Vlad couldn't tell how suddenly it clicked, but by the clarification of the 'nickname', young Daniel's previous flipping out shed a new light on the matter: that hadn't been about the altered – preferred – naming. As proved, still calling 'Danny' the man after ten years would have sounded ridiculous – beyond Jasmine's case, of course – and hardly fitting too. The realisation shocked Vlad, as the gears slowly moved forward in his head. 'How could you – I – approve this?' echoed the young hybrid's freaking out in his mind, then the response from the other: 'I don't give a shit about your opinion. I owe no explanation to anyone, let alone you.' It not just didn't bother him, but the older boy even stood for it. More specifically against Daniel, against himself, while he was just as much Daniel as- It wasn't the surname that changed, Vlad paled by that recognition and took a stunned step back, completely hit by the identification. "Masters…" he breathed out, trying to somehow process the fact (if he ever was able to…).
"I won't call you else, if that's what you are saying." cleared the elder boy with a common voice, just as he had told a moment ago 'Dan', stated, without any chance for calling him somehow else – or, apparently Vlad. It felt weird, but even thinking about it, Vlad felt there had to be an explanation for that too. After all, Daniel (the young one) only shifted to refer to him as 'Plasmius' in ghost form, but never ever titled him as 'Masters'. There had to be a legitimate reason for that too.
But then, Vlad realised, the man's voice came farther, maybe a few feet away, not from next to him. To that, he snapped up his head from the staring off the floor, as he a moment earlier had attempted to put together the pieces by the name of the other. The figure, presently preferably called Dan, now was standing next to his working table, hands slightly raised up, with a slow, careful approaching towards the white furball who presumably sat up to a newcomer's attendance.
"My sister's." Vlad casually said, with a rather neutral tone, like it would be a used-to thing to say. Not that he could have explained himself out why exactly was there a cat in his lab…
"Of course." let out a half-smile the man accompanied by a clearly seeing-through-the-lie tone, patiently waiting as the cat curiously neared the hand, sniffing it then. Vlad was on to prepare the older boy she didn't like much strangers (or him yet at least…), and she backed out from any touching, still a bit shy and afraid of her new place after the shelter, and elder Daniel shouldn't have taken hopes about it either, but then the white head without any second thought snuggled into the reached-out palm. "Yeah, I missed you too…" the future boy greeted her with an almost nostalgic tone as she was fondled behind the ear.
"Interesting," Vlad remarked, "naturally she doesn't like-"
"Let me guess: strangers?" was a pointed eyebrow raised up, clarifying it right away "Well, I am not a stranger to her." and indeed Maddie was cuddling to him, clinging on the fondling fingers like the guest would have been known for a long time. "Cats perceive more than humans could ever do. She exactly knows who I am. Or at least feels I am familiar to her, someone who she knows and someone whom by she is liked. Isn't it right, you mischievous? Yes, yes, just as I am saying, right?" elder Daniel described, with an almost happy small smile, like that could clear out anything. The small traitor even purred under the caressing…
"She hasn't met with Daniel…" Vlad denoted the loophole in the shaded enlightening.
"I wasn't talking about..." was it noted, with a slightly annoyed tone, presumably by the interruption, but a suddenly pursued lips made the sentence unfinished, like forcing something to not say aloud. "Never mind." the man shook his head then, giving a last stroke to the cat on her neck, then drawing away his hand. "I'm truly sorry, dear, but right now, I have work to do." he apologised, turning towards Vlad, with the back to the pet as he started "So-" the man began, but then a nudging interrupted him, impelling his elbow to be lifted up to catch the seeking attention pet, trying to get back her deserved treatment "Okay, fine." the elder boy bowed to the demanding bright yellow gaze. "But my hands will be kinda busy, Maddie, so it's not gonna work" he described, trying to make a deal with the white furred pet, but then, a second later rolled his eyes, giving up. "All right." he came across, facing Vlad sternly. "Give me your suit."
"My what now?" blinked Vlad at him unbelievably, trying to step over the eerie scene that was happening in front of him, between his cat and the otherwise unknown person.
"Your suit." was it told, like that wouldn't have needed any further explanation, but then the future boy, with a sigh, elaborated. "Maddie likes your smell, and I'll be quite occupied to pet her, so I'll need a spot her to stay meanwhile, and not moving all around the lab. I doubt any of us would have any other clothes to take off. Thus, give me your suit. Besides, figures, I put together why she is in the lab. You avoided her. Didn't you know having a pet comes with responsibilities? Okay, right, she is there for-" the elder youth paused, counting with his fingers "uh- three weeks? Yes, it's three weeks. Give or take a few days. But still. If you want to build up a connection, a cooperation with her, here at home, treat her well at least, or else she won't respect you either."
"Excuse me, but-" Vlad disputed, offended by the assumption that he treated Maddie bad… what did this man know anyway? "Could you stop petting my cat?" Vlad told to the again distracted older boy, the man snorted but then released the pet.
"Right, fine…" the man rolled his eyes, then reached out straight his hand, with palm up, like waiting for something. It took a moment for Vlad to put together what it meant. He couldn't be serious, could he?
"It's black." Vlad informed the other.
