Dani's Debut Part 4
"288 Million 465 thousand, 129 bottles of beer on the wall, 288 Million 465 thousand 129 bottles of beer…"
"Shut up!"
"Take one down, pass it around, 288 million, 465 thousand, 128 bottles of beer on the wall-"
"Somebody take out her vocal cords. Please."
"288 million, 465 thousand, 128 bottles of beer on the wall, 288 million 465 thousand, 128 bottles of beer, take one down, pass it around-"
"I swear I'll let one of you have the first hit, so please, just take out her stinkin' vocal cords!"
"As tempted as I am Kitty-cat,"
"Wait, where was I? Aw well, away we go! 300 Million bottles of beer on the wall, 300 Million bottles of beer,"
"-And I am tempted, I'm not about to dirty my hands. The only blood I want on 'em is her brother's. Besides, you're not in charge of who gets the first hit. Its every ghost for themselves, remember?"
"I very much doubt this female version of the whelp is his actual sibling Ember. I have happened to have hunted him for a, ahem, while and the only sister he has is the red-headed smart one. It's hard enough for me to believe they're related, she's incredibly intelligent and-"
"Yeah, yeah Pops, we all have heard your great stalker-slash-failures at Fenton's. But what else could she be, his kid?"
There was a long silence.
"You don't think-"
"He did display some fatherly emotions back there-"
"But who would-"
"He did have an affection for-"
"That goth twerp! It was love if I ever saw it-"
"No way, they're just teens themselves, besides-"
"He likes that Hispanic! You know, the really pretty one who wears the hot clothes-"
"No way he would score with her, she's too hot! And he likes the goth more-"
"But they've never made a move. What do you think, they suddenly-"
"Last time I stalk-ahem, checked, he was dating the Hunter girl."
"Ha! That was all my, Technus' the Matchmaker's, doing! Ingenious, is it not?"
"Not really Geek. I'm pretty sure they're over."
"But he still likes the creepy girl right?! They seem soo cute together and-"
"Hmm, it appears the prey if incredibly fickle with his choice of women, and none seem to have been successful-"
"I know something." Murmured a soft voice. The other ghosts turned towards it.
"Well?"
"I had gone through a ghost portal before the "incident"."
There was a universal shudder. No one liked to hear about the incident, and the near losses of their homes.
"I followed the ghost kid when they traveled over to do the whole, uh, thing and I saw-"
"What?!"
"Oh my god, she is his kid, isn't she?!"
"Hmm. The whelp has become a man."
"Dang!"
"No, no! I saw, I saw, um, I saw thegothgirlandhimkissing!"
Another long silence.
"Pardon?"
"Whoo, bay-bee!"
"So he did hook up with her, finally!"
"Heh, took him long enough."
"This would be good material for the next impromptu emotion-draining session. God knows his love his boundless for that girl."
"You knew?!"
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?!"
"I know, isn't it awesome! They are so sweet together, and Danny's been so clueless for so long! Even I could tell, and I'm supposed to be the young and innocent one!"
There was another long pause. The ghosts turned to the gushing voice and Dani's face froze, the ecstatic smile slowly slipping off her face, her hands slowly unwrapping themselves from the bars that imprisoned her.
"Hehehe…"
"…"
"Where was I? Oh, right, 299 Million, 999 thousand, 981 bottles of beer on the wall, 299 Million-"
"SHUT UP!" Dani grinned sheepishly as the ghosts lowered their ectoplasm-ready hands.
"Geez, she's as bad as the ghost child."
"But who is she?" The ghosts studied her incredulously.
"Didn't your mothers ever tell you it was impolite to stare?" Dani asked, hands on her hips. All of them were hit with a sudden bout of déjà vu.
"Amazing…" Skulker murmured.
"I could run some DNA tests on the child, surely something will turn up-" Dani slapped away Technus' hand as he reached for her hair, a look of disgust on her face. She backed away from the front of the cage.
