Chapter 7: What We Need Is a Plan
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of its characters or plot devices. Original ideas belong to me.
"Auuuugh!" screamed the RV's occupants as the RV dropped into oblivion again. Then: "Oof!" The RV settled to the road in front of FentonWorks with a heavy thud.
"Jeez, guys," Danny said, flying around to peer in one of the front windows. "You only fell, like, five feet."
The driver door flew open, smashing Danny in the face. It was his turn to say, "Oof!" as he lurched back several feet in the air.
"Sorry!" Jazz cried, her voice a little hoarse. "But twice in one day of going through portals and then falling—it's too much!"
"It's OK," Danny answered, rubbing his face.
"Maybe we did overreact a little," Tucker admitted. "But after the first time—"
"It's like a roller coaster," Sam said cheerfully as she clambered out behind Tucker. "You know it's good when you scream just as loud the second time."
"Some roller coaster," grumbled Jazz. "I prefer them fully regulated and following all International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions safety rules, thank you."
"We'll keep that in mind for next time, Jazz," Danny replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Dude, with any luck there won't be a next time," Tucker pointed out. "I'd rather avoid spending the rest of our lives running from your evil alternative self."
"We won't be running for long," Strike said. She had perched herself on top of the RV and was lazily spinning her staff between her fingers. Her hair went white, then red again. "We just have to figure out the best way to get the medallion away from him. Then he'll see a thing or two."
An ecto-blast hitting the sidewalk made them all start. Danny and Strike moved into fighting positions, while the full-humans either reached for weapons or dove for cover, according to their natures.
"How'd he find us?" Tucker wailed from behind a trash can.
"He didn't," Danny said, though he didn't relax. "What do you want?" he demanded irritably of the specter now facing the group. "I've got bigger fish to fry—or in your case, bigger round things to put you in."
"THE BOX GHOST DOES NOT WISH TO GO INTO YOUR SHINY CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER!" the Box Ghost yelled. "FOR HE IS THE MASTER OF ALL THINGS CORRUGATED AND SQUARE!"
"And we've heard this how many times before now?" Sam asked, one hand on a hip.
"Thirty-seven over the past three years," Tucker announced, consulting his PDA.
"Why do you keep track of these things?" Strike rolled her eyes.
"An idea Tucker and I came up with before I went to Harvard," Jazz explained. "We wanted to see when there was any documentable deviations from any of the patterns of the ghosts Danny regularly faces. He sends me the data monthly, and I store it on a database on my computer. Any behavioral deviations from a specimen like this one means things have reached an apocalyptic level on the scale of 'not good.'"
"Glad to know we haven't reached 'apocalyptic' on the 'not good' scale yet," harrumphed Strike. "Are we going to get rid of him or not?"
"'We?' You're going to help?" asked Danny.
"Expedites things," Strike said shortly. "We've already wasted enough time on this chunk of ectoplasm. Just get out your Thermos. I'll do the rest."
"OK," Jazz said, pulling out her own Thermos. Strike hit the button on her staff, and the Box Ghost froze in the act of opening his mouth to yell at them again.
"Good timing," Tucker commented.
Strike quirked an eyebrow. "Always."
Jazz activated the Thermos and sucked the Box Ghost inside with little fanfare. The three humans and Danny stared at the Thermos.
"Dude," Tucker finally announced, "I wish all our snags were that easy."
"Doesn't seem fair somehow," Danny agreed.
"You do your job, we do ours," Strike said. "Clockwork and I handle things to do with the timestream. You handle issues that come up between the Ghost Zone and the human realm. Different tools for different jobs. Really, I've sometimes envied you get to work as a team. You're far more effective than any one of you would be alone. Mostly Dad and I toil in our own separate spheres." She twirled her staff. "Why are we standing around here jawing? We need a plan, and we need one fast. It won't take the fire-haired egomaniac long to figure out where we went."
Obediently they all trooped downstairs to let the Box Ghost back into the Ghost Zone for the second time in two days. Danny, about to connect the Fenton Thermos to its special holder next to the Portal, paused a moment and looked at the Thermos.
"Wait a second, guys. There's something that has to be done." He glanced at Strike. "Get ready to freeze him again if he starts to cause problems."
"Danny, what are you doing?" demanded Sam. "You can't let him out in here!"
"I have to. Listen," he said when Tucker, Sam and Jazz all opened their mouths. "You didn't see it in…the other future. He did all kinds of horrible stuff to the ghosts as well as to the human world. They were angry enough to try and take me out even though I wasn't responsible for any of it. I should at least try to warn them." He pressed the button to open the Thermos.
