Part One: Possession
The siren blared through the halls of Casper High. Arms crossed and her fingers gripping the straps of her orange backpack so tightly her nails would leave permanent indents in the faux leather, Valerie tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Sam Manson.
"Jeez, Sam, would you hurry up?" grumbled Tucker, who was glancing at the door so much she was surprised he didn't get whiplash.
"Sorry, I'm trying, my stupid zipper is sticking," she said, her voice squeaking and her hands shaking. Valerie rolled her eyes as she walked over and pushed Sam gently to the side, her own hands perfectly steady as she helped zip-up Sam's backpack. She wanted to be angrier, but she knew that Sam had more reasons than most to be fearful of the ghost attacks. Sam gave her a sour look, but still murmured a quiet, "Thanks."
"Come on, kids, let's go," urged Mr. Lancer, and Valerie tightened the grip on her bag while glancing at her wristwatch. The ghost wasn't too close at the moment, but that could change rapidly. She wished she could find some way to get away and change into her suit to handle it, but there was no way Mr. Lancer would let her leave their small group.
"Should we check the bathroom?" asked Tucker as they headed into the hall, the emergency lights flashing.
"Hopefully Mr. Fenton is already outside. If not, we'll talk to his parents," said Mr. Lancer, which seemed like a perfectly rational course of action to Valerie. The sooner they got outside, the sooner she could probably find a moment to sneak away and take care of the ghost. Even though there were only four of them in detention, there were probably a bunch of other kids still here for their afternoon clubs and sports practices.
"As if the Fentons will make anything better," said Sam as she shakily followed them through the hall. Sam was right, of course. The Fentons meant well, really, but they often caused more damage than they prevented, and if they thought Danny was missing or hurt they would tear the school to pieces.
Valerie really, really hoped her ex-boyfriend was okay. Even after all of the ghost attacks and the destruction the awful creatures inflicted on Amity Park, Danny still defended them and insisted they should be treated with dignity and respect. His idealism was sweet but foolish, and after dozens of arguments about it the two of them ultimately broke off their relationship. They rarely spoke anymore, but then again, nobody really talked to Danny these days. Even Sam and Tucker, his best friends, barely managed to get him to engage in their conversations.
Sam and Tucker gave each other uneasy looks, but neither one left to check the bathroom, instead keeping close to Lancer as he led them to the exit. "Danny's good at hiding when things get rough," said Valerie as her watch buzzed, and glancing down she saw two signals now clustered together and getting closer to their location. Inwardly she groaned. She didn't know who the original ghost was, but for the second signal, there was only one ghost it could possibly be. "And I bet Phantom will be here soon."
Tucker quirked an eyebrow at her as they rounded the corner near the side entrance. "I thought you hated Phantom."
"I don't trust Phantom," she snapped. She and Phantom held an uneasy truce most days now, but she still spent a lot of time waiting for the moment he inevitably betrayed her and everyone else. "But he's efficient and incredibly effective at dealing with the ghosts. And at least there's usually less collateral damage with him than there is with the Fentons."
"I can't argue with–"
Suddenly the wall exploded in front of them, sending large bits of concrete and metal flying. Instinct kicked in as Valerie crouched into a ball, closed her eyes, and covered her head with her arms as the others screamed. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and then one of the screams abruptly cut off but she remained stubbornly in place until the last of the debris fell around them, knowing she couldn't help anyone if she became severely injured, too. Dust clogged the air, and she coughed as she opened her eyes.
"Oh god, oh god, my leg," whispered Tucker next to her. He clutched his leg, a nasty gash running about six inches down his calf. He would need stitches, no question.
"Just keep pressure on it, okay?" said Valerie as she dug through her backpack, searching for her own first aid kit or a spare ectogun. She always kept at least a needle and thread and some bandages, as well as half-dozen painkillers, tucked away for the inevitable aftermath of hunting the nastier ghosts, and she shoved a few gauze patches over at Tucker as she continued to search for her ectogun.
"Oh, shit, Mr. Lancer," coughed Sam. Sam looked fine aside from a few scratches, but their teacher was lying unconscious, a nasty wound on his head. And just beyond him, Valerie could barely make out Technus through the dusty air as the ghost struggled to reorient itself. She doubted they had long.
