--(drum roll)—Now we get to the chapter where you find out what's happened in Amity Park in the clone girl's absence. And you'll find that Dani's about to run into another old acquaintance of her cousin's. To all of you readers out there: I'd like to extend my appreciation for all the great comments you've been giving. It really keeps me going to know that people out there really like what I've written so far and that you look forward to future chapters. Again thanks. Here's chapter 6.
Chapter 6: Amity Park's Worst
Wulf had reached the corner first, around which the commotion was taking place. The street was full of people who were panicking to get far way from an airborne battle, which was only a little ways down the street. People who saw Wulf started screaming even more and ran off in a different direction. Danielle simply shrugged up at her furry friend when this happened.
Looking passed the people who were evacuating the scene, the ghost-girl could see a green shape of yet another attacking ghost. This one was quite a bit bigger than the other ones she had already seen. She watched as it zoomed around, avoiding the dangerous looking blasts of someone in a red-and-black, technological looking suit, flying on a cool looking glider that seemed to be shaped like a surfboard from afar.
Danielle and Wulf quickly ran towards the mid-flight battle. As they stopped, almost directly underneath where the fight in the sky was, Danielle observed the person fighting the ghost. She started to wonder who it might be when she squinted up at the figure, and started to think that it actually look kind of familiar.
Wulf suddenly left the girl's side and started scaling one of the tall buildings. "Wha…? Wulf, what are you doing?" She called after him when he was already half way up its brick wall.
Looking back at the two flying objects that were really going at it, the ghost-girl started to rack her brains, trying to think of where she had possibly seen that red and black suit before. She could have sworn it was back during her last visit to Amity Park, but she still couldn't put her finger on it.
The female hybrid watched as the ghost dodged another attack from the red and black figure and made a dive at it. It hit the surfboard-like flying machine and Danielle dodged out of the way as a piece of the glider fell and bounced on the pavement of the road. The driver lost control of the damaged means of transportation and struggled with it as it started to carry them down into a crash-landing.
The route of the crash went passed the young teenage ghost and just before the glider hit the pavement, the suited person jumped off and rolled in making contact with the concrete road, skidding to a halt, right on the back. The glider broke when it collided with the ground and its pieces went flying all over the place.
The half-ghost teen rushed over to lend a hand, as the figure shook its helmeted head, rubbing it. Otherwise, the armored rider seemed to be al right. As Danielle got closer, she realized that the suited-up person was a girl, probably in her late teens. When the teen hybrid was only a few feet away from her, she was able to see through the transparent face-shield of the helmet and see the face behind it. The ghost-teen looked at her, wide-eyed as she suddenly realized that she did know this person.
"Valerie?" She said, with a bit of surprise in her voice.
The armored girl looked up in hearing her name and when she saw the hooded-shirt girl in front of her, she looked confused. "Um. Do I know you?"
"Don't you recognize me? I'm…"
But before Danielle could finished her sentence, Valerie looked up, behind the girl with a panicked expression, "Look out!" she shouted, pointing behind her.
The half-ghost teenager spun around to see the ghost that was causing all the ruckus diving in for another attack towards the two girls. Just as its dive came level to the tops of the buildings, lining the street, out of the blue, came Wulf who jumped from the rooftop of the building he had just climbed up, right at the airborne ghost.
The giant dog tackled the specter, bringing it all the way to the ground, trapping it under his big and hairy front paws. Pinning it to the sidewalk underneath them.
The ghost went intangible, escaping from the beast's grasp and started zooming at the ghost-girl and the eighteen-year-old ghost-hunter. But before it reached them, Wulf pounced on it from behind, stopping it three feet short of the girls. Wulf then picked the ghost up and swung it around, building momentum and then flung it at one of the brick buildings that lined the side of the road.
The ghost recovered from this blow and faced Wulf who growled at it. The ghost-dog pounced at it again, this time giving it a few good slashes with his extended claws. The ghost was slammed to the ground by the end of the last. But before Wulf landed another blow, the green specter went intangible, avoiding getting hit by the massive dog and headed right at the two girls again. When Wulf tried to stop it, the ghost slipped through his green claws and the ghost sped toward the teenagers, cackling.
