CHAPTER 4: EXISTENTIAL CRISIS

Successful from another mission of apprehending ghosts from a threat on the living, the Specter Speeder flies back to the midair laboratory named Fenton City, home base of Fenton Works and personal home for the Fentons, landing on an air pad set aside for their departures and arrivals for any given reason.

Stepping out from the speeder is Jazz Fenton, greeted not by human beings or volunteers, but by multiple builds of a machine known as Jazzbot 9000.

Based on the past models of the Tuckbot 9000 and Gothbot 9000, these mechanical workers substitute any need for human physical labor, carrying more than all the strengths of human beings without any weaknesses like needs for food or sleep, making them the best-suited labor for the needs of the Fentons.

Their central artificial intelligence is the same operating system that the rest of Fenton City operates on, named the Mass Information Sentient Terminal and Ectomorphic Registry, or M.I.S.T.E.R. for short. M.I.S.T.E.R. greeted one of its masters back from her journey from the eyes of one Jazzbot, offering its services as usual.

"Welcome back, Miss Jasmine. May I be of any assistance to you today?" M.I.S.T.E.R. asked.

"Just the usual, M.I.S.T.E.R., fill up the battery and basic diagnostic. I'll be in the lab. Have me ready coffee with 200 milligrams of caffeine when I get there." Jazz said.

"Certainly, ma'am, right away."

The Jazzbots immediately went to work on the Specter Speeder as ordered, recharging its battery and running a full diagnostic check on all its components. Heading into the main doors of Fenton City, Jazz's departure is to her personal laboratory, carrying in her hands the Fenton Thermos which currently held the prisoner ghosts her brother had captured not hours ago.

Stepping into her personal laboratory, she was greeted by more Jazzbots waiting her arrival, one of which held up the highly-caffeinated coffee she request.

"Your coffee, ma'am." M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

"Thank you, M.I.S.T.E.R.." Jazz said.

Pressing the controls to her Fenton Peeler, the suit began to open up around Jazz, allowing her to step out of it and work freely. Dressed now in the undergarments she wore beneath it, a black skintight suit fitted electronic components to aid her in utilizing the Peeler to its full ability.

Taking the coffee from the Jazzbot, she sipped at the dark beverage, allowing her brain its first dosage of stimulant before work.

"You recently installed a program to inform you when you resemble too much of your mother by way of scientific habits. Your nightly caffeine consumption and continued scientific research carries a 92.4% resemblance the habits of Mrs. Madeline. Is this a cause for concern?" M.I.S.T.E.R. asked.

"Not when I'm finally finding more answers to the questions we've always had. Guess science runs in the family better than I thought." Jazz said.

Stepping up to a computer with the Fenton Thermos, she plugged it to a connection port, allowing herself a means of studying the ghosts while keeping them imprisoned inside the sealed pocket dimension. Her focus on the ghosts is to discern further why the attack had taken place, and why others like it had happened before, in hopes of quelling more problems in the future.

Taking another sip of her coffee, she knows that her work will be long ahead of her.

"Looks like this is gonna be an all-nighter. Bring me another coffee with 100 milligrams." Jazz said.

"You are now bearing a 96.3% resemblance to your mother." M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

Danny Phantom has become nothing short of a living legend among the people of Earth, known as the first superhero ever to come to reality, and defending it from the hordes of the undead and damned in the afterlife, doing so since the unstable and volatile age of 14. The boy the world once knew has now fully grown to a man, with a wife to his name.

Atop a hill within Amity Park's public park area is where Danny, currently in his human form once again, spends time with Sam. The two chose to relax on a small hill together, having enjoyed an inexpensive but delicious dinner from the fast-food establishment known as Nasty Burger.

Alone together after a long, busy day consisting of public appearances and political endorsements followed by an unexpected case of hunting ghosts, the two did their best to relax and enjoy their time together while they could. Their choice of the park is a good option, and a peaceful one to make use of.

To be together without any other troubles to worry about, to be with one another as a married couple, is a one of the few luxuries they do not indulge in often, and this chance to spend time together is a good reminder of how important times like this are to seize and savor.

But the moment is not all that remains on the minds of Danny and Sam. Looking back on the modern metropolis that has come about from their family's scientific discoveries, the sight provokes thoughts and ponderings, reflecting on how the world has changed from the impact they have left upon it.

"Hard to believe that 10 years ago we kept all this ghost-hunting stuff secret. Thought your parents would've thrown you straight to an operating table for vivisection if they'd ever found out about you." Sam said.

