Danny's feeling of unease did not disappear. In fact, if anything, it continued to worsen over the next few days as his memories refused to come back. In addition to that, strange black bats had appeared over Amity-Park. Danny had to say they were strange, because there was something so off about them. They did not squeak or chirp, they did not scavenge for food, they did not even flee when he flew near them. They sat where they were, and almost seemed to be fixtures.
They didn't seem alive at all.
Sam had managed to coax one from the tether line hanging from her window, with a few sacrifices of fruit. The bat had not eaten the offering, but had nudged it out of her hand, so that it could step onto her palm. It made no noise, seemed to eat nothing, and habored no desire to bite her, so Sam had brought the creature to the lab in the basement of the Fenton home.
"I'm not getting any readings on this thing. No heartbeat, no body temp, NOTHING!" Tucker yelled, clutching his PDA tightly. The bat cleaned its wing, fluttering over to Sam, who held her arm out so that it could hang from her elbow. "It's like I know it's there, but it isn't there! And that is the simplest way I can put it!"
Danny watched the bat catiously, before holding out a finger. The bat dove away, only to swoop back and latch onto the digit. To the halfa's surprise, he couldn't even feel it. "This is so weird. I mean, these things are all over town. And the ghosts don't like them in the least bit."
Tucker typed something into the computer. "Yeah. I saw Johnny and Kitty the other day. They almost got me, but a flock of these things flew down and Johnny looked like he was gonna piss his pants." He let the bat fly over and latch onto his beret rim. "It's like these things scare ghosts."
Danny raised his eyebrow. "How can something so small scare ghosts?" Sam shrugged, letting the bat come back to her.
"Well, if it keeps away ghosts, maybe they're good?" The two boys shrugged at her, turning off the ghost equipment carefully. Danny's parents didn't know the three knew how to work the ghost-examining machines, and Danny preferred it that way. They went upstairs, where the three met up with Jazz.
"Well, if they don't bite humans, and they keep away ghosts, I'm fine with them." The red-head commented, tickling the tiny black creature with her finger-tip. "Besides, if they're so tiny, we don't really need to worry about them, right?"
Danny shrugged, and stretched. "Who knows? I have to get going now. Clockwork is waiting on me." Sam and Tucker nodded. Jazz opened a book she had in front of her, a psychology book if Danny read the title correctly.
"Sure wish we could tag along and meet him. Clockwork sounds like a fun guy." Danny shook his head.
"Remember what he told me? I'm in danger just by being there, because I'm half-ghost. Imagine what they would do to you guys if they caught you!" Sam pulled Danny down for a few seconds.
"We get it Danny. You want to keep us safe, and from what we've seen from the ghosts who come here, we know how dangerous it can get." She pulled him into a hug. "But YOU stay safe too, got it?"
He nodded, transformed, and bid them farewell as he dove into the portal.
Danny found the castle easily, and flew in through the open window. However, upon reaching the room where he and Clockwork met, he did not see the ghost. The gears, which normally held images of people and events, instead showed static. He was about to turn around when a fluttering noise from his waist caught his attention; the bat had hitched a ride on him.
"What the- Oh man! If Sam finds out you came to the Ghost Zone, she'll go postal on me!" The bat actually made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a 'croak' and flew away. "Hey! Get back here!"
The bat flew over to the stairway, where a girl Danny hadn't seen before held her hand out to the creature. Instead of clinging to her fingers upside down, the bat crawled into her hand and curled up. "He's just coming home. Don't yell at a good boy."
Danny felt his jaw drop; she looked human. Lightly tan skin, straight black hair, and bright purple eyes, she almost looked like a carbon-copy of Sam. Especially the outfit. Dark blue pants with white stars on the hips, a blck top with what looked like a cresent moon on it, though with the black and blue capelet around her shoulders he couldn't be positive. There was a cresent moon pendant on her neck, connected to the capelet by a Y-shaped strip of purple. She had a hat that had a jagged pattern of black and blue, and at the end of it rested a blue crystal with a white star inside it.
