Chapter 4: Why Are We So Alone?

Tucker didn't know exactly how long they had been in the custody of the G.I.W. To him it seemed like weeks, but when he had finally had the chance to ask he was shocked to learn that it had been only a few days. Throughout this time he and Sam had been furiously tested for any signs of "Ectoplasmic-contamination". While prodded and poked in that small office like building they had bided their time, appearing as naive and innocent as possible. As they delt with the agent's Tucker closely watched Sam, watching to make sure that she didn't snap.

Sam hadn't taken the tests well at all; it was a miracle that she hadn't lunged at anyone yet. All that had been holding her back was the desire to worm out any information on Danny. But the agents were tight-lipped on the subject, telling them over and over again that it wasn't their concern. That now they were safe from those evil spooks. Sadly that only angered Sam all the more.

But right now Tucker's main concern wasn't Danny, but what was going on with them. This morning they had woken to the G.I.W barging in, escorting them from their prison. Worriedly it wasn't to the testing room but out into the freezing air. To his dismay he and Sam had been split up; she going into one car, him another. No matter how slyly he tried to ask the agent driving him, the man had refused to answer and Tucker had fallen into fearful silence.

After an eternity the car stopped, Tucker rubbing the frost away from the window to peer up at the building. First impressions seemed to thankfully show that it wasn't a prison or a lab. Instead, it looked like an apartment complex. The agent got out, opening Tucker's door and gestured for him to follow. He did slowly, shivering as the stinging wind hurt his bruised nose. Without a word he followed him to a pair of large glass doors, wondering what type of test was next.

Holding the door for him, Tucker entered the warm building, immediately realising he was in a lobby. A desk lay next to the entrance, his eyes wandering over the computer resting there. Maybe it had network access…

"Wonderful to see you again honey!"

Tucker flinched at the high-pitched voice. It was that woman again. The fake agent who had interviewed them in that mirrored room. She bounced towards him, that horrible, cringe smile plastered on her mouth. He attempted to force his own, trying to mask the loathing he felt. It was clearly faked, and he wondered whether the lady knew he wasn't buying her act.

Oddly, Tucker was concerned when he saw the agent who had brought him leave; just him and the woman remained. He almost jumped out of his skin when she lightly patted his shoulder, motioning for him to walk with her. Cautiously he fell into step behind, leaving the lobby and moving down a long, well-lit hallway.

"Where's Sam?" Deciding to take his chances with the agent he braved a question and was surprised when she answered.

"Miss Manson? I believe she should be with her own parents right about now. But don't worry dear, I'm sure you'll get to see her again soon!"

That… was a relief, he guessed. " And where is here, Miss?"

"Why we're at a hotel, of course! It's one of the safe zones we've set up, complete with our highest-grade ghost shields. All of the guests here are residents from Amity Park, like yourself."

She twisted around again to give him another sick smile, which he shielded away from. Now that he listened, he could hear faint activity behind the number doors they passed. Voices and sounds of life mumbled from the thin wood. Suddenly Tucker felt unnerved to be here, knowing that behind most of those doors was people that probably hated his best friend, might hate him for protecting him. But they remained thankfully shut.

It seemed like they must have walked the full length of the building when at last they stopped in front of a room. Quickly the agent opened the door and without hesitation strolled in, Tucker reluctantly following her into the new prison. Like the hall the room was way too warm, the TV strangely already turned on. But soon he learned why.

"Here we are, Mrs Foley! Just like I said over the phone, your son is here safe and sound!" The lady moved aside and Tucker stared at his mother sitting on a sagging navy couch. His Mom, his alive Mom stared back with the same shocked, red eyes taking him in. He couldn't move, barely breathe as the reality of her sunk in. She was alive. She was really alive!

His Mom rose and without a word rushed towards him, burying Tucker in the strongest hug he'd ever had. He leaned into her, wrapping his own arms tight around her homely, familiar frame. It was almost too good to be true, a dream that he never thought he'd ever have.

"Well, I'll leave you too to catch up, let us know if you have any more questions, Mrs Foley." He froze when he remembered the agent, heat rising to his ears. His mother, however, laughed, smiling warmly at the agent.

