A/N: Sorry about the late update. I was camping this weekend and when I got back had to focus all my writing energy on A Secret Uncovered out of fear for my life due to the evil cliffie which, remarkably, was far more evil than this one was. But I've finally caught up!
And just asa side note I wanted to say that for those of you that read Tortured Truth the summary for the sequel (Tortured Revenge) is posted in my profile, so please check it out and tell me what you think! But just a warning, it will reveal who the recipient of the package is as well as give a few hints as to what was in the package.
And thank you so much for all your reviews, comments, support, everything!
Oh, and the italics indicate a flashback.
Chapter Seven
Blast from the Past
"What are you talking about?" Danny asked, feigning stupidity.
"You're Danny Fenton, she's Sam Manson, and he's Tucker Foley."
"Kimberly, have you completely lost your mind?" Noelle asked.
"Yeah Kim. Danny and Sam are dead and you see Tucker every year and he certainly doesn't look like that."
She ignored her friend's voices of reason. She knew what she heard. Everything Danny had said (or didn't say) when they first met and everything that just happened now made perfect sense. All the secrets, all the awkward moments, all the lying, it all made sense. Danny was obviously Danny Fenton and Danny's friends were Danny Fenton's friends. And somehow they didn't know what happened to themselves. It was almost like they were from the past.
"I overheard the three of you talking in the alley. You were talking about Danny Fenton's life like it was your own, using first person pronouns and such. Everything makes so much more sense! The references to Amity, the lack of knowledge of them, your acceptance towards talk about ghosts, your names, it's all proof!"
"Alright, alright," Danny conceded. "Yes, I'm Danny Fenton, okay?"
"But…but how?" Noelle asked in awe. Kimberly reciprocated the feeling. Here he was, her parents' old friend, the hero of the town, the man of legend, standing right in front of her, except as a teenager.
"We have this friend who can control time. He found us and told us something bad happened in the future and that we needed to go save myself. He sent us back and I ended up in your house while Tucker and Sam ended up outside."
The three of them remained silent, still trying to let all the information sink in. Then Jacob managed to find his voice. "So you do know how you got into the house."
Danny smiled. "Yeah, I do."
"So, does this mean that Danny Fen—you aren't really dead?" Kimberly asked.
"No, but he—I will be soon if I don't do something. Man this is strange."
Before Kimberly could ask anymore questions she gasped, blue mist rising out of her mouth. She heard Danny gasp as well and as she turned around she saw remnants of blue mist near his mouth as well.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Danny moaned. Kimberly had a suspicion that he knew something about the strange mist that had erupted from their mouths.
In the distance she noticed a large mechanical looking figure flying through the air. Kimberly knew well enough through stories that the large thing was a ghost. She started feeling worried, not really knowing what to do in these situations. They hadn't had a ghost attack since before she was born and while ghost safety was still taught as a precaution, no one really paid enough attention to it to actually be able to use it if the need came.
She looked over at Noelle and Jacob who were both looking frightened, not really knowing what to expect. She looked over at the other three and noticed that they didn't seem scared at all, more worried. Sam and Tucker kept looking from Kimberly and her friends to the large ghost to Danny and then back to Kimberly while whispering in Danny's ear. Danny meanwhile looked determinately at the mechanical ghost, his eyes fixed on the flying attacker as he stood protectively in front of the three of them. How could he be so brave and unafraid at a time like this?
Then it clicked. This was Danny Fenton. He grew up during the ghost sieges and his parents were ghost hunters. He dealt with this stuff all the time in his original time zone.
Danny nodded his head to something Sam whispered in his ear and Sam looked somewhat worried but gave him a nod back. It looked like Danny had come to a decision of some kind, but Kimberly had no clue what.
"You three, get behind me!" Danny ordered and they quickly obeyed him without objection.
The ghost flew closer and stopped a short distance in front of the group of teens. He stared down at them while floating in the air.
"What? Ho-how can this be?" the ghost asked, his deep voice echoing as fear and worry crept into his voice. "You were killed, fifteen years ago!"
"Yeah, probably after I beat the crap out of you!" Danny challenged back.
"Be that as it may Ghost Child, it still doesn't explain how you got here."
Ghost Child? Kimberly thought. Why would he call him that?
Danny pulled a medallion out from around his neck and showed it to the ghost. "Clockwork sent me here, to fix things. Now the real question is, what are you doing here? From what I hear I stopped the ghost attacks years ago."
