CHAPTER 20: GOD EAT GOD, PART 4
Through a scientific accident in his parents' basement, Danny Fenton became a ghost-human hybrid; his human flesh and soul separated from one another into two separate entities, which he can switch between at any time. He is one of very few of his kind, the other known of which is Vlad Masters, becoming a ghost-human hybrid years before Danny was ever born.
But they are not the only two of their kind. There is another, born by the hands of both of the originals.
In an attempt to create his own copy of Danny Phantom for himself, a being he can call a protege and a son, Vlad Masters had begun a long period of attempting to clone Danny Fenton, with almost no success. Trying to meld raw ectoplasm into an exact duplicate of Danny Phantom, Vlad's creations melted away as quickly as they were created, reduced back to puddles ectoplasm.
But like all attempts to create a new life, for every 99 instances of failure, there is 1 instance of success. That one success became known as Danielle Phantom.
Where the other clones of Danny Phantom were made with raw ectoplasm welded in an attempt to recreate the accidental success, Vlad instead took to a more traditional method of cloning in order to achieve his next success. Taking DNA obtained from the aforementioned half-dead hero, a human clone was soon created, identical in every way to Danny Fenton in every way...
...save for the minor difference of possessing the opposite organs of generation, resulting in a child of the female gender. As a result, the clone was soon named 'Dani'.
The clone was then given treatments of age acceleration, leading it to grow to an age that would equate to 12 in biological human years. Gaining a living and obedient clone of Danny at last, Vlad's first test with the new subject came began by recreating the conditions by which Danny Phantom was created.
Proceeding with the experiment, Vlad led Dani to the basement of his home, escorting her to his personal laboratory. Similar to the Fentons' own lab in many ways, both equipped with the means of exploring and fighting against the forces of the afterlife, and both also possessing the device which led to the creation of Danny Phantom in the first place:
The Ghost Portal.
Walking her in front of the Ghost Portal, Vlad stopped the two just outside of it, keeping Dani faced towards it as if directing her towards it. Wearing a white-and-black jumpsuit with an amalgamous logo comprised of a 'D' and a 'P', Dani recieved a pair of confident hands placed on her shoulders from Vlad, attempting to relieve any potential stress she might have held.
"Shh. Don't be scared now, Dani. Your father's here to take care of you." Vlad said.
"But, father, I'm scared. You said that people can get hurt if they go in there." Dani said.
"Not you, sweetheart. You're a very special girl. You can go in that portal without getting hurt at all."
"But I still don't want to go in there. I'm scared."
"Don't be scared, sweetie. You were made to go in there."
"I was?"
"Yes. It's the reason I made you. I made you with the special thing you need to go in the portal."
"But why would I want to go in the portal?"
"Because, if you go in the portal, you can get something out of it. Something that I need."
"What?"
"Power, Dani. Lots of power. I really need you to go in there and get it for me. You wouldn't want to let your father down, would you?"
Born only months ago, possessing the body of a 12 year old but a mind much less mature, Dani is not so easy to resist Vlad's manipulative tactics. As such, guilt comes over her for her hesitation, prompting her to overcome it and fulfill the wishes of her creator.
"No. I'll do it. I can do it." Dani said.
"Good girl. Go on, now. Make your father proud." Vlad said.
Following on from Vlad's urges, Dani stepped inside the ghost portal as ordered. Standing inside the interdimensional rift machine, she looked around inside the device, exploring it from the inside. Anxious and uncertain what would await her within the portal, Dani kept her arms to herself, crossing them over herself in a hug in an attempt to stave off the fear she felt.
Left without the details of what happen to her while inside the portal, the answer would soon come, brought by the hands of Vlad Masters. Turning to the controls of the Ghost Portal, Vlad activated the machine, powering it up to create another dimensional rift to the realm known as the Ghost Zone.
