Harry waited nervously while Dumbledore considered him, the tips of his long fingers together. "I must ask you, Harry, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me," he said gently. "Anything at all."
Harry thought of the disembodied voice he had heard twice and remembered what Ron had said: ' Hearing voices no else can hear is never a good sign, even in the wizarding world.' He thought, too, about what everyone was saying about him, and his growing dread that he was somehow connected to Salazar Slytherin.
"No," said Harry. "There isn't anything, Professor."
(Taken from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1998)
Mr. Lancer stood in front of his classroom door, scanning the sea of students in the hallway. The stench of body odor lingered in the air as the masses crowded the narrow corridor, eager to leave the confines of the school. His gaze pierced the congregation like Sauron gazing at his army. Some students avoided his scrutiny by ducking out of sight, while others smiled and waved at their teacher. He ignored them all. His eyes sought out one particular student, and when he spotted the baggy clothes and shaggy head of Daniel Fenton, he made his move.
"Mr. Fenton!" he shouted across the hall, startling a few passerbys. The scraggly boy looked up from his friends, pausing mid-sentence in what Lancer assumed was a regaling tale of a recent video game conquest. He turned toward his teacher reluctantly. "A word, please." Lancer gestured to his open door.
Danny gave a hesitant nod, and bid farewell to his friends. "I'll tell you guys later about the Specter Speeder. Let's just say, the Ghost Zone is a lot scarier than we thought."
"Meet up at Nasties when you're finished?" Tucker asked, eyeing the teacher suspiciously.
"Yeah, save me a seat. Hopefully this won't take long."
"Good luck!" Sam called as Danny pushed through the crowd towards his teacher. He tried to keep a neutral face, thinking the man wanted to berate him on something he 'did' to Dash. Yesterday, the bully had caused a whole food fight and blamed the mess on him and his friends. They had spent the afternoon cleaning up slimy bologna and pudding, only to have an ectopus fly through and ecto-ink the place. The afternoon stretched into evening, and Danny had found himself still at school well past his curfew.
Danny shook the memory off and plopped into the nearest desk, bracing himself for whatever Lancer was preparing to say.
"Mr. Fenton, as your homeroom teacher, I couldn't help but notice that you are falling behind in several of your classes," Lancer began, pulling out a progress report. "It also says here that you're amassing enough unexcused absences to make China look like a point of interest on a road map." A hesitant gaze met a concerned one. "What is going on?"
Danny shifted uneasily. He wanted to tell Mr. Lancer the truth, but knew how it would go.
Oh, hey, Mr. Lancer. I haven't been in class because I'm the ghost boy that everyone hates, and I've been too busy risking my life to fight off all the ghosts that keep coming out of my parents' portal (which by the way, half-killed me when I turned it on) because they are too stupid to close the damn thing when they aren't using it. I couldn't do my homework last night because I was too busy youtubing how to stitch your own chest closed to write an essay on how lawn mowing is slowly destroying the earth with its small, but persistent, release of ozone into the atmosphere.
Yeah, that would go real well.
"Nothing, sir," Danny replied instead, shaking his head a little too quickly.
Lancer narrowed his eyes. He didn't buy it for a second. Honestly, Danny wouldn't have either. "What about home? Danny, is everything okay at home?"
Danny winced. Lancer only called students by their first name when he was either angry or very concerned.
No. Every other night I'm stopping my parents from dissecting a sentient creature that they refuse to believe can feel anything, despite their horrific screams for mercy. Nightmares of landing on that same lab table keep me up all hours of the night.
"Yes, sir," Danny murmured quietly instead.
Lancer sent Danny a scrutinizing look, puzzled by the boy's unconvincing responses.
He had connected the boy's spiraling behavior to the week of the first ghost sighting, but couldn't figure out how they were related. Since then he had hardly turned in his homework, was frequently skipping classes, and got in several fights with other students. Lancer suspected that the last one was instigated by a certain blonde jock, who was always at the scene of the crime, but never seemed to get in trouble. It was well known that most teachers favored the star athletes over the 'problem' students.
But Danny was not always a problem student. In fact, he had started the year off rather well. He excelled in most subjects, and refused to let his family's reputation get in the way of his studies and relationships.
Lancer looked down at the progress report.
Now, however, Danny was failing three of his classes, and winced any time his parents were mentioned or appeared for a ghost drill. Could Danny be suffering an increase of peer pressure due to his parents' profession? Or could, perhaps, the pressure be from his parents themselves?
"If something is happening at home, or even at school, I can help you," Lancer pressed again.
Danny frowned and crossed his arms at his teacher's persistence. Why couldn't the man just mind his own business?
Seeing the stubborn glare from his student, Lancer knew it was a lost cause to continue, but decided to forge on anyway. "You know, Danny, I'm always open to talk to you about anything."
Silence.
