Chapter 7: The Team Up

December 15, 2010, 15:27 CST

Everyone watched as Danny moved around the room, silently going over weapons and gadgets that he planned to take with him. A small dufflebag sat by his feet as he looked over the Ghost Gauntlets, inspecting them, before adding them to the bag. A few of the easier to work weapons had already been added to the bag, including a few wrist rays, Specter Deflectors, hand guns, the Boa Staff that was infused with ecto-energy, and a few new inventions that they had recently completed: Ecto-mini bombs and an ecto-powered crossbow with arrows to go with it.

The bombs had been an idea that Tucker had come up with while playing DOOMED. The bombs were small, pellet sized devices that had the signature white metal and green glow that all the Fenton's inventions did. Though each had a different purpose ranging from concussive, explosive, flash, gas and green smoke screens, they were each designed the same so as to go unnoticed by opponents. The crossbow, however, had been Danny's idea. Though he loved all his parent's inventions, the constant worry of power drainage plagued him after his stay in the Ghost Zone. Sure, a fully charged weapon would last a while, but Danny never wanted to be unprepared for a situation where he couldn't recharge them. So, with a little convincing, he helped his parents design a crossbow that could not only function with ordinary arrows, but with a built in ecto-converter, could be power to fire ecto-energy and ecto-energy laced arrows.

But these were the least of Danny's worries as he prepared to head to his room to pack some extra supplies. "Better get a first aid kit," he mumbled to himself, floating by everyone without even acknowledging them. Jazz looked at his two friends and her parents, no one really sure of what to make of this, but decided that she needed to say something.

"Danny," she started, cautious of his temper. If there was one thing she knew, it was that her baby brother had a bad temper when he was upset. "Are you-"

"Do not ask me if I'm ok, Jazz," Danny growled out as he continued to face forward, though he had stopped in his tracks.

"I wasn't going to. I can see, very clearly, that you're not," she said a little nervously. "I was going to ask if you were sure about this. I mean, how do we know we can really trust these guys?"

Danny sighed before turning to face the curious eyes of his loved ones who were beyond concerned right now. "I don't have a choice, Jazz. I need to find Danielle, and these guys may be my only chance. And I'm going to need help bring him down, and without Danielle, that's going to be a lot more difficult."

"But giving them ecto-weaponry?" Maddie said. "How do we know that they won't turn on you and Danielle as soon as you rescue them? I mean, if they think you're a villain, what's stopping them from capturing you the moment your guard is down?"

"Then I guess I'll just have to keep my guard up," he said, but knew that they didn't like that answer. "Look, I know that it doesn't sound like a good idea, but I don't have a choice. I promise, I'll be alright and I'll bring Danielle back." With that said, Danny turned intangible, and flew through the ceiling, heading for his room. Everyone could only look at each other with the same feeling of unease that they had felt since they had gotten back.

The second that the Fenton's, Sam and Tucker got back to Fenton Works, they instantly headed straight toward the lab to gather whatever it was that they would need to start their search for Danielle. Maddie could feel the panic coursing through her body as she thought about the possible dangers her youngest child could be in. Though she had only been there for little under a month, the girl had grown on everyone in the home, and none of them would rest till she was safe again.

The entire ride home had been silent between the four of them as they all tried to understand what had happened and what Danny had said to those others before he vanished from site. As soon as he was gone, Maddie and Jack grabbed Sam and Tucker and headed for the GAV. For once, neither teen seemed to mind the erratic driving of the Fenton patriarch as he zipped and sped around every corner. As soon as they got home, they all ran through the door, startling Jazz who had been on the couch reading.

"What's going?" Jazz said to Sam and Tucker while her parents rushed toward the lab. "Where are Danny and Danielle? Weren't they with you guys when you left?"

"Gone. Both of them!" Tucker exclaimed as he threw his arms in the air. Jazz's face went from confused to concern as she turned to Sam for an explanation.

"A giant ghost named Krampus showed up and started stomping around, claiming to be the Spirit of Christmas and that he was there to punish an evil child," Sam said. "Danny and Danielle went to go fight him, but some other kids interfered and got in the way. They tried to fight him off, but as soon as he caught them in these weird glowing chains, he took Danielle. This really fast kid tried to get to her, but he got capture too right before Krampus disappeared. As soon as they were free, those other kids attacked Danny and started blaming him for their friend being taken away, and Danny just snapped."

"Snapped? What do you mean snapped?" Jazz asked cautiously.

