Here's the Memories... The next chapter will be the last!
Everyone sat in a dark but not black area. It seemed the Memory Bank was trying to ready the next memories. They thought deeply about what they'd just seen and what they'd just learned and felt. They were also a bit worried about whatever was to come… they dreaded it. With just the one memory they'd seen, so many things were starting to make sense.
Everyone was quiet for a long time until Lancer finally spoke.
"It all makes since now, the decrease in grades, the wounds that would appear when he went to the bathroom and then disappear in hours, his nervousness around his parents, everything…"
"Why didn't Fenton, say anything?" Kwan spoke next.
"I was wailing on my hero…" Dash murmured, mostly to himself but others could hear him.
"I turned him down…" Paulina said into her hands.
"I just can't believe…"
"He's been risking his life…"
"He's a real superhero."
Valerie's voice finally cut through all the others and she glared at Sam and Tucker who were silently staring at the floor.
"Why? Why didn't he say anything? WHY DIDN'T HE AT LEAST TELL ME!?" Valerie yelled furiously.
Sam's gaze turned venomous and she jumped up. "Oh I wonder why!?" She shouted with sarcasm. "I hate ghosts! Ghosts ruined my life! Not all humans are saps! You and your dumb dog ruined me! I'll get you Ghost Boy!"
Valerie shrank back a tiny bit with each thing Sam said.
"He was willing to risk you killing him to be with you! That just shows how much belief Danny has in the good of people! He told you it was an accident, over and over and over again! But everyone's stupid bigoted views on ghosts blinded them!"
"I…"
"Ghosts are like people… there are good ghosts and bad ghosts and some are in between." Sam finished.
Everyone grew silent.
"Miss Gray, what is Mrs. Manson talking about?" Lancer asked.
Sam waved her hand dismissively. "If things keep going like this, you'll find out eventually."
At this, Valerie paled.
Everyone grew completely silent again as a new memory started to come into view around them.
zz
Everyone soon saw Memory Danny in some kind of box up to his neck. Memory Vlad Masters was standing in front of him.
Fear… Paranoia…
"Mr. Masters? What's going on, why is…" Memory Danny stuttered and looked over at Skulker who was grinning at the Halfa.
"Well I was curious in your powers, Danny Phantom. I sent so many ghosts to test your father's skills and lo and behold a ghost named Phantom starts to take them out. Then I learn that Danny Phantom is in fact the second half-ghost created from your father's stupidity."
Anger…
Memory Danny blinked. "Second?"
Memory Vlad Masters grinned evilly, "Why of course, Daniel." The millionaire turned sharply to the side as the black rings went up and down his body, turning him into the 'Wisconsin Ghost'.
Everyone in the group gasped.
"Tale of Two Cities! Our Mayor is a ghost!" Lancer yelped.
Valerie was too busy feeling shame, anger, and frustration for how she was so easily played. She had truly been Vlad's pawn for so long. Blissfully unaware that she was fighting for the wrong team.
"YOU!" Memory Danny growled.
Anger… Courage…
"Yes, me. Daniel… I'm going to offer you a chance to grow in power. I have had these powers for twenty years. I can show you how to use them and give you anything you desire." Vlad showed off his mastery of his moves by duplicating and creating constructs with ectoplasm. "All I ask is that you renounce your idiot father."
Selflessness…
Memory Danny's eyebrow rose. "Uh dude, you are one seriously crazed up fruit-loop. That is never going to happen."
Familial…
"Suit yourself. Regardless you can't stop me from killing Jack once and for all." Memory Vlad then slipped through the roof of the lab.
"NO!"
Fear…
"Well you look like you could probably use some help, dontcha know?"
Joy… Courage…
Everyone started to feel sick at how quickly and violently the emotions they'd met, bubbled in their chests, reminding them of their importance and making them see how overwhelmed Danny had been.
They realized a boy had been fighting an up-hill battle against a man with power, money, and authority over him. Trying to keep them safe, trying to staunch the evil man's influence…
zz
The world around the group started to fade as a blurry image of a dark shadow like spirit wrapped herself around Memory Danny Phantom and started to speak.
"What are you? A ghost trying to fit in with humans? Or a creepy little boy with creepy little powers?"
Anger… Sorrow… Paranoia… Self-Loathing…
"Both! Uh, neither… I don't know!"
A young man trying hard enough to be normal within the social ladder and achieve at school… too busy questioning his own identity and what he is.
zz
They could see Memory Danny's parents on the ground as they raged at them.
"We'll get you, you odd manifestation of ectoplasmic energy and post-human consciousness!"
