"Uhg…!" Danny fell right back into bed after his two hour swim that morning. It was Friday again and he had been having a long couple of nights that were starting to take its toll on him. He was sorely tempted to miss his routine swim practices but he was determined to keep up his routine. He was going to make sure that he was at the top of condition when the team started to meet in the fall and not even all these random ghost attacks were going to stop him.
He pulled off his shirt and trunks and reached into his drawers to pull on a pair of boxers before he fell back into bed. He rubbed at his stomach and sighed at the pleasant sensation of having his rough hands rub over his softer flesh. Danny didn't really know why but ever since he could remember having someone rub his stomach made him feel calm. His mother told him that he had been sick a lot as a toddler and caught a lot of stomach viruses and his parents often spent nights helping him throw up and then rubbing his stomach to help him fall back asleep.
"Nice to see you using your summer break so productively, Daniel."
Danny blinked his eyes open and looked up to see Vlad Masters dressed in his normal suit and tie looking down at him from his doorway. He looked at the clock and groaned; he had fallen asleep for almost two hours and now had to deal with Vlad. He didn't hate Vlad anymore, not really. Vlad had long given up on his desire for a relationship with his mom after he had explained everything to his parents. Vlad was heartbroken for awhile, but Jack remained his friend despite learning of the attempts on his life and remained optimistic that his old college friend would one day find someone to love him.
"Uhg… Vlad, don't start on me today. I have had a very long couple of nights lately and adding that to my swim practice every morning a little nap in the middle of the day is more than welcome," he got up and started to pull on a pair of jeans to covers his legs when he looked over at the man, "What are you doing here, anyway? Mom invite you over to try something I've made?"
"No, sadly, Daniel I'm here on business… or to put it better, our kind of business."
Danny pulled a belt through the loops on his pants and turned around still bearing his chest, "I'm listening, what's going on?"
"I assume you've noticed a recent increase in ghostly activity lately? Do you have any idea what is going on in the ghost zone?"
"Not really, Johnny stopped by last week and said some ghosts were moving around and Skulker came by the other day to pass on some news about Walker beefing up security like he was up to something. Other than that I haven't heard anything. Do you know something?"
"I don't know much but thought I'd pass on the information that I have gathered to you. It seems like there is a new ghost around that is starting to amass a bit more power than most are comfortable about. It is gaining territory and chasing off other ghosts leaving them without places to haunt in the ghost zone. So naturally they seek out homes here in our world."
"Makes sense, the same thing happened when you unleashed Pariah Dark."
"Which was a mistake and miscalculation on my part but by only a small margin. The point I'm trying to make though is that you should be on your guard as I think something big is coming our way again."
Danny nodded and looked lost in thought for a moment before he glanced up at Vlad, "Right, thanks for the info. Keep me posted and maybe we can find a way to cut this in the bud before it gets too big and we have a war on our hands."
"Of course, I doubt it will be anything so big that either of us can't handle it but I do have some ghosts looking into it to make sure," Vlad shifted his weight and suddenly got a smile on his face. Business talk was over and now standing before him was "casual Vlad" as Danny liked to call it, "How are you doing though, you're looking trim. The swimming been going well for you?"
"Heh," Danny shrugged feeling like this whole switch in personality was still a bit weird, "It's working out well. I go in the mornings when the pool is pretty empty and swim for a few hours and then come back here for something to eat. It's nothing that big but it's something to do that doesn't involve ghosts or my bike."
"Oh yes, your mother mentioned something about you building a motorcycle. She is also terrified of actually agreeing to let you ride it once you finish it."
"Did she really say that?" Danny cringed thinking that as his mother had actually seemed ok with the idea not too long ago.
"She's your mother, Daniel, she's still slightly terrified of the fact you go out and hunt ghosts without any sort of weapons but your own powers. That's just how mothers are, they worry," he shrugged like it was no big deal, "Your father on the other hand was quite proud that you've shown an interest in mechanics, but why don't you show me what you have got done. Maybe I can help out while I'm here."
