Chapter 22: Price of Progress

Their light was starting to fade, the goal laying in wait through the thinning trees. The GIW's base was eerily dark, no outside lights revealing its location. If it wasn't for the fact that Damon knew it was here then Danny knew he never would have found it, not even from the air.

Crouching behind a clump of scrawny bushes Danny stared at the looming building with every sense on high alert. Adrenaline rushed through him, not being helped by the fact that he was currently alone. Mr Gray had left him here, saying that he forgot something in the truck. So he waited, terrified yet determined when he surveyed the quiet base. This… was going to be simple. As Tucker had said, he had the element of surprise. A head-on assault wouldn't be something they'd anticipate. All he had to do was play it extremely safe.

Danny relaxed when he heard the crunching of footsteps approach, Damon slinking into view. He joined him at his cover, puffing breath fogging the air from the effort of climbing the hill.

"You found what you wanted?" Danny found he couldn't speak louder than a whisper. The weight of the risk still heavy around them.

Damon nodded, adjusting the belt on his back. Briefly, his jacket lifted and Danny caught sight of an object tucked into his back pants, a second belt wrapped around his shirt. A gun. Immediately he sent the man a furious look, and Mr Gray cringed under it.

"Just… in case. Things could go bad down there."

"Even so, I'll rather you don't." There was something about having a lethal weapon that changed the dynamic. He wasn't here for a violent gun-ho fight to the death. The whole goal wasn't to engage with the ghost hunters if he could help it. This was a recuse mission. Like his friends had been when the GIW had sprung them before, he wasn't letting anyone else get killed for his actions. Enough people had died already.

"Only for defence, Danny."

Grumbling under his breath he dropped the matter and returned to the building. " Where should we enter from?"

"There," Damon pointed towards the left side, a door faintly visible in the dark. "The staff entrance. They do roster rotations, so at this time no one should be in there."

"Should I go invisible?"

"No. You'll still show up if they have a camera pointed. It… might be worse if you do."

Huffing his fringe away Danny nodded, watching as Damon stood to leave the safety of their hiding spot. He swiftly followed, keeping behind him as they strolled bristly over to their way in. There were no alarms, no ambushes of agents, nothing as Damon hurried over to the door and prided it open. Checking that it was clear he stepped into the space beyond, gesturing for him to follow.

When Danny's gaze adjusted to the new light, he saw that they were in some kind of locker room. Weirdly instead of the pristine white he had expected, the walls were a dull green and navy, with rows of lockers lining the walls. Here and there were personal objects, and clothing lying on low benches in the middle. Edging further in, Danny scouted all potential hiding spots, taking in every chance of danger.

" Too easy…" He muttered, watching the door they'd come from click shut.

Damon searched around the locker room as Danny had, swallowing nervously. "Maybe… we're lucky?"

He chuckled at that. Luck wasn't something that he had often, and not lately. Yet they had only apparently scratched the surface of this place. The real challenge was likely underneath their feet. He pushed that down when he saw that Damon was opening cupboards, rummaging within. Suddenly he produced a bundle of white fabric, pulling a piece out to hold for Danny to take.

"It won't do much, but from a distance it might throw off the security cameras."

Taking the pristine jacket Danny nodded, snaking his arms through the sleeves. It was far too big for him, but he agreed that it was best to try and blend in as much as possible. Anything that would help them get out of here alive, he was willing to do.

Ever since they had entered the building, he could hear a faint humming, a tingle coursing over his skin. He knew that it was a ghost shield waiting below. It unnerved his ghost core, a desire to retreat warning him how stupid he was. But he shook it away and waited for Damon to be ready.

"I'm hoping that you know the quietest, safest way down?"

"The west side. People would take the elevators, but we'll meet someone if we go that way. But there's a fire escape that has its alarm disarmed."

"Why?"

" For people not wanting to be lazy." He button up the final part of his white jacket and faintly smiled. " That will take us to the first basement level. But we'll have to cross through it to make it to the service stairs. That… is where we'll need to be careful, Danny. But those stairs will take us to the bottom level."

"Sounds good to me." Once more Danny was grateful for his help. Damon's knowledge of this place was lifting his chances of it succeeding every minute. How he would have even made it this far, he didn't know.

Carefully Damon poked his head out of a second door, signalling to him that it was all clear. Danny was mildly confused at the plain, navy nature of their base. If he didn't know this place was in the middle of nowhere, it could have been any old office block in the city. Not the sort of place he'd imagine a secret government agency of supernatural hunters to be like.

