CIV
It was becoming painfully obvious that Danny was not going to be able to push the object down with his normal human strength. He grimaced as he applied more force, but the action did next to nothing to further his goal. The teenager grunted as he tried to shove it down in a rhythmic pattern, but the object still refused to yield. Danny considered calling upon his spectral strength to accomplish his task, but remembered that he was not alone in his house. His parents could easily walk past his open door during the middle of his transformation, causing all hell to break loose. Finally, with one last growl of desperation, Danny let his tired arms relax. He maneuvered around and sat down on his bed next to his overstuffed suitcase.
"Dad!" he called out in a defeated tone. "Can you come here?"
"Hang on!" the man called back.
Judging by the faintness in his father's voice, Danny determined that he was in his own room, packing his suitcase as well. His suspicions were confirmed as the steady thud-thud-thud of Jack Fenton's footsteps echoed down the hallway. The large man appeared in the doorframe, blocking the hallway like the moon in a solar eclipse.
"What'cha need, son?" Jack asked with a grin on his face.
"I can't shut this stupid thing," Danny complained, gesturing to the suitcase that sat next to him.
Jack approached the object, studying it intently. The "lid" was open at a forty-fivedegree angle. A pile of clothes kept it away from the base. Jack noticed that the first pairs of pants and shirts were nicely folded, but it looked as though his son had given up on tidiness about a third of the way through.
"Danny," he began, "did you take all your dirty clothes and just shove them in here?"
Danny smiled sheepishly. "Well I figured they'd probably get dirty again on the trip anyway," he offered. "Besides, mom's been getting on my case to clean up in here, so I figured I'd kill two ghosts with one stone." Danny sighed and smacked his forehead. "Birds," he corrected. "Two birds with one stone."
Jack chuckled. He placed one hand on the top of the suitcase and applied what looked to Danny to be a minimal amount of force. The suitcase closed under the merciless might of Mr. Fenton and Danny quickly sealed the locks. Jack took a step back, leaving Danny to rub the back of his neck, bamboozled.
"Well that was easy," he mumbled.
"I'd hurry up and lug that thing downstairs, Danny," Jack said as he headed back to his own room. "The Dalv people are sending a limo to take us to the airport!"
Danny's jaw dropped. "What?!"
"That's right, a limo! I can't remember the last time I rode in one!" Jack exclaimed as he dragged his massive suitcase through the hall. The thud-thud-thud of his father's footsteps was drowned out by the THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of his own luggage as it was dragged down the stairs. "Get a move on, kiddo! Don't wanna make 'em wait!"
Grabbing his suitcase with one hand, Danny took an excited step toward the door. He realized too late that, due to the ridiculous amount of stuff crammed inside, the bag would be too heavy to casually lift. The weight refused to slide from the bed and Danny jerked back, falling on his posterior. He scowled at his suitcase before letting out another defeated sigh.
"Dad!"
Danny's parents conversed with the driver that had arrived shortly after his father lugged his suitcase down to the foyer. Danny himself sat on the sidewalk with his friends; Sam to his left, Tucker to his right, and Jazz to his right.
"I can't believe you're gonna be gone for a whole weekend," Tucker said sadly.
"You make it sound like I'm moving. I'm just going on a camping/fishing/ghost hunting trip," Danny explained.
"Am I the only one who thinks that sounds the least bit suspicious?" Sam asked irritably. "I mean, come on, the Dalv Corporation? Where'd they come from?"
Tucker's eyes widened. "That's the name of the company that installed the security system in the school! The one that Technus used to lock us in!"
Sam and Jazz gasped. "Ok, fine they were the ones who installed an anti-ghost security system," Danny admitted, finally remembering the name of the company. "But Technus took over it. He was working for Walker, so the two really aren't connected."
"It was installed by ghosts under orders by Plasmius herself!" Tucker exclaimed.
"Ok, how do we know that? Again, Technus was in the system working for Walker. He could've easily planted that in the Dalv system registry or manifest log or whatever they use to keep track of transporting security equipment!" Danny threw up his arms. "It proves nothing!"
"How was it installed overnight, then?" Tucker asked accusingly. "Explain that!"
"Come on, Tuck, we've missed more school in one year, heck, one semester, than some kids do in all four years. You really think they wanted to make us miss even more school because of a security upgrade?"
Tucker shifted uncomfortably on the cement, not because he was wrong, but because Danny was the one who was talking logically. That task usually fell to him. "I guess that make sense," he admitted softly.
