Sam didn't know what hit her. A bright light replaced by darkness, a prolonged blindness filled with strange and twisted sounds. Her core was gripped by fear never felt before, being held in a tight compartment, in the hands of the man who many times said nothing, aside from voicing his desire to wipe her ilk from the face of existence. Her mind was left with few things to do but think. Contemplate and find the ways to escape. No use. Danny had told her that Thermos was impossible to get out even for the ninth level, she was a humble six. Sam could not phase out, she only hit the wall of the contraption, which was bigger on the inside than it seemed. Taking a shaky breath, the ghost came to a realisation of how helpless she was. So she sat, putting her back against the wall.
No, she did not panic. Panic would get her nowhere. If anything, she was going to take her sweet time with whoever it was who trapped her. Just wait until she was released for even a moment. Her sensitive hearing could make out some sounds, mostly blabbering about how the mighty Jack Fenton finally caught a ghost. Sam was...at a loss. Frustrated about her own stupidity, angry at that giant of a man, scared of that giant of a man and what he could do. Sighing shakily, the girl sat on the cold floor of the thermos, so big on the inside. It must be a nasty nightmare...she did not sleep, she never did, so it was quite real, just like the constant shaking. Sam could only assume that Mr. Fenton had decided to ride the vehicle himself.
"Oh, you will be sorry for messing with our family, you little spectre!" Jack kept blabbering. "Enamouring my poor son and thinking you can get away with it? Fat chance, ghost."
"Har-har. Look who is talking about fat," Sam muttered.
"Ha! Is it the best you've got? Please, those are muscles, they are just...disguised."
The ghost girl was honestly surprised to know that he could hear her. Not that it would change much.
"I wasn't even trying, I'm sure you will get your portion when the time comes, Mr. Fenton."
"Look how polite we are. That's the right attitude."
"I am the daughter of one of the most powerful ghosts of the Realms. He won't take kindly to your offence."
"For a ghost wearing tree leaves you act too much like kids these days. Going to cry to your father now?"
"I act like an adolescent because I am one."
"My son may have bought it, but I am not as naive. You ghosts are deceitful to your cores."
"Your son is one of the brighter people I've met. What is a bigger sign of intelligence? Being entrenched in nothing but assumptions or being able to question them?" Then Sam realised that it'd be better to not play smart, "Although...he doesn't know what I am."
"Precisely. You lie to him and for what? So you could hold him hostage if needed to get to our family?"
"No! I stayed with him because...I feel a connection."
"A connection," Jack repeated, not understanding this at all.
"Yes. You won't understand."
"Even in death you teens are similar. This is not real, just a shred of your past memories and emotions."
"This is just ridiculous. Even if they were shreds, it doesn't make them any less real. I still felt those at some point, and they came about when I met Danny. Only near him. This must amount to something. And I always was a ghost!"
Jack did not respond. And the conversation came to a halt. Sam sat near the wall of her prison, hugging her knees, waiting until something would happen. Needless to say, the waiting was filled with dread, and it was about that time when Danny found that dreaded letter.
Meanwhile, one particular ghost was less than happy about the ordeal. Phantom did not know where the facility was. He had not yet tried to force anything on anyone in that wretched town, and it was probably the time he found out. That building in the spirit of brutalism was but a decoy, there was nothing underneath, this much the monarch did know. As such, if you wanted to know where your enemy was, there was one way, tried and true.
One of the daily car patrols was going through the city. The ordeal with Undergrowth was the matter of the public services now, the GIW, on the other hand, had no interest now that the ghost was gone and his greenery with him. But it also showed a peculiar discovery — for the first time in a long while Phantom himself came out in public, and now managed to simply...talk that gargantuan monster down. It got the guys in white thinking, but they needed to know more, hence the organisation called upon all they had to rummage through the city before the Ghost King got too far away. Inside a van sat three people.
"What is the situation?" One of the agents asked.
"None. Null. Nothing. How is he doing that?" Another took off the headphones, "We've tried it hundreds of times, his signature cannot be traced."
"Hell if I know, sadly, we ain't paid for talks, G. Just keep looking. Nobody is going to kill us if we find nothing."
Suddenly the radar beeped. At an instant the transport itself shook, flipping over in a matter of seconds, ruining everything inside. The agents were tossed around the cramped machine, hit by every tiny piece of equipment at once. Moaning in pain, agent G tried to get up, now laying on what used to be the van's wall. Then, a knock on the backdoor. A second later the door was ripped out, the light seeped in, but the silhouette of a young man was clear, and the glowing green eyes told everything the agents might have needed to be told. Phantom's head snapped in the direction of the fallen agent. He raised his palm, and the man flew right to the ghost's unamused face, before a piercing emerald glare.
"Where. Is She?" The ghost all but growled.
"What...are you talking about?" The agent asked.
"I know you caught a ghost, looks like a teen, dressed in leaves. Speak."
"I...I don't know, I just fucking joined this agency! I don't know shit about it!"
