Negotiation
Their mission at Overseer Project HQ somewhat of a success, Albert and Danny were back at the Excalibur Institute, files in hand, along with their unexpected passenger, who was still passed out in the passenger seat of the car. Kilstone was waiting for them as they arrived, eager for a status update.
"We managed to get what we needed, as well as the added bonus. Have the tech team scour these schematics for any clues about what Vlad is up to. Oh, and could you escort our friend to the medical bay, too?" Albert instructed and handed Kilstone the flash drive with the project schematics and Vlad's personal files inside. Kilstone noticed the unconscious body of Henry still in the car.
"I take it things took a turn," Kilstone guessed.
"Nothing we couldn't handle. In fact, it was thanks to him that we had such a clean getaway, despite Vlad knowing who I was the entire time. Notify me when he's awake. I may have a use for him," Albert replied.
"Understood," Kilstone acknowledged and summoned a medical team to take Henry, while he brought the files to Farran to analyse. Danny, however, had a more pressing concern.
"Even if we stop Vlad's plan, he'll just escape and come back with an even crazier plan further down the road," Danny reasoned.
"I hear you, Danny, but we're not equipped to fight ghosts, let alone contain them. We don't have a facility capable of holding a human/ghost hybrid. Unless Amity Park has such a place," Albert mused. Danny was deep in thought.
"No, it doesn't, but I do have a suggestion," Danny piped up.
"Don't be shy," Albert pressed.
"Some time ago, I separated my ghost half from my human half because I found juggling ghost fighting and my personal life difficult. The device that allowed me to do that should be easy to build here since you have the records in the vehicle I came in. It's called the Fenton Ghostcatcher," Danny explained. Albert liked this idea so far.
"If we separated human Vlad from ghost Vlad, we could contain the human half easily. But what about the ghost half?" Albert asked. Danny's expression faltered at this.
"Well, I do know someone who runs a ghost prison in the Ghost Zone," Danny responded nervously.
"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" Albert probed.
"The warden in charge doesn't like me very much, and that's an understatement," Danny concluded.
"What did you do?" Albert wondered.
"I may have instigated a prison riot back in my early days, but I had my reasons," Danny answered.
"I'm sure you did," Albert replied.
"He was also one of the ghosts that helped me save both our worlds. If he's after Vlad, there may be a chance we can persuade him to help us," Danny added. Albert thought about this. It seemed like a very risky proposition with many opportunities to go south. But what choice did Albert have?
"Alright, but we'll both go. If he's a keeper of order, he may respond to me as an equal," Albert reasoned.
"Fair enough, plus he can't touch you. In the Ghost Zone, the humans are the ghosts. The benefits of being a hybrid," Danny mused. Albert then got onto the base communications.
"Farran, how is the Fenton Speeder?" Albert inquired.
"We've finished fixing it. Whenever you're ready, we can send the boy home," Farran updated.
"We're taking it on a trip, but the boy's not going home just yet. We still need his help to take down Vlad. Can you bring it to the Vault?" Albert requested.
"You're taking it to another world, Captain?" Farran asked.
"Something like that," Albert responded.
"I'll have the portal fired up and ready to go while we're down there," Farran said.
"Very good, Chief," Albert praised her initiative and closed the comms, which came to life once again.
"Captain, it's Kilstone, our guest is awake," Kilstone updated.
"On our way," Albert acknowledged and he and Danny made their way to the medical bay. Once they arrived, they noticed that Henry was mildly confused about his current whereabouts.
"How is he, Doctor?" Albert asked.
"Aside from some distress, he is perfectly healthy. I have no problems letting him go," Pike answered.
"Name; Henry. Organisation; Free Web. That's all you're getting out of me," Henry asserted.
"We're not after your little hacktivist group. We have bigger problems on our hands. Right now, you're in a building that most people are not even aware exists, run by an organisation only those highest up the political food chain know about. Most Senators don't even know we exist. The President knows we exist, or will do as soon as we elect a new one, and I'd rather it not be the mad human/ghost hybrid posing as a wealthy businessman," Albert explained.
"What am I going to say to the others? We signed on to expose and take down corrupt and greedy politicians and shady businessmen, not whatever that was," Henry wondered.