"Thank you… thank you so much for finding him!"

"Nonsense, all part of the job Mrs Foley." With a small wave she disappeared through the door. Tucker sighed with relief-

-Abruptly his Mom pulled away from him, gripping both sides of his face to bring him level, All the happiness on her face melted into pure anger. "Tucker. You have some serious explaining to do! If I think you've done what I think you've done… I don't even know what to think of you!"

"What… Um, do you think I've done?" He gulped, now that was the Mom he knew. And he knew from her fuming tone that he wasn't lying his way out of this one.

She threw her hands into the air, pacing away. " You know what I mean young man! The entire Casper high…gone! For days I'm sitting here thinking I've lost you forever. Crying with the other parents over our shared grief. But then; then I learn that you've been sighted running around outside of Amity. And I cheered! I thought I'd been blessed with the greatest news of my life!" His Mom stopped pacing, locking him with a cold stare. " But then they told me you were with Sam and…with that ghost, and I realised it was worse than I thought."

Tucker's blood ran cold. Of course, he knew she would believe anything that the G.I.W would tell her. Most of Amity Park had never been fans of Phantom before he was wrongly accused of blowing up the school. He should have been prepared for it, should have known it would be difficult to explain the truth to his mother. But it still pained him to hear her talk about his friend like that.

"Danny didn't destroy the school Mom. I don't know what kind of things the Guys in White told you, but he had absolutely nothing to do with it-"

"-Not another word!" She snapped, rooting him to the spot. She looked like she was so mad she would throw the TV at him. "Then the other parents started telling me that they've seen you before with Phantom; helping him hunt down ghosts all through the town. Rumours spread Tucker; I've basically had to trap myself in this room as I can't stand the hateful stares anymore!"

With a tired sigh, she flopped back down on the couch. "I'm such a terrible mother… I should have known that Fenton kid would end up being trouble. He was always such a nice, gentle kid; but his parents…" She fell silent, rubbing her eyes.

It was taking every single ounce of Tucker's willpower not to snap. " You don't know what happened-"

"-No, I don't know anything! All this time you've been hiding things from me. Putting yourself in dangerous situations behind my back. All those nights you came home late… I thought you were just… doing what normal teenage boys your age do. I even thought you might have a girlfriend that you didn't want me to find out about. But now I've learned that it was just to run around in the middle of the night with ghosts!" She turned to look at him, eyes suddenly full of hope. "Please… please just tell me you're not involved in all of this? That they're wrong?"

Looking blankly at the bright TV screen, Tucker curled his fists. " Danny's my best friend Mom. He needed me."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother bury her face in her hands. Tucker felt betrayed. It hurt, that a person he cared so much for, loved so much didn't want to try to understand him. His Mom had never really liked or believed in the ghosts that attacked Amity, and he knew she never had high esteem for Phantom. But he had hoped that once she learned that Danny was Phantom, that maybe she would support him, help him with what was happening. Instead, it had only seemed to prove that she hated him even more.

Tucker took a moment to steel himself, " The truth is, Mom, that Danny's half ghost. It doesn't matter what those jerks told you, he's still the same nerdy Danny that I grew up with. I was there…We were there, me and Sam, when he had the portal accident that turned him into a half ghost. We're a team. And right now Mom, he's out there running from sick, obsessed ghost hunters that if they do catch him will treat him like some lab rat. So…yeah, I am involved with Phantom, Mom. Since the beginning."

The whole time he spoke his mother refused to look at him, head still covered. At that moment Tucker didn't want to be there anymore. He should have been overjoyed, happy that his mother was alive and that he was with her. Instead he was already plotting in his mind how he could sneak onto that computer, how he was going to find his way to Sam. Right then, he knew that his purpose wasn't to be here with his Mom; she was safe. Who needed him the most right then was Danny.

Turning on his heels Tucker made for the door, thankful that the handle turned smoothly and opened.

"…They said this might happen."

He paused at her whisper, heartbeat thudding in his head. Slowly he turned his head back to his mother, swallowing.

"What?"

