Hello! Thanks to all those who reviewed or put this story on alert during the last chapter. I'm always so impressed that someone wants to read my little story that could. Not sure how I feel about this chapter, but hope it's worth the wait!
As he watched his family go, Phantom sighed in relief, before crying out in surprise as an ecto-blast hit him square in the chest. He tumbled through the air three times before stopping, floating up to glare at the source of the blast.
Vlad's hands were alight with pink ecto-energy, floating at eye level with the teen. "Very clever," he said condescendingly. "Letting your parents believe Danny Fenton is safe when in reality, he's just a duplicate so you can do what exactly? Play hero? Defeat me?" Vlad's eyebrow raised slightly. "Your plans are never this thought through; I must say, I'm impressed."
Phantom growled at the jab. "What gives Plasmius? We had a deal – I don't out your secret, you don't out mine." Phantom lunged through the air; fist raised, and aimed a punch directly at Vlad. The older hybrid stopped it, landing his own punch in Phantom's gut. The teen grunted, before rounding a kick to Vlad's midsection. The two half-ghosts separated, before sending blasts to one another.
"We had a stalemate, Daniel, not a deal," Vlad said, dodging the ecto-blast with ease. Vlad grinned wickedly as he noticed Phantom breathing hard. "I'm just calling your bluff. Tell me, do you still believe that they'll accept you for what you are?"
With a wordless roar, Phantom launched himself at Vlad. The two half-ghosts sent ecto-blasts at each other, exchanging them in succession. Phantom dodged each with some effort, before getting hit and thrown into a wall. He groaned softly as he tried to push himself up onto his hands and knees. Through his white hair, he noticed Plasmius' feet floating a few feet away from him.
"Admit it boy, they will never accept you." Vlad's voice echoed into the lab. "That's why you haven't come clean yet, why you insist on wasting your energy on these duplicates and why you won't win." Plasmius floated towards the downed teen and smirked. Phantom was shaking in strain, his jumpsuit ripped in a few places and a nasty bruise across his cheek. "And I haven't even shown you the best part." Plasmius waited until Phantom looked at him, the confusion and anger swimming in his green eyes, before he continued.
Plasmius snapped his fingers and the lab transformed. Three of the large computerized monitors opened to three containment pods hidden inside. The containment pods opened, and Phantom gasped in disgust and horror as three green ghosts walked towards him. Each were disfigured in some way but had sickening resemblances to the failed clones all those months ago "Not all of my research was destroyed. Once I acquire your mid-morph sample, I can create the perfect half-ghost son and you will be obsolete."
Dread filled Phantom as he looked at the new enemies. Where are you? He asked his human half, eyeing the new threats. He pushed himself upright as they charged at him. Phantom dodged all attacks thrown at him, making sure to keep Plasmius in his sights. The older half-ghost looked smugly at the teen, before adding himself back into the fray.
Just passed the study, his human half replied. Phantom vaguely recognized the hint of concern in the response.
Great. Phantom replied back. He cried out as one of the clones grabbed his ankle and threw him into the control panel of the containment cell. He cringed at the idea swirling around in his head. New plan – brace yourself and tell everyone to cover their ears. Phantom got up slowly, trying to bide some time as he glared at the four ghosts around him. "More clones? Geez Vlad, I don't know whether to be flattered or disturbed. How many more do you have?"
Plasmius chuckled darkly. "Like I would play my hand so openly," he chided.
It was Phantom's turn to chuckle. "Oh I know," he said confidently. "I just needed you to admit there were more of them." Phantom breathed deeply and let out his ghostly wail directly at the three clones. They disintegrated almost instantly. Phantom then turned to Plasmius' throwing him backwards through multiple walls. Once the threat was gone, Phantom directed his wail throughout the lab. Sparks flew through multiple computers and equipment, destroying them. Any containment pods hidden within machines exploded, destroying the clones within them. Once satisfied that was no more evidence of Vlad's research, Phantom dropped to the ground, stopping the wail and breathing hard. "Find…Fenton," he said out loud, voice raspy and hoarse as he fought to regain his breath. He turned invisible, leaving behind the destroyed lab.
:-=-:
"Cover your ears! Quickly!" Danny called out. He had three seconds to prepare before the sonic waves of the ghostly wail rumbled under their feet. Maddie and Jack covered their ears, wide eyed in alarm as they stood in front of the barricaded door. Sam went to Danny's side quickly- ears covered and worry filled eyes. She shared a concerned look with Tucker and Danielle before she looked at her friend twitching in her front of her.