Still inside the portal, Dani watched as electricity began to flow through within, bringing out a light hum and several sparks of green energy glowing within. Frightened by the change in environment, the natural response of fight-or-flight began to take hold, urging her to remove herself from the portal as soon as possible.
However, the portal opened in the very next instant; both options gone as quickly as they were thought of. There was no time for flight, and there was no way to fight.
Her body was then bombarded by a burst of artificially induced hellfire, coursing through her as if she were immaterial in its path; passing straight through her. The passover of ectoplasm was not as harmless as the overall experience may implicate, nor as Vlad had lied that it would be, as Dani's own senses were overloaded with pain from the otherworldly experience.
The pain and torture endured from the experiment is nearly unbearable, seeming to last an eternity, but it achieves the desired effect it was designed to attain. Having the mutated genes of Danny Fenton to withstand the Ghost Portal's opening, the ectoplasmic baptism had separated her flesh from soul, creating a ghost with all its powers, all without segregating it from the body it was bound to.
Soon, Vlad shut off the Ghost Portal, putting the assault of ectoplasm on Dani to an end. Stumbling out from the portal, Dani, no longer to stand on her own two feet, fell to the ground in exhaustion. Observing Dani and her reaction to the portal, Vlad kept a careful eye over her; not as a caring father as he facetiously claimed to be, but, rather, as an investor keeping his eye on his personal investment.
Gaining the strength to stand back up, Dani placed herself back on her feet, rising once again after her rebirth through the portal.
"How do you feel, Dani?" Vlad asked.
"I... feel... strange." Dani panted.
"You did it, you know."
"I... did?"
"Yes, you did. Here, come take a look."
Vlad then led Dani over to a mirror, allowing her to see the results of her ectoplasmic baptism. Looking in her own reflection, she saw that her own bodily image was no longer what it once was; white has become black, and black has become white, and her once-blue eyes now turned a glowing green.
Jumping back from the change in her body, she began to float off the ground, flying in the air in an immediate show of her powers. The sudden usage of ghost powers combined with her personal appearance completely changing from what she once knew, fear and anxiety began to take over her state of mind.
But Vlad, whether truly acting out of virtue or simply protecting his investment once again, played the role of father to calm her down.
"Father? What's happened to me? I'm scared!" Dani yelped.
"No, no, Dani. Don't be afraid. It worked. It worked perfectly." Vlad said.
"What did you do to me, father?"
"The same thing that happened to me. I gave you powers. Just like I have powers. Here, I'll show you."
Extending out his arms, Vlad had a pair of rings appear from his midriff, both taking opposite directions up and down his body, changing the form of his being from flesh and blood to otherworldly ghost. Changed into the frightening appearance of Vlad Plasmius, he flew up to Dani to display his own powers to her.
The sudden change in her father gave her a fright, but Vlad took her by the arms before she could fly further, lightly shushing her.
"Now, now, Dani. Don't be afraid. It's still me. It's still your father, Vlad. I can change the way I look, too. You and I are the same now." Vlad said.
"We- We are?" Dani asked.
"Yes, Dani. And you are very beautiful now that you've gone through. Aren't you glad you made your father happy?"
Taking relief in having made her 'father' happy, Dani's fearful expression turned into a smile, flying into Vlad's arms for a hug, subsequently receiving a hug in return.
"Yes. I'm glad, father." Dani said.
Starting from this origin based on lies and deceit, Dani encountered her genetic benefactor, sent by Vlad under a lie to obtain more of his DNA, only to soon realize the truth behind her 'father' and turn on him, becoming an ally to Danny. She encountered him once again to enlist his help in repairing her unstable molecules, a task which he helped in and saved her life.
She returned the favor by enlisting herself in the task of saving the Earth from the Disasteroid, an asteroid composed entirely of Ectoranium. After the Earth was saved by the combined efforts of all ghosts in the Ghost Zone, the planet was at last given its concrete evidence of the afterlife, disproving all religions overnight.
And that was when Dani had disappeared.
