I do not own Danny Phantom or Extreme Ghostbusters. Their individual companies own those. This is a sequel to Unclogged Graves.
Sam and Tucker searched the internet for anything on ghosts, precisely about one. The latter was typing away at his computer, leaning back in his chair as he took a break.
"Found anything yet?" Tucker asked.
Sam was sitting crisscrossed on the boy's bed with her laptop on. Shaking her head, the girl closed her screen, sighing.
"You'd think it was easier to research about a thousand year old ghost than the Fright Knight," Sam snarked.
"I thought your book had everything." The ulcer picked up the novel, studying its cover.
"Whatever history it has, it says nothing about a ghost named Samhain. It only mentions a rival he was reaching for, having him appear at various locations to find him."
Sam laid back into the bed, groaning in frustration. The occult, the darkness, and everything spooky and scary were now hiding something, and she couldn't find it. The irony cut left a shallow wound, but the knife was coated with lemon juice and salt.
Tucker just sat in his chair, going through the book again. After the call from Sam explaining Danny's situation, the boy and goth hung out after school to look over anything to help their best friend. He went through the pages, checking the chapters.
The ghosts in town aren't new, but their history was never revealed or explored. Granted, this was a topic nobody cared about, relegating the idea out of their minds. The closest they knew about the various spirit was that most of them were people at one point.
That or whatever the Fenton's managed to discover via dissection was a rarity beyond ordinary since their friend's parents mostly made weapons that vaporize, dismantle, blast, devastate, or tear apart ghosts molecule by molecule.
"What's with this book?" Tucker put the book down. "All it talks about are his so-called adventures, and that just starts with saying he came back to life, haunting Halloween as he sent people to another dimension with his sword."
"Well, maybe theirs more to it, like subtext." Sam flipped through the pages, looking for clues. Part of her wanted to rip the book in half to see if hidden notes were inscribed, something similarly cliché.
She knew there was no such luck in reality, but nothing indicated any clues to the Fright Knight's personal history. She had asked about books of Samhain, still waiting for any words or contacts to come, but such requests do not take days to get a response.
"I hope Danny's alright," Tucker said, leaning into his chair. "I wonder what he's doing right now."
Danny looked out the window as the Ecto-1 drove through traffic, one of New York City's most significant issues. While it was light in some places, traversing the many blocks required skill, and knowing where the major traffic jams were and when. The ghost boy inspected the vehicle. He could hardly believe he and his sister were getting a ride as Egon was behind the wheel.
"So, why am I coming with you?" Danny asked. "I thought this was a lecture."
"Janine's idea. I was going to explain the theoretical composition of the ethereal element, or ether," Egon explained.
"What a waste," Jazz's tone was mixed with sarcasm. Danny knew even she didn't want to listen to that.
"Then, what are we doing?" Danny asked.
"Doing some research. I asked Ray if he knew where to find a copy of The Chronicles of the Fright Knight, and he told me where to find the right book," Egon explained, not noticing the ghost boy's confused face.
"So, we're going to the library?" Danny quipped with innocence.
"Not exactly," Egon replied, turning at the next signal. Another driver tried to cut him off, honking his horn in road rage as the Ecto-1 drove by swiftly.
Another fact that intrigued the Fenton siblings: New York traffic was just as annoying in the movies. The main streets were flooded with cars as branching intersections were whittled to one lane with people parked on both sides or blocked by more traffic.
And everywhere, you could hear someone blaring their horn, with the occasional finger flipped out the window.
"And here I thought ghosts were rude," Danny muttered. He leaned his head back, looking into the trunk, full of ghost-busting gear.
But despite the weapons and containment units, he never felt tense.
The Ecto-1 was different from the Fenton Assault Vehicle, which was an understatement of the millennium. For starters, the Ghostbuster's signature car looked like one. It was an older model, but anyone could give it one glance and call it a weird car at worst, compared to what his family's RV could be called a tank. The interior was more comforting, with only the special ghost-fighting equipment in the trunk.
Needless to say, Danny found himself enjoying the Ecto-1 more than he thought. He pressed a button for the window and, for once, did not activate some anti-ghost weapon that would goop Jazz or anyone nearby.
He almost laughed when his sister jumped up in shock as she felt the cool autumn air hit her. The girl sighed in relief, smiling while she relaxed.
"So, where are the others?" Danny asked.
"They're looking into a string of reports. It seems the Fright Knight has been busy, making people disappear while scaring the rest," Egon replied.
That was just the tip of the iceberg and Danny knew it. The ghost boy mentally cursed himself, remembering how the Fright Knight's sword, the Soul Shredder, puts people into another dimension where they live their worst fear. This was a key detail and he forgot to mention that, something he'll have to rectify today.
But he found transforming would be more complicated than before as he saw the packed streets. Unlike Amity Park, the citizens walked to their destinations, with more than a few homeless littered with jangling cans as most people walked by, or at least that's what the ghost boy thought.
His mind was too concerned with finding a place to change to focus on others.