"And?" came the hardly willing to negotiate question, after that, it was phased into other words. "You ignored her, Masters, pay for it. Now, give me your suit."
Vlad couldn't tell he cooperated because of the strict tone or because of the, so to say, true drawing out of the situation. Sure enough, it was right, Maddie deserved better. So then, not even thinking about how impossible would it be later to get off the white hair from the dark material, Vlad took off the named clothes, rolling up his sleeves as he walked toward the man, passing over then the 'sacrificed' clothes.
He couldn't say he hoped for a 'thank you' or a somewhat grunt for using a quite expensive and personally designed suit for such a mundane thing, or waiting for a slight little looking up as the older boy took it from him, but what he did not expect was a barely noticeable flinch of the muscles as if the other unaware of it though, but wanted to take a step back from his nearing, reminding himself then he wasn't a treat, and acted naturally. Vlad was confused to the momentary recoil, but counted it as a rather imagined movement as he walked back to the other part of the lab. Keeping a bit of distance not just calmed him (not that he would have believed in Daniel's words…), but also, this way, he could measure the elder boy movements better. Something, just wasn't right about him, but yet Vlad couldn't tell what exactly it was. The longer he looked at the future boy the eerier it became to be, ringing an alarm, that there was something obvious he couldn't yet identify in him.
"You know," the figure spoke, "if you spend time with her, you wouldn't have to close her in the lab with you. If you won't respect her, she won't you either." came the lecturing as the clothes were folded, placing it on the corner of the working table. The Persian cat not after a moment later counted it as her own (deserved…) resting place. "Anyways, what could be more important than-" the accounting for kept continued, but then it abruptly stopped, making the man disoriented with crossed eyebrows. "Wait…" he in a sudden snapped then his head to a Vlad. "You've started it, didn't you? The vessel project."
"Vessel project?"
Elder Daniel, visibly brightened up, nodding eagerly. "Yes, yes, you know which-" was it voiced, but then halted. On the face, – that in one moment unmistakably mirrored the teen's features, but on the other cases, had resemblances Vlad couldn't yet place, but surely felt oddly familiar… – during a single second, hundreds of emotions ran through: first an almost excited, cheered up hope, glinting the blue eyes, as it would be about a very last thing to a better outcome, then, changing to a blank bewilderment, with confusion, as it after, not a flash later, turned into frustration, hardening his expression, with a grimacing as the end, as it distorted the face. "No, forget it." he shook his head. "Not important." was it added with a tightened jaw.
"I've started working on something, if that's what you are referring to. Not named as 'vessel' project, but-" Vlad tried, offering to ease on the unmistakably troubled behaviour. However, it wasn't cleared or admitted it could be significant, and either Vlad thought his current project-like something that was not even at a preliminary state, could be useful, being rather only in a theoretical brainchild yet – word for word, actually –, but anything could have happened… "If that's what you are thinking-" Vlad was wondering aloud, but even before he could have expanded it, the air trembled.
"I said: not important! Just leave it!" even if Vlad didn't title the older boy as Daniel had said, but now his whole body tensed up, waiting in alarm after the unexpected echoey voice. The whole room got frozen for a second, if there was something wrong to happen, but then, instead, the tall figure, just pinched the bridge of his nose, cursing barely audibly. "That's- that's just not what is important, okay?" he said then, the words hit an almost begging tone, asking not mention it later, at all. "Damn it." the future boy snapped, then, like it would have been cut, whirled around, facing Vlad. "So, could it be done or not?"
Vlad stared with mouth agape to the sudden change of subject and all in all to the quick altering of demeanour, but before he could have answered or even perceiving what about elder Daniel was inquiring, his thoughts were interrupted. "Were you listening at all, or you were just stuck at I might be Danny's human half? Which is, for the record, still hilarious. But I'd be really glad, if I don't have to repeat myself. So, tell me, you paid attention at least during the half of it I was talking about earlier."
Vlad couldn't tell his blinking or wordlessness made the boy snorting derisively at the lack of reaction, but the next moment, the man scoffed. "Great. I ran my mouth with no receiving end…" was it murmured, followed by a deep sigh, then he giving up, started to talk, but slowly, pressing the words, being sure those got the desired attention now. "I was asking if you take a certain human-ghost being's ghost side, out of its human body, could it or could not be used for another purpose? For example," the elder boy paused, explaining with his hands, moving those in the air, giving an emphasis to the whole. "If you'd take out the ghost half of Danny, uh- then, let assume it would later get united with another similar ghost part, for a long time, then, could those be separated for some other specific, altered usage or not? For instance, combine one of those parts with a human being?"
First, Vlad couldn't tell where exactly or at what part he lost keeping track, but to tell the truth, the all just made a very bad shiver on his spine – like when once all those years ago he had got lost in the Ghost Zone, alone, with no way out, waiting for his end, filled with nothing but the feeling of helplessness… – but this time it was a chill of something that couldn't be put into words. The question was too much detailed, merely intended to be a plain, harmless brainstorming just for simplicity and for the argument's sake. Now, Vlad understood why young Daniel wasn't trusting his older version, just by hearing these words Vlad got petrified. It was just way too specific, and he was horrified to dare to think about what it meant or what it could have meant for Daniel because he knew – and the future boy admitted earlier too – somehow young Daniel was needed too for accomplishing this all somehow, or at least being an irreplaceable element in the other's plan.
