Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom nor any other superhero.
Providence, Powers and Prerogatives
"How did you anticipate the portal in 'Operation Spirit'?" the President demanded.
"Would you believe a lucky guess?" Danny asked.
"No," he said flatly.
"Antarctica has a weak point. Like Amity Park. There is a good chance a natural portal would show up," Danny explained, hoping the President would by it. "I didn't have to know exactly when. We just had to be ready when it did. It was coincidental that it appeared just in time."
"It is enough to make one believe in Providence," the President agreed, "but not enough to gamble the fate of the entire world on."
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"Hey, it worked," Danny defended himself, "It wasn't like we had a choice; we had already tried everything else."
"Better a false hope than no hope?" the President asked. "Shouldn't you have told the world leaders how precarious the situation really was?"
"Obviously, it wasn't a false hope and there was no time to argue about it. Besides it was better than letting everyone panic," Danny added quietly.
"Still, it wasn't your decision to make," the President said.
"No it wasn't," Danny agreed. "We just came up with the idea. It was everyone else that decided to make it happen."
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"Then why wasn't the transfer station built in Amity Park if you just needed a weak point? Surely, it would have been much easier than transporting everything to Antarctica," he practically accused.
"My parents' models said that the Earth's magnetic pole would help distribute the intangibility through the Earth," Danny explained, "But even more important was the path of the Disasteroid. Like a bullet, the exit wound can be far more damaging than the entry wound. Tucker figured that it would be better to make sure that the intangibility was at maximum strength where the Asteroid was leaving the Earth."
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"So I was informed," the President agreed, "However, the GIW scientists think there is another reason."
Danny's brain fumbled but couldn't think of anything to say.
After a pause, the President continued," The GIW claims to have evidence of a ghost who's capable of creating portals, and it was he who was responsible for the portal's timely appearance."
Danny felt the weight lift off his stomach. He hadn't thought of this explanation. Wulf may not have created the portal, but maybe he could have. This would work. They could chase the red herring and the Infi-map's secret would remain safe.
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But the President wasn't done speaking. "If there is a ghost that can rip holes in the universe, the GIW is convinced that it represents a very real threat and it should be our top priority to hunt it down and destroy it."
The lead weight was back.
"But he … I mean, if there is such a ghost, it has never done anything to hurt anyone," Danny said, horrified.
"You have a point, which is why I am inclined to see if we can use it instead of destroying it," the President said.
The weight just doubled in mass.
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Wulf, for all his fearsome appearance, could be a gentle and loyal being.
Wulf would never submit to captivity. Walker had tried to force him to serve him with the pain of the collar and Wolf had done all he could to resist.
"You can't," Danny pleaded, "If you tried to make him into a slave it would kill him. He would never hurt anyone. He just wants to be left alone."
"What assurances do we have that we could trust such a powerful ghost?" the President demanded.
Danny hated the way his voice trembled, "He's my friend."
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There was another long pause. "So you vouch for him?" the President asked.
"Yes," Danny said firmly.
"You would have me place the safety of American citizens on the word of a ghost?"
"Is there anything that could convince you?" Danny asked in desperation.
"Fortunately, there is. I have sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America and its ideals of freedom. As it turns out, slavery is illegal." There was a hint of amusement in the President's voice. "I may not be a superhero but I can still believe in Truth, Justice and the American Way."