The first chapters have been edited (finally), so I strongly suggest rereading them as I clarified some things in this one, and in the first chapter I added something that will be a reaccuring theme with Dan.
Also as you may have noticed I renamed everything. An alternate title for this chapter which was (unfortunately) too long to fit was: For an Omniscient Being, He Sure Does Wonder a Lot.
Clockwork was floating in front of a portal type essence, a looking mirror so to speak, which allowed him to communicate with the Observants. Dressed in red and white cloaks with a large black collars towering over their heads which in reality were just giant eyes, the two Observants were vocalizing their fears to Clockwork about a recent ghost who had been causing trouble in the ghost zone.
"I see." Clockwork said acting in his prized role as an omniscient being. "What would you like me to do about it?"
"Stop him of course." The first one began.
Clockwork shifted into his child form, floating higher off the ground then before due to the height difference. "That will be unnecessary."
"But, Clockwork we see-" the second one continued.
"Exactly. All you do is 'see', yet you do not even begin to comprehend. "Clockwork sighed, crossing his arms. "I will only interfere if it comes down to being necessary."
"Clock-"
"Goodbye." The time master dismissed them, running his staff through the image, breaking the connection effortlessly. He sighed, floating over to where he last left Dan's thermos. Picking up the bent worn-down not-quite-cylindrical-anymore container, he unscrewed the lid letting the blue light release the Phantom from his containment.
"About time." Dan snarled, twisting his neck to the side, sufficiently cracking it. "I get sore in that thing you know."
"I know everything." Was Clockwork's only response, drifting by the man to nowhere in particular.
Dan crossed his arms and tipped his head to the side. "What am I to do now?" He said the syllables together disconnectedly yet they came out smooth, drawing the ending of the last word out briefly.
"The Observants have been causing a fuss about a particular ghost out in the ghost zone. I want you to go out and put a stop to him. Use force only if necessary."
"Force is always necessary." Dan mumbled, cracking his knuckles.
Clockwork shot him a disapproving glance. "I recommend you avoid any serious 'force'. Or would you like to alert the Observants to your existence outside the thermos?" He asked, waving his portal to show a scene of the eyes discussing their most recent concern.
"Fine whatever." He reluctantly agreed. "I'll sit him down for a talk and then we'll have tea and cookies. You know how persuasive I can be."
"I know-"
"I know you know!" He growled in annoyance, hair flaring up in anger.
Clockwork only smirked, continuing to move past the other ghost.
"Why do you even put up with them?" Dan asked curiously, following Clockwork; his hair returned to its normal fiery state. "You're more powerful than them. Powerful beings shouldn't have to listen to inferior beings; hell, you could even kill them if you wanted."
"They may be nosy and at times obnoxious, but they are a necessity to the natural balance of things."
Dan groaned, a sound that came out low like a growl yet didn't hold the common stand-offish tone the Phantom normally possessed. "You and your 'natural balance' are irritating." He sighed. "My natural balance consists of killing the people who throw off the balance- my balance."
Clockwork said nothing but instead grinned as Dan continued to rant to himself in a demeaning fashion.
"'-No, Dan, don't kick that puppy. It's too cute." He spat the last word. His arms crossed and he pulled a honest-to-god pout, "I hate cute things. Ack! I'm so damn sore. How long have I been in that thermos exactly? I can't help but lose track of time while being shoved into awkward cramped positions."
To be fair to Clockwork, Dan lost track of time often. Now and likewise in the future.
"It's been two months, five days, three minutes and twenty-eight seconds since the last time you've been out. Give or take." Clockwork stated matter-of-factly as if the time he'd been stuck in the thermos wasn't that big of a deal; in his mind, it wasn't.
"It's been that long? You've got to be kidding me!" Dan barked, grabbing the front of the man's cloak roughly. "What took you so freaking long?"
"Simple." Clockwork said, glancing down at Dan's hand fisted in the purple cloth. "I had no need for you."
Startled, Dan shoved the ghost away from him. He didn't need him? Why was that so frustratingly painful for the ghost to hear him say?
That's easy. He's treating me like a tool. I'm not anybody's plaything.
