GLE – Greetings, fellow DP fans! As I promised, I came back to this fic as soon as term ended (well, actually, term hasn't officially ended yet, but I lucked out and don't have any exams, so I'm done!), and here's the next installment! Just a little reminder, I began this fic before RT was out, and I've stuck to the original plot outline fairly well, so it's gonna have a few discrepancies from the new eps. Although, I do add in some minor details based on eps from RT onwards, but they don't affect the grand scheme of it all (basically, mimicking lines that were uttered in the later eps of the series… mostly from RT).
Things I learned while writing this chapter: Tetslaff is spelt with two f's, but even more shocking is that Starr is spelt with two r's… I got this straight from the credits themselves, watching the end of an episode I had taped and pausing it to read the cast credits. I'm not going to go back and change the way I've previously written their names, but I will henceforth spell them correctly. I also learned that Jazz's VA, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, was born exactly 14 years before I was. How cool is it that we share birthdays? -crickets chirping- Ok, never mind my enthusiasm…
Random trivia: (oh right, if you care about the news crew appearances and don't want to be spoiled about their appearances in the final episodes of DP, skip this paragraph). I scanned the episodes and discovered things about the news casters of the series. First of all, Shelly Makamoto (the short black-haired one who wears a red top), appears in PE as part of Channel 6 news, EFAE on Channel 13 and later in the ep, Channel 7, and in PP with no specific station. Harriet Chin only appears once on the news in MDG. Tiffany Snow reports for Channel 4 in CF, and again at Action News Channel 4 in RS, and also on an unspecified channel in TFBC. And my personal favourite, Lance Thunder makes his first appearance in RS with Tiffany Snow's station (Action News Channel 4) originally in the news room doing a ghost weather report. He is then booted "outside the safety of the studio" to do a live report on the scene. His next appearance is in TFBC, when Jack changes from the channel that Tiffany is reporting on to a different channel where some reporter named Bill introduces Lance. Lance is the only reporter shown in RT and he finally has a desk job. He still has a desk job in EFAE on Channel 8, but in TOT he's back on the field for Channel 4 (yelling "I quit!" when he gets blown away). His final appearance is in PP where he's at a desk for no specific channel working with Shelly, then in the field for Channel 7. In EFAE, there are three news helicopters one with "Action News" written on it, one with "News 4" written on it (gee, I thought they were one and the same?), and one with "11 News" on it (which might actually be the Roman numeral II, as Lance did say "air copter 2" was at the scene).
Other side notes: Vlad somehow crept his way into this chapter. He wasn't supposed to show up again until next chapter, but it actually works better this way… so he may not be showing up in the next chapter. Well, I suppose you probably don't want me to keep you any longer from getting to read this chapter, so go ahead… and as always, enjoy!
-(o)-
Do Superheroes Exist?
Redemption or Ricochet
The girls had left for school half an hour ago, and Damon was headed out the door himself. Since no major ghost attacks had occurred at Axion Labs in the past two months, he'd regained some respect and responsibility from his boss and was now on a shift rotation; his schedule involved a combination of day shifts and night shifts, not to mention two days off work each week (not necessarily on weekends). Today, he was on night shift, so he didn't leave for work until later in the evening. Normally he'd try to rest up for it, but this morning he had a meeting to attend.
He parked his car near the city's main green space and made his way towards the "wishing" fountain. He was early, as usual, and took a moment to enjoy the fresh air.
"Hello, Mr. Gray," greeted Operative K a few minutes later. He and Operative O approached the man from the other side of the fountain.
"Oh, hi!" said Damon, extending his hand. The formalities finished quickly and all three men headed towards a park bench and sat down. Damon looked at the government agents expectantly.
"We don't need to reiterate how important we consider your cooperation to be and how dangerous Daniel Fenton is while he's under the influence of his ghostly powers, but we do appreciate you meeting with us today," said O.
"And as promised, we've brought a couple of anti-ghost tools that will aid in your protection, as well as the safety of your daughter," announced K. Handing a small box to Damon, he continued, "Inside is a Fly-Tell device and a White-Ceiver."
"Who comes up with these names?" muttered O to himself.