Valerie's scratched hands found the extra ectogun in her backpack just as a figure emerged through the ruined wall. Thick white gloves and heavy white, steel-toed boots accented the massive, black Tyvek hazmat suit. A respirator was attached to his darkened face shield, the hoses that were once clearly connected to some kind of air tank or reservoir broken, and a radio was clipped to his shoulder strap. There was a single tear in the suit - the palm of his left glove - where currently a swirl of green energy was building, and in his right hand he held a thermos clipped to a sling draped over his shoulder. The only facial features Valerie could make out were his intense, glowing green eyes, which were locked onto Technus.
"Phantom," she breathed, tightly gripping her gun, and faint static echoed over his radio. She felt Tucker tense up and freeze beside her, and Sam . . . Sam's face was pale, her body completely rigid as she clutched at her chest. The three of them needed to get out of here, but with Lancer unconscious and Sam apparently scared shitless, that wasn't about to happen.
"Are you done, Technus?" a voice crackled over the old radio, echoing and full of static, and Valerie could barely make out the words. It sounded like an EVP Danny let her listen to once, from the early days of his parents' research before ghosts became so commonplace in Amity Park that such scant evidence of ghosts hardly mattered anymore when the proof they existed was now so incredibly, horrifyingly obvious. "Or do I need to send you through another wall?"
"Phantom," he hissed. "This isn't over. I will rule–"
But Technus never finished, his speech cut off as a brilliant beam of green light stretched out from the thermos and lazily sucked up the ghost. The ectoblast in Phantom's other hand dissipated, the green energy smoking faintly around his glove, and suddenly the helmeted face turned towards the four of them.
"Are you okay?" Val stared at him coolly. Despite their current, uneasy truce, she still found herself itching to don her suit and draw her weapons. She wanted him gone, especially since Phantom caused all this damage when he sent Technus through that wall with his ectoblast. But Phantom was incredibly powerful and dangerous, and his motivations and obsession were unclear. She did not trust him, but he seemed at least invested enough in people thinking he was a good ghost that she didn't think he would attack them.
"Not okay," mumbled Tucker, wincing as he lifted a hand to show Phantom the bloody gauze on his leg. "Is the ghost gone?"
"One of them," said Phantom. Was that a joke? He seemed so serious most of the time, barely speaking to her or the ghosts he fought, that she literally didn't think he was capable of humor. Carefully moving forward, Phantom leaned down and took a look at Mr. Lancer while Val watched, her eyes never leaving him. "He's hurt pretty badly, I think."
"And whose fault is that?!" snapped Valerie, unable to help herself, and Sam broke out of her terror-infused paralysis long enough to gape at her in horror.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I thought the school was fully evacuated. I should've been more careful," the ghost said quietly, the words almost impossible to distinguish over the static. It caught her off guard. She hadn't expected him to own up to the mistake or apologize. "We should get him medical attention."
"Aren't you . . . aren't you not supposed to move people with injuries if they're, um, not conscious in case they've got a bad injury that could get worse if you move them?" asked Tucker through gritted teeth.
A crackle of static erupted like a curse, making Valerie flinch. "You're right, we shouldn't move him. Val, can you go get help? The Fentons and paramedics should be here soon."
"I'm not going to leave you alone with them, especially when Sam's totally freaking out and Tucker can't walk," she said. She definitely did not trust him that much. "And don't call me Val. You're not my friend."
"Sorry," the ghost apologized again, and this time Valerie only glared at him.
Ignoring them, Tucker looked over at Sam as he continued to apply pressure to the cut on his leg. "Sam?" She mumbled something softly as she shook her head and hid her face behind her hands and trembled. It shook her, seeing Sam this way. Manson was tougher than most of the kids here, despite almost getting killed in the first ghost attack. Valerie never thought Sam would have a panic attack, but maybe seeing Tucker and Mr. Lancer's injuries tipped her over the edge.
Phantom knelt down in front of Manson on one knee, eyes level with hers. "Hi, Sam. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me," she whispered, tears building as she peeked out from behind her hands to look at Phantom. Tucker gripped his leg even tighter, his hands shaking, although whether from shock or nerves she couldn't say. "I feel so pathetic."
"You're not pathetic. There's nothing wrong with you," he said as he placed a heavy, gloved hand on her knee, the static crackling softly as the dust floated in the air, and suddenly the sound of the ghost alarm stopped. The Fentons were probably on site along with emergency crews since they were the only ones that could silence the alarm, but the emergency lights still flickered and flashed in the dim hallway, making Phantom look even more monstrous than usual as the lights reflected in his face shield. "But I think you're having a panic attack. Have you ever had one before?"
