Chapter 3- Taking Steps
"'Every journey begins with a step'. The truest of all sayings. For no journey can begin without it. Some journeys begin by carrying you along, and the first step, is whether to go on, or go back."- Matt Wilson
Sunlight flitted in through the window hitting the sleeping teenager's face. The pale light of the sun intensified as the fiery orb steadily rose higher into the sky, leaving the clingy grasp of the horizon behind. With the darkness of night fading so to was the raven haired teen's unconsciousness. Awareness slowly caught up with him and Danny groaned as he opened his eyes then closed them blinded by the light. 'Note to self... close blinds before bed'. With that thought in mind Danny rolled over and shifted further into his pillow and blanket, blissful sleep gently starting to consume him.
Until a knock on his door brought him out of it once again.
"Danny dear, you need to get up for school." His mother's voice called to him from behind the light gray door. She waited a minute for any signs of life and upon hearing none entered his room. "Come on Sweetie, rise and shine. It's time to get up."
"What time is it?"
"6:45."
"Ugh, twenty more minutes Mom." He groaned.
The young scientist shook her head and walked over to the bed. "Danny, you don't want to be running around at the last minute trying to get ready. It's easier if you get up now and can take your time waking up and going through your morning routines." She reasoned.
Danny rubbed the crust out of his eyes and looked at his mother blearily. "Running around last minute is part of the routine." He pointed out.
Maddie smiled at her son's logic. "It shouldn't be and it's high time I break you out of that habit. We don't want that tardiness following you around for life now do we?"
"Honestly Mom I'm not worried about being late. I can get to school so fast I'm practically flying."
"Is that a fact? Still, wouldn't you rather enjoy your morning 'flight' as opposed to rushing there as fast as you can? Besides no amount of speed will save you if you run out of the house already late. Now out of bed mister, or do I have to go get the Fenton family alarm clock?"
Danny's eyes widen and he jumped out of the bed so fast Maddie was genuinely surprised he didn't trip and fall. 'Maybe he phased his feet last minute?' She wondered going down to the kitchen to fix breakfast. 'Eggs and coffee sound good. I can cut up some fruit to.'
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Entering the kitchen Maddie saw Jazz at the table with a text book open and scribbling down notes. "Good morning Jazz. Getting some last minute work in?"
Her daughter looked up. "Oh, hi Mom. No this is... actually this is just some personal learning. Nothing school related for once." Jazz said turning to a clean page in her notebook. Maddie walked to the table and grabbed the left half of the open book, closing it part way so that she could read the cover. "Parabiology 101?"
Jazz flushed and looked like she wanted to lower her head but instead met her mother's gaze. "Yeah, I wanted to learn more about ghosts and how they function." 'Or supposedly function since Danny always manages to defy some rule.' "I figured it might come in handy one day."
"That's wonderful honey. I'm so glad you're taking an active interest in your father and I's field of expertise." She let go of the book and went over to the fridge. "If you have any questions or want something clarified you can always ask one of us." She said taking the carton of eggs out and setting it on the stove. Maddie lit a burner and place an iron pan on top of it. "We'd be more than happy to help and there's nothing wrong with asking a few questions here and there so don't be shy, ok?"
Jazz nodded her head. "Alright Mom, I'll go straight to you if I'm confused about something."
"Good. Now how many eggs? One or two?"
xXxXxXxXxXx
When Danny waltzed into the kitchen at seven fully dressed and ready for school, the first thing to hit him as he entered was the strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee. "Smells good Mom, no ecto-cooker this morning?" He grinned.
Maddie gave Danny a reproachful look. "One of these days we'll have a break through with ecto-cooking, then you won't be so quick to pass judgment on it young man."
"I look forward to it."
He sat down at the table and eyed Jazz's book. "Do you ever sleep or have fun? Seriously all I ever see you do is study and I know that isn't good for you, you'll burn yourself out."
Jazz scoffed. "I get plenty of sleep and this is my fun. Don't worry little bro, I'll be just fine."
"If you say so." Danny said frowning.
Maddie came over with two plates balanced on her left arm and a ceramic periwinkle mug in each hand. She set a mug of orange juice in front of both children and carefully put Jazz's plate down before removing Danny's from her arm and placing it in front of him. A small cheesy ham and tomato omlette and two maple sausage links sat steaming on the plates with a juicy slice of cantaloupe on the side. "Dig in." She announced cheerfully moving back to the stove to check on the roasting hazelnut coffee.
Danny and Jazz sat in a pleasant silence eating their homemade breakfast. The homey atmosphere of the kitchen coupled with the sounds of a lively May morning filled the air creating a relaxing feel. Halfway through their meal Maddie pulled up a chair and joined them. She quietly sipped her java while Danny finished his fruit and Jazz worked on her sausage. "So... anybody have anything happening today?" Maddie asked breaking the comfortable silence.
Danny, now completely done with his meal, got up and set his dishes in the sink. He filled the mug with warm water then sat back down and folded his hands in front of him. "Not that I can think of." He said. "I mean it's Wednesday not much happens on Wednesdays; Friday is when all the teachers give tests and Thursday is when students scramble to get in last minute cramming or work done for major assignments. Not much happens on days like today."
Maddie looked to Jazz who had finished her links and omlette and was now just biting the last bits of flesh off the greenish-tan rind in her hands. "I have a presentation in psychology today but it's no big deal. I know I'm going to ace it already. I've been rehearsing for two days and going over the information for five. I know my topic like the back of my hand."
"That's good."
"What about you Mom? What are you doing today?"
Maddie looked out the window and sighed. Her gaze settled on a chirping brown sparrow singing to its mate on a low branch of the tree in front of the kitchen window. "I don't know Jazz. I'm planning to work on my inventions, it's just that... The project I'm working on right now requires a ghost component. I'm a little stuck without it."
"Like what?" Danny asked truly curious. "And what does it do?"
"I don't want to tell you guys until it's done or at least about to be done because it's my pride and joy, but as to what I need well that's simple; I need core ectoplasm which is practically impossible to get my hands on."
Now it was Jazz's turn to ask. "Why's that?"
"Well you see ghosts have two types of ectoplasm. The first is the regular, standard kind that flows through them. That's what they bleed if you injure them, it's their blood equivalent. The second type is core ectoplasm which is found only in a ghost's core. For ghosts, their core is their life. If it gets destabilized, destroyed, critically injured or drained too much they die." Danny seemed to pale at the news flash. "Core plasm is like bone marrow in the sense that it replenishes the regular ectoplasm that courses through them, that's one of the reasons it's so vital. For ghosts that don't invade Amity though and aren't in any danger of getting shot at, core plasm has another more crucial everyday role. Its denser nature produces a more... potent electromagnetic field which keeps the ghost stable, otherwise they'd dissipate or melt depending on their level of density."
