Thanks to SnowMiko for giving me an idea for a new chapter and an opportunity to fix a past mistake.
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.
Well, things have gone just as Ms. Hill expected, that being horribly. By now the order for SHIELD's immediate withdrawal from Amity Park has reached the ears of just about every single active agent, and even a few citizens on the ground. Soon there would be no one in all of Amity Park who didn't know.
It didn't help that Fury was too busy sulking in his office to do anything. She should kick down the door and drag him out, forcing him to take some action, but she couldn't. There was no way she would ever do that to a superior, her superior. He just needed time to come to terms with this. There was still the question of why this as effecting him so much though.
Maria swiveled around in her chair at her desk until she stopped facing the hallway to the helicarrier's internal prison. Well, there was definitely one reason Fury was so sad, and it had to do with that Phantom ghost. What was SHIELD even supposed to do with him? Deposit him in the Vault with the rest of the supervillains? He wasn't your average supervillain, so he was going to need his own cell. Fury knew what to do; now if only he would trust her enough to tell her.
Ugh, I need a break, she thought as she glanced back at the clock on her computer. Oh, it looked like it was her break actually.
The lieutenant got out of her chair and picked a random hall on the carrier to walk. Normally she would go and get some coffee or another pick me up at this time, but she wasn't in the mood; at least, not anymore. The carrier had an odd calmness to it as she walked the halls, almost like she was the only one there. These halls should have been in absolute disarray with the amount of people rushing through them, especially because every one had to get the carrier loaded up for SHIELD's withdrawal, yet barely a person walked by. Granted, she was walking on the hallway to the prison, and it was already fully stocked with ghosts. Fury had no desire to release and of the captured ghosts, and there was no more room to store more, so the prison was stuck in a limbo of sorts where nothing could be changed. Good thing they were going to the Vault then.
Still, it was weird to think that all of SHIELD's problems revolved around one white haired ghost teenager wreaking havoc. She just couldn't buy that. Fury seemed to believe that though, and his gut was almost always correct. There was a reason he was the director of SHIELD after all. So why didn't she believe him? One thing was for sure, SHIELD's job in Amity Park didn't feel finished yet.
If she had to admit to one thing, it was that Phantom held the answers to all her questions regarding the ghost crisis. He was a wealth of information that not even Director Fury could pass up. Sadly the director wasn't able to break the ghost and get said information. He, or it, was one of the few beings that Fury wasn't able to break. That was an accomplishment in his own right.
As Maria continued to ponder this, she didn't seem to realize she was heading straight for a wall.
"Um, Ms. Lieutenant!" one of the agents called out to her when they noticed her blunder. "You might want to stop!"
Looking at the wall right in front of her, Maria quickly saw what almost happened and tried to hide the slight bit of heat rushing to her face. "Thank you, soldier." the lieutenant turned around from her spot and noticed that she actually recognized the agent standing before her. Yes, he was one of the guards for the primary prison block. The same one that Phantom was on actually. "Wait a second. You are one of the guards for that Phantom ghost, right? You've actually met him?"
The guard seemed a little taken aback by her question. "Yeah, I usually have the night shift with a few other soldiers, why?"
A sigh came from Maria. "Well, I just wanted to know what he's like. Does he do anything abnormal to warrant Fury's attention?"
"He's the only ghost that actually doesn't try to break out of his cell for one. This is especially odd since he probably has the best shot. Granted it's still not much. All the other ghosts have tried at least once. Heck, one of the weaker ones even died from the shock due to the ectoranium embedded in the walls. Poor sucker didn't even know what hit him."
"So Phantom's non-violent?" she reiterated.
"Well he hasn't shown any signs. Still nothing to warrant Fury's attention though."
Why was Phantom such an enigma? Did he even know how confusing he could be at times? "You remember that one favor I did for you? The time I caught you trying to skip on your lunch duty so you could hitch a ride on a transport back to Amity Park?"
The man gulped before nodding. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.
"Well I need a small favor from you now. You have the key to Phantom's cell, right?"
This was probably the most stressed Maria had ever been. It was easy to see why too. Yes, this wasn't her first time interrogating a prisoner. She interrogated a few before as a "learning experience"; At least that's how the director put it. The only thing she truly learned was that she never wanted to do that again. Still, this was the first time she interrogated a dangerous prisoner, behind Fury's back no less.. Phantom was supposed to be properly detained and would be transported to his prison or executed anyway, so she wasn't really doing anything too bad...hopefully.
