Chapter Fifteen: Reforming the Rogues
Disclaimer: See chapter one
Well, hello everyone, welcome back. I know it has been a while. I had to dig myself out of a hole I had willingly backed myself into a few chapters ago and as such I was working on later chapters to avoid this one, but I needed to get it done. So, here it is in all its glory. Heads up. It's a long one, longer than I thought it would be, should make up for how long I have been gone. Final note, last chapter takes place during this one at some point and the rogues sort of come back to back, just so you are aware of the timing of everything.
On with the Show:
At Skulker's command, the Rogues did not meet again, aside from Halloween, until they had buried their grievances with their arch-rival. It was a time of self-reflection, for all of them. Johnny and Kitty actually played the role of advocates helping their fellow council members come to terms with what they had done. As well as providing encouragement for them to go see Danny. One by one, the Rogues came to visit, to bury their hatchets.
Johnny and Kitty:
First of the rogues to come were the lovebird couple. In some ways, this was a way to prove to the others that Danny was serious about his offer of peace between Danny and the Rogues. It was also a way for them to build their relationship with Danny and his family. Danny was cool with this arrangement. During their second visit, after Jack did his parental threat like he did the first time, Johnny and Kitty sat in the living room with Danny chatting about what was going on in their lives.
"I do have to ask you Kitty, how did you know exactly how to be Paulina so as not to arouse any suspicion?" Danny's brow raised as he recalled that incident.
"Well, when I overshadowed her, I did a little digging into her mind and picked up on her mannerisms and personality. Worked pretty well, if I do say so myself." Kitty was a bit proud of herself for her acting ability on that one.
"You did scarily well, are you in any way like her, I assume not but I never know with ghosts." Danny paced a little bit, arms crossed in thought.
"Actually no, not really. I am more like your friend, Sam. It is why I wanted to possess her. She would have fit like a glove." Kitty explained, much to Danny's quite discontent. He had felt the protective urge build a bit, but he let it go soon as it came.
"Girlfriend, by the way. I am glad that you didn't possess Sam, that could have ruined our friendship once I found out." Danny corrected Kitty on that small detail.
"I knew you were dating the gloomy chick." Kitty lightly elbowed her boyfriend in the stomach for that comment. "What?" Johnny asked innocently.
"It was only recently that I actually started dating her, not back during the time of the Girls Night Out incident." Danny corrected him on the timeline. Then he changed the subject, his eyes narrowed a bit as he asked his question. "I know you may not want to talk about it, and that we touched on this briefly last time, but how did you become ghosts? I don't need gruesome details, but I do need to know for research purposes."
Both ghosts looked between each other, then Johnny spoke. "Motorcycle accident. I was part of a teenage biker group and Kitty was my 'biker' girlfriend. She was riding with me on the way to a group meeting one night. We were running late, so I was driving faster than I should have been. It had just rained, so the roads were still wet. I went around a turn, slid on a puddle and our speed did the rest. I hit the rail, and well, you can imagine the rest." Johnny explained their demise, to Kitty's discomfort at the thought of it.
"I had figured it had to do with a motorcycle accident of some kind. It also confirms that you were once alive, alright, good to know." Danny changed the subject again, as to get Kitty out of the funk Danny had noticed she was in. He also had an idea that would be a great test for the ghosts to see if he could trust them. "I am going on a date with Sam in a little bit, why don't you two come along and we'll double date."
Later that evening
Danny and his two ghost compatriots arrived outside Sam's house. Johnny and Kitty stayed on Johnny's bike while Danny went up and knocked on the door and thankfully it was Sam that opened it. She had been waiting for him. A quick hug between the two of them and then they started back toward the other two. Sam cocked an eyebrow at the two ghosts and at her boyfriend. "We're double dating tonight. I'll explain on the way why." Danny and Sam walked on the sidewalk while Johnny drove him and Kitty slowly beside them so they could talk.
"So, what is the deal?" Sam asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this.
"It is a multi-part reason. Mainly, we may have buried the hatchet the first time around, but that doesn't mean I trust them yet not to cause trouble. So, I am watching them to see if I can at some point let them be loose on their own without worry. Also, the more of the Rogue's gallery off both my back, and the town's the better. Plus, I needed information from them." Danny had a certain look on his face that was somewhere between suspicion, distrust, and relief.
"I see." Sam had to think for a moment about what Danny said, before turning to look at the ghosts. "Well, at least it is just Johnny and Kitty, not that big of an issue. What about APPDGD?"
Danny had overlooked the fact about his own team. "If they show up, I'll deal with it."
Sam turned to Kitty. "So, Danny tells me that you were going to possess me, and not Paulina originally."
"Yeah, I was. Probably could have gotten away with it too for a while longer, than with Paulina, and by that I mean, no one would have known that I had possessed you. In many ways, I am a lot more like you Sam in personality and interests, but when needed I can be more like that shallow girl." Kitty had a smirk on her face when she said that last bit, knowing Sam's feelings about Paulina.
"I shouldn't admit this, but there is a part of me that wishes that you had possessed me." That took everyone else by surprise. They stopped and fixed Sam with a confused look.
Looking Danny in the eye, "You and I would probably have started dating sooner if she did. I had a crush on you for many long years before we did."
"Fair, I suppose." Danny didn't really know how to process that. They kept going toward their destination. They heard a police siren in the distance and were getting closer. Danny facepalmed, that was almost too quick. Turning to the ghosts. "Be cool, I'll deal with this." Soon enough, the distinctive blue and green colored Fenton RV APC of the APPDGD SWAT team was seen coming down the street. Reaching the group, Danny's SWAT team climbed out the vehicle, weapons and thermoses at the ready, aimed at the biker duo. Johnny and Kitty raised their hands in effort to show they were not a threat.
Danny stepped in front of them, and crossed his arms. "Stand down men, I have this under control." The Team lowered their weapons slightly, confused as to what their sergeant was up to.
"Sarge?" One of the team asked in confusion.
"Lieutenant, we need to talk." the Lieutenant stepped out of the APC, and two fingers saluted Danny. "I have things under control here, this is a little experiment I am testing."
"Sir?" the Lieutenant cocked his head in confusion
"Remember when I said that we were fighting for the day we will no longer be needed? Well, I am working on that. I've got things here, I'll call if I need you." Danny dismissed his team back to the station, despite the fact that they were very unsure about what he was up to, but gave way to him as he had much more experience with the ghosts in question.
