The Phantom
Chapter 1: Rainy DayI don't own Superman, Danny Phantom or any other superhero/villain I allude to in this chapter, however much I might want to.
Danny Fenton woke up at ten a.m. three weeks before the end of summer vacation with an unexplainable lump of dread in the pit of his stomach. He had gotten to sleep in again and had absolutely nothing planned for the day. Not even the rain pounding against his bedroom window should have dampened his spirits. Still, Danny had the feeling that something big was going to happen today, and that it wasn't going to be good.
He pulled on his jeans and white T-shirt he found on the floor and which looked reasonably clean, then headed downstairs to see what was for breakfast. As he was passing his sister Jazz's room, she called out.
"Mom and Dad left the cereal out for you. They said they'd be back late tonight because of that promotion thing."
"Great," muttered Danny, "we'll have to feed ourselves again tonight."
His feet propelled him into the kitchen and he plopped onto a chair and poured the cereal into a bowl. He ate it dry because he was too tired and lazy to fetch milk. As he was loading the dishes into the dishwasher, Jazz came downstairs tying her long red hair back with a blue headband.
"Danny, I'm going over to Megan's for the day to work on our tutoring business. Try not to make a mess, okay?"
"Sure, whatever."
Jazz threw a green raincoat over her black top and blue slacks.
"You have any plans for the day?"
"Not really. Think I'll ask Sam and Tucker if they want to come over."
"'Kay." Jazz finished pulling on her gumboots and retrieved an umbrella from beside the door. "I'll be back around five to do dinner. Sam and Tucker can stay if they'd like."
She closed the door and Danny waited until he saw her turning the corner of the street before jumping in the air and whooping. He was fourteen years old and home alone for a whole day. He let himself fall onto the couch and grabbed the remote control off the coffee table. Danny started flipping though the channels but the only thing on was soap operas, so he soon gave that up. He headed up to his room and played a couple computer games before tiring of that too. He wandered around the house listlessly for a few minutes but quickly came to the conclusion that there was nothing to do.
Guess I'll just have to invite Sam and Tucker over sooner than I planned.
He picked up the phone and dialed a number. A girl answered.
"Hi Sam. Want to come over and do something?... Yeah, of course with Tucker... I dunno, a movie or something. My parents got a couple new ones this weekend... Twenty minutes? Okay, I'll tell Tucker. Bye."
He placed the receiver back in the cradle, then picked it up and dialed a new number.
"Tucker? It's Danny. Guess what? I'm home alone today! ... Yeah, not even Jazz!... Wanna come over and hang with Sam and me? ... Great. See you then."
Danny hung up again and went into the kitchen. He pulled down two big bowls and set them on the counter, then rummaged around in a cupboard until he found two bags of chips and the jar of popcorn kernels. He placed these beside the bowls then went upstairs to get his beanbag chair from his room. On his way there he popped into the bathroom and quickly brushed his black hair to get rid of the bedhead. He'd just gotten the chair into the living room when the doorbell rang.
The girl on the other side of the door was dressed in a black top with purple lettering that read DEAD IS THE BEST WAY TO LIVE. A black skirt covered the top half of her thighs and the rest of her legs were covered in gray stockings that ended in sliver-studded combat boots. She'd pulled her black hair into a half ponytail and liberally applied black eyeliner.
"So, you gonna invite me in or just stare all day?"
"Heh, sorry, Sam. Come on in. Tuck'll be here soon."
Sam "Samantha-and-you-die" Manson stepped inside and shook out her umbrella. Just as Danny was closing the door behind her, he saw a car pull up and an African-American boy climb out. Danny opened the door wide and moved out of the way as his other best friend, Tucker Foley, ran up the walk.
"Geez, you'd think it would rain this hard in the middle of summer," the boy muttered as he wrung out his trademark red beret.
"Yeah. This really sucks," agreed Danny. "So, we've got full reign until five. I've got stuff set up for a movie, if you want, but..."
"Dude, I'm not spending my first day of freedom watching some lame superhero thing!" Tucker exclaimed.
"Why don't we go to the basement, then, " suggested Sam. "It's always fun to poke fun at the action figure collection."
"I'm not sure..." said Danny. "My folks got a shipment of weird stuff last night and were talking about some sort of experiment. I don't want to disturb anything."
"Your parents are doing an experiment?" asked Sam. "I thought they knew nothing about science."
"They don't."
"Come on, we've got to at least see what they're trying to do!" Sam grabbed Danny and pulled him over to the door to the basement. Danny braced himself against the door frame.
"Sam, I really don't think we..."
