Hello, people! Got a good number of reviews, so I give you an update quicker than usual. I wanted to get one, hopefully two updates between now and my birthday, which is this Friday. I'll be 16 that day! But enough about me. I've decided to change the title of the story for reasons you'll know later on.

Chapter 10 is here! Check it out!

Plotting for a Transformation

Chapter Ten: Empowering Objectives

Danny woke up with a sigh. He hadn't gotten that much sleep, and Tucker and Sam hadn't called at all last night, which must have meant that the meeting they had gone to had gone longer than they originally thought.

He headed downstairs to the kitchen after taking a shower and getting dressed. As he made himself some cereal, his mother, Maddie, walked over to him.

She greeted him, "Good morning, Danny. Hey, have you seen Tucker and Sam around lately?"

Danny looked a little confused at being asked this. He responded, "Not since after school yesterday. They were going to some meat/veggie meeting."

Maddie stated to him, "Well, their parents just called. Apparently, they never came home last night. They sounded really worried."

Danny was a little shocked at hearing this, but he tried to keep his voice calm, "Maybe they just got home late and went out early today?"

"Did they make plans with you today?"

"Well, they did say they were going to talk to me about…something. But we never set up when." Danny didn't want to bring up Slade at all; it was tricky enough convincing his parents that the injuries he had gotten for the last couple weeks had just been from a couple scooter accidents.

"Well, if you see them at all today, could you tell them that their parents are worried?"

"Sure thing, Mom."

Danny seemed perfectly calm as he started eating cereal and milk for his breakfast. But even as he ate, he had a sense that something was not right.

That sense intensified as Danny was not able to find his two best friends all day. He searched Amity Park high and low: the park, the mall, Nasty Burger, the pharmacy which sold ice cream, the amusement park, and in a last desperate ditch, the area around Casper High.

A grave thought came to Danny's mind as he walked back home by himself as the sun began to set. Could they have gotten into some kind of trouble with the meeting last night?

Danny chuckled as he tried to shake it off, "Nah. I'm just getting a little bit paranoid, that's all."

An idea suddenly occurred to him. Danny pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. He had just gotten this one after his old one had been smashed in the warehouse Monday night. He did have to borrow money from Sam to get it, but he promised to pay her back later.

"Tucker always answers his PDA," Danny said to himself as he dialed his number.

Two rings later, a face finally came on the screen. Danny's mouth split into a wide grin, but it evaporated in an instant when he saw who it was. It was not Danny's techno-geek best friend, but Slade.

"How nice of you to call, Danny," Slade said coolly.

Danny scowled, "Where's Tucker? What did you do with him? Do you have Sam there too?"

"So eager to get answers, are we? Very well. You may see your friends."

The screen moved away from Slade and moved to Tucker and Sam, both suspended by chains tied to their wrists on a wall. Their feet hung about a foot off the ground, and their arms stuck straight up due to the chains. The two of them also had a gooey red substance on their mouths, obviously to prevent them from speaking. They were still grunting, trying to scream what were obviously cries for help to the ghost boy.

"Where are they!" Danny screamed at Slade in a mingled fury.

The figure of Slade came back onto the screen and he replied to Danny, "Since you were able to discover where Monday's call originated from, I suppose I could show you."

Other parts of wherever they were were shown on the screen. Danny saw a lot of electrical equipment, lights, and sparkling electricity throughout the place.

Danny muttered, "The Power Plant."

The screen again went back to Slade and he said, "Very good, my boy. I would suggest for you not to bring water."

Danny quickly said back to Slade, "Are you going to be there for real this time, or is it just going to be another stupid hologram?"

Slade's one seen eye seemed to bear into Danny's heart as he answered, "You'll find out."

And before Danny could say another word, Slade hung up, leaving the screen on his phone blank.

Danny had a look of intensity as he said out loud, "Now this guy is going after my friends. This time, he is really going to pay."

With that, Danny went ghost, and he flew off in the direction of the city Power Plant.

The Power Plant was perched on the south side of Amity Park. It was a place nobody liked to venture into, mainly because of the potentially dangerous activity that always went on beneath the walls of the building.

Danny pondered over why Slade would decide to keep Sam and Tucker captive in this place that could be dangerous for everybody involved.

But no matter if Slade was holding his friends here or in China, he would do whatever it takes to save them.

Danny phased inside the building and scanned the surroundings. Bright light engulfed the place, even though he was still able to look around in it. Danny said out loud, "Maybe I should've brought sunglasses."

The ghost boy moved forward, searching for his missing friends, and moving higher to get a better view, since there wasn't as much light up there.

Finally, in a far corner of the room, he saw Tucker and Sam chained to the wall just as he saw them earlier.

But no sooner than two seconds after he caught a glimpse of them was he slammed on top of the head from behind him. Danny was hurtled to the ground and bounced into the wall.

Danny quickly looked up and got to his feet with an angry looked imprinted on his face. Sure enough, he saw Slade, this time armed with a metal staff, standing up on a catwalk.

"Welcome again, Danny. I see you are motivated by those you love. Touching…but also a weakness."

Again, Danny really didn't know what kind of game that Slade was trying to play with him, but he wasn't going to let this maniac win.

"You may have kicked my butt before by catching me off-guard and unprepared," Danny said with a cold sneer, "but this time, you won't be so lucky, and the second I get my friends to safety, it's going to be like Friday the thirteenth for you."

"That sounds like a threat, Daniel. You appear to be pretty good at stating one. I wasn't really sure you had it in you, child."

Danny growled, "What are you up to? What do you want with me? Why are you trying to mess around with my mind?"

"Patience, my boy. For now, do you wish to have your friends back or not?"

Danny's mouth split into a sneering smile and he answered, "I thought you'd never ask."

That would be all for now! Danny and Slade are about to engage in combat once again, this time with a real purpose. Will Danny get his friends back? And what is Slade planning with him? Find out in Chapter 11, coming Friday or Saturday!