"Now you understand why we're around. Our failures regarding Bill aside, we have our own hybrid to take on Vlad, but we can't expose him without knowing what his plan is. That is why we could use your help," Albert proposed.
"Yeah, and what would convince me, a member of Free Web, a group that opposes places like this, to help you?" Henry jabbed.
"We have a mutual enemy, for a start, or were you at Overseer to take in the sights?" Albert retorted.
"I was there to gather intel, not get attacked by ghosts, abducted by secret agents, and god-knows-what else you did to me while I was out. I appreciate the rescue, I really do, and for that, I won't blow the whistle on you, but that's all I'm doing. I know all about you, especially after the war," Henry responded. Albert sighed heavily.
"You're right. We had one job, to keep the world safe from Bill and we failed spectacularly. We under-estimated his power and it cost us everything. That is why we're determined not to fail now. In case you missed it, that ghost is on track to be your next President. Do you really want that to happen, after all you've seen?" Albert implored Henry to see reason. Henry was giving this a lot of thought.
"I don't like this, but I suppose it's better than having that snake in the White House," Henry concluded.
"Can I take that as a yes?" Albert inquired.
"Just one question before I agree to anything, why us? Don't you have resources for this?" Henry inquired.
"We're still recovering from the war. Bill hit us pretty hard. Whatever Vlad has planned, it can't be good. We could use your help and that of your colleagues to not only stop his plan but expose him for what he is. That is what Free Web does, am I not mistaken?" Albert proposed. Henry thought about this and while the prospect of working with a super-secret government institute wasn't exactly thrilling, the enemy of his enemy was his friend, so he agreed to assist them.
"But what can we do?" Henry probed.
"Help Farran and Kilstone analyse the files Danny pulled from the mainframe, see what they can tell you," Albert replied.
"For the record, I'm not working for you. I'm helping you take down a mutual enemy. That is all," Henry clarified.
"So is Danny. After this, we all say our goodbyes and return to our homes," Albert confirmed. He then had Pike show him to the computer lab where Farran and Kilstone were working while Albert and Danny made their way to the portal in the vault. True to her word, Farran had the speeder brought down and the portal fired up and ready to go. Albert then got on base comms again.
"Farran, there's a device in the speeder's records called a 'Fenton Ghostcatcher' that will help us capture Vlad. Have a team build it while we're gone," Albert ordered. Farran had a look at the schematics for the device Albert mentioned.
"This looks a little complex, and unwieldy," Farran replied.
"Can you build it?" Albert asked.
"Oh, I can build it, certainly, but I'm more concerned about its size. I'd like to see if I can modify its original design," Farran suggested.
"Do what you have to, Farran. I trust your judgement," Albert assured
"Understood, Captain," Farran acknowledged and the comms went silent. Albert then turned to Danny.
"You're sure about this 'Walker' guy? He isn't some kind of madman?" Albert pressed.
"The only thing he's crazy about is order. Vlad almost destroyed the Ghost Zone to enrich himself. Although, if I may be honest, it might take a bit of arm-twisting to convince him to help us," Danny confessed.
"Don't worry, I can be very convincing when I want to be," Albert assured.
"I'm sure you can. Let's just get this over with," Danny replied. They got in the speeder and Danny got it started. The portal's co-ordinates were set for the Ghost Zone and they drove the speeder through. Albert was taking in the sights and he could honestly say this was one of the weirdest dimensions he'd ever been to. Nothing seemed right about this place. He was also convinced that the laws of physics didn't apply here. Nevertheless, he and Danny had a job to do. Any scientific exploration or inquiry would have to wait for another day.
"If I remember right, Walker's prison should be around here," Danny recalled as he navigated the speeder towards his turf. Sure enough, they ended up at the prison structure. Almost instantly, they were surrounded by guards and brought to a halt.
"Warden, you're not going to believe this," one of the guards said into his comm device. A few seconds later, Walker himself showed up and saw what had arrived at his front door.
"Well, well, well. Never thought I'd see you again, boy. Do you think handing yourself over would get you a lighter sentence? Not in my prison, especially when you bring outsiders," Walker menaced.
