CHAPTER 36: THE NATIVITY, PART 5
The act of birth is an experience that can only be experienced once throughout a human life; only once can one person begin as an infant, leave the comfort of their mother's womb, and grow to learn about their surroundings; to gain an understanding of the world and how it corresponds to their senses, and vice versa.
Danny Fenton is in a unique situation where he has been fortunate enough to experience a second birth, but only in a stretch of the definition as described above.
He has had the misfortune of having his soul taken out from his body, turning him into a hollow shell of life resembling a human being in appearance only; a tragedy that has been brought about by the entity calling itself Demon Phantom. Through cosmic coincidences facilitated by Clockwork, the ghost who is master of all time, he has been sent him on a mission to obtain it once again.
Now, accompanied by his long-estranged female clone, Danielle Phantom, and the ghost of his sister, Jazz Fenton (half-sister, to be exact, but that detail is not for him to know), they have reached the ghost genie named Desiree to recreate his soul and give back to him what was lost again.
Desiree has been only instrumental in the process of reclaiming his soul, not the main cause, for that honor belongs to the trio of ghosts named Vlad Masters, Jack Fenton, and Maddie Fenton, who have copulated in a trifecta of otherworldly orgasm to recreate his soul and grant it back to him.
The details and nuances are distinctions without a difference; what matters most to the group is the fact that Danny Fenton has at last gained his soul back, and he has completed but the first step in obtaining his powers back, and that one step has taken him closer in the goal of defeating Demon Phantom and stopping him in his own plots.
But for now, there is the experience of rebirth that he must experience, to feel all of himself that he was and had lost return to him.
"Danny? What do you mean, you feel 'everything'?" Jazz asked.
"Everything. Everything that I felt before. It was all gone before, but it's all back now. It's like learning how to walk all over again, but done on automatic and super-fast. I can remember how to think critically again, how to process information like I used to. I can understand where I am in space and time, and how to tell time again. And that one must be... my math skills. I can multiply 7 times 12 in my head again, it's 84. Heh. To think I was never a math guy back at Casper High." Danny ranted.
Danny's fit of mania brought about by the return of his soul, Jazz felt an uneasy concern over his actions, never seeing him react in the way he did, nor any one else.
"Danny, are you okay? You're acting like you're on one of the biggest caffeine highs in existence. Take it from an addict." Jazz said.
"You'll have to excuse him. He's learning who he is all over again." Desiree said.
"Yeah. Imagine a computer shutting down and turning back on again, but starting up every program you left on and picking up where it left off. That's what he's going through." Danielle explained.
"Now I can start to remember my sense of philosophy. A literal case of 'I think, therefore, I am'. This is... where I am now, at this moment in time. I have my own life, and it has value. I am a human being. I need to be with other humans, I need them to know that I've got a purpose and I can help them to make our world a better place. Ha! That must be my sense of joy, too. I forgot how good that felt. Maybe it feels better when you let it go for awhile. Like going hungry for so long until you finally get some food. It could be the worst, poorly-cooked food in the world, but it still feels good just to eat something when you're hungry. That's probably what it feels like; that's the best way I can explain it." Danny ranted.
The sight of Danny on his personal self-rediscovery is a spectacle that brings both amazement and mortification to the others, watching without daring to intervene.
"I don't know whether I should be concerned for what I'm watching, or severely embarrassed to see him babble like this." Jazz said.
"Could be worse. He could be butt-naked in the street after some 'shrooms. That's usually how these self-discoveries go." Danielle said.
Emotions, memory, and thought processes all return to Danny Fenton, but the gift of receiving a soul is not as purely joyful as the initial process would have one believe. The human soul is comprised both of positive emotions and negative alike; a Pandora's Box of all human capacity for thoughts and feelings.
As such, after feeling all the good, it soon comes upon Danny to feel the all the bad as well.
For a moment, the ranting and ravings comes to a pause as Danny looked inward for more emotions to feel, where he finally encountered a recent memory which brought about the negative emotions he was previously spared from. The memories that came to him now were those of his family's demise, starting with his pregnant wife.
"And... I can remember. I remember Sam. I remember... watching her die. How... she was torn in half... like a... fortune cookie... letting all her guts spill out... and... our unborn baby..." Danny cried.
The recollection of death and violence brought upon a full showcase of tears from Danny's eyes, officially ending his mania of delight and discovery.
"She died... Jazz, Mom, Dad... they all died, too... and... I didn't do anything to stop it... I just stood there, like a deer in headlights... I knew what was happening... but I didn't do anything... I just let it all happen... I let them die... I LET THEM DIE!" Danny shouted.
