*Two girls in the corner playing with cards as Vlad, Danny and the rest of the DP cast walk in*
Phantom: grrrrrrr! *Phantom throws her cards to the floor* what's so entertaining about solitaire? It's boring and I think I fell asleep more than once! This is why I stick to reading others' fanfics!
Trainer: you did fall asleep… and you snored. I play solitaire to keep myself busy because there aren't any fanfics out there that I want to read, or the latest chapter hasn't come out yet.
Vlad: what are you two doing?
The twins: what does it look like?! We're playing cards!
Phantom: not that it's any fun anyways.
Trainer: *Trainer doesn't pay attention* hey, Pikachu. I'm stuck. Where does this card go?
Vlad: well why not write this chapter? It's been a while.
Danny: yeah! I haven't been able to punch a ghost in a long time!
*everyone stares at Danny, but Phantom starts laughing*
Phantom: then just fight with Vlad or one of the other ghosts that hate your guts!
Danny: well, what do you say cheesehead? Want to brawl?
Vlad: grrr! You won't last five minutes!
*a huge battle starts and everyone joins in. Phantom jumps into the fray while Trainer watches out of boredom*
Trainer: well, since Phantom won't be able to do this… welcome back to the next chapter. Sorry that it took so long, but it is summer vacation and we want to spend it relaxing too. Furthermore, I don't write these. So enjoy the show. In the meantime, I'm going back to my game.
*Random ghosts speak at the same time*
I am the Box Ghost! Fear my square powers of –
– And I, Technus, will control all the world's –
– Nobody hurts Danny while we're around!
Trainer: everybody just SHUT UP!
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom and some ideas are owned by Pearl84 and Truephan, but the plot is mine!
Chapter 7: New Powers, Old Rivals
Caw! … Caw, caw! A crow sounded off in a tree nearby. The whole area seemed to be alive, yet at the same time… dead. It was almost like walking through one of the Ghost Zone's forests.
Violet eyes searched for something, anything that could tell the owner; what the hell was going on? There seemed to be nothing but the blackish trees and ground, and the occasional caw of a crow, within the creepy forest. The same violet eyes looked up and saw a mixture of what she thought was the Ghost Zone's green atmosphere with the twinkling moon and stars that came from the human realm.
"Is… is this all a dream? Or did I hit my head getting into bed last night?" the girl mused to herself. If it was a dream, she decided that it would be pointless to scream out to anyone listening. But if this wasn't a dream… she didn't want to think about it.
Sam walked over to one of the trees and started to climb it. if there was one thing she could do, it was the ability to truly connect with nature. She continued to climb until she reached a high enough branch and poked her head out of the leaves and took in the view. It was breath taking! It was like the perfect combination of the two worlds she knew!
There was this ginormous forest she was currently in and it seemed like there, off in the distance, was the area of Amity Park. The streets still intact and the lights of the small town shining in the darkness. But what she didn't see, were people of the town, or the inhabitants of the Ghost Zone. Sam climbed down and made her way to the town she grew up in.
As she walked, she realised that a thick fog was settling in around the forest, making things have unusual shadows. Normally, she wouldn't mind, but being in this place had already creep-ed her out and she didn't want to find out what was hiding in the shadows of the foliage.
As she neared the edge of the forest, she quickened her pace. Her logic was: the sooner she got out of this horror flick, the sooner she could find Danny and Tucker. Heck! She would have settled for her parents! And that says a lot.
Sam was confused. Not a soul, living or dead, could be found and somehow she was the only one around. "Ok, definitely a dream. Unless this is someone's sick joke," the Goth teenager mumbled as she wandered through the streets. Where was everybody?
CAW!
Sam jumped a good two feet in the air as the sound pushed her from her thoughts. Frantically, she looked around, trying to spot any signs of danger. When she found that there was still no one around, she huffed in annoyance. She spotted her scare-er; a black crow, at least she thought it was a crow, sat on a nearby bench watching her every move.
Sam rolled her eyes as the bird continued to follow her through the streets. What was with this stupid bird? Why did it keep following her? She saw it back in the forest too, and even then it followed her like a hawk. Actually, more like a vulture. The mere thought made the Goth shiver as she recalled Vlad's three ghost vultures and how they were always watching Danny and his life for the sick cheesehead. "That guy seriously needs a life," Sam thought, but then added out loud, "Or a cat." She smiled at the thought of Vlad finally taking Danny's advice and getting a cat to keep him company. She nearly burst as she suppressed the need to laugh.
Suddenly, the bird started to chirp, almost like it had read her thoughts and was laughing at the unsaid joke. Sam stared at the crow for a moment, completely shocked. Was the bird laughing? And if so, at what? Her joke? No, that's impossible. Most of it was said in her head anyways. Ignoring the chortling bird, the Goth continued forward toward the park. Maybe there was something going on and she didn't know about it. And, same as before, the crow followed like a well trained dog.
Sam reached the park, but once again, no one was there. She walked by the pond and stared at her reflection in the water. What she had expected was her normal everyday clothes, but instead she saw her night gown. "What the hell?" was all she could think.
Making a double take at her reflection, she confirmed that she wasn't imagining it. She had just wandered around in her pj's. She would have been embarrassed, but there was no one around so it didn't really matter.
A sudden weight on her left shoulder brought her back to the world around her. She turned her head slightly and caught a glimpse of the crow's violet, glowing eyes. Wait! Was the bird's eye actually glowing? Just as suddenly, the crow began to rub its head against the Goth girl's and she nearly jumped, but for some reason it was almost comforting to have the bird do that. Sam raised her right hand up and started to pet the black beauty as she said, "well, at least I have some company in this dream, even if you are just a crow. I think I would have gone crazy if I had to go through this alone."
The crow stopped its rubbing and seemed to glare at the teen. She didn't notice which seemed annoy the crow even more. "You know, I'm a raven right?" a smooth voice asked, a hint of rage seeping through.