"I didn't dodge that bullet completely. Mom and dad still wrangle me into the lab to do an occasional test on me every now and then. You know how painful it is to donate ectoplasm in ghost form?" Danny joked.

Both shared a laugh from the joke, soon moving back to a brief silence in thought once again.

"Definitely a good show you put on for the people tonight. Nothing's better for publicity than saving the president's life." Sam said.

"Implying I'm not already the most famous man alive." Danny said.

"True. Remember when Vlad made himself mayor and got the whole town to turn against you? Now, we've got the most powerful man in the country eating out of the palm of your hand. We're rock stars bigger than the Beatles. I'd love to see the look on his face if he knew that."

Mentioning his worst enemy's name brought an uncomfortable chill out of Danny; his reflections of pleasure now turning to reflections of fear.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sam asked.

"Nothing. It's just... You brought up Vlad. We haven't seen any trace of him at all this whole time. He could still be out there somewhere." Danny said.

"I doubt it. He hasn't been seen on Earth for the past decade at all. He's long gone and he's not coming back. Good riddance."

"I can't accept that so easily. If there's one thing I learned from our encounters, it's that he never quite goes away. I'd rather be prepared for if- for when he comes back. I won't lose to him again."

"You can't be so hard on yourself, Danny. Look how much you've done for this city, for the world. People actually see you like the hero you are now instead of public enemy number one. That alone's a gut-punch that would beat Vlad. We beat him. We're the heroes. Well, at least you are. I'm just the sidekick."

"Don't be so modest, Sam. I couldn't have gotten as far as I did without you and Tucker. Who else was gonna get me the Thermos in time?"

"Hard to believe you never thought to just put it on your belt or something simpler."

"Heavier than it looks."

"I know. You're the one who made me carry it."

The two shared another laugh, taking levity from their conversation to focus on each other yet again.

"Gonna talk to Tucker when we get back?" Sam asked.

"Tomorrow. I said I'd spend the rest of the night with you, and that's what I intend to do." Danny said.

"That is the correct answer. Y'know, I still find it kind of hard to believe that Tucker actually made it to president. All he ever did most of his campaign was chase around women. I don't think he would've made it if not for you."

"I think he would've done it even without me. He didn't have much competition against that old white guy who thought Mexico was gonna invade us. I'd rather vote Dash over that guy."

"Maybe you should run and be the first half-ghost president. You'd definitely have the votes on your side."

"Nah, I'll leave the politics to Tucker. He was always more interested in it than me."

"He was more interested getting as many women as he wanted. Being a celebrity's the easiest route to go there, and the president's the biggest celebrity of them all. Seemed too perfect for him."

"I just hope he actually gets a grip on what he's doing for once. He's done some good for the country, but I'm concerned about all this uprise in ghosts we're seeing. It's starting to get a lot more aggressive than the old days. Back then, it was just a random occasional ghost trying to wreak a little havoc around town, and they went back quick as they came. It was more of a game than anything. Ghosts are starting to get worse all of a sudden, like they're working towards something. Not to mention, people are actually trying to turn themselves into ghosts. Like me. They're doing it so they can hold onto their own ideologies and make sure they don't change with the rest of the world. This is a completely different ball game than just ghost hunting."

"Not sure what to tell you on the religious angle. I haven't been a Jew for years. Not that I really was much of one, but, still. Kind of easy to accept reality when you actually see a dead person for yourself."

"We were still young and learning about the world. When you're older, it's easy to take things as they come. These people have been stuck in these beliefs for centuries. I don't know how we're supposed to help them before they do something dangerous on those beliefs."

Sam laid a gentle hand across Danny's chest, taking his attention away from the issue one his mind.

"Hey. Didn't you say you weren't gonna worry about anything tonight but spending time with me?" Sam asked.

Detracted from the thought again, Danny responded to her question with a sigh and a smile.

"Yeah. I did." Danny said.

To make the moment even more special to the two, Sam took out from their food a bottle of champagne, removing the cork and sending it flying off the bottle in the air. Taking out two glasses, she filled them with the golden liquid, handing one to her husband and keeping one for herself.

She held up her own glass to Danny, proposing a toast.

"To 10 years. And the best days of our lives still ahead of us." Sam said.

"To 10 years." Danny said.

Their glasses collided, making a gentle 'clink' sound as they touched. Taking their glasses to their mouths, they sipped on the champagne floating within, sending a bittersweet taste to their minds as the liquid made its journey to their stomachs. Content with their sips, they set their glasses aside, moving in closer to one another.

