The day was starting out rather bad, as Sam just sat at a table at the mall as Tucker... was showcasing his tech to her as he messed with several cartridges. "And this cartridge makes my PDA a GPS. And this chip here makes the GPS a GBA. And..." He stopped before he asked. "I'm boring you, aren't I?"
"You're KILLING me!" Sam groaned before she asked the big question. "Why aren't we hanging out with Danny today?"
"He said he was busy." There was little doubt where he was taking his time with, Sam just was upset that she couldn't be helping too much herself before two others joined them, the Red Huntress of Valerie Gray and Star, her last name actually Schaeffer, but she wanted to be simply called Star Kim or just Star as Tucker greeted them, one positive, the other disdain. "Hey Valerie. Star."
"Foley."
"Manson." Valerie spoke to Sam as the goth just sighed, her opponent with Topaz.
"Whatever." Star started it off as she inquired, poking at a few buttons for old times sake.
"Where's your loser boyfriend Danny?"
"He's not my/her boyfriend!" Both Sam and Valerie shouted, surprising Star before closing the distance on each other as they continued. "And he's not a loser!"
"Umm ... ladies? Another good looking guy right here?" Tucker waggled his eyebrows to get some attention, but nothing as he moaned. "And people wonder why I love technology." His PDA started to get a bit fuzzy as he inquired in concern. "Sweetie? Are you okay?" Valerie took the chance to ask a bit more as Star didn't insist on trying to downplay Fenton, after all, he has a lot of rep as Phantom among those who really know as she drunk her carton of juice.
"So ... where is Danny anyway?"
"Not that it's any of your business, Valerie, but ... he said he was busy." That would have enflamed another war as Sam made to make her claim clear with Valerie the 'Russian spy in disguise', but Danny crashing into the table ruined the attempt as Technus floated down with amusement as people ran for it.
"Are you mad, child? Picking a fight with me in my upgraded form?"
"You upgraded to a mullet?" Danny questioned before he fired from his sitting position, Technus dodging before collecting some loose tech and forming a shield of ectoenergy to block the barrage before Danny spoke again. "This is really not the time, Technus!" He leapt off the table and landed on the other, Valerie humming as she was splattered with food.
"Not as disgusting as ecto-goo, but still close." She huffed and pulling off her pack and dumping it out, grimacing as all that fell out were books as she grumbled. "Argh, that's right ... Dad took my ghost-hunting gear and locked it in his lab." She was launched away and she groaned as she landed in a pool of soda, Danny getting mad as he made to get Technus for attacking one of his friends.
"I am gonna break you in half!" He charged for Technus as the tech-obsessed ghost mused.
"Temper, child, temper." He turned into code and teleported as he mocked Danny. "There's that emotion of yours again." Danny turned just as Technus reformed and snatched her by the throat as he continued, shocking Danny and hurling him into a display of boxes. "And emotion, whether you know it or not, is your greatest weakness." Technus dusted off his hands before turning into code again, phrasing into Valerie's phone as she shook herself off and stormed over as she exclaimed.
"Move it! Get out of my way!" She got to the front as she spotted Danny laying among the boxes and spoke, playing with the surroundings to be in the clear. "Oh, hi. Didn't expect to see you here." Danny replied back as Fenton as he mused just the same.
"Uh, didn't expect to be here." Valerie gazed romantically at Danny as Sam groaned.
"Oh, I'm gonna hurl." Technus, now inside of Valerie's phone, mused to himself of his next course of action.
"Perfect! Rage! Desire! Weakness I can use against him." He laughed as Valerie Gray was about to get an upgrade and it was all done as both Phantom and Huntress were flirting with disaster...
The class soon headed out to Axion Labs, it being bought by Vladco, which Danny could imagine what Vlad would want from Axion, but to be honest, he really didn't want to think too deeply of Vlad's intent as Mr. Falluca, who was in charge of the students for now, thanked Damon for the chance to tour the labs. "Well, class. It was very kind of Mr. Gray to give us a tour of Axion Labs."
