Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own Nickelodeon or am related to Butch Hartman.
Lab Logic:
Morning came far too soon for the distressed couple.
Danny got up with a groan from his comfortable spot next to Sam, the fog of sleep still hanging over his mind. He rubs his eyes, allowing some of the events from yesterday to return.
He groans again, this time knowing that he's got a difficult task ahead of himself. Oh, how he had hoped for a simple, calm summer vacation…
"Too early…" Sam mumbles from behind him, half awake. She tugs at the hem of the boy's shirt, practically begging him to stay a bit longer, but a quick intangible causes her to let go.
"Heroes aren't choosers, Sam." Danny quotes something from a movie he once saw, but he couldn't remember which one, his mind still in the morning slur. He gets up from bed and takes some clothes from his closet before leaving for the bathroom to change.
A few hours later, two grumbly teens were seated at the table, eating breakfast. It was one of those rare mornings where his mom could cook for once, so neither complained.
"I just checked the Fenton Phone you used, Danny. It hasn't moved all night, so I can tell you with guarantee where it is." Jack Fenton informs the halfa when he appears from the lab. That causes his mood to perk up, and the boy quickly finishes breakfast. Sam finishes soon after, her own thoughts still wrapped around the halfa girl sleeping in the guest bed.
A noise from the stairs alerts everyone to the presence of said girl, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She had the comforter of the bed in the other hand like a plush, and her hair was ruffled. She was still wairing her clothes from yesterday as she was trying to get the fog out of her head and wasn't fully aware of the other adults in the room. Danny and Sam are quick to her side, concern and relief on their faces.
"Hey sweetie." Danny is the first to speak up, a relieved smile on his face.
"Daddy." Dani mumbles, the one thing that can get out of her sleepy mind. A soft smile plays on the half-ghost's face before he picks her up in his arms. He gives her a hug like only a caring father could.
Her eyes turn to the goth standing behind him, and after a few moments she stretches her arms out to the girl. Recognizing what she wants, Sam gives her daughter a caring hug, glad to see that she's doing much better.
Now, how to tell her about the other girl?
Dani was quietly eating the last bit of toast from her breakfast, made curtesy to Sam. Her dad was pacing around, thinking of ways to get the other halfa to safety and away from Vlad.
The young halfa her mind wandered to the explanation given to her by her parents. Danny could only guess that Danielle wasn't the only 'clone' Vlad had made, and that the eight-year old girl was just like her. That meant that the girl was Dani's sister.
'Sister. I always hoped for a little sister, but this soon…'
"Danny, that pacing is making me dizzy." Sam complains from her spot in the sofa. He gave her a soft glare, but still complies and sits down in the armchair next to her.
"I know where Vlad is hiding, but I can't come up with a way that I could save her without putting her in danger." He groans, mentally kicking himself for failing as a hero at the moment. Sam places a comforting hand on his, a small smile gracing her face.
"I'm sure you can find a way. You have too. She's our daughter as much as Danielle is."
"I know."
The soft clearing of a throat catches everyone's attention. Standing in the opening of the front door is Tucker, joined by none other than…
Valerie Gray.
"Valerie?" Sam and Danny ask in unison. Before the girl can even react, though, she finds herself in a big hug from the twelve-year-old.
"Valerie!" Dani exclaims, tightening the hug. The black-haired ghost hunter pats the young girl on the head, a genuine smile on her face.
"It's good to see you too, Danielle."
Her attention quickly goes to the two teen heroes in the room, a flash of concern and fear passing her face before a cold determination settles down. After a few moments, and some coaxing from Danny and Sam, the ghost hunter was free from Dani's 'death grip', and she was able to say what she wanted to say.
"Tuck called me this morning. He, uhm, explained everything about your relationship with Dani," The couple cringes, the tone in Valerie's voice telling that she would get back to that subject another time. "Anyways, he told me that Vlad's back. Is he really, like, back?"
"Back from wherever in space he was." Sam confirms with venom in her voice. Everyone knew to who that distain was directed, and honestly it sort of scares the Red Huntress. Who knew that Samantha Manson could have such a caring yet scary side?
