Phantom: hey everybody! It's been a while!
Trainer: yeah, and I'll give you three guesses… and the first two don't count.
Phantom: school.
Trainer: well… that wasn't as hard as it should have been.
Phantom: no duh. That's right everyone, school is a few weeks in for us and it has been nothing but-
Trainer: CHAOS!
*Phantom was shocked by the outburst and fell off her chair*
Trainer: *staring at Phantom on the floor* what are you doing down there?
Phantom: Funny… I was asking myself the exact same question. Was it really completely necessary to make me, oh I don't know, HALF DEAF?!
Trainer: What?! It has been. Anyways, can we pleeeeeeease get on with the story. Stop keeping me in suspense!
Phantom: *smiles wickedly* oh come on, you can wait a little longer. I want to say some things from this week.
Trainer: … fine, but make it quick.
Phantom: alright, first, I'm known as a bad luck kind of person. You know, a black cat if you will. A jinx if that's what you prefer. Trainer and I were out one night when I thought I saw something watching me. I stop and look around and said, "is that a cat? … Yeah! It is!" it was a black cat and it jumped out of the shadows and rubbed against my leg. It really, really liked me. When I walked off, it followed for a little over a block. It was so cute!
Trainer: heh heh. Yep. It makes sense. Birds of a feather flock together. But it really was a cute cat.
Phantom: yeah… wait, don't you dare go all Ghost Writer on me!
Trainer: whatever, just get on with the story. You can say whatever you want about you turning into DP characters after the chapter!
Phantom: HEY! That was mine to tell, but I guess you're right for now. Without further ado, I give you chapter 8!
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom and some ideas are owned by Pearl84 and Truephan, but the plot is mine!
Chapter 8: Daniel in the Lion's Den
Sorry guys, before we start I need to explain something. Sam's powers. Some people are confused about her powers. First off, Sam always had the makings to have powers. At least, ever since Danny got his ghost powers. Just think about it. Sam has come in contact with more ghost things than any other person in the show other than the actual ghosts and the hybrids. She used the amulet of the dragon that was Dora's, she became a plant ghost because of Undergrowth, she's worn a crown made in the Ghost Zone, and she was given powers in the episode where student got a 'mysterious' disease that gave then ghost powers. It's not uncommon for me to think that Sam got an ability of some sort from all of these occurrences. So now she has powers.
Sorry to keep you, so on with the chapter! … Again.
Sam and Tucker were up bright and early to call Jazz. Actually, Jazz had called them. She had woken up in the living room, right where she and her brother had been having their sibling night. The television screen showed the main menu to the movie they had watched, the pizza box was still on the coffee table, but there was one thing missing; her brother. She and Danny had fallen asleep part way into the movie, growing tired of pointing out all the flaws in the movies' ideas about ghosts.
Jazz had expected to see her brother when she woke up, but he was nowhere to be seen. Not in his room, the lab, the kitchen. Heck! She searched every nook and cranny of the house and was almost tempted to go into the Ghost Zone if that's what it took!
She had finally called Sam and Tucker to see if he had gone to one of their places. To her dissatisfaction and growing worry, they both said that they hadn't seen or heard from him since last night. It wasn't a lie, they really hadn't, but they said they needed to talk to her about something and it couldn't wait.
A quick morning shower and a little cleaning later, the other two teens arrived at Fenton Works at about 7:30. If anyone saw them out on the streets this early in the morning on a weekend, they would have thought they were nuts. They had quickly dressed and suck out before their parents were even awake.
Jazz could tell just from their body language that they were tired, anxious, and most importantly, worried. They had small bags under their eyes, which indicated that they either didn't sleep or hadn't slept well.
Jazz let them in, and they dropped down on the couch exhausted. Both looked pretty glum and Sam looked like she was this close to tears.
Jazz wasn't sure if she should speak first or not, but she couldn't wait. She needed to know. Swallowing her growing fear, she said, "What's going on?"
Sam and Tucker looked at each other, looking like they were having a silent conversation; and they very well could have but they weren't. They were wondering where to start, but Jazz took they're stares the wrong way. Jazz exploded on the two teens, "stop leaving me out of the conversation!" she was close to tears herself. "If something happened to Danny and you two know something, then I think I should be the first to know!"
Sam and Tucker broke from their stare off and looked at the hysterical teen before them. They knew they had to tell here something, but how when they didn't know all that much either.