'He's not playing with you, Phantom.' His inner voice cooed at him. 'He's using you for his own purposes- manipulating you, and you're going with it.'
Shut up! Dark growled at the voice. I'm the one using him.
'I bet we're not even necessary to him. Maybe this is his way of disposing of you. He's pitting you against these powerful ghosts in hope one of them can take you out.'
No. That's not true; he knows I'm one of the strongest ghosts in existence- the strongest one out of all of them. To be exact, he felt he needed to clarify.
'He can see all possible outcomes of the future. Maybe he's rooting for one in particular? One in which you don't exist.'
No. That can't be.
'Stop him. Destroy him.'
Ignoring his inner voice, Dan jumped into the portal which Clockwork had opened. It was the portal that supposedly leads to the so called trouble-making ghost. His mind could wait; it's not like it could go anywhere, and it's not something he could pummel to a green oozing pulp.
Clockwork frowned to himself as he watched the frustrated ghost go. So much for him not using force, Dan was sure to beat this ghost to nothing but ectoplasmic remains with how irritated he just became.
Sometimes, he pointlessly wondered why he ever let the ghost out of the Fenton thermos to begin with.
The master of time already knew the answer to that question, in the grand scheme of things, he needed Dan although he couldn't help but wonder if his release was really a necessity or if he was just being selfish. No, Clockwork concluded, it's good for some people. There's business that has yet to be finished.
He sat down, his tail folded under him as if cross-legged on a cog. His position might have shocked any on-lookers as it appeared to be more normal than how Clockwork appeared. In fact, most people have never seen him sit at all, the only exceptions being the Observants- and Dan.
His thoughts trailed back to that day about a year ago- fourteen months, five days, twenty-three hours, sixteen minutes, and six seconds to be exact. It was so clear it was almost as if he was there again although he could say the same about the American Revolution and really any other event in history.
"Dan, I have a favor to ask of you." Those calmly spoken words were the beginning, but they could've been the end as Clockwork had well known.
That had been the first time Clockwork had ever released Dan from the thermos, and likewise it could have been the last.
Dan had cocked a black eyebrow high up. "I don't take kindly to doing favors- Unless… there's something in it for me perhaps?"
Clockwork nodded, knowing he would say that. "Your freedom." A strong bargaining chip, one the ghost couldn't quite afford to give up yet.
"My freedom, huh?" Dan sneered. "Must be some favor."
"I want your assistance in maintaining the timeline." Of course that's what he wanted. What else could Dan offer? Besides death and destruction.
"Maintaining the timeline? Isn't that your job?" Dan's eyes flashed a bright red, briefly revealing the true monster he was disguising.
Clockwork ignored the obvious jab. "You'll help me fulfill any demands the Observants make and in return, I'll release you from the thermos; eventually it'll be permanent, and you'll be free to leave, or come and go as you please."
"Eventually? Meaning decades, possibly even centuries from now." Dan orally pondered the thought.
"It's your choice. The only one I'll offer." Clockwork said bluntly, grasping his staff.
Dan locked eyes with the ghost a second time. "Fine, I accept your freaking offer." Those red orbs seemed shrouded as if trying hard to hide something, but Clockwork already knew what it is they hid. After all, he knew everything.
A genuine smile crept across his face, unlike his normal smirks or grins. "I wonder when he's going to realize I never told him which ghost he was after."
-.-.-
There's no turning back now.
Danny thought stubbornly as he hovered in front of Clockwork's citadel. He lingered in front of the entrance, stopping to admire the outside of the ghost building. It was gorgeous and definitely struck him as somewhere the master of time would stay.
The phantom knew that Clockwork would listen to him; he always did, and he even gave him opportunities of assistance, yet the man often knew it would cause something disastrous to happen in the time line.
Besides, Danny thought warily, I won't be able to find him if he doesn't want to be found.
That was enough of an incentive to convince the boy to move forward through the swirling green atmosphere of the ghost zone and into Clockwork's lair.
-.-.-
I can't believe him. Dan thought irately. He sent me after some… overgrown rooster plant.
Dan briefly recalled that the 'rooster-plant' might have been known as Undergrowth or something plant-related.
