Chapter two:

-Washington D.C.-

"Jaem, what is your estimated time to completion on the weapon?" Steranz asked into the intercom.

"Approximately eight minutes, sir." Jaem's voice buzzed back.

"I want it done in five."

"Consider it done, sir."

"Airel," Steranz turned to the agent at his left, narrowing his eyes. "Initiate plan green lemon." Airel nodded and pressed a series of buttons on his tablet.

"Sir, the fleet is ready, awaiting your signal." Arrujh stated, almost mechanically.

"Good. Ready our flyer." Steranz ordered with a small grin.

"…Well, the lights are on. She must have just been here." Sam murmured, heading towards a doorway on the far wall.

"Split up and search?" Tucker suggested with a shrug.

"Tuck. There's only one route." Danny chuckled, shoving his friend after Sam.

The trio went slowly down the long hallway, glancing inside the many rooms they passed. Finally they came to a lit room, a large white bedroom with a small lamp casting its shade's pattern across the floor. In the dim lighting, they could barely see Danielle's huddled form lying on the bed. "Dani!" Danny grinned, running over to her. She woke with a startled gasp, staring at Danny with wide green eyes.

"Danny, what are you doing here?" She asked softly.

"We came to find you." He gestured to himself and his friends.

"Oh. Well, I'm fine staying here... You might want to leave."

"Why?" Sam asked, joining Danny at the side of the bed. "He just wants to help you."

"I'm fine, I promise." Dani yawned, forcing herself into a sitting position.

"Hey… Your arm has a cast on it…" Danny murmured. "How did that happen?"

"Did you see a Doctor before you came here?" Tucker inquired.

"I really suggest you leave, Danny." Dani hissed.

"No, Dani." Danny shook his head sternly. "You need my help. But you also need to answer our questions."

"Yeah." Tucker nodded. "You're obviously hiding something from us."

"Danny, you don't understand!" Danielle whined. "I'm really doing fine by myself, you need to go!"

"Dani." Danny said in an authoritative tone. "Anytime you keep something from me, it ends badly. Just tell me what it is." Danielle looked at her cousin with panic-filled eyes. She gave a tired sigh and jumped off of the bed, hovering just above the wood floor.

"Danny." She returned his harsh tone. "Get you and your friends out of here, or I'll take desperate measures."

"Really? Like what?" Sam taunted her.

"Like THIS." Dani retorted. She stared at the three for a moment longer, drawing in a deep breath. Out of nowhere, her high-pitched screech filled the room like a sonic wave. If Danny didn't know better, he would've thought she'd achieved a ghostly wail.

"What are you doing?" Danny growled, covering his ears.

"So, how did you get such a big house?" Auslynn asked curiously.

"Well, I was once the mayor of Amity Park." Vlad replied quietly.

"Really? A ghost?" Auslynn murmured. "Or was that before you died?"

"Neither." Vlad chuckled.

"Are you saying you're an alien?"

"No."

"Then what? How are you not a ghost?"

"Auslynn, I think it's time I tell you something." He said gently as two glowing black rings appeared around his waist and engulfed his entire body. When they dissipated, he looked completely different… human. He had almost luminescent blue eyes and long white hair that had been loosely braided. He wore a battered white shirt and black slacks with holes in the knees, and dark brown moccasins on his feet. Yet the gash on his side seemed to get bigger and deeper with the transformation.

"You- You're a h-hybrid?" Auslynn stammered. "Like Danny?"

"Yes." Vlad nodded. "An accident of Jack Fenton's in 1981."

"That's incredible! Another ghost hybrid… who'd have thought?"

Suddenly the air shattered with a high pitched noise from beneath the floor. "That was Danielle…" Vlad murmured.

"I don't know what could be wrong; I made sure that the medicine I gave her would kill the pain…" Auslynn said in a rush, grabbing Vlad's wrist and phasing through the floor.

They landed in Dani's room with a quiet thud, staring at the three intruders. Dani quieted and cowered under the sheets as the teens noticed the others.

"Um, hey Auslynn." Danny waved with a curious glare. "Who's that?"

"Daniel," Vlad said quietly. "It's me."

Danny stared in disbelief at his nemesis that he'd thought was dead. He felt a rock form in his stomach, clenching his fists. Words could not describe his hatred towards this man. His eyes glowed with anger and he fired a ball of ectoplasm. Auslynn caught it quickly and absorbed it into her palm, giving Danny a confused glare.

