In a dark backroom of an abandon paperclip factory three dark figures sat around an old electric lamp. Throughout the aged building the sounds of creaking and groaning walls could be heard. It was a low grating sound that would set anyone's teeth on edge. However, the figures situated around the light source seemed to bask in the abandon air that the decrepit place boasted. With their faces distorted by the long shadows casted by the croaked lamp, one of them finally spoke.
"Ok first order of business." Sam said as she pulled out an old tattered black notebook and a pen. She, like Tucker and Danny, was wearing her cloak with the hood down as the factory was cold and they had yet to buy warmer clothes. "We need to plan out a escape route from Jump."
"Why?" Tucker said as he reached into a custom pocket for his P.D.A. "No counting the Titans I'm kind of liking Jump city. Also, I think it might be a good idea to stay awhile longer."
"Tucker we can't stay here it's too dangerous!" Sam said her voice raising in shock at Tucker suggestion, "We already ran into the Titans not to mention the League is still after us. Staying in a city that has a team lead by Batman's former apprentice is a terrible idea."
"I have to *crunch* agree with Sam here Tucker," Danny said as he tried to speak around the food in his mouth, "staying in *munch* Jump especially after what happened yesterday is a bad idea."
After escaping the Titan's they had gone back to the hotel, grabbed their things, and ran away without looking back. They didn't stop running until area of the city they were in became less like a city and more like a hazardous pile of rubble. The factories and the areas they found themselves in weren't still abandon because of people not wanting to deal with possible gang activity or looters. No one in the city wanted to pay to fix up or teardown a building in this part of the city, not even the villains. The structures where rotten from the top to the bottom and would cost hundreds of thousands to repair or replace. Every surface seemed to have a crack in it and was infested with either rats, roaches or a horrible mix of the two. Forgotten and ignored by the city, it was the perfect place for them to hid out in.
"Yeah but-" Tucker stopped and looked at Danny and the crumbs around his mouth, "-are you eating? Dude we're supposed to be rationing our food!" Tucker's shouted.
"I'm not eating from the rations Tuck." Danny said holding one hand up and clutching a small bag of chips with the other. "I raided the hotel room before we left. It's not like anyone was going to eat it."
"You're holding out on us!" Tucker angrily accused as he reached out for the bag. "Give me the bag!"
"Dude the bag was crushed when I found it! What do you want to do, divide the crumbs?" Danny said as he held the wrinkled bag close to his chest.
"Yes!" Tucker said putting his P.D.A down as he prepared to jump the gap between him and Danny if need be. "No hording!"
"Tucker you don't even like All-Dressed Chips!" Danny said preparing to turn intangible to avoid Tucker's lunged if need be.
"Its the principle that matters!" Tucker loudly exclaimed.
"Enough!" Sam shouted loudly stopping Tucker and Danny in their tracks. Sighing roughly she held the bridge of her nose, "Look I get that we're all tired from having to leave the hotel, and cranky that we don't get another ration break until four hours from now, but can we at least finish this meeting?" Sam waited for them to settle down before addressing Tucker, "Back to business. Why do you think it's a good idea to stay in Jump?"
"Well for one the Titans are here." Tucker said glaring at Danny as he went back to eating.
Sam raised an eyebrow at his in confusion, "Isn't that a bad thing?"
"Normally yes, but think about it like this. Who is a bigger threat to us the Titans or the League?" Tucker asked as he absentmindedly began toying with his P.D.A.
"The League duh." Sam said rolling her eyes a Tucker's question, "They have jurisdiction over the whole world or pretty much most of it and can follow us to the ends of the earth." She then winched, "Also, not to undermine our strength or anything, but I'm pretty sure that in a straight fight they would crush us."
"Oh, I wholeheartedly agree." Tucker said his face blank with acceptance, "We would be five years into our jail sentences and still be asking what the hell exactly happed to us. I'm pretty sure that Danny agrees with me."
"Superman can take a shot from a shotgun point-blank to the face without flinching," Danny deadpanned crushing the now empty chip bag, "I'm confident not stupid. The fact that you have doubts about my ability to understand the Justice League's ability to kick us into next year is almost insulting."
"Okay we agree that the League is the greater threat then the Titans." Sam said writing down in the small notebook. "How exactly does this help?"
"Think about the places that the League doesn't have jurisdiction over." Tucker said, "What places do they don't fight together."
Sam paused thinking it over, "The only place I could think of is their own cities. I know for a fact that Batman would never let anyone in the League fight in Gotham, at least not without a fight."
"Now," Tucker said a devious smirk spreading across his face, "who has jurisdiction over Jump Cites?"
Sam and Danny's eyes widen as they thought back to five angry teens they meet only yesterday.