Danny bit his lip harshly to keep from crying out in pain. He felt his core throb angrily at the abuse of his powers. His back arched against the wall, suddenly feeling all the fatigue and injuries his ghost half endured combining with the pain he went through distracting Vlad. The wail continued to rumble beneath their feet.
"Danny!" Sam hissed in concern. He shook his head in response.
"Not my call," he gritted out, fist curled in effort to control his body. The wail stopped, causing Danny's body to fall back harshly. Danny let out a small groan, his body doubling over in pain. Sam caught him by the shoulders, speaking low reassurances through his gasps for air. It took a few minutes before his breathing calmed down. Sam gently got him upright, leaning him against the wall once more. His brow was covered in a thin layer of sweat as his half lidded eyes focused onto the worried lilac ones of his friend. "I'm…" he started breathlessly, but Sam cut him off.
"Don't you dare say you're okay or fine," Sam told him sternly, her hands holding his face to focus his attention to her words.
"No," he replied quietly. "Sam," he swallowed thickly, his body shuddering slightly in pain. "I can't… this… something's wrong."
Sam frowned worriedly, watching Danny's form shudder in front of her. A large bruise started to form on the left side of his face. He closed his eyes, scrunching tightly as another ripple of pain went through him.
Just then, Phantom burst through the floor, crashing down in front of the group with a grunt. His breathing was erratic, his dishevelled appearance and injuries only enhanced by the dim glow of his ghostly aura.
"Danny!" Danielle cried out, running to the ghost's aid. His green eyes dimly found her blue ones and found guilt consume him as she steadied him upright.
"Thanks," he said softly, scanning the room. Sam was looking anxiously between his human half and his ghost half, Tucker gaped at him and both Maddie and Jack stared at him dumbfounded. His human half was breathing shallowly, his eyes closed and clearly in pain. Phantom sighed, his eyes also closing as if to take inventory on his body. They stood in silence, the sounds of erratic breathing breaking the tension.
Maddie looked at the ghost boy, taking in his injured appearance. A wave of concern flickered through her as she watched Phantom become more composed. His form started to look less solid than it did before the fight. "What was that," Maddie asked finally, violet eyes wide with curiosity. Phantom opened his eyes slightly to see her worried face staring at him.
"I call it my ghostly wail," Phantom stated, voice hoarse. He faltered a bit and Danielle tightened her grip on him. "It's one of my strongest attacks - takes a toll on my energy levels though."
Jack smiled grimly. "I gathered," he said, looking the ghost boy over. Guilt bubbled in his chest as he noticed some of the burns on his arm and the memories of vowing to hunt him down coming to mind. "Will you be alright?"
"Eventually," Phantom replied. He turned his head towards his human half, who still had his eyes closed. Phantom frowned. "Sorry, I wouldn't have used it if I had another choice. The good news is that I destroyed the lab; any additional research he gained should be destroyed." He felt Danielle bristle beside him; he couldn't look at her.
"Wait," Tucker said with wide eyes. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
"He created more clones, didn't he?" Danielle asked harshly, cutting off Phantom's response. She felt the teen stiffen, answering her question. She sighed heavily. "Were they at least mindless?"
"Yeah," he answered apologetically. She swallowed thickly before nodding. Phantom once again turned to his human half; Fenton was looking straight at him with half lidded blue eyes, asking silent questions about the fight downstairs. "You feel it too, don't you?"
Fenton nodded. "You need to go back," he said faintly, cryptic with his words. Sam moved closer to him in concern. "Using the wail while being so far away from Amity; it's taking a toll on your core."
Phantom frowned. "You need to tell them," he said, eyes darting to the ghost hunters. He saw the confusion in their eyes and the distrust starting to creep across their faces.
"No. Not now." Fenton replied firmly, eyes also moving to his parents before answering.
Phantom sighed. "They deserve to know," The ghost replied, his echoing voice firm and direct. The ghost's aura started to dim and his body turned translucent. Phantom pushed up from Danielle's arms, not noticing the concerned look on her face, before moving in front of his human half and Sam. She sent him a reassuring smile, before looking back at Danny Fenton. "Better from us than from Vlad."