"In theory or in practice?" Vlad asked then, eyeing the figure as the man calculated how to respond to the question.
"At first, in theory I guess." was it said a moment later.
"In theory then it's not possible." Vlad said simply. The guest raised up his eyes.
"Which part?"
"How do you mean which part? Obviously the whole. Even assuming that-" Vlad started, but a moving ceased to finishing the sentence, as the figure walked to the row of cabinets, running his eyes over it, like trying to recall something, but then, opened the third from the left. "Daniel, are you listening to-"
"Dan." the other corrected him, reaching out to a higher self. "It's not that hard to memorize."
"Right, Dan." Vlad received, pressing it for the other, stepping over the mocking tone, and that it felt like he would have been talking to a brick wall. "Even if you run some tests on Daniel, on your younger version, that wouldn't be-"
"What? Possible?" was it asked, letting out a scoff as he grabbed a certain metallic toolbox, walking back. "You really should redefine 'possible', you know." the future boy said, but at Vlad's surprise the man – Dan – wasn't returning to the working table, rather nearing the one where he was standing. Vlad a bit slipped away to give him space, measuring him unnoticed while he could do it. The barely perceived previous moment came back to his mind. So then, if he neared him, it didn't mean any trouble. Perhaps, he might have just imagined that whole. After all, that had been only a momentary reaction, and maybe it didn't mean anything at all. For a second, Vlad felt himself indescribably tired, taking a quick glimpse towards his cup, albeit, unfortunately, he knew that was sadly empty. But then, a double click of an unlocking grabbed him out of wondering about an urge to go upstairs and brew another one.
"Would it need any modification in case of a ghost?" the older boy asked, specifying it then. "I mean, in case of not a partial-ghost ghost?" he stopped, taking the question, but then turned back, getting out the parts from the metal box, assembling the items silently.
"You want to catch one, now?" Vlad asked with widened eyes, to that, the bright eyes briefly glanced at him, accompanied by a chuckling sound.
"Catch one? No, thankfully I have one within reach." he cleared, getting the attached two small cards into the outer circles of the pair of bracelets. "Don't worry, I won't make any mess in your lab, chasing one, then capture it just for the sake of science, and spilling meanwhile everywhere the nice shiny ectoplasm." he added, widely grinning over a thought. "Though it would be something definitely entertaining in fine, over being stuck in this time." Vlad horrified, identifying the sudden enjoyment in the voice. "What?" the other tilted a head then, presumably questioning the odd look that appeared on his face by the said words. "I couldn't admit to Jazz what I mean under fun when she asked. It's exciting to wear out endless beings, you know. Each of them has different stamina, and essence, even smell as they in a flick pop out of existing." he snapped with his fingers, describing the situation with a smirk, but then after a short silence, sighed and rolled his eyes tiredly. "I was just kidding, geez. Besides, you can't cease to exist something that is not existing anymore. That's like ghost basics…"
Even if it indeed was that, but Vlad couldn't escape from the feeling that even though it was just a flash of wit, and surely – hopefully – just an exaggeration, every word, but as those were stated and described… it needed a very long minute to came back to the present, and certainly, another clicking noise helped not a bit, to snap his head up from the shocked staring off, and turning back his vision to the guest. But then to the sight, Vlad's eyebrows ran together, spotting, the older boy just was on to place the other specified bracelet around his right wrist too. By that, the previous enquiring came back to his mind, and the whole clarifying around the said disguise. Adding to that, he caught too as the fingers were fidgeting on the additional device, adjusting on the settings, and turning the sensors to a higher level.
"You- you died…" Vlad breathed out, startled as he assembled the picture from the vaguely correcting notes. "You are a-" for a moment, he couldn't tell how to describe it properly, but then let out as it sounded logical. "You are a ghost." the bright eyes peeked up at him shortly, with a raised-up eyebrow, as if that would have been a child's recognition, putting together all along their parents' were behind the Christmas gifts.
"So, you put together in fine. It was about time." the man sneered, as if that would have been expected for a while. "But no, I didn't die, Danny did. And, yes, there is a difference between the two designations. And before you would take the question," he kept going, clicking together the metallic lock on the second bracelet too as he was speaking. "No, I am not Phantom, or Danny's ghost, I'm a-" the future boy halted, moving his eyes around, thinking, certainly to phrase it properly. "Well, let's just say, I am more complicated than that, or messed-up as Danny says. But soon you'd understand anyway."
Vlad couldn't tell the way as the other portrayed it, so impassively, as someone would read the news on the channels, or the fact, that it was true, floored him more. He took a step back, shocked, unable to accept it. No, Daniel couldn't have died. How anyone could say it aloud so listlessly and callously as he had just done? The one, who in fact, was – had been, Vlad corrected himself – that particular person. To that thought, he confused, there was something that was shrieking 'wrong' about that statement. But yet, he couldn't grasp which part, instead he turned to the elder boy, who was a movement away from the examination.
"What- what happened?" and more importantly, he came to see "H-how-?"
