Out in the antibacterial-scented halls of CityCenter, there was a ghost.
Danny sighed with relief. Something very strange had happened to him in
that hospital room with Sam. He didn't love her like that. She was his best
friend, nothing more or less then that. But then, what was it about her
that was so irresistible and enticing about her? She wasn't beautiful like
Paullina. She wasn't even really smart or anything. He didn't like her in
that way. He hadn't felt in control of his mind when he'd leaned down to
kiss her. It was way too bizarre and way too daunting for him. Especially
when Sam was in some sort of coma or something.
His musings were interrupted when the ghost roared. Danny realized that he'd been daydreaming...about Sam! That was weird, very strange. Oh no, he was doing it again! Snap out of it, Fenton, he commanded himself. Concentrate on the ghost.
It was large and white, looking much more like the classic image of a ghost than those spirits he normally battled. On its head was one large, red, beady eye. As Danny moved closer to it, blue fog came out of his mouth. Okay, definitely a good time to go ghost.
"Tucker!" he shouted. "Cover me! I'm GOING GHOST!" As Danny uttered those last two words, Tucker jumped in front of him, shielding him from the empty hallway. Before Tucker's eyes only, Danny changed from a black-haired, blue- eyed teenaged wimp, into a well muscled, white-haired superhero with glowing green eyes.
Danny charged at the ghost, knocking it from the air. He punched it and kicked it, but it just sat there, a stationary, blubbery blob of ectoplasm. "Darn you, stupid ghost. Die already...or something." He corrected himself. "You're already lifeless."
But no matter how much he punched it, kicked it, or yelled at it, the ghost wouldn't move, and just when Danny had given up on anything happening at all, the ghost began to laugh.
"Ha. Ha ha ha ha...pathetic Halfling. You know nothing. Even now you are too late. Perhaps 2000 years too late. Hahaha!" As he spoke, the ghost faded away to nothing, leaving Danny and Tucker standing there, gaping.
"What just happened?" Tucker looked dumbfounded.
"I don't know..." Danny shared his expression.
"What was it talking about? The whole 'too late' thing?"
"Yeah, 'two thousand years?' What about it? What happened to ghosts that long ago?"
"You don't suppose that there's some connection between your precious Nihotes...and that thing?"
"What would they be doing in the hospital?"
"You don't think..."
"...it was a distraction!" Tucker and Danny moaned in unison.
Danny flew as fast as his ghost form would allow towards her hospital room, with Tucker close behind. As he burst into the room, he was shocked to discover...Sam. Lying there on the bed, like she had been when they left. "Nothing happened!" Danny sighed. "Whew, I was sure we might come to some other conclusion."
"Well," Tucker said. "I hate to do this to you, bud, but I got homework that I have to do. Well, you're on your own. It's not like you don't have a way to get home. See ya later, Danny." Tucker left the room, and the door swung shut. Danny was alone with Sam again.
Not that there was anything wrong with that. Nothing could happen, he wouldn't let it. His mind was his to control, not anything else's, especially not his emotions. Sam was just his friend. He inched closer to her. She was his best friend. He inched closer still. He didn't love her. Closer to her. He didn't want to kiss her. He was right next to her face. He didn't want...he didn't...no...
Danny felt his face leaning down toward Sam's own. No! He thought. Stop! What are you doing? But Danny was no longer in command of his body. Sam's face grew larger in his field of vision. He was right in front of her now.
He kissed her. He wanted to fight it, but he couldn't. It just felt so good, so true. His mind was filled with a yearning for Sam, for her love, stronger than any emotion he'd had ever felt. He was so filled with feeling that he couldn't think. He could, in the back of his mind, fell his body transform from ghost mode to human to ghost again, but he no longer cared. It was perfect.
Deep within his mind, a voice spoke to him. If this isn't what you chose, then why are you enjoying this so much? Isn't this what you want, child? You can have all this. Come to us. Come to us, she is waiting here for you. Come to us.
Those simple words shook Danny out of his euphoric state. What? What was that voice? It hadn't been his, but it sounded familiar. But more importantly, what his it meant? Where was Sam waiting for him? Had it been that voice that forced him to kiss Sam? Or had he done it of his own free will?
Where was Sam? Wasn't she right here? There was only one way to find out for sure. Danny dove into her mind. He looked around for some sign of life, but found only a blue puddle where her consciousness should have been. He looked closer at the foaming, bubbling liquid, and found that it consisted solely of Nihote symbols. What? What did the Nihotes want with Sam? She lived two thousand years in their future, and had no significance to anyone...but him. Sam was bait. He realized he'd have to find her.
