Welcome back, phans!
Surprised to see me again so soon? Don't be. I don't wanna talk about it. But enough about me! On with the story!
Ver. 1.0.2 (1/3/20)
Update (1.0.1): Minor grammatical errors fixed.
Update (1.0.2): Grammatical errors fixed.
Standard Disclaimer, I do not own Danny Phantom, but I do feel that a vast majority of fanfic stories here should be made into actual episodes… specifically mine. Because I'm selfish. But we could use other stories too. Okay, let's begin the episode.
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It was noon and Valerie Gray was busy working out in her room of the apartment she and her father were still living in. She was practicing her taekwondo on a punching bag as she reflected on everything that had happened in the past year.
"Cut it out, you stupid mutt!" Danny shouted at Cujo, trying to stop him from wreaking havoc at Axion Labs.
"Stand back everyone," said Damon Gray, "This state-of-the-art security system can stop anything!"
Cujo dragged Danny around, destroying the labs. The security system did nothing to the ghost dog and the half-ghost as they easily turned intangible and phased through the net fired upon them. Instead, it trapped Valerie, her father, and his boss.
"Except a pasty-faced teenager," his boss growled.
"I'm fired, aren't I?"
"You're not just fired, you're ruined."*
Valerie was now jumping rope; taking a quick break to wipe sweat from her forehead before beginning again.
"'Heard about your recent ghost troubles'," Valerie read aloud, "'Hope this will help. Vlad.' Don't know who you are, Vlad, but if this thing does what I think it does, I can't say that I care."
She picked up the pistol inside and accidentally fired it.
"Valerie!?" her father called out.
"I'm okay!" she replied.*
Valerie was jogging around her neighborhood as evening slowly approached. She stopped at the step of her apartment to catch her breath. As she wiped her forehead, she looked up and saw Danny Phantom flying across the sky, chasing the Box Ghost.
"I mean, I've had a lot of fun these last few days, but my life's way too complicated right now for us to be anything other than… friends," she told Danny.
"Just… friends?" he repeated, sounding disappointed, "B-b-but I thought…"
"I thought so too," Valerie said sadly, "But there's something important I have to do, and I don't want you to get hurt because of it. Besides, it's not like you were going to give me some lame class ring, right?"
She leaned over and kissed Danny's cheek.**
Valerie entered her apartment, walking past her father, who was busy with financials at the dinner table.
"Hey, sweetie."
"Hi, daddy," she replied, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, "How was work today?"
"It was good," he replied, "You know, even after all these months, I'm still amazed and grateful Mayor Masters gave me my old job back at the labs."
"Gee, I wonder why," Valerie muttered to herself before sipping her water.
"What was that, Valerie?"
"Uh, nothing! I was just saying that it wouldn't have happened if Vladco hadn't taken over Axion Labs. I'm grateful for him as well."
"Just a couple more months and we'll be financially set once again," her father announced as he finished the last of the bills.
Valerie finished her water and went to her room. She looked over and glared at a photo of Vlad Masters nailed to the wall.
"Mayor Masters?" Valerie called out as she made her way back inside Vlad's Manor.
"Disappeared!" Vlad exclaimed, "We were so close, if only we'd managed to melt that little brat down!"
"Is that Plasmius?" Valerie asked as she peaked around some rubble she hid behind.
"And who knew Valerie would be so easy to fool?" Vlad Masters continued before transforming into Vlad Plasmius, "'Trapping' me in the closet. Oh, ingenious! For a smart girl, she's very easily led."
The Red Huntress was speechless at the revelation before her. She turned and flew off on her board before Vlad could see her.
"Vlad Masters is Vlad PLASMIUS!?" Valerie exclaimed once she was outside, "Phantom was right all along! And all this time I've been doing his dirty work! Well, not anymore. Better watch out, Vlad… 'cause one of the ghosts I'm hunting now is you!"***
Valerie grabbed a dart off her desk and threw it at the photo, nailing Vlad directly between the eyes.
"Your days are numbered, Plasmius," Valerie said angrily, "Just you wait."
*Cue Intro*
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Danny Phantom in: The Enemy of My Enemy (Episode 55)
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The next day, Danny, Tucker, and Sam were walking down the sidewalk heading for the Nasty Burger.
"Sure is nice to have a day where we have no worries," said Tucker.
"Heh-heh. Yeah, tell me about it," Danny chuckled, "With six weeks left until school starts again, we need to make the best with the time we have left."
"Any ideas of what we should do today?" Sam asked them, "I've got nothing."
"Yeah, me neither," said Tucker as they began to turn around the corner of a building.
"We could-"
*Wham*
Danny and an unseen individual walked into each other and fell on their rears.
"Ow," Danny moaned, rubbing his forehead, "Sorry about that, I didn't see you there."
"No, I'm sorry. I was distracted… Danny?"
As Danny got up to his feet, he looked up and saw that the person he walked into was Valerie Gray.
"Valerie?"
"Wow, what a way to run into your ex," Tucker quipped, "Literally."
Sam smirked at Tucker's joke as Danny offered Valerie a hand up.
"Thanks," she said as she took his hand and was helped up to her feet, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Uh, yeah, it sure has," Danny replied, "So… what's up?"
"Eh, nothing much," Valerie answered, "Still living in that apartment with my dad, but we should be able to live someplace nicer in a few months."
"That's great to hear," said Tucker, "Is nice to see that you and your dad have managed to rise up after hitting rock bottom."
"Thanks, Tucker," said Valerie, "Where are you guys headed?"
"We're not really sure," said Danny, "But since we bumped into you, how about we grab a bite at the mall and catch up some more?"
Sam started getting jealous.
"Uh, Danny? We-"
"Really?" Valerie exclaimed, accidentally interrupting Sam.
"No-" Sam began to say.
"Why, of course you can!" Tucker exclaimed, smirking at Sam's displeasure, "We're all friends here, so why not?"
Sam glared at Tucker.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
A few minutes later, the gang was at the Amity Park Mall, having drinks and talking about recent activities as they sat around a table.
"It's nice hanging out with you guys," said Valerie, "We haven't even talked since summer break began."
"It has been a couple months," said Sam.
"Aside from saving Danielle last month," Danny said under his breath.
"So…" said Valerie, "Anything else happening?"
"Not really," said Danny, "I mean, I help my parents around the lab, but nothing special."
Valerie looked at Sam and smirked.
"Have you been seeing anyone recently?" Valerie asked Danny, causing him to faintly blush.
"What? N-no… not at the moment."
"Oh, really?" Valerie asked with a raised brow, "You're not dating anyone?"
She leaned over the table a little as Sam took another sip of her drink.
"Like a certain goth girl?" she teased, "Sitting right next to you?"
Sam's eyes widened and she did a spit-take.
"WHAT!?" Sam shrieked.
"We're not dating!" she and Danny exclaimed at the same time.
Tucker deadpanned at Sam as remnants of her drink dripped off his face.
"Thanks, Sam."
"Oops, uh, sorry, Tucker," Sam apologized with a nervous smile.
Valerie laughed.
"Oh, man, you guys sure know how to make someone laugh," she said as she wiped a tear from her eye and handed Tucker a napkin, "Seriously, though, are you two dating?"
"No!" they exclaimed.
"Hmm… interesting," said Valerie.
"What?" Danny asked.
"Nothing," said Valerie, "I'm just surprised you two haven't hooked up yet."
"Danny and I are just friends," said Sam, "That's it."
"Really?" Valerie asked, "You two sure seem like your more than friends."
Danny sighed.
"Look, Valerie, Sam's right; we're just-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Danny's ghost sense went off.
"Uh, could you hold that thought, please?" he asked, "I need to, uh, go do something really quick."
The others watched as Danny got up and ran into a jewelry store.
"Are you two really not dating?" Valerie asked Sam, who glared at her, "I mean, why else would he go into a jewelry store?"
Suddenly, people started screaming outside the mall and running away.
"I wonder what's going on," said Tucker.
"I think I see what," Sam said, pointing up in the air.
The teens looked up and saw three ghost vultures wearing red fezzes phase through the window before turning tangible. The birds floated in the air, flapping their wings as they looked around.
"'ey, you two see her anywhere?" one of them asked.
"Not yet, but we'll keep looking," said another.
"I don't know about you guys, but my eyesight isn't what it used to be," said the third.
"You've had that same excuse for the past two thousand years!" the first vulture exclaimed.
Valerie glanced around for a moment.
"Hey, it was nice catching up with you guys," she told Tucker and Sam, "but I just remembered that I have something important to do."
She took off to another part of the mall.