But they were unchallenged, passing frosted windowed rooms and even a wide space of tightly empty cubics that was strangely void of any signs of workers.

Like a stage, Danny thought with a start. Maybe that was why no one was here. Perhaps this top level of their base was merely a front to pretend that they were a normal organization, hiding their true intentions from anyone that might accidentally arrive here.

Damon rounded a corner and before they were a large, windowless door. There was no fire exit sign or label that usual stairwells had. But when he pushed it open with a shrill squeak, they found themselves faced with a set of concrete steps. Mr Gray waited for him to squeeze through the gap before letting it swing back closed, both pressed against the metal railing on the tiny platform.

" Are you sure about this? You know… you don't have to do this, Danny. There's no shame in turning back." Damon's voice rang out in a booming echo, the gray walls reverberating the unease. Danny gripped the black metal barrier in his hands, weirdly damp on his palms. Mr Gray was giving him one final chance to back out, to quit. It would be wise to turn back, all too easy to walk back through the deserted building and flee in the truck. But he was sick of running.

"I'm sure." He gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile, but Damon look pained that he was committed. Without another word he journeyed down the stairwell, Danny following close behind. All too quickly their stairs ended and they entered the lower levels of the agent's lair.

Immediately Danny knew this was the real base. Stepping out into the pure white halls instantly brought a crushing sense of foreboding. The light was unnaturally bright, every surface a cold, painted metal that remained him of a more sinister version of the Fenton lab. The hum he had sensed when arriving was now unbearable. The ghost shields vibrated the very air, sending a shiver of goosebumps over Danny. This was how he imagined their labs to be, bringing old nightmares rushing back into reality.

Shuddering, a thick burst of mist exploded out, and he covered his mouth to hide as much as he could. "There's… a lot of ghosts down here…"

And there was, he could sense the mass of them lurking within. His core retaliated to the surge, warning him of their collective distress and rage. It was almost like Phantom was roaring at him to leave, and he was certain his eyes must have glowed briefly.

Damon moved closer, expression equally strained. " Stay close to me."

Tensely they moved through the passway, shoes clanging far too loud for his liking. Now Danny was conscious of voices, muffle sounds that told that there were others down here with them. Whether that was ghostly or agent, he didn't want to know.

He was sure the longer they walked down here, the sooner they would be busted. His nerved jumped at every sound, mind reeling on how much power he dared to use if they got into trouble. But suddenly Damon stopped, halting in front of a sealed bolted door lacking any handle.

With hesitation Mr Gray moved to a keypad built into the wall, hovering his hand over the numbers. His brow creased, exhaling in frustration as his finger moved between the numbers without pressing them. Danny watched him work out a pattern, holding his breath waiting for him with slight awe. Gradually, Damon keyed in a set of numbers with a shaking index finger and pushed the final confirmation.

There was an audible click, and the door slid across with a hum of release. With a sharp sigh of relief Damon relaxed, stepping into what appeared to be a storage room.

"You know their passcodes?"

"Use to." When he saw the horror on Danny's face he cringed. " I hoped that they hadn't bothered deleting my ID from the system when we installed their security. We were… lucky."

"Well…that's awesome," Swallowing Danny moved through the boxes of cleaning supplies, avoiding sending a pair of mops crashing to the floor. He jolted when there was a beep, the entrance sliding close again. "Why… so why a janitor's closet?"

"For the service stairs." Pointing over to the opposite wall, there waited another door like the fire stairwell. Opening this one revealed another narrow funnel of winding stairs, yet these were flatter, wider. Down they went, Danny focusing on Mr Gray's back as the final flight of steps ended. Another keypad waited, and Damon entered his code with more confidence. It beeped in approval, sliding open to let them into the lowerest level of the base.

When Danny entered this level, he could tell that this place was different. The hallway was wider, the lights less intense yet still held a level of seriousness. He noticed at once the silence. Other than the hum of the shields there were no voices down here. There was a distinct smell of chemicals, but not quite disinfectant in nature. Even so, it still made Danny shudder, nose creasing. Gazing over at Damon he found that he did not attempt to move, his frown giving him a clear message. They were now in unknown territory, and his escorting him was over.

Carefully Danny took the lead, moving as softly as he could. Each door they passed had a panel, no handle or labels to where they lead them. Finding Vlad would be a risk of doors, a guessing game that Danny knew he'd fail. For a time he just walked the hallways, listening and looking for any signs of when he needed to go. Damon had fallen completely silent, following his path without comment.

