Minecraft. Yeah. :P

I don't own DP, Minecraft, or anything related to either idea. Read and rejoice... 'cuz they'd be a huge mess if I did.

Hellbreaker: I don't think he'd think his parents were psychotic... his parents may be slightly out of contact with the world at times, but they really are trying to help the best they can with what little they know. They simply DON'T know... and they see everything through rose-tinted glasses. They would never dream that their son is part ghost, since it's 'impossible'. Even if the evidence speaks otherwise, I think they unconsciously push away the notion that he's Phantom... in an attempt to protect themselves from the realization that they've been hunting him. It's not exactly noble or productive... but I think it's a legitimate thing for people in that situation to do.

He held his wrist away from him almost reflexively, as though it would keep the energy from invading his body further. The four teenagers all exchanged glances; no words could be said with the Fentons here, but all four didn't have much to say anyway. What can we do?

Somewhat desperately, Danny's mind flew back to the construction of the bracelet. Can I take it apart, or something? He studied it closely.

Apart from the neon green "Fenton" emblazoned across the band, the bracelet was a seamless strip of silver metal, hugging snugly to his arm in a manner that wouldn't have been unpleasant in other circumstances. There were no apparent rivets, welds, screws, or other objects holding it together. The latch was a complex bit of interlocking metal, weaving together automatically when pressed together and latched, the latch being sealed by a slight force field that he knew would require a certain frequency to dispel. The latch, sealed, was almost indistinguishable from the rest of the bracelet.

Danny was broken out of his thoughts by a heavy clap on the back from Jack. "Well, that solves that problem," the big man proclaimed cheerfully. "We'll be able to pull out the Blood Blossoms without any problems, then."

"Our class is already over," Sam interjected uneasily.

"We didn't get to the full thing because of the blossoms," Maddie frowned. "Thus, after everyone else has been through the class, your class will repeat it. You have two weeks."

Jazz and Tucker had two identical horrified expressions. Sam's face was stiff. "I see."

Without another word, she turned toward the door of the lab, grabbing Danny's arm and tugging him forcefully away. The teens trooped silently up the stairs, through the kitchen and living room, then up the other stairs to the bedrooms. Tucker spoke. "So, a rundown of the situation. You currently have a bracelet on that will rip you to pieces within twenty-four hours. We have no way to unlatch it at the moment, and your parents think you should make it a regular part of your wardrobe. If -" he swallowed convulsively - "after you survive two weeks, we have to go back to class and deal with the Blood Blossoms all over again." He paused grimly. "Did I miss anything?"

Danny winced. Hearing it spelled out like that made it seem much more intimidating. His arm twinged; the whole arm was tingling now, like it was asleep. "I don't think so."

Jazz picked up his arm and studied the bracelet. "Can we duplicate the frequency and get it off that way?"

"How?" Tucker sighed. "This isn't a radio signal or any signal like that; it's a sort of compound of that and ectoplasmic signal. Ironic really; they're using a hybrid of human and ghost energies..." He shook his head. "Anyway... the signal can't be replicated, because of the nature of the two energies merging. They had to have made the key and bracelet at the same time in order to sync them. When they said they couldn't make more keys, it was more than just a need to keep them out of ghosts' hands. They can't make more keys."

"How do you know all that?" Sam asked in surprise. "You were down there for all of five minutes, and they didn't explain anything."

"I saw the plans for the bracelet on the table, and a pad of notes beside it on the energies." He grinned sheepishly, though the expression faded quickly. There was a brief silence.

"Danny, you okay?" Jazz asked. No one seemed to want to ask this question, as though afraid of what they would hear.

"I'm okay," he answered, keeping his voice calm, though it was the farthest feeling from his mind at the moment as adrenalin sparked in his veins. "We just have to get it off. If the signal can't be replicated, then we have to get the key. Any suggestions?" He wondered briefly what Tucker had meant by 'can't be replicated because of the nature of the two energies merging'... after all, his own half-ghost nature was a product of those same two energies merging... and he wasn't the only halfa, so clearly the effect could be reproduced, right? The thought faded quickly, though, with another pulse of searing energy.