Out poured the Box Ghost. "I AM THE…" He paused when he saw the five of them just looking at him, though Strike had her finger over the button on her staff. "The Box Ghost is confused," he said, for once not yelling at the top of his lungs. "Why have you not forced him back into the Ghost Zone as usual?"
"Look, we need to tell you something," Danny said. "It's kind of important you warn the others back in the Ghost Zone."
The Box Ghost looked suspicious and didn't say anything.
"I know we've had our…differences," stumbled Danny. "But the last time I asked for help from all of you, I had your best interests at heart as well as those of the human realm. I promise it's that type of emergency again."
The Box Ghost jumped up in the air. Strike's finger twitched, then relaxed.
"WHAT SORT OF CALAMATOUS EVENT?" the Box Ghost demanded.
"Keep it down, will you?" Danny crossed his arms. "You don't want my parents down here. You've seen them. They're the shoot first, ask questions later type when it comes to ghosts. This is just between us."
The Box Ghost deflated noisily, but he nodded.
"All right. There's an evil ghost that just got loose. In the alternate timeline he comes from, he hurt you and the others in the Ghost Zone. Badly. I saw it. You were missing a hand, and an eye, and goodness knows what else. Johnny 13 was paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Ember couldn't sing anymore. Need I go on?"
The Box Ghost clutched at one wrist nervously and shook his head. Even the humans were staring at Danny. He'd never told them all of the details he'd seen in that nightmare future.
"I don't want that to happen again. This guy…he lives for hurting anyone and anything that crosses his path. He's in the human realm right now, we think, but he can make his own portals between my world and the Ghost Zone so he could be anywhere right now. Go back and tell everyone to lay low for awhile. Most of the action should be in the human realm—all the people we think are his targets are here. Except maybe for Clockwork. Anyway, it's important there are as few crossings as possible from the Ghost Zone into the human realm for awhile. And if anybody encounters this guy, just get out of his way. Can you pass that on?"
"Yes," the Box Ghost agreed. "What does this rampaging menace look like, so that the Box Ghost may inform his fellow ghosts?"
"He…uh…" Danny blushed.
"He kinda looks like him," Tucker said helpfully, gesturing to Danny.
"Only older," said Jazz.
"And bigger," added Sam.
"And wearing a cape," was Tucker's final contribution. "Oh, and his hair's on fire."
"And he's also about ten times more powerful," Danny admitted.
"Those are the important things," Jazz finished cheerfully.
The Box Ghost's eyes had been going wider and wider at each added description. "The prisoner in Clockwork's tower," he whispered. "The Box Ghost has heard rumors that a powerful ghost from another timeline was being kept there. No one wished to see if they were true."
"They're all true. And probably worse than you've heard," Strike said, speaking for the first time since the Box Ghost's release.
"THE BOX GHOST WILL WARN HIS FELLOW DWELLERS OF THE ECTOPLASMIC REALM!" the Box Ghost bellowed. "OPEN THE MECHANICAL GATE SO THAT HE MAY RETURN!"
Obligingly, Danny activated the Fenton Portal. The Box Ghost passed into the swirling green mist like a shot, and not a moment too soon. Jack and Maddie came rushing down the stairs, weapons drawn.
"We thought we heard the Box Ghost down here!" panted Maddie.
"Uhh…" said Danny. "He was here. But we…took care of him. Back in the Ghost Zone, where he belongs."
"Oh, good," sighed Maddie. "Sweetie, we know you can handle things like that, but call us next time there's a ghost in the lab, OK? I've got some things in here ghosts shouldn't get their hands on."
"Really? Like what?" asked Jack suggestively. Danny and Jazz both concealed gags.
"Daaad," complained Danny. "Gross. Not in front of us."
"Another ghost!" Maddie turned her gun on Strike, who twirled her staff into a fighting stance.
"Chaaarge!" yelled Jack. He ran at Strike, his own weapon poised.
"Dad, wait!" Jazz called. "Don't—"
Strike tapped the button on her staff, and Jack was frozen.
"What are you doing to my husband, you fiend?" screamed Maddie, charging her gun. She fired, but Danny flew between them and put up a Ghost Shield to absorb the shot.
"Whoa! Guys! Time out!" he yelled.
"Hey, that's my line," Strike commented from behind him. She alone of the group seemed unfazed by all the activity, even though she was the one under attack.
"Not helping," Danny told her. "Look, Mom, this is Strike. She's on our side."
"Oh." Maddie lowered her weapon. "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?"
"Um, Mom…" Danny mimed shooting at Strike.
"Right, sorry." Maddie flushed. "Old habits die hard I guess. We tend to forget there are some good ghosts out there. Welcome to our lab."
"Nice to see the Fentons are all on their toes," said Strike. She pushed the button to unfreeze Jack. Then she calmly moved out of the way as he went crashing into the wall.
