Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Agony
by Kalika

Chapter 4

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Marcel pulled out in front of the large warehouse. His equipment had led him right here. He was furious with himself for taking so long to catch up. He should have found the ghosts hours ago but they had just been so damn fast.

He jumped out of the car and grabbed one of his incapacitators. He needed to significantly weaken the ghost before he attempted to catch it and the incapacitator was the best way to do it. He also grabbed his ghost catcher.

He was trying to find a way into the building when he heard a cry. He turned to see a rather small sized ghost come flying straight through the locked door that he had just given up trying to force open.

Marcel quickly dove down beside a large pile of boxes before the ghost could see him and take off. To his surprise another much larger ghost with purple hair came barreling through the door after the first one. He watched in fascination as the two ghost began to battle right in the street. This was perfect, they would tire each other out and he might be able to catch both of them. He sat back to wait for a lull in the action. It wasn't long before one popped up.

I've got you now ghost, Marcel said as he carefully aimed his weapon. Unsure of the exact strength of the being, he chose the smaller of the two battling ghosts. He waited for the perfect shot before firing.

His aim was perfect. He struck the ghost straight on with a powerful blast of energy. As the small ghost writhed in a sphere of crackling energy, the other disappeared into the night.

Marcel kept his beam focused on the ghost as he stepped foreword to examine his prize. He couldn't be sure but the ghost seemed to be changing it's appearance. Marcel could have sworn that it's hair had originally been white, but was now jet black. It's clothing seemed to be changing as well.

Suddenly, Marcel noticed a swift movement out of the corner of his eye, but before he could react he was knocked to the ground and struck his head against the cement.

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Danny snarled under his breath. This was taking forever. It was already dark out. He had been following and fighting this ghost around town all afternoon. His math mid-term was coming up the following morning, and thanks to this ghost he had barely studied even half of the information. He couldn't handle another D. His parents never said anything, but he still hated to disappoint them in any way.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he almost didn't dodge the dumpster that was flying at him in time. He glared at Tank who was now grinning at him. Almost clipped you that time ghost boy. Getting tired are ya?

Danny didn't bother to answer. He just launched himself at the huge ghost catching it across the face with a strong right hook. He continued to strike the ghost with everything he had. He reached down to grab the thermos and suddenly realized that in his haste he had left it in his book bag at the library. He froze momentarily in shock and received a sharp blow to his stomach. He doubled up in pain and was knocked to the ground by a powerful punch to the face.

Danny swore as he picked himself up from the ground. He turned to find Tank watching him with a smirk. The huge ghost cracked his knuckles and launched himself at Danny. The boy threw himself to the side and thrust out his foot. He managed to catch the ghost in his stomach. As Tank tried to get his bearings back, Danny once again began to pound on him with his fists and feet.

Just as Danny was about to land a solid punch to Tank's face he felt himself enveloped in a painful blast of energy and began to scream. He had never felt anything so painful before in all his time fighting ghosts. He could feel himself changing back to his human form and felt his screams catch in his throat as the pain increased tenfold. His eyesight faded to black as the agony became unbearable and he was unable to fight it anymore.

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Jack Fenton could see the ghosts battling in the street ahead of him. The smaller of the two seemed to have lost the upper hand at the moment. Jack had just pulled over and was getting out of the car when he saw a beam of energy strike the white haired ghost. He glanced at it's source just long enough to realize that it was Marcel controlling the beam with one of his many devices.

Jack turned back to the ghosts to see that the large purple haired specter had disappeared. The one that remained was still trapped within the energy field created by Marcel's hunting equipment. He could hear the ghost screaming in pain, and winced uncomfortably. He didn't like the thought of harming any creature, even if it was a ghost. That was he began to notice the changes.

He watched in growing confusion as the ghost shifted before his eyes. The white hair became black, the eyes became a bright sky blue, and the clothing became a very familiar set of jeans and a t-shirt.

In his shock it took Jack a few moments to realize the significance of the changes. When it finally hit him he froze completely.

His son was a ghost. Not only was his son a ghost, but he was in pain. Jack shook off his shock and, in a sudden burst of anger, threw himself at Marcel and punched the young ghost hunter in the face.

The blow knocked Marcel unconscious and caused the beam of energy to shut off. With the loss of the energy holding him up, Danny was dropped to the ground. He lay silent and unmoving on the pavement as his father ran over to him in a panic.