"So, I take it we're going to a book store, then?" Jazz asked, closing the window.
"More like some help. Ray has a bookstore here. It's selling enough books for him to take a side job, leaving some contacts that bring him specific books or, in this case, help us find them. It's been a key source in finding texts of mythological being or the occult in general." Egon took another turn. "We should find a copy there or find out where to find one."
Danny shared a glance with his sister, wondering about this place. For once, he was interested in going to a bookstore, even if it was about ghosts and ghouls. He just hoped his father would never hear of this, not wanting another talk about how he could be growing up like his old man.
There was no need for another oversized, orange jumpsuit.
"We're here," Egon interrupted the teen's thoughts as they parked in front of Ray's Occult Books. The facade was black with some stylish white lettering, maintained by a steady flow of customers going in and out of the shop.
Kylie was at the alley where the young girl had been attacked. The victim had been called for by the NYPD, coming over to answer some questions. The girl pointed to the darkness, talking about the purple flames that erupted as the goth girl wrote down notes. From what she had seen, this was either new spectral behavior or the ghost planned something big.
Based on past adventures, some ghosts would spread a plague, strengthening for a ritual to summon or devastate. Either way, the results would lead to the end of an era, mostly prophecizing about the dawn of a new rule.
And that was the scariest part.
Kylie thanked the girl for her time as she ventured deeper into the alley with her fellow ghostbusters, who were scouring and searching every nook and cranny, much to some of their disgust.
"No ecto-signatures." Roland pointed the PKE meter everywhere he could. The device was dead, being nothing more than the world's most scientific paperweight.
"And no surprise," Eduardo snarked, leaning against the wall. He glanced at his meter, scoffing as he glanced down the alley. It reeked of garbage, dirt, and the remnants of the homeless who marked this place repeatedly their stench. "Mind telling me why we're basically on garbage duty?"
"Because this is just one of the many leads we got on this Fright Knight character," Roland retorted dryly. He fiddled with the dials and settings, going over his steps several times, bumping into Eduardo and Garrett even more.
"Mind telling us what you're looking for?" Garrett snarked, rolling over to his coworker.
The question was ignored as Roland continued to roam around the dank alley. The other boys shared a look before they blocked the mechanic's path.
"Let me repeat this. What are you doing?" Garrett reiterated his paraphrased question.
"I'm looking for why the PKe meters aren't picking up anything. Ghosts don't just vanish without leaving some kind of trail or signature," Roland answered, focused on the meter. "IT just doesn't make sense."
"Tell me about it," Eduardo snarked. He opened the nearby dumpster, watching the flies buzz around. The disgusting sight would have provoked a reaction, but his stoic face remained calm as he closed the lid. "I mean, what kind of ghost helps people then scares them away? That doesn't make sense."
The ghostbusters paused, pondering Eduardo's thoughts. That was the strangest clue about this predicament. And it was not the only case as gas stations, shops, and corners had called the police with similar stories of a purple-flamed knight saving them, only to score them away.
"Maybe he's looking for something," Kylie glanced at her PKE meter. "And the reason we can't find anything here is because what he was looking for isn't."
"That would make sense, but now we got to find out what he could be looking for." Roland put away his device, walking away from the putrid stench.
"Well, at least we don't have anymore competition," Garrett remarked on his phone. He had a frustrated face as he was looking up videos. Whether on social media or the news, he did not seem happy looking over how popular a certain ghost boy had become, replaying videos.
Kylie walked over, grabbing it out of the boy's hand. She got the New York response as it was swiped back.
"Garrett, we're supposed to be looking for clues," Kylie remarked.
"And I'm investigating our new friend, Phantom. Have you seen the news? He's the hottest thing since pizza!" Garrett pointed at the phone as his coworkers turned to him.
Videos of Danny Phantom fighting the ghost from yesterday were over social media and some local news outlets. It was amazing how fast gossip traveled in the city that never sleeps, mainly if the internet was involved.
Kylie stared at the screen with a hum. "I wonder what his connection is in all this?" she asked. The alley's dreary setting seemed to disappear as her focus narrowed in on the ghost boy. "He doesn't seem to be malevolent."
"Probably because he doesn't know what it is either." Eduardo looked over the girl's shoulder, growling lowly. He got up and began to follow Roland as they went to the nearest subway. "Can someone tell me why we let Egon take the kids on the Ecto-1?"
"Because we got the call after he took it?" Roland answered with more of a question, not understanding why that was hard to comprehend.
"Whatever." Garrett wheeled himself over. "I say we start going around and kicking butt."
"Or we research," Kylie replied. She tossed the wheel-chaired boy his phone back, walking up to the boys. "If the Fright Knight is looking for something, then we can't go asking around. We need to find some clues." The girl smiled as she led the group through the streets. "And I know where to start."
So this took a while to update, but now we move along as everyone tries to understand the Fright Knight or at least his past.
Thanks for your reviews:
RonaldM40196867: No. Ideal costumes? No idea. I got every ghost I wanted to include here. Not really.
Luiz4200: Danny will meet Abby again.