Chapter LIX
"While it is uncertain why Phantom has gone on the rampage, authorities are convinced that the recent string of severe injuries is directly related to the events that took place Friday evening. A heated battle between what the tabloids are now calling Shadow Phantom and the Wisconsin Ghost, which was once thought to be an urban legend, ended with what would have appeared to be the death of the ghost boy. Miraculously, he was able to reassemble his body, but the results were shocking. The new Phantom disappeared into the night, which led into the brutal attacks on-"
Plasmius shut off the television in her hotel suite. She looked at the three adolescents that had agreed to assemble there. Valerie Gray was dressed as the Huntress, unwilling to reveal her identity to Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, the other two teenagers present. Vanessa Masters had oh-so-graciously allowed the ghost to have her little get together in her hotel room while she was out on educational business.
"Well," she said as she set the remote down. "There you have it. Phantom has gone berserk. Again, apparently. The question now is how to bring him back to sanity."
"We're not going to get very far with these two," Valerie said while jerking her head in Sam and Tucker's direction. "What can they do?"
"They are Phantom's only two associates aside from Daniel Fenton," Plasmius replied. "Unfortunately, Phantom has taken the boy prisoner."
Valerie gasped, but Tucker and Sam just nodded.
"You two will be essential to get him in his right mind, although we cannot use you in the more offensive campaign."
"Which is?" Sam asked.
"The Huntress will schedule a press conference to announce our plan. She will deliver a speech explaining the current situation while I enlist some help for our efforts."
"How are we supposed to get him back to normal?" Tucker inquired.
"Let's focus on containing him first. He's come close to killing almost ten people and he's only been on a rampage for less than a day. Once we secure him, then we'll worry about how to bring him around."
Plasmius turned to Valerie. "Go to the news station. Tell them what I told you. If we work quickly, we can get this whole ordeal wrapped up by Monday."
"Yes ma'am," Valerie replied. Her tone betrayed her distraction, as her mind was racing with all the horrible things Phantom could be doing to poor, innocent Danny. "If nothing gets in my way, we'll be done here by tomorrow morning."
Valerie pulled her collapsible sled out from her back pack and tossed it out the window. She quickly followed, landing on the Banshee Board with a click as her magnetic boots locked onto the interface pad. The Huntress blasted off towards the largest hill in Amity Park, where the Channel 4 News station was located.
With the Huntress out of the way, Plasmius changed back into her human form. Sam and Tucker stared indifferently, having seen the same process dozens of times with Danny and having been informed of the billionaire's ghostly half ahead of time.
"Now then," she said cheerily. "You have been fighting ghosts with Daniel for quite some time now. Tell me, are there any that would be willing to help us get him back?"
"You mean to ask us if there are any you can force into help us." Tucker corrected.
"Oh yes, of course, silly me."
"Alright, what about Technus?" Sam asked.
"GIW confinement," Vanessa replied.
"Spectra?" Tucker asked hopefully.
"Missing, as is her father," Vanessa said icily. "I have an inkling as to their whereabouts, but we haven't the time to seek them out."
"Poindexter?" Sam offered.
"Captured by some anti-human occult deep in the Ghost Zone."
"Lunch Lady?" Tucker asked, not even bothering to pry about the last response.
"Too weak as of now. Her last encounter with Daniel left her a bit worse for wear."
"Any of your twisted ghost mutants?" Sam brought up.
"I haven't any to send. Daniel killed them all."
"Then what about my unc- I mean Skulker?"
"Samantha, dearest, you don't have to try and hide your heritage from me. Skulker told me all about you. I'm afraid he is busy with the only other ghost Daniel has ever faced. There was much more to that dragon than any of us realized . . ."
"You mean Terrakor?" Tucker asked apprehensively.
"Yes, yes, that was it. Such a dumb brute, but now that we've resuscitated him we've discovered more about where he came from. It is fascinating to say the least."
"Anything you care to share with us?" Tucker asked. "You know, in case he comes around here again?"
"Don't you worry, once he's back on his old two feet, he's going straight home. You'll probably never see him again."
"Glad to hear it," the boy sighed with relief.
"I'm not," Sam said with a huff. "Where does that leave us?"
"Right where we are, Samantha," the older woman said sarcastically. "We haven't exactly progressed from this stage in our plan since five minutes ago."
"What about the Box Ghost?" Tucker asked. "I mean, Danny being evil and all does concern the Guys in White and, since the Box Ghost does work for them, they'll have to send him out to assist us! I mean, they want to hire him when he turns eighteen anyway. They can't enlist him if he's dead."
Vanessa stared at the two teens as if they had just transformed into ghosts themselves. "What are you blathering about?"
"Oh something the Guys in White said to Danny when they interrogated him," Tucker replied nonchalantly. "He didn't get too specific, but apparently they think he's government agent material."