That taken care of, the group proceeded unhindered to the Amusement Park on the pier for their double date. Danny gave Kitty some money for food and games for them. Danny's presence around them was what kept other people from summoning the APPDGD to the park.
Both couples had a fun night. Johnny had won a giant bear for Kitty, and he did it without cheating, which was even more impressive. After dropping Sam back off at home, the three ghosts returned to FentonWorks, where Johnny and Kitty thanked Danny for letting them have some fun and then they returned to the Ghost Zone.
It took some time, while Danny was working on the other members of the Rogue's Council at the same time, but he succeeded like he wanted in the end. Johnny and Kitty were allowed to roam the city whenever they wished as they had proven they were not a threat. Danny had gone out with them some more, and then tasked his team to keep a close eye on them, until it was decided that they were safe. Danny would remark to himself: Two/three down, many more to go.
Ember
When Johnny and Kitty had shared with the Council how things went with Danny for them, it helped some more of them decide to go see him. The next to do so was the ghost rockstar diva: Ember McLain.
Currently, Ember was looking at the swirling vortex of the Fenton Portal, nervous about taking the step through. She slung her guitar around her back, steeled her nerves and walked through.
Jack and Maddie heard the ghost step through the portal, turning to look at the rockstar. Ember braced for the possibility of them drawing their weapons on her, but to her surprise, they never drew their weapons. Danny had told them to expect her and to let her pass without much trouble.
"I have to ask: how do you mind control people with audio?" Jack asked her.
"It's mainly knowing the right frequency to affect the target audience, like when I had the teenagers of the town, versus when I had the adults in my sway." Ember answered the question.
"As well as those that think they are adults, in the case of Jazz, who fell for both of your mind controls." Maddie remarked.
"Yes, that can happen at the right age and mental state for older teenagers." Ember explained, then the Fentons let her go see Danny.
"Hello Ember, it's good that you have come." Danny looked up from the book on ghosts he had been reading and got up to greet the ghost diva. "Kitty told me the first time they visited that you told her to tell me that you wanted to talk to me."
"Yeah, I did. That visit outside your school shook me a bit, and your offer sounded good to me." Ember clarified what she had told Kitty.
"Well, we'll see where we stand after we discuss things." Danny motioned for Ember to sit. Danny sat down across from her. "I bear no ill will toward you Ember, you seem like a nice person under it all, you just wanted some attention, I get it."
"Yeah, I got a little carried away, sorry. Also, I am sorry for placing you under a love spell for your goth friend." Ember placed a hand behind her head in a bit of shame.
"Apology accepted. It worked out in the end, as Sam and I are dating for now." Danny brushed it off as not a big deal.
"Can I just say, your sister can not sing," Ember remarked, in reference to Girl's Night Out.
Danny smirked, "No, she can not." He got a serious look on his face. "I know this may be a sensitive topic for you, but I need to know, were you once a living human?" Danny went for the throat with that question.
Ember bit her lip, as it still hurt to think about her past, then finally told the truth. "Yes, my name was Amber McLain, I had a desire to be a popstar while alive, hence," she gestured to herself. As for how I became a ghost, it was a tragic house fire." Ember was uncomfortable talking about her past.
"And your hit song is actually about the events that lead up to that fateful day?" Ember just nodded her head, as Danny had hit the nail on the head. "Damn, that sucks. I am sorry."
"Don't be, it was 30 years ago, I just haven't gotten over it, and I probably never will, but I can make the most of what I am now." Ember dismissed him, feeling sorry for her.
'Maybe I am not the only one that needs a therapist,' Danny thought, an idea to explore later.
Danny decided it would be a good idea to get Ember's mind off the topic of her death. "So, tell me something, how did you, Kitty and Spectra become friends?"
"I knew Kitty for a while before we ever crossed paths with you. Spectra is a different matter. That is more so a matter of the council bringing us together." Ember answered the question about her friends, grateful for the topic change.
"Is Desiree also in your small friend group, or is she a loner?" Danny was curious about how close the Rogues were with each other.
"Loner, we have invited her to come have some fun with us, but she never does. Heck, even though Girls Night out was mostly because we were having spats with our boyfriends, we did ask her to join us before we came to town, but she refused. I feel bad for her." Ember told him. Danny was partly hoping that Desiree had someone to talk to.
"Hmm, I wonder if it has anything to do with her misplaced vindictiveness toward men, even though it was the Sultan's wife that banished her. She may have just closed herself off to any unnecessary interactions so that she would not get hurt." Danny wondered aloud based on what he knew of Desiree's past.
"Your guess is as good as mine, she is not close to any council member." Ember shrugged as she had not a clue what Desiree's deal was.
"Speaking of having spats with your boyfriends, who is yours, I have a hunch, but I want to confirm it." Danny was pacing as he asked the question.
"Skulker, it's not going the best right now." Danny's hunch was confirmed, and just nodded his head in confirmation.
"So, why did you call him a lazy hunter that sent him on a spell?" Danny recalled what the Hunter said to him on the fishing trip, as Skulker wanted to try to catch him to impress her.
"He couldn't even find the TV remote, I had to call Technus to come over and find it for him," Ember answered.
"Is Technus Ghost Zone tech support?" Danny asked, the hilarious image of Technus in a tech support call center forming in his mind.
"In some ways, just don't really ask him that question. It kind of irks him as that is what we call him for a lot of the time," Ember told him.
Danny switched the topic to the main one he wanted to discuss. "Anyway, on a different topic, I said before that you would be the easiest to find something for, and that is true. Are you willing to go legit as a popstar?"
"Yes, I am willing." Ember jumped at the chance to fulfill her old desire to be a musician.
"Then, we have a deal. I will make the necessary preparations. You will only do shows in Amity Park for the time being, under the watchful eyes of me and the APPDGD. You are already acquainted with them." Ember shivered at the mention of Danny's team.
True to his word, Danny had got Ember a legitimate concert for the following Friday Night. The turnout was to be expected, despite the state of distrust of ghosts Danny had gotten this town into. The APPDGD was out in force, spread across the outside auditorium where the concert was taking place. Danny himself was in a booth in the highest level, with his family and friends. The crowd was already chanting Ember's name before she even came on stage. She walked out to the roar of the crowd and up to the microphone.