10 years since that world-changing event, Dani, now going by 'Danielle', has been found once again in the slums of Amity Park, where those without hope or a future turn to the same religions and false gods for the chance at a better life. Her mission is to fight against those who would exploit the hopeless to their own ends, and try to find her own identity in a world gone wrong.
In carrying out another night of the former, she has found a speedbump in the latter. Of the people she had saved from the battle between the Christofascists and Israeli-American Defense Force, among them is her progenitor and the origin of her ghost powers: Danny Fenton.
She is not aware of his recent defeat at the hands of Demon Phantom nor the loss of his powers, but Danny's well-being is not a concern to her anyways. Unable to even look in the face of Danny any longer, she simply turned away from him and began walking away, seeking to avoid him and any issue that could arise from a conversation with him altogether.
Lacking in his soul and any clear direction or even help, Danny does not let her be, deciding to pursue her in hopes of help.
"Dani..." Danny said.
Still trying to ignore Danny, Danielle continued her walk away from him, pretending not to acknowledge him or his calls. Whether unable to understand the gesture or simply unable to afford giving into it, Danny still pursued her, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder.
"Dani..." Danny said.
Laying a hand on her shoulder, Danielle stopped in her tracks at last, turning to Danny to push off his hand.
"Look, Danny. Two things. One: Don't call me 'Dani'. It's 'Danielle'. Second, whatever it is you want, I don't care. Go fly away to someone who cares." Danielle said.
Turning away from his plea, Danielle continued walking away, ignoring the further pleas that came from Danny.
"Danielle... Help me..." Danny said.
"Oh, what's the matter? You can't change into a ghost right now? You drunk or high or something after a party with some lobbyists and corrupt senators? Well, too bad. As you saw, there's people down here with bigger problems than rich people can get rid of with money. I'm trying to actually make an effort and make some of these people. Get lost, will you?" Danielle asked.
Yet still in pursuit of Danielle, Danny would not obey her wishes, still continuing to follow her and beg for her help.
"Danielle..." Danny said.
Letting out an annoyed sigh, Danielle took to the nearest street, attempting to hail down a taxi.
"Ugh, fine. You want me to call a cab for you? Fine, but you're paying for your own ride. TAXI!" Danielle yelled.
Waving at an oncoming taxicab, Danielle attempted to hail it to stop for her, but the car had passed her by, barely seeming to acknowledge her. Keeping her hand out in continuing the task of hailing down a taxicab, Danny laid another hand on her, as if a child trying to reach out for warmth.
"Danielle... Need your help..." Danny said.
"I don't wanna hear it, Danny. You can take your problems back to your big floating city in the sky, deal with whatever's your problem there. TAXI!" Danielle yelled.
Trying to wave down the next oncoming taxicab, the next one to pass had drove past Danielle, leaving her yet again without a method of transportation to dispose herself of Danny. Still not deterred from her efforts, Danny spoke out for help once again, forcing himself through his weak and powerless voice.
"Danielle..." Danny said.
Shoving off Danny's hand, Danielle stepped into the street and pulled up her shirt and hoodie, revealing her breasts to the next incoming taxicab.
"TAXI!" Danielle screamed.
The next taxicab had at last stopped for Danielle, incentivized by the exposure of her bare chest. Pulling her clothing back down, she stepped to the passenger's seat of the car and opened it, prompting Danny to step inside. Unwilling to be gone from Danielle so easily, Danny stood his ground still requesting her help.
"Get in the car." Danielle said.
"Danielle..." Danny said.
"Forget it, Danny. I don't care what your problem is. You're rich, you have a family to take care of you, so go back to them and handle it. I'm not interested."
"My family's dead..."
Previously uninterested in any of Danny's pleas for help, his last statement had at last gained her attention, shocking her out of her resistant mind to listen.
"What did you say?" Danielle asked.
"My family's dead... They were all killed... My powers are gone... Don't have anywhere else to go... Only you can help me..." Danny said.
