Author's Note: Thought or Emphasis; Flashback; Thought or Emphasis in Flashback. Certain type may also be used signify SOUND or other dramatic effects as necessary.
I don't own Danny Phantom.
Danny Phantom: Not So Bad
Part V
"Can you hear me up there?"
Danielle Phantom soared high above Amity Park, a place that she was soon starting to call home.
"I hear you loud and clear, Sam!" Dani tapped the Fenton Phone in her ear, one half of Sam's spare pair. "These work great!"
Sam was fun (and her home movie theater was amazing), but Danielle was feeling cooped up in the Manson house and wanted to stretch her legs. A trip to the park or the mall as a normal girl didn't feel like enough, so instead, she decided to fly about and make her own fun.
The summer breeze flowing through her snow-white hair reminded her of the brighter times of her world tour, but the view reminded her of her first time flying through Amity's skies: from searching as a spy for her creator—she stopped calling Vlad her father—to searching for the young man who had become her family. She had sought only his help, but he gave her much more.
Today, however, she didn't have his company. Jack Fenton had whisked his son away for another weekend trip to the haunted Lake Eerie. Danny had muttered something about 'hoping he wouldn't have to face him again,' but he was gone before she could ask more.
Her thoughts often dwelled on him.
"I wonder how Danny's doing."
"Knowing him, he's probably bored half-asleep while his dad tells him his life story again. He probably wishes he could fly off the boat right now." Sam understood the feeling; sometimes she wished she had ghost powers just to get away from her parents.
"Is Danny's dad that bad?"
"He's not bad. He's just…" Sam paused, "…different."
"Different..." She looked down to her gloved hands. "Like me?"
Dani remembered the darker times on her world tour. Some, like children, reacted to the ghost girl with wonder, but others ran in fear at displays of her powers; still others screamed curses in languages she didn't understand. When her Phantom Freeze first awakened, she was briefly unsure whether to return to Amity Park, in fear she would face ghost hunters who would shoot first and ask questions never.
Fortunately, her heart reminded her of the people on her side, as a voice did now. "Ellie?"
"Yeah?"
"He's different in his own way, and so are you," Sam assured. "Your 'different' is good. Don't forget that."
Dani gave an unseen smile. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now, are you sure you're okay alone?"
"I'm fine, Mom," Dani joked, not seeing Sam's cheeks redden on the other end of the line. "I'm just exploring a little. I'll call you if something big comes up."
"Well, don't go too far," she advised. "I promised Danny I'd keep you safe."
"I'll be fine!" The ghost girl waved it off. "What's the worst that could happen?"
A chill went down Sam's spine at the words, but before she could warn her, Dani shut off her Fenton Phone, flying farther away and into the city.
Neither girl had any idea that robotic eyes scanned from a distance.
"A ghost child?"
Sam had failed to tell Danielle of her relative's luck:
Whenever Danny asks what could happen…
A steel mouth grinned.
"I'll enjoy hanging this rarity on my wall."
…the universe always has an answer.
Back in the skies, Danielle's thoughts had again returned to her… 'cousin'?
"No, 'cousin' doesn't quite feel right. What is he to me now?"
What Ember said back in Frostbite's infirmary bore some weight:
"You're his flesh and blood. He takes care of you. Sounds like a dad to me."
But then, Sam wasn't blood related—yet she tucked her in at night, took her to the park and the mall, and told her stories about meeting Danny and different ghosts. What did that make her?
Whatever this bond was, it meant something to her—they meant something to her. "I owe him for what he's done for me. Him and Sam." She sat in midair, a hand to her chin in thought. "But what do I do?"
She had no money for a gift, though, and she had given them words of gratitude all the time.
Then she looked down. The DP symbol on her chest, white against black, gave her the idea. "I got it! I'll take down a ghost! Just like they would do!"
However…
"Oh, come on!" She shouted to no one. "Nothing?"
Dani had gone too far—across town, in fact. Her speed, which had increased since her stabilization, made the trip an easy one. Of course, that didn't mean it wasn't annoying, two hours spent without a single specter in sight.
"I really hope Sam isn't mad." She had forgotten to call her the whole time, her usual solitude (and the occasional talking to herself) a habit from her traveling days. "Maybe I should just give up."
A vapor left her lips, her ghost sense directing her vision to the east. A speedy green streak went past, but she caught a glimpse of its tentacles.