"How Danny died?" the bright eyes peered to him, interrupting, before Vlad could have ended the sentence. "Or how I turned out the one who I am now?" the figure divided the question. "Because, as I said, there is a grave difference between those. Same thing, but different thing."
Vlad didn't dare to ask how it could be counted as a different thing. "Both I guess." he said then.
"'doesn't count." the other waved in the air. "Whatever question you'd take, I won't answer it." he stated, and after a short pause, explained. "Listen, remember when I said, I won't tell everything? That's one of those things, and altogether entirely irrelevant for the work I need you for. Danny died, accept it, so by that, I am not Danny, or Daniel. I would really appreciate it if you forgot thinking I am still the same."
Even if Vlad could have counted it as the man – ghost – was identical, and just an older version of the teen upstairs, who was consuming dinner in peace with his sisters meanwhile, but sooth to say, Vlad had never counted the two as equals, people changed during the years, so then, even Daniel could have turned out to something different through years, or apparently, over ten years – adding to that too since when the other could have been a ghost. But right now, the whole what he had put together before, all those theories fall apart, leaving nothing behind just the titling, as 'Dan' referred to himself by his younger versions wording. Vlad couldn't admit, he believed in that, but at the present, it slipped into his mind, refusing to go away, just swirling around the other bothering thought about the future boy.
He did his best to let behind the aftertaste of the figure's words, and just focusing on the task, or that, at some point the young boy, the teen version of the man had to die. He was distressed to that image, to that fact, but rather filled his mind with the part, that it wouldn't happen for at least ten years. Twenty-four, Vlad recalled suddenly. Daniel would die so young, even before he could have started the real life, with a wife, with children, and… suddenly the realisation stiffened him, if the boy, was the same as him, then- then the last part couldn't have been even imaginable.
"Damn it, Masters," came an indignant grunt unexpectedly, grabbing him out of the horrific picturing of the foreseen coming days. "Danny died, step over it, it didn't happen lately either. That was like ten years ago. Besides, just as I said, I'm not his future anymore. Clockwork dearly rewrote it. So, your version of Danny won't die, chill out." the ghost straightened out. "Now, do me a favour, and open up the program that examines the molecular structure. I'll give the input data in a minute." he said, sitting down on the rolling chair, and grabbing the small device that belonged to the pair of bracelets, taking the last adjusting on the sensibility.
"I don't think-" Vlad began, wrinkling his forehead as he spotted the settings on the small screen.
"Believe me, that's necessary." argued the older boy flatly, "I don't know how it would react to my signature, better play safe." was it explained. Then stared off at the small device, tapping on it thoughtfully like he wanted to add something, but then instead, give it out to Vlad. "If it won't be enough," gazed at him the bright blue (in fact, created) eyes seriously. "Set it to an upper degree on the way." he pointed to the screen. "I'll need the data, no matter what, got it?"
Vlad astonished took the object, unsure if he was stuck at some science fiction themed dream or something like that his mind could come up with after his current sleep-deprived state, because this was just much. Truly, he couldn't tell either, if he was able to process any part of it soon or he should have just simply given up trying to understand this all. His guest, an elder version of Daniel, was dead – with a certain level of confusion regarding his identity, or at least by that as he was speaking independently about his previous human existence. And that person – based on the latest information and correction – was the teen's alternate version, so then, coming from another timeline (that made the greatest sense and most perceivable part so far…). Preferably the being was called Dan, which was still odd, but less debatable than the rest of this all around him.
Vlad took a glimpse at the figure, who positioned himself in the chair into a more comfortable seating, like knowing the using of the bracelets needed a stabile placing. Maybe, he shouldn't have taken any question, just go with the flow – Vlad wondered, and in truth, that sounded the most logical, and in fact, the most reasonable before he could have lost his sanity, just attempting to see through this all. He didn't even dare to take another check at the device, knowing already the settings were equalled as if they had tried to sedate an ant with a dose for an elephant. Vlad slowly slipped his thumb to the tiny button, but then on a sudden, a very much significant detail occurred to him.
"You should change back." he suggested.
The man confounded snapped his eyes at him. "Change back? What for?"
"You're a ghost, aren't you? Or at least, that's what you're claiming about yourself." Vlad labelled, to the last part, he got a meaningful look, as if doubting in such thing could have been fool's errands, mainly after it was already debated. "The device…" Vlad continued. "It examines the ghost part. It might induce you to change to the ghostly form, peeling off your current disguise, but it's easier if you change now and not waiting for the intensity to enforce you to do it against your will. You could wait that out too, but that won't be very nice."
The man just stared at him, blinking, like Vlad would have said something blatantly ridiculous, but then the icy blue eyes moved side to side, as if calculating or recalling a memory, but then a beat later, along with a gulped, the colour ran out of the older boy's otherwise made-up human face. "Yeah, I- I remember to it… that wasn't very uh- nice, indeed, seeing it." the being mumbled under his nose, and after a beat, without any second thought, the rings were summoned, travelling through the so-called 'copied' outlook. Vlad waited a bit, until the other changed to the wholly ghostly appearance, and the light ceased too, then looked up, expecting the psychically older, but still familiar sight of the known Ghost Boy.