After hearing Danny's full explanation, Danielle's stubborn and apathetic response to him turned to a sense of sympathy, starting to grow into a stronger force of will to think about the information given to her. Caring not for Danny or his life any longer for many years, the negative response she once put up to Danny began to dwindle, giving way to the most basic response of human empathy for his plight.
Unsure of how to respond to Danny, stuck in a state of indecision, Danielle's hand was soon forced to make one with the impatience of the taxi driver.
"Hey, lady! You or your boyfriend getting in or what?" The taxi driver asked.
Snapped out of her train of thought, she turned to the taxi driver to dismiss him.
"Never mind. We don't need a ride anymore." Danielle said.
"You mean, you got me sitting here all this time for nothing? I don't even get a little something for my troubles?" The taxi driver asked.
"You got a free show, that's more than I ever give sleazeballs like you. Now beat it, will you?"
"Bitch."
Driving off without any financial compensation, the taxi driver drove off in search of a profit to be made elsewhere, leaving Danny and Danielle alone to continue their conversation. Guiding him away from the street, Danielle moved him back towards the main city, asking him more about his predicament.
"Your whole family's really dead?" Danielle asked.
"Yes." Danny said.
"How? You guys can, like, take down an entire country if you wanted to. Who could've possibly killed them all, let alone take away your powers?"
"He came back..."
"Who? Vlad? Vlad came back?"
"Him, too... He's more powerful now than before..."
"What? Vlad's more powerful than before? Or this other guy is? Who could be more powerful than Vlad or you?"
"Dark Danny..."
Unaware of the origins of the aforementioned rogue ghost, Danielle's sympathy turned to confusion...
"'Dark Danny'? Who the hell's that?" Danielle asked.
"From the future... From a future... where I turned evil... Fought him once, trapped him, beat him... He came back..." Danny said.
...and, upon hearing the explanation behind the villain, Danielle's disbelief led her back to anger, putting an end to all sympathy she once had.
"WHAT?! Seriously, Danny? You wasted my time, made me flash my tits at a cabbie, all for nothing?" Danielle asked.
"Danielle..." Danny said.
"Goddammit, Danny! The one time I try to help you out, turns out it's just you trying to play a joke on me. Is this really funny to you?"
"Danielle..."
"No, forget it. That's it. I go out of my way to stay away from you, and the one instance that I actually speak to you, I get it all blown up on me. I mean, c'mon, Danny. Don't you think I have enough problems on my hands?"
"Danielle... Please believe me..."
"Ha! Believe that an evil you from the future killed your whole family and stole your powers? What reason do you have for me to believe that? You have none. I don't believe you, and I can't believe you."
"Then don't. Believe me instead." A voice said.
Interrupted from their fight by the sound of a third voice, both parties turned to the voice to find the ghost of Jazz Fenton floating before them, lightly setting her ethereal feet on the ground. The sight of Jazz's ghost was one that brought different emotions out of both Danny and Danielle, each of their reactions caused for different reasons.
Disbelieving Danny's story from the instant Demon Phantom was made mention of, Danielle's skepticism and anger had dissipated with the sight of Jazz in the form of a ghost. Knowing the only reason for a ghost to exist is by the death of another, her disbelief now becomes belief, backed up by more reasonable evidence.
Without a guide or helping hand to lead him on, Danny took to Jazz's ghost like a lost child to family, reaching out to her and grasping to her for warmth. Although Jazz no longer possessed any warmth with her otherworldly form, she nonetheless welcomed Danny into her arms, holding him in a hug.
"Jazz..." Danny said.
While keeping her hug on Danny, Jazz turned to Danielle to address her skepticism once more.
"You know, Danielle, you should believe a man when he tells you his future self killed his family. After all, we live in a world where ghosts exist. You never know what you discover these days." Jazz said.