"Hello Amity Park! It is good to be allowed to be here tonight. I want to thank Danny Phantom for getting me this gig and recognize the men and women of the APPDGD that let me perform today. Now, let's rock." Ember began to play her guitar in the tune of her most well-known song.
Yeah! Oohh!
It was, it was September
Winds blow, the dead leaves fall
To you, I did surrender
Two weeks, you didn't call...
Your life goes on without me
My life, a losing game
But you should, you should not doubt me
You will remember my name
Oh, Ember, you will remember
Ember, one thing remains
Oh, Ember, so warm and tender
You will remember my name
Your heart, your heart has mended
You're wrong, now bear the shame
Like dead trees, in cold December
Nothing but ashes remain...
Oh, Ember, you will remember
Ember, one thing remains
Ember, so warm and tender
You will remember my name
Oh woah woah!
Ember, you will remember
Ember, one thing remains
Ember, so warm and tender
You will remember my name
Yeah! You will remember my name
The crowd was losing their minds in excitement at Ember's song. "Thank You, I know that you all love that one. Here is one that I composed recently." Ember began her next song of a set of three that was planned that night.
When she had finished her set of songs for that night, "Thank You Amity Park, you've been a great crowd." As she walked off the stage, Danny was waiting in the wings to congratulate her on a successful concert. He was clapping for her as he approached her. "How did I do?"
"You did well, some more of these, we may allow you to go to nearby towns." Danny told the ghost diva sincerely. She hugged him as a thank you. He awkwardly returned the hug as he knew Sam was watching them, he patted her back a bit. "You're welcome, Ember. This is only the beginning, for all of you."
When she returned home to the Ghost Zone, Ember was high on the exhilaration and she told Kitty all about the event, which naturally made its way to the others, showing that Danny was a man of his word and truly will aid them, if they asked.
Poindexter/ Youngblood
Next to come visit Danny was an interesting duo of Poindexter and Youngblood. When Jack and Maddie heard the ghosts come out of the portal, they turned their heads and saw only one ghost: Poindexter.
"Sidney Poindexter, the bullied one." Jack used Danny's title for the ghost off handedly without even thinking about it.
"Also the moral conscience of the group from what we hear." Maddie remarked as not to totally start off on a wrong foot with the ghost.
"Yes, that is me, or at least I try. Youngblood is with me, I know you can't see him, but he is here." Poindexter told them.
Fortunately, Danielle was down in the lab with Jack and Maddie at the time the ghosts came through. "Yeah, Youngblood is here, I can see him," she confirmed for her parents.
"Right, that will be something to get used to, another member of this family can see me." Only the two ghosts in the room heard what Youngblood said. Danielle told Jack and Maddie what Youngblood said.
"Best not to keep my brother waiting," Danielle told the ghosts.
"Well then, Danny is upstairs in the living room. He's expecting you." Maddie gave directions to the two of them. The duo made their way up through the lab and kitchen to find Danny where Maddie had said he was. His ghost sense alerted him to their presence and he looked up from what he was reading waiting for them.
"There you two are, I figured you two would be next, but not at the same time. Welcome." Danny greeted the two of them, and offered the one couch to them.
"So, Captain Youngblood today?" Danny asked, regarding Youngblood's outfit.
"It's my favorite outfit. I also felt it was fitting considering it was what I was wearing the first time we met." Youngblood answered Danny's question.
"So, here is a question, Youngblood, will I lose my ability to see you as I age, or not?" Danny wanted to get to the bottom of that mystery right away.
"As long as you are half-ghost, no, you will always see me. Although, I am thinking about dropping that whole charade, we'll see," Youngblood said.
"You might want to, considering you owe my parents an apology," Confirming for Danny that Youngblood could choose who saw him, as well as what happened outside the house before the road trip. "Along that line of thinking, would Plasmius have been able to see you? He was half ghost as well, until we separated the two halves for good, but he was an adult when he got his powers?" Danny asked, as that was definitely a question he had about Youngblood's abilities.
"Good question, I don't know, and I don't want to test that, as from what I have heard, he terrifies me a bit," Youngblood said.
"Fair enough, not that it matters anymore as Vlad Masters and Plasmius are two separate individuals now. So, Plasmius can, but Masters can't." Danny tried to allay Youngblood's concern. He turned to Poindexter. "I know most of your story already. My friend Tucker told me the story after I had been assigned your old locker after the Box Ghost destroyed mine during one of his haunts of the school."
"Ah, I was wondering what caused that. Leave it to the Box Ghost to do something like that." Poindexter remarked, with a bit of disdain for his fellow council member.
"Nobody likes him, do they?" Danny asked.
"No," both ghosts responded.
"He only got on the council from being in the prison riot I heard about and we decided it was a better idea to keep an idea on him then to let him run freely." Poindexter told Danny, knowing that Danny was probably going to ask that.
"I know you both probably don't want to talk about this, but I need to know. How did you become ghosts? Sidney, I could guess that it was possibly a bullying attempt gone wrong?" Danny asked the hard question that made all of his rogues uncomfortable to answer.
"Yeah, and let's leave it at that." Poindexter shut down any other attempt to pry into what happened to him.
"If that is the case, why is your realm in the Zone Casper High from that time?" Danny recalled his experience during the body swap.
"To remind me what I stand against," he answered.
Danny turned back to the child pirate ghost, "what about you?"
"A bad sickness, I couldn't get over when I was still young," Youngblood said after a moment of hesitation. Danny was relieved it was just that. Still bad, but not as bad as he thought it could have been.
"What's your realm like, since I asked Sidney about his?" Danny wanted to get off the previous topic, to which the ghosts were thankful for.
"Child fantasy wonderland," Youngblood left it for Danny to imagine.
"So, by what power was it that my mind and spirit were dragged into your body in the ghost zone when you took over my body?" Danny addressed Poindexter.
"Good question, to be honest, I am not even sure myself, other than I wanted you to understand what it was like to be bullied." Poindexter shrugged, unsure over that incident.
"I have to break it to you, you were defending the wrong people, as Dash and his cronies that I was using my powers against are the real bullies. I was getting even for years worth of their antics." Danny told the ghost.
"Oh really? Nice going me, well, I am sorry then for the confusion." Poindexter apologized. Danny nodded in acceptance.
"So, moving on, I don't have much in terms of reform for you to. Poindexter, you seem to be a nice enough guy, and you don't come around much, so if you just want to let someone know that you are coming by, that's fine by me." Danny offered, then turned to the other one. "As for you, you are a bit more difficult."