K carried on. "To activate the Fly-Tell device, press the little button on the bottom and pin it to an article of clothing. It reacts to ectoplasmic energy, so if a ghost comes within a set radius of the device, it will alert us and we will be there to catch it. Plus, it also acts as a shield, should an ectoblast be fired at it. The White-Ceiver is similar except that it does not travel well. Flip the small switch on its side and place it on a magnetic surface, such as a refrigerator or a mail box, generally something around your home. It covers a larger area and will warn us about an imminent ghost attack long before it occurs."
Damon took each item out of the box and inspected them for himself. As he held the smaller piece he reflected on his situation. Here he was, sitting on a bench in Casper Park next to two government agents of the paranormal branch, essentially becoming one of their lookouts for the boy known as Danny Phantom. But it was more than that. Thinking back to when this whole ghost thing started, when his life had fallen apart, it was Danny's fault for breaking through his "impenetrable" security system. Damon's eyes widened with this realization. And since that time, his daughter had gotten herself involved with hunting ghosts (and ironically, the ghost half of the boy she liked). Damon hadn't ever gotten completely comfortable with his daughter's hunting exploits, and a large part of him hoped that she'd find something much safer with which to occupy her time.
Now, with Danny's secret revealed to the entire world, Damon couldn't bring himself to hate the boy. After everything was said and done, losing his job and having to face the challenge of regaining respect had allowed him to grow as a person, despite the fact that it did get trying at times. But more importantly, his daughter had blossomed into a caring, considerate, and hard-working young woman and he couldn't have been prouder.
It was for her that he was collaborating with the Guys in White. They'd be able to help Danny become normal again and then no one would have to worry anymore.
"Any questions?" asked Operative O, breaking through his thoughts. Damon shook his head. "Well, then I guess we'll be on our way. It was a pleasure to meet you."
The three men stood up ready to leave. But before anyone else said another word, two urgent beeping sounds went off from each of the operatives' wrists. They lifted their arms to read the message on their watch-utilities, serious expressions covering their faces.
"Let's move," instructed Operative K while setting a fast jogging pace, Operative O right behind him. Damon watched them disappear into the distance, before registering their sudden departure.
This was it. Danny had returned to Amity Park in the grey of dawn, but chose to grab a couple hours of uncomfortable sleep in a secluded area before entering the city. He wanted to be somewhat rested for the coming day. He was nervous as he flew invisibly towards the school, but he'd faced much worse than this and he knew that he'd get through it. Landing on the steps, he changed back into Fenton, and reached for the door. As his hand grasped the handle, he gasped a frozen puff of air and a shiver ran down his back.
Now?
Turning, he heard the howl echo off of the building, and the fast-approaching green blur drew the attention of his eyes. But he wasn't the only one looking out at the coming ghost; the students sitting next to the window on the front side of the school had all been adequately distracted, and some of them began to yell when they spotted the Ghost Boy. Danny transformed and took flight once more, and then the words that were being shouted by his fellow classmates finally reached his ears.
"Danny! Danny! Danny!"
They were chanting his name, they were cheering him on. For a moment, Danny was taken aback by the support and a small smile crept onto his face. But all too soon the ghost arrived, and any trace of happiness vanished. She appeared to be a mermaid, with a fish-tail for the lower half, sharp gills and pointed fins, and a human-like upper half, though with gills down the forearms, spikes on the shoulders, sharp teeth and nails, and pointed ears. Her hair looked like a tangle of seaweed but moved like flowing water, and her eyes were completely black.
"You picked a poor day to attack," said Danny to his foe. "I'm really not in the mood right now to fight you, and for your sake, fighting me when I'm angry is a bad idea."
The ghost responded with a devious smile and charged forward.
"Wrong choice," commented Danny. He dodged her strike and fired an ectoblast into her back. She let out an almost musical howling noise and swung her tail, catching Danny in his stomach, and leaving a gash on his right side with the point of it. Danny fell, winded, and she pounced on him, digging her claw-like nails into his shoulders. She emitted a low wail with her vocal cords that functioned as a lullaby trying to subdue him. He acted quickly and phased into the ground, bursting out from below her with a blast to her core. It sent her flying to the other side of the street, but it was obvious to Danny that the fight was far from over. She bounced back swiftly, flying towards him again, anger evident in her expression.