Inside the flying fortress known as Fenton City, the once home to the ghost-fighting family known as the Fentons, the stronghold is now occupied by numerous maleficent specters that they have spent many years fighting against, claiming the dead bodies of the Fentons for themselves after taking their lives in battle and assuming their identities.
Successfully returning from a military operation in Haiti meant to recreate their own version of Danny Phantom, the ghosts, led by the malicious Demon Phantom, put a stop to the project and confiscated all technology and inventions made for the project form themselves, all in order to further the plans of their leader.
Walking down the halls of Fenton City, Vlad Plasmius and Skulker, in the bodies of Maddie and Jack Fenton, respectively, carried the newly-imported equipment to be stashed away for later use. The bodies they occupied would be limited by physical strength to be unable to carry the equipment, but the supernatural abilities of their spectral forms backed up the bodies, giving them the strength needed to continue.
Vlad sought to carry on the task in silence, keeping his mind and his thoughts to himself. Unfortunately for him, the many thoughts he had in his mind revolved around many negative topics, pertaining to the deaths of the Fentons and how he managed to put himself in the situation he was now in.
But what concerns him most is the recurring thought of himself laying over Maddie in the form of Jack, taking place on a night many years ago in her bedroom. The thought has returned to his mind over and over again without prediction or explanation, and still does it bother him now.
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.
Just as the thought had returned without warning or reason, it would not allow itself to be gone yet, left to linger in Vlad's mind, driving him to further silence. The silence would have lasted throughout the entirety of the walk, but, Skulker, much more of a talker than his colleague, sought to end the silence with conversation.
"Hey, Vlad." Skulker said.
Snapped out of his train of thought, Vlad looked to Skulker in response to his question.
"What is it?" Vlad asked.
"So, you haven't talked much since we started out here. A lot on your mind?" Skulker asked.
"Well, the woman I love and her entire family is now dead, I'm currently occupying her body like I'm wearing a suit, and I'm helping someone that I know nothing about in the narrow hopes that I get her back. So, yes, I do have a lot on my mind, if you're so interested to know."
"Hey, okay, I was just asking. Just trying to make small talk."
Returning to silence once again, the quiet between the two does not last, as Skulker soon returned to meandering conversation once again.
"So, what's it like?" Skulker asked.
"What's what like?" Vlad asked.
"You know. Being in a woman's body. You get to have your own boobs to play with. Almost wish I'd taken her body instead."
"Oh, don't even start. If you're trying to make me feel better about taking her body, you're doing a good job of it, because I'd rather me have it than a pervert like you. Didn't I hear somewhere that you screwed your own prey?"
"Er... That was just one time. And if you saw her, you'd understand."
"Oh, please."
"But I do wish I'd picked someone else. For the most part, but old man Fenton seriously needed to get himself a goddamn StairMaster. His body's at least 60% fat. At least he had a boner when he died, me and Ember have been enjoying it while it lasts."
"Too much information. Will you stop already and just keep moving?"
"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a wad. No, seriously, you're in a woman's body now, you better watch out for menstruation."
"Maddie's dead, you moron. Her body can't breathe anymore, let alone ovulate. Now, will you please stop it?"
"Fine. Have it your way. Anyway, I think Technus said storage room 4304 is on the next left."
Following Skulker on the left turn to the storage room, Vlad continued down the halls of Fenton City with him to their destination, hoping they would soon come across it in the midst of the long, cryptic halls of the city. Reaching the storage room at last, the two stepped inside and set their items down inside, setting it alongside the rest of the confiscated equipment to be used later.
Now finished with their job at last, the only remaining chore laid in the need to meet back with the rest of the ghosts in the main hangar. Though wishing to remain silent before, the dialogue shared with Skulker loosened his mind to speak further; an opportunity he used to see questions of his own answered.
"I'll entertain your incessant need to talk a little further to get an answer I need. That... thing that split into you and Technus, what was that?" Vlad asked.
"Nothing fancy, but we called it SkulkTech. Demon Phantom put us together to make it." Skulker said.