"She means that Danny was about to pound those guys into the ground," Tucker said. "He was glowing extra bright and everything."

"We couldn't hear what they were saying, but we saw them shaking hands before Danny looked at us and vanished. We figured he'd be here by now," Sam said. Just as she finished talking, the boy in question phased into the room, passing right through the front door. "Danny! Oh thank god. I thought something had happened to you. Where have you been?"

"Here." Danny said, grabbing the remote and turning the TV on. Everyone watched as a special news report displayed across the screen with what looked to be a press release held by none other than the town mayor himself, Vlad Masters. None of them even knew what he was about to say, but seeing the man brought back emotions of disgust and distain for the man, and by the look on Danny's face, pure hatred.

"We now go to Mayor Masters who has called this press conference to discuss the recent reappearance of Danny Phantom and the mysterious girl at the mall." The reporter said as the camera panned to Vlad as he stood at his podium, a cocky smile on his face as he begun to speak.

"Citizens of Amity Park," Vlad said, gaining everyone's undivided attention. "I know that you are all very concerned about the sudden reappearance of the hooligan ghosts, Danny Phantom. Some of you may even be excited, and happy. But, as the Mayor of this town, I must tell you that Danny Phantom has proven himself to be a danger to us all. The crowd gasped before questions began to fly, but Vlad only held up his hand, silencing them all. For the last two months, Danny Phantom has been nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but the level of Ghostly Activity has been none existent. Then, upon his sudden reappearance today at Amity Mall, not only does he bring some miscreant girl along with him, but a devil, so monstrous, he nearly destroyed everything and everyone. The Ghost boy may claim to be good, but if that were true, then why would a spirit who claims that he only goes after those of evil intent, come searching for a Phantom? And then there is the fact that there is more than one Phantom, a fact that the so called hero, has hidden from everyone. If he were truly good, then why not bring her out before, instead, waiting until-

Sam had heard enough as she turned the TV off, fist shaking at her sides. "That snake."

"Trust me, it only gets worse. I barely kept myself hidden. I don't know what he's planning, but I know he's responsible for sending that guy going after Danielle," Danny said, turning and heading for the basement. "But I'll have to deal with him later. Right now, I gotta get some stuff ready."

"Ready for what?" Tucker asked. "And what did those other guys say to you?"

"I'm meeting up with them later. We've agreed to work together to get Danielle and their friend back."

"Wait, what!? You're going to trust them!? Danny, that's insane," Sam said, following him downstairs toward the lab. Danny remained silent, obviously not going to respond to her cries of outburst.

"Mom, Dad. I'm taking some weapons with me to get Danielle back," Danny stated, walking over to the open vault.

"Good. We can come up with a plan, and-"

"I'm doing this alone," he said, shocking both parents.

"What!? Danny-"

"I said, I'm doing this alone," he said, eyes flashing green. Maddie jumped back, startled by her son's sudden cold demeanor. Twenty minutes later, Maddie could still feel her hands shaking from the cold stare in her son's eyes.

Everyone moved up the stairs, and waited in the kitchen, though they didn't have to wait for long before Danny came phasing through the ceiling, bag in hand. Everyone looked at him, waiting for whatever it was that he was going to say, though they all had to admit that they felt utterly helpless. Danny looked at all their concerned faces before sighing.

"Ok, look. I know you guys are worried and want to help, but this is something I've gotta do on my own. These guys, these heroes…they don't trust me. And honestly, I don't really trust them either, hero or not. There's a very good possibility that they might try and catch me as soon as this is all over. But no matter what happens, I'm going to save Danielle. Even if they catch me, I promise you, she's going to make it back here."

"But Danny, that doesn't explain why you won't let us help you in some way," Sam said, crossing her arms.

"I can't run the risk of them finding out that I'm associated with any of you guys. If they knew any of you were helping me, it's only a small step from everyone getting arrested for aiding a supposed criminal," Danny said with a grimace on his face. "I'm sorry, but I'm not taking any chances. Not with Robin the Boy Wonder there. I need to make it seem like I'm not associated with anyone in town."

Sam moved to stand before her boyfriend. His gaze remained hard and determined, and, though it was rare, she knew that there wasn't going to be any way to convince his overly stubborn mind that they could help in some way. So, with a quick hug and a kiss, Sam smiled at him and gave him a quick shove.

"Alright. Go get'em, hero. We'll stay here. Hold down the fort. You just go, save your sister. And you better be back before Christmas," she chastised. "I don't care how much you hate it, you better be here safe and sound when I come over to visit, you hear me?"