"That's right." Tucker said his smirk turning into a full blown smile at their faces, "The Titans have jurisdiction over Jump. The League won't enter another hero's city without permission. While we're in Jump City we will only have to worry about the Titans."
"Wasn't Robin Batman's sidekick?" Danny pointed out a small frown forming on his face, "Why wouldn't he just ask Batman for help?"
"You really need to read up on your heroes Danny." Sam her own devious smile growing on her face, "Robin was Batman's sidekick, but he left to prove himself as a worthy hero and show Batman he didn't need help to fight villains. Robin won't ask Batman or the League for help."
"Right. The League is pretty serious about asking permission to act in another hero's territory." Tucker explained, "If Robin doesn't ask for help…"
"Then the league won't come." Danny said a wide simile breaking out on his face before it was quickly replaced with a concerned frown, "That doesn't take care of our Guys in White problem. They're the government they don't need permission."
"The Guys in White have been hunting us for months, there isn't going to be an easy fix for them." Tucker pointed out, "Think of them as the engine pulling the train to our problems. All we can do now cut down some of the heavy battlements on the train."
"What kind of train has battlements?" Danny asked, a single eyebrow raised in question.
"One that is that can follow us anywhere, is designed by the Guys in White, and has the Justice League and the Titans putting enhancements on it." Tucker said dryly.
"So it comes down to if we would rather stay on the run from the Guys in White while the Justice League follows closely behind, or hide in Jump city from the Titans and the Guys in White when they eventually find us." Sam summarized. "Okay all in favour of not running around America in fear say aye."
"Aye." Danny and Tucker said both raising their hands into the air.
"The Ayes have it." Sam said flipping through the note book and checking off box a in it. "Alright on to the next order of business, where are we going to find beds?"
In the commons room of the Titans Tower, the Titans sat in front of their TV as Robin played different news clips on the home of the Amity Convicts. They had corralled Robin into letting them help him with his research on Amity Park. They wanted to make sure Robin wouldn't go overbroad and end up obsessed with this new mystery. He had said that there wasn't anything for them to worry about. The fact he had yet to call the Justice League made them more than a little suspicious.
This led to them winching as the watched a hoard of reporters convulse on an armed escort that had a very hazard looking man and women in the middle of the chaos.
"Mrs. Fenton do you know where your son is?" A reported yelled through the human barricade of agents at a red headed women in light blue jumpsuit.
Instead of keeping silent Mrs. Fenton turned angrily on the reporter, "If I did know where my son was, why on earth would you think that I would tell you?" A dark glare growing on her face, she took a dangerous step forward and was rewarded with new vigorous round of flashing lights as the reporters tried to get the best picture depicting her rage.
"Maddie dear, it's probably not a good idea to antagonize the press. Even if they should really back off!" Mr. Fenton shouted loudly as tried to sooth Mrs. Fenton over the loud noise of what seemed like the whole world yelling angry questions at them.
"Is it true that your son turn Sam Mansion and Tucker Foley onto his path of evil?"
"Which University is your daughter Jasmine at? Is it true that she is coming back to Amity Park to testify for you?"
"Are you worried about the outcome of this trial?"
"How are the Mansions and the Foleys coping with the disappearance of their only children?"
"The world has a question for you!" A reporter exclaimed loudly over the voices in the crowd. His long dirty blonde hair that was pulled into a playfully ponytail and joyful bright hazel eyes horribly contrasted the malicious grin on his face. "Do you considered yourselves as bad parents?"
The armed guard stopped almost as quickly as the Fentons did.
"What did you say?" The large man in the orange jumpsuit said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
The reporters grin got larger, "Do you think you're bad parents? Seeing that your son is a half ghost monster that turned his only friends onto the path of evil, you must have went wrong somewhere." The reporter rhythmically tapped his pen on the small white notepad in his hand. "Don't you think it's shameful that your short comings as parents caused what could have been a great hero to become nothing more then short lived villain?" The reporter paused to tap the pen against his face and hummed in false concentration, seemly oblivious to the horrified silence or the shocked faces around him, "With how hard it seems the government is trying to take Daniel down and it really being only a matter of time before his luck runs out. Do you see yourselves as responsible for your son's eventual death? Will you have half a funeral for him, seeing that your own invention did kill most of him already? Of course assuming that there is something to bury?"
The Titans flinched as Madeline Fenton released terrifyingly piercing soul-wrenching sound that in no way could be classified as a scream as she tried to claw her way past the guards holding her back from the still smiling reporter's neck. Jack got a few steps closer and made a wild swing for the reporters face only to miss as backup arrived. Soon the video was filled with struggling and screaming as the guards dragged Mr. and Mrs. Fenton to the court house.
Robin sat back into the couch as the video ended. He had just spread his search past the convicts themselves and was looking into their families and the state of Amity Park after they had left.
Truthfully, Amity Park was a mess.