Danny held Sam's hand, moving towards her as his face started to get closer to hers. Leaning back against the grass, Sam soon was put in a kiss between herself and her husband, placing the two in an embrace and connection savored best by a couple many years into their marriage.

And their embrace soon led another enjoyable activity in marriage; one more intimate than mere kisses and touching.

Busy are the lives of the Fentons in their lives of rigorous and relentless research; working tirelessly and thanklessly in their pursuits to discover the unknown and undiscovered continents of the supernatural. Barely a year out of college, they put all the knowledge they have acquired through their hard work to obtain more, hoping to finally break new ground in their discoveries and findings.

Restless and excitable in his work is Jack Fenton, hoping to tread new scientific ground with each passing second of his life. Maddie Fenton, loving of science just as much as her husband, does not share his lack of interest in sleep and apparent lack of need for it.

Tired after long hours of work on paranormal research and work, she prepared to head to the master bedroom of the house, trying to bring her husband along to bed.

"C'mon, Jack, dear. We've been working all day now, and I could use a rest. You could, too." Maddie said.

"Maddie, honey, how can you think of sleep at a time like this? I'm getting closer and closer to expanding the ghost portal for human exploration of the afterlife! Hope Vladdie's not still mad about the prank with the first one, you know how he gets." Jack said.

Interested in bringing Jack to bed for marital reasons more than his own good, Maddie further insisted he join her, running a seductive finger down his chest.

"Jack, sweetie... I really would like you to come to bed with me... It does get lonely sleeping by myself sometimes." Maddie said.

"Oh, don't worry about that. You've got our lovely little Jasmine to keep you company! You know how much a new baby needs her mommy. Got to go now, science calls!" Jack said.

Rushing off to continue whatever work beckoned him at that particular moment, Jack left Maddie to head to bed alone, leaving his wife to stand annoyed and frustrated emotionally and sexually. Without a husband to see her needs fulfilled, Maddie headed to the master bedroom alone, changing out from her traditional blue jumpsuit to her nightly wear.

Stepping to the crib by her bed, she laid a loving hand on the head of the infant Jasmine Fenton sleeping in it to feel one last human contact before she slept herself.

"Sorry, sweetie. Looks like it'll be a little bit before you get any new brother or sister just yet. Goodnight, Jazz." Maddie said.

Placing herself in the covers of her bed, she tucked herself into the sheets and blanket, covering herself with warm blankets to apply the pressure to her body needed to induce feelings of security and tiredness. Soon, the intended effect takes hold, and Maddie Fenton soon slips out of her conscious state into the healing meditation of sleep.

But her sleep does not last very long. Coming to interrupt her is a hand pulling off her covers, and another groping at her breast. Feeling a gentle touch come to her sensitive anatomy, she is awakened with a gasp, opening her eyes to the one who had brought her the sense of touch and brought her out of her sleep.

The touch had left her with a startle of fear from its lack of expectation, but that fear is subsided away when the one she sees in her eyes is Jack, her husband. The sight combined with the touch bring a smile from the once-unconscious Maddie, staving off her sleep to see her needs fulfilled at last.

"Mmm... Finally came to your senses?" Maddie asked.

"So it would seem, Maddie. You know how to make a man go to any lengths to get you." Jack said.

"Including finally getting you to give science a rest for once."

"Like I said, so it would seem."

Leaning into give Maddie a kiss, Jack began removing his own clothing, removing all obstacles from bringing their act to its full consummation. Laying his hands on her, he invoked pleasured and joyful moans from her lips, feeling her body in all its soft and wet offerings.

So it would seem that Maddie had began engaging in intimate acts with her husbands, having finally swayed him to come to bed with her and be as one...

"Yes, Jack... Yes..." Maddie moaned.

"Yes, Maddie, yes..." Jack said.

...but things are not what they seem. As Maddie closed her eyes, feeling them roll back in her head in pleasure, the form of Jack changed into someone far different from the joyful, portly man that she had married. In his place stood a specter swearing himself as his sworn enemy; his coveted prize of Maddie stolen from him forever following an incident involving a prototype Ghost Portal.

But through that same incident, he has found a way to take her back, even if the event was just for this one night for the man named Vlad Plasmius.

"...yes." Vlad said.

Author's note: All dialogue in brackets [like this] represents when the characters are speaking in the Irken language.

On the prison planet of Carcerem, the unofficial king of the prison, Vlad Plasmius, continued to sulk in his prison cell, awaiting the end of his penalty of solitary confinement. He does not mind the solitude; the loneliness is preferable to being a slave in this otherworldly prison to him.