"Phantom!" Maddie exclaimed, gaining his attention. He looked towards her as she gestured to his body. Phantom looked down at his translucent hand, watching himself disappear and sighed.
"I wish I could help more," he said bitterly, eyes moving back to Fenton's. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, you helped us out down there," Jack said gently, pulling away the ghost's gaze. "You managed to protect our son, fight off almost every duplicate, allowed us to escape and destroyed the evil ghost's lab." Jack smiled, indicating his acceptance for the ghost. "You're alright, ghost boy."
Phantom smiled at the praise. He looked towards his human half with a guarded expression. "Good luck, Fenton," he said, giving a small salute with his index finger and disappeared from view.
Danny, now whole again, groaned as he felt the true damage to his ghost core. His eyes closed as he adjusted to the second set of memories and paled.
"Danny?" Sam questioned in concern. "What is it?"
He swallowed thickly, feeling a flurry of movement around him as Tucker, Danielle and his parents came to join him. He shook his head slightly, before opening his eyes again to look into the worried faces of the group before him. "How did you guys get out?" he asked, ignoring Sam's question.
Sam rolled her eyes at the change in subject but answered him all the same. "Dairy King found us and let us out. He said Plasmius had you in that containment cell for a few hours."
Danny hummed in response, frowning in thought. He pushed himself into a more comfortable sitting position, wincing as his body ached with movement. "How long have we been here then? Better yet, what time is it?"
"At least the middle of the night," Tucker replied. "If Jazz is on her way, she should be in a couple hours."
"Great," he replied dryly, wincing again as he moved his hand to his chest. "We need to avoid Plasmius, get out of his mansion and hope Jazz gets here sooner rather than later. We can't afford another battle with Vlad."
"Speaking of battles," Jack started, beaming down at his son. "That was some great shooting there Danny! The way you managed to hit Plasmius to immobilize him and managed to avoid Phantom with such ease! Glad to see you taking after your old man!"
Danny chuckled softly at his father's excitement. "I've had some practice," he said with a small smile. His smile dropped as he caught his mother's disapproving gaze beside him. "Besides, we couldn't just leave you down there – Phantom can hold his own but with him using his core powers like that… there was no way to know how long he would last."
Maddie opened her mouth to ask one of her many questions, but quickly closed it to observe her son instead. He was regaining his bearings slightly, but she noted the raw bruises around his wrists, the way he continued to wince as if electricity continued to move through him, the small cuts up and down his arms, the bruise on his face and the small beads of sweat from exertion. Whatever Plasmius did to him, it was affecting him more than he let on.
"Okay, spill," Tucker said, breaking Maddie from her musing. The teen pointed an accusatory finger to Danny, almost daring him to avoid the question. "What are core powers? Why is Phantom using them and why are they affecting him like that?"
Danny sighed resignedly. "Plasmius mentioned them," he said. "He said core powers are when ghosts use the energy from their deaths to create powerful attacks. Phantom has been using them without knowing it all day." Danny paused, frowning. "Except, I don't think that's all of it."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked. Danny made an attempt to move, wincing slightly. She helped him settle before he continued.
"Plasmius said core powers are raw and unpredictable – they attack through the ghost's obsession," he said slowly. "Except… only one of Phantom's powers is that raw and unpredictable."
Tucker groaned. "Why does everything revolve around that one power!" he exclaimed.
Danny shrugged. "Either way, when he's here, Phantom's powers are more powerful, but come at a cost. If Phantom uses his core powers, according to Plasmius, he relives his death."
"If he relives his death, that means y – Oh!" Sam exclaimed with wide eyes. She locked eyes with Tucker before moving to Danny's. "Oh," she said softly, finally understanding what Danny was trying to say.
He nodded. "But that's where Plasmius' theory doesn't make sense. His core powers aren't just one power, its multiple - his core powers strengthen his regular powers without reliving death."
"Yeah," Tucker agreed, "Phantom managed to use shields, ecto-blasts – hell, he used his wail! How can he do that without… you know…"
Danny sighed. "I don't know," he said. The group was quiet, letting the information sink in. Danny relaxed into the silence, thankful that he could take more inventory of his powers. The fight with Vlad weakened him more than he cared to say, and was dealing with feelings of both anxiety and fatigue as after effects of the containment cell.