"And then we'll rip you apart! Molecule by molecule!"
Sorrow… Paranoia… Self-Loathing… Revenge… no can't... Fear…
Living in the lion's den… torn between wondering if he is loved, would be loved… and pure fear of being harmed by the one's who are supposed love him most. Nightmares conjured up from the worst case scenarios… He's afraid to tell them for his sake and theirs.
zz
Memory Dash bumps into Memory Danny in the hall and Memory Danny grimaces from the pressure on a hidden wound.
Better me than others.
flickers trying to break through... Revenge… Mercilessness… Selfishness… Sorrow… Self-Loathing…
Dash feels ill realizing for the first time how much pain his words and actions cause everyone around him.
Memory Danny nervously tries to talk to Memory Paulina and his pants fall down because of intangibility.
She only loves half of me.
Courage… Fear… Self-Loathing…
Paulina cries, realizing that she was selfish and cruel and never truly knew the value of anyone.
Memory Valerie commands Memory Kwan to hurt Memory Danny after he spilt coffee on her shirt, before she'd become the huntress.
It was an accident.
Self-Loathing… Fear…
Memory Valerie transforms into the Red Huntress and then finds Phantom, only to start chasing him.
She's only doing what she thinks is right.
Paranoia… Familial… Fear… could be Revenge… Mercilessness… no...
Valerie cries, realizing how far she pushed her first true friend away. Kwan looks down, ashamed.
Memory Star calls him a freak.
I am a freak…
Self-Loathing…
Star put her head in her hands in despair.
Memory Lancer gives him a detention from coming in late after a ghost fight outside.
He doesn't know… I have no real excuse to give.
Anger…
Lancer closed his eyes in frustration, regretting everything.
"You're coming in for questioning."
"And experiments. Lots, and lots of really painful experiments."
Am I an… abomination? I don't deserve it for being me, do I?
Anger… Sorrow… Paranoia… Self-Loathing… Revenge… Mercilessness… Fear… Selfishness…
Selflessness wins out over them all…
zz
"Nice petting zoo, Plasmius," Memory Fenton transforms in Phantom "wheres your lonely guy cat?"
"Ah, there's that teen wit again." Memory Vlad pulls out a strange device that electrocutes Danny.
Anger… Paranoia… Revenge… squashes that emotion... Fear…
"What-what was that?"
"Oh, I call it the Plasmius Maximus. It has just short-circuited your powers for the next three hours - that's midnight. I tell you this because I've seen your grades and I know you're bad at math. These are my latest experiments. What do you think? Oh, that's right - who cares what you think?! I will give you five minutes before I send my minions to destroy you. The clock's ticking, Danny, on you and your father. Run."
Fear… Paranoia… thinks for a moment... Mercilessness… no...
Memory Danny's eyes grow wide with fear as the ghost animals growl. He turns and runs away screaming.
Only a few seconds later, Vlad speaks, "Get him." The animals take off after the fleeing boy. "Five minutes, five seconds... Oh, apparently I'm bad at math too."
zz
Memory Danny Phantom floats on a moving train while Sam and Tucker stand opposite of him.
"Danny it's us!"
"Yeah we're you're friends, dude!"
Memory Danny grins wickedly as his abnormal red eyes gleam. "I'm a ghost… I don't have any friends."
Soon Memory Danny is holding the strange staff that Freakshow had.
"You're not just a ghost, fight it Danny!"
"Come on drone, bring me the staff." -kiss kiss- "Come on, boy."
"Quiet! I need to think." Memory Danny looks like he's confused and overwhelmed.
Flickers of Joy… Romance… Familial… Crushed by Revenge and Mercilessness.
"Well, it's the crystal ball, or your friends, Danny. Your choice!" Memory Sam then trips and falls off the train. "I didn't mean that to be so literal!"
"Sam! No!"
"Sam?" Memory Danny flinches and then realizes Sam's falling, even through the hypnosis. "Sam!"
A flush of Romance… breaks through.
Memory Danny dives after Memory Sam and lets go of the staff as he catches Sam. The staff breaks against the rocks at the bottom of the gorge and Danny is now completely free from the staff's control. Sam wakes up in Danny's arms.
"Danny! Are you okay?"
"I think so. It's all a blur. I did some bad stuff, didn't I?"
Memory Sam smiles gently. "Nothing you can't fix."
They know now… he was controlled… used like a puppet and discarded to take the blame.
zz
The mayor, who flickers briefly between Walker's visage and Sanchez, growls in Memory Danny's ear.
"Let me go!"