During his ten years of terror, he only bothered to associate himself with powerful people who were more than willing to serve under the heal of his boot which limited his alliances to the Fright Knight who strived on serving the one who offers the most power- just like the dog he is.
Therefore, he was only barely familiar with the more powerful ghosts; they were old and smart enough to keep their distance.
Although Clockwork never did enlighten him as to which ghost he was after, it became apparent when the assigned sector of the ghost zone had become overgrown with plants, blocking every path that ever existed there. Dan didn't even give the plant-man time to explain himself as Clockwork had instructed; instead he just blasted the thing and all of its plant minions; it wasn't challenging.
As Dan had guessed, Clockwork wasn't infuriated with him. It didn't take long for him to realize that Clockwork never really showed any emotions except for mild distaste or smug satisfaction.
The ghost peered down at the floor of the castle from where he was lounging in the rafters. He often stayed up there whenever the master of time didn't require his help.
He looks oddly distressed today. Dan acknowledged haughtily, watching the other ghost pace below. Maybe he's waiting for something? I bet those damn Observants plan on dropping in… again.
"Clockwork?" A young voice called out warily beneath him almost startling the man. Dan cocked an eyebrow as he instantly recalled the sound. It was, after all, once his own voice.
What screw up has he caused now? The Phantom grinned, eagerly peering over the side of the beam. Clockwork had forbidden him from going to interfere with the boy, but here is now, coming straight to him. The way Dan glared down now was like a cat eagerly awaiting the mouse to near closer.
"Danny," Clockwork nodded in greeting, waiting for the other to begin to speak. It was another one of the man's traits that Dan disliked. Clockwork treated Danny differently than he did other ghosts, always allowing the boy to begin first. When it came to Dan, he'd never even allow him the opportunity to say what was on his mind, let alone speak first. Clockwork would always just cut him off in an overly superior manner.
"You already know why I'm here, huh?" Danny asked sheepishly, running a hand through his now overgrown hair, held back in a small ponytail.
The man smiled gently. "You do realize it's a terrible idea."
"But-" Danny began, a frown lining his face in an unattractive way. "If I can just go back,"
"It's foolish." Dan snickered quietly to himself; how many times had Clockwork said those same words to him? And as if he could hear the silence of Phantom's not-quite snicker, Clockwork snapped his attention up towards the ghost up in the ceiling.
Danny followed the ghost's gaze up, but he didn't glimpse anything in particular, except for the ceiling support and lots of gears; for the first time, Danny noticed that the inside of the man's citadel resembled the inside of a clock. "What ya looking at?"
"Just a nuisance," Dan narrowed his eyes. He knew Clockwork was taking a jab at him, but he only sneered in response, slinking lower as to be assured his younger self wouldn't be able to see him. "One that I will deal with at a later point."
"Oh… well, so about going back?" Danny smiled hopefully, twiddling his fingers together nervously. His white hair and light skin contrasted against the dark surroundings, making the boy glow more than the average ghost would. He truly was a wonder to the ghost zone.
Thinking about it carefully, Clockwork knew there were only two other ghosts with pale white hair, not including Dan himself.
Clockwork frowned at the boy. "I'm not going to make your decisions for you, but the best I can do is advise you to choose the best option."
The edges of Danny's sheepish smile curved downwards to mimic Clockwork's own frown. "The best option for me or the best for you?" The ghost boy lashed out. "Do you even understand how I feel? I thought this would be cool, having people know about me, but… I hate it! I thought you of all people would understand, but you don't."
"Daniel," Clockwork said his voice uncharacteristically young for the elderly form he'd just assumed. "I understand more than you realize, and I may not always understand why we end up where we may, but it doesn't take much for me to understand what path we should take."
Danny crossed his arms, hovering in the air a bit farther from the ghost then before. "That's exactly my point! You're not supposed to choose which path we 'may or may not' take; you're supposed to just let it happen; after all, sometimes the things that should happen, don't."
Dan raised an eyebrow from where he was perched above.
His younger self's logic always had escaped him although he had to agree with the boy's last statement. The things that are supposed to happen, should happen, never really do.