"Tell Danny it was nice to see him again and that I hope we do this again sometime!" she shouted over her shoulder before disappearing into a deli shop.
Valerie ran into the back and sighed in relief when she noticed that all the workers had run off. Pink energy surrounded her as she mentally summoned her advanced suit on her body. Ready for action, the Red Huntress hopped in the air, summoned her board under her feet, and flew off to face the vulture ghosts.
"Maybe she's not here," said one of the vultures, "You sure you saw her heading this way?"
Suddenly, a metal hook grabbed the vulture's talon. The three birds followed the cable to Valerie's right wrist. With a smirk, she electrocuted the ghost bird, causing it to convulse in the air for a moment before its slightly charred body fell to the ground.
"That ghost hunter!" the second vulture exclaimed.
"One down, two to go," Valerie smirked as she retracted her hook.
"Don't worry, I have an idea," said the third vulture, "You fly towards her while I get her from behind."
The second vulture nodded and darted towards Valerie while the third one turned invisible and flew around to get behind her. As the vulture closed in on Valerie, she mentally summoned her hand blaster on top of her hand and fired a purple ghost ray at the it. The attack hit the vulture and slammed it against the wall.
"Two down," said Valerie.
She lowered her hand and began looking around.
"Now, where's the last one?" she asked aloud.
Behind her, the last vulture reappeared and began flying towards her. Before the vulture could do anything, a green ghost ray came from the side and hit him.
"Huh?" Valerie exclaimed, watching the ghost vulture fly into a nearby store.
"Need a hand?"
Valerie turned around and saw Danny Phantom floating nearby.
"Not really, Phantom," she told him, "I've got this under control."
The three vultures regroup in the air and dove down together towards Valerie. The ghost hunter turned to face the vultures and fired the board's dart thrower, sending dozens of dark pink darts at the avian ghosts. The alarmed vultures tried to skid to a halt in the air but were too late and were bombarded by the attack. Danny watched the vultures fall to the ground.
"Like I said," said Valerie, "I've got it under control."
"Oh, do you, my dear?" said a familiar voice.
Danny and Valerie looked up and saw Vlad Plasmius floating above them. Tucker and Sam, who were hiding around a corner, poked their heads out and saw him.
"Vlad?" Tucker and Sam said in surprise.
"Plasmius," the Red Huntress growled before she aimed her hand blaster at the villain and fired.
Vlad grinned and held out a hand, summoning an ecto-energy shield construct that deflected the ghost rays back at Valerie and Danny. Valerie stopped firing and she and Danny flew out of the way. Vlad relinquished the construct and flew down towards Valerie. He held out his hands in an attempt to grab her. He only got halfway to Valerie before Danny flew up from under and uppercut him. Vlad went up and fell to the ground, right on top of his vulture minions.
"Offer still stands," Danny said over his shoulder to Valerie.
Vlad got back up and glared down at the birds.
"Get up and find that girl!" he ordered, causing the vultures to move their rears and return to their search.
Vlad turned back to Danny and Valerie and flew towards them.
"No thanks," said Valerie, "This guy is mine."
She began her approach towards Vlad.
"You can have the crony birds!" she shouted to Danny as she and Vlad began firing ghost rays at each other.
Danny looked down and saw two of the vulture ghosts flying towards him. He glared at them and fired two ghost rays from his hands. Nearby, Tucker and Sam remained out of sight as they kept an eye on Danny and Valerie, in case either of them needed help. The third vulture phased through the ground behind them and saw them. He turned tangible and grabbed Sam's arms.
"Hey!" Sam shouted as she struggled, "Let go of me, you crazy old bird!"
"Boss!" the vulture shouted, trying to lift Sam into the air but being anchored by Tucker holding one of the talons, "I found the girl!"
Danny turned his attention to his friends.
"Sam!" he exclaimed.
Danny started flying over to help her, but the two vultures flew in his way.
"Where do you think you're going, ghost boy?" the first one asked.
Danny grabbed the two ghost vultures by their necks and slammed their heads together. He then released the dazed birds and let them fall as he went over to help Sam. The vulture was still trying to lift Sam off the ground but was not succeeding. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face Danny.
*BAM*
Danny punched the vulture in the face, making him release Sam, and sent him into a wall.
"Thanks, Danny," said Sam.
"No problem," he replied, "You two should get some place safe and leave Vlad to me and Valerie."
"Okay," said Tucker, "Stay safe, dude."
Danny turned around and flew into the air to join the battle as Tucker and Sam began to leave the mall. Meanwhile, Vlad dodged another of Valerie's attacks and noticed the teens running off.
"Of course those useless avian dolts would mess up," he muttered, "Must I always do things myself?"
Vlad turned back to Valerie and glared at her. As Valerie readied her wrist cannon, Vlad duplicated himself so that there were now four Vlads in front of her, making her confused. The four Vlads launched themselves towards her. She took aim at the left middle one and fired, but realized it was a clone when it vanished upon being hit. She fired two more times, but only hit clones. The real Vlad grabbed her wrist and shocked her using the Ghost Stinger.
"AAAIIIGGHH!"
"Valerie!" Danny exclaimed.
Her body went limp and Vlad released her, causing her to fall towards the ground. Danny raced after Valerie and caught her before she hit the ground. Once she was safely in his arms, her suit vanished. With Danny distracted, Vlad flies after Tucker and Sam. The two teens were looking over their shoulders as they ran outside. When they looked forward, they stopped dead in their tracks before Vlad.
"Going somewhere?" he asked them.
Before they could react, Vlad grabbed Sam by her wrist and began to fly off with her.
"Let go of me!" Sam shouted, "Danny! HELP!"
Phantom rushed outside, still holding an unconscious Valerie. He flew over to Tucker and set the Red Huntress down against the wall next to him.
"Watch her," Danny ordered.
"I know, just go!" Tucker exclaimed as he knelt down to check Valerie for any obvious injuries.
Danny glared at Vlad and took off after him. As Sam struggled in his arms, Vlad looked over his shoulder and saw Danny catching up.
"Not yet, little badger," Vlad smirked as he created a duplicate of himself.
The duplicate flew towards Danny and fired multiple ghost rays at him. Danny snaked his way through the attacks and tried to fly around the duplicate.
"Ah-ah-ah," the duplicate teased as it grabbed Danny's leg and threw him in the opposite direction, "Sorry, boy, but my plans require your friend in order to work."
"I'm in no mood for your games, Plasmius!" Danny exclaimed as he swung his fists at the duplicate, "Let Sam go!"
"Or what?" the duplicate asked, "Are you going to cry? Threaten to-"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blue ghost ray beamed through the air and hit the duplicate in the back, causing it to disappear.
"What the-!?" Danny exclaimed, "Where did that come from!?"
"DANNY, HELP ME!" Sam screamed.
'Sam," said Danny, "I'm coming!"
Phantom rocketed through the air to make up for lost time. Sam continued to struggle in Vlad's grip, but his enhanced strength to too great for her to break away from.
"Stop struggling," Vlad said sternly, "You're not making things any easier for yourself."
Not far behind, Danny inched his way closer towards them. Vlad looked over his shoulder and growled.
"Why are kids so stubborn these days?" he asked himself.
Sam started get feistier in Vlad's grip.
"If do not stop squirming this instant, I will- AAAHHHH!"
Another blue ghost ray shot through the air, this time with traces of electricity sparking around it. It hit Vlad in the back, shocking him and causing him to drop Sam.
"WHHHOOAAAA!" Sam cried out as she fell.
Danny shot down towards the ground and caught her a couple of feet above the pavement. He slowly floated up, holding Sam bridal style.
"My hero," Sam teased.
"Well, if you wanted me to carry you like this, you could have just asked," Danny quipped.
"Uh… what?" she asked, caught off-guard by what he just said.
Danny realized what he just said and blushed a little.
"Never mind!" he exclaimed, "Forget I just said that. Heh heh…"
Vlad shook his head and looked around.
"Where in the world did that come from!?" he wondered aloud.
He turned to Danny and grunted at him.
"This isn't over, Daniel!" he warned, "I don't know what you hit me with, but I will return! And you will regret it."
The villain turned around and flew off towards the distance. The three vulture ghosts flew past Danny and Sam, trying to keep up with their master.
"Boss, *pant pant* wait for us!" they cried out.
Danny and Sam glared at the retreating foes for a moment before Danny turned around and flew them back to Tucker and Valerie.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
It was late in the afternoon as Tucker waited impatiently for Danny and Sam to return. He looked up and his face brightened up when he saw Sam safely in Danny's arms. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone.
"It would be criminal of me to miss this photo opportunity," he smirked to himself, "The consequences will be so worth it."