"They said that you might be out of character for a little while. Something to do with the ghost's influence. But it'll be okay, this will pass, right?" His mother was gazing at the carpet numbly, tears threatening to flood. Tucker steadied his breath and twisted away, squeezing his eyes closed.

"Sure."

Quickly he shut the door behind him, storming off down the empty hall. Their conversation left him fuming at his mother. True; it made sense that she would think like that. Danny was now target number one in the G.I.W. books, and the fact he'd been near Casper High at the time made it easy to point the fingers at him. But there was no way she would think he would just forget about him.

Without ready knowing where to go Tucker wandered the halls of the hotel. It was eerily deserted, no one was walking around; even the door's he past seemed to have quieted down. But outside the wind raged on, howling against the roof. A snowstorm had to be close, and it seemed everyone was listening as it approached.

Finally, he found himself in a large lounge room, armchairs, tables and sofa's dotted randomly about. On one wall was a large frosted window, completely misted up and rattling from the weather. Tucker surveyed the room just in case, before collapsing onto one of the sofas.

The good news was that the G.I.W had seemed to have forgotten about them. But from his Mom's words, they must have asked her to report any "strange" behaviour, so he wasn't out of the woods yet. Lying down he groaned. Without Betty, he was in the dark. For all he knew Danny had already been caught, or something bad had happened. Without his PDA he had no clue. His best bet was that computer, or maybe an office hidden somewhere in the back-

"-You're Tucker Foley, right?"

He jolted at his name, sitting up to find out who had spoken. For a second Tucker could only stare at the man leaning against the doorframe, unsure what to do, what to say. Carefully he licked his suddenly dry lips, pushing himself to the edge of the seat.

"…M-Mr Grey?"

It was Valerie's father, the man staring at him with tired, bloodshot eyes. It was clear to Tucker that he hadn't slept well in weeks, maybe not at all. His hair was a mess, a beard starting to grow coarsely and unkempt. His clothes were creased and dirty and Tucker wondered whether they were the same clothes he'd wore since leaving Amity. But seeing the man made Tucker tense, remembering what Danny had told them before the G.I.W had attacked.

"…After Valerie's Dad shot me…"

Here was the person who had wounded Danny, the one that had caused him so much pain. Nervously he scrutinised him and Mr Grey seemed to understand by his glare that he knew exactly what he'd done. The silence was heavy, neither wanting to ask the questions that hung in the air. Tucker honestly didn't want to talk to him; though he was sorry for Valerie, if it wasn't for him Danny might not have been as damaged as he was.

"You…you were with him, right? Is he…Okay?" Finally Mr Grey spoke. Though his voice was thick with wariness.

Tucker stiffened. "What does it matter to you?"

Mr Grey winced, eyes dropping to the thick carpet floor. " I…supposed I don't have the right to ask."

At the pain in his voice, Tucker felt the anger die in him. This guy in front of him wasn't a spook-hating resident of Amity who wanted them all destroyed, wasn't like his Mom. He had genuinely asked if Danny was okay. After dealing with so many adults that were against them he sighed, leaning back into the sofa.

"Yeah, he's okay. You didn't fully kill him if that's what you're worried about. Danny… was starting to heal before I got separated from him. I'm sure, well, judging from past experiences he'll be fine."

"Oh…that's good." There was an awkward pause between them, Mr Grey obviously not knowing what else to say to him. Tucker didn't blame him; if they were going to get technical here he was basically one of their enemies.

But at the same time, Tucker felt the curiosity grow within him. He was dying to know what was going on in the world outside. The lack of technology had made it all the worse, and the people around him didn't seem to want to fill him in. But this guy might be different. After all Mr Grey must have been near Casper High, might have seen what had happened. Seen the third ghost, and unlike Danny, Mr Grey might share what had actually gone down.

Taking a deep breath he tried his luck. "You were there at Casper High when it exploded, right?"

Valerie's father winced again, rubbing his palm into the door frame. The longer he didn't respond the more dread Tucker felt. He knew things had been bad for Phantom; he had read the reports from the G.I.W in secret. The things that he read on the state that the school had been in had made him sick to his stomach, and he had shielded that knowledge from the others. The pain that seemed to fill the man's eyes confirmed his fears. That things had seriously got bad in Amity Park.

