching upward.
"Danny?" Tucker's voice called. "We're here!" Danny would've wiped his brow in relief, but his hands were full.
"Hey, guys," Danny greeted as he made it to the first floor. Tucker jumped in surprise, clutching his heart, though Sam only cocked her purple lips.
"Don't do that, dude!" Tucker admonished. "You're as quiet as a ghost." He paused, looking to see their reactions. When neither deigned to respond, he pouted. "Too forced?"
"'Forced' doesn't even come close to how painful that was," Sam said, voice deadpan. "It didn't just hurt my ears; it hurt my very being. Or what's left of it, anyway." She looked to what was in Danny's hands. "I'm assuming those are for Technus?"
Danny nodded. "Yeah, just in case. It didn't look like he'd be able to fly off, but better safe than sorry," he said.
"Good idea," Sam agreed. "Where are we doing this? The lab?"
"My room," Danny corrected. He was glad neither protested. As much as he loved Jazz, she always seemed to doubt his decisions more than his friends did. While they didn't follow him without question, they trusted him to make the right decisions. Mostly Jazz did the same, but Danny felt she suffered just a bit from older sister syndrome. And he got it—she was used to being the one in charge. But it was still irritating, sometimes.
She had gotten a lot better, however. He still remembered the early days, when her "help" had grated on him like a dull knife on rusted metal. Now, it was better, but sometimes when she acted like he hadn't thought something important through, he went back to that old, defensive attitude without meaning it.
The three went upstairs to Danny's room. Technus—trapped in the thermos—had been placed on Danny's desk. Setting the handcuffs and rope next to the medical supplies, Danny unlocked the cuffs, inspecting them to make sure they were working properly.
"Where would be the best place to treat him, Sam?" he asked. As the unofficial medic of the four, she would know where she wanted him. She looked critically at the bed, then the ground.
"Assuming you don't want him to get ectoplasm all over your sheets, we can put some blankets on the floor for him," she said, touching the dirty laundry he'd piled in the corner of his room with the toe of her boot. "It's good you, uh, cleaned up." Tucker smirked at her distaste, but seeing as how he (surprisingly) kept the cleanest room of the three of them, Danny thought he should've been the one cringing in disgust.
"I knew we needed space," the half-ghost said, going into the hall. From the linen closet, he got several clean rags and two thick blankets. Coming back into his room, he spread the two blankets on the floor, putting the rags beside them for Sam to use. As he kneeled to straighten the corners, he sighed. "I can't believe we're about to help Technus."
"It's kind of insane," Tucker said, plopping into the chair at Danny's desk. "I mean it was, what, a month ago that he tried to hack into the government to start a nuclear war?" He leaned back, fiddling with his phone.
"My favorite part was that the government blamed it on Russia," Sam snorted. "Even though it very clearly wasn't. Even they can't make computers float." She crossed over to the medical supplies and began to arrange them how she liked.
"You never know," Tucker said thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "They say a ton of governments have technology they've never gone public with." Danny took the restraints and sat next to the blankets.
"They say?" Danny asked. "Who says? Crazy online conspiracy theorists?"
"I mean, think of the GIW," Sam told him, tapping the ecto-dejecto. The glass clinked against her fingernail. "Some people think they're a conspiracy. It's weird, what people will disbelieve in order to maintain their perfect bubble." Danny shrugged, conceding the point.
Just as he was about to call her, Jazz appeared in his doorway. Her hair was up, and Danny noticed the shape of an ecto-gun in her waistband. Good. "Hey, Sam. Hey, Tucker," she said, straightening her shirt; she was wearing a different one from earlier. "Are we ready to talk to Technus?"
Saying the words seemed to make them more real, and Danny couldn't help but feel a swell of anticipation rising in him like a tidal wave. At last he might figure out what was happening. So little time had passed—only days—but it felt an eternity since that anonymous caller had announced to Amity Park that he was half-human. It felt like an eon since the knight clad in white armor had attacked. It felt like forever since Danny had gone to help Dora and her people escape the Ghost Zone. Was Technus finally going to give Danny the answers—at least some of them—he needed to solve this mess?
