Kitty00240: Yeah, really doesn't seem to be a point to it, huh? They just keep escaping... My personal thoughts: If they stayed in the Ghost Zone, no more show:-D
Rosecat: I see you were... amused. That's what I was going for.
Riverfox237 (5): Yes, this is an alternate universe Danny Phantom where Sam wasn't debugged in "Doctor's Disorders" and it led to her gaining ghost powers. So, yes, it is a series save the fact they turn into a dragon; that'll be resolved soon. I'm glad to know I'm still entertaining, that's a good sign!
Riverfox237 (6): Yes, isn't Jazz lovable? And athletic, albeit a wee clumsy? As for the dragon, the ghost wearing it (the British girl) probably doesn't like Danny, and I needed another ghost. Actually, I have never seen the Poindexter episode or "Parental Bonding" since for reasons I won't go into here. Walker IS psychotic; he'll also being appearing in his own episode later down the line. As for Danny calling it normal, I assume after a while he would get used to it. As for Danny knowing Jazz's is on his secret... er, didn't mean that to happen, that was a typing error on my part. Regardless, Jazz said she'll wait for Danny to tell her and not vice versa, which is personally how I view her on the actual show.
This week sees, as she hinted in the last episode, the return of Ember...
"What a lovely night..." Sam sighed, gazing up at the stars.
"Yeah, we need more nights like this," Danny agreed. On one of their increasingly rare free nights, Amity Park's least favorite human/ghost hybrids were enjoying a spring night's spenders of stargazing. Armed with lemonade and vegetarian munchies, they were set for a pleasurable night.
"More lemonade?" Danny asked.
"Maybe later..." Sam replied. She snuggled up against her boy and rested her head on his chest, sighing happily. Danny blushed and pulled her close, stroking her back gently.
"You sure know how to make a girl feel loved..." Sam murmured.
"You sure know how to make a guy feel love for a girl," Danny grinned.
"And you both sure know how to make someone rot their teeth or vomit their guts up," a female voice chided. Danny and Sam jerked into a sitting position as wisps of mist and a biting chill overtook them. Looking up, they saw the all too familiar outline of a ghostly Goth rocker.
"Ember," they both groaned.
"That's right, kids! I'm back for an encore!" the teenage ghost grinned.
"I don't think you're going to have time to record an album," Sam shot back as she and her boyfriend transformed. They raced upwards to an eye level position with their nemesis. "Your performing permit on this plane of existence is revoked." She paused, looking down at the ghostly tail where her legs should be. "Does... not having legs freak you out too?" she asked Danny.
"Oh yeah," he replied without pause.
"Well, while I'd love to listen to you two go on and on about how fun it is to be half ghost," Ember groaned while rolling her eyes, "we have to get going."
"'We?'" the halfas replied, arching eyebrows.
"Well, yes! Didn't you hear?" Ember continued, faining shock. "We're going to be kicking off our 'Dominate the Earth' tour this week in Chicago, atop of the Sears Tower!"
"What do you mean by 'our' exactly?" Danny said, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, why are you here, Ember!" Sam shot back, her hands on her hips.
"Why, isn't obvious?" the ghostly Goth continued as she prepared to play. "I'm here for you!" With that, she quickly played a chord on her guitar. Long, thick wires raced out of the bottom of the instrument. Before the halfas could respond, they were bound from ankle to shoulder in the wires.
"I'm gonna make this quick, you two..." Ember added as the wires dragged the squirming teenagers closer. "You two have been a real thorn in my side, and quite frankly my mates and I can't get the sound we want out of our current number. So, I figured, why not kill two birds with one stone? I conquer the world of the living... and you help me do it."
"We'll NEVER help you," Sam growled.
"Oh, no?" Ember replied as she casually ran a pick over her strings. "I expected you two would be kinda flat. So... we're going to do a little tuning!"
"What do you m--" Danny started as Ember started strumming an increasingly frantic, almost angry song. Her guitar glowed, and energy from the ghostly instrument flowed along the wires. It seared through Danny and Sam, causing them to thrash and scream in agony. Their flesh went chalky white as black markings crept along their faces. Their hair seemed to burst into flame; bright green for Danny and bright purple for Sam. Finally their clothes began to warp; their trademark, distinctive jumpsuits morphed into something more Gothic. The energy died away, leaving the transformed duo panting. They glanced at each other, gaping in shock.