"Geez Skulky, didn't you have anything nicer to put me in? You've never read the book, "Hospitality for Dummies?" Or robots in this case, but I think you could qualify for both…"
"Silence girly." Walker said, placing his boot against one of the bars. Dani rolled her eyes.
"She certainly makes comebacks like the doof." Ember said agitatedly. Dani grinned and bowed.
"Why thank you Miss Punk. I'm glad to know I have the wit of the guy who, oh, kicked all of your butts." Dani smirked.
"That's very good to know." All of the ghosts glared at her angrily.
"She certainly annoys me like Dan." Johnny 13 said, brandishing his motorcycle handlebars.
"Yeah, they could be, like, twins!" Kitty exclaimed, rubbing her chin and squinting at Dani. Dani groaned.
"Really, this was the best you guys could come up with? You've been gone for a month, and all you've got is a cage that holds ghosts? Haven't you already tried that Skulker?" Dani asked, boredly. Skulker gritted his metallic teeth.
"There's a difference kid, one you don't have the wisdom nor experience to spot. And neither will your brother." Walker smiled, and kicked at the cage suddenly. Dani jumped back, slightly startled, and the ghosts laughed as she glared.
"So he's as good as dead." Dani's eyes widened a fraction, and the ghosts, spotting it, laughed harder.
"Wait, wait!" Kitty said suddenly. She shoved Walker aside, who shrugged it off a little angrily. She completely ignored him however, and pointed at Dani.
"If the twerp is a halfa, what's she?"
There was a long drawn out silence.
"Isn't it obvious?" Dani asked, her hand holding up her head boredly. The ghosts leaned closer as she beckoned them forward.
"I'm…" They leaned closer.
"His kick-butt sister!" She flew forward at the bars knocking them all back, startled. She clutched her stomach and laughed hard as the ghosts all glared.
"Forget the halfa. Let's finish her! Shadow!" Johnny 13 called him forth.
"No! Do not forget our true prey." Skulker said firmly.
"You mean me?" The ghosts turned fast as Danny appeared. There was a yelp, and they turned around, looking at Dani who was rubbing her head, a boomerang in her hand.
"What the heck is this?!" She ground out, glaring at Danny. He shrugged.
"It found you, didn't it? Besides, I've been hit by that thing a lot more than you have." He winced from the memory. A black flash took him down as he was distracted.
"DANNY!" Dani screamed. Danny wrestled Shadow as Johnny 13 laughed. Kitty giggled.
"My boy got 'im first, so I get second!" She kissed her hand and blew, a giant electric lip-shaped blast flying at Danny. Shadow held him and it hit the boy squarely, sending him smashing into a nearby tree.
"We're in a forest, you know what that means baby pop?" Ember asked, slamming down on her guitar. Danny was picked up by the sound waves as Dani hit the bars of her cage repeatedly.
"Uh, we can appreciate the beauty of nature to the fullest?" Danny asked weakly. Ember's face turned dark.
"Nope. It means there's plenty of trees to take you down with, or, let you take down." She drew out the word and her sound waves threw Danny towards Lunch Lady. The woman had a gigantic drumstick of chicken and she hit Danny with it like a bat hitting a baseball.
"Oh-Come on-!" Danny crashed into another tree, taking it down, as Ember had predicted.
The dust cleared, and Danny was down on the ground. He was getting up by an elbow when a boot appeared, pushing him down to the ground.
"DANNY!" Dani screamed again as Walker lifted him up by the collar. Danny smiled and Walker growled.
"Dude, and I thought Johnny's breath smelled. Let's fix that." Walker flew back, Danny releasing himself. He held up a hand, little round buttons with smiley faces with fangs between each finger.
"Fenton Shockers. Not exactly a breath mint, but I guess our definitions of 'fixing' may be a little different." He shrugged just as he dodged another large missile from Skulker, jumping into a tree branch just to be tackled to the ground by Bertrand. He was about to kick upwards but both the wolf's paws were set down on him, then transformed into a sumo wrestler.