Danielle jumped in front of Valerie and her eyes began to glow green as she built her ghostly power up as much as she could before it got to the point that it would fizzle out on her. At the sight of the young girl's eyes, the attacking ghost suddenly stopped in mid-flight, just a foot away from her face.
The ghost-girl was surprised at the rapid halt but she maintained her composure and continued her powerful glare. Like the other ghost she had managed to beat down, this one's dread that it usually filled other people with, backfired on it. In the next minute, it shot off, screaming, towards the sky and away from Amity Park.
Danielle powered down and scratched her head in confusion. That was the second time that's happened. She had the appearance of a normal human. What about her was frightening the ghosts?
After seeing the ghost fly out of sight, Wulf retracted his claws and started walking towards the two girls. Danielle smiled at him as he approached until she heard a humming from behind her that gradually became higher pitched.
"Back off, ghost," said Valerie's voice, behind her.
The teenage hybrid spun around. Valerie had the ecto-blaster she had on her arm powered up and was taking aim at the frightful looking beast. Taking the threat seriously, the giant dog tensed up, readying himself, and bearing his huge teeth at the suited ghost-hunter.
Seeing what was happening, Danielle rushed between the two, facing Valerie and extending her arms out, blocking the armored teenager's aim at the her doglike friend. "No, Valerie. Don't!" the ghost-girl cried out, as she did this.
"Get out of the way, kid. That thing's dangerous."
"Um…yeah! Dangerous to that ghost who was trying to clobber us." Danielle stated to Valerie as if it was obvious. Wulf let out a series of vicious growls behind her at Valerie and the half-ghost teen tried to calm him with a gentle hand. "And to you if you don't put that down." She added, pointing at the raised blaster.
"Are you blind or something? Look at it. That dog-monster behind you is a ghost."
Danielle stared at the opposing girl blankly for a second, and then she scoffed, shaking her head. "Man. Even after helping to save me, you still think that all ghosts are the same, don't you?" she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're just as stubborn as ever."
Valerie's expression became perplexed, but she still kept her blaster-arm up. "What are you talking about?" She asked.
"Okay, seriously Valerie. I know it's been a couple years, but have you really forgotten all about me?" Danielle question, giving the eighteen-year-old a skeptical look.
The ghost-hunting girl shifted her eyes to the side for a second. Her confusion still building up. "Uh…if I'm supposed to know you from somewhere, yeah I guess I have." She stated, a hit hesitantly at first.
"Okay, then I'll give you a hint." Danielle said. Then, thinking back on a certain memory the ghost-teen remembered quite clearly, she took on the very same expression of surprise and quoted what Valerie had said to her when they first met. "You're…you're a girl? And a ghost?" Danielle mimicked, rather sarcastically, but still recognizable.
When Danielle's expression changed back to her own smile, a spark definitely ignited in Valerie. "Here's another one." The ghostly teen said, continuing to impersonate. "Help me, I'm melting." Valerie had probably already gotten the message from the first impression, but the teenage hybrid was having fun with her.
The red and black suited ghost-hunter lowered her ecto-blaster just a bit as the realization came to her. "Wait." She paused. "Phantom? The girl, Dani Phantom, with an I?"
"Duh!" Danielle remarked loudly, throwing her hands out on either side of her, as if presenting herself. Despite the late recognition though, a very broad grin crossed the ghost girl's face.
Valerie, smiling in disbelief, finally lowered her ecto-blaster the rest of the way, looking the girl up and down. "Wow. It really has been two years. You certainly look different."
"I must, if it took you that long to remember." Danielle commented.
Valerie let out a small, guilty laugh. Then she looked up at Wulf who stood up to his full height on his hind legs. "So, then…uh...who's the big, freaky one?" she asked the ghost-girl, a bit nervously.
"Hey. Considering he just stopped that ghost from coming at us, twice, the least you could do is give him a 'thank you.'" Danielle responded, defending her ghost companion.
Valerie stared up at the beast, still looking rather uncertain.