Sam jumped again, earning a few feathers to fly from the bird as it tried to keep balance on the young girl's shoulder. Sam looked around in a panic. "Who spoke? Where are they? What did they mean when they said they were a raven? Unless-" Sam thought as a light bulb lit up in her mind. She quickly looked at the black bird on her shoulder with wide violet eyes. "y-y-you-you spoke!" she stammered.
The bird looked back at her with its own violet eyes and readjusted its position again. It blinked and its eyes were glowing again; the same glow that she saw in her own eyes just before she went to bed. Finally, the bird spoke, well, sort of, "yes, I did speak… well, more like telepathically spoke to you. I don't feel like using my actual voice right now."
Sam stared at the bird in utter shock. She wasn't scared, far from it. After dealing with ghosts for nearly a year, almost nothing could really surprise her anymore. But a bird that could talk, well that took the cake. Sam eventually found her voice and stammered, "are… are you a… a…"
"Ghost?" finished the raven. It shook its head and replied, "I'm not quite a ghost, though I may be mistaken for one at times."
Sam thought about it for a moment and then asked, "If you're not a ghost, then what are you? What do you want?"
The little black bird stared at the Goth with an almost saddening look. It seemed to sigh as it said, "I can't tell you what I am, because I don't exists entirely in the real world… yet. What I want is you."
Sam almost pulled away from the bird, but stopped herself for a reason she didn't know. Her head told her to be wary of the bird, but her heart said to trust it. Her heart won. She looked the bird over again, but this time with a critical eye.
The raven seemed to shrink under her gaze, but stammered, "What I mean to say is that I was searching for you. We have a connection, and you can't deny that."
Sam sighed and stared at the pond again as a light wind blew across it. "You're right. I felt a connection, but what does it mean?"
The bird looked up at her and began to snuggle her cheek as it said, "You'll understand with time. You'll also see me from time to time, but you can always find me in your dreams. That, I promise. But for now –"
The raven flew off her shoulder and over the body of water. Sam almost jumped into the water just to have the raven stay by her side. "Wait!" shouted the Goth girl, "what do you mean? What am I supposed to call you?"
There was a flash of warm light from the other side of the pond; the same place the raven had gone. Sam gasped as the warm light enveloped her form. It wasn't bad, but she was still surprised by it none the less.
Then the voice of the little raven came from the light and said, "I just told you that you'll understand in time." It almost mocked the teenager in the same tone that she reserved for her friends. It then quickly added, "Oh! And it's up to you to name me. But it's time to wake up."
Sam gasped again as the light intensified for a brief moment before dulling back down to reveal… her room.
Pamela Manson walked into her daughter's room and sighed at the depressing room. Nothing but purple and black touched this room. Why did her daughter have to be such a… a… Goth?! Why couldn't she be more like, well, herself? What was wrong with being a socialite? She didn't know, but her Sammy-kins could probably think of many reasons why.
She looked down at her daughter's sleeping form, or at least what she could make out in this dark room. Sam looked so tranquil while she slept. Pamela wished that she could see this side of her daughter more often. "This place needs some light," stated the overly-peppy mother. She then walked over to the window, and with one quick movement, she pulled the curtains apart revealing the morning sun in all its glory.
Too bad Sam didn't feel the same way. She grabbed her pillow and shoved it over her face to block out the morning rays. Sam growled something about a raven and wanting five more minutes.
Pamela rolled her eyes and said, "It's time to wake up Sammy. If you don't you'll be late for school."
Sam wanted to just lie there, but hearing her mother talk about school reminded her that she needed to talk to Danny and Tucker about what happened last night. Sam couldn't get up fast enough as she raced around her room to get ready for school.
Pamela started to leave, but watched as Sam ran all over the place. "Well, someone is excited for school," commented the mother as she walked out of the room to prepare some breakfast.
Sam was so busy, that she didn't even notice the black misty form of a bird floating on her window sill with its glowing violet eyes. The bird chuckled to itself as it said, "let the fun begin." And then it disappeared.
Sam had gotten to school without any troubles, and as usual, she met up with Danny and Tucker beforehand. She hadn't told them about last night; not about her strange powers, not about her even weirder dream, nothing. She didn't know how to tell them without sounding absolutely nuts.
Ever since last night, she hadn't been able to call upon her powers, nor did she even know how to. She gave an annoyed sigh, which earned a concerned expression from the ghost hybrid. He didn't know why, but it felt like he knew Sam was… confused about something. But he was also confused. Why did it feel like he could feel what Sam was feeling? Ok, that didn't even make sense to him, and he was the one thinking this.
He looked at his Goth friend and asked, "Sam? Are you ok?"
Sam looked back at him into his big blue eyes. The question was so simple, but the answer wasn't. Instead, Sam responded with, "It's nothing. I'll tell you and Tucker later."
Danny nodded, knowing that it would be impossible to get the answer from her before she was ready. The trio looked around as they entered the school. The nerds were in the corner, hiding from the jocks. The jocks were walking down the halls with the cheerleaders, acting all high and mighty. And so one and so forth for every group in the school. Just a normal day for the school of Casper High.
Sam took a shaky breath and tried to calm her growing nerves. She then repeated what she had told herself last night, "all I have to do is get through today, and then Danny, Tucker, and Jazz can help me figure out what's going on."
She took another breath and smiled as she readied herself to face the wrath of high school. And what was a day without Paulina getting in her face and causing a scene?
The snobby girl walked up to the trio and simply stated, "out of the way, losers. I don't need to catch your germs."
Sam growled while Danny and Tucker tried to hold her back so that she wouldn't do anything that she would later regret. Who where they kidding, she would never regret doing something to Paulina. Sam stopped fighting against her friends and they continued down the hall. But not before Sam suddenly turned around and said, "Just so you know Paulina, germs are everywhere. In fact, they're crawling all over your body as we speak. There are even airborne germs that we breathe every day."