Danny smiled, hugging her and smiling at his family, confidence on his face. Gripping the bag in his right hand, Danny gave them all a quick wave.

"I promise, I'll be back here, with Danielle. By Christmas. You guys just be careful."

With that said, Danny turn intangible once more and phased through the wall, into the air and across the town.

December 15, 2010, 20:08 CST

Danny dropped his invisibility, dufflebag in hand as he stood in the middle of the empty park, waiting for any sign that anyone was here other then himself. Danny's patience was hair thin by this point, and he was beyond ready to go. However, Robin had asked that they be given some time to prepare and adjust the specs of their mission, and asked that they meet at this time. Though, as Danny looked at his watch, he realized that they were running almost ten minutes late.

"Seriously, I give them the common courteously of waiting till the time he asked, and they're running late. These guys are really unappreciative," Danny mumbled to himself.

"Well, maybe we're just not in such a hurry to work with you." Danny turned to see Superboy walking up to him, Robin, Zatanna and Artemis flanking him. Danny was surprised to see that all the color had been drained from their costumes, leaving them in dark gear that he assumed was to help them hide. Danny also noticed that the green girl wasn't present, but figured she probably wasn't too far behind.

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual," Danny sneered at the Kryptonian. "I'm not exactly looking forward to having you glaring at me the entire time. Let's just get this going so we can save them and get this over with."

Robin nodded his head, though he narrowed his eyes at the bag in Danny's hand, instantly wondering what or why a ghost would need a bag. He couldn't possibly have clothes or food in there. Ghost didn't need to eat. Or at least that was the general assumption made by experts. So that only left the prospect of some type of gear, but it still left to question what exactly it was, and if it could endanger his team.

"Phantom," Robin said, getting Danny's attention. "What's in the bag?" Danny smirked, and opened his mouth to respond, but was instantly cut off by Superboy, who practically growled out the answer.

"Weapons. And a lot of them," he said, gripping his hands as he eyed Danny like a tiger ready to pounce on his prey.

"Weapons? Why would a ghost need weapons?" Zatanna asked, her eyes now trained on the bag as well.

"Like I said before, you guys don't have the equipment needed to fight this guy. I also said that I knew where to get some. So," he said, holding up the bag. "Here it is."

"Where would a ghost get weapons to fight other ghosts?" Artemis asked in suspension.

"From the local ghost hunters," Robin stated, eyes narrowing. "You stole equipment from the Fenton's, and now-"

"You expect us to use those or trust you!?" Superboy yelled. "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

"Easy, Superboy," Robin said, stepping in front of his friend. "We need him, and right now, as much as none of us may like it, he's our only chance of stopping Krampus."

Superboy backed down, but continued to glare at Danny, which only irritated the boy more, though he didn't say anything. Just as the half-breed brought the bag back to his side, the wind began to pick up, almost as if a helicopter had shown up. Danny's senses went into overdrive as his gaze turned to the sky, his mind running with every scenario imaginable, including the one where they had turned him over to the Guy in White and set him up. His eyes quickly landed on the red ship that appeared out of the nowhere, disabling it's cloaking as it neared the ground.

"What. The hell. Is that?" Danny asked as it turned around, the back opening up to reveal a hatch.

"It's our ride. So get moving before we make you," Artemis threatened. Danny rolled his eyes at her abrasiveness, and, gripping his bag tightly to try and steady his nerves, jumped into the air, floating up to the open hatch. Looking down the short entryway, he was soon presented with doors on the sides of the hallway and a large archway at the very end that led to a cockpit. Danny was amazed, having never seen anything like this before in his life. Though his astonishment was short lived as he felt his shoulders being bumped roughly, his left my Superboy and his right by Artemis. Everyone walked down the short hall as the door behind them closed. Danny narrowed his eyes at the two, but made no comment as he entered the room where Miss Martian sat, hands on two glowing orbs that Danny assumed were the controls. As he walked in, the door closed again, this time molding into the wall, making it look as if it were never there to begin with. Danny tried to swallow his nervousness, not liking the fact that he was stuck in a room with a bunch of people who didn't particularly like him at the moment with no exit.

"Welcome, Phantom, to the Bio-Ship," Miss Martian said, a small smile on her face. "I know this is probably kind of weird, but we'll explain on the way. Now, if you'll take your seat, we'll take off and get going."

