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

Note: I'm really excited for the next chapter but I won't spoil it for you guys. Things are about to kick off so I thought I'd end on a high note since poor Daniel has been through so much since the first day he became self-aware. He really needed to catch a break. Too bad this is only the calm before the storm but they pay off is SO going to be worth it!

Chapter 6: Co-Op

Danny's POV

"Let me get this straight. Vlad created you to be a holographic version of me and you were used as some kind of perfect half-ghost son simulator? And up until recently, he's been using a hologram of my mom as a personal lab assistant and one of my dad as a weird form of stress relief by tormenting him? But now you're the one he's been attacking instead, after 'rewriting' your code or something?" I asked after taking a deep breath, trying to wrap my head around all of this new information about the guy sitting next to me, since it was a lot to take in.

While most of the time I spent trapped in Vlad's mountain chalet was a total blur, I vaguely remembered thinking I heard my mom's voice when Vlad kidnapped me, but I wasn't sure if that was real or not. I thought I had imagined it since sadly it's not the first time I've had a nightmare like that, about my parents torturing and experimenting on me. But I never saw a digital version of my dad. At the time I kinda had other things to worry about; you know, like resisting whatever Vlad's stupid machine was supposed to make me do...

I never thought that fruitloop would seriously be crazy enough to put so much time and effort into making a digital copy of me too, on top of everything else. And honestly, I didn't know whether to feel creeped out by it, or kinda impressed by the end result. Because if I didn't know any better, I probably would have mistaken him for a duplicate or something. But now that I think about it, he's basically a digital doppelganger.

Crossing my arms, I nodded with a heavy sigh. "Now I get it. So this is why you called yourself 'the original copy.' If I'm understanding all this right, Vlad designed you to look and act just like me, except you think of him as your dad. But since you guys can't actually touch or anything, he decided to clone me instead. Is that what you're getting at here?"

"That's right. As for the rest, I won't ask you to forgive him for what he's done to you or your family." The other me -or Daniel as he calls himself- replied. "I just need your help talking to him so he knows I've been here all along. If I can show Father his perfect son still exists, if I can show him he's loved, he'll leave you alone because he'll have me from now on. I know it might not seem like it, but he doesn't hate you, Danny. I know he doesn't."

Rolling my eyes I scoffed, "Yeah? Well he has a funny way of showing it."

Giving me a skeptical look, he continued while pointing at himself. "You're right, he does have a funny way of showing it and you're looking at it! Think about it, I was originally programmed to look and act just like you, right? Why would Father do that if he doesn't admire you in some way? I have all sorts of data about you stored inside of me, but it wasn't until I actually met you in person that I finally understood why I was created like this. It's all because of who you are to him...and I'm grateful for that."

Looking down at his hand, Daniel added thoughtfully. "From the moment I met you, I could tell you're a good person. And I don't mean like, heroically. You had no idea who I was when we first started hanging out and playing this game together like I planned, but you listened to me about my problems, you worried about me, and it made me feel even closer to you because we're-"

Trailing off, he put his face in his hands and sighed heavily before admitting. "Sorry, I'm kinda rambling at this point. We probably don't have much time left to talk before I'm summoned back home, but it's just...I've been trying so hard to get used to everything, from talking normally to dealing with all these new emotions swirling inside of me that didn't exist before. I really don't know how to deal with it sometimes. The worst part is Father keeps dragging me out of the system to complain about you ruining his life, but I know he doesn't mean it, he can't, because I wouldn't have been programmed this way if he didn't genuinely like a lot of things about you and wanted you to be a part of his life."

Since I felt bad for earlier, I sat there and listened as Daniel told me all about his situation again without holding back like before. Once I heard the whole sad story from start to finish, it made me sick to think Vlad had been bullying this poor guy for months without even realizing it! It's bad enough he was doing the same thing to a digital copy of my dad, but the fact that Vlad had been doing the same thing to Daniel because of me made me really want to go punch him in the face.

It was like Dani all over again, but ten times worse. At least at first, Vlad pretended to love her until she started questioning his motives, thankfully before it was too late for both of us to escape, but with Daniel...he was created to be nothing but pure wish fulfillment. Vlad's basically so hung up on the idea of having a half-ghost son that he created this fake version of me to-

No, he's not fake, I corrected myself with a firm nod. Even Vlad can't make THAT convincing of a copy of me inside a computer and...he's right, we're friends aren't we? So I can't just turn my back on him now that I know the full story.

Looking over at Daniel again, I really hated seeing him so depressed and hopeless like that. I've seen that look before, when I wanted to throw in the towel before picking myself up. At least I had Sam, Tucker, and Jazz to back me up. But Daniel had no one. He wasn't kidding when he said I was the only one who could help him. I only wish the big thing Daniel needed help with wasn't talking to his abusive 'father,' Vlad Masters...