"An ectopus?" Dani scoffed at the creature, a surprisingly frequent sight on her adventures. "Puh-lease. I could take one of these down in my sleep!"
The ghost girl gave chase. As it turned out, she needed to be wide awake to catch up to the creature as it twisted and turned through the business district. Eight high-rises, thirty-three floors, two interrupted video conferences, and one half-frozen water cooler later, the ectopus was finally beaten.
"Gotcha." She put the cap on her own Fenton Thermos; like the Phones, Sam had a spare.
"Now that I think about her," she realized, "maybe I should-"
Her ghost sense broke her thoughts, as did a new voice.
"And the whelpette takes the bait."
"What did you call me?" She turned to the stranger, who floated from behind a billboard. "And who are you?"
The new face was one of metal, as was the rest of him, an off-white "skin" visible through the outfit. He wore a black tank top and pants, a piece of armor on his left shoulder, and dark gray boots. His bare arms, with metal seams at various angles, went down to dark gray gauntlets filled with devices designed for capture and worse. A dark gray belt crossed his chest, another belt wrapping around his waist with a proudly adorned "S."
His hair and beard consisted of green flames, reminding Danielle of another certain ghost.
This one, however, was much less friendly.
"I am Skulker, the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter!" His chest seemed to swell. "And you, little one, are very special."
"Yeah, I am." She remembered Sam's words. "So, what?"
"Special things deserve a special place. Your place is in my collection of rare creatures—my newest trophy: the half-ghost!"
"I think I'll pass. I just got my own bedroom, and I'm not giving that up anytime soon." Her hands charged with ecto-energy, a silent warning. "And how did you-"
"Know? The resemblance to the other ghost child is obvious." He squinted inquisitively. "Although, I am curious of your relation…"
"Danny's my-" She paused; the right word escaped her. "It's none of your business. I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Oh, but you don't have a choice." He smirked with confidence. "Maybe your lookalike has escaped my grasp, but you are something else." He observed the girl, still catching her breath. "My little ectopus has already worn you down, and now I can go in for the kill."
"Keep away, creep!" Danielle showed she still had energy to spare, a powerful blast erupting from her palms. Skulker simply pressed a button on his gauntlet, projecting a dome of ecto-energy around himself that absorbed the attack. "What the-"
"A new function," he noted as the shield came down, "still a prototype." He raised his right arm. "This, on the other hand…"
A cannon emerged from his forearm, shooting an ecto-ray at double the strength of hers. Caught by surprise, Dani took a solid hit to the chest, sending her crashing onto the roof of a music store.
"Is that all you had, little one?" He shook his head. "Your elder clearly didn't teach you the rules of the chase." He shrugged. "I might as well end it now."
The ghost girl rose just in time to notice him toss a black cube at her feet.
She raised an eyebrow. "Um, I think you missed."
"Did I?"
Before she knew it, the cube enlarged, encasing her in a box with green circuitry on all sides. Only her head was free.
"HEY!" She squirmed in her new prison. She tried to access her power, but nothing came forth. "What the heck is this thing?"
"A spectral energy neutralizer. Your powers are useless." Skulker smiled. "Plasmius helps me make the most fascinating tools."
"Powers or no powers, just wait till I—AAAAHHH!" Another gauntlet button pressed sent electricity coursing through her veins.
"Look at you." He stared at the dizzied girl as familiar white rings swept over her face. "You may be rare, but now, you're just as weak as any human." His artificial visage gave the closest expression he could to a sneer. "I'm almost disappointed you weren't a challenge."
Still addled, she tried to fight back with a glare. "I'll… show you…"
"No, I'll show you." He tapped her head. "If I know the whelp, he'll come for you. He'll travel all over the Ghost Zone to find you." He raised an open palm. "He'll be desperate, he'll be angry, he'll make a mistake, and then…"
He clenched the palm into a fist.
"…he'll be mine."
Now she was fully awake. "I won't let you hurt Danny!"
"Oh, I don't need you to let me, child."
With a clench of his left hand, a green blade shot from his wrist, resting near her chin.
"All I need is to take off a piece, and he'll come running."
Danielle's human heart quickened at the sight. "But… but he's not here!"
His face fell at that reveal, but his anger quickly changed to a sinister glee. He leaned in close.
"Then I guess that means," he whispered in her ear, "no one is coming to save you."
A tear rolled down her face.
Sam was on the other side of town.
Danny was on the other side of the state.
She was powerless.
