Chapter Eight: Infiltration and Indecision

Dear Diary,

I've been getting a heck of an education lately. Learning how to use these powers has been both confusing and exhilarating. Quick example: in the hot tub the other day, where I do most of my thinking, I tried using my intangibility. It was possibly the most glorious thing I've ever felt in my life! It was like I was a part of the water!

Now for the bad news: those crazy dreams haven't stopped. In fact, they're getting worse. Not only does that girl stare at me, but she actually says stuff to me. She seems to be lecturing me about something or another, but I can never remember what she talks about when I wake up. Weird, isn't it?

Jake's not troubled like that. In fact, he's seemed a bit more optimistic ever since he got these gifts. Finally! I was beginning to think he'd never get outta that slump! He takes caution with these abilities, more so than I do. I don't really appreciate him calling me reckless because of that fact. In response, I said, "When Christopher Columbus discovered America instead of China, did he go back and forget about it? No! He marched into Mexico, tore down their city, and stole all of their gold!" Then he tells me it was Hernando Cortez who ripped apart the Aztec Empire, and says that I need to study more. Real mature.

Anyway, the reason I'm going on about this is that we're kinda at an impasse. At least, that's what Dave calls it. He's so weird, and we're the ones with ghost powers! But, I feel as though I should do something as a result of these abilities. It's been getting harder and harder keeping this secret from our parents. There have been too many close calls with our flimsy alibis already. Maybe we should tell them. They might not dissect us, after all. I mean, my mom used to free lab frogs from the school bio class all the time when she was a kid.

If not Mom and Dad, then maybe a teacher? Definitely not Mr. Wilkinson. He's got it in for us. I swear that he has a valve in his office that alters the water pressure in the school drinking fountains which he uses to spray students in the face. I haven't been able to prove that...yet. Maybe Mrs. Watts? No; she runs the Media class. Tyler 'Little-Muckraker' Shaw would find out somehow. Then, he'd spread it across the news-site like mud. Coach Cable? Not with Thor 'What's-The-Big-Deal-It's-Just-A-Misdemeanor' Stapleton on the football team. That guy's scum. The biggest jerk I've ever met.

Maybe telling someone else isn't the answer. But we have to do something.

But what?

Jake Fenton looked down from the balcony as a sea of well-dressed people gathered in the main hall of Fenton Manor. A multitude of colors could be seen against the standard green and silver decor. Friends, family, business associates, and more were among this near-infinite sea of partygoers, all here for the annual holiday charity ball Jake's family held every year.

"Jake?" Chrissy asked from inside the doorway leading to Jake's room. "Are we going to practice or not?"

The young heir tore himself away from the balcony, heading into his room. Jake's domain was a world of research; the room was dominated by a state-of-the-art computer that hooked directly to the Fentonworks mainframe for speed. The module itself had numerous modifications and add-ons, including a webcam, scanner, stereo, laser-printer, and wireless compatibility with any handheld computer. In the age that banished paper, Jake was also one of the only people to have a library in his room with true books. Psychology of the Unconscious, DSM-V, and Dante's Inferno were among the many titles.

Plopping down on the purple sheets of his bed, Jake sighed deeply. The last month had been chaotic, a power-related accident happening almost every other day. And, as a result, Wilkinson made sure that the accident-related teen had detention on a near-daily basis. This was getting far more complex than anyone wanted it to be, not to mention the fact that the source of the powers had still not been found.

"It's time to practice!" Chrissy announced. "Come on, Jake! We gotta get to Ellie's room!"

"Her room was the last area," Jake replied dully. "Today, it's mine. Let her come here herself."

"That was last week. Today, we practice in Ellie's room."

"Oh, fine." Jake said grudgingly. Leveling off the bed, he started down the hall with Chrissy to where Ellie's room was. As they passed the staircase that led down to the grand atrium, Jake turned his head, once again looking down into the sea of people like a Roman senator. Unfortunately, this averted his attention from the person walking across his path, and resulted in an awkward collision.

Reeling back, Jake said, "Sorry–" but stopped his apology when he saw whom he had bumped into: a pale, white-haired man standing head and shoulder above the two teens. His stark-white hair was shaved at the edges, gathered at the top of his scalp in a messy ponytail. A white, cyberpunk-style cloak was draped across his shoulders, covering a black microfiber trench coat that covered all but the green latex gloves on his hands. But perhaps most noticeable were the cheap aftershave he wore and the dark-tinted, polycarbonate sunglasses that stood out in his corpse-pale face.

"There is no apology necessary, child," the man said grandly. His voice was high and nasal, as though he were talking in a permanent, obnoxious falsetto. "The accident was entirely my fault."