Paulina looked back at the Goth girl with a look of fear on her face. The trio just laughed as they continued on their way.
"You know," said Tucker, "Paulina may be a pain, and even down right gullible, but even that is nothing compared to how easy it is to scare her."
Danny chuckled and added, "Yeah, don't I know it. When I'm out on patrol, she'll freak out over a spider and scream for Danny Phantom to come and save her."
The three teenagers laughed at the annoying popular as they walked off to their first classes.
The morning had gone down without a single hitch. Danny had to leave for only a minute to go and capture the Box Ghost, which meant Tucker and Sam had to cover for him. A simple bathroom excuse fixed any suspicions Mr. Lancer may have had.
And Sam hadn't felt her powers at all. "So far so good", Sam thought. She didn't know how to call forth her powers, but she did know what it had felt like last night. Her eyes would glow a more vibrant violet, and then the energy would flow through her whole body. When she used it on her phone, the energy had been directed at the object, so it glowed the same colour as her eyes. She could have said she didn't enjoy the feeling of her new found powers, but that would be a lie. She loved it! It felt, empowering. But since she hadn't used them yet, she figured she could let her guard down for the rest of the school day.
Danny, Sam and Tucker grabbed their lunches and headed for their usual table outside. It was a nice day, why not sit outside?
Danny put his tray down, but before he could sit down, something grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him away from the table. Danny was thrust against a tree with the force of a bulldozer. Sure, he had had much worse when it came to the ghosts he fought, but it still hurt like hell when someone hurt him in his human form.
Danny shook his head; both in trying to relieve some of the pain coursing through his head and to shake the stars from his eyes. Who was throwing him around like a ragdoll?
"Hey, Fenturd," said Dash as he brought his face close to the half ghost teenager's. "My girl says that your girlfriend said something that really upset her. So I'm going to beat you till I hear an apology."
Danny glared at the jock, just as Sam stood up and did the same. Both of them had rage behind their eyes, and if anyone had been looking closely enough, they would have noticed that Danny's eyes were glowing a ghostly green and Sam's a mystical violet. But no one did.
Both teens yelled at the jock, "He's/she's not my boyfriend/girlfriend!"
"Whatever," Dash replied as he readied his arm to punch the helpless teen. But before he could, something flew by his head, causing him to drop the hybrid and walk back a few steps. "What was that?" the disturbed teen asked his group of friends. All of them shrugged. The most they had seen was a slight blur of black whip past his head.
Dash took another wary step back as Tucker and Sam ran to their friend's side to help him up. No one knew what had just happened, but the trio were happy that it did.
Dash ducked while everyone else shrieked as the black blur charged again. The blur cawed as it landed in a nearby tree and gained a more physical form. Sam had to withhold a gasp as she recognized the form as the bird from her dream. Danny and Tucker both gasped, not needing to hold their tongue.
As the tree ducked under a nearby table, they watched as the bird continued to fly over the A-listers and attack Dash. It didn't do any real harm, but it scared them.
Tucker leaned closer to his friends and whispered, "Guys, I know this may sound weird, but I feel like I've seen that bird from somewhere."
Danny nodded as he said, "I know. I think it was when I was asleep. Like, I saw it in a dream."
Sam shrank a little further under the table, but smiled as she watched the raven pull on Paulina's hair. She so deserved it.
The trio heard several students run back inside yelling 'Ghost!' as they went. The bird kept diving at the popular kids, but then a muffled yell erupted from behind the school doors. Then a very flustered Mr. Lancer stormed through the doors. He looked at the scene of the students with the bird and said, "Great Gatsby people! What is going on here?"
The raven swooped past the vice-principle and continued its slight rampage. Mr. Lancer gasped as he had to duck to avoid the bird. He then announced, "Everyone! Today will be cut short on account of… GHOST ATTACK!"
If they weren't running for the nearest exit, the students might have actually cheered for the early dismissal. Danny was about to 'go ghost' and capture the bird when it suddenly flew towards them and disappeared.
Danny stood there, mid-battle pose, staring at the empty space before them. He then asked, "Um… what just happened?" he then turned to Tucker and Sam, but froze at what he saw.
Tucker looked at the hybrid's shocked face and asked, "What's wrong Danny? You look like you just saw a ghost."
Danny glared at the techno-geek for the stupid and no-funny-at-all joke. Tucker laughed nervously, but watched as his friend's gaze returned to the Goth girl. Tucker followed his gaze and gasped as he saw what he was so shocked about. He pointed at Sam and said, "Sam! Y-y-your e-e-eyes! They're-they're… GLOWING!"
Sam's eyes widened for a moment before she shut them tight, trying to hide what they had already seen. Danny looked at Tucker, who seemed to understand the unasked question since he nodded his head. Danny took a step towards his Goth friend and asked, "Sam? What's going on?"
Sam looked up at her friends and gave a sorrowful sigh. "It's a long story. One that I don't fully understand."
Tucker spoke up this time, "we have time."
Sam sighed again. She didn't know where to start. Then, just like last time, the black raven appeared and landed on Sam's left shoulder. The three teens were surprised to say the least, but what happened next took the cake.
The raven spoke. "How did you enjoy the show? If you want to know where to start, I could help."
The three teens exchanged a look, and Danny said, "To my house."
The three had arrived at Fenton Works and found Jazz already home. Jazz was about to say hi to them and ask what was with the bird, but her brother beat her to the punch. "Lab. Now. Don't ask why." And then they disappeared down the stairs to the lab.
Danny pulled out some chairs for the group and sat down. The others followed his lead and when they had all sat down, Danny asked, "Sam. Who is that bird? What is your connection with it? And most importantly, why are your eyes glowing?!"
Sam glared at the ghost hybrid, but it soon faded. She didn't know how to answer these questions. They were the same questions that she had asked herself.