Lancer sighed in defeat. Clearing his throat and picking the progress report back up, he moved on. "Right, well, I talked to your science teacher. She is willing to give you extra credit if you write an essay about a rare species. The rubric is attached to the progress report. She wants it turned in by Monday." He gave his student a stern glare. "Please do something to help yourself, Mr. Fenton, and complete the assignment."
Danny's frown faltered as Lancer explained his option. He wasn't used to having an adult go out of their way to help him succeed. "I will, Mr. Lancer," Danny declared with resolve. He grabbed the report from his teacher and moved toward the door. Before leaving he turned back and quietly said, "And thanks…. for not giving up on me."
Mr. Lancer's gaze softened. "Don't disappoint me, Mr. Fenton."
"So, not only do you have to research a rare species, but you have to do that while you're getting hunted for being a rare species? Talk about irony."
"Tell me about it," Danny said between bites of his nasty supreme burger. He had missed lunch due to an escaped ecto-raccoon, and was making up for lost bites with vigor. Skulker had been the topic of most of their conversations lately since it had been over a month since their agreement, but they hadn't seen any signs of the predatory ghost hunter. "I'm just glad Lancer's trying to help."
"We can help, too!" Sam smiled. She tossed a newspaper between the boys. "I've got just the species for you."
Danny peered over the wrinkled paper. "The purple-back gorilla?"
"All the females have died and there are only 2 males left in the entire species. One of which lives in Amity Zoo. We could check it out once we're done here," Sam suggested.
"Sounds like fun. And, if you still need info, you could always sneak us in after hours," Tuck added, wiggling his eyebrows.
Danny chuckled. "You just want to see if you can hack into their database."
"I would never!" Tucker scoffed.
Danny rolled his eyes. "How you guys find the time to help me when you have your own problems is a mystery to me."
"I'd rather help you with your problems than face mine," Sam admitted dryly. "My mother's been trying to get me to go to this snobby cooking class with her. She's even bought matching aprons to wear just to further my torment."
"Let me guess, pink with frills?" Tucker asked, smirking.
"Give the man a fry," Sam grumbled. "She refuses to accept my individuality and insists I conform to the traditions of a housewife."
"Ouch, that bites," Danny said while taking a bite himself. Sam shrugged.
"I'll break her eventually, but for now, I'll use your problems to avoid it." Turning to their techno geek she asked, "How do you manage, Tuck?"
"It's all about scheduling, my friends," Tucker stated proudly, holding up his current PDA, Gertrude. "I'll make you a schedule, Danny. You'll be able to manage your time better and finish the PETA-funded assignment by Monday."
"Make sure you give him some time for sleep," Sam interjected.
"And give me a buffer, for the inevitable ghost fights," Danny added. His breath clouded in front of him. "Speak of the devil," he grumbled, standing up. He made his way toward the bathroom, leaving his friends and a half eaten meal.
"Can I have your fries?" Tucker called out hopefully. Sam elbowed him in the stomach, eliciting a yelp from the techogeek. "What? The chances of him returning in the next half hour are very low. And everyone knows old fries are nasty."
"Have at it!" Danny called back over his shoulder. Quickly transforming into Phantom, Danny flew overhead to get a better view. He followed his ghost sense to the location of the specter that interrupted his planning session.
"I AM THE BOX GHOST! MASTER OF ALL THINGS CORRUGATED AND SQUARE! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR CARDBOARD DOOM!" Danny rolled his eyes and let out a breath of annoyance and relief. It was only the Box Ghost.
Granted, though the Box Ghost was quickly becoming one of Danny's biggest headaches, he was not hard to defeat. No, his weak assaults were not the cause of said headaches, but rather the ghost's uncanny ability to show up just hours after being sent back to the Ghost Zone via the Fenton portal. A portal, which Danny made sure to lock after every capture. Even the other ghosts marveled at his unique ability. Danny, however, was just glad that the Box Ghost was a low power ghost who was easy to send back. Perhaps I'll make it back in time to steal some fries from Tuck, he thought to himself.
Dany quickly spotted the ghost hovering over a cowering family. Boxes neatly lined the sidewalk next to a moving truck.
"Oi, Boxy! Let's have a boxing match!" Danny shouted, catching the ghost's attention.
The Box Ghost recognized him instantly, and pointed threateningly. "YOU! YOU WILL NOT TRAP ME IN YOUR CYLINDRICAL DEVICE OF DOOM!"
The ghost's palms quickly flooded with a fluorescent blue glow. Danny gasped when he noticed that the packages below began to glow with the same color. Suddenly, they were launched from the ground heading straight towards Danny. Back in November, this would have been a setback for the young halfa, but with a month's worth of practice under his belt, Danny dodged parcel after parcel with ease.
"Pal, I think it's time for you to think outside the box!" Danny stated when the Box Ghost ran out of containers to throw. Danny quickly grabbed the Fenton Thermos and pressed the button on the side. The ghost wailed as blue light engulfed him, trapping him in the thermos.
