WoM- Yo! I'm in a good mood now. Of course, how could I not be, considering it's Christmas Eve? 'grins happily' I'll make this quick, since I've got places to go and people to see. H, and no update next week. I'm on vacation with my dad, no computers 'Shivers at the thought' If that's not enough, I'm a vegetarian and my family in Kentucky lives off of meat. 'Cringes' Ah, well, Merry Early Christmas!
"Doctor to patient: I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you are not a hypochondriac."
-Unknown
"You're sure that's everything?" Vlad pressed, watching the last of his things get loaded into the back of the limo.
"Yes, sir," His secretary said, "Everything you need to vacation for a good long while,"
"Thank you, Gloria. And if anyone calls for me…"
"You're currently unreachable," Gloria finished.
"Good girl. I'll see you when my personal business is done," Vlad assured her, climbing into his limo and closing the door.
"We'll be waiting, Master Plasmius," Gloria said with a short bow as Vlad rolled up his window.
Vlad sighed as he closed his eyes as the car started up, rolling down the path to the main road. After a small mental debate, the multi-billionaire picked up his car phone, dialing a familiar number.
"FentonWorks, Jazz Fenton speaking," A young woman on the other end answered. "My parent's can't come to the phone right now, so if this is for them-"
"Hello, Jasmine," Vlad said smoothly. He could practically hear the girl stiffen.
"Vlad Masters?" She said incredulously. Then, a sharp suspicion coloring her tone, she added, "Why are you calling?"
"A man can't call to check up on his old college chum?" Vlad asked innocently.
"Mom and Dad made a new invention that's supposed to work on a ghost over the phone. Care to be it's first trial subject?" Vlad couldn't stop his flinch.
"I need to speak to Daniel," He said.
"And you expect me to just hand him the phone and say 'oh, it's the guy who wants to kill dad, marry mom and make you evil!'?" The half-ghost frowned, wondering why the Fenton siblings seemed to take such pleasure in irritating him.
"Actually, it's serious." Vlad said smoothly, "His life may be at risk even," There was a long pause at the other end, and Vlad wondered it the girl hung up.
"And it's big enough that you want to warn him?" She asked, her voice strained. Vlad could tell she was probably several shades paler.
"Let's just say this is something I wouldn't wish upon you Father's ghost, much less young Daniel," Vlad said grimly.
"He… He's not here." Jazz said hesitantly, "He was out ghost hunting and something attacked him. He said he'd call back later." Vlad stiffened.
"Did he tell you if his attacker was ghost or human?" he demanded.
"He didn't say…" Vlad sighed.
"If he returns, tell him to call me," Vlad ordered, "I don't want the Haunters to catch him off guard."
"The Haunters?"
"I'll explain the rest to Daniel when he calls me," Vlad said firmly. "IF he calls me, that is…" and without another word, Vlad hung up with a tired sigh.
Troublesome or not, he couldn't have the Haunters getting their hands on his potential apprentice. Besides, it would be bad tastes to allow Daniel to suffer such torture and pain without warning him what he was in store for.
He frowned out the window, puzzled when he realized he didn't recognize the landmarks.
"Driver, are we taking a different route?" He asked over the intercom. There was no response. "Driver? What's going on? Answer me!" And, before Vlad could do or say anything else, a glowing green ghost shield surrounded his limo, trapping him inside.
"Everything's fine, Vlad Plasmius," An unfamiliar voice told him, "Just sit back and enjoy the ride…"
"Mr. Masters? Mr. Masters? MR. MASTERS?" Jazz paled as she replaced the receiver with trembling hands.
'Okay, that's not a good sign…' she thought shakily. After a glance toward the basement assured her that Jack and Maddie were still occupied, Jazz rushed up to her room and pulled out her Emergency Ghost Hunting Supplies, which consisted of a Fenton Peeler, A spare Thermos and an ecto-gun.