The Guys in White made a permeant base in the small town and had spent months interviewing everyone who had can in contact with the ghost boy and his friends. With the government's authority to do as they please it put a pretty little legal bow over everything that they did. The Fentons had been sentence to house arrest for an unspecified amount of time. The Mansions and Foleys had been helping the town stage protests until the Guys in White had them throw in jail for disorderly conducted. It was thanks to Jasmine that all one hundred fifty protesters were now out of prison, however the resistance never did fully recover their strength after that.
From what Robin could see there was a defeated air hanging around Amity Park. The only people that who weren't effect was the constant stream of reporters that continued to harass the Fentons, Mansions and Foleys hoping for a reaction and the next big story.
"I do not like the press." Starfire said her eyes narrowed at the TV, "They bring much to pain to the Danny's, the Sam's Tuker's parents."
"Yeah reporters can be jerks." Beastboy said from his position on the floor, "They always twist stories."
"Ditto," Raven deadpanned before raising an eyebrow at the state of Amity Park, "what I don't understand is why the Guys in White have so much control."
"It's because Amity's status" Robin said as his eyes narrowed at the soldiers in white marching through the streets, "'Ghost Capital of the World' ever since the Pariah Dark incident that happened the Government has kept a close eye on Amity Park. I could see why, if it wasn't for the video evidence and the testimonies of just about everyone in the town I wouldn't believe something like that could happen."
"I still can't believe it," Cyborg said holding back a shiver, "A whole city dragged to the underworld or the Ghost Zone to be an evil ghost king's servants. It sounds like something out of a bad horror movie. No wonder why the government thinks that everything that has to do with ghosts are evil."
"But the Danny is not evil," Starfire spoke up, "at least I do not think he is evil. His parents don't think he is evil and they hunt the ghosts. Maybe if they talked to other hunters of ghosts…"
"His parents, who were number one non-federally funded ghost researchers in America, were the ones who put forward and upheld the idea that all ghosts where evil until they found out that their son was one." Raven deadpanned, "I think everyone is going to take what they say with a grain of salt."
"So what do we do?" Beast Boy asked as the video switched again to show Jazz Fenton conducting a speech, desperately trying to get the people in the audience to stand up against the Guys in White again. The video ended with Jazz's devastated face as the town's people silently left the demonstration.
"As of now, nothing." Robin said, "What is happening in Amity Park is none of our concern. We have to worry about the citizens in Jump first, and right now the biggest threat to them is the three convicts that bring destruction wherever they go. We have to catch them."
"Um, Robin? How are we supposed to catch a ghost?" Raven asked as she thought about the logistics of ghost hunting.
"With ghost hunting equipment." Robin replied, before turning to Cyborg, "Do you think you can help me with that?"
"Robin I can't create ghost hunting equipment from thin air." Cyborg stated blankly.
"You don't have to make equipment from thin air. I've already ordered some equipment from a very credible source." Robin replied.
"How did you get your hands on ghost hunting equipment?" Cyborg asked his shock reflected on the other Titan's faces.
"Apparently there was been a large increase in demand after the Pariah Dark incident." Robin said a self-serving smirk displayed on his face. "Can you replicate the weapons if I gave them to you?"
"Aw heck yeah!" Cyborg said a large excited grin spreading across his face. "I'll even make a new setting for my cannon!"
"I thought we only wanted to talk to them, not blow them into next week!" Beast Boy said loudly.
"To talk to them we'll have to capture them first." Robin said, "They have literally ran across the country to avoid capture not just from the government and the Justice League, but from every ghost hunter looking at a shot for fame. They are not going to go down or even stop long enough for us to talk to them without a fight. They're hiding in our city under disguise we have to make sure they're not a danger to the citizens."
"That is of course assuming that Blue, Black and Purple are the Amity Convicts." Raven pointed out.
"What do you mean assuming?" Starfire asked, "Jinx told us that she had scratched the Blue and the Blue has same blood as Danny. Are they not one in the same?"
"That's where you're wrong Starfire." Robin said a contemplative look spreading across his face as he thought around the rather large gap in his plan, "I found ectoplasm under Jinx's nails. All we really have connecting Blue, Black and Purple to the Amity Convicts is ectoplasm which can come from any ghost, and a fighting stance. We can't take them in with evidence like that. We'll have to get more evidence to properly accuse them."
"So where going to blast at them with ectoplasm weapons until they talk?" Beast Boy asked his eyes wide with disbelief.
"In a way, yes. If we can recreate the conditions they were in on the run they might slip up." Robin then smirked, "When they do, we will have our evidence to bring them in for questioning, Titan's style."
Clean. Calculated. Emotionless.
That was the proper way to describe the large meeting room that found ten harshly inhospitable figures sitting around a dark polished Kingwood table.
