Danny slowly and groggily came to. His head felt like it was spinning around everywhere. He was in a dark room with yellowish-green light, chained to the wall with ghost chains that kept him from becoming human again. The room was fairly large, with one small door with a barred window being the only way in or out. There was a guard by it.
"Skulker?" Danny moaned; that stuff had been more than just smoke, and his neck still hurt.
"We meet again, ghost-child," the hunter smirked, "Funny we keep running into each other," Danny tried to move his arms, his head still foggy. At the slightest motion, the clamps on his arm connecting the chains tightened, drawing a grimace from the imprisoned ghost-boy.
"You like the chains?" Skulker's tone turned friendly, "I designed them myself!" he realised he was having friendly conversation with an enemy, "I mean, what's wrong, ghost-child? Having trouble getting lose?"
"Where am I?" Danny wearily asked, choosing to change the subject.
"A perfectly reasonable question for someone in your position to ask, Danny" a voice from the shadows spoke out, slowly coming into view; it was Velkan who tossed his hat aside, "But until we can trust you a little more, I'm afraid you can't be trusted with such delicate information. I am Velkan."
"You've told me that already."
"So I did. Good memory," he smiled lightly. Danny was slowly getting his senses back.
"What's going on here? Who are you people, what do you want with me, where am I, and why the heck did you..."
"Hold on there, Danny!" Velkan held his hands up to stop him, "Let's take this one step at a time. As you know, we can't tell you that third question yet, but you'll know all in due time. We..." he headed over to the west wall, the longest wall in the room, hitting a button on a panel. The wall pulled up into the ceiling, revealing what looked like a typical day at the marketplace in London during the Victorian era, "We are The Order," Danny saw pirate ghosts using ghost-horses to pull things around in wagons, ghost-kids playing around, shops set up, and so much of typical 1800 life (based on what he saw in History class). The difference; instead of food, livestock, and papers, weapons were being traded and passed around. One especially large pirate ghost was up against the wall, sleeping. The sight of this did not amuse Velkan.
"Dutchman!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, bringing the large ghost out of his sleep and flying over in a bad mood.
"Who dares disturb the sleep of The Flyin' Dutchman!?" he demanded. Velkan was unfazed by this comment.
"Did you unload the supplies from your ship yet?" he asked.
"Well, no, but I..."
"Then do that. Now."
"No one orders The Flyin' Dutchman, especially after wakin' me from me nap!"
"I control your pay," that settled the matter.
"Right away, commodore," the ghost noticed Danny, "Beware The Flyin' Dutchman!" he flew off, laughing evilly. Danny just stared at where The Flying Dutchman had been a minute ago as Velkan lowered the wall. He himself found him ridiculous, but unlike The Box Ghost, he might have succeeded in scaring some small children.
---
"Honestly, Fenton, do you really expect me to lend you such valuable supplies and equipment based on such a preposterous tale!?" with his lab having been looted, Jack was low on supplies. As soon as he woke up Sam had shouted what had happened to Danny, demanding that he come up with something to save him with fast. Unfortunately, his lack of supplies prevented quick action for what Jack wanted to do. He contacted headquarters for the Society of Misunderstood Genius Scientists to see if he could get some help; unfortunately for him, Dr. Wakeman was working the video lines tonight.
"Believe it or not it's the truth, Wakeman," Jack grabbed the top of the video screen with one hand and pointed at her with the other, "Although in light of all the attention ghosts have drawn to themselves over past week, I don't know why you still doubt my claims."
"Oh, I do not doubt that the head of that CIA Department Paranormalics was attacked by paranormal spirits. I do not doubt that there was chaos in Amity Park. I do not doubt that you have been robbed and your son kidnapped. But I highly doubt that your plan of building a giant laser and blasting away until you hit any sort of ghost is the way to rescue him! There is a more logical approach that a cooler mind can come up with. Unless you're willing to accept a logical approach to the situation, I'm afraid that under Article 5, I cannot give you the supplies to build your ridiculous ghost-hunting weapons that never work in the first place."