If, he hadn't already (somehow at least, though in heart he couldn't) accepted, the Daniel in front of him was dead, now the view of his guest clearly ruled out any other possibility. The suit was still in a way similar, but the rest… Vlad bit his lips to the nearly translucent turquoise skin, surrounded by a bright halo. He had to fight against the urge to run his fingers on it, being sure that it was indeed the truth, not some hallucinated mirage. The figure- Daniel – despite the altered naming, because he was still in a way the same person, no matter, from how Vlad measured it – was dead. Unalterably, beyond doubt dead. Not even counting with the oddly behaving hair, that hardly had any resemblance to the teen's white messy one in the ghost form.
"Told you that was not my natural outlook." the ghost noted. To the muttering, Vlad realised, since the rings appeared, the being's gaze was lowered to the floor, a bit to the left, making it unable to see the eyes. Though, Vlad couldn't see those, but for sure, he could tell, it wasn't the glowing green. "I think-" the man begun, stopping for a second. "I think, you can hit that button now."
Vlad stared at the device in his hand, completely forgetting for a moment, why they were here or what about this all was, but then exhaled, giving a slight press on it, meanwhile shoving to the back of his mind the feeling that somehow the ghost behaved as it would have been uncomfortable for him, being in the original 'skin' – or, more like, if he had been on to avoid this sight of him to reveal… Escaping from those distressing thoughts didn't seem like a possible option.
Suddenly in the corner of the small screen, a tiny icon lit up, that shouldn't have ever, not in case of any ghosts – as known as, lacking of temperature beings –, it pulled Vlad out of deciphering the reason for the witnessed discomfort, and cruelly took him back to the present. "It's-" he gasped, unable to phrase exactly what it meant, turning instead to the figure for an answer.
"Cheese logs." Vlad dropped to the floor immediately the device in the rush. He couldn't tell the sight of the seated person was the worse, or the fact that it was borne during the whole time silently, without any word. "I'll-" Vlad started, but more determined after a beat. "I'll take those off." he reached out to the hand, but it immediately jerked away.
"Don't-" the ghost managed to say, but it died away in a hiss by the previous slight movement, turning his fingers clenching in an out, attempting to act against the flow as the metal objects ran one test after another, examining the response to each renewed, modified analysis. Then the head bent forward, as that would have weighed a ton, making a few shorter hairs fell into the turquoise face, the rest, danced crazily, synching with the twitching through the whole body.
Vlad swallowed, but then hunkered down in front of the chair, attempting to create eye contact through the squeezed shut eyes. "Dan… Dan, listen to me." Vlad called the other, getting his attention by at least by the name, as the jaw tightened too after another impulse. "I have to take those off, it won't-"
"N-no. I need-" his mouth pressed together, as he bit his lips with a muted groaning, only able to finish it after nearly ten seconds, "I need the results…"
"Don't fight against it." Vlad suggested instead, acknowledging the obvious hardheaded steadiness that he couldn't – wouldn't be able to – reach through, not against this stubborn determination.
"Easy to say… it doesn't try to- tear you apart..." the elder boy argued, with a scowl, baring his teeth, while the almost claw-like fingertips were already squeezed onto the hand-rests as the only available handhold to clutch on something at the meantime.
"It doesn't try to tear you apart. That's utter nonsense." Vlad debated, focusing on to think about much how it really looked like as it would have been causing harm to the ghost, because, naturally, it didn't suppose to. Running a test, through that device was always unpleasant yes, but- "It's not how it works…" he said then, on to convince himself and the other too.
He got nothing but a disagreeing scoff, which then ended with another wince, accompanied by a hiss, as the man cursed. "Shit…" but this time, it more sounded like a desperate one, than an actual expression of the current treatment. "How- how much?"
It took a moment, until Vlad managed to realise the question was directed to him, and in fact, he had just dropped the device on the floor, which was telling the progression of the running tests, as he had rushed to rescue the older boy from this. Now, he put every faith at least it would show something near to the end, but unfortunately, it didn't. Vlad nearly paled, at the number, being yet under 50%, and the two newly lit up alarm signals. With this rate, the whole would shut off before any data could have been derived from it.
"Just a few seconds." Vlad said. There was a short silence before the other spoke, in an accepted voice.
"Liar…"
The next 'few seconds' spent in dead quietness, although it seemed the process made a less harmful impact – or it had been only getting used to… – but it didn't mean it created a less poignant sight. If someone had asked, Vlad couldn't have admitted he counted each passed second, but he knew he followed the changing percentage, at the same time the other's movement, and slowly dimming light. He couldn't have confessed either, he relieved a sigh, when an eternity later, the message appeared on the small screen: 'accomplished analysis'. The all just felt nothing more than a hoped figment of imagination, not real, not until a faith whimpering hit his ear. Vlad jerked his head up to the figure, not realising he was clenching on the object in his hand, to then coming to see a struggling over the trembling fingers to somehow hit the release part on the bracelets.
"D-damn it."
Vlad immediately put down the small device to the table, crouching again, in front of the heavily shivering ghost. "Let me help you." he offered.
"I don't-" he debated.