"You've got the day to yourself and aren't going to do anything even a little wrong? Come on!" Sam pulled again and this time Danny broke free. He fell forward onto Sam and they tumbled down the stairs, landing in a heap on the carpet. Once they came to a stop, they started laughing.
"Hey, I know how much you guys like each other, but don't you think you're a little young for that?"
Tucker had followed them downstairs and couldn't resist a jab at his friends, especially since he knew neither one had romantic feelings for the other. Sam and Danny picked themselves up and Danny was about to retaliate when Sam said, "Woah."
Danny and Tucker both looked where she was and in unison said, "Woah" as well. Tucker continued.
"How on earth did you parents get that?"
Sitting at the far end of the basement form where the teenagers were standing was a red barrel about six feet tale and four feet wide. On the side facing the teenagers was a circle with alternating yellow and black triangles inside it.
"Danny," asked Sam, "why do your parents have a barrel of toxic waste in their basement?'
"Maybe they're trying to make a superhero?"
"What?"
"Well, one of the ways superheroes are created is through exposure to toxic waste. They've been talking about how cool it would be to see a real superhero for a while now, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were going to make one. That would make their summer."
"Dude, your parents are way too obsessed with comic books."
"I know. They keep reminding me."
"I wonder what it looks like," said Sam. "Do you think it's really green like in the comics?"
"I always thought it was yellow," mused Tucker.
"I don't think it's either," Danny contributed.
"Why doesn't someone look?" asked Sam. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to find out the truth."
"There's no way you're getting me up there!" Tucker began edging away from Sam.
"Fine. Danny, since it's your house, care to do the honours?"
"All right. But if I die of radiation poisoning, I will haunt you forever."
Danny placed a hand on the ladder on the side of the barrel and began climbing. Once at the top, he pried off the lid with a screwdriver that Sam handed to him.
"It's green."
"What else?"
"Looks like Mom's casserole. Thick and lumpy."
"Ew. She makes you eat that?"
"Yeah. Okay, pass me the lid again."
Danny bent down and extended an arm, but he was too high up and began to lose his balance. He overcorrected and found himself too far over the open barrel. Before he could stop himself, he fell in with a sickening slurp.
"Danny!" Sam didn't hesitate in running up the ladder. "Oh god, Tucker, he's completely under! Get me something long so I can pull him out."
Tucker looked around and saw a broom in the storage space under the stairs. He passed it up just as Danny's hand broke the surface.
Sam navigated the broom handle into Danny's hand, and breathed a sigh of relief when his fingers closed around it. She lifted the handle upwards and began pulling it slowly towards herself. Soon Danny's head broke the surface too and he gasped for air.
"He's alive!" Sam called down to Tucker.
Danny's hand was close enough to Sam now that she felt safe grabbing it herself and she pulled him the rest of the way to the edge. Tucker joined her on the ladder at that point and they slowly managed to get Danny down to the floor, where he started coughing.
Sam and Tucker got their first good look at him then. His appearance hadn't changed much, but it was just enough for them to become worried about their friend. Danny's eyes fluttered open.
"Hey..." Danny tried to sit up but fell back onto the carpet. "What's the damage?"
"How can you take this so casually?" cried Sam.
"Well, I know I fell in, and I know what's supposed to happen when you fall in, so ... what's the damage?"
"White hair, muscle, and radioactive green eyes. You look cool!" Tucker gave Danny a thumbs-up.
"Great. How are we going to explain this?"
Despite his laid-back approach to the situation, Danny was understandably nervous. His parents were recognized as some of the biggest comic fans in America, after all, and it wasn't like superheroes were an everyday occurrence. Sam, meanwhile, seemed to have gotten herself together enough to take charge again.
"We'll think of that later, Danny. You need to rest. I'm going for towels. Tucker, get that lid back on. Carefully."
---
When Sam returned five minutes later she found Danny propped up against the wall and physically back to normal. He was a scrawny kid with black hair and blue eyes again. Danny noticed her staring at him and smiled weakly.
"It's a thought thing. Watch." He closed his eyes and concentrated. Sam watched the muscles reappear and the hair turn white. Danny opened his eyes and Sam saw that they were the same green as before.
"See? This means no one but us ever has to know."
"What about your parents?"
"I don't particularly want to tell them about falling into that barrel, especially since they're so obsessed with superheroes. Oh, and I seem to be dry, Sam, so we don't need the towels."
Sam set her burden on a chair and sat down beside Danny. She looked around and realized Tucker was missing.
"Danny, where's ...?"
"Here!" Tucker reappeared from behind a stack of boxes holding a number of action figures and adjusting his glasses. "If Danny's got superpowers he's going to need a costume. I think some of these might look good on him."