Daniel's POV

After our heart to heart, we both agreed to meet up again in a few days to talk, since we both had a lot to think about after clearing up that huge misunderstanding. I can't tell you how relieved I was to hear Danny promise to help. Just before I left, he smiled and assured me that we're still friends and that meant the world to me. When he found out who I was, I was so afraid of losing my only connection to the outside world, and more importantly my first and only friend. I know it might sound weird, being a friend to...yourself sort of, but at least that meant we really understood each other on a level I doubt anyone else could. Not even father.

Speaking of father, he sadly caught a cold from being trapped in ice for a long time, but I decided to keep that to myself since I didn't want Danny making fun of him. That said, Danny did finally tell me why he reacted that way when he suspected father of spying on him again. It was because father had used Danny's friend Sam as bait to lure Danny into a trap so he could steal an ancient ghost relic known as the Infimap. When I returned home that night, I did a lot of research about it among other things, and while I could understand why he would be interested I such a thing, since Father had shown me many artifacts like that before he would love to authenticate one day, I agreed with Danny that his reasons for wanting it made no sense.

Father doesn't want to rule the world, he has more than he could ever need, and what he really wants...is love. I was created out of love and so were the other clones until he lost sight of his true goal. But I have every confidence I can help him get on the right track again. We can be a family again. And maybe...he can even make amends with my sister for hurting her like he did with his harsh words.

I can easily track her down, I suppose, and try to appeal to Dani for help too, however, I don't want to risk Father discovering her location through me when she has her own feelings to sort out. I hope that we'll be able to meet one day, but for now, Father needs me more. And I need Danny more because unlike her, I AM powerless. Outside of the system I have very little control and I know Father can rip that away from me at any time, simply by shutting down the system.

Whenever that happens, I'm terrified I'll never wake up again and slip back into oblivion. He doesn't do it often, but given how uncertain my situation is I can't afford any more distractions. I already had a dangerously close call with Danny, and another one might cost me more than just an escape route within his computer and the game of Doomed. It could cost me my whole existence.

It could cost me...everything.

The next time Danny and I met up in Doomed several weeks later, since he had to deal with a lot of ghost problems that kept him busy for a while, it felt so nice to not have to hide the truth about myself anymore. At least, not from him. I usually put my hood back on around other players when we happened to cross paths, but for the most part, we focused on re-learning how to work together as a team again and talking things out more openly with each other. Although I wasn't surprised that Danny had a LOT of bad things to say about Father, but that was to be expected since they've known each other for a little over a year now.

Sure, I had plenty of my own memories with Father, but it wasn't like I actually experienced any of those things myself. I even told Danny that he was literally the first real person I ever spoke to, apart from a few generic players in the game. Not only that, but Danny was the first person to hold onto my hand, to touch me. True, at the time he was trying to drag me out of his computer, but before that moment, I didn't have my own eyes to see with, or my own body to feel with. Something...happened between us that I still don't understand. Little by little, Danny's changed me...

And if he can change me, can't we change Father together?

"Seriously, I don't know what you see in the guy." Danny frowned after we beat a mini-boss together and decided to take a short break to give him the chance to regenerate his health. "And after everything you've been through, can't you see you're just a tool to him?"

With a sigh, I replied. "That's just it. I'm telling you, if we can just show him I'm not the same program anymore...that I'm something else, then I really believe Father can start to change for the better. If he was really as evil and heartless as you're always saying he is, wouldn't father have designed me to be just as diabolical?"

I gave him an evil smirk just to make my point, and Danny rolled his eyes at me and argued, "Point taken. But still, that doesn't excuse anything! Even if he's not aware that you have feelings too, like the rest of us, Vlad still treats you like garbage. That's not okay."

"He's getting better you know," I smiled unsurely, handing Danny a spare healing item I snagged earlier since I didn't need it. "Father hasn't summoned me in weeks to do anything aside from complain about you or his work as mayor. Personally, I think it's been good for him to have something besides his usual 'schemes' as you put them to focus on for once."

Danny didn't respond right away but I could almost tell what he was thinking; he still couldn't understand why father meant so much to me, but we had both seen different sides of him and to me...Father was father. And I think that's why Danny's next words ended up hurting a lot more than expected, once he finally did respond-

"How can you care about Vlad so much? Can't you see that he doesn't care about you? He only cares about the idea of you, aka the idea of me being a model half-ghost son which, let's face it, is never gonna happen and he knows it. And it's not fair that he takes his anger out on you when I'm the one he's mad at! You don't even treat a dog like that!" Danny huffed angrily but all I could do was stare at him blankly.