"Believe me, I have no intention of returning here. We came seeking your assistance," Albert responded.
"Is that right? You seem like a nice guy, so I'll give you the same warning this one ignored. Leave here and don't come back," Walker warned.
"When you hear what we have to say, you'll understand why we came here. We need your help to apprehend Vlad Plasmius," Albert stated. This got Walker thinking. He paused for a moment before responding.
"Alright, you've got my attention, how do you intend to do that?" Walker inquired.
"First of all, can we adjourn this discussion to somewhere more private?" Albert requested.
"In my office, right this way," Walker accommodated. This, Danny noted, seemed very out of character. Walker must want Vlad in his prison pretty badly to be willing to negotiate. Walker escorted Danny and Albert to his office and they talked more once they were inside.
"You said you wanted to capture Vlad. That means you know where he is. My guys have been searching this Ghost Zone from top to bottom for him with no success," Walker stated.
"He fell through a rift and ended up in my world, where he's been posing as a wealthy businessman building a cyber defence project. We're still figuring out what it really is, though," Albert explained.
"Nothing he hasn't done before in Amity Park," Danny added.
"I neither know nor care how this rift you mentioned came to be. I've learned a lot from our first encounter, boy, and I know that I can't contain a hybrid such as yourself. You bring Vlad here, he'll just shift into his human form and walk out like it was nothing," Walker dismissed.
"We apprehend him and put him in our human prison, the same result. Fortunately, we have a plan to separate the two halves of him. What we propose is you help us capture him, you get the ghost half, we get the human half," Albert offered. This piqued Walker's interest.
"This plan sounds flimsy at best, but I don't see any alternatives, so against my better judgement, I'll help you. But my deputy warden will be coming with me," Walker asserted.
"No problem, who's your deputy?" Albert probed. At that second, a ghost came in that Danny recognised right away.
"Skulker?" Danny remarked.
"Another old friend, I see," Albert said. From what he saw, Skulker was built like a mini assault fighter and his various armaments suggested that he could hold his own against Vlad.
"I see you've met. We have an arrangement, he brings me fugitive ghosts, I reward him handsomely," Walker added.
"It's steady work if nothing else, but don't think I've given up on hunting you, kid. We're only allies by circumstance, like last time," Skulker rebuffed.
"Noted," Danny responded.
"There is one other thing. When this is all over, I still need to get Danny back home. In exchange for getting Vlad's ghost half, I'd like you to make sure he gets there without incident," Albert requested. Walker thought about this for a moment. While he would like to bring in two bounties at once, he was still a ghost of honour, and negotiation was a two-way street. They were giving, so it was only fair he gives back.
"Alright, I'll have guards escort him back to Amity Park when we're finished, but he better not stray from their sight," Walker conceded.
"I won't," Danny assured.
"Good, now that the terms are agreed, we should head back to HQ," Albert urged, and everyone made their way back to Excalibur. The base comms then came to life.
"Captain, it's Farran. We've finished analysing the schematics for Project Overseer. You and your friends should join us in the briefing room," Farran updated.
"Understood. We'll see you there. I'm bringing some reinforcements," Albert informed and the call was terminated.
"Nice place you've got here," Walker complimented.
"It doesn't compare to running a ghost prison, but it's my ship and I run it just fine," Albert replied. They headed to the briefing room, where Farran, Kilstone, and Henry were waiting for them.
"I see you've made some new friends," Kilstone noted upon seeing Walker and Skulker.
"They'll be helping us capture Vlad's ghost form while we get the human half," Albert responded.
"Now that we're all here, we should proceed," Farran pressed. She brought up Project Overseer on the holographic display. "There it is, Vlad's magnum opus, his ticket into the most powerful office on the planet. On the surface, it's meant to safeguard any network connected to it from cyber attack, specifically from Bill," Farran briefed.
"Don't tell me, that's not all it does," Albert guessed.
"When we analysed the files you and Danny recovered, we found this," Henry added. He then played a short, barely audible signal across the room.
"What is that?" Danny inquired.
"It's a subliminal message, meant to play on every active cell phone connected to Overseer. It sends a suggestion to the user's brain instructing them to vote for him in the upcoming election," Kilstone answered.
