Happy Saturday! Well, I hope yours was anyway. Here in the south its tailgate season which is bad for anyone who works fastfood... Anyway, so some attempted science in here, but don't take it seriously cause I made up so much of it...=^-^=
Ch. 5 - Scientific Study
After spending a few more minutes debating outside they all decided it would be best if they went inside where it was warm especially once Zak started shivering in his snow boots. They gathered in the lab where Danny took a seat at an empty bench and Doyle followed not long after while rubbing the sore spot on his head. He gave a groan as he took a load off. "Man. I swear when I see that guy again, I'm gonna start by giving him the biggest power wedgie you can possibly give a guy that size."
Danny raised a brow at him. "Start?"
Doyle gave a slightly mischievous nod. "Oh, that's just a start. That guy's had a whole lot more coming to him the last few months." He seemed to be imagining the whole thing in his head a moment before turning to Danny. "By the way, thanks for getting me out of that stupid UFO ray." He paused a moment. "I guess I actually owe you 2 now don't I?"
Danny waved it off. "Its fine really… I just wanted to help."
That's when the teen's mom interjected. "Help or not, young man, that was extremely dangerous!" She scolded sternly causing Danny to recoil back slightly as any kid would under their parent's scolding words. She then turned to the Saturday parents who seemed to be exchanging wordless glances. "So now, Drew, I would like that explanation. Why were you fighting? Beeman, I can understand, but Miranda? And I can only assume that the yeti was a Secret Scientist as well?" She asked as she crossed her arms.
Drew gave a nod. "Professor Mizuki was the Hibagon and yes he's a Secret Scientist. We've recently had a bit of a falling out regarding…" She trailed off as she eyed Zak from the corner of her eye.
The young boy stepped forward in agitation. "It's me alright!? They're fighting because of me!" He started with a frustrating yell. "Because I'm some stupid reincarnation of Kur, and they think I'm going to call up an army of Cryptids to destroy humanity!"
Drew kneeled down to the exasperated Saturday and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Calm down, Zak, alright?"
He pushed himself away. "No! I'm not going to calm down! Every time we try to do something helpful, those guys find us and fight! Why is all of this happening!?" He then seemed to calm just a bit as he looked over to Danny with slight envy. "What I wouldn't give to just have a normal life for a change….." Both Doc and Drew gave him sympathetic looks as he took another exasperated breath.
"Kur…..? But Kur is a Cryptid isn't it?" Maddie inquired while not quite sure of entirely what it was. "I remember you mentioning it years ago."
Drew gave a nod as she stood up. "Kur was a Cryptid, the scourge of the ancient world with limitless power and could control and army of Cryptids."
Maddie, still seeming quite confused, posed another question. "But that still doesn't explain how Zak could be it? Kur was a Cryptid and Zak's human. How would you even know?"
Drew shook her head. "We're not entirely sure ourselves, but we believe we may have unleashed it when we dug up the Kur stone in the beginning. It somehow latched onto Zak…."
"The 'how' is my fault." Doyle added in begrudgingly. "If I hadn't brought that stupid juju stick thing….."
Drew let out a sigh. "You couldn't have known, Doyle, none of us could."
He turned to her in frustration. "Yeah, but if I had just listened to you, then those other egg heads wouldn't be trying to put Zak in some cryo-freezer."
Danny could feel this situation hitting close to home for him since his face off with his future self and it made him mad. "So these scientists think Zak is going to raise an army and wipe out humanity? They're basing this all on some old legend?"
Drew turned to him in understanding. "Yes, but Kur isn't just a legend, it was a real Cryptid and it laid waste to civilizations."
Danny turned around on the bench with an agitated expression. "But this Kur thing was evil?" He then pointed to a slightly agitated Zak. "But Zak's not evil…. He's like… 12 right? Besides, any kid who would run out into a snow storm to save his family can really only be called stupid in this case, not evil."
Doc wore a bewildered expression as he looked down at Zak. "So you did run out in that snow storm after I specifically told you not too!"