He remembered, just then, that he still hadn't told his friends about the interview he was doing with the police and his parents. But he'd tell them afterward; Technus was more important.
"I think we are. Would you release him, Tucker?" Danny requested. He braced himself as Tucker took the thermos off the desk. His friend looked around to make sure everyone really was ready before pressing the button to release Technus. It was strange to watch—backwards, really. They'd always spent so much time, gotten into so much trouble, to put the ghost into the thermos, not release him from it.
Danny saw the other three's eyes widen, and he had to admit it: the ghost did look terrible. Or, rather, he looked much as Danny had found him in the warehouse—weak, leaking ectoplasm, and seemingly a second away from fading. The ghost let out a low moan. Tucker whistled.
"You weren't kidding when you said he looked bad," he said as Danny kneeled to tie the ghost's feet together. He decided not to use the handcuffs, seeing the wounds that might be aggravated on the ghost's torso. Sam came and knelt beside Danny, beginning to treat him.
"What do you think happened to him?" Jazz asked, creeping forward to get a better look.
"Well, he clearly got in a fight," Danny replied. "It's just a question of who he got in a fight with." He helped Sam with the ghost's clothes, revealing the odd shape beneath—ghosts had no real bones, and thus their body wasn't as rigid at a human's. He heard the ghost muttering under his breath, but it wasn't clear enough for him to make out. He didn't seem lucid.
"Someone powerful," Sam observed. "Technus is no pushover; mostly he's just bad at planning." Danny moved to gently hold down Technus's arms as the ghost moved them, almost looking like he was trying to sit up.
"And it looks like, whoever they were, they wanted Technus gone," Danny added, releasing the ghost as he stilled. "I don't think this was a territorial dispute or simple aggression. They meant to hurt him."
"Do you think it's the same ghost that attacked Dora? The one working with Walker?" Tucker asked. While he was comfortable with the sight of blood, he didn't exactly enjoy Sam's array of needles and healing equipment, so instead of looking at the ghost, he was looking down at his lap, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the chair.
"It's possible they're connected," Danny said. "But I just wish he was lucid enough to talk."
"He should be able to in an hour or so," Sam told him. "I'm going to give him some ecto-dejecto, and hopefully he'll go into stasis after that so he can heal on his own. Also, they're definitely connected. There's no way something as crazy as this happens so soon after what happened to Dora and you and they're not related." True to her word, after she injected the ecto-dejecto, Technus's incoherent mumbling ceased, and he simply lay on the floor. The only signs that he was still existing were the faint flickering of his aura and the inconsistent vibration of his core when Danny put his hand on his chest.
Technically speaking, ghosts didn't sleep. However, they could go into something called stasis, a state where they were able to focus their energy on healing and rest rather than flying or fighting. On average, a ghost went into stasis about once a week. If they skipped it too often, the chance of them falling into it accidentally—while they were in the middle of something—was very high. Most wounded ghosts also went into stasis once they were safe from whatever had hurt them.
Sam cleaned up her dirty tools, and Danny stood and stretched. His back popped.
"So should we wait an hour and get him up so we can talk to him?" he asked. "You think he'll be understandable by then?" Sam bobbed her head.
"Yeah. Normally I'd say let him rest but…" She grimaced. "This is kind of an emergency."
"So how should we kill an hour?" Tucker yawned. "Because I'm up for a snack and a power nap."
"I second the motion," Sam agreed. She put all her tools back into the drawer they specifically kept the medical supplies in (under some innocuous papers, just in case).
"I have some studying I need to do," Jazz said. "So you three go on ahead. I'll come back here in an hour." And she vanished into her room, presumable to read or write or do something else academic in nature.
"I'll stay here with Technus," Danny volunteered. "Just in case." He sat on his bed, watching the ghost on his floor steadily gain his aura back.