But…
"WHAT IN BOTH WORLDS DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"
…she was not alone.
"Hmm?" He turned his head to see the ghost phasing through the roof. "Oh, great."
Danielle knew the ghost as well, and happily cried out her name:
"EMBER!"
"Here I was, checking out some tunes for inspiration, when some chump starts having their own jam session on the roof." She rolled her eyes. "I should have known it was you."
"Ember, what an unpleasant surprise." He tried to go back to his work. "If you'll just give me a moment, I'll leave you alone to-"
"I asked you a question, metal mouth." Her eyes locked onto Danielle. "What do you think you're doing with her?"
"I… uh," her attitude was familiar, but in this situation confused him. "I'm taking this female Phantom back to my lair, where-"
"You're leaving her here."
He turned back around. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me right, trash can." Ember put her hands on her hips, now looking Skulker in the eye. "You're not laying another cast-iron finger on her."
"You dare interrupt my hunt?" His titanium teeth gritted as he stepped closer. "Try to take away my prey?"
"Either she gets out of that box," she summoned her guitar, "or you go home in one."
He hesitated; he was still salvaging the remains of his last robot suit.
"And after I'm done tearing you apart, maybe I'll tell Walker all about your little hunt today too. He'll be thrilled to hear about you breaking the ghost children rule…"
"She's only half-ghost," he tried to argue, "no more protected than the whelp-"
"…not to mention those missing prison guards you've been testing your tech on back in your lair."
His jaw dropped, reducing him to a stammer. "H-h-how did you-"
"Know? Well," she smirked. "I had to know everything I could about my loving boyfriend, just in case. We're both villains, remember?"
"But… but… I am the-"
"Walk away." Her fingers graced her guitar strings. "While I'm letting you."
Green stared against green, mechanical to supernatural, until one gave in.
"Fine." Wings opened from his back, a pair of jet engines sending him into the air. He looked back to the girl in the cube, proclaiming, "This isn't over, whelpette! For you or Danny Phantom!" He blasted off, to hunt another day.
Ember watched his retreat.
"Idiot."
No, not 'Dipstick.' A man like that didn't deserve it.
Danielle was so stunned, she forgot her predicament. "That guy's your boyfriend?"
"Ex-boyfriend." She muttered to herself, "Can't believe I was ever into him."
A few seconds of feeling around the neutralizer led Ember's hands to the skull-shaped 'Power' button. One press returned Danielle's cage into its small box form.
The girl stared at it, frozen.
She hadn't been that helpless since…
Vlad.
Of course, only he would help make something so despicable.
"You're lucky I was in the neighborhood, kid." Ember broke her from her reverie.
"Yeah." She turned to the rocker ghost, first with slow steps.
Then Ember felt the girl's full weight, felt the tears stain her clothes.
"I haven't been that scared since… since I almost…"
Ember knew; Danny told the story of his loved one's near-dissolution with a detail that broadcast his pain. "Kid…"
A hand passed through Danielle's black hair.
Black hair.
This wasn't the tough little halfa she sparred with weeks ago, Ember realized.
This was Danielle, the human.
And despite it, to her own shock, Ember didn't pull away.
"…It's gonna be okay."
"I know." Dani walked back to the cube, wiping away her tears and taking her Phantom form. Her angry green eyes glowed before she crushed the trap underfoot. "I don't ever want to see that thing again."
"You just might see an encore anyway," Ember noted; "Guys like him hate to lose." She pondered, I wonder what I can do about that.
"Thanks so much, Ember! You just saved my life… again!" Dani's smile shone brightly once more. "I really owe you one!"
"Two or three, probably." Ember smirked. "But don't thank me yet."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm dropping you off with your mom."
"My mom…?" Her eyes widened. "Oh."
"Danielle Phantom!" Sam loomed over her, arms folded as she stood with the others in Dani's room. "Where on Earth have you been!?"
"So, um," The child began to ramble. "I was chasing this ghost, and I think I was too far away with the Fenton Phones, then this crazy robot guy named Stalker started-"
"SKULKER!?"
"Yeah, that's it, so I-"
"Stop." She raised her hand. "I left you alone for two hours, and you thought you would run off and fight one of Danny's toughest enemies?"
"Hey, I didn't know that!" Danielle protested. "He found me! And like I said, I was fighting something else."
"And you didn't call me the whole time, because…?"