"What's gotten into you, Danny?" She hissed.

"W- what? Do you not know who that is?" Danny growled, pointing dramatically at Vlad.

"Vlad?" Auslynn shrugged. "What are you getting at?"

"He's my worst enemy!" Danny shouted back.

"What's he talking about?" Auslynn murmured, turning to the silent hybrid beside her.

"Well, I had made some… mistakes… In my past life, but I assure you, Daniel. I've changed." Vlad replied softly.

"I doubt it." Danny grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Why?" Auslynn asked, clearly confused.

"He tried to kill my father and sister, not to mention the hundreds of time's he's tried on my life, he's tried to enslave the planet… countless acts of evil…" Danny counted off on his fingers.

"…Really?" Auslynn murmured. "But h-he claims that he's changed his ways, and I believe him." She added with an assured look. She walked slowly over to Danielle's huddled form under the sheets, gently tugging her out. "So, what is it? Why did you start screaming?"

"Well, it was… the only way I could think to get your attention." She answered softly. "A-and I was trying to scare Danny off."

"Scare me off?" Danny growled angrily. "Why? Are you honestly still with Vlad? I thought you hated him!"

"Trust me, Danny. I don't want to be here. But I knew that Vlad could –and would- help me." Dani sighed.

"And I can't because?" Danny hissed angrily.

"Because you don't have pyrokenisis." Danielle replied, shrinking back onto the bed.

"What's that?" Sam asked. "A fire related ghost power?"

"Yes." Vlad answered. "And it's very dangerous if it's not controlled." He held out his right hand as it started to glow a bright pink. Suddenly it burst into a brilliant flame of miscellaneous colors, engulfing his entire hand and forearm.

"I… I've never seen you use that power before." Danny said quietly.

"Of course not, dear boy. I have yet to master this ability, let alone wield it against anyone." Vlad sighed as the flame extinguished itself. "And this is why I am taking care of Danielle. If she isn't guided through this stage of the pyrokenisis development, it could kill her."

"How do we know that you won't kill her anyway?" Tucker put in.

"Come now, Tucker. Why would I ever lay a hand on my beloved daughter?" Vlad replied with a warm smile.

Danny grunted quietly in frustration. He remembered back only days before the disasteroid, when Danielle was captured and nearly melted down to ectoplasm. He still recalled the look of terror in the young girl's eyes as she was nearly liquefied. "I think I'll stay and keep an eye on her, make sure everything goes okay." He turned to Danielle. "And I can help with her ice powers. Deal?"

"Alright." Vlad nodded. "What of your friends?" He gestured briefly to Sam and Tucker.

"They'll stay too." Danny said after awhile. "…To keep me company. Okay?"

"That's fine."

"Well, I'm glad it's all sorted." Auslynn sighed. "But right now we have other matters to attend to." She pointed to Danielle. "Her symptoms have surfaced again." The girl sat quietly, both soaked in sweat and ice crystals forming on her hands and face.

"We need to get her outside." Vlad said quickly, shifting back into his ghost form. Signaling for the others to follow, he took Dani by her good arm and led her into flight and up through the dense structure of the building to the extensive yard. The rest of the group slowly arrived and spread out on the lawn.

"How is this helping?" Sam inquired as she and Tucker let loose of Danny's arms.

"In order for her to return to normal temperature, the energies need to be expelled." Vlad replied matter-of-factly.

"And that's done… h-how exactly?" Dani asked between shivering fits.

"Well, since your cryokenisis seems to be in power as of the moment," Vlad glanced at Danny, gesturing for him to come over. "I think it will be best if Daniel shows you."

"Umm…" Danny murmured quietly as he came beside his cousin. "I learned from Frostbite, the leader of the Far-Frozen. He told me to concentrate the energy and… kind of… throw it out of you." He explained clumsily. "To control the energy, rather than it control you."

"Okay… I think I can handle that." Dani nodded, but her eyes betrayed her doubt. She closed her eyes tightly and held her hands out as they began to glow a hazy blue. The others took a wary step back, watching her struggle to focus the energy into her hands.

Suddenly the radiance exploded into a fountain of crystal-like ice, claiming the ground around her. It continued to flow out of her until the lawn had become a lake of dazzling ice.

Dani opened her eyes, their usual green hue swamped by a luminescent blue. "I- I did it!" She squealed. She shot a ball of ectoplasm from her hand and the ice shattered, vaporizing into the air.