The silence was, just then, broken by some crackling noises. Valerie looked to see that it came from a big piece of her destroyed glider that sparked spontaneously in the places where it had broken off. She went over and knelt down next to it, picking it up. Danielle came up behind her, bending down and putting her hands on her knees. "Ah, man. I'm sorry." She said, looking at the wrecked glider from over the ghost-hunter's shoulder.
"Oh, don't worry, Dani. It's not serious."
"Not serious?" Danielle responded in disbelief. "That thing's busted in…" But before she finished, Valerie pressed a button on the piece of the glider and it started to hover on it's own. After a second of stillness, it flew around the street where its missing pieces had been scattered in the crash. As the mobile piece of medal passed its stray parts, they reattached themselves to the appropriate places like magnets until the glider was whole again and looked as good as new.
It flew back over to Valerie who stood it up, vertically beside her. "Not anymore." she said with a smile.
"Wow." The teen hybrid was impressed. "Didn't know it could do that."
"Neither did I, until recently."
Just as Valerie tucked the flying machine under her arm, Danielle's ghost sense went off again. The three heard a creepy cackle from a smaller ghost, that was gliding passed the street intersection that Danielle and her dog-like friend had just come from.
Valerie moaned in disappointed aggravation and stepped onto her glider. "Hang on, a minute." She said to Danielle and rocketed off on the newly repaired flying machine, turning the corner in pursuit of the small ghost.
Danielle sped after her, followed closely behind, by Wulf. They turned the corner just in time to see the ghost-hunter suck the little ghost into some sort of access gadget she had gotten from her utility belt.
"Valerie, what's going on here?" The teenage hybrid asked in frustration at seeing another ghost. "Wulf and I barely got into town about ten minutes ago and that's the sixth ghost we've seen already."
Valarie looked down from her glider, scoffing "That's nothing. There's a lot more ghosts here than anyone can count. Even with their shoes off."
"Yeah. I kind of figured." Danielle said. "But why isn't Danny helping? And what's going on with this?" While saying this last part, Danielle pulled the newspaper clipping about Sam from her pocket and faced the photograph towards the ghost-hunter. Valerie glided downward till she could bend down from the flying surfboard and take the torn-up article from the ghost-girl's hand.
"Oh…yeah. That." Was all she said after taking a second to look at the newspaper clipping. "But…didn't you know?" she asked the teen hybrid, looking up from the article. "I mean…Danny is your cousin, right?"
"Well, I haven't exactly been able to keep in touch with him since I left." Danielle shrugged, excusably.
Valerie exhaled solemnly and lowered the piece of the article, letting it hang loosely at her side. "Come with me." She finally said and rose a bit higher into the air on her glider. "I'll tell you everything at my place."
The ghostly teen went over to Wulf who bent down on all fours so she could climb up onto his back, as before. When she had herself securely straddled onto him, she looked up at Valerie, waiting for her to take the lead. But she was just staring down at her with a puzzled look. "Um…aren't you just gonna fly?"
Remembering that the ghost-hunter didn't know that she couldn't even use her powers right now, the ghost-powered teen said, "I, kind of…can't right now." Valerie was probably about to ask why not, when the ghost hybrid quickly added. "It's a long story that we do not have time for if the situation is as serious as I think it is."
With that said, Valerie ascended higher into the air on her glider and when it rocketed forward, Wulf followed from the ground. The glider was fast, but Wulf was already a good runner. Not to mention the fact that he was a ghost and could simply phase through any building that was within his direct route.
It was only a short time before Danielle saw Valerie begin to descend towards the ground, up ahead. By the time she and Wulf had caught up with her, the suited ghost-hunter had touched down at a house that was in a very nice neighborhood of the city.
Since Valerie's father had gotten back into business in Axion Labs, he eventually got to move them into a much nicer place than the run-down apartment they had to live in after going broke.
Danielle dismounted Wulf when they got to the driveway of the house. Valerie pressed a few buttons on the keypad in the arm of her suit and then the suit itself, to the ghost-girl's surprise, seemed to disassemble itself into much smaller, metallic pieces that rotated around its wearer's figure a few rounds before disappearing into the yellow and orange bracelets on her wrists and ankles.
"Didn't know you could do that either." Danielle commented when the last of the small pieces vanished into the ordinary looking jewelry.
