The next morning at breakfast, Jack had some things to say.
"I have some things to say," he began, "With Frost back on the offensive and with the evidence to support her claim we're in a bit of a tough spot. I've been up all night working on our defence and quite frankly, it..."
"Needs some work?" Danny asked.
"Son, it stinks! It couldn't win a case of boredom. Therefore, I'm all ears to any ideas. Though I'll have you know that I'm so frustrated that the minute I hear a bad idea that person will become the victim of my rage."
"Dad?" Jack glared angrily at Danny, "Uh...when Sam went into town with Mom last night, she found..." he fumbled through his pocket and pulled out a piece of one of the ectoplasmic bombs, "...this in the museum." Jack took it and looked it over.
"Funny," he said, "this is made with patented Fenton technology. I don't remember letting anyone know the secrets to ghost-hunting equipment."
"Right," Danny said, "but Paranormalics would have similar stuff, wouldn't they?"
"True..." Jack wasn't getting the point.
Sam cut in, "Danny and I think that maybe they set off something to leave ectoplasmic samples all over the scenes of the crimes so they could get the rights to...take over this house?" they smiled weakly.
"Oh, now you don't really think that they'd stoop that low, do you Jack?" Maddie wasn't convinced.
"Never underestimate the deception the government can pull off," Jack turned to Danny and Sam, "although with just this piece of...whatever this is, we'll have a hard time proving this at court."
"Right," Sam said, "you could postpone the trial until tomorrow. Frost still doesn't have definate proof for the case, so she might try to..."
"Put up more false evidence tonight!" Jack finished, "We can catch her in the act and have no worries about competition concerning ghosts! Good plan, kids! I can get everything in the Fenton Van working by tonight if I work all day."
"What?" Jazz looked terrified, "Don't tell me you..."
"Yes, the Fenton Van! My pride and joy and the ultimate accomplishment with Fenton Technology. Has every ghost-tracking device and every weapon against ghosts that I could install. It surpasses the RV in every way imaginable! We're still keeping the RV and I haven't been able to make the van's gadgets work yet but I can by tonight! We'll all go out, together! Maddie, to the Fenton Van!" in Adam West-type fashion, both parents took off to the vehicle.
"Nice going, Danny," Jazz was not happy, "You turned an already boring day on this horrible vacation into a disaster!" she marched upstairs.
"Wow," Danny smiled, "This might end up working out after all!"
"Yeah..." Sam didn't sound that excited. She put her hand up on her head.
"You OK?" Danny asked.
"Tired," she yawned, "You were out longer than you might think. Shouldn't we call Tucker?"
"Good idea," they headed downstairs.
---
"We told you..." Tucker said when Danny had told him about last night.
"Yeah, yeah," Danny mumbled, sinking lower in his chair.
"But we got a piece of one of those bombs and Danny's dad is taking everyone along to see if we were telling the truth. Hopefully this'll get rid of Frost."
"You OK?" Tucker asked Sam, "You look kinda tired."
"I am," she sighed, holding her head again, "No big deal,"
"So what's the deal with that crazy ghost girl?" Tucker asked.
"I dunno. We've got a paranoid government agency setting us up, we've got Volpe, and now we've got that ghost girl. All she seems to care about is attacking Volpe at any cost!"
"You think they knew each other while they were alive?" Tucker asked.
"Maybe," Sam said.
"So, did you find out any more about Paranormalics?" Danny asked.
"Besides what you already know, nothin'" Tucker typed something into his computer, "But I did find a great sale on the original line of mechanical paper towel dispensers Volpe made while he was alive. I'm gonna own a piece of history!" Sam and Danny sighed and shared a look indicating that they found Tucker's behaviour pitiful.
---
When completed, the Fenton Van didn't look too different save a dish on the roof of the car to pick up satellite signals. The inside, however, looked quite a bit different. Besides the steering wheel, nothing looked ordinary. With all the buttons, levers, monitors, and receptions, it looked like the controls for a starship. At eight o' clock p.m., the family (and Sam) headed out. It was already dark out, and the clouds were building. It was so cold that snow was in the forecast. Two of the monitors were on, one to detect ghosts, the other to detect anything made of ectoplasm (fortunately for Danny, it only applied to outside the van). Jet propulsion was installed in the car, but Jack surprisingly didn't use it. He pulled up to a street corner near the bank and stopped.
"Alright," Jack said, "we are here to catch Frost in the act. Under no circumstances, and I mean any circumstances is anyone to leave this vehicle!" the monitor for tracking ghosts suddenly went off, "Except that," Jack grabbed the Ghost Gloves and charged out of the van, Maddie close behind.
"Well, I'm outta here," Jazz opened the door and headed off to a nearby department store. Danny and Sam looked at all the controls.
"Please tell me you know something about these," Sam looked at Danny.
"Uh..." he smiled weakly, and Sam sighed.