"Yeah sure, I've actually been making some headway lately thanks to some help from a friend," Danny grabbed an old shirt from the bottom of his drawers and headed outside to the garage.
"I finally managed to get the frame and chassis finished and I put the engine in yesterday. I have to figure out what I want to do for a muffler though and then I get started on the body work."
Danny showed the older half ghost what he had done once they were inside and Vlad walked around it assessing it from all sides. He'd stop at some points and poke at parts and shake it here and there to make sure it wouldn't just fall apart and then would move on. By the time he had circled it three times he nodded and gave the young man an approving smile.
"It's not the most advanced or sophisticated motorcycle in the world, but I must say that considering your limited experience and skills this is quite impressive. Your parents have taught you well." Vlad smiled as he ran his hands over the smooth metal of the bike.
"Thanks, after working on the Fenton Assault Vehicle with dad over the years I guess I just picked up a lot of things and I thought if they could build an assault vehicle why couldn't I try to build a bike?"
"I suppose you have a point there. Just be sure to let your parents or I look it over before you start to ride it. We don't want you to get hurt on your first ride out and ghost powers or not if it somehow explodes it could still hurt you and others." Vlad looked at him seriously before he walked over to the table Danny was working on and looked at some of the drawings that were pinned up.
"These are very good, Daniel. I didn't know you could draw this well," he picked one up that was laying off to the side and studied it, "Is this what you are planning the finished product to look like?"
"I didn't draw those. A…" Danny stopped for a moment thinking about Dash. Did he really consider him a friend at this point? He wasn't exactly the bully he had been over the years but he wasn't sure he could call him a friend just yet, "Someone I know from school drew them for me, and he's still doing a few designs and fine tuning them. It's almost what I want though so that there is close to what I hope it will look like when I get it done."
"Hmm… well whoever drew these is quite good. Are they considering getting a degree in designing cars or art when the graduate?" The older half ghost continued to examine the drawings with a critical and appraising eye, studying it for flaws in the shapes but Danny noticed that he was indeed very impressed with what he saw.
"I dunno," Danny thought about it and even after spending some time with Dash he didn't know much more about him than he had before. The art thing still threw him for a loop and he had no idea if the jock was going to pursue a career in it after school, "But I'll be sure to tell Dash you thought so highly of his designs when I see him next."
"Dash?" Vlad looked back at Danny with a raised brow for a moment like he was thinking of something, "Do you mean that Dash Baxter boy who was always bullying you in school and making your life hell?"
"It wasn't exactly hell…" Danny muttered, "And he's actually not so bad. He didn't bully me much last year and when he did confront me it was normally just pushing me aside, making fun of my name, and a few harmless pranks. Not like I didn't prank him back or anything."
"If you say so… Still I'm surprised by his skill." Danny had been impressed with his skills too and after having him around drawing in the garage for a few times it almost felt natural to have the big guy there sitting off to the side while he tightened some bolts or cut some metal.
After talking with Vlad for a bit and getting some advice on parts and what he should do for his bike, Danny decided to make himself a sandwich and go to his room to relax. He smiled when he saw that he had emails from Tucker and Sam asking how things were going for him.
He replied and told him all about what was going on with his life, even telling them about how he was starting to become friends with Dash. They were sure to get a kick out of that after having to suffer because of the guy for so long. Once he had sent the emails Danny sat back and sighed enjoying the thought of being able to relax tonight when a small wisp of cold breath escaped his mouth.
"Yeah, I jinxed that up alright." Danny sighed and stood up to allow the familiar white circles of energy to carry over his body and transform him into the hero Danny Phantom. The presence of the ghost wasn't very strong and when Danny found the source he uncovered a small blue boy with blond bangs covering his eyes wearing overalls with a satchel slung over his shoulder and one of those hats he'd seen paper boys wear in cartoons about the 30s curled up in the attic of an old abandoned house. Looking at him Danny could just see the boy yelling "Extra, extra," and holding up a newspaper to show the front page news of the day.