"Um, right," Danny said, watching as a seat formed from the floor on the right side on the cockpit. Danny walked over to his seat, and sat, surprised at how comfortable the cushions felt. Danny yelped in surprise as two straps crisscrossed over his body. Once settled in, Danny felt the ship began to rise up into the air, reminding him of the many times he'd imagined what a real space shuttle would feel like. As he contained his excitement, he turned to look at the others. "So, where exactly are we going?"

"The trail the originally lead us to him has gone cold," Robin said, typing away on his holoscreen. "I've been trying to find any information that I can on him. There seems to be many accusations of possible sightings in Salzburg, Austria. For years, the people have thrown a festival to try and appease him and try to help prevent him from coming and kidnapping them. If there's any place to start looking, this is it."

"Makes sense to me. I just hope we can find something useful that'll lead us to him," Danny said, turning back around and staring out the window. The air in the cabin of the ship became heavy with awkwardness as none of the others knew what to say to Danny, or, in Superboy and Artemis's cases, not wanting to say anything to him. After almost a half an hour, M'gaan decided that she couldn't take it anymore, and decided she would try to ease it away.

"So, Phantom," she began, a slight turning of his head her only notification that he was listening. "How long have you live in Amity Park?"

"Sixteen years," was his simple reply.

"Interesting. Do you have any friends there?"

"No. I'm dead, remember? No one wants to be friends with someone who's dead."

"Oh…right," she said, feeling a little embarrassed at her question now. "Do you have family that still lives there?"

"Nope. Just me and my sister."

"So why do you fight ghosts? Is it a territorial thing?" Zatanna asked, trying to be helpful.

"Nope. Most of the time they're coming after me for one reason or another. Sometimes it's because I beat them before, sometimes it's because they want my head, and sometimes it's just to make themselves feel better."

"So then they're evil?"

"Some are. Some aren't. Some want world domination, some just like to cause trouble. Some ghosts just want to left alone and live their afterlife in peace."

"And where do you fall into all off this? I've read that all ghosts have an obsession, so what's yours?" Robin asked, causing Danny to sigh.

"I don't have one. At least not a specific one, anyway." Danny said. Conner, who had been listening to the entire exchange in silence, finally hit his peak as he slammed his fist on the console in front of him, startling everyone except Danny who had been staring at him before hand.

"Look, all this sugar coating crap is starting to get on my nerves," he said, eyes still on Phantom. "So I'm just gonna come out and say it because frankly, I'm not too keen on working with someone who's an obvious criminal. So what's the deal, Phantom? You claim to be a hero, yet here you sit, with a bag full of stolen weapons. Mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?"

Danny's eyes narrowed at the boy who's temper could probably match his own as he contemplated if he could take the Kryptonian on in a fist fight.

"I may have taken some things from the local hunters, but it was for a good purpose because if I didn't, there's no way in hell that we would be able to save the others."

"Then what's the deal with the ghosts? The Mayor said that the ghosts stopped coming as soon as you disappeared. How do we know that you're not connected to all the attacks?"

"That psychotic fruitloop will say any goddamn thing to make himself look good!" Danny shouted, fists clenched. "He's always planning something! Everything is just a game to him, and he doesn't care who he has to hurt or use to get what he wants! But I guess that's what you'd expect from a politician." Though Danny hated Vlad, exposing his secret would only lead to bigger consequences on his side, and right now, that wasn't something he could afford to deal with. But as soon as this was over, he and Vlad were going to have a little chat.

"You expect us to believe that he really has that much of a vendetta against you, simply to make himself look good?" Artemis asked in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Like I give a shit about the opinion of some Green Arrow and Speedy wannabe," Danny said with sneer.

"What did you say!? You wanna go, spooky?" Artemis shouted back, grabbing her bow. "I swear, I'll put an arrow through your skull so fast-"

"Oh yeah, that's gonna do you some real good. Especially when I can turn intangible," Danny replied sarcastically. He knew egging them on in this confined space was a bad idea, but at this point, he was too angry and too far gone to stop now. Looking to Superboy, he decided that he might as well get everything out in the open. "And since we're talking about imposters, why not talk about tall, dark and frownie over there. I mean, seriously, Superboy? Nobody's even ever heard of you! Everyone knows Superman. I bet no one would even acknowledge you!"

"You're gonna regret that!" Superboy shouted, getting to his feet.

"Conner, stop!" Zatanna said, glaring at Danny as well. "He's just trying to get under your skin and make you mad."