Danny landed next to Tucker and let Sam down onto her feet.
"You two alright?" Tucker asked.
"Yeah, we're fine," said Danny, before looking down at Valerie, "How's Valerie?"
"She's still knocked out," Tucker replied, "But she appears to be uninjured."
Danny sighed in relief.
"That's good."
"By the way, how did you hit Vlad with that ice ray, Danny?" Tucker asked.
"Huh?" Danny exclaimed, turning to his friend, "I didn't. That wasn't me."
"It wasn't!?" Tucker and Sam exclaimed at the same time.
"No," said Danny, "The color was a dark blue, not my icy blue color when I use my ice powers."
"Yeah, and didn't Vlad also get electrocuted?" Sam asked, "It could have been Technus."
No one noticed Valerie slightly opening one eye and listening in to their conversation.
"I doubt that, since I just dealt with him the other day," said Danny, "We'll discuss this later, but first I need to get Valerie back home."
Sam frowned in jealousy.
"What should we do after you drop her off?" Tucker asked.
"Well, we could check out that new version of Doomed that was released the recently," Danny suggested, "I've heard that the new levels and areas are pretty good."
"Sounds like a plan," said Tucker, "Sam? You in?"
"Hm? Yeah, sure," she answered, "I'll download the new version and meet you guys in-game."
Danny picked up Valerie.
"Okay," he said, "see you guys in a few minutes."
He and Valerie took off into the air, off towards her apartment, while Tucker and Sam headed to their respected homes. No one noticed the ghost raven watching them from the roof nearby. It spread its wings and flew off into the distance.
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Evening was slowly approaching when Phantom arrived at Valerie's apartment. He phased through the wall and entered her room. He set her down on her bed, careful to not wake her. As he turns to leave, Danny noticed the photo of Vlad Masters on the wall, covered with darts.
"Sheesh," he muttered, "Something tells me that the employer-employee relationship is not doing so well."
"You could say that."
Danny jumped and turned around to see Valerie standing before him with her arms crossed.
"Um, sorry for intruding," said Danny, "I was just bringing you back to your place and… well, uh…"
"It's fine, ghost," said Valerie, "Thank you. You can leave now."
"Really?" Danny asked, "You're not gonna try and destroy me?"
Valerie reached over to her desk and pulled out her ecto-gun on Danny.
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving!" Danny exclaimed as he turned intangible and phased through the wall.
Valerie sighed and put her weapon away. She sat down on her bed and glared at the photo. Suddenly, her cellphone began to ring.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Good evening, Ms. Gray," said a voice on the other end.
"Good evening, Mayor Masters," Valerie said with feigned positivity, "To what do I owe the pleasure for this call?"
"I have some troubling new information on Danny Phantom that I wish to give to you immediately," said Vlad, "I have a meeting in just a moment with some council members, but I wish to talk to you directly in my office within the hour. Would that be possible for you?"
"Of course, Mayor Masters," Valerie replied, "I will be there soon."
"Wonderful," said Vlad, "I will see you soon."
Valerie hung up and glared at her phone.
"Oh, you sure will, Vlad. I'm sure you will."
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Back at the Fenton Works, Danny was on his computer playing Doomed with Tucker and Sam. They were communicating with each other through voice group chat. Danny's avatar blasted a couple of minotaur looking enemies in an ancient underground tomb-like area.
"Nice shooting, Danny," said Tucker as his avatar approached.
"Thanks," Danny replied, "How's exploit hunt going, Sam?"
Sam's avatar approached, covered in rainbow highlighted equipment.
"It's a treasure trove of upgrades in this place," she announced, "At this rate, if we don't get all these upgrades now, they might end up patching them out."
"Well, let's keep moving," said Danny.
The three made their way further into the tomb, ending up in a demonic looking area.
"So, what do you think that was all about earlier?" Tucker asked.
"What, the duel-wielding skull knight?" Danny asked, "He didn't seem too difficult to fight. How was I supposed to know it could move that fast?"
"No, not that," Tucker clarified, "I'm talking about earlier today."
"Valerie?" Danny asked, oblivious to what Tucker was referring to.
"Danny, get over her already!" Sam snapped, "It's been months since you guys broke up!"
"Uh, guys?" Tucker began nervously, "I was actually talking about-"
"Well… since you mentioned it, Sam, I've been thinking…" said Danny.
"Uh oh, that's almost never a good thing," Sam teased.
"Maybe Valerie and I could… try again?" Danny finished.
Sam's eyes widened.
"Wait, WHAT!?" she shrieked before falling out of her chair.
Sam got back up and into her chair.
"Are… are you serious!?" she asked.
"Dude, do you even remember why she broke up with you?" Tucker asked.
"Sure, I remember," Danny replied, "But… maybe she just needed some time to think about it and see how her life goes. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to at least try again, right?"
Sam's face fell as she slumped in her seat and bit her lower lip.
"Well, you do make a great point, Danny," said Tucker, "But are you sure this is what you want?"
"The heart wants what the heart wants," Danny argued.
"True, but is it really her that your heart wants?" Tucker asked playfully.
"What's that supposed to mean, Tucker?" Danny asked.
"Forget it," Tucker sighed, "What do you think, Sam? You've been quiet this whole time."
Sam shook her head.
"Hm? What? Sure! Yeah, why not! Heh. I mean, it's not like I'm jealous or anything. I'm fine with it!" she exclaimed.
Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, Sam? Are you okay?" he asked, "You sound upset about something."
Tucker facepalmed and shook his head in disbelief.
"What? Me? Upset? Nope, I'm perfectly fine," Sam replied, "Yep. One hundred percent okay."
"Uh-" Danny began before being interrupted by Tucker.
"Back to what I was trying to talk about before, I was referring to Vlad."
"Vlad?" Danny asked, "Who knows? But I do wonder what his plans were. It seemed bizarre for him to just show up like that."
"Yeah, that was weird," said Sam, who snapped out of her distress, "Usually he would be much more discreet and actually get partially through his plan before we stop him. And what would he have wanted with me?"
As Sam was talking, her bedroom window opened, and an intruder silently entered.
"Knowing that froot loop, I'd rather not know," Danny answered, "No matter what he's up to, it's always something insane."
"What about those strange blue ghost rays?" Tucker asked, "You don't think it was… you know?"
"The Hunter?" Danny asked, "Doubt it, but it's possible. We don't know much about him, and he could have more weapons. Watch you back."
"Worried about us?" Sam asked with some light teasing.
"Well, that, but you've also got a pair of devil-bats coming up behind you," Danny warned Sam.
The digital bats darted towards Sam's avatar from behind. Seconds passed and Danny and Tucker watched as Sam's avatar was slammed from behind by the bats. Danny and Tucker aimed their weapons and shot down the two bats with ease. They walked over to Sam's avatar, which was still laying on the ground.
"Sam? What happened?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, you didn't even move," said Tucker.
There was no response.
"Sam?" Danny asked, "You there?"
Still no response. Danny reached into his pocket and tried calling her cell. No answer.
"She's not answering her cellphone," Danny told Tucker.
"Try the Fenton Phone," Tucker suggested.
"I am," said Danny, "She's still not picking up."
Back in her room, Sam was laying on the ground, unconscious. One of the ghost vultures was flapping in the air with strange metal claws cover his talons.
"The boss was right. The ghost kid would never have suspected that we try and come after the girl again just an hour later."
He picked up Sam by her arms and carried her out the window.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
It was nighttime by the time Valerie arrived at City Hall. She landed in an alley nearby and removed her power suit. She crossed the street and entered City Hall. She made her way upstairs and entered the lobby that led to Mayor Masters' office.
"Excuse me?" she asked the aide at the front desk, "I'm Valerie Gray. Mayor Masters wanted to see me."
The aide checked the schedule on her computer.
"Ah, yes, Ms. Gray. I see that Mayor Masters has recently added you to his schedule. He's currently in a meeting right now. Please, have a seat. The meeting should be complete any minute now."
"Thank you," said Valerie as she sat down in one of the chairs.
As she settled herself in her seat, Valerie could overhear some unhappy arguing coming from Vlad's office. A moment later, three angry council members storming out of Vlad's office.
"Nice to see I'm not the only one who's not Vlad's biggest fan," Valerie muttered.
"Again, gentlemen, it was a pleasure talking to you. I look forward to our future endeavors," said Vlad as he approached the door.
He looked over and noticed Valerie sitting in the lobby.
"Ah, Ms. Gray," he said, "I see that you've made it."
Valerie got up.
"Mayor Masters."
"Please, come in," Vlad told her, stepping aside and welcoming her inside.