Tucker sighed and stared at the ground. There was no easy way to say this, but it had to be done. He looked back up at the red head and said in a weary voice, "we don't know where he is, but we heard and saw some things last night that might give us a start."
Jazz looked at the techno-geek for a minute before everything sank in. Her vacant stare turned to one of rage and she lunged for the techno-geek. Tucker leaped out of his seat as Jazz chased after him fuming, "You knew something and where withholding it from me? I thought you said you and Sam hadn't heard or seen him since last night. Give me three good reasons why I should hit you with the Fenton Staff."
Sam sighed and grabbed Tucker before Jazz could sink her nails into his shirt. Sam stood between the fuming girl and her cowering friend. She put her hand s up and said, "Jazz, please, let us explain. We weren't lying or anything when we said that we hadn't seen or heard anything from Danny since last night."
"Yeah!" Tucker piped in. "We heard Danny say in his head 'Well isn't this just perfect'. But then… nothing."
"We also felt what Danny once described to us as his ghost sense and then a jolt of pain minutes later." Sam continued. "In-between the two sensations I saw Skulker fly by, heading back to your house I think. I'm not sure. All Tucker and I know is that something's not right and that Danny needs us."
Jazz seemed to deflate at the news about her brother. This was worse than when she didn't know about her brother's secret life. Now she knew that her brother could be in more danger than ever, and her not knowing where he was could cause him to get into another life-or-death situation. She didn't want a repeat of Danny going missing for months on end.
"Well," the seventeen year old said, "at least we have a start. Skulker must know something, so we should see what we can get out of him. Sam, did you see where Skulker was coming from when he came back to my place. Chances are that he entered and left through our portal anyways."
The Gothic girl looked at Jazz and shook her head, she wished that she had known; it might have leaded them to Danny faster. She couldn't stand the thought of losing Danny again. But she wasn't about to tell that to anyone.
Jazz sighed at the bad news. But she couldn't waste any more time, her brother needed them and so far they had done nothing. Jazz began to move to the stairs to the upper floors. Tucker had finally come out of hiding from behind his Sam-shield a cocked an eyebrow at the red headed teen.
He briefly looked at Sam and said, "Jazz, where are you going? I thought you said we should go and talk with Skulker."
Jazz paused for a moment and looked at the other teens. She the replied, "we are, but I need to get some stuff from my room first, then we'll take the Speeder into the Ghost Zone to track down Skulker. I you guys wouldn't mind, could you start preparing the Speeder, you know, with the usual." She started to list them off on her fingers, "weapons, food if you think we'll need it, and anything else that we'll need." She continued up the stairs and soon she was out of sight.
Sam and Tucker looked at the stairs and then at each other. They were actually going after Skulker. With a determined look sweeping their features, Sam and Tucker started to move with more vigour than ever before that morning.
As they separated to grab supplies, Sam said, "Skulker better know something if he knows what's good for him."
"Yeah, I'd hate to be the one on the other end of your anger today," Tucker said from the kitchen. He was packing snacks for all of them since it could be a while before they run into the hunter.
"Oh, I'm beyond anger, Tucker." Sam continued, "But I still can't believe that Jazz is all for us going into the Ghost Zone, let alone go to Skulker's without Danny."
"Well, this is Danny's sister we're talking about. She and Danny act the same when it comes to each other's safety." Tucker replied. "Sooooo, are we, like, crazy or something?"
Sam looked at her friend before she continued to pack herself some food as well. "I don't think so. Why do you ask?"
Tucker sighed, "Well, I guess it's because we're willingly going to an island full of traps and dangerous creatures/ghosts, with a crazy hunting obsessed ghost who's been trying to get a Danny-pelt for his house since the day we met him. If that doesn't say we're crazy, I don't know what does."
Sam had to laugh at this. "Oh, come on Tucker. We've done things way worse than going to Skulker's island. Like when we took the Speeder and crashed Vlad's lab to rescue Danny from being cloned perfectly."
Tucker looked over at her and smiled. She knew what to say to lighten a mood, even when she was probably being affected by the situation the most. Then something dawned on the techno-geek and he sprinted out of the kitchen and into the basement lab. He soon returned with the infamous Boo-marang.
Sam looked at him and he explained, "Every other time Danny's gone missing, we used this," he held up the device for emphasis, and then continued, "Maybe, when Jazz comes back down we can try it!"
