Please don't kill me for not updating for three months. D:
*gets hit by rotten tomatoes*
Eep! Okay okay, onto the next chapter. May warn you it could turn a little AU-ish, but then again, this IS from an alternate timeline.
Chapter 4: The Red Huntress' Remorse
"Guilt is the price we pay willingly for doing what we are going to do anyway."~ Isabelle Holland
This is a dream.
I had a dream that Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Mr. Lancer are alive and that I'm seeing someone who looks almost exactly like me. Valerie thought. But no matter how much she closed and opened her eyes, it still didn't escape from the bizarre truth standing in front of her.
It was impossible. But then again, the thought of him gone from both this world and the ghost zone were also hard to comprehend. They had been fighting against the menace for so long it was hard to believe that he was gone.
Although the people gave credit to her for ridding of the intangible evil, it was really all thanks to Danny Fenton, a fourteen year old who conquered his more powerful, more evil counterpart of himself on his own two legs. She looked at the familiar raven hared boy, and knew for sure that it wasn't Phantom. That she was certain.
Everyone here was as confused as she was. Is it possible, that these people were from the past?
She suddenly noticed an amulet dangling around Kwan's neck.
It was the Time Medallion.
She wouldn't past herself that Clockwork may have had something to do with this, but why? Was it possible, that a deeper evil has managed to come back, and that these people were sent back to this horrible place for a reason?
The Red Huntress sighed. No matter how many tales and lies she spun to them, she could never disguise them from the truth, nor would it be any help. But…she couldn't tell them the whole truth, at least not about Danny.
While the people were still staring at her in wonder, she spoke, and begun her tale.
Rain fell on the dreary landscape. A thousand tiny droplets of water came down from the sky, washing away all curiosity, replaced by a sense of confusion and fear. It sounded so bizarre, so unnatural.
This Valerie from the future told them this, and almost all of the students and Mr. Lancer could only do was nod, a dreary prospect flooding their thoughts. The future of Amity Park; reduced to dirt and ashes.
They expected someone to jump out from the background and say "gotcha," but only the sound of rain was heard. Maybe it was a joke, or some sort of trick, but it was a very convincing one.
They just couldn't deny it was the truth.
The group had just decided to follow the Future Valerie, a feeling a bit strange that an older classmate was guiding them towards shelter. Especially Valerie. How many people have met their older selves?
"So your me?" Valerie asked. Her future self nodded. "And I'm now a ghost hunter for the town?" Another nod.
Paulina gazed sharpened at the two Valerie's. It was so obvious! The fact that the future Valerie looked so much like the infamous ghost hunter was proof that Valerie was responsible for hurting her Ghost Boy! "Wait a second, YOU'RE the Red Huntress that was hunting my precious ghosty Ghost Boy?" she shrieked, her voice reaching several octaves.
Tucker snickered when Paulina said "my precious ghosty Ghost Boy," Sam was glaring daggers at the Hispanic prep, and Danny gave an inaudible groan as his ears went pink.
"So what if I am?" Valerie snapped, to which everyone gasped(except Danny, Sam, and Tucker).
Everyone at Amity Park knew who the Red Huntress was. The rouge ghost hunter was, like the Fentons, a infamous ghost hunter who held a severe hatred for Danny Phantom and would like nothing more than to destroy the town hero and savior of Amity Park. She was often sighted shooting Phantom on a daily basis.
Most of the Danny Phantom 'Phan' Club had an overbearing hatred for the Red Huntress. Especially Paulina, president and leader of the 'Phan' club. Most of the Danny Phantom fangirls consisted of love sick pre-teens and teenage girls who love nothing more than to get in "Phanny's" pants. It was quite frightening, many concerned parents and adults thought, having to see innocent children lusting for an undead ghost.
"All ghosts are evil! Phantom is no different from any other ghost, causing destruction and ruin! Just look at this place!" Valerie continued with her explanation, brandishing a wave to the ruined town.
"But maybe if you weren't so busy shooting our town hero, he would still have a town left for to protect!" Paulina shouted angrily. How dare she hurt her precious Ghost Boy? That geek is gonna pay!
"Paulina's right, Val." Star butted in. "You do start the fights every time Phantom's around." Valerie gave her a betrayed look, to which Star couldn't help but feel guilty about. She was supposed to be on Valerie's side, not the other way around.
But Paulina's my friend too! Star thought. And even though Paulina can be a bit shallow at times, she has a point.
"South Beach Diet, people! Settle down!" Lancer shouted. Those words seem to have the opposite effect, as Valerie and Paulina continued to argue in an even louder tone, throwing insults and glares at each other.
Tucker came closer to Star.
"Aren't you going to stop them?" The savvy techno-geek asked, a feral grin on his face.
"Psh. No way, loser. I don't want to get in the middle of their fight," Star replied icily, as she immediately scooted away.