"Danny," Maddie said softly, breaking the peace. "How do you know all this?"
Before he could answer, Danielle cut across. Her voice was gentle, but held a presence of confidence and command. "Danny… I think it's time."
Tucker and Sam both turned sympathetically towards Danny as he sighed again. "I can't," he whispered, distraught. He turned to his parents, both wide eyed and hopeful, and guilt consumed him. "Mom, Dad, I really want to tell you everything. I do – more than you can ever know. But with Vlad out there and Phantom weakened, we can't – I can't – have you finding out like this. Not here. Not because of him. Please." Sam placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly, stopping his rant.
"We got your back," Tucker said supportively.
Danny smiled gratefully toward his best friends before returning his attention to his parents. "Mom, I said I would explain more when we got out of here; I promise you that I will. Don't worry about what is going on with Phantom and how I know. Let's just focus on how to get far away from here and have Jazz find us. I - "
"Danny, breathe," Maddie said soothingly. Danny stopped and looked at his mother with apprehension. She moved closer to reassure him. "You're right – let's prioritize before we tackle the big stuff. Do you think you can keep moving? We're dealing with a ghost here, so barricading the door isn't really a safe option."
Danny frowned in thought for a moment. Steeling himself, he pushed himself off the ground and attempted to stand. He managed to stand for a second while holding the wall, before his knees gave in and started to fall. He shot a grateful look to Sam as she caught him, before going back to his original position.
"That's a no," Jack said flatly, frowning in concern as Danny closed his eyes again.
"I'm okay," Danny said softly. He opened his eyes and turned to his parents. Maddie had an eyebrow raised daring him to say those words again. "More or less okay. I'll be able to move in a few minutes."
Maddie and Jack locked eyes with each other, both questioning on their next steps with their son injured. Sam and Tucker also locked eyes with each other, concerned for their friend. Danielle, however, sighed heavily.
"Well, we might as well do some recon," she said. She dusted her shorts off and stretched out her hands, shaking them slightly. "You stay here – I'll check out the next few rooms and figure out how to get out of here." Before anyone could protest, the girl vanished in front of them.
Maddie blinked before breaking the silence. "Did she just… turn invisible?"
Danny sighed tiredly, closing his eyes once more. He laid his head against the wall, and waited.
:-=-:
Ethelwulf growled at the screen. He flipped backwards again, landing on all four paws and black leathery wings shooting out of his back rigidly. His wolf like snout became more animalistic, teeth sharper and fur starting to stand on end.
"Are you alright?" Frostbite asked tentatively, watching the ghost warily.
"No," Ethelwulf snapped. Thunder rumbled outside the tower, flashes of green lightening illuminating the room full of time medallions and a battered old thermos sitting forgotten on a table. Yellow ecto-energy whipped at the ghost's feet as his yellow eyes scanned the room. Frostbite frowned, looking at his companion's display with reservation. "Clockwork," Ethelwulf muttered darkly.
The time ghost, to his credit, appeared promptly. In his child form, he raised an eyebrow at Ethelwulf's anger, red eyes exasperated at the sight. "I would appreciate if you stopped your tantrum," he said calmly. "This tower holds threats much larger to existence than your ability to manipulate raw energy into a hurricane."
Ethelwulf growled at Clockwork's words, angry yellow eyes meeting serene red ones. "You assured us that Danny Phantom would be safe. This isn't safe Clockwork! The more he uses his core powers, the more he's endangering himself!" More ecto-energy whipped at his feet. "We have no idea how raw energy affects a half-ghost. Let me help him!"
"No," Clockwork replied firmly. "At least, not yet. Everything is as it should be. Danny can get through this."
Frostbite, finally deciding to make a move, walked over to Clockwork. He turned to Ethelwulf with narrow eyes and held his large ice arm out towards the angry wolf ghost. "I trust Clockwork," the yeti leader replied. "If he believes that the Great One will get through this, then I will too. You must calm down friend, or I will be forced to defend the tower with my might."