Second thoughts began to invade the lieutenants mind as she looked back at the door behind her. Phantom was still outside of the room. That meant she still had time to call this whole thing off, so why didn't she just do it?
Maria got out of her seat but froze in her spot when she heard rattling from just outside the door opposite her belonging to the prison. It's too late. The die had been cast and now she could only hope for the best, hope that Phantom was going to be more generous with her than he was with Fury.
One click and the door opened revealing a ragged looking Phantom being herded by the guard paying back her favor.
"Sorry," the guard began, "but I wasn't able to secure a proper escort for him since this is off the books. He should still be powerless though so no worries."
"It's okay. I expected as much." she responded.
The guard gave a nod of his head in acknowledgement before going out the door he cane in and waiting outside. The lieutenant was about to tell Phantom to take a seat so they could begin the interrogation, but he was already moving to take a seat, though never looking at her.
In fact, he didn't appear to me looking at anything. He just stared straight ahead with the most dead expression she'd ever seen in anyone. She knew this wasn't just a thing ghosts do because she saw him a lot more jubilant and happy in the scarce photos SHIELD had of him. Apparently even a ghost could lose itself in prison. Still, if she looked closer she could've sworn there was still a small ember of life in him. Only problem was that this life was full of sadness, dark, bleak sadness.
It was obvious that in order to get different results than Fury, she would have to take a different approach in her interrogation. So what would the director not do in a situation like this? Well she had one idea.
"How's your wound?" the lieutenant asked, gesturing towards the ghost's wrapped up shoulder. "Does it still hurt?"
As expected Phantom didn't give much of a response. His eyes did betray a quick hint of some emotion, maybe surprise? Either way, it only showed up for a second at most.
"Look, I know that our director may not be the nicest of people, but he does still have your interests at heart. He wants to reach a peaceful solution to this whole conflict. I'm sure you don't want to watch your people die, do you?"
The ghost's mouth opened to make a retort, but he quickly stopped himself.
"Are you going to say something?" Mariah pressed.
Phantom averted his eyes away from the lieutenant. "The dead can't die again."
Well she couldn't dispute fact now could she. Maybe she picked the wrong angle to use.
"Phantom, you used to be the hero of Amity Park. The one ghost they could count on to save them from peril. Why would you turn your back on them?"
"Your boss already asked this. All ghosts are evil."
This ghost didn't believe in his own words, this was further proven when he once again averted his eyes.
"Do you truly believe that all of your kind are evil, Phantom?"
"Do you believe I am evil?" he retorted. "When did ghosts become their own race anyway? Last I checked they were just dead humans. When did they all suddenly become malevolent monsters?"
Could this be the reason all the ghosts wanted to attack humans? So they would stop being inferior? It sure seemed that way with Phantom.
"I heard all ghosts have an obsession, something that their minds force them to think about 24/7 and to what their actions always relate. What is yours?"
"Your information's wrong," was the ghost's only answer.
This ghost could be really aggravating, couldn't he? It was like he was trying to remain an enigma and make her confuse her own beliefs. In other words, he really knew his way around an interrogation.
Deciding that she was getting nowhere, Ms. Hill got out of her seat and walked up to the door.
"W-Wait!" Phantom shouted out after her.
She gave a pause at the door and waited for Phantom to speak up.
"Ghosts. I'm not the only one aboard this ship, right? How many others are there?"
Turning around on the spot, the lieutenant couldn't help but stare at Phantom for a couple seconds until an idea formed in her head.
"How about this. I answer one of your questions and you answer one of mine. Deal?"
The ghost gave it a few moment's thought before nodding his head.
"To answer your question, you are not the only ghost aboard this ship now. We have captured many of the bigger name ghosts and will be transporting You all to some special kind of anti-ghost prison cells. As for specifics on who they are and how many I'm not allowed to say for security reasons, but I can say we have less than 20 total." Maria gave the ghost some time to let that sink in before she asked her own question. "Normally, I'd ask you about your association with this leader of the ghosts, but I know that even if you gave me an answer, it probably wouldn't help in the grand scheme of things and I wouldn't be able to ask you anymore questions. That's why I'm going to ask you one simple question. Why is the director so obsessed with you?"
