Chapter 14

Sick Sad World, Part 1

Welcome to the New Age

August 25.

A month after the bomb.

11:32 PM Local Time

Las Vegas, Nevada.

His palms are sweaty, he's weak and his head feels so heavy. But in the surface he looks calm and ready to drop palms. The crowd goes so loud as he flies in the air performing aerobatic stunts he's practiced for weeks now, leaving a green wake of energy coming from his ghost tail and flies onto the stage in his ghost-self wearing his new glowing ghost suit, now glowing green instead of white. He lands on stage on one knee, staring at the floor, and rises his head to look at the huge crowd yelling his name, his heartbeat racing and pounding harder than ever before. He is surrounded by sexy dancer girls dressed with a sexy tank-suit-like version of his new ghost suit with white tight-high boots, black gauntlets and even a one piece version of his new mask. Millions of people, gathered from all around the world, all of them traveled hundred, thousands of miles to be here in this important moment.

The crowd yells his name and ask him to use his ghost rays.

- You want to see my ghost rays? Then you are going to see ghosts rays - he said with his arms drawn to his sides, and only his fore arms raised, firing a streaming green plasma ray from each hand which slowly turns into a blue cold energy ray, creating a little snowfall on the stage.

Danny stands tall, going human. In his human-self he wears new fancy clothes, the most expensive and elegant suit in the world, brand new made no more than an hour ago by the world best fashion designers, so good I won't even begin to try to describe it. This new suit as his ghost suit was another gift from Mr. M who believed Danny had to look the best he could for this big moment of his.

Never before Danny has faced such a huge crowd as he does tonight, of doing so Danny Fenton would panic but instead of fear his face reflects confidence like he has never had before because now he is Danny Phantom, the world's greatest hero and this day is a day of change for him and his entire planet, a change he is willing to embrace with his arms wide open. Now rising his right hand as he walks around stage among the sexy dancer girls, he takes his microphone from the backstage with his telekinesis.

People cheer him on even more, fangirls waving boards with the words "I love U" and "Marry Me", jumping excited, yelling his name and how much they love him.

- Thanks, thank you everybody. - He says into the microphone as he gestured for silence. Slowly, they begin to hush and simmer down to listen to what he says. - I love you too, that's why I'm glad you came here to the first… Phantom Convention!. - Exclaims opening his arms leaving the microphone floating in front of him while people cheer him on again. - Tonight is a big night, tonight is not about me, is about you, about us. In fact, is not just us. Tonight is about legacy, our legacy! Tonight is about our future, the beginning of a new age, a new world for future generations to come!

People cheer him on again, clapping at him. This was his moment, all this people, all his followers, even those who couldn't make it to the convention and had to watch it on tv, was feeling his words.

- As many of you must know by now, a month ago a nuclear ghost bomb exploded in my city, blowing up half of Amity Park. Some people got hurt, some people died… and some others got turned into ghost-zombies, abominations meant to take over our world - he says prone tightening his fists -. That attack was the doing of a mad ghost named Technus, hell-bent on taking over the human world, our world! - said Danny staring at the crowd's eyes as he walks holding back the microphone. - But that is not going to happen, our future won't be to be slaves of a ghost, and I'll do anything within my power, to stop it. But I cannot save the world alone. I'd know, believe me, I've tried. That, is why we are here, tonight and why I so cleverly gathered all of the best minds in the world, in here in the Phantom Convention. Starting from tomorrow night, we will begin a new era, one where there would be no more ghost threats, no threats of any kind such as illness, crime, no more wars! We will get better, bigger. We'll create a new planet, we will make this world, a Phantom Planet!

A big hologram with the words Phantom Planet in green letters appears behind him, with a futuristic vision of the earth while he opens his arms.

Everyone in the crowd cheer him up even louder than before, clapping and celebrating his words of hope for a new era.

- We will be stronger than ever before! Now, it seemed that we had our fair share of fun here tonight, and most of you must be wondering where was I when all of this started? Well let me tell you, this future won't be limited to this earthly realm. Our future will be unlimited! It will go to infinity and beyond the last frontier. That's why I spent most of the day in outer space, helping to finish the Phantom Prime Satellite, which will come active tomorrow midnight. But until then, as if it is New Year's Eve... let's get this party started! - yelled, ordering Humpty Dumpty, the guest band, to play their new album "The Falling Specter".