"I see, he can't over-shadow the population of an entire country, so he's brainwashing them instead. Insidious," Danny commented.
"He plans to demonstrate the prototype in a few hours. We believe he's planning to plant the suggestion in everyone that attends," Kilstone hypothesised.
"Can you block the signal?" Albert asked.
"Fortunately, your crew were kind enough to share their findings on the signal with Free Web. My colleagues will be sneaking in as sound stage crew, and we have a jamming signal ready and able to block the message," Henry answered.
"That's great, good work," Albert praised.
"There is a catch. Overseer was constructed with adaptive software meant to analyse and develop counter-measures against such an attack. We estimate you'll have a few minutes at most before Overseer finds a way around the jamming signal, so you'll have to act fast," Henry explained.
"That gives us a very small window with which to separate the two halves of Vlad and catch them both. Farran, how did you get on with the Ghostcatcher?" Albert probed. Farran then laid out a handful of small devices.
"I was able to modify the original design to fit into the palm of our hands using ideas from the Flynn archive and getting some inspiration from Bill. We each take one. All you need to do is take Vlad's hand and you'll be able to drag the ghost half out of him," Farran advised. Everyone took a device, save for Walker and Skulker, and Henry took a handful for his colleagues to use.
"Danny, once that's done, you, Walker, and Skulker will have to confront and subdue his ghost half. Kilstone and I can handle the human half. Try to take the fight away from any civilian presence. I don't want to see anyone hurt," Albert instructed.
"Be warned, my ghost fights tend to end up messy," Danny said.
"Let us worry about clean-up. You focus on Vlad," Albert dismissed Danny's concerns.
"I had covert operations cook us up some cover stories. Aside from Free Web on the stage, I will be acting as temporary security for the event. They managed to get me the post at the entry point, so I can wave you in since Vlad will most likely have informed his other security forces after your last visit," Kilstone piped up.
"And I am on the IT crew. My 'job' will be to ensure there are no technical issues during the event. I'll try and keep Overseer's adaptive software busy, but no promises," Farran added.
"Danny, Vlad will probably have you on a watch list as well, so you, Walker, and Skulker will be keeping watch from the air under cloak. Make sure you have eyes on everything," Albert guided.
"Easy enough," Danny replied.
"Is there a signal we should watch out for to let us know when it's time to brawl?" Skulker asked.
"When Vlad is either separated or when he transforms into his ghost form, that's the signal," Albert responded.
"We can handle that," Walker assured.
"If everyone knows their roles, we'll proceed with the mission," Albert concluded and the meeting was over.
Meanwhile, in a car being driven by his driver, Vlad and his PA were going over the final checklist for the demonstration of Overseer. Now that he knew Danny Phantom was here in this world, Vlad was accelerating the timetable. Truth be told, he wanted to wait, but he got the feeling that time was not on his side. He had to secure the presidency now, meddling ghost child or otherwise.
"We've finished the background checks on all staff at the demo, sir. They all check out," the PA informed.
"Are you sure? Free Web was able to waltz right in, not to mention Excalibur," Vlad double-checked, paranoia set to maximum.
"I did the checks myself in triplicate. The staff are clean," the PA assured. Vlad breathed a sigh of relief.
"Very good. Have we received payment from all the investors? The real ones?" Vlad inquired.
"All transactions have been confirmed, sir," the PA answered.
"Good. Have them in the front row. We don't want them to miss out on the show," Vlad instructed. The PA acknowledged the order and made the calls to arrange for the investors to be seated at the front. While she was doing that, Vlad took out a disc from his inside blazer pocket.
"Even if Overseer fails, I still have a back-up plan. True, it's only a concept, but I think, given the right tools and development, that it will do its job well," Vlad mused to himself and put the disc, labelled 'Project E.G.' back into his pocket.
Author's note: Sorry this chapter took so long. I hit a creative brick wall when writing this. I kept thinking that certain scenes were too long, and that character motivations were not handled well, etcetera, etcetera. I swear I am my own harshest critic. Next chapter will be the conclusion. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing, Nickelodeon and Butch Hartman own Danny Phantom. Enjoy.