"My pleasure, Mr. Falluca. Shields down, please." The mechanical doors lowered their ghost shields before opening up as Valerie's phone turned off to hide its hijacking ghost as they headed through, except one as Damon rested a hand on Danny's shoulder and spoke. "Danny, could you hold up for a minute?" Danny held back to listen to Mr. Gray as the rest of the class entered a part of the labs as Tucker exclaimed to the jet-pack stored there.
"Cool! This is the X-Twenty-Three booster rocket! Capable of launching a person into space in less than two minutes!" He turned in amuse to the looming column of machinery before them. "And this is part of the Cybertron main computer. It's the hub that leads to the actual computer processing unit which floats in space." Sam asked the big question.
"Why would they put it in space?" Tucker had the simple answer as he spoke.
"For safety. Sam, a computer that powerful could be used to control every other computer in the world. We can't just let anybody get to it." Valerie didn't seem interested in it as she took a look around the lab once more, but her hijacker made his presence known with locking her in a storage closet and jumping into the hub as the PDA went weird again before Tucker continued to explain about the hub. "That's why the only way to the main computer is through this hub and through a ten thousand digit security code."
"And you know this why?" Sam pointed out as Tucker replied just the same.
"Sam, I'm a techno-geek. What do you think I do all night on the internet, math homework?"
"I had always assumed so. Perhaps I need to assign more." Mr. Falluca answered with narrowed brow as Cedric and Talia smacked her faces with their palms, clearly Tucker was too dull to realize his own stupidity at times while Damon spoke to Danny out of the lab section.
"Are you OK? You seem nervous, son."
"Well, uh, kinda." Danny answered in glancing up to the portrait of Vlad on the wall, titled with 'Our Boss' under it as Damon continued.
"Well, I think you're a good kid. And I know my daughter likes you." Both chuckled as Damon continued in getting closer. "Just do me a favor. Keep your family's ghost weirdness away from my daughter, hmmm?"
"I will do my best, sir." Danny answered as Damon was more approachable than Mr. Sachez was as Damon nodded and he headed out before the ghost sense went off and he glanced as the roof was caved in and the Huntress arrived to blast the room as Mr. Falluca shouted.
"Everybody! Single file! Run!" The students ran as the Huntress continued her assault before Danny changed and was joined by Exorcist as he tapped into the Fenton Phones and spoke.
"Valerie, what do you think you're doing, destroying the lab!?"
"What are you talking about, I'm stuck in the closet!" They glanced to where the sound was coming from before Danny questioned.
"If she's not in the suit, then what is piloting it!?" They went after it as Damon returned and exclaimed to the level of destruction before the closet opened and Valerie exclaimed.
"Wow! What even happened here?" She yelped as Damon took her wrist in believing that she just lashed out for some reason while, in the hub, Technus mused.
"A ten thousand digit firewall, eh? Please!" He started to scramble it before failing as he exclaimed. "Aaaa! This could take a while. And that ghost child will be snooping around here at any time, unless I continue distracting him." He opened a virtual window to show Valerie's face as Technus made to multitask to keep both Danny away and give the tech ghost time to work. "And the girl will be the key!" Said girl was getting lectured as she defended herself.
"I tell you, it wasn't me!" Damon scolded back as they stood in the laundry room of their apartment.
"Well, it was your suit! So what am I supposed to think?"
"That somebody took it? That I'm telling the truth? How about that?!" She answered aggressively before storming off, entering her room and flopping on the bed as she started to think aloud about it. "It wasn't me. So who—" She stopped as her computer dinged before she found a message form Danny as she read it aloud. "Val, are you okay? Danny?!" She smiled before typing out her reply. "I'm fine. Don't know what happened, but, yeah." But who was replying back was not him as he was busy conversing with his friends on a Skype call, Cedric's layout must be form the base or elsewhere as he spoke.
"Doesn't it seem weird to you at all? I mean, usually, she's all 'WHERE'S THE GHOST! I FIND THAT GHOST, I'M GONNA WASTE IT!' But she didn't say a word."
"She spoke with her gun, Danny. Remember?" But that made less sense as Tucker checked his PDA as it was glitching out again for some reason, before Cedric could even join in, a message from Valerie came through.