Voices downstairs forestalled any response for a moment. It appeared Jack and Maddie were in the kitchen.

"Jack put the key in his pocket," Jazz stated. "If we can just distract him..."

"Or make him go to sleep," Sam suggested, almost vengefully. "I'm sure you have the Fenton Creep Stick around here somewhere..." She looked around, noticed the stares, and blushed slightly. "Sorry..."

"We'd have to make sure Mom was out of the picture," Danny went on, lips twitching slightly in spite of himself. He did love his parents, but this latest folly of theirs really did make him understand the sentiment behind Sam's half-serious suggestion. In a way, he felt the same. Don't they see anything? He sighed mentally. Ah, the trials of being half ghost in a family of oblivious ghost hunters...

"She's going shopping later today. Dad will be in the lab." Jazz looked almost relieved for a moment. "So if we can get the key then..."

"Okay, so Mom will be out of the way for a few hours. How do we distract Dad?" Danny leaned forward, grasping at the small stroke of luck in this not-so-lucky day. His hand rubbed absently along his banded arm, trying to rub the tension out of cramping muscles that had forgotten how to relax.

"We could get a basket of fudge," Tucker suggested hopefully.

"I'd say that would be a last-ditch attempt," Sam demurred. "He likes fudge, but we're trying to steal his keys..."

"Well, if you put it that way, let's just 'accidentally' knock into him and steal his keys like any other pickpocket," Jazz rolled her eyes. "The fudge just keeps him from noticing us... fudge up... from inexperience with the whole idea."

Tucker had to smirk. "I like the idea."

"It's too dangerous. We only have one chance. If he notices us trying to take his keys, he'll guard them like a bulldog." Jazz objected, lowered her voice slightly as voices downstairs became slightly louder. Apparently Maddie was leaving for shopping now; earlier than usual. "We're running out of time," she added.

At that moment, Danny doubled over, hissing in surprise. The bracelet seemed to tighten on his wrist, almost pulsing with his blood. Little tendrils of fiery energy sparked abruptly from it, making his body convulse painfully against his will, slamming back against the wall, his legs giving way. Every nerve ending burst into flame with the knock, his sense of touch hyper-aware to an excruciating degree. He felt... well, he felt like he was being pulled apart at the seams. A pained sound escaped from between his clenched teeth, and he concentrated, hard, on controlling himself. I... can't fall apart now! Aaaagh... his thoughts fragmented as the bracelet released another wave of burning energy, having finished its reconfiguration and begun its deadly purpose.

Jazz managed to keep her scream down to a half-muffled yelp as she tried to catch him. "Danny!" Sam half-lifted him off the floor, tentatively, as though she expected him to shatter.

There was no response. Danny had no further control of his body beyond the censoring of pained sounds; even now he twitched slightly, arms flailing, face tight and eyes closed.

The other three exchanged panicked glances. Tucker's system kicked into overdrive. "Okay, forget making plans. If we have to, we'll snatch the blasted keys and run." We don't have time. How fast is that thing working? What if it's like the blood blossoms and its effect doesn't stop when it's removed?

He shook the frightening thoughts away and stared at Sam and Jazz, waiting for some sign of acknowledgment.

Sam lugged the boy through the doorway into his room, managing to lay him down on the floor. He twitched again, back arching; it was a good thing he wasn't on his bed. "Let's go," she agreed, voice steely. There was an edge of fear in it that he pretended not to notice.

The three of them didn't waste time lingering at the doorway, though none of them wanted to leave Danny alone. "I'll get the fudge," Jazz informed them grimly. "While he's eating that, you walk past him, Tucker, and knock into him. Grab the keys while you're at it. Sam, you ask him about ghosts at the same time Tucker does that... it'll help keep him distracted. Tucker and I will go upstairs and call you up to do homework; that should get you out of listening to stuff about ghosts."