Finally, Danny's personal rediscovery ended with him falling on his knees, covering his face as it wept out tears over his self-incrimination over his dead family. Immediately, his sisters came to his side both, each trying to offer him their comfort and compassion to the despair-driven Danny Fenton.
Danielle's touch was one of a human touch, and Jazz's a ghostly touch, warm and cold, respectively, yet each coming from a place of sincerity in their respective placeholders. Each are effective in their own way for Danny Fenton, but only ever so slightly, as his burden is among one of the ultimate that any could face, and to face it all at once makes it all the worse.
Living as a creature ignorant to feeling and thought, the envy to return to such a state is tempting; to shed all hopes of joy again to be rid of the pain. For Desiree, once a sworn foe and enemy to Danny Fenton, cannot help but feel a deep sympathy for his plight and misery...
...and, for once in her afterlife, she feels regret for granting a wish.
"Danny? I am sorry about your family. Truly, I am. In my time of living, my family was killed and I was sold into slavery of my sultan, so I understand how the loss feels." Desiree said.
"C'mon, Danny. You can't just give up like this. You came so far and already got further than any of us thought we could. You can't give into the pain now." Danielle said.
"Danny. It's okay. Don't beat yourself up. There was nothing you could do." Jazz said.
"I could've done everything. I could've done anything! I didn't do anything to stop him at all!" Danny cried.
"No. You couldn't have done anything. Even if you gave it your all, he still would've beaten you and we would've died."
Trying to intervene more intensely to the distraught Danny Fenton where the others could not, Jazz took his head in her hands and made him face her directly.
"Danny, listen to me. I'm not blaming you for what happened. I don't blame you, and I don't think Mom and Dad or Sam would, either. They know you, and they know how much you love them. They wouldn't think for a second that you failed them, and, if they were here now, they'd do everything in their power to give you the help you need. Maybe they already have." Jazz said.
Danny's tears and sorrow turned to confusion with Jazz's speech, making him cease his sobbing and look to her for further answers.
"Wh-What do you mean? What does that mean?" Danny asked.
"We brought you here to get your soul back. Desiree said she couldn't do it because you had no desire, but then she felt desire somewhere in the Ghost Zone for you to have your soul back, and she said it was our parents. I don't understand much of how I came back or why I did, but I'm starting to question things a lot more and understand it better because of this trip. Maybe you brought them back somehow, somewhere out there." Jazz said.
Starting to comprehend Jazz's comments, Danny began to ponder an idea out from the information shared, finding it becoming concrete into a concept. Picking himself up off the floor, pushing off his sisters, he immediately approached Desiree, making his next demand to the genie.
"Desiree. You said that you couldn't grant my wish before because I had no concept of desire without a soul, right?" Danny asked.
"Yes." Desiree answered.
"Well, I've got a soul now, so you can take my wishes, right?"
"I can. What wish do you think will help you, Danny Fenton?"
"Jazz said you felt my parents in the Ghost Zone. You can bring them here, can't you?"
"Danny, what are you doing? What's all this about?" Danielle interjected.
"Desiree, can you do it?"
"Y-Yes, I can."
"Then I wish for you to bring my parents back here. And Sam. My wife. I want them back like Jazz came back."
"That might be a different task to accomplish, Danny Fenton. The presences of your parents I could feel. Your wife's I could not. She could be elsewhere in the Ghost Zone or cosmos, and not quite in my reach.
"I don't care. You just do whatever you need to do in order to make it happen. Now, I told you I wished for it, so do it!"
Danny's vicious approach to Desiree is both unwarranted and bad for the history between the two, bringing looks of concern from both Jazz and Danielle. There is the underlying desire for his family to return to him, an understandable need that anyone could look past rude and angry behavior over, but still is it hard to look past the anger to see the desperation.
Hesitation is but a moment that keeps the wish from being fulfilled, brought upon by a sliver of self-doubt by the ghost genie over her own abilities. Having performed a miraculous delivery of a newborn soul to its body, the task asked of her is a relatively small wish to make...
...but it is still just a wish, and it is her purpose to fulfill whatever is desires and wishes of mortal men.
"Very well. It will be done." Desiree said.
Raising her hands in the air, as if preparing to conjure or incant a spell, Desiree prepared to make the wish as asked of her come true. Opening herself to the cosmos, she briefly made herself one with it, making it an extension of herself to change it and alter it to achieve the task which must be done.