"What do you mean, he 'put you together'?"
"He put us together, literally, like, shoving us against each other, and we just... I don't know how to describe it. It's like all his thoughts and ideas had sex with my thoughts and ideas, and the baby of those thoughts and ideas somehow became that thing. When we split back up, we were back to our normal selves. I guess you could call it, uh... What's that word that they call it when- Fusion! Yeah, fusion. I guess we fused into a completely new ghost."
"Ghosts can do... that?"
"Yeah, that's how he came to be. Didn't you know?"
"'He'? You mean, Demon Phantom?"
"Yeah."
"No, I didn't know that. How did he come to be?"
"Well, it's a long story, you're better off asking him when we get back."
"Fine. Do you know how to get back from here?"
Taking a look in the nearby hallways, Skulker found none that bore any familiarity, undoubtedly telling him that he was lost, and, by association, Vlad, as by the confused look on his face. Looking to a nearby wall, however, he saw what appeared to be a vending machine with a Jazzbot inside, alongside a button on the machine that read 'PUSH FOR HELP' on it, giving Skulker an idea to navigate their way back.
"No, but I can find out." Skulker said.
Pressing the button, Skulker summoned the Jazzbot, operated by M.I.S.T.E.R., out of the glass barrier to approach and greet them. Reprogrammed by Technus, the artificial intelligence mistook them for the true Jack and Maddie Fenton, eagerly offering his services as he would his real creators.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. This marks the first time I've been summoned to help you both and not just Mr. Fenton. Is everything alright?" M.I.S.T.E.R. asked.
Choosing to take the initiative to respond, Vlad cleared Maddie's throat, making sure to keep her vocal chords in tone with how she once sounded.
"Hi, there... computer! Sorry to scare you, me and Jack were just taking a little stroll down the halls, now that we got back from Haiti!" Vlad said.
"Mrs. Fenton, while you may be the one who created me, my name is still M.I.S.T.E.R., and I would appreciate it if you would refer to me as such." M.I.S.T.E.R. said.
"Oh, right, I'm so sorry, I'm just a little jet-lagged. Gosh, we had just a wonderful trip, we managed to acquire all kinds of new equipment to try!"
"Yes, I'm well aware of your love for technological innovation and its effects on your body, Mrs. Fenton. Would you like the sex dungeon prepared for you and Mr. Fenton?"
Unable to expect such a blunt and disturbing question from M.I.S.T.E.R., Vlad and Skulker fought back very disgusted faces in the bodies of the Fentons, holding back their expressions of shock with forced smiles. The attempt at suppressing any emotion would have no effect on any living being, but, to an artificial intelligence such as M.I.S.T.E.R., it was effective enough to fool him.
"Oh, no need this time, M.I.S.T.E.R., me and Jack just got turned around and need to get back to the hangar. Could you be a good dear and take us there?" Vlad asked.
"Of course, Mrs. Fenton. The purpose of this Jazzbot is, of course, designed for such purposes, but I was not expecting you to require such assistance. Such help is usually taken advantage of by Mr. Fenton in his fits of senility." M.I.S.T.E.R. said.
"What?! I'm not going senile, you bucket of-" Skulker began to say.
Vlad delivered a sharp but discreet elbow to Skulker's stomach, preventing him from blowing his cover and reminding him of the goal at hand.
"Uh, I mean, I can't believe that we don't have any pancake makers down here? How are we supposed to fight ghosts on an empty stomach?" Skulker corrected.
"You recently had plenty of Fenton Fudge Pancake Makers installed in the Sex Dungeon to satisfy your fetish of food play during sexual intercourse as you requested me to do. Are you sure you will not be needing it to relieve your stresses? You always report elevated levels of testosterone and estrogen after a-" M.I.S.T.E.R. began to ask.
"NO!" Vlad and Skulker shouted.
Once again trying to retain their disguises, Vlad took the lead by imitating Maddie Fenton.