The raven looked at the girl, its form still not completely solid, but visible enough to look like a bird still. The bird cawed, getting everyone's attention. It then spoke again, just like the last time it had in front of the teens, "Sam won't know the answer to any of these questions. She is new to this after all."
The teens looked at the bird before Jazz spoke up. She would have screamed at the telepathic bird, but she had seen enough weird things to hold it back. "Um… ok. So why don't you tell us? It's kind of weird not calling you by a name, so let's start there."
The bird looked at the red-head with its violet eyes before it said, "I don't have a name, at least… not yet. I told Sam that that was her choice last night."
Everyone looked at the Goth girl, whose eyes were still glowing. Sam waved her hand in front of her as she said, "No. No, no, no, no, no, no. I barely know what's going on, myself. I'm not naming this raven right now."
The group sighed, but relented. Danny then said, "Ok, but what about the questions we asked?" he was already on a short fuse.
The raven cocked its head and said nonchalantly, "who I am doesn't matter because I have no name, but I am a raven. My connection to Sam is complicated, but you'll all figure it out sooner or later. Probably later. For right now, I can only stay in the real world because Sam is keeping me here, but I'm not complaining. And before you ask; no, I am not a ghost. And Sam's eyes are glowing because she has powers." The raven then started to rub its head on Sam's and Sam pet the black creature lovingly.
Danny, Tucker and Jazz, however, stared wide-eyed at what the bird had just said. Sam had powers?! Since when?!
Tucker was the one to voice their question, "When did you get powers?!" he emphasised by putting his hands into the air.
Sam looked at him and stated simply, "I only discovered them when I was going to bed last night. I looked in the mirror and saw my eyes were glowing. I thought about calling you guys, but then my phone floated over to me in a violet hue. But then everything stopped glowing, so I went to bed. And don't worry; it's not ghost powers as far as I know. I already tried to go ghost."
Danny didn't know what to think of the situation. "How did Sam get powers? And what do these powers include?" Danny thought.
"I don't know how I got my powers Danny, but we could always find out what sort of powers I have," Sam said, still petting the bird.
Danny and the others stared at Sam, slightly confused or worried. Sam looked up and cocked and eyebrow. She demanded more than asked, "What?"
"Sam," Danny started, "I didn't say anything… at least not out loud."
Everyone was confused, especially Sam. "If he didn't say anything out loud, then how did I hear him?"
Danny and Tucker had been watching Sam for any reaction, but when they heard her voice and her lips weren't moving, they had an idea as to what was going on. Tucker suddenly yelled, "Telepathy!" earning a startled response from Jazz.
"What are you talking about, Tucker," Jazz said as she composed herself.
"I think we just found another of your abilities Sam," Danny said. "You can communicate with other people through telepathy."
Jazz sat there, unconvinced. She hadn't heard a thing. Why not? Then the room went silent as the raven started to laugh with its twittering voice. "Oh, so close, yet so far from the truth," it said.
Sam looked at bird and asked, "What do mean?"
The raven's laughing subsided to a mere chuckle as it stated, "True, you have telepathic abilities. But only with those two over there." And the raven pointed a wing at Danny and Tucker.
Sam gave a questioning look and said, "Why?"
The black bird shifted its position and said, "Think back to yesterday. What was different about yesterday that could have done something to today?"
The trio couldn't answer fast enough as they all said, "Koŝmaro Magiisto!"
Jazz looked at them, expecting an explanation. And she got one. Danny said, "Koŝmaro Magiisto. He was the thing that was different yesterday that affected today. He wasn't like other ghosts. He had the chance to destroy me, but instead, he just left."
Then Sam jumped in, "Yeah. And when you and Tucker were out for the count, he almost did it. He shot one of his ecto-blasts at you while in the rubble. I jumped in the way of it, but I was propelled into you guys."
The raven flew from the Goth's shoulder to the hybrid's, startling both teens. Settling down, the raven said, "Now you're catching on. That blast gave Sam her powers, or at least enhanced the ones she already possessed. In reality, Sam had the makings of a great magician before that ghost ray hit her. The beam just brought them forth."
"I guess that makes sense," Jazz mused. "I mean, Koŝmaro Magiisto was a magician himself, so his powers must have awakened Sam's."
Sam nodded, but then thought of something, which she voiced. "Does this mean I have no limits to my powers? Or is there only so much I can do? Either way, that still doesn't explain why Danny, Tucker and I can talk telepathically."
The raven looked at the group and said, "I'm just as new to this as you. I can only guess that your powers grow as you grow. Sort of like Danny with his ghost powers. Both can be limitless, but that doesn't mean that there won't be obstacles to stop you. As for the thing between you and your friends, that's a little more complicated."
Jazz rolled her eyes. She knew that it either didn't know itself or it was trying to avoid it. She then pushed, "we've got plenty of time."
The raven looked at the oldest teen and said, "Alright. When Sam was hit by that beam, her powers were awoken, but at the same time, the force of the shot sent her into her friends. This created a connection, a bond, between the three of you. Go on, try it. Think something, and allow the others to hear it. You can keep your thought protected, but you can also let others hear it."
The three looked at each other and all nodded in agreement. Sam was the first to try, "testing? 1, 2, 3?"
"I can hear you, loud and clear," Tucker thought.
"Same here," Danny responded.
The three smiled as they now had an advantage over their enemies. They could find out about their strategies if they didn't talk. It was a bonus!
Then Jazz jumped in and asked, "Well? Did it work?"
Danny's smile only widened at the question as he responded, "yeah. This is pretty cool. It's like having the Fenton Phones except it's just in our heads."
"Just be careful!" the raven said. "You have a connection now, so some things may happen."
"Like what?" asked the Goth, sceptically.
"Well, if something traumatic happens to one of you, like an internal shock, the others will most likely feel it too. Don't worry; it's not like if one of you is hurt that the others will feel the same pain. It's more like you'll feel a jolt like static electricity," said the bird.