No, Danny Phantom stopped the ghost attacks Kimberly thought. Did he misunderstand what she said or did he know more about all this than he was letting on?
"Yes you might have child," another, more nasally voice answered. As she wondered where the voice was coming from, she noticed with a jump that the ghost had two faces, one on its head and the other in its chest. "But, ironic as it may seem, the very same friend who sent you here also released us so that we, Skultech 9.9, can reclaim the world as ours!"
"And now that you're here whelp, we can reclaim you as ours as well," the deeper voiced head of the ghost added.
"See, there's a slight problem with your plan. You can't reclaim me if you never had me in the first place."
"Enough! You're no match for the combined power of Skultech 9.9!"
"That's what you said last time," Danny answered as white rings of light appeared around his waist. Kimberly gasped in shock as the rings moved up and down his body, changing his shirt and jeans to a black and white jumpsuit, his raven black hair to snowy white, his crystal blue eyes to vivid glowing green. He jumped into the air and flew at the ghost called Skultech 9.9, punching him hard in the stomach and sending him flying backwards.
Danny Fenton was the boy in her dreams, the boy that looked just like her, the boy that could do all the same things she could do.
Sam noticed her look of shock and turned towards her. "Look, I know this is probably shocking, but…I can explain." She remained silent for a few moments. "Actually, I can't."
"Hey, are you all right?" Tucker asked, seeing her paper white face.
"No," Kimberly managed to answer as she watched Danny fly around and shoot the same green blasts she could at the ghost.
"Why? I mean it's not like…"
"I can do the same thing!" she yelled.
"What?" Sam and Tucker asked in disbelief.
Kimberly thought of her alternate persona as the same white rings formed around her waist, transforming her into practically a female version of Danny.
"Oh my God," Sam replied.
"I didn't think it was possible," Tucker added in awe.
"Danny! I think we have a problem!" Sam yelled at him.
"What?" he asked as he just finished throwing a green blast at the ghost. He looked down at Kimberly. "Oh my God." Then a large blast from the ghost hit him from the side and threw him into the wall, leaving a large crevice in the brick. He fell down and hit hard onto the pavement. As he struggled to get up from the blow Skultech 9.9 flew towards him, his gun aiming at him.
"At last Ghost Child, you are mine," he threatened, the gun glowing as it charged to life, casting a blue glow on Danny's crouching figure.
"Skulker, when are you ever going to learn that I'm way too smart and resourceful to be defeated by you this easily," Danny smarted as he smiled. Two white rings traveled up and down from his waist, but instead of turning him into his normal appearance he simply disappeared.
"Where'd he go?" the other face asked.
"I don't know. He was just here. Darn that ghost child, he's learned teleportation!"
"That's right!" Danny proclaimed triumphantly from behind them. Skultech turned around only to face a bright blue light emerging from a familiar-looking thermos. The ghost screamed as it was sucked into the thermos. Danny capped it shut and smiled proudly. He landed to the floor by Tucker and Sam.
"Ha, even with all the new updates he's still easy to fight."
"Isn't that the thermos that Danny Phantom used to use to catch the ghosts in?" Noelle asked. Kimberly thought she'd seen that thermos before; there was one just like it on display in the ghost museum.
"Well, yeah, it is," Danny answered awkwardly.
"Then why do you have it?" Jacob asked.
"It just worked so well that I decided to use it? Plus it is a Fenton Thermos and I am a Fenton."
"Danny, just tell them," Sam suggested with a sigh.
Danny sighed. "Well see, I'm also Danny Phantom."
"What?" the three of them exclaimed aloud.
"Yeah. Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom are one and the same. The theories people had were obviously right, but my family, bless them, still kept it a secret, even after I was…gone," he finished awkwardly.
"But how?" Noelle asked, clearly puzzled.
"Well, I kinda got in a lab accident when I was fourteen and the accident turned me into a half human, half ghost hybrid. Then when the ghost attacks started, I decided to create Danny Phantom to save the world from ghosts while still being able to live my life as Danny Fenton. Obviously I was pretty successful at it if it still worked after all these years."
"Wow. That just, wow," Jacob remarked.
Danny started to blush and then he turned to Kimberly. "But, how are you a half ghost?"
"Ha-half ghost? Is that what I am?" Kimberly asked in awe and disbelief.
"Well I assume so. You can fly, turn invisible, shoot ecto-blasts, walk through stuff, stuff like that?" Kimberly nodded her head slowly. "Then you're a half ghost, like me."
"But, how?" Sam asked, still staring curiously at Kimberly.