"Danny, are you okay?" He didn't clue in as Valerie was in the closet, why would she be asking him as Sam and Tucker jumped at him about it.
"What's that?" They drew close to find out what he was smiling about and why he spoke aloud. "Is that from Valerie?"
"Tucker! Are you online again!?" Tucker quickly signed off before Danny closed the face cams to Sam's utter hey before Danny typed out his reply to 'Ghost8r'
"I'm fine, but I didn't know what to think. How about you?" What followed was a switch between the two or so each other believes as Cedric leaned back with Talia coming from behind and hugging him as she spoke.
"Strange how Miss 'Ghost Huntress' is deciding to flirt with Daniel, instead of wondering why her suit just attacked the lab."
"I know, and that part confuses me as well." Cedric answered as he typed it out, finding something else in the way. "Looks like Axion's security grid is both down, but on high alert, a hack would only draw the lab's attention to us, so I am afraid that Danny has to tell us about his 'chat session' with Valerie." He signed off and stretched before kissing Talia's cheek in getting up and both headed to their separate rooms for the nights, as the chat went form night to day and Danny was exhausted out as he yawned in front of Casper High before Tucker asked with Sam booting in.
"Long night?"
"Of flirting with disaster?" Danny defended himself as he spoke.
"You should really give her a chance, Sam. I know she wants to waste Danny Phantom, but did you know she's a ninth-degree black belt? That her favorite fruit is kumquat because it's a funny word?"
"No, Danny, I didn't, because I never can get past the 'waste Danny Phantom' part!" But the same was happening with Valerie as she explained out to Star in the halls of the school.
"Do you know that he wants to be an astronaut? That he bowls with a 150 average?"
"No, all I know is that his family is a bunch of ghost-hunting freaks."
"Sadly, semi-true." Danny answered as he had arrived to hear the comment as Star spoke.
"I'm sorry, but by 'freak' I mean... Nah, I mean it! See ya, Val! See ya, freak!" Danny huffed as Valerie answered just the same, just a face in the school society.
"Ah, don't mind her."
"Her? W-was there another girl with you? I hadn't noticed." Valerie snorted as she returned volley.
"Pretty cheesy, Neil Armstrong. You got lunch plans?" Sam and Tucker watched just the same before Sam exclaimed as Cedric and Talia watched the same happening with raised brow, Topaz was not there on account of venting out some rage on how Danny could have been 'chatting' with Valerie, like a couple.
"Is he nuts!?"
"Ah, don't worry, Sam. This is the puppy love stuff. He'll come to his senses in no time. Just watch."
"Oh, I was planning to." Both raised their brows to the large binoculars that Sam lifted up as the day turned into a stakeout of the pair, somehow each event getting more and more romantic between the two, candle light at the diner, tickets to the carnival, and a halted Ferris wheel ride to their initials being spelled out from the buildings as Sam groaned. "Oh, yeah! Of course that's where the Ferris wheel stops, why wouldn't it!?" She pause to scold Tucker as his PDA was going wacky again. "Can you turn that thing down?"
"No!" Tucker answered back as he continued. "Ever since that fight with Technus, this thing goes static-y at the weirdest times!" That didn't last as Technus' laughter came out to Tucker exclaimed. "Oh no!" The initials were hearted as Tucker realized what was happening. "And now we know why. It's picking up Technus. Something in his new upgrade is making my PDA all wonky." Sam clued in as well as she exclaimed.
"Like at the mall. And the lab. And the Ferris wheel. He's pushing Danny and Valerie together!" Tucker laughed before Sam spoke again. "If you're done, we have to tell Danny." Tucker kept laughing as he inquired.
"You want to tell Danny that Technus is playing matchmaker? How do you think he's going to react to that?"
"Laughing his butt off." Talia and Cedric answered as one as Sam glanced to them as Cedric spoke.
"I get that you see the same issue as us, but let's be a bit more realistic, Technus HATES Danny, so to what big means is he doing this matchmaker business for, I think we have to let Danny know still." As it turned out, that was the same reaction as Danny was laughing with the members meeting him as Casper before Sam inquired with a frown.
"You done yet?"