Said satellite in which Danny actually worked all day was designed by the greatest minds of Axion Labs, the NASA but mainly the Millennium Foundation's scientists. Similar in many ways to a Dyson sphere, this satellite is a spherical megastructure that floats around the sun to capture most of its power, becoming -among other things- a reliable and almost unlimited clean energy source that will bring light and life.
The satelite's construction as well as the whole convention was all paid for by Mr. M in the form of "anonymous donors".

Backstage, 11:42 PM Local Time

- Danny, I can't believe it! This is happening again - yelled Sam, hysterically.

- Yes it does sweetie. It happens to you and every girl about once a month and it last about a week or so. Even I know that, but that's because I was eavesdropping when mom explained it to Jazz - he said in a sarcastic and condescended tone. - Thanks for bringing that trauma again.

- What?! What are you talking about?

- I don't know, what are you talking about?

- I'm talking about this! This whole convention, this whole show you are putting out. When you said you were going to make things right… I thought you were going to train more or something like that, but this… You say it's about making a better future, but the way I see it… I-I don't know if this is you really overcompensating for what happened to the city or just your ego going out of control again.

- Sam, haven't you seen how rogue ghost have gone last month? They're showing up everywhere and causing more chaos than before. And is not just the city they attack, now it's the whole world, the bloody world is at stake.

- Yeah, but I don't get it, how is this going to help?

- Technus is planning something big to take over the world, he said it, he learned not to say what, but he wouldn't keep it a secret either. He's planning something big and I gotta do something bigger to stop it.

- And you are going to do that by throwing a party? Is that so? You're gonna save the world with a party bigger than… whatever he is planning?

- No… we are going to save the world after the party… or during the after-party, us together as a team, you'll see - said taking her by the hand and kissing her in the right chick and then kissing her thin lips. - Hey, I'm a super, remember? Saving people is what I do, and that's what I'm doing here, now would you trust me I won't let fame get over my head again and screw things up like the last time?

- I just don't know - Sam says prone -, this people, the way they stare at you, I-it's like you're part rock star, part L. Ron. With everything that's going on right now, they're scared and they're looking for some to gives them hope, to keep them safe and what you promise them is more than that, is… is just too much.

- Come on, what could possibly go wrong? Look, when I say I'll do something I'll do it - he said to his girlfriend when he saw her concern in her eyes, confident he was doing the right thing. - Besides, what other kind of compensating there is?

- …

- Trust me, there is nothing wrong.

- There is something wrong… - said one of the engineers from the NASA, that created the Phantom Prime Satellite walking into backstage.

Partying with Wolves.

Luxor Hotel. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Basement used as operation center.

August 26, 12:25 AM Local Time

- What do you mean with there is something wrong? - Danny asks to his PPS crew.

- In astronauts terms it means "Houston we got a problem." - replies one of them with derision.

- Problems, problems. Everything is problems with you. Do you guys ever call to see if we're ok? Just to say hi or check in? - replies Danny even more sarcastically. - You don't think Sam's had any influence on me, do you? - he asks Tucker who was part of the team that worked on the PPS.

- Well, you still wear that awful white and red t-shirt so I'd say no. - Danny glares at him. - But that's not the point here.

- Then what is it?

- This - said Damon Gray, Valerie's father and the man in charge of security, handing him a touch screen with footage from the base of the local hook that controls the Phantom Prime Satellite.

- What's… going on exactly? - asked Danny confused when looking at the video.

- That's what we want you to find out. The local hook was attacked by what seems to be two giant robotic ghost wolves with green flaming heads.

- How do you know they're ghost? - Danny inquires.

- 'Cause they couldn't get pass through the ghost shield - explained Damon. - But they did cause some damage to the rest of the facility. We believe it might be a gift from your friend Technus.

- Well, he's being laying low for the last month ever since the bomb, unlike most ghosts. Where are they now?

- We don't know. When the Guys in White came in shooting they just faded - explained Tucker. - They tried to trace them but it seems impossible.

- For a standard ghost hunter… and government ghost hunters - replied Danny. - Gas, you there? - he asked, spinning in his chair.

- I'm your ghost jumpsuit, what do you think? - G.A.S.P.E.R. answers in his head.

- That I shouldn't be able to talk to you when I'm human.

- Touché.

- I need you to trace down this ghost wolf-bots for me.

- Just that?

- Think you can do it?

- I don't think I can, sir. - Danny moans sadly when hearing those words - I know I can.

- Yes! I was sure you do.

While talking with G.A.S.P.E.R., everyone in the room stared at Danny confused, as it seemed that he was talking alone and everyone in there thought he was already crazy.

- Who is he talking to? - asks one of the engineers.