"Are you here to help?" Danny asks the question that mattered the most. Valerie gave him a determined nod, her business with Vlad still unfinished.
"I want to get my revenge on him for his betrayal."
"Get in line." Sam mutters, both blackhead's realizing that they each want a piece of their mind with the evil halfa.
"Well, I'm sure we can use your help, Val. I know where he's hiding, but he's got help from his ghost-minions." Danny explains, the half-ghost standing up from his seat and walking closer to the ghost hunter. He offered her a hand, and she quickly took it, shaking on their cooperation.
"Hey, we're helping too, you know!" Tucker injects, but the glare from his best friend causes him to back down a bit. Danny's face softens a bit and he puts a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Not bad meant, you guys, but me and Val are the only ones that can really stand a chance against Plasmius." The half-ghost explains, not underestimating the strength that fruit loop has. Last time he did, he got his butt royally kicked.
"Non-taken. Just, do me a favor and kick his butt for me, okay?" Sam states coolly, keeping her emotions in check for the most part. Still, it couldn't stop the slight hiss in her voice when she refers to Vlad.
"And for me!" Dani puts in, hands on her hips to show off. Danny chuckles slightly at the demeanor of his little girl and he quickly ruffles her hair, earning a "hey!" from the girl, although he could see the pink blush on her cheeks.
"Don't worry, he'll get everything he deserves." Valerie assures the two girls, her mind already checking which weapons to bring for a fight against Vlad.
He didn't know it, but he was going to receive a visit from a very angry ghost and ghost-hunter today.
Trees were passing underneath at rapid speed, rivers and other features of nature along with it. Even a jet-pilot would be jealous with the pair that was currently flying over the forest at lightning speed.
Danny Phantom and Valerie Gray, the latter dressed as the Red Huntress and on her signature hover-board.
She was holding a screen in one hand, the green dot in the center showing the location of the Fenton Phone Danny had hidden in the girl's bag. She had to admit it, that was some smart thinking from the half-ghost.
But, he was too deep in thought to pay any heed to a compliment, she realized that. His attention was on getting Vlad down and saving his apparent second daughter. She didn't understand how he could really accept that, the fact remains that both girls were a creation of the evil half-ghost. Sure, she had come to grow a liking to Danielle, but she had her doubts about the second girl. Heck, no one even knew her name!
As they kept on flying, in the Ghost Zone, Clockwork was watching the events unfold before his eyes. This was a moment filled with different paths for them to follow, including for his student. He wanted to see which one they would choose.
And deep inside, he was hoping that the right one would become their choice.
The duo finally arrived at the old abandoned building. It was overgrown and battered, holes in the ceiling and walls. How could Vlad possible hide himself here?
Valerie landed on the ground, but Danny stayed in the air, his legs turned into a ghostly trail. He wanted to keep an eye out for any traps or surprises from Vlad's minions. He would hate to be beaten by those weak collections of ectoplasm.
The pair took a good look through the building, but didn't find anything. Valerie checked her screen, but they were right at the spot where the dot was.
"I don't get it, they're supposed to be here." She mutters, checking her device for any faults. Danny watched the details in the old building, and he noted how old and uncared for everything looked. Everything except…
Vlad, you sneaky fruit loop…
The half-ghost placed a hand on a table where a living, breathing plant was standing in a neat pot. He glanced at the plant, finding it somewhat strange it survived all those years, even if the place is overgrown. He took a hold of the pot and lifted it.
And found that it was attached to a lever-mechanism. Suddenly an old and broken bookshelf moved to the side, revealing a staircase leading down.
"what is it with villains and hidden labs." Danny sighed, finding things far too much like that of a cartoon. He shared a determined glance with the ghost hunter before they started going down the stairs.
They descended deep down, until they reached a door that looked a lot like that of a hospital. One last look of assurance and a shared nod and they busted through the door.
Their eyes widen in surprise. They arive inside a white hall, the appearance all too similar to that of a hospital. He never liked those places. The halls were painted in that sickening sterile white, metal bars at the side for support. It seemed to be some kind of hidden medical facility.