Though he was more than able to phase through his cell or blast through it with a simple burst of ectoplasm, he is still unaware of the person he really is, and has no awareness of the full extent of his abilities. Amnesiac and blind to his past, he has no choice but to wait out the end of his sentence.

Waking from his sleep, the memory passes from his mind as quickly as it came, not knowing who the people in his dream were, and still not even knowing himself from all the pieces of his past that come to him. Being on this planet for as long as he has, Vlad has no recollections of his life on his home world of Earth, not even remembering his own name, merely having only vague visions that come to him occasionally.

This time being one such occasion, given to him from his dream.

Taking a piece of concrete laying on the ground, Vlad used the chunk of rock like a piece of chalk, drawing on the walls to better visualize his dreams. He drew several sketches of faces and people that look and feel so familiar to him, but the memory of these people far from him and carrying no awareness of their identities. Instead, these vague memories haunt him, like recurring nightmares.

Vlad continued to face his sketches of the faces and figures, putting all the detail that he could recall from the last times he had seen them. From just one sight, he would once recognize the faces immediately without fail. Now, stripped of his name, past, and home, he cannot anymore.

In one picture, he would see a picture of Jack Fenton; a man who he once thought as his best friend, his once-best friend who betrayed him by stealing the love of the woman he loved most, and he would look upon him with hate. Now, he only sees a strange-looking man, recognizable only as another member of his own species, whatever it may be.

In another picture, he would see a drawing of Maddie Fenton; the woman he had loved all his life, the one who chose Jack Fenton over him, and he would look upon her with a cocktail of heartbreak and jealousy. Now, he only sees a woman; an attractive woman, but a stranger of a woman nonetheless.

In another picture, he would see the face of Danny Phantom; his sworn and worst enemy, his foil and the bane of his existence, the boy who single-handedly stopped each and all of his plans for all his own benefit, and he would this face with absolute and complete rage and blinding hatred.

But now, he sees just the face of a boy, and he does not know him, nor why he should.

His internal questions lingered on without any hopes of resolve, but they all come to a sudden and sad end once again. A prison guard opened the door to the solitary confinement cell, bringing in light into the room at last, causing Vlad to avert his eyes to avoid its sharp, stinging pain in response.

"[Vamp! You're penalty's up. You're on duty for food prep!]" The guard said.

Vlad did not move as ordered, but continued to sit on the floor; not seeming to acknowledge the guard's order, or not caring to listen. Having no tolerance for disobedient prisoners, the guard grew impatient with Vlad's delayed response, not bothering with a second warning.

Taking assistance from another guard, the now two guards picked Vlad up, dragging him out of his room, forcing him to get to work. The two brought him into the kitchen of the prison, where Vlad finally brought himself on his feet again, heading into the kitchen to perform his duties.

Putting on an apron and hairnet, Vlad saw that he was not alone in his kitchen duties, as he was joined by another alien known as Belasco, an demon-like creature of the planet Lucifer. Sharing obvious physical similarities to the Luciferian race, Vlad became something of a friend to Belasco, and most of their meetings in situations such as this one.

"[Hey, Vamp. Good to see you out. Been in there for a few days now.]" Belasco said.

"[Sounds worse than it is. Felt like a few hours for me.]" Vlad said.

"[Saw that fight you put up the other day. You completely slaughtered Zuul.]"

"[I know. I was there.]"

"[So was I, I enjoyed the show. Zuul was an asshole.]"

"[Just keeping up my reputation as king.]"

"[Not to mention the cooler king.]"

Vlad gave a scoff at Belasco's joke, curving a smile with his short laugh.

"[So, what's on the menu tonight?]" Vlad asked.

Belasco held up a large sack of meat in response. Though it was supposedly freshly shipped in from the Irken Empire, the word 'fresh' did not apply to the meat.

"[Blorchian Rat, formerly known as the Slaughtering Rat People of Blorch, until the Irkens took it over and 'repurposed' the native population as a food source.]" Belasco said.

"[So those two 'Almighty Tallest' found something they won't make their snacks out of, huh?]" Vlad asked.

"[Nothing that's too good for us, apparently.]"

Belasco wasted no more time with the meaningless conversation, opening the sack of meat to begin portioning the meat for the coming dinner for the prisoners. The meat smelled rancid and filled the room with a foul stench from opening, making both Vlad and Belasco cringe in response to the smell.

Nonetheless, the two pushed on to process the food, portioning it out for each prisoner that would soon eat.

