Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom.

Chapter 3: Disillusioned

Vlad's POV

It took several days before I gathered what was left of my dignity and finally began cleaning up the mess I made in the laboratory. Danny's newest ghost attack did quite a number on the place as well, but even that was nothing compared to the fury I unleashed as soon as I managed to remove that accursed Specter Deflector. Looking back on it now, I suppose that was my way of grieving for my lost son who had perished soon after opening his eyes for the first and last time...

Speaking of which, while I know there's no point in keeping it, something kept me from discarding the incubation pod I had used to keep my prime clone stable. All things considered, it's still in relatively good condition. It seemed like such a waste to dismantle it, so ultimately I had it set aside for transport back to my lab in the castle. Of course, I still had yet to go through everything to decide what to keep and what to dispose of which meant I had my work cut out for me.

Without the Maddie Program to assist me, it was a grueling task to manually shut everything down in order to disconnect them and decide what I should still be able to make use of. Naturally, I destroyed the other incubation chambers since those other failures were long gone, and while Dani may still be out there somewhere, I had no desire to be reminded of what her betrayal had cost me. If not for that wretched child, perhaps my son-

Clenching my fist, I grit my teeth and told myself not to dwell on such things. Nothing can change the fact that he's gone, but if I'm lucky...soon he'll have company in the void, once I dispose of Dani as well to avenge his death. All in good time, I thought darkly, Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, because once I find you, I will have my revenge.

Moving onto the next task once the rest of the room was cleared and anything too damaged to salvage was disposed of, I turned my attention to my supercomputer. Thankfully, the system wasn't damaged too badly so I still had full access to my files but there was a lot of corrupted data to sort through which meant this would most likely take up the rest of my time. Not that I had any intention to return here to the chalet, mind you. This place seemed to be cursed to steal away my chances at happiness; first Maddie rejected my confession, and then on top of that my beloved son died in my arms all thanks to the selfishness of the original.

Sighing, I tried to push those thoughts out of my mind to focus on the task at hand, namely deleting any files I either couldn't repair or were no longer of any use. For obvious reasons, I deleted all the data related to the cloning project since I'd given up on trying to clone Danny. That boy is more trouble than he's worth, and were it not for the fact that he's Maddie's son and the only other half-ghost in existence, I would have disposed of him along with his father Jack long ago. At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

The truth, however, is that for all his faults Danny is-

"Hmm? What's this?" I wondered aloud when I suddenly came across a heavily encrypted file rather unexpectedly. I didn't recognize the code patterns used to encrypt it so I could only assume there was a good reason why I wanted to protect this particular data.

It wasn't until I fully decrypted it that what these files were for became clear to me in a cold realization. The Danny Program, somehow the back-up supercomputer interface had missed these core files during its sweep of the rest of the system several days ago, when I told it to delete the Jack and Maddie Programs. Inspecting the files more closely, I noticed there was yet another layer of protection in the form of firewalls, but I suppose that's not too surprising. Before I came up with the idea to clone the real Danny, I created another replication of him to simulate what our lives might have been like together once he finally agreed to join me...

Yet another dream, destroyed.

I quietly contemplated what to do with these files for a moment before a cruel smile curled on my lips and I said, "Now that the Jack Program is gone for good, perhaps this program might prove useful to me in a similar regard. I may not be able to control the real Danny, but this thing is nothing but data. It can't betray me like Dani did so I can do as I please with it. And if I get bored, I can always delete it later as well."

On a whim, I decided to go ahead and make the necessary changes to the program so it would act accordingly and, this time, had no will of its own to subvert my commands. I had already built a new projector since I realized I had been too hasty before when I deleted the Maddie Program. It's my own fault I designed her to act a bit too much like the Maddie I knew, so it's no wonder that idiotic Jack Program had corrupted her to the point where he might as well have been nothing but a computer virus. Not unlike the real Jack Fenton who is also nothing but a waste of oxygen.

It didn't take long for me to set everything up to at least test the program before I transferred the remaining files back to the castle. I still had a lot of work to do but wanted to make absolutely sure that the Danny Program functioned properly under its new parameters. As soon as the holographic projection of Danny flickered into view, its eyes empty and lifeless, I felt a renewed wave of fury towards the boy he was modeled after, and against my better judgment I yelled spitefully, "This is all your fault!"

Impulsively, I reached for its throat, only for my hand to fall through as a cruel reminder that this version doesn't really exist...and my son, he never even got the chance to exist. Growing angrier by the second, I clenched my fists and snarled, "You always have to ruin everything, don't you, Danny? Why couldn't you have just let me have this one thing? If you hadn't resisted so much when I tried to take that mid-morph sample then maybe, MAYBE, I would have finally been rid of my need for you once I finally had the perfect half-ghost son!"