"We mean, we really, really, would much rather go to the hangar. Would you please take us there?" Vlad asked.
"Of course, Mrs. Fenton. Please follow me. We will begin by making a turn by the sex dungeon." M.I.S.T.E.R. answered.
Gaining a robotic escort to lead them to back to their group, Vlad and Skulker followed it close behind, hoping the very intrusive artificial intelligence would make no more attempts to lead them to a room laid out for the purposes of relieving the sexual needs of the Fenton parents.
"Man. I don't know what's scarier, your impression of Maddie Fenton, or that robot's knowledge of the Fentons' sex lives." Skulker said.
"If there's one thing I know from stalking a woman for years, it's every single piece of their personality and how to imitate it, believe me. That includes a few of her... 'tastes', as it were. She's a bit kinky, but not that crazy."
"Ugh, now who's giving too much information?"
"Says the the man banging his girlfriend with the bodies of a father and daughter. Besides, it has been awhile since I last saw Maddie. Once I get her back, I'm beginning to think that I should try that sex dungeon with her, see just what she's really in to." Vlad said.
Growing tired of hearing about the godforsaken room of the sex dungeon, Skulker gave a disgusted groan, picturing vile images of carnal knowledge against his will.
Soon, their escort led then back to the hangar as planned, where Demon Phantom and the rest of the ghosts awaited them. As the Jazzbot departed to its station, Vlad and Skulker walked to Demon Phantom, finding him towering above them in his normal form, staring them down with a Lugosi-like stare.
The very look from Demon Phantom brought fear even out of the hunter named Skulker, but Vlad showed no such fright.
"You're standing before an almighty being that can end your life at any given time. Basic etiquette usually calls for you to bow." Demon Phantom said.
Skulker immediately bowed as ordered, as did the other ghosts, but Vlad made no such attempt to show weakness. Immediately taking notice of Vlad's defiance, Demon Phantom stood himself up close to him in intimidation; the sight bringing fear to the other ghosts watching, but still not Vlad.
"Didn't you hear me? I said you should bow." Demon Phantom said.
"I bow to no man." Vlad said.
"I'm not a man. Not anymore."
"If you're trying to call yourself a god, then I should warn you that I'm also an atheist. I've never prayed once in my life, and I've no plans to."
The display of bravado and defiance seemed like all the reason for Demon Phantom to take enough offense to end his life and afterlife on the spot, all signs of danger coming from his eyes like they carried an intent to kill, bringing further fear for Vlad out from the other ghosts...
...but Demon Phantom ultimately made no such attempt to attack. Instead, he simply laughed and rewarded Vlad with a tap on the shoulder. The surprising act of humor and appreciation consequently brought confusion out of the other ghosts, none still willing to let their guard down.
"You all see that? This is the kind of will to live you should aspire for. Vlad has nothing to lose, and he's ready to take me on just so he can prove that he's not bought or intimidated that easily. That's how you measure the quality of a man. That's how you measure the quality of a life. You should try to follow his example. Now, get up. We've important matters to tend to." Demon Phantom said.
Rising to their feet, the ghosts all opened their ears to Demon Phantom for orders, all while keeping a respectful eye upon Vlad after his act of defiance.
"Now, my horsemen, Tucker and the rest don't seem to suspect anything of us, so I'm going to trust each of you have adapted well to your bodies. It is time to move on to the main plan." Demon Phantom said.
"And, what, pray tell, is your main plan, my liege?" Fright Knight asked.
"I've thought over the point that Skulker made to me before, regarding how prepared the Earth is on fighting back against any threat of a ghost. Just the 6 of us couldn't make any real change on our own. So, after seeing what kind of Danny Phantom projects that the world created, including that little experiment we were subject to before, I believe I've found our answer to the problem."
"How? You plan to create a bunch more Danny Phantoms of your own or something?" Ember asked.
"If that is the case, I'll have you know I've been there and done that, and nothing good came of it. You're wasting your time." Vlad said.
