Chapter 11 – Aftermath

"In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."
-Robert Frost

Chirping drew Maddie's attention from the computer in her lap to the harsh white window on the opposite side of the room. What was with hospitals and white anyway? Couldn't they find another color that was happier and livelier? Or at least easier on the upkeep? White stained so easily.

Perhaps red? It'd certainly be harder to notice if blood got on it but maybe that was too morbid. Orange? Too loud. Yellow was mild enough and more up beat but it would be hard to get the shade right. It could end up looking like pus or mucus if not picked out carefully and knowing the hospitals attention to such things it was more likely to end up being worse than the white. Blue. Blue was a soothing-

The noise grew louder ending Maddie's musings the hospitals choice in wall color and she frown at the sweet sound. As much as she enjoyed birds and their singing Maddie wasn't in the mood for something so happy sounding right now. It was her fault Jack was lying in a hospital bed 3 feet in front of her. If she hadn't insisted on going out last night, if she had listened to Danny or had been better prepared then none of this would have happened. Jack wouldn't have first and second degree burns covering his body.

'And Spike would be dead' a voice that sounded suspiciously like Jazz reminded her. She sighed. 'I'm glad we could save the kid but would he have actually died? Blazek seemed like he would have let Spike go and then Jack wouldn't have gotten hurt. I mean the kid only has 1st degree burns, clearly that ghost was protecting him to an extent… But then the firemen would have gotten hurt if we hadn't distracted him…. But would they have even shown up in the first place? We were the ones who called the fire in, it's possible the whole thing would have been done with before anyone managed to get there.'

Her thoughts kept going round and round, debating whether their presence had helped or if it had just made things worse. She wasn't ever going to know and speculating was driving her nuts. Sick of staying in her head Maddie focused on the screen in her lap.

She was currently looking at the artifact file, a little disappointed at the lack of in depth information. It was more than Maddie would have ever been able to get on her own and while she was grateful for what was there, there were large holes that left her feeling uneasy. The Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire apparently granted any ghost a massive power boost when used in conjunction with one another, but nothing was mentioned about them being used on there own. Did that mean the effect required both and that they were useless separate? Or perhaps each did give energy to the wearer but there was some sort of positive feedback that was created when the ring and crown were united which lead to the exponential power increase.

And how were they created? Was it possible for someone to get their hands on that information and duplicate them? Were there other sister artifacts? There had to be, even if they were reduced to dust or ruble at this point. If one person or thing could create the originals someone else had to have made another weapon to combat them.

Maddie's biggest headache was trying to figure out where the ring and crown currently were. The last thing she needed was for the box ghost to stumble upon them and suddenly become an actual threat. According to Danny's first hand account Plasmius had taken the crown and was thought to be in possession of the ring though that had yet to be confirmed. If he did have both then what was stopping him from making a move? Danny had noted that it would be hard, if not impossible, for him to stop another Pariah Dark without the ecto-skeleton. Maybe Plasmius really didn't have the ring.

Or maybe he was waiting for something. Biding his time patiently for the right moment to strike. It was certainly an option. He was one of the more intelligent ghosts and there was something off about him. Something that reminded Maddie of Phantom that she couldn't explain. The mystery had to be linked with why his specific file was encrypted. That bothered her just as much as him having such a powerful artifact. What was so important that Danny needed the extra security in case someone had ever gotten into his files? What kind of information was so much more dangerous than what was already here?

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Firefighters have confirmed that the cause of the incident was ghost related and that the ghost responsible has been dealt with. The destruction of the building will set the Amity Park Ghost Museum project back many months. Despite the setback, Mayor Masters has said that this will give engineers a golden opportunity to redesign plans that were previously constrained by the buildings original structure.

Experts have estimated that Amity's tourism industry could potentially increase by 30% upon completion of the project. No comments have been made regarding the rumors that Danny Phantom will be part of the opening ceremony or those surrounding the ghost boy's presence as part of a live interactive exhibit and guest."

*click*

The screen blinked black as Jack set the remote down. The hospital fabric brushed roughly against his shoulder with the movement and Jack winced. "Damn spook." he muttered under his breath.

Danny shifted the uncomfortable plastic chair closer to his Dad's bed. "Weren't you and mom offered a chance to work on some of the exhibits?"

"Yep. We agreed to design a ghost hunting display that teaches how to use Fenton tech that's currently on the market. With more ghost hunters we're hoping to reduce the number of injuries and collateral damage. Vladdy also asked us to look at some of the facts and theories before they get printed into those big display thingies."

"Are you excited about it? I mean you always did like lecturing me and Jazz about ghosts, now you can do it with the whole town."

Jack looked at his son with a smile. "You betcha. I'm gonna show the world just how awesome Jack Fenton is!"