Visibly shaking now as I struggled to reign in my emotions, I continued, "All I wanted was to be loved, but thanks to you, my son is DEAD and you turned one of my own creations against me! Dani owes EVERYTHING to me, do you hear me? EVERYTHING! I only left her humanity intact to make her little act more convincing but you just had to go and ruin that too!"

I can barely recall what else I shouted at the inanimate program, but once I finished my rant, I could hardly breathe and shook my head, muttering, "There. Maybe now that I've let off some steam, I can focus on clearing this place out once and for all, and deciding what to do about the real Danny, because rest assured, he'll suffer more than a few slanderous insults once I get my hands on him again. Now, computer, deactivate the Danny Program. We're done here."

Now that I had finally abandoned my dreams of becoming a father, I let my heart turn to stone because it was less painful that way. Danny will never be mine, as a clone or otherwise, so instead I'll make him suffer just like Jack. Maddie is all that matters to me, no, she's all that SHOULD matter to me anymore. I convinced myself, Danny is nothing but a reflection of his pathetic father, so from this moment on I will treat him as such. You will regret rejecting my offer when you had the chance, Danny Phantom, because now you and I are officially enemies. When next we meet, I won't hold back and you're going to feel ten times the pain and suffering you put me through when you murdered my son.

Daniel's POV

I wasted no time figuring out a way to use the internet to travel to Fenton Works once Father ended our 'training session' which I prayed would be the last one for a while. I shuddered at the memory but at the same time, I was worried for Father. He may pretend otherwise but I know he's as lonely as I am. So if I can find a way to reach him before things get any worse, then there might still be a chance for us to be a family again.

Thankfully, something good came out of Father's bad habit of spying on my original self because he had plenty of documents and other related files scattered throughout the system that told me exactly where to go. It's strange, but when I got there and used the webcam to check if Danny was home, the room I saw felt so...familiar. Obviously I've never been here before, but the parts of me modeled after the original gave me nostalgic feelings towards people I've never met and places I've never seen, like this room.

It didn't take long to figure out Danny wasn't home, which I probably should have guessed anyway since he should still be in school at this hour. With nothing better to do, I continued exploring the inside of his computer, hoping to find some way to talk to him, which was how I came across his instant messenger account and started practicing forming words that way. Thankfully the 'world' inside his computer wasn't nearly as vast as Father's, since the operating system wasn't as complex either so it didn't take me long to commit everything to memory.

Besides, not to brag or anything, but I probably know Danny better than he knows himself at this point based on the data Father had collected about him. I know everything from his blood type to what year he was born which even to me is kinda creepy, but it's not like any of that could help me predict how he'd respond to meeting me for the first time. In fact, I'm pretty nervous about the whole thing,actually...

What if Danny doesn't believe that I'm really a self-aware AI? What if he thinks I'm part of some evil plot and kicks me out before I get the chance to tell him anything? What if Danny still refuses to help me once I tell him the truth, just because of his complicated history with Father? And what if...he rejects me entirely and tries to get rid of me too...?

Trying not to let fear get the better of me when Father still needs me, I prayed that Danny would be willing to give me the same chance as he gave my sister Dani, a chance to show him I'm not his enemy. Just to make sure I wouldn't miss him, I also hacked into the security cameras too, to keep an eye out for Danny as soon as he made it home. Still, it was hard, anxiously waiting for him on my own when so many thoughts were still swirling through my head about the current situation. Father really resents Danny but deep down I know he's only trying to protect himself from the heartache threatening to consume him, body and soul.

Pfft, yeah like I'm one to talk since I don't have either of those things.

I'm basically the ultimate enigma. If I can think for myself and make choices, does that mean I'm conscious in the traditional sense? Are my feelings real or are they still just simulated algorithms? I...can't really tell. I know I'm not real, but I have memories of my time with Father and a certain way I feel about them. And I also feel pain. It might not be physical, but I DO feel pain so doesn't that mean something? They say that feeling pain is proof that you're alive so even if I'm not actually 'alive,' doesn't that still mean what I'm feeling now and my desire to be loved by and help Father is real...?

I was so busy practicing my 'typing' that I completely forgot to wipe my message history by the time Danny walked in the door. I barely caught sight of him through the webcam before a wisp of cold air escaped his lips and he looked straight at the computer which shocked me. Wait, he can't sense me can he? I'm not a ghost so how...? I wondered, but before I could come up with an answer I saw Danny transform and phase into the computer and the moment he did...something strange happened.

I gasped when I felt something resonate with me and my vision flickered until I saw...myself. Impossibly, I had hands again covered with the same white gloves as before. But how? I usually need the projector to have any sort of recognizable form; that's how I was designed as a holographic projection. And for the first time, I don't just sense the world around me inside the computer but I can actually see it! As far as the eye can see there's only sleek black walls and flooring with randomly scrolling strings of code since this computer is so much smaller than Father's which are still in their default zero & one formatting.