Maddie paused and took several chugs of her still warm hazelnut coffee. "Neither of these qualities is why I need it though. That's just why it'll be so difficult to get. No ghost in their right mind would let anyone get deliberately near their core, let alone a ghost hunter and scientist trying to take a sample."
"So why do you need it Mom?" Danny insisted.
Maddie got a calculating look in her. "That's a very good question Danny. If I were to ask you two what made a single ghost different from all the others around it would you be able to give me an answer?"
Danny and Jazz looked at each other. "Uh..."
"That's what I thought. The correct answer is their core. Just as human blood has certain protein markers that make it a specific type or charge, ectoplasm also has markers produced by the core that make it unique to a certain degree. Their electromagnetic field, which is the ghost equivalent of a finger print, is also give it's individualisticness by the core. You see a ghost's core is what gives that particular ghost its identity, that extends all the way to their abilities. That is why I need it."
"Um I see why a ghost's core is so important now, but I still don't see why you need one for your project." Danny stated.
"I need one because that's where a ghost gets it's abilities from. The Box Ghost's core gives him control over boxes, Ember's core allows her to manipulate the thoughts and emotions of people through auditory sense, Undergrowth's core lets him integrate with plants and will them to do whatever. If you could harness a ghost's core, essentially you could gain their powers."
The two high schoolers eyes widened. The idea was certainly groundbreaking and if it could actually be made possible then the results would be incredible. Danny's only problem was that he didn't want the technology made feasible if it meant destroying someone, even if they were technically an enemy.
"Alright enough about my day and my work, you kids need to get going so you're not late for school. Off you go." Jazz got up and went to the living room to get her bag and books while Danny stood by his chair looking down at his mother's coffee refusing to make eye contact. "I'll be out in the car Danny, if you're not out in three minutes I'm leaving without you." Jazz called out as she left the house.
"Mom?"
"Yes Danny?"
"You said if a ghost's core was drained too much they'd die."
"Well, maybe not die but cease to exist certainly."
"Would the amount of core plasm you need," he looked up at her and the blueness of his eyes seemed accented to Maddie by the deep sadness in them, "destroy the ghost you get it from?"
At this she frowned. "Honey, you remember how I said that core plasm regenerates standard ectoplasm?" She didn't wait for Danny to respond before continuing. "Well it also replenishes itself. If I wanted to kill the ghost then I could take a critical amount and let it destabilize, but I'm not vindictive enough to do that." 'At least not anymore' she thought. "I'd take a small amount and let the ghost recover before taking anymore, like how doctors siphon only a limited amount of blood from any given person during a blood donation. If a patient wants to donate again they can after a set amount of days. Thankfully core ectoplasm is stable and very preservable under the right conditions and I'd be able to store it more than long enough to pile up a usable amount if I had a willing donor."
Maddie gave her half-ghost son a sad smile. "I know your father and I use to go on and on about destroying ghosts and vaporizing them and tearing them apart molecule by molecule and-" she stopped at Danny's wince. "The point is that we're changing Danny, our perception and ways, they're evolving as we learn more. I understand they're sentient now and I wouldn't destroy one if I could help it. I'll still chase them around and throw them back into the ghost zone where they belong, especially if they're causing trouble, but I'm not out to kill them."
The young scientist put a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder. "I know you and Jazz support Phantom avidly. I won't say anything against it because honestly, he's proving himself. But I wouldn't worry about him Danny because he's tough, I've seen him in action. The only way I'd get a needle in him for that sample was if it was with consent, and even then I wouldn't dream of hurting much less killing him."
"How come?" He asked shocked at his mother's words.
"Because he's the one ghost who's trying to make a difference," at this Maddie couldn't help but make a little jab, "even if he screws up and sometimes does more harm than good." Danny glared. "But he's improving. We can learn a lot from him and Phantom might prove to be an invaluable ally in the future. Besides," she ruffled Danny's hair, "he's just a kid and what kind of mother would I be if I went around destroying children deadness aside."
Danny straightened his hair out and gave his mom a doubtful grin. "That's your excuse?"
Maddie match his expression. "Get going before Jazz leaves without you... Again."
"Yeah that might be a good idea." Danny agreed running to the living room and grabbing his book bag before sprinting out the door.
Maddie shook her head at her son's antics and sat back stirring the metal spoon in her coffee around before taking another sip. The solid thumping of feet on steps made her look through the door way to the living room.
"Morning Mads, what's for breakfast?" Jack asked as he spotted her and made his way down the stairs.
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True to her word, Jazz started pulling out of the driveway exactly three minutes after she got in the car and buckled up. She saw Danny running out of the house but didn't stop, knowing he didn't need her to. Instead the red head's little brother ran up beside the car and jumped in as he turned himself intangible. Once they were on their way Jazz asked what happened.
"What did you say to Mom?"
"...I wanted to know if the amount of core plasm she needed would kill the ghost she got it from."
"You mean you wanted to know if giving her what she needed would kill you." Jazz clarified.
"I wanted to know if any victims she actively went hunting for would die!" He snapped.
Jazz paused and focused on the road as her brothers response sank in.
"What did she say?" Jazz asked quietly.
"That she wouldn't kill the ghost she took the sample from."
xXxXxXxXxXx
The rest of the car ride passed in silence and within minutes the two siblings where pulling into a parking spot a block from the school. Getting out of the car, the Fentons walked the last bit to Caspar High and parted as Danny went to his first floor homeroom and Jazz went up the stair to her's.
Danny walked into 136 and to his seat in the back with nearly five minutes to spare before the bell rang. When he looked to the two seats to his right he saw them empty, of people at least as Sam's book bag sat on the ground leaning against the chair nearest Danny and a small pile of books and papers sat on the desk.
Shrugging the raven haired teen got out his English note book on flipped to the page he had taken notes on the day before. Define vocab words was written slanted in the Margin next to ten words.
Danny grabbed a pencil out of his back pack before reaching over to Sam's purple spider bag and opening it up to pull out a small pocket sized dictionary. 'How does Sam always seem to have just what everybody needs?' He opened the book to the A's scanning the page for the word he needed. Acquiesce, Acquire... Ah! Acquisition. Next to the word Danny scribbled down the definition.
Acquisition- noun: A thing that has been gained, like a prize or a purchase.