"Cut down on profanities and tell me where you base is, then. You see, it is in your best interest that I find it in time."
"How?"
"That plant ghost has a daughter. The one I have promised to return if he goes back to the Zone. And the next time he comes, I will let him find his kid with whatever means necessary. So, you may not care for us, maybe even for your life. But this is what your organisation stands for, huh? You are to save humans. Thus, have it like this: in one case scenario your base is ruined in and the people are killed or only the base suffers. Because Undergrowth will get what he wants easily by turning the place upside down. The choice is yours, hero of the day."
"Why you little..."
"Well?"
Nothing. The man would rather test the chances and keep quiet. Phantom stepped out of the van soon after, leaving an unconscious body behind. Each time he was growing more convinced that those people didn't care about anything at all. But they never listened. Danny noticed a couple of people looking at him in fright, some even filmed it on their phones. Sighing, the teen disappeared, carrying a piece of the agency's equipment. Landing atop of a roof he began to tap through the tabs, trying to find anything. But...he kept bashing into a wall, a wall that said "Enter password."
He could not possess tech. Cursing under his breath, the half ghost was left to wonder what to do next. He couldn't just run around the town blasting cars. And Technus was locked in prison, getting to which was a time consuming task. That left him with...
"Where the hell have you been, dude?"
Tucker was not happy. Here was his friend, popping up in school way too late even by his own standards, looking like shit and asking for help. The geek was not pissed. He was just...tired. But at least he was willing to listen.
"I'll tell you. But not here."
It did not ease the worries. Honestly, Tucker was now past the anger stage, and now was growing concerned. Two friends went out of school building, thank god for lunch break, and then got into the safe spot between the corners of the structure, akin to a street alleyway. It gave them the privacy Danny sought so much.
"Well?" Tucker asked, crossing his hands.
His friend rubbed the back of his neck worriedly. It would be difficult for him to explain.
"I have one big problem, Tuck. And I need your help."
"Oh, God. Are you really with the gang?"
"What? No, yes, sort of...look," Danny rubbed his face, "It is not about me. But it might as well be. Sam...is a ghost."
That cat was already out of the bag, no point in hiding that. Tuck's eyes opened wide.
"Is...is she dead?!"
"Yes. Has been for more than a decade. I AM dating a ghost."
"Damn, dude...that...that's a lot to take in, I'm sorry."
"That's not the point!" Danny exclaimed, "She was taken by the GIW! Who knows what the hell they are doing to her right now! That's not the same as the last time, it is MUCH worse."
"Wait. You want to SAVE her?" Tucker raised an eyebrow, earning himself a glare, "Danny, that's..."
"She is a person, Tucker! I cannot let her be butchered! My feelings for her are not the only thing that makes me act now. It is a common human decency. The one I doubt each day."
"Dude, but she is a ghost. How do you know that HER feelings for you were real and it wasn't some plot to get to..."
"My pathetic hunters for parents?! Please, nobody beyond the veil of the Zone gives a RAT ASS about them! Everyone fears Phantom."
"How do you know?"
"I TALKED to them, Tucker. Here, I said it. And you think that hundreds atop hundreds of ghosts engage in the same ploy to undermine the opinion of my parents?"
Tucker took off his glasses. He sighed, slowly rubbing his eyes. Upon putting the glasses back, he only gave his friend a look.
"Really now? You 'talked' to them? That's what you've been doing all this time? And lied to me all these years?"
Danny was left silent. What was he supposed to say? This wasn't even the whole truth and Tucker was already pissed.
"Yeah, I lied, Tucker. Because I didn't want to bring you into this. But now I see that it has been for naught, hasn't it?"
"That's why you were so angry at me joining the hunters."
"Yes. And now it is even worse, because you haven't got the chance to see a bigger picture. I did what I thought was right, Tuck. And I admit that I should have told you everything, and even now I cannot, because I am afraid that you are so angry with me that my parents would know. And since Fentons are...Fentons...I am afraid of a single word getting to them. It would ruin everything."
Tucker's look softened a bit, but didn't bulge. "You have the gall to lie to me for years and now ask for help. What the hell do you even want?"
"I have this," Danny handed a tablet to his friend, and the teen was surprised.
"This...you stole it from the GIW?"
"Not me per say, but yes. And all I ask is that you find the location of their hidden base. That's all. From then I will risk it myself. I don't want you to lose everything in the process. They are the government, after all, even if we technically not the US anymore."
"Are you really going to risk everything to save a ghost?"
"Yes," Danny responded without thinking, "I love her, Tucker. I won't let anybody harm her."
Tucker seemed to be contemplating. "Since kindergarten we haven't had any secrets, Fenton. You are the one who broke this rule, good intentions or not. Fine, I'll crack it by the end of the day. Fine, I will risk an F for an unfinished assignment so you might get your corpse of a girlfriend in the bed. But from that moment, consider our little cooperation over."
"You can't be serious."