"Yes, you do." Vlad cut off eftsoons the futile resistance, feeling as if he would have been arguing with a mulish child "Now, give me your hand." the gloved hands, hesitating first but then slowly reached out towards him. As Vlad turned the wrist a bit, the ghost winced, raising his head up to him, but right now, Vlad focused rather on the task to get the cursed equipment off, besides, he didn't want to see how much worn out the elder boy must have looked. On the other hand, the witnessed fight bothered him more than anything. "It was hurting you, wasn't it?" Vlad inquired, getting off the first bracelet from the other, placing it on the table, then turning his attention to the other hand. "It wasn't because you fought against it, right?" He wasn't sure he would get an actual answer for that, but then, much to his surprise, the man spoke.
"Couldn't- couldn't handle the dual signature…" was it explained slowly. "It tried to separate it."
"I tested it on me. Was unpleasant yes, due to the hybrid state, but- and you said, you're a ghost…" Vlad was thinking, twisting the right hand attentively now to get to the releasing part of the metal object "You don't have an unlike signature as me or surely Daniel too. Ghosts end up with a certain one during their final manifestation, they don't-" the bracelet made a clicked noise, as Vlad pressed the found button, unfettering the other wrist too. It immediately scooted away a bit.
"Did it- did it manage to study me?" the ghost asked suddenly, before Vlad could have finished the already started sentence. "If yes, can I- can I change back now?" the question sounded shy, echoey due to the wholly dead existence, but yet hollow, almost fading and carefully inquiring.
Vlad halted, hit by the recognition that he had a very strong feeling if he had said it hadn't been successful, the other would have started the whole process again until it made the necessary result. Even if he could recall the appeared message on the screen, as he placed the second bracelet beside the first one, Vlad took a praying check at the small device, blowing out relieved, that he, fortunately, remembered well, and the all hadn't been just a hallucinated hopeful image his mind had created before.
"Yes. You can change back now." he told, not a bit surprised hearing an eased breath a second later.
"Thank goodness, in fine…"
Stepping over momentarily to the abashed certainty that indeed the other for some inexplicable reason was more pleased with staying in the created human form, Vlad rather got out the small cards, attaching them to the computer. Learning by the alarm signs on the device, implementing the data to the program, drawing out then a complete picturing and analysis, it would take at least ten minutes, or, based on the undoubted complexity maybe near to twenty minutes. As the progress bar appeared on the screen of the computer, within the program, perfected in anatomizing a ghost being's molecular structure, he turned back to his guest. For a blink, he was startled by the re-created human outlook, that the other presumably not just used as a disguise.
The future boy unaware of his observing was massaging his wrists, one after the other, like trying to work off a numbness, but then within a rather could have titled as maniac moving of the hands, an eerie shining got Vlad's attention, making his brows ran together on a thought. That couldn't be true, right? Tearing apart? And most of all: dual signature? But if- if he considered, in a way, everything that the ghost had said so far turned out true, then… and as Vlad could put together, though slowly dissolving, and disappearing, but the shining was coming from magenta hairline fractures around the place where a moment ago the skin had been abused by the bracelets. Surely these cracks had been there on the ghostly form too, only covered by the gloves, to stay unnoticed until now, but he must have been aware of those. Now, Vlad identified the nearly frightened inquiring about asking how much time it had needed more to run.
Yet, the other behaved now, like after 'surviving' it, that hadn't meant any trouble. Vlad took a quick glimpse towards the computer, then his eyes fell on the table, stopping at the additional device. The message was still there, just as the lit-up alarm signs. He was sure, most of those were due to the named dual signature or, the danger of 'tearing him apart' – though he couldn't see yet, how that could have been imaginable – but, there was another one, the first, that he just couldn't wait out to learn from the currently running analysing. Vlad was tapping on the edge of his table, trying to fight against it, but then he realised he had to know. Before the man could have realised the sudden movement as he pushed himself away from the desk, Vlad took a huge step, reaching out his hand before his body even could have got enough close to the other.
"What the-" recoiled immediately the elder boy, leaning fully to the back of the seat against the previous cramped position. "What the hell are you doing?" slapped away the figure straightaway the nearing hand in the corner of his eyes. Vlad tsked at the quite reflexive movement, explaining.
"Stop wiggling, I just want to check something, it won't hurt a bit." Vlad ensured him. "Not as much at least as the previous testing, you foolishly caused yourself" he added, turning his arm to an angle to be with the back of his hand towards the pale neck, only now spotting the small fractures, was there too, reaching out undetected from the collar of the upper. He didn't need to think much to know where these ones led back.
Vlad took the remained distance within them, almost standing right next to him. As a reminder, the not much earlier witnessed momentary scene came back to his mind, as the man supposedly unconsciously had moved away from him, but that could have been just a slight action, nothing else. Most people didn't like others coming into their personal space unexpectedly, so then, why couldn't it work like that in case of ghosts? – Vlad was thinking, closing those questions out now, and rather focusing on the current task. He had to know if the other was naturally warmer or…
Vlad puzzled, expecting he would have pressed the back of his hand to the skin, it was right there, within reach, but instead, something stopped him. To figure out the source of the abrupt obstacle, he looked up, facing with the fact fingers gripped on his lower arm. Vlad tired sighed at the childish behaviour. "I'd just like to check your body heat, according to the device-" he was on to explain, but during the words, the hold became tighter, not just as a quick holding up action to stop him. Now it told clearly, the intention was unwelcomed. "All right, it will tell anyway that information, I was just too curious to wait it out." Vlad confessed, regretting a bit by this reaction that he keened to know something he otherwise would have learned soon. Especially, adding to that, he indeed wouldn't have 'attacked' him, not without any warning at least, not after the not so nice, endured 'treatment'. Surely, it still made an impact and him, needed more time to calm down the weary body, but- By that Vlad realised, he at least should have informed the other about his plan, or if not, then wait a bit, until he wouldn't count it as something else that would hurt him again.