"What... did you DO to us!" Sam shrieked.
"Well, like I said, you just weren't gonna cut it as you were... so I tuned you. But," Ember clucked, "there's still the pesky matter of your personalities and free will. Not a problem though..." she continued as she flicked a small knob. "We'll fix that right up!" With that, Ember broke into a wide grin and started to play again. As before, the energy played along the wires, but this time it jumped into their heads. The halfas thrashed, crying out, then faded to groans and twitches, then silence and stillness. After a moment, they raised their heads, eyes closed.
"So, band mates..." Ember said casually as she picked at a few strings. "How are you two feeling today?" Danny and Sam remained still, then opened their eyes; they were now bright blue instead of green.
"Personally... I kinda feel like rockin'," Sam drawled.
"Me too," Danny grinned.
"Now, that's what I wanted to hear!" Ember smiled as the wires were wound back into the guitar. Danny and Sam floated free, grinning like their attacker. "We got a few things to do first though... let's go." The former halfas nodded, and the trio flew off in formation for town.
"A 24/7 electronics store... America, you are great."
Tucker cuddled his new PSP as if it were a newborn, sighing happily at the feeling of plastic-wrapped cardboard against his body. It'd had been a long, painful several months, but the prize was finally his. He was sure the hand held device would take his mind off his swollen feet, scratched legs, and sore, chore-tired arms. He had just started for home when the screaming started. Confused and unnerved, he turned. What greeted him was shocking.
The store was quickly emptying; patrons and workers fleeing for their lives as several shapes dove in from above. After a few minutes, they returned, carrying an armload of equipment; cables, sub woofers, microphones, and the store's transmission equipment. Transfixed, he watched for a moment before coming back to his senses and diving into an alley behind a dumpster.
"Where the heck are they?" Tucker asked himself, scanning the skies around the store. "I know they wanted the night off, but there's a store being emptied by ghosts... led by Ember!" he gulped as the rocker phased out from the roof, studying the crime spree she was leading.
"Great, great!" she said with a smile on her face. "Just a little bit more, and we have this gig in the bag! Thanks to our newest members..."
"She's gloating right there!" Tucker muttered to himself. "Where's Danny and Sam? They need to get over here and..." He trailed off in shock as the last of the raiders phased out of the store, cables in their arms. At first they looked like some of Ember's roadies... but those big eyes, the build of the bodies, the unruly hairstyles...
"...it can't be," he gasped.
"Here's the last of the stuff," the altered Danny smiled, holding up the wires.
"And I got the connectors," Sam added.
"Good work, baby pops!" Ember said, forming a celebratory fist. "We... do have a bit of a complication, though..."
"What's that, Em?" Danny asked.
"Seems we have a fan who got in without a ticket..." Ember scowled, pointing into the alley Tucker was hiding in. "Play 'bouncer,' will you?" she asked as she took the possessed halfas' haul.
"With pleasure..." Danny and Sam growled with an evil glint to their eyes. They slowly descended towards the shaking teenager.
"Uh, guys! Hi!" Tucker croaked. "You know... those... clothes... really aren't you. You should return them."
"I kinda like 'em," Sam replied. "Your beret's a nice touch, but you really need to get rid of everything below it."
"But... I'm below it..." Tucker said, confused.
"That's what I meant, kid," Sam continued as her hands charged. Tucker shrieked and dove out of the way of her volley.
"Danny, will you talk some sense into Sam!" the boy cried.
"Nah," Danny said before also opening fire. Tucker looked around for something, anything to defend himself with. His eyes fell on some loose soil from a discarded pot near the dumpster. He quickly dug his hand into it.
"I'm sorry, guys," he muttered before hurling it at his friends' faces. The ghost rockers screamed in shocked pain and clawed at their faces. Seeing his chance, Tucker ran out of the alley and down the street. He turned to see Danny and Sam whirling around towards him, eyes blood red... oh, how he hoped it was from dirt irritating them.