Sam was so happy, she could have hugged her meat-loving friend, but she didn't. "Tucker, that's a great idea." But then Sam thought of another disturbing thought, "But, what if it's like last time, where we couldn't find his ecto-signature?"
Tucker's excitement left him when he heard this. He hadn't thought of that. "Well, I guess that's why we're going to Skulker's place; to find out."
Sam nodded as she packed the last of the food away. Just then Jazz came in with her backpack. It was filled to the brim with gizmos and gadgets from her own secret stash. She had her favourite, the Fenton Peeler, as well as two small ecto-guns, her mom's double bladed staff, and a thermos. She wasn't sure how useful a thermos would be in the Ghost Zone, but it was better to be prepared than not.
She looked at the other two teens and asked, "Are we ready to go?"
The others nodded and headed to the lab. As the entered, they saw a very upset dog standing in front of the doors to the Speeder. The three teens stopped and stared. TJ was standing in their way and it didn't look like he was going to move.
"Guys," Tucker started, "I don't think he wants us to go. Now what do we do?"
Jazz stared at her brother's pet, which somehow also became hers as well. She was at a loss of what they could do.
Everyone was so entangled in their thoughts, that they didn't see Sam leave the room and then re-enter with the dog's leash. It was only when she actually walked over to the dog that the other two beings in the room noticed her.
"Sam?" Jazz asked questioningly, "What are you doing with TJ's leash? I don't think now is a good time for a walk."
Sam gave her a look and responded, "No, now is a perfect time. He's not trying to stop us, guys. His stance was one of protection and worry. Animals that are close to people get this way sometimes. Like when you're sick, your pet might come to comfort you because they know that something is bothering you."
Tucker finally caught on and said, "You mean, TJ's not trying to stop us? He wants to come with us?"
Sam nodded her head as she got closer to the animal. TJ looked happy to see the leash and was even happier when she opened the door to the Speeder. He jumped in and gave a bark of his approval. The other teens were stunned. TJ was just as worried as they were and wanted to help them.
"Well," Jazz broke the silence, "he does seem to want to come. Plus, he knows Danny's scent in both his forms. He'll be a good addition to the team if we come in range of Danny."
Everyone smiled and climbed into the Speeder after they grabbed some more weapons. They shut the door and opened the portal. Jazz took the driver's seat while Tucker became navigator. Sam stayed in the back with TJ so he wouldn't be too spooked by the Ghost Zone. As the engine came to life, the four occupants waited before Jazz thrust them forward into the green and purple atmosphere.
Jazz sighed and thought to herself, "Please, Danny. Please be safe." And they travelled through the Ghost Zone to Skulker's island.
"Uhhh," Danny groaned as he tossed and turned on the floor. "Get away… no… get away, get away… NO!"
Danny shot up off the floor from his nightmare. Wait… NIGHTMARE! Danny looked around franticly. If he had just woken up from a nightmare, then he had fallen asleep, or gone unconscious! Someone might have seen him revert to his human form.
Danny looked down at his body and sighed in relief. He was still in ghost form, but how? He took in his surrounding with an alertness that could rival the kind a wild animal had when being hunted. Danny gulped at the thought. He really hoped he wasn't someone's prey right now.
The room he was in was actually quite spacious. It reminded him of Vlad's simulation room back in Wisconsin. There was a hologram over the walls that looked like the Ghost Zone. Heck, it felt like the Ghost Zone! It was green, purple and black, just like the atmosphere. The floor was a purple land mass, and it was cold. Not a bad sort of cold, but a familiar cold that makes a ghost feel welcomed in the ghostly world. It was no wonder as to how he was still in ghost form while in this place. He even felt energized like when he goes into the Zone.
Danny knew this wasn't the real Ghost Zone. No one had tried to shoot him yet. Plus the hologram was pretty bad in comparison to what he had seen was possible at Vlad's place. We could still see the walls pretty clearly; they were sterling white.
Suddenly, everything came back to the young hybrid. He had saved Skulker and got captured himself… and Skulker had flown off. Well, at least only one of them had been captured. Danny doubted that the hunter could last as long as he could if the Guys in White decided to test the limits of their strength.
Danny sighed and leaned on the closest wall to him. His friends would notice his absence, but how long would it be before they came to rescue him?