- His ghost suit - said Tucker.

- What? You mean that Tron suit he has now? - asked Mr. Gray.

- Yep. Apparently this new suit is some sort of high tech suit that talks to him in his head… though he might just gone crazy.

- Where did he-?

- Ok, let's get rolling - Danny says getting up his chair, cutting off Mr. Gray's words.

- Cool, I call shoot gun - Tuck says.

- No, you stay here with Val's dad in case they show up, huh, make sure to improve the defenses. Meantime I'll take the girls for a little road trip.

- Wait, so you get to be in your parents' RV stuck with four hot chicks and I get to be stuck with an old dude? How is that fair?! - he asked incensed as Damon glares at him.

- For the record one of them is my sister and the other is my clone. But if you insist, I'll set Val and Dani here to overwatch, you happy now?

- No.

- Oh bo-freaking-hoo - he claimed teleporting himself out.

01:14 AM Local Time

- Hey Jazz, Jazz wake up… - Danny whispered to his sister, shaking her shoulder while she sleeps in her bed.

- Hhhmmmmm… what do you want…? - she moaned half sleep.

- I need your help hunting robotic ghost wolves.

- Hmmm… Go do it your self… - she replied rolling in her bed. - That sound like something you can handle…

- I can't. I need help…

- …take mom and dad with you…

- Mom got lost in a casino and dad in a all-you-can-eat buffet.

- I'm not going with you. I'm sleeping…

- Sorry, too late - he said while driving the Fenton RV on the desert.

- What do you…? What the-?! - she utters finally getting out of her bed in the RV, noticing she had her day clothes on and not her pajamas instead. - What did you do?!

- I couldn't risk you saying no, so I overshadowed you in your sleep, I dressed you up and got you in here. Also I brought coffee, is in that thermos, don't confuse it with the Fenton Thermos - he said pointing to the two silver thermos in the table .

- Did you-? Have you completely forgotten the concept of privacy?

- No.

- He never knew it - pointed Sam, sitting arm crossed in the passenger seat.

- Right now… I hate you so much.

- I know you do - he replied with a smirk.

- What is this ghost wolf thing anyway? - she asked serving herself a cup of coffee.

- Robotic ghost wolves. A pair of them attacked the local PPS hook, and now we gotta find them.

- And how are we-?

- There has been some sighting of them near the residential areas - he says quickly.

- Then what are we doing in the desert?

- You are a heavy sleeper. We're heading back to the city. We just came here first to pick up some clues. We got "nada" by the way, so you don't have to feel bad for sleeping while worked.

- "We got nada"? Since when do you know spanish? - inquired his sister.

- And that's what happens when he actually pays attention to Spanish class - said Sam, complaining about Danny using Spanish words.

01:32 AM

A few minutes later Danny, Sam and Jazz arrive to the city.

- All right, something's coming across the police band. Some green flaming monsters that fit our perps' description just for that alone, were seeing around here no more than an hour ago - he said parking the Fenton RV behind an old dinner.

The scene almost seemed ripped off from a cheap horror movie with a dark alley, completely empty except for the sawed trash cans and garbage spread all over the floor.
- Our "perps"? - inquired Sam.

- Wait, you have a-He has a police scanner?! - asked Jazz.

- Look, I don't even ask questions anymore - Sam said.

- It's all waves, you know? So, who wants to go in first?

Jazz and Sam glare at him with their arm-crossed.

- Yeah, just what I thought - he said getting out of the RV. - For the record, if I turn into a werewolf or… a wirewolf or something, this is going to be on you.

- Just go! - yelled Sam.

Danny goes ghost and switches his goggles to night vision which makes them glow green, and starts scoping and scanning the ravaged area.

Traces of ghost activity were found all over the place, the scanners pointed out wolf footprints made with ectoplasm left by the, well… robot ghost wolves paws. The size of them were at least three times the size of an actual wolf paw as indicated by his suit in his lenses.

The trace led back to a subterranean parking lot two blocks behind the dinner. Danny followed the trace leading Jazz and Sam, the two of them equipped with a Specter Deflecter, a wrist laser and a Fenton Thermos.

- Watch out, many crappy movies have an scene like this, a very cliche moment were something bad happens in a spooky parking lot. Is right between the idiotic guy or girl who goes to the attic or basement during a blackout when they hear a noise, getting slashed, and the spooky alley scene with a street cat jumping out of a trash can. All them, a clear sing than someone will get slashed.

- Oh boy. We wouldn't want that. - Replied Sam sarcastically.

