"Th-thank you..." says the woman. The man meanwhile throws up in a nearby bush. "Iida!!" Deku comes running up with Todoroki and Bakugo. "Are you alright??" "Yes, that thing knocked these people off the observatory, I couldn't let them fall." "You were amazing, Iida!" Uraraka, running up. Deku is impressed. "I had no idea you were fast enough to run up walls." "Honestly", he mutters, "neither did I. My brother could, but I never tried it myself."

"Hey, pat yourself on the back later," interrupts Bakugo. "Where the hell's Glow Stick? And the thing that took him?" "I'm sorry," says Iida. "I had to stop tracking them in order to save that couple. Now my engines are overheated and I can't catch up without letting them cool..." "Don't feel troubled," Momo assures him. "You made the right call, Danny would agree too." Iida smiles weakly. "Did you get a look at the creature earlier?"

"Yes," she says. "It was tall, skeletal, and covered in a green slime. It made some sort of hissing noise and flew up into the ceiling." "Into the ceiling?" Asks Mina. "Like when Danny goes through solid objects." Momo elaborates. "It must've been a ghost!" Says Deku. The others turn towards him. "You guys don't know this, but some sort of Ghost-Nomu hybrid came by the campus the other day. Iida, Uraraka and I were able to help Danny fight it, but odds are, this thing is associated with that one."

"Why the hell didn't you say anything before, Deku!?" Bakugo shouts, irritated. "Because Principal Nezu asked us to keep quiet about it until he did a full investigation," defends Uraraka. "Understandable," says Momo. "He likely didn't want to start a panic." "Regardless, we still have no idea where it came from," Todoroki states.

"I wouldn't be so sure," says Tsuyu, thoughtfully. "What do you mean?" Kirashima asks. "Do we know what direction that thing was flying?" "West, I think," says Iida. "And if it's a Nomu, where did they come from initially?" "They were all stored together," Deku responds. "At a factory in..." He trails off, realizing the location. "Kamino Ward," finishes Bakugo with some reverence.

"Oh man..." says Kirashima. None of them had been back in the area since the climactic battle between All Might and All For One. While the area had been undergoing reconstruction, parts of it were still very much a wreck.

"That definitely narrows it down," Mina comments. "But if we did manage to find where it's based, there's bound to be more of those Ghost Nomu. How do we fight a bunch of ghosts if they can counter our quirks like Danny?"

"With these!" Deku opens up the backpack. It contains all the Fenton Works gadgets Danny showed off the previous night, including the Capture Gauntlets. "I guess we should be thankful he listened to his parents." Momo comments. "Now all we have to figure out is how this stuff works," Deku continued. "But most of them seem to be a 'point and shoot' kind of weapon."

"Wait, are we seriously talking about raiding a villain hideout? Shouldn't we inform a pro hero?" Iida interjects. "With our Provisional Licenses, we're allowed to take action," says Uraraka. "And besides, who knows what that Nomu could be doing to him right now. We don't have time to get more help!" "If any of you want to stay behind, I understand," Deku says. "But Danny needs help, so I'm going."

"I'm in too," Uraraka speaks firmly. "Hell yeah, I'm in," Kirashima pumps a fist. "I'll go if Tsu goes," says Mina. Tsuyu ponders a second. "In this case, it's not against the rules, so I'll help however I can. How about you, Momo?" "I'll go with you," she answers. "And me," says Iida. "But the second I think things are beyond our control, we retreat or we call for help. Agreed?" The rest of the group nods.

"Don't think for a second you're leaving me behind," Bakugo speaks up. "Or me, says Todoroki." "But without licenses," Deku worries, "the two of you could get in trouble if word got out you're fighting villains." "Shut up, Deku!" Bakugo gets angry. "That Glow Stick owes me a rematch, and he can't do that if he's dead. Besides, we're not fighting villains." He picks up a grenade and grins darkly. "We're hunting ghosts."