The men and women sitting around the table were the highest ranking agents in the Guys in White organization, only triumphed in rank by the highest ranking members of Congress and the military including the president himself. Each agent, who were numbered one through ten and currently sitting in large chairs that depicted their number, had five states to his or her name to look over. They where only known as the Base Ten and currently Five was at Eight's throat.
"Why can't your people deal with three teenagers?" Five snapped, his large tightly closed fist striking against the table.
"Phantom is a level nine ghost." Eight said brisling in agitation, "There is only so much my men can do and with the Justice League taking a direct interest in this what little they can do now is being hindered." Eight's gaze cut over to women that had a large number six engraved on the headbroad of her chair. "What I want to know is why Six didn't stop them before they left her jurisdiction?"
Six's glared anger at Eight through her black sunglasses, "My jurisdiction did all it could with what information we had. We knew that the Phantom was a level nine ghost and filed all the papers necessary to ask for help in detaining him. It is not our fault that you two would rather run after weaker ghosts then fight an actual threat."
Eight and Five rose slightly out of their chairs at her accusation, "Are you suggesting that we are cowards?" Five bit out a large vein pulsing to life on his forehead.
"I'm merely stating the facts. Those facts state that whenever the Base Ten are face with a serious threat, you two seem always be conveniently 'caught up in paperwork'." Six's face fell into a scowl, "Tell me, how warm it is under your bed? It must be a comfortable temperature for you to frequent there so often."
Five violently stood up causing his chair to be flung across the room, "Six if you think I'll let you speak to me like this…"
"Enough!" A middle age women snapped, she glared at the bickering agents, "We are not here to discuss Six's failure to stop Phantom and his supporters from leaving Amity Park or Eight's inability to hold them. We are here to discuss how are we are going to keep the public from asking questions about our motives."
Five, Six, and Eight held each other's glares for a second longer before relenting, giving Five the time to retrieve his chair.
"As you wish Ten." Eight said as he opened a file that had been pre-deposited at his seat. "How far reaching is the support for the Amity Convicts?"
"Far enough that people are beginning to question whether they should be convicted before the trail for them actually begins." Ten said dryly, "Not to mention the support for them in Amity Park is starting up again."
"That's impossible." Six said sharply, her nails clinking against the table as she tapped them in annoyance, "My people made sure to outline to the citizens of Amity Park the consequences of siding with a convicted felon, they wouldn't dare to disobey."
"Well Six it looks like they dared." A man sitting diagonal to her said with a large smile on his face. A concept so foreign to the dower faces around him it was almost alien. "It seems that Jasmine Fenton has way more pull then you thought she did." He said playfully flipping back his long dirty-blond hair.
"Two if you can tell me where I've miscalculated I would like to hear it." Six grated out her nails digging deep groves into the tables wood.
"Simple, you forgot that Amity Part still sees Danny Phantom and his two friends as heroes. They wouldn't go against him even if the president himself said that each of them ate newborns babies and liked to bury their devastated families alive." Two said a small chuckle leaving his lips as Six glare got stronger.
"Two, you seem to have a good handle on the situation what do you suggest we do?" Ten asked her voice detailing how much apathy she had towards Two's easy cruelty.
"It's simple really," Two said the joy on his face twisting into something much more horrible and sadistic, "we show the world that the Amity Convicts are more monstrous then the demons in the darkest pits of their nightmares could ever hope to be." Two's face abruptly lit up again all traces of cold danger disappearing as quickly as it came, "Or at least more monstrous than anyone one in America has face. If we go too far they would want to have them executed and then how are we supposed to get information about the Ghost Zone from them. Not to mention it would be a waste of a perfectly good level nine specimen."
"You know, Two may be act like an idiotic child, but his idea isn't half bad." Five said scratching at his goatee and ignoring Two's not so innocent laughter, "However, where are we going to get proof of their evil?"
A small cruel smiled spread across Six's face, "I believe this is the optimal time for me to tell you about an incident that happen a few years ago. It appears that this wasn't Phantom's first time being convicted of a crime." Five smirked widen as the Base Ten's attention was now fully trained on her, "It seems that the Ghost Zone has its own unique style of prison system…"
AN: Welcome to the first Author's note! To make the timeline where this takes place easier to understand I'm going to outline some things.
This story takes place in a timeline where Phantom Planet did not occur. Danny, Sam and Tucker were in grade 11 when the Guys in White found out their secret and they had to flee town. This happened in January and eight months later in August they are still on the run and are either nearing or have reached eighteen years of age.
For future reference add four years on the current (in the show) Titans ages.
All right last but not least the Base Ten mentioned in this chapter and the states they watch over.
Two: Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware
Five: Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois
Six: Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa
Eight: Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, California, Arizona
Ten: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska
That's all folks and remember. Don't be afraid to ask questions about anything you see/read here.
~Broken Hand