The table became the new center of Phantom's attention as he sat in silence, coming up with a proper response. "I don't actually know. A couple weeks ago I would probably have thought that was funny too. I don't know the reason I'm actually being hunted. I guess it could be because he knows I'm powerful, which makes me dangerous. A loose weapon is never a good thing, especially when its a ghost."
The lieutenant called for the guard soon after that and took a stroll back to her office, allowing herself some time to process the information. She didn't want to admit it, but she thought the ghost might actually have a point. From the beginning of their conversation it was pretty obvious that he was trying to point out the stereotypes most humans used when referring to ghosts. If Phantom was a human, he would probably just be a dangerous vigilante, not some villain who needed to be locked up. He wasn't though; instead he was a ghost. How much of a difference did that really play in Fury's eyes?
Phantom did do some bad stuff though, not the least being kidnapping the mayor. He also did a lot of great things too. While they didn't necessarily cancel each other out, it did mean that it wasn't clear yet if he should have been attacked by SHIELD. Fury might have thought that Phantom being a ghost changed everything.
Sadly, this was all speculation, and the lieutenant would never know the truth unless she asked Fury herself. Looking at how he was acting earlier, she'd give it a couple days...no, weeks.
How long has it been since Danny was thrown into this cell? Has it been a few days? Maybe a week? Heck, it could've been just a day. The only thing Danny could use to keep a reference of time was when the guards came to take him for experiments. They always came too. It seemed to be at certain intervals, but Danny couldn't be for sure.
If anything good came out of his imprisonment, it had to be his new found knowledge of how his old self really had it. Sure he had to fight ghosts and it was dangerous, but at least he had his friends and family to back him up. His parents even treated his injured arm when he was shot.
Danny rotated his right arm until it was level with his shoulder. He knew that if he went any further, a wave of pain would shoot up his arm and he'd be forced to stop.
A sigh came from Danny's mouth as he fell onto the lone bed in his cell and stared up at the green ceiling.
How were his friends and parents doing anyway? His parents were arrested by SHIELD agents when they resisted Danny's capture but were they ever released? Knowing Fury, they were still locked in prison, worrying about his safety. All this because of his actions too. Did Sam realize what happened to him yet? Probably not because she would be tearing the helicarrier apart to get Danny back and would have made Tucker hack SHIELD's systems with his PDA. That meant Tucker didn't know either.
His main question though was Jazz. It's been so long since he saw her and he became so caught up with Fury and SHIELD that he forgot that she was supposed to be on the helicarrier. That meant she was safe, right? He didn't have to worry about her getting injured?
Danny's thought process slowed down and his eyelids became heavier and heavier until he was all but struggling to stay conscious. Had he really gotten that tired? How long had he even been thinking? He was never able to answer his question as he was already in a deep slumber.
A couple hours later, or what he thought was a couple hours, it didn't seem to be that long, he finally woke up and in a fog noticed a tuft of orange hair kneeling against the bars of his cell.
"Jazz?" he called out while still rubbing the haze from out of his eyes of his eyes, "is that you?"
The girl stirred before looking behind her. "Oh, you're finally awake, Danny."
"What are you doing here, Jazz? It's dangerous for you to talk to me alone."
A small smile came to Jazz's face as she looked over Danny's ragged body. "I needed to see you once I heard that the infamous Phantom was captured." Jazz paused as she noticed Danny's glossy eyes. "How are you holding up?"
"Have you heard what happened to mom and dad?" He said, deflecting her question.
Jazz gave a confused look before giving her response. "Uh, yeah, they were captured, weren't they?"
"Yeah."
A long, awkward silence fell upon the pair as neither knew exactly what to say.
"Danny, you know it's not your fault, right? You shouldn't blame yourself for something you couldn't control."
The guilt emanating from Danny didn't seem to dissipate, but Jazz didn't press the issue any further. Her brother could be too stubborn sometimes when it came to reason, especially if it dealt with his friends and family. She'd probably just make him feel worse.
Danny looked back at his sister and she could tell that there was still something that was causing him great pain. Actually, it almost looked like the hero of Amity Park was on the verge of tears.
"W-What's going to happen to me, Jazz? Are they going to kill me, or will I rot in some prison forever?"