Valerie entered his office and looked around. Vlad's cat, Maddie, crept by her legs and hopped onto Vlad's desk.
"Apologies for asking you to meet with me at such short notice," Vlad apologized as he closed the door behind him, "Have a seat."
Valerie sat down at one of the chairs in front of the desk and Vlad sat in his seat.
"You have a new mission for me?" she asked, hiding the bitterness to the best of her ability.
"Indeed I do," Vlad replied as he opened a drawer and pulled out a file, "I'm afraid new evidence has come to light regarding Danny Phantom."
He offered Valerie the file and she took it. She opened it and found photos from surveillance footage showing Danny Phantom with Tucker and Sam in some unknown lab. In the next photo, two ecto-puses appeared behind Tucker and Sam. The following photos showed Tucker and Sam being overshadowed by the ghosts and apparently taking orders from Phantom.
"Tucker and Sam have been taken over by ghosts!?" Valerie exclaimed with false surprise.
"I'm afraid so, my dear," said Vlad, "I'm sorry that your friends have been forced into such a situation."
"What about Danny Fenton?" Valerie asked, "Is he also a victim."
"Fortunately, Daniel has been lucky to avoid such unfortunate circumstances," Vlad explained, "I am close friends with the Fentons and, partially in part to their profession, Daniel has remained safe."
"Thank goodness," Valerie sighed.
Valerie brought the file closer to read the report.
"Hmm… something seems off by this," she said quietly to herself, "I was just with them a couple of hours ago and they were just fine. Vlad's probably lying for his own reasons."
"Is something wrong, Ms. Gray?"
"Uh, no, Mayor Masters," she replied, "I was just wondering where you got these photos from."
"The Fentons came to me with everything in that file," he answered, "I was asked from them directly to help their son's friends and I would never forgive myself if I did nothing to help keep the citizens of Amity Park safe."
Valerie looked over the file one last time before looking up.
"Alright, Mayor Masters," she said, "what would you need me to do?"
Vlad smiled evilly as Maddie sat down in his lap and he began petting her.
"Your mission is simple and straightforward: Find Danny Phantom and bring him to me."
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Danny Phantom flew through the air as fast as he could toward Sam's house. He phased through the wall and entered her room.
"Sam!?" he whispered loudly, "Sam!? Are you here!?"
No response, and her room was empty. Danny floated over to her computer and saw that Doomed was still running. His eyes glanced around her desk and saw that her cellphone, Fenton Phones, and Fenton Wrist Ray were still there.
"She wouldn't leave either of these behind," said Danny, "Where is she?"
He turned intangible and began searching the house. He checked the bathroom, the home theater, her parents' room; where her parents were resting peacefully; her room again, the dining room, and her room for a third time.
"Where could she be?" Danny asked, getting very worried.
He floated outside and searched Sam's greenhouse. He looked around but saw no sign of her. Sam's Venus flytrap, DeMilo^*, snapped at Danny when he came near it.
"Jeez, how many times does this thing expect me to apologize for freezing It on accident?"
Danny left the greenhouse and began flying above the neighborhood. His cellphone began to ring.
"Did you find Sam?" Tucker asked the moment Danny answered.
"No, she's not home," Danny answered, "All her devices are still in her room."
"That's not good," said Tucker, "What now?"
"I'm gonna check out the park and theater," said Danny, "You check out the zoo and the Nasty Burger."
"On it."
"And stay in touch," said Danny, "I don't want something to happen to you too."
"Dude, relax. We'll find your girlfriend and-"
"TUCKER, NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" Danny shouted.
"Alright, chill! I'll stay in touch."
Danny hung up and flew towards the park. Once he arrived, he floated around looking for any signs of Sam. Minutes later, Tucker called, and Danny shook his head as he told Tucker his results.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Tucker searched the zoo. After running around for a few minutes, he called Danny to tell him that Sam was not there either.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
While Danny searched theater, Tucker checked out the Nasty Burger. Danny was still searching when Tucker called to tell him Sam was not there either.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Danny floated aimlessly above Amity Park, wondering where else he should search.
"Come on, Phantom. Think!" he told himself as he slapped his forehead, "She must be somewhere. People can't just vanish."
His cellphone rang and he answered it.
"Please tell me you've found her," Danny begged.
"Sorry, Danny," said Tucker, "I haven't."
"Rrrghh!" Danny groaned, "This is so frustrating!"
"Danny, we'll find her," said Tucker, trying to calm his best friend down, "It's only been an hour. Maybe she went to the store or something."
"Maybe… I dunno, Tucker, I've got a bad feeling. Where are you, anyways?"
"I'm checking the docks."
"That's a random place to check. Why there?"
"I don't know for sure, but I thought I saw Vlad's chickens flying this way."
"Technically they're vultures."
"Whatever."
"You want me come by and help?"
No response.
"Tucker?"
Danny heard some commotion on the other end of the call.
"TUCKER!?"
"Danny," he heard Tucker shout faintly, "I need he-"
"Tucker! Hold on, I'm coming!"
Danny blasted through the air towards the docks.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Meanwhile, the Red Huntress was flying around Amity Park as well. She hovered over to Sam's place and noticed her window was open.
"Hm…"
Valerie hovered over and looked inside.
"She's not here?"
She activated her ghost radar and scanned the area. A target was pinged on the display.
"Found you, Phantom."
The Red Huntress turned around and set off after her target.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Danny scanned the dockyard below him as he flew over.
"I can't believe I've lost Tucker, too," Danny hissed.
A moment later, he noticed some wooden crates that appeared to have been knocked over against a warehouse. He flew down to investigate. The moment he landed, Danny saw some things on the ground next to the displaced boxes.
"Tucker's beret. And his cellphone. And his Fenton Phone. And his PDA," Danny noted as he picked them up.
Danny noticed a picture of him carrying Sam on the cellphone.
"Wait… isn't this from earlier today?! Rrrrgghh… He is so gonna get it later," Danny growled.
*Crash*
"Huh!?" Danny exclaimed as he turned towards the warehouse.
He turned intangible and phased through the wall. Once inside, Danny looked around to find the source of the noise.
"Tucker?" he called out, "Are you here?"
Danny slowly walked around and looked around the dark warehouse that was full of crates. He stopped when he noticed one of the large crates shaking on its own. He reached out to open it, but the lid burst open and something popped out.
"Bewaaaare!"
"Oh, it's just you," Danny deadpanned.
"Yes, it is I, the Box Ghost! And you shall witness my-"
The Box Ghost didn't get a chance to complete that statement before Danny pulled out his Fenton Thermos and trapped the Box Ghost inside.
"Oh, come on!" the Box Ghost exclaimed, "At least wait until I've finished my line first!"
"Now is not a good time, Box Ghost," said Danny as he floated outside and looked around, "I have no idea where to look for Tucker and Sam now."
He sighed.
"What do I do now?"
"Hey!" the Box Ghost shouted, "Is it so wrong for me to roam around the docks and find a nice storage area to haunt!?"
"Yes," Danny replied.
"Hmph! It's always the same thing! I leave the Ghost Zone, I find a nice quiet place to wait and scare humans, and then you or that red suit wearing ghost hunter show up and use me as your punching bag!"
Danny rolled his eyes.
"Shouldn't you be chasing after those ghost birds?" the Box Ghost asked, "They're the ones who took that friend of yours."
Danny stopped in his tracks.
"Huh?" he exclaimed, "What ghost birds?"
"Let me go, and maybe I'll tell you," the Box Ghost pouted.
Danny groaned before taking the cap off the Fenton Thermos and released the prisoner. The Box Ghost sat on the ground and looked around in confusion.
"Huh?"
"There," said Danny as the Box Ghost turned to face him, "Now tell me what happened."
'And why should I?"
Danny glared at the Box Ghost as he grabbed him the collar.
"Look, Box Ghost, my friends are missing and I have no clue where they are! Now tell me what happened!"
The Box Ghost glared back.
"Why should I trust-"
"NOW!" Danny shouted as his eyes began to glow brightly.
"Okay, okay, I'll talk!" the ghost squeaked.
Danny relaxed and released the Box Ghost.
"Okay," said the Box Ghost, "I was just roaming around the docks when I saw your friend searching for something. He seemed concerned about something. Said something about some girl not being at the docks either. I was about to sneak up on him when I was slammed aside ad into some boxes. Those poor boxes…"
"The story!" Danny said sternly.
"I looked up and saw those vultures with the stupid looking hats approach your friend. He noticed them and ducked away from their attempt to grab him, instead grabbing his hat. He dropped some stuff as he scrambled away and they chased him down."
Box Ghost stopped talking and just stared at Danny.