Well that wasn't very comforting, but a good warning system for the trio. Suddenly, the raven's form became misty and it looked towards Sam. Her eyes were going back to normal, which meant that it didn't have too much time. Everyone else seemed to notice the two things as well, since they couldn't stop staring.
"What happening to the raven?" Sam asked.
"Like I said earlier, Sam's powers are the thing keeping me in this realm. When she gets stronger I'll be around all the time, but that will probably take at least a year. Until then, I can only stick around for short periods," Responded the bird.
"Wait! Before you go; how did I activate my powers before?" Sam asked with an almost pleading look.
The raven looked at the Goth and turned what remained of its head away. The raven then mumbled, "Damn it. I'm only a new borne familiar and I already have a lot on my plate." Then continuing in its normal volume, the raven said, "Like your friend's ghost powers, each of your powers will be found through strong emotions. After you discover an ability, you'll know how to do it for as long as you live. Just ask Danny; he knows what I'm talking about. Until next time everyone. And Sam; I'll see you in your dreams." And the raven disappeared.
There was a silence in the room as the misty form of the raven vanished. There was just so much to take in. finally, Tucker said, "Well, that was interesting. I wonder what kind of powers you have right now." Tucker thought for a moment before he exclaimed, "Hey! How come I'm the only one with no cool abilities?"
Danny, Sam and Jazz laughed at the techno-geeks last remark before Jazz said, "Well, we could use my parents' new invention." She got up from her seat and walked over to one of the work benches. Tucker didn't see what it was, but Sam and Danny knew.
Jazz came back with a device that looked like a PDA but it had a satellite dish on the edge of it. It was a slick green colour with the trademark "f" making it a Fenton weapon. She brought it near Sam as it started to scan the area for its target.
A beeping signalled that it had done its job and information filled the screen. Jazz looked it over as the three other teenagers looked over her shoulders to see for themselves. Their eyes scanned the device and what was on it. It read:
Samantha Manson…
Supernatural abilities detected.
Categorized…
50% magical, 50% ghostly.
Strength level…
7 on the ecto-level.
Abilities…
Telepathy, telekinesis, familiar summoning.
Undiscovered abilities detected. No further information found.
"Wow," was all Danny could say. He looked over the information to make sure he hadn't missed anything. "Hey, you're the same power level as me!"
Sam blushed and tried to hide it. Tucker and Jazz shared a look. They knew that Danny and Sam liked each other, but it wasn't their place to rush it. They had to find the truth for themselves.
Tucker looked at the device again and said, "hey, what does it mean by 'familiar summoning'?"
Jazz's eyes grew wide as she jumped to her feet and said, "I'll be right back!" and like that she was running up the stairs. A few minutes later and she returned with the same book from the other day; Myths and Magic through the Ages.
She opened the book and started to flip through the pages until she stopped at a certain section. Everyone looked at the title to the page and it read, "Familiar spirits and guides".
The red-head looked through the page and said, "A 'familiar summoning' is just as it says. It's the act of summoning a familiar!"
"Ok…" Danny said, "That's not very helpful. How about, what is a familiar?"
"A familiar," Jazz continued, "is a supernatural entity believed to assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic in old times. According to the records of the time, they would appear in numerous guises, often as an animal, but also at times as a human or humanoid figure, and were described as 'clearly defined, three-dimensional… forms, vivid with colour and animated with movement and sound' by those alleging to have come into contact with them, unlike later descriptions of ghosts with their 'smoky', undefined form."
"So then why was my familiar, or so I assume it was mine, so 'smoky' like a ghost?" the Goth asked.
"Didn't it say that you had to name it?" Jazz asked. "Maybe your connection to it isn't complete. Like your bond isn't solid without both of you knowing each other's' name."
"Or it's a power thing," supplied Tucker. Everyone stared at him like he was crazy. He quickly said, "It's like that bird said, it couldn't stay in this realm because Sam's powers aren't strong enough yet. Maybe it's the same thing for its form?"
Everyone nodded in understanding. Finally, Sam said, "well, it doesn't matter right now." She glanced at her watch and sighed. It was getting close to dinner and they all needed to leave so that their parents didn't worry. "Sorry, guys. I have to go. It's getting late and my parents are going to want me home soon."
"Same here, dude," said Tucker as he got up to leave. "Meet up tomorrow?"
"Yeah," said the teenager hybrid. And like that, his friends had left and it was just him and his sister.
"Well?" asked Jazz all of a sudden.
Danny cocked an eyebrow and replied, "Well… What?"
Jazz rolled her eyes and said, "Well, what do you think about this predicament? With Sam and her new abilities?"
Danny's face finally revealed his worry as he and his sister walk up the stairs to the main floor. "Honestly," Danny started, "I don't know. I'm happy that she found them and that she's in no danger right now, but I can't help but feel something is going to happen if we aren't careful. I don't want the things I've been going through to fall to her as well. Like the multiple enemies and possibly dark future. She doesn't deserve that."
Jazz smiled at her little brother and said, "Well, at least you're looking out for your friends. And I'm glad that we're on the same page about this. Now!" she clapped her hand together and said, "how about we order a pizza and watch a movie?"
Danny chuckled at how his sister could let her normal kid nature take over at times when she was just with him, but hid it when near adults. "Sure, a movie dinner sounds good." And they prepared for their sibling evening.
*later that night*
Skulker phased through the door to the Fenton Portal and took up a defensive pose. He waited… for something, anything that would mean a battle. But nothing happened. The hunter started to walk around the lab, half expecting the ghost boy to phase through the walls and attack him. But once again, nothing! Not even a sound! What, did they all go out or something?
Skulker phased through the ceiling and hovered above the floor of the main floor. He heard some voices but none that he recognized from the inhabitants of the household. "Who else would be here?" he asked himself.
Moving silently through the main floor, he found his way to the living room, but jumped back into the kitchen when he saw people in there. If he had a heart, he thought he might have had a heart attack. He didn't expect to run into the whelp and his sister so soon.