"I'm going to be fine," he said slowly, looking Sam, Tucker, and Jazz square in the eyes. "And when I come back, we can have a nice little party to celebrate."
"Danny!" Jack boomed from several yards away. "Let's get a move on, son!"
Danny stood up, a grin on his face. His friends and sister stood up with him. "Ok, you guys know the plan for ghosts while I'm away."
"Which is?" Sam asked.
"Let Valerie do all the hunting," Danny said with a wink.
"Very funny, little brother," Jazz gave him a sisterly hug, at which Danny feigned disgust, before heading back into the house. "Keep dad in line!" she called out before disappearing into the home.
"Well, I guess this is it, dude," Tucker clapped Danny on the shoulder. "We'll miss you."
"Knock it off," Danny swatted his friend's hand away. "I'll be back in two days. You won't miss a thing."
"Don't wanna close my eyes," Tucker began to sing. "Don't wanna-"
"Listen to you butcher Aerosmith," Sam finished with her own 'lyrics' and smacked him in the arm. Tucker grinned.
"Please don't let him ruin any more of my favorite bands," Danny pleaded as he wrapped his arms around Sam. "I don't think I'd be able to come back to Amity Park ever again if that happened."
Sam likewise draped her arms over Danny's shoulders. "I'll do my best, but without you around, he'll probably get delusions of grandeur and try to put on a concert."
"I will not!" Tucker protested. "If anything, I'll put this video I now have of you two publicly displaying your affection on the internets. Maybe make a buck or two . . ."
"If you even-" Sam made a move to smack Tucker's PDA down on the pavement, but Danny didn't release his friend. Sam regarded him with a curious look. "Aren't you going to let me pummel him for trying to incriminate us?"
"He's bluffing. He doesn't even have his little machine with him!" Danny looked from Sam's enchanting amethyst eyes to Tucker's widened hazel ones.
Tucker felt around in his pockets. "Oh man," he muttered. "Oh man! I left it at home! How could I-" he darted off in the direction of his home, not even bothering to say goodbye.
Sam giggled at her friend's antics before looking back up at Danny. They both suddenly became aware of the fact that they were still holding each other. "So, I guess you'd better be going then?" Her statement came out as more of a question, as if Danny would shake his head and announce that he'd never leave her.
Instead, Danny nodded and shattered Sam's daydream in the process. "See you in two days?"
"Worst two days of my life," she mumbled. "I mean, you know, worst as in boring."
Danny felt relieved as his subconscious others finally surfaced to repress the blush that was creeping onto his face. Sam wasn't so lucky to have similar help, and her pale cheeks tinged pink.
"Come on, Danny! You'll see your girlfriend on Monday!" Jack hollered out as he slid into the limousine.
"Bye Sam," Danny said as he stepped back, letting his hands drop to his sides. "Be safe."
"Remember who you're talking to," she replied with a grin.
As he made his way to the limo, the idea of getting away didn't seem so great after all. He entered the sleek black vehicle and slammed the door shut. Once he was safely buckled in, he glanced out the window and saw a clearly downtrodden Sam heading for her house. Sure it would be nice to get away from ghost hunting, but he didn't want to spend his "vacation" fighting ghosts that were leaps and bounds more powerful than he was when he could be spending it with the people he cared about.
Do not feel so bad, Daniel.
Yes, you'll see all of them in two days.
Glad to see you guys are still alive.
I never thought you'd say those words in a sentence; especially not in that order.
He's rejoicing that we have triumphantly returned to him!
"Rejoicing" wouldn't be the word I'd use, but thanks for the save back there with the blush thing.
Perhaps if you just told Sam that you love her then you wouldn't need to feel embarrassed about blushing when you are in close proximity to her.
I don't love Sam! I mean, like a friend, I do, but not like THAT.
Ah, see? He knows exactly how he feels! What he wants is Paulina!
Do not be so barbaric.
Who's being barbaric? Is it wrong for Daniel to have feelings for a voluptuous Hispanic female who is clearly interested in him?
No, it is wrong to pursue those feelings when they are not clearly established in his mind.
I think he's right. I'd rather know what I'm doing before I jump into another doomed relationship.
Daniel, listen to me. You've had two girlfriends so far. Both of those relationships happened so quickly that you barely had time to blink. It is obvious to us that you have some perverse attraction to Sam. I disagree, but I support you in your endeavors –
What lunacy is this?