- Thanks Sam. You sarcasm is always appreciated - spouted Danny.

They scout the parking lot with the Fenton Flashlights, watching between and under every car.

Danny used his glowing logo as a lantern, by intensifying its white light.

The silence was incredibly obnoxious, and after five minutes they all wanted to leave.

- Danny, I want to get the hell out of here - replied Sam. - This is stupid.

- Stupid or scary? - he asks in a derisive way.

- Stupid.

- She's right. This is annoying… - agreed Jazz - and I want to sleep.

- Shhh… I think I heard something. I think… I think is a… chainsaw? I knew this was like one of those crappy movies! - Danny exclaim. In that moment his ghost sense goes off as his ghost scanners point the robotic ghost wolves location behind Sam and Jazz. - Get down, now! - he yells as they pounce on Sam and Jazz.

They turn around and duck the two robot ghost wolves that happened to have little chainsaws as tongues.

Danny quickly blast them out of the parking lot through the floor above.

- Quick. Follow me - he said flying out of the place.

- We'll walk, no need to offer a lift - said Sam peeved as well as Jazz.

In the outside, Danny fights them with his claws, blades and arm-swords

The robot ghost wolves withstand every blow with the attacks resulting in almost no harm and whatever damage they got it would quickly repair itself. Is then when he notices…

- Looks familiar to you? - asked Gas.

- Yes. Organic technology, with a built in regenerative healing factor. This is definitely Technus doing.

The robot ghost wolves fight him like real wolves, growling at him, showing him their green flaming fangs and getting their claws out, biting and scrating him. One of them distracted him while the other attacks his weak points, biting his legs with their flaming fangs.

The bite doesn't cut or burn through the suit's TDA fabric but it was strong enough to break his ghost bones, which are in fact much harder than steel.

He punches the one that bit him in the snout and takes it by the tail to assault the other with it.

During the brief moment they get off each other, Danny's leg heals back in less than a second due to his suit's healing capabilities working along with his enhanced self-healing powers.

The robotic ghost wolves open their mouth and fire a powerful blue ghost ray at Danny, bringing him down to his knees.

- Damn it Gas, do something! - ordered in pain. - Hack these freaking robots or whatever you do.

- I can't hack them, I think their fire protects them, all I get is static… like two radio stations playing in the same frequency. I can't even get a scan. Maybe if we use the invisibility vision…

- Oh, screw it - said firing back a streaming white ghost ray on theirs, overcoming them but not without struggle.

- Now, that's much better - he said getting back on his feet as his wound and his suit heal. - Boy those things are strong, like… really strong.

- No need to tell me. Look at me, they scorched me. They didn't cause any real/serious damage, but those little burns… it took me three seconds to heal them back.

- Did you just say real "slash" serious damage?

"Third Threat Detected" read his lenses.

- What a third wolf? You kidding?! - Danny asks unsheathing his arm-swords from his vambraces one more time.

- Danny, right behind you! - yelled Jazz running out of the parking lot, attacking the third wolf with the Fenton Wrist Laser. - Now is time to fight fire with fire. If you make a pass on my brother, I'll make a pass on your brother - she said aiming at the third wolf with her thermos.

- Wait what?! - asked Danny confused.

Jazz pressed the red bottom on her thermos thinking it was a Fenton Thermos, but as it turns out to be, it was actually the coffee thermos.

- Damn it Jazz, you are wasting the good coffee! - blurted Danny.

While distracted, the third wolf jumps on him and bites his chin with its blade fangs leaving a small but deep cut.

- Hey, the only cuts I should have here are shaving cuts - says pounding the wolf with an energy strike and stabbing him with his push blade and swords.

The three wolves, quickly gather and fade away in a wisp of blue fire leaving no trace behind.

- Are you ok? What was that all about? - asked Sam.

- Yes. I'm a little sore… - said with his chin healing back - but I'm fine. And I have no idea what was that about - states going human.

- I think we should go back to the hotel - she points.

- Yeah, you are right, it's very late. Besides I'm getting tired because somebody here wouldn't let me sleep my eight hours - claims Jazz glaring at Danny.

- Damn that bastard - Danny growls jokingly.

- Sure… - says Jazz glaring at him - Also, someone needs to find mom before we lose our house. But this time I'm driving, you go way too fast - she says taking the car keys from her little brother.

