Disclaimer: Does it look like I've managed to buy the rights to DP? Heck no! Schooling has prevented me from gaining the money or the time to do so.

Oh, fun fact! David Kauffman, the person who plays Danny in the show, also voiced a character by the name of Dexter Douglas in the WB show Freakazoid! If you've never heard of it, go check it out! It's fun, random, and chalk full of crazy superhero goodness!

Eidolon
16. Information

"So, do you believe him? And, since when is a ghost a 'he'?" Tucker asked Sam as he lounged on the plush carpeting in her room after she told him of her ghostly encounter the previous night.

Sam sighed as she tried to put her thoughts together. She had called the boy as soon as she had gotten home from the cemetery to inform him of what happened. It had been too late for him to come over at the time, but it didn't stop her from demanding him to come over as soon as he woke up.

"I really don't know," she finally admitted. "He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt me and even offered to help me up after I fell. And, he really did just seem like an oddly dressed boy who happened to be glowing." Unsure how to continue, she stood up from her spot near Tucker to retrieve a picture from the dresser. She had taken it the day prior to Danny going missing, and it was the only picture she had with him in it.

Bring the picture back over to her seat, she showed it to Tucker. "This ghost did look incredibly like Danny, save for the difference in hair and eye color. Tucker… I don't want to believe it, but he seemed too familiar with me. He even knew about the day we found that old picture. It… it really did seem like he was Danny…"

Tucker was silent as he examined the picture. "I wasn't there, so I'm not able to draw any conclusions. But, this ghost did give you something, right? If this is a clue as to what's going on, we might as well use it. Have you glanced at it yet?"

Sam bit her lip as she once again rose, only this time it was to retrieve the book and the old picture they had found. "To be honest," she stated as she placed it on the floor, "I haven't been too keen on opening it. The phantom from last night gave a rather vague warning about its contents." Even if he hadn't warned her about it, she probably wouldn't have opened until Tucker came anyways. Something about the very appearance of it was unnerving.

"Wait, the master of all dark and creepy is having second thoughts about a simple book? This has got to be a first!"

"Tucker, will you be serious for once in your life!" A faint blush crossed her cheeks as she pushed her friend over. She hated admitting when something bothered her which Tucker knew. He loved calling her out on it when he could which did little more than agitating her more. "The thing's written on animal leather for crying out loud! How else am I supposed to act?"

"Alright, alright!" Tucker just raised his hands as an attempt at an apology. "I get it. If it makes you feel better, I'll handle turning the pages as we look at it."

…..

Sam just couldn't believe what she was reading. The book… no, it was much too disturbing to actually be called a book; grimoire might be a better designation. The writings contained within it were a strange combination of mystic writing, images, and stories. Though it might seem like a bunch of nonsense to someone just hearing about it, the tome itself was rather grotesques with its depictions. Parts of the text had become too faded to read, but what could be gathered was disturbing enough.

The main part of the tome spoke of a family which who had incurred the wrath of the spirits. A curse had been laid upon them in punishment for their deeds. The best Sam could gather (and Tucker would look into it more later), the curse would cause the family to produce a son who would be trapped between the spirit and material realms. This son would use his accursed powers to bring about the end of the world. The other writings either went into more details about his appearance or abilities or suggested spells to summon spirits which could be used to assist in darker deeds.

Placing the book as far away from her as she could, Sam just wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to digest the disturbing information. The ghost had told her it would give them an idea of what Vlad was planning, and if Vlad was really using the book as a guide than he must be planning to use the boy the book described. Did that mean he was still looking for the boy? Or did he actually have him? Wait… it couldn't be!

"Does… does that mean Danny's the boy this thing described…?" Sam exclaimed in a hushed voice.

Tucker looked at her sharply causing her to look away. She hadn't meant to speak out loud. "It would explain a lot," he said in a dry voice. "I mean, we knew the day he saved us he was something other than human."

She nodded as she allowed herself to recall the memory. Nothing about what happened had made sense at the time. Danny had managed to fight off the ghost who was threatening them and somehow transport them back to her house. His appearance had also changed some as his power over took him. A gasp escaped her as she recalled his appearance. "Tucker…! That night, Danny's hair had become white and his eyes were green, just like the ghost from last night! But, how! Danny saved us! He's not evil! There's just no way he could be!"