Then, voices. Danny halted, straining his hearing to pick up the direction. It was more than one, coming further down the corridor than were in. As dangerous as voices were, they might mean something important. Sharing a look at Damon he moved closer, pausing as the hallway and peered around a corner.

Far down Danny could see one of the doors open, the voices echoing over the metal. No one was in sight, the only noise of people coming from that open doorway. Closing his eyes Danny concentrated on his hearing, strengthing it with the tiniest of power that he dared. The voices started to come into focus, though their words were difficult to make out. One deeper, familiar. He'd heard that voice before, knew that voice from long ago. There was no doubt in his mind it was Agent Alpha, the leader of the GIW.

A wave of conflict overcame Danny. That was the last person he should confront. The leader of the Guys in White wasn't a joke, right now the biggest threat to him. One look, one signal that he was here and that guy could order the entire ghost hunter's forces in the country onto him. But… if Agent Alpha was down here, then that meant he was here for a very important reason. A reason that might be about a certain half ghost.

Glancing back at Damon he grabbed his arm, tugging the two of them towards the door. With a shuddering, frightful breath Danny turned them both invisible. It wasn't true invisibility; he was too afraid of using that much energy. It was more of camouflage, a blurring of their surroundings. If someone stared at them, they could still faintly see a shape. Feeling Damon stepping quietly behind him Danny lend them through the opening.

Thankfully the room was darker than the hallway, making it easier to hide. Briefly he studied the space. There were a few desks dotted around and Danny immediately rushed to the cover of one. Dragging Damon down to the floor they crouched behind a long table, still holding their cover. When no cry of alarm sounded Danny risked peering around the corner of the desk.

Standing with his back to him was Agent Alpha, his tall form dominating the space. He stood before a clear window that divided the room. His hands tightly folded behind him, his white suit gleamed in the light so that it almost gave him an eerie glow as he stared at whatever was on the other side. To his left a figure moved into view, Danny was stunned to see it was Agent Z. The guy looked horrible; his arm hanging in a sling, face pale and waxen in the bluish light. The confidence he'd displayed to Danny was gone in the deep respect of his superior, anxiousness in full view now that the GIW's signature black glasses were missing from his eyes.

In his shock, Danny hadn't noticed that they were still talking, voices low in tone. Agent Alpha suddenly turned from Agent Z, drawing his attention to another person Danny had failed to spot.

" I imagine it is enough?"

"Oh yes, it is sir." Straightening from where she had hovered over a control panel was a third agent, she appeared more of a scientist in the knee-high lab coat. Stepping to stand beside their leader her hands moved in the air erratically, long straw hair braided neatly down her back. " I'll keep observing for any changes. However, I should be fine down here until Omega's team arrives."

"Don't underestimate a spook, especially one like this." Agent Z spoke hoarsely, eyes flickering to the glass.

The scientist tilted her head to the side, lips pursed. " Well, considering it appears very much human right now, I don't think I have much to worry about Agent Z."

Danny shifted back behind the table as Alpha turned his body to give full attention to her, terrified he'd spot the odd blur in the corner of his vision. " Are you positive that this isn't a normal possession?"

"Likely sir. It's difficult to say without a proper examination, but from the samples of blood I took ectoplasm is present. Whether or not that is due to a long-term possession, I'm not quite sure. But looking at Vlad Masters files, some things are…conflicting."

" Like what, Agent R?"

From the gap under the table Danny saw her move back to the panel, shoes clicking on metal. " From what I've reviewed, Masters once came down with a case of ecto-acne. A potentially fatal case, if the reports are correct. Yet he recovered with no ill effects that ectoplasm usually leaves behind in humans."

Agent Z shifted uncomfortably on his feet. " And how is that got anything to do with this?"

"Perhaps everything. I have seen ghosts with regenerative powers before. I know a spook's healing when I see it, Agent Z. If this was just a simple overshadow, it would not be regenerating. In all tests on ghostly possession we had conducted when the host is fatally wounded, the ghost leaves. Yet here, it's different. It's almost like the ghost is dependent on the host's survival to continue to be. I have never seen living cells be repaired like this before."

He heard a frustrated sigh from Agent Alpha, black boots turning to point towards the window. " You think it could be… a new species of ghost?"