"And?" Danny asked, "What happened next!?"
"That's all I know!" the Box Ghost exclaimed, "I didn't follow them or anything."
Danny sighed.
"Fine. Just get out of my sight before I change my mind."
"I think I will," said the Box Ghost, "Oh, and… BEWARE!"
With that, the Box Ghost disappeared, leaving Danny alone.
"Great, so Vlad must have taken Tucker and Sam," he muttered, "But where could they be? Vlad couldn't have taken them back to his manor."
"Perhaps I could help."
Danny turned around and saw the Red Huntress hovering on her board behind him.
"Valerie?"
She summoned her wrist cannon and aimed it at Phantom.
"Vlad Masters would like a word with you, ghost."
Danny looked at her with shock.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Meanwhile, Vlad Masters was inside his makeshift lab, waiting.
"Unbelievable that Daniel took no precautions after that pathetic excuse of a kidnapping attempt I made," he grinned, "This plan was brilliant! Convince them that they foiled my plans before I had the chance to put them into motion and then come back shortly after when they don't expect it!"
He approached his computer and accessed some data.
"With Ms. Gray handling Daniel and the vultures bringing me his friends, I should have plenty of time to complete my experiment before she brings him to me."
Behind him, the three vulture ghosts phased through the ceiling, with two of them carrying an unconscious Tucker and Sam.
"We've brought the ghost-child's friends," said the first.
"Excellent!" Vlad exclaimed as he turned around to face them, "Put Ms. Manson on the table over there and put Mr. Foley in the cage."
The second vulture carried Sam over to an operating table while the last one carried Tucker over to an animal cage. Once they were in place, Vlad pressed a button on the control panel beneath a large monitor. Metal restraints locked Sam's wrists and ankles in place and an electronic lock trapped Tucker inside the cage. A moment later, Sam began to stir.
"Uuuhhh…" she moaned as her eyes slowly opened, "What happened?"
She tried to move but realized she couldn't.
"Huh?"
She looked over and saw the restraints on her. She struggled to free herself.
"I'm afraid that it is futile, my dear."
Sam looked over and saw Vlad approaching her from the shadows.
"Vlad," she growled.
"A pleasure as always, Ms. Manson."
"Where's Danny!?" she asked.
"Oh, don't worry about your boyfriend. He's currently busy wondering where his friends have disappeared to."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Sam shouted, "Why does everyone keep saying that!?"
"Uuugghhh…"
Sam looked over and saw Tucker getting up in his cell.
"Tucker!?" she exclaimed.
"Sam?" Tucker asked, "What's going-"
He stopped when he noticed that he was locked in a cage.
"This is just wrong," Tucker deadpanned.
"Ah, so you're awake as well," said Vlad.
"Vlad," Tucker growled, "What do you want with us!?"
"Wouldn't you two little troublemakers like to know," Vlad teased as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a vacutainer.
"What are your plans, froot loop?" Sam asked, "You gonna scare us to death until Danny shows up?"
"I'm afraid young Daniel has no clue where you two are. He doesn't even know about this place," Vlad explained, "Now hold still."
He grabbed Sam's elbow and pierced her skin with the needle. He pushed the vacutainer into the sheath and filled it with Sam's blood.
"Wait… is that… blood?" Tucker asked before fainting.^**
"Amusing," Vlad smirked as he removed the test tube and needle from Sam's arm.
"What did you just do to me?" Sam growled.
"Nothing… yet," Vlad replied, "I simply took a sample of your blood."
"I'd rather you didn't take anything from me," said Sam.
"Wouldn't be the first time," Vlad replied.
Sam grimaced.
"Um… ew," she said, "I don't even want to know."
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Back at the docks, Valerie was aiming her weapon at Danny Phantom.
"Valerie, please, this isn't a good time!" he exclaimed, "I need to find-"
"Shut up, ghost," Valerie ordered, still glaring at him, "I'm going to ask you one question. If you lie to me, I will end you. Got it?"
"But-"
Valerie began to charge her cannon. Danny sighed and nodded.
"Tucker Foley and Sam Manson," she said, "Both of them are missing. I need to know; have you been letting your minions possess their bodies this whole time to pretend as though you have saved their lives?"
"How can you even ask me something like that!?" Danny exclaimed.
"Last chance, Phantom," Valerie warned.
"No, I haven't," said Danny, "And I know that they're missing! They were taken by Vlad's vultures, the same ones we fought earlier. Vlad has them and we need to save them!"
Valerie glared at Danny as he waited for her response. With a sigh, she lowered her weapon.
"Alright, Phantom, I'll believe you. For now."
"*Phew* Thanks."
"But if I find out you're lying and working with Masters, I will destroy you," she warned.
"I don't think you have to worry about- wait, what are you talking about?" Danny asked, "Don't you mean Plasmius?"
Valerie lowered her head.
"You were right the whole time," she admitted, "Vlad Masters and Vlad Plasmius are the same person. I saw him change moments after we saved your little lookalike and you took off."
"Do you know where Vlad is now?" Danny asked urgently, "We need to save Tucker and Sam!"
"Not so fast, ghost," said Valerie, "You may have been right about Vlad, but I still don't trust you. I want to know why those two are always nearby with you."
"Valerie, I… they're just good friends of mine."
"Friends? With a ghost? I doubt that."
"Look, help me save them and I'll tell you anything you want!" Danny exclaimed.
Valerie raised an eyebrow.
"Anything?" she asked.
"Yes," Danny replied, "Ghost portal locations, map of the Ghost Zone, I'll even answer any questions you have, but we have to find them now!"
"Alright, Phantom, you've got a deal. But if we're going to save Tucker and Sam, we'll do things my way."
"Fine," said Danny, "So, where is Vlad?"
Valerie relinquished her helmet and pulled out her cellphone.
"Give me a minute," she told him as she called someone.
"Hello?"
"Mayor Masters, I've succeeded in capturing Phantom."
Danny raised an eyebrow.
"You have!?" Vlad exclaimed in shock, "*Ahem* I mean, that is wonderful news!"
"Where should I bring him?" Valerie asked.
"I'm sending you my location right now. Please make haste," said Vlad.
"No problem, Mayor Masters," Valerie smirked before hanging up and summoning her helmet back.
A moment later, her helmet pinged the location sent to her.
"Follow me," she told Danny before flying off.
Danny leapt into the air. His legs morphed into a tail and he caught up beside her.
"So, what's the plan?" he asked.
Valerie looked over and smirked.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Back at Vlad's lab, Vlad was pleased about the news he received.
"Well, Ms. Manson," he announced, "it would seem that you'll see Daniel sooner than we thought. Oh, this will be quite a show."
Sam and Tucker glanced at each other, worried about what Vlad was planning.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
A few minutes later, Danny and Valerie arrived at an abandoned construction site.
"Is this the place?" Danny asked.
Valerie checked her radar.
"Yup," she replied, "And Plasmius is here as well."
"Well, he's in for a surprise for sure," Danny smirked.
Valerie nodded.
"My radar suggests that he's located in the basement area of the construction site. Ready?" she asked.
"Let's do this."
Back inside the base, Vlad had his back turned from Sam and Tucker. The ghost vultures were keeping an eye on the prisoners. A noise from the entrance caught their attention.
"You three, get out of sight," Vlad ordered as he put tape on Sam's mouth and covered her with a sheet, "Stay quiet."
The three vultures turned invisible and got into position around the lab. A moment later, the Red Huntress entered carrying the unconscious body of Danny Phantom.
"Ms. Gray, you continue to impress me!" Vlad exclaimed when he saw her, "Defeating Danny Phantom and bringing him to me is an incredible accomplishment."
"Well, it was no easy feat," said Valerie, "Are you aware that Tucker and Sam have gone missing?"
"My word," Vlad exclaimed with false concern, "Mr. Foley and Ms. Manson have gone missing?"
"Well, you should know," said Valerie, "Because we know it was you who took them… Plasmius."
"Plasmius?" Vlad asked, "What on earth are you talking about!?"
"I'm done being your puppet, Plasmius," Valerie said defiantly, "And don't try and deceive me. I know your secret."
"Hmm… so you know my secret," said Vlad, "Shame. I had such high hopes for you."
He snapped his fingers.
"Get her."
The ghost vultures appeared from their spots and rocketed towards the Red Huntress. Still in her arms, Danny opened one eye and tracked the ghosts. Once they were close enough, Danny turned himself and Valerie intangible and the vultures crashed into each other. The avian ghosts slumped to the ground. Danny floated in the air and turned himself and Valerie tangible again.
"What!?" Vlad exclaimed, "You said you defeated Phantom."