He continued copying the definitions until he had defined all ten words. Flipping his notebook shut Danny smiled. For once he had his English done, maybe getting to school a little earlier had been worth it. Every five minutes counted in his fight for fitting homework time in and now he could work on his creative writing assignment. The poem wasn't due until the end of the week, but hey, it was better to get it out of the way now when he had the chance then to put it off last minute. Besides, he didn't mind Mr. Risoli's class and this wasn't the kind of homework he felt the need to procrastinate on- that was reserved for essays, projects, and major assignments.
Danny reopened his notebook and turned to the back. As soon as he wrote 'Meaning of the World' at the top Sam walked in. He looked up and flashed her a warm smile as she sat down.
"I was with Mr. Freeman." The goth explained before Danny could even ask.
"Ah." The music teacher, Sam was likely getting some last minute practice in before the Thursday concert. "You'll do just fine Sam, I've seen you play, you're amazing."
"I know. My parents beat those lessons into me when I was little, or Ms. Joyce did, but the point is I know I'm good. I'm not nervous about the concert at all, he wanted to make sure I was good, not the other way around."
"Well he has a right to be nervous; this is his first time having a student play the accompaniment... By the way do you know where Tucker is? Homeroom's almost over and he's not usually late." Danny asked.
"I think he said something about a doctor's appointment today."
"Oh that's right. He mentioned it getting his eyes checked for new glasses. I guess he'll come in later then."
"Probably." Sam agreed.
The bell rung and Danny and Sam moved to their assigned seat for English, for Danny that was the front row, forth seat from the right, for Sam that meant the desk diagonally adjacent to Danny's left, the desk right in front of the window.
Students came filing in, along with Mr. Lancer, and took their seats. Once the bell had rung the balding teacher took attendance. "Only Mr. Foley appears to be absent." He noted on his attendance roster. "Now then class, take out your homework. You had to define the ten words from yesterday."
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"I can't believe I got detention! I didn't even start that fight that was all Dash!" Danny exclaimed to his two friends on their way to his locker.
"Forget starting the fight dude, you didn't even get in it. You never throw a punch. I honestly don't know how Lancer can call you out for not doing anything."
They stopped in front of locker 427 and Danny dropped his book bag to the floor. "Exactly. Why do I have to stay 30 minutes after school?" He fished for his history book in his pack then swapped it with the math book inside the locker. Zipping his bag up he slung it over his shoulder and walked to 136.
"I take more issue with the fact that Dash got off scott free again." Sam said as they passed other students at their own lockers. "I mean if you get in trouble then so should he. It's not fair that just because he's the star quarter back he gets to live above school law. What kind of blatant favoritism is that?"
"The really annoying kind I wish I could suck into a Fenton thermos." Danny replied dryly.
"Don't we all."
"What I don't understand is how Lancer could give you detention for something so trivial after what you did for him. You think he'd be at least a little nicer to you after giving him a play signed by his idol." Tucker pointed out.
"I know and he has, Lancer hasn't been grilling me if I 'forget' to do the homework." They stopped in front of the English room. "Not that I forget much anymore. I've been getting better."
"Miracles do happen after all." Sam joked. "Anyway don't forget to come to my house when you get out, today's hangout Wednesday. We won't start the movie without you so don't worry." Sam reminded him before leaving with Tucker.
Danny trudged into the room and took a seat in the front by the door.
"Ah, so good of you to come... and on time to. Twice in one day Mr. Fenton, what's the occasion?"
"I'm breaking my habitual tardiness so it doesn't follow me around for life." The halfa parroted using his mother's words from earlier.
Mr. Lancer nodded his head. "Very prudent decision."
"Gee thanks." Danny muttered taking his math book and notebook out. He turned to page 174 and ripped out a blank sheet of paper from his note book. At the top he wrote 'P. 174 1-15' and his name.
"Daniel, do you know why I gave you detention?"
"Yeah, I do. I think the better question is why you didn't give it to Dash as well." He challenged in annoyance.
Mr. Lancer sighed. "I didn't give you the detention as a punishment Danny." The middle aged man said getting out of his chair and walking over to his student. "I gave it to you because you seem to be in need of time for homework and I figure this is the perfect time. I can make sure you stay focused and if you have any trouble I can help. I think that sound like a pretty good idea, how about you?"
"I'd prefer you not call it 'detention' then and it not go on my file." It was long enough and he hadn't even gone through half of his high school career.
"You can think of it as a mandatory after school study session then and as for it being on file, I never reported the fight so it isn't going on your record. I know I'm not your favorite teacher Danny, but I don't need to be in order to help you."
"I still don't see how this is 'helping'."
"I'm giving you a chance to do your work. There are no distractions here so you should be able, if you actually try, to get a large chunk of your assignments done." Mr. Lancer got up, "Now I leave you to your math." and walked back to his chair to start grading some old tests he hadn't yet gotten to.
xXxXxXxXxXx
"So, anything interesting happen today?" Tucker asked as the two walked down River Road.
"Nothing besides 'what are the odds' getting out of control in chemistry."
"Ow." Tucker winced. "That could be dangerous."
"Oh it was. Dash asked Quan 'what are the odds you can make an explosion, mini one dude like in a beaker.'"
"What happened?"
"They both said four and next thing I know we're getting herded out of the building with the fire alarm screeching almost as loudly as Mr. Falluca." The goth replied.
"That was you?" Tucker asked incredulously.
Sam shrugged. "It wasn't technically me, but yeah it was my class."
"That got me out of my Computer Graphics presentation, thanks."
"You're welcome, but you should be thanking Dash or Quan if you wanted to thank someone and they really don't deserve it for almost blowing up the science lab."
"It's not like I was wishing for something like that to happen I was just hoping to go tomorrow. I stayed up all night to get my power point done, and wouldn't you know, I was too dead to the world this morning to remember to bring my flash drive with me to school today."
"Though break, I think I had something like that happen onc- Tucker duck!" Sam screamed as a missile came rocketing towards them. The two dived to ground as the explosive passed over their heads and into a speed limit sign creating the second explosion Sam witnessed that day.
"Well well well. I figured the whelp would be with you two since he's constantly sticking like glue but I guess that's not the case today." Skulker drawled appraising the prey in front of him. "I usually reserve my wall for exotic things and humans are exactly a rarity, but I'm willing to make an exception seeing as how I don't have the head or pelt of one and it might make the ghost child take me seriously."
The hunter raised his arm and several guns assembled from his suit. "For your sake I hope you've picked up some of the ghost boy's skill because I don't like boring hunts." And with that he fired.
xXxXxXxXxXx
"Mr. Lancer who invented villanelles?"
"I assume you mean the poetry form popular in England during Shakespeare's time?"