"First time for everything, isn't there?" Valerie put in, with a smile.
Danielle started looking at this new appearance. With the suit on, Valerie was a skilled ghost-fighter that had once behaved like there was no heart under the metallic armor. But this African-American girl with curly, dark hair, that existed underneath the ghost-fighting apparel was actually quite nice looking. It was a bit hard to believe that such a sweet looking girl could have once been an enemy of Danny Phantom before he had revealed his greatest secret.
When Valerie caught Danielle observing the sleeveless yellow top and orange skirt and headband she was wearing, she asked, looking embarrassed, "Now what?"
"Oh, nothing." The girl-clone said apologetically, realizing she had been staring. "I've just never seen you out of the suit before."
Valerie shrugged, "I rest my case."
She led the ghost-teen to the front door, but before going through it, she insisted on having Wulf stay outside. Even though Danielle had tried reassuring her that Wulf was safe to be around, Valerie was persistent on her view and Danielle eventually agreed. Wulf seemed to have some suspicions about Valerie still, but after Danielle shared some reassuring words with him, he gave in as well. Considering the teenage ghost-hunter had greeted the great dog by threatening to shoot him, Danielle couldn't blame the ghost beast at all for being a bit untrusting.
Valerie led the ghostly teenager inside the house and into the front room. It was a neat living area with a couch next to the large window with a view of the front yard. A coffee table was placed in the center of the room, close to the couch.
Soon after Danielle had a look around the sitting area, Valerie offered some snacks. Since Danielle hadn't really been able to eat anything, aside from the apple, before leaving the cave, she accepted the offer thankfully.
The two girls got comfortable on the couch when Valerie took out the article clipping Danielle had found on the street. She set it down on the coffee table, where the both of them could see it. "Now then. About this." She began, as half-ghost teenager finished the last bite of a cookie.
Valerie then began with the story of how the students of Casper High were just having their break in between classes when the ghost described in the article had attacked. Evidently, the ghost's name was Lydia.
Valerie had been in the same hall as Danny and his friends were, when the ghost-attack took place. Danny had fought the red-cloaked ghost and it seemed he was doing all right. But Lydia pulled a fast one on him in taking Sam and using her as a shield, or so it seemed at first. The next minute anyone knew, she went intangible and flew through the ceiling, carrying Sam with her her. Valerie clarified how Danny tried to go after her to get his friend back, but Lydia had sent her tattoo friends around as a distraction, attacking other students and thus no one saw where Lydia went. Though, it became evident that taking Sam was Lydia's plan all along and not just to terrorize or release a temper tantrum, like other ghosts that attacked the school did.
By the time Valerie finished, Danielle was feeling horrible. Why didn't she think to come sooner? She would have been able to help if she knew things had been going so badly in Amity Park.
"And how did Danny take this whole thing?" she asked Valerie.
"Well, he wanted to go after her, of course. And the teachers excused him for the rest of the day to do that: Him being a hero-celebrity and all. But he still couldn't find any trails leading to where Lydia had taken Sam. And he also had some other ghosts to fight on the way."
Danielle looked down at her feet. Her despair rising. "Man, he must have felt devastated after that happened."
"Well, I heard him talking with Tucker that he was feeling bad about how he had been right there during the attack, and he couldn't help Sam." When Danielle looked at her suspiciously, Valerie added, rolling her eyes, "Yes I do eavesdrop on people's conversations. Who doesn't once in a while?"
The ghost hybrid scoffed at this before redirecting the subject back. "But that still doesn't explain all the ghosts around." She remarked, glancing out the window and back at Valerie. "He hasn't been slacking off in protecting the town just because of a mistake, has he?"
"Oh, no. Definitely not." Valerie exclaimed, shaking her head. "In fact, the mayor…Tucker…had organized a search party for Danny to help track Lydia down. That way, Danny could still protect the city from ghost-attacks."
"So why is the ghost problem so bad, now?" Danielle asked, indicating outside where a ghost could be seen gliding passed the house across the street.