"We don't even know if he's got powers yet, and you're already trying to give him a costume?" Sam burst out. "Well," she added more calmly, "besides the different appearance."
Danny struggled to his feet.
"Let's go up to my room and find out." He swayed and placed his hand on the wall to steady himself.
"Danny, should you really be moving?" Sam asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. Just catch me if I fall, okay?"
The trio headed back upstairs, Tucker having the foresight to grab the towels on the way.
They made it into Danny's room without incident. Sam took the desk chair, Tucker took the bed, and Danny just stood in the middle of the floor. It had finally hit him what exactly had just happened.
"All right, guys, I need to talk this out. Just listen, okay? I fall into a vat of radioactive sludge that my parents have lying around for no apparent reason. I come out looking weird and find out I can switch between that look and this one. I probably have other powers too. If I do, then I'm a superhero, which means that superheroes actually exist, and can actually get created the same ways they do in comic books. My parents will be thrilled, if I ever tell them. We all know that the first thing a superhero has to do is fight a villain. At least they won't come looking for me for a while, so I've got time to get up to speed on everything. But I'm not going to be able to keep quiet about this, if my life goes the way of the comic books. And it's seriously going to cut into my time with you guys if I'm out fighting for my life all the time."
"Hey, superheroes can have sidekicks, can't they? We can hang out with you and fight bad guys at the same time!" Tucker had pulled a PDA out of his pocket and was rapidly punching keys as he spoke.
"Yeah, like your parents are ever going to let you."
"Who says we have to tell them?"
"Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves?" asked Sam. "We don't even know if he has powers yet. Personally, I doubt it. Superheroes are just fiction."
"Like I said before, let's test it, okay? Just to see either way."
"Okay. I guess I'll believe it when I see it," muttered Sam darkly, folding her arms.
Danny concentrated and went to "hero form." Tucker stashed his PDA away again and sat up on the bed, cross-legged and leaning forward slightly.
"So, what about flying?" he asked eagerly.
Sam shot him a glare.
"What?" Tucker continued in an innocent tone. "Almost every hero can fly."
Danny closed his eyes again and a look of deep concentration came over his face. A minute or so later Sam gasped as Danny actually began to rise off the floor. Danny opened his eyes at the sound and jumped when he realized where he was in relation to his friends. The movement sent him spiraling out of control into his closet.
"I'd say that proves it, Sam," beamed Tucker. "Looks like I was right!"
"Uuuuhhhhhhh," Danny groaned as he picked himself off the floor. Sam went over to him and started clearing clothes away so he had more freedom of movement to get up. "Let's not do that again for a while, okay?"
"Okay, Danny. I guess I have to believe this now. You can get superpowers from toxic waste after all. But that doesn't mean you have to be a superhero."
"It's only a matter of time, Sam."
"Like heck. Comic books aren't real life, even if yours is starting to look like one. You need to get your mind off it."
"In this household? Fat chance."
"Fine. Be depressed. See if I care." Sam dropped into the chair again. She looked at her friend again, curiously. "Danny, is your arm supposed to be doing that?"
Danny looked and saw that his left arm had completely vanished.
"Um, no."
He focussed and it returned to normal.
"Sweet! can you go completely invisible?" Tucker was actually bouncing with excitement so hard that the bedsprings were creaking.
"I'll try." Danny shut his eyes and a few moments later he vanished from sight.
"Did it work?" he asked nervously.
"See for yourself," answered Sam. There was a moment's pause and then the two normal teenagers heard a "Woah" coming out of the air.
"That's cool, I guess." Danny reappeared, already scratching the back of his head nervously.
"That's beyond cool! Now you can sneak past your parents whenever you want!"
"Tucker! Danny should be using his powers for good, not pranks!"
"Sneaking out is good!"
"Hey you two, calm down." Danny held his arms out in the direction of his friends, palms down, and motioned for them to be silent.
"I'm not going evil on you guys, so Sam doesn't need to worry, but I'm not promising not to have fun with this. I won't do anything really stupid though. Promise."
"Okay," Sam sounded slightly resigned. "Let's find out everything you can do."
They spent the next hour testing Danny on all the major powers they could think of. Tucker made a list of the successful ones on his PDA. when Danny collapsed on the bed, too worn out to keep going, Tucker read the list off.
"Flight. Invisibility. Intangibility. Super strength. Energy rays. That appearance thing. And making other stuff invisible and intangible too."
"Not bad." Sam sounded pleased. "There's a lot more we should probably test, like maximum limits and stuff, but that can wait for another day. Danny, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. Just don't feel like moving."
"And mentally? Last week you didn't even think superheroes existed."
"Well, it's going to take some getting used to, but I think I'm okay with it. I mean, it's my choice whether or not I fight, right? So I'll do it if and when I'm ready to."
"But Danny, you're fourteen!" Sam was still trying to come to terms with Danny's complacency. "You're way to young to be risking your life."
"Sam," Tucker said, trying to calm down the hysterical goth, "Spiderman was seventeen and Superman had his powers since birth. There are even other teenage heroes. Danny's in good company."
"But..."
"He's right, Sam. If we're going to believe that comics are real, or at least based on fact, then I'm going to be fine." Danny sat up stiffly and started massaging a shoulder. "So, who's up for a movie now? We've still got three hours until Jazz gets back."
"Sure," said Sam, getting up from Danny's chair. "Your pick."
"Okay. Doesn't sound like such a bad idea now." Tucker hopped off the bed and offered Danny an arm. "Need help?"
"I'm not an invalid!"
Danny stood up and headed for the door. Sam and Tucker followed him and Sam grabbed his elbow when she realized he was slightly unsteady on the stairs. Danny flopped onto the couch as soon as they made it downstairs, while Sam headed into the kitchen to fix the snacks. Tucker stood in front of the oversized video cabinet and read out movie titles. He tried to pick ones with heroes who had similar powers to Danny, so that he could take notes. They might prove useful later on.
Sam returned a few minutes later and set the two bowls on the coffee table.
"Sam," started Tucker, holding up two video cases, "we can't decide. Superman or Shadow vs. the Aliens?"
"Superman, definitely. It's intelligent."
"Okay. Lights?"
Sam flicked the switch beside the door to the kitchen.
"Camera?"
Danny turned the TV on from the couch.
"Action!"
Tucker placed the DVD in the machine and took a seat on the beanbag chair.
The movie began.
---
By the time Jazz returned home, Danny and his friends had finished the movie and were back in his room. She stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"Danny! I'm home! What do you want for dinner?"
"Sloppy joes!" he yelled down.
"'Kay. Sam and Tucker staying?"
"Of course!" Danny turned to his friends. "So, we're agreed? We don't tell her either because we don't know what she'll do?"
Sam and Tucker nodded.
"But we're still mentioning the barrel, right?" asked Sam.
"Yeah. But wait till she's finished cooking. We don't want food flying everywhere."
Sam stood up decisively.
"Speaking of cooking, I'm going to go remind your sister that she'd better make something without meat for me."
"I still don't get how you don't like meat," Tucker said, picking himself off the floor where he'd again been playing with his PDA. "Danny, I think I'm going down too."
"Me three, then," said Danny as he rolled over to the edge of the bed and sat up. He placed his feet on the floor and began to shift his weight onto them in preparation to stand, but instead of getting a firmer grip, they started sinking into the floor. Danny didn't notice this, however, and ended up doing a face plant when he tried to stand.
"Ow!"
He looked down at his feet and pulled them out of the floor, making them tangible again.
"Guess that's something I have to watch out for," he remarked ruefully.
"That's awesome! You can use your powers without changing!" exclaimed Tucker. The technology geek was really enjoying the idea of being friends with a superhero.
"Yeah, well, most superheroes can," Sam said dryly. "It's the changing that's rare. Come on, let's get down there before Jazz starts wondering what that crash was."
The three friends headed downstairs and into the kitchen where they took seats at the table. Jazz was opening a can of soup.
"Don't worry, Sam. There's going to be a meatless version too."
"Thanks," the goth replied gratefully.
"So, Danny," Jazz asked, "what did you guys do today?"
"Oh, you know, the usual." Danny tried to sound casual. "Hung around, watched a movie, played a few video games ..."
"You know, you really should be trying to get ahead for next year. High school's a lot harder than middle school, you know."
"Are you crazy?" Danny almost shouted. "There's no school in summer for a reason!"
"I'm just looking out for your best interests, Danny." Jazz began to cook the hamburger meat. "You guys don't have to stay down here. We won't be eating for another fifteen minutes."
"But we've already done everything!" whined Tucker.
"Why don't you play cards? I bet you haven't played cards yet." Jazz put on her best perky voice.
"Thanks, Mom, but cards are boring." Danny folded his arms. Why did Jazz always have to be so condescending? She was only two years older than him and already acted twice that.
"Fine, but I'm not going to entertain you," the redhead retorted. She was always slightly insulted when Danny compared her to their mother.
Everyone ended up being silent for five minutes, and then Jazz spoke again because the silence was getting on her nerves.
"Sam, I think we have stuff for a a salad in the fridge."
"I'm on it!" Sam hopped off her chair and headed for the fridge.
