Wow, it's been 5 years since I've updated this. It wasn't forgotten… my job at the time took a lot out of me, including my creativity. It actually got so bad that I ended up developing a chronic case of appendicitis which is not a pleasant thing. I now have a new job with better hours, a place to call my own, two cats, and a lot less stress. Life is a lot better now than its been in years. I do want to finish this story, but my muse is still currently focusing on Verboten. So please, be patient with me. I am trying.
Also, please point out any inconsistencies. It has been a while, and I am human. At least, I think I'm human.
Eidolon
25. Portals
It took weeks for Danny to get a decent control of his newfound icy powers. The activation of them signaled a type of growth spurt within what his mother referred to as his core, the source of his supernatural powers. He needed a combination of extra meals, mediation, and, unsurprisingly, more training to keep it in check.
It did get easier, and while he still had the occasional minor accident (thankfully just some frost crystals forming on his clothes), it was mostly under control. Since the ability involved taking heat from his surroundings, there was some concern he'd have more trouble as the temperatures continued to drop. So, a few new sweatshirts and a new winter jacket were bought. Danny adamantly refused all attempts to get him thermal underwear. He was not crossing that line, at least not yet.
Thankfully, Dash laid off him during that time period. While no one directly confirmed anything, there were rumors he and the rest of the football team had been reported for bullying. Most of them were on their best behavior while the teachers were investigating the reports. A few students mentioned the superintendent might be involved.
Danny suspected Winston had something to do with it. However, since no one could find out the source of the report, he decided to let it slide. Although he initially feared it would make everything worse, things, at least for now, had gotten better.
However, tension with his mother did get worse. After a nasty argument he had with her during training, Winston pulled him aside to ask him what he wanted to do about her. Danny understood his mother was afraid of him and his abilities, but he didn't understand why she thought he'd become this evil monster. His appearance didn't seem to be physically changing, and he certainly didn't have any urges to terrorize people. In all honesty, with the exception of flight, he'd rather forget about his abilities.
After some debate, he decided to go against Winston's suggestion of removing his mother from the house. She was the only one they trusted with the knowhow regarding his anatomy, so he'd still have to visit her. However, he did suggest to Winston that they might want to reinforce his bedroom door.
….
As winter passed, Danny felt himself become uneasy as the weather warmed. The local shades were restless, and he couldn't shake off the feeling something was coming. He once told Sam and Tucker it felt like was perpetually hearing the Jaws theme without the shark ever appearing.
It came to a head on the equinox. A little after 6pm, something pulled at his core, forcing him into his ghostly form. He could hear whispers and screams that were not of any earthly origin. According to Jazz, his writhing in agony only lasted for a few minutes, but it felt like hours to him.
Around the same time, his mother reported severe fluctuations in the ambient ectoplasm in the air. Although she would need more time to review the data, she stated what she did have suggested a portal to the Ghost Zone, what she referred to the land of the dead as, opened. According to her research, small ones opened regularly for small amounts of time, but with readings suggested one much larger than any of the ones previously on record.
She stated that also explained why he responded so badly to it. Although she constantly worked with ectoplasm for her research, she tried to keep it shielded preventing contamination. So, with the exception of being forced to drink ectoplasm, he hadn't been exposed to such a large amount of it.
He didn't like it. Whatever it was, beckoned to him. Some of the local ghosts had warned him about the pull of the veil, but he hadn't believed them until that moment. Winston and his mother got into a fight later that night regarding whether he should be exposed to more ectoplasm. On the one hand, it might help prevent such a reaction from happening again. On the other, there was no telling what would happen to him.
To make matters worse, there were reports in parts of town that a green tinge took over part of the sky around the same time Danny felt whatever it was, which his mother took as further proof of a portal. Afterwards, reports of people dressed in impeccably white suits as well as foreigners in dark clothes appearing in the area.
Winton received some information from an old buddy of his still involved in the CIA a few days later. Apparently, the two had some sort of agreement regarding weird events. The report mentioned the white suits, affectionately coined 'the guys in white', were simply investigating the odd energy fluctuation and were mostly harmless.
The intel provided on the foreigners suggested they were simple occultists also doing research, but some of the ones identified had ties to Vlad Masters. For both Danny and Winston, that was the bigger concern.
While it was believed Vlad went into hiding after Danny's rescue, no one could be sure. His companies were still operating under his name, and his estate seemed to be function like normal. However, the police watching his residences found no evidence of him, and there hadn't been any sightings for months. Winston theorized he might have another hidden residence, or possibly he decided to travel to the Ghost Zone and lay low. Maddie did mention she believed he had some sort of working portal to it.
In the weeks that followed, there were multiple reports of green gateways randomly opening and closing in the area around Amity. Maddie's instruments verified they were portals to the Ghost Zone. On top of these reports, locals were reporting an increase of ghost sightings, ranging from ghostly rats to medieval knights. As a result, his mother's services had been called more frequently than before, and thankfully, the other portals didn't have the same pull on him as the original one.
However, Frank and the more sentient local ghosts seemed to be purposely hiding. Danny managed to corner one after school just to check what was happening, but the only information he could get was that something old and powerful had been disturbed.
….
About three weeks after the odd events started, Tucker spoke up during their lunch break, "So, this is going to seem weird…"
"Tuck, you're friends with someone who seems to be part ghost, what's weirder than that?" Danny asked, making Sam choke on her drink. He just grinned at her as she scowled.
"I mean, you're not wrong," Tucker acknowledged, "but I can't seem to wrap my head around the idea that your mother is trying to build a portal to the Ghost Zone, or whatever she calls it, when we have all those natural ones popping up all over the place."
He took a bite of his sandwich before replying. "I'm not going to pretend I completely understand her reasoning. I do know that she's under the impression that a permanent portal will cause some sort of stabilization and hopefully stop the natural ones. She also wants to have better access to some of her research materials, and this is something she and my dad wanted to build."
"Or it might make everything worse." Sam huffed as she pulled out a notebook and began jotting a few things down. "Isn't she also afraid of you becoming evil or something equally stupid?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I still don't exactly know what's up with that. She seems to think the more ghostly I get, the more that indicates I'll somehow doom the world. Vlad seemed to think something similar. I'm pretty sure he wanted to use me to help with his schemes. You know, I'm still not entirely sure what he was planning."
"Do you want me to try to find out for you?" When both Danny and Sam gave him a blank look, Tucker continued, "Don't tell me you forgot about my mad hacking skills."
"I appreciate it, but I don't think you should." Even though Danny thought the idea was terrible, the thought his friend would do something like that gave him a warm fuzzy feeling he'd never admit to having. "It's not that I doubt your abilities, but I don't want to put a target on your back. We don't know where Vlad is, and he did try killing you two."
"Hmm… you do make a good point, and I certainly don't want these good looks to be prematurely taken from the world." He tapped his chin a few times. "How about this? What if I do some research on the weird guys who we keep seeing all over the place?"
Sam raised her eyebrow. "Gotta say, Tucker, I'm kinda impressed. I'm not used to you taking initiative for stuff like this."
He shrugged. "I mean, I'd like to know if we have a bigger problem on our hands than just Vlad. Have you seen those weird guys around town? There are rumors they're involved in some cult."
"I'd like to know that too," Danny admitted as he debated on whether to finish his water. "Winston's friend did say some of them had ties to Vlad. Maybe we can finally figure out what's up with that book. Just promise me you'll play it safe, Tuck. I don't want someone trying to attack you again."
Tucker just waved it off. "You forget who you're talking to. I know how to cover my tracks, but I would like a name for a starting point." He glanced at Danny.
"Don't look at me! Maddie will probably find a way to kill me if I played spy."
"You won't have to use your powers at all," Sam explained as she rolled her eyes. "Some of them keep going to the Skulk and Lurk. We can see if we can get a name, or, worst comes to worst, we can let Tucker know if/when the make a purchase."
The techno geek's eyes lit up. "Ooooh, tracing credit card information, just the type of challenge I like."
"Seriously, how are you not in jail or on the FBI's most wanted or something?"
Tucker just grinned. "It's just a game, a game I'm particularly good at."
….
After getting some information from some of her 'darker' acquaintances, Sam found out the best time to possible encounter one of the mysterious out of towners. However, she wouldn't let Danny and Tucker go without some 'upgrades' to their wardrobes. Tucker bowed out at that point, which left Danny the only one to be gothified.