"I lied," Valerie shrugged.
Vlad glared at the two.
"It's over Vlad," said Danny, "Now tell me where Sam and Tucker are."
A black ring surrounded Vlad and he transformed into Vlad Plasmius.
"And why should I do that?" he sneered.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that," Valerie muttered.
"Oh? Then watch this," Vlad smirked.
Instantly, three copies of Vlad appeared around Danny and Valerie.
"Is this supposed to impress me?" Valerie asked, "Phantom, you get find Tucker and Sam, I'll deal with Plasmius."
"Alright," Danny replied, "Be careful, Valerie."
Valerie mentally summoned her three cubic cannons and fired them at the clones. They each hit their target, causing the clones to disappear.
"Let's dance, Vlad," said Valerie before she summoned her board and dashed towards the villain.
Danny looked around the room for a moment and heard muffled screams coming from under a sheet. He flew over and pulled it off.
"Sam!?"
"Mmmff!"
Danny grabbed the tape and turned it intangible to remove it from Sam's mouth.
"Took you long enough," Sam smirked.
"Thank Valerie; I wouldn't have found you without her help," Danny smiled as he blasted Sam's restraints with his ghost rays, "Are you alright? Did Vlad do anything to you!?"
Sam hopped off table and rubbed her wrists.
"I'm fine, Danny," Sam replied, "Vlad just took a sample of my blood for some reason, but he didn't do anything to me or Tucker."
"Tucker?" Danny exclaimed, "Where is he?
"He's in the cage back there," she answered, nodding off in the cage's direction.
"A cage?" Danny asked, "That's just… wrong."
"I'll help Tucker, you go deal with Vlad."
Danny nodded and flew over the Vlad and Valerie. Sam turned around an ran over to the cage.
"Tucker?" she asked once she reached him.
He was still unconscious on the ground. Sam tried pulling open the cage, but it wouldn't budge. That's when she noticed the lock.
"Oh, great," she said half-heartedly, "Just what we need right now."
Nearby, Valerie was firing her wrist cannon at Vlad, who simply flew aside to avoid it. He then raised his hands and fired two ghost rays at Valerie. She brought her board up and activated her ghost shield, deflecting the attack away.
"All this time, you've been using me for your own gains, haven't you!?" the Red Huntress growled.
"Yes, I have," Vlad replied, "And you've made it so easy to do so."
"Why!?" Valerie demanded.
"Oh, I don't know? Get the love of my life back, make Jack Fenton pay for what he's done to me," he answered, listing the reasons out with his fingers, "and destroy Danny Phantom once and for all!"
Valerie glared at her former employer.
"Man, you are one seriously messed up froot loop," she said.
"And it's about time you realized it too!" Danny exclaimed as he darted towards Vlad and punched him in the face.
*POW*
Vlad was sent flying and slammed into the wall. He got back up and glared at Danny.
"Mind if I tag in?" Danny asked.
"As long as I get my fair share," Valerie smirked.
The two nodded and flew towards Vlad.
*BAM*
Danny kicked Vlad's face.
*POW*
Valerie rammed her board into Vlad's back.
*WAM*
Danny uppercut Vlad.
*ZAP*
Valerie shocked Vlad with her board's ghost stinger.
"I think I've had just enough of this insolence," said Vlad as he wiped his chin.
Danny came in for another attack, with Valerie close behind him. Danny swung his fist, but Vlad grabbed it and swung Phantom around. Using Danny's body as a weapon, Vlad batted Valerie away. Sam was busy trying to think of a way to break the lock when Tucker woke up.
"Uh, where am I?" he asked before shaking his head, "Sam!? How did you get free?"
"Danny and Valerie showed up while you were out," she quickly explained, "I'm trying to get you out of this cage, but the lock is electronic."
"Leave it to me," said Tucker as he reached into his pocket, "I'll just grab my PDA and… Huh!?"
Tucker's hands scrambled into his hands, desperately searching for his PDA.
"Monica!? Where are you!?" he exclaimed.
"And it just gets worse," Sam said half-heartedly.
*CRASH*
Tucker and Sam looked over and saw that Valerie had slammed into another cage next to them. Vlad was still spinning Danny around before he heaved the hero into the air. Danny impacted ceiling with a loud thud and Vlad fired a powerful ghost ray at him. The force of the attack sent Danny through the ceiling and blasted him away from the construction site.
"Danny!" Tucker and Sam exclaimed.
Valerie got back onto her board and dashed toward Vlad, but she was suddenly blocked by the cage door that instantly closed and electrified. Vlad smirked as he put his remote away and flew towards Sam. Valerie tried to break out of the metal prison, but her arsenal did next to nothing.
"I can't get out!" she exclaimed.
"And I can't get Tucker out either!" Sam exclaimed.
"And no one here will leave," said Vlad.
The three teens looked over and gasped when they saw Vlad standing over Sam.
"You'll be coming with me," Vlad smirked as he grabbed Sam's wrist and carried her over to his lab table.
After Danny was blasted away from the construction site, he ended up landing in a pile of stacked bags of cement mix. Danny pulled himself up and rubbed his head.
"And I thought cement was only hard after it was mixed and hardened," he groaned as he got to his feet.
"DANNY!"
Phantom looked over at the hole he erupted from.
"Sam!?" he exclaimed before flying towards it, "Don't worry! I'm coming!"
Danny reentered the lab through the hole and looked around. He noticed that Tucker was still in his cage and Valerie was now in one too. He flew over to them.
"Valerie!? What happened!? Where's Sam!?" he asked.
Tucker and Valerie pointed behind him.
"Looking for someone, little badger?" Vlad asked.
Danny turned and saw the Vlad had Sam held in a chokehold and had a syringe filled with a strange purple substance pressed against her neck. Phantom was terrified.
"Vlad… what are you doing?" he asked nervously.
"Oh, just curious to see what this little concoction I've developed will do when I inject it into your friend's bloodstream," Vlad answered as he slightly added pressure onto the syringe, making Sam gasp.
"Vlad, wait, don't!" Danny exclaimed.
"Oh, I'm not doing anything, Daniel," Vlad smirked, "And if you don't want your friend to become my next experiment, I suggest you do what I tell you."
"Don't listen to him, Danny!" Tucker exclaimed.
"Silence!" Vlad boomed, "Now, Phantom, you will do exactly what I tell you, or Ms. Manson here will become my latest experiment. Go into the cage located next to Ms. Gray's over there and close the door behind you."
Danny glared at Vlad suspiciously.
"You're stalling," Vlad said in a singsong voice as he added a little more pressure on the syringe.
Danny didn't take his eyes off Sam as he slowly backed away.
"Danny, wait!" Sam cried out, "Don't go inside!"
Vlad tightened his grip around Sam's neck.
"You will remain silent as well!" Vlad shouted.
"Sam, stop!" Danny exclaimed, "Just… let me do this. I've got this."
Sam shook her head as Danny backed into the cell, closing it in front of him. Vlad grinned as the cage automatically locked and began glowing a faint green.
"Hmm, you know, it really isn't fair that only my secret is revealed to Ms. Gray," said Vlad, "I wonder how she will react when she discovers who Danny Phantom really is!"
A second later, the cage Danny was in began to grow brighter and electricity began to flow through it. Danny looked down and realized he was standing on a metal grate, but it was too late.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed as the electricity shocked his body.
Sam, Tucker, and Valerie watched in horror as Danny's body convulsed in the cage. Within seconds, a white ring appeared around Phantom and slowly split into two, traveling in opposite directions. He fell to his hands and knees as the current stopped. Valerie watched as Danny gasped and coughed for a moment before turning to face her.
"Danny!?"
Valerie reeled back in her cell until her back slammed against the metal bars.
"No… no-no-no, no!" she shouted, "This is some kind of trick! This… this can't be true!"
Danny tried to get back up, but he was in too much pain.
"Oh, but it is, my dear," said Vlad, "Go on, Daniel. Tell her."
Danny glared at Plasmius as he slowly got back up to his feet.
"Valerie…" he said before turning his head to look her in the eyes, "It's true."
Valerie began to hyperventilate as she tried to process this revelation.
"I'm so sorry I never told you," said Danny, "I was worried that-"
"It makes sense," Valerie said after calming down a little, "I mean, it should have been obvious! Why you're never around when Phantom shows up. Or why Tucker and Sam are always around Phantom."
Valerie gasped as she looked back and forth between Tucker and Sam.
"You guys knew? All along!?" she exclaimed.
They nodded and Valerie turned back to Danny.
"I… I don't even… how…?"
"It's a long story," Danny admitted.
Valerie's eyes widened.