He was toning it down for his kids benefit but Jack felt like a child on Christmas whenever he thought about it. A chance to prove himself to his family and the town that was always making fun of the Fentons, especially him. Jack could admit that he was dense at times and embarrassed Jazz and poor Danny. Not that he meant to, but it happened.

Those visiting ghost hunters had laughed at him while he was trying to catch one of the ghost vultures. The ghost from Wisconsin had said that Jack put his family at risk "picking up a butter knife". Sam's parents badgered him about being a bad influence. Jazz lectured him about going to the school because it apparently made Danny a target for bullying from student and teacher alike. There were plenty of examples where Jack was the fool and the Fenton name was ridiculed as a result.

This was his chance. He could share his passion and his brilliance (and Maddie's genius) with the town and the rest of the country. His accomplishment with the portal wasn't very public. He hadn't originally been in agreement with Maddie when she'd suggested keeping it under wraps but she'd worn him down.

They didn't want people breaking into FentonWorks to steal the portal or the blueprints for creating another one. They also didn't want to be crucified as the reason ghosts kept showing up. The ghosts only started appearing after the portal began working. It wouldn't take a genius to realize what the cause was. Undoubtedly some people, quite possibly a majority, would demand the portal be shut down and disassembled. But this was his life's work!

All those years discussing theory after theory with Maddie and doing the calculations to determine where the contraption should be built. Figuring out the cost logistics of the metal and wiring, how much power it would take and so much more. With all the work and time that had been poured into it, the portal was as much a child (granted a brain child) of his and Maddie as Jazz and Danny. Jack felt bad about the ghosts destroying property and civilians getting caught up in the fighting but there was so much that could be gained.

Ecto energy was easy to harness with the right technology and it was green. As much so metaphorically as literally. It was renewable with no emissions and no worry about cleanup. Old ectoplasm could be brought into the ghost zone either to recharge it or dump it. If they could figure out how to use it on a larger scale they'd revolutionize the energy industry. Jack figured Sam might end up working with them one day on such a project. She was a champion for the environment after all. A gothic Lorax.

So while Amity knew Jack and Maddie had made some kind of break thought, few knew what exactly it was.

While Jack sat in thought over his work Danny stared at his lap guiltily stewing over how things could have gone differently. If he had come up with an actual excuse for not going then everyone could've stayed home. Or he could've stayed home ands gone out as Phantom. "I'm really sorry you got hurt Dad. I should have done more but…" He trailed off not knowing what to say. There wasn't much of an excuse for almost getting your parents killed. He was lucky; his mom had come out mostly unscathed and while Jack wasn't in great shape, supposedly he wouldn't have permanent damage.

"Danny there was nothing you could have done. I know you feel like it's your fault but it's not. You and Jazz did the right thing staying with the RV and explaining things to the firemen. That ghost is to blame, not you." Jack finished firmly.

"I know Dad. I just wish there was more I could've done to help."

"Oh son, you've already done more than your mother or I ever knew and I'm proud of that. You practice and you learn Danny and that takes time. I don't expect you to be some awesome ghost hunter after helping Phantom out a couple of times." He gave Danny's hair a quick ruffling. "Keep it up and one day I'm sure you'll be fighting with us side by side."

"Thanks Dad."

"So… how was school? Anything interesting happen today?"

"The AC finally got fix." He said off handedly.

"Nothing else? Nothing interesting?" Surely his son had learned something of note. Why else would he be going to school?

Danny thought for a moment. "Actually, Mr. Lancer is trying to start a class on ghosts. We've been talking about it for a couple of days. He said he's going to run it by principle Ishiyama at the teachers meeting this Friday afternoon but if it gets approved he was looking to meet with you two."

"Sounds like a terrific idea! It's always important creating interest in young people."

"Oh it'll create interest, especially if it goes the way he wants it to. Lancer wants to invite Phantom to speak with the students." That was going to be one of his selling points to attract kids and since he knew Danny interacted with Phantom, he had been asking Danny for some advice.

Jack frowned. "I'm not so sure that'll be a good idea Danny. For one thing the other teachers might not appreciate inviting a ghost into the school. Especially one that's so powerful and has been known to slip through ghost shields. What would happen if he starts something? There'd be nowhere to hide. I don't think your principle would risk the school's safety. And besides the adults, it's going to cause some unrest among the students to don't you think?"

Danny shrugged. "I guess. The kids I know all love Phantom but I'm sure there have to be some who are afraid of him." His class obsessed over Phantom to the point of being annoying. Danny couldn't go near them without getting hounded by someone for an autograph, a declaration of love, an invite to hangout or something else. There were three other grades though, hundreds of other students he didn't know. There had to be at least some who were either afraid of his ghost half or who hated ghosts and consequently Phantom. Maybe he should actually find out where the student body stood on Phantom and ghosts in general? He could probably even turn it into some sort of extra credit project for Lancer.