"Well, I was gonna call, but I thought I could handle it." She shifted her feet, "And maybe…"
"I bet she wanted to impress you by playing hero," Ember interrupted. "You know, doing your thing?"
"Nobody asked you, Ember!"
"Don't get snippy with me, Manson." She frowned at the human's audacity. "If I wasn't around, your little girl would've been stuffed and mounted by sunrise. You ought to be on your knees, thanking me!"
"I think she's right," Dani told her. "I'd have been a goner without her." She floated up to hug the elder ghost at the shoulders.
Sam gawked as Ember briefly—very briefly—hugged back.
The little Phantom jumped back after a thought. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot." She pulled out her Thermos. "I did catch the ghost I was after!" She remarked haughtily, "It was easy."
The goth took the Thermos and looked Dani over. She was covered in dirt, a few scrapes, some ectoplasm Sam prayed was the other ghost's, and apparently random stains of water. "Somehow, I doubt that."
Sam took Danielle into her arms.
"But I'm so glad to see you're okay."
Danielle relaxed into the warmth. She didn't know this feeling, not even with Danny, but...
It felt right.
"Well, if you two are over your family drama, I'm gonna split." Ember began to float away, knowing a 'moment' when she saw one. "There's an album in Moon's Music Store calling my name."
"Wait." Sam reached up, grabbing Ember's wrist. "I should thank you."
"Got that right." She mused, "What were you even gonna do if she called anyway? Take a bus?"
"I, er…" Sam blushed. "I have a moped, you know!"
"Ooh, sounds heroic," she jibed. "Still not seeing you on your knees by the way."
"Hmph." Violet eyes glared, defiant. "Not on your afterlife."
Ember laughed. "Alright, Manson, I guess I'll let it slide." She turned to the girl she saved. "Try to keep out of trouble, would ya?"
Dani simply smiled. "No promises!"
She chuckled. "Didn't think you would. See you around, kid." She floated up again, before she paused, with a mischievous grin. "Oh, and tell daddy Dipstick to expect a match real soon."
"I will!"
Ember turned her hair into a spiral of flame surrounding her body. With her trademark echoing laugh, she vanished.
"So, the ghost of a dead rock musician just promised she'd attack my best friend, and it feels… normal." Sam asked to no one, "Is it weird that I'm getting used to this?"
"Well, I already have," Dani answered. "Ember's different, but maybe it's like you said."
They both looked at the space where she left.
"Maybe this 'different' is good."
"Hmm, maybe." Sam looked at Danielle. "You know, I never told you about the first time Danny met Skulker."
"Ooh!" The ghost girl jumped onto her bed, expectant. "What happened?"
"I'll tell you later." Sam pointed to her dirty clothes. "First a shower, then the story."
She pouted. "Alright."
"Great!" Sam sported a grin that made the distant Danny and Tucker shiver. "I'll go get the pictures."
Three days later…
"GAH!"
On a barren rock in the Ghost Zone, a certain hunter lay in defeat. He lacked an arm and a leg, his wings broken, unable to escape a furious predator.
The beast bore snow-white hair and glowing green eyes.
"You come after me, shoot me, punch me, call me whelp? Fine." A punch nearly caved in Skulker's face. "I can take it, and you'd better believe I'll give it right back."
Skulker raised a hand to fire an emergency ecto-ray, but a blue beam froze the hand solid. An ice gauntlet slapped it away, allowing it to break off from the arm and shatter on the ground.
"But coming after Danielle?" The gauntlets changed into claws, aiming for Skulker's head. "Big mistake."
"NO, DON'T!"
His cry went unheeded, the claws ripping in deep and parting the metal to reveal the truth. A tiny green ghost resided inside, shocked and afraid.
"One warning, Skulker. If you ever come after Danielle again…"
Danny Phantom picked up the tiny hunter, and squeezed.
"…I will squash you like a grape!"
He threw the villain into the void, watching him become an even smaller speck.
He soon felt a presence behind him, one he was beginning to recognize. "Thanks for letting me know about him, Ember."
"Haven't seen your dark side before. No wonder you didn't tell the others about this little trip." Ember squinted into the distance. "Think he got the message?"
"Oh yeah. And trust me," he thought of a certain Thermos, "that wasn't my dark side."
"Good to know. So…" She avoided his gaze. "I guess you're heading home?"
"Not yet. I still owe you." His hand coated itself in ice. "Rematch?"
Her hand wreathed itself in flame. "Bring it on."
END