Since it wasn't his normal style, Sam decided to go with a band logo tee-shirt and black cargo pants that had straps hanging across the back. He suspected they were some form of stylized suspenders, but he figured it was better not to ask. His look was finished with a studded wristband and mussed hair. Sam did try to coax him into adding a touch of makeup to the look, but that's where he drew the line.
Before they left to go to the store, Sam briefed him on their story. They would act as if he recently decided to broaden his horizons and wanted some more information about ghosts and the paranormal. She emphasized how important it was for them to have their stories straight.
Sam's knowledge of how to spy surprised Danny. When he questioned her about it, she explained she picked it up from years of being forced to go to the high-end parties her mother threw over the years. Since she hated them, it became a game for her to learn how to blend in and find something interesting about them. Once she realized her mother ended up using some of that information to humiliate some of the others in high society, she mostly stopped.
When they entered, Sam introduced Danny to shopkeeper as a friend of hers and explained he wanted to find a book about ghosts. The man nodded and directed them to the shelves along the back wall. Sam whispered for him to browse the books and occasionally glance through some of them. They'd be there for at most an hour. Any longer would make them look suspicious.
As he pretended to be interested in the books in front of him, Danny thought he felt a presence. Checking over his shoulder, he caught sight of the palest man he ever saw. If it wasn't for his eyes, Danny would have assumed the guy was a walking corpse.
"Wow! How do you keep your skin that white?" Sam exclaimed, obviously impressed. When he glanced at her, she blushed and backtracked. "Sorry! I'm just really impressed."
The man flashed her a haughty grin. "Normally, I'd gladly share, but this look is sadly a trade secret. I'm sure you understand."
"It's totally cool. We all have our secrets about our looks."
"What about you, young man? You look like you might be touch out of your element."
Danny jumped at the stranger's words. Did he really look that confused at the exchange? A glance at Sam told him that was the case. So, he decided to wing it. "Yeah, I decided I needed a change recently, and I'm still getting used to… well, everything."
"Yeah! I've been helping him look for alternative shops and hangouts." Although she recovered well, Danny thought he could still detect some unease in her voice.
The stranger nodded. "I understand all to well. Though, I must say you're surprised you checking the section about ghosts. They've become so mainstream."
"I'd normally agree," Sam nodded as she returned her attention to another book, "but it's a good place to start. And, if you want me to be honest, a lot of weird things have been happening in town."
"I was curious, so she suggested we try to see if we can find some sort of explanation. The parents and teachers keep giving up BS answers. Sometimes logic just doesn't make sense."
The man gave an odd chuckle. "It's so wonderful to see the younger generation reject tradition and logic. You mentioned weird happens. Mind sharing with another paranormal enthusiast?"
Sam gestured to him which he took as meaning let her do the talking. "People are talking about seeing strange ghosts and these weird green doorways. Amity has always had at least a few ghost stories, but these ones are all new."
"Oh, have you seen anything yourselves?"
"Not yet. I've been hoping for a look at these things."
"That's not true," Danny interrupted. "That glowing cobra thing attacked the class."
"Oh, yeah! Almost forgot about that, but that happened before we started getting these reports."
"If you're telling me you forgot about a ghost attacking your class, the recent activity must be something else." The man's eyes seemed to burn with an odd hunger. "You said you were looking for some information about what's going on, right? Well, let's make a deal."
Danny narrowed his eyes. This man gave him similar vibes to Vlad. "What kind of deal?"
"Wary! Good, I like that in my associates." The man rummaged through one of his pockets before producing a business card. "Frederich Showenhower at your service – purveyor of mystical and paranormal lore. I'll gladly point you in the right direction for at least some of your answers if you'd share some of the rumors about your town's recent events with me.
I remember why I was having so many issues when I went into hiatus – trying to figure out how to bring in the plot for part 2 is much harder than it should be. Stupid writer's block. I'm also going to start cross-posting this to AO3 in hopes it'll give me more motivation to finish it.
Note: I believe I talk about this a little more in my other story, Verboten. Equinoxes are weird times for the paranormal. While you can have experiences any time of year, there seems to be a distinctive decrease starting around the fall equinox, and then it picks back up around the spring equinox. Interestingly, the exact time of the equinox varies from year to year. I'm going with an evening one for this story.