"[I still think you should try to talk the higher prison staff to give us some basic safety regulation. They'll listen to you.]" Belasco said.

"[Don't be stupid, Belasco. No one cares about us, we're prisoners. We don't even register as sentient life-forms to those bugs.]" Vlad said.

"[But you're Vamp! You're the biggest of all of us here!]"

"[That's not saying much. There's a lot of big sticks here, and none of them got even an inch out of the guards.]"

"[But they're not you. You can do things that none of us ever could. Hell, you could lead a riot straight out of this place if you wanted to. I'd sure follow you.]"

"[I'm no one, Belasco. I don't even remember what my own name is, let alone where I came from. I don't even want to be seen as 'The Big Man' in this hellhole.]"

"[Then why bother keeping your place at the top?]"

"[Because it makes life easy. I may not remember much of my past, but I can see my future just fine. I'm an old man, and my last days are coming soon enough. I'm going to die here, and I want to die peacefully.]"

"[C'mon, man, you can't die. You're Vamp. You're the duke. You're A-number one. You're the big man, that's who you are.]"

"[Belasco. I told you. I'm no one. Now, please, can we get to work? The sooner we get started, the sooner we can go.]"

Finally deciding to respect Vlad's feelings, Belasco dropped the conversation to continue processing the alien rat meat for their dinner. Taking to a task of cutting the meat to small portions, Vlad filled them on plates with small side dishes, filling out the meals to be served to other prisoners.

Despite dropping the subject, it still remained on Belasco's mind, and still he had one more question before abandoning his questions.

"[Tell me something, honestly. Do you ever remember anything at all about your past, Vamp? You know, like, where you're from?]" Belasco asked.

Vlad took a deep breath before answering, beginning to recollect a few vague memories again, having one specific name and answer come to him.

"[Earth. I think I was from Earth.]" Vlad said.

"[Did you have any family?]" Belasco asked.

Once again, Vlad paused in thought, finding yet another vauge recollection come to him in response to the question.

"[I remember... having a daughter.]" Vlad said.

The blue planet on the mind of Vlad Plasmius is where we come to once again, rejoining not just a world that was once his home, but also the child that remains on his mind, though out of reach of knowing who or understanding why. Separated from her light-years across the galaxy, he is unaware of her name, her origin, or even her current situation in life.

Her name is Danielle Phantom. Her origin is that she is a clone of Danny Phantom. Her current situation is far more complex to answer that the former questions.

She currently resides in the underground of Amity Park, another area of the city where the touch of government outreach has not assisted its people. She is cold and alone, wearing only scrappy clothing taken from dumpsters and stolen from small department stores; having no choice in order to sustain herself.

Without Vlad Plasmius, she has no home or stable living conditions. Carrying a mixture of feeling regarding her biological template of Danny Phantom, she is unable to face him or even reach out to him for help. She is without any friends or family for her to lean on for support. She takes comfort and security only in carrying one status of Old Amity Park:

She is its sole protector against ghosts and the undead, where Danny Phantom and law enforcement like the Ecto Corps will not.

Despite being the unofficial protector of the underground of Amity Park, defending it from rampant ghosts and any sort of threats to its few peaceful citizens, she does not think highly of herself. Many people are thankful for her protection, but she suffers from an identity crisis that clouds her own self-worth...

...or, rather, a lack of identity, so she believes. Spawned as a clone of the teenage half-ghost superhero, his unofficial sister by way of duplication, her origin makes her see little of herself as a person, and to carry out one of the most famous aspects of his life makes it all the worse on her. If being the second-rate version of another person is a worthless life, then what is her life, as a clone of someone else?

For 10 years, I've been living this life. But what is my life? A copy of someone else's? What am I supposed to be? Danielle thought.

While strolling down the streets, Danielle looked upon a poster of Danny Phantom and Team Phantom hanging on a toy shop; the sight causing her to contemplate her purpose even more. Looking deeply into Danny's face with her own reflecting over it from the glass, she feels memories and emotions that are not her own, as if she is watching them like an actor in a role.

She no longer knows herself.

I'm not real. Vlad made me to be some perfect little copy of him. I'll never be like him. Where does that make me? What am I supposed to do with myself?! Danielle thought.

In her self-made state of despair, the faces of the Fentons on the poster began laughing in her face, collectively mocking her worthless state of existence. Not believing the sight she was seeing, Danielle began to back away from the window, viewing her hallucination with shocked wide eyes.

"You know, Dani, I've already got a sister, why don't you just do us all a favor and die already?" The Danny hallucination asked.