Some time later, Danny groggily awakens to find himself strapped to a table in some kind of makeshift lab. All around him are the collapsed and broken ruins of a parking garage. He struggles to free himself, but a voice interrupts. "Don't bother, you're not going anywhere, and I've seen to it that you won't be 'going ghost' for a while." Danny stops for a second, turning to where a set of red eyes pierce the darkness. "Who's there? What do you want with me?"

"Oh, you don't recognize my voice? I suppose it has been a while. But still, that hurts my feelings, little badger." Danny's eyes widen in shock. "No..." "Yes Daniel, it's me." From out of the shadows, floats Vlad Plasmius. But he's not what Danny remembered. Gone is the white outfit, he now wears what looks to be a tattered, purple prison uniform. On his right wrist is a broken chain and shackle. His hair is shorter, and most notably, his skin is a darker blue.

"Vlad? Is that you?" "Vlad is who I once was, now I am simply Plasmius," he answers darkly. "What happened to you?" "Oh it's quite the story, Daniel." He turns to input data on a keypad nearby. "You see, when your father abandoned me to the cold reaches of space, I had initially resigned myself to living the life of a free roaming, intergalactic wanderer. I believed that to be a fate I deserved after all that transpired with the Disasteroid.

However, it seems fate has an ironic sense of humor. The very same asteroid crashed into me and towards into black hole. I thought I was a goner. But I was then picked up by some unexpected travelers..." He turns back to Danny. "In case you were wondering, yes Daniel, there is life on other worlds. And apparently on one of them, be it accidental or not, altering the natural course of an asteroid towards another planet is a Class S Felony. I was sentenced at a tribunal and imprisoned in a hash labor camp. I toiled in my chains, digging for what the aliens used to fuel their crafts." Danny is barely comprehending the absurd situation described for him. He looks around, trying to find some way of escaping while Plasmius monologues.

"As it happens, the black hole I passed through was actually a temporal rift, a door into another dimension. Time passes different there, I would discover. What was merely 3 months down here, was 10 years up there!" He slams a fist on the table in anger, making Danny jump a bit. "The one thing that kept me going, was the thought of getting back here, and making you suffer."

The strap on Danny's wrist has loosened enough for him to try and twist it free. It's still not enough however, he needs to stall for time. "So, how did you escape anyway? Steal a UFO? Punch an alien or two?"

"Try two thousand." Vlad answers. "Not all at once, of course. As a way of passing the time not laboring, the prisoners would hold gladiatorial matches on what I imagine passed for weekends on that planet. While it amused the guards, I came to use it as a way to better myself in combat. Over time, I became a leader amongst their lot, and we planned our escape.

Unfortunately, in spite of our numbers, we were still in chains and without weapons. I was even forced to wear an inhibitor collar after an early escape attempt, keeping me in my human form for the duration of my imprisonment." "I'll bet that made things a bit rough for you," Danny comments, working on his other wrist. "So while I improved my skills in fighting, I strengthened my physical body through the intense labor. After several years of training, we were ready. Suffice to say, we made our Wardens pay for their actions. After which, I took a pod and left the planet.

My escape did not go unnoticed, however. I was pursued by the same detestable creatures who imprisoned me to begin with! With the pod damaged, unable to remove the collar, and my recapture imminent, only one option remained: I opened the hatch into space, and abandoned my humanity." Danny pauses, realizing the implications of these words. "...You mean..."

"That's right, I'm no longer a halfa, but a fully realized ghost. And with this action, I unlocked my full potential potential, easily destroying the fools who kept me in chains for so long. The only thing that shackles me now, is you." "And y'know, the literal shackle you're wearing," Danny points out. "It's metaphorical, you philistine!" Vlad shouts, but composes himself, groaning slightly. "You never run out of quips, do you?" "I'm a teenager, it's kinda my thing," Danny retorts.