Danny let out a satisfied sigh. "Face it, you are boxed in," he said to the thermos. Danny had been using the Fenton Thermos to capture ghosts ever since it knocked him in the head during the Lunch Lady's fight. Danny figured that Fate was probably finding his pitiful state embarrassing and granting him some tool he could use to repay the overhaul of debts he gained by turning on the portal.
Looking around, he spotted the frightened family still huddled together at the edge of the house.
"Hello citizens!" Danny began with a confident voice that he hoped would comfort the family. "No need to worry, the Box Ghost is gone."
Instead of being assuaged, the family flinched at Danny's proclamation. "G-Go away g-ghost, o-or w-we'll call the h-hunters," threatened the father. He was shaking in fear, and held his two children protectively. His wife held the same fear in her stance, but looked at Danny with contempt.
"You ghosts cause more harm than good," she sneered next to her husband. Seemingly emboldened by her anger, she continued,"Why do you think we're leaving this backwater town? Everything was fine until you came wreaking havoc!"
"But I was only trying to help," Danny defended weakly.
"Yeah, well, look around," responded the woman. Danny took in his surroundings. Boxes were strewn across the street. Pieces of knick knacks and china littered the asphalt like sand. Nothing survived the wreckage. "A lot of help you did."
Danny swallowed thickly. He had been trying to get better and faster at catching ghosts, but though no one was hurt, he couldn't stop the damage his fight caused. "I'm….. I'm sorry! I-I can make it up to you!"
The woman scoffed. "Just leave. No one wants you here. Even if you do claim to be 'good'," she spat. Danny slumped, looking at the terrified faces of the children. Deciding it would be better to heed her words, Danny turned invisible and flew away.
The reactions of the family hurt, but at this point, it was expected. No one in Amity liked ghosts, and Phantom was no exception. Danny couldn't blame them, really. He didn't have the best track record. The past month and a half of trying to save the town from ghosts had not been easy, and Danny still struggled in keeping the citizens safe, let alone preventing property damage.
One of the things his mom's training had taught him was to analyze a fight, to reflect on where he went wrong. It was the same thing I did last time. If I hadn't made my position known, I could've captured the Box Ghost without him throwing a single box.
Danny shook his head. He couldn't help it; he loved talking to his enemies. It gave them a chance to back out, and gave him the confidence to go through with the fight. It could be useful in distracting the enemy, too, but in this case, it alerted the enemy of his location. Ugh, I have to do better! Danny promised himself as he dropped into a nearby alley. Returning to Fenton, Danny trudged back towards the war torn street he came from, hoping that no one would notice that the preteen helping clean up the broken mess was the same preteen that had caused it.
Tucker's snores cut the silence in the surveillance room. Sam spared him a glance, and paused to snap a picture when she saw him embarrassingly cuddling with 'Gertrude'. Danny looked up from Sam's laptop and raised an eyebrow at her antics. Her smile back was a little too sweet. "Blackmail," she stated simply, answering his unasked question. Her eyes carried a hint of mischief.
Danny chuckled and returned to his essay. They had all agreed that it would be better to write the extra credit assignment with its subject in full view, so Danny had asked Sam to bring her laptop when they met up at the zoo.
Danny had spent most of the afternoon helping the neighbors clean up the street after his fight, which Tucker profusely objected to since it didn't fit into his new schedule. Danny didn't care. His altercation with the Box Ghost had caused a lot of harm to the family, which he later learned were the Andersons. They hadn't been the first family to leave Amity because of the ghosts, and based on the rants of their neighbors, they wouldn't be the last. Danny tried not to let their hateful words sink in, but he couldn't help it. This was just as much his fault as it was the Box Ghost's. Even more so since he was the reason the portal opened in the first place.
Danny ended up going with Tucker's plan to case the zoo after hours. He had tried to convince his two friends that they didn't have to come, but Sam and Tucker wouldn't budge. Sam stated that she wanted to check out the zoo at night to see if the animals were treated just as sub-parly at night as in the day, while Tucker stated that he wanted to come in solidarity. It definitely wasn't because he wanted to see if he could disable the security cameras.
It took Tucker ten minutes to get the entire zoo's security shut down. Danny was relieved that he wouldn't have to rely on his invisibility for hours on end. On a good day he could manage it, but he didn't want to rely on his powers tonight. They had caused enough trouble for the day already.
Danny stretched. He'd been slaving over his essay for what seemed like hours, and his brain felt like it had been trampled by a herd of purple-back gorillas. Or was it "troops?" Looking over at Sam, he decided to strike up a conversation. "So, did your mom say anything else about those cooking classes?" he asked.
Sam groaned, and rubbed her temples. "Danny, please. I'm here to get away from my suffocating parents."
"Sorry," Danny said, looking away at the source of his essay topic, Samson. Silence fell on the pair.
"Today, she volunteered me to help at the next Women of Today meeting. It's like she doesn't even consider that I have a life outside of her schedule," she spat suddenly.
Danny shifted uneasily, thinking of Jazz whom he had been blowing off for weeks now. "You know, she might just be lonely. You two haven't had the best relationship. Maybe she's trying to fix it by trying to share with you the things she likes to do."
"Well she's going about it in all the wrong way."
Danny smiled. "I agree with you there. I don't know what I'd do if Mom signed me up to go to a ghost weapon convention or something." He shuddered to himself at the thought. Then, glancing over at Sam who was aggressively picking at her nails, he added, "You could try asking her to do stuff you like to do. She's only working with what she has. Maybe you could extend an olive branch and ask her to your poetry nights."
Sam burst out in laughter. "My mother , at the Skulk and Lurk. Yeah, that'll go great."
Danny pictured Mrs. Manson, dressed in her bubble gum pink dress with a prim and proper hairdo, sitting next to Spike, with his twelve facial piercings and giant mohawk. He let out a laugh. "Maybe not the best suggestion, but you know what I mean. You could try taking her to one of your protests."
Sam's laughter faded as she pondered the idea. "If you're right about her motives, then she wouldn't mind going to the one on Sunday. The Plane Stupids are meeting at city hall to protest the number of flights allowed into Amity. Jet fuel pollution might be something she could jump on board," she mused. "And the protest is tame enough where she wouldn't be scarred for life." She beamed at Danny. "I'll give it a try. Thanks, Danny."
"Sure thing," Danny replied.
Sam let out a sigh. "Look at us. My parents are trying to control my life while yours are hardly a part of yours."
"Oh, I still see plenty of them. It's just at the wrong end of an ectogun," Danny retorted. He gloomily looked down and added, "Mom keeps forgetting about training. I don't think she wants to do it anymore. We've only sparred once this week."
Sam gave him a sympathetic look. "Is she still kicking your butt?"
"Yeah," Danny replied sullenly, but the corners of his mouth turned as he added, "But yesterday, she couldn't dodge my leg sweep."
"That's great, Danny!" Sam said, beaming.
Danny didn't want to admit it, but his mom's lessons had been the most useful part of his training. He found himself using the techniques and maneuvers that he learned during their practices in his aerial exercises and target practice. His improvement was substantial, which was why her sudden reluctance was a set back. He had tried to make up for it by rehearsing moves without her, but it wasn't the same as having someone who provided advice and sparred with him. He wanted to make sure that he was fully prepared when Skulker decided to show up, but without his mom's guidance, Danny was down an asset.
The absence of the metallic ghost was causing Danny to get antsy. Why hadn't he shown up yet? Danny secretly hoped that Skulker had decided it wasn't worth it. Or maybe the ghost had heard about Danny's training and was frightened away. Danny feared these skeptical thoughts as they flowed through his head. He didn't want to feel a sense of false confidence, or more accurately, false comfort.
A large puff of cold air left his mouth, and the color drained from his face. The ghost was close. Why hadn't his ghost sense alerted him sooner?! Seeing the wispy trail of cold mist, Sam sent him a look of alarm.
Bolting upright, Danny quickly scanned the area. The zoo was eerily quiet, as if the animals were too afraid to squeak, caw, or roar.
"See anything?" Sam asked in a hushed voice. They learned during one of their training nights that Danny could see further than the average human at night, so they often relied on him to spot anything unusual.
Danny finished his scan. "No," he replied wearily. "I'll check on the animals. It could just be a stray toucan specter trying to blend in with its old flock.
"Be careful," Sam told him with concern.
Danny gave her a crooked smile. "When am I not?"
"You don't want that answer," she retorted. The familiar banter helped calm her nerves, that is, until Danny transformed into Phantom and left. Her fear returned as her gaze was drawn to the dark corners of Samson's exhibit. Except for the gorilla's cage and the surveillance room, the zoo was covered in darkness. A perfect place for an ambush.
Sam couldn't hold back a shudder as an eerie chill ran up her spine, sending her back to the day the hunter had attacked. She swallowed thickly. Wasn't there a chill just like this before that monster grabbed her and Tucker?
Sam widened her eyes and kicked her sleeping friend. "Tucker, get up!" she all but shouted.
Tucker yelped and jumped at the contact. "Waz happ'nin?" he slurred, still in a daze from his sleep.
"Skulker's here," she stated, pulling out the ectogun Danny gave her after inevitably receiving it during their family's post-Christmas festivities.
"R-Really?" Tucker asked, suddenly wide awake. The color drained from his face.
"Yes, really," Sam said, cocking the gun. "Danny left to check on a ghost somewhere else, but I'm sure Skulker's here. Grab your tech. We have to catch up with Danny before it's too late."
