cleaning out my high school google docs to see if there's anything worth keeping and i found this oneshot. i haven't read through it so i have no clue about the quality of it, but i decided i wanted to keep track of pieces like this so that i could watch my progress. enjoy!
DNA
Maddie and Jack could scarcely believe it. It'd been two long years since they'd made the portal. Two long years since they'd began following Phantom's every distinct, unique move. Two long years and no fruit to bear.
Until now.
Jack lifted the vial triumphantly over his head while Maddie raced towards the laboratory's files, ripping through each folder until she found the one she was looking for: Danny Phantom. On the first page, various questions were listed in no particular order for when the day came that they could test Phantom's ectosignature with no strings attached. She took this paper out and set it on the counter in front of her, spreading all the known information around it like a fan.
Testing the ectoplasm's composition.
No doubt it would be unique enough to form structures underneath the skin almost relative to a human's bones and to remain corporeal enough to trick the entire town into viewing him as nothing more than a super-powered boy. Behind her, Jack reached for a stand and set the test tube down as carefully as his abnormally large hands would allow.
Diagnosing the ectosignature.
Ectosignature testing went through the DNA sequencer that they'd modified fairly quickly, as ectosignatures were far from complex.
"Jack, can you plug in the ectosignature, please?" Maddie asked, her head bent low over the papers.
Generalized experimentation.
With only a drop of Phantom's ectoplasm, a whole database could be constructed. While more blood was optimal, it was also impractical, so they'd have to stick with ectosignature location techniques for now. Besides, that in itself would lead them to the source of the ectoplasm. If they could design weapons that target Phantom's specific ectosignature, they might even be able to take home the entire ghost. No doubt he'd stay intact longer than the others, offering a fresh flow of information (and ectoplasm) at all hours of the day.
Maddie glanced at the ectoplasm. It looked as if it was … becoming stale? A top layer and bottom layer were beginning to separate, the bottom layer looking a bit … orange? While the deconstruction of the ectoplasm, like oil and water, would be quite intriguing to observe, they had to do the main testing now before it dried and became practically unusable.
The ecto sequencer beeped dully behind her. She grabbed ahold of a nearby stirring rod and swished the two liquids together again before handing it to Jack, who let one measly drop fall into the slot to be studied. Instantaneously, the machine began scratching words out through the printer on the opposite side of the room.
UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN
Maddie stared curiously at the repeated words. How could one ghost's ectosignature confuse the machine? Sure Phantom was complex, but this was beyond her comprehension.
Jack raked his hand through his hair and picked up the next piece of paper. His eyebrows furrowed.
"What?" Maddie queried.
Jack turned the paper around. Nonsense jumbled the page save for the middle, which clearly read DNA DETECTED
Maddie flinched as though she'd been hit. "That can't be right?"
Jack nodded, albeit slowly. "The machine must be broken."
"It's still printing," Maddie muttered lowly, her eyes jumping from the printer to her husband. "If there was an error, it'd recognize it and stop functioning."
"What are you saying?" Jack asked, confused. He was already downtrodden, like a puppy first away from its litter.
Maddie shook her head, her red hair brushing against her chin. Several seconds passed. "I don't know," she whispered, hardly audible, and then she said: "You go upstairs and get something to eat, sweetie. I'll look for anything comprehensible."
Jack huffed. "We've been on this case for days. We haven't had time to make anything."
Maddie sighed and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index finger. "Could you go to the Nasty Burger, then?"
"But-"
"Please?"
Jack hated to leave Maddie behind to finish work that was his business too. He hated having to leave Maddie's side at all whatsoever. Nevertheless, he offered a quick kiss and assured her that he loved her as he walked up the basement steps.
Maddie listened as the steel door clicked shut. While she loved her husband, the alone time while she thought about the situation at hand was much appreciated. He hadn't been saying much, but Jack's presence was heavy and distracting. She'd have a better time focusing in the thirty minutes it would take for him to get back home.
Thirty minutes she'd stared at the nonsensical letters on the pages, looking for something to decode. She couldn't believe it when she heard the front door open and close.
She'd gotten nowhere in thirty minutes. It was frustrating, to say the least, What in Phantom ectosignature could do this?
Jack stomped down the stairs, bags crinkling as he went. "Right, so I brought burgers and fries and then a little coffee if we want to stay up later. We still have some soda upstairs, so I figured we could-"
A cup of coffee slapped against the floor. Maddie looked up, startled, from her work. "Jack!"
Jack stared uneasily at the counter where she'd left Phantom's information. Maddie squinted and followed his gaze, nearly dropping her papers at what she saw.
Phantom's ectoplasm had separated entirely in the thirty minutes she'd been working. On top was pure, lime green ectoplasm that glowed harshly in the darkening light. Underneath was bright red.
Red.
Maddie and Jack stepped closer at near the same time, ducking their heads to get a closer view at the substance.
"Blood?" He queried, much quieter than his usual voice.
Maddie took her eyes off the test tube to stare up at Jack's. He stared right back.
"We need more samples."