The hunter turned invisible and looked back into the room with the two siblings inside. He flew in, expecting the ghost child to transform and come at him, but he didn't. "Well that's odd," Skulker mused.
He floated further into the room and found that the voices he had heard were from the television, or to be more specific, from the movie playing on it. Skulker looked at the movie box title and rolled his eyes; Ghostbusters, of course.
He looked at the two figures in the room and almost burst into a fit of laughter. It took all his willpower not to. Lying on the couch was the whelp in his human form next to his sister; both were fast asleep with an almost empty box of pizza on the coffee table.
Skulker would have thought that the scene was precious if not for the fact that he had a mission to accomplish. But he knew someone who would love to have a picture of this. The hunter pressed some commands into his PDA and raised his arm up so that the device was facing the two teens. With the press of a button, he captured the moment and sent it to his employer.
He watched as the young ghost hybrid squirmed in his sleep as a wisp of blue smoke left his mouth. Skulker cursed under his breath as he watched the child's ghost sense go off. He needed to get out and start searching the city.
Skulker turned and phased through the rest of the house until he was outside standing on the emergency OP center. "Now, where to start? Those blasted books could be anywhere in this town," the hunter pondered. Thinking about it more, there were really only three places that the books could be if they were lost in Amity Park. "They aren't here with the whelp, which leaves two possible places; Axion labs or the Guys in White facility."
Skulker shot towards Axion labs, hoping that his assumption was right. If anyone could hunt down those books, it was the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter! Which meant him. And he was going to do it.
Vlad had been about to retire for the evening when his monitor said he had received something from the hunter.
Vlad raised an eyebrow and said, "There's no way that he could have gotten the books already. He could have only just gotten to Daniel's house. Maybe it's just a status update." Vlad walked back to his computer and pressed a sequence of buttons to open what the hunter had sent him.
Vlad gasped at the image that came from Skulker's message. It was of Daniel and Jasmine asleep in their living room. It was adorable! Vlad chuckled as he thought what could have been going through Skulker mind when he came upon this scene.
Well that did it. He needed to contact the hunter and ask how his search was going. If the hunting-crazed ghost had enough time to "capture" pictures, then he had no reason to have not found the books.
Vlad typed another sequence and waited for Skulker to pick-up the other end. Then he heard the hunter, but he was whispering, "What do you want Plasmius? If you hadn't realised, I'm in a town where ghost hunting isn't as unpopular as you think."
Vlad rolled his eyes at the simple statement. "Of course I know that Skulker! I'm the one who place most of them there in the first place!" he said in a slight rage. Then composing himself he said, "I want a status report. If you have time to send me images of Daniel then you have time for searching."
"Will you keep your voice low, Plasmius? I'm at Axion labs. The whelp and his little helpers don't have the books so I'm checking the most likely places to find them. Unfortunately, that means being near ghost hunters. A little too close if you ask me," replied the hunter.
Vlad understood that Skulker was trying to stay off the radar since the only places the books could have been dropped is if it was near a ghost hunter. And those consisted of the Fentons, Valerie Gray, and the Guys in White; all of which were formidable in battle.
If it had been found by Valerie, then it would be at her father's old lab. But if it was found by the GiW, then it would be at their base. Neither place was good since both had ghost security. At least at Axion labs, there wasn't a whole building of ghost hunters. He hoped for the hunter's sake that they were at Axion and not the GiW facility.
Turning back to the screen, Vlad said in a more hushed tone, "alright, but keep me updated if something happens."
After receiving a confirmation to his request, Vlad cut the connection and went off to bed. He then smiled as he thought of the picture of the two teens. They could act so cold towards him, even try and trick him! But seeing the two so defenceless in that image made it feel like he was there as a parent watching them. He chuckled at the thought and prepared for sleep.
Skulker cut his connection and flew into the building of the labs. He knew that Vlad owned the labs but did he have to put in ghost security? Moving to a control panel, the hunter turned off the ghost detectors and weapons and began his search.
It must have been an hour or two before he gave up in the labs, but he didn't bother to cover his own tracks. He just wanted to finish his mission and go home to rest. He was a hunter, not a delivery boy!
Skulker left and flew over the quiet town. Every once in a while he would hear some late night walker gasp or shout 'ghost' and run screaming, but he didn't care. They were just some pathetic humans who lived in a haunted town and couldn't hold their tongues.
He stopped mid-flight as he spotted his next location; the Guys in White facility. Of everything in this town, it was hard not to spot such a huge white building. It seriously didn't belong in the town for more than one reason.
He took a deep breath and flew towards the outskirts of the building. Hopefully there wouldn't be too many ghost hunters there this late at night.
Danny woke up with a start as another chill ran through his body and his ghost sense passed by his lips. Groaning in annoyance, he got off the couch and was about to transform when he saw his sister's sleeping form on the couch where he was moments ago. He sighed and put the blanket back onto his sister before he phased out the front door and transformed.
He shot into the sky expecting to see someone like the Box Ghost, but instead what he saw surprised him. It was Skulker, and he was… ignoring him. Now that didn't seem right. Skulker never let a chance like battling Danny Phantom get away. What gives?
Danny decided that it was better to go and find out for himself instead of just floating there like an idiot asking himself questions.
Danny followed Skulker through the town invisibly, making sure not to let the hunter know that he was being trailed. The last thing Danny needed was a ticked off ghost hunter who actually had the skills to hunt and kill him.
The two flew over Amity Park until Skulker suddenly stopped at the edge of town. Danny looked over the hunter's shoulder to see what the hunter was staring at only to quickly cover his mouth to stop a gasp as he saw the GiW white building. What was Skulker doing here?
Skulker started to move forward, but stayed on guard the whole time. Danny did the same, but was very wary of the place Skulker was going. Danny knew from past experiences that the Dorks in White were completely clueless, but deadly. They didn't care about Danny's human half when they had found out he was also Danny Phantom. He could only imagine what they would do to a full fledge ghost. It would probably make his dad's idea of ripping them apart molecule by molecule a blessing in comparison.