"Oh yeah!? You call my work ridiculous!? You have a line of failed XJ Robots designed to fight crime, so watch where you through your smart comments!"
"For your information, XJ-9 is..."
"Nothing but a stupid robot!" Jack started taunting Wakeman childishly.
"She is my daughter, and she is..."
"SHE'S A STUPID ROBOT!!!"
"Daughter!"
"Robot!"
"Daughter!"
"Robot!"
"Daughter!" it kept going, with Maddie, Tucker, Jazz, and (impatiently) Sam watching.
"Does this always happen when they talk to each other?" Tucker asked.
"In a word," Jazz looked back at her dad; his shouting match with the video screen continued. She sighed, "Yes."
"The record time is four hours, seven minutes, and thirty-six seconds," Maddie held up a stopwatch.
"FOUR HOURS!?" Sam shouted.
"Let's see if they can beat it!" Maddie started the stopwatch, grinning like an over-excited sports fan.
"That does it," Sam marched off to another room in the lab that Jack had just installed last month; the docking bay for the Spectre Speeder, inside the satellite on the roof.
"Uh, Sam?" Jazz was starting to worry, "What are you doing?" Sam climbed into the Spectre Speeder and buckled herself in.
"What does it look like!?" she started to hit some buttons on the dashboard, activating various gadgets.
"But we're supposed to wait for Mr. Fenton!" Tucker said, "He's got a plan! He..."
"Needs supplies that he doesn't have and is engaged in a four-hour shouting match with some wacko. I'm not waiting that long," she turned on the car's ghost-tracker, hit the ignition, and took off, barely waiting for the door to come down all the way.
"Get back here!" Jazz shouted.
"Yeah! You think we want to get stuck here listening to Mr. Fenton and that wacko Wakeman?"
---
"So you're a ghost organisation bent on world domination," Danny said, "What a surprise."
"World domination?" Velkan smirked, "Au contraire, Danny! I'm sure that you've been to Ghostland at least once in the past?"
"You mean The Ghost-Zone?"
"They call it that now, but back when I died it was Ghostland. Have you been there?"
"Yeah..."
"Then you know that it's a rather unpleasant place to be. Chaos, disorder, all of the spirits tainted by the forces of the paranormal. The only area of order is the prison of Walker, and even that's unpleasant due to the warden's forceful, over-zealous nature. Not all ghosts enjoy that, though. You yourself don't like it, correct?" Danny didn't answer, "Correct?"
"Well...no, but I..."
"You're not alone! From what I know of it, I wouldn't like it there!"
"You've never been there?"
"I'm getting to that. Several of my men don't like it there. It's one of the most horrible places that one can be forced to live in! You think that when we die we give up all longing for Earth and its pleasures? No! My men and I just want to live here, on Earth, as we did when alive. At least here there are places where peace and fair order exist!"
"Well, I don't blame you for not liking that place, but when you become a ghost, isn't that kind of a rule, having to live in The Ghost-Zone? I don't have to because I'm still alive, but..."
"Again, au contraire, my young friend! Such a law does exist, but it applies only to those ghosts whose bodies were put to rest. It does not apply to me in the least. When I died I was left on the road to be eaten by the dogs. Never put to rest, my spirit is destined to remain on Earth. Some ghosts who had escaped from Ghostland shared their horror stories of that foul place, seeking to live on their land again. Unfortunately, one thing that never dies, no matter how hard you try to kill it, is the superstition and fear of the living. Mankind will never accept us, Danny. Whom can you trust with these powers of yours? Two friends?"
"How do you know..." Danny started to say before remembering Skulker, "Never mind."
"You can't even trust your own parents. They're ghost-hunters. Look at all the fear for us now in the country."
"That was actually your fault..."