The crowds at the windows were growing. Among the onlookers and those encouraging Danny were Dash and Paulina, as well as Danny's own Team Phantom. Sam and Tucker stood next to each other, hands pressed against the window glass. Jazz was watching from a different room, but all three of them were feeling the same way. It was a mixture of relief for knowing that Danny was alright and back in town with them, worry for Danny in his current battle plus the fact that he was back out in the open where the Guys in White could find him, and surprise and confusion as to why Danny had returned.
The mermaid let out a shrill sonic wave that shattered the windows and forced the students to take a step backwards. The sound penetrated the shield Danny had formed around himself, and resonated uncomfortably with his body, shaking him slightly. Danny fought back by speeding towards his enemy and aiming to punch her, but she moved down and sideways, letting his fist get caught up in her hair. She dragged him along behind her as she flew fast towards the ground, turning intangible a few feet above it, allowing Danny to pass through her and crash.
Danny jumped back onto his feet and was about to push off when an unwelcome voice grabbed his attention.
"Danny Phantom, a.k.a. Daniel Fenton, in accordance with the Federal Anti-Ecto Control Act, article one, section one, subsection A, you're under arrest. Surrender immediately."
"This is a Fly-Tell device, Mr. Sanchez. It will alert us when a high ecto-presence is near," said Operative O. The two paranormal hunters had arrived in Amity Park earlier that afternoon, unpacked in their hotel room, and were now meeting with a couple of the parents of the children that the FBI agents had interviewed the previous day. Mr. Sanchez's daughter was among the girls the FBI agents had listed in their report as being of interest to the Ghost Boy, and the Guys in White felt that Mr. Sanchez deserved to know. But more importantly, he ought to have the opportunity to keep her safe. "Just attach it to your daughter's school bag and we'll protect her." The man was awfully cooperative, and he already seemed to be aware of Danny's interest in his daughter, muttering something about not trusting him since before the school dance.
After speaking with him, the operatives called it a night. They'd be meeting more parents the following day, among them, Mr. Gray.
"Oh great," Danny mumbled. "Perfect timing, as usual." He pulled himself away from his battle with the mermaid and yelled towards the Guys in White, "Can't you see I'm busy at the moment?"
"A ghost of your power on the loose? Inexcusable. You need to come with us right away," said K as O sped their vehicle to the scene.
"Then I'm sorry to ruin your plans, but—" Danny shot at the car, causing it to veer off into a fire hydrant. "Actually, I'm not sorry. I've got better things to do than worry about what you think."
As if on cue, the mermaid came from behind him and tried to catch him again. Danny went intangible and grabbed her tail, swinging her in a big circle before letting her go flying down the street.
The operatives clambered out of their car, holding their heads from spinning. When the head rush passed, they trained their guns on Danny's form and fired. Danny reacted quickly and evaded the attack, diving down towards them to fight back, as the mermaid was recovering.
"Be on alert," said O to K. "The FBI may have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to ghosts, but their profile of this kid seemed spot on."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Fenton. Goodbye."
Agents Miller and Collins of the FBI left FentonWorks and climbed into a car on the corner of the street. As Miller started the engine, Collins spoke up.
"So, where to now? The best friends?" he asked.
"No," replied Miller. "We'll get to them, but first let's stop by the local news station and gather the footage they have on this kid. It's mid-morning, so they shouldn't be very busy, and it's nearby anyways."
Profile: Daniel Fenton/Danny Phantom
Age: 14
Height: 5'2''
Weight: 110 lbs
Eye color: blue (as human), green (as ghost)
Hair color: black (as human), white (as ghost)
The Guys in White charged their ectoguns and fired at Danny who shot back, letting the blasts meet mid-air. Danny became invisible and soared towards them, knocking the guns out of their hands when he reached them.
"Big mistake, punk," uttered O. He pulled out another weapon from a pocket and activated it. Before Danny could react, the item had located him and burst upon contact, making him visible and burning his left wrist.
"Ouch!" cried Danny, holding onto the spot that stung.
"There he is!" exclaimed K. "You're going down, kid!"
Miller and Collins left the news station feeling rather disturbed by what they'd been watching. Most of the footage of the infamous Ghost Boy displayed him causing damage to the city, with only a few seemingly redeeming moments. The agents continued to gather information, paying a visit to Danny's two best friends next.
