Lady Phantom

By Nyassa Kaiba

The purpose of this pathetically short chapter is to theorize about how Danny's powers work compared to Hexa's. So basically the adult Fentons meet with the younger Fentons and explain stuffage.


Hexa waited at the Fentons that evening while Danny's parents monitored the ectosynth's progress through her system. It was late, and Hexa was tired. "So, what was your day like?" Mrs. Fenton asked.

"Danny and I got detention because Valerie chased us down. It wasn't even our fault either." She growled. "Man I'm gonna get Valerie for that."

"The best revenge is to live well." Mrs. Fenton advised. "As long as she didn't physically hurt you. Besides, isn't there a ghost named Poindexter who attacks bullies? Tit for tat is a bully mentality."

"I never heard of him."

"Danny told us about him over dinner, him and the other ghosts that he's fought against. He's had more adventures than either of us did when we first started hunting ghosts." Mrs. Fenton shook her head, trying to take in her son's achievements.

"Still can't get over it huh?" Hexa asked with a grin.

"Now this is interesting." Mr. Fenton said as he looked at the readout. "The ectosynth doesn't spread through the blood stream like normal medicines. It spreads by cellular diffusion."

"That must be why the ectoplasmic energy was the delivery agent instead of an ordinary saline solution." Commented Mrs. Fenton as she peered over his shoulder. "It also means that this Ectosynth can take effect relatively quickly."

"It would have to." Hexa commented. "Otherwise it would be too late. The transformation takes about two hours. Ectosynth can counter and reverse the damage if taken within the first hour of it. But after that there's no reversing it."

Mrs. Fenton shuddered. "Jack, can you have a look on the microscopic scale. I know it would strain our microscopes to the limit, but I want to see what it does on the genetic and cellular level."

Hexa waited while Mr. Fenton zoomed in on one of her cells. She propped herself up on one elbow just in time to see just what a halfa's DNA looked like. Mrs. Fenton, normally with a strong stomach, gasped.

A greenish sort of slime covered the strand of DNA. The slime itself glowed red in places, almost like eyes. As Hexa watched, the DNA began to split, preparatory to cell growth. But the DNA itself did not reform into a separate strand. The cell couldn't divide without two separate strands of DNA.

Then the Ectosynth came rushing into the cell, carrying with it the necessary DNA codons. These codons were normal, human, but as Hexa watched the green slime slowly began to cover them. Then the cells themselves divided, blurring the picture for a few moments, and then the cycle started all over again.

"Get Danny." Mrs. Fenton told her husband. "I want to make sure that this isn't happening to him."

Mr. Fenton nodded gravely.

Hexa had paled under her tan. "That's… that's why I have a problem changing, because my cells can't divide…"

"It would seem so." Mrs. Fenton replied.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence.

"Mrs. Fenton… I… I don't know what to do…" Hexa said shyly. "Should I let the transformation happen? Or should I fight it… I want to stay in this world. I don't want to go to the ghost zone. I love the earth and everyone on it. I… I even forgive BV."

Mrs. Fenton put a gentle hand on Hexa's back. "It's going to be okay. We'll find a way to stabilize your powers. I promise."

"What's wrong?" Danny asked as he came in. "Did you find out why Hexa can't control her powers?"

Mrs. Fenton nodded gravely. "Yes Danny, and we want to make sure its not happening to you." She rewound the record of the cell division. "We watched the DNA in one of Hexa's cells as it divided. Look what happened."

Danny's eyes widened. "Why did the DNA split like that?" He asked as he watched.

"DNA normally splits when a cell divides to form new cells." Replied Mrs. Fenton. "But the problem is that the ghost DNA is keeping Hexa's cells from dividing. Without cell division her cells get worn out and die, and she dies along with them, becoming a ghost."

"And you think this might be happening to me?" Danny asked, paling as well.

"It's a possibility." Mrs. Fenton said gravely.

Danny gulped.

"Lexain. I want you to get off the table so we can scan Danny. Jack, reset the monitors and prepare to hook them up to Danny."

Hexa got off the table, removing the monitors. Danny got onto the table and his mother began to hook him up to the monitors. The DNA scanner searched for a cell that was near dividing. "Here we go." Mrs. Fenton said as the scanner zoomed in.