"Great!" Danny grinned. "I'll teach you more later, but for now I think you need to learn about pyrokenisis." Danielle nodded, turning to Vlad.

"What's first?" She asked eagerly.

"Just take a deep breath and keep calm." Vlad said softly. "Your movements have to be steady to concentrate the energy. Any random fluctuations could cause you to lose control and it could kill you."

"Alright." Danielle nodded. She quieted, forcing herself into a near-stupor. Quickly her hands glowed pink, engulfing her forearms.

"And focus the burning sensation into your hands." Vlad murmured.

Danielle grunted, pain sparking through her arms as they burst into flame. She shrieked, the fire beginning to grow. "H-how do I stop it?!" She whined. She panicked and the fire got away from her, burning her arms and torso.

Vlad grabbed her quickly, creating a grayish vapor from his palm that smothered the flames.

"What is that?" Dani asked softly.

"A mixture of dust and water, you'll learn to fabricate it later on." Vlad sighed.

"Are you okay?" Auslynn murmured as she joined them. "Did you burn yourself?"

"Nothing exceptional." Danielle shrugged. "But I seem to be back to normal."

"Good!" Danny smiled.

"Well, I think I'm going to go practice some more." Dani sighed.

"Are you sure about that?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I'll be careful." Dani smiled. She concentrated and started to shape ice in her hands, molding it. "Have you ever tried to make an ice sculpture?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Well… No." Danny shook his head. "I normally just use it when fighting ghosts."

Out of nowhere, an earsplitting noise sounded from above, shaking the ground. "What-?" Danny murmured, nearly losing his balance.

"What is that!?" Auslynn asked, pointing to a white and black jet hovering above them.

"That's got to be the guys in white…" Sam growled.

"How did they find you out here?" Tucker turned to Danny with a confused look.

"Well, I've heard they've enhanced their tech. Maybe they have some sort of ghost-tracker." Danny shrugged. "But it doesn't matter. I can easily take care of these morons." He grinned, charging a blast of ectoplasm. He launched it towards the jet, watching as shielding appeared and harmlessly reflected the blast.

"Well, that could've gone better." Sam frowned.

"Who are the guys in white?" Auslynn murmured, still staring at the jet.

"A government ghost-hunting league." Vlad replied quietly.

"What are they doing here?" Dani grumbled. "I thought that after you saved the planet, they stopped coming after you."

"Obviously not." Sam sighed.

Suddenly two people materialized, wearing spotless white uniforms and ecto-blasters in hand. "Danny Phantom?" One of them asked, a dark man with a thin black mustache.

"What do you want?" Danny hissed.

"You are required to come with us, by force if necessary." The GIW stated blankly as more jets appeared in the sky.

"I think you know my answer." Danny smiled, crossing his arms.

"Then, under section 8, paragraph four, of the ghost elimination protocol, we are to capture and perform painful experiments on you." The other GIW piped up. They raised their guns, the barrels glowing blue as they hummed with energy.

Danny shot a beam of ectoplasm at the weapons, but found that they too were protected by shields. "Shoot…" He growled under his breath.

"Isn't that unconstitutional?" Auslynn asked, crossing her arms. "To capture someone, having done no wrong, and do horrible things to them?"

"You are ghosts, the constitution does not apply to you." The dark man mumbled back.

"Hmm. Very American of you." Auslynn shrugged.

The jets began to land around them, GIW soldiers piling out into the field with guns at the ready. As the last jet landed, a GIW in a thick alloy armor suit stepped out. Danny recognized him from one of Valerie's reports. His name was Steranz, the new head of operations for the guys in white. He was very different from the others, not only by his armor, but his shaggy blond hair, freckled face and German accent. He was probably younger than the others, but taller and much smarter. "Jaem?" He turned to one of the soldiers.

"It is ready to fire on your order." The Asian man replied.

"Now's good." Steranz grinned, glancing at the ghosts. Jaem nodded and pushed a button on his blaster. It activated a series of devices on the roofs of the jets, causing sets of large rocket-launchers to appear.

"Oh, darn…" Dani moaned.

"Run?" Danny asked with a small shrug.

"Sounds good to me." Auslynn sighed. "What direction?" The machines came to life with a loud hum, every passing moment threatening their fire.

"The trees would give us our best chance." Tucker gestured with his head to their left.

"Then we have an agreement?" Vlad asked softly.

"Yup." Sam nodded. They all exchanged glances and took off. The GIW didn't bother to follow them as the rockets fired.