"I can stay in the Zone for the most part, there really is not much for me here in the human world. Ember kind of roped me into that whole incident, considering I had been curious about the human world at the time. The other incident was just revenge for trapping me at the bottom of the bay." Youngblood offered, which Danny accepted.
"You don't have to stay there, but I guess, the same as Poindexter can apply to you as well," Danny decided that he didn't need to completely restrict one of them to the Zone.
The three of them continued to chat for a little bit and then it was time for the ghosts to return home to the Zone. Youngblood had promised that come Christmas that he would have figured out how to make himself visible to his parents.
Box Ghost/ Lunch Lady
"Beware, I am the Box Ghost, Master of Corrugated Cardboard and Bubble Wrap," Box Ghost cried out.
"Oh shush it, hon, don't ruin our chances," Lunch Lady Ghost said to her boyfriend.
"Yes dear," Box Ghost said, dejected at being reprimanded.
"He's upstairs," was all Maddie had to say to them, as there was not much in the way of disdain for those two.
"Ah, the future on-off weird couple, welcome, I am glad you could visit." Danny greeted them and offered them a seat.
"Here is an interesting fact for you two: Lunch Lady, you were the first of the Rogue's gallery I ever fought." Danny said, with a bit of respect to it.
"Huh, I guess I get to brag about that fact to the others," Lunch Lady commented.
"As for Box Ghost, your interesting fact is that due to you, I have met a bunch of the other members of the Rogues gallery or other important ghosts like Pandora. So in some ways, you are the most crucial member of it." Box Ghost took a sense of pride in that fact.
"Also, why did Skulker have you on a fishing line that one time?" Danny asked, recalling that weird incident that led to Danny and Valerie on Skulker's Island.
"I may have been irritating him and he captured me in retaliation." Box Ghost answered, sheepishly.
"So, what are your guys' stories, how did you become ghosts?" Danny did not waste any time getting to the critical question.
"I was a lunch lady at Casper High, actually the head lunch lady, about 50 years ago. I died of old age." Lunch Lady told him her story, or what she remembered of it.
"That would explain how you knew the menu was changed, considering you set it in stone." Danny recalled when he first encountered her in the school kitchens when Sam had made the menu ultra-recyclo-vegetarian.
"As for me, it is mostly a blur, I don't remember much. I may have been a dock worker, based on my outfit, but I am not too sure. Maybe a container dropped on me by accident or something." Box Ghost told his side of it. Danny imagined how Box Ghost died if what he said was true.
"What do you know of our future child?" Box Ghost asked out of the blue. Danny knew it was a possible discussion point, but was not expecting it.
"I fought her once. Clockwork took her from a future timeline that does not exist anymore…" Danny began his tale, but Lunch Lady interrupted.
"The one that your dark self is from?" She asked him.
"Yeah, Clockwork brought her here to test me, to put the answers to a major school test in my path so he could prove a point to the Observants, but that is a different matter.
"Are we all just pawns for the Time Master?" Box Ghost wondered aloud.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, but to be honest, Clockwork at least seems to care about what happens or has some form of a plan that hopefully works out for the better." Danny shrugged, he also sometimes wondered just what the Time Master was really up to.
"He seems to care a lot about you," Lunch Lady pointed out.
"Yes, I wonder why, aside from the stuff with Dan and the Observants charged him to be my 'guardian' of sorts." Danny mentioned. What he didn't know was that the Ghosts knew more about what the Time Master was up to, but they were not supposed to talk about it to him. Danny changed the subject back to Box Lunch. "Anyway, so Box Lunch, she shares in your powers, mainly packaged food, but regular food as well. Also takes after her father and his habit of shouting out her name and the habit of using Beware."
"Box Lunch, huh, that does seem on point for us," Box Ghost remarked.
"I would say that you should have gone with Lunch Box, but that may be a little on the nose," Danny joked with them.
"So, she doesn't exist anymore?" Lunch Lady asked, turning the mood a bit dour.
"Unfortunately, no, as she ceased to be when the timeline changed, but that is up to you two to figure out on your own time, whether or not she will exist. I will say, Clockwork told me that had I turned into Dan, she would have been born already, and he does seem to think that she will exist at some point, meaning he looked into the future and saw her." Danny told them what he knew from the time master.
"Yeah, he was being coy with us when we asked him about it, when the council visited him after Kitty told us what you told her about the dark future." Lunch Lady told him. Danny nodded, as that sounded like Clockwork to be that way, then he changed the subject..
"So, do either of you guys have actual names at all or not?" Danny asked, as it would lead into his propositions for their reformations.
"Not particularly, I have called myself the Box Ghost for so long that I can not recall what I was before." Box Ghost told Danny.
"As for me, it's been at least 50 years since I used a name, and back then, most people just called me by my job title, but I will go by: Doris, I like the sound of the name." Lunch Lady chose a name for herself.
"So, I have a proposition for you both, as related to why I asked about names: for Lunch Lady, I offer a job in the high school cafeteria where you can be the keeper of the menu." Lunch Lady nearly jumped at the offer, but Danny's next words gave her pause for a moment. "However, I have a condition that you rotate in some vegetarian options for some of the students, or have vegetarian options as well as normal meat options."
Lunch Lady mulled it over, considering the incident early in Danny's career, and her fondness for meat. "I get to be the keeper of the menu?" Danny nodded in response, "then I suppose I can try to find some recipes that everyone will enjoy."
"That is all I ask, it probably won't be until the new year, as I need to talk to some people about it, and to give you time to adjust and such." Danny turned to the Box Ghost, "as for you, either a post at the docks or a one-man package delivery service." This piqued Box Ghost's interest.
"I like the sound of it, when would this happen?" Box Ghost asked.
"Not for a bit, as I need to talk to some people, as well as hopefully my friend becomes Mayor so that I can get this underway. I foresee a near future for this town of mine where humans and ghosts can work together in harmony for the betterment of all of us." Danny shared his desire for this future, the day he longed for, the day that he was no longer needed. They continued to talk a little bit until the ghosts had to leave.
After the ghosts left, Jack decided to try the Box Ghost's schtick, "Beware, I am Jack Fenton, Master Ghost Hunter. Man, that is fun to do, I see why he does it." Maddie shook her head with a smirk on her face at her husband's antics.