"Yes." He finally whispered.

"Then you know what happened in Amity? Who.. do you know which ghost attacked Casper High?"

There was a shaky breath from the man, shaking his core. Mr Grey turned around, and for a moment looked like he was about to sprint away. But whether he was making up his mind or was only checking that they were truly alone he turned back to enter the room. Swiftly he approached the sofa. Tucker scooted up to the other side just as Mr Grey slumped down. Up close, the man looked more broken, more lost, enough to leave Tucker disturbed. Though they had never met properly, Valerie's Dad had always seemed a happy, chipper man. Nothing like the crumbled mess sitting next to him.

Clasping his hands in his lap, he frowned. " I'm not sure what happened in Amity."

"What did you see then?"

Mr Grey looked at him blankly and Tucker panicked that he'd gone too far. "Wait, you don't have to answer that! Crud, you've probably gone through hell knowing what happened to- I shouldn't have even asked-"

"-No. I understand. It's just… it's hard to process what's happened. How I ended here." He paused, gazing at the frosted windows before them. "Did you know what… my daughter was doing?"

"…Yeah."

The man nodded soberly seeming relaxing at the idea he didn't have to explain it to him. "I had decided enough was enough. We… had had an argument the night before about it, so I was waiting to catch her before she walked to her shift. Take her home to talk. I had already called her manager to let them know of the… family emergency," abruptly he chuckled. "She would have been mad at that… but this ghost hunting had to stop. It was becoming too dangerous, and Val was too naïve for her own good."

Tucker shifted nervously, thinking of his own Mom's strong words. A familiar tune.

"I was waiting just around the corner, so she couldn't see the car until she was right there. I…I didn't see what happened to the school, but I felt it."

"What do you mean?"

"The car flipped. This… force just came out of nowhere and smashed into the side of the vehicle. There was this noise; I can't even describe it… a tearing, shrieking sound, but I know it seemed to boom within my own body. By the time I crawled out of the car the air was filled with dust. Thick as fog." Mr Grey paused again and Tucker waited patiently. He knew that the man was probably reliving the nightmare all over again. How hard this must be for him to tell. But as much as he was tempted to tell him to stop, he also wanted to know the truth.

After a time he continued. " I could barely see anything through the dust. But once I made my way around what used to be a building I knew that the school was gone. You couldn't see it, but you just…knew. Knew my Val had just been in there… and that's when I saw the ghost."

Tucker leaned closer. "Which ghost?"

"Phantom… Out of the dust he just appeared next to me. I'm sure he didn't even notice I was there… just too horrified at the wreckage in front of us. Seeing him… I just saw red. It was you. You're the reason my daughter became so obsessed with hunting ghosts, the reason all this happen. And I…I-"

"-You shot Danny." The words came out of him like he'd just slapped the man. Mr Grey straightened, face grimacing.

"I shot without thinking. He looked just as stunned as I was that it even worked. But then there was this bright light… and I wasn't looking at Phantom anymore, but the Fenton boy. He fell in front of me, just…stared at me. The grief on that poor kid's face… I knew then, knew that I'd just done something horribly wrong. I'd just shot an innocent kid…"

Admitting that seemed too much for him. Mr Grey stopped, covering his face in his hand. Tucker merely watched, not quite sure what he should do. Now he understood. Valerie's father hadn't shot Danny thinking that he was destroying an evil spook, he had shot him with the grief of losing his daughter. Only to realise his grave mistake when Danny reverted back to normal. Despite everything, Tucker couldn't help but feel sorry.

"Mr Grey… I know it's hard for you to talk about this, but I have to know what happened next. The G.I.W said there were three ghosts, not just Phantom. What happened after Danny?"

He was worried that he would never get his answers. But the man did compose himself, though he looked incredibly tired. "The Guys in White basically showed up out of nowhere after that. Surrounded him. I guess I should have tried to stop them, but I wasn't… functioning anymore. Though they never were able to land a hit on him."

Recalling Danny's version in the woods, Tucker pushed his own theory out. "So that's when Plasmius came right? He defended Danny from the agents?"

"Plasmius?"

"The Wisconsin ghost… you know, Vlad Masters."

The news seemed to conflict with him, but slowly he nodded. "It… it all happened insanely fast. I didn't even know ghosts could move that quickly. Everyone could see that the ghost was mad, and I think the Guys in White saw that a confrontation would end badly without backup."

Surprising Mr Grey, Tucker chuckled. " Your so lucky that Plasmius didn't know you were the one that shot Danny or I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be alive anymore."

The man seemed uncomfortable with that revelation. "They started to back off, and by then the agents were trying to move me away from the site, into a van. But before I got in I did see the third ghost."

Yes! Thought Tucker, finally some luck! " Did you recognise which ghost it was?"

"No," slumping his arms to rest on his knees he gave Tucker a defeated look. " It moved so fast that I just was able to briefly see it. But I'm certain it wasn't one of Amity's normal ghosts."

"I actually know a tonne about ghosts, Mr Grey, and I've met a lot of them. What did it look like? Like was it wearing black armour or had flaming green hair? How did it attack the agents?"

Mr Grey frowned. "Attack the agents? You mean how did it attack Mr Masters?"

The room fell quiet, Tucker processing the information. He thought it might have been Skulker or Frightknight, maybe some of the other henchman that Plasmius had at his disposal. But learning that they had gone straight to Vlad changed everything.

Seeing the look Tucker gave him, Mr Grey shivered. " It tackled Mr Masters unbelievably fast, I don't think any of us knew what had happened at first. Both went flying off into the dust, and I heard an incredibly loud bang… but I'm sorry to say that's all I know. After that, I was driven away."

If what Mr Grey said was true, then that meant that it had to be a ghost that would dare to attack Plasmius; and that wasn't an everyday occurrence. Tucker's mind went instantly to Danny's allies. It made sense that if one of his friends saw Plasmius near Danny that they would try to protect him. But then who? Frostbite? Wulf? It couldn't have been Dora as Mr Grey would have remembered her dragon form. Same with Cujo. Even if it was either the Wolf ghost or the Ice Yeti he couldn't imagine they would be able to take Vlad off guard like that.

"Do…do you remember seeing anything weird about the ghost?" He asked again, hoping to grab any information he could.

The man scrunched up his face as he recalled the event, trying to picture that moment as carefully as he could. "I think it had a cape… and white hair, flaming white hair."

"A cape…flame…f-flame h-hair-" Tucker's heart all but disappeared then. The storm raged on outside, the stuffy room drained away as he imagined one ghost that fit the bill. That ghost that had pushed Danny to his absolute limit, the one that had almost taken his and Sam's life. It all came back, that red-eyed ghost grinning triumphantly when he caught them; meeting him in that alternate future-

Abruptly Tucker jolted to his feet, all the facts finally coming together. Now it made sense that Danny didn't want to them to know what happened. Why he was willing to get help from his arch-enemy without hesitation. Hell, it explained why Vlad would even help Danny without wanting something in return. If that… thing was hunting Danny then it sure as hell would be hunting Plasmius too.

"Oh crap…" He started to shake, a horrible fact dawning on him. Danny's family had been killed by that evil version when he had rushed out of class. After killing them he had gone to the school to destroy it with his Ghostly Wail. To kill him and Sam. But it had failed; and once he learns he failed…

"What's wrong?" Mr Grey's voiced shocked Tucker, he'd forgotten he was there. Everything had changed. Everything was now a danger and he didn't know how much time they had left.

"I…Th-thank you, Mr Grey. Thank you so much for your information. But I've got to go…" He stumbled back, making his way to the room his mother was in. Thinking of his Mom in that room, alone.

Mr Grey saw his face, a face that was laced with fear. But Tucker didn't wait for him to ask why. Quickly he left, almost jogging down the hall with his mind running a hundred miles per hour. Things were so much worse than they thought. It wasn't just Danny that was in massive danger, but them too. He had to find a way to contact Sam, had to tell her what he'd learned. Warn her at what might be rushing towards them, or what was heading towards Danny.