Cool! Time warp! I love fast forwarding a couple of years!
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5. Only Ten Years
The years only went by faster than planned as Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Valerie grew from young six year olds playing on the playground to sixteen year olds in their sophomore year in high school. Times had drastically changed, and living conditions in the city had not gotten much better- especially since Jack Fenton was gone and Maddie Fenton was taking it upon herself to take out any ghost in the city, whether it be flying or walking, swimming or crawling, harmless or not.
Only a few ghosts showed up every now and then. The frequent flyers over the city were mainly a self-proclaimed ghost-hunter known to all as Skulker, who almost took humans to his "collection" and Technus, another self-proclaimed ghost known as the "Master of Technology." Every couple of days, he'd drop by various different houses and simply eat away and attempt to take over the internet, phone lines, and anything else he could get his hands on. Fortunately for the city, Maddie always caught the ghost some way or another, although she refused to spill her methods. Only her family would recognize what she did, and more often than not, they were dragged into her expeditions of lodging the phantom creatures back into their home, the Ghost Zone.
Danny sighed one evening and closed the portal to the other realm, slumping down against the wall. It had been another afternoon of ghost fighting and little chance to do homework or see friends. He fingered one of the gadgets he had been using, the Fenton Bazooka. Jazz walked down from the upstairs portion of the house and smiled tiredly at him, pulling up a chair from the corner of the lab. "You seem depressed," she noted, taking in Danny's weary face.
He rubbed his head and nodded. "Another afternoon of ghost busting with Mom, and I feel like I can't even go to school tomorrow," he admitted. "She's really been obsessing too much over this, don't you think?"
Jazz shrugged. "It all depends on what you consider obsessing, Danny. Look at it this way- the city's been under Vlad's rule since I was born, and even then, Mom and Dad were the city's ghost protectors. Sure, they didn't show up very much, but they did appear once in a while. Maybe on a three month basis. But ever since you've been here…" Here, she winced, still unwilling to tell Danny he wasn't born on Earth. "…there's been almost an attack a week. It's almost like they're attracted to you or this city."
Danny gave a hollow laugh. "To me? Come on, Jazz, these guys have been showing up like nuts this past year I've been a sophomore, and I have no idea when this could stop. I need to have a life, too, you know. Unlike some people who spend away their whole day on reading about psychology of the mind to help kids whose parents may have died or tragedy have struck them right between the eyes. Look at us- our dad was killed by a ghost or something. You could be giving me a session right now."
His sister blushed a deepest shade of crimson and looked down at the floor. Before she could bite back a well-placed retort, Maddie wandered downstairs, looking extremely haggard, but smiling nonetheless. "What's all the noise down here?"
The 'siblings' looked at one another before Danny answered, "Just having a well-placed conversation, Mom."
Jazz nodded and stretched, getting up from her seat. "Listen, I've got a big AP Psychology test tomorrow. I have to go review my material one last time before I go to bed." She smiled and kissed her mother on the head before nodding to Danny. "'Night."
The other two family members nodded back. Maddie turned to her adopted son, her maternal instinct kicking in. She embraced him in a hug. "You okay, sweetie?"
He nodded. "Just… tired. I mean, how come Jazz can't fight ghosts with us? I have school and homework, too, and you act like she doesn't have to do a thing with this. Am I something special that I'm invincible against these things?"
Maddie bit her lip, not answering this question right away. Finally, she took a deep breath and put her hands on his shoulders. "What you need to understand, Danny, is that…"
A computerized voice rang throughout the house. "Ghost alert. Ghost alert. Spectral figure headed towards Casper High. Ghost alert. Ghost alert."
Danny watched the fire in his mother's eyes light up again as she grabbed the bazooka on the floor and bolted upstairs. He sighed and trudged up the steps, walking into his room and shutting the door. He had enough work on his hands as it was with school, but this ghost fighting at ten-thirty at night was becoming a bit much for him to handle…
-Archangel-
Vladimir Plasmius sat on the rooftop of Masters' office building, contemplating thoughts of darkness and evil while watching the night sky bring gray clouds over head to block out the starry night sky. It had been a while since he had last come out to enjoy the feeling of leadership had been taken off his shoulders for the time being. Being a half-ghost was no easy task, especially when he could no longer go out in broad daylight or nighttime any more. That Maddie Fenton was a thorn in his side to begin with, but now that she hunted every day without a wink of sleep… let's just say, he loathed her with a passion now.
He fazed through the wall and into the office, where he changed back into Vlad Masters, who sat down in his chair, and lifted the receiver, dialing in numbers again to call a certain someone about something. The other line picked up. "Gray."
"Damon," he replied smoothly, not wishing to scare the soul out of him again. "It's been a while."
A gulp was heard at the other end. "Vlad. If this is about what I think it is…"
"It is," he hissed, the smoothness gone and anger quickly replacing the calm tone. "I've waited ten years for this, Gray. Ten years for Project Silencer to be completed, and I haven't heard a word out since that day. What are you hiding from me?"