"Pass the fudge," he muttered as he staggered away. Sam and Tucker caught his arms and steadied him until he stopped bobbing and weaving.
"Dad," said Danny. "This is Strike. She's here to protect us."
"Protect us from what?" asked Maddie, hands on hips. "We handled Vlad just fine the other day."
"Not Vlad," said Sam.
"Much, much worse," added Tucker.
"Worse?" Jack asked woozily.
"Way worse," Danny assured him. "Remember when…oh, no, you don't remember. Crap. That makes it harder."
"Remember what?" demanded Maddie.
Danny sighed. "Stuff that happened in an alternate timeline that got erased. Oh, boy. OK. Remember when I almost cheated on the C.A.T test but Mr. Lancer gave me another chance to take it?"
"I think so," said Maddie.
"Not really," said Jack scratching his head.
"Anyway, there was a lot more to it than that. Tucker, Sam, Jazz and I got a small taste of what life would have been like had I cheated on that test. Namely, that you all would die in a horrible explosion and I would turn into the most evil, powerful ghost the world has ever seen. Worse than Vlad. Part Vlad, in fact—my ghost half and his merged through a process I don't want to talk about."
"You?" Maddie exclaimed. "I can't see our little boy turning into that."
"I won't!" Danny insisted. "I promised I wouldn't, even if something does happen to you guys."
"But you'll probably get the chance to meet the potential result soon," said Strike. "He's on his way."
"He…wait. Are you telling me that version of Danny and Vlad…"
"Still exists? Yes," said Strike before Danny could open his mouth. "He came to this timeline three years ago, once Danny here was aware of his existence, to try to make certain the circumstances that created him happened again."
"To make sure he came into being," Jazz translated.
"Exactly. Danny managed to trap him in one of your Fenton Thermoses, and my father Clockwork made certain everything else worked out. Danny got his second chance on the test, and the rest of you—except for Danny's two human friends and his sister—never remembered meeting Danny's alternate self. The only problem was that alternate form still existed in this time stream. My father agreed to take charge of him. Only now—"
"He's loose," finished Maddie.
"Hit it on the head," nodded Strike.
"Why do we need protection?" asked Jack. "Let him come. It's the next best thing to having a good crack at ol' Vladdy again for trying to steal my wife."
Maddie had been watching her children's reactions to this. "Why exactly do you think he's after us? He must have more important people to attack first."
"He wants to return to the time stream," Strike explained. "To do that, he will have to make things as they were when he was created. He must eliminate you, your husband, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Mr. Lancer. Then, and only then, can he get rid of Danny without risking his own existential integrity."
"Huh?" was Jack's response to this.
"He has to kill us all; then he can kill Danny and become the only version of Danny Phantom," Jazz explained.
"Oh. Of course I knew that," Jack huffed.
"Do we have a plan?" asked Maddie.
"Other than not die? Not really," said Tucker with a shrug.
"We still have to try and get the Time Medallion off him," Strike pointed out. "That might solve our problem, since he no longer has a time period to snap back to."
"Time Medallion?" Maddie's interest was clearly piqued.
"He's got it around his neck. It's the reason he didn't vanish when Danny didn't turn evil—it makes him immune to any time manipulation."
Maddie looked thoughtful. "Hmm. That is an important advantage for him. Any ideas on how to get it off?"
"We'd have to somehow get close enough," Sam noted. "Not an easy thing to do with an insanely powerful ghost like him. And since he remembers being human, he uses physical attacks and his ghost powers."
"We could all jump 'im," suggested Jack. "Don't think he can take all of us at once!"
"He'd have us wrapped in ectoplasm and tied to something explosive before we could scream," Sam said gloomily. "That's what happened last time, according to Danny. We don't remember that part of it, luckily."
"We're more experienced than we were back then," Tucker said, though he didn't sound very confident. "I mean, a lot of stuff's happened. We've saved the world a few times, and all. Danny's gotten more powerful, we have another ghost on our side, we'd all be armed, and there are more of us. And we know he's coming. It could work if we were all here and planned an ambush."
"Yeah, maybe," agreed Danny. "If we all work together…" He trailed off thoughtfully.
"That's the best plan the great Fenton Family and Company can come up with?" scoffed Strike. "Hide here and ambush one of the most destructive ghosts ever to exist? You'd be lucky if this whole block wasn't leveled in three seconds flat. Five seconds, tops."
"You got something better?" Danny demanded.
"I might," said Jazz from a corner of the lab. Unnoticed while everyone was arguing she'd gone off and started scanning the ghost database she and Tucker had developed. The whole room turned to look at her.
"What?" they all said at once.
Jazz grinned. "Are those Time Medallion thingys metal?"