Watching Desiree work her own magic on the universe, his expression while watching turned from an angry desperation to that of a look of hope, believing his family to be within reach of sight and touch once again; small factors that seemed all the more important when realizing when they were gone.
But just as he has shattered the beliefs of every person on Earth with his existence, he does so for himself and his own beliefs, in the form of his once-future self.
A loud explosion blasted in the room, sending rubble and dust throughout it and putting the spell to a premature end before it could be started. When all the debris had settled itself, every member of the room turned to the origin of the explosion to find its primary cause, and their actions were rewarded with a sense of dread and danger that put each person to a standstill.
Standing in the front of the newly-created hole in the wall was Demon Phantom, and behind him a series of robots designed and designated Techbots by their creator, the ghost named Technus. The sight of Demon Phantom alone is enough of a threat to make the group feel an impending sense of doom; the sight of the Techbots are little more than overkill.
It is Demon Phantom who takes the full attention of them all, and presents himself as the main attraction with the sound of his voice, speaking out the name...
"Danny Fenton." Demon Phantom said.
To see his alternate self, the one who had taken out his soul and kill his family, stare him down once again, Danny Fenton does little in response other than stand in fear over the unstoppable being again. Acting on a base instinct as siblings, Jazz and Danielle both stepped in front of him, guarding him with their own bodies, ghostly and physical, respectively.
Neither are people that Demon Phantom expect to see; one he recognizes perfectly, and one he does not recognize at all.
"Jazz. So you've come back... this is very interesting. And I see you've both found yourself a friend. A pity that Danny had to rely on women to protect himself, much like when I had killed him before, or so I thought. It'll be a chore to get through it again." Demon Phantom said.
The remark is one that brought Danny forward to action once again, placing his sisters behind himself to defend them instead.
"I don't think so. I'm not letting you hurt my family again. That's a mistake I made once, and I'm not making it again. I'm going ghost!" Danny shouted.
Extending his arms out with clenched fists, speaking out his special incantation to summon forth his ghost half and battle with his alternate self once again, Danny closed his eyes, waiting for a transformation to come over his body, exchanging a human physical form for that of an ethereal ghost form...
...but such a change had not come to pass. His call instead fell on deaf ears to his powers, leaving him standing alone with disappointment and defeat.
"What?! Why didn't it work?" Danny shouted.
"Desiree brought back your soul, but not your powers. It was the Ghost Portal that made you get your powers." Jazz said.
"Yes, the Ghost Portal, a memory I recall all too well. Unfortunately for you, there's not one within your immediate grasp, so you won't be relying on any powers anytime soon." Demon Phantom said.
"Don't be so sure of that, flame-head. He's still got two people with ghost powers, including one who's half-ghost, too!" Danielle said.
Calling on her ghost form without the need for any special catchprhase, Danielle changed her body to that of a ghost's, living up to her last name of 'Phantom'. Becoming the streetwise superhero named Danielle Phantom, her new appearance brought surprise to Demon Phantom; exclusive to her own timeline, his discovery of her is something that brings a look of impression to his face.
"Another half-ghost? Fascinating. And how did you come to be in this timeline, may I ask?" Demon Phantom asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Hades from Disney's Hercules? How about you do us all a favor and get out of this one?" Danielle asked.
Danielle fired many bolts of ectoplasmic energy towards Demon Phantom, aiming each of the astral projections of energy directly to his face. Having fought many ghosts before in his own timeline and a handful in this one, the attack is no great challenge to overcome, defeating the blasts with a simple raise of his hand.
When the blasts made impact with his hand, the energy behind each one dissipated in a simple fizzle of smoke, as if it were either deflected by the power of will or absorbed by Demon Phantom. However such a defense was possible is irrelevant; all that matters is that he has demonstrated he cannot be defeated so easily, and that news bears the most heavily on Danielle, never before facing an enemy so powerful.
There is no witty comeback for her to give, leaving her only to express her fear with a commonly-shared utterance in times of shock.
"Holy shit." Danielle said.
"'Holy' is a human construct, and we've long since evolved past such childish notions. Alas, this world still has much to move past, and I have much to do in order to see that happen, starting with ending the life of Danny Fenton once and for all." Demon Phantom said.
Stepping forward with a hand raised full of ectoplasm, Demon Phantom prepared to drop it on his living counterpart, bringing his life to a definite end as promised.