When Ethelwulf made no move to reign in his powers, Clockwork sighed heavily. "Time Out," he announced, a wave of energy emitting from his small staff. It rippled throughout the tower, freezing both ghosts in their tracks and stopping any type of energy from forming around them. Both ghosts blinked through their frozen forms, watching as Clockwork floated in between them. "That's enough," he said with finality. He turned to Ethelwulf first, watching the raw energy starting to disappear and his yellow eyes lose some ferociousness. "Danny is stronger than you give him credit for. You've seen how he handles these powers without knowing the truth about them. We cannot interfere. We must let the events play out before we start manipulating time – otherwise time will fall apart." He turned to Frostbite next. "You both will play a part in his story, but not now. His powers are growing, and will need guidance from people who have honed their skills to help him control them. Between his ice core and the Ecto-storm, he will need much guidance in the future."
Both Frostbite and Ethelwulf looked from Clockwork to each other, finally seeing each other for the first time as powerful allies rather than casual onlookers. Clockwork, seeing the tension resolve moved his staff again. "Time in," he said quietly, another wave of energy moving through the tower. Both ghosts relaxed, all the fight gone from the both of them. Clockwork floated over to Etelwulf, whose wings were less rigid and settled neatly against his back. "Your powers, as well as your knowledge of healing, will be needed soon. Be patient, old friend," Clockwork said quietly.
"Healing?" Frostbite inquired, frowning in confusion. Ethelwulf sighed. Instead of replying, he somersaulted in the air three times, before hitting the ground once more. In the place of his normal animal appearance stood a human-like figure, with pale white skin and dark yellow-brown eyes. His black hair was peppered with white, and held a pair of glasses on his head. A large white doctor's coat hung from his body, with a stethoscope around his neck. Frostbite could still sense the power the ghost had within him, but from first glance he looked like a human.
"I told you, I met the boy once before," Ethelwulf told the stunned ghost. His voice did not hold any of his ghostly echo. "I come from a species of ghosts who have the ability to shift their appearances. When you are old as I am, you tend to get bored in the Ghost Zone, so I use this ability to blend in the human world. I've learned quite a bit about them. Decided to go into medicine about 50 years ago on Clockwork's insistence after the second human world war. I had already learned much about ghost anatomy but figured it was something to do to pass the time. Humans are so fascinating, especially with how their bodies work. Bones, organs – it's a completely different field of study!" The ghost paused, turning to the time guardian with a grim smile on his face. "I see why you insisted now. With the appearance of three halfas, someone needs to know how to help them." Ethelwulf turned back to Frostbite, who still continued to gape. "When this boy got injured a few months ago, Clockwork requested that I go to the hospital to help him. The humans needed to be kept in the dark after all – the less they know about halfas the better - but I was able to help him through his recovery without alerting anyone to his true self."
Frostbite closed his mouth and made his way back to the time glass showing the events of the present. "The Great One is truly remarkable, isn't he?" he whispered in awe. The yeti turned towards Clockwork again. "Does he really not know what he holds inside him?"
The question lingered in the air, the events unfolding on the time glass the only noises being made. Ethelwulf changed appearances again, back into the large black winged wolf. His long slender tail dangled gracefully behind him as he floated into the air, lounging as he looked at the screen with anxiety and worry.
Clockwork shifted into his adult form, looking at the ghosts in front of him to the group of humans on the screen. "Everything is as it should be." Behind him, the thermos on the table rattled.
:-=-:
Danielle poked her head through the wall, looking both ways before smiling. "We're clear!" she exclaimed, walking through the wall and made it intangible. Sam walked through first, her ecto-blaster at the ready, followed by Tucker supporting Danny, Maddie and Jack. Tucker helped his friend over the wall and set him down gently. Danny closed his eyes tiredly, making Tucker frown in concern.
Danielle had returned quickly, telling them of their intended path, before they moved rooms. The problem was the amount of time Danny needed to rest in between moving. This was the third room they made it to, and Danny only looked marginally better. Tucker didn't dare asking if he was okay; Danny's mood soured as soon as he realized he needed help moving around. Sam and Danny had bickered about how 'fine' he actually was about 6 times now in the last hour.
Tucker looked over his friend once more, before moving to help the rest of the group secure the room. Maddie glanced over to her son, frowning, as she made her way over to him. She sat herself down beside him quietly, just taking in his appearance, as she tried to work up what to say. Feeling her presence, Danny opened his eyes and looked at her, confused.
"Mom?" he questioned softly. Maddie sighed softly and brought her hand to his face. He winced slightly as she inspected the bruise on his cheek.
"That's looking a lot better," she said. She looked at him with a small smile. "It might not be visible in a few hours."
"Yeah, I heal pretty fast," Danny said quickly, looking slightly uncomfortable. He shifted awkwardly out of her grasp.
Maddie frowned, but moved her hand away from her son. She could tell that he was trying to hide something from her and she sighed again, ignoring her own hurt. "How did that happen anyway?"
To her surprise, Danny chuckled. "I called him a fruitloop – a crazy, messed, obsessed fruitloop." He winced slightly as he moved to sit a little more comfortably. "We needed the distraction and honestly I couldn't help it. He just is."
"Danny," Maddie scolded playfully. She sighed, a gentle smile appearing on her lips as she shook her head in disbelief. They sat in a more comfortable silence after that. Maddie watched as Danny's demeanour changed again, this time clearly very worried.
"What is it?" Maddie asked gently. Startled out of his thoughts, Danny turned to her confused. "There's something troubling you sweetie, isn't there?"
Danny shook his head, frowning. "There are a lot of things troubling me," he confessed softly. His eyes found Danielle and his frown deepened. Maddie followed his gaze.
"You're worried about Danielle?" she asked. "About her powers making her unstable?"
Danny nodded. "Out of all the clones Plasmius created, she was the most stable. But I've seen what these powers can do to her if she uses too much. And to know that he made more of them, just to use them as pawns to create what he wants," Danny paused, shaking his head in disgust. "I know she's capable of handling herself, but against Plasmius? He doesn't care about her survival; she could destabilize and I have no idea how I could save her. She never asked for this… she deserves to have a normal life."
Maddie looked at the young girl in pity; she had barely acknowledged the girl in more than a temporary ally. To hear her story and see her trying so hard to save them made a protectiveness swell up within the mother. She looked back at her son. "Danielle's strong," she said confidently. "I'm sure she'll be okay, especially with you looking out for her." Danny didn't seem reassured by that statement. She sighed, and chose to look around the room. This one was decorated heavily in green and gold, but had no furniture within it. Maddie frowned as she remembered something. "Danny?" she asked tentatively.
"Hmm?" he hummed, still deep in thought.
"You and Phantom…" she started slowly. Maddie noticed right away when her son tensed, looking straight at her with wide eyes. "You and Phantom… you figured out that we were in Wisconsin right? Not Colorado?" Danny's alarmed expression changed to confusion, but nodded nonetheless. "It was bugging me because I felt like I knew what the connection was. I think I figured it out."
"What connection?" Danny asked, still confused but looked very uncomfortable. Maddie was almost sure he would lie again.
"You interchange Plasmius and Vlad often," Maddie continued. Danny stiffened in response. "We're in Vlad Masters' mansion… aren't we?"
Danny did not reply. He looked at her with wide eyes, confusion and surprise donned on his face.
"You don't have to answer," Maddie told him softly. She swallowed, not quite believing what she was saying but knowing it was true. "Does Vlad know that Plasmius uses his labs?" Danny continued to stare at her. Maddie sighed, "We need to tell your father."
"No," Danny said finally, quickly grabbing his mother's hand. "Mom, we can't tell him."
Maddie frowned, confused. "Sweetie, if Vlad is involved –"
"Then it would destroy him," Danny replied softly. "Vlad's his best friend Mom. Remember when we got stuck in the Rockies and you told me to keep Vlad's creepy love for you a secret because Dad would get jealous? It's not just that he'd get jealous; it would destroy a friendship that he's worked so long to resolve. We can't tell Dad… not until I tell you both a couple things first okay?"
Maddie looked at her son in both confusion and pride. "Okay," she agreed with a small smile.
At that moment, Jack and the teens came up towards them. Danny sighed and resignedly tried to stand. He grabbed the wall forcefully, stumbling slightly, but managed to pull himself upright.
"Danny," Maddie warned, standing abruptly and moved toward him if he fell.
"I'm good," he reassured. Sam made a move to argue but Tucker nudged her and she fell silent. Danny saw her face and smiled at her. "Really, I'm feeling better."
"Good," Danielle said grimly, "Because things are about to get complicated."
Danny frowned. "What's wrong?"
"There's no cover between here and the exit," Danielle explained. "From here, we basically go out that door into the parlour, through the foyer and outside."
"From what you've told us Danny, there's some forest cover but not for about half a mile," Tucker added with a frown. "Meaning we have to get there in one go."