"I don't have to eat that, do I, Jazz?" asked Tucker. "You know, since I'm a ghost and all?" He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Tucker," sighed Jazz, "we go through this every time. While I'm looking after you, I count as your mother, and mothers make their children eat vegetables. Now I don't want to hear another word." She added a can of soup to the meat and began to stir. "Danny, do you know if Dad fixed the toaster over yet?"
"No. He tried yesterday but Mom stole the screwdriver when he tried to pry off the enamel."
"Why was he ...? Oh, never mind." Sam dumped the salad ingredients into the sink and started washing them. Jack Fenton was possibly the most technologically illiterate man she would ever meet, yet he seemed to think he was a genius at it. Probably at least partly due to his chosen vocation.
"What's wrong with it?" asked Tucker, as he began to walk over to where it sat on the counter.
"It's only got two settings," explained Jazz. "Black and blacker."
"Uh huh."
Tucker pulled a knife out of a drawer and began to fiddle with the heating element. There was a click and he stood back proudly. "That should do it. You want me to put the buns in?"
"Yes, thank you. Danny, set the table."
Danny got up then and opened the dishes cupboard. He pulled out four plates and got halfway back to the table before his hands went intangible and they fell to the ground.
"Uh, sorry. I'll clean it up," he muttered, turning red. He shuffled off and returned with a broom a moment later. He swept up the broken pottery and got four more plates from the cupboard. He concentrated on remaining tangible and this time he managed to set them out on the table. When he didn't break any glasses or drop the cutlery either, he exhaled, relieved.
By that point the buns were ready and the sauces were done, so the four teens sat down at the table and began eating.
---
After dinner, while Jazz and Sam were loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, Sam casually mentioned that there was a barrel of toxic waste sitting in the basement, and did Jazz know about it?
"WHAT!" screamed the junior, dropping the pan she was holding and running downstairs to verify. "Why didn't you tell me sooner! Do you have any idea what that stuff does to the human genome? And I'm not talking about the superpowers stuff, because that's just nonsense. Who knows how much contamination it's already done..."
She ran back upstairs and rifled through the papers near the phone for the phonebook, muttering about getting the barrel out of there as soon as possible and what her parents had been thinking. She had just located the number for Poison Control when the front door burst open.
"And I say that Firedevil could beat the Hunk every time!" the burly man backing through the doorway yelled at someone coming up the walk. He turned around and set down the boxes he'd been carrying.
"Oh, hi, Jazzy. Isn't it a little late to be phoning a friend?" He scratched the graying hair above his ear in confusion.
"I'm phoning Poison Control about that barrel of toxic waste that you two thoughtlessly decided to put in our basement and not tell us about," his daughter growled back at him. "I don't even want to know what you were thinking, or where in Amity Park you found it. It's dangerous and I'm getting it out of here now." She folded her arms and glared up at the man in the orange and green plaid shirt, and worn jeans.
"And I still say that Hunk could beat him if he was under the influence of the Growth Ray like in Issue 348, Jack," said a voice behind the man still standing in the door. He stepped out of the way to let the woman in and took the boxes in her arms. As she pulled off the light hooded jacket and revealed the blue top with the Superman emblem that she often wore, she too noticed her daughter standing in front of her, phonebook in hand. Being slightly more aware of emotions than her husband, the brunette noticed that her daughter was furious.
"Jazz, sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked.
"It's about the barrel in the basement!" boomed Jack Fenton. "You know, the one we were going to analyse to see what makes it create superheroes? I still can't wait to prove me right! Come on, Maddie, let's go have a look right now!"
The petite woman, rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm.
"We haven't finished unloading the van, Jack," she said patiently. "Besides, I think Jazz wants to say something."
"Oh, you bet I want to say something. Mom, radiation may not be my field of specialty, but I know that it tends to cause cancer and kill people and that that barrel's been down there an entire day! It's leaving tonight if I have to blow a hole in the wall myself."
"Radiation does that? But I thought it was a good thing," Jack stated. "I mean, if it wasn't for it, the Fist would never have..."
"Yes, yes, Jack, but I think our daughter might have a point. Is it really that dangerous, Jazz?"
"Yes! Now either I phone or you phone."
"I'll phone," said Maddie, holding out her hand. Jazz placed the cordless phone in it and returned to the kitchen.
"Mom's getting rid of the barrel," she informed the occupants. "And Dad's ranting about heroes again."
"Great," muttered Danny, "just great."
When his father was in those moods, he tended to see superpowers that weren't there. What was he going to think about powers that were. No, he was definitely not telling any member of his insane family what had happened to him. It would be just him, Sam, and Tucker dealing with the problem.