"Hey…," Danny reached over slowly so not to spoke the kid, "Kid, are you ok there? You're not here to cause any trouble or anything are you?"
The young looking ghost looked up and Danny saw tears streaming down from behind his bangs. The kid looked frightened as he sat on the ground and he was sniffling and trying to hold back sobs.
"N-n-n-no trouble… I just wanted to get out of the Ghost Zone before anything bad could happen." The boy wiped his nose on his sleeve and slowly started to calm down.
"What do you mean 'before anything bad could happen'? What's going on in the Ghost Zone?" Danny became concerned now, hearing what Vlad had been talking about before along with news from Johnny and Skulker along with the other ghosts that were starting to come out more often was giving him a sense of urgency.
"M-my name's Headliner, and I can sometimes show events that are about to happen and I saw this happening," Headliner reached into the satchel and pulled out a newspaper and held it up for Danny to see. What he saw on the paper chilled Danny even more than he normally was.
It was a picture of the ghost zone but it had been ravaged. Structures were destroyed and smoke was coming from glowing green fires. Several of the doors that floated around continued to float in fragmented messes and from what Danny could see from the limited picture it looked like there were several casualties laying on the ground. The scene could easily have been described as a tornado flying through, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Danny looked at the picture and then back to the boy several times before he could manage to think of something to say.
"What happened, or will happen I guess?"
"I don't know! I just know that something is about to happen that's going to lead to this! That's my power I can show glimpses of the future on occasion. All I know is that there's someone in the ghost zone that's trying to gain power. A lot of weak ghosts like me are afraid of whoever it is and so we're trying to find a safe place here. They're afraid of what's going on but I'm afraid of what could happen!"
"'Could happen'?" Danny looked at the boy confused as he stuffed his paper back into his satchel.
"It's not set in stone. The paper's changed sometimes from what it's showed. A few years ago it showed Pariah Dark taking over the ghost zone again, but it changed to show the ghost zone being rebuilt and at peace. It's changed a lot of times but most times the things I show happen and I don't want to be around if this one does!" The boy panted and looked on the verge of tears again and Danny reached over to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"It's going to be ok. You know who I am, right? I'm the hero of the Ghost Zone who beat Pariah Dark and stuffed the old fart back into that sarcophagus. I'm Danny Phantom."
Headliner looked up as Danny smiled at him and suddenly looked awe struck, "You're the halfa that lives in the human world and helps ghosts and humans alike?"
Danny nodded at the praise, "That's me, Headliner. Now I know you're scared and all, but if I'm going to do anything about what's going on in the Ghost Zone, or going to happen, I need you to come with me. You'll be alright but I need to talk to some people about what's happening, and I think you will be a good source to tell us all what's going on. Think you can do that?"
The young ghost nodded his head and Danny smiled, "Good, boy, now come on and follow me." Danny started to float off and turn intangible to fly back home with Headliner right behind him. As they flew Danny pulled out his cell phone and started to call Vlad.
"Vlad, listen," Danny didn't let Vlad even utter a hello as he started to explain the call so late at night, "You need to get to my house A-SAP. I may have found a lead on that power we've been hearing about and it's not good. I've got a ghost here with information and if what he says is true we are in for one very rough time."
As the pair of ghosts flew back to Danny's house, Danny kept thinking to himself what could be going on now. If something as bad as what Headliner's paper had showed was going to happen it would have to be something powerful and unknown. Most of the other ghosts he had met with liked to cause chaos and wreck havoc on the worlds but there were very few who would go to such lengths as destroying the Ghost Zone for fun.
'Someone must be after power,' Danny thought with a grim frown, 'but what could someone need power for so much that they'd do that…?' With an angry glare and firm clench to his jaw Danny flew on, determined to find answers and put a stop to things before they got out of hand.
SilverAxe:
Glad you're sticking around. Yeah that's a big issue for this story here: Danny was young in the series and over the years he has grown in many ways. Physically, mentally, emotionally, in terms of power, skill, experience, and talent; he's still 'Danny' but he's become a lot more and come a long way since he was 14.