Danny nodded in sympathy. "Yeah, I understand how you feel." Having a strict vegetarian and a meat-lover for a friend was hard, especially during lunch when Sam and Tucker insult each other's taste.
Star raised an eyebrow. "I have to be friends with a strict vegetarian and a carnivorous meat lover for friends," he explained.
"You do know we can hear exactly what you're saying about us?" Sam pointed out.
Meanwhile, the two girls, Valerie and Paulina, were still fighting over Danny Phantom's morality whether he was good or evil.
"HE'S EVIL!" Valerie shouted.
"NO HE'S NOT!" Paulina protested loudly.
"YES HE IS!" Valerie yelled back.
"Shut up! Just shut up!" the Red Huntress yelled over the two arguing girls.
It hurt. The painful reminder of her hatred for Phantom in her early ghost hunting days was too much to bear. It was for that reason that Danny seeks solace to the path to escape all the pain he held for his best friends and family's death.
Including her rejection.
"The Phantom you know," the future Valerie said firmly, "is as human as any one here." She looked at Danny. "I don't think the Phantom you know is evil, nor is he truly good. I think…he's just doing what he thinks is the right thing to do. Just like any other human being here."
Valerie was shocked. She never thought that her own self would disagree with her. "But he's a ghost! They aren't human at all! I don't care what people say about Phantom, a ghost is still a ghost! You know that right?"
"I don't think you realize that a ghost has feelings more acute to a humans," the Red Huntress said quietly. Her past self looked like she wanted to protest, but the future Valerie put her hand up. "It took me ten years to realize that, and my best friend died because I was too stubborn to accept it."
Silence. Only the sound of rain was heard.
Sam finally spoke up.
"Ummm…where are we going anyway?" she asked, hoping to steer the group from asking any more questions. The future ghost hunter and Danny gave a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, you'll see," the Red Huntress said.
As the group followed the future Valerie, they we're soon met by two people in army uniform guarding a metal building shaped like a disk. Four red lights were attached to the structure, the lights cracked and dim. It looked almost like a UFO, but attached to the ground. The two men stood next to the doorway, which stiffened as soon as they saw Valerie.
"Greetings ma'am," the men said at he exact same time, saluting her. "You've found survivors?" one of the men asked, perplexed at the thought of anyone surviving the ghostly menace.
The older Valerie nodded. "Yeah. I would like to speak to the general."
The soldier bowed, pressing a red button as the sliding door opened. Everyone went inside.
"Soo…who's this 'general' person?" Tucker asked.
"You'll find out soon enough," the Red Huntress replied. One of the soldiers stared at the African-American techno geek, a wash of familiarity coming over him.
"Wait a second. Weren't you the guy who was carved in the statue in remembrance of the accident at the Nasty Burger?"
"Woah, wait a second. I'm famous?" Tucker said out-loud in surprise. He didn't know the Nasty Burger incident was that such of a big news.
Before the man can question further, the sliding doors quickly closed. The entire interior looked like a glass elevator, with metal handles, flashing buttons, and walls made entirely out of glass. Wheels churned, gears pulled, and the sound of someone spoke from the loudspeaker.
"Valerie, you here?" The voice asked which sounded familiar.
"Yeah," the older Valerie answered. "Bring me to the general! I found some people who are really important!" The guy in the loudspeaker gave a tired sigh.
"Listen, Val. The general doesn't want to speak with you right now."
"I still want to speak to him."
"Are you sure? He won't be really happy to see you," he said in a nasally voice.
"When isn't he?" The older Valerie muttered quietly, unreachable to anyone's ears. "Well, just tell him I have some people he needs to see."
The person in the loudspeaker gave a snort. "Fine, but it's your funeral Val."
"Sure professor, bye." The loudspeaker gave a 'click.'
Suddenly, the floor moved, going down. Metal walls and doorways surrounding the glass shaft flashed past people's eyes. Dash and Kwan we're having an immense conversation on futuristic sports they may have, Paulina and Star were discussing how makeup would work like in the future, Sam and surprisingly Mr. Lancer were talking about how different literature may be, and Tucker kept asking the future Valerie about how different technology may be. Nothing like having a perfectly normal conversation to get their minds off the sudden predicament they were in.
"So Danny, what do you think that guy was talking about?" Valerie asked.
"Huh?" Danny said, a bit distracted. He was still thinking about what Valerie's older self had said about him. It was a surprise, coming from Valerie of all people
"That army guy. He mentioned something about some Nasty Burger incident. Do you know anything about it?" she asked.
Danny must have known something about it, being related to a bunch of well-known ghost hunters. The Nasty Burger must have some relationship to how this town came to be. It was slender hope though. Ghosts and Time Travel were too different things, but she had hoped Danny might know something about it. It was way better than asking her future self about it, after having a fight over Phantom, of all ghosts!