Valerie paused before going on with a rather slow and hesitant start. "Um…well…in truth…Sam's kidnapping isn't even half the problem." When Danielle looked at her baffled at how it couldn't be the entire problem, Valerie stood up from the couch. "Let me get something, first." She told the ghost-girl, as she started to walk into the next room. She came back within a few seconds with a full-length newspaper. "I sort of wonder why I decided to hang on to this, but…you probably should take a look and this, before I say anything else." With a sad look on her face, she tossed it onto the coffee table in front of Danielle where she read clearly, on the front page, Mayor Foley Abducted from City Hall.
"What?" Danielle said, in bewilderment at the title, and snatched up the paper to take a better look. "Tucker was taken, too?"
"By the same ghost who took Sam from the high school." Valerie confirmed with a solemn nod. "That happened only a few days after Sam was kidnapped." She said, pointing at the newspaper. "No one knows how it happened. City Hall had some anti-spectral technology put up to protect it against something like this. It was also programmed to recognize Danny's ecto-signature, so he could see Tucker whenever he wanted. But somehow, the day the mayor was taken hostage, the programming seemed to just…reverse."
"What do you mean?" Asked, Danielle, looking up from the newspaper.
"It let every other ghost in the area inside, except Danny. So he couldn't get in to help Tucker before Lydia grabbed him and disappeared. You'll notice in there that investigators think it could have been an inside job, though."
"Who in City Hall would want to turn against the hero that saved everybody?" The hybrid clone asked, completely infuriated at the very thought.
Valerie only shook her head, making her way around the coffee table to sit down again, saying, "I don't know, Dani. No one does. But… no matter how popular an opinion is, there's always someone with an opposing viewpoint. And it's the only logical explanation for the reversal thing happening."
Danielle looked back down at the newspaper with a sigh and started thumbing through the pages. "So what did he do?" she asked, as she did this, not even paying attention to anything written on the pages.
"Well, the townspeople still insisted on him sticking with his ghost-fighting, protecting the people and all that. So the government hired more investigators to find Tucker as well as Sam. Danny's parents even joined in the search."
"Have they had any luck?"
Valerie shook her head sadly. "When his parents went to look in on a lead they thought might be outside the town, they went missing."
Danielle tossed the open newspaper onto the coffee table and buried her face in her hands. This was just getting worse and worse the more she was finding out about. "So his parents have been caught by this ghost, too?" she asked, regretfully.
"Possibly." Valerie responded, quietly and looking rather concerned at Danielle as if feeling the same thing she was.
Danielle looked back down at the newspaper that lay open at the page where the 'Missing' article of Sam was. Danielle's eyes wandered to the page next to it, where the title, Jail Break from Amity Park Penitentiary caught her eye. Underneath the title was a picture of the town jail. Next to it was a headshot of an extremely white faced man with a long nose. He looked like he was wearing clown-makeup and a dark trench-coat. Nothing but a very small hat topped his bald, head. The only identifiable name Danielle could see under the photo was Freakshow.
'Freak' was right. He looked very freaky to the ghost-girl. Deciding that the man's face was too creepy for her liking, she refolded the newspaper with one hand, resetting it on the coffee table.
After looking at the picture of the chaotic scene of the ghost-attack on City Hall on the front page for a second, the young teenager asked, "So, where's Danny now?"
Valerie sighed. "That's another question no one seems to know the answer to." She said. "None of the investigation teams were having any luck in finding anything on Lydia or the people she kidnapped. So, people think Danny must have gone to try and look for them, himself."
Danielle nodded and finished for her with, "Leaving the town to be overrun by all these ghosts." She stood up and walked over to the window and looked out at the surrounding neighborhood. In the distance, she could see more ghosts popping up here and there, roaming the place without the ghostly hero around to chase them off.
"Since Danny disappeared, I've been trying to keep the ghosts under control myself," Valerie said from the couch behind the ghost-girl. "But…."
"You haven't been doing too well?" Danielle finished for her again.
"Well…I'll say right now that in trying to fight all these ghosts away, I've realized I really don't know as much about them as I should. Or at least, not enough to be able to act as any kind of replacement for Danny."