Danny shook his head at the thought but in middle of his actions he hadn't noticed that Skulker had stopped again and this time, Danny rammed right into him. Danny bounce off the suite of armour and held his no thumping head.
"Ow," Danny said. "Note to self, try to avoid doing that again."
Danny then realised that Skulker had turned to face him and was looking down at him in a mixture of surprise, confusion, anger and relief… but mostly anger. The hunter looked at the stunned child and said in a very aggressive tone, "What are you doing here, whelp? I don't have time for you right now."
Danny looked up at the hunter and thought about fleeing, but instead glared up at Skulker's metal form and said, "I followed you because my ghost sense went off. I think the better question is why are you here, at the Guys in White facility? I know firsthand how these guys operate, and trust me, you don't want to find out for yourself."
The two continued their little stare down, neither one even blinking or turning away. Finally, Skulker sighed and said, "I'm here on a mission for some inhabitants of the Ghost Zone, and my search has brought me here." Then Skulker got an idea; maybe the whelp could help him.
Danny looked at the hunter, and as far as he could tell, he was telling the truth. So, Danny dared to ask, "What kind of mission? I'm kind of on one myself, but I haven't found anything that would show that what I'm looking for is here."
Skulker turned his head towards the white building and smirked. The ghost child was making this very easy. "I believe we're looking for the same thing, whelp." Danny cocked an eyebrow, prompting the hunter to continue, "I've been hired by Frostbite and a mystery ghost to go collect some ancient books, which really aren't that ancient actually."
Danny's eyes widened at what the hunter had just said. Where they actually on the same side for once? Could this week get any weirder? Then Skulker spoke up again, "perhaps we should work together and accomplish this mission faster. My research has brought me here, and when dealing with ghost hunters, it's best to work with someone else." Yep, that did it. Things could definitely get weirder.
Danny thought about it for a moment. Skulker was right, it was always better to have back-up when dealing with ghost hunters. I mean, wasn't that why he had his friends by his side during their battles? Danny watched as Skulker put out a metal hand for a handshake and waited for him to do the same. He looked up at the hunter and said, "This is only a temporary truce. It last as long as it takes for us to get those books back and returned to their rightful owners."
Skulker smiled and said, "Agreed." And the two ghosts shook hands.
Suddenly, several rays shot through the air right at them. Both Skulker and Danny turned and maneuvered through the assault of rays as men in completely white suites arrived on the roof and in the air on jet packs.
The two got back to back in offensive/defensive pose as they were surrounded. "Get ready whelp, things are about to get rough."
A man in a white suit with a pair of black gloves, shoes and sunglasses was at his desk looking over a file of known ghosts within Amity Park. How was it that such a back-waters town could be so full of ghosts? And how was it that even the simplest of ghosts could escape them? They hadn't even been able to catch public enemy number one; Danny Phantom, the supposed good ghost that protects the town.
The Guy in White refused to accept that this ghost was different from what their research had said about ghosts. Danny Phantom may have saved the town on more than one occasion, but that didn't prove anything.
The agent got up from his seat with the folder and began to pace as he read it. For all anybody knew, this ghost had an obsession with the town and was only protecting it because he didn't want other ghosts to have it. It was common for ghosts to have an obsession, which was the reason they were ghosts in the first place.
Suddenly, and alarm went off and the agent almost dropped the folder. A second agent ran in the room and said, "Sir, two ghosts have been spotted outside on the edge of town! They haven't moved yet, but I think you'll want to see this." and the agent fled out the door again as he continued to tell anyone he saw.
The man stood their dumbstruck. There were two ghosts… near his facility? Not while he was in charge. The agent soon returned to his desk and pressed a button, revealing a video screen with current footage of the outside security cameras. And sure enough, there were the two ghosts. One was a metal looking ghost that the agent recognized as one of the many ghosts that attacked the town that would then be stopped by the Ghost Boy, but the other was the Ghost Boy! And the two were shaking hands? What was going on?
The man then grabbed his mic and said, "This is head agent, Agent C. Operatives K and O, take your teams and capture both ghosts. I want them back here for examination!"
Agent C turned off his mic and started to smile. And that smile turned into chuckle, which turned into a full on laugh. If someone was to walk in on him, the first thing they would probably think is that the man was insane, or possessed.
"I have you this time, Danny Phantom," Agent C practically spat.
"Danny Phantom and accomplice, you are under arrest!" shouted operative K through a megaphone from the roof.
Danny and Skulker looked around on high alert. At the first sign of danger, they would either flee for their life/after-life or get sucked into a battle. And it would probably be the latter.
"Arrested?" stated Skulker, "on what charges?"
Danny face-palmed himself at the question. Skulker did not just ask that. Did he really not know how these guys worked?
The hunter seemed to smile as he said, "For being a ghost of course. And disturbing the peace."
Danny glared at the man and put his hand up in the air as he exclaimed, "you have got to be kidding me! Of course we're ghosts, what was your first clue? And second, we haven't done anything to disturb the peace. If someone yells 'ghost' it's not our fault that they're scared."
Both operative K and O seemed to be annoyed by this, since they both yelled, "Attack and Capture!"
Danny and Skulker's eyes widened as they were bombarded with a flurry of attacks, which they proceeded to dodge. They countered with their own attacks, some even working together as they covered each other's backs.
The onslaught continued and eventually, the two ghosts were separated and slowly being surrounded by the Guys in White; both on the ground and in the air. Those in the air were attacking while those on the ground waited for their prey to fall to the earth and capture them in a weakened state.
Danny was fine, admittedly a little tired, but he could see that he was far better than Skulker. The hunter must have been searching for those books for days, because he looked exhausted; and they hadn't even gotten twenty minutes into the battle.