"You can let me go." Vlad said, recognising, he too hastily wanted to get the information, without considering the previous struggling. "I get it. I won't touch you." he acknowledged the untold request by the hold. Vlad waited a bit, for the words to sink, and then another for the fingers to slowly move too. But the expected loose on the gripping didn't come. Vlad was sure the ghost didn't believe him, so then, he concentrated on the cold sensation in his chest (that for him had taken ages to accept, as a part of him, but now it was like taking a breath), turning his hand intangible and slipping out from the entrapment.
He couldn't tell the squeezing and twisting stopped to make it happen, but certainly not some ability that ceased to end the movement, extinguishing it, like a quick cover over a desperately flickering fire to reach something. To the thought, Vlad frowned, on to phase out, but again failed. Like this barrier would have stood in his way, unable to use his powers. "You can let me go now." he said again to the other, but this time his voice felt like a plea, swallowing hard on the growing panic inside of him. Because it couldn't be that someone – even a ghost – had the strength to inhibit someone else's abilities, could it? That was just the fired-up adrenaline, and a sudden defensive action, and him, Vlad, being exhausted already from the lack of sleep to use such simply power properly now. It shouldn't have been about some shortening out his ghost side, right? That couldn't be the last. It was just about the tiredness.
To convince the person that he really didn't mean any harm, Vlad turned away from staring off at the stranglehold on his arm, forgetting rather the more and more uncomfortable sensation under the pressure. That was disturbing enough, to think about, it felt second after second as a pressed thermic unescapable lock. Hoping for negotiable and reasonable eyes, Vlad startled as his vision met with a burning red gaze, trapping immediately his. He couldn't tell if he expected the (created, or as it was said copied) bright blue eyes or something else, but this- now, he understood why the other hadn't been showing this while he had been on the original, ghostly form. Vlad gulped, quivering under his skin what this gaze was telling him now. He never would have titled things as black and white, good or bad, things were much more complicated, but- now, he believed every word that had been voiced before: 'knows my worst', 'evil future self'.
"Please, let me go." Vlad asked again, putting faith that somehow his begging could be heard for the human-disguised ghost, and it didn't fall on deaf ears. He didn't like the swirling darkness within the crimson look, mirroring nothing but an attempt to cause harm, despite the consequences those might trigger. Vlad couldn't tell either the grip felt worse and worse or the soul-burning gaze. Or, actually, both. Now, he got too why the older boy needed such a disguise. There would have been no other way to hide his true persona. But if- he had to get out of this grip, now! Vlad tried again to pull himself somehow out of it, but for the obviously futile attempt, he got nothing but a snarling and flashing sharp canines, just as a feral animal would have told to its assailant to stay back, as a last threatening action before a strike.
"It hurts, let me go." Vlad described the growing caustic pain on his arm. Even though that was a very unpleasant sensation, but it wasn't much worse than the look of the other. Or that, it made no reaction on him – if, the ghost was at all listening to him, or aware of the current situation. And indeed, it didn't seem as he would have been here, at the present. The mind, behind the glowing red eyes, was somewhere else. Then it clicked, deep, like a kick in the gut. The man in real had stepped away from him when Vlad had reached out his suit. This, now, wasn't an attack, it was- an unconscious defensive reaction, to protect himself from him, even creating a barrier within them, as not his nearer arm kept Vlad on the place, but the left one, crossing the air.
"Daniel…" Vlad called the future boy, having a strong feeling the other still must have been responsive to the old name. "Daniel, look at me." he said, though their eyes were locked together, that didn't mean the other was at his senses now, rather trapped in some sort of memory. "I won't hurt you, all right? But you- you are hurting me, very. You have to let me go."
For an endless moment, nothing happened, and Vlad seriously lost the hope there would be any other possibility to snap him out of it, and ever be freed. Should he have somehow alarmed young Daniel upstairs and- No. If the ghost was capable to cause this much harm under one single touch, then Vlad didn't want to witness what he was capable of in case of an interruption, risking the teen's life by that. But then, for whatever, unearthly, incomprehensible reason, the clenching slowly got loose along as the crimson, demonic eyes slipped back to a familiar, mimicked, humanish bright blue.
"…W-what?" came to 'life' the other with a hollow tone.
But there was no time to handle the puzzlement, as his hand got released, surrounded by a natural (much colder) temperature in the lab, the white-hot pain became as overwhelming that Vlad nearly fainted, and undoubtedly that didn't help either he took at the injury, that had an unmistakable, red, swollen form of fingers…
"Butter biscuits," Vlad hissed, "Don't move, I'll be back in a sec." he announced, not caring with how much the other seemed confused, trying to perceive what had happened in the past minutes (seconds?), as he quickly phased through everything, aiming for the kitchen.