"No." He rested his back to the tree in laughing before he finished. "Okay now, I'm done. You're trying to tell me that Technus is trying to hook me up? C'mon! Technus hates emotions."
"And hello! He's using yours against you?"
"Dim lights? Stalled Ferris wheels? You think the universe wants you to be together?" Tucker inquired, the trio unaware of the ease-dropping member listening in as Danny made his answer.
"Well, maybe. But... I don't know... I might." Both girls gasped to the reply as Tucker tried to voice his counter.
"Uh, really? Because Tech—" But Sam cut him off as she spoke.
"Uh, tech-nically because we just want you to be happy. If you like her, we'll just have to make space for her at our table." She answered in a painfully cheerful tone and a twitch of her eye as Danny spoke happily.
"And speaking of Valerie, I'm supposed to meet her before class." He headed off, but Valerie rounded about to speak to the four of them as she asked Sam in emerging form the thicket.
"Did you mean that?" Sam stammered before she replied once more.
"Well, uh, uh... Yeah, sure! If Danny likes you and you like him, then the least we can do is give you a chance." Valerie hugged her before Sam quietly moaned. "Human contact... crushing... Goth indifference." Danny chuckled as he approached that school with the thought of Technus playing matchmaker.
"Technus as matchmaker! Please!" He stopped as he heard several branches break and looked around for any sign of someone approaching him, but he dismissed it. "It's... nothing." He turned right on back as he posed himself a bit more confidently. "Sam was probably being paranoid!" But that didn't last as the sound of a jet roared and he turned with a gasp to the Red Huntress aiming her weapon at him from above the tree line before he exclaimed. "But it doesn't mean she's not right. Valerie's not in there, is she?" What came out WAS Technus as he commented and controlled the suit.
"No. She's not. She's over there, in full view." The suit pointed to Valerie who waved at Danny as he waved back before grimacing as Technus continued in the suit. "You should run now." Danny didn't need to think twice as he booked it as Valerie attempted to greet him.
"Hey, Danny. Sam and I just had the greatest conversation and..." She trailed off to his panic before HER suit just zoomed past and she exclaimed in disbelief. "That's my suit! And it's after Danny!" She grimaced as she knew how well the suit could be, she and Danny had to use both their training and short bouts about town to test themselves out and it was QUITE able to kill Danny, if given the chance, as she took off to the side and emptied her backpack for something that could help. "Oh, please, please, let there be something in here I can use!" But nothing stood out before she snatched a hefty branch and booked it to save Danny as he exclaimed to the controlled suit.
"You were pushing Valerie and me together!"
"You're welcome!" The suit fired as Danny dodged out of the blasts before rolling and turning to change as Technus remarked. "'Uh-uh-uh, careful! Secret identity, remember?" The suit indicated to a surveillance camera on the school and Danny let his ring disappear as he was not ready to reveal himself fully in the open yet as Technus commented. "I wonder who'll miss you the more. The angry ghost hunter? Or the frustrated little goth girl who can't admit her feelings?"
"Whadya—"
"Ah, well, nothing you need to worry about now, because you are through interfering with my plan!" Technus shouted as the laser sight was activated. "Yes! Yes! So long, Child!" Danny grimaced as he needed to get out of sight and fast before his answer came as a milk carton hit the suit and it turned to Valerie, who then leapt and knocked the suit off the board as she exclaimed to him.
"Danny! Run!"
"But..."
"Just run!"
"Oh, I'm running!" Danny exclaimed as he charged off. "Running to get help!" The four turned as Valerie and Huntress faced off, both on foot before Valerie pole-vaulted with a kick to the charging suit's face-plate and landed on her feet as Sam utter a 'whoa' before Tucker spoke as well.
"She really is a ninth-degree black belt! He better not forget their anniversary." Danny hid out into the trash before turning Phantom, phasing the stuff off before he zoomed out, the suit firing at Valerie as she used a lunch table as a minor defense before she slung her keys at the suit and groaned to the suit still standing.
"Oh, great! Now I'm doomed and I can't get back into my house!" She took a blast from the ectogun and groaned as the suit moved to finish the job before Danny first punched, launching the keys out of it, before ramming it away and into the clock-tower as it blasted him into a building and called for the board, Danny rousing himself to dodge the blasts again and take out the board, the five scattering as debris of the board fell with the damaged suit as Danny landed and took in the suit before he mused.
