So reasons this took so long:
Started a new job on the 23rd
Got into a major car accident and tumbled down a steep ditch and totaled my Pathfinder on the 24th (I'm fine though my ride is now scrap)
I've been editing this and making sure it's good.
So yeah I'm fine and the whole story is done just doing some editing and fixing things but I'll post each new chapter as I finish the second go through.
"So I'll see you tomorrow, if nothing else just to enjoy the water." Danny waved goodbye as Dash left and closed the door behind him. He smiled to himself at the nice afternoon he had had with the jock. They had talked about a few things, movies they'd seen and that were coming out, video games they liked, and they each showed an interest in what the other was good at. Dash asked a lot of questions about Danny's bike and complimented him on his cooking skills as he ate the pizza and Danny asked Dash about his art and if he did anything besides drawing.
After eating their pizza they went out to the family room and watched a movie for awhile. They talked about the action scenes and laughed at some of the cheesy dialogue and before either of them knew it, it was early evening and Dash had to get home for dinner. Before leaving though Dash took out the picture of the motorcycle he had drawn out and gave it to him. He said that he had drawn it for him anyway and so he deserved to keep it. Danny thanked him for it and after saying their goodbyes walked out to the garage to look at it some more. It really was impressive how well Dash had drawn it and as Danny looked the drawing over he thought more on what he would need to do in order to get it to look like this.
"Going to need a lot of metal and to run some numbers, but at least now that I have an idea I can start planning out and working on things. Maybe I can talk to Tucker tonight and he can help with the numbers." Danny grabbed the notebook he kept his ideas and all the figures and data he needed for his bike and jotted down a few things. He knew he wasn't supposed to be out in the garage but he found it easier to relax when his mind wasn't focused on the problems facing the ghost zone.
After he had gotten Headliner back to his house and Vlad had gotten there he told the adults about the young ghost's powers and what it showed. Vlad was intrigued by such a power and thought that it could be useful if he could learn to control it better, and after a bit of discussion agreed that they needed to investigate what might be going on in the Ghost Zone immediately.
After getting some gear together, he and Vlad had set out to the Ghost Zone leaving Headliner behind with his parents to monitor things. With the equipment in his parents' lab they could easily detect any strange signals before they could pinpoint them as well as keep in touch with them should anything happen. They didn't find anything for the first hour of searching but after spotting some signs of a battle they flew on for answers.
It had taken another hour before they came across what once might have been a field of vegetation at one point but was now better classified as a wasteland. What was left of the plant life was withered and dying; the trees that still stood were still smoldering from whatever had burned them and a few green flames had yet to go out on the branches of the black charred wood. As Danny looked around, Vlad started to take samples of the soil. He said that compared to the soil of other areas of the Ghost Zone that this seemed different and Vlad wanted to run some tests to compare it.
Before they could do much more though, the pair found themselves blown apart by a blast of energy. As the dust settled they saw a swarm of large ghost bees swarming at them and firing ecto-blasts from their stingers. Both half ghosts dodged and flew about trying to fend off the annoying bugs but it seemed that no matter how many of the flying insects they blasted down there were still dozens more to take their place.
Sensing their chances of winning to be declining, they eventually managed to fly off. By that point they had already taken several blasts and were slightly injured. Fortunately they managed to find a place to hide from them as they passed. Unfortunately, though, they had hid in a cave that belonged to several glow-worm-like ghost moths that started to blow dagger-like scales at them with the 30 mph wind blasts from their large wings.
It seemed that no matter where they flew off to or hid they kept on being attacked by large ghost insects or hordes of normal sized insects that could quickly over power them. By the time they managed to escape a giant beetle and get back to the more familiar areas of the ghost zone both Danny and Vlad were exhausted and sporting various injuries. When they got back they were immediately looked over despite the two half ghosts saying that they didn't sustain anything too serious. The whole incident though had forced Danny to take it easy for the next few days.
Vlad had run his tests on the soil samples from the area they had found and the results were not good. It seemed like someone or something had drained the entire area of nutrients and left behind nothing but dust. According to Vlad the area would take decades to heal itself at the very least and whatever had lived there before was likely never to come back.
The fact all of the insects came at them though, told Danny that they had gotten close to whatever new power was affecting the Ghost Zone and was likely the source of Headliner's prophecy. He didn't know what was going on but as he stared at his notebook and started to make notes on things he just knew that these bugs were going to be connected to it all. As it stood now they only had Headliner's paper that still showed the destruction of a great deal of the Ghost Zone, the ghost bugs, and what they had heard from the various ghosts to go on and even that wasn't much.
"Ehh screw it, until something happens there's nothing that can be done about it," Danny sighed and put everything away for the night before he took his book and Dash's drawing up to his room. It was only 5 o'clock but he thought he'd get on his computer to see if Tucker or Sam were on to video chat.
He signed on and sat back in his chair spinning around, trying to piece together the events of the last few weeks. Getting to know Dash was weird enough but now there were swarms of ghost bugs that were causing everyone problems it seemed.
"Just had to be curious and go into the stupid machine, didn't you, Danny?" Danny sighed thinking about the events that lead up to his gaining ghost powers as he glanced over and saw that both Sam and Tucker were on, "Well at least I have a bit of luck."