"More like super weapon material," Vanessa muttered under her breath. "If you can find this character, then do ask for his help. If he has been hired by the Guys in White, then his potential for power must be vast. He would be a powerful ally."
"Yeah, because, you know, he just stops in for tea and cookies when he gets lonely," Sam said sardonically. "We can't just flag this guy down in the street; we don't even know where we would start looking for him!"
"If he makes himself present, then," Vanessa said irritably. "Please make a mental note to ask for his assistance."
"I still don't know why you even want our help, or why you think we're all gung-ho about helping you and your little pathologically challenged apprentice." Sam chided.
"Valerie might want Phantom because she thinks he is holding Daniel hostage, I might want him as the son I never had and you might want him back as your dearest friend, but remember that we all want him to return safe and sound. Don't let the personal objectives of others cloud your decisions." Vanessa replied with a smirk. "Now go, and hurry. The longer you procrastinate, the better chance someone has of dying."
Sam and Tucker grimaced as they exited the suite and Vanessa flopped down on her bed with an exasperated sigh when the door shut. She took a moment to enjoy the peaceful sound of rain as it began pattering against the windows. She smiled as thunder boomed in the skies above like the pounding of an angelic drum. Such relaxed reveries were few and far between, and in these instances, Vanessa Masters' mind tended to wander.
There was a small part of her that occasionally surfaced from her subconscious during stressful situations. It was the part of her psyche that thanked Maddie for her overbearing perfectionism, Jack for his adorable clumsiness and the years she spent in the hospital in a spectrally induced coma which resulted in her formation of her ghostly half. Right now, it was saying thank you to all of it.
If she couldn't handle three random teenagers that hated her for trying to help, how was she supposed to deal with biological offspring?
Phantom sat in an alley way, slumped against a wall. His shadowy form was running from the rain that had started moments before. His ghostly tail was almost completely washed away, and his new, grotesquely muscular and ferocious body was barely a blob of its former self. His clawed hands hung loosely at his side. The razor sharp talons had drooped and melted into gooey stubs. His P logo on his chest was illegible, or at least more than before, and his eyes had even become distorted.
The rain continued to pour down upon him, washing away the blackness. His tendrils had washed away long ago, and the black mess atop Phantom's head slowly began to show strands of white hair. As the torrent carried on, the darkness was washed away. More white hairs were present on his head and, slowly, his usual unruly mop of white hair returned. Several minutes later, Phantom's original head was poking out from the black ooze that was his body.
But the ghost boy remained where he was. The rain was not the only water on his face at the moment. Tears trickled from his eyes, helped along in their journey down his face by the falling raindrops. His tears came from realization. The realization was his powerlessness.
He had gone mad, exploded into a violent rage without reason. Innocent bystanders were mauled by his unbridled aggression. He hadn't even been under a spell for it to happen, and the results were much worse. Why had he almost done what he lived to prevent?
It was the blackness. The darkness had swallowed him whole and he was too blind to realize it. Whatever had changed his ghost half's appearance was changing him on the inside too. He had to get rid of it. He would rip it from his body molecule by molecule if it meant he could go back.
As if provoked by these blasphemies, the black substance returned from wherever the rain had spread it. It slithered and crawled and inched and rolled and tumbled back to its host. Its once warm embrace was now cold and unfriendly. Phantom tried to cry out, but the ghost creature covered and reshaped his mouth. The cry of anguish became a howl of rage, as if to tell mothers to tuck their children in extra tight and keep a few extra lights on for boogey-man. Because tonight, Phantom was out. And he was angry . . .
To Be Continued
A/N
Short, sweet and full of wierd gatherings, foreshadowings and teen angst. How very delightful. I'll try to make the rest of this a bit longer, but I couldn't think of another place to end this one.
Also, if you're in the neighborhood, check out A DOOMED Alliance by Emissary of Honesty. He's a friend of mine outside the Internets (ZOMG, REEL PPLZ!). See how you like it and drop him a line. I'm sure it will make his day.
Back to business, next chapter reveals Danny's spectral savior. I think you probably have a good idea as to who it is, but I'll let you all squirm with anticipation anyway. I'm mean like that.
Thanks for all the reviews, my friends. 580 doesn't seem like that large of a number until you realize that you have that many messages left for a story you wrote. While it pales in comparison to the number of hits this thing has, it still means a great deal to me. Special thanks goes out to Fulcon, mushroomcloudslooklikebroccoli, HiddenAuthor, Celestial Maiden Sukira, phantoms-allie, artbug, TDG3RD, slyfoxx, DarkMusicallity, Sapphire Wolf Master, leadfoot352, MissMeliss4251, Skye-chan and Halbringer of destruction.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theatres (ATHFCMFFT)
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