Author's Note: I own nothing. Wulf's translations will be at the bottom.

9 A Trap Is Sprung

Dani really wasn't having a good week. After leaving Tanya's place she'd headed to the school only to find what looked like a school meeting, only to discover that everyone around her was being taken over by Walker and his goons. The whole of the A lister squad had been overshadowed, along with Lancer and the principal, and who knew how many more. Dani ended up having to run, back to her house all the while praying that the experimental ghost shield her parents had been working on would work against the possessed denizens of Amity Park, and also not fry her. For once in her half-life she was in luck, the glowing green shield worked. Dani was up most of the night watching the possessed people circle the shield trying to find a weakness. She had no idea when she fell asleep, all she knew was that when she woke up Sam and Tanya were there. Dani shot upright glancing hurriedly out the window. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the glow of the shield remained.

"Morning sleeping beauty." Tanya quipped and Sam rolled his eyes.

"We have good news and bad news." He said and Dani shook her head.

"Wait, how did you guys get through the ghost shield?" She demanded rubbing her eyes. Sam shrugged.

"It's a ghost shield, not a people shield." He pointed out and Dani sighed.

"Good, that means Walker didn't get to you guys. Him and his goons are possessing everyone in town." Dani said stretching from her slightly awkward half upright sleeping position.

"Yeah, Wulf laid the whole thing out for us last night. Walker wants to make Amity your personal prison. Wulf wasn't sure how, but we think we've figured it out." Tanya said picking up the remote off the side table. She clicked on the TV and flicked it over to the local news. It seemed that the town meeting Walker had mentioned last night was already in full swing.

"Under the circumstances, and as mayor of Amity Park, I have decided to hand over all of the towns ghost defense to the completely competent Jack Fenton." Dani shook her head. Looking him over, now that she had seen it she recognized the signs of possession. His eyes were red, it was subtle, if she hadn't been looking for it she might not have noticed but the distinct gleam was there. There were bags under his eyes too, Dani was starting to wonder if ghosts remembered that the humans they were possessing needed things like sleep and food. Ghosts didn't need those things after all. She shook her head as the mayor continued on.

"We will of course be putting this to a vote, but after some investigation, we have discovered the ghost behind all of our recent problems. This one." He held up a photo, it wasn't the best shot of her, she'd been trying her best to avoid any press. She hadn't been fully successful but she had tried. Sam muted the TV as the crowd at the town meeting devolved into chaos.

"What are you going to do?" Sam asked. Dani stood and stretched.

"What I can. I mean I can't let Walker get away with this. I have to get him and his goons out of everyone. Maybe Wulf can help." Dani stated and both Sam and Tanya winced.

"Yeah about that we lost him." Tanya admitted.

"The collar went off last night. Tanya got it off but he leaped out the window after that. We were gonna go after him but we got caught by Tanya's parents and got stuck. We haven't seen him since." Sam explained and Dani sighed.

"Then I'll have to do it myself." Dani said. She stepped towards the door, Sam and Tanya stepped forward.

"You can't." Sam insisted.

"We'll go with you." Tanya offered. Dani shook her head.

"No. I don't want you to get mixed up with Dani Phantom if this goes wrong. Trust me I know what I'm doing, or at least I hope I do." She took off out of the house before anyone could stop her, snatching up her Thermos which Sam had retrieved on their way her on her way out. Once she was outside the shield she transformed and took off through the sky towards City Hall.

It didn't go the way she wanted. Turned out her parents weren't possessed, so when she tried to force the ghosts out of them she only succeeded in looking like she attacked them. She did manage to get Bullet and a few of the other ghosts out of the teens. But things went quickly from bad to worse. Her parents were hunting her, and the Mayor, possessed by Walker framed her for holding City Hall hostage. He was about to put her down when he was ripped away from her, long green claws sinking into the Mayor's chest from behind. He dropped her as he was pulled away, the two sets of claws separating sending the mayor one way and Walker the other. Wulf stood over Dani and growled protectively one set of claws still impaling Walker as the Mayor began to fall. Dani leaped forward catching him as he groaned and began to stir confusion on his face.

"Get away from him you odd manifestation of ectoplasmic energy and post-human consciousness!" The gun Maddie pointed at Dani was glowing bright green. She froze like a deer in the headlights, she'd admit that. She had never expected to be on the business end of her parents weapons, as much as she'd feared it. Something in her plummeted through the floor staring down the barrel of a gun at her mother. Under the goggles she wore with her jumpsuit there was no remorse in her eyes. She didn't move as the whir of the gun went off. Wulf saved her, leaping into the path of the blast, Walker still on his claws. The portal opened just behind Wulf and it was all Dani could do not to be dragged into it herself as Wulf and the trapped Walker went skidding towards it.

"Friend, will meet again." Wulf stated almost calmly.

"So will we punk! Feared on Earth, wanted in the Ghost Zone! You've lost kid! Lost!" Both ghosts were pulled into the portal which closed behind them. Dani stood, having fully dropped the Mayor when she was trying not to skid into the portal. A whir caught her attention and the cold metal of a gun met the side of her head just above her ear. Dani shivered not wanting to look into her mother's eyes right now.

"By the authority invested in me by the city of Amity Park, I sentence you back from whence you came!" Maddie stated coldly as the gun powered up.

"I really have to start paying more attention in these fights." Dani said closing her eyes. She had no idea what would happen when her mother pulled the trigger. Bullet had been shot in the stomach and the portal had seemed to pull him into himself with cracking noises Dani knew would haunt her dreams. Then the whirring stopped. Dani peeked her eyes open. The gun was powering down. Maddie frowned glancing at the gun, where a sticky note was still miraculously sticking to the gun. She pulled it off and read it off.

"Honey, forgot to fully charge the Fenton Bazooka - Jack. P.S. Can I have a cookie?" Dani couldn't help the relieved laugh.

"With that I bid you a fond farewell." She said shooting up out of range of her mother's weapons.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" Maddie called out. Dani breathed a sigh of relief as she made it through the roof, back out into the night.

"Duh, I'll see you at dinner." Dani said to herself as she flew away. Her hands were shaking as she made it through the finally ghost free sky. By the time she got home, transforming behind the house just outside the shield she was shaking from head to toe. Sam and Tanya were still in the living room and she fell directly into their arms shaking and crying, unable to articulate what had upset her so much.