When the FentonWorks generator (powered by the ecto-converter) came on-line and the kitchen became flooded with light once more, Jazz calmly explained to Danny that while he was at the movies, they had received a phone call. Apparently, for the last twenty years Vlad had had a rare type of skin cancer, a side effect of the accident that had given him his powers. However, the cancer had remained dormant and nobody had known about it, not even Vlad himself. It became malignant over that past week and Vlad was failing fast. Instead of being hospitalized, he had arranged for a medical service to come to his castle regularly until the time came. He called the Fentons because they were the only ones he wanted to visit him before he passed on, and to inform them that a plane was being sent for them. It was going to arrive at midnight that night.
"We better start packing, then," the young halfa rasped, his voice barely above a whisper. He heaved his father up from his seat as Jazz took their mother, and the children lead their parents into their room. Jack and Maddie followed numbly, as though they were too shocked and confused to be capable of moving by themselves. Once their children placed a suitcase on their bed, they seemed to come to their senses a little bit and began packing, although they remained silent. The Fenton children walked down the hallway side by side, and only split up when they had to enter their own rooms to pack their things.
Danny opened his blue suitcase and began piling various articles of clothing inside with numb fingers. I can't believe this, he thought. How can Vlad be dying? I mean, yeah, we were arch-nemeses, but I would never wish something like this on him. Unless-his eyes flashed green for a second-unless this is a plot to lure us to his castle, so that he can try the usual-kill Dad, make me and Mom join him…but I don't think it's a plot this time. I think he really is sick, and needs his dearest friends by his side.
The doorbell rang. It was the driver of a car that Vlad had hired to bring the Fenton family to the airport. The four of them brought down their suitcases, and silently entered the car. When it brought them to the airport, Maddie quietly thanked the man and left him a decent tip.
The Fentons made it through the airport without much trouble; Jack had been too distraught to even remember to bring any of his ecto-guns, so they even got through security without a hitch. They covered their heads with their hands in a feeble attempt to protect themselves from the pouring rain as they crossed the tarmac over to the small plane that was waiting for them. Danny vaguely recognized the pilot as the same one who had forced him and his mother out of their plane oh-so-long ago. But right now that didn't really matter to him. All he could think about was what was going to happen at Vlad's place when they arrived.
Suddenly, he remembered a previously forgotten variable-Sam and Tucker. He chastised himself, reminding himself that this was family business and as much as they were considered 'one of the family,' among his parents and sister, it still wasn't their obligation to attend. Besides, he wouldn't force something like this on them; it was sure to be emotionally taxing, and the last thing he'd want to do would be to make them endure more trauma than the usual day's ghost fight brought on. Once they were seated, he sent each of them a brief text message that outlined where he was and asking that they don't call him for the next few days; he would call them if he needed to talk to them. Danny turned his phone off just as the plan taxied onto the runway and began picking up speed for take-off.
A few minutes after the plane leveled off, Danny opened a window and looked out at the starry sky. Since they were above the tropopause and therefore the clouds, he could easily see constellations that were barely visible at best from his usual view atop the Op Center. He couldn't find the moon; it must be floating serenely on the other side of the plane. Danny turned back to behold the rest of his family sound asleep; the period of time between their receiving the phone call and him coming home must have been extremely trying for them. Danny curled up into a tight ball tried to get some rest.
Danny was exploring the castle when he saw an interesting-looking door. He opened the door and gasped-the room he had entered was a vast chrome lab with an odd cylinder in the middle. Danny approached the cylinder and jumped back, startled. Vlad was in the life pod, immersed in a viscous, pink liquid. His white hair was suspended chaotically, and his eyes were closed. He appeared to be breathing through a mask covering his mouth and nose, the other end of which was attacked to a tube that led into one of the large machines surrounding the life pod. Suddenly, one of the machines began beeping rapidly. Danny ran over to it and immediately recognized it as an Electro-Cardiograph Generator. The display, which had previously showed a steady heartbeat, now only showed a broken, flat line. One by one, all of Vlad's lifelines began slowing down until they stopped completely. Danny stood in the middle of the room with his hands over his head, trying to block out all of the beeping of the machines as well as the guilty feeling that somehow his presence had corrupted Vlad's recovery. He looked up to the dead man floating before him for guidance, and was greeted with a shock that made him nearly jump out of his skin. Vlad's eyes were open and glowing bright red. The machines started beeping faster and faster, until they overloaded and exploded. Danny watched with eyes the size of dinner plates as Vlad Plasmius broke free of his human half and exited the life pod.
"You killed my human half…Daniel…"
"N-no! I didn't! I wouldn't!"
"You did, Daniel…" Plasmius duplicated into four and they all released a Ghostly Wail at Danny. The four red sonic blasts hit him dead-on, and Danny fell to the ground with his hands over his ears, screaming…
"Danny! Danny, wake up!" Danny groggily opened his eyes. Almost immediately he jammed them closed again and put his hands over his ears; he realized that the pain running through his head wasn't actually four Ghostly Wails, it was just the air cavities in his body adjusting to the change in pressure around him as the plane descended. In other words, his ears were popping.
"You were dreaming, Danny, but you have to wake up, we've landed and it's time to get off." Danny fully opened his eyes and saw Jazz shaking him. His parents had already grabbed their suitcases and were leaving the plane.
"Geez, you'd think that after flying so much I'd be used to the changes in air pressure…" he grumbled.
"It's probably easier when you're a ghost; you're just not used to it as a human. Come on." She yanked him out of his seat and each of them grabbed their bags and made their way off the plane.