Chapter 23: Spring Break – Part Two
"All videos destroyed?" Jerry asked on the phone. "Good. Thank you. Goodbye." He hung up and then turned his attention to his office's other occupants: Samantha, Clover, Alex and Danny. "Now that's settled, we must decide what to do about Danny Phantom knowing the identities of W.O.O.H.P. secret agents."
"Danny, when you were waiting in the ferris wheel line, did you already know…" Alex asked but hesitated midway.
"No, Alex." Danny answered. "I only learned your secret when I saw the three of you showing up to fight Tim Scam. Since you already knew the villain, I decided to stay invisible and only interfere when you needed help."
"Aside from those two moments you've mentioned, are there any others you interfered back then, Mr. Phantom?" Jerry asked while picking up a file.
Danny flinched at being called "Mr. Phantom" but decided not to say anything about it because Jerry and the girls were being more understanding that what he even dared to hope. "No, Sir. Only those two."
Jerry then made notes into the file, which Danny believed to be a report from that occasion. "Who have you ever told the girls' secret to?" He asked. He was really worried even if he expected most people wouldn't believe Danny.
"Nobody, Sir." Danny answered. "It wasn't my secret to tell."
"Oh, thank you, Danny!" Alex exclaimed and hugged him. "Are you okay with me being a spy?"
"The both of us are living double lives as heroes, Alex." Danny replied. "Are you okay with me being a halfa?"
"Halfa?" Alex asked in confusion.
"That's how ghosts call people who are half-human and half-ghost." Danny explained.
Alex then turned her attention to Jerry. "Jerry do we really have to erase Danny's memory?" She asked, unwittingly horrifying Danny. "He's known the truth for months and didn't tell anybody."
"Actually, it's already been so long ever since he learned the truth that erasing it from him at this point will doom him to a vegetative state because his brain passed the limit." Jerry explained.
Horrified, Clover whispered something to Samantha, who became just as horrified. The two girls then frowned.
Danny knew he probably could fly away but he didn't want to leave his family behind and, especially, didn't want to leave Alex. "Mr. Lewis, you know my secret as well." He argued. "You don't tell my secret and I don't tell yours. Deal?"
"Fair enough, Mr. Phantom." Jerry agreed. "Now that's out of the way, would you like to be a spy? We could use a spy who can become invisible and intangible."
"Sorry, Sir." Danny replied. "Even with the Ghost Blasters, my parents, and the Red Huntress, there are enough ghost emergencies in Amity Park to keep me needed there."
"Not to mention some that target you." Jerry replied.
"Huh?"
"Alex mentioned a hunter-like ghost who wants your… pelt." Jerry commented. "I didn't believe it back then but now I do."
"True." Danny replied with a frown.
"So, now that everything's settled, you all may feel free to enjoy the rest of your spring break." Jerry declared.
"Not so fast, Jer." Clover replied with a glare that meant trouble for Jerry. "Danny, us spies need to talk to out boss. Do you mind waiting for us outside?"
Danny reluctantly agreed and left Jerry's office. "Now, Jer, do you remember back when, Sammy, Alex and I were framed with robbery and you refused to listen to our pleas of innocence?"
"Clover, why're you bringing it up now?" Jerry asked in confusion.
"Do you remember you tried to have our memories erased?" Clover asked. "Would we suffer what you said Danny would have had you made him forget about us?"
Alex became horrified upon hearing that.
"I would use those devices my brother once used on you." Jerry explained. "Because the memories would only be blocked instead of removed, there wouldn't be the side effect. I simply can't do that with Danny because, as a superhero with the power of intangibility, he would eventually get rid of the device and unlock the memories."
Accepting that explanation, the spies left Jerry's office and rejoined Danny. "So, anything you're allowed to tell?" He asked them.
"Nope." Clover answered and he accepted it since he refused to be an official spy.
"So, what do I tell my friends when I tell them you know my secret?" Danny asked Alex and her friends.
"The truth." Clover simply answered. "That you told us. You transformed in front of us after all."
"Clover, I think Danny means how to tell them that without telling them we're spies." Alex replied.
"Well, you could say you had to transform in front of us to protect us from the criminals who attacked the mall and W.O.O.H.P.'s leader was so impressed he tried to hire you as an official spy." Samantha suggested. "It covers our secrets without saying anything that could be technically considered a lie."
"Good idea." Danny replied. "My only question is if I should tell my friends the head of W.O.O.H.P. knows my identity."
"Since they're your secret's guardians, I think you should." Alex suggested in reply.
"Okay." Danny replied.
After that conversation, Alex decided to introduce Danny to The Groove. 'No wonder people won't suspect these girls are spies.' Danny thought. 'Are they really that addicted to shopping or is it part of their cover? I'd ask them if I didn't fear it'd offend them.'
"Danny, how do I look?" Alex asked while holding a dress like she's wearing it.
"Nice." Danny said what he believed to be the safest answer.
"Thank you." Alex replied.
To Danny's relief, Clover and Samantha decided to ask for each other's opinion instead of his. Being a gentleman, he agreed to carry their bags and was glad they weren't expecting him to pay for their stuff. 'I'd rather they were buying sporting goods even if Alex being into sports was what made me initially reluctant to date her. What could be worse?'
"Look!" A new voice said. "I knew there was a reason those Beverly Hills girls wanted that loser around."
"Paulina?" Danny asked.
"My family brought me here because I wanted to spend summer break in Beverly Hills." The shallow cheerleader explained. "No way I'd let everyone back at Casper High think you can afford to be here and I can't."