Subject shows an interest in danger. Example: Testing the ghost portal on his own. He's a risk-seeker
with a survivor and hero mentality. He likes to be in perilous, life-threatening situations, and to create
circumstances from which he can appear to be a hero when he succeeds in them. Example: Pulling the
sword from the ground when Amity Park was covered by an ecto-dome and inviting ghosts in so that he
could battle them off.
Hearing the siren's song again, Danny turned in time to catch her, hand to hand. She smiled wickedly at him as she used her strength to push him backwards. The Guys in White ignored the threatening ghost, and aimed once more at Danny Phantom.
"Oh, this is ridiculous!" declared Sam, stepping away from the window. "Come on."
Tucker followed her across the room, but before they could make their exit, Mr. Lancer blocked the door.
"And just where do you think you're going, Ms. Manson and Mr. Foley? I can't let you leave this classroom. It's much safer here at the moment."
"That Foley kid was only slightly more helpful than the Manson girl," said Collins as they drove away from the Manson residence. "Let's go to the school and see what Fenton's grades have to say about him. We can grab a late lunch on the way. I hear the Nasty Burger's pretty good."
Subject is destructive and violent when agitated. Example: Christmas Incident, tearing apart the nutcracker
of toys and obliterating them, destroying the entire city's presents. He acts first and asks questions later.
Danny returned the mermaid's smug smile and let her push him closer to the Guys in White. At the right moment, he forced her to soar passed him and into the line of fire of the two men. She issued a hollow wail in distress when their ecto-beams hit her. Furious, she summoned a whirlpool of energy to surround both Danny and the Guys in White and take them into a spinning vortex.
"Looks like you made her angry," Danny yelled to the two paranormal investigators with a hint of humor in his voice before he started to become dizzy.
He is sarcastic, which shows that he doesn't take anything seriously. Low grades convey that he is inconsiderate
of his studies, which means he spends most of his time focused on his ghost life. He leaves his chores until the
last minute, which asserts that he doesn't care about doing them and that he is not responsible enough to do
them right away.
"But Ms. Tetslaff, my brother's in danger! I've got to help him!"
"I'm well aware of that, Ms. Fenton, but you shouldn't be getting involved in the ghost battle. You're to stay inside, soldier."
As the youngest child, it is natural for him to be an attention seeker. His age alone would indicate
instability (all those hormones) and the lack of mature attitude towards what is truly possible in this
world – he feels he can do anything and get away with it. He doesn't think about the consequences
of his actions. Example: Destroying government property, like the Guys in White's jet in a recent
encounter as well as other materials of theirs.
Allowing the whirlpool to subside, the water mistress exerted her sonic wave once more. The sound pressed her three captives into the concrete of the street. When she was satisfied, she began to sing again, trying to mesmerize them with her lullaby. Danny covered his ears as he struggled to sit up. He glanced down to see the Guys in White lying beside him, eyes beginning to fog as the melody overwhelmed them.
"Hmph, call yourselves ghost hunters?" Danny remarked.
He turned invisible and flew around behind the siren, catching her off-guard when he grabbed her arms and held them together. She swung her tail at him in retaliation, no longer singing, but he avoided its impact.
The operatives recovered and got to their feet, firing their weapons. The mermaid was hit with the majority of the blast and was seriously weakened. Danny let her fall to the ground, and dashed in the direction of the government agents, preparing to punch them.
After interviewing Danny's homeroom teacher, Mr. Lancer, and listening to the man list off all of Danny's misdemeanors from breaking the lab beakers and other school property, to consistent tardiness, to his dismal academic performance, Miller and Collins set themselves up in an empty classroom and called a few individual students down to talk with them. They chose students who Lancer had mentioned interacted the most with their suspect.
Subject is fickle and moves from target to target easily and without commitment,
just as he moves from girl to girl.
"He'd do anything for his girlfriend. Even eat mud… from the ground!" exclaimed Dash.
"He's always hanging around with that Goth girl. But I know he has a crush on me," affirmed Paulina.
"It's no secret that he likes Paulina," Kwan stated.
"He likes Valerie," announced Starr. "I have no idea what she sees in him."
Danny's punches missed. The operatives were back in action and used their anti-ghost restraints to act as a shield between themselves and Danny. The obstacles shocked the boy, throwing him backwards and into the edge of the school building. Danny landed with a thud on the ground. He leaned against the wall and he lifted his head heavily to face his opponents.