"I am. You prefer ghosts, hang out with them, who needs one nerd who is only good for cracking codes? Or is there something else you want to tell me? Something so special that I might sympathise with everything you've been hiding?"
"I...I promise, Tuck. After Sam is safe I will tell you everything you want. Will this be enough?"
"Maybe," Tucker began walking away, tablet in hand. "That depends on what exactly you have to tell."
And now, everything Danny could do was wait until the evening. But he also had to tell about it to Undergrowth. And he wasn't going to be happy.
A blinding flash snapped Sam out of her stunned anticipation. The tight space of Fenton Thermos was replaced by the tight space of a white room with a single mirror. And honestly, she would like to go back to the contraption that used to hold her. Rubbing her sore hands, the girl looked around, trying to understand what was going on. Not much luck. Suddenly, a voice spoke to her.
"Well, well. Guess we finally get our hands on something more advanced than usual. Yes, Mr. Fenton, we will call you when the time comes for the cherry on top."
A cold voice, sounding from the speaker in the corner.
"Listen up, slime. Follow our instructions and you will last for longer."
"And if I won't?"
"We will get to examining your insides right away. Your turn?"
"Why would you want that?" Sam asked in disgust and horror.
"For the same reason kids dissect frogs during Biology lessons. Your innards will move our field of science further. Where better to aim, if nothing else. But until then, we would like to run some tests."
The ghost gulped, "And what exactly?"
In a split second a gun emerged from the wall, firing a blast at her. Sam was unable to block it, the shot landed right into her hand, burning her and making her scream briefly. She bit her lip in the process, she wasn't going to give them the pleasure.
"Well, now we know that this level of concentrated ectoplasm is just right. Knowing your level of threat is essential."
"You sick bastards. I know that you have devices to check just that."
"Oh, so wooing Fenton brat actually has some effects. True. We have those. But we need to test our weapons, too. So, two birds. We shall proceed with that."
Another kind of gun emerged, a bigger one and it whirred even louder. But this time Sam clenched her fist, her forest green eyes flashed venomously, before the gun collapsed on itself.
"That's going to cost you," the voice remained calm and cold, "But I get it, you are too active at the moment. How about a questionnaire?"
"What?"
"A questionnaire. The first question is simple. You ghosts are resistant to earthly toxins, are you not?"
Sam figured that they already knew the answer. And lying would get her nowhere. She sat on the cold floor, hugging her knees.
"Yeah. We are."
"All of them?"
"All I am aware of. We don't have nerves, we don't have lungs. There is nothing for them to affect."
"Yet all of your brethren claim that you feel pain."
"We do. It is...difficult to explain. All of the organs' functions are done by ectoplasm, it resonates to the damage and we feel pain. Although it is not affected by toxins. The rest hurts."
"Wrote that down?" The voice asked someone else, "Alright. Let's continue our discussion. And remember, if you get cheeky, another charge of electricity will jolt your attention."
"What do you gain from it?"
"I am the one asking questions here. Besides, the answer is obvious, is it not? You are a disease, we are the cure."
"But why? If your job is being done for you, why do you bother so much?"
"For us? You mean your darling King? We cannot rely on someone so inconsistent."
"He is the most consistent person I know."
A pause followed.
"Really now? So you know him personally, don't you?"
Sam realised her slip too late. She looked at the mirror.
"Out of the ghosts who come to this domain few don't know him. He handles almost all these matters personally."
"We haven't been able to pick up his signature ever since he fought the previous king. Are you telling that...what?" The voice asked somebody else. "No kidding? Seems our little girl is important after all."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"If he would crawl out of his place and crash a couple of our cars just to get the info on your whereabouts...you certainly are more important than you make it sound. Speak up. Or we will get straight to the cherry on top."
Sam's look became firm, her glowing green eyes shined brighter, "Oh, will you? You will immediately butcher the only ghost you caught in forever? Don't make me laugh. You are the one scared to even show your face."
"Why you...we may not be able to waste you. But we can allow a little peek."
Meanwhile at the meeting place, Undergrowth did just what Danny had expected of him.
"She is WHAT?!" He yelled in a mix of horror and fury, right into the face of the floating half ghost.
"Kidnapped, Undergrowth. The situation is dire, and we have to act."
"You have done enough, little king. I shall do everything myself."
Phantom glared at the ghost, floating after him and cutting for him the way to escape the conversation.
"With all due respect, you know nothing of the tools they utilise. You will just end up getting killed."
"I am one of the oldest ghosts there are, brat. These petty humans are nothing but mosquitoes. Or what? You think that we can reach a compromise, huh? We've been stuck at a single spot for weeks."
"With the GIW? Fat chance. We have to get rid of them as soon as possible. I am a realist, I just see that the chances of you getting in and out are slim. Regardless of your size, they have Sam right at the end of their weapons. One wrong move — and they shall pull the trigger. We have to be smarter about it. Get inside without being spotted, free her and THEN ravage them."
Undergrowth hummed. This line of reasoning was satisfactory enough.
"What are you planning, then?"
"First, get inside the thermos."