After activating the Fenton Peeler and stashing the rest in her bag, Jazz headed out. Halfway out the door she remembered that there was a chance that it wasn't a ghost she was dealing with, and after careful consideration she picked up one last weapon before shooting towards the Specter Speeder.
'I'm coming, little brother!'
BLACKBIRD
Chapter 6; Ghosts who aren't Ghosts
"Who are you in contact with?" Raven demanded, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
'Strange… his energy patterns are different from most ghosts… and MUCH stronger then someone who's only been dead for a year should have,'
"Right now? No one," Danny Phantom replied, eyeing her warily. "Who are you? And why are you after me?"
"What makes you so sure it's you I'm after?" Raven asked, trying to avoid his first question.
'The less he knows, the better…'
"Oh yeah, you're right," Phantom said sardonically. "You really look like the kind of girl who likes to hang out at schools after hour for no reason…" Raven felt her cheeks heat up at that.
"You know, the sarcasm reeeally isn't necessary," Raven told him dryly.
"Neither was trying to blast my head off," Raven's eyebrow kicked up, unseen under her hood.
"You really like to argue, don't you?" She observed out loud.
"Keeps me occupied during battle," Phantom shrugged, completely shameless in his honesty. "You?"
"I prefer a silent fight," Raven said, "I'm not a chatty person."
"It really shows," Phantom said, amused.
"Anyone ever tell you you're an annoyance?" Raven asked.
"Would it surprise you if I say I've heard it once or twice?" Raven rolled her eyes before she remembered why she was really here.
"Why are you here?" She demanded.
"You mean 'here' as in Casper High School, or 'here' as in still walking this earth?"
"Both," Raven answered.
"Well then, number one is that I was catching an escaped ghost that was really giving me a headache," Danny responded, Shaking the Thermos still in his hands. The Ogre growled in an angry protest to being manhandled in such a way, proving Danny's point. "And number two is that is wasn't my time to go,"
"Obviously someone disagreed with you if you're dead," Raven said dryly. Danny's grin only widened.
"See, funny story there…" Sensing that the ghost was playing with her now, Raven glared.
"I don't have time for games," She said shortly, "State your true business now," Danny sighed.
"I want to protect them," He explained, motioning a hand out the window to the city that was now lit up in the coming night. "It's my responsibility, and nothing's gonna stop me." Danny cocked an eyebrow. "And you? You CAN'T be another ghost hunter. Every ghost hunter I've ever met shoots first and asks questions later, if ever…" Raven sighed and rolled her eyes, relaxing her stance slightly.
Though she hadn't probed his mind, Raven had a feeling the boy was telling her the truth. Besides, there was no way someone this annoyingly impish and sarcastic could be evil. She'd have to reserve her final judgment until she knew him a little better, but all in all, she'd say he was trustworthy.
"No," She acknowledged. "I'm not," And, with a sweep of her cloak, Raven turned and started away.
"Hey, now that's just not fair!" Danny complained, flying after her, "I answer your questions and you give me a bunch of vague bull and walk away? Come on!" Raven couldn't suppress a smile at the sheer childishness of this ghost, "At least tell me your name…"
Raven hesitated for a moment, turning to smirk at him.
"You're the superhero in this town, you figure it out,"
Jazz scowled at the road in front of her impatiently, anxious to get to Danny before something happened to him. Her conversation with Vlad left her edgy, and it showed as she tapped the steering wheel restlessly as she drove, sometimes reaching for her weapons to reassure herself they were still there.
She was almost to the school when she noticed an eerie green glow coming from a nearby abandoned alley that pretty much screamed 'paranormal activity' through a megaphone.
The eldest of the Fenton children hesitated only momentarily before parking the Specter Speeder and jumping out of the vehicle, her arsenal in tow.
'Please be Danny, Please be Danny, Please be Danny…' She chanted in her head, her heart pounding as she crept slowly and silently into the alleyway.
No such luck, though. Instead of her brother, Jazz found a strange figure in a black hood, speaking to someone in a glowing green… something that Jazz couldn't see.