"Ok, so I'm half-ghost," Danny asserted. "But I'm also human, like you are. Is it really necessary for you to go to all this trouble on my account?"
He seems to show a bit of a split personality – sometimes acting aggressively towards Amity Park's
citizens, other times attempting to appear as a friend and saviour to the townsfolk.
Examples of the former include: His destruction of Axion Labs' Security System; his attack on Mayor
Montez; and his short crime spree of robbing museums and banks (likely his fickleness is to blame for
his quick boredom with this criminal expedition, as it became a task too easy for him and he ended it
shortly after it began).
Examples of the latter include: The end results of the Ghost King's attack on the city as Danny Phantom
sent the threat away and saved the town's population; also the resolution of the Christmas Incident as the
subject rounded up a number of ghosts to return the Christmas cheer to Amity Park's citizens (though this
does not excuse him causing the crisis in the first place).
This split personality is probably due to his genetic influences – the human half of him, which is barely
ever present, trying to guide him towards some sort of righteousness while the ghost half of him leads
him to evilness. But even in this case, the human half is not so innocent.
"We've got the ghost kid cornered," O declared. K stood next to his partner, leaning over the Ghost Boy, and staring down at him menacingly.
"Danny! RUN!"
It was Maddie Fenton. She fired a warning shot into the air as she hurried towards the scene.
"Don't touch him! He's my son!" yelled Jack, right alongside his wife as he rushed to save his boy from the government agents.
He is good at blending into the background.
Danny turned invisible and melted into the school wall.
He does not draw attention to himself in his human form so as to have a more amusing time in his ghost form.
"Where is he? What did you do with him?" Maddie demanded while pulling Operative O to the side so that she could see the empty wall. Jack grabbed onto Operative K and shunted him in the opposite direction.
"He got away!" announced K to O, Jack's hold on his jacket still strong.
Looking affronted, O replied to the Fentons, "We don't have your son, yet." And he removed Maddie's fingers from his shirt, brushing his hands over it afterwards to smooth it back to perfection.
"I'm right here, Mom," said Danny, reappearing behind her, and floating slightly above the ground.
"Is that all of the students?" Miller inquired.
His partner shook his head. "There's just one left on the list: Valerie Gray… hm, she appears to be absent today. Never mind then – neither the family, nor the best friends mentioned her."
The FBI agents gathered their stuff and left the school promptly. Just as Miller was about to pull out of the parking lot, his cell phone went off. He shifted back to park and lifted the phone to his ear.
"Danny!" exclaimed Maddie at the same time as Jack bellowed, "Son!"
Danny held up a hand, his face neutral. "I'm fine, before you ask, though it has been a tough week. I just… knew I had to come back."
Before his parents could respond, Operative O stepped in.
"Sorry to interrupt, but the Ghost Boy needs to come with us. He's wanted for questioning and experiments… lots of—oof!"
K had elbowed his partner, glancing quickly at Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. "And this can't be delayed by your little reunion," he affirmed.
"What! How dare you…" began Maddie.
"Well you'd better just sit tight, because we're having our reunion whether you like it or not!" informed Jack while bringing K's face close to his in a threatening way, still gripping the man's jacket.
"And you aren't taking our son anywhere," Maddie declared.
K withdrew a small gun from his pocket and fired it into Jack's stomach. An ecto-net popped out of it and tangled up Jack's limbs, his hand finally releasing the operative.
"Jack!" cried Maddie.
"Hey!" shouted Danny. "Leave them alone!" And he charged forward with glowing fists.
"Danny! Wait!" his mother called.
The boy froze and turned back to face her, confusion evident in his expression.
"Let us handle this," she answered. "You don't need to get yourself in any more trouble right now – go somewhere safe and we'll talk to you later."
But before Danny even registered what she was telling him to do, the two operatives attacked him, K blasting him in the back and forcing him to fly right into O's ecto-net.
"No!" yelled all three Fentons.
"Well, if it's a fight that you want," Maddie started.
"It's a fight that you'll get!" finished Jack while breaking out of the tangle he was in.
Maddie leapt towards O, kicking the net which contained Danny out of his hands, as Jack tackled K.
"Miller," he stated.
"Operative K of the government division The Guys in White," announced the man on the other end.
"Of course, I expected we'd be hearing from you," answered Miller. "What can I do you for?"