"We can never be accepted in this world," Velkan acted as if he hadn't heard Danny, "save by one or two individuals. So along with those who had fled Ghostland, I formed The Order. We exist to make this world safe for the ghosts that wish to live here, and any threat to them must be eliminated. People like your father and Paranormalics. Many of us couldn't enter Ghostland if we tried. Our numbers currently stand at 120, with only ten of us able to enter Ghostland. Then men I've sent after you are those ten. We rely largely on mercenary help. Skulker's for example. All of our mercenaries those ten have recruited from Ghostland."
"That's where ye be wrong!" The Flying Dutchman flew down again, "I ain't part of this Order, kid. I belong below the waves of the Pacific! They need someone to smuggle in the goods, and as you can see, I be a pirate! I got the job. 'Course, the others are pirates too, but they needed a captain and Velkan here's too busy with the plannin.' But like them, I was never put to rest, so now I be forever a- hauntin' the seven seas."
"Will you get back to work!?" Velkan and Skulker shouted.
"Yes, sirs," the large pirate flew off again.
"Unfortunately, he's right; we do rely on him for most supplies."
---
Sam had managed to activate another gadget of the Spectre Speeder that ran a laser across the front window, allowing people from inside to see ghost objects that would normally be invisible. She was following a signal that led her to a warehouse at the seaport. She jumped out and looked around.
"Danny?" she shouted.
"A-HA!" a familiar stupid figure flew up, "I am The Box Ghost! Did you think you could hold me within The Ghost-Zone for long?"
"Where's Danny!?"
"I am The Box Ghost! The rumours run rampant throughout the zone of the paranormal! The ghost-child has been taken by The Order!"
"What Order?"
"I AM THE BOX GHOST! I dare not speak of them, lest they track me down and utilise me for the testing of unstable ectoplasmic chemicals! BEWARE!" he flew off once more. Ignoring what just happened, Sam climbed back in the Spectre Speeder and kept on going.
---
"Look, dude, I sympathise with you guys, but you're taking this way too far. I can't think of anyone else who'd be crazy enough to break into a government base and try to kill the head of a CIA Department so I'm guessing that it was you. Now you have more problems than ever."
"We thought of that," Velkan nodded, "If we were to fail, then eventually, someone in Paranormalics, whether it be Conrad or lower, would counter-attack, most likely on innocent ghosts since our location is a secret. A loss it would be, but a rallying cry for us."
"OK, now I'm convinced; you've lost it. And I'm not letting you get away with any plans involving killing anyone!"
"Rather bold talk for someone in your position," Danny eyed the cuffs on his hands again; he did have a point, "And I don't think you'll be leaving us any time soon. I foresee you being very useful to us in more ways than one."
"Dude, I am not helping you with anything."
"Exactly what I knew you'd say," he snapped his fingers. There was a blinding flash of light, and then the panther-ghost appeared, "I'm sure you've met our friend Panther by now," Velkan pulled out his ghost-pistol and shot Panther in the arm, changing him back into an ordinary ghost whom Skulker knocked out. Danny eyed Velkan suspiciously.
"Some of our members have died in the 20th and 21st centuries, you understand," Velkan pulled out a needle filled with strange yellowish-black fluid, "The only ones of us who weren't pirates. One of them specialised in ectoplasmic chemicals. Came up with this rather interesting fluid. Very unpredictable, highly unstable. Rather than risk losing one of our few men, we decided to test it out on a volunteer outside The Order," he injected the liquid into the unconscious ghost. A yellow smoke formed inside him, some of it coming out through his mouth. His ears became pointed, a tail came from his back, black fur sprouted all over his body, and his teeth and nails became more cat-like.
"And as some nice little extras," Velkan handed the empty needle to Skulker, "He gains the flashy light tricks, the fog, and is under our complete control. They allowed us to gain some valuable prisoners when we invaded Paranormalics. Though," he grinned, "perhaps I should say, gained. Panther, out," smiling, it phased through the wall and into the trading centre. This did not look good.
"You mean...I'm getting turned into a cat thing?"
"No," Velkan smiled, "But it does show you our powerful methods of persuasion. Skulker, take him to Plasmius."
"Plasmius? Vlad Plasmius?"
"So you've met your new master, have you?" with his fresh knowledge, Danny made his first attempt to escape. The slightest motions in his wrist caused the clamps to close down ever tighter, but he kept fighting through the pain (to no avail).
"Try all you like, ghost-child," Skulker laughed, "There's no escape."
"Don't seem so upset," Velkan grabbed his hat from the corner of the room, his back turned on Danny, "You won't be alone. We'll be bringing that girlfriend of yours in her soon. She would be here already if you'd let Panther get on with his job."
"Sam? She's not my girl...wait. What do you mean you're bringing her in?"
"When at Paranormalics we found some interesting files," Velkan placed his hat back on, his back still turned, "Apparently Conrad didn't want them being seen. Sarah Frost wrote them when she was working on that interesting Gateway project. Mentions something about her friend Volpe accidentally infecting a girl with a seed turning her into a possessed ghost-hybrid. When I saw "ghost-boy" in the file I knew it related to you. Even confirms your identity as well as hers. Our expert's opinion is that you managed to remove the seed. He has a collection of them. Once the ghost who infected the person is gone, they have no purpose in ghost form, leaving them lost and confused. We can provide purpose for them."
"You leave Sam out of this!" Danny shouted.
"Rather emotional over someone whom you have a platonic relationship with, aren't you?" he still hadn't looked at Danny, and wasn't about to, "Skulker?"
"Yes sir," the chains holding Danny fell off the wall, but the clamps linked together like handcuffs. He was dragged from the room, Skulker phasing them through the right wall and Danny still making an attempt to escape. As Velkan opened the door and left the room, one could hear Danny beginning to scream.
---
Sam had picked up on another signal. Running the laser over the window, she could see a long rope falling from the sky into the woods. At the bottom of the rope was an anchor, several ghosts climbing down the rope with boxes in their hands. Sam pulled up, trying to see where the anchor came from. A large ghost pirate ship floated high in the air. It looked decayed and ruined, as if it had been under the seas for hundreds of years. She could hear the shouting of the captain.
"Careful with that! That's the property of The Flyin' Dutchman 'til we get it inside! I knew I shoulda gone down to Bikini Bottom tonight. Can ya' see anything, sir!?" he shouted up to the crow's nest.
"Human in a ghost car!" the watchman shouted.
"WHAT!?" his sword becoming a telescope, The Flying Dutchman flew to the front of the ship. Sure enough, there was Sam, heading towards them fast.
"It do be a human lass! Open fire with the cannons!" several men rushed below deck, arming the large guns. At the first shot fired, Sam knew she'd been spotted. She dodged the cannon fire, trying to see if the car was armed. She didn't have time, though. She suddenly lost control of steering and began to lose altitude. She would've thought she had been hit, but with the Spectre Speeder being relatively small, she would've noticed. Somehow, she was on autopilot, being steered away from the ship.
"Cease fire!" the Dutchman shouted, "She be leavin' us!"
---
The Spectre Speeder pulled up into the docking bay. As Sam climbed out, she noticed the Fentons and Tucker standing right in front of her, not looking too happy (except Tucker; he looked nervous).
"Tucker!" Sam shouted, assuming he'd told them.
"Now Samantha, I know you want to save Danny. All of us do," Jack said, "But there is no excuse for hijacking my Spectre Speeder!"
"We're talking about your son here!"
"Sam, you're supposed to be smarter than Tucker!" Jazz said, "You aren't supposed to make stupid decisions like this!"
"My thoughts exa..." Tucker started to say, "Hey!"
"Jasmine is right," Jack continued, "This is no time for rash actions!"
"Wait," Jazz looked confused, "So you...actually agree with me? This isn't just about the stupid Spectre Speeder?"
"Correct, Jasmine."
"Excuse me a minute," she ran off to review her notes and diary entries on her dad.