"Yeah, they suck."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because you keep repeating the first and last line of stanza one and I don't feel like you can say everything you want to because of that. With the other sections you only get two other lines and you have to base them around the original repeating lines. Not to mention that they need to rhyme and you have to use ten syllables per line, so if you have nine you gotta stretch it somehow and if you have eleven you gotta condense it while still keeping the meaning the same and making it sound nice."
"I didn't peg you for the poetry type Mr. Fenton but it certainly feels nice to know you are familiar with such a beautiful form. Tell me what brought this on?"
"Creative writing. I have to create a villanelle for this Friday and I hate how it's turning out."
"Why don't I take a look at what you have so far?" Mr. Lancer suggested getting up.
"No! You can't! I-I mean, it's not any good why waste your time?"
Mr. Lancer didn't look very convinced and snatched the paper out of his student's hands. "I may be blind but I want you to see/ That even in this dark world there is light/ That you, Sam Manson, mean the world to me." He read out loud. Danny turned beet red and looked like he wanted to turn invisible or intangible so he could sink through the floor. Or possibly both as Lancer switched his gaze from the paper to him.
"Why Mr. Fenton I don't know what you're talking about this is very good. Villanelles are commonly about love and your two rhyme schemes look like they'd work out. Besides you seem like you could put a lot of passion into this one, you just need to stop over thinking it."
"I have to think about it because I need to count syllables."
"Here's a tip; think about what you want to say, then write it before you count. If the line is too long use more monosyllabic words and if you can add contraction. If the line is too short use another word that has the same meaning but is longer. The key though is to have a base line that says what you want it to and then modify it. Everything needs a base before you can go making major changes."
"Thanks, I'll try that."
xXxXxXxXxXx
Tucker jumped behind a bench while Sam somersaulted out of the way and jumped to her feet wrist ray poised and fired a shot that Skulker easily dodged. She pulled a laser lipstick out of her pocket and hit the little side button twice as the ghost shot another ecto-blast this time from his hand. Two ecto-beams hit and canceled each other out clearing the way for Sam's second shot to hit the suited ghost. Skulker was knocked several feet back in the air and now sported a burn mark on his chest plate.
"So you can put up a little fight. That's good because it would shame me to hunt something that couldn't defend itself."
"Tucker, a little help here!" Sam hissed.
"With what! I don't have anything other than a thermos unless you have an extra lipstick blaster."
"No but I have a second wrist ray. Catch!" She threw him a small bracelet that he caught and put on.
"That's what I'm talking about. Eat this Skulker!" Tucker shouted firing several shots of his own. The ghost with a flaming mohawk turned intangible for a second to avoid being hit.
The tactic would have worked if Sam hadn't gotten behind him and taken a shot a few moments after Tucker. The first five ecto-blasts that Tucker fired passed harmlessly through while the sixth one Sam shot clipped Skulker's jet pack as he turned tangible. Skulker started falling and before he could correct his descent or fire another blast at the two humans, Tucker pressed the green button on the thermos and Skulker was sucked in.
"That clip shot was pure luck and we both know it. When Danny comes over we're discussing getting an upgrade." Sam announced as Tucker stuffed the thermos into his bag and the two continued on their way.
xXxXxXxXxXx
"Alright Mr. Fenton it's been forty-five minutes, you should probably get going before your friends think you ditched them."
"They'd never think that, but I probably should leave. I finished my math, creative writing and history. Now all I have left is English."
"I find it odd that you start my homework last considering I'm right here." Mr. Lancer stated.
"That's kinda why I didn't do it yet. I didn't want you watching me do it. That'd be awkward." Danny explained.
"As long as you do it Mr. Fenton I don't really care. The purpose of homework is to reinforce what you learned in class and expand upon it. If you feel you can better do that alone then that is your business, but now that I know that is the only homework you have as of right now, I do expect it done for tomorrow."
"Yes Mr. Lancer."
"Very well then, I will see to you in class tomorrow."
Danny stood up and started putting his books and papers away. When he was ready Danny walked out of the class shouting a 'bye' to his teacher as he did so.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Danny flew to Sam's and phased through her front door and first floor to get to the basement. "Hey guys." He announced transforming back to his human half.
"Someone's in an awfully good mood considering he just got out of a detention that ran late." Sam observed.
"Actually yeah. Turns out Lancer didn't write me up for that fight and he gave me 'detention' so that I could have some uninterrupted time to do my homework which really helped. I got my math, creative writing, and history done in those forty-five minutes."
"That's great dude. I'm glad Lancer doesn't have it in for you cause that would suck and you honestly don't deserve it."
"I'm glad to but listen Danny, while you were doing school work me and Tucker were fighting off Skulker."
"What?"
"Yeah, he was looking for you and figured that since we're always together we'd be his best bet." Tucker said.
"That's terrible. Are you guys alright?"
Tucker nodded. "We're fine. Sam clipped him and I managed to get him into the thermos, but we both know that that was more luck than anything else."
"We're better that your average run of the mill person, much better actually, but the point is we don't have ghost powers. We're kind of like Skulker in the sense that we rely on technology to augment our abilities and I'm feeling like we need an upgrade." She finished.
"So you want me to talk to me parents and see what's new?" Danny guessed.
"Yep." The two said together.
"I'll see what I can do when I get home. But in the mean time… you wouldn't happen to have Captain America 2 would you Sam?"
xXxXxXxXxXx
Danny walked up the driveway of FentonWorks enjoying the crisp night air. As much as he loved flying, sometimes he preferred to walk and enjoy the leisurely pace he went at that wasn't hundreds of miles per hour. Climbing the front steps the teen grabbed his house key from the front pocket of his pants and inserted the brass object into the lock. Turning it left produced a small familiar metal click and Danny pushed the now unlocked door open.
Not wanting to carry his back pack around, the halfa went upstairs to his room first and unloaded his stuff before coming back down. Going into the kitchen Danny saw his mom sitting at the table cooking dinner. "Chicken?" he asked taking in the roasting smell.
"Yep. With stuffed potatoes," she motioned at the spuds in front of her, "and zucchini bread on the side."
"Sounds delicious... So Mom, there was a ghost attack today and-"
"Did somebody say ghost?!" Jack shouted barging into the kitchen.
'How is it that I'm the one who's half ghost and he's the one that manages to materialize out of thin air?'
"Yeah Dad. Sam and Tucker were walking home and got attacked. They're fine! Completely and totally fine." He assured them when his mother gave him a worried look. "But they had some trouble defeating him and I was wondering if you had anything new that might help them next time."
"Sure but what about you Danno? Don't you need something to?"
"Um yeah, of course I do. Got something in mind?"
"You betcha! Come down to the lab and we'll show you what we've been working on!" Jack announced excitedly.