"Are you sure?" Sam asked. "Because I don't think he's going to wake up." Danny smiled at her, trying to force all his unfelt cheer into it. He probably looked like a maniac.
"I'm sure," he answered.
"Do you want anything, dude?" Tucker asked. "I can make you a sandwich—you probably need some more calories. Maybe a soda, too, or some juice…" Without waiting for an affirmation (and Danny wasn't even hungry), his friend walked out, ready to make the half-ghost dinner. Sam smirked.
"We're like your babysitters," she said, reaching out to pinch his cheek. "Feeding you. Watching you." Danny felt his face grow warm, and he ducked. The comparison was not one he appreciated.
"You're definitely not," he said. "For one thing, we're the same age."
"Perhaps in physical years," Sam conceded, "but emotionally? I don't think so." Danny frowned.
"Are you saying Tucker's more emotionally mature than me?" he said incredudously.
"Okay, maybe I'm the babysitter for both of you, then." She smirked at him before exiting the room.
When Technus "woke" up, it was clear he was confused: he glanced around wildly liked a caged animal, called out, and tried to phase through the floor.
"Let me go!" There was a crazed desperation in his voice as he thrashed. "I won't go back! I won't serve you!" Danny tried to calm him down, holding his arms so he wouldn't hurt himself. It worried him that he did so easily; the ghost was weak, like an old human man.
"Technus, it's alright. It's me, it's Phantom," Danny said, trying to soothe him. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz gave the two space, trying not to stress the ghost further. "You're safe. You're not in the Ghost Zone—just relax. It's okay." The fog in Technus's eyes cleared, and he looked around with more awareness, taking in Danny's (still somewhat messy) room, the other three people, and the ghost boy himself. Danny was sure he didn't look great; he knew he had bags beneath his eyes, rumpled clothes, and unkempt hair.
"Am I in your bedroom, ghost child?" Technus asked, struggling to sit up.
"Just relax," Danny repeated, pushing him back down. "And yes, you are." As strange as it had been to see the ghost brought low in the warehouse, this was almost stranger. His weakened, injured enemy was on the floor of his bedroom, loosely bound, and Danny wasn't planning on even keeping him there.
"Don't send me to the Ghost Zone," Technus began, almost pleading. He was normally so prideful; it was like seeing a king become a beggar. "I can't go back; it's not safe for me there… She'll destroy me…" Danny watched him intently, listening to every word.
"Who will destroy you? The 'Empress'?" Danny guessed. If it was the same ghost, he didn't understand how she posed so much of a threat; Danny had fairly easily disposed of her minions, her white knight and his group of raiders. But then he remembered Dora, and how her kingdom had been overcome. Was it sheer numbers? Or something else? Technus groaned, as if the name caused him pain, which Danny took as confirmation.
"But who is this 'Empress'?" Jazz asked, stepping forward. She was frowning. "She sounds powerful. How come we've never run into her before?" Technus reached up to pull at his hair, like he couldn't bear the questions. He stayed silent, staring at nothing.
"Technus?" Danny prompted. The ghost looked at him.
"She came out of nowhere," he started haltingly. "Maybe two of your Earth weeks ago—time is different in the Zone… She called herself the Empress." The ghost trembled. "She took over a few lairs in the Outer Borders first, before we knew what was happening." The more he spoke, the more dread trickled down Danny's spine to land in a growing puddle in his stomach. It was icy and warm at the same time, a clash of sensations that ultimately resulted in nausea.
"How?" Danny demanded. "How could she have done it so quickly? And without anyone realizing? Clockwork had to have seen what was happening." Technus opened his mouth, closed it. He looked… pained. Guilty, almost. Danny remembered what he'd said in the warehouse—I'm sorry…
"Is there something else you're not telling us?" Sam asked, voice hard. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Because if we're going to help you, you need to help us, first." She tap-tap-tapped her boot on the floor.
"Yeah, dude, we're not exactly on the best terms," Tucker added. Technus flinched at the reminder, glancing at the rope that bound his ankles. He grimaced, as if steeling himself.