"Sam, just calm down! You're jumping to conclusions here!" After waiting a moment to see if she would have another outburst, he continued to speak. "I'm going to do a little more digging, but I think we can safely assume Vlad seems to think he can get a hold of the person… ghost… thing described in this book. As for Danny… it's difficult to say for sure. We know he is something other than human, but it doesn't mean he's the same." He paused again as he tried to adopt a comforting expression. "Besides, if that picture you found is anything to go by, Danny doesn't look a thing like him."

It took her a moment to understand his last sentence, but she couldn't help but chuckle when it came to her. It was true; Danny didn't look a thing like the terrifying image they had found. Even if the ghost she had encountered was Danny, he was still just as scrawny as ever. The depicted creature was bulky and flaming. The boy's hair may have turned white, but it certainly wasn't on fire. "Well, at least it's better than having nothing," she told her friend."But, now what? We're back at square one."

"Not necessarily," Tucker countered causing her to stare at him. "At least we now have a place to start looking. We might not know why exactly Vlad took Danny or what Danny really is, but we know what he wants. I'm going to head home and starting poking around. I'm also going to try to see if I can hack Masters' estate again. I'll call you later tonight to let you know what I found."

"Sure…." Confusion was noticeable in her tone. It was rare to see Tucker so determined to do something which didn't directly involve his technology. It just went to prove how worried he was about Danny.

The boy quickly picked himself up and moved towards the door. Before he went through it, he glanced back at her with a serious expression. "I'd hide that book if I were you. That ghost apparently went through a lot to try and get it to you. If it really is Vlad's, I'd hate to see what happens when he finds out it's missing."

"I hadn't thought about that," she admitted as she hastily closed the book and stood. The two friends then said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Tucker headed towards the front door of the large estate while Sam sat on her bed and wracked her brain for ideas of where to hide the tome in her hands. She had to make sure she would be able to locate it again, but no one else, especially her parents or Vlad would be able to find it. She stood as an idea came to her. She would just ask her grandmother. The woman had a knack for hiding items her son and daughter-in-law could never find, so she was perfect to ask.

After carefully placing the grimoire under her bed, she quickly went to go find the old woman. Even though she had an idea where to find her, there was always the chance she was not there. Though her grandmother was confined to a wheelchair, it did not stop her from managing to find her way to places which were supposedly off limits to her. It always infuriated Sam's parents, which was probably the main goal.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Everything was fuzzy as he opened his eyes. After blinking a few times, an unfamiliar white ceiling came into focus. Confused, Winston glanced around to his side, noticing his body felt incredibly stiff as if he had remained still for far too long. The room he was in was not one he had ever seen before, but judging by the lack of decorations and the faint hint of antiseptic in the air indicated he was probably in some sort of hospital.

Why exactly was he here? Why wasn't he at home?

Knowing he would not get any answers by continuing to lie still, he tried to sit up. It was going well until he noticed a strange pulling sensation on different parts of his body. Concerned, he looked down at his body to find various tubing in his arms. That was bad enough, but pristine bandages were notable on his arms and the small bit of his torso he could actually see. Whatever happened to him must have been horrendous. At least there wasn't a tube sticking out of his throat; that would be overkill.

At least it now made sense why he was in the hospital; now he just had to figure out what caused all of it. He leaned back as he tried to recall what happened before everything went black. Flashes of colors and sounds quickly came and went without much definition. Did this mean he was going to have to recover more before he would be able to properly recall it? He hoped it wasn't the case. He was a military man who prided himself on recalling details.

His frustrations were put aside as a shriek penetrated the silence of the room. The next thing he knew at least ten different medical personnel were surrounding his bed and staring at him. What started next was a barrage of questions and tests which took up the next several hours of his time.

…

While the tests had been frustrating, at least he had a better understanding of his condition. He had been found with numerous severe injuries on his body in his home. When he was brought in, he was in critical condition, and the staff was honest enough to admit they were very surprised he was recovering. Most of them did not believe he survive the first few nights. His body was covered in odd burns and one of his lungs had been punctured. In truth, the staff couldn't really explain what had caused the injuries. All they knew is what the police had told them: he had been attacked by an unknown person using an unknown weapon one night several weeks ago.