Danny took Sam and Tucker under both arms and the ghosts continued on in flight.

"Those things are catching up…" Danielle murmured.

"Shouldn't we just be able to phase through them?" Auslynn asked with a confused look.

"No, GIW tech is too good for that." Danny explained.

"They're impervious to all our powers?" Dani asked, her voice getting squeaky.

"Not all." Danny smiled mischievously, dodging a random tree. "If we can get far enough ahead of them, I think my ghostly wail could destroy them."

"Not a good idea," Sam warned. "It'll completely wipe you out; you won't be able to fight the soldiers off."

"Will you people make up your mind?!" Auslynn hissed. "Limited time here, remember?"

"Do you have any ideas? I'd love to hear 'em." Sam growled.

"Too late!" Danielle shouted.

The missiles detonated with an earsplitting squeal. A blue ring was thrown out from each of the cylinders, reducing the nearby trees to splinters and frying every sign of life. The group was thrown forward, colliding brutally with the earth. As the energy died, the surrounding forest smoldering, the GIW made their approach.

Danny blinked ash away, groaning. He knew he had to get up, but his body refused to obey him. Silver rings appeared at his waist and his ghost form disappeared into Danny Fenton, hearing the other hybrids revert as well.

He could barely see the feds as they made their way towards him, guns readied. "Come on, go ghost!" The thought burned in his mind, but he couldn't focus his energy. For now, he was stuck a human.

"Ready to give up, or do you need another beating?" Steranz asked with a smug grin. Danny was quiet, staring up at the GIW.

"I'm… Not going down… without a fight." Danny wheezed. Steranz laughed.

"Alright then, take your best shot." He said menacingly. Danny tried again to morph into his ghost half, but it was pointless.

"What are you going to do to us?" He asked quietly, letting himself relax as the thought of defeat settled in his stomach.

"I'm glad you asked. You see, we plan to cut you open, examine and experiment on your innards, and sell your remains to weapons manufacturers across the globe, so they can develop advanced ghost-technology."

"Gee, that sounds great." Danny sighed.

"We can't just be giving up, can we?" Danielle asked weakly. "They're going to kill us!"

"We can't fight back… I can't even move." Danny murmured sadly.

"Hey… I can." Sam pointed out, sitting up. "Those missiles must only work on ghosts."

"Yeah, me and Sam are fine." Tucker nodded, stretching.

"Capture the humans." Steranz ordered quickly.

"Oh, poo." Sam sighed. Two GIW soldiers stepped forward and grabbed her and Tucker, dragging them back to the jets. "Danny!" She shouted before they fell out of sight.

"No!" Danny growled. "Leave them alone, they're not even ghosts!" Steranz glared at him, frowning.

"Let's get them on board and back to headquarters." He turned to the soldiers. "We've got tests to run."

"Shoot." Danielle sighed. "Now what?"

"Duck!" Auslynn murmured, though honestly she knew no one could move. A ceiling fan materialized from her palm and shot down a GIW.

"Where did that come from?" Vlad asked curiously.

"Something I should've mentioned earlier… I'm the ghost of ceiling fans." She smiled.

"You can still use your powers?" Danny said quietly.

"Well, I'm not a hybrid, like you lot." She shrugged, throwing three more blades at the advancing enemy. "But I can't move very well. What's that all about, anyway?"

"Those missiles set off basic paralysis waves. We should be recovering soon." Vlad explained.

"We need to get Sam and Tucker back." Danny growled, struggling to get to his knees.

"Danny!" Danielle whined. A soldier had her caught in a glowing blue net and was dragging her into the crowd of GIW soldiers.

"Auslynn, do something!" Danny demanded.

"I can't, I've run out of blades!" Auslynn whined. "I can only make so many in a sitting!"

"Can't you do anything else? ...Ectoplasm or something?!" He growled. Auslynn sighed and shot a ball of dark blue ectoplasm at the GIW, throwing him backwards. But another soldier was ready to take his place.

"Danny, I'm running out of options! I'm exhausted…" Auslynn whined. She could barely keep her eyes open as she continued to fight, her arms shaking.

"I think I'm starting to get my energy back, just hold on!" Danny smiled.

Steranz sighed. If Danny got his powers back, his men wouldn't stand a chance. They weren't prepared for a full-on fight. They would be destroyed. "Troops, fall back!" He shouted. They obeyed immediately, running back to the jets.

"Danny, help!" Danielle whined as she was dragged further and further away.