"We just wanted to inform you that we'll be traveling to Amity Park tomorrow to focus our search for the Ghost Boy. As I'm sure you are aware, we've been given the lead in the operation to find him."
Miller frowned but kept the sentiment out of his voice. "Yes. And we've been designated official profilers. Which reminds me, we'll be sending you our report as soon as we complete it. We're quite punctual and efficient over here at the FBI. You can expect it within the next couple of hours."
"I look forward to it," acknowledged K, equally refraining from breaking etiquette. "Would you like us to send you some of our notes and footage from our encounters with the boy?"
Glancing at his partner for a moment, Miller responded, "Sure. That would be useful to us. Thank you."
"No problem. Well, I suppose we should both get back to work. It was a pleasure talking with you."
"Same."
"The chumps known as the Guys in White?" asked Collins as Miller shifted back into drive. Miller nodded and turned onto the street.
Onto the street fell Danny, abandoned by his captor. His mother seemed to be in a tae kwon doe competition with Operative O, while his father was in a wrestling match against Operative K.
"You are interfering – grunt – with a – wheeze – government investigation!" gasped K in his struggle.
On cue, his partner continued, "You will incur jail time if you don't back down!"
"Then throw us in jail!" cried Maddie. "You aren't laying another hand on our son if I have anything to say about it!"
"Do your worst," Jack added.
On the sidelines, Danny burst out of his net and floated into the air. As he watched the exchange he considered what his parents were saying. Should he disappear again and meet up with them later? Should he allow them to go to jail for protecting him? They sure seemed dead-set on it… Should he stay and fight with them? Or face whatever it was the Guys in White wanted to do with him? This last option was the least appealing…
Replying to Jack and Maddie's proclamations, O advised, "Then you leave us no choice…"
As the FBI agents sifted through all the information they gathered about the boy they became more and more alarmed, realizing what a dangerous individual Danny appeared to be. They hurried to put together a profile on him.
"Madeline Fenton mentioned a few reasons for having never suspected that their son was half-ghost. They didn't believe it was possible, but more importantly, and something I think we should document, they'd seen both Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom at the same time." Collins put down the interview notes and continued. "That must be a trick of his ghost powers, and I didn't notice anywhere in the stuff the Guys in White sent us mention of this ability. Maybe we should add an appendix to our report listing all of Danny Phantom's known powers."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Miller who was sorting the copies of news reports they'd taken from the local station.
"Imagine what these powers allow the kid to accomplish," reflected Collins. "It's too much power for a teenager with no sense of responsibility."
Exposing their weapons, the Guys in White fired at Jack and Maddie, to subdue them. But the married couple reacted quickly and shot back with their own ectoguns. The government agents activated their jetpacks and hovered off of the ground to avoid being hit, while the Fentons used a portable ecto-shield to deflect the shots aimed at them.
Across the street the mermaid stirred. She lifted herself slowly to a sitting position, holding her head. Blinking, she remembered where she was and what she'd been doing. She saw her enemies next to the school and narrowed her eyes. Taking to the air once more, she issued a sonic wave that knocked the four adults onto the ground, faces down. Summoning a whirlpool, she caught them in its vortex and watched them spin. And with her anger, the whirlpool grew, beginning to consume most of the street and getting dangerously closer to tearing apart the school.
Danny, who'd floated his way up to the school's rooftop while the adults were duking it out and had still been contemplating his course of action, made his decision right then. He didn't even give it a second thought.
He has those close to him charmed. He is a well-practiced liar, and is known for inventing excuses to cover up his escapades.
HE IS A HIGHLY DANGEROUS INDIVIDUAL AND SHOULD BE ARRESTED IMMEDIATELY.
Operative O lowered the report in his hands, having just read it aloud to his partner.
"Is everything to your satisfaction?" Miller questioned over the speaker-phone. "We conducted interviews all day and put together the profile this evening, as it was on high priority…"
"Yes," replied K. "We appreciate your effort. It is well done."
"And you agree that we should remove the Fentons from their home to set up a stake-out for the boy?"
"We agree," asserted O. "We'll see you tomorrow afternoon."
"Till then," replied Miller.
Hanging up, K commented, "I dislike them."
"As do I," confirmed O.
Diving off of the roof, Danny pelted towards the ghost.