"Well?"
"Everything's been set up, just as you ordered. We're ready to go on schedule, Boss." The cloaked figure, decidedly male, answered the demonic voice coming from the glowing green… thing.
"Excellent… and the elder half ghost?"
"He's being taken to the secure location as we speak, sir." The man answered as Jazz started.
'Mr. Masters?' She thought, frowning. What was going on here? He'd called her from his car phone not half an hour ago…
"Make sure to keep him from the younger half ghost after we've captured him. We wouldn't want them planning anything with how much power they have between them,"
"Sure thing, Boss," The man replied, unaware of the chill of horror now running through his unknown listener. "What about the kid's family? Won't they suspect something if he just goes missing?"
"The Fentons will be of no consequence. Make it appear that the boy ran from home, or better yet was captured by vengeful ghosts. That way, we can return what is left of the body when all is said and done, and possibly convince them to join our scientists."
That order filled Jazz with blind rage. How dare they! Who were these people to think they could ruin her family's life, and even go as far as to steal Danny's? Jazz retracted The Fenton Peeler and picked up the only Fenton-made weapon suitable for fighting off human menaces…
"Jazz?"
"KYAAAAAAAAA!" Jazz screamed, swinging around on instinct and attacking. Her assault went through the person easily, doing absolutely no damage. When Jazz began to calm down, she realized exactly who had surprised her so badly, "Danny?"
"What are you doing out?" Her little brother asked, puzzled. His eyebrow kicked up when he saw the weapon in her hands, "And why are you attacking me with the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick?" Jazz blushed for a moment before remembering the conversation she'd just overheard.
"Danny! Hide!" Jazz hissed, grabbing her brother and pushing him to the cement, ignoring his yelp of protest. Jazz then fell t the cement next to her brother, listening hard for the sounds of footfall and an exclamation of discovery…
…which never came.
Blinking the girl stood, glancing back over to where the man and the green glow had been to find an empty alley littered with forgotten newspapers and other various junk.
"But… where did they- They were just…" Jazz gaped, dangerously close to babbling.
"You okay, Jazz?" Danny asked in concern.
"Didn't you see the glow?" Jazz asked him, "There was a glow! And that man… and Mr. Masters!"
"Plasmius was here?" Danny asked, alarmed, "Where? When?"
"No, Mr. Masters wasn't here but they were talking about him!" Jazz explained, "And you! They said they were going to kill you, Danny! And Mr. Masters did call earlier to tell me that you were in danger!"
"When am I not in danger?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but this time it's serious enough that VLAD wanted you to get to safety!" Jazz said, worry clear on her face, "Danny, who were you fighting when you cut me off? Was it a ghost?"
"No," Danny frowned. "Not a ghost, but she wasn't normal, either. She had some sort of power, almost like ectoplasm but it gave me a different kind of chill then ghost energies do. Still it was definitely spiritually-based magic…" If Jazz wasn't so worried, she'd admire how knowledgeable her little brother sounded on this subject, odd as it was.
"Don't go near her again, Danny," Jazz said sharply, "she may be the one Vlad was talking about, or at the very least in league with them,"
"Come on, Jazz, she didn't seem that bad to me," Danny scoffed.
"Neither did Mr. Masters at firstnow, did he?" The red head said shrewdly. Danny glowered at her for that one, finding he couldn't actually deny it.
"What, you don't think I've learned how to tell good energies from bad ones?" He said sourly.
"Have you ever actually fought anyone with good energies?" Jazz countered. Then she sighed, "Look, I'm not questioning your judgment, Danny, God knows you know more about all this ghost stuff and energies then I do, I'm just worried that this time you might be up against something you DON'T know," Rather then getting angry that she was meddling again like Jazz expected, Danny smiled.
"Well then," He said, the impish shine in his eyes alerting Jazz that her brother was plotting yet again. "I guess there's only one thing to do…"
"You're sure?" Mrs. Ishiyama pressed. Raven shrugged.