"All while avoiding Plasmius," Sam concluded. "We've been lucky so far, but I don't think he'll be thrilled about that last fight."
"Right," Danny agreed. He closed his eyes and sighed. There was no way that he could split himself again – while Plasmius blasting his core with ecto-energy helped him regain some energy, using anything outside of his ghost half felt like he was running a marathon. If he wanted to use any powers, he would need to transform. "Okay," he said softly, resolved. "Let's get the hell out of here."
With one last look of concern directed at Danny, the group picked up their weapons and opened the door. Danielle went in first, invisible, to check their surroundings. Once the coast was clear, she became visible again and signalled for the group to continue. Danny, Sam and Tucker ran through first, followed by the Fentons.
"There," Danny pointed across the hall to a large door on the other side. Maddie vaguely recognized it as the room where their college reunion took place. "We need to-"
"Do what exactly?" Plasmius' snide voice cut him off as he materialized into the middle of the parlour, blocking their exit. Plasmius' face betrayed no emotion as he locked eyes with the surprised ones of Danny Fenton. Jack moved past Sam and Tucker to block Danny from view. Maddie raised her blaster at the ready, as did her husband, waiting for Plasmius to attack. "Oh please, you both are less a threat than your son. Though really, it's not by much."
Danny growled behind his father. "And yet I've managed to kick your butt a few times!" he shot back, pushing against his father to let him through. Jack held him back, but did not take his eyes off the ghost.
Plasmius' eyes narrowed, smiling cruelly. "A few battles, Daniel, not the war. Tell me – how'd your parents react to my little experiment hmm? A half-ghost? Did they accept her with open arms? If only they saw what you could really do?"
Sam turned to Danielle as the girl's eyes narrowed darkly, the anger almost radiating off her. She and Tucker exchanged concerned glances before looking toward Danny. Neither half ghost stood a chance against Vlad right now.
Danny paled drastically, giving more Vlad an opening to continue.
"Nothing to say?" he goaded. "No little quip or comeback? Pity, I hoped that you would make this interesting."
"Don't listen to him Danny," Jack said quickly. "He's trying to provoke you."
Danny couldn't help but listen. Is this it? He asked himself, looking down at his hands in utter agony. Here they were, cornered by his arch-enemy, with the only way out being to reveal his secret… and he couldn't bring himself to do it. He looked at both of his parents, torn by the fierce love they showed for him and their curiosity of his skills. Is this the moment they find out?
"Shut up Vlad!" Danielle yelled to her creator. All eyes turned to her. Her eyes were green with rage.
"Danielle, no!" Danny exclaimed worriedly. She smiled at him.
"It's okay Danny," she said softly. "I don't need to hide anything; you shouldn't have to make this choice."
"Neither do you!" he begged. "Please, there has to be –"
"Another way?" she supplied wryly. "I am the 'another way' cuz." She walked past Sam and Tucker confidently, before standing directly in front of Danny. "I'll hold him hold him back for as long as I can, you all get through that door and get as far away as you can go. I'll meet you in the forest when I can."
Maddie turned to the girl, her ecto-gun lowering slightly. "Be careful," she said worriedly. She moved toward Danny quickly, pulling him back as he tried to stop Danielle.
"Really?" Plasmius said sarcastically. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "What is one unstable little clone going to do hmm? Throw goop at me? You only existed to serve me."
Danielle glared at the ghost in front of her, finally pushing past Jack, Maddie and Danny to stand in front of them. Her eyes returned to her normal as she crossed her arms dramatically. "I've said it before, Plasmius," she said darkly. "You are not the boss of me!" Two rings of white light appeared around her chest, splitting apart slowly. Her blue sweatshirt was replaced by a long sleeved crop top of silver and black and the red shorts and blue sneakers turned into black and silver slacks with white boots. Her left hand was covered with a white glove while her right was black. The logo that Phantom wore on his chest was prominently displayed on her chest. Her blue eyes turned green and her hair turned white. Silence descended onto the group as the two ghosts stared each other down.
Maddie gasped in shock, releasing her hold of her son. Sam and Tucker gaped at the girl in front of her before grabbing Danny's arm to pull him away. Danny was lost for words, guilt consuming him.
Jack blinked. "I did not see that coming!" he exclaimed, breaking the silence and the stupor of the group.
Reviews welcomed and appreciated. Thanks for reading - MATW