Desiree
Danny had been home alone when Desiree came by. Jack and Maddie had a business meeting over plans for the RV, and Jazz had taken Danielle out for some sister time. When Danny's ghost sense went off, he transformed and raced down to the lab to find the genie floating there. Letting his guard drop a little bit as he turned back human when he realized who it was, "Hello, Desiree, nice of you to come by, follow me." He led her up to the living room and offered her the other couch. Desiree took a sip of the glass of water on the table.
"So, I know your story already, so I won't ask you about it." Danny decided it was best to skip that question with Desiree as Tucker had told him what the woman at the swap meet told him, and what he knew from Ember and Kitty is that it is a really touchy subject with the wish granter.
"Probably for the best, although I will say that for a while I was not the bitter, vindictive genie you see before you, it just turned that way after no one wanted to be my friend, just a means to an end" Desiree commented. Danny felt sorry for her, more than he did already.
"I will ask, however, about one thing from your past: what is up with the genie bottle?" It was the one thing that Danny was confused about considering what he knew could trap ghosts.
"Ah, well, that was something of my own making. After wandering for a while, I realized that a better way for me to grant wishes, albeit twisted as I do, was to have a genie bottle so people knew I was genie." Desiree explained.
"Is it possible to wish for you to let go of your bitterness and help you move on?" Danny asked the genie.
"No, believe me, I have tried, it's impossible," Desiree said.
"So you have to do it the normal way, that is rough, best of luck to you on that." Desiree nodded slightly in thanks.
"You know, Ember told me that she and Kitty want to be your friends if you are willing, they want you to hang out with them." Danny wanted Desiree to be happy if it helped her move on.
"I…" Desiree tried to speak, to voice some kind of objection, when she was surprised for the first time in a long time.
"He's right, you know," Ember said, as she and Kitty came into the room from the kitchen.
"What are you two doing here?" Desiree asked, not knowing what was going on.
"I called them here, told them to come a bit after you arrived," Danny answered her. The other two ghosts sat down on either side of the genie.
"We do want you to be our friend, and we yours. You don't have to be alone anymore." Ember told the wish-granter.
"We are here for you, just because we are his foes, or rather former foes, it doesn't mean we can't do things together." Kitty told Desiree. Despite organizing this intervention, Danny wisely stepped back and let the ghosts talk it out.
"We care for you, we all do, even if they would never admit it, they do care. The Council may have been an idea to keep an eye on each other and such, but it has become more than that. We are friends or at least close acquaintances." Ember said, her heart creeping up into her voice.
"You don't have to walk this path alone anymore, you have us, and please, eternity is a long time, even longer if you are alone, and bitter." Kitty's eyes pleaded with the Genie.
Desiree's cold heart melted, and she broke down crying, the other two ghosts wrapped their arms around her. "I have been alone for so long. I have been angry for so long."
"We know, let it all out," Kitty whispered in Desiree's ear. Ember and Kitty held Desiree the entire time she cried away her hate and loneliness. It was a good ten minutes later that Desiree managed to compose herself and dried her tears.
"Thank You, both of you," Desiree said, when she had found her voice.
Danny re-entered the conversation, "I am here for you too, if you need me." Desiree hugged Danny in thanks for this needed intervention on her part. Danny was grateful that Sam was not there to witness this. "Your welcome, Desiree. If you need me, you know where to find me. I don't know what you can do for your reformation, but I'll think about it."
"I think there are some things I need to take care of first." Desiree smiled a sad smile and looked over her shoulder at the other two.
As the three ghosts were leaving, Ember walked Desiree through the portal. Kitty turned to Danny, "We'll take good care of her."
"I hope so, Kitty, for all our sakes. See you soon." Danny waved her farewell and watched her leave through the portal. Sighing in content, he went back up to his room.
Walker
Up to that point, Walker was the closest that Fentons got to blasting the ghost immediately back into the Zone, as they had actually grabbed their Ecto-weapons.
"Walker, the Warden of the Ghost Zone," Maddie said behind the barrel of her weapon, ready to fire on the ghost for framing Danny.
"I am glad my reputation precedes me," Walker said in his signature southern drawl. Walker nearly said something about raising weapons against an officer of the law, but remembered whose realm he was in. "I am here to see Danny Phantom."
Danny had heard the ghost's voice and knew who it was, calling out to his parents to let the ghost come and see him, which they did let him up the stairs.
Unlike the others that came before, Danny was a bit cold to Walker. "Hello Warden, glad you could come." Danny was looking out the window, as Walker came into the room and sat down.
"It was just when I had some time to come by," Walker flatly said to Danny
"How's Plasmius," Danny asked as he turned from the window.
"Still in solitary confinement, he is not allowed to be near the other prisoners," Walker answered.
"Good," was all Danny had to say about that, then started his usual line of questioning. "So, what's your story?"
"I was a member of the mafia, and spent some time in prison myself, which would explain how I look. While in prison, I had gained a newfound respect for the law, and vowed that I would dedicate myself to the law if I got out. Unfortunately, I died suddenly, before I got out." Walker explained.
'Explains a lot about him,' Danny thought, "In death, you are able to fulfill that desire to serve the law, by bringing order to the Ghost Zone."
"Aye, there is chaos in the anarchy of the Infinite Realms, but I provide the rule of law," Walker confirmed to Danny.
"Since you are the first of the three that were involved in this to visit, can you tell me what happened that led you, Skulker, and Technus to take Vlad down and deliver him to me?" Danny was still confused about how that happened.
"So, after we came to see you at your school, we had our council meeting that Clockwork showed up at, this you know. What you don't know is that among other things, he ordered Skulker to take those he trusted in a fight, being Technus, and me and my men to go capture him and deliver him to you. He also ordered me off the trail for you in exchange for Plasmius. You should thank me for being willing to listen considering the riot and freeing Wulf." Walker's tone shifted colder as he talked, especially at the end.
"I freed Wulf because Bullet, your lieutenant was torturing Wulf for seemingly no reason. I saw someone in need and I helped, it's what I do." Danny explained his side of that encounter, not confident at all that Walker would believe him.
Walker's eyes narrowed in thought. It seemed to Danny that something finally clicked in his mind. "Bullet, you liar. I should have known," Walker remarked. Looking at Danny again, Walker explained, "After that incident, a guard of mine came to me and told me what happened, that Bullet was using the shock collar without reason, which was against my orders. When he confronted Bullet about disobeying me, Bullet scolded him with "Walker isn't here!" When I asked Bullet about it, he told me that Wulf was misbehaving and I bought it, due to history in my prison."