"No way, punk. I'm going to turn you're whole town into a prison. And then, you'll beg for the safety of one of my cells."
He drags Memory Danny towards the front of the crowd.
"Help! Help! Help me!" Once back inside, Danny continues to struggle and Walker sneers. "Now they'll never trust you."
Fear… Sorrow… Self-Loathing…
The mayor wasn't the mayor… Danny Phantom was the victim. He continued to fight for them, after they turned their backs on him.
zz
"You've been spying on me and gathering DNA to clone me!?" Memory Danny exclaimed within another cube prison. "Yeah nothing fruit loopy about that."
Fear… Paranoia… Anger…
Memory Vlad watches coldly as Danny is electrocuted by the machine that is trying to force him to transform.
Fear…
Memory Dani attacks him. "Stop! Look, I don't want to hurt you! Every clone I fight turns to goop!"
Memory Dani looks down and screams at the puddle underneath her.
"I want to help you."
Familial…
"Then let Dad have your DNA so he can save me!"
"He's not going to save you! Your just a mess he's not going to clean up!"
Dani releases Danny from the capsule when she realizes Vlad's true intentions. "Are we going keep asking questions or you wanna kick butt?"
He's been cloned and he doesn't blame the girl… only the man that cruelly used her ignorance.
zz
Selflessness…
That was the last emotion that left them, being strong and sure and ebbing away the pain of the others.
They were all crying or teary eyed. If it wasn't because of the emotions flooding them by force with every memory, then it was their own regret and sorrow.
Lancer once again was the one to break the silence. "This is way deeper than I could've imagined."
Sam actually laughed bitterly. "Now you see why it was easier to keep it secret and secure? Besides… Danny really just wanted to protect people."
"And no one ever listened to a ghost. No one would pay him any mind." Tucker sighed. "He almost died fighting Pariah Dark in the Ectoskeleton suit."
"That's why he revealed me to my father…" Valerie murmured. Tucker nodded his head absently.
Dash grumbled and finally shouted. "We've got to get out of here! We've got to talk to Fen… Danny. He has to know how sorry we… I am."
"Trivial things not so important now, huh?" Sam muttered. "Danny forgave you all a long time ago… Anyways yeah we need to talk to him."
"How do we get out of this place?" Mikey asked.
"You don't."
Everyone froze in fear and terror at the deep and menacing baritone voice that had answered them. They turned to look into the darkness to see a large figure form. His hair was a mane of white fire, his eyes red as coals, his skin blue and dead, his mouth full of fangs and a snake like tongue, and his hands seemed frozen in the form of claws. He had a slightly different hazmat suit scheme than Danny Phantom and indeed had the same DP emblem on the front. He had blood splattered across his front and the side of his face.
"Who… Who are you?" Dash asked.
Dan grinned, letting his fangs show. "Would it be too cliche to say your worst nightmare?"
"What are you supposed to be?" Valerie asked gaining a bit of courage.
Dan hissed in glee. "I'm Danny of course. Who else? I'm what he'd become if he'd give up his humanity, his soul so to speak." As he spoke, he surrounded the group with duplicates, mocking them and trapping them.
"You're not even a ghost! Ghosts feel more remorse than you!" Sam snapped.
Dan cocked an eyebrow. "I suppose… I am technically only half of a whole. You know how weird my personality can get when you try to split the ghost from the human."
"You're like this… because you gave up." Sam whispered. Dan froze at her words before all his duplicates' red eyes started to burn and turned both sockets red with light.
His face turned nasty and the duplicates' voices harmonized creepily. "Really it doesn't matter one way or another, because you all belong to me now. It gets boring being locked away in here and now I have people to play with."
Dan flexed his arms and roared, causing everyone to huddle closer together in terror. Suddenly a form smashed into the original Dan's upper half and toppled him over, snapping him out of his concentration. The duplicates evaporated into plumes of red smoke.
"Go! Go, now!" Danny shouted and pointed towards a black and red door. "I didn't want you all to have to go through that door but I'm out of options! Go! I'll hold him o-uuf!"
The Danny Guide was smacked away as Dan stood up. "Coming to avenge Fear? He squealed like a pig as he died! Just like he always does!"
Danny got up and then gave a battle cry of his own, as his flung himself back at Dan.
Everyone turned and ran for the door.
zz
They took deep breaths and tried to calm themselves.
"That blood… was that?" Kwan asked and then gagged.
Everyone soon noticed that Sam had teared up and was rubbing at her face in embarrassment, not wanting the others to see her cry. "It's just not fair. It's my fault this all happened. Why does Danny have to always be the one to suffer for it?"