Tucker looked down to where he had left his PDA. "Ew, who drooled on Gertrude?"
"Not really the time!" Sam exclaimed, though privately relishing in his cluelessness and embarrassment .
"So, not the toucans," Danny stated with a wince. The angry birds were ruthlessly pelting the poor half-ghost who had disrupted their slumber. Their persistence in covering Danny's head with beak-sized welts did not decrease when he waved a hand to shoo them away. "Well, toucan play at that game," he commented, turning intangible. The colorful birds squawked as they flew through the ghost boy. Their fight or flight response switched gears at the ghostly display, and the tropical flock quickly scrambled away from Danny.
Rubbing his sore head, Danny turned away from the birds and scanned the zoo map. "Might as well check on Samson," he decided. Danny's ghost sense lingered in the back of his throat, telling Danny that the ghost was still around. His ghost sense was not working as effectively as it did that afternoon, and Danny was having difficulty pinpointing the location of the ghost.
Compared to the other exhibits, Samson's cage was blindingly bright. Danny squinted in the light and shielded his eyes with a hand as he walked in. Fake trees seemed to sprout from the edges of the giant cage, and vines were strewn across the top. The gorilla roared ferociously, eliciting a wince out of Danny. Yep, enhanced hearing, too.
"Woah, what's got you all worked up?" Danny asked the gorilla. Samson ignored him and sprinted off in the opposite direction. Danny sighed. Were there any animals that didn't outright attack or flee from him?
His senses suddenly kicked into overdrive as he felt a ghost behind him. Danny instinctively ducked just as a missile flew above him, grazing his hair as it flew across the cage. The subsequent explosion resounded throughout the zoo. That was close! Danny thought as he turned to face his opponent, already knowing who it was.
"That would be me," Skulker replied, coming out of a shadow. "Your reflexes have improved, ghost child."
"That's not the only thing that's improved," Danny responded with a smirk. His fists glowed threateningly, causing a grin to widen on the ghost hunter's face.
"I will not hold back this time, welp," he declared, cracking his knuckles.
"Neither will I," Danny retorted. He threw the ectoblasts at the ghost, which would have hit his face if Skulker didn't phase through them. Danny cursed quietly, but continued to throw blast after blast. During his training, they had discussed at length ways in which Danny could use intangibility to gain the advantage. They stupidly forgot to talk about what to do when their opponent used the same tactic.
Danny fruitlessly quickened his barrage of blasts when he noticed Skulker moving towards him at a frightening speed. Before he could move, Skulker threw a fist his way. He closed his eyes and let intangibility take over, hoping that he'd be fast enough.
When nothing hit him, Danny cracked an eye open and saw Skulker's fist embedded in his chest. Wasting no time, Danny grabbed hold of the arm and flung the ghost over his shoulders, slamming him in the ground. He whipped out the thermos and pointed it at the grunting ghost. "Well this was anticlimactic," he quipped as he turned it on. The blinding light flooded the ground, but Skulker didn't dissipate. Instead, he laughed. Danny capped the thermos warily, wondering why the thermos didn't work.
"Foolish child. I've been watching you capture ghosts in that thing all week! What makes you think I wouldn't have prepared a defense for myself?"
Danny's eyes widened. Without the thermos, Danny wouldn't be able to capture the ghost. How was he supposed to defeat him, when his main defense was down for the count? He gasped, seeing Skulker move, but was too late. The hunter flew from the ground and kicked Danny's hand with the thermos, sending it flying across the cage. Danny dejectedly watched the thermos soar away, but was quickly thrown backward when a rocket hit his chest.
"You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent in a fight, welp," Skulker chastised. Danny glared back at the man as he stood up and considered his options. His ectoblasts were his main powerhouse, but if Skulker was just going to turn intangible, they were practically useless. Then, an idea came to him. With glowing fists, Danny threw two ectoblasts. They narrowly missed the ghost, who started laughing again. "I'll admit, I thought your aim was getting better, but clearly I was wrong."
Danny narrowed his eyes and watched as the two blasts nailed the fake tree behind Skulker. It gave a small shudder before crashing onto the ghost, who was too busy mocking Danny to turn intangible. "Looks like you made a treemendous oversight," Danny snarked.
"Clever," Skulker seethed, flying up into the air. He aimed his rocket-covered arm at Danny, who followed the ghost up in the air. The ghost released the trigger and rockets sprang from his arm, making a trajectory path straight for Danny.
Thinking quickly, Danny dodged each rocket by ducking, flipping, and flailing his way to safety. Skulker frowned at the boy's slippery tactics. "Stay still!" he barked, aiming a new round of rockets.
"You might as well go to Walmart, cause you can't hit a Target!" Danny mocked, sticking his tongue out. He dodged the new round of rockets with ease and simultaneously nailed Skulker with an ectoblast.
Skulker growled ferociously and dug into his pockets, pulling out a blue box. Throwing it out in the air, the box expanded until it engulfed himself, Danny, and a quarter of the cage. "Was that supposed to hurt?" Danny asked. He made to throw an ectoblast, but was electrocuted as soon as his fist took on a glow.
"No, but that was," Skulker responded. His eyes flashed triumphantly. "That ought to ground you."
"What is this?" Danny asked, wincing when he touched the anti-ecto walls and received a jolt of electricity in return.
"Like it? It's an anti-ectoplasmic field. I'm working on a travel size, for containment purposes, but this'll do the job in neutralizing you."
"What do you mean?" asked Danny nervously. He took a defensive position when Skulker held out his hand.
"Simple. You are unable to use your power, but I can fire my weapons all day." He released the missiles from his arm. They soared straight towards Danny who tried to fly away, but was quickly electrocuted. He hated electricity.
The brunt of the missiles hit him straight on. Danny fell to the ground in a heap. He barely shook off the dust and rubble from the first missiles when he spotted more missiles heading his direction. Rolling out the way at the last moment, the missiles blasted the spot next to him, sending dust into the air. Distance is his advantage. I need to get closer! Danny thought amidst the impromptu smokescreen. Danny sprinted toward the hunter, surprising him. Skulker didn't have time to react as Phantom pounced on the robot, sending him crashing to the ground. Danny knew his punches would be wasted on the metallic ghost and worked on throwing him off-balance instead. Danny was struggling to restrain Skulker's arms when he heard his name from the other side of the containment unit.
Glancing up from his scuffle, Danny spotted Sam and Tucker wielding ectoguns, eyeing the blue force field with unease.
"What can we do to help?" Sam called out frantically.
"The thermos," Danny began while trying to keep Skulker down. He wasn't ready to quit on the device so quickly after its failure. He didn't even care that Skulker was listening to their plans as he struggled under Danny. "It's somewhere by Samson. We'll need it to contain him." Sam nodded and left. Danny glanced up at Tucker. "I think this box is controlled by a setting on his left arm, can yo- ah!" Skulker didn't give him time to finish. Landing a punch on Danny's jaw, Danny was thrown off the ghost and into the crackling wall, electrocuting him for the third time. Shaking his head, Danny tried to block out the flashbacks of unrelenting lightning and green portals that flooded his mind. Getting electrocuted was taking its toll on Danny, and he didn't know how many more hits he could take.
"Don't worry, Danny, I'm smelling what you're stepping in. I'm on it," Tucker promised, typing away on Gertrude.
Danny sent a grateful look Tucker's way but quickly yelped and launched himself from the border's edge when Skulker's figure suddenly appeared overhead with a large machete.
Landing next to the halfa, Skulker began slashing his machete in an attempt to catch Danny off guard. With the fight much closer, Danny was having difficulty dodging each slice.
"Danny, I've got some bad news," Tucker started nervously.
Danny barely ducked away from Skulker's horizontal swipe. "A little busy right now!"
"You're gonna want to hear this," The techno geek insisted.
"What?!" Danny huffed.
"It's Skulker! He upgraded his language, and it's totally different from before Christmas." Danny cursed and threw a punch at the metallic ghost. His fist made a soft thud before he cringed in pain. Okay that was dumb. "I'll do the best I can, but it took me weeks to learn his old one."
Skulker's next slash grazed Danny's chest. "Well, you have minutes," he responded with a wince.
"Danny, I have the thermos," Sam claimed with a pant. An idea suddenly formed in Danny's head.
"Open it, and push the release button," he commanded. Sam and Tucker gave him an incredulous look. Seeing neither of them taking action, he shouted, "Now!"
Jumping slightly, Sam reluctantly twisted off the cap. Hesitating, she punched the release button. A blinding light surrounded them, and a figure in overalls and worker gloves appeared before the group.
"BEWARE PUNY HUMANS, FOR NO CONTAINER CAN HOLD ME!" shouted the Box Ghost.
"Oi, Boxy!" Danny shouted, rolling his eyes as he dodged another blast from Skulker's arsenal. "We get it. The thermos couldn't keep you contained. You were right. Side note - how would you like to keep this lovely blue box?"
"I, THE GHOST OF ALL THINGS CARDBOARD AND SQUARE, WILL TAKE OVER THIS BLUE BOX OF DOOM, AND MAKE PEOPLE TREMBLE IN THE FACE OF MY AWESOME BOX POWERS!"
"Great," Danny said, not looking away from his main adversary. "It's all yours if you can get me out of it."
Skulker frowned at the blue ghost. "Don't you dare-" he began, but he was too late. The force field's glow began to extend in a wave-like pattern. Shuddering, it sprung into the air, leaving behind all its contents. The Box Ghost whooped with glee at his new prize, and proceeded to fly off in the direction of his normal haunt, the abandoned warehouses.
"That should keep him distracted for the next few hours," Danny muttered to himself, making a mental note to track the ghost later. He turned back to Skulker with a smug smirk. "Now that we're out of the penalty box, our playing field is even."
"Don't forget, ghost child. You have a lot more liabilities than I do." Skulker flew at Tucker, grabbing his collar and lifting him in the air.
"Hey, get off me!" Tucker yelled, struggling for freedom as he flailed his arms desperately. Gertrude's bright screen left a trail of light as she moved up and down with Tucker's hand.
The PDA's light provided a great distraction. "What is this?" Skulker asked, effortlessly snatching the PDA from Tucker. "Such a sleek design. I think I'll take it for myself," he declared.
"Gertrude!" Tucker cried. He squirmed in the ghost's hand until he finally slid out of his grasp. Danny flew to grab his friend before he fell to his death. Holding on tight, Danny found a safe spot to land with Tucker. Meanwhile Skulker proceeded to plug Gertrude into his arm, causing Tucker to release a small gasp.
"What is it?" Danny asked.
"I still have Sharon and she's linked with Gerty. I can hack his suit," he whispered.
"Do it," Danny commanded with determination. "I'll distract him."
"No need," Tucker proclaimed, dramatically pressing a button on his former PDA. Skulker stopped mid-flight and shuddered. His eyes and hair lost their fluorescent glow and the metallic ghost powered down. He crashed into the ground hard and fast, denting his head and losing an arm.
"Did you kill him?" Sam asked, horrified.
"N-No! I just turned off his power supply," Tucker sputtered, not sounding convinced himself.
"Well it looks like you killed him to me!" Sam shouted back.
They continued arguing as Danny nudged the heap of metal apprehensively with his boot. Hearing a small grunt, Danny began to investigate. He scoured the outward appearance until he spotted a hinge around the base of the neck. Opening the head, Danny found a peculiar sight.
"Um guys," he began, dangling a small, roughed-up small blob ghost. "Skulker is a little on the fun size."
Sam and Tucker gaped at him while Danny single-handedly uncapped the thermos and sucked the small ghost up. "Looks like the hunter has become the hunted," he said smirking.
A calm breeze blew across the Ops center as Danny opened the hatch and stepped out. Stars pierced the blanket of night with their brilliance. In another time, this perfect night would have been met with eager eyes and a bright smile that would have rivaled the dazzling celestial bodies. With hot cocoa in his hands and a blanket around his shoulders, Danny would have spent hours gazing at the galactic sea above. It was a cherished memory, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Tonight, however, Danny only spared the heavens a cursory glance as he padded across the metallic roof. A gentle breeze caressed his face and ran its fingers through his hair in a last attempt to captivate his attention, but he rejected its beckoning. Danny needed answers, and gazing in wonder at the sky would not give him what he needed.
In his hands, he held a thermos. It did not contain the sweet delicious taste of melted chocolate that promised happy thoughts and pleasant times, but a ruthless being that had just tried to skin him alive.
Bracing himself, Danny pressed the release button. In a flash of blue light, the small ghost began to form on the tin rooftop. Without his suit, Skulker was pathetic-looking, nothing more than a weak blob of a ghost.
Their battle had left its mark on the ghost hunter's body. Bruises covered his prone form and one of his arms was held protectively against his chest. He looked at Danny cautiously and limped backward.
"There is no honor in killing off an already defeated opponent," the ghost commented.
"I'm not going to kill you," Danny stated. "I just want to talk."
"Talk?" Skulker asked skeptically.
Danny shifted uneasily. Why was this so difficult? "I have some questions, and I don't know who else to ask," he admitted reluctantly. "I've tried going into the ghost zone to find someone who would help, but when I did, a ghost tried to arrest me for bringing one of my parents' inventions into the zone with me."
"Walker," Skulker spat, his tone hinting at a hatred that could only exist because of a personal history between them.
Danny's eyes widened. "You know him?"
"Unfortunately," Skulker grumbled. Seeing Danny's curious look he added, "Our paths may have crossed one too many times."
"What happened?"
Skulker's good hand balled into a fist. "He put a warrant out for my arrest for hunting a sphynx," he growled. "He doesn't understand the thrill of hunting an endangered species." His eyes became distant and a smile spread across his face. "The race of your core as it pumps ectoplasm through your veins. The knowledge that something forbidden is at your mercy."
"I take it you weren't a PETA volunteer in your past life?" Danny asked dryly.
Skulker scowled. "You shouldn't speak of one's past life so flippantly, child!" he scolded.
Danny threw his arms up in exasperation. "This is why I need help! I don't know anything about ghosts! I don't know why they are all set on attacking Amity, or how to talk to them without having them try to kill me. Are all ghosts evil?" Spectra's words raced through his head. What are you? A ghost? Or a freaky little boy with freaky powers? "Am I really a ghost now? Am I slowly turning evil, too?" Danny buried his head in his knees as his nightmares flashed through his mind.