"Valerie's not in there." Valerie crawled out from behind the trash can she hid behind as Danny continued. "Which means I'm not holding back!" He blasted, taking out the gun arm before a leg as he shouted. "Say goodbye, punk!" He fired a third round and blasted a hole through the torso as Danny paused as it fell in front of him. "How does that suit even form on Valerie if it is all circuits or something?" A countdown started on the visor as Danny exclaimed. "OH, COME ON, A SELF-DESTRUCT, REALLY!?" He zoomed away from the suit before it exploded, Valerie gasping as the parts dropped before plucking up the main torso, Danny back down as he spoke. "I'm... sorry about your suit, I didn't mean..." But she just nodded with a sad face as Technus was unheard from the get-go now.
"Aha! Demoralized! Now my plan can go forward!" The bell rang as Danny spoke once more.
"Uh, I gotta go." He took flight as Valerie ran her hand over the suit, curious to what even was controlling it, making it look like... he was trying to do that to her fully, he held back at risk of hurting her, but with an object, he could use his full power as she mused.
"He could have been trying to do that to me! That could have been me! But... it... wasn't..." She glanced up as the camera also proved her innocence. "And now, I can prove it!" The footage was taken easily and shared with Damon as he exclaimed just the same.
"That could have been you!"
"No! Because it never was me!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't believe you." Damon answered as he rested a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Y-you did do a good job of protecting your friend. I guess I can let it go for this time."
"You're only saying that because the suit's destroyed." The suit was also collected up and taken to Axion Labs as Damon gave his answer with lifted finger.
"Bingo!" At Fenton Works, Tucker and Sam volleyed the intent of Technus that they have come to know as Cedric and Talia watched it all the same while also watching a saddened Danny.
"So Technus was behind the attack during the tour. Which means he's probably trying to crack the code and get into the main computer in space!"
"Which he could use to control every computer in the world!"
"You only know that because I told you that."
"Not helping out much, Foley." Talia spoke as she rested her hands on Danny's shoulders and asked. "Are you okay, Danny?"
"You should have seen Valerie's face. I'm sure she thinks I was trying to waste her."
"But you weren't!" Sam defended as Danny didn't take to it at all.
"It doesn't matter! If I want to ask Valerie out, I'm gonna have to never tell her I'm Danny Phantom."
"Impossible as she is part of the team, that is your negative emotions talking." Cedric pointed out as Danny smiled before he frowned again at their intended plan in getting off his bed and heading for the door.
"But first, I'm gonna get rid of that virus called Technus! Once and for all!" But Jack Fenton had other plans as he appeared at the doorway.
"Danny! The word on the street is you got yourself a girlfriend!" He nudged before glancing to the four there with wrapping a hand around his son as he spoke. "Can you four leave so I can have a totally awkward father-son chat?" Sam and Tucker bailed as they exclaimed.
"Gone and gone!" They ran at top speed as Cedric and Talia nodded as they departed a bit slower.
"I wish you luck, Danny."
"Tell us how it turned out, won't you, Fenton?" They left and Jack got out the ice cream and bowls before Danny asked.
"Does it have to be awkward?"
"Yup. I'm going to give you some fatherly advice. Then, I'm going to say something that'll make you cringe and run out of the room in embarrassment."
"Check. Advice first?"
"All right." Jack answered as he returned to his seat from giving Danny that horrid thought, that was more scary than Box Lunch. "If you really like this girl, Danny, you should let her know. Give her something like this." He extended out a hand and dropped a gold ring with blue-green stone in it as Danny inquired.
"A class ring?"
"A girlfriend's not a girlfriend until you give her a class ring, Danny." He lifted up the ring as Jack went off. It also says I think you could be the girl I fight ghosts with. Or at least it did with your mom. I don't know how appropriate that is for you." Danny chuckled as he answered
"You'd be surprised." He held up the ring as he continued. "I can give her this?"
"Only if she's special. I'm sure Sam'll love it."