Danny's DNA was slightly different. The green slime was absent, though the DNA itself was different shades of green and gold. "That's odd. Danny, transform for me please." His mother said, fascinated.

Danny closed his eyes, transforming slowly so that his parents would have time to analyze the change. Danny's mother cried out. The same green slime slowly covered the DNA strands.

"Jack, zoom out and do an organelle analysis." Danny's mother told her husband quickly.

Mr. Fenton zoomed out. Sure enough, a small green ball was attached to the nucleus. "Um… what is that?" Danny asked, pointing to the nucleus.

"Its called a nucleus, Danny. Its where your cells keep your DNA. It looks like in order for the transformation to take place that… sack… attaches itself to your nucleus to deliver that slime to your DNA." Mrs. Fenton said thoughtfully. "Danny, can you change back for me please?"

Danny changed back. The sack that had been empty before slowly filled with the chemical that had affected the transformation. "What IS that stuff?" Demanded Hexa. "I mean, its weird. But why do Danny's cellshave that organelle and my cells don't?"

"I don't know, but its presence is what seems to make the difference between your powers and Danny's." Mrs. Fenton commented. "That same slime may be what cover's a ghost's DNA, but with no place for it to go it covers the hydrogen bonds that allow Nucleotides to bond with each other. Without the hydrogen bonds DNA can't rebuild itself and the cell dies."

"Hydrogen what?" Danny asked, confused.

"DNA is held together by hydrogen, which bonds the pieces of DNA together. But if the hydrogen is covered up by the slime the DNA can't replicate and create another cell." Hexa replied. "But Danny's cells have a place to store the ecto-whatever it is. So the slime doesn't interfere with his physical body."

"OOOOOOOHHH." Danny said, finally understanding. "But why is my DNA green?"

"My guess is that there's some kind of receptor that bonds with the slime and releases it when its not needed anymore." Mrs. Fenton commented. "And the receptors are green and gold, thus making the DNA itself green and gold."

"So all we need to do is figure out how to give Feralae's cells that… what did you call it?"

"Organelle?" Hexa supplied.

"That would seem to be it." Agreed Mrs. Fenton. "It has something to do with the Fenton Portal, I think the ecto energy from it may have changed your DNA Danny, so that your cells created that organelle. I'll need a blood sample from each of you so that I can compare your DNA."

The two kids looked at each other. "Ooookay." Danny agreed.

"Yes, I think a DNA comparison would teach us a lot." Hexa agreed. "Do your worst Mrs. Fenton!"

Mrs. Fenton took out a pair of clean needles and cleaning swabs. Inside of a few minutes Danny's and Hexa's DNA was labeled and placed in an appropriate scanner. "It will take a few days to finish sorting your DNA, so go ahead and play for awhile, or do homework, or something."

The two half ghosts went downstairs where they were greeted by Sam and Tucker. "Hey, what's up?" Hexa asked.

"I could ask you the same question." Sam replied. "What were the parental figures up to?"

"They were scanning my cells." Replied Hexa. "And comparing them to Danny's. I think we've figured out why my powers are unstable. They just have to figure out what to do about it."

"I know a lot of genetics, explain please?" Tucker asked.

Hexa explained what the 'parental units' had found. "So that's the gist of it."

"Wow, I didn't realized you knew that much genetics." Sam replied. "You can do my biology homework for me."

"You need to do…"

"I'm kidding Hexa." Sam said with a chuckle. "So… Um… I was wondering… that new Miyazaki film came out. And I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me to see it, just a girl's night out thing."

Tucker smirked and made kissing noises. Sam whacked him while she waited for an answer.

"I'D LOVE TO GO!" Hexa cried, glomping Sam.

Sam fell over, blushing. "So you like anime too?"

"I LOVE IT! Especially Miyazaki-sama's work!" Hexa rubbed her face against Sam's cheek.

Tucker snickered. "Asking her out on a date Sam?"

Sam whacked him again. "Shut up you."

Danny laughed. Things were starting to look up for Hexa/For both of us. We finally have answers! But… this just can't last.