Danny continued to block attacks and blow guns into dust, but was focused on the hunter more than himself. Skulker was barely holding his ground. It was when the hunter had a ray shoot at him from his back that Danny gasped and teleported to the hunter's side and pushed him out of the way at the last second.
Skulker gasped at what had just happened. The whelp had just saved him and was now seriously injured, or at least it had stunned him quite a bit. Danny floated there, not moving. He was in too much of a daze to do anything. Skulker watched, completely horrified as operative O flew over to the young hybrid and put him a ghost trap that looked like the one he had used on the whelp himself. He could still see the dazed teen but there was no way he was getting out of there.
Skulker knew that he could either help the ghost child now and risk his safety, probably dooming them both, or he could find help elsewhere and save both their hides. He knew the whelp would probably feel betrayed by what he was about to do, but it was the better option.
Skulker shot a tracking device onto Danny's back before the ghost trap completely consumed him and flew as fast as he could back to the Fentons' portal. There was only one person that could help and he had to tell him face to face. It seemed wrong to tell him over a communicator. Instead, he sent a warning signal to the person. Skulker knew that the man would understand that it was urgent; he just hoped that he wouldn't be killed for his actions.
Some of the agent saw the hunter trying to escape and were ready to pursue him but then operative K said, "Leave him. We got our main target."
Operative O called out to operative K and said, "But Agent C wants both ghosts. Shouldn't we engage in chase?"
"No. Agent C will understand. Besides," said operative K, "Danny Phantom is a much greater prize."
Danny had no idea as to what was going on, but he knew one thing; he couldn't turn human! If they found out who he really was, then he could practically say goodbye to his somewhat normal life. He just hoped that he could keep his form long enough for someone to rescue him.
His last thought before he was brought half-conscious into the death building was, "Well isn't this just perfect." And then he let his mind wander through the darkness of his empty thoughts.
Sam woke up with a start as she first felt a chill run down her spine and then her breath came as a cloud of smoke as she breathed. Well you didn't see that every day; especially in summer. Suddenly, it felt like someone was whispering to her, but inside her head.
Sam's eyes widened and she let the person through; it was Tucker. "Did you feel that too?!" the techno-geek shouted in his mind. The Goth could tell he was just as concerned as she was if not more so.
"Yeah. I think it was Danny's ghost sense. Remember? He told us what it felt like, so maybe that's was all it was." Sam thought.
Suddenly, she felt the same sensation and she heard both her and Tucker gasp in their minds. She didn't even need to ask if he had felt it or not; he definitely had. Sam got out of her bed and looked out her window. Out in the distance she saw Skulker and figured that Danny had sensed him.
"Hey Tucker. I just saw Skulker fly by. I think Danny just sensed him and is going to take care of it," Sam mused to her friend.
She crawled back into bed and tried to fall back asleep. Not even fifteen minutes later, she felt a surge of electricity flow through her stomach and gasped both out loud and in her mind. She felt the same reaction from Tucker and her face started to show her worry.
The raven had said that only something extremely traumatic would cause a shock between all of them, so did that mean something happened to Danny?
"Sam?" called Tucker.
"Yeah?" was all she could say through her jumbled thoughts.
"I don't like the feel of this. I think Danny's in trouble," he replied.
Sam sighed and looked out her window again. She then said, "Same here Tucker. Something's not right. And we're going to get to the bottom of this."
Suddenly, both teens heard their friend faintly as he said, "Well isn't this just perfect." And then nothing more from him.
Both teens almost freaked out and had every intention to call Jazz to inform her, but the stopped. If this was as serious as they thought it was, they would need to go in armed and prepared. And unfortunately, that meant leaving their friend for a little while to his danger while they slept.
The two teens agreed to call Jazz in the morning and try and find out what had happened to their friend. But for now, they needed to sleep. Even if their sleep would be restless and full of nightmares. This was for their friend.
Before Sam fell into her uneasy sleep, she thought to herself, "Don't worry Danny. We'll be there before you know it. Just hold on a little longer." And then she was lost to her own endless darkness.
Phantom: Hey guys. Sorry that this sort of ended in another cliff hanger. But what can you do? Stories do that, especially ones that get good reactions out of their readers.
Trainer: Yes! I won my game of solitaire! … What happened to you?
Phantom: I just got out of a brawl! What does it look like?!
Trainer: Something the cat dragged in.
*Phantom, Danny and Vlad all stare at Trainer dumbstruck*
Vlad: you know… she has a point.
Danny: like you're one to talk.
Phantom: round two anybody? And this time we include our favourite pokemon fanatic.
*Everyone has an evil gleam in their eyes as they stare at Trainer*
Trainer: heh heh. Um… how about we return to what just happened in the story?
Phantom: fine. So, as you can all see, Danny is in quite the predicament, as well as Skulker when he breaks the news to Vlad. *snickers*
Trainer: yeah! Who will get to Danny first? Vlad/Skulker, Danny's team or will the GiW finally get their guinea pig? I need to know! Not that I don't already know.
Phantom: well, I'm still withholding details from you, so that can be part of your punishment.
Trainer: first off; what punishment. And second; that's not much of a punishment.
Phantom: no, you're totally right on about that, but who said that was all I was going to do? … DOG PILE FIGHT ON TRAINER!
*everyone jumps on trainer with Cujo in puppy form on top*
Trainer: uhg! You… know I'm gonna get you back for… uhg this, right?
Phantom: umph… yeah, I know… but we're…chough… sisters. It's what we do! Ok everyone. Time to sign… ugh… out. AND THEN GET OFF US!
Everyone: See you all later.
Technus: WILL WHOEVER HAS THEIR KNEE IN MY STOMACH KINDLY REMOVE IT!?
Note: school officially starts next week so don't expect a new chapter to come out too soon. The rule is; school comes first, relaxsation and fanfiction writing come second… and then, something else comes third… I just don't know what.
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Phantom: haha! I've always wanted to try and make something like this! It's Danny!