Knowing they would not be able to help him piece together what exactly happened, he changed tactics and asked them about Danny. Any person he asked would just give him a strange look and tell him someone would be in to discuss what he had missed later. It was unnerving. If this continued, he was going to have to corner someone. Danny was his ward, and if something happened to the boy, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Several more hours would pass before he received any answers, and those answers came by means of a stern-faced police officer. After introducing himself and assuring the hovering medical staff he just wanted to ask some routine questions, he sat down near the bed and tried to explain what the police force knew about his attacker. Irritated, Winston interrupted the man and demanded to know Danny's location.

The officer took a deep breath before he spoke again. "The day you were brought in, we took Daniel down to the station to question him."

"You what?" Winston demanded, wincing from the strain placed upon his damaged throat. While he was in surgery, the doctors had placed a breathing tube in his neck. Sure procedures usually did damage, but it would be a while before he knew how bad it really was. "Danny wasn't even home when I was attacked! He was at his friend's house!"

"I understand that. It is standard procedure to question family members after an attack for any information which may help us."

Winston relaxed slightly at the explanation, but he narrowed his eyes. "There's something else you're not telling me."

"You're very astute," the officer complimented with a slight nod. "Though I hate to admit this, your ward went missing shortly after we released him from questioning. From what we can tell, the last place anyone had seen him was in the police station. We have records of him making a phone call to one of his friends… and the trail goes cold from there."

"Danny's missing? How could you let him go like that?" Anger coursed through him as he tried to rise out of bed, which immediately alerted the medical staff. Several of them ran in and tried to restrain him as he continued to yell at the officer.

"Sir, my department takes full responsibility for what happened. We keep trying to find some sign of him, but there is very little evidence to go by. It's almost as if he just vanished from the station!"

Winston stopped struggling as the officer's words sparked something within him. Images flooded back of the strange creature who could disguise himself as a man who appeared to him that night. It was Vlad! He had attacked him so he could get to Danny!

His eyes widened as another thought came to him. If he had been asleep for as long as they said, then the boy's birthday had already passed. Did that mean the little boy he had raised had turned into the foreseen monster? If it was true, than he had failed in his duty both to the boy and to his missing parents. How could he have allowed this to happen?

The medical staff realized he had finally calmed down, but there was talk of them retrieving a sedative. After warning the doctors to leave him alone until he finished talking to the officer, he looked the uniformed man directly in the eyes and told him what he remembered about when he was attacked. He left out the paranormal parts, as what rational man would ever believe such words unless he had seen it for himself.

The officer sat in a stunned silence after Winston finished his story. "That's quite an accusation," he eventually stated after he jotted something down in the notebook he was using. "Are you positive it was Masters who attacked you?"

Winston nodded vehemently. "He's a difficult man to mistake. About a month before all this occurred, his company started contacting me about Danny's situation. Some of his adoption papers had gone missing… and Vlad had tried to gain custody of the boy when his parents first disappeared, so it seemed like he was trying again. Danny had even mentioned he had found the man standing in our kitchen when he returned home with his friends the one day."

A frown crossed the other man's face as he made another note. "Daniel's friends had also mentioned something about that, but we had just set it aside. But, I don't think we can ignore that anymore." The officer asked a few more routine questions before he excused himself after promising he would return at a later time.

…..

A day or so later, he wasn't exactly sure due to the disorienting nature of hospitals, he received some unexpected visitors. When the nurse told him about them, he immediately assumed they were just more police officers and quickly agreed to have them come into the room. He was immensely surprised to see two teenagers, one boy and one girl, approach his bed. He recognized them at once; they were Danny's friends.

"How are you doing?" Sam asked gently as a form of a greeting as they approached the bed.

"It looks like I'll live," he replied in a semi-cheerful tone. "So, what have the two of you been up to?"

The two teens gave each other a look. It was almost as if they were having a silent discussion on how much they should say. "Well, we're doing our best to try and figure out what happened to Danny," Tucker told him as a serious look crossed his face. "We think Vlad Masters had something to do with it."

"I'd say so." Winston's dark tone received two startled looks. "I guess you weren't expecting me to agree with you. Vlad… or should I say Plasmius… has been trying to get his hands on Danny for years. After attacking me, it must have been smooth sailing for him to grab Danny."

A surprised silence filled the air before Tucker spoke again. "Wait… Vlad was the one who attacked you? But how…?"

Winston smiled despite of himself. Though Danny's friends were still children, they did appear to have a genuine concern for him. After debating how much he would say to them for a moment, he decided to tell them the whole story of attack, including Vlad's duel nature. It was possible they would think he was insane, but something told him they had already gotten a taste of the supernatural. How couldn't they? They were friends with Danny.