"Hey, shark bait!" he hollered, demanding her attention. "Watch out for the undertow" – he grabbed her by the tail and dragged her away from the school – "it might surprise you if you swim too deep!" With that he released her and she crashed into the ground. He followed up his attack with a barrage of ectoblasts that she countered reflexively with her sonic wave. Her whirlpool subsided as she got involved in fighting Danny, and the four adults fell unceremoniously back onto the road.
The water mistress rose again and aimed for a direct attack on Danny, digging her claws into his shoulders once more. He struggled in her grasp and tried to push her away with energy blasts from his hands, but she stopped them using the hard scales on her fins. She unconsciously flew him back in the direction of the school.
Jack, Maddie, and the two government agents observed the battle from where they stood, glued to the spot. Danny had just saved them, but was now being tossed around like a cat's toy by the mermaid. She'd grab him, then throw him, hit him with her tail, and grab him again, in a fast sequence. The fourth time through this ritual, she brought his face close to hers and began to sing again, loud enough that he felt his mind starting to sway to the mesmerizing tune.
"Danny!" cried Maddie running forwards.
Her son blinked upon hearing her voice, but he couldn't escape the mermaid's melody and all too soon, he drifted off into a hypnotic state.
Jack fired at the ghost that was holding the boy, and the siren reluctantly released her prey. Danny fell to the ground with a thud and remained unconscious.
The commotion in the street that occurred over the following minute left Maddie and Jack in a daze. The news crews arrived moments ahead of the local police. Before either Fenton could rescue their son and carry him into their anxious and safe arms, the Guys in White jumped to their duty and attached restraints to Danny's wrists and ankles. And Maddie and Jack themselves were handcuffed by the police officers. The mermaid ghost had disappeared in the pandemonium.
Sam, Tucker, and Jazz watched on helplessly from their respective class rooms as their friend and his parents were taken away.
"14 year old Danny Fenton, known to many as Danny Phantom, the world's only human-ghost hybrid, has finally reappeared," announced the reporter on the 6:00 news. "A student of Casper High, Danny returned to school this morning late for class. After an encounter with a menacing ghost on the front steps, he left with representatives of a government branch for the paranormal known as the Guys in White. These representatives declined comment, but FBI agent, Robert Miller, assures the public that Danny is in good hands. The Guys in White will be doing some studies on the young half-ghost, and are well qualified to handle him. Miller confirms that we can all rest safely tonight."
"In other news, the recent assembly of…"
He was alarmed. He certainly didn't expect this. Of course there was a possibility of it occurring, but he didn't think that Daniel would actually be caught by them. For the second time in less than a week, everything Vlad had been thinking or doing had to change due to Daniel's predicaments. Vlad hated the unexpected. It left him feeling quite unprepared. Raising his hand to rub his chin in thought, Vlad stopped pacing around the room. Yes, this was a predicament indeed.
Valerie and Jazz had returned to the Grays' apartment after school in silence. Valerie had wanted to say something of consolation to Jazz, but the other girl had gone straight to the couch and begun working on her homework, giving off strong vibrations that she wanted to be left alone. Sighing, Valerie had gone to her room to do the same, but she couldn't concentrate. She kept thinking back to what she'd witnessed earlier.
The Fentons were among Amity Park's ghost hunters who had an enmity with Danny Phantom in particular. Obviously after finding out he was their own son they'd feel differently about the ghost half of him. And today they showed their unconditional love for the boy above and beyond what Valerie had expected of them. Could Valerie forgive him for lying to her?
"I'm fine, before you ask, though it has been a tough week. I just… knew I had to come back."
Danny had said that to his parents and she'd heard it. What did it mean and why did he return? Maybe the ghost part of him was really the same person as the human part of him. He didn't seem at all evil when he was protecting his parents, and even when he fought off the mermaid ghost to save the lives of the Guys in White. Her thoughts kept arriving back at the same place: could she ever trust Danny again?
In the other room, Jazz had her computer on her lap, a pile of books on one side of her, her notes on the other side. She wasn't doing homework. She couldn't even focus on her studies the rest of the school day. She was upset and she was driven; her entire family was taken from her in front of her eyes and she would stop at nothing to get them back safely. Tucker had managed to hack through the security of the Guys in White's database and had sent her a few files he'd downloaded from it. She read through them a couple of times each and started to formulate a plan.
