I spent the day in Washington DC, touring the Air and Space Museum. I should have known better than to try to hide from a MUSE in a MUSEum. Every few minutes I had to sit down and scribble in a notebook. . . and here's the result.
ooooo0ooooo
They
fled to the future—and found
Phantom's
not the sole danger around.
Val
was on the attack,
but
was taken aback;
"You're
both dead! How are you safe and sound?"
Tucker
protested, "This is obscene!
How
can this be fair? What do you mean?
Now
I'm much too depressed
to
do well on that test,
I'm
too handsome to die at fourteen!"
Then
Valerie took careful aim.
"Yes
you're dead, and the Phantom's to blame!"
The
grownup Dan said, "It
is
all to my credit.
Not
that boy, but who he became.
"Let
you live? No, that isn't my style."
It
was clear his intentions were vile.
Then
he tossed Val aside;
Danny
gave her a ride.
"You
thought that I had a cute smile?"
Phantom
focused attention anew
on
his childhood compatriots, who
didn't
take it too well
when
old FentonWorks fell:
"For
the record, I blame this on you."
"I'll
doff this medallion and leave!"
"Not
so fast," said Dan, "for I believe
I've
a plan—not too shoddy—
fuse
this into your body,
from
which even a ghost can't retrieve."
When
Sam and Tuck opened their eyes,
They
were safe, much to Tucker's surprise.
They
were back in the past,
Sam
said, "I acted fast
'cause
I don't like to accessorize."
Jazz
told Tuck and Sam to stand still,
"There's
a dark secret Danny must spill.
Tell
him he's on the brink—
I
know more than you think—
Either
he tells the truth, or I will!"
Young
Danny then found himself on
a
ruined memorial lawn.
Saw
the answer he sought in
"They're
gone, not forgotten,"
But
as for poor Lancer, just "Gone."
"Well,
I can't let my cover be blown,
so
I'll send you off to the Ghost Zone."
Phantom
altered his face,
and
he took Danny's place,
and
returned to his childhood alone.
"There's
no more need to intervene!"
(What
did we do when I was a teen?
It
was Playstation 3,
Doom,
X-Box and Wii,
then
raging against the machine!)