"Samantha, when those ghosts robbed my lab they took a great deal of supplies that would've let us find Danny in a snap, and they took blueprints for my work. Fortunately, they didn't find the secret one," he held up the blue sheet of paper, "This is meant as a back-up in case Wakeman won't give me what I need and I have nothin' else to work with. I still have what I need to make this baby a reality, and I need the Spectre Speeder. I promise you Samantha, I want to jump in that car and foolishly rush off to wherever Danny is just as badly as you do, and I promise you, give me three days and I'll have this thing up and runnin'!"
---
The next Monday; three days after Danny's capture; Jack still had not finished. Apparently, the ghosts had taken more than he fought. They had also struck the school, stealing the Ghost Catcher. Now there was another emergency school assembly in the theatre, Mr. Lancer at the podium.
"Greetings, students. I mean," he held up his book, "Wassup, Gs?" silence, "I'm sure you all noticed that the Ghost Catcher is missing from the front of the school. I'm afraid that's not even close to the worst of what I have to tell you. On Friday night, the home of your fellow student Danny Fenton was attacked by the same paranormal beings who have been haunting Amity Park all last week. Property was stolen and ruined, the security of one's own home was destroyed, and worst of all...Danny was kidnapped," there were some gasps at this, but on the whole, there wasn't that much noise...that Mr. Lancer could hear. Dash and his jock friends were sitting behind Sam and Tucker, and both of them could hear Dash and his pals slapping hands and rejoicing in this news. Tucker managed to stay calm; Sam was almost ready to attack.
"Calm down, Sam," Tucker said, "It's just Dash..."
"...I hope they don't let up on him until he keels over..." they heard Dash say. That did it. Sam slowly turned to face Dash and his friends, the glare in her eyes getting her attention.
"Will you all shut up!?" she shouted. Dash and his friends just laughed at that.
"Get a load of the mourning girlfriend!" Dash pointed at Sam, "I'm just speaking my mind. I can think whatever I want of Fenton! And I happen to think that those ghosts should give him the beating of his life!" Sam grabbed Tucker's backpack and threw it as hard as she could into Dash's gut, knocking him back in his seat.
"EXCUSE ME!" they both heard Mr. Lancer shout over the microphone, shattering the eardrums of the kids in the front row.
"You're gonna get it now, Manson," Dash smirked.
"Mr. Baxter, this behaviour is inexcusable!"
"What? But she's..."
"Detention. The rest of the week. You and your friends, and all of you are suspended from the football team until further notice!" he calmed down, "As I was saying, Ms. Manson, you and Mr. Foley are free to return home for the day if you would like," Sam slowly sat back down, deciding to stay in school but grateful to their English teacher for the offer.
---
"Whoa," Tucker said as they got off the bus stop, "I can't believe you nailed Dash like that! And with my backpack! 'Course it's filled with computers, phones, and gadgets which you now broke, but still!"
"Knock it off, Tucker," Sam mumbled.
"Look, I'm as worried about Danny as you are, but come on! Normally I'm the one doing stupid stuff like that! Wait, that didn't come out right..."
"Later," Sam barely attempted to wave "good-bye" as she turned the corner to head to her house. When she got there, she was surprised to find the front door open.
"Mom!" she shouted, "You home?" no answer. Still confused, she dropped her backpack and headed up to her room. Something did not feel right. She found out why when she saw a dagger impaled on her door, a note at the end. Her breathing started to get heavier as she pulled the dagger out and read the note:
"Let this be a warning to you and to his father.
The Order"
Slowly she entered her room. She dropped the dagger and the note at the sight of what she saw. Danny was weakly standing by her bed, in his normal state. His eyes were closed. He had grey shorts and a dirty black shirt on. Sam had never seen him so badly hurt, even after he had received the beating from Frost and Volpe. He had two cuts on his face, some blood coming out of his mouth, at least 10 bruises, was covered in dirt and filth, and his hair was messed up. He slowly fell forward, Sam running over to catch him before he fell on the ground.
"Danny!?" she lightly tapped his cheek, increasingly worried, "Danny!?" his moaning showed he was still alive. Sam gently set him down on the floor as the phone rang.
"Look, Sam..." it was Tucker.
"Tucker," she said through gasps of air, "Get an ambulance here quick!"