"You CREEP!" Sam snarled as she dove after him. Danny quickly followed suite, and Tucker shrieked for his life. He continued to run as the sidewalk around him glowed from the approach of their flaming hair. Realizing what he had to do, he suddenly turned around and barrel rolled under the chasing ghosts. He heard them mutter angrily at the ploy and stop to change direction, but by the time they had, he was standing again with his thermos.
"Danny, Sam... I like you guys a lot, but... I will use this if you don't stop right now. I'll defend myself if I have t--" He was cut off as the thermos was knocked out his hand. He watched as it rolled down the sidewalk.
"That is so over dramatic of you," Sam yawned, bringing her hand down.
"For cryin' out loud, don't you even recognize me anymore!"
"We can tell you're pretty square," Danny huffed. Tucker glared.
"Square? Me! Uh uh, no way. I'm one of the coolest kids around."
"Well, that may be, but you're about to be one of the hottest," Sam quipped as she brought both of her hands to open fire. Seeing he was not getting through to them, Tucker grabbed the thermos and ran for his life again. He bolted by several stores on his way; a bookstore, a laundromat, a restaurant, a classical music store, a party store... Tucker was just running by the latter when he heard the ghosts groan. He turned, confused, to see the two sinking to the sidewalk in front of the music store, from which was blaring a Beethoven symphony. Their human clothes and hair flickered under their Gothic possession.
"Tucker?" Danny croaked weakly.
"Wha- what's going on?" Sam said as if she had just woken up.
"Are you two serious? You've been chasing me a-" Before he could finish, the music was shut off as the owner closed down for the night. No sooner had the music stopped than the flickering on the halfas' bodies froze again on their altered states. Their faces went from confused to vengeful.
"Hope you enjoyed the little break," Sam sneered.
"'Cause we're pretty tired of you," Danny added as they floated menacingly towards him. Out of ideas and street, and realizing he couldn't fight the two ghost fighters without... the two ghost fighters, he gulped and shut his eyes, waiting for the end.
"Okay, baby pops, that's enough," a voice called. Tucker snapped his eyes open to see his friends looking upwards at Ember, her arms crossed. "We don't have time for this goose chase. The Sears Tower awaits." Looking down at Tucker with a brief look of irritation, she flew upwards to join the rest of her band. "We're waiting, too." Danny and Sam looked at Tucker, snorting angrily while shaking an accusing finger, then joined Ember's band. The whole entourage then flew north, headed for Chicago.
"Well, this is delightful," Tucker grumbled. "Danny and Sam have been taken over by Ember... and they're the only ones who can stop her. Well, almost the only ones..." he added as a smile formed on his face. Stashing the thermos and his battered PSP box in his backpack, he ran down the street, destination Casa de Fenton.
Jazz sat in her living room, eyes closed, reclining in an armchair, a cup of tea at her side. She had a small, dreamy smile on her face as the soothing melody of Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun played in her ears. She had gotten no farther than the first movement of Debussy's masterpiece when the front door was banged opened. Jerking up, the redhead opened her eyes to see Tucker running in, panting. Jazz groaned and shut her eyes again.
"Don't mean to be rude, Tuck, but please knock next time. Besides, Danny and Sam aren't here, they're stargazing to--"
"Danny and Sam are in big trouble." Tucker had just finished speaking as Jazz shut off the CD player.
"Okay, you have my attention," the older teenager said, worried.
"You remember that really freaky rocker you were all enamored with?"
"Yeah, vaguely. Coal or something, I think..." Jazz said.
"Ember. Anyway, she did something to 'em, turned them into ghosts like herself. They just stole a bunch of electrical equipment and flew north for Chicago."
"Chicago?" Jazz asked, jerking her head back in confusion. "What the heck would they want there?"
"I have an idea... and I don't like it," Tucker confessed. "You know the Sears Tower, right?"
"Oh, you mean one of the tallest buildings on Earth that happens to be almost right in my backyard? No, Tuck, never heard of it," Jazz said, annoyed.
"Okay, ignoring that tone... you know the top, right?"
"Yeah, it's got two big antennae on it. So?"
"I think Ember's going to rig something up involving the Sears' transmission equipment. I think she's going to try to broadcast her song from there, and override every frequency on the planet at the same time."