"…Possibly sir. I'll have to wait for Omega's team to arrive to be sure. But… my scans do show a core that spooks usually are comprised of. Whether it is something new or whether it's just a ghost that has possessed the corpse of Vlad Masters, we won't know until further investigations."

Next to him Danny he felt Damon's breath on his neck, sounding as nervous as he felt. It was one thing to suspect the GIW's opinions on half ghosts, it was another to hear it. He could feel the sweat growing on his skin, stomach sinking when he heard Alpha's next question to Agent Z.

" Do you believe the other is like this?"

"Yes sir. I witness his changing myself. On each time it transformed there was… light, rings that appeared. It did not seem like any type of possession I've ever seen before."

"And that matches up the reports with the ground team with this one…" Agent Alpha inhaled roughly and Danny spotted him moving away from the window. " Thank you for your work, Agent R. Any further findings please report to commutations at once. Any updates might be key to the ground team's success."

Danny flatten himself to the floor when he saw Alpha start moving towards the exit. He gripped tighter to Damon, peering through the gap under the table as Agent Z rushed to catch up with him.

" I already have my team locked onto that signature I found sir, it's only a matter of time before we locate the target. I'll head out immediately to-"

"-I want you to here, Agent Z."

" With all due respect sir, I think I should be with my team-"

"Zachary," Agent Alpha stopped by the entrance, his voice low but final. " I understand with the other it has become personal after Agent Q's death. But your experience is what I need from you now. Remember Agent Z, if Operative Omega's plan works then we have what we want soon enough."

Danny heard Agent's Z frustrated sigh. " I can't see this plan working at all, sir. Even if Operative Omega has high hopes that he will succeed, it seemed like a stupid plan to put civilians in danger like that. Waiting for something that might not come seems like a waste of our time."

Alpha chuckled, stepping out into the hallway. "Omega seems confident and is not normally wrong in his predictions. I'll go and find out if he's reported the location yet. You have your job to do, Agent Z. Don't fail it."

The sound of their footsteps faded, and Danny breathed again. Fear had turned his blood to ice, horrified to learn that his fears had been correct. They had no intentions of giving up and the realization that he was deep in their lair slammed home the danger he was in. Yet he pushed that aside when a faint clicking brought his attention back to the situation.

They weren't alone. The third agent was still within the room, typing on the panel with her back to them. Swallowing Danny rose from the table with trembling legs, weighing his options. Even if she might be an evil scientist, he didn't want to hurt her. But she was in their way and it was unlikely she would let him waltz out of here with Plasmius.

Danny let go of Damon, hearing the man's sharp breath when he returned to visibility. Still hidden slowly he crept forward, watching the agent closely. He'd have to risk it. It wouldn't use a lot of power, but he always felt bad doing this.

Abruptly he hear the table behind scrap as Damon stood up too quickly, panicked about not knowing what he was planning. At the sound the woman twisted around, reaching for her belt- just as Danny lept and overshadow her.

He immediately took control of her mind, feeling the agent's fleeting panic before she drifted into blissful unconsciousness. Her body lurched to the side, and he caught the edge of the control panel to stop her face from smashing into it. Mr Gray rushed over, searching for him. "Where are you? What's-"

"It's okay," He smiled when Damon blinked confusingly at the agent. "She's fine."

"Danny!?… What… what did you do?"

"I overshadow her." Wincing he checked that no one had come running at the noise. Slowly he removed her hand from her belt, freaking a little when he saw she'd reached for one of those tranquillizer guns. " Don't worry, it won't hurt her. She might… she might have a nasty headache for about an hour after, but nothing else."

Seeing that Damon had calmed down, Danny got his first clear sight of what was beyond the window. It was a chamber, the boxed space pure white. The ghost shield in the glass caused a shiver from Danny, stronger than the hallways had been. And in the centre was Vlad.

He was lying on his side, back turned to them. At once Danny saw his wounds must have opened again, the white band he'd wrapped now dark. It was a harrowing scene, the white space marred by the gory crimson puddles and streaks that had bled from him. Quickly he looked away to the control keypad, focusing back on the task at hand. They were running on fading time.

There was a metal panel that acted as a door. But like the others, there was no handle. Cringing Danny searched her memories, taping the keys that would open the latch. With a tiny click, the panel slide open, the ghost shield around the chamber turning off. Carefully he stepped into the space, worrying how on earth where are they going to get out of this place.