"What?! No, you're not real! Danny would never say that!" Danielle said.

"Is that so? Well, I suppose you'd know, being my clone, right? Then you should know damn well that there's only room for one Phantom, and that's me. I don't need a second-rate copy. That's what the Ecto Corps are for."

"Shut up! Shut up!"

"Oh, come on, with all the clever comebacks that you could possibly come up with, the best you've got is 'shut up'?! You really are a worthless copy of me!"

"STOP IT!"

Unable to continue the torment, Danielle fired an ectoplasmic blast in the window, shattering the glass and burning the poster, putting an end to the hallucination and its torment. While the immediate issue of the poster was gone, the shopkeeper of the toy store was now her next concern; her blast damaged his store and leaving him angry over the destruction.

"Hey, you spook broad! You're gonna pay for that! You better have some goddamn change somewhere in that ghost body of yours!" The shopkeeper said.

Already frightened from the vision of the poster, Danielle fled from the angry shopkeeper, running to find a space to herself without knowing what laid ahead of her or where to go. Though not happy with his current predicament, the shopkeeper made no attempt to pursue her, shrugging off the attack with irritation.

"Hey, where are you going, you-?! Aw, screw it. Damn spooks." The shopkeeper lamented.

After running in vain for some amount of time, hoping to escape from her own fear, Danielle ran into an abandoned alleyway, finally finding a place to be alone. Unable to stand the torment that has been with her for years, she is left with nothing to do in this secluded spot but cry; forgotten, alone, and without comfort in her time of need.

Curling herself in a fetal position, she cries herself away, and cries out for a more meaningful life than what she knows.

"God, what kind of life is this? Who am I?! WHO AM I?!" Danielle yelled.

"You know who you are." A familiar voice said.

Upon recognizing the voice, Danielle immediately snapped out of her state of sorrow into a state of alertness, charging up ectoplamic blasts in her fists and ready to fight. She holds no hesitation against the owner of the voice, recognizing it as none other than...

...Vlad Plasmius, revealing himself out from the light from the shadows of the alley.

"You! What do you want?!" Danielle asked.

"I want you, my dear. Danny was the son I always wanted, all those powers and abilities, all untapped potential to train to my own ends, but he would never have me as his father figure. That is why I created you. You do not carry his imperfections. You do not carry his weaknesses. You are perfect." Vlad said.

Susceptible to even the most basic and banal of kindness in her state of desperation, Danielle began to find herself conviced by Vlad as he spoke, lowering her guard against him. Vlad approached her slowly and calmly, reaching out his arms in a welcoming manner.

"You are the best child that I could ever ask for. You are the one who will succeed me in ruling this planet like I should've done. You, my daughter... Dani Plasmius." Vlad said.

Danielle began to let her guard down, beginning to be more and more convinced by Vlad's words, eventually powering down the ectoplasmic charges in her fists. Vlad now moved to be face-to-face with Danielle, looking at her with a warm smile, extending his arms out for a hug.

"Come, now, my daughter, give your father a hug." Vlad said.

Despite Vlad's seemingly genuine approach, Danielle's own skepticism reminded her of Vlad's true nature as a manipulator and man only interested in his own benefits, knowing that the offerings he gave were not true rewards. Rejecting his facade of kindness, she pushed him away and stepped back.

"No. No! You're a liar! Go away! Get away from me! Leave me alone!" Danielle yelled.

Danielle followed up her push with an ectoplasmic blast through Vlad's chest, knocking him back against a wall and causing him to groan in pain. Giving out a few heavy breaths, Vlad returned to Danielle with a swift flight, taking an approach not so friendly as before.

Grabbing Danielle by the throat, Vlad held her into the air, choking her as she hung in the air.

"And I had such hopes for you. To think I put all the time and effort in creating you. But, like all artists, what I can create, I can destroy as I please." Vlad said.

Turning his hand intangible, Vlad reached into Danielle's chest, gripping his fingers around her heart and crushing it with all his strength. Feeling the immense pain of her heart crushing in her chest, Danielle gurgled in agony as blood began to spurt from her mouth and eyes.

She screamed in pain, wishing for the torment to stop.

Suddenly, Danielle awoke to find herself still in the alleyway she first ran to, realizing she never had left it, with the night sky turning to a bright morning following the long night she spent in the alley. Calming under the understanding that the pain she felt was merely from a dream, she finally brought herself down from her stress, beginning to breathe normally once again.