"She has a right-hand man. He's called Aevum." Technus paused, as if considering his words. Danny could almost feel himself quivering with impatience. "And, like Clockwork, he can see through time." Sam's eyes widened, and Tucker gasped. Danny felt the puddle in his gut triple in size, a pond now.
"What?" he breathed. Technus hurried to continue.
"His abilities are less precise than Clockwork's: he can't stop time, nor change it. But he catches glimpses of the future, and he has enough power to block Clockwork from seeing his—and his Empress's—path. Clockwork couldn't give anyone warning." Technus seemed to hesitate again.
"Can he do anything else? What can the Empress do?" Tucker prodded.
"Does she have an army?" Sam added.
"What's her goal?" Jazz pressed. "Does she—"
"Wait, guys." Danny held up his hands. "Give him a chance to answer." He regarded Technus coolly. "Please, do answer."
"I don't know what else Aevum can do," Technus said. "But the Empress is strong, stronger than most… And oddly familiar. I feel like I know her, but I don't remember her…" He trailed off. Danny noted the information, but he didn't know how relevant the ghost's déjà vu really was. The thought of a foe as powerful as his future self or Pariah Dark made him want to vomit. Goosebumps prickled along his arms, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. They didn't know the entire situation, yet. Maybe it wasn't as bad as Technus was making it out to seem.
He knew that was wishful thinking, though. He couldn't believe this was happening at a time like this—when he was being hunted on all sides. At the same time, though, he was suspicious of it. He was fairly confident in the theory that they were somehow connected…
"Yes, but what can she do?" Tucker asked again. "Like, her powers? Can she control lightning? Make ice? Breathe fire? C'mon, give us something to work with."
"Her powers of telekinesis are stronger than most," Technus said. "Strong enough to rip a building from the ground, and she excels at combat. Beyond that, I don't know. It all happened so quickly. So quickly." His hands reached up to grasp his hair, and Danny carefully removed them. Technus didn't even seem to realize he'd done it; he simply looked, eyes darting from one side of the room to the other.
"You're alright," Danny told him. "She's not here; you're safe. Just try to relax, okay? Can you tell us why she wanted to hurt you?" Technus's eyes stopped moving, but he began cringing. "Whatever it is, we need to know," Danny soothed. As much as it felt peculiar to treat Technus with gentleness, the ghost looked as if he needed it—and Danny wasn't about to use fear to interrogate a ghost so fragile.
"You're right, ghost child," Technus said. He looked away from Danny. "You deserve to know. But I don't—you won't want me here, if you find out." Ah. So whatever he'd been sorry about—whatever involvement he'd had in this whole twisted affair—was related. Danny both anticipated and dreaded knowing what the ghost was about to pass on. He wondered, if it turned out Technus was more involved than he'd predicted, if he would be able to keep his cool. This had made everything a living hell for him, after all.
A terrible, horrible hell.
"We're not going to send you back to the Zone," Danny vowed, "and we're not going to let you be torn apart by hunters. So tell us." And it was true. No matter what the ghost said next, Danny knew he would keep his word. He tried desperately to keep a baseline of decency that so many others in the ghost-hunting profession were lacking, and he wasn't about to go back on it now when it got hard.
Technus seemed to examine him long and hard before beginning: "I think at first they were kinder to me because I had something they desired. That is, I could do something they needed for their plan to succeed. Aevum, you see, had foreseen that their scheme to take over the Zone would never work if a certain individual wasn't removed from the situation—the individual being you, Phantom." Here, he paused, and if he were human, Danny thought he might've sighed. "The white knight was sent, in part, to test your strength, and to scare the humans. The Empress didn't want to waste anyone more valuable or stronger on you if she didn't have to, and mostly she wanted to understand how you operated…" He trailed off, as if he didn't know what to say next. Not that Danny thought he had run out of things to say; he just didn't know what order to say them in. At least, he thought, it explained how the white knight had been so easy compared with what he'd seen in the Zone.