Danny paled. "I-I don't know."
Valerie frowned. He was obviously lying, but decided not to push it.
Danny's probably still not getting use to our break up, Valerie thought sadly. She never wanted to break up with Danny, but it was for his own good. Her job was too dangerous, and Phantom may use him to his advantage.
Suddenly, they heard a loud ping and the entrance doors slid open, revealing a large lab. It was filled with many people who were wearing white lab coats. The future Valerie strolled out of the elevator, passing by various pieces of lab equipment. The rest of the group followed.
Sam noticed that most of the scientists were staring at them, especially Danny. The lab that was filled with chatter was suddenly stirred with excited whispers.
"It that...?"
"I think it is...?"
"Strange..."
They stopped when they reached to another metal sliding door. The future Valerie knocked three times.
"Hello, may I speak with you?" she said, speaking into the speaker right next to the door. A familiar voice, different from the other voice in the elevator replied.
"Fine," the rough voice grunted. "I hope you have something worthwhile." After he spoke, the doors immediately slid open as the group went inside.
The room was spacious, that was for sure. It was narrow but stretched very long like a hallway. At the end of the room was a metal desk and floating chair with someone sitting on it. The person was facing at the wall, so it was impossible to make out his face and figure.
"So, what's this 'general' person like anyway?" Dash whispered to the future Valerie.
"He's…difficult." She answered lamely, although it was a complete understatement. For one thing, he had HUGE anger issues and hold grudges longer than…well, anyone.
"Well well well, look what we have here," said the 'general.' The floating chair turned around to the front, and nearly everyone stared.
Strong, tall, and muscular, the general looked like he had just came back from a warzone (obviously). His light, blue eyes stared at the group intensely, as if his eyes would pop out. The left side of his face was burnt black, an ugly mark showed-off like a badge.
He got up from his chair deliberately, and walked up to the group, the sound of metal boots echoing in the long and distant hallway. He wore an orange Haz-Mat suit; one that looked awfully like the one Jack Fenton would wear.
He surveyed the group carefully, and then his eyes stopped when he saw Danny Fenton in the mist. He stared at the halfa for a while, his mouth agape. Slowly, he clamped his mouth shut.
His head snapped at the Red Huntress, a deep pain and hatred seething within him.
"Valerie," he barked, his fist clenched. "Explain this!"
The Red Huntress gulped. She knew he would take this the wrong way. "Look Dash…"
The group gasped. The general is…Dash? As in Dash Baxter, quarterback of the Casper High football team? He looked to scarred and different to be him. Everyone looked at the football player to see how he would react.
He was frozen in shock, quite literally.
"Hello, Earth to Dash?" Kwan said, waving a hand in front of his face. The quarterback could only gape.
"Ahem, as I was saying," Valerie said, ignoring the people behind her. "These people," she said, waving her hands to them. "Are from the past, I think."
"You think?" the general, no Dash, said sarcastically. "And how do you know Phantom's not up to his old tricks?" He gave a cold glare at Fenton as he said that.
"Because I know Phantom more than you do, and I know this isn't like him," she replied back coolly. "He would rather kill us in his true form than to murder us while disguised as his weaker, past self."
Danny wanted to protest that he wasn't weak, but the general's "I-am-going-to-kill-you" glare quickly silenced him. Besides, there were people here.
The general rubbed his chin. "Hmmm, you do have a point there. Now what do you want me to do?"
The Red Huntress quickly whispered into the general's ear. Danny caught only one word from the quiet conversation.
Clockwork.
"Humph. Fine. I'll see what I can do," said the general, Dash. "In the meantime, send them to the guest room until further notice." He said, waving them away.
"Yes sir," the future Valerie saluted mockingly, putting emphasis on the word 'sir.' She immediately escorted Mr. Lancer, Star, Kwan, Paulina, her past self, Sam, Tucker, and dragged a very shocked Dash out of the room. She was about to escort Danny out of the room when she heard the future Dash spoke again.
"No. He stays."
"Sir?" Valerie's voice changed to a threatening tone. "I don't think that's such a good idea."
"You're not the boss of me Valerie," the general snapped. "Escort the others to the guest room. That's an order."
It looked like Valerie wanted to protest further, but instead she sighed. "Fine, but please don't do anything stupid," she warned, walking out of the room.
Danny gulped. He was alone with a very angry and murderous-looking Dash from the future.
Oh crud. Danny thought. I'm screwed.
Please Review!(even though I don't deserve it)
*gets hit by rotten fruit*
*screams* DON'T KILL ME! How am I suppose to write the next chapter?
*people stops throwing fruit*
Phew! Now the next chapter will take a while. *gets glares* Don't give me that look! It's not my fault I was restricted from using the computer to once a week.