Danny Phantom flew determinedly through the Ghost Zone. He zipped past dozens of gates and doorways contemplating where to look first. His two best friends Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley followed behind in the Fenton Specter Speeder.
"Danny, how are we possibly going to find one ghost, or, uh, person in here?" Sam asked through the headset microphone; her voice echoed in the eerie atmosphere. "This place is huge!"
"I don't know," Danny responded. "But I've got to try!"
"What are you going to do if, er, when you find her?" Tucker asked. "What if she's become an evil ghost? What will you then? Fight her? She's your aunt!"
"I know she is, Tuck, I know. I don't know what I'm going to do."
When Danny told his friends about his long-lost aunt and relayed his father's story of her abduction by ghosts to them, they immediately agreed to help him find her, despite their misgivings about entering the Ghost Zone. He recalled the conversation the trio had as they stood before the swirling, glowing portal.
"You don't even like the Ghost Zone, Danny," Sam reminded him.
"No, I don't," Danny agreed. "And, I'm half ghost! I can't imagine what it must be like for someone who's not a ghost to be stuck in there!"
Tucker shuddered. "Me, neither!"
"But, Danny, it's been a really long time since your aunt was taken into the Ghost Zone," Sam said. "I hate to say this, but your dad may be right: even if you do find her, she might not be the same girl who went in there."
"I know, Sam, but I have to try! I'd rather know for sure, one way or the other, than spend the rest of my life wondering."
A sudden cry pierced the gloomy silence, jolting Danny out of his reverie. He halted, hovering, looking around for the source of the sound. Tucker pulled the Specter Speeder up beside him.
"What was that?" Sam asked in a harsh whisper.
"I don't know," Danny replied, keeping his voice low. Another cry in the distance caught his attention, and he pointed into the distance. "Wait! I think it came from over there!"
Danny took off in the direction of the sound. Around a bend he saw three large, hideous ghosts towering over a lone girl-ghost.
"Danny! What's happening?" Tucker's voice drifted into his ear. Danny looked over his shoulder to see the Specter Speeder hovering nearby, Sam and Tucker watching him intently.
"I'm not sure, yet, but it looks like trouble," Danny said. "You guys stay there. I'm going to check it out."
Danny carefully approached the scene of a fierce battle. The three ghosts took turns attacking the girl-ghost from all sides, but she deftly fought them off with a blunt, sword-like weapon. She shot a beam of bright light out of the end, hitting one of her attackers and knocking him back head over heels. The other two ghosts advanced on her, snarling. She took a swipe at one of them, but missed, and received a punch in the gut for her troubles. Danny could see she was overpowered and outnumbered, and he sprang into action.
He kicked one of the ghosts in the head, while the ghost-girl battled the other one. Just when Danny seemed to be getting the upper hand against his adversary, the ghost struck him with a sudden green blast, throwing him into a tail-spin. Undeterred, Danny rushed the ghost, punched it in the face and knocked it down. He then turned, ready to fight the other one. Instead of a hideous monster, however, he found himself face-to-face with the girl-ghost. Her hair hung in long pig-tails tied at the nape of her neck, and she wore a tee-shirt, a shiny baseball jacket, jeans and sneakers. Not exactly a typical-looking ghost.
"Oh, no," she said, eyes narrowing menacingly. "Not another one!"
"Funny," Danny glowered. "I was about to say the same thing about you."
"Danny! Look out!"
Both Danny and the girl-ghost turned towards the sound of Tucker's voice blasting out from Specter Speeder.
"What?" They said in unison, then turned to each other. "Hey!"
"Behind you!" The girl-ghost shouted pointing over Danny's shoulder.
"No, behind you," Danny countered. The two leapt up at the same time, and the ghost trio crashed into each other and fell into a dazed heap. Hovering above them, Danny and the girl-ghost eyed each other with curiosity and caution.
"Who are you? Friend or foe?" She demanded, leveling the weapon at Danny.
"I'm Danny Phantom," Danny told her. "And, I'd like to be a friend, if you'd . . ."
The girl-ghost's eyes grew wide. "You're Danny Phantom?"
"You, you've heard of me?" Danny asked incredulously.
"Duh! Like, who hasn't?" The girl exclaimed. "You're, like, famous in here! Half boy, half ghost; you walk in both worlds! Omigosh! You totally have to come meet my friend! He's a huge fan!"
"A fan? Of mine? Really? Uh, well, I don't know . . . I'm actually here looking for some . . ."
"Oh, please? It would mean so much to him! It won't take long, I promise!"
"Well, okay," Danny agreed with a shrug. "Anything for a fan!"
The two ghosts flew off at lightning speed, leaving Sam and Tucker behind in the Specter Speeder.
"Danny, wait!" Sam called.
"Don't waste your breath, Sam, I don't think he can hear you," Tucker said. "Not only is he out of range, but he's had a major ego boost: he just found out he's got a fan!"
"Great," Sam glowered. "Well, I guess we better follow them."
"Nah, that girl ghost seemed pretty cool. Didn't you see her kick those monster ghosts' butts? We can wait for Danny back in the lab," Tucker said as he turned the Speeder around and headed back to the Fenton Lab.
"Okay, I guess," Sam reluctantly agreed as she slouched down in the passenger seat and folded her arms across her chest.
"Gee, Sam, you're not jealous, or anything, are you?"
"Jealous? Me? Ha! Of course I'm not jealous!" Sam tried to sound convincing, but Tucker saw through her pathetic attempt, and smirked at her.
"Really! I'm not jealous!" She insisted. "Besides, maybe Danny should start making some ghost friends. It sure would be nice to have an ally or two in here."
"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Tucker exclaimed, and steered the Speeder through the Ghost Zone.