"Danny," she began but quickly stopped when she realized she didn't know what to say. After all, she was only some intern there to get more experience in psychology. Why would any SHIELD agent give her an information on something like that? She could ask her mentor, but the woman never really cared for things concerning SHIELD so she wouldn't know.
If Jazz had to guess though, SHIELD would keep Danny alive, at least for the time being. There was no way they would execute such a controversial figure in Amity Park until they deemed it safe for all parties involved.
That was supposed to be good, right? That meant that there was still hope for Danny yet. Well Danny's only alternative was more experiments, though they didn't seem that bad judging by Danny's physique, and being locked inside the confines of a cell. The halfa might go crazy in there, but at least it was better than dying.
"Please promise me that you will do everything in your power to live through this. Danny, please just don't give up!" Jazz said, all but begging her brother to show her some sign of life within him at that point. She needed to know that Danny was still her brother inside.
Sadly her plead didn't seem to reach the halfa as he just flopped down on his bed once again and closed his eyes. "You know I can't go against fate. If I am to be executed, there's nothing I can do about it. In a sense, my life is no longer in my hands."
Jazz's hands reached through the bars of the cell in a vain attempt to grab a hold of her brother across the cell's room. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, Danny. I truly am. Maybe I would've been able to do something to help."
The form of Danny didn't making any move as he continued to lay still on the bed. Jazz knew he was trying to remain strong for her, but he was just so cold. He didn't realize it himself, but by locking away his emotions in front of Jazz so she couldn't see how scared he really was, which she was certain he was, he became an emotionless wreck. "I-I have to go. I'm supposed to be listening in on a session between my mentor and some ghost in the next block over. She let me leave for a little bit so I can gather my supplies since...I'm leaving on a transport tonight. All civilians have been ordered off the helicarrier so they can continue their preparations for departure unheeded."
Still Danny didn't move and now tears were coming to his sisters eyes. "Can't you say anything, Danny?! This is the last time I may ever see you...for a long time." Both her and Danny caught the pause before she finished her sentence. Even she didn't know if Danny was going to make it.
"Jazz, you know I love you and you'll always be my sister. Nothing I say can change this. So out of this love, can you please leave me alone?"
Getting the message loud and clear, Jazz got back on her feet and gave one last look toward her brother. "What do you want me to tell mom and dad?"
There was a short pause as neither sibling made a move until Danny finally gave an answer. "Tell them whatever you want. Just make sure they don't try and get me back. Same goes with Sam and Tucker. I don't want things to get any worse for you guys."
"Danny..." Jazz reluctantly nodded her head and wiped away the tears coming to her eyes. "I love you little brother. You will always be the best hero this town has ever had. Never forget that."
The girl quickly walked out of the prison block, never to hear her brother whisper his own goodbye.
A figure surrounded in a black cloak floated next to SHIELD's infamous helicarrier and watched as a transport lifted off it's hanger and flew down towards Amity Park. A ball of energy formed in its right hand as it moved its other hand to grasp the energy and spread it out until a portal was formed. "Sir," the figured said into it, "The humans have made there final move. It seems they are withdrawing."
If there was an outside spectator they might think the figure was talking to itself, but it knew better than that. It knew its master heard everything.
"Good," a voice from the portal gave in a reply." Just as I expected.
An here is the second to last chapter...again. Eh, there were some things I needed to fix with the plot and all that. Hope you all enjoyed!
This chapter was also done without any beta, so please report any mistakes if you find any!
Reviews:
Inviso-Al: Ah, nukes. Is there any problem they can't solve? You know, besides all of them. How will this story end this time? Hmph. how 'bout an ice age coming and wiping everyone out? That sounds like the perfect happy ending!
Matt: Heh, sorry about messing up that little fact. I really should have double checked that before messing it up. It's just been so long since I watched an ATLA episode.
Midnight Bloom: Very epic stuff indeed. When I first wrote Danny's answers I thought they were a little out of character for what he said in the scene before, but then it grew on me so I decided to keep them.
SnowMiko: And your wish has been granted. Funny how I was annoying a friend about how I left a plot hole open and couldn't really fix it without doing a small rewrite and then you showed up giving me the perfect opportunity to fix it. So thanks for that. By update soon do you mean take over a month to finally update and give no explanation as to why? Okay! Hopefully this long chapter kind of makes up for that.