"What a surprise," she said sarcastically, "Now we can't do anything," as she leaned forward, her elbow hit a lever and one monitor showed a news report just coming on.
"The mayor has been kidnapped!" the reporter was frantic, "Right from under the nose of security, and with everything locked and secure, the mayor was taken from his residence! Scans by Paranormalics confirm; it was a ghost! Many believe it to be one of the three ghosts spotted last night! Paranormalics chief Sarah Frost believes it to be the one from Amity Park! Will someone please give Paranormalics special ghost- hunting licence and that old mansion!?" the reporter was taken away for panicking.
"I've gotta go," Danny started to open the door.
"No! They're practically begging you to show up! They'll not only be ready to beat you again, you'll likely get 'confirmed' as the kidnapper and completely ruin our plan!"
"Well I can't just sit here! There's no point in waiting by the bank because they're trying to frame me for something worse than robbery. We can't drive and can't work the van. And if they're ready for me based on last night, I'll try a slightly different approach," grinning, Danny went ghost and left, ignoring Sam's shouting for him to get back.
"Sometimes..." Sam sighed before getting out of the van and following him. Leaving the van completely abandoned was a mistake, because a Paranormalics agent was waiting for that opportunity to place an interceptor on the satellite dish.
---
Danny went invisible and crouched down on a rooftop near the mayor's home. Paranormalics agents surrounded the place, the major up on the roof. They all were so sure Danny was coming that none of them had a ghost tracker out. Danny flew quietly over to the major, who was just now contacting Frost.
"Still no sign of him," the major sighed, "I dunno, ma'am."
"He'll be there," Danny could hear Frost say, "Check the ghost tracker," he began to pull it out. Thinking quickly, Danny flew into the major's body.
"Nope," he said without turning the thing on, "nothing on the scanners."
"Keep an eye out and call me later," Frost said.
"Yes, ma'am," Danny put the scanner away and left the major's body. The major was confused, but shrugged it off. Danny floated down inside; nothing was out of the ordinary. There was, however, a Paranormalics agent with ghost- detecting goggles and a laser ready. Readying himself for battle, Danny accidentally fired a blast of ghost energy at the agent.
"Sorry! I..." Danny looked at his opponent. He was hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Danny thought. He had held back using this power because he thought it was too dangerous.
"Nighty-night," the agent collapsed, unconscious but fine.
"Well, that'll make fighting these guys easier," Danny floated back up, still invisible.
"Still no sign," the major was saying, "He's not coming, ma'am."
"He is coming," she was talking loudly, "have all the men check their scanners."
"Yes ma'am," the major side, "Men! Check the ghost trackers!" Danny was now nervous. He couldn't overshadow more than one person, let alone a small army...
"Fire!" an explosion and Volpe's making off with some equipment prevented Danny's detection. Half of the men ran off after him.
"Perfect," Danny flew down to where the remaining men were. He grabbed the one right in front of him, covering his mouth and knocking him out with a blast of ghost energy. The one soldier who noticed that was hit too.
"Hey!" the major shouted, pulling out his laser. Danny knocked it out of his hand before readying himself to fight the agents. Now positive his energy blasts were non-lethal, and having taken them by surprise this time, Danny fared much better in combat. He was having no difficulty holding his own against the soldiers. Within a few minutes it was obvious he was winning the fight. He would have, too, if Volpe had not suddenly appeared, mercilessly attacking one of the soldiers whom had gone after him. Danny knocked Volpe away.
"What the heck are you doing!?" Danny shouted, "That's completely overdoing it!"
"Enemies are enemies, Ghost Boy," Volpe said defiantly, "They deserve it," he flew off, Danny close behind. He even more worries now, as the ghost girl appeared and attacked Volpe, causing a heck of a lot of property damage and waking up the whole town, the last thing needed. Danny intervened, and Volpe flew off.
"What is your..." he dodged a punch from the ghost girl, "...deal!? You're helping people who want to destroy all ghosts!"
"Volpe!" she shrieked.
"I don't know what your problem with him is, but I'm..." he was prevented from finishing his sentence by a kick to the face. In anger he began randomly firing energy blasts at her, two of them hitting and one actually causing some damage to her foot. His carelessness, however, had given their location away to an agent, who fired a shot. Danny attempted to avoid it, but he was hit in the left shoulder and crashed down into some old cardboard boxes. His shoulder felt like it was burning. Slowly standing up, he felt his wound. Blue ectoplasmic smoke was coming out of it, and he couldn't use his left arm much. Still, he had to find that ghost girl. He flew off, still holding his shoulder, and found her on a rooftop. They both prepared to fight. Unbeknownst to them, Frost was observing their battle from a window. She slowly took a bomb from a box and threw it up between them. It detonated, sending Danny flying towards an old abandoned apartment complex. He phased through it, crashing down on his bad arm.