"Oh, you came here for me?" Danny teasingly asked. "I'm flattered but I already have a girlfriend."
"Dream on, loser." Dash replied as he revealed his presence. "Paulina invited me to show you're not special just for being able to be in Beverly Hills."
"Hi, Dash. I thought you came here to look for Mandy." Danny commented.
"Like I'd care about any of those losers that stupid program introduced me to." Dash scoffed but then became curious. "Fenton, how did you know Mandy lives in Beverly Hills? I never mentioned that detail."
"She attends the same High School Alex and her friends attend, Dash." Danny explained. "She even mentioned you."
"Really?" Dash asked in confusion. "I was under the impression she didn't like me."
"Dash, have you never heard of girls who play hard to get?" Danny asked.
"That makes sense." Dash replied. "She and the other girls I met couldn't have rejected me for real. It also explains why those girls who met the both of us would rather date you." He was so full of himself he failed to notice Danny's eye roll.
Clover then approached Dash and handed him a piece of paper. "Dash, here's her address. She'll get quite a surprise."
"Wouldn't it be awkward considering you briefly dated me?" Dash asked.
"Well, she saw you first." Clover commented. "I just didn't you that back when we first met."
"Oh, the girl code." Dash replied. "I respect that. Thank you."
"Think nothing of it, Dash." Clover maliciously replied. "You deserve it."
"Goodbye." Dash left.
"She doesn't really like Dash, does she?" Paulina asked.
"Not at all." Clover replied.
"So, you and Fenton lied to him?" Paulina maliciously asked.
"Not at all." Clover replied. "I said she'd get quite a surprise and he deserves it. Both truths."
"And I just told him Mandy goes to the same school Alex and her friends attend and mentioned Dash." Danny argued. "Also truths."
"What about Mandy playing hard to get?" Paulina asked. "Wasn't that a lie?"
"Technically speaking, questions are neither truths nor lies." Danny explained. "That's why lawyers say something along the lines of 'I ask the questions here' whenever a witness answers a question with another question, or so courtroom shows and courtroom episodes make me think."
"Anyway, he deserves it for ditching me." Paulina replied. "Goodbye, loser."
"That Paulina is like a Mandy without the annoying voice." Alex commented after the shallow cheerleader left.
"True that…" Whatever else Danny would say was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. After excusing himself, he answered it. "Mom?"
"Danny, I wanted to know how you're doing." Maddie said. "After that crazy guy from Greendale, I can't help but worry something like that would happen again."
"Tell him to get Supergirl's autograph if it happens this time!" Jack asked.
"Don't you have any inventions to work on?" Maddie asked in annoyance and he left. "Now, Danny, is everything okay?"
"Yes, Mom." Danny replied.
"In that case, if a superhero has to rescue you again, will you please get Superman's autograph?" Maddie asked and then heard an explosion. "I'll call you later. Bye." He quickly said and ended the call.
"What was that?" Alex asked. "I heard an explosion."
"Something at my parents' lab." Danny casually said and the girls grew worried.
"Danny, shouldn't we…" Alex tried to ask.
"Don't worry." Danny reassured the girls. "I know my parents and their methods well enough to be sure they're okay. Mom or Jazz will call me back if they're not."
"If you say so…" Alex replied but she and her friends were reluctant to believe him.
"HEEEEEEEEEEELP!" They heard Paulina shout. "He stole my purse!"
The mugger was running on the direction of Danny and the spies, assuming a short boy and three girls wouldn't be able to stop him. Alex proves him wrong by tripping him. A pair of security guards soon arrested the thief and Paulina reclaimed her purse. "Thank you, er, Alex, isn't it?"
"Yes and you're welcome." Alex replied.
"If at least this happened in Amity Park, my ghost boy would be the one to save me." Paulina commented and left.
Danny then noticed the spies turning their attention on him. "She has a crush on my ghostly alter ego but hates my human self." He explained.
The girls accepted his explanation.
Meanwhile, at the Guys in White headquarters, Operatives O and K were interrogating Vlad Masters. "For the last time, Plasmius, tell me Danny Phantom's secret identity and we'll make things more comfortable for you." Operative O demanded.
"And don't you try to sell that crazy tale about Danny Phantom being Danny Fenton since he's too prepubescent to be the ghost kid." Operative K added.
"By 'more comfortable', do you mean the experiments will be less painful?" Vlad asked with a deadpan tone.
"Well, that and less of this." Operative O answered as he prodded Vlad with a ghost prod.
"I dare you to do it again." Vlad defiantly said.
Operative O accepted the dare and tried to hit Vlad but the fruitloop, anticipating that, turned himself so the prod would hit the ghost cuffs, which deactivated them. "So long, suckers." Vlad said as he turned himself into Plasmius. Before they could do anything to stop him, Vlad turned himself intangible and left.
"I'll mention in my report that it was your fault, Operative O." Operative K stated.
"And I'll mention in my report that it was your fault, Operative K." Operative O replied.
While the two Operatives were playing the blame game, Vlad was evaluating his options. "My fortune. My mayoral position. My chances with Maddie. All lost because of that oaf Jack Fenton and his son Daniel. They! Will! Pay!"
End chapter.
Answer to Leonardo (guest): Se ela não percebeu por conta própria após tantas aventuras com o Danny, ele contando não fará diferença. Ela não pode mais se dar ao luxo de ir a Beverly Hills depois que os pais dela lhe cortaram a mesada e eles não a levariam já que desconfiariam se ela pedisse a eles. Vlad não precisa do Terry. Essas características da Clover são as que mais me marcaram quando eu costumava assistir ao desenho e posso ter exagerado um pouco.