"She can do that? Electronics aren't my field..." Jazz confessed.
"It's possible," Tucker shrugged. "I'm just winging. Anyway, that's the problem... it won't matter if its TV, or radio, or whatever... anyone using that stuff is going to hear her playing. Which, well, means she controls the world. And, I'm guessing she's dragged Danny and Sam into it as her form of revenge for defeating her the first time. Sure, Sam was still a normal human... but she helped Danny bring her down."
"Yeah, I can see why this would be a bad thing," Jazz said sarcastically as she got to her feet.
"But, after Danny and Sam stopped trying to kill me for a second downtown, I noticed something... they sorta broke free when they heard classical music."
"Classical music? I have tons of that for studying and relaxing..." Jazz replied as she picked up a CD from the rack. "This compilation one should do okay."
"Fine with me," Tucker said. "Now, I'll need the Specter Speeder..."
"Key's right there," Jazz pointed. "Oh, by the way... I'm driving."
"...and then Danny says Inviso-Bill and Intagi-Betty were probably playing mind tricks on me by talking to me like that, and that he and Sam slipped away and hid during the big battle, having no idea why the ghosts caught them! I mean, do they really think I'm THAT stupid!"
"Um... sorry?" Tuck offered to the ranting Jazz.
"I know, I know," she sighed. "I just wish Danny would trust me..."
"I think he's afraid your dad will stick him and Sam in some kinda machine and do test after test on them... I know he mentioned being worried about being dissected once or twice..."
"Mom would never let him do that, no way," Jazz snarled, shaking her head.
"Assuming she believed them when they fessed up?" Tucker asked. Jazz fell silent, biting her lip.
"I'm afraid for them, Tucker... I'm afraid Mom and Dad will do something stupid, and they'll get hurt or worse..."
"I know how you feel. But, let's focus on getting them first, okay?" the boy replied as he pointed out the windshield, showing the panoramic skyline of Chicago. Jazz nodded and piloted the craft towards the Sears Tower.
"What should I be more concerned about... being mistaken as some sorta terrorist or Ember seeing us?" Jazz asked sarcastically as she brought the craft in.
"Neither," Tucker replied. He pressed a button, and the air around them shimmered for a moment. "There. We're invisible to humans and ghosts. Your parents built a virtual dues ex machina with this thing. I mean, look, this thing even has a radio!"
"They do seem to think of everything..." Jazz admitted with a nod. "Now, let's do this," she added as she brought the craft in for a landing on the iconic skyscraper.
"So, guys and gals, ready for our big show?"
Ember grinned as her old roadies and band mates gave her the thumbs up. "And, how about our new electric guitarists?"
"Psyched," Sam smiled, giving her another thumbs up.
"Let's do it," Danny added. "I'm itching to fire this baby up."
"Now that's the spirit!" Ember smirked, tuning her own guitar. "Now, are we all plugged in back there, Kevin?"
"We're good to go," the roadie nodded.
"Excellent. I hope everyone remembers their parts and harmonies," Ember teased as she strolled up to her microphone. "Let's do this. Count of three," she added, starting to tap her foot to the beat. "One... two... t--"
"I don't think so, Ember!" a young male called. The Goth whirled around.
"You again," she growled, narrowing her eyes.
"Me again," Tucker grinned, shouldering a boom box.
"And still, you didn't bring a ticket? Tsk tsk, kid. Kids," Ember continued as glanced at her new band members, "you know the drill."
"We sure do," they said simultaneously as they flew ominously towards Tucker, who stayed put.
"Aren't you going to run?" Sam asked, a note of confusion in her voice.
"Yeah... what happened to the abject horror?" Danny added.
"Let me introduce you to my good friend Mr. Mozart," Tucker drawled as he switched on a the boom box. As A Little Night Music came flowing out, Danny and Sam fell to the roof, starting to break free of Ember's possession. Tucker turned up the volume, knowing it would only take a few more seconds to snap them out of it. It was at this time the player suddenly exploded in his hands.
"You know, you are REALLY getting on my nerves kid," Ember groused.
"Well, I try," Tucker shot back.