Zak jumped at the sudden change of mood as his father gazed down at him with his arms crossed. He then gave a shrug with a sheepish expression. "Come on, it all worked out in the end didn't it?"
"That's not the issue here, Zak." Drew chimed in with her own strict tone.
Zak grumbled a bit as he turned to Danny. "You just had to say something didn't you?"
Danny shrugged in response. "Consider it payback for tripping me with that stupid claw of yours, and it did hurt by the way." He then crossed his arms. "Besides, you would've ended up a Popsicle if I hadn't gone after you. Shouldn't someone who grew up traveling know what to do in a snow storm like that? You just barreled through the door with nothing but your clothes."
Zak was taken slightly aback by the accusation, knowing himself that he wasn't really thinking at the time. "Of course I-"
Danny shook his head. "You couldn't see 5 feet in front of your face, how were you going to find him? Another good question, how were you going to get back?" Zak was a bit frustrated by the information especially knowing that Danny was right. He didn't think it over much, and he probably would've been lost out in the snow by himself. "Not thinking clearly in that kind of situation is liable to end badly."
That did it for the young Saturday. Even though what Danny was telling him was completely true, he just couldn't take it anymore. 'How does some city kid who's only known him for a day get off telling him how to act in an emergency? He's probably never even been outside of Amity Park! He could never understand what it's like to be considered a monster and hunted down!' He thought angrily as he stomped his way over to the teenager. "Says the kid who got captured by Beeman!? Why don't you just mind your own business! Some kid from some nice normal city wouldn't know anything about me or my family! If I hadn't gone out after Doyle, I bet you would have just stayed inside and let him freeze to death!"
Danny stood up and glared at the young Kur. "Now who's assuming things huh!? You're barking up the wrong tree if you think anything about my life is normal! You think I wanna be here!? No! I'd much rather be at home then dragging some ungrateful little brat out of the snow or dealing with, guess what?, MORE GHOSTS! As if I don't see them every day at home!"
"Now, Danny-" Maddie tried to intervene when she saw just how uncharacteristically angry her son was getting.
"WHAT!?" He growled angrily as he faced her. He instantly regretted it of course as he saw how hurt she was by it, if the guilt in his eyes was any indication, but was just too frustrated for any kind of apology. Instead he just stomped out of the lab after giving Zak one more agitated glare.
Zak just gave a huff and crossed his arms. "Jerk." He was then grabbed by one of his arms and when he turned to see who it was he met angry expressions all around. "What?" He asked in a bratty tone.
"What do you mean what? All of that was uncalled for, young man!" Drew scolded as she pulled him over. "What was that supposed to accomplish?" She asked in a stern tone. "Were you even thinking before saying any of that?"
Zak was quick to protest his innocence. "Oh come on! That jerk totally started it!"
Doyle stood and crossed his arms. "Yo mini-man, were you even listening to yourself?"
Zak raised a brow to his uncle while Doc gave a stern nod. "He's right, Zak, you're the one who started that argument. Everything that Danny was saying before is right, and given his situation at the time, he didn't have to go after you. Running out into that storm was a foolish thing to do." Zak's expression was more than disbelief as his anger faded and realization set in.
Drew let out a sigh as she pointed to the halls. "I want you in your room, now. It'll give you time to think about it and how you plan to apologize." She then turned to Fisk. "Fiskerton, make sure he gets there, and no detours." The Lemurian nodded in understanding before calling Zak over. (Come on.)
Fisk gave Zak his own disapproval as he trudged past him sullenly. "Not you too, Fisk?"
Fisk nodded in response and waved his finger. (You went too far.) Zak hung his head and crossed his arms as he was guided out of the lab.
Drew then made her way over to Maddie with an apologetic expression. "I'm very sorry about that, Maddie, really…"
Maddie, though right next to her, seemed mentally far off as she stared at the hall Danny had left through. After a moment she regained herself and turned to her friend. "Oh!... What was that?"
Her expression was troubled and Drew understood. "I just wanted to apologize for my son. He's not usually like that, but with the stress of this morning-"
Maddie waved it off. "It's fine, Drew, Danny wasn't really helping with the way he was speaking either….. I don't think I've ever seen him get that angry before…" She ended as she turned back to the hall. "I can't even decide if it would be the best thing to go after him at this point." She said sullenly and with a slight sigh.