"He didn't look evil, he didn't sound evil and he didn't feel evil," She said, brushing violet locks behind her ear, "So as far as my first impression goes, he's not evil," Raven's lips pursed as she thought of Terra, and she added, "Of course, my methods aren't infallible, so I'll stick around for a bit longer before I finalize anything."
"But he destroyed my lamp!" Mrs. Ishiyama wailed.
"And probably saved your life," Raven told her, a little annoyed. "Everything breaks, Everything fades away, but the important thing is that you're alive to enjoy them while they can bring you joy," Mrs. Ishiyama sighed.
"You have wisdom beyond your years, young lady," She said in a tired tone. Raven blushed.
"The monks on Azarath were kind when they taught me," She explained, "And their teachings stayed with me when I left everything else behind and came to earth,"
"That is the mark of a true educator," Mrs. Ishiyama noted. Raven smiled.
"Of course," She added, "I've learned just as much on my own here on earth, among my friends in Titan's Tower,"
"That is the mark of a true friend," Mrs. Ishiyama smiled back.
"Speaking of which, I'd better go," Raven said, turning to leave, "I promised to call them as soon as I got back to the apartment where I'm staying."
"Yes," Mrs. Ishiyama sighed, "Besides, I doubt you want to fall asleep during Homeroom now, would you?" Raven managed to keep most of her irritation off her face.
'Teachers…' she thought dryly as she flew over the darkened town, now lit only by the lights from streetlamps and widows with lighted rooms, '…How can anyone be expected to maintain a passing grade in six separate classes and save the world on a fairly daily basis?'
The thought alone made the sorceress shudder violently.
The short flight home was quiet and uneventful, and Raven landed in a darkened alley to put her disguise back on. She was just about done, with only the wig left when a sharp gasp was heard behind her.
Wheeling around, the girl came face to face with Melissa, the silent girlfriend of Danny's friend from school. Her green eyes were wide in shock, and there was no mistaking that she'd seen enough that Raven wouldn't be able to smooth talk her way out of this one.
A million and one curses passed through Raven's head as she tried to think of something to tell the girl, most of them overheard during Beastboy and Cyborg's video game matches.
"Uhh…" Raven said, still trying to think.
That's when she saw the ghost.
"GET DOWN!" Raven yelled to the girl, throwing out a bolt of magic to stop the heavy trashcan the spectral creature was trying to throw at the stunned Melissa. The shy girl complied quickly, hiding behind a garbage in with her hands over her head, much in the same way teachers made students sit during tornado drills.
Raven prepared herself for a fight, but instead of throwing another blow the ghost just laughed and flew away before Raven could stop him.
"Great…" The sorceress sighed. She turned back to Melissa, knowing there was no way to salvage this. Sure enough, the girl was giving her the wide eyed look again.
"Who are you?" She asked, so softly Raven just barely caught it. Those were the first words the girl had said to her, and the last question Raven wanted to answer.
"I guess I have some explaining to do…" She said, cringing.
'This night just gets better and better…'
WoM- I honestly didn't mean to bring Melissa in like that… 'smiles guiltily,' Don't you hate it when stories take on a life of their own and you just get pulled along for the ride? Ah, well, that's Chapter six for you, hoped you enjoyed it! And Valerie fans, don't fret, she'll be back next chapter with a vengeance.
Thanks to;
lilnovelist
Ant Crown
Reggie Tuesday
enigmatic penguin
Invader Johnny
The Halfa Wannabe
Inviso-Bill
Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet
Unit 1860
Samantha-Girl Scout
Iona
I Brake For Ghosts
Tetsukon
My Eternal Facade
Anime Chick009
conan98002
epobbp
Firehedgehog
DannysGirlForever
IwuvMyKenshyPoo
Seeker Carter
Petitio Principii
shadowspinner1
Shiva the Sarcastic
Next update; January 6th
See you then!