Hey! Let me finish!
This cannot possibly end well . . .
As I was saying, you clearly have feelings for Sam, but who wants to stumble into romantic involvement with someone when they hardly have any experience on their own?
Hey, I have experience!
Yes, and you can be on the receiving end of a kiss very well. We know this, and we pity you. We do not, however, wish to make you feel like crap.
You're doing a great job of that . . .
So what we shall do is help you procure Paulina as a temporary mate; a mistress if you will. Then you can break up with her and begin courting Sam, which should take all of ten seconds before she turns to goo in your arms. With your experience, you will sweep her off her feet and give new meaning to the phrase "happily ever after".
That sounds like a fantastic plan. Really, I'm glad you guys have been using your time to plan out my future love life. I mean, who cares that Plasmius is making an army of me's to take over the world or some such nonsense? Who cares that she's becoming creepier and creepier with each passing encounter? And let's not forget that Walker's still out there somewhere with my other son, twisting his mind so that he'll hate me when he grows up. Hooking me up with girls is much, much more important.
. . . That was sarcasm, wasn-
YES, IT WAS SARCASM!
Relax, Daniel. I am unsure as to why Folium takes pleasure in plotting for a future where we won't be involved, but I have been busy working on methods you can use to defeat this new Proximus creature. It may not be a permanent solution to your problems, but at least you'll be rid of this one.
Well at least one of you is making the best out of the space you're hogging in my brain.
We can discuss this more in detail on the plane where your father will likely fall asleep. He has been rambling on about how much fun this trip is going to be and is in the process of asking you what you think of it. The instant I finish communicating to you, say "it's gonna be the best time I've had in a while, Dad".
"It's gonna be the best time I've had in a while, Dad." Danny said on command.
Jack beamed at his son. "I know I haven't always been there for you, and I know the work your mother and I do doesn't always make sense, but I just want you to know that I love you and I couldn't be more proud of the man you're growing up to be."
"And I want you to know that you and mom have been there enough, and that you're great parents. And I wouldn't trade you guys for anyone else in the world."
Jack wrapped a large arm around his son and pulled him into a sideways hug. "I'm gonna catch some shuteye. Airport's about an hour and a half away, so wake me up when we're almost there, ok?"
"Sure thing," Danny said with a nod. Several minutes later, Danny heard the faint sounds of his father's light snoring; the man was sound asleep.
You are a good son. I would be proud to be able to claim you as my own.
Uh, aren't I older than you?
You are older than our sentience, but our very being is as ageless as age and as timeless as time.
So basically, you have no idea how old you are?
No, we don't.
Figured. Well I'm gonna try to sleep too. Wake me up before we get there so I can wake my Dad.
As you wish.
Within minutes, Danny too was sound asleep.
Plasmius grinned at the image displayed before her. The Fentons, her Fentons, had just exited the Dalv Corporation limousine and were casually entering the airport. The Dalv security agent that had greeted them allowed the two men to pass through the building without so much as having to blink in the direction of a metal detector. That was definitely for the best; there was probably more metal than man on Jack Fenton's person.
"Master," Skulker's hushed voice came from the shadows of the room behind her. "The Fenton residence is unprotected. Madeline and Jasmine Fenton are defenseless."
"Do not underestimate Maddie's skill," Plasmius warned. "She may be a harlot, but her ghost fighting abilities surpass Jack's by leaps and bounds."
Skulker bowed his head. "I do not mean to question you, my master," the robot apologized. "I merely meant to convey that Daniel is no longer there to protect them."
"A fact that I'm well aware of." Plasmius turned to face her servant.
"Shall I release the hounds? Or perhaps the winged fire spiders? Maybe you would prefer to see them dissolved from the inside out by the aphid-squids?"
"No. I'm saving them for our visitors. I want you to personally engage the female Fentons."
Skulker reeled back in silence. "Such an honor . . . I am hardly worthy!"
"Oh stop," Plasmius rolled her eyes. Of course, they were eyes were a solid red color that covered the whites and pupils, and the action went unregistered by her mechanical lap dog. "Find them, engage them and, if you are able, kill them."
"You would kill her so soon?" Skulker asked worriedly. "Your plan could crumble before it ever reaches fruition!"
"I hardly see it as a hindrance. It could go a long way to accelerate what I hope to achieve. And if she is not killed, I can easily see to that later," she explained.