Danny, Jazz and Sam get inside the RV ready to go back to the Luxor Hotel where the convention takes place, to rest their weary heads, not knowing that someone was skulking from above, watching their very movements. Standing just a few steps away from the reach of Danny's ghost sense and his suit's built in scanners, Skulker could skulk around him undetected, lurking as a lion who waits for the moment to jump on its pray, unseen by his invisibility, yet he didn't plan to remain that way for too long.

- Well done my pets. Field test number one of the Hellhounds Mark 0 was a complete success. Phase two is on the way… - Said Skulker with a big smile on the face of his new and improved lion armor while petting his new creations flaming hair, standing and lurking over a bright green neon sign with Danny's name on it. - And you, little ghost kid, are so predictable. So focused on the sound of you own voice… you can't hear the bells of hell ringing over your head.

Luxor Hotel

02:12 AM Local Time

Beaten from that brief encounter with Skulker's beasts, Danny needed to rest to heal away the phantom pain of his wounds, so he leaves his big sister drive them back to the hotel, with no argument…

- For god's sake, can you drive any slower? - complains Danny as they get close to the hotel.

Well, at least not until they get to the hotel.

- Excuse me, that is called driving under the speed limit.

- No, it's called driving like a granny on Sunday morning.

- You could have teleported yourself here, you know? - pointed Sam.

- Yeah, but then I would never hear the end of "why did you leave us alone? You drove us through the dessert in the middle of the night and then bail on us?", and I just don't wanna live for that - said with a very long blue wisp of breathe streaming out of his mouth. His ghost sense was going off and crazy. - Looks like I'll have to live for that after all. I'm going ghost!

Danny morphs into his ghost-self and teleports himself into the lobby leaving the girls behind.

- I hope you are happy now, you broke my little brother - said Jazz glowering at Sam.

- What? Why would I start now? And what do you mean I broke him?

- Like if you can't tell.

Pad of Definitions

This segment here will be like th one in supernatural, if you saw the first seasons, here I'll detail and explain some terms.

Ok, this is the begining of the second story arc/vol of... vol 2... if you know how TPBs work, then you know what I mean.

As said in the first half of this chapter this is the beginig of a new era, now this whole Tony Stark-like show he is putting, it sure is waaaay out of character fo him, but just 2 isssues ago he went through a very traumatic experience: losing control of his powers, of his entire self, seeing half his city blown unable to stop it, getting his ass haded to him because he got cocky and nearly killed... those kind of thing change people, but Danny wouldn't let that keep him down, he won't sit down and cry because of that. No, instead he would fight harder than before, he would learn from his mistake and make up for them, and thats what he is going to do... with M's help, whoever he is.
Now the real fun begins in the second part "Partying with Wolves", so you can jump there if you want and skip the introduction

Terms

What a Dyson Sphere is? If you read the first part you'll see I mae refrence to it. Well if you don your homework or read enough comics as I do, you'd know that a Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure that is meant to suround a star or a sun in order captures most or all of its energy. It was first described by Freeman Dyson who speculated that such structures would be the logical consequence of the long-term survival and escalating energy needs of a technological civilization, and proposed that searching for evidence of the existence of such structures might lead to the detection of advanced intelligent extraterrestrial life.
You can learn more abut it here
104919/w…

PPS: It stands for Phantom Prime Satelite -that's right, Pirme as in Optimus Prime- is said to function as such, but I won't lie to you, it has other functions as well, but to know them... we'll have to wait and see...

TDA: It stand for Titanium-Daimond Alloy. Did you read the previous issues where Danny got his new suit? No? Do it, you'll like it, and you'll see that -other than looking like a rip off from Tron, his new ghost suit is made of organic tecnology that regenerates itself and grows and is made on and unknown alloy of titanium-daimond and other organic metal made in the New Millenium's labs. The full description is given in issue 6 or was it 7? don't remember. Anyway, Titanium-daimond alloy is actually simplified term for the material.

G.A.S.P.E.R.: As I said before, it is the suit's operative system, like J.A.R.V.I.S. or P.E.P.P.E.R., only but it is part ghost and part A.I., and it loves to mess with Danny.

Organic Tecnology: It's kind of all in the name, is technology but it's also organic and it lives, breathes, grows and regenerates from any damage just as a living creature. Anything made with it is as organic as metallic... like a Transformer, but with Wolverine's healing factor

Hellhounds: A Hellhound is a ghost dog like Cujo, but kinda like... from Hell... it's all there in the name, now I could get more into detail, uh, but I'm not going to. I'll leave it for the next issue. They're based on the hellhounds from the myths, which are quite some all aroun the world.

Phantom Pains: that is... just read this buddy wiki/Phantom_