The twenty-four-year-old stared down at the pair, his red eyes watching them carefully. If he learned one thing from his time stuck with the time master, it was how to comprehend the man's logic, more sophisticated than Danny's and more conversant than Vlad's.
"That may be true." Clockwork shrugged him off which was possibly the worst thing he could've done. "But will you deny the fact that I know more than you could ever hope to comprehend? You're only sixteen."
The boy huffed up, and Clockwork couldn't help but notice the resemblance between him and Dan. Danny shared the same look of hurt that Dan often displayed when the time master managed the rare occurrence of getting under his skin. Of course, he's quick to cover it up as Danny displayed now. "So what?" It was childish, but the ghost boy was hurt, and nothing wittier could make its way out.
The ghost before him closed his eyes in a moment of annoyance. "You can be the most insufferable boy I've ever had the displeasure of meeting." He waved his staff in front of the portal, switching it to a scene Danny recalled well.
"Try not to destroy the present." It was a twist on the same line he'd said about two years ago when Danny attempted a task similar to what he planned to do now, but unlike how it was then, Danny already knew what could come from changing the past. It only felt right that Clockwork make an effort to remind him.
Danny grinned foolishly. "Really, Clockwork, you won't regret this!" He zoomed towards the swirling image before him, but right before he could go through, he straightened his legs together and twisted his body up vertically as if he was going to stand which caused the boy to come to a skidding halt. He turned around and looked at the time master. "Thank you."
Clockwork gave the boy a half wave as he continued on into the past. "He's more trouble than he's worth." The man shook his head, letting his form shift back into its adult appearance. "Dan, come down here."
Dan do this, Dan do that. The ghost repeated the overused and abused mantra in his head, jumping off the rafter. "If he causes you trouble, I can deal with him; I can deal with him my way." Dan smirked, taunting the man yet clearly wasn't joking.
Clockwork shot him a look that made it obvious what he thought of that idea. "No, but I do have another task for you. I assume you were listening to our conversation?"
"Of course," Dan smirked before what Clockwork was intending registered in his mind. Any trace of a smile, mocking or not, was now gone. "Let me guess, you want me to follow him."
"Of course." Clockwork mimicked with a smirk. "I expect you to remain unseen, unless otherwise needed. Only prevent him from destroying the timeline." The ghost instructed him, holding up his staff as the lengthy white beard disappeared and a younger appearance dominated his features.
"Killing him will prevent that." Dan smirked darkly, stalking towards the portal his younger self had just flown through. The picture still showed Amity Park, the day the 'disasteroid' was about to destroy earth.
"Slaughter is not necessary for this mission." Clockwork informed him bluntly, watching the play through of the events of that day. Dan too watched them intently although Clockwork had never told the ghost exactly what happened; he only understood the basics: the destruction of earth, the counterpart destruction of the ghost zone, the earth needed to be turned intangible, Danny saves the day.
He knew nothing of Danny abandoning his powers, his identity being revealed, or most importantly Vlad's being lost in space, and presumed death.
The time master knew it wouldn't cause a problem for the ghost to know, but he guiltily looked forward to seeing his reaction. There wasn't much amusement in life when you already know everything there is to know.
"Stay hidden, no killing, but maiming is a perfectly valid action. Right? Right." Dan told himself as if to gear up for his newest assignment.
Dan peered over his shoulder and frowned, Clockwork had already started to leave.
"Yes Dan? Is there something you'd like to say?" Clockwork stopped in his tracks, prompting the other ghost to speak.
"Uh, yeah." Dan mumbled awkwardly. "See you when I get back; don't miss me too much."
Clockwork shook his head in mock aversion. "Dan."
"Yeah?" He asked, floating up to eye level with the portal.
"Be-" Clockwork began before changing his direction of speech, "Don't do anything stupid."
Dan snorted. "Me? Do something stupid? Who do you think I am, Danny Phantom?" And with that he flew through into the past, leaving Clockwork only to contemplate the situation some more.
Of all the possible scenarios, why this one?
And with that thought, for one rare moment, Clockwork took the moment to abandon his indifferent demeanor and collapse his head in to his gloved hands.