The three filed down the steps to the lab and Danny raised his eyes at the mess he saw all around him. 'Damn, it looks like a tornado passed through here.' He thought.
"Sorry about the mess Sweetie." Maddie said guessing her son's thoughts. "We were getting really into things and didn't get a chance to clean up."
"That's okay." He said. "So what were you gonna show me Dad?"
"This!" Jack announced beaming with pride. "I call it the Fenton Taser. One shot and they're out like a light. See it gives ghosts a disruptive electrical shock that temporarily renders them paralyzed and/or unconscious."
"Wow, that's handy." Danny said honestly impressed. "How long is temporarily?"
"I'm not exactly sure, but I'd say an hour or two." Jack guessed.
Danny grinned. 'This could come in handy and if that's all it actually does then I shouldn't have to worry about Jazz hitting me with it either.'
"But wait there's more! May I present the Vision Visor! It lets you see ghosts when they're invisible, that way they can't get away from or sneak up on you. It's not much of a weapon but then again you can hit what you can't see so I think it'll come in handy. And finally there's the intangibility spray."
"Intangibility spray? You can make something like that?"
"Yep and it's all thanks to your amazing mother. She figured out how to isolate that particular function of ectoplasm and created a synthetic protein so that we could replicate the effects."
"I can also make it from regular ectoplasm if I refine and filter it enough but I'd need a relatively large amount. It's a 1 to 10 ratio because for the spray to work the proteins need to be highly concentrated and I also have to remove a lot of other components from the ectoplasm that usually make it toxic to humans. Interestingly if exposed to small doses of the toxins, the body seems to develop a natural resistance, kind of like how you can take someone with a peanut allergy and introduce small quantities of peanut oil to them to make them less allergic." Maddie explained.
"Neat. Can I see?"
"Of course Danny. Just need to find it first."
Maddie chuckled as she watched her husband run around the lab trying to the bottle that she knew the location of. "I think it's still in the RV Jack. We used up the sample we had in here today, remember?"
"Oh that's right. Hold on a second Son I'll be right back." Jack announced bounding up the stair with impressive speed considering his bulky size.
"While your father is hunting for that why don't I show you some of my stuff?" Maddie suggested.
"Didn't Dad just do that?" Danny asked confused.
Maddie walked over to her cleaner, but still a bit messy part of the lab. "We work together on some projects but there are a lot that we work on separately. If we hit a road block then we ask the other for help, but we get more done this way since sometimes we but heads and each have our own area of expertise. This for example is one of mine."
The auburn haired scientist picked up a weird looking black matte glove and showed it to Danny. The center of the back had a small glass dome embedded into the material which looked like some flexible metal polymer. Looking inside the glass Danny could see multiple fine opening in the material below the bottom of the glass which extended into the glove. They reminded him of veins.
"What is it Mom?"
"What I was telling you about earlier today before school."
It took Danny but a moment to remember his mother's conversation from this morning. Her invention which could potentially replicate a ghosts abilities. The one that she had hit a bit of a barrier on, one that he could get her past. An idea that had transcended what he thought possible.
He gently took the glove from his mother and gave it a closer looking over now knowing what it was. 'Veins is right' the half ghost thought looking at the openings again. He had a pretty good idea of what they were for. The core plasm would go in the glass and the 'veins' would allow it to flow through the rest of the glove similar to human veins allowing blood to flow from the heart to other areas of the body.
The only part that stumped him was how they hell the thing worked. He understood his mother's reasoning of why it could grant the wearer a ghost's abilities. If she had been the one to refine the intangibility spray then it was very likely that she did have a theory on how to get the glove to work but Danny hadn't the slightest clue as to how she was planning on doing it. One ability, like say intangibility, was easier to reproduce then several and he had a feeling that the intangibility they had produced was not controllable like his was. It was forced from the high concentrations of whatever protein produced the effects, that's why his mother had been very clear about needing the serum potent.
"Mom how are you planning to control this? To switch between powers like invisibility, intangibility, cryokanisis, and ecto firing I mean?" The glove had no 'brain' to direct the users will of different skills. With Danny, his ghost form was like his human form, he thought about something and his brain or core gave an electrical impulse that willed his body to do it.
"An excellent question Honey. There's another part to this, though I haven't quite finished the neuro transmitter or the conversion chip. I'm planning on have a device worn on the head that picks up the users brain waves and transmits them to a chip in the glove which converts the 'thoughts' into an impulse signaling the core plasm to change function. But no more about my baby till she's done, alright?"
Danny nodded setting the glove down and the two started moving back towards the stair until Danny spotted a very small jar fill with a dozen inch long glowing green capsules. They looked like magic crystals with their twisted glass pattern and brilliant green glow. He stopped and tilted his head at the sight. 'They're beautiful but...' "What are they?"
"CACs." Maddie answered simply.
"Okay, what are they?" Danny tried again. "What do they do?"
"They're one of several new projects I started a few months ago, Core Amplification Capsules or CACs. They're filled with a highly concentrated, supercharged form of ectoplasm that gives ghosts a quick energy boost and temporarily amplifies their natural abilities, like an adrenaline shot for a ghost. It's meant for if one running on empty and likely injured."
Now that perked him up. A quick recharge was something he had desperately needed on more than one occasion, usually on busy days that required him patrolling for hours after a hectic day of school only to get home and stay up for another hour or two doing homework. Despite his improvement in staying awake at school, those occasions left him crashing the next day, usually during first period English when he had yet to fully awaken.
"That is so cool!" It was then that something else hit him. "By the way Mom, what are they for? I mean I get the energy drink thing, but how does this help you fight ghosts? Why did you make them?" His mother tolerating ghosts was already a big step for her in Danny's mind. This though... this was a bit out of the blue.
"Oh they're meant for..." 'when you're hurt and tired and refuse to take a break' "if I capture a ghost that I can take core plasm from. They amplify all abilities including healing and the production of ectoplasm." Maddie covered up reasonably.
"That's real nice of you. So um how long does it take to make one of those?" If they were kind of easy to produce then he could afford to sneak some on a semi regular basis.
"It depend on how much ectoplasm I have available. If we leave the portal door open the de-ectofier filters more ectoplasm out of the air for me to work with. Once I have enough for a batch it takes maybe four and a half to five weeks."
So I only take one when I really need one. Got it.
"These haven't been tested though so I don't know how effective they are." Maddie told her son as they reached the area just in front of the steps.