….

"Wait, so Vlad's this super powerful, crazy, half-ghost villain? How did I miss this? He has all the signs seen in the comics too," Tucker muttered to himself as he accepted the information. "Wait a minute! Sam, doesn't his description sound kind of familiar?"

"Now that you mention it… Vlad's 'ghost form' does seem similar to what Danny and I saw in the cemetery that one day." The goth girl's expression had gone rather contemplative. "But if that was really him, why didn't he just take Danny? I mean, he… it… whatever it was could easily have just taken him."

"Your guess is as good as mine. I won't even pretend I understand how that man's mind works," Winston admitted. "He's been planning this for years, so I assume he wanted to take Danny when the situation was perfect. He really doesn't seem to like witnesses. But, that's just an assumption on my part."

"Um… Mr. Wolfe, sir... this has been bothering me for a while, but why does he want Danny anyways?" Tucker hesitantly asked.

It took a moment for him to answer. "You've probably noticed that there was something different about Danny. Now, I'm not exactly sure how much you know or saw, but Danny's situation isn't much different than Vlad's… well, at least that's what I was told."

"I'm not exactly sure what you mean… but if it helps, we did read the creepy old book a ghost gave me the other night," Sam supplied.

Winston gave her a searching look. Did she mean what he thought she meant? "What book?"

"The ghost said it would help us figure out what Vlad was planning."

The man ran his fingers through his hair as he gave a wary glace towards the teens. "Then you read the story of the monster." Without even waiting for an affirmative, he continued to speak. "Everything points to Danny becoming the thing depicted there. His parents… they somehow knew he would be cursed and did their best to research a way to prevent it… which clearly failed."

"Whoa! Back up! You're telling us that Danny's parents knew what he was… or is…?" The boy's concern was understandable. Winston felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. It must be hard to accept such a story, especially when it involves a friend.

Winston nodded. "Something tells me you had your own share of odd experiences around Danny." He released as sigh as he leaned back against his pillow. "We need to exchange information, but that's going to have to wait. Knowing the doctor's here, they're not going to allow much more time for us to talk."

"But…!"

He held up his hand as a way to silence the two teens. "Trust me, I'm just as worried about Danny, but there isn't much I can do about my current situation right now."

There was a little more argument between the three before a handful of doctors and a rather angry nurse burst into the room. As the nurse scolded him for getting so riled, the teens excused themselves and promised they'd be back at a later date. They needed to exchange information, but there was no way anything would be able to get anything done until the doctors were convinced he wasn't going to fall over dead at any moment.

A sigh escaped him as he started to tune out the doctors' murmuring. He needed to help rescue Danny from Vlad, but how was he going to do that? He was rather incapacitated at the moment. On top of that, Danny was probably already going through changes. Who was to say he would still be the same person when they finally got to him? It was a terrifying thought. If the boy did become that monster, than it would probably become his responsibility to stop him.

If that possibility became fact, would he really be able to handle it? At that point in time, he didn't have an answer, and there was the distinct possibility he probably never would.

This took forever to write! I'm sorry for the delay, but my mind decided to cut off any inspiration it might have. I know it probably feels like a filler, but certain things do have be set up before progress can be made. But, in terms of other news, I am about to take my last finals, ever! (no, I'm not graduating yet, I still have one more year. It's all field work though) And, take a trip overseas. Maybe the gorgeous Irish countryside will inspire me. And castles. I love castles! :D

Oh, and I'd figure I'd mention what a grimoire is. Traditionally, it is just a book of spells or immense knowledge which can either be directed towards good or evil. There are many legends about them, but my mind has decided to turn towards the darker side. Some were said to contain so much evil they had a life of their own and could devour the memories or lives of their owners. Scary stuff!

And, the reference of the damage of the breathing tube is a real thing. When a person is having severe trouble breathing or during certain intense surgeries, a breathing tube will be surgically placed in the throat by making an opening in the neck. Since that's the area of the vocal cords, it has a bad habit of causing damage to them. A person's voice can be altered by such surgery. I'm actually pretty lucky… I came pretty damn close to having to go through that in November of 2011. Allergic reactions suck!

Well, that's it for now. I don't quite know when my next update will be, but I will be unavailable from May 4th through the 13th.

Goshi signing off.