"It's not for Sam!" Danny answered as Jack laughed.
"Of course it's not! You guys are just friends. I even had it engraved." Danny peered to the inside to see Sam engraved in the metal, he was actually surprised as he didn't know that either of his parents were able to work with jewelry as Jack continued. "You see, that's the embarrassing part. Now, if you'll be excuse me, it's time for pie." Where the pie came from, Danny was not too sure, nor did he feel the want to say it was pie flavored as he left, Jack muttering as he stared at the pie. "Clueless."
Night came again as Danny pulled out some familiar tools, the gang not seeing a full need for them back when as he spoke. "Here." He dropped them into Sam's hand as she looked at them in confusion.
"The Fenton Phones?"
"Once Technus leaves here, let me know." He made to head off before he stopped again. "Oh, and hold this." Sam glanced up in confusion at the ring now in her hand before Danny flew to Axion Labs form the hill they were standing at before Tucker commented.
"He really is clueless, isn't he?" Sam glanced at the ring, but she was reading it upside down as she questioned.
"Who the heck is 'Wes'?" Danny flew into the ducts invisible and intangible and looked for the main hub before he stumbled upon the break-room and looked to find Valerie and her father having 'their awkward parent-child' chat.
"This isn't going to be one of those awkward father-daughter conversations, is it?" The brand of ice cream was the same too, if there was going to be a running gag of the ice cream being a rocky road vanilla, then it was clear that Amity Park was getting more memey by the second.
"Probably. You really risked your neck to save that Fenton kid."
"Yeah. I like him a lot. Maybe even enough to give up ghost hunting." Danny smiled as Valerie thought about giving it up to be with him, despite the standing they have for each other, but Sam had no tact.
"Clueless One, this is Goth One, over." He whooshed out of there as both Grays glanced for the sound of it before Danny spoke back.
"Goth One, this is Clueless One. Why am I 'Clueless One'?"
"Tell him!"
"Shut it!" A sigh came through as Cedric joined in.
"That is for you to learn later, Clueless One, Sci One standing by. Over."
"Copy, Sci One." Danny answered as he flew into the lab where the jet-pack was being held as he spoke, barely noticing the suit in a pile there.
"I'm in." He reached into the canister and pulled out the X-Twenty-Three from its holdings with glancing to the terminals. "And from the looks of the computer, Technus is still in there." A heavy door opened and Danny glanced to the Grays spotting him as Valerie exclaimed, in both confusion and rage.
"You!"
"Oh, darn it." Technus was finishing up as he spoke with getting through the last of the codex firewall.
"Ten, nine, eight..."
"Get away from that!" Technus paused as he exclaimed.
"What is that racket? Security camera fourteen! Visual!" The camera turned and gave Technus a visual of Damon firing an ectogun at Danny as he dodged out of the way before he exclaimed to pointing at the hub.
"There's an evil ghost in that thing, trying to take control of your computer satellite!"
"Yeah! And we're lookin' at him!" Valerie exclaimed as Damon joined in, both heedless to the threat.
"And you expect us to believe you?!"
"No! I need more time!" But Valerie gave Technus just what he needed as she lifted up the torso of her destroyed suit.
"See why I need to hunt these ghosts? They think they can do whatever they want. But somebody has to stop them!"
"Excellent idea!" Technus beamed before channeling his power through the camera and blasted Valerie, Damon exclaimed as the old suit reformed around her, becoming more tech-attuned and more dangerous as red was joined by black and Valerie beamed at the new suit that now clad her, technology now containing her than just nano-fibers and wires.
"Oh, yeah! This is gonna be good!" That bought Technus the time he wanted.
"Two! One! And done! Goodbye, computer in Amity Park! Hello, fancy satellite in space!" He then blasted himself from the radar dish on Axion to the satellite as Tucker grimaced to the static and skull on his PDA.
"Uh, oh. Baby's got a headache." He beamed in before taking over the dome portion as he laughed, his voice echoing into the lab as he remarked.
"It's over, child!" The screen down below was filled with his face as he gloated to Danny, Damon and Valerie seeing the same thing. "You can't stop me now!"