"What do you mean how?"
"How are you a half ghost?" Danny asked.
"I don't know. I was born this way."
"There's no way," Sam replied shortly.
"What? I don't understand." How could they tell her she wasn't born this way? She'd been exhibiting these abilities for as long as she could remember. They couldn't just tell her that it was impossible.
"People aren't just born half dead," Danny explained. "The only way you can become a half ghost is to have a deadly experience around something that emits a lot of ghostly energy, like a Ghost Portal. It's not that common and in our time there are only two of us, and both of us had an accident with a Ghost Portal."
"But, nothing like that ever happened to me, and Sylvia told me that I've been turning invisible and intangible since I was in my cradle."
Danny looked puzzled. "No, that can't be right, at least, I don't think it can…" He drifted off into thought, staring at the floor.
"Maybe there was some kind of accident when you were really young, or something like that," Tucker suggested.
"Maybe…" Danny answered, but Kimberly could tell that he was thinking of something else, something that he didn't really feel like sharing.
"Well, however she became a half ghost doesn't really matter," Sam stated. "What really matters right now is why Clockwork released Skultech when he was the one who sent here us in the first place."
"Because he wanted us to find out about each other," Danny answered.
"What?" Kimberly asked.
"Isn't it obvious? When he sent us back, he made me land in your house so you'd find me and we'd meet each other. Then he sent Skultech to attack us on our way to my house because he knew that I'd risk my identity to protect you, thus exposing me and eventually exposing you. He wanted us to meet each other, to find out about each other."
"But why?" Noelle asked.
"Because we're here to find the ghost that kidnapped my future self, and he figures we probably need all the help we can get. Two halfas are better than one when fighting a powerful ghost."
"But I don't want to fight!" Kimberly yelled. "I don't even know what's going on!"
"Neither do we," Tucker admitted. "We're completely lost."
"Clockwork didn't give us that much information," Sam added. "He said we had to find it out for ourselves."
"Well, maybe we're supposed to help you get the information, not necessarily fight your ghost. Plus, if you are Danny Phantom, you've fought lots of evil ghosts before," Jacob pointed out.
"I know, but that doesn't mean that I won't take help if it's offered. Plus, the fact that my future self got captured when he probably has a wider range of powers than me isn't too comforting. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not asking you to help fight, I'm just trying to figure out Clockwork's logic. I am, however, asking if you'd help us gather information or at least give us some more information on what happened in the space of time that we skipped."
"What?" the three friends asked.
"Listen, I have to be honest with you, I really don't know much about what's going on. I have a brief description of what happened from you guys and a few cryptic hints from Clockwork. I really could use some help navigating through this place, finding people that might give me information, if you're willing that is."
"What's in it for us?" Jacob asked.
"How could you ask such a thing!" Noelle asked him angrily. "This is Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom! Everything is possible because of him! You owe him!"
"No, no, that's so not necessary," Danny started to petition.
"Yes it is," Noelle replied. "You've done so much for the town and helped us out so much that it's the least we can do."
"Well, technically I haven't done any of that yet, so you technically don't owe me anything."
"No, Noelle's right. We were meant to find each other, which means that we were meant to help you," Kimberly added.
"Yeah. But first, I want to know what's going on," Jacob stated. "All you've said so far is that you're missing and a ghost's responsible. If you really want our help, we're going to need all the information and know what we're getting involved in. What did this Clockwork guy tell you? What happened before you fell down Kimberly's stairs?"
"Well, we were fighting Skulker, the upper part of Skultech, and I had just sucked him up in the thermos. Then time stopped and Clockwork appeared…"
"Clockwork, what're you doing here?" Danny asked with a slight smile. He was glad to see his old friend again, but also a little worried because Clockwork only came when there was great trouble.
"Unfortunately I come to inform you that the future is in peril, your future."
"What? Not again. I don't understand; I've been really good!" Danny exclaimed in frustration.
"Yes, I know you have. In fact, you've done such a wonderful job of abolishing that future that now a new one lies in its place, a new future that, unfortunately, is in danger, and not by your making. On the contrary, it is you that is in trouble."
"Me?" Danny asked.
"Yes. Will you and your friends please join me in my lair? I shall explain everything."
Danny looked at Tucker and Sam and they both nodded their heads.
"Excellent," Clockwork added and touched his staff, transporting them all to his lair.
"So, what's going on? How am I in danger? What kind of future is this anyway?"