"Nah, he could probably use the time to himself like Zak." Doyle suggested as he leaned back on the bench.
Doc seemed to agree as he added his own sense in. "They both probably need to calm down alone."
The tense situation was broken by the video phone as the emblem for Fenton Works appeared on the screen. Maddie, after taking a breath, quickly answered it in anticipation for her results. "Hey, Maddie!" Jack answered enthusiastically. "You're not going believe what's happening right where you are!" He pulled up a few papers and started to scan through them to double check himself. "You're standing in an ectoplasmic hotspot that rivals Amity Park! And that ghost? It's readings are through the roof of spectral activity! Based on the ERAS it has to be at least a 9, maybe higher!"
Maddie raised a surprised brow at the information. "What? If the hot spot really were the size of the one in Amity Park then there would be far more spectral activity."
Jack gave a shrug. "I don't know what's going on either, but it's still increasing even right now! The readings themselves are still lower than they are here but the range, WOW!"
Maddie lifted the handheld she had adapted into the lab computer. "This can't be right….?"
"What's wrong Maddie?" Drew asked as she approached the console.
"This is happening way too fast." She took to the console and brought up a map. "You see this here?" She asked as she pointed to the area around Pingano village. "This represents the readings from the village before. At that point, they were negligible; nothing to really report on considering there was a ghost sighted already. These, however," She began as she pointed to the airship's position. "These have changed dramatically. When we first landed I was sure to begin collecting data immediately, but these readings indicate an increase of around 3 times the original."
"What about those ghost wolves from before?" Doc inquired as he joined the discussion. "Couldn't they have influenced your results?"
Maddie shook her head. "No, this is based on ectoplasmic energy density found in the area not from ghosts. They may have the same basic makeup but they don't register the same. One will generally herald the other though, as ghosts are found in places with high ectoplasmic density."
Drew raised a hand to her chin. "Then what could increase the density?"
Maddie wore a serious expression as she pulled out a memory drive from her suit. "That's the confusing part." She started as she plugged it in and began running a sort of simulation. "An area's natural ectoplasmic density doesn't generally change by any significant amount. The density is directly proportional to how thick the border between our world and the Ghost Zone is in an area."
Doyle immediately shot up. "Whoa! Hold it, back up…. Ghost Zone? Like another dimension sort of thing?"
Maddie turned and gave a nod. "Yes, the Ghost Zone. It's a parallel dimension to our own. As a matter of fact, it's more like its entwined with ours, like two ropes." She described while expressing it with her hands. "While they are separate, they can connect at times and when that happens, the density will increase." She then turned to the computer again and activated the simulation on the screen. "And when the density hits a certain point…" The screen then showed a spacial twisting before a tunnel appeared on the holographic surface. "A portal will be created."
Drew seemed to be familiar with the topic as she thought back. "I remember this. This is what you and Jack were researching before right?"
Maddie gave a nod while Doc seemed to remember a bit himself. "I think I remember something like that too…. I'm pretty sure Beeman told me about some explosion being the result." Doc concluded with a skeptical eye.
Maddie simply scoffed. "Well science does come with setbacks, and that was one of ours. It took years before we were actually able to make a stable portal to the Ghost Zone."
"You betcha!" Jack chimed in. "You wanna see?" He asked while ignoring any answer. He turned the video screen so that the Fenton Portal was in full view. "And this one didn't explode." He said proudly. "Though we're not allowed to get power from the city anymore."
Maddie let out a sigh as she remembered the letter they mailed them. "Artificially increasing the ectoplasmic density of the portal's space takes a lot of power." She then shook the memory from her mind. "Anyway, the reason this is so strange is that this is happening naturally. There's no real focal point which would be showing up if it was unnatural. If the readings continue like this, it could be a matter of hours before an actual portal manifests itself in the area."
Doyle raised a brow. "So if these things can occur naturally, why haven't they been seen? I mean, I've been all over the world and haven't seen anything like that."