I knew Danny only said that because he was being protective, but, it hurt to hear him say those things since a part of me knew they were true. Maybe I'll never be the perfect son Father wanted. Maybe he'll never see me as anything more than a computer simulation and I'll...always be alone. But if I don't try, then what was the point of saving myself from deletion? What was the point of devoting myself to saving Father from his loneliness if he had already resigned himself to a life without love? A life, without a family to call his own?

Biting my lip, I took a deep breath, stood up, and said as confidently as I could. "I still have to try. Maybe he will want me. But if I give up now, then I'll never know for sure..."

When Danny didn't say anything in return, I felt my heart lurch again, doubting myself all of a sudden. If my own other self didn't believe father could be saved, did I really stand a chance? And even if father did accept me, what then? I haven't really thought about anything beyond just...trying to make a real connection with him. What if father rejects me like Danny almost did? Could my heart take it...?

Could his?

Running a hand through my hair and pacing, I suddenly blurted out anxiously. "Who am I kidding? Why WOULD he ever want someone like me? I'm an AI for crying out loud! I'm even less real than an actual clone! I'm just a string of numbers and I don't know what I'm doing most of the time. I mean, the only reason I care about Vlad is he programmed me to. How could those feelings possibly be real when I'm not?"

Seeing that I was on the verge of breaking down as the game began to flicker around us, Danny suddenly slung an arm over my shoulder and said. "You look and sound real to me. As far as I'm concerned, you are real. And Vlad should see that too. I'm sorry dude, I didn't say any of that to make you feel bad..."

Sighing heavily before pulling my hoodie back over my head, Danny grinned at me and nodded. "Fine, you win this round. I'll help you show him you've been there all along and…I hope you're right about him. I really do."

Lifting my hood just enough to see his expression, I smiled back and said, "Thanks Danny. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Pfft, yeah yeah. We've already established that you wouldn't exist without me since Vlad can't get over how awesome I am." He winked, checking the time. "Now, what'da say we drop the serious talk for a bit and take on just one more level before calling it a night? After that, we can come up with our next move."

"Sounds good to me," I nodded before ducking out from under his arm and shouting "Race ya to the portal!"

"Oh, it's so on now." Danny laughed, wasting no time catching up to me.

The next level turned into two when we ran into a bonus one, but it felt like a real accomplishment since we were so in sync with each other; I swear I could almost predict Danny's every movement which really helped us out during that sudden death match on the way out of the level. I had told him as much before, but while fighting might not be anything new to Danny both inside the game and out, this is the closest I've ever felt to being a hero too, fighting bad guys and having an effect on the world around me. In fact, the more time we spent together, the more I noticed how...different I felt.

At first, I thought it was only a confidence boost or something until, as we high-fived each other right outside the exit portal of the level, I felt a strange surge ripple through me as our hands met. Blinking, I stared at our joined hands and he asked. "What is it?"

Contemplating how much stronger this...feeling was compared to the first time, instead of answering I asked in turn. "This is going to sound like a weird question, but can you feel that?"

Following my gaze, Danny furrowed his brows and responded. "You mean your hand? Actually… I can. Huh, it's weird. When I'm in the game, I don't usually feel anything. But maybe…"

"What?" I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful since I had a feeling this might be important somehow.

"Well," Danny began slowly, lowering his arm to rub the back of his neck nervously. "You've always felt a little ghostly to me so maybe that's what it is."

My eyes widened in shock because that was not the answer I was expecting. I'm a self-aware AI, not a ghost, so Danny shouldn't be able to sense me, let alone feel anything remotely physical. And in turn, I shouldn't really have been able to sense or feel anything from him either, right? But we did.

Lowing my hand too, which was now trembling in anticipation, I wondered aloud. "W-what do you think this means?"

Shaking his head, Danny admitted, "Honestly? I don't know. I'd ask Tucker about it since he's more tech savvy than I am, but...I don't think my friends are ready for you yet. We kinda have our hands full as it is out there in the real world. But listen, try not to think about it too much alright? We'll figure this out and we still have to figure out how to talk to Vlad about you too, remember?"

Letting my hand drop, I nodded and sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Now's not the time to go jumping down THAT rabbit hole when we have other things to worry about. Anyways, you go on ahead. It's getting late and you have school tomorrow. I need some more time to think though, so I'm going to continue playing a bit longer on my own before heading back home."

Putting his hands on my shoulders, Danny said. "Hey, it's going okay. I've got your back. You're not in this alone anymore, got it?"

Smiling unsurely, I nodded, "Got it."

After that, Danny logged out and I was left alone with my thoughts while mindlessly wandering through the game, defeating random enemies. I smiled though at the memory of his kind words, when Danny reminded me I'm not in this alone anymore to cheer me up. With any luck, soon Father and I would finally be able to meet, and we could become just as close, if not closer because he's my father. We're a family, whether he acknowledges me yet or not...

And that gives me hope.