"We'll see about that!" Danny strapped on the X Twenty-Three and pulled off the helmet from the space suit there before he turned it on and turned intangible, before taking flight, Valerie recovered to go after him as she jumped and her feet generated a new board, pronged out like devil horns as Damon exclaimed to the sudden suit.
"Valerie! Get outta that suit!"
"I will! As soon as I get that ghost!" She soared into the air, conjuring three small cubes to open up a hole for her to bust out through as Damon watched her go, Danny was having the time of his life as he exclaimed.
"Whoaaaa! Hey! I'm an astronaut!" Valerie went into pursuit and to intercept him as Sam called out.
"Uh, Danny." Danny didn't hear her the first time as she tried again. "Danny, come in. Stay alert! You have company!"
"Company? What kinda company." An energy bolt missed him as Valerie was hot on his trail.
"It's your girlfriend." Danny flew again with Valerie blasting at him as he exclaimed.
"She's not my girlfriend until I give her the ring."
"What is this? Nineteen Fifty-five?" Valerie hated that Danny just did that to her, but she calmed down as she continued the chase, but somehow linking into the comm-link as she spoke.
"Can somebody tell me, PLEASE, what the heck is even going on!?" Cedric was the one to reply as Sam and Tucker were surprised by how Valerie just entered the link like it was normal.
"Huntress, this is Sci One, the code names were just for aesthetic means, we have reason to believe that a tech-fueled ghost may have been hijacking the Axion hub for the orbital system in orbit."
"Well, you could have said so..." Valerie hummed as she continued to fire at Danny before he switched off the jet and drifted, Valerie soaring past before she tried to turn, but the Zero-Gs were affecting them both as she yelped with floating out of control. "So my 'old' suit, that was the ghost's doing?"
"Used to stall Danny as he can naturally sense ghosts, but we are going to have to get a more in-depth look with your new suit." Valerie paused before she asked with a confused look.
"You... don't want me to give up the suit?"
"You and Danny have become rivals and partners, you learned from one another in your brief battles and matches, you don't have to remove the suit for anyone else, I'll talk to your dad and have him understand it, this is a part of you and it has made you better, made you more human." Valerie nodded as she whipped back to Danny and fired a wrist blast, but the recoil knocked her downward as she yelped.
"Space is really countering me here!" Danny drift away from the way before the Technus-possessed satellite fired beams across the world, causing himself to appear in many forms down on Earth, as Danny tried to blast the satellite to stop it, but it was not working, confusing him before he got rammed and peered up to Valerie as she spoke. "Got ya now!" The board activated a reverse Jacob's ladder electric current as Danny yelped as she yelled. "Now, it's time... we... got..." She stopped as she spotted the satellite with the more horrid face with shades before she tapped again, the current stopping as she pulled Danny up with flying. "Okay, I believe you fully, Danny, now how are we going to take that thing out, it's blasting everything down below!"
"I was trying...!" Danny spoke as he pulled himself up and got behind Valerie in control of the board. "But my ecto blasts were bouncing off, what else can I do here, Val?" She glanced and gasped.
"The X Twenty-Three!" He glanced to the same as she exclaimed. "That thing has a mouth, blow it up from the inside!"
"That's crazy... but that's what I do!" Danny took off again before he soared a distance from the satellite before flooring the jet-pack into overload and rocketed straight for the satellite before going intangible, the pack soaring true as the face gulped the pack and regretted it as it exploded, the powers below dying out as rubble flew all over the place, Valerie barring herself from it before she soared in as she called out.
"Danny...? DANNY...!" Danny gripped the board and Valerie looked down to him as he panted.
"Next time I actually go into space, I am getting a safety harness, my ribs and arms are killing me..." She lightly plucked him up and assured him.
"Hold on..." She soared down with Danny holding on from behind, the heat of reentry getting them, but they were protected as they landed back in Amity Park.
Night turned to day and the party regrouped as Sam dropped the ring into Danny's hand as she spoke. "Here you go." He gripped his hand as Tucker asked, Cedric and Talia taking a short trip to Axion to explain it out with Damon who, for some reason, actually listened and agreed, putting his trust in them in keeping her safe.
"You sure about this?"