Walking down the many halls, they reached a door that lead into a great waiting hall. A peak through the glass windows of the double door revealed the ghost minions Danny had seen. They were doing whatever ghosts do when bored, none paying attention to the door. The large flight of stairs at the other end revealed a possible exit for if the normal way wasn't an option.
They kept going down the many halls, but the sudden escape of the blue wisp from Danny's mouth made them hurry inside a nearby room. Closing the door soundlessly, they watched from the bottom of the glass in the door. To both their surprise, their target passes by them.
Vlad Masters, Vlad's human alter-ego. Valerie her fists clenched together, and she had to keep herself from busting through the door and pounce on the half-ghost betrayer. Their mission asked for discretion.
First the girl, then Vlad.
As soon as he walked past the corner in the hall, they creeped from their hiding spot and rush down the way he had come from.
A few more turns and twists brought them to an open double door. Taking a quick glance around to assure no one would find them, and they hurried inside, Valerie closing the doors fast and putting a bar in place to hold it.
As soon as she turned around, she almost bumped into Phantom. She wanted to glare at him, but his motionless state worried her. She walked from behind him, only to freeze as well.
This, was not the sight they had been hoping for.
In the center of the room was a medical examination table. It was surrounded by all sorts of strange devices, wires running down from them and to the table.
And what was on the table caused their heart to sink and Danny's blood to boil.
The little girl, cuffed to the table. Her hair was messy and sticking to her face with sweat. Her chest was rising and falling heavily, showing clear exhaustion. Her clothes were thorn on some spots, but the other parts were removed for 'convenience'. Cuts were scattered across her body, and both almost had to throw up when they noticed the spot on her arm where clearly flesh had been surgically removed to expose the muscle underneath. Blood was oozing from the wounds, drenched into her clothes and dried up on several spots.
Her eyes were closed and it seemed that she was unconscious, but the sudden noise of something metal falling to the floor caused her to stir and cautiously open her eyes. In her shock, Valerie had dropped the screen showing the Fenton Phone's location.
In the flash of a second Danny was at her side, his hands hovering aimlessly above her battered and cut body. His pupils were dots, any emotion gone. To find her like this, what has Vlad done to her?!
"Y-you think she can move?" Valerie managed to utter as she tried to do something that didn't involve looking at the girl's condition.
"I-It's a miracle she's alive l-like this… I don't know e-if she can even move." Danny was able to get out of his mouth, with some difficulty. His instincts were flaring around, his anger boiling to levels never reached before.
Valerie grabbed the bag she saw in the corner of the room, and with a quick check she found the device Danny had thrown inside. She closed it and put it over her shoulder before reluctantly joining Danny at the side of the table. The girl's eyes followed her every move, but it seemed like she was mentally distant, not registering their presence around her.
"W-what's inside?" Danny asked, pointing at the bag. He wasn't sure why, but a feeling told him to look inside. Valerie opened it and handed the item to the halfa. She then turned her attention to the girl and quickly started pulling some of the wires that were attached to the girl from her body, receiving winces of pain from the little girl. She mentally kicked herself for being so careless, and was glad Danny was focusing on the contents of the bag to care or notice what she was doing.
The half-ghost was rummaging through the bag, spotting a few things one would have for a long journey. Then his hand caught something of paper, and he pulled a note from the bag.
He opened the paper and read what it said. To say he was surprised would be an understatement.
"Dear Danny Phantom,"
"If your reading this, then it means you have found or met Rosa. To answer a few of your questions if she can't: Yes, she's like Danielle, a fabricated 'clone' of Vlad, but with her own free will. Yes, just like Danielle she has both your and Samantha's DNA, making her your second daughter. Lastly, you have to protect her. I know that is something you will do from nature, but she's very important for the future."
"Protect her, Danny."
"Signed – Clockwork –"
His blood was now boiling over, his eyes glowing a menacing green. He put the note away and turned his vision to the girl, Rosa.
His second daughter.
The wires were gone now, thanks to Valerie, and the girl seemed to be getting more present in mind, her semi-closed eyes now focused solely on Danny. He gave her a shaky smile, knowing it won't do much. He grabbed in his pocket, retrieving a small device. The boy turned it on, revealing it to be an ecto-powered plasma-blade. With quick and precise motions, he cut through the cuffs holding her on the table. Putting the knife away, he then phased his arms through the table, picking the girl up when they pass through underneath her. He held her carefully in his arms, noting just how fragile she looked in his arms.