Jake wasn't moved. "Just what exactly are you doing up here, Chet?"

"Who?" Chrissy asked.

Jake started to explain. "This is–"

"Allow me, child!" the man interrupted. "Little girl, I am Chet U. Calinison; Dalv Corp chairman and technology supervisor! I am looking for Dan Fenton, this child's...how do you kids say it...old man."

Chrissy stifled a laugh. "Well..." she said, snickering at Chet's painfully outdated slang, "they're probably downstairs with the rest of the guests."

"Ah, thank you, precocious little one! Now, I must be seen...I–I mean meet Fenton!" The Dalv Corp chairman then started down the stairs, his cloak billowing behind him.

"I can't believe Dad keeps inviting that guy," Jake muttered as they started walking again.

"I can't believe he wears green gloves with a black suit," Chrissy added. "That's just tacky."

INFILTRATION SUCCESSFUL. BEGIN SEARCH.

The laboratory of Fenton Manor was seen in shades and intensities of green. Many different gadgets and blueprint screens could be seen scattered on tables throughout the lab.

But there was a different mission to be done.

COMMENCE ECTOPLASMIC ENERGY SCAN.

The light changed from green to a rainbow hue; different energy signatures could be seen in order of red to violet, depending on concentration. A rather large blot of violet was in a far corner of the lab. As it got larger inside view, the heavy clank of magnapeds could be heard.

TARGET FOUND. BEGIN APPREHENSION.

The view switched to green again, but at a softer hue. Where the mass of violet had been, there was high-tech vault system armed with so many alarms that even the slightest touch might set off the klaxons at the Pentagon.

EMP ARRAY ONLINE. MAGNA-PULSE: MAXIMUM INTENSITY.

The view of green suddenly became brighter in a column above the line of sight. With soft whirring, the alarm systems shut down. The electronic lock started to beep randomly, opening after only several seconds. A cloud of liquid nitrogen smoke wafted from the open vault, revealing a steel canister much like a thermos. Various dents were in it from where the prisoner had tried to escape. Monogrammed across the side was a giant letter "V".

Slowly, the canister was lifted out of its support stand, disappearing from view below line of sight. A soft click was heard, followed by the sounds of the alarm system restarting itself again.

MISSION COMPLETE. RETURN TO BASE. FATHER WILL BE MOST PLEASED.

Jake touched down to the mahogany hardwood floor, his training session over. Passing by Ellie, who handed him the computer that contained today's records, he sat down on the bed as his sister assumed the stance in the same spot he'd been in.

Taking a stopwatch from his pocket, Jake exclaimed, "And...start!"

Ellie Fenton let her ghost form explode out of her. Lifting smoothly off the ground, she began to fly in a tight circle around the miniature chandelier as Dave clocked her speed with a handheld radar gun.

"Eighty...six miles per hour," he announced. "That's seven faster than last time."

Halting in midair, Ellie proceeded to turn hazy and blue, walking through the chandelier, her bed, and her wall as though they weren't even there.

"Intangibility is working perfectly," Chrissy chimed.

Passing back through the wall, Ellie halted above her bed, disappearing from view entirely.

"And invisibility is a go," Jake murmured. "Seems we're getting better."

Ellie sighed as she transformed into a human again, landing on an easy-chair. Snickerdoodle leaped up into her lap, stretching out in earnest. "It still doesn't change the accidents," she sighed. "The only reason we're not in detention right now is that the Christmas vacation started."

"Don't you worry about it," Jake said. "I'm sure there'll be a learning curve, but it'll flatten out in no time."

Dave proceeded to place the radar gun back into its case. The device had come from their parent's lab, and they were sure to become suspicious if it went missing. In fact, most of these recent power drills had been going on in the lab itself, just to save a bit of time.

"Alright, sis," Jake said as he sat down on the bed. "Spill. What's wrong?"

"Why?" Ellie asked.

"Because you have that look in your eyes you always get when you're contemplating something. Now what's wrong?"

Ellie sighed deeply. "I dunno...I just feel kinda...empty."

"Empty?" Chrissy asked. "Why?"

"I...can't really describe it. It's like..." She couldn't exactly find the words to describe the situation. The situation that rendered her helpless with conundrum over the effects of this recent turn of events. "...never mind," she finished. "It's not important."

"It's just too bad poetry isn't the answer to everything," Jake said ruefully. "I have tons of it."

Jake withdrew a book titled The Hollow Men from the shelf, turning to a page he had marked. "It's like Eliot says:

Between the conception

And the creation

Between the emotion

And the response

Falls the Shadow."

There was silence for a long period of time before Jake added, "Then again, maybe it is the answer to everything, after all."