"What did they need you for, Technus?" Danny prodded. He had a million other questions: her army, her ultimate goal, why she had appeared now, but he felt this one was key in answering his most pressing question—the anonymous caller.
"I—" he faltered, clearing his throat. "I was the one who was going to hack the news station and deliver the message about your status as a halfa and the reward to anyone who discovered your identity." He paused, gauging Danny's reaction. But Danny couldn't react. He felt frozen, as if all his molecules had turned to stone at once. He couldn't even breathe. He'd suspected when he'd found Technus muttering to himself, saying he was sorry, he'd had something to do with it. Suspecting and knowing were two very different things.
"Fucking motherfucker fuck," Sam swore under her breath. She looked murderous, but Danny knew she wouldn't do anything. Jazz seemed pale, and Tucker had only pressed his lips together tightly, like he wasn't pleased but also wasn't surprised. When no one else seemed to be ready to say anything, Technus continued.
"Aevum knew, had you not been occupied, you would've found out much sooner and stopped them before they could really begin. You have to understand I didn't know what they'd planned. I thought it would be fun, siccing the other humans on you. Aevum told me to give them your identity completely, but it didn't feel right. I wanted to beat you, ghost child, but not like this. And I knew what your government might do if they knew who Phantom really was… You have to understand, I didn't mean for this to happen. You have to understand." He was almost begging, Danny realized, and the thought sent cracks through his stony façade. And as much as Danny wanted to hate him, he couldn't.
"I…" Danny closed his eyes. "Continue, please." He couldn't give anymore reassurance to the person who'd turned his life so upside-down, who may've ruined his chances at stopping this Empress. Was he too late to stop her now? Had Aevum succeeded in taking out the threat to his mistress? And why had Clockwork not intervened, for surely he knew what was happening by now?
"Aevum said to me that the future was uncertain, that he could no longer see it clearly whether they would win or lose," Technus resumed shakily. "His power over time is very limited, as I said. He demanded that I hack the station again and tell everyone your human name—he said it was the only way for them, for us, to win for sure. But I began to see that the Empress planned on taking over the Zone, that she had already begun to conquer territories she had no business in. I refused. They hurt me, but I managed to escape. I fled here, to the person they wanted so badly to take down."
At least Danny knew they weren't done yet. If Aevum had still wanted him gone, he still had to have a chance at beating him and his Empress. He slumped, rubbing his face. He'd had so many of his questions answered, but no burdens had been lifted from him. If anything, he felt heavier than before.
"If the Empress is allied with Walker," Tucker started, sounding both thoughtful and fearful, "what's stopping him from telling her Danny's identity and having it out there anyway?" The notion nearly gave Danny a heart attack. To come so far, to hide so well, and then have it all taken from him by something out of his control? It was so unfair Danny almost wanted to cry.
"The Empress can't spare anyone from the fighting to do that," Technus denied. "And she hasn't taken the part of the Zone next to your portal yet—there's no stable way for her to arrive, even though she managed to get the knight through." At least Danny didn't have to worry about that, though the yet was ominous.
"How big is this army of hers?" Sam demanded. She still looked pissed, and her eyebrows twitched downward, eager to meet in her ire. "Smaller than Pariah's?" Technus shook his head.
"Larger," he corrected. "And far more powerful than his skeletons. She has things I've never seen before, ghosts so ancient and strong they're barely ghosts anymore."
"Where did she get them?" Danny asked, bewildered. He knew most of the Zone, and he couldn't think of any ghosts that could be considered "ancient and strong" except for maybe Pandora and Clockwork, who definitely weren't in league with the Empress. Only, there was a place Danny hadn't really explored…
"The Banished Lands," Technus confirmed. Tucker shook his head, as if in denial, and Sam frowned.
"I'm sorry, but what are the Banished Lands?" Jazz asked. Though more involved in ghost hunting, she had never had the time or energy to map the Zone with them. She'd studied the geography briefly to understand its general layout in case she became stuck there, but Danny knew her specifics weren't great.