Tucker sighed. "You know he doesn't blame you, Sam. He said it was just as much his fault because he listened."
"Him being so forgiving makes it worse. He's our best friend… He does so much." Sam murmured.
"We… all of us keep him going. That's our job," Tucker announced simply. "Let's not forget that."
Sam looked up at him and everyone looked at Tucker in surprise. A smile came to Sam's face and she nodded. "Right, sorry. I kinda lost it there."
Everyone's attention was captured by something else. Suddenly a view flickered to life around them. More Memories…
Dan was there again, staring at Sam and Tucker. "You know, if I had an ounce of humanity left in me, this would be a very touching little reunion, but of course I surrendered my human half a long time ago."
A visage of an older defeated Vlad speaks to a young Danny. While everyone gets a view of a statue of Jack, Maddie, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Mr. Lancer in the background that said, 'gone but not forgotten'. "If it's any consolation, they went so quickly. They felt no pain. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for you, Daniel. With nowhere else to go, you came to me, the only person on the planet who could possibly hope to understand your situation. All you wanted was to make the hurt go away. I honored your wishes... no more painful human emotions to drag you down. Sadly, that freed you up to rip the ghost out of me. And when my evil ghost half mixed with yours, my evil side overwhelmed you."
"What happened to my human self?"
They watched in horror as a separate scene happened behind the two talking. A young Dan stared down at a trembling and fearful human Danny before a single clawed hand slashed him open and let him bleed out.
"Some things, my boy, are better left unsaid. If any good came out of this, it's that ten years without ghost powers made me see what a fool I'd been."
"Maybe that's all anybody needs. A second chance."
Everyone then sees the Fenton Peeler reveal Dan's true form after pretending to be Danny.
"Where is he? Where's our son?"
"What have you done to our boy?!"
"Ha, ha, ha! I AM your boy!"
"What?!"
"What kind of parents were you anyway? The world's leading ghost experts, and you couldn't even figure out that your own son was HALF-GHOST! I mean hello! Danny Fenton Danny Phantom? Ever notice the similarities? Jazz did."
Jazz tries punching Dan, but Dan changes the shaped of his chest to make her miss. As he speaks he roates his head around to face her, without moving his body. His neck makes cracking noises that sicken the viewers before his body finally follows the movement separately. "Nice try, Jazz, but me, my future, I'm inevitable."
Dan grabbed Danny but the front of his hazmat suit. "What are you gonna do? Waste me? What happens to you then?"
Dan snarls as a wicked and knowing grin comes to his face. "You don't get it, do ya? I'm still here. I still exist. That means you still turn into me!"
Dan laughs after he throws Danny into the pavement. "What makes you think you can change my past?"
"Because I promised my family!"
"Aha ha, ha, ha! Oh, you are such a child! You promised?"
"Yes! I…PROMISED!" Danny's voice suddenly becomes amplified as his wail starts to work.
"Oh! That power! Oh, it's not possible! I don't get that power until ten years from now!"
"I guess... the future isn't as set in stone as you think it is." Danny then uses the wail a second time.
Finally there was a visage of Danny, floating in the air next to a ghost with a purple cloak and clocks all over his body. The ghost looked sadly at Danny as he wailed and cried out.
"I didn't want to cheat! I'd decided against it, Clockwork! He made the decision for me! It's not fair that they had to die because of me!" Danny shouted as tears ran down his face.
The ghost, now named Clockwork, sighed. "Indeed, it wasn't your choice." He waved his arm over and Danny's eyes followed his gesture only to see Clockwork reveal his parents, sister, friends, and teacher, safe.
Danny coughed and then continued to cry before he grabbed onto Clockwork tightly and didn't let go. He choked and sobbed harder into the purple robe as Clockwork tried his best to soothe the teen.
"It's okay now… It's okay. I'm going to give you the choice. As soon as you have mastery of yourself, we will reverse time to the point were you have the opportunity to return the test answers."
Danny nodded and coughed as he started to calm. "Thank you… thank you… thank you."
"But Why?"
"I simply see a fifteen year old boy risking everything to keep the people he loves, safe." Clockwork smiled. "You've given everyone else in your life and second chance, why not you?"
A giant burst of Self-Loathing floods their systems…
He still feels guilt no matter what anyone says to comfort him.
I promise… I won't be that…
Suddenly light started swirling around the group forcing them to speed towards some strange goal. Some of the students screamed and others simply waited until their vision went completely white and then black.
Well that's the end of the trek through Danny's mind, but not the end of the story.