Still, the relief is not enough to cleanse the feelings of solitude and misery that sent her here in the first place. The thoughts that the dream aroused still laid fresh and present in her mind, reminding her of the troubles that still plague her without sign of end or resolve.

She returns to her suffering again, but doing so now in silence, letting no one else hear her soft cries of pain.

During her state of self-pity, a clatter occurred behind a trash can, catching her attention away from herself and back to the rest of the world once again. Assuming the noise to be a threat from the agitated shopkeeper, Danielle stood ready to defend herself, charging up ectoplasmic energy in her fists with the intent to fire.

"Look, pal, I'm sorry I busted your window, but I'm not having a real good night. Just beat it and leave me alone!" Danielle said.

Her warning was seemingly for naught; the clattering began to grow louder and louder, signalling that the unknown threat was approaching closer. Ready to defend herself, Danielle focused more intensely on the source of the clutter, keeping her mind sharp to fire her own hellfire upon it.

"I mean it! Don't make me do this!" Danielle yelled.

The noise of rustling garbage and refuse began to intensify, making it clear that whatever was coming the way of Danielle Phantom was not heeding to her warnings. Keeping her hands aimed towards the threat, she prepared to release her concentrated energy towards it, ready to put an end to the threat coming her way.

However, when the cause behind the noise was finally revealed, it carried no threat of danger when it was seen, giving a rather anticlimactic end to the affair.

The source of the noise was revealed to be a small stray cat climbing out of the trash, slowly approaching Danielle as it meowed at her. Danielle, relieved from the affair ending and amused that the trouble was over a simple stray cat, laughed off the scare with a light chuckle.

Kneeling down to the cat, Danielle began to approach it, with the cat continuing to approach her as well. Coming up to the cat, Danielle gave it a friendly pet on the head, stroking its fur. The feeling of touching a living creature again gives her a sense of delight she had been removed from for far too long, and to feel it again brings a pleasant smile to her face.

Scooping the cat off the ground, Danielle sat on the ground while still continuing to pet it; the cat purring and cuddling with her in reward for her efforts. Gaining the emotional support she needed for a moment, she temporarily allowed herself an escape from the troubling questions in her mind.

The cat continued to snuggle against her face, licking it and making Danielle laugh at the tickle its coarse tongue laid on her.

"Yeah, I guess I could use a friend right about now, too." Danielle said.

Cheered up from her troublesome night before, Danielle rewarded the stray cat with a kiss on its head.

"I'm Danielle. What's your name?" Danielle asked.

Unable to communicate with her, the cat simply replied with a meow.

"Oh, right. You're a cat. You don't talk. I guess I'll have to name you. I'll think I'll call you... Spooky. Sound good?" Danielle asked.

The cat did not give any implicit reply or acknowledgement of the question, only instead continuing to cuddle with her.

"Alright. Spooky it is. Well, Spooky, I guess you and I have a lot to talk about, but how about we get some food first?" Danielle asked.

Spooky meowed hungrily; the cat's bodily functions answering for her.

"Alright, then. Let's see what we can scrape up today." Danielle said.

With her newfound pet now joining her for breakfast, Danielle tucked Spooky into her jacket and left the alley, seeking out her first meal for the day.

Walking down the streets with her new accomplice of a cat named Spooky tucked discreetly in her coat pocket, Danielle set out in search of a suitable dinner for the two. Moving down several areas of the city's underbelly, she searching out any open food markets to steal from to find a decent dinner. The method is one she is all too familiar with, but the experience she has with the manner will serve her well once again.

After a few minutes of walking, a time that seemed to last longer from hunger gnawing at their stomachs, Danielle's search finally came to an end; coming to a small farmer's marketplace in the city. The street it was set upon was crowded and busy, filled to the brink with people, all ripe conditions for a clean steal.

Out of the busy food stands, all offering their products of fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables, one stand in particular caught her eye for a nice dinner. The stand she selected sold large, freshly-caught fish in a small window, with a large tuna fish in the window, catching the attention of both Danielle and Spooky.

"Looks tasty enough, but it's a little big to carry. Think you can help me get it?" Danielle asked.

Spooky seemed to meow in agreement.

"Okay, then. Let's get ourselves a nice piece of bass... Er, or tuna. Whatever." Danielle said.

Danielle placed Spooky on the ground, prompting the cat to follow her from the ground, leaving her unseen to many lookers. Making her approach to the stand, she took notice that several others surrounded the area, making the attendant slightly flustered under the multiple customers to appease.