He smiled and pulled up the message windows and invited both of his friends to video chat. He didn't have to wait long before both of his friends' faces appeared.
"Hey guys."
"Danny, we were just talking about you." Sam spoke up first and Danny was glad to see her. Since she had left she had let her hair grow out a bit like he had, only her hair was much longer and done up in a braid behind her head. She still had the whole Goth image going on but she was a bit more tanned, likely from living in such a sunny place.
"Really?"
"Nah, not really we were talking about the new Zombie Storm movie that's coming out and how it'll be the first one we won't see together." Tucker waved, "Hey, Danny."
Tucker was still fairly skinny despite his high protein diet and had shaved his head for the summer. He had also ditched his red beret for a simple cap that had his college colors. Other than that Tucker Foley was still the same techno geek that Danny had known since they were both children.
"Yeah, it sorta sucks that we aren't together anymore but it's ok. We still have the internet after all." Danny smiled at them. It was nice to see his friends again; with them being in different time zones it was hard to sometimes get together.
"Yeah, that's true. So, Danny how's that bike of yours going? You finally get an idea of what you want it to look like?" Sam smiled at him as she adjusted her seating so that she could lean back in her bed with her laptop.
"Actually, yeah. I got someone to draw out some designs and today they showed me some of them and well…" Danny lifted the drawing Dash had done to his web camera to show his friends, "Take a look at this."
Danny heard his friends whistle and comment in admiration in what he was showing them.
"Is that what your bike's gonna look like when it's done, Danny?" Tucker looked at his friend when he pulled it away.
"That's the plan. I've got the design so now I just need to make it look like that and work on the numbers."
"So you're going to rely on Tucker for the numbers portion I hope?" Sam gave a sly smile to her friend which Danny rolled his eyes at.
"Yes, Sam I know I'm still not good at math."
"Leave it to me, Danny, I can take a look at it and have everything you need to know before Saturday."
"Yeah, I won't be able to work on anything for a few days anyway. Got hurt fighting ghosts and now mom has me bared from anything too strenuous for awhile."
"Man, you alright? What's going on?"
"It's nothing too serious, yet, Tuck," Danny went on to explain everything that had been going on lately with the Ghost Zone and the ghost bugs he had fought. He even told them about Headliner and how they were hoping the young ghost could help them.
"Sounds like you've got a busy time ahead of you, Danny, you going to be alright?"
"Yeah don't worry about me, Sam, I've got my parents, several ghosts, and even Vlad on my side now. Between all of us we should be able to stop this thing and even the ghosts that hate me might be willing to help out since if we lose they lose too."
"The old 'Enemy of my enemy' strategy, Danny?" Tucker smiled, "Man I do not envy you one bit. Though looking at some of these text books I almost think I might have it harder."
"Ehh suck it up, Tucker, you chose to take that scholarship after all, but back to more normal things," Sam stared at Danny, "Who drew that design for you Danny?"
"You won't believe me when I tell you," Danny chuckled as he put the picture in his scanner to send to Tucker, "But Dash Baxter drew it."
He expected a large reaction from his friends but Sam just stared at him and it looked like Tucker was fiddling with his computer.
"Say that again, Danny? I think my connection had a hiccup 'cause it sounded like you said that Dash Baxter drew that picture for you."
"That's cause I did," he smirked at his friend.
"That Neanderthal block-head that has been a near constant source of pain and humiliation for you over the years actually did something nice for you?!" Sam shouted at him and he saw that Tucker was just as surprised from the wide eyes and slightly agape mouth, "Wait a minute, that idiot can actually draw that good? Did he trace it out of a magazine or something?"
"No, I actually saw him drawing a few things last week when we were in the garage. He's actually been a big help in getting out what I want some things to look like before I make them."
"Hold the phone now," Tucker shook his head confused, "You… and Dash… have been hanging out… together… alone… in your garage?" When Danny nodded he just gawked at him, "Are you insane?!"
"Yeah, Danny, what are you thinking letting that guy in a place where an 'accidental' shove could seriously hurt you?"
"Sam… guys…" Danny took a deep breath and sighed, "It's ok. Dash has actually been kinda cool lately ever since he saw me swimming. Turns out he's the lifeguard on the morning shift at the pool and after I helped him deal with some punks that were trying to mug him we've been hanging out some and it's been… well it's weird but it's not bad."
"If you say so man…" Tucker shrugged and leaned back in his chair as they started to talk more about other things. Tucker talked about his summer classes and Sam talked about how her new school went while she had been there. It wasn't the same as all being together but for Danny it was better than nothing.
That night as Danny laid down in his bed he went over the events of his day with Dash. It hadn't been anything exceptionally big but somehow it seemed like they were actually beginning to get along better. As he drifted off to sleep Danny smiled; somehow the thought of seeing Dash again tomorrow made him happy.
SilverAxe:
Danny and Vlad can both give whoever fights them a run for their money most times, but even the strongest of people will fall prey to larger numbers.
FallingNarwhals:
Yeah there's a lot of fluff, but at least this chapter has some action to it.