"Speaking of Wulf, I have to ask Walker, what did Wulf do to get thrown in your prison? He won't say, knowing you, it could be anything," Danny asked the Warden.
"Figures, he was 'marking his territory' as the dogs and wolves do, and several ghosts had complained to me about it. I caught him doing it outside my walls too," Walker said in his southern drawl accent.
"So, the deal with the shock collar?" Danny asked.
"He had tried to escape multiple times with those claws of his and he was not one to play nice with other prisoners," Walker said.
"That actually makes sense, huh," Danny didn't know what to say to that, he thought it would be a much pettier reason, knowing Walker.
Changing the subject, "I assume Skulker let you be third in command of the council because you had locked a good portion of them up before the council was a thing?"
"Yeah, and because I have been trying to get us recognized to impose some order in the Zone, no such luck still." Walker rolled his eyes.
"The only thing I have for your reformation is to continue what you're doing, aside from trying to take over my town if any prisoners get loose, and if you will take the ghosts that the APPDGD capture and give to me to return to the Zone." Danny made his offer to the Warden.
"Deal," Walker's drawl dragged out the word a little bit.
After Walker left, Jack remarked to Maddie "I don't know how I feel about the fact that he, possessing the Mayor, chose me to lead the ghost defense of the town."
"Don't worry about it dear, you did" Maddie wasn't going to tell Jack that she would have been the better choice or that Walker probably planned on Jack being a bit scatterbrained to properly lead the defense of the town.
Spectra
When Spectra had crossed through the portal, she was met with the muzzles of two heavy ecto-blasters pointed at her face. Jack and Maddie were ready to blow this ghost back into the Ghost Zone on sight, for their eldest daughter. Spectra put up her hands to show that she wasn't a threat, one that didn't seem to be working. "I am here to see Danny?" she posed it as a question in an attempt to be non threatening.
Danny heard her question from the top of the stairs as his ghost sense had alerted him to a ghost's presence. "It's alright, Mom and Dad, send her up. If she tries anything, then you may blast her back into the Zone."
"You heard him, you may proceed. Up the stairs and through the kitchen, the living room is on the left." Maddie told the ghost, and while they may have let her through, they did not lower their blasters until she was out of sight.
Danny was looking out the window at the rain coming down, one hand on the window sill when she saw him. Not even turning toward her, "Hello Spectra, good of you to come seeking to talk with me."
"Not that I had much of a choice, Skulker commanded the council to talk with you." Spectra took a seat on one couch and reached for the glass of water that had been set there for her.
"I'm guessing you didn't vote for the hunter to lead the group?" Danny already knew the answer, but wanted to hear her say it.
"No, I voted for myself." Spectra took another sip of water, still not sure why she did this, other than it was commanded of her to do so. Also, she was very concerned that she would be attacked at any moment, not like she didn't have it coming. Danny turned from the window to look at her, and she saw in his eyes the same weariness that she saw that day when they came to him at his school. Something was bothering him.
"I thought Technus would have come around before you, considering his ego." Danny remarked about the Master of Technology.
"As second in command, he can and did command me to come here before he did. Walker only did so before me, as that was when he had the time to do so."
"How did that happen I wonder," Danny remarked off-hand. The Council aspect to the Rogues gallery was still a bit of a bewilderment to him.
"Skulker chose him, for one reason or another. The main one is that he is the one that mainly fixes the suit for the hunter." Spectra answered the indirect question.
"So, what is your story?" Danny asked as he sat down on the other couch.
"I was a very narcissistic and somewhat sadistic person in life, I know, obvious, but it is true. Penelope was my actual first name. I got into psychology in order to study the mind so that I could encourage negativity in people, in order to make myself feel better and superior. Some traits got amplified to the max in death." Spectra told her story, confirming for Danny that she was once alive.
"How did you die, if you don't mind me asking." Danny knew it was always a touchy subject with his "former" enemies.
"Old age, and I think some of the beauty products I was using to try to hide my age had some ingredients that built up toxins in my system. It would explain why I used to need to feed on misery to stay young." Spectra guessed as to the reason why things were the way they were before.
"What about your true form, I mean the shadow you," Danny asked.
"I don't know, maybe a reflection of how black my heart was by the time I became a ghost, amplified like everything else." Spectra shrugged. Danny nodded in acceptance of that answer, as he got up and paced in thought.
"Are your credentials real or not?" Danny continued to pace as he asked his next question. Spectra's eyebrow raised at that question, wondering where Danny was going with this.
"They are, or were. I do need to get caught up on current knowledge on psychology and probably get recertified. Why? Planning my reform to be an actual therapist?" Spectra guessed that was Danny's plan.
"Yes, as you are one of the few of the rogues that have backgrounds that would help me find something for you." Danny's voice seemed a bit heavier with weariness.
"I am open to the idea, if you are truly set on this path." Spectra changed the subject, "So, I have met your dark counterpart. I see why you are terrified of him. Personally, I don't know what I saw in him." Spectra seemed a bit unnerved when talking about Dan. Danny smiled a bit at it, at least she won't be aiding his counterpart at all.
"So, where is Bertrand?" Danny asked, curious as to why he didn't follow Spectra here.
"I had Kitty banish him while I was here, we had a spat and well, I didn't want to be around him. Besides, anything you got against him is because of me." Spectra answered Danny's question, to which Danny had to agree with that logic.
Changing the subject again, "back to the topic of your reformation, if your trials go well, I may be able to get your old job back if you are interested." Spectra's brow raised in question and interest. "This brings me to the topic of your trial run. I can't believe I am about to ask this, but will you be my actual therapist?" Danny asked, which took Spectra by surprise, as her eyes opened wide at that question.
Spectra did not know what to say, Danny was willing to come to her with his problems, despite the fact that of the council, she was the one that he had to hate the most. "I guess, I will give it a try then."
"Good, Jazz will help you get back into it. Speaking of her, Jazz," Danny called out across the house. Jazz came running down the stairs.
"You called?" She asked.
"Yeah, look who's here." Danny motioned to the ghost in the room. Spectra knew in that moment that Danny wasn't just going to ask Jazz to help her. He was going to want her to apologize.