Skulker nodded. "I shall proceed to Amity Park at once." The robot turned to leave, but paused. "I do have one question, though."
"Yes?"
"How would you like Madeline's body presented to you upon her death?"
Plasmius smiled wickedly. "Surprise me."
The sound of Skulker's refined teleportation sequence alerted the ghost woman to the fact that she was now alone in her laboratory. She continued to monitor the movements of Jack and Daniel Fenton as they finally boarded their airplane. Unbeknownst to the two, the plane was empty except for them. Everyone else on board was either ghosts using enhanced anti-detection mechanisms or holograms. The pilot and co-pilot were actually Hank and Harold; the two remaining ghost condors. The others had conveniently overslept. Plasmius sneered. She knew that it would have been cheaper and much less expensive to simply allow the passengers to board the flight, but in her "good" mood surrounding the circumstances, she just couldn't bring herself to cause the deaths of dozens of anonymous innocents.
"Technus," she snapped, trying to distract herself from her act of compassion, "update me on the status of Walker and his brother."
"I've already told you," the techno-ghost replied in a bored tone. "The infant's name is Amorpho."
"I could care less as to what Walker has named the child. I want to know what they're doing!"
An audible sigh could be heard from the multiple speakers that jutted from the walls of the room. "Allow me to – oh my, now this is interesting!"
Plasmius' head swiveled around one hundred eighty degreesto glare at the main computer where Technus resided. "What is?"
"Why, if these readings are correct, then Walker and Amorpho are . . . doing exactly what they were doing the last time you asked me twenty minutes ago! And twenty minutes before that!"
Plasmius' body rotated to match up with the direction of her face. "Do not speak to me in that manner, you sniveling coward! You're lucky I allow you to live after siding with that maniac upon your release from the Guys in White!"
"I had little choice in the matter. And if you desire my respect, then perhaps you should simply accept that Walker is not ready to set his plan in motion! He's calculating, plotting, planning, biding his time; he's waiting for the right moment to strike! Believe me when I say that we will know when Walker makes his move. He is not the most subtle of ghosts."
Plasmius rubbed her elbows. "That's very true . . ."
"You need to focus on your mission if you are to succeed. Allow me to monitor Walker. I'll notify you the instant he does something besides drawing up battle strategies, petting Wulf, playing with Amorpho, or being completely oblivious to Desiree's attraction to him."
Plasmius raised her eye at the last remark. "Indeed?"
"Indeed. You should leave now. The wilderness of Colorado calls for your evil genius."
"I'm not evil," the hybrid retorted. "Morality is a matter of perception. Besides, like you have any room to talk."
Technus grunted before retreating back into the computer system, leaving Plasmius alone again; this time to dwell on her current state. Genius? Yes. Evil? The ghost woman watched as the plane took off from the airport where its flight would send the only two real passengers to their destiny. But she had spared the others, hadn't she? Or had it only been a sporadic act of mercy that sprang from her eagerness over the upcoming events? She wasn't evil; her actions were perfectly justified.
She wasn't evil . . . was she?
To Be Continued
A/N: Plasmius doesn't think she's evil? Hmm. Then again, the bad guys only think they're bad in cartoons. But IRL, good and evil isn't always black and white.
Next chapter gets more interesting. Lots of stuff happens. Incidentally, not a lot happens here. I really can't think of anything to say. Maybe I can do a mini-poll using my reviewers! I'll do that. What do you think of the new Transformers movie title "Revenge of the Fallen"? Since I still want to give you a chance to vote in my poll that can be found at the tippy top of my bio page, you can cast your ballot for "It sucks" or "I love it" in your review. I'm curious to hear what you think.
And I have yet another new project that will sap time from UDP. I know, I know, you've had enough of my procrastination. I apologize, but hopefully these two won't overlap so much.
Super much many thanks to Cordria for beta-ing.
That's about it. Thanks to all my reviewers, especially Cordria, phantoms-allie, darkbunny92, inukagome15, MissMeliss4251, Thunderstorm101, Vorago Atrox, and General Razgriz.
By the way, that "Tiers are for Queers" video I said was on youtube . . . well, it is on youtube, but a very reliable source has informed me that it was originally on newgrounds. I recommend going there to properly give credit to the original source and because it's in much better quality.
"THEY'RE EATING HER! AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA EAT ME! OH MY GAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWD!"
- I have no idea. Please tell me, I really want to know where this is from.