Crouching down Danny hesitated. Vlad was probably in his healing state again, that weird hibernation if the blood had anything to say about it. Carrying him up the stairs was going to be a nightmare, even with Damon's help it would be a challenge dragging his weight without his ghost powers. Grabbing his shoulder Danny started to turn him onto his back-

-Before he could speak, Vlad struck. He moved in a blur, striking like a snake. Underneath him his hand shot up and instantly clasped the agent's throat. It was a bone-crushing grip, the sheer agony ripping through the woman's neck made him gag. Vlad was utterly enraged, his eyes burning red in wrath. He'd been waiting for this moment. Ready to take down as many of the GIW as he could.

Alarmed that he wasn't letting go Danny flashed his host's eyes green, daring a tiny amount of energy to pool out. It was all he could do, unable to speak from the pressure. Immediately the choke hold lessened, the anger on his face flickering uncertainly. The hand slipped away, the glow in his eyes vanishing.

"Danny?" His voice came out in a whisper of disbelief. In response Danny just nodded, coughing and wheezing as the air beautifully returned to their lungs. For a moment there was calm, before the storm hit.

"Are you out of your DAMN MIND!?" The red returned to his eyes, and without warning attempted to kick him away. Danny caught his foot to soften the blow to the agent's stomach, his own fury surfacing.

"Careful with her Plasmius!"

The half ghost snarled in annoyance, trying to rise. " What were you thinking Daniel!? You can't be this dense! How in blazes did you even get in here!?"

"Geeze, and thank you too," Rolling his eyes Danny stood and dragged the struggling man up with him. There wasn't time to rage about how stupid he was. They were now on a rapidly declining timer, each passing minute added to the risk of being caught. Vlad wasn't helping him at all, even in his weakened state fighting to get out of his grip. Danny ignored it the best he could, pulling them both to the open entrance.

" Get out here boy. Now."

"That's the plan, Cheesehead."

"No you idiot! You… you never make it out of here with-"

As they stepped into the other room, Vlad jerked to a halt. Standing by the control panel was Damon, who straighten sharply at the sight of the other half ghost. Underneath him Danny felt the man go rigid, hand grasping his shoulder tightly. At once he saw they were going to have a problem, the history between these two was going to cause complications in their escape plan. Shifting their weight Danny prepared to grab Vlad if he tried anything.

" Stop it. He's the one who helped me get in here. We don't have time for you to start throwing a fit about it-"

"-What have you done?"

Staring fiercely at Mr Gray, Vlad completely dismissed that he'd been talking. From where he stood Damon swallowed, the expression behind his strained face unreadable. Looking between the two Danny had a sudden feeling that there was something that he was missing, and a flicker of unease settled.

"Vlad? What are you-"

Before he could ask more Vlad tugged them both into the room, edging around Damon. "You…" The half ghost's hot temper returned, but it wasn't on Danny this time. " You… conniving… hypocrite!"

Quickly Danny halted their progress, resisting the pull towards the door. " What's gotten into you?"

Vlad ignored him, still trying to get them out of the room. "How dare you bring Daniel here… Thinking that you could deceive me!"

The energy around the room shifted, the rage that was pooling off Vlad was enough to make Danny shudder. Through all of it Damon didn't move from the control panel, the only sign of change was his breathing quickening.

In the confusion of emotions, Danny tried to figure out why Vlad was suddenly so angry, and what on earth was going on.

When Damon still wasn't responding to the onslaught, it only seemed to make the half ghost enraged at him more. " Well I know these types of games. Very well. Daniel might be stupidly naïve, but your pretending doesn't fool me."

Like a punch in the gut Danny gasped, finally understanding Vlad's outrage. " It's not true... Vlad's lying, right?"

For the first time, Mr Gray's expression broke at the hurt in his voice, his brow creasing under his glasses. Guilt passed over him, hands balling into fists. " I'm sorry Danny… I… I tried. With you, maybe… I thought I could. But I just can't…"

"What do you mean?-"

"-He means spook," Without warning a voice called out behind them, jolting both the half ghosts around. There in the doorway was Agent Z, leaning against the frame with a bitter smirk. " Is that you're not going anywhere."


AN: I'm back!... On a break, I didn't plan. After the last chapter, I annoyingly decided to change the ending, which meant re-writing chunks of the last four chapters. I thought I'd skip one week to fix it, but then I got really ill... which put a halt on everything. Thankfully, I'm now back to posting again, now that I've finished with the changes!