"Ghosts don't really have laws like we do," Danny explained. "But sometimes, when a ghost does something really bad, groups like the Observants or ghosts like Clockwork, with the backing of most of the Zone, will kick them out. It's where Pariah's sarcophagus was—and where he'd kept his 'sleeping' skeleton ghost army." Jazz nodded, soaking in this tidbit about ghost culture.
"And it's considered one of the most dangerous places in the Zone," Sam added. "The ghosts there are… insane. And not in the good way I usually mean."
"So what's her ultimate goal?" Tucker asked, turning back to Technus. "I mean, besides taking over the Zone. I guess I'm trying to ask if she has a motive." Technus seemed uncertain by the question.
"I'm not sure she needs a reason to dominate and control the Zone—power? Greed? Revenge for banishing her?" He shrugged. "I don't know. But I do know she reviles humans, and I know she plans to take the earth after she's done with the Zone." He shuddered. His aura, which had been burning low but steady, began to flicker again. "How she's going to do it… I don't know that, either." It was a veritable spring of information, but for every answer they got, there seemed to be more and more questions. And what was worse was that Technus didn't know the answer to them.
"How long?" Danny managed to ask. "How long until she gets here?" Technus smiled grimly.
"I would guess that you have a month at most, ghost child."
19 Hours Ago
571k Views
EVIDENCE OF PHANTOM'S INNOCENCE
By Fisharefriendsnotfood
Mary doesn't give her standard greeting upon the video opening. Instead, she smiles wanly at the camera. "Firstly, I'd like to thank all of my fans who've stuck with me after I uploaded my last video. You guys are so awesome, and I can't appreciate you all enough. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, please feel free to watch the last video. Basically, what happened was—and I know how crazy this sounds—I was attacked by ghosts. And saved by a ghost. I know when I originally moved to Amity Park, I swore it was a hoax, but I've seen it. I have proof: I caught the entire attack on camera. The footage is unedited—you can see that for yourself. You all know me, and I hope you know I wouldn't lie to you.
"But that's not what I'm here to talk about. For those of you who know anything about Amity Park—either you live here, or you've visited, or you have family here—you've probably heard of Phantom. He's a bit controversial in that some believe he's a menace and a criminal, while others think he's a hero. Those who think he's a menace point to the fact that he's a ghost and the crimes he's done. Those who think he's a hero point to everyone he's saved and Amity's incredibly low crime rate compared to cities of similar size and economic status.
"Personally, he saved my life. You can see that in the video. I can't think of him as anything but a hero. And recently, more controversy has been thrown at him; he's been revealed, by an anonymous source, to be half-human. Currently, many different groups, including a government agency called the GIW, are attempting to capture him and discover his identity. More on this later." She takes a deep breath.
"It's come to my attention that information on Phantom's crimes, and his innocence in these situations, has been hidden from the public. I think, after he helped me in what was probably the scariest experience of my life, this is the least I can do to help him. And he's a teenager, guys. There's no way he's older than eighteen. I've always believed I should use this platform to help people, and right now I think there's a good chance that Phantom needs some help.
"To talk about the situation and Phantom's probably innocence, I will be interviewing a guest in the next portion of this video. However, I've kept his identity hidden—not because I want to conceal anything from you—but for his protection. You'll understand better after you hear about the volatile situation in Amity. I suppose that's enough introduction; here's the interview." The screen cuts to black, and a split-second later Mary is back. The background is different—this isn't the room she was recording in before. She's sitting in a comfy-looking chair, and across from her sits a figure that's been obscured through blurring and darkening.
"Thank you so much for coming today to talk about this," Mary says.
"Thank you for agreeing to it," the figure says. His voice is garbled, unrecognizable. Subtitles come onto the screen to help with clarity. "It's crazy to be here, filming something with you, knowing how popular you are on YouTube."
"Thank you. I can agree that this is pretty crazy. I mean, ghosts?" Mary laughs. "It's something I never would've even considered."
"Amity Park can do that to you," the figure agrees. "I almost didn't believe it myself, when it first started happening."