"Well, how about trying to run..." she mused as Danny and Sam got up again, eyes blood red.
"Okay, that's it!" Sam snapped as she charged her friend. Tucker dove out of the way, only to be grabbed by Danny.
"Oh... hi, Danny!" Tucker gulped.
"Sorry pal, no ticket, no entry," Danny hissed as he prepared to drop Tucker over the side of the skyscraper. Tucker yelped and held fast to a piece of machinery nearby. Danny grumbled and phased him free. "Any last words?"
"I dunno if he does, but I do..." a voice called out as Appalachian Spring came from nowhere. Ember looked around frantically, but she saw nothing, not even a portable radio. Her possession victims fell to the roof once again and passed out, finally reverting to normal humans.
"What in... who did this!" Ember screamed. She boggled as a redheaded teenager stuck her head out from nowhere.
"It's called the Specter Speeder radio..." Jazz replied, grinning. "By the way Tucker, you owe me a new CD," she added.
"I'm not going to let anyone stop me this time!" Ember cried. "I don't need them! I don't need anyone. I-- Hey, where'd those two go!" Before anyone could answer, two pairs of hands phased out of the roof below and relieved her of her guitar. "Hey, who stole my instrument!" the rocker snapped, looking around. She looked up to see a pair of very annoyed halfas glaring at her.
"Tucker, please hold this," Sam said in an eerily calm voice as she handed him Ember's guitar.
"And look away..." Danny added. Realizing it was about to get very nasty, Tucker indeed turned away and closed his eyes.
"Now, c'mon you two..." Ember said. "This has all been a big misunderstanding, and I'm sure we can work it o-- No, not the face!" she screamed as the sounds of a heated, one sided fistfight broke out. "Oh, that can't be good for them..." Tucker thought to himself. When he finally turned after the sound died down, he found Sam vacuuming the last roadie into the thermos.
"You probably want this too..." Tucker offered, handing them the guitar.
"Yeah, probably," Danny replied as he added the cursed instrument to the captives inside the special food container.
"So... how do you guys feel?" Tucker asked.
"I feel like I've been sitting too close to the speakers at a KISS or GWAR concert..." Sam groaned, rubbing her head. Danny nodded in agreement.
"Why, did we do something wrong?" he asked.
"Let's just say you really tore up Amity Park," Tucker said with a sympathetic smile. "We better get all this stuff back to the store."
"Oh, great, we're criminals now..." Sam muttered.
"It wasn't you! Well, okay, some was you, but..."
"Look, Tuck, let's just get this stuff back to the store and go home so I can take a bottle of Advil and go to sleep," Danny said dismissively as he began to dismantle the equipment.
"Can we just skip to the sleep part?" Sam asked, yawning. "Actually, you know what, I'm just gonna sit down for a minute..." she added as she slipped into a sitting position against a ventilation duct.
"Sam, c'mon, we have to... eh, whatever..." Danny added as he plopped next to her. The two soon fell fast asleep, reverting as they dozed off. After a minute, Jazz walked over to them, grinning.
"Aw, those two are so cute..." she cooed.
"Enough to make teeth rot," Tucker muttered as he resumed Danny's work. "Look, I'll work on this, you put them in the Speeder, okay?"
"Sure," Jazz replied as she gently scooped the sleeping teens off the cold roof. She carefully walked over to the Specter Speeder and put them in a seat. She paused, then gave them an affectionate squeeze. They both blushed in their sleep. Jazz grinned and walked back over to Tucker.
"We're almost done here..." Tucker called. "All we need to do is pack it up and, well, figure out how to return it without being accused of stealing it."
"We'll put it on the roof and leave a note," Jazz said half-jokingly.
"Eh, works for me," Tucker shrugged. "You think they're beat? I was running for my life from them all night!"
"Oh, leave them be... it's a tough job," Jazz chided as she loaded the stuff into the Speeder.
"Fine, fine," Tucker sighed. "Let's just go home."
"Works for me, my tea's probably cold now anyway," Jazz answered as they climbed in. "Hey, anything you want to listen to on the radio?"
"Anything's fine with me," Tucker replied. "As long as it isn't heavy metal or classical."