She unconsciously curled together in his embrace, only wincing when her exposed arm touched his suit. She huddled closer against him, feeling his energy radiating against her. She needed him, she knew who he was.
Her father, her real father.
"We have to get her to your place, fast." Valerie notes with worry when she puts a scanner away. It had showed her that the girl was in mental shock and her body was barely hanging on, surviving most likely due to the ghost-half she has, apparent by the core present in her body. Danny nods, his voice still gone with his growing rage. He was only keeping it together because of the little girl in his arms.
They were just about to leave, when the door suddenly flies open, the bar that had been keeping it close shattering in pieces by the force. In the opening is Vlad, as his ghost-half. An angry scowl was on his face, and his hands were radiating with purple Ghost Energy.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the betraying hunter and Phantom. How nice of you to drop by." Vlad spoke, sarcasm filled in his voice. The distain was clear in his tone. He was NOT happy.
He fired a few powerful blasts in their direction, Valerie just avoiding them and Danny able to fly away in time. He was definitely not happy!
"Stand still so I can hit, ugh, you!" Vlad growled as he kept on firing blast after blast, the duo avoiding them again and again. Danny was growing more agitated by the moment, and he was reaching his breaking point.
When a blast send the ghost hunter into the wall, he had enough. He quickly fired a blast from his eyes, surprising them both with the sudden act. Using the distraction, he turned intangible along with Rosa, and they flew away through the ceiling.
"Get back here!" Vlad growled before phasing through the ceiling himself. Valerie recovered a few moments afterwards, and she found herself surrounded by Vlad's ghostly minions. A small smirk played on her face when she suddenly revealed the dozen of weapons installed in her suit. The shocked expressions of the ghosts only made the satisfaction of dealing with these weaklings the better for the Red Huntress.
While that fight took place, above ground Danny appeared from the ground, followed by Vlad. He tried to fly away, but was grabbed by the ankle and thrown in the nearest wall. The ghost boy angled himself so his back hit the brick obstruction, shielding the girl in his arms. She seemed to get a bit better with the sun shining down on her fragile body and the fresh air of nature entering her lungs.
Vlad started chasing after the boy, who tried to get away. Blasts followed after him, destroying anything else it hit. A few hit Danny, who took the hits for granted if it meant keeping his little girl save. Suddenly, he was cornered, only brick walls around himself. He was losing energy, and couldn't phase them both through the wall.
"I got you now." Vlad spoke with no hint of human emotion to his voice. Has he really dropped so far? That his humanity was disappearing?
Right when he was going to blast our hero and the little girl to oblivion, a plasma blast hit the evil halfa in the side, knocking him in the nearest wall. He broke from underneath the rubble, his face showing monstrous anger. Surprise flashed in his eyes when he found that the attack had come from Maddie Fenton, the armed woman standing at the edge of the forest and the facility terrain.
Suddenly, from the bushes appeared Jack Fenton and Sam Mason, joining the woman in jumpsuit.
"Hey, Vlad! Stay away from my boyfriend!" Sam shouts to the half-ghost before she aims a weapon she retrieves from her back at him. A powerful blast leaves the weapon's barrel, hurdling in Plasmius' direction. He tried to fly away, but was hit right in the behind, knocking him further into the ruined facility.
In the main time, Jack and Maddie made their way to their son and the girl in his arms. They choked when they see her condition, and with some coaxing words Maddie they are able to get the girl from Danny's protective hold. His eyes show his gratitude to the parent before they fall down on the recovering enemy.
Vlad pushes the last of the bricks from himself, feeling a few sore spots forming. Just when he's about to shoot back, he finds himself being lifted from the ground, a strong grip on his suit. His surprised eyes fall on the ghost boy holding him up, a deathly glare in his eyes. Fire seemed to be radiating from them, and his fists were crackling with charged energy. He gulped once, and that was all he could do before he was thrown into the ground.