"About that. I was wondering, for our viewers, if you would be able to give them a summary of the hauntings that have occurred in Amity. Like, when did they start? How were they stopped? What was everyone's reaction?"
"I can do that. I guess it started two years ago. But even before then, we had people coming in talking about how Amity was a hot spot for ectoplasmic activity. Well, I say 'people.' Mostly it was just the Fentons. They were sort of infamous back then, talking about how ghosts were real. Nobody believed them. But then the ghosts started showing up—a few sightings at first, unexplained injuries, some weird stuff that could be explained away.
"I guess the first major attack actually happened at Casper High. I don't know her name—some ghosts are super regular, now, and we know what they're called—but I have no idea what she called herself. She looked like a lunch lady, though, minus the glowing. And she was able to control meat. I know it sounds really strange, but it was terrifying. I mean, if that stuff hits you hard enough, it could knock you out. Or suffocate you. That's when Phantom first showed up. We didn't know what he was called, either, but he protected the students, defeating the ghost lady.
"And the attacks have just gotten crazier since. More frequent, more powerful ghosts. For a while, Phantom was called Inviso-Bill, but eventually we caught on that that wasn't his name. A lot of ghost hunters sprung up after that. And nobody thought the Fentons were crazy anymore. In fact, their ghost equipment is very popular. They've given some to law enforcement, though the police never react as quickly as Phantom."
"So, about Phantom. He's been accused of a lot of things—robbing a jewelry store, kidnapping the mayor, property damage. You've found proof that these things weren't him—and I've seen it, too, and I think it's pretty damn convincing. I will be playing this proof, but I thought first you could delve into the crimes."
"Well, we've caught all of them on camera. And, anywhere else, this would be definitive proof that Phantom was a liar. But this is Amity Park, and things can get… very strange, to say the least. I'd like to address that last 'crime' with some basic logic and facts. It's true that Phantom, during his fights, causes a lot of property damage.
"But I would argue that in the process of driving these ghosts off—whether this be by the police force, hunters, or agents—property gets destroyed. It just so happens that Phantom, who usually is first to the scene, drives most of the ghosts off. So people think it's him causing it. But when we look at the few cases where he hasn't been first on the scene, just as much property damage was done, if not more. And, as much as it disturbs people because Phantom's a minor, he's a lot more durable than a full human. When he's thrown into walls or hurled to the ground, he may destroy these things, but that's far better than it happening to a full human. In that case, it's not the concrete that would break but the person. People have actually conducted studies—and by people I mean Amity Park University—and shown that, without Phantom, the fatalities from ghosts would be through the roof."
Mary nods. "And I'll be sure to link the study in the description below, so if you're curious about it, please go read it. It's rather fascinating. And I don't think anybody who really looks at the situation can honestly think Phantom is to blame for the property damage."
"Not to mention that it somehow links him—or at least ghosts—to the low crime rate in Amity. No one's exactly sure what's caused it," the figure says, "but the study has a few interesting theories, and a few of them do involve Phantom."
"And now, I'm hoping we can get to the big stuff," Mary says. "I was thinking we'd start with the jewelry store robbery. Why don't you give us some background, I'll play the footage, and you explain why it might prove Phantom's innocence."
"The robbery took place months after the ghosts first really started attacking," the figure starts. "The town didn't know Phantom well, then, but it was still shocking—at least to me—when it was all over the news that he'd been seen robbing a jewelry store. They showed some black-and-white photos of the event. Some things, though, didn't sit right with me, even then. He was seen with other ghosts, and Phantom is rarely seen with other ghosts unless he's fighting them. And, if they had the footage, why not just play it? So I did some digging, and I found the robbery on video."
"Which I will be playing now," Mary interjects. A clip is shown of what the figure described: Phantom taking fistfuls of jewelry from the store. When the camera finally catches a glimpse of his face, it freezes.
