Chapter Four:
"Time wears on and the memory withers, like the flowers placed on a grave with less frequency each passing year. With the passing of a few mere generations it's as though you never existed at all."
– Daughters of the Moon
Danny had been having a long day.
The first day back was never easy; something that had always applied back in the old days, too. Over time he had found that it was extremely rare that things were ever similar between the two paths of his life. One side, the beginning, was a simple existence: school, girls, and ghosts. It wasn't easy by any means, but it was almost natural. He had his powers, his two best friends in the world, and a pretty awesome (though admittedly odd) family. In today's world, the world of the Association, what mattered was staying alive; getting by without being discovered and getting the information he needed. The responsibility of saving more lives than ever before was resting on his shoulders – a rather tremendous burden. But, through all the changes that had occurred over the last ten years, one thing remained consistent: bad days were frequent and long term.
Generally the causes varied, whether it was a run in with a particularly nasty ghost or a life lost on a mission, but they always ended the same. They forced him into action.
Danny had always been a resourceful individual, often managing to make lemonade from an oranges. He was inventive and creative; two key personality traits that had helped push him into the Protector position. When things didn't go his way, he worked to fix them, doing the impossible to turn them around, to make up for them.
It wasn't fool proof and in some cases, there was nothing left to do. After all, once a life is lost, there is no getting it back; however, following every accident, he always worked to improve security, to up his standards.
Danny did not accept failure. Could not.
"You're being ridiculous about this, you know."
He ignored the voice near his ear, concentrating on the maps laid out before him.
"Danny, this isn't the way to go about this. We need recruits first and foremost. And with the new batch coming in, it'll be the perfect time! They'll want out. Quickly. They'll be easier to sway!"
Danny may have been the creative mind, but Olivia Cross was the voice of reason.
With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair, arching a brow at his companion. "Where do you propose we find these recruits? The Association is loyal to Lukas above all," he said, running a hand over his face, kneading the skin between his eyes.
"Not everyone," Olivia answered quietly. "Are we loyal to Lukas? There's bound to be disgruntlement amongst the members; it's just a matter of weeding out whom."
"That's all well and good, Liv, except that we have no clue who those select few are! Especially now with the batch of newbies coming in, people are going to be clutching to their positions tighter than ever. No one's going to want to risk being discovered as unfaithful," he reminded her, exasperated.
Olivia sighed, perching herself on the edge of Danny's desk. "They're not all cowards, Dan. These people were chosen to serve the Association for a reason. Specifically the Guards - they know something's up. Didn't you say you talked to Star about this just earlier today? Isn't she suspicious?"
"Star is loyal to Valerie," he answered with a sigh. "She's concerned for her friend, nothing more and nothing less."
"I know Star. She's not an idiot. Perhaps her concern is her driving factor, but isn't that alone a worthy cause for her joining us? If she can help Valerie in any way..."
Angrily, Danny stood from his chair, making his way to the window, leaning against the frame.
"Olivia, Star wouldn't dare risk jeopardizing Val's chances at retaining her position. If she were caught... Theo isn't stupid; he'd know the quickest way to hurt her would be to hurt Val. And we all know what would happen should Valerie suddenly be demoted," he said scathingly.
Olivia rolled her eyes, grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair.
"We don't need another situation like last time. And there's a pretty decent chance that the new recruits are going to be even more ruthless," she said. She paused, as if carefully choosing her words. "Be careful, Danny. Please."
He smiled at her, though the grin was weak. "I'm always careful, Livia. Where's your faith in me?"
"You're under a lot of stress and you're back in your hometown. It's a lot of temptation."
The grin quickly dropped from his face as he ran a hand through his hair. "I know the risks all too well. I'm not going to screw this up; I can't do it to them. Not again."
"You know, Danny, if we stop this once and for all, you can go home. They won't ever have to worry about a thing," Olivia said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He glanced up, locking eyes with her, "It's just getting to that point."
"Have a little more faith than that, fearless leader. How're we ever going to stage a rebellion if the leader of it doesn't even believe in the cause? We can do this. Just look at all of our progress, all the planning. It's time to put everything into motion, to put a stop to all of this." Olivia rose from her chair, a weak smile playing on her lips. "I need to go meet with some of the Representatives. Be patient, Dan. We'll get through this."
He raised his hand in a half-hearted wave, bidding goodbye to his closest friend, his partner. "Thanks Livia."
"Don't mention it," she grinned, before turning to make her way out the door. "Remember, Star isn't lost yet. Talk to her about it, hint. She's concerned for Valerie and maybe, just maybe, she'll realize that this is the only way to solve the problem."
Hours later when the Association had lulled itself to sleep, Danny finally vacated his position. After assigning two Guards to pick up his slack, he hustled out of the building, seeking refuge in the crisp night.
He knew Olivia was right; knew that their mission was achievable. It was just a matter of getting to that point and Star was a good place to start. She held sway over their generation and, most importantly, could keep an eye on Valerie.
If only, though, Valerie could still be the Valerie of long ago – the Red Huntress. But that was the past, as Danny had come to realize. Years ago Amity Park had been his home, his responsibility. It had been his job to protect it from ghosts, to fend off malicious entities. He wasn't perfect at it by any means, but he got the job done.
In the days following the Incident, Danny had been lost. The Association had remained unaware of his ghost powers (something Danny was intent on keeping that way), and Amity Park was left to fend for itself. He had only hoped that Sam, Tucker, and Jazz (and his parents, of course) could help pick up the slack where he couldn't. And, he couldn't help but notice, it seemed they had been successful. At least the town hadn't been completely overrun by ghosts, anyway.
As he rounded a corner, his hands numb, he froze.
Standing at the end of the street, thermos in hand, was none other than Sam Manson. Sam Manson who happened to be looking directly at him.
Author's Note: So, I'm not particularly pleased with this chapter. At all. It has seriously been the biggest pain to write even though, ironically enough, it's the shortest chapter thus far (excluding the prologue). I don't know what it is about it, I've just seriously been lacking on the motivation front for it. It doesn't help that I've been insanely busy these last few days. (Scheduling my classes for next year + orientation, tons of tests/make-up homework, and loads of scholarships? Plus work, beautiful weather, and wonderful family drama? Yeah, fate just didn't want me to write this.
But here it is in its completed glory. I seriously just finished writing it a few minutes ago and am going to post it before I head to bed. There are likely to be plenty of typos, so if you spot any, let me know and I'll go in and change them sometime tomorrow. :)
Thank you again to the wonderful individuals who reviewed the last chapter. You guys seriously make my day and keep me motivated: Fluehatraya, Laora, Oak Leaf Ninja, Bananahsplit, and BerryEbilBunny. You guys are all fantastic! :)
Have an awesome week, guys! I know if you live down south (like me) you've been having some awesome weather. Here's to hoping it keeps up! Also, if any of you happen to be Avatar: The Last Airbender fans, please go check out KorraNation. The official release date for Korra has been set for April 14th, but if KorraNation reaches 100,000 (new) likes on FB (plus some other things) then the episode will be released on March 24th instead. So like! And get your friends to like! 'Cause then it can be a wonderful week of Hunger Games, Young Justice, and Korra.
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