"You…" Jazz began, but didn't finish her thought.
Spectra stood up, "Hello Jasmine, I…" she paused "apologize, for my actions, mainly the first time." She couldn't say that she was sorry as she didn't hold much remorse in her black heart for what she did.
"I guess that will have to do from you, for now." Danny rolled his eyes, then turned to Jazz. "Would you help Spectra get back into the field of psychology, so she can start her way to atonement?"
"Sure, I can help her," Jazz agreed.
Spectra, with Jazz's help, took some time to get caught up on new studies in the field of psychology and sat for her exams to be recertified and licensed as a therapist. Danny was there when she did to make sure she did not either cheat or overshadow anyone to get her way on this.
Once certified again, Danny and Spectra worked out a schedule for when she would come by to do therapy sessions. At first, it was multiple times a week, but Danny didn't fully open up to the ghost as he still didn't trust her, but as sessions went on, he started to open up about deeper issues and sometimes there were group sessions or family sessions to work out some issues there. Turns out the thing bothering him the day she came to visit the first time was a dream he had of Danielle's death. With Spectra's help, Danny was able to bury his parental protectiveness for Danielle, as well as starting to address his ptsd. It would be a long road to recovery.
Technus
After Spectra had come back from her meeting with Phantom and told them how it went, Technus was a bit apprehensive of visiting, simply for the fact the Fentons were likely to also want to blow him away as well. Then, he considered the fact that both Spectra and Walker made it through this okay eased his apprehension a bit. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the portal to find his fears confirmed, as Jack grabbed the ecto-blaster and Maddie grabbed the special ecto-EMPS that were designed for him.
"Technus, Master of Technology," Maddie identified for Jack.
"I remember, he's the one that took over the RV and the house," Jack said. Technus had a sheepish smile on his face in recollection.
Taking a chance to save himself, as he saw the designs on the wall, "Those designs over there, they won't work as you intend."
"I told you those designs were off." Maddie gloated, lowering her arms a bit.
"Do you have some suggestions?" Jack lowered the weapon he was holding, allowing Technus to lower his hands. Technus walked over to the plans and studied them for a moment. "Here's the issue," Technus corrected the designs for the Fentons, as well as providing some designs for weapon upgrades, before they let him up to see Danny.
"Hello Technus, have some problems with my parents?" Danny greeted the Master of Technology.
"Hello, Ghost Child, and yes, they were ready to shoot me," the ghost said.
"You should have seen how ready they were to blow someone away when Spectra showed up." Danny said with a bit of a laugh in his voice.
"I believe it," both of them sat down.
"What's your story?" Danny asked right off the bat.
"Well, I was a tech engineer, my family admired Nikola Tesla, hence my first name. In life, I was certified genius, but I had an ego, some things never change. It was an experiment gone wrong that made me what I am now. I think you can sympathize with that." Technus told his back story.
"More than you know," was all Danny said on that front, as his mind turned dark in thought of something similar happening to his father, a genius that liked to shout out plans whose inventions don't always work right.
"So, how did you become second in command? I assume Skulker picked you due to the number of incidents with me and the fact that if he has problems with his suit, you can help him?" Danny asked the ghost, as he even put Technus as Rogue Two in his files, because of how much he had fought him.
"Mostly, and the fact that if I so wished I could cause problems for him, heck even before the council was a thing, he would come to me to help with the suit." Technus answered, confirming what Ember had said about Technus being tech support.
"So Skulker asks you to be his tech support?" After he asked it, he remembered Ember said not to mention it to the Master of Technology. True to Ember's warning, Technus did get a bit irked by it.
"He kept asking me to fix this purple back gorilla problem that was plaguing his suit, and he's secretly paranoid that it will happen again." Danny laughed hard at that.
"That goes all the way back to the beginning of our rivalry. I won't go into details, but suffice to say, Skulker had stolen my friend Tucker's PDA and it had my research schedule on it and Skulker's suit became bound to it, which somehow managed to persist for a bit after that incident." Danny explained the origin of the issue to Technus, then he changed the subject.
"Something I want to get to the bottom, Technus," Danny started to ask.
"Yes, ghost child?" Technus responded, a little irritated by the previous question because he had recalled how much Skulker had bothered him about that and the tech support comment.
"Why did I see you when the Ghost Zone emptied during the Ghost King's awakening, you were supposed to still be trapped in Doomed?" Danny asked.
Technus finished the glass of water, before taking a pause to answer. "My other half. I have figured out a way to duplicate myself that allowed my real body to stay safely in the Ghost Zone and the other can come to this world, that was what happened. As far as what I was wearing at the time, that is one downside where if one half has a new look, the other automatically changes to match it. A backup copy if you will. So, one half was in Doomed and the other was in the Zone and fled with everyone else." Technus explained how he was there with everyone else.
"You were there? I thought it was a mirage or a hallucination or something." Technus smirked at that. Danny recovered from his slight shock and asked "So what half is here?" since Technus had said that he could make a backup copy.
"Both, I am fully here," Technus responded.
"And the Satellite incident?" Danny's eyes narrowed in remembrance at the whole incident and the fact that Technus had been playing with his emotions.
"That was all of me, some things are important enough to do by myself. It took me forever to pull myself together after that mess." Technus shuddered a bit at the recall of what it was like to pull himself together after that day.
"Tell me, why did you use me and Valerie's emotions against us? More specifically, why did you push us to be in a relationship?" Danny asked, even though the answer was obvious.
"To get both of you out of my way, interestingly enough, I sent the first couple messages to both of you and after that it was all you two without me interfering." Technus answered, condescending as it was an obvious answer.
Danny ignored Technus' tone on that last answer and moved on to the next question. "So, when you were imprisoned in Walker's prison, why were you in a small version of the battlesuit that you were in here? Considering you were forced out of it before being captured."
"Let's just say, my pride was hurt when you beat me the first time and it took me a bit to get over it." Technus did not elaborate further.
"We'll leave it at that, then." Danny switched topics to the topic of reformation. "Do you have any interest in teaching at all? I could see you, well 1.0 you as a high school or even a college tech professor."
Technus mulled it over, "perhaps, ghost child, perhaps, at least you don't plan to stick me in a tech center. I'll let you know later once I have decided, until then, you won't have any problems with me."