Sam nodded as she let out a shaky, stuttering breath. "Twice. I don't . . . I can't . . . "
"Easy, Sam. I've been there. It'll pass, although I know it feels horrible," he continued, speaking to her slowly and calmly. "Valerie and I are going to try to get help. Do you want to stay here with Tucker and your teacher, or do you want to come with us?"
"I'm sorry, we're what now?" said Valerie, not at all pleased to have been volunteered for some mission with Phantom without her consent.
"You don't want to leave me alone with them, right?" He spoke to her, but his eyes never left Sam. "And I doubt you trust me to actually go and find help, so if I go with you, then you can keep an eye on me until we find them. Plus you know that there aren't any more ghosts around because of that ghost tracker on your wrist, so Tucker and Lancer should be okay by themselves."
"You have a ghost tracker?" Tucker said as he tried to angle so he could see it. Valerie crossed her arms tightly in front of her in a feeble effort to hide the expensive tracker Mr. Masters had given her.
"So what?! My Daddy got it for me. With all the ghost attacks here, he didn't want me to get hurt," she lied, twisting her finger around one of her curls as she considered Phantom's proposal. True to his word, Phantom's signature was the only one currently registering on the device, which meant that while there could be other ghosts around, none of them were a likely threat. Valerie felt uneasy, though, as if she were being led into some kind of trap.
"Are you coming with me or not?" asked Phantom.
Valerie fumed. He would not allowed her to dwell, to consider everything in full before acting, but Mr. Lancer definitely needed help sooner rather than later, and if they led the paramedics to him, he'd stand a much better chance of living to terrorize them with 19th-century literature again. Working with Phantom always nauseated her, her instincts screaming at her to not trust a word the ghost said, but what other option did she have?. "Fine, we'll go together."
"Sam?"
"I can't – I can't stay here." Phantom offered her his hands and helped her shakily get to her feet. "But, um . . . distract me? That helped last time."
"Sure," the ghost agreed, casting one last look at Tucker. "Will you be okay for a few minutes?"
"I mean, I'm bleeding out here, but I definitely can't walk with y'all and Lancer probably shouldn't be alone," Tucker said. "Just don't take too long, okay?"
Phantom gave a thumbs-up as he turned, letting Sam continue to hold his hand as he slowly led her through the dim hallway. How she found comfort in holding the creepy, gloved hand of a ghost Valerie couldn't understand, especially since it seemed like the ghosts were what caused her to have a panic attack in the first place, but there were very few things about Sam Manson that made sense to her. "So what were you doing here this late today? Some kind of club?"
"Detention," Sam mumbled.
"Really? What for?" Sam tried to answer but the words caught in her throat, her breaths coming out shakily as they started walking.
"She freed the frogs that were supposed to be dissected by the senior anatomy class this week," said Valerie. She didn't want to help Phantom, but she did want to help Sam get through this even if they weren't exactly on the best of terms. "Tucker helped. They both got caught and ended up in detention."
"What about you?"
"I skipped class too many times," said Val, shrugging. Detention was a depressingly regular occurrence for her ever since she started hunting ghosts and working at the Nasty Burger to help support her family after her dad lost his high-paying job. Danny often joined her in detention for the same attendance issues, although she didn't know why he missed class so much since it wasn't like he had multiple jobs. She asked him once when they were dating, but he shrugged and changed the subject in a way that made it clear he wasn't going to talk about it. "Not all of us can be noble champions of the voiceless."
"Ugh, don't describe it like that," grumbled Sam, and Valerie noticed she was shaking less and her breathing was getting a little less erratic as they kept talking, but she still clutched at her chest with her free hand. "It was just the right thing to do."
"You do that kind of stuff a lot?"
"Sure. I . . . I even tried to organize a rally for ghost rights, back when . . . um . . . back before the ghost attacks got bad. My friend, Danny . . . he was super invested in it, even though I wasn't really sold on the whole ghosts not being vicious jerks thing after the Lunch Lady, but since he was my friend I wanted to help," she said, blushing slightly, and Valerie pushed down a smirk. She always suspected Manson had a crush on Danny–Sam acted super jealous and weird when they were going out–but her sense of triumph over being right faded as she realized it no longer mattered. It wasn't as if Manson was going to start dating Fenton any time soon, given their currently strained friendship.
"Sounds like you're a good friend," said Phantom. He sounded upset, though Val couldn't say why. Remembering his own friends from when he was alive, maybe? She knew nothing about his life–no one did–but it stood to reason that someone had liked him, perhaps even loved him, before he became a ghost.
"Maybe. I don't feel like one most of the time, not with how things have been with Danny lately," Sam admitted.
"I doubt that was your fault," said Valerie, and Sam glanced at her, clearly surprised. "Danny's had a falling out with everyone at this point. It's kind of impressive that you and Tucker have stuck it out so long."
"Which makes me feel like I should be doing more to figure out what the hell is wrong with him," said Sam as she finally released Phantom's hand. "I just don't get why he stopped trusting us."
Phantom stopped suddenly, his green eyes gleaming in the dim halls, and Valerie felt herself tense. They weren't quite to the other entrance yet, so what reason could he possibly have for stopping now? Her watch showed no ghosts besides Phantom nearby, but Phantom's senses were frustratingly much better than her tech. "Phantom?" she said. "What's going on?"
"I think I should probably go," he said, the static crackling louder than usual over his radio as he spoke. "I don't want to be seen by the Fentons."
"Don't you have a truce with them right now?" she said as Sam paused, staring uneasily between the two of them. She heard the Fentons talking about it, questioning whether it was the right call or not after a recent ghost attack. Why would he be scared to see them? "What are you planning, ghost?"
"To leave." The temperature dropped precipitously, sending goosebumps down her arms, and Sam shivered. It didn't make sense, Val's mind spinning as she tried to understand why he would abandon them now.
"Um . . . why don't I go? I think I'm okay enough now, I can get help, and you two can stay here until you hear us coming this way, okay?" offered Sam weakly in a desperate bid to play peacemaker as the tension grew between them, but no way would she let Sam risk herself for this jerk.
"That wasn't the deal," snapped Valerie. "What the hell is–"
"Hello?!" called someone suddenly, interrupting her, and her eyes turned automatically to look at the intruder. "Kids?!"
"Mrs. Fenton?" yelled Sam as Val looked back at Phantom, but only emptiness remained where he stood before. Valerie gritted her teeth and forced herself to unclench her fist as she turned back towards Maddie.
"Oh, thank goodness you're okay," said Mrs. Fenton as she pushed her goggles up to the top of her head. "We detected a ghost this way, but I lost its signal just now. Did either of you see it?"
"It was Phantom," said Valerie as Sam shot her a glare. Whatever. It was already too late - her watch showed Phantom's signal had disappeared, too. She had no clue how he did it - none of the other ghosts could evade her tracker this way. Her best bet so far was that he could make portals into the ghost zone to quickly escape, but she'd never actually seen him do it.
"He captured the other ghost," added Sam. "And he saved us."
"Only after he hurt Mr. Lancer and Tucker," added Valerie coolly, and then her eyes went wide and she almost slapped herself. She completely forgot about the two of them in light of Phantom's suspicious behavior a minute ago. "Shit, Mrs. Fenton, can you call someone? They both need help, especially Mr. Lancer."
"Language, hon, but yes, I can go take a look," Maddie offered. "Why don't you two get out and let the paramedics know where to find them? Are they both just down this hallway?"
"Yeah, by the exit near the gym," said Sam, gesturing vaguely.
"Thanks, dear," said Maddie, and she reset her goggles and rushed down the corridor.
"Phantom must've heard her nearby," said Sam after Maddie was gone and they began walking again. "That's why he wanted to leave, Val. Just because they have a truce right now doesn't mean Mrs. Fenton won't break it."
"How can you just put so much blind faith in Phantom?" she snapped. "We're lucky the entire wall didn't come down on us."
"He apologized, didn't he?"
Valerie scowled, ignoring the fact that Sam did have a point, but why Sam would defend any ghost after the Lunch Lady incident made no sense to Valerie. "As if he meant it."
Sam opened her mouth and then shut it, clearly thinking better about arguing with Valerie as she turned back down the hall. "We should get outside and talk to the paramedics. And we should see if Danny made it."
At least that was something they could agree on. With Mr. Lancer knocked out, no one would even know to check for Danny besides his own parents, but they were busy at the moment. The two of them walked together in silence until they made it to the exit, and Valerie winced at the bright afternoon sun. Looking around she saw a half-dozen emergency vehicles along with students standing around in their assigned evacuation spots, and the football players were practicing passes in the far end of the empty parking lot. Their spot when they were in Lancer's classroom was a bit of a walk since they were supposed to be coming out of the other entrance, so most likely Danny would be over there.
After Sam let the paramedics know about Tucker and Lancer, she and Val walked around the school, eventually spotting Danny laying down on a picnic table, his legs dangling over the edge. He was wearing his usual NASA hoodie despite the unseasonably warm day and his hands were tucked into his pockets. His eyes were closed and she could just make out the slow rise and fall of his chest.