"I found it!" Jack exclaimed charging down to them. "Right in the RV like you said Mads." He turned to Danny. "Alright Danno hold out you hand." Danny did as instructed and looked at his dad patiently. "Now I'm going to warn you, it may feel odd and you might not be able to feel your hand while the spray is active, but I don't want you freaking out. Your mother and I have tested it out on several objects first and then ourselves, we know it's safe. Ready?" He asked.
Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes having gone intangible and on a full body scale more times than he could remember. "Ready."
Jack gave the bottle a quick vigorous shake before uncapping it and pushing down on the nozzle. A misty stream of almost but not quite clear liquid shot out, spraying the half ghost's hand. Within seconds Danny felt a familiar tingle on his hand as it lost all sensation of the outside world. Heat, light, air, and everything else in the physical realm passed through the nerves, never stimulating them.
'Amazing. I didn't think this would actually work. I mean creating synthetic intangibility sounds like science fiction but this is real and I bet mom's glove idea is just as real'. Danny stared at his hand in fascination, marveling at the feat his mother had just accomplished. 'This isn't controllable for a human, but I wonder...'
Danny reached out to grab the bottle from his watching parents and, like he had assumed, his hand went through it at first. Concentrating discretely Danny willed his hand to emit the energy required for self intangibility and once again grabbed for the glass. This time his hand made contacted as his energy enveloped the bottle waiting for him to signal for it to turn active and intangify the object. He lifted the bottle out of his father's hand and looked at it. It seemed so ordinary, nothing stood out in the clear glass or the translucent contents.
"How long does this stuff last?"
Jack stood there staring at his son. He had expected more of a reaction, whether of shock or disbelief or alarm or anything really. What he had got was one of almost amusement, like Danny though having his hand suddenly able to pass through objects was a novel experience. In addition to what Jack wasn't expecting was Danny being able to grab the bottle out of his hands. It hadn't been turned intangible, Jack had clearly felt the bottle being pulled and while he would be curious as to how his son was able to spread the intangibility to the bottle, the fact that he hadn't and had instead grabbed the thing while his hand was immaterial was even more dumbfounding.
"As long as you want. It needs to be neutralized for it to stop because we don't have direct control over it to tell the proteins to stop. The Fenton Faser is our primary grounder." Maddie answered for her stunned husband.
Danny set the container down on a nearby desk, letting the energy dissipate as it made contact. "Is there another way to neutralize this besides the Faser?" Danny asked not wanting to be accidentally knocked out.
"Not that we've tried kiddo, but don't worry the Fenton Faser doesn't hurt, you just feel a small shock. Nothing worse than static electricity." His father assured him fetching the device.
"Uh, you know maybe I'll try it later, I mean this is such a neat experience I wouldn't want to cut it short."
"Nonsense you can demonstrate it to your friends tomorrow. Just bring 'em over." Jack said aiming the playing card sized metal box at Danny's hand and pressing the button.
A small spark hit Danny and he squeezed his eyes waiting for unconsciousness to come or to fall down unable to move. When neither happened he opened eyes and stared at the device questioningly.
"See! This puppy's only wired to effect ghosts." Jack boomed.
Maddie smiled at her son and his confusion. She was the reason why he wasn't on the floor unmoving from either paralysis or black out.
After figuring out that the serum need a neutralizer the Fenton Faser was the first thing to pop into both party's heads. Maddie had been worried that the device would have an effect on humans as well ghosts and she had convinced Jack to put a power dial on it. The lowest setting was as Jack had said barely more than a bad static shock which could still cancel the intangibility. At that level, short term power disruption was about all it could do and she was certain that if Danny tried to make his hand intangible or invisible right then and there he would have found himself unable. The highest setting however had the potential to be lethal for both ghost and human and Maddie had installed a lock herself on level 10 so that it couldn't be used, unless she unlocked it.
"Alight Danny, here are three Vision Visors, two Fenton Faser, and you can have the rest of the intangibility mix tomorrow after you give your friends a demo." Jack announced handing Danny the five items. "I hope that helps you take down any ghost scum that comes your way."
"Thanks Dad. You guys are awesome." Danny gave his parents a hug and went over to the stairs. "It's been a long day and I have school tomorrow so I'm going to bed. I had dinner at Sam's and I finished my homework so I'm all set. See you in the morning, good night." He called heading up.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Cool, refreshing air whipped through Danny's hair as he flew around the town making sure there were no unwelcomed visitors. Few things annoyed him more than getting settled for the night only to be gotten up as a ghost made its presence known, so before he was ready for bed Danny was determined to see to it that there were none. It being early only added to his excuse. Usually Danny stayed up until twelve or later so 10:30 to him was early enough to give him trouble falling asleep.
As he made his final round the teen passed over the park and decided to take a break from his almost finished chore. Finding a quiet spot by the lake he sat down and took out his sketch book.
'It's such a beautiful night' he though as his eyes drifted over the water. Silver light shone down from the crescent moon casting a slight glow over the dark navy blue surface. With no breezes blowing on the ground the lake looked like a piece of polished mirror reflecting the very visible stars, moon, and few drifting clouds. The scene was picturesque and Danny found himself starting to sketch the scene before him without even realizing it. Before long the rough sketch started taking shape as Danny relaxed more and more into the serenity of the gentle evening.
*crack*
His head snapped up and over his shoulder at the sound of a branch breaking behind him.
'I really need to put in a program that differentiates Phantom's signature from the other ghosts' Maddie sighed to herself as she came into view and their eyes met.
"What are you doing out?" Phantom asked not used to his mother leaving the house so late at night (not that it was that late).
She bit back her immediate 'what do you think you're doing out' and answered "Taking a stroll to clear my head. I was busy in my lab all day and I wanted a break. I think that's understandable and reasonable, don't you?"
"Yeah I can imagine you need time to breath away from your home."
Truth be told Maddie had gone out to do a mini patrol of her own so that Danny wouldn't be woken up by anyone or anything. What she hadn't known was that her son was already going out and was half way done by the time she had gotten out of the house. Her pass by the park had her detector blinking and she had gone to see who it was.
"So what are you doing? Clearly not patrol." 'Or sleeping like you said.'
Phantom shrugged. "I was mostly finished with my sweep and decided to take a well deserved break. It's still kinda early and taking a quiet flight or doing some sketching calms me down. My days are pretty busy to." Phantom patted the ground next to him in silent invitation.
Maddie walked over and sat down where he had indicated. She looked at the lake and then stole a glance at Phantom's drawing. It was good. Very rough, yes, but it was clearly in its early stages and that was to be expected. Maybe instead of being an astronaut he could be an artist.
"So how's your family?" he asked looking her over then turning back to his work and drawing some quick outline marks.
"Hectic and lovable as always. Who do you want to hear about first?"