She looked like a witch.
"Close." He blinked, and he clicked his jaw shut. She smirked. "I'm neither this nor that. I'm me, Jasle. To this tiny honey, I'm Mother, hence why he returned to me. And you are?"
Danny felt a sense of unease around this girl. "A better question is, who are you, and why shouldn't I kick your butt for intruding in Clockwork's home?" His fists began to glow.
She snorted. "First off, kicking a girl's butt is so uncouth. Not to mention I'd beat you black and white all over before you even blink. And second, I'm his guest."
The glow fading from his fists, Danny lowered his hands and stared at her. Clockwork had told him once that his tower was unreachable except for when he desired company. Clockwork had no reason to have lied, so then Jasle must really have been his guest.
"Well, then do you know where he is?" The halfa asked cautiously.
Jasle shrugged. "Probably getting yelled at again by those dumbass eyeballs. They know they can't do anything to stop him at this point, but when it concludes, it's his fault." She ended by shrugging.
Danny was confused now; he knew that Clockwork wasn't in very good regards right now because he helped Danny, but were the Observants being that hard on him? For what, because surely it wasn't still his case? His confusion must've shown, because Jasle did a double take at his expression, and doubled over in laughter.
"AH-HA-HA-HA-HAHA!" She cackled. "This eh-is PRICELESS! He didn't tell you?" Danny shook his head, un-nerved by her at this point. "Oh god, the things I could do." She straightened up. "But that would compromise our deal. And unlike my idiot friends, I prefer not screwing myself over." She tugged down down the brim of her hat and stared at him. "But oh, the urge to kiss-and-tell, as it is-"
"Jasle."
Danny felt his neck crick as his head turned to face Clockwork, who looked furious even in his eldest form. The ghost was glaring at Jasle, and it almost seemed like he was trying to set her on fire with his mind.
"Out. Our meeting was over when I was called away. You should have left." He uttered quietly, and Danny felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up at the tone. Clockwork floated down and wrapped his tail around Danny's waist, pulling the halfa away from the witch.
"Oh, Clocky. Don't be so uptight. I just inspected your prizes, that's all." She winked at Danny, who felt Clockwork clutch at his arms. "I'm going, you prude. No stare-stare." She lifted from the ground in a whirlwind of black and blue. 'Just remember, a deal is a deal.'
Danny twitched at her parting words, and yelped as he was whirled about. "Did she say anything strange?" Clockwork demanded. The boy shook his head, eyes wide. He watched as the ghost calmed himself slowly, changing to his infant form.
The Time Keeper sighed and released Danny's arms, though his tail remained around the halfa's waist. "I'm sorry, but Jasle is not exactly the best to be associated with. She is much like Desiree, twisting what she offers until it is something fierce." He stared at Danny apologetically. "I get into trouble by knowing her name. I would not want you to be caught up in her...schemes, as she calls them."
Danny shook his head. "No, I could feel something off about her. You don't need to tell me twice, trust me." Clockwork smiled and hugged the boy tightly, his tail snug against Danny's body, like a safety line. The Time ghost had been very upset when he saw Jasle, but the witch's message stil confused Danny to no end. What was Clockwork faulted for, and what these 'prizes' she'd referred to? How was Danny a part of all this?
Meanwhile, Clockwork was also disturbed in his thoughts. Danny had not reacted much, so Jasle may not have told him anything. But her presence was still troubling to have here, especially with their deadline looming. He didn't have much time left. The ghost allowed himself a tiny smirk; him, the master of all time, was running out of the stuff. It was laughable.
His arms unconciously tightened around Danny, who responded back without thought as well; too lost in their minds, they didn't notice a tiny pair of red eyes watching them. Or the single green eye that watched from it's place hidden behind a curtain.
It wasn't until Danny was flying back home that he remembered Jasle still had the bat. It was also then that he realized he had not seen the bat from that point on.
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