Danny whistled appreciatively.
"Nice room," he complimented loudly with a smirk.
"It is isn't it? We do all our training here. Even had a few sessions with Captain America before," Powerman bragged subtly. Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Must be nice to practice somewhere meant for it," he muttered softly. Spiderman caught the comment though.
"You don't?" he asked. Danny shrugged.
"I'm not exactly welcome in the Ghost Zone. In fact, once when I was blowing off some frustration with target practice, I accidently fried the Ghost Writer's Christmas poem and he decided to get revenge on me. So, unless I'm in the Far Frozen, I can't practice in the Ghost Zone… and even there it can get a little tense. Amity Park isn't the easiest place to live in when you're a ghost either, what with the Fentons and the Guys in White. I can dodge them easily enough, but I'd rather not give them a reason to attack me," Danny explained. Spiderman glanced at his team, compared to Danny, they had it easy.
"Why aren't you welcome in the Ghost Zone? You're a ghost right, isn't it like where you're from?" Nova asked. Danny gave them a half-nod.
"Technically yes, but I'm a pretty young ghost. I er… I only died a couple of years ago. That and I kind of made a lot of enemies doing what I do. This thing isn't exactly nice to be in," Danny answered and gestured to the thermos.
"We are sorry to hear that," Iron Fist apologised, breaking the uneasy silence that fell with that knowledge. Danny waved a dismissive hand.
"It's fine. Just my life, or afterlife right? Besides, it's not all bad. I have got some ghost friends and I've got these cool powers too," Danny assured them with a wide grin. The heroes nodded and those who had their mouths showing smiled at that ghost, but it didn't stop them feeling sorry for the ghost teen. He couldn't have been older than they were when he died. It was a sombre thought. They were so used to feeling invincible and strong, seeing someone their age had died… it gave them a chilling feeling of mortality.
Suddenly Danny's ghost sense went off and Danny turned to a wall across the room and out floated a sad looking, squat blue ghost. Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, Box Ghost! You look blue. Bluer than usual," Danny commented loudly and walked over to the other ghost. The Box Ghost looked up and sighed.
"Beware! Oh, forget it. What kind of place doesn't have any boxes!?" The Box Ghost grumbled half-heartedly. Danny quickly stifled a laugh.
"Kind of makes being the Box Ghost boring then right," Danny remarked. The Box Ghost nodded slowly then his eyes widened and he glanced up at Danny.
"But that doesn't mean you can trap me in that cylindrical prison!" he exclaimed angrily. Danny rolled his eyes.
"It's the Fenton thermos. You'd think after all the times you've gone in it, you'd know what it's called by now. Besides, the quicker I catch all you ghosts, the quicker I can go home and empty it into the Ghost Zone," Danny reasoned with barely contained annoyance. The Box Ghost bit his lip and considered what Danny said.
"So, you're saying that the sooner you catch us, the sooner I get to go home to my boxes," the Box Ghost retorted thoughtfully. Danny's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yeah, I'm kinda surprised you got that. So, why don't you tell me where the others are and get into the thermos, Klemper's in there already to give you some company," Danny suggested. The Box Ghost pulled a face.
"That isn't a convincing offer," the Box Ghost commented. Danny shrugged. The Box Ghost sighed in defeat though.
"Fine, the others said something about a cell block before Skulker told me to leave them alone. Threatened to hang me on his wall if I followed them. Not that I wanted to," the Box Ghost grumbled. Danny nodded.
"Thanks, I promise, the minute I get back home, I'll return you to the Ghost Zone," Danny concluded and pointed the thermos at the Box Ghost. He yelled in surprise at the sudden pulling into the thermos but didn't struggle. Danny screwed the lid on and turned to the superheroes.
"I don't like the idea of those ghosts being in the cell block. We should get there as quickly as possible," Danny suggested seriously.
The heroes nodded in understanding, they didn't like the sound of it either.
"So, tell us, what are these ghosts like? So we aren't going in completely blind," Spiderman asked as they rushed through the tricarrier. Danny nodded slowly.
"Alright, Skulker is the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter. Wants to hunt me down and hang my pelt on his wall," Danny began.
"That is gross," Nova commented. Danny shrugged.
"I've heard it so much it kind of lost its meaning, but yeah it is. Ember uses music. If she's strong enough she can control entire crowds of people. She can use music as a weapon too and that packs a punch let me tell you. So watch out for her guitar. Technus is the ghost of technology. Like I told you before, he's a loud mouth. He isn't particularly smart but if it's technology, he can use it. Also he can use electricity as a power source, don't get me started on that night I chased him across town when he got control of the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle. He stole electricity from everywhere and I couldn't get near because he had a ghost shield. Johnny 13 is a biker. He's not that dangerous really, it's his shadow you need to watch. It causes bad luck and is really strong. But it's weak against any strong light. Spectra… don't listen to her. She says stuff that makes you really depressed and uses that to make herself stronger. Bertrand is a shapeshifter. Can change into anything but he usually listens to Spectra rather than working alone. But I doubt you'll be able to help much since they can all go intangible," Danny explained. They rounded the corner and entered the prison cell block.
So… ghosts and supervillains in the same place…
Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.
Remember to check out my website and have your vote in the poll. There's a link in my bio.
Next, there was a very interesting question in the reviews. Are the ghosts in this fanfic interdimensional beings or spirits of the dead?
I personally see no difference. Ghosts reside in the Ghost Zone. This is another plane of existence parallel to our own. But they are also spirits of the deceased brought back for whatever reason.
This story doesn't specify that reason but I generally don't go by the common theory of an obsession driving a ghost's actions. It leaves Danny in a strange situation. Does he have an obsession or not. If he doesn't then it makes him more human than ghost, a human with ghost powers. But if he does have one, such as protecting the weak or one to that effect, it questions if he truly is a hero. Are his actions his own morality and strength of character if his "heroic" obsession based acts are natural for him or even instinctive?
Yes it can bring a refreshing dimension to his motivations but I prefer to have his actions as his own, as with all ghosts. But ghosts are dead people, and as such may have a few screws loose, which means they may take their hobbies a tad too far, e.g. Skulker or even the Box Ghost.
But that's my opinion. Wow, didn't mean to go for so long. Let me know your thoughts on this opinion.
And thank you so much for the intriguing question.
Until the next chapter.