Using her female body to her advantage in the situation, Danielle zipped her hoodie down and leaned forward, showing a hefty serving of cleavage out of the lack of any undershirt to the jacket. She cleared her throat loudly, gaining the attention of the fish salesman and sending him looking her way.

"Excuse me, sir? Do you think you could tell me about this fish here?" Danielle asked.

The fish salesman approached Danielle to answer her question, but found himself slightly distracted by the view that she was offering him.

"Huh? What?" The salesman asked.

"The fish. The big one here. Could you tell me about it?" Danielle asked.

"Oh, yeah. This bad boy we caught in Lake Eerie just yesterday. Mean sucker, too, it took at least three guys just to reel it in."

"Wow. You must be pretty strong, huh?"

"Yeah, I try to work out. Can't catch big things like this with no muscle."

"Well, I do have a thing for muscles... and 'big things'."

As the salesman found himself gullibly accepting Danielle's advances, several other customers soon left his attention span altogether. Trying to get his attention again, some even nearly yelling at him to get his attention, the growing number of customers were left ignored in favor of the attractive young woman standing before the salesman.

As Danielle continued her flirting, she slowly phased her hands through the glass standing between her and the desired fish, all to the shopkeeper's obliviousness.

"I don't think I've seen you around here. What's your name?" The salesman asked.

"Jazz. Like the music." Danielle lied.

"Jazz, huh? Do you think I'm one cool cat?"

"Actually, no. But I think he is."

Before the shopkeeper could question her response, Spooky jumped onto the counter and addressed the salesman with a loud hiss, distracting him for Danielle to finally grab the fish and pull it out. Getting her hands on the fish, she began to run away with it as fast as possible.

"Hey, get outta here, you goddamn stray!" The shopkeeper yelled.

The shopkeeper shooed Spooky off of the counter, making her run off to follow Danielle as she departed.

"Sorry, I hate cats, what were you saying-?" The shopkeeper began to ask.

The shopkeeper looked up to see that his supposedly interested customer was long gone, and looked back down to notice his prized tuna was gone as well. The two missing items from his eyesight had led him to quickly realize what had happened, and the realization is not one that he takes with joy.

"You goddamn spook! You're not getting away from me!" The shopkeeper yelled.

The salesman pulled out a contraband ectoplasmic gun and rushed after Danielle, hoping to catch her and retrieve his prized fish. Leaving his sales cart behind, the salesman ran into an alleyway, hoping to catch his thief before the opportunity to do so would be lost.

"Get out here, you little skank! I don't know why a spook like you wants food, but you better give it back right this second!" The salesman said.

Looking up and down the alleyway which his thief was seen departing in, the salesman continued to look for the thieving runaway, still under the belief that his victor was a typical ghost. Pacing through the alleyway, he searched out for a sign for the thief, only to have nothing bear fruit from his efforts.

Angered over the loss of product, the salesman threw his fist to the air in anger, retreating back to his fish stand in hopes not to lose any further sales. When the armed salesman was gone at last, Danielle and Spooky watched him depart from a roof in the alley, smiling as the gunman departed and their victory of scoring dinner achieved.

With dinner secure, there laid now the task of finding somewhere to eat.

The duo made their arrival next to a small apartment, a place where Danielle loosely considers home. Her apartment is one derelict and shoddily kept with in severe need of maintenance and renovation; not too different from the outside world, and making it not much more preferable to the outside either.

Upon arriving inside, Spooky jumped out of Danielle's pocket and laid on the bed, finding it a more suitable sleeping area than anyplace else she slept before.

"Well, taking my bed right off the bat, huh?" Danielle asked.

Spooky's stomach began to growl, leading her meowed hungrily.

"Oh, right, one second." Danielle said.

Setting the fish on a tabletop, Danielle cut a piece from it and the portion in a pan, preparing to cook it on the stove. As she turned the knob to activate the oven, however, the oven would not start. Whether suffering issues from gas or electricity, the end result still sat with her without a conventional means to cook the fish.

Needing to feed both herself and her new pet, this left only one option to see their dinner finished.

"Well, I don't like doing this, but, you're hungry, so..." Danielle began to say.

Danielle placed her hand underneath the pan and began heating it up with ectoplasmic energy, causing the pan to heat up and begin cooking the fish at last. Scared by her hand glowing green with energy, Spooky meowed fearfully and hid behind a pillow from the unusual event.

Not immediately realizing why Spooky was so scared, Danielle looked at her hand and realized that it was her powers that scared her away.

"Yeah. That's why I don't like doing that. That's part of where I come from, Spooky. From a guy named Danny Phantom. It's a long, sad story." Danielle said.