"She's right. And considering I'm a ghost, I could easily just overshadow you," Danny said. "Who are you guys anyway? I mean, no offense to the two of you," he stated, looking at M'gaan and Zatanna before looking at Conner and Artemis again, "though I hope I did offend you, but I've never heard of any of you other then Robin and Kid Flash. And even the boy wonder is considered a vigilante, which in the eyes of the police and the government, still makes him a criminal."

"Robin is nothing like you!" Zatanna said, shocking everyone at her outburst. "Robin helps people and does what's right!"

"Oh? You mean like hacking, breaking and entering, things of that nature?" Danny said, looking to the boy in question who hadn't said a word or even made a move. He only continued to look at Danny, though unlike his friends, it wasn't a look of hatred or annoyance, but one of contemplation. A look of understanding. For Robin knew that not only was everything Danny said true, but he understood the struggle the boy must have been going through trying to prove that he was indeed trying to protect them. The only difference between him and Phantom was that Robin had a mentor in Batman while Phantom had to be a mentor to his younger sister.

"Yes, he's done those things, but all for a good purpose! He isn't-"

"He isn't dead," Danny interrupted, shocking everyone as they looked at him while his face became blank. "That's what you're trying to say, isn't it? Because that's the only difference between me and all of you. The reason that everyone thinks I'm evil, the reason I'm hunted every day, is because I'm a ghost. An undead, evil spirit with unfinished business that's stuck on this plane, doomed to plague the earth for all eternity. That's what it is, that's what it always has been. And people are so damned prejudice against ghosts that they don't bother to understand that ghosts are like people because they once were people. There are good ghosts, evil ghosts, and ghosts that just want to be left in peace, but because they are a ghost, they are hunted and assumed to be evil. So yes, if we're going to use that assumption as a basis for anything, then I guess I really am evil."

The room grew quiet once again as everyone looked at him. M'gaan didn't say anything, but the guilty look on her face told Danny that she, once again, understood what he trying to say to them. Danny didn't know what it was, but he was grateful that she did because out of everyone, she and Robin seemed to be the only one who treated him like more than just a criminal. Danny wasn't surprised when the looks of the others hadn't changed much, though he hadn't expected it to, if at all, though they did seem to have calmed down a bit. Danny took this as his chance to put an end to their conversation, and turned back to look out the window.

M'gaan was starting to believe that getting him to open up and work with them was a lost venture with the way the others were acting and the hostility that he had been showing toward them, when Artemis asked another question of her own.

"So how'd you die?" she asked, bluntly, arms crossed over her chest. Danny stiffened, turning to face her with annoyance and a frown on his face. Artemis narrowed her own eyes at him, daring the boy to even try anything.

"You know, it's rude and disrespectful of the dead to ask a ghost how they died so bluntly like that."

"Yeah? Well I don't care. So, I'll ask you again; how did you die?" Danny remained quiet, staring at her, though he did notice that everyone else was just as curious, though M'gaan looked mortified at her friend's actions.

"Fine. You wanna know how we died?" Danny asked, his voice growing dark. "My little sister and I were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We found a device, a gateway, that looked like it hadn't worked in years. Danielle decided to investigate it. I tried to stop her, but she didn't listen. When she was in there, she tripped on a wire, and hit a button on the inside. The machine began to make noise like an engine starting up. Without thinking twice, I rushed in there, and tried to pull her out of it, but I didn't make it out. We got electrocuted. Have you ever felt, thousands of volts of electricity, coursing through every fiber of your body? Do you know what it sounds like to have to listen to someone you can about, dying, in your arms!? It's something that will haunt you forever. That was two years ago, and to this day, I can still feel the burning of my skin as it was charred and singed." Everyone remained quiet as they looked upon Danny, his eyes glowing a vibrant green color as his pain was laid out for everyone to see. They were all surprised to hear Danny speak again. "It's because of that that I've vowed to protect Danielle as much as possible. I know that I can't keep her from every danger there is out there, but I'll be damned if I sit around and not do something about it. Even if I die again, I won't let her go through something that tragic again, and I don't give a damn what anyone else says or thinks about me."

This surprised the others, and, to M'gaan, made his case even more concrete. Ghosts were supposed to have no emotion, and yet, here sat a ghost-no, a boy, that held more emotion and determination then she had seen on many others his age (though she didn't have much to compare him to). With a smile, she turned to face the front, and continued to pilot the ship.

The other's may not trust him, but I think Phantom has proved that he at least has enough humanity left in him to be a hero. Whether or not people want him to be. And he may not see it, but I can tell, that protecting people, especially his sister, is his obsession. I just hope that the others can see the same thing I can, sooner rather than later.

To Be Continued…