"You don't really think Phantom would go starting trouble at the school, do you?" He asked remembering his Dad's first point against the idea.

"Danny, we both know I don't like ghosts. They're dangerous and they hurt people. I wouldn't be in here if that weren't the case. I've been trying to make an exception for Phantom and I'll agree that he saved your mother and me but that doesn't make him less dangerous. I'm not saying he will do something but he could and that seems like an awfully big risk to take."

Jack sighed at his son's expression. He didn't want to be too hard on the ghost kid but that a was dangerous idea. "I know you like him; you're friends with him and he's saved you a couple times. He's not evil, I'll give you that but Phantom's done some things Danny. Let's say they aren't his fault. Let's say there's a ghost attack at the school and someone puts him under a spell of sorts. It could be that genie or ghost musician that brainwashed your school or someone else but let's say that happens. Now what? Phantom's not the one in control and he's not someone a teacher or student with some training is going to be able to handle. He's going to be able to go on a rampage and hurt people and no one's going to be able to stop him from doing it. Even the ghost shields won't slow him down. Danny, you have to understand that he has the potential to cause harm even if he doesn't want to. You do understand that right?"

The not quite accusation hurt. Danny was painfully aware that he was above most ghosts in terms of power. So much so that he could potentially lay ruin to the world. He hadn't explored that future very much. Hadn't traveled the country to see the extent of the destruction or seen if other nations had fallen or other continents had been touched but if Amity Park was best prepared for ghosts and Dan had decimated it, then Danny was pessimistic about anywhere else doing better.

"I know Dad. Believe me I- I probably know better than anyone else what he's capable of. I just think the benefits outweigh the risks. I don't know exactly what Lancer's planning if it gets approval. It could be teaching ghost theory, learning how to fight, practical applications of ectoplasm, a combination of things or something entirely different. The school gets attacked enough that teaching the students anything about ghosts is probably a good thing. And Phantom doesn't have to show up. I think it would attract more students and help with his response time during a ghost attack if he's already there but it's just a thought, it can always be changed."

Jack sat there mulling over Danny's point. Ghost activity was increasing steadily and it was time students start learning. "How often do ghosts show up? What's the situation really like at your school?"

"I'd say a ghost shows up at about once a week. Some weeks it's more, some weeks it's less. As far as people getting hurt, I know students have gotten ecto burns and broken bones but no one's had any major injuries. With the ghost shields we get herded into one of the rooms and told to stay put until things settle down."

He didn't know it was that bad. The ghost shields had been added as a precaution in case something ever happened. Jack hadn't known they were going to be used several times a month. Perhaps bringing in a ghost wasn't as terrible an idea if they were already crawling all over the place. Phantom was liable to show up weather he was already at the school or not so did it really matter in the end? At least he had a decent track record of keeping the school in one piece.

The fight with Blazek had left Jack a little weary of putting ghosts and people together. It was just another reminder that ghosts couldn't be trusted. But hadn't Maddie said something about the ghost letting Phantom go so that he could protect them? And looking back Jack could admit that the ghost had toyed with them rather attack to injure. Perhaps they weren't as bad as Jack thought. Not all of them at least. "You know Phantom wanted to introduce me to more friendlies?"

"Huh?"

"He says there are more like him. Ghosts that are good. Maybe if we talked to them and learned more it would help."

Danny stared incredulously at dad. He had figured after the Blazek incident his dad wouldn't be interested in meeting any other ghosts besides Phantom for a while if ever. "So you wanna meet them?"

"I- Yeah I think I do. I'm not one to let things set me back." He gave Danny a look as he considered something. "You've meet them?" Jack asked having a feeling he knew the answer.

"Some of them." Danny admitted. "Phantom's introduced me when I've been around."

"Maybe you could tell me a little bit about them."

xXxXxXxXxXx

"You know Paulina wouldn't be paying an ounce of attention to you right? And neither would Dash." Sam commented shifting her fuzzy spider backpack.

"I think the problem would be hyperattention actually. They'd be too busy staring to hear anything."

Tucker raised an eyebrow at the two. "Really? You're concerned about Dash and Paulina? I think Valerie's gonna be the biggest problem. The second you show up she's gonna start shooting."

"Maybe she won't take the class." Danny said with a shrug.

"Dude her grades aren't as bad as yours but with her extracurricular activities they're not far behind. She's gonna want an easy A and any edge she can get against you."

"Hey! My grades are actually pretty good right now. And she'll probably think it's just a big waste of time. She only wants to learn to shoot better and I don't think there's gonna be any advanced lessons for a while."