"Speaking of running out, how'd you take my powers? This part of your 'unlocked potential'?" "Oh nothing quite so dramatic," says Vlad, spinning a familiar looking taser in his hand. "You're already familiar with the Plasmius Maximus." "So that's what I was hit with earlier," Danny mutters. He attempts to loosen his leg once Plasmius walks over to the canisters at the back of the room. "So where'd you get that thing you sent to take me earlier? I hear these 'Nomu' only served a specific person."

"Well to put it more accurately, they serve the organization he's formed." Plasmius elaborates further. "Simply put, we made a deal. An associate of his was looking to create a new kind of Nomu, and by using the body of a halfa to work off of, he would be able to further his research. And I in turn, would be gifted a few under my command to spread a little... mayhem for my homecoming."

"What? But I thought you said you were a full ghost now?" "Indeed, because of my new, unique physiology, I wouldn't make for a suitable test subject," Plasmius laments. "But fortunately, you were." Danny's confused now. "What do you mean by that?"

"You recall the incident when I attempted to clone you some time ago?" "Yeah, Dani and I were-" he cuts himself off. "Wait... you didn't!" "Calm yourself. Much asI searched, I couldn't find the rebellious little brat." Danny exhales in relief. "I didn't need her, anyway. She wasn't the only clone."

Plasmius flips a switch on the wall, lighting up the dingy laboratory. Danny looks in horror as he gets a good look at the tanks. Suspended inside were 5 Nomu of mixed size and appearance. "Yes, I had these other failures put in storage until I found good use for them. Suffice to say, I found one." "So all these Nomu are-" "Built off of clones of you!" On closer inspection, each clone has some aspect of Danny. The biggest has his white hair, the skeletal one is his height, another is essentially living ectoplasm, one has a deformed body and opposing blue and green eyes, and the last one has tentacles and encased itself in ice.

"How can you do this?" Danny exclaims. "What do you gain from killing me?" "This is revenge, pure and simple," Plasmius replies. "I no longer have need for family, wealth, or anything tangible a human could want. All I desire is to spread chaos and destruction upon the world that was so quick to forget and abandon me! And by killing you, there's nobody left to stand in my way."

"You're wrong," says Danny. "There's more heroes in this country than I can count, and even more in training!" "Ha!" Plasmius gives a short laugh. "Those fools couldn't hold a candle to powers like ours. I've been monitoring your progress at that school, by the way. The camera system was quite easy to hack into by my associate." "Spying on me too, huh?" Danny asks as he attempts to loosen his other leg. "Jeez, some old habits never quit, eh Fruit Loop?" Plasmius blasts just above Danny's head, purposefully missing, albeit barely.

"Don't ever call me that ridiculous name again!" "Hey, I calls 'em as I sees 'em." Danny quips. "And what I see in front of me, is wasted potential. Think of everything you could've done for the world if you cared about anyone but yourself!" "I did care about someone other than myself, as you well know!" Plasmius angrily retorts. "And all I got was rejection." "Because she moved on and married my dad! Take a hint and move on, Fruit Loop!"

A silver ring starts to flicker around Danny's waist, not quite materializing. "It seems your powers are starting to return. I was going to wait for the good Doctor, but it seems I'll have to start things myself." With his other hand, Plasmius creates a rotating saw blade from of ecto-energy above his foe. "I'll still leave enough for him to play with, though he'll just have to make do with pieces!!!" He laughs maniacally as he lowers the blade towards Danny's arm.

Suddenly, the wall behind them crashes and Plasmius is knocked away towards the canisters. The table Danny's strapped to is knocked over and on its side. A small figure leaps through the dust cloud, landing on his feet. and "You're not gonna hurt him, or anyone else!" A familiar voice calls out. Danny looks up to see Deku, staring down Plasmius. "Do you know why??" Other figures emerge through the dust, many of them wearing or wielding Fenton tech. "Because we are here!!!!"

End of Chapter Eight