A/N - Sorry both of these last two chapters were a bit short, but there isn't much going on right now. Just building suspense, y'know? That actually wasn't my original intention, but it worked out very nicely.
... there are newer reviews that FFN won't let me see. ;-; I'm sorry if one of these is yours, especially if they require a response of some type. I really do want to read my awesome reviews. It's not me! I swear! Hopefully it'll be solved, soon.
On another note, please enjoy.
Chapter Fifteen
Behind The Scenes
Back at SHIELD headquarters, Nick Fury was reading over three extensive reports that were undeniably linked. Wednesday had seen a break-in and sensitive information uncovered by a certain hacker they hadn't even considered a risk. Until now.
SHIELD knew about Tucker Foley before, as they had a file on everyone they viewed as potential recruits. Between the ghost hunting the boy had been doing and the incredible skill he manipulated technology with, their organization considered him a possible asset. That he was friends with the youngest Fenton and associated with Phantom were only bonuses. No one had expected him to hack into their system to retrieve sensitive information.
That had caused a very large headache, and Fury had to tell Romanov that her file had been compromised, when she reported in to him about Fenton. The teen was almost more trouble than he was worth. If he wasn't involved with Fenton and Phantom so deeply, they would've just had him punished appropriately for his transgressions, or hired on as a trainee. As it was, neither of those were options at the moment.
Then, there was the issue with Fenton, and his relationship with the Avengers team, minus Thor. Natasha had ascertained that he was indeed acquainted with them through Stark, merely by chance. She had also explained that he was very uncomfortable and guarded around her and Clint, but tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. Fenton seemed to be a good person in general, and was actually able to tolerate Stark's incessant chatter. Impressive.
For the moment, Fury was willing to view Phantom as a separate entity from Fenton, despite the building evidence. It didn't change much in his plans for the teen or the ghost, and he still didn't have any proof. Phantom was already being considered for an addition to the Avengers team, and Fenton would make a good addition to SHIELD with his engineering skill.
So, the three files giving him a massive headache were Phantom's, Fenton's, and Foley's. The hacker teen was a security risk to them. Fenton was too close to the Avengers to not be involved with SHIELD in some way, at this point. Phantom had the potential to become another member of the Avengers.
If only everything were simpler.
Meanwhile, Natasha was having a chat with Agent Coulson. She knew Clint hadn't really paid attention to all of the possible Avengers recruits, especially since he had been... out of commission... for a while during the beginning of the whole Loki fiasco. More often than not, the archer left potential threats and allies up to his handler, Coulson, to deal with unless they pertained to whatever his current mission was. Which meant that the calm, unflappable agent had a better idea of what her friend was getting into by befriending Daniel Fenton.
Her mission being temporarily suspended due to the lack of a decision on Fury's part, the impressive assassin knew she had plenty of time to hang around and chat, for lack of a better term.
"Natasha, what brings you to my little corner of H.Q.?" Coulson greeted, giving her one of his typical calm smiles.
She frowned. "I'm pretty sure you know," she drawled. "Aren't you concerned about Clint's new relationship? It could prove dangerous for one or both parties. You know more about what's going on in Amity Park than even I do, I'm sure."
He inclined his head, and stood. "Yes, but I'm hardly going to stop him from making friends with a young man whose heart is in the right place. I think that the benefits outweigh the possible drawbacks of it."
The red-headed woman sighed, and asked, "So, Director Fury and I are the only ones who are actually concerned about the Avengers associating with this kid?" She paused, thinking. "Have you heard the Director's theory about Phantom?"
Coulson let out a soft chuckle. He grinned. "Who involved in this mess hasn't? Remember, I was the agent he sent out to meet most of the Avengers in the first place. The Phantom-Fenton theory isn't new to me."
"Of course not, how could I forget that?" she bit back sarcastically, accompanied with an eye roll. She smirked, and added, "The kid's got the muscles and stance to back it up. Not a well-trained fighter, but an experienced one. He looks like he could do some damage, if provoked. I don't think he's one to fight if it isn't necessary, though."
"Then what's the issue?" the man asked curiously. "If Fenton is Phantom, he can take care of himself, and is already fighting with similar morals to guide him. If not, well, if you're right, he can take care of himself should the need arise."
Natasha glared. "It's just... something about this whole situation makes me uncomfortable."
That comment made Coulson actually laugh a bit. He replied, "Maybe it's the fact that there's an enemy out there you can't always hit."
Agent Coulson's laughter followed the grumbling assassin down the hall as she left.
In an undisclosed location, elsewhere in the states, Bruce wondered. He wondered about Danny's parents, and whether they had been clued in to their son's overly odd behavior due to his curious questions. He wondered how well Danny was getting on with the Clint and Natasha in his absence, and whether he had slipped up again in front of the others. He wondered about what Danny's secret could possibly be, that would lead him to be so fearful and panicked.
The scientist had thought about these things at length while doing the almost mindless work SHIELD had assigned him. The things they had him assessing were so easy to him now that he found himself with plenty of time to wonder and hypothesize about his newest friend's worrying secret.
He had the feeling Danny would be okay in the end, though. The teenager was tough, and he had dealt with whatever it was for nearly three years, apparently. Yes, Danny would be fine.
Sam and Tucker were worried about Danny, and whatever was going on in the Ghost Zone that Dan couldn't or wouldn't handle. Truth be told, they had been completely fine during their friend's short absence. Ghosts hadn't really shown themselves, and the few that did were either ones they fought on a nearly-weekly basis or very weak. Dan didn't even need to get involved, aside from providing his younger self some peace of mind.
At first, Sam and Tucker had been thrilled about their friend being dragged off to New York and forced to relax a bit. Danny deserved a vacation, and they all knew he hadn't had one in forever... or at least, it felt that way. Even meeting Tony Stark seemed like a purely positive thing when the halfa had told them about his first day there.
Things had just slowly gone downhill from there for the teenager. Sam was a little annoyed at how much he had been giving away to other people, even if it was all by accident. Tucker was just worried. He knew Danny was stressing about it just as much as they were, and getting angry at their friend wouldn't help things. So, he and Sam continued to support him as much as they could from hundreds of miles away.
After Danny told them about his panic attack, Sam had honestly considered calling Jazz home from college. Since the teen's parents didn't know his secret, they didn't know about his panic attacks, either, and he had never gotten the chance to see a real therapist. His older sister was a genius, though. She had taken on that role to help her little brother whenever she returned home for a visit, or even over the phone on occasion.
Then everything had come to a head when Tucker was asked to find information on two agents who happened to be part of the biggest shadow government organization he had ever heard of. To be fair, he didn't actually know of any others, but even in fiction or urban legends, most shadow governments didn't have reach as far as SHIELD did. And they were totally legitimate, which was the scary part.
So, both best friends had been greatly relieved when Dan came back from a visit to the Ghost Zone and announced he would be retrieving Danny early from his vacation. Their friend was coming home, hopefully no worse for wear.
Now, all they had to do was wait.
A very old ghost sat and watched the many viewscreens he had set up around his lair. He chuckled quietly to himself as he watched all the various players fall into line, each and every one slowly moving towards the most favorable outcome for both worlds.
The soft ticking of many clocks, all in sync, filled the air as the tense silence stretched on. The timeless ghost had no doubt that his ward would make the right decision when the time came, but he felt a slight weight in his chest at the thought of what he needed to tell the young halfa. The events surrounding Daniel's existence were as foggy as ever, but some things remained clear from the moment the portal accident failed to completely take the young boy's life, and would always remain as such.
The master of time watched on in the quiet darkness with a heavy sigh.