"I'm not seeking to create another Danny Phantom. I'm seeking to create gods." Demon Phantom said.
Demon Phantom's answer further confused the ghosts before him, leaving them scratching their heads at his suggestion.
"Uh, don't mean to burst your bubble, boss, but there aren't any gods. We know that for a fact. We've seen what's on the other side." Technus said.
"We've also seen the lengths people have gone to create their gods, and given us the key to making our own. You saw it just like I did in Haiti; the man went in that portal and came back out as a metaphysical manifestation of his god, becoming what he believed in." Demon Phantom said.
"But that's barely becoming his god at all. He just believed he was a god, and that belief carried over when he became a ghost. He just believed it, it wasn't real." Vlad said.
"Is there a difference between 'belief' and 'reality' when it comes to ghosts? Think about it, all of us have come back as something that we used to be, who we chose to be. The lives we lived carried on, believing who we believed we were, came to an end, and we never stopped believing who we were after we died. If someone was convinced that they're Napoleon Bonaparte their whole life, then died, who's to say he wouldn't come back as a ghost of Napoleon Bonaparte?"
"There was only one Napoleon Bonaparte, last I checked." Ember said.
"I said a ghost of Napoleon Bonaparte. Not the ghost of Napoleon Bonaparte. If he knew all the history and personality traits of the original, down to where he would pass for an exact imitation, would a ghost of that imitation be any distinguishable from the original?"
"But how does that apply to gods? There's never been any real gods here on Earth, and no history of them to go by." Technus said.
"It doesn't have to be real to be believable. People used to believe the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around it, and we've since come to find out that wasn't true, but that doesn't make it any less believable to those still willing to believe it. If it's easy to make someone believe that, how hard do you think it is to convince someone that they're a hippie carpenter who's been dead for 3 days that was born of a virgin? Made all the easier by the fact that there's a whole book claiming to be factual that documents that exact character. Human beings are notoriously easy to fool and program, particularly when they're young, desperate, and/or under the influence of hardcore narcotics and hallucinogens."
Demon Phantom's explanation laid itself into the minds of the ghosts, allowing the idea to develop in their heads to an understanding.
"So, you're saying... we convince people that they're gods, and... we kill them with the ghost portal, and they... come back as those gods?" Vlad asked.
"Almost wish you'd thought of it, didn't you? I've taken the time to browse through the technological advancements of Earth during my absence. Even with all their firepower, the humans can only fight off a few of us on their own. Fighting against our own army of gods, ones that many of these countries used to worship? There is no one in this world that could face off against such a pantheon." Demon Phantom said.
"And how exactly are you gonna get the technology away from the humans so we can use it?" Skulker asked.
"I'm one step ahead of you on that, Skulker. The initial excursion we had in Haiti was only the first part of a little plan I concocted with President Foley. Our ultimatum to the nations with this technology is to hand it over in the name of patent protections, or get sued for half of their GDPs. I expect no less than all of them to surrender."
Intrigued by their leader's plan, the ghosts smiled and chuckled along, invested in his scheme and eager to see the results.
"Well, well, never thought I'd see an evil capitalist scheme that I liked." Technus said.
"Cool. I'm down for this." Ember said.
"I will follow you to the end, my liege." Fright Knight said.
"Sounds like fun to me. I'm in." Skulker said.
Receiving positive replies from all the ghosts on his team but one, Demon Phantom turned to the silent Vlad, looking to see his answer to the plan.
"And you, Vlad? Do you approve?" Demon Phantom asked.
"I'll remind you again, I'm only doing all this so I can have Maddie back. You help me complete what I need to do that, and then you get the hell out of my way." Vlad said.
Impressed once again with Vlad's show of control and strength, Demon Phantom chuckled in amusement.
"Like I said, Vlad. Many more should follow your example. Now, then, now that that's settled, who's ready for a fun family trip to New York?" Demon Phantom asked.