Suddenly remembering something, she stood up and tiptoed to Valerie's door. Her hostess was sitting at her desk, pouring over her schoolwork, and Jazz decided that it was now or never. Just as quietly as she'd approached Valerie's room, she left, heading towards Mr. Gray's room instead. She crept inside and turned on the computer. When it booted up she opened his email inbox to see if the Guys in White had sent any other messages for him. But the only new messages were from a "word of the day" site, and a weekly e-journal he'd subscribed to.
"Find something interesting?" asked Valerie, causing Jazz to yelp and jump up startled. The redhead turned around nervously to face Valerie's unimpressed expression.
"Um…" gulped Jazz. How the heck am I going to explain this? "Valerie… hi… I was, uh…"
Valerie was comfortably leaning against the door frame, her arms folded across her chest, waiting to hear what Jazz had to say.
Jazz sighed. "Look, Valerie, after what happened today I've become desperate. I want to get my parents and my brother back as soon as possible. The longer Danny's with the Guys in White, the worse it'll be for him. They've been given permission to do any tests on him that they want to do, and knowing the Guys in White, that's not a good thing. I overheard your dad talking on the phone with them the other day, and I was wondering if he'd heard from them again… which is why I'm on his computer. I know this doesn't excuse my actions, and I don't blame you if you decide to tell your dad and have me moved to foster care. But just so you know, I really do appreciate everything that you've done for me."
Valerie straightened up, her neutral face not giving away her thoughts. Well, this was certainly something she hadn't expected. In a split moment, all of the emotional turmoil she'd been going through since Monday transformed into a determined desire to do what she felt now was the right thing. She looked her guest in the eye and said, "Can I help?"
"What?" asked Jazz in disbelief.
"I want to help," Val repeated. "I know that we've never gotten to know each other and that you have no reason to trust me, but Danny's a friend of mine and, as you said, he's in trouble. What can I do?"
Jazz's face brightened at this. She shut the computer off and headed towards the door. "This is great!" she announced. "Your ghost hunting equipment could be very useful!"
Val paused on the way back to her room. So Jazz knew about that… which meant that Tucker and Sam probably did too. Well that certainly explained some things.
"Come on!" said Jazz excitedly, grabbing Valerie's wrist and dragging her to her computer which she'd left on the couch. "I've got a plan, and now with you involved, it just got better!"
His side was aching, and he felt like he was in an awkward position. Sort of like he was limply hanging on an angle. He tried to move but found that his arms and legs were stuck, as if they'd been bound. Or maybe he just didn't have the energy.
The moment Danny finally opened his eyes, he wished he hadn't, crying out, "NOOO!"
-(o)-
GLE – oh, I'm evil! Heh, I think I've been letting you guys get away with so many not-so-cliffie cliffhangers, but now you have a real one! Hee, enjoy!
So, 5 more chapters to go, more action, drama, etc, etc. I'm surprised how long this chapter turned out to be, but I like the results. Oh ya, speaking of results, you guys are absolutely fantastic! Last I checked, I have 93 alerts for this story, and 50 faves, not to mention 86 reviews! O.O So, as a special treat, I've decided that the 100th reviewer can get a little preview to future chapters of this story (I'm gonna put together a sort of "preview package" with lines or something that I'm planning to have in the second half of this story, laid out like a movie trailer, and hopefully not too revealing). (but if the 100th reviewer is anonymous, the prize will go to the 101st reviewer, and so on until there is a logged in reviewer to whom I can reply… Esme is exempt, since she already knows what's going to happen… and thanks for beta-ing part of this chapter, girl!).
As for when the next chapter is coming out, I don't want to make any promises this time. My summer plans (yes, end of term means beginning of summer) are still trying to solidify themselves, and while I have a couple of weeks right now, they could easily be filled up once I figure out precisely what I'm doing. I am happy to announce that I've discovered exactly what I'm passionate about in life, and now I just have to find a way to make it work for me (I love, above all things that I could do, composing music… I have no idea where this leaves swimming, but for now, I'm just going with the flow of what feels right in my heart). One thing I do know about the summer: my sister (Fey Phantom) and I are determined to go to the rally in NYC! Danny Phantom, The Series and every episode in it, absolutely ROCKS and there's so much more story that can be told! I'm gonna do my best to get this show back into production!
So, till next time!
-)Golden Lunar Eclipse(-