Danny glared at the ground in front of him and muttered, "Well, this is definitely worse than being capture by Plasmius or even being tortured by his lackeys."
With nothing better to do, he started to play with his ice powers, forming them into different shapes and forms.
"Sir," Operative K said. "Phantom is awake.
Agent C looked at him and said, "good, make sure our little guest is… comfortable."
Operative K looked at his superior confused. He knew that they were going to test Phantom, but what did Chrome really want? "Uh, sir," Operative K stuttered, "What exactly do you want us to do?"
Agent C cocked an eyebrow at the man and said, "If I must be clearer, put a ghost shield around him so that we can enter the room without being threatened. We're going to have a little chat with him."
Operative K nodded and left the room. If there was one thing he didn't want to do, it was make his boss angry.
Agent C went back to the monitors that kept track of the simulation room and its occupants. He watched the replay of Danny waking from his nightmare, and then flipped to the live footage of him playing with his powers.
"Since when do ghost sleep, let alone dream?" he asked the open air. True, none of them had ever seen or even interacted with a ghost before. It was their job to get rid of ghosts, not figure out what makes them tick. But now was a good chance to.
Agent C pulled out the folder with a picture of Danny Phantom paper clipped to the cover. He opened it and looked at their data on the elusive ghost. Looking at the information disgusted him, but he had to admit that most of the information was legit. The documents read:
Danny Phantom (previously known as the Ghost Boy or Inviso-Bill)
Showed up a little over a year ago. Origin is unknown. Little is known about his past.
Physical appearance: White hair, glowing green eyes. Wears a black and white jumpsuit that later received a logo that is supposed to be a "D" with a "P" inside of it to represent his name.
Obsession: Unknown. Suspected to be fighting, protection, or some sort of combination of the two.
Danny Phantom is a powerful ghost who seems to fight with other ghosts every night since he showed up. He's been found destroying the town and working with other ghosts from time to time. He went from menace to hero of Amity Park over night when he saved the town from the Ghost King, Pariah Dark. At that time, he stole the Fenton's ecto-suit (which was lost after the battle), teamed up with several of his presumed enemies and endangered the whole of the town.
Known Powers: flight/hovering, ghost rays (can change form every once in a while), ice powers, ecto-whip. Other powers are unknown if there are any. He is somehow able to avoid detection until he shows himself.
Agent C closed the folder and leaned back in his chair. If Danny Phantom was the supposed "Good Guy" then why was he found with and then saved one of his enemies. Was it a front? Was the ghost just tricking everyone, readying a sneak attack while their guards' where down?
"Well, I guess we'll soon find out." Agent C stood and brought the folder with him. He made his way down the white corridors with utter familiarity. He stopped at a door marked with a sign that simulation room/cell.
They had to make this room a cell as well since they were seriously underfunded now a days. Operative K and O were there and waiting for their boss to arrive.
They looked at Agent C and he said, "Is everything set for me?"
The two operatives looked at each other and Operative K said, "Yes. The area is secure and all that's left is to turn on the shield around Phantom. He hasn't moved from that spot since he woke up. Should I turn it on now sir?"
Agent C cracked a smile and replied, "Yes. And you two, stay out here to make sure no one disturbs us." The room would become sound proof as soon as he stepped inside and then it would be just him and Phantom. Oh, how he hated this ghost over all else. He would enjoy 'testing' him later.
Operative K and O nodded before Operative O pressed a button. A second later, they heard a surprised yelp followed by angry shouting from within the room. Agent C smiled even more and entered the code for him to enter the room.
Danny looked up when he saw the door to the room open. He frowned when it was just a GiW agent. He should have tried to phase out of the room before they had a chance to do this. Then again, it was probably ghost proof. Agent C walked over to Danny, who was trapped under a glowing ghost shield. It wasn't so bad. He had room to stand up and walk/ float around. But a cage was a cage, and let's just say, he's not a fan.
Agent C stood in front of him now, and with the press of a button, a chair appeared out of the ground and he sat in it. Danny stared at the man with his glowing eyes.
Agent C adjusted himself so that he was comfortable, then said, "You know, if you keep staring, then I'll have to assume that this is part of your obsession."
Danny jumped at the sound of someone else's voice, but turned away, still glaring. "He is SO not a part of my obsession… well, if I actually have one," Danny thought to himself.
Danny sighