Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom
Part 6: The Great Beyond
"There are those who say you won't be able to help yourself. That all ghosts crave power to fulfill their obsessions," the President said.
A memory flash burned through Danny's brain. Dan, killing and laughing. He let his shaking legs carry him to the floor. Distantly he heard Jazz's exclamation of alarm.
"No," he croaked. "No, I'd never do that. I'm not like him. I'll never be like him. Haven't I already proved that?"
Danny drew some shaky breaths. He felt Jazz's hand gripping his as the President's voice came over the phone. They thought he was talking about Vlad.
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There was a long pause.
"I'm sorry." The President actually sounded contrite, "After all you have done, I should not doubt you."
"Yeah," Danny mumbled, "It's okay."
"I do not mean to belittle what you've gone through. The world is grateful…"
Suddenly Danny wasn't interested in hearing anymore platitudes. "But what have I done for you lately?" he interrupted.
The distinguished man on the phone cleared his throat, "I am not asking more from you, but others worry; after all not much is known about the nature of ghosts and their obsessions."
Danny thought "I'm still figuring that out myself."
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"Help me understand. Where does a ghost's obsession come from?" the distinguished middle-aged man asked.
"The Ghost Zone is strange. Stranger than you can I imagine, the laws of physics don't work the same….the energies…" Danny waved a hand vaguely.
"Is it the spiritual energy that creates ghosts?"
"Not exactly. I told you about how natural portals pop up every now and then? Well sometimes something falls through from a real world," Danny explained. "Sometimes it's our world, and sometimes it can be one of the other possible worlds."
"You mean the souls of people who have died go through the portals?
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"No. Sometimes something living falls through. Unprotected real-world beings can't survive long." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Occasionally, pieces get sorta… incorporated into ectoplasm and if there is enough energy, a ghost can form. What the ghost is like depends on what gets taken up."
"And that determines the shape of the ghosts?" the man asked.
"Probably, but it is more like an emotional thing. Like some bit of shredded psyche gets incorporated when the ghost is formed. It's incomplete but it is what the ghost has to focus on. That's where the obsession comes from," Danny explained.
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"So you're saying ghosts are not the lost souls of the dead?" the President said uncertainly, "What about unfinished business?"
"What do you mean?" Danny asked.
The man's voice usually so cultured and smooth, dropped to almost a whisper that was nevertheless eager and curious, "I want to know about the Great Beyond."
"The Great Beyond?" Danny asked.
"Yes. Is there a heaven and hell? Is…God waiting?"
Danny blinked and after a moment asked, "How would I know, sir?"
"You've died. You've seen the afterlife. What is it like?"
Danny paused before asking, "Didn't anyone brief you sir?"
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"They say you had an accident in your parents' lab. That you should be dead, but you came back," the President paused, "What did you see?"
"You mean like did I see a bright light or a tunnel?" Danny asked.
"Did you?"
"Other than the inside of my parent's portal, no. The only bright light was from an ectoplasmic explosion that initiated the portal."
"So you didn't see …."
"An angel? God?" Danny supplied.
"People who have had near-death experiences report similar experiences."
"No. Nor did I see my dead grandmother telling me it wasn't my time, either," Danny sighed.
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"I think some of the confusion is from the word ghost. Ectoplasmic Entity might be a better term. They're beings from another dimension, not trapped souls," explained Danny.
"But you said they had pieces of humans inside them?" the President asked for clarification.
"Ectoplasm is strange stuff. It can make imprints of emotions and memories. That's what gets absorbed, not souls," Danny informed him.
"Why do they do that?"
"I'm not sure. My parents are guessing it's sort of a survival strategy. It lets them evolve and adapt by taking in traits of the creatures that live in those worlds."
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"So this ectoplasm seeks humans to scavenge?"
"No, there's nothing conscious about it; it just happens. It's very rare for anything to fall through a portal, though animals or even plants are more likely to. But, not just our world. It could be from any of the possible worlds, so what is available is pot luck," Danny clarified.
"Isn't that a little random?"
"Evolution is sort of trial and error," Danny agreed. "But if you think about it, it sort of works. The ghosts that have absorbed the most human-like traits and memories are best able to interact with us."
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"Is that what a ghost is? An accidental combination of ectoplasm and some detritus from the multi-verse?" the President asked doubtfully.
"No more than humans are merely a haphazard combination of DNA," Danny countered.
"But humans are more than that, we have minds and souls," the President protested.
"Many ghosts believe they do as well. Of course some of their minds are too alien for comprehension."
"Do ghosts have religions?" the politician speculated.
"The ghosts have theories but they are as varied and speculative as our own, which makes sense, since like their obsessions, beliefs about God, come from us."
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"And what about you?" the President inquired.
"What do you mean? Danny asked.
"What is Danny Phantom's obsession?" the President repeated.
Danny didn't want to talk about something so deeply personal with someone he wasn't sure he trusted. He even avoided discussing this with Sam, even though she accused him of being in denial.
"It's different for me. I'm still alive. I have a completely intact human mind and body. Just with ghost powers," Danny explained.
Pressing him for an answer, the President asked, "So, does that mean you do not have an obsession?"
"No, I don't," Danny lied.
AN: Well there you have it. The ghosts aren't going to provide us with a short cut to finding out about what happens after death since they don't know any more than we do.