Before able to complete that task, however, his one hand was stopped by the two hands of Jazz, grabbing and stopping the imminent attack in its tracks. The display of strength out of the newborn ghost of Jazz caused the almighty Demon Phantom to stop in his tracks, looking back to her with a raised eyebrow.
The impression is only a sliver of emotion in comparison to his own determination to complete what he started, keeping his focus on Danny Fenton. Nonetheless, there is still some element in him that responded to Jazz with compassion and mercy, something that he had not even thought twice to show her before.
"Jazz... Sister... Please don't make this hard. You have severely impressed me by coming back from your death. Do not waste your accomplishments so far by squandering them like this. After all, you wouldn't want to hurt your brother, would you?" Demon Phantom asked.
"I don't know who the hell you are, but you're not my brother. My brother's right behind me, and I'm keeping him safe from you!" Jazz shouted.
Charging up her own ectoplasmic attack in her hands, Jazz fired it towards Demon Phantom's hand, dissipating the shape of his hand into scattered memetic traits in the air. Stepping back in pain after the attack, he allowed himself a moment to regenerate the limb, watching it grow back instantly.
Showing mercy for but a moment, that mercy is now long gone, leaving anger and rage to return. Pointing his hand forward, he spoke his next orders to the Techbots.
"Kill them. And kill them again if they come back." Demon Phantom said.
The Techbots began to advance forward, raising up their arms towards Danny Fenton and his sisters. The arms of the Techbots then began to transform into weapons, displaying ectoplasmic firearms ranging from smaller guns up to large blasters, showcasing the work that Technus put into them to make them full battle-ready robots.
It is an overwhelming number of enemies that advance towards the Fentons, but the last member of their group makes themself willing to protect the group. In defiance of a long history between Danny Fenton, Desiree flew in front of him and his sisters, raising her hands up to make herself a barrier for them.
"Flee out from the back. I will hold him here." Desiree said.
"What?! Desiree, what are you doing?" Danielle asked.
"Desiree, wait! You can't take him on by yourself! I couldn't even beat him!" Danny shouted.
"I know, Danny Fenton. But if I am to die, then I would have my death serve a greater purpose of helping you along your own mission. Now, go, while you still can!" Desiree pleaded.
With no choice for survival other than to have Desiree give her own afterlife for his life, Danny reluctantly complied with her wish, giving one of his own to aide her.
"I wish you would kick all their asses so we can get out of here." Danny said.
Given the one prerequisite to act on her own, Desiree's hands began to light up with ectoplasm, preparing to grant the desire asked of her.
"For once, Danny Fenton, that is a desire of yours that I will be happy to grant." Desiree said.
[Soundtrack Cue: KMFDM - Search & Destroy]
Firing out ectoplasmic bolts of energy towards the Techbots, the machines fell within the instant they were hit, reduced to plies of scrap metal as they collapsed to the floor. The battle between magic and technology has only just begun, but magic has found a decent start to the conflict so far.
Over the years of human development and discovery, science has more than conquered the realm of 'magic', rationally explaining away what could not yet be explained by humankind, dismissing it as the work of a singular spiritual entity referred to as 'god'. This basic fact is what drives the Fentons to flee as quickly as they can, as they know that magic will still not yet succeed over this science.
Left as the only member of the room, Desiree increased her efforts against the Techbots as much as she could, hoping to give them as much time as she could.
As they moved out of the private room, the group began rushing back into the main area of the strip club, where undead ghouls were still performing for the living patrons to earn their money. The sudden switch between imminent danger to a sleazy room of lust made no impact on their trip; still did they run to the back door as quickly as they possibly could.
But what did change the urgency of their run is the sudden destruction of many walls and windows to the club, watching many Techbots smash their way in and start to attack. Firing at any living and unliving target in their sight, the Techbots eliminated many humans and ghosts in their path, hoping that one of their targets would be their intended enemies.
The attack gives the group enough pause to drop to the floor to duck, avoiding the artificial hellfire as it flew over their heads. Stuck in their mission to escape, their flight is stopped to leave them waiting for the opportunity to run again, hoping that they would see a chance to safely escape once again.
Fortunately, their chance is given quicker than they can hope. Being a gentleman's club providing illegal services of ethereal sex work, the chances of law enforcement arriving and helping are slim to none, and sure to backfire on such an establishment, leaving the task for survival on the hands of the club's workers.
Dancers, bartenders, and bouncers alike all began fighting back against the invading Techbots, defending their territory as if it were the last stand at the Alamo. With undead workers firing ectoplasm from their hands and living employees taking to contraband ectoplasmic weapons, the entire club devolved into a complete shootout on all sides, further living up to its intention to let out carnal desires.
