Explanations

Spock got up from the examination table once McCoy had finished treating the marks on his throat. "No lasting damage, but please take it easy for the next few days."

Phantom fidgeted, his gaze firmly on the floor. "I'm sorry."

Three confused pairs of eyes trained on him. "Why are you sorry?" McCoy asked. "It wasn't you who did this to him. You showed up before anything worse happened."

The boy still wouldn't meet their eyes even as he flew up on the table Spock had previously occupied. "The reason why Skulker attacked Commander Spock in the first place was to lure me out of my hiding place. I didn't even realize he'd escaped the thermos until he got close enough to trigger my ghost sense, which was probably the moment he turned up at the lab. Then I had to retrieve the thermos and I got lost on the way and was almost too late."

Spock stepped closer to the young ghost. "You were just in time to interfere. It is hardly your fault that Skulker is hunting you. And as you pointed out in the laboratory, he would have had the means of tracking you down without threatening any member of the crew. And yet, he decided it would be more 'fun' to do it the way he did. Furthermore, you cannot be blamed for deciding to hide or that he escaped."

Phantom briefly looked at the Vulcan, still not entirely convinced. McCoy started running his tricorder over him. "How did Skulker escape? Do you know?" Kirk asked gently.

The boy sighed. "I caught Skulker the night before those two government nut jobs and I ended up here after I had already released the other ghosts of that night back into the Ghost Zone. By the time the fight ended, it was too late for me to empty it again and I had to tend to other matters. The day was a complete disaster, I had to catch another ghost and because I haven't gotten much sleep lately, I got myself caught. I tried to flee through a natural portal and then return via the Fenton Portal, but I was rendered unconscious. The next thing I remember is you and your first officer staring down at us with me stripped of all my powers, including my ability to sense other ghosts. I think Skulker was accidentally released somehow while I was in those cuffs and then kept out of my range. I didn't think of checking the thermos. I'm sorry."

McCoy slammed his fist down on the table, making Phantom literally jump several feet in the air. "Kid, stop apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong. Constantly being blamed for everything has gone to your head."

The boy took a deep breath and floated back down again. "Did you get here through another 'natural portal' as you call it?" Kirk questioned.

Phantom shrugged. "I have no other explanation. The GiWs must have gone through one after the one through which we entered closed. Every remotely sane person knows not to randomly go through natural portals because they are unstable and there is no way of knowing where and when you'll end up. You could end up living with dinosaurs if you're unlucky."

McCoy shook his head at the readings he had received. "I'm sorry, this just doesn't make sense. You are radiating a lot of energy, but other than that, I can't make sense of those readings."

The boy looked sheepish. "I'm afraid I don't know much either. You're the first human to study me this closely."

"Where you ever examined by another ghost?" Spock asked.

"I guess. But there wasn't time to get much information." And Phantom told them the story of how he had to defeat a plant ghost named Undergrowth who had turned the whole town into a jungle and who had subjected all its human inhabitants to mind control. He explained about how he retreated to the Ghost Zone to seek help to control a new power before it froze him into a popsicle and how a ghost named Frostbite, who was the leader of a people of yeti-like ghosts living at a realm called the Far Frozen, had trained him to control his ice powers, which Phantom then used to save the day.

Phantom opened his palm. His eyes glowed blue and a diamond-shaped ice crystal formed, which he dropped into Spock's hand. "Fascinating."

Phantom smiled. "Thanks. This was the first time I didn't have to learn to control my powers on my own."

"Are there no other ghosts that would have helped?"

The boy shook his head. "Unfortunately not, Captain. There was one who offered, but the fruit loop can't be trusted."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Why could they not be trusted?"

Phantom snorted with disgust. "Plasmius is a manipulative, power-mad psycho who does nothing if he doesn't have anything to gain from it. I don't want to become like him, so I refused his offer to benefit from his experience and knowledge."

Kirk placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You seem to be doing fine without him. Is he that much stronger?"

The ghost shrugged once more. "He's had powers for more than twenty years. I've had mine for a little more than one. I don't know if I would have a chance if he truly wished to destroy me."

McCoy looked uncomfortable. "If you say you've had your powers for a little over a year, does that mean you…" He trailed off, struggling to phrase this appropriately.

Phantom tilted his head and looked at him with a confused frown. "Are you asking me if this is how long I've been a ghost?"

The doctor nodded. "Shouldn't I have asked?"

Phantom smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. It's fine. Yes, I got my first basic powers when I became a ghost a little more than a year ago."

"May we ask what happened to you? Your phrasing suggests you were not born this way. Is that even possible?"

Phantom considered before answering the Vulcan. "Yes, one can be born a ghost. Those that were not were once humans or sometimes even animals. I don't know how one becomes a ghost after one dies or if all dead people become ghosts or just some. I was once a normal human 14-year-old boy." He held up his hands. "Please don't worry about me. I've come to terms with it. It's totally fine." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "How do I say this? It… was an accident involving electricity."

"You were electrocuted?!" McCoy exclaimed. Phantom stared at him wide eyed. "Please, it's fine. It was an accident, it wasn't anyone's fault." The boy ran his hands through his messy white hair. "Please, could we drop this subject? I don't wanna lie to you after everything you've done for me, but there are things I can't tell you."

He sighed. "I'll admit that for the first couple of weeks I wanted nothing more than go back to normal. I couldn't stop turning invisible or more often intangible at random. Everything would fall through my hands or somebody had to pull me up after I found myself waist-high through the floor. I'm alright now. Just please don't drive yourselves crazy over this."

The occupants of the room all took a deep breath. Then Kirk said: "You said that after Skulker you caught a second ghost. Is it still in the thermos or did it escape as well? And how great is the danger?"

Phantom's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "The thermos was empty. I don't remember who I caught. We need to find the ghost quick before…" He was interrupted by a gasp and blue mist escaping his lips. "That would be my ghost sense, quick, where…" This time the interruption came from the intercom. Kirk rushed over. "This is the captain. What is the situation?"

Lieutenant Uhura answered. "Captain, Ensign Chekov reports a strange energy reading from the guest quarters assigned to the two government agents."

"We are on our way." All four of them rushed to the cabin. After Phantom had phased them through the wall they could only stare in disbelieve. The GiWs were taking cover under a desk from crates flying around that had once contained clothing and other things the agents had been supplied with. Over them hovered an overweight, small, blue man wearing overalls, his arms stretched in the air.

Before anybody could move, Phantom doubled over and started laughing uncontrollably.

I thought I'd end this chapter on a lighter note. Hope you had fun.