Author's Note: I own nothing.

15 On Schedule

The metallic ghost smiled down at her as Dani struggled in the net. Looking up at the ghost it became quite clear that this ghost wasn't just metallic, he was made of metal or maybe the ghost himself was possessing a metal suit. He had a matching goatee that flamed just like his hair.

"Ah the human ghost child in her natural habitat." He said looking around the room. Dani frowned struggling against the net.

"Who are you?" She demanded. The ghost grinned.

"I am Skulker, the greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone." He reached inside what must have been a pocket of his armor and pulled out a small cage. It glowed blue and was overflowing with ghosts of different shapes and sizes. "I am a collector of things rare and unique. And you, Ghost Child, are all that and more." He frowned as he stepped forward. "I was hoping you'd put up more of a fight though." He sounded genuinely disappointed and Dani felt anger bubble up within her. She transformed ripping the net apart from the inside.

"Well I'd hate to disappoint." She said before kicking Skulker across the room. Their battle raged through Dani's room, wrecking it, and out into the hallway before Skulker slammed her into the floor so hard that it broke, sending her crashing into the kitchen table, shattering it. Before she could gather her thoughts Skulker was there, grabbing her by the neck.

"Come Child, it's time to see your new home." Skulker phased them through the floor as Dani struggled. As Skulker dragged her to the, for some reason open, portal something occurred to her. Skulker had his hand fully around her neck, and wasn't holding back at all, but she wasn't gasping for breath. She didn't even feel the compulsion. Did she not need to breathe as a ghost? That was going to have to be a question for another time.

"What are you doing!" She demanded trying to peel his fingers off of her neck, and not making much headway.

"Bringing you back to my Haunt, where I can put you on display." As they stepped closer to the portal Dani could feel the power from the Ghost Zone. She'd never actually been inside, she'd been avoiding it, there was a possibility that she would eventually have to step into the ghostly world but she really didn't want to have to, especially since barely two months ago she had died inside that portal.

"No!" She called out pulling harder as panic filled her.

"No is right Dani!" Sam had appeared out of nowhere between Skulker and the portal. The sheer audacity of this human seemed to have thrown Skulker totally off his rhythm and Dani took full advantage of that. She slammed her foot into him sending him flying. Unfortunately she hadn't heard Tanya coming down the stairs and Skulker slammed into her, sending her sprawling the PDA flying out of her hand, her glasses flying off her face. She groaned scrambling for her glasses as Skulker spotted her PDA. He picked it up and tilted his head at it.

"So sleek, I wonder." He pulled off the control panel from his arm and replaced it with the PDA. In moments he was glowing brighter than before. A gun emerged from his shoulder as Dani lunged at him. It blasted her and she slammed into the wall, ectoplasmic restraints had materialized around her wrists and ankles.

"Oh nice job Tanya! You just made the bad guy more bad!" Sam bit out looking around the room for something he could use against the ghost. Tanya snatched up her glasses scrambling away from the ghost who had turned back to Dani a look of pure triumph on his face.

"Say goodbye to this world Ghost Child." But as he towered over her the PDA now attached to his arm went off. He frowned at it as wings sprouted from his armor and he was shooting off shouting that the hunt wasn't over. In moments he had phased through the ceiling and was gone. The restraints around Dani's ankles and wrists disappeared. She blinked at Sam as Tanya pulled herself to her feet.

"I had three payments left on that!" She shouted after the ghost as Sam pulled Dani to her feet.

"Why'd he leave?" Sam asked, Dani shrugged rubbing her wrists.

"Don't care right now, I need a minute to figure out what the fuck just happened." She didn't get her minute though as her mother's voice echoed from the hallway at the top of the lab stairs.

"Dani? Where are you , someone here would like to speak to you."

"Shit! My room!" Dani was through the ceiling in a second landing in her room and transforming back to normal. She was lucky that her parents sister and the reporter with them had been far enough away to not notice the flash of light. They did notice when Dani slammed the door in their faces though. She couldn't have her parents see her battle ravaged room. To cover her own tracks she shouted, "Don't you people ever knock!" She instantly regretted it picturing the look on Jazz's face. "She's gonna kill me for that."

Dani shook her head looking around her room. Honestly the damage could have been much worse. Her bed was intact, her dresser was busted but that could be hidden with a cloth on top. Several of her posters didn't make it and her model rocket was toast. She sighed flopping onto her bed, grumbling into her pillow. She didn't even bother to kick off her shoes as she buried her head into her pillow and fell asleep. What felt like mere moments later she was awoken by Sam and Tanya. She groaned into her pillow and looked up at Tanya with pleading eyes.

"Do I have to go to class?" She asked, partially muffled by the pillow.

"If you wanna pass freshman year, yes." Tanya said and Dani seemed to contemplate it for a moment. Sam shook his head.

"Come on if we don't leave now we're gonna be late." Dani swore, vaulting out of bed and snatching up her bag.

They ended up being late to school anyway when they were ambushed by Skulker on the way there. But again as he was on the verge of victory his suit seemed to malfunction shooting him off away from them. They barely made it to school but Dani was on pins and needles for the rest of the day. With good reason as Skulker kept attacking her, but every time he did he was pulled away by his own suit. But a few times Dani heard where he was going and when checked against Tanya's spare PDA the timing and tasks matched exactly with the items on Dani's schedule. It was time to set a trap for the hunter.