But where would she be? The only clue was a blue, melting puddle, and a mark on his forehead. He touched the liquid, and went spinning into the past.
His musings were interrupted when the ghost roared. Danny realized that he'd been daydreaming...about Sam! That was weird, very strange. Oh no, he was doing it again! Snap out of it, Fenton, he commanded himself. Concentrate on the ghost.
It was large and white, looking much more like the classic image of a ghost than those spirits he normally battled. On its head was one large, red, beady eye. As Danny moved closer to it, blue fog came out of his mouth. Okay, definitely a good time to go ghost.
"Tucker!" he shouted. "Cover me! I'm GOING GHOST!" As Danny uttered those last two words, Tucker jumped in front of him, shielding him from the empty hallway. Before Tucker's eyes only, Danny changed from a black-haired, blue- eyed teenaged wimp, into a well muscled, white-haired superhero with glowing green eyes.
Danny charged at the ghost, knocking it from the air. He punched it and kicked it, but it just sat there, a stationary, blubbery blob of ectoplasm. "Darn you, stupid ghost. Die already...or something." He corrected himself. "You're already lifeless."
But no matter how much he punched it, kicked it, or yelled at it, the ghost wouldn't move, and just when Danny had given up on anything happening at all, the ghost began to laugh.
"Ha. Ha ha ha ha...pathetic Halfling. You know nothing. Even now you are too late. Perhaps 2000 years too late. Hahaha!" As he spoke, the ghost faded away to nothing, leaving Danny and Tucker standing there, gaping.
"What just happened?" Tucker looked dumbfounded.
"I don't know..." Danny shared his expression.
"What was it talking about? The whole 'too late' thing?"
"Yeah, 'two thousand years?' What about it? What happened to ghosts that long ago?"
"You don't suppose that there's some connection between your precious Nihotes...and that thing?"
"What would they be doing in the hospital?"
"You don't think..."
"...it was a distraction!" Tucker and Danny moaned in unison.
Danny flew as fast as his ghost form would allow towards her hospital room, with Tucker close behind. As he burst into the room, he was shocked to discover...Sam. Lying there on the bed, like she had been when they left. "Nothing happened!" Danny sighed. "Whew, I was sure we might come to some other conclusion."
"Well," Tucker said. "I hate to do this to you, bud, but I got homework that I have to do. Well, you're on your own. It's not like you don't have a way to get home. See ya later, Danny." Tucker left the room, and the door swung shut. Danny was alone with Sam again.
Not that there was anything wrong with that. Nothing could happen, he wouldn't let it. His mind was his to control, not anything else's, especially not his emotions. Sam was just his friend. He inched closer to her. She was his best friend. He inched closer still. He didn't love her. Closer to her. He didn't want to kiss her. He was right next to her face. He didn't want...he didn't...no...
Danny felt his face leaning down toward Sam's own. No! He thought. Stop! What are you doing? But Danny was no longer in command of his body. Sam's face grew larger in his field of vision. He was right in front of her now.
He kissed her. He wanted to fight it, but he couldn't. It just felt so good, so true. His mind was filled with a yearning for Sam, for her love, stronger than any emotion he'd had ever felt. He was so filled with feeling that he couldn't think. He could, in the back of his mind, fell his body transform from ghost mode to human to ghost again, but he no longer cared. It was perfect.
Deep within his mind, a voice spoke to him. If this isn't what you chose, then why are you enjoying this so much? Isn't this what you want, child? You can have all this. Come to us. Come to us, she is waiting here for you. Come to us.
Those simple words shook Danny out of his euphoric state. What? What was that voice? It hadn't been his, but it sounded familiar. But more importantly, what his it meant? Where was Sam waiting for him? Had it been that voice that forced him to kiss Sam? Or had he done it of his own free will?
Where was Sam? Wasn't she right here? There was only one way to find out for sure. Danny dove into her mind. He looked around for some sign of life, but found only a blue puddle where her consciousness should have been. He looked closer at the foaming, bubbling liquid, and found that it consisted solely of Nihote symbols. What? What did the Nihotes want with Sam? She lived two thousand years in their future, and had no significance to anyone...but him. Sam was bait. He realized he'd have to find her.
But where would she be? The only clue was a blue, melting puddle, and a mark on his forehead. He touched the liquid, and went spinning into the past.