"It's understandable that you haven't seen one. They are a very rare occurrence and don't last very long; maybe 10 or so minutes. They also only appear in a hot spot as I mentioned earlier and there's only a couple dozen of them on the planet with only a handful of them being able to spawn a portal. The reason we even live in Amity Park is because it has density levels high enough to sustain a portal in the first place. Trying to do it without a suitable location was the biggest problem with our first attempt, which resulted in that explosion." She then pulled up a map. "But, maybe you've heard about the Bermuda Triangle?"
Doc wore a skeptical expression. "Don't tell me you're going to start in on that."
Maddie gave a shrug. "I'm not saying that everything can be attributed to it, but the ectoplasmic density of the area is more than enough to make ghost portals."
"Oh, that's cool." Doyle commented as he thought over the concept. "I could just imagine some of those planes flying right into one of those portals."
Doc rolled his eyes which got him a jab in the side from Drew. "Doc!"
He saw the frown his wife was giving him and so with a resigned sigh he nod. "Fine, I'll admit it's maybe just a little bit possible."
Maddie took the small victory without hesitation. "It's the little victories that count I guess." She then turned back to the video screen. "Now about that ghost?"
Jack seemed to almost forget in lite of all the portal information. "Oh right." He responded as he pulled up the data screen. It linked to the one in the lab in a matter of seconds through Maddie's handheld. "It's readings are definitely at least a level 9." His expression turned serious as he continued. "This is the highest reading a ghost can have on the ERAS."
Maddie quickly cut in with an explanation."The ERAS, or Ectoplasmic Reading Assessment Scale, was already in place decades ago, but Jack and I had to increase the original 5 levels to 9 due to a recent increase in spectral activity in Amity Park. We thought it was the portal at first, but since it only started around 6 months ago it leaves the question of why it took so long to happen?"
Jack then seemed to remember something. "Oh right! Maddie, I actually wanted to talk to you about the experiment."
Maddie raised a brow. "Nothing happened to it right?"
Jack shook his head with a furrowed brow. "Come on, Maddie that was 8 years ago! It hasn't even been 24 hours since you left."
Maddie gave a compromising nod. "Fine, so what's going on?" She asked which brightened the elder Fenton immediately.
"Okay, so the ectoplasmic density readings are now showing a stabilizing shift, and the crazy part is that it only started yesterday." Maddie seemed astonished by the news which confused the Saturdays.
"So that's not supposed to happen?" Drew inquired.
"No… it's not…. At least not so obviously. It takes months for a shift like that to occur normally."
Jack gave a nod. "Now, the reason I'm saying this is about that ghost. There has only been one recorded level 9 to appear in Amity Park, and that occurred 6 months ago."
Maddie pondered a moment. "You don't think….."
"That's exactly what I'm thinking Maddie. Imagine if that ghost is actually the cause…." He trailed off as he became serious once again. "You and Danny need be careful around this one. There's no telling of what it could do." He then seemed to hear something in the background and the serious moment shattered. "Oh, gotta go! Just call if you need anything else!" He then ended the call rather abruptly.
Doyle then held out his hand and began counting. "So we have a crazy powerful ghost on the loose, a horde of ghost wolf things, 3 missing Secret Scientists, a possibility of random ghost portals, and two angry kids… Did I miss anything?" He inquired rather playfully as he turned to the Saturday couple.
"No, I'm pretty sure that sums it up." Drew responded with a playful tone. "But I'm up for leaving those 3 off the 'to do' list."
"I thought we were trying to be better than them?" He reminded in a sullen tone.
"Ugh…. I hate the high road…" She responded with disdain.
Those last couple of lines were from the SS. I really loved that part cause of how they looked when they said them. Anyway, so science... maybe, and teenager explosion. Looks like Danny and Zak aren't making any headway in the friendship department huh? Give 'em some time. Also, Jack is smart...ish. I told you that's what I would do to him. Its more realistic that way. Anyway more fun to come next week! (Hopefully I can update some of my other fics as well...)
Feel free to ask questions and leave comments in a review! I love them!=^-^=