Danny charged his attacks in his fists, filling them with great power. The green was dark and acidic of color, like it could burn through anything. He punched down on Vlad, creating an even bigger crater with the force behind his punch.
He kept on punching before grabbing the now bruises half-ghost and throwing him in the nearest wall. He kept on doing this, leaving not a single wall standing in the end.
By now Vlad was clearly bleeding ectoplasm, and his anger had dissipated and was replaced with fear, true fear. He had pushed the boy to far, and now he was paying the price.
"Keep-" He started with a much deeper and darker voice. Danny threw a hard punch in the halfa's guts, causing all wind to leave Vlad.
"AWAY-" He grabbed him by the collar and smashed him in the ground a few times.
"FROM-" He blasted Vlad into a few trees, the facility already ground to the floor.
"MY-" He landed on the ground, a red aura now surrounding him. His eyes colored a bloody red, showing his malice, the lack of mercy and the power of his anger, his rage, his desire to annihilate the threat to his family.
"DAUGHTER!"
He collected all power in one final blast of Ecto Ray. It released as a big and powerful ray, completely red with green swirls mixed in between. It hit on target, causing Vlad to fly through a collection of trees and crash in the ground, leaving behind a massive crater. Everything within the blast was turned to dust and ash, blue fire catching on the trees and the ground.
As the smoke and dust started to clear, everyone could see Danny slowly stalking to the crater where the unconscious Vlad was. Sam was the first to realize what he was going to do.
"Danny!"
She started yelling, asking him to stop. Soon the others followed, protesting against his idea of ending everything.
Their protests were in vain, their pleas and shouts inaudible to him. Not even Sam's voice was able to shake him from his trance. He got closer and closer, the sadistic smile on his face growing bigger and darker.
His eyes were glowing a blood red, and the white in them was starting to be replaced with black. His hair was slowly starting to wave like fire, and fangs started to form.
Every inch, the dark future he had once tried to stop from happening was forming in front of all. Gasps resounded through everyone, even Valerie who by then had escaped from the facility, only to see Phantom approaching Vlad with a murderous gaze.
Only a few meters away from Vlad, and by then the color of Danny' skin was starting to change to an icy blue as he charged a Ghost Ray in his hands, the color was the same as his eyes, and with each step Danny Phantom was vanishing more and more, being replaced with Dark Danny, the most evil of ghosts.
"Daddy!"
Until that one voice, that kind, young female voice entered his ears. Suddenly, every change he had undergone vanished as he turned around. His eyes, turning back to their normal ecto-green, fell on the young female copy of him.
Dani Phantom.
The energy in his hands flowed away, and the tension in his muscles ebbed out. He could feel his anger slowly subsiding, leaving only worry in its place.
"Dani… w-what are you doing here?" Danny inquired, finally finding his normal voice again.
"Please, don't kill him." Dani pleaded with him, tears visible in her eyes. That's when it all seemed to sap together for the hybrid boy, and he realized just how close he had been.
How close he was to becoming Dark Danny.
And all it took to stop him was a plea from his daughter.
'How pathetic can you be, huh?' His self-pitying voice called in his head. But he paid it no mind, his focus on his little girl, who had just seen him at his worst.
"I-I'm so sorry…" Phantom began, but his voice faltered as it all just became too much for the young boy. His legs gave out, causing him to drop down on his knees. His hands reached for his face as he placed it in his palms, tears falling.
Dani could see that he didn't want to, that he had lost himself to his anger. She knew that, she understood. Yet, the strange sensation of fear and rage combined when watching her own father fall like that was still left in her heart.
But that was just her. Right now, it was her daddy that needed comforting, not her.
And such she hurried to him, falling to her own knees as she embraced her father in a soft hug, filled with love and care. They were quickly joined by Sam, tears streaming down her cheeks.
And everything, every moment that they have been so close to losing each other, every moment that they reached their breaking point, every tear and every bit of anger, concern and fear, it all flowed together at that moment.
And they just broke down, crying, together.
As the strange, ghostly family they are.
Author's note: And that is chapter 4 of the first arc! And with that an end to the first arc as well. You like what I did? Remember to review, fav and follow and I'll see ya'll soon!
Goodbye!