"Wait… Danny Fenton? Danny Phantom!?"
She slapped herself on the forehead.
"Of course! How could I have missed that!?" she exclaimed, "Wait… how could anyone have missed that?"
"Well, it's worked well for over a year now," Danny joked, trying to lighten the mood, "No one else has figured it out… yet. Which is honestly shocking, even to me."
"Ahem!" Vlad exclaimed, getting everyone's attention once more, "If this emotional revelation is over now, I'd like to begin my experiments. I am a very busy man after all."
Danny, Tucker, and Valerie glared at him.
"What kind of experiments, froot loop!?" Tucker asked.
"Why, I am delighted to tell you all!" said Vlad, "You see, during one of my recent trips in the Ghost Zone, I stumbled across an ancient tome. Where I found it is none of your concern. Within the tome were many incredible experiments that were outlined; experiments that, if done properly, would greatly enhance the user's powers to extraordinary levels! All I need to complete them is a human test subject."
"Well, you have me now!" Danny shouted, "Now let my friends go, Vlad!"
"Fool!" Vlad responded, "Did you really think that letting yourself be imprisoned would save her?"
"No," Danny smirked as a white ring surrounded him and he went back into his ghost form, "But this cage sure won't hold me!"
Danny dashed towards the metal bars, turning intangible midair. But the second he touched the bars, a green energy shield appeared and repelled Danny back within the cage.
"What the-!?" Danny exclaimed.
"The cage? No," said Vlad, "But my improved ghost shield? Yes."
Danny walked over to the edge of the cage and knocked the bars a couple of times, sending a painful shock into his hand.
"What kind of shield is this!?" he asked as he tried to blast it with a ghost ray.
The attack deflected down to the ground.
"Let's just say a certain someone has provided me with valuable information to contain you," Vlad smiled evilly.
Danny realized that there was no way for him to escape. With no other choice, he played the only card he could.
"Alright, Plasmius," he growled, "You've got me. Now let them go!"
"But why would I do that?" Vlad asked.
"But-"
"Daniel," Vlad explained, "when I said I wouldn't have your friend become my next experiment, I never specified who, let alone allow them to leave."
Danny's eyes widened as he realized that he had been duped and Vlad had no intentions of letting them leave.
"Vlad, please!" Danny begged, "Don't hurt her!"
Vlad didn't say anything. He just slowly added more pressure on the syringe as it began to slowly pierce Sam's skin. Tears began falling down her cheeks.
"DANNY!" she cried out.
*BANG*
A gunshot echoed through the lab and small flash of green rocketed through the air. In an instant, the syringe in Vlad's hands shattered in dozens of pieces.
"What!?" Vlad exclaimed.
*BANG*
Another shot was fired, and another green object flashed through the air. The bullet hit the ghost shield around Danny's cage and the shield began to electrify with energy.
"Oh, no!" Vlad shouted, "The ghost shield is overloading!"
Seconds later, the shield began glowing fiercely with a neon green color before collapsing.
"No!" Vlad shouted.
Danny turned intangible and walked out of the cage. When he turned tangible again, his eyes were glowing brighter than ever before. Vlad was too busy looking around to notice.
"Where in the world did those gunshots come from!?" he growled.
By the time he noticed Danny, the hero was already rocketing towards him. Vlad gasped as Danny's augmented fist^*** swung out and smashed him in the face. The force of the blow caused Vlad to release Sam and fly into the far wall. As Sam got back up onto her feet, she saw Danny race over to where Plasmius had impacted the wall. Before he had the chance to recover, Vlad was punched in the gut by Danny.
"Uuurrghhh…" Vlad moaned as he fell to his knees.
"You've gone too far, Vlad," Danny said sternly as Vlad looked up, "You've attacked my father…"
*POW*
Danny punched him in the face again.
"You've taken advantage of Valerie…"
*WAM*
Danny spin kicked Vlad aside, into his control panel.
"Danny…" Sam called out.
Phantom didn't hear her as he stormed over to Vlad with clenched fists.
"You've infected my friends with your ecto-acne…"
He raised his hands and fired a powerful ghost ray at Vlad. The attack blasted the villain across the room; his back slammed against the side of the operating table.
"Danny, that's enough!" Sam said loudly.
But Danny still didn't hear her as he approached Vlad.
"Dude, calm down!" Tucker shouted.
"Danny!" Valerie shouted, "You've done enough!"
"You've unleashed Pariah Dark for your own selfish reasons," Danny stated as he grabbed Vlad by his collar, "Attempted to clone me numerous times. Put Amity Park in danger when you thought you controlled Vortex. Tried to kill Danielle, twice! And now…"
Danny pulled back his right hand and readied a ghost ray. Sam, Tucker, and Valerie gasped.
"… you've tried to kill my best friend," Danny said darkly.
Vlad's eyes widened as Danny prepared to deliver to final blow. But before he could, Sam grabbed his arm.
"Danny, no!" she shouted.
"Huh?" he exclaimed as he turned to face her.
"Danny," she said calmly, "don't do it."
He just stared into her eyes.
"Don't stoop to his level."
Danny was breathing heavily, still threatening Vlad. His hand was shaking in anger but in a moment, he calmed down and lowered his hand; the energy glow vanished as well. Everyone sighed in relief. That was when Danny faced Vlad again and fired a ghost ray. Vlad was terrified as his eyes shifted next to him where the table was now charred, inches from his head.
"Consider this your only warning, Plasmius," Danny warned him, "If you ever… EVER… do something like that to anyone again, I will not miss next time."
"Oh, Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed in joy, "You do have it in your heart to show someone as evil as me mercy! I've always-"
*POW*
A swift punch in the face knocked Vlad out. As Vlad reverted back to his human form, Danny released him and let his body fall to the ground. Sam put a hand on Danny's shoulder.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah…" he nodded, turning back to her, "I'm fine. I should be asking you that."
"I'm okay… I think," she replied, "Is there a scratch on my neck?"
Danny checked.
"Nope, perfectly flawless," he announced, making Sam blush.
"Uh, guys?" Tucker called out from his cell, "Can someone get us out of here?"
Danny and Sam looked over and realized that they forgot about Tucker and Valerie. They ran over to the cages. Danny grabbed Tucker and Valerie by their wrists and turned them intangible. They phased through the bars and turned tangible again.
"So, everyone's okay?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," said Tucker.
"… I'm okay," Valerie answered, rubbing her arm.
Guilt instantly hit Danny when he saw Valerie.
"Valerie… I'm so sorry for not telling you," he said, "I know you have a lot of questions, and I will-"
Valerie held up her hand and Danny stopped talking.
"We'll talk later," she said, "But for now, I think-"
"Caw! Caw!"
"Huh?" everyone exclaimed.
"Where did that come from?" Sam asked, looking around for whatever made that noise.
"Guys, look!" Tucker shouted, pointing up through the hole in the ceiling.
Everyone looked and saw a ghost raven flying around the hole. It then flew over to a strange object that was on a steel beam of the construction site.
"Wait," said Sam, "Isn't that…?"
Kneeling on one knee on the steel beam was the Hunter, leaning against his sniper rifle with one arm, watching them. The raven landed on his shoulder as he stood up. He stared at the group for a moment before turning away.
"See you soon…" he said hoarsely over his shoulder, "… Fenton."
Danny's eyes widened as the Hunter leapt off the steel beam and ran off into the night. Danny rocketed out of the lab to follow the Hunter. He floated in the air and looked around, but couldn't find him anywhere. Taking one last glance around, Danny flew back into the lab.
"He got away," said Danny.
"Who was that?" Valerie asked.
"Some radical ghost hunter," Danny answered, "*Sigh* Let's get out of here."
"What about Vlad?" Tucker asked.
The gang looked over to where Vlad was left, but he was nowhere to be found.
"Gone as well," Valerie growled.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Valerie walked along the sidewalk on their way home.
"Thanks for the rescue, Danny," said Sam.
"You too, Valerie," said Tucker.
"No worries," said Valerie, "I always keep my friends safe."
Tucker and Sam glanced at each other.
"So, you're not upset with us?" Sam asked.
Valerie shook her head.
"You were right all along, Danny," she said sadly, "Sorry for not believing you."
Danny didn't reply, looking sad and distracted as they walked.
"Danny?" Valerie asked.
"Hm? Oh, yeah… no problem," Danny replied.
Valerie sighed.
"Tucker? Sam? Could you give me and Danny a moment alone to talk?"
They nodded and kept walking while Danny and Valerie stayed behind.
"Danny, is something wrong?" Valerie asked.
Danny leaned against the building and sighed.