"You're future looks quite pleasant. You are a thriving businessman with a magnificent family and a generally wonderful life. Then, one night, you and your family disappear, never to be seen again. You were captured, by a powerful ghost, and now, fifteen years later, the life of your future self is in danger. He has been able to survive for years, but now his life is waning. He doesn't have much time left. It is up to you, Daniel Fenton, and your friends, to rescue him."
"But, how? And who kidnapped him…me? And why are we going back fifteen years later? Why not the night he…I disappeared?"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you. I think I have already revealed too much. I can tell you that you will find all the information you need once you get there. There is an extremely important reason why I am sending you back to this exact time, and you will find out eventually as you receive more information. Remember, you are not only trying to save yourself, but the future world as well."
"But how are we going to get this information?"
"You do not seem to understand. I cannot tell you. I too am bound by rules, and this is one of them. But I can tell you this: the best hiding place is in plain sight. People hold onto the most normal and common objects, and when looking for information about clocks, the written word can never be wrong, especially when written by a clock. That is all the help I can give you."
"But, that doesn't make any sense," Tucker complained, earning a smile from Clockwork.
"Now, are you ready to go?" Clockwork asked.
"You're talking to all of us right?" Sam asked as she stepped up next to Danny. "Because we're not staying behind."
"Yeah, we're going to help too," Tucker added, stepping up on the other side of Danny.
"I assumed you would, which is why I shall not try and stop you."
"But, what about the present?" Danny asked.
"It shall remain frozen until you return. I would say you may take as much time in the future as you wish and that there will be no consequences in the present, but you are under a slight time constraint. It is not major, but I do suggest you hurry and don't get distracted, even though it shall be extremely easy to do so. You'll be curious about your future lives and that is only natural, but try to curb that curiosity and continue to move on. You'll live that future soon enough, and then you may find out everything that happens. Now, ready?"
Danny nodded as a nighttime image of a large and elaborate mansion appeared on the clock face. Victorian gates surrounded the mansion and floral courtyard. Danny and his friends gathered in front of the picture, ready to enter the future.
"One last bit of advice before you begin your rescue mission. I suggest starting from the beginning, since the beginning is generally considered a good place to start."
Danny nodded his head in acknowledgement, though not quite in understanding.
"Good luck," Clockwork wished as Danny and his friends jumped into the future. All was dark as Danny felt the air rush past him as he fell. He hit something solid and moaned in pain. He stood up gently and tried looking around him, but saw nothing but black. He took a few steps forward and felt the floor fall from beneath him as he tumbled down a flight of stairs. He stood up again, rubbing his head and took another few steps forward, only to fall down another flight of stairs. As he rolled and bumped his head along the stairs he tried to stop himself, but it only caused him to roll funny and fall hard at the bottom, hitting his head on the stairs, and he fell into the realm of unconsciousness.
"And that's basically everything we know," Danny finished.
The three of them just stared at him, their faces filled with awe and disbelief. Kimberly couldn't believe half of what she heard, and yet she knew that it was all true. It all seemed so fantastical, and yet it all made sense. She still hadn't gotten over the fact that not only was this boy that she'd found unconscious in her house Danny Fenton, but he was also Danny Phantom and had traveled from the past to rescue himself from some ghost. And not only that, but they wanted their assistance. The two greatest heroes Amity had ever seen were asking for their help.
"Um, guys?" Danny asked awkwardly. Kimberly and her friends shook out of their thoughts and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry, it's just…" Kimberly began.
"A lot," Noelle finished.
Danny smiled. "Yeah, I guess it would be. This is a lot for me even, and I deal with this kind of stuff on a daily basis."
"Um, hello, somewhat on a time crunch here," Sam reminded them. "Shouldn't dawdle."
"Right. So start at the beginning? What do you think that means?" Jacob asked.
"We think it means Danny's house, or more specifically the basement, since that's where Danny got his ghost powers, and thus it was the beginning of all the ghost hunting," Sam explained.
"Makes sense to me," Kimberly remarked.
"Well, then let's head there," Jacob remarked as he started walking.
"Listen, you guys really don't have to do this, you know that right?" Danny asked. "I don't know what's going to happen or where this is going to take me. Helping me out might put you in danger. Of course I'll protect you as much as I can, but I can only do so much."
The three friends looked at each other and smiled. "We understand," Kimberly stated. "Now let's head to your house."
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it! Now at least you know why Danny and friends are here. Now we can really get this mystery rolling! Be forewarned, next chapter begins the flood of information, and trust me, there's a lot!