Damon took a deep breath, glancing at the metal device in the wall, a gauge pointing to ninety-eight percent. "You've got to wait another sixteen hours," he told him, keeping his voice as steady as he could. "Then it will be completely ready with a simple flaw."
Vlad's pulse quickened as he tightened his grip on the receiving end. "A simple flaw?" he growled. "There's nothing that could possibly stop this simple flaw, is there Damon?"
"No, there's not," the other man told him flatly, noting Valerie's appearance in the doorway. "There's going to be a power surge when it turns on that's so powerful, it's going to leave the city in the dark for one hour. There's nothing I can do about it. I've tried everything that I can think of to make it stop, but…"
The half-ghost's lips curled into a deadly smile. "I'm going to have a representative there tomorrow to see it when everything goes accordingly. Don't be fooled by his appearance- he actually expects a lot more than I do. Just to warn you."
Damon's face went white. "M- more than you do, Vlad?"
"You heard what I said," the billionaire replied, hanging up the phone.
Gray looked down at the phone and hung up, collapsing into a chair. Someone who expected more than Vlad? That was simply impossible. Valerie noticed his worried expression and wandered over. "Are you okay, Dad? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
He nodded, rubbing his head. "Someone representing Masters is coming over tomorrow when Project Silencer is ready. Wants to see it at its full power." His eyes suddenly lit up. "You know what? That's it! Why don't you bring those friends of yours from school? Who are they...? Danny, Sam, and… that other boy."
She blushed. "Tucker?"
"Yeah, him," Damon told her excitedly. "Bring them here! Axion Labs hasn't been open for the past ten years. I will give them the grand tour!"
She sighed heavily. "If you insist, Dad." Something told her that this wasn't such a good idea, but she would oblige to her father's wishes. She knew if she didn't, Vlad Masters might just come in and slice her into itty-bitty pieces…
-Archangel-
"Mr. Fenton! I am talking to you!"
Danny blinked blearily, shaking his head at the sound of his name. Robert Lancer, his English teacher, glared down at him as he stood over the teen's desk with a scowl only a father could ever love. English and Math weren't Danny's two best subjects in school, but sleeping in class after a night like yesterday definitely was. The boy could feel his teacher's warm breath against his face when he asked the question again. "How did William Shakespeare's mother die, Mr. Fenton?"
BRING!
The class collected their books, as Danny was gratefully saved by the bell to signal their time to go home. Mr. Lancer shot him a vehement look and walked back over to his desk, packing up his things for the day. Samantha Manson smiled and sat on one of the desks in the classroom. "You really lucked out this time, Danny," she told him, glancing over at Lancer's desk. No longer just a friend of Danny's, she was a full-blown Goth of Casper High School and the sole "girl-who's-a-friend-but-isn't-a-girlfriend-of-Danny-Fenton." Usually, they hung out with Tucker Foley from their kindergarten through now-tenth grade class. The three were considered to not belong with any group in the school, given one of the underdog, one was the geek, and another was a Goth.
Danny smiled gratefully and swung his backpack over his shoulder, walking out of the room. He nodded. "I don't even know the answer. I've been feeling so tired again these days, having the sick feeling like something bad is going to happen again. It was like the night of the funeral…" His voice cracked a little. He never really talked about his dad's funeral. It just brought back too many painful memories.
Sam nodded and slipped her hand into his. "I get it."
"Um, guys?" Tucker intervened, tugging the duo over to the lockers. "I think Valerie wants to talk to us."
The couple snapped out of their gaze and looked over at the brown-skinned, popular girl who Tucker just so happened to drool over almost every time he saw her. She smiled and raised an eyebrow at Tucker as she spoke. "How would you guys like it if I could get you guys into the newly renovated Axion Labs?"
Sam's jaw dropped three stories. "You mean, the place you work with your dad on top secret projects? The one that hasn't been open for ten years?"
"One of the same," she replied, glancing over at Danny, who looked slightly happier. The face of the teen made her feel slightly warmer inside that she had followed her dad's advice. Valerie hadn't seen Danny this happy in days. He had seemed more… moody lately. Was it the last encounter he had with Vlad Masters a couple of weeks ago that he had confided in them about? What the reason was…
"Hey, Gray!" a voice yelled. "Hanging out with the outcasts?"
Danny grimaced. Dash Baxter, star of the football team for the high school and favorite of all the teachers that Danny had, was watching the conversation from a distance with his friend and fellow football player, Kwan, who wrinkled his nose in utter disgust.
"Drop dead, Dash!" Sam snapped, putting her arm around Danny and leading him out the doors of the school, Tucker and Valerie in tow.
Danny looked over at Valerie. "So, are we still allowed to go and see the lab?" he asked.
She smiled. "You're one of the reasons, Danny. You've been feeling so down and moody these days, I figured you'd want something else to do besides go ghost-hunting with your mom."
He grinned back weakly, walking with the others. 'You don't know how right you are, Valerie Gray,' he thought, unaware of a figure in the skies flying faster than one could see, a long billowing cape following him ominously.
Destiny is going to be evil to Danny. Poor kid…