"Valerie, would you have still been with me if I told you sooner?" he asked.
Valerie thought about it for a moment.
"Honestly, I don't know, Danny," she answered, "On one hand, I would have been glad that you could trust me."
Danny smiled.
"But on the other hand, you and I dated for a few days and you never told me, which, even now, upsets me a little," she continued, making Danny's smile disappear, "All of you have lied to me. You, Tucker, Sam, your sister, Vlad. Does anyone else know?"
"Aside from every ghost in the Ghost Zone, Freakshow, and Danielle… and the Hunter, no one else knows. Not even my parents."
"I see," Valerie nodded, "Danny, I know things won't be the same for us anymore, but I think it would be best if we distance ourselves from each other for a while."
"What?" Danny exclaimed, "But… I mean… we could always work together now, or even have you join our team…"
Valerie shook her head.
"That's a nice offer, but I need some time to process all this. I mean… this whole time, I've been fighting my own ex-boyfriend! How do you think I feel!?" Valerie asked.
"How do you think I feel!?" Danny exclaimed, making her glare at him, "Sorry, it's just that… well… after seeing you again earlier today, I thought… maybe… we could try again?"
Valerie gave Danny a sad smile.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's going to happen," she said.
Danny's face fell.
"Danny, I still like you a lot as well," she explained, "And I would like to try again. But you love someone else more."
"What?"
"You love Sam."
Danny opened his mouth the argue, but Valerie shushed him by pressing a finger against his lips.
"Stop fooling yourself, Fenton," she smirked, "It's been obvious for a while."
"Was it the kiss you saw over a year ago?" Danny asked when Valerie removed her finger, "That was just a fake-out make-out!"^****
Valerie placed a hand on Danny's cheek.
"Danny…"
"Okay," he sighed, "But we'll still be friends?"
"Of course," said Valerie, "Promise me that you'll tell her when you're ready."
Nearby, Tucker and Sam peaked around the corner and eavesdropped.
"I'll think about it," said Danny.
Valerie smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
"I hope you do," she told him as she summoned her suit back on, "Good luck, Phantom."
"Valerie, wait!" Danny exclaimed as she turned to leave.
"Huh?"
Danny reached into his pocket and handed Valerie something.
"It's a Fenton Phone," he explained, "We use them while hunting ghosts, and they work in the Ghost Zone. Give us a call if you ever need help."
"Thanks," said Valerie, "I'll keep it close by."
She and Danny had one last moment.
"Thanks, Danny," she said, "Goodbye… for now."
As Valerie flew off into the night, Tucker and Sam approached Danny as he watched Valerie disappear.
"I'm sorry, Danny," said Sam as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "I know you really wanted to get back together with her."
"Yeah," he sighed, "Well, she's not safe anymore. Vlad knows that his secret is known to her. I just hope we can keep her and her dad safe, if she needs it."
"We will," said Tucker, "By the way, wasn't that my Fenton Phone you gave her?"
"Yeah, it was," Danny said as he reached in his pocket and handed Tucker his beret and PDA back.
"Monica!" he exclaimed and began hugging the PDA, "You've come back to me!"
"Oh, that reminds me," said Danny, "Sam, what do you make of this?"
Danny pulled out Tucker's cellphone and showed her the picture. She glared at Tucker as he looked at Danny with a raised eyebrow. Danny smirked and handed the cellphone to him.
"Uh… Sam, wait, I can explain…"
"Foley, if you don't remove all copies of that picture from existence, I will STRANGLE YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!"
Tucker shrieked and took off running, with Sam chasing him down. Danny chuckled.
"Well, I better head home too," he said as he went ghost.
Phantom took to the skies and flew to the Fenton Works.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Back at City Hall, Vlad Masters was pacing back and forth in anger.
"So, the girl lives," said a dark voice from the shadows.
"Yes, yes, I'm well aware of that. Thank you so much for pointing out the obvious!" Vlad snapped.
"And your little helper knows your secret."
"Yes, and cows go 'moo'," Vlad said sarcastically, "Do you have anything useful to say!?"
"You had one simple task to do," said the dark voice, "How could you have possibly messed that up?"
"Mind your tone!" Vlad shouted, "Remember, you work for me! Remember!?"
The visitor let out a dark maniac laugh.
"You dare laugh at me!?" Vlad asked.
"I do dare," the dark voice remarked as an individual appeared from the shadows, "Did you really think that I would work for anyone? For you?"
"Who is this?" Vlad asked, "This is unacceptable! You will obey-"
"Magnus," said the voice in the shadows, "you know what to do."
Vlad glared at the dark magician.
"Magnus…? Wait a minute, I recognize that name," Vlad growled, "You're the- Rrggghh..."
Vlad gripped his head in pain for a few moments.
"Alright, alright!" Vlad exclaimed, "We will be partners."
"… I can work with that," said the dark voice, "Magnus, you can stop."
"Of course, master," said Magnus and relinquished the spell off Vlad.
Vlad gasped for air as the pain vanished.
"Now, then," said the voice, "Any updates on the Hunter? I'm aware that he's the one responsible for the failure of your plan."
"Unfortunately," Vlad reported, "that ghost hunting midget slipped through my surveillances. But don't worry; once he's caught on camera again, he won't escape a second time."
"I'm trusting you on this, Plasmius," said the voice, "Just out of curiosity, what do you plan to do with that blood sample?"
"Oh, nothing," Vlad smiled, pulling the vial out," Just a little side project I've been planning for some time now. But that will be for another day."
"Very well," said the voice, "Magnus and I will take our leave."
With that, the visitor and Magnus vanished from the room, leaving Vlad to stare into the vial of blood. They only teleported to the roof for a brief talk.
"Excellent work, Magnus."
"Of course, sir."
"We should have don't this on our own, together. Would have saved us time."
"Not that time is worth saving, my master."
"Hm… I suppose not. Keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't do anything to get in our way."
"And the Hunter?"
"Leave him to me. Vlad's usefulness is running thin. It's time I've finally took out that pestilent Hunter once and for all…"
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Danny phased into his room and dropped onto his bed, reverting back to human in the process. He put his hands behind his head and felt something.
"Huh?"
He sat up and noticed a note was left on his pillow.
"'Danny, don't worry about Valerie or her father'," he read aloud.
Back at Valerie's apartment, she and her father were sleeping in their rooms. The three ghost vultures show up and sneak behind Damon.
"Vlad won't harm them."
Just as the vultures were about to grab Damon, a pair of black gloves grab them from behind and drag them away.
"Please, trust me. -LS'."
Damon woke up and looked around for a moment before going back to sleep.
Danny raised an eyebrow.
"LS?" he asked, "Is this from the Hunter. *Sigh* Of course he knows where I live. But why didn't he attack me?"
He shook his head and put the note in a drawer before laying back down.
"I get the feeling something big is coming," he groaned, "And it's not going to be good.
Just outside the Fenton Works, a ghostly green bladed scythe is seen, poking out of some black mist, the wielder looking at Danny's window with crimson red eyes.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
{Notes}
* Both are flashbacks to scenes from the episode "Shades of Gray".
** Flashback to scene from the episode "Flirting with Disaster".
*** Flashback to scene from the episode "D-Stabilized".
**** The hand cannon is the weapon that appears on top of Valerie's hand.
^ The Ghost Stinger is the ability to shock an opponent with ecto-energy released in the form of electricity and it is a sub-power of electrokinesis (DP Wiki). It first appeared in the episode "Public Enemies".
^* DeMilo the Venus Flytrap is the same plant Danny accidentally froze in the beginning of the episode "Urban Jungle". I couldn't just kill the thing off, I don't think Danny would have survived Sam's wrath. On an entirely different note, how in the flying %$ did Nickelodeon screw up the episode order by airing "Urban Jungle" BEFORE "Infinite Realms"?
^** Tucker is terrified of anything hospital related, as shown in the episode "Doctor's Disorders". He also has a fear of snakes, as shown in "Boxed Up Fury", for (possible) future reference.
^*** Power Augmentation is the ability to enhance the powers of oneself (DP Wiki). An example is shown in the episode "One of a Kind" where Danny breaks out of Skulker's net.
^*** Fake-out make-out from "Shades of Gray". But we all know the truth, don't we? *Raises eyebrows a couple of times*
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Hope you guys enjoyed this episode. This one was fun to write. A bit longer than I wanted, but within the limit I wanted. And, yeah, I know, I'm evil for not hooking Danny and Sam up… yet. *Wink* Just a heads up, the next two episodes will blow you away. So get ready to hold onto your butts, because the fun is about to begin!
Like, follow, and please review! Until next time!
~ThePhantomHedgehog