"Well, she said she'd give up ghost hunting. For me! Besides, I like her, and she likes me back. Isn't it supposed to be that simple?" The two friends exchange glances before they spoke to themselves.
"Clueless." It was at that moment that Valerie arrived, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder as she asked.
"Danny?" Danny replied back as he spoke.
"Wow." He got up in explaining. "I-I'm glad you're here. I, uh, wanted to ask you something."
"Actually, me first." Both left with Sam lingering before walking away as Valerie spoke in sympathy. "I mean, I've had a lot of fun these last few days, but my life's way too complicated right now for us to be anything other than... friends."
"Just... friends? B-b-but I thought..."
"I thought so too. But there's something important I have to do and I don't want you to get hurt because of it. Besides, it's not like you were going to give me some lame class ring, right?" Valerie kissed Danny on the cheek as he chuckled back at the idea.
"Ye-eah, right..." Valerie walked away as Danny opened his palm, the ring looking back at him as he spoke to himself. "Of course, it wasn't going to be that simple... Who was I kidding... I'm the clueless one to not notice when it is going to hurt..." Valerie shifted into the new suit and glance back from behind the corner as he sadly sat down.
"Well, you're my rival, but that look... was I right in letting you down with that?" She shook her head as she continued. "No, he needed it, more than anything he needed it, better to feel love and lose it than never feel it at all." She headed off to meet Cedric later as Danny felt a hand lay on his shoulder to Sam who smiled at him before he offered up the ring.
"Can you hang on to this?" The ring dropped into her hand and she sighed with tossing it up and catching it.
"Ah, clueless." She headed off, Danny letting a small chuckle fill his lungs, she was just as clueless as he looked forward again, Tucker watching before two girls joined him, just as nerdy as they inquired.
"Dumped him, huh?"
"Apparently."
"Goth girl makin' her move?"
"Doubt it." Tucker tried to use the charm, but neither actually noticed as the brunettes asked herself.
"I wonder if he likes brunettes."
"That's settles it!" He lifted his PDA in the air as he asked it. "You seein' anybody?" He hugged it as Valerie flew through the air, soaring with ease and over Amity itself...
Cedric recording his findings in record time as he spoke to Valerie landing in the training room, a level down from the armory and bunks and fourteen stories of it, how no one asked about it or how it was made was never asked as Cedric spoke. "Well, it looks to be that your 'Crimson Huntress' Suit is quite out-of-this-world, this sort of tech is not likely to be viable until maybe a hundred years of devoted research."
"So I can outperform Danny?"
"Looks like it, mental control over conjured ecto cubes, state-of-the-art atmospheric protection, you could walk through any hazard without incident, it is that compacted." Cedric answered as he wrote more. "But this upgrade has sacrificed some of your weaponry, making you more agile, more resilient, more capable of tracking down foes than just taking them out, like a sniper." Valerie raised a brow as she asked.
"A... sniper?"
"Exact, precise, deadly, you don't need to depend on heavy weaponry if your shots are just as precise as your mind can pinpoint, as for power..." He stepped behind and dabbled with the pack as Valerie glanced in confusion before Cedric called it with more writing. "Yep, powered with an ectoplasmic core, much more energy efficient and less costly than standard fuels and energies, it is a piece of expert technology improved to a more advanced level." Valerie turned as the pack repaired itself from the opening, just closing itself up.
"So... can we still be rivals and friends, if this suit could..."
"I'll bring it up, but for now, yes, you would be winning most of the time, but hey..." Cedric beamed as he continued. "At least now, you would be evening the score board, I'd say you deserve it, I'll tell the others just in case, there is more debate to be had..." Valerie nodded as she headed up, Cedric finishing the writing before pulling out his PDA and copying, Talia walking over as she asked.
"She is perfectly safe?"
"Technus' upgrade affected the suit, improving it dramatically, but nothing is standing out as a Technus virus or AI, she is in control of the suit fully, and I have been doing my best to ensure that it is the case, but we need to converse with the others, just in case." Cedric answered with turning to her. "Tech like this is often the cause for trouble, and I am sure trouble is bound to come if we are not too careful about it..."