"Let's start with you." Phantom suggested.
"I'm tired but today was a good day. I've hit an impasse with my main project so I've been refining older ones all day and I made progress. That's pretty much it though, I was down in my lab all day, came up to cook dinner and then I was with Danny and Jack for a little while."
"Alright, how are your husband and kids?"
"Jack was in almost the same boat only his project wasn't giving him too much trouble and my kids had school today. Jazz was supposed to present a project but said something about a fire drill interrupting her right as she opened her mouth to start speaking." She paused as Phantom had a light coughing fit. "She was fuming about it when she came home but other than that her day was uneventful. I don't know what Danny had as his highlight of the day but it was probably when he got a taste of your powers."
"Oh?"
"Yes, Jack and I created a synthetic spray that imitates intangibility and Danny wanted a demonstration." Maddie stopped for a second as something flashed through her mind. "I have a question for you."
"Shoot."
"If you made your hand immaterial, could you still pick something up?"
Phantom set his paper and pencil down on his lap. Keeping a straight face he intangified his hand and phased it through Maddie's arm to show her that it was indeed immaterial. With her eyes following Phantom's every move Maddie watched as he grabbed her ghost detector and gave her a triumphant grin.
"How? I mean it's not intangible to right?"
"Nope." Phantom replied giving the device a few very gentle taps on the ground to demonstrate his point.
"Intangibility has two parts to it." He set the detector down and solidified his hand. "Before I, or any ghost really, can make something intangible we exert an energy." The halfa picked the ghost detector again, but this time his hand was covered in a transparent pale green glow that was slowly spreading to her invention. "I'm no expert on the scientific mumbo jumbo so I can't give you a detailed technical explanation, but as a ghost I can kinda give you the gist of it... The energy is passive like this. It has the potential to turn itself and anything enveloped within it intangible. I just will it to turn active and it immaterializes whatever it's covering." He narrowed his eyes for the briefest of seconds and then phased his hand, device and all, through the ground.
Maddie blinked as the detector slipped effortlessly through the earth then found its way back to her belt clip. Focusing her attention on it, she felt the slight weigh as gravity pulled on it, in turn pulling ever so slightly on her belt.
"You can grab things even if you're intangible as long as they're covered in the energy because you won't phase through that." Phantom explained.
"I wonder if I can recreate that energy. It's kind of a pain having the intangibility so uncontrolled. I don't know how useful it would be in battle against ghosts. You pretty much just said that any ghost can easily get around the spray."
"That's only for the ghost itself. You're still safe from the energy attacks they throw or objects that are in your way. I admit it has its short comings and that anything you or any other scientist creates probably won't ever be quite as good as the genuine article, but it's still pretty cool that you managed to replicate intangibility as much as you did. How many other people could have done what you did?"
Maddie let out a long sigh. "Thanks." She looked over at his book again and melted on the inside. In his drawing Phantom had started drawing her staring up at the moon next to him, but without the finer detail it could have easily been mistaken for her sitting next to Danny. "So what's new with you Phantom?"
"Not much. Same routine as usually, kinda like you. Get up, fly around keeping an eye out for trouble makers. Pretty uneventful today but considering my work, that's a good thing." He gave her another looking over but longer this time as he took in her position and expression observing how the light hit Maddie's face and body and the shadows formed. The curves and creases in her suit, how the grass bent under her weight and the slight, barely noticeable sway of her hair in the almost nonexistent breeze were also filed in his mind as he silently went back to drawing.
Maddie for her part sat gazing at the lake enjoying her son's company. She had wanted more bonding time with Danny and if this was how she'd get it, then that was ok. There were no ghosts attacking, no people bothering them, no place they needed to be... the world was at peace as she leaned back on her hands with her legs stretched out in front of her. Mother Nature seemed asleep with the lack of noises (save for the slight scratch of graphite on paper from Phantom's sketching). For now the young scientist was content and wanted to stay as she was for a short while.
. . . . .
Time passed and the moon gently crept across the sky as the two sat in front of the lake taking advantage of relaxing view. Finally after some time Maddie broke the silence. "I'm going to head home Phantom, it's late. We've been here for two hours and I need to get up in the morning to drag my teenagers out of bed. You should get going to, to where ever you spend your nights."
"I'll get going in a few minutes, I just want another ten to finish up. Besides as much as I enjoyed the company, I originally wanted a little alone time and you showed up literally minutes after I got here." He gave his legs a quick stretch. "I'll go shortly don't worry."
"Alright, I'll see you around. Goodnight Phantom."
"Goodnight." Phantom replied.
Danny waited a minute before closing his sketchbook and lying down. He grabbed at the grass and tossed a small handful into the air watching as it floated down onto his suit. Staring out into space his mind wondered. 'Why couldn't all nights be like this? No ghosts, no homework when I get back, perfect whether, an overall pleasant mood. I wish I could capture this moment and preserve it like how the ancient Egyptians preserved their dead to last 5000 years…' He closed his eyes. 'How did that saying go? 'If change is a part of life... how cruel is that kindness.''
Sitting up he gave the crystal lake a final look then held true to his word and took to the air. Leisurely passing through the rest of the park Danny spotted several patches of flowers and decided to pick some. He gathered several varieties of daisies, marigolds, carnation, petunias, lilies, and morning glories. Carefully he arranged them into a make shift bouquet and slowed his pace even further to avoid damaging the flowers.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Finally arriving home Danny phased through the door and into the kitchen. Still in ghost form he went to a small drawer next to the refrigerator and grabbed a pair of orange handled scissors he used to neatly trim the flower stems. Putting the scissors back Danny snuck over to the cabinet adjacent to the one directly under the sink. Opening it he frowned. 'Where did all the vases go? There were like half a dozen in here yesterday when I went to get the punch bowl where did they all go?'
Eye twitching he stood up and walked over to the table as a light bulb went off inside his head. Taking a couple of second to picture it, Danny gathered cryokinetic energy into his right hand and steadily created his own vase. 'Perfect.'
He picked his ice vase up and filled it half way with water before setting the flowers into it and giving them a final arrangement. Walking to the fridge he took a piece of paper from the pad usually used for the shopping lists and wrote a brief note. Danny put the note in front of the vase and appraised his handy work. It needed one last touch. Lifting his hand again Danny sculpted a single ice rose with his powers in the very center of the bouquet. Satisfied with his art Danny flew through the ceiling up to his room and transformed before hopping in bed for the night.
xXxXxXxXxXx
(Several minutes earlier)
The two FentonWorks inventors were diligently straightening up the lab so that it would be easier to work in the next day. Jack was boxing some left over scraps that Danny could throw in the shed tomorrow while Maddie finished organizing her papers and data before moving on to wash off the desk the information was sitting on. Finally Jack moved the last box to the left of the stairs and gave his back a quick crack.