Two pale faces bobbed up and down. Three pairs of feet diverged as they took on their different roles. Three terrified teens steeled themselves behind calm masks and childish curiosity.

They went downstairs. Jazz put on a smile. "Hey, Dad! I found some fudge!" She held up the box, a small one that Maddie kept hidden in case someone other than Jack wanted fudge.

Jack looked up, eyes brightening exponentially. "Jazzerincess! Way to go!" He bounded over, a mountain of bright orange fudge-eating energy, and plucked up the box, eyeing the fudge eagerly.

Tucker and Sam both approached from separate directions, attempting to put on different expressions. Tucker tried to look curious about something on the other side of the lab. He only managed to look vaguely out of it, but Jazz thought it would work. Sam looked around for inspiration and saw an odd-looking device on a table as Tucker walked toward Jack, eyes surreptitiously on the pocket they'd seen him put the keys into. There was a glint of metal visible above the pocket; the key ring.

He bumped into the big man, hooking a finger as delicately as he could through the ring and pulling; wincing as the keys clinked together. For a moment, he thought Jack was going to stop him... the big man paused, brow furrowing; but then Sam spoke - "Hey, Mr. Fenton, what does this do?" and Jack was sidetracked. Tucker breathed a sigh of relief as he brought the key ring around in front of him, studying it and verifying that the important key was, in fact, there. He turned his head slightly and nodded to the other two, who visibly relaxed.

Jazz turned toward the stairs with just a little too much alacrity. "Well, you have the fudge, I'll be going then," she forced out, voice slightly higher than usual. Her footsteps were almost robotic as she forced herself to move slowly, unhurriedly, toward the door.

Tucker followed her closely, clutching the keys in one hand, keeping his body between them and Jack and making sure they didn't clink. His heart was beating wildly, and he was aware of a trembling motion all through his limbs. Nonchalantly, feeling weak, he turned his head as Jazz and he went up the stairs. "Sorry about your curiosity, Sam, but we have to do our homework, remember? There's that project in... English..." He couldn't actually recall if they had a project or not, or what subject it might be.

Sam turned, cutting off Jack's enthusiastic spiel with an expression of relief as she faced away from him. "Oh, yeah," she replied, trying to sound irritated. "Fine."

Jack, behind her, frowned. Much as he wasn't usually the most observant man in the world when it came to people, it wasn't hard to pick up on their strange behavior. He resolved to ask them about it... after they were done with their homework, of course. Returning to his work, his mind didn't stray yet toward the pocket where the keys had once sat.

She followed them upstairs. Once the lab door closed, they couldn't hold themselves back. They fought for the lead as they raced up the stairs, knocking into each other and as often holding each other back as they tried to get up them as fast as possible, not thinking clearly enough to realize that Tucker – the one holding the keys – should really go first.

Bursting through the door into Danny's room, the situation was frightening. Danny's convulsions had gotten worse; hisses and moans of pain – though suppressed to near-silence – were now too common to be missed. Sam hissed too. The energy... it could be seen, arcing over his skin and dancing along his limbs. Where it brushed him, his body began to look burned.

Tucker slid to a stop beside him and wrestled with the key ring, hastily shuffling through them. "C'mon, c'mon," he muttered, flipping past a house key, a car key, and a key to the lab. Finally the unobtrusive, faintly glowing blue key that was his goal appeared in his hand, and he bent down to touch it to the bracelet. Sam caught Danny's arm, holding it still.

There was a hissing noise, and a click. The bracelet suddenly came loose, unhooking so abruptly that it almost flew off with Danny's wild jerk a moment later. Sam tugged it off, holding it away from Danny. They all held their breaths, watching him.

The convulsions slowed. Danny took a few gasping breaths, opened his eyes; his head turned, and he looked at them. "Th... thanks..." he managed to mumble, as his muscles finally relaxed. His eyes closed once more, body drained of all energy. He lay still.

I'm not completely happy with this; it reads almost like a narration? The emotion doesn't seem deep enough. Suggestions?

And yeah... that stuff about 'two energies merging' is another idea of mine... it'll come up later.