"Did he seriously sleep through that whole thing?" said Sam incredulously.
"Looks like he might have." Walking over, Val gently tapped him on the shoulder, and Danny blinked slowly as he turned his head, covering his eyes with his hand to block the sun.
"Hey, Val. The ghost attack over?"
"Yup. Phantom took care of it," she said. "But I thought you'd want to know that Mr. Lancer and Tucker got hurt."
Danny sat up quickly, his eyes snapping wide open as he looked between her and Sam, all traces of sleepiness gone. "How bad? Are they going to be okay?"
"Tucker should be fine, although he'll probably need stitches," said Val. "Mr. Lancer had a pretty serious head wound, though. I think he'll be okay, but we don't know anything for sure yet."
"And you two?" he asked, his eyes darting to the scratches covering Val's arms and hands alongside a handful of bruises on Sam.
"Just surface damage, we'll be fine," said Sam, shooting a look at Valerie, and Valerie gave her a small nod. She wouldn't tell Danny about the panic attack. Nobody else needed to know.
Danny looked down, rubbing the faint scar on his palm with his thumb. "I'm so sorry you all got hurt like that. I should've–I mean–I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," said Valerie as she sat down on the table next to him, and she tried not to shiver as her bare arm brushed against his covered one. Even mere moments after he'd been laying in the sun with a dark hoodie on, Danny radiated a permanently icy aura that would give even a ghost a run for its money. Back when they were still dating, Danny's parents explained that it was a side effect of his accident back in freshman year. High levels of ectoplasmic exposure combined with low-level, permanent contamination meant he lived in a constant state of mild hypothermia.
Knowing this, Danny shifted over slightly, trying to give her a little more space as Sam sat down on the grass. They still had to wait to be officially dismissed, although with Mr. Lancer incapacitated and the regular school day already over, Val wasn't entirely sure how that would work this time. Sighing, she tucked one of her knees under her chin, hugging her leg while they sat in silence together, and for the first time, she found herself wishing Tucker was with them since she knew he'd make some dumb joke that would make them forget about everything for a moment.
"I wish Tucker was here," mumbled Sam as she fidgeted with her backpack zipper.
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," said Val, smiling weakly at her and Danny, but he said nothing as he stared at the ground lost in thought. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. The fact that he spoke more than a sentence to her already was kind of a miracle these days.
The three of them sat in silence for about ten minutes until Principal Ishiiyama came over and let them know they were dismissed and that Lancer and Tucker were en route to the hospital. "It sounds like they'll both be okay," she said. "Danny, your parents will be here to come get you shortly. Do either of you need me to call someone?"
"I have to get to work, but it's a short walk. I'll be okay," said Val.
"I already texted my parents," said Sam as she stood up and grabbed her bag, "but thanks, Mrs. Ishiyama."
"See you both tomorrow?" said Sam as Mrs. Ishiyama departed.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," said Val, but Danny merely gave a half wave with his fingers as Sam walked away. Once Sam was out of earshot, Val leaned over, bumping him gently on the shoulder with her own. "You okay there, space cadet?"
"Thought you had to work."
"Nice deflection," she teased, and she was glad to see a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth even as he wiggled another inch away from her and tucked his hands back into his pockets.
"You sound like my sister."
"Yeah, well, we did spend a little time together once. I might've picked up a thing or two." Her smile faded, then, as she leaned forward and tilted her head on her knee, her curls bouncing behind her as she peered up at him. "But seriously, Danny? You seem like you're not doing so well these days."
Danny shrugged. "I'm fine, Val. Just worried about Tucker."
"If you say so," she sighed as she lifted her head. How she hated those words from Danny, but once he dug in, there was nothing she could do. He had a stubborn streak as wide as her own, and standing up she stretched a bit. "I really do have to get to work, but . . . you know you can call me if you need anything, right? I know we're not dating anymore, but you're still my friend and I do care about you."
"I know. And, um . . . right back at you." He laid back down and let his arm rest over his face, blocking the sun as he tried to go back to sleep while waiting for his parents to come pick him up. She really, really wanted to do more to help him, but if he wasn't even willing to admit that something was wrong, then there was nothing she could do.
A/N: This takes place in HAZMAT AU, although with some considerable changes from the stuff floating around on tumblr. The entire fic is pre-written, and chapters will be posted roughly once a week so I can do a final pass through on edits for each one.