Skulker chuckled at Danny's outburst. "Ghosts aren't evil." Hearing Danny's unconvinced snort, he continued, "They're just obsessed."
This caused Danny to look up. "What do you mean?"
Skulker sighed and sat down next to Danny, deciding to take pity on the boy. He clearly was out of his depth when it came to ghosts.
"Obsessions are what motivates ghosts to stay in this plane of existence. It's the drive that keeps them going. Usually it has to do with how they died."
"So are you obsessed with killing rare species because you died poaching or something?" Danny asked without thinking.
Skulker sent him a dark look. Despite the ghost's height, Danny felt himself shudder. "Whelp, if you value your life, stop talking," the hunter growled.
"Sorry," Danny murmured looking away. He didn't know what he had said to make the ghost so angry. The two sat in silence as the night stretched on.
Suddenly, Skulker let out a frustrated breath. "Listen, kid, talking about a ghost's death is not a taboo, but don't discuss it so flippantly. It hurts the core to remember one's death." He winced as he rubbed his chest soothingly.
"I didn't know."
"I know, which is why I am choosing to continue talking to you civilly instead of the alternative," Skulker grumbled.
"What's the alternative?"
"Where I use the antennae over there to poke your eyes out."
Danny looked at the radio pole and cracked a smile. "You'd never be able to reach it."
"Don't test me, child."
"What's my obsession?" Danny asked softly, looking back down at Skulker.
Skulker smirked. "Welp, your obsession is one of the easiest to spot and frankly, the easiest to manipulate. Why do you think I used your pawns as bait?"
"Sam and Tucker are not pawns!" Danny began to argue, only to suddenly stop. "Wait, does that mean my obsession is my friends?"
Skulker chuckled. "If that was it, then why didn't you stop after you freed them back in December?"
"Because you were trying to demolish the building. Someone could have gotten hurt!" Skulker raised an eyebrow, and suddenly it all clicked. "Oh! I want to help people."
The ghost nodded. "Simply put, your obsession is protection. Though I have to admit, it is more geared toward protecting your friends and family."
Preventing the octopus from attacking his dad, rescuing Sam from the Lunch Lady, saving Jazz from Spectra, and grabbing Tucker before he splattered on the floor; it all made sense. Sure, he was consistently helping the citizens of Amity, but Danny never felt more determined than when his loved ones were in danger. Danny grimaced as he thought of his parents, thinking back to the bloody blob ghosts on the dissection table.
"If my parents are a part of my obsession, what would happen if they betrayed me, or if my friends died?"
"Your core would crack," Skulker answered as simply as if he was asked 'what color is the sky?' "You'd have to transform your obsession if you want to survive something like that." Seeing Danny's confused face, he sighed in exasperation and explained, "The Box Ghost's obsession is cardboard boxes. If there is no cardboard around, he'd change his obsession to anything square. You saw it today when he stole my force field." He sent Danny an accusatory glare.
Danny ignored it. "So if my family ever left me, I'd have to change it?"
"Probably. I'm not an expert, kid."
Danny let that sit. Though he felt a certain dread in knowing that he had an obsession, Danny couldn't help but feel like a heavy burden was being lifted. "And ghosts are not evil but just really committed to their obsession, and that will sometimes cause them to do evil things?" he asked. He didn't want to grab onto false hope, but the ghost was claiming that not all ghosts were evil. That meant there was still a chance for Danny.
Skulker shifted uneasily. "Life isn't that black and white, kid."
That didn't bring down Danny's growing relief and elation. "So then, as long as my obsession isn't harmed, I won't turn evil," he concluded happily.
"Whatever floats your boat," Skulker grumbled, accepting the fact that he was being ignored.
"Thanks, Skulker!"
"This talk is leaving a bad taste in my mouth."
Danny laughed and stood up. "Since you've really helped me out, I'll give you a choice. You can either fly back to the ghost zone on your own, or I'll take you there using the thermos." He waved the container threateningly.
"Is there an option where I don't go back to the zone and instead find my suit?"
Danny frowned. "No."
Skulker narrowed his eyes. "How do you know I won't just leave here and go find it?" he asked skeptically. This caused Danny to smirk.
"You're a man of honor. I bet it's part of your obsession. You wouldn't go back on your word."
A grin spread across Skulker's face. "You are a fast learner. I can't wait to see your improvement the next time I hunt you."
Danny's smile faltered. "Just go," he stated bluntly.
A/N - This chapter really kicked my butt so I hope you enjoyed it! Work is back in full force so my updates will be less frequent. My goal is every other week, but we'll see. Harry comes home next chapter to a shocking surprise.
Side note - Seeing how Danny already had ghost powers at 11, you can assume that the rest of the fic will not follow the timeline of the show:)
Also, I suck at citations so please tell me if I need to fix it.