Danny crouched stiffly on the roof, staring intently at the Fenton Thermograph. He straightened up, became intangible in an instant and dropped through the dark grey slates of the roof.
He entered a small, crowded room. Numerous cages that contained animals of many breeds and species lay in the centre of the room. Flashing, glowing and beeping computer consoles lined the walls. In one corner, a medium sized glass containment area with a small door had been set up.
Danny observed the scene more carefully. A shadowy figure huddled over a console that lay in a shaded corner, typing furiously on a keyboard, although Danny couldn't exactly see what the figure was trying to achieve.
Danny landed on the floor, his feet creating quiet echoes as they touched down on the hard, cool concrete floor. The shadowy figure turned as the echoes began; Danny could see his scarlet eyes, which seemed like two little menacing slits.
"Who are you?" The deep yet raspy voice came, surprising Danny, causing him to jump.
"I'm Danny-"
The shadowy figure's eyes widened in recognition and a reply came quickly, interrupting Danny. "You're Danny Phantom!" A creepy sense of delight laced through the tone of his deep voice.
The shadowy figure stepped into the light, stealing the shadows that shrouded him. Danny could see just about every detail of the ghost. His eyes, now visible as glowing red dots, stared unnervingly, almost through, Danny.
Danny reached behind his back and pulled off the Fenton Thermos that was hooked into a strap which clung to his upper torso. He carefully moved it around to his front and pulled the cap off.
The shadowy figure froze. He had heard about this thermos. One flip of a switch and his plan would be ruined before he could even say the word "animal". He needed to distract the ghost boy. He reached behind and his hand came up against a smooth, cool metal edge. He allowed his hand to creep along the flat surface of the top until he came to a button. After raising his hand above the hexagonal button, he brought it back down again.
With a clunk and a beep, a row of three cages opened, releasing the shadowy cat, rabbit and dog contained inside. They turned to Danny who quickly slid the Thermos back to its hook on his back and readied himself into a battle position.
He swung his fists up in front of his chest, which he puffed out like a robin. The animals bounded towards him. The black rabbit leapt on to his head and immediately snuggled into his hair.
"Cute. He thinks you hair is a nesting ball," the figure commented.
"He thinks my hair is a what!" Danny had no time to hear the reply, if there ever was one, because the cat had leapt on to his leg and sunk its claws in as far as the sharp appendages would go. Danny began to stagger and stumble, with no way to see where he was going because his hair had flopped down into his eyes thanks to the rabbit.
The
dog took Danny's confused staggering as an opportunity to fiercely
tackle him, as if they were playing rugby and Danny held the ball.
After the dog had knocked Danny back into the containment area,
successfully flattening Danny on his back, the animals ran out
towards the shadowed figure.
-----
Meanwhile, the shadowy
figure had been busy, typing rapidly at a console, pausing once to
make a comment. He retrieved the list he needed; he hoped the boy was
the one. He cast his eyes down the list, scanning it for the greatest
chance of success.
The figure turned around. The dog had not yet attacked. He looked at Danny, who stumbled near the containment area. He turned back to the dog and clicked his fingers. The dog turned attentively. The figure gestured towards Danny, balled his left hand into a fist and slammed it into his right hand, which neatly cupped around it.
The dog took these orders and tackled Danny, who fell backwards into the containment area. The figure clicked his fingers once more, this time gaining the attention of all the animals. The figure swept his right hand towards his chest and the animals ran out to hide behind him.
Danny propped himself up on one arm and grabbed the Thermos, which had, amazingly, not been so much as scratched slightly in his fall. He slipped the lid off and aimed it at the figure.
"Say goodbye, Spooks." Danny pressed a button on the side of the Thermos. Nothing happened. Not so much as a coupe of blue sparks came out. Danny looked straight into the Thermos. The mud clog stared straight back at him.
The figure moved from his frozen position and grinned sinisterly. "Well, since this meeting isn't quite working out as planned, how about you say goodbye?" The figure closed the door on Danny and dashed over to the console nearest to the containment area. Danny stood up to get a better look at what the figure was doing.
White electricity began lapping at Danny's feet. He moved his right foot up, almost trying to get away from the floor as if it was the source of the electricity. It began to move up his legs as two tight rings. Danny could feel more hair erupting from his skin as the rings rushed past. He looked down at his foot and noticed that he only had four toes, each covered in fur and with a large claw protruding from the end. He could feel something tapping his back. He looked over his shoulder and noticed a tail that joined to a low part on his back.
-----
"DANNY!" Tucker jumped up frantically. A low buzz came through to his end of the Fenton Phone Connection, signalling that Danny's end was out of commission. Tucker proceeded to look around his room for something - anything - that could help him out.
His white, battery powered scooter gathered dust in a corner of his room. The helmet hung limply on the handlebars by its strap. Tucker raced to the corner and snatched the scooter up without a second thought. Once outside, Tucker hopped on to the scooter and raced to his friend's aid.