"Dani!" Danny shouted desperately. "Try to get out!"

"I can't move!" She yelled back.

"Quiet, ghost." The soldier growled. Dani sighed and watched as her cousin went out of vision.

Danny was quiet, staring blankly at the disappearing army. He had lost. His cousin was being dragged away, and he couldn't do anything to help her.

"Are you okay?" Auslynn asked softly.

"We have to get them back." Danny mumbled. By now the paralysis had almost completely worn off, and he was standing.

"I think that's been established." Auslynn sighed. "Are you alright, Vlad?"

"Yes." He nodded, slowly getting to his feet.

"Are you going to let me take care of that cut, now?" She smiled sweetly.

"It's perfectly fine, Auslynn." He chuckled.

"We have to get those jets!" Danny ordered.

"They'll be long gone by the time we get there." Auslynn shook her head. "We should just rest for a bit." Danny ignored her and took off running. "Well then, far be it from me to disagree with you, oh bearer of bad ideas…" Auslynn sighed. "I guess we better follow him." Vlad nodded and tailed behind her along the path of smoke and fire that led to the jets.

Danny fought for breath, forcing his legs to continue onward. Pain shot through his limbs, but he kept going. He couldn't let them get away. Not with Sam, Tucker, and Dani. He couldn't bear it, well knowing what it could lead to.

Soon the jets were in sight, starting their engines. Danny pushed himself to go faster, groaning in pain. The crafts began to lift off, one by one into the air. The last held close to the ground, loading dock still extended. Danny growled, seeing Steranz waiting for him there.

"Hello. You sure recovered quickly." The GIW smiled.

"Give me back my friends." Danny ordered.

"Calm down, phantom. We'll come back for you."

"NO! Just…" Danny stammered. Steranz chuckled quietly, turning and jumping into the jet. Danny growled, attempting to fire a beam of ectoplasm, but soon realized he was still in his human form.

"Danny, Calm down." Auslynn sighed, trotting to his side. "We'll get them back, don't worry." Danny looked over at her quietly, his face unreadable.

The jets bolted out of sight, sending a harsh wave of air across the clearing that blew dust and leaves outward and everywhere.

The debris settled around the ghosts, silence dominating the clearing. "Danny?" Auslynn asked carefully. "Are you okay?"

"No…" Danny sighed. "They won."

"They've only won if you give up, Danny. We'll get them back."

"Dead or alive?"

Auslynn stared quietly at him, confused. "You're quite a pessimist, aren't you?"

Danny shot an annoyed glare at her, frowning. "…Sorry." He sighed after awhile. "I guess I have been a little sour. Do you have a plan to get them back?"

"Well… No… not yet, anyway." Auslynn shrugged. "Vlad, what about you, you've been awfully quiet."

"Nothing yet…" He murmured, deep in thought. "But you know better than I do, Daniel, what are they going to do to Danielle?" Danny found it hard to grasp, but he could see that Vlad was very worried for Dani.

"They've never managed to capture me, I'm really not sure." Danny mumbled. "But it's not good."

"Well, anyways… They were obviously planning on coming back; we should be getting far, far, away from here, right?" Auslynn asked softly, gesturing to the sloping hills beyond.

"No. We have to wait here. I'm not going to waste a chance to get my friends back." Danny shook his head, looking up at the empty blue sky. "It's the best shot we have."

"Shouldn't we at least organize some sort of plan?"

"Sure. You can."

Auslynn sighed. "Danny, I know you're under a lot of stress, but you can't honestly believe we could survive another attack?"

"She's right, Daniel." Vlad nodded slowly. "They're going to have more of the missiles, and I don't think they'll dawdle around this time."

Danny stared back at the two with a frown. He knew they were right, and that victory like this was improbable, but he couldn't admit it. He hated the thought of his friends getting hurt… even killed… because of him.

The thought of that alternate future surfaced in his thoughts. Perhaps it was, just a matter of time.

"No." He said softly. "I'll save them. Even if it kills me, I'll save my loved ones."

"Danny, you're being irrational." Auslynn sighed. "Now come on, we need to be planning our next move."

The three glanced at each other in hopes of answers or ideas, but there was nothing. No plan they could ever come up with would lead to the defeat of the GIW and the safe return of their three prisoners. The GIW had thought this out too well. Their new chief had seen to that.

"Well… We're just going to have to wing it." Danny shrugged after awhile. "Any objections to that?"

Auslynn and Vlad looked at each other with questioning faces, but nodded.