The violence arguably made the club even less safer for transport across, but the risk was nonetheless taken purely out of necessity. Crawling along the floor to avoid the ectoplasmic projectiles, the Fentons carefully made their way to the bar, moving towards the back rooms to move to safety.
Even when reaching the backrooms of the building, the group had still not escaped the hellfire, finding it reaching even their current position behind thick walls and cover. Blasts of ectoplasm flew through the walls, reaching into various boxes and shelves in the back, falling over and spilling their contents on the floor to any unfortunate enough to be around them.
In this case, it is the Fentons who are unfortunate, left to feel the debris falling on their heads.
"Christ, I'm too young for this!" Danielle shouted.
Continuing to crawl along the ground, the group successfully reached a backdoor to the club, pushing it open to reach their salvation. Moving through the open door, the Fentons stepped into the back alleyway which it led to, finally reaching somewhere that the violence and hellfire came to an end.
They take no excuse from the safety to stop, still pushing themselves to keep running as far from the club as possible.
Gone from the scene may be the Fentons, but the scene has not yet completed its play of events from the ultimate goal of Clockwork. The defense against the invasion of the Techbots was a struggle put up well from all members of the Whorehouse on Haunted Hill...
...but the struggle was nonetheless one made against a force that was superior in both numbers and firepower, making this battle a matter of time before the defending side was crushed. Body after body, specter after specter, the defense still went strong against the machines, and none let the fall of their comrades keep their spirits down.
Soon, the numbers of defenders were reduced to a dead zero, with only handfuls of Techbots left destroyed after their attempts to defend the establishment. Successfully destroying their targets, the Techbots began moving to the one room of the building where one opposing force remained, and continued to put up the greatest fight out of all the rest to stop the machines.
Desiree, having gone up against Danny Phantom himself for many years, was undoubtedly the most experienced of any fighter in the building, and it is no surprise that she still managed to keep up a fight even when all others had already perished, both in body and in spirit.
Downing many Techbots continuing to attack her, avoiding and recovering from the many attacks they sent towards her, Desiree's actions more than lived up to the wish that was given to make her fight, keeping up her struggle against the enemy to allow Danny Fenton the time to escape.
But just like the others in her place of employment, however, the fight was once again a matter of time before she fell defeated at the hands of the onslaught of Techbots. The numbers of the machines were simply far too many for one simple genie to overcome, and no amount of magic could triumph over.
Landing a hit in her shoulder, one Techbot sent her wincing back in pain, allowing two others to grab hold of her arms. Grabbing her, they restrained her tightly, preventing her from fighting back any longer. Her fight against the machines over, her struggles against them too, came to an end, when a Techbot proceeded to point its gun-arm in her face.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
However, the Techbot was brushed aside by its master, Demon Phantom, allowing himself a moment to speak to Desiree in person. Looking at Desiree with eyes of ended patience with a subliminal degree of respect, Demon Phantom's own looks were returned with a glare of anger and rage.
"So, you must be this 'evil Danny Phantom' I was told about. I'm assuming you still know who I am." Desiree said.
"I remember. I also greatly remember that you were able to grant any wish. What wish did you grant Danny Fenton?" Demon Phantom asked.
"Not that knowing will help you or that I care to tell you, beast, but he wished for his soul back."
"But he has no powers. He couldn't change when he tried to. He's just back to his basic human form; his soul hasn't split from his body yet. At least I have this on my side."
"He will regain his powers, beast, mark my words. He will regain what he has lost and he shall end you as he has sworn!"
"I would be arrogant and retort that such is not possible, but I've since learned not to believe that anything is impossible, no matter how certain it may seem. Wise man once said: Assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups. But I will grant you the knowledge of knowing that I will not permit that to happen, and I will stop him before he can gain his powers back."
Raising his hand to Desiree, Demon Phantom charged a blast of ectoplasmic energy in it, urging the Techbots to move from its line of sight. Looking back at the charged ectoplasm, Desiree felt a dipping sense in her ethereal self, knowing that the death she faced now would be permanent, giving her no return from the void.
"Reverte ad nihilo. May you be at eternal peace." Demon Phantom said.
Firing the blast of ectoplasm out from his hand, the projection completely engulfed Desiree in the hellfire, dissipating her spectral being into its bare form of thoughts, ideas, and memes, never to recorporate into the full being of Desiree once again. Put through the tormentuous agony of dying a second time, Desiree as she was known scattered to her core makeup; her scream leaving as her body did.
As the blast of ectoplasm came to an end, the empty space that Desiree once occupied was long gone, marking the end of the ghost genie.
Desiree is gone forever.
The act of taking the life of another ghost seemed to take some emotional toll on Demon Phantom; not yet had he made any new orders to the Techbots, nor had he even made any of the most subtle movements other than lowering his hand to his side. Instead, all that he seemed to was something that none could comprehend seeing him do if any were present to witness it.
Were any present except for the Techbots, they would have sworn that Demon Phantom had cried.
Desiree's sacrifice has paid itself off well for the escape of Danny Fenton and the rest; managing to escape the Whorehouse on Haunted Hill, the group made their way far away from the subcity of Eros and away from the present whereabouts of Demon Phantom, moving back into the more normal populace of Old Amity Park.
If a world where religions have become gangs and fight their holy wars in the streets can be called 'normal', that is, but that is good enough for the Fentons as they find some refuge against the violence. In the safety of hiding in the plain sight of a crowd, they are allowed a moment to catch their breath, recovering from the run while they could.
"I think we're good. I know these streets pretty good, and they're not coming through here. Nobody really knows the route we took." Danielle said.
"I'll take your word for it. I just wish being dead didn't mean I still get out of breath." Jazz said.
"That's all just a mental thing, force of habit and all that stuff. You get used to that."
"So we lost the evil Danny, our Danny's got his soul back, and now he needs his powers. Now what do we do?"
"Easy. Now, we just find a Ghost Portal. I know this one group I've been meaning to hit, some offshoot of Scientology, they should have one that works. Just throw Danny in there, fire it up, and, boom, he's back in business, and we can fight again."
As the two sisters discussed their plans for helping Danny receive his powers again, a nearby electronics shop has a sereis of televisions set to a national news channel, playing out reports on the latest developments in the world. The news being fed now was a standard showcase of the usual reports, nothing that particularly interested the American public as a whole...
...until, near the end, the reporter received breaking news that would shock the nation to its core.
"In other news, the Italian government has successfully taken back the territory claimed by the Catholic Church as Vatican City, done through a military act not seen since the American government's raid on the Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas in 1993. Several deaths of Catholic clergy members have been reported, including approximately 17 children, resulting in some heavy backlash from- Wait, what's that? Are you serious?! Oh, my god... Oh, Jesus Christ..." The reporter said.
Not disturbed by the previous news until the newly-developing story was fed into her ear, the reporter's calm demeanor changed to panic and fear, trembling with anxiety before even speaking out the story. The temporal witholding of the news allows the group a moment of time to find hope in their mission, making the preparations to leave for it.
"Good. Just lead the way and we'll start to-" Jazz began to say.
"This just in, President Tucker Foley and the entire executive branch has been killed by Danny Phantom." The reporter spoke.
Jazz's sentence was cut short by the delivery of the news behind her, as were any thoughts that might have existed in the heads of the three beforehand. Turning to the televisions after the inflection of the news, the Fentons were joined by the many bystanders along the street, watching the television with dread, hoping that what would come on next would quell their fears that what they heard was not true.
"Hold on, hold on, I'm getting reports that Danny Phantom is preparing a statement from the White House, we should be getting feed from the Emergency Alert System any mome-" The reporter said.
The feed from the news station was then cut off by a static feed, then changing to an image of the logo for the White House, with a request that viewers stand by. Then, the feed was changed to the interior of the White House itself, showing a pile of dead bodies all along the floor, overshadowed by the image of the lone figure of...
...Demon Phantom, holding up the severed head of President Tucker Foley to the camera. The sight of seeing a world leader, much less the leader of the most powerful country on Earth, be murdered and have his remains held in such a demeaning manor, led all those watching to jump back in shock, all letting out loud gasps and softly murmuring to one another.
Having the full attention now of every man, woman, and child in America with a shocking image, Demon Phantom finally spoke.
"Hello, my fellow Americans. My name is Demon Phantom. As you can see, I've just killed the President of the United States and all his cabinet members, completely eliminating every member of the Executive Branch. Now, reports of my murder have been somewhat exaggerated; I am not Danny Phantom, as the many news outlets would have you believe. He, too, is dead. For too long, you have put too much faith and worship in your god, creating idols and likenesses of his image in the form of posters, toys, and other forms of merchandise to capitalize on his image, but Danny Phantom has failed you. He has never addressed the greater problems of this world, and never made any attempt to better us as a species. He's had his chance, and, in modern parlance, he's long since blown it. So, I'm here to bring about true salvation for the human race; to truly bring this planet to the state it was meant to be in, and I have began by tearing down the old gods, and, by right of revolution, I have made myself the one, true, new god. And as your god, I have set you free. You are no longer bound by the rules of the old ways. You are free to live as you see fit. From my new residence in Fenton Works, I will reside over you, and I will soon bring you the true freedom that you crave. Go forth, my children, and be free." Demon Phantom announced.
The news that had once brought horror and dread to the people watching had instead turned them to a collected sense of levity and freedom, as if taking joy in the newfound freedom that they were given. As if looking for any sight of disbelief by looking to each other, they found none, realizing that their freedom was indeed true.
The Fentons did not share the same sentiment towards the news; grief is stricken upon them for their friend who has died at the hands of Demon Phantom, and the lack of support they now realized had brought them even more dread than the initial news of his violent demise.
But this lack of support is only the beginning of their worries. What catches their attention more is the slow but sudden actions of violence towards one another, ranging from simple shoves and punches to stabbing and shootings, turning to a free-for-all of murder on the spot.
The Fentons instinctively moved to the cover of a dumpster to avoid being caught in it, but most still could not comprehend the reason for the acts of violence.
"Danielle, what's going on?! People are killing each other now just because the President died?!" Jazz panicked.
"You forgot a little bit about what Demon Phantom was saying. He said he 'tore down the old gods' when he killed Tucker." Danielle said.
"But he's a politician, not a god! What's that got to do with anything?"
"A politician is the closest thing to a god you can get on this planet. They control an entire stretch of land and all the lives living on it. The country has its share of religions that people take authority from, but the President's still the highest form of authority there is. When you get rid of him, what higher authority do people fall back on?"
The implications of Danielle's rhetorical question finally made itself clear in her mind, spelling out the worst possible scenarios that could come about from such a drastic shift in authority and power. Horrors upon horrors began to form in her head, but she never asked if any of them were possible...
...because, in the streets of Old Amity Park, they were beginning to play out now.
To say what happened next by saying a statement like 'all hell broke loose' is a description inappropriate not only by its cliche and tired nature, but because of its total inaccuracy in application to the scenario. What broke loose upon the streets of Old Amity Park is nothing of the sort of what its people imagine as hell.
It is what they imagine as heaven... and it is far more terrifying than any mental conjuring of hell could be.
[Soundtrack Cue: Rob Zombie feat. Alice Cooper - Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn)]
As riots began to break out in the streets, explosions began to follow suit, and what brought about those explosions making themselves heard and known. The cause was shown to be the various paramilitary groups centered around their respective religions, wreaking about what they all saw as the final battle for dominance in a polytheistic country filled with many different faiths.
The faiths have now all come together to clash and assert their dominance once and for all, and the warriors take no prisoners nor quarter in their war. They have called off whatever truce there once was, and they are all battling for the prize, to which there can be only one to win it.
Ideas and beliefs of eons of tradition clash at last to be the one true faith, and the ground troops in the battle are their unwitting troops, ready to lay down their lives for an afterlife that has never, and, despite how much they wish for it or kill or die for it, will never come to exist. Nonetheless, their beliefs override the basic fundamental reality around them, committing the most violent acts against one another with no mercy.
Murder no longer becomes the simple ending of life by gun or knifepoint, it has become a sacred ritual to make a sacrifice to appease their gods.
The remains of those killed are not left behind to rot, they are taken as trophies, whether they be cut up and worn or consumed to become one with their gods.
The very idea of thought and individuality is long gone, it is given away without charge to be used and left to the control of their gods...
...who are not there, and are not listening.
"I am the vessel of our lord Jesus Christ, and his will be done through me by laying waste to the heathens and sinners!" A Christian shouted.
"I am among the chosen people of god, and I will lay waste to the Philistines that offend the eyesight of god, so we may inherit the Earth as promised to us!" A Jew shouted.
"I am a believer in the honorable prophet Muhammad, and I will kill any infidel that will oppose the will of Allah!" A Muslim shouted.
"I have suffered through birth and rebirth by the wheel of reincarnation for too long, I will break through the wheel and achieve enlightenment, and I will take everyone along with me to freedom!" A Hindu shouted.
"I have suffered through birth and rebirth by the wheel of reincarnation for too long, I will break through the wheel and achieve nirvana, and I will take everyone along with me to freedom!" A Buddhist shouted.
"I am a victim of Xenu, leader of the Galactic Federation, and I have received spiritual harm through the thetans of the Teegeeack he has murdered here on Earth, and I will lead the world to revolt against his intergalactic genocide!" A Scientologist shouted.
Witnessing the violence perpetrated by many major religious groups against each other, the Fentons quickly departed from the main street in hopes of removing themselves from the chaotic scene. Moving along the back streets and alleys of the town, they encountered many others engaging on their beliefs in the apparent turn of anarchy.
Fortunately, their beliefs were far more benign than those of their militaristic brethren, engaging in self-destructive behaviors rather than mass-destructive.
One was engaging in public urination, spraying his liquid waste around his surroundings, saying...
"Drink my urine! My waste has magical properties that can heal any wound! I will rid this world of cancer, homosexuality, and AIDS with my piss!" The believer shouted.
Another was frantically organizing discarded furniture and other objects in a meticulous, specific way, saying...
"My world shall be organized through the power of fung shui, making me a god through the energy channeled into me through the ley lines of the Earth!" The believer shouted.
Yet another was standing naked in a spot of dirt, staring at the moon and shouting...
"Through gazing into the moon, I shall absorb the lunar rays coming from the satellite of this flat Earth, and become the dreaded werewolf who hunts human flesh in the night!" The believer shouted.
The various displays of insanity left scarring feelings of shock and disgust in the hearts of the Fentons, even with the passing glimpses of human beliefs brought to display before them. Trying to run and find some shelter from the pseudoscience and schizophrenic delusions driving people to commit their irrational acts, their options for shelter become limited against all the odds, making their flight start to run short.
It soon comes to another stop in the end of an alleyway, allowing the group to stop and catch their breath once again. The sounds of warfare and religious battles are still not out of their ears, making their reprieve from the chaos ultimately a small one, but that taste is enough to give them some degree of relief against the fatigue settling in.
"Jesus... This city's going straight to hell!" Jazz shouted.
"No, it didn't. It just got in touch with its idea of god." Danielle panted.
And another ideal of god is shown to the group, making itself shown in the form of a man with a bomb strapped to his chest, with a Japanese flag tied around him.
"Uh, guys? Another crazy at 12 o'clock!" Danny warned.
"You white men will feel the wrath of Hiroshima! I am the revenge of the Japanese Empire! Feel the spirits of those who perished in nuclear fire inflict their misery on you!" The man shouted.
Danny's instinct is to shoot straight up into the sky by way of his flight powers to avoid the imminent bomb blast, but, still lacking in his powers, he knows that he cannot do this, leaving him to act on an instinct in vain hoping that they will return to give him his freedom again. Alas, it does not, leaving him victim to the kamikaze man's bomb blast and bringing his flight to an end...
...until Jazz and Danielle grabbed hold of their brother, lifting him up into the sky in avoidance of the bomb blast. Their flight away from the insanity had now taken a literal interpretation on the word, resulting in the three making their way into the sky, narrowly avoiding the blast just in time.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
Carrying their brother to the sky, Danielle and Jazz let out a final and definite sigh of relief when reaching their elevated position away from the mayhem below. The safety they had achieved at last gave them not only a moment to relax their nerves, but also a spot of amazement at the revelation that Jazz was flying, achieving what most human beings could only dream about.
"Hey! Jazz! You're flying!" Danny said.
For one moment, the freedom she has from the newfound power gives her a sense of joy.
"Hey! You're right! I can fly! Ha, wow... I never realized how... free... you feel from this, Danny." Jazz said.
Danielle did not share in the celebration, nor did Jazz's delight continue, when the group had seen what had brought her the apparent lack of joy in her face. What took away the positive outlook that Danielle seemed to always carry was derived from the events happening below, observing the violence unfolding down below.
Realizing the destruction of lives, families, and property taking place down below, Danny and Jazz, too, go silent in disgust, knowing that there is no cause for celebration.
But what fact is the heaviest on their minds is not just the violence perpetrated down below them in the city of Old Amity Park, nor even the contemplation of such chaos being wrought about elsewhere, but instead the words of Demon Phantom that helped facilitate the madness.
In his speech, there was staunch criticism of Danny Phantom and his apparent inability to save the world, resulting in the way it was now. Having regained his soul and now able to contemplate such concepts, and seeing the violence for himself, Danny cannot help but ponder if his alternate self was right.
And he silently begins to wish he did not have his soul anymore, so he would not allow the thoughts to wear him down.