"Why don't we wait until Lancer get's approval to submit a curriculum and then we can go to him together and try to hammer out some of the details." Sam suggested. "For all we know Principle Ishiyama will shoot down the idea. She already said no to Paulina's Phantom Fan Club."

"That was an actual thing? I thought she was joking when she invited me to it."

"Danny, when it comes to Paulina's infatuation with Phantom, it's very real."

"Very creepily so." Tucker added. "I'm surprised she hasn't tried to follow you home yet."

"Uh…."

"She has?"

"Don't worry about it. I managed to give her the slip both times. It's not that hard when all you have to do is turn invisible."

"One of these days your gonna get careless and someone's gonna find out like Jazz did."

Danny rolled his eyes at the comment. "Yeah well today's not that day. Anyways there's something else I wanted you guys opinion on."

"Shoot." "Spill."

"My Dad's looking to meet another ghost and I don't know who'd be a good choice."

"There's not exactly a long list of options to choose from." Sam said. "You'd have to bring them to the ghost zone to meet Frostbite or Clockwork. Wulf doesn't speak English. Dora's busy running a kingdom. Your Dad would probably manage to insult Poindexter and Pandora. Skulker, Walker, Ember, Technus, Young Blood, Johnny, Kitty, the Lunch Lady and most of the other ghosts we know aren't gonna do you any favors. Honestly, I don't think there's much of a good choice right now."

Tucker looked thoughtful. "What about the box ghost? He's harmless enough. Or Klemper. He seems like he'd be happy to hang out and talk with someone."

At the reminder of the box ghost and Klemper Danny frowned. He was a little sore, metaphorically speaking, from their last encounter but his friends had a point. There weren't a lot of ghosts that liked him to choose from. His first two choices would require a trip to the ghost zone and his parents weren't ready for that. That left him with a language barrier, a princess who transformed into a dragon when angered, and any ghost who was weak or amiable enough to be coerced.

"Klempers prone to out bursts but he's not too bad." Danny allowed.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Jack was released from the hospital several days later with instructions to 'take it easy'. Mostly that meant sitting around tinkering with his inventions while Maddie practiced with the ecto-skin. She was getting better. Good enough to put out a small first accidently started when Jack tried playing with the electrical connections to a new ghost containment unit.

When she was confident enough in her ability to use the glove, Maddie had every intention of starting work on a full battle suit. She had yet to decide if she was going to try incorporating other ghosts core plasm into different parts of the suit or if she was just going to stick with Danny's. It would be a complicated mess setting up the circuitry for several ghosts at once but if she could manage it, she'd have access to a wider range of abilities which would be handy. There was no rush to make a decision though. It would take months just to build the suit.

She was also toying around with making variations of it. The main components were the ectoplasm, transmitter, and converter. Those could be turned into an unassuming amulet that could be worn to formal events or installed into an ecto weapon to enhance it. There were plenty of possibilities for those with an open mind.

She aimed at a target and smiled in satisfaction when it froze. She wasn't great with ectoblasts yet, but the ice beams came naturally now. Maddie was dying to take a trip into the ghost zone and see it for herself but she wasn't about to do so until she felt confident enough in her ability to defend herself.

A/N

So another chapter has finally been posted. I know it's been a while, like over a year, but I do intend to finish CBAP even if it takes a long time. I went to Florida for the first time and also had my first plane ride ever. Not terrible but not fun. The flight back to Trenton was delayed 2 hours. Guess that's a part of traveling by air, only took one trip for me to have to deal with delays. School is starting soon. I go back the 4th and I'm taking 15 credits which isn't an insane amount but it's more than I've taken at once before even though it's only 4 classes. Oh well we've all got problems and stresses we're dealing with. I wouldn't count on chapter 12 being done any time soon though if it is I'm sure we'll all be happy. I do have a recommendation for anyone interested. 'A Timeline Torn'. Basic plot is Danny ends up in the past of an alternate timeline and interacts with Vlad, Jack, and Maddie while they're in college. Wasn't sure if it'd be any good but it's interesting and not an idea I've really seen around.

Side Notes:

So Maddie gets to go over some of Danny's information. Her frustration and musing kinda crosses over from me. The show doesn't go over any details or history of the ghost zone. The most we're told is that pariah dark ruled for a time and then was sealed away. The ghost zone is such an interesting place and I don't think it got as much attention as it should have.

I can't honestly believe that Amity Park wouldn't try to make their ghosts a tourist attraction in some way. It's their thing and the money for fixing collateral has to come from somewhere.

A ghost elective has to be added at some point since dealing with ghosts is part of growing up in Amity. You learn important life skills in school and ghosts 101 seems pretty important for this town.

Any reviews or comments are welcomed and much appreciated,

~May