"I'm going to get some fudge Maddie then I'm heading to bed. You should come up soon."
"I will Jack, I'm just emptying the de-ectofier and then I'm gonna give it quick cleaning. It's been two weeks since I scrubbed it out last and it's getting grimy. I need it grim free if I want to make use of the filtered ectoplasm it collects."
"You're really something, you know that? Who else would be able to take ectoplasm out of the air and turn it into a power source?" Jack shook his head. "What did I do to deserve a prize like you?"
"Aw Jack, I'm just as lucky to have met someone like you."
Jack laughed at that and went up the stairs to the kitchen. Just as he got to the top he saw a faint glow coming from behind the door and he paused so he could carefully peeked in. The orange clad man was greeted by the sight of Phantom mulling over a vase in thought.
'What the hell is he doing in my house? And what is hell is he doing?' He though reaching for and ecto-gun.
* he's different... promise me you won't blindly fire away because he's a ghost. Can you do that for me Jack? *
Maddie's words echoed in his head and Jack lowered his weapon reluctantly as Phantom raised his glowing blue right hand and did something to the flowers in the vase. Nodding to himself Phantom flew through the ceiling leaving Jack alone.
'Uh... That was weird.' Jack warily stepped into the kitchen and looked around the room almost expecting the ghost to suddenly pop back in. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary he walked up to the table and picked up the note.
Dear Maddie,
Thanks for the company. If you
ever want me to test something
(provided that it isn't possible lethal)
or need a favor, just let me know.
I'll see you around.
-Phantom
Setting the note back down, Jack looked at the flowers. They were pretty. Clearly not anywhere near as nice as the professionally grown and arranged flowers found at the store, but the bouquet had a homemade sorta feel that added to the overall appeal of it. What stood out was the beautiful white rose that sparkled like a diamond in the center. Taking a closer look he realized why, the flower was made entirely of ice. Jack had to admit that he was impressed, the level of detail right down to the petal creases and underside capillaries was astonishing. It took a lot of skill to create something like what Phantom had apparently made.
'Me and Maddie really need to talk.' The clock struck one and let out a low metal chime. 'Tomorrow when the kids are at school and we're in the lab alone and not tired.'
He grabbed a stick of peanut butter fudge out of the fridge and went upstairs to the master bedroom.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Yawning Maddie made her way to the kitchen fridge to get a glass of milk. She knew it was a little childish but she had never outgrown her love of milk, especially right before bed. The only difference was that she hated it heated, that ruined the taste in her mind, so she poured a fresh-from-the-fridge cold glass every night.
It was only when she sat down to drink her milk that she noticed the vase and flowers. 'I thought I moved all the vases to the lab for that experiment. Where did this one come from?'
Looking at the design she noticed a beautiful park dotted great pine trees shooting up towards the star filled sky illuminated by a tiny crescent moon hanging in it. A small potato shaped lake fed by a narrow stream sat in the center of the park surrounded by several mini hills, one of which had two people sitting on it, surrounded the still waters. She couldn't make out the people because they were so minuscule but Maddie had a pretty good feeling she knew who the two figures were.
She ran her hand over who she assumed where her and Danny and stopped. The vase was as cold as ice. She picked it up and examined it. 'This is ice.' she thought putting the vase down. Studying the flowers she noticed that the center rose was also ice. A very lovely and delicately made piece that shone like glitter in the dim light streaming through the window.
Finishing her milk she took the note and walked over to the sink as she read the writing. When she was done, Maddie tucked the paper into her jump suit and went back to the flowers.
'Dad did always say to stop and smell the roses.' She gave the rainbow of plants a long inhale enjoying the sweet smell.
After a minute Maddie went upstairs and halted as she reached Danny's room. Giving in she opened the door and peeked in on him. She smiled at Danny's sleeping form when he rolled over so that his body was facing her. Maddie whispered a silent goodnight and thank you to him as she shut the door and continued to her and Jack's room.
A/N:
I finished! And oh God look how long this is- over 10,000 words. I have officially more than doubled my story's length with this one chapter. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas filled with wonderful gifts. My Dad (with help from a very special friend of the family) got me a Kurikara replica so I was crying and hugging him and thinking that overall Christmas wasn't so bad because Rin is freaking awesome and I have a remake of his sword now.
For anyone not familiar with 'what are the odds' it's a very simple game that my class takes way too far. Basically one person initiates it by saying "-a person's name- what are the odds you would -picks something the person could do-" the person that was asked responds with "one in -gives an even 10 between 10 and 50 depending on how likely they are to do it-" Then both people count to three and give a number between one and the decided on max. If both people say the say number, the task is done. So "Quan what are the odds you would create a mini explosion inside one of these beakers?" "Uh, One in twenty Dash." "OK 1, 2, 3... 4!" Quan now is expected to create an explosion. My Bio class hasn't done something that bad but... let's just say I was very much inspired by them when I thought of this.
Moving on to the intangibility theory. Anyone who has watched Phantom Planet which is the ending to Danny Phantom should be a little familiar with this. The ghosts secrete this green energy which covers the main conductor just before they turn it intangible, I assume this is a pre-intangible energy that is passive in a sense because the giant metal pole is enveloped in it but still very much solid and it takes the ghosts turning intangible and 'activating' the energy to turn the conductor immaterial as well.
Next a few side comments: 1- don't know how many people are familiar with haiju's work but there was a short called 'Acquisition' that was on her tumblr. Danny's vocab was a little reference to that. 2- Sam comes from a filthy rich family and I always pictured her knowing piano because in my mind when you're wealthy you teach your kids some musical instrument to make them more refined, usually either piano or violin. 3- Locker 427 is the cursed locker 724 backwards. 4- The fight scene. No flaming please I already know it's not the best. It amazes me how many action scenes one can read, from multiple fandoms no less, and still be unable to write a good scuffle. 5- The quote Danny is remembering about changing being a cruel kindness is from Fruits Basket vol 21 chapter 121.
Lastly I'm sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes. If you see any fell free to point them out so I can fix them. I do try and revise the old chapters. Reviews and suggestions are always welcome. I'm not sure what the next chapter will be about so any ideas will be helpful and taken into consideration. Positive remarks or helpful and constructive criticism is also loved, especially when you guys tell me specifically what you liked or disliked because while it's nice to know that the story is loved and you want me to keep going with it and updating (those reviews are still enjoyed and I smile when I read them), knowing what you found good or bad helps me with future installments.
~May Rene