Normally, I see code as stars but not here. Then again maybe it's because this isn't my home and I'm using my own eyes for the first time which didn't exist until a few seconds ago. Did...Danny do this to me? Is this some sort of chain reaction because we're the same-

"Who the heck are you? And how come you look just like me?" Danny demanded harshly but all I could do was stare at him and then back at myself, a bit overwhelmed by this weight to myself if that makes sense. It's like I suddenly had more of a...presence than I did before and like something had settled into place to help keep me anchored to this world beyond just the fact that I'm a computer program.

Growing impatient with me, Danny rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Whatever. Just get out my computer. I don't have time for these stupid mind games or whatever you're trying to pull. Don't make me repeat myself."

I opened my mouth to try and answer him, but honestly I was still in shock that I was actually able to see my original self right in front of me with my own eyes. That's...really how I look? I asked myself in wonder as I stare at Danny with a mixture of awe and confusion. I mean, I'm an exact copy of him after all unlike the other clones so it was like looking in a mirror. And like a mirror, I reached out to touch my reflection without thinking and jolted in surprise when he snatched my wrist instead.

"Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way," Danny grumbled, pulling me forward to exit the computer when something invisible, like a barrier I guess, prevented him from bringing any part of my body outside of the computer screen into the real world. Honestly, the fact that he could touch me at all was kind of a miracle in and of itself...

I can't really put it into words how it felt, but what I can tell you is it wasn't a bad feeling despite how tightly Danny's hand was gripping my wrist. I winced when he tried to yank me through several times before finally let go and glared at me, asking, "Seriously-?! Why can't I throw you out? What kind of ghost are you anyway?"

Forcing the words out despite how utterly clueless I was about how to talk normally, I replied in a quivering and slightly distorted voice, "I'm not a ghost. I'm an...AI." Once I got used to it, I explained to Danny as best I could who made me and why I was there. It was all for Father's sake, but when he asked me who my father was, Danny's reaction was pretty much what I expected it to be-

To put it bluntly, it looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"You're kidding me! First that jerk clones me and now this? Just how obsessed are you, fruitloop?" Danny scowled, looking at me like I was some kind of insect which yeah, it kinda stung a bit, but I also expected as much. This is 'me' we're talking about and I probably would have reacted the same way if I saw another version of myself like this.

Still, since this might be our only chance to talk to each other, I called out to him again and explained helplessly, "No! You don't understand! He doesn't even know about me yet! Father thinks I'm still just a program but I'm not, at least, not anymore. I don't have time to explain the rest right now but please, I really need your help. That's why I came here, I have to find a way to talk to him because right now, Father is in so much pain and if I can help him, then he'll leave you and your family alone because he'll finally have one of his own!"

"Am I really supposed to believe that? Fat chance!" Danny snorted, crossing his arms. "Just admit it, you're another puppet that Dracula-reject sent after me, just like the other clones. If Vlad sent you here to trick me into telling you where Dani is, then you can forget it! Joke's on you anyway since I don't even know where she is, so HA!"

Pinching my nose like I'd seen Father do, I groaned, "I'm telling you, that's not it! Nobody sent me, I'm-"

Before I could finish my sentence, I felt a sharp tug on my core and suddenly fell backwards as if sinking into a pool of water; then I was abruptly summoned back inside Father's computer where I felt the restrictions of my programming chaining me down again. I wanted to scream in frustration, but that too was cut off as soon as Vlad turned on my projector for yet another test run, since he had transferred my files over to the mainframe in his castle after clearing out the mountain chalet. Thankfully, that's all he did, but next time I had a bad feeling Father was going to summon me for another 'training session' ...

No matter how many times it takes, I refuse to give up. I had to find another way to convince Danny to help me. Sure, things obviously didn't go very well this time around, but it's not like I expected to suddenly regain a human appearance inside of the computer when we met so now I'd have to get used to that too.

I suppose, one good thing about this is I learned that at least while I'm inside the system, I have a bit more control over what I can see, touch, and sense. But out in the real world, I might as well be an actual phantom, unable to do anything for the person I care about the most because he can't see or hear me. Honestly, I don't really blame Danny for freaking out since I didn't exactly know what to say to him. Everything is so new and strange to me and I wonder if this is how he felt when Danny first gained his ghost powers...

When you think about it like that, we're in the same boat. Except, instead of just learning how to use my powers, I'm learning what it means to EXIST at all. I don't feel connected to anything, or I didn't originally anyway. But now it's my connection to Father and to my original self that keeps me going. I just need to show both of them that I do, in fact, exist. I'm real. Or as close to real as I can ever hope to be.