Danny bid Technus goodbye and then went up to his room to relax as talking with the ghost had taken a lot out of him. He did message Tucker about the idea of Technus as a tech teacher to which Tucker laughed at, then asked if he was serious and that they would talk another day about it as Tucker had gotten an idea.
Skulker
With the others having met with Danny, all that was left was the leader. Skulker had heard how everyone else's experiences went and was pleased that it didn't turn out horribly. Currently, he was floating before the Fenton Portal, he steeled his nerves and walked through the portal. He noticed that the Whelp's parents were busy with whatever equipment they were working on. Jack noticed the hunter first, "Ghost!" he shouted to get Maddie's attention and both grabbed heavy Ecto-blasters, when they realized who it was. Skulker put his arms up to try to show that he was not a threat.
"Skulker, leader of the Rogues," Maddie said, ice in her voice.
"Hunter of your own kind," Jack said, equally cold, but also with a bit of respect.
"Nice to know my reputation precedes me," Skulker said, with a slightly nervous grin. "I am here to settle things with the Whelp," Skulker couldn't help himself, out of force of habit. "I mean, Phantom," he corrected, as Ecto-blasters were raised into his face for his comment.
"He's upstairs," Maddie said, "Try anything…" she started to say.
"I know, you will blast me back into the Zone," the Hunter said. He was then let up through the lab and kitchen.
Danny's back straightened as he was looking out the window at nothing, when he felt the presence of a ghost in the room as his ghost sense went off. He knew who it was, without even turning to face his old foe. "I was wondering when you would come, Skulker. I figured it would either be you or Spectra that would be last, though it makes the most sense that it is you and Technus that were the last. Leader and his second in command." Danny turned to face the Hunter.
"So, what are you, Skulker? A spirit of the hunt?" Danny asked as he sat down.
"As far as I can tell. I have no memory of a previous life, like some of the others. The only thing I remember of my beginning was after coming to be, I had a desire to hunt my fellow ghosts. As for why I am blob in my true form, to be honest, I have no idea. Sometimes, I even forget I am not just the suit, only to be reminded by someone, usually you." The Hunter gave his best explanation he could.
"As for our rivalry?" Danny asked, coldly.
"I merely saw you transform one time, I was initially after a different prey and realized how unique you were, and a much more interesting hunt. Well, here we are on that road." There was not much to say about their long rivalry, it was just business in Skulker's eyes, and a need to prove himself the best at what he does.
"Can we lay this rivalry to rest, Skulker?" Danny's eyes narrowed at the Hunter.
"I wouldn't have come if I wasn't open to it. I will say that I will not hunt you in the traditional sense anymore, considering what I have heard about how things have been going with the rest of the council." Skulker sighed, knowing this was the path that was laid before him.
"So, how did the council get started? I have heard from Johnny and Kitty that it was Poindexter's idea and Ember sold the group on it. In fact, how did you all get really acquainted with each other?" Danny wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery.
"Well, that is an interesting question. Part of it was when most of us were in Walker's Prison together, we got talking, united through a common enemy: You." Skulker began his tale. Danny just shook his head at the fact they united through a hate of him. "After the riot, Walker came to us and we struck a deal to not interfere with each other's plans as long as they were against you, and that was sort of the real beginnings of the council as we informed each other of our plans so that we did not overlap. Ember, Spectra, and the lovebirds joined the loose group later as word had spread of their encounters with you. Basically, it was at first a loose alliance of those ghosts who had the most well known battles with you and it was just so that we didn't mess with each other. Ember brought Youngblood into the group after he got free of the trap you put him in. It was in the wake of the Ghost King incident that we started to take the alliance idea a bit more seriously. This is when Poindexter and Ember sold us on the council idea. Walker saw it as a way to impose some form of order on the Zone."
Danny rolled his eyes, not a surprise. "So, how did you get the most votes, considering how egotistical some members are?"
"Interestingly enough, when we voted, only me, Technus, Walker, and Spectra voted for ourselves. Not a surprise, I know, but the rest chose me. Maybe, due the fact that I was one leading the charges to leave the Ghost Zone and the fight against the King's army. I took Technus as my second as he could affect my suit, and Walker had to be made third, because it is Walker."
"Fair," was all Danny had to remark about how the second and third in commands got their positions as he knew them all too well.
"So, what have you thought of for my 'reform?'" Skulker said the word with a bit of disdain.
"Of all my Rogues, you are probably the one that is the most difficult to figure out. Give me time to figure out something." Skulker took some pride in that fact at least. "At the very least: are you truly willing to lay down this rivalry?"
"I have an idea, we can continue to do battle, but it will be more so to keep our skills sharp. Training, if you like." Clockwork's suggestion sounded like the best option since there were no better ones, and at the least, he could still fight the whelp like he wanted to.
Danny mulled it over for a moment or two, before accepting, but stipulated that Skulker had to show mercy to a defeated opponent. To which Skulker bit his tongue and relented in agreement. Danny bid the hunter farewell and promised he would be by soon to take Skulker up on his offer. When the Hunter was gone. Danny sighed in relief as he couldn't believe he had managed to bury the hatchet with all of the normal rogues gallery.
Council Meeting
When Skulker had returned home to his island, he called the council to form, which they did at his island.
When all were gathered together, Skulker told them how things went for him, and then asked what the whelp had decided for their reformations, he knew Ember's. One by one they told him of what Danny had come up with for them, with Spectra getting weird looks.
"I'm actually his therapist," Spectra said, the others looked at her with weird looks, "what?"
"Do we need to say it?" Technus said, arms crossed.
"Funny, and no, I am not telling any of you anything he tells me in confidence, not without his permission." Spectra warned them.
"Desiree, you seem different," Skulker noticed that the genie seemed happier.
"I am happier, since I went to see him," a genuine smile crossed her face.
Ember silently mouthed "I'll tell you later." Ember hadn't told Skulker about the intervention she and Kitty had with Desiree, and had been spending some good amount of time with her.
"Well, if we are all good, dismissed." Skulker dismissed the group, and then retreated into the depths of his home to think.
"Everything is as it should be," was a phrase that no one else heard, and yet echoed throughout the realms.
Well there you have it everyone, the rogues burning their hatchets and Danny finding something for them to do. To be honest, I wasn't originally planning much of the Desiree section. It came to me today and I thought it was a good solution as I said that wishing was not the way to resolve her issues so there we go. I hope you enjoyed it and I will see you next time, which should be the Christmas chapter. I know for a fact that it will come out in December.