Danny! Danny are you all right? Jack dropped to his knees beside his son. He checked Danny over and immediately realized that his son wasn't breathing. He quickly checked for a pulse, but was unable to find it as well. Oh God. Danny! Without a second thought Jack began to perform CPR on his son. Stopping every twenty or so compression's to check for a pulse he almost collapsed from relief when he found one. He continued to breath into his son's mouth until he felt the boy begin to draw in air on his own.

Suddenly, Danny's eyes flew open and he gasped harshly. He glanced around rapidly searching for Tank. He didn't see the other ghost and relaxed slightly. It was then that he realized just how much pain he was in. His chest was screaming and his lungs burned as if he had been holding his breath for a very long time.



The voice was so low that Danny could barely hear it. He glanced towards it source and saw his father staring at him with fear in his eyes. There were tears pouring down Jack Fenton's cheeks. Danny, are you all right?

Danny opened his mouth to reply and began to cough harshly. Jack quickly pulled his son up into a sitting position and began to rub his back comfortingly. It took a few nerve wracking moments before Danny was able to catch his breath again.

What happened? Danny whispered painfully as soon as he could manage. The last thing he remembered was gaining the upper hand in his battle with Tank, and then a blinding agony. His mind wasn't very clear at the moment, but he was confused as to exactly why his father was here.

You were fighting and got hit with a powerful energy beam. I managed to stop it, but you were already hurt. Jack's voice cracked, and a couple more tears leaked out of his eyes. When I reached you you weren't breathing and I couldn't find a pulse. It took some time but I managed to revive you.

Danny looked up at his father through clouded eyes and the information sank in. Not the part about the being revived, but the part about the fighting. Then you know. It wasn't a question. It was just a soft statement of truth. Danny was too tired to bother with any more questions. Actually, at the moment Danny couldn't have cared less about his secret. He was in too much pain.

Jack looked at his son carefully, the boy seemed too exhausted to care about anything at the moment. Jack considered not replying but decided against it. From what he had seen of what had happened to Danny, he figured that it was safe to assume that what had occurred had been very close to an electrocution. He recalled reading somewhere that when you were electrocuted you would become very tired, but it was a very bad idea to actually go to sleep until you had seen a professional. He wasn't really certain if the information was accurate or not, but figured that it was better to be safe. Maybe he could help his son stay awake by getting him to talk. Danny was still watching him, though the boy's eyelids had slipped lower.

No, I don't really know Danny. Maybe you could explain it while we go to the hospital. Jack said as he lifted the jet haired boy into his arms and carried him over to the car. He placed his son gently in the front seat, propping him up against the dash board. On his way to the driver's seat he stopped at the trunk to pull out a pillow.

He climbed into the car and caught Danny, just as the boy began to fall over. Just a second Danny. He whispered as he placed the pillow on his lap and guided his son's head to rest on it. He started the car and very carefully pulled away from the curb. Danny? weren't you going to explain? Danny's voice was weak with exhaustion, and Jack was beginning to worry that Danny would fall asleep before the boy suddenly started speaking. His voice was very low and Jack had to strain to hear him.

Oh, yeah. I guess I do owe you an explanation. He paused for breath and for a moment Jack worried that perhaps he had fallen asleep. It was just over six months ago. You had just finished the portal, but you couldn't get it to work. I went inside and accidentally activated it. When I woke up I had changed.

Danny's voice was fading out and Jack wanted to keep him awake so he asked a question. You changed into what I saw tonight. An impressive fighting ghost with white hair. What' it like being a ghost?

Danny chuckled. I'm only half. Most of the time I can control my changes, but sometimes when I'm emotional or careless I can lose control.And the fighting?I have something I call a ghost sense. It activates whenever there is another ghost near me. Most of the time they are ghosts that have come through the Fenton Portal. Since I was the one who had activated it, I figured that it was my responsibility to put them back in Ghost World where they belong. Danny's voice was fading again.

How do you force them back through with out us noticing?The Fenton Thermos. Jack started with surprise. I use it to contain the ghosts that I have captured until I can get them back to the portal.I didn't realize that the thermos worked! Jack exclaimed as he pulled into the hospital emergency zone. " Hold on Danny. You'll be seeing a doctor soon. He stopped the car, hurried to the passenger door, and lifted his son out. He carried Danny into the building and immediately began yelling for a doctor.

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To Be Continued