"At first, it seems cut-and-dry. It's clearly Phantom, he's clearly robbing the store. But there are some logical problems there. Mainly, why protect the city and help people only to turn on them now? There's no clear benefit. And then, you see his eyes."
"And I think it's important to point out that the video is in color, not black-and-white like the pictures," Mary adds.
"Exactly. And in the video, Phantom's eyes are red—not green, like they normally are. This, for those of you who don't know, is a clear sign of possession. Thus, we can deduce that Phantom wasn't acting of his own volition when he was robbing that store."
"And so, he's innocent," Mary concludes, and it seems like the figure nods, even with their form hidden.
"Right. And when we play the clip of the mayor being kidnapped, we see something similar play out." The video plays, zooming in on the mayor's face. "But it's not Phantom's eyes that are different here—it's the mayor's. His eye color isn't normally green. It's my personal belief that the mayor was possessed—or overshadowed—by a ghost in order to make Phantom look bad and turn the city against him. And when questioned about what happened, the mayor can't remember. That's another sign of possession."
"In conclusion, the main defense for why Phantom is a criminal is not substantial given the evidence. And it also brings up the question as to why the footage was never released to the public."
"I have a theory for that, too," the figure declares grimly. "I don't have as much evidence for it, but who do we all know has the power to cover-up things they don't want known?"
"The government," Mary answers, though she knows it's technically a rhetorical question. It's best to be clear when the internet's involved.
"Precisely. And we have our own special bit of government in Amity—the GIW. It stands for Ghostly Investigation Ward, and is very much a lesser-known agency when it comes to the rest of the country. I think it's very possible that they didn't release these videos with the intent to make Phantom look bad."
"For our viewers, would you mind briefly explaining why?"
"Well, the GIW is a group of fanatics. They've hunted Phantom—and all other ghosts, but him especially—relentlessly. They don't care about facts; they don't care about casualties because of crossfire. They want to capture him and experiment on him. They claim, now, that they want to imprison him for his crimes, but if they've had proof of his evidence all along, what's their real motive?"
"Nothing good, and it's all the more disturbing when you remember that though Phantom is half-ghost, he's also half-human. And a teenage half-human at that. It's not right for the government to be so intent on unethically experimenting on and torturing a child," Mary says. "And, I've been wondering, if these videos were never released to the public, how were you able to get ahold of them?"
"Not entirely through official channels," the figure admits. "But I think it was worth the risk to know the truth. And to tell people the truth. Phantom's innocent, and he doesn't deserve to be locked up more than any other highschooler. He's a hero who's done more good for this city—saved more lives—than any other hunter or agent. He deserves the respect of everyone who lives here, and he deserves to live his life peacefully, without fear that he'll be locked up and tortured for something he had no control over."
"That was well said," Mary says. "And I couldn't agree more. People of Amity Park, I know you'll see this. I'm asking you to take this for what it is and realize how much Phantom's helped you—helped us. He's been painted as a villain by people who knew he was innocent, and been treated terribly by both the government and Amity's citizens. I'm asking you, with what you now know, to please, please, take Phantom's side. I don't think he would hesitate to take yours." With that final, dramatic line, the video cuts to black and ends.
Comments have been turned off for the video.
AN: Wow, thank you all so much for the response! I never dreamed so many people would like something I've written lol. I wanted to thank some long-time reviewers - DJTimmer, Potkanka, kimcat, Jerichoguy, Moon ninja Luna, OriyArt, Aquariuss, Rocky Rooster, Maddie2k2 and acosta perez jose ramiro - for leaving such nice reviews on almost every chapter (sorry if I missed anyone who's reviewed on most of them; I tried to catch you all). And thank you to all my other reviewers! And to the people who fave/follow or even just read the story.
For UPDATE INFORMATION, feel free to check my profile (PS - is that actually helpful for anyone?) Some questions for the chapter: Are there any plotholes you noticed? While I've had this general plan for a while, I didn't know the specifics. Does it make sense? And also, this was a lot of information - are there any confusions you have about the baddies or my ghost head cannons? Thank you and see you (hopefully) sometime in January.