"Well," Danny puffed,
"This is new." The sumo wrestler grinned.
"You like it? Perfect for pinning down your enemies and ripping their faces off." The sumo wrestler leaned in and Danny gulped.
"Can't we talk about this first? I know a great little sushi place, it even comes with karaoke!"
"Hold him down Bertrand. It's time." Spectra smiled, come behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder, then reconsidering and removing the hand, wiping it on her pants.
Dani struggled against Shadow's grip.
"Leggo! Let go of me!!!" She kicked and her leg went through the black entity. Skulker chuckled as both Phantoms were held together. Danny almost seemed to calm down a fraction when he saw Dani.
"So child, who is this girl?" Skulker said curiously, leaning in close to the ghost boy.
"You know, Walker's not the only one who needs a breath mint, if you catch my drift." Skulker growled and punched Danny in the stomach, who looked as if the breath had been knocked out of him.
"Enough with the impudence! Ember, do it!" Skulker commanded. Ember fixed him with a look, hands on hips.
"Ahem, I mean, dearest flame, if you don't mind…?" Skulker politely inquired. The other ghosts snickered, and both Phantoms smirked a little despite their situation.
"If I may explain?" Technus said, coming forward. There was a mutually soft groan of annoyance, but Skulker waved for him to continue. Technus gave his best superior smile to the children, and began his lecture.
"You see child, this cage is an invention of mine," He gestured to it wildly behind him, where Ember seemed to be strumming her guitar and tuning it. Both Phantoms opened their mouths, doubtlessly about to make a retort but both ghosts held them a little tighter. Their mouths shut with a snap.
"And of course it is no ordinary cage. This cage absorbs ecto-energy!" Their eyebrows shot up, and Technus took pride in the fact. Dani remembered shooting at the cage originally. Her blasts had just disappeared into the cage, and it had flashed briefly then gone dark. So that's why…
"But, of course, we need a power source, which is exactly what Ember-"
"That's McLain to you, Geek." Ember snorted, adjusting the strap on her guitar and tuning at the same time.
Technus coughed.
"Yes, well, Ms. McLain here will be using her guitar. Originally we were going to use Aragon's amulet, but," All of their eyes narrowed.
"He got a little impatient." Technus finished.
"And once the cage is powered by Ms. McLain's ectoplasmic energy from her guitar, we can-"
Technus was interrupted by the arrival of a black horse. Danny's eyes widened and Dani glanced at him questioningly.
"I am here. Now what is it you have so urgently need that requires me awakening?" The Fright Knight boomed, looking at the ghosts with obvious disdain in his voice. They all glared, but Skulker and Technus merely smiled.
"Ah Fright Knight, thank you for joining us." The ghost glanced at Skulker suspiciously, before noticing the two ghosts pinned down. His smile grew large and menacing.
"Well, if isn't the ghost child. And I suppose this is his infamous double?" The Fright Knight oozed smugness. Both Phantoms glared at him.
"Ahem, if I may continue?" Technus asked, a touch annoyed. The Fright Knight gazed at him questioningly as Skulker gestured for him to go ahead.
"Ahem, as I was saying, as soon as the cage is powered by Ms. McLain's ectoplasmic energy from her guitar, the cage will absorb it. With that much continuous energy, it will allow the Fright Knight's sword to work its magic!" The Fright Knight, looking quite peeved, interjected.
"Magic is too weak a word for my sword's power. You should all cower before my blade's dark strength." He pulled out his gleaming sword with a dramatic flourish. Danny paled a little and shrank against the ground. Dani gave him a confused look.
Walker, looking a little exasperated, waved his hand.
"Whether it's magic or 'dark strength' I don't care. I've got an appointment teaching discipline to some of our more misbehaving prisoners later." A smile unfurled on his face at the thought. The rest of the ghosts, having been prisoners (Danny included) shuddered.