He did not care either – or, more like actually forgot – that in fact, the room was not empty now, realising it, as a terrified yelling interrupted him, along with a harshly landed on the floor chair, even before Vlad could have stepped towards the sink. Ignoring the panicked teenage boy, Vlad grabbed the small towel over the basin, and opened the water, testing its warmth with his left arm, until it reached the needed temperature. Then he dropped the material inside, letting it time to drench it with the necessary level of wetness.
"I'm gonna kill him. Where is he?! Not on to cause any harm, my ass!" Vlad whirled around to the ready to take action voice, surprised though the boy was still in human form, and not transformed yet to Phantom, just with clenched in fists and with the glowing green gaze telling he was furious and demanded an answer.
"Daniel, stop. He didn't do anything." Vlad said, and in real, he realised, actually, he was the one who induced this all, albeit he knew he couldn't explain it to young Daniel.
"Didn't do anything?" now, it clearly had a hysterical edge.
"It was nothing but a misunderstanding." Vlad mumbled, trying to come up as soon as he could with a believable lie. As he looked around, his brows knitted, spotting as Jasmine – seating with the back to him – now, slightly turned around, attempting to understand the sudden shouting. But that wasn't what got his attention. She looked worried, but not for him, for the older boy, who now was not here to defend himself. And by Daniel's outburst, he couldn't have done that either.
Then the girl's eyes, looked at him, asking from him mutely something, that Vlad couldn't understand, but then, Jasmine took a quick glimpse at her hand then back, as if it could tell something. It did. Vlad already spotted the bandage over her palm, but- then it became clear, just as he knew what he needed to do. Vlad turned back to the boiling teen. "Maybe asking your older self if your mother was single in his future or Jack somehow out of the picture, at any chance, maybe wasn't the wisest decision from me." the blinking boy, took a startled step back. "Let's just say, he did not react well." Vlad added. "But I learned from it."
"Are you- are you kidding?" managed to ask a moment later young Daniel.
"No, I'm afraid no." Vlad said, concentrating on keeping up with the steady tone. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to treat myself, and despite the brief interlude, we were at the middle of something, and as much I'd like to confess to you, Daniel, that evidently your parents are still a sore spot for you in the future, right now, I don't have any fancy leaving your future self, alone, in my lab, even if I still doubt, he'd be your evil alteration." he cleared to the youngster, turning back to the sink.
The towel seemed good enough, so then he closed the flow of the water, grabbing the material, giving it a wring, then Vlad dared to take again a look at his injury. As nasty it was, and as throbbing, numbing it made his whole lower arm, it didn't cause as much pain as the realisation why it had occurred. Dan – according to young Daniel's (none too exaggerated) titling the boy's evil future self –, who could take control over any other ghost being's abilities (or at least in a way, shortening them out temporary, as Vlad had experienced by failing in phasing through the capturing), was afraid. Not just afraid, afraid of him. That hadn't been an automatic movement, no. That had been a panicked reaction, as a last, available attempt to act against him, and hardly a conscious one either, it was embedded, dormant, until that moment to come out.
The question paralysed his mind, as Vlad wrapped the makeshift cover over the burning mark, leaving nothing in his thought just the stunned recognition: "What on earth, have I done with you, Daniel?"
A/N:
Slight little note here: in the alternate timeline before Vlad could have finished with the Gauntlets, he needed Danny's ecto-signature and molecular structure (see: CMOT/7), but the boy, hating being a halfa, that ruined everything, was refusing to turn ghost since the accident. So, during the examination, to load up the Gauntlets with the proper data, to then make it able to separate his halves, he was still fighting against to change, until, well, until the device made him, no matter how hard he tried to not to transform to Phantom. It wasn't a very 'nice' scene, seeing it, at all. Dan has very few memories from Danny from the time at Vlad (nearly nothing) so by that, he 'remembers' Danny's struggling from Vlad's memories. (I think I managed to clear it up a bit.)
I'm not a scientific person, either very good at proper graphic description, so here is a bit summary about the mentioned bracelets. Those were created by Vlad, not very much later as he got out from the hospital, to get to know better his ghost side. Works as in pair for the better circulation, through constant impulses, examining everything by a back-and-forth exchange. Each has different sensors, and when one certain sensor is active, it sends an impulse through the body, the other one, receives it, saving the respond to it, modifies it and 'sends it back' until the whole process is finished. So technically, through this examination, it could draw out a very detailed molecular information about the tested being. The higher a ghost's signature is, the more 'unpleasant' it is. But only temporarily, after all, ghosts (I am talking about wholly ones here) couldn't 'feel' like humans. Though in case of a partly human existence, it works like a nasty zap, but all in all, bearable too - based on, it just has an effect on the ghost side (if, the ghost form is 'on'). The ecto-signature is unique for every ghost, based on their abilities, age (since when they are ghosts), powers, etc, but it could be guessed, for a certain part, what settings are needed for the examination – if not, then it needs a bit of manual adjusting on the way. (Sorry, for the poor explanation, it's how I imagined.)