"I don't think anyone could ever replace Danny." Danielle said softly, thinking of passed memories of how the ghost cousin of hers had saved her, and helped her to discover the truth about Vlad. "That's why I have to find him." She added with determination in her voice.
"What?" Valerie sounded a bit surprised at this remark.
Danielle turned to her ghost-hunting friend. "Does anyone know where he was last seen before he left Amity Park?"
"Um…well," Valerie began hesitantly and confused. "My dad's told me that he was once seen around Fenton Works, where he used to live."
"Then that's where I'll start."
Danielle looked back out the window with her determination growing but Valerie got up from the couch in protest. "But you told me earlier about your powers not working, or something." She argued. Danielle turned to face the ghost-hunting teenager as she was walking up to her. "If you're really planning on going to look for him, how are you going to do it by yourself, and without your powers?"
"I won't be by myself." Danielle said, smiling out the window where she just knew that Wulf was peaking inside, invisible. He must have gotten the message that she already knew he was there, because he turned visible again. Danielle guessed he had been watching from there the whole time, keeping an eye on his young friend, but made himself unseen so Valerie wouldn't feel as uncomfortable in talking to Danielle. "And I can use some of my powers." The teen ghost went on, facing Valerie again. She then charged up a small glow of ecto-energy in a raised fist to prove it. She still felt a shorting block that prevented her from making the charge go any bigger, but she could at least maintain the glow.
"Apparently only to a certain extent." Valerie commented on the green illumination. The charge must have still looked rather weak to her, despite Danielle's effort to make it as big as possible. The ghost-powered teen allowed it to fade before Valerie said, "Even if you could use them properly and find Danny…" she paused for a minute in which she looked down at the floor, shuffling her feet looking rather disappointed. "I was…kind of hoping you would…stay and help me out with all these ghosts."
At this, Danielle stared at her almost not believing what she had just heard. The teenage ghost started to feel sorry for her but she sighed. "Valerie," she said, softly. "I may have the same powers as Danny. Heck we even look somewhat the same. But…As I said before: no one could ever replace him. Not even me." Valerie looked back up at the girl two years younger than her before the ghost-powered teen continued. "Besides. If Danny's in trouble…" She paused and looked down, lowering her voice. "I'd…I'd never be able to live with it… if I didn't at least try." She looked back up into Valerie's eyes that seemed to be full of sympathy now. "And, even though I can't fully harness my ghost-powers, I'm still not entirely helpless."
She looked back outside where Wulf stood, smiling back at her. He could probably hear their conversation through the wall with those big ears of his.
The clone of the young ghost hero then turned back to Valerie to say one last thing. "Danny's always been looking out for me. It's time I did the same for him." Valerie smiled at this and nodded in understanding. Danielle smiled back and looked at the newspaper that still laid on the coffee table. "Could I…maybe…hold onto that?" she asked Valerie, indicating the paper.
After Valerie noticed what she meant, she nodded. "Oh. Yeah sure." She replied. She reached over to the coffee table, picked up the paper and handed it to Danielle who smiled in thanks.
As Danielle headed towards the front door, she folded it to a size small enough to fit into her hooded shirt pocket.
Valerie went ahead and opened the door for her as she was tucking the newspaper away.
"Be careful, though." The eighteen-year-old ghost-hunter said as the ghost-hybrid went through the doorway to meet Wulf. He was already on the driveway bending down so she could mount him.
As Danielle hoisted herself onto Wulf's back, Valerie came out onto the walkway. "Find him and the others soon." She said. "The world still needs a ghostly hero."
After nodding her acknowledgment, Danielle waved goodbye to her, saying, "Thanks for filling me in, Valerie."
Then, she tightened her grip on Wulf's green overcoat and he took off in the direction of Fenton Works.
PHEW! This is probably the longest chapter I have written yet. It would have been longer too but I decided to give the next part it's own chapter. And, no. Dani still doesn't have the full use of her powers back yet. I know. But now at least you know more on what's going on.
I give my thanks to my younger sister Blackjay who has been so kind as to post this story for me, as well as in help me come up with some ideas that smoothed out a few rough spots I had encountered earlier with this chapter, especially with the part in meeting up with Valerie. That little suggestion of hers made all the difference.