"Well, Fright Knight if you please," Technus gestured at the cage and made a slicing motion. The Fright Knight heaved a sigh, then took his sword and approached the cage. In a fast, smooth cut he sliced through the cage, going straight through it. As he did, his sword lost a bit of its sheen, and the swirling green energy turned black, flowing around the bars at a furious pace.
Technus laughed.
"It works! It works!" He declared. Everyone turned to the Phantoms.
Skulker smiled.
"Well child, you've faced all of us. I wonder," He got closer to Danny.
"Which one of us scares you the most?" Danny's eyes widened. In a split second, the sumo wrestler was off him, Skulker had him by the scruff of his neck, and he was being tossed at the cage. Dani screamed.
Danny landed against the bars, wincing a little, then paling when he realized what he was resting against. The black energy turned red under his grip, and soon the whole cage had red energy pulsing around it. Danny stumbled back, sweating a little, the cage having absorbed some of his energy.
The red energy spun around the cage, actually lifting up the cage and wrapped around it. Its form changed, a loud storm-like noise accompanying it, and the ghosts watched mesmerized. Danny stumbled back farther. While the other ghosts watched its transformation he pulled out the thermos from his pocket and sucked up Shadow, whose screeching protest was drowned out by the noise of the energy. Danny grabbed Dani and shouted over the noise.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Dani looked at him in shock and shook her head. He shook his own.
"GET OUT! GO!" He pushed towards where he had come. The Red form became a tall figure. Slowly Red eyes appeared. Pale green flames became its hair.
Dani shook her head again. Danny looked panicked.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT MY FEAR IS! DANI, GO BEFORE ITS TOO LATE! YOU THINK YOU'RE STRONG ENOUGH BUT YOU'RE NOT!" He shouted angrily the last part, half desperate. Dani stared at him, stunned and hurt. He realized what he had said. He shook his head and gestured for her to leave.
A black cape. Fangs and a forked tongue. Green skin. Skintight jumpsuit.
The ghosts stared at Danny's greatest fear, puzzled.
Dani stared at her brother in hurt, then turned and flew away. Danny sighed, and then was suddenly pinned against a tree. The thermos dropped from his hand, and rolled, landing in the grass, forgotten.
Danny looked at his other self in horror, while the ghosts watched curiously. A smile unfurled and red eyes flashed dangerously as he watched his other self squirm, releasing and then slamming him hard against the tree again, hard enough to nearly dislocate his shoulder. Danny's eyes rolled up into his head, then back as he regain consciousness, blood trickling from his head.
"Hello Danny." The deep voice said. Danny opened his mouth but no sound arose. He was frozen in terror.
Dan Phantom's smile merely grew larger.
Geez I'm sorry you guys. For some reason I really struggled with this chapter. I knew exactly what was going to happen, but I really REALLY hate writing out explanations. It was really hard to make it flow and honestly, I have SO many ideas for this story, so many fun things to write, but I can't do it unless I get through THIS first, which was driving me nuts. However, fight scene next chapter, huge climax, and then I get to get to my version of the fun stuff. Yay!
I wrote down the Not strong enough part (you know, Danny's huge screaming rant) and I suddenly realized this sounded suspiciously plagiarized. I then proceeded to realize I had just written Nemo. So much for originality. :P
I think I have 5 oneshots for here's to the hero lying around somewhere, but I'm having trouble finishing them. They're pretty pointless one-shots, so I gotta figure out how to make it worth reading. Hmmmm…
School's starting soon. Maybe the whole Get-your-butt-in-gear homework routine will start up my brain processes again. No more watching Will & Grace and meaningless yet hilarious comedy shows until I nearly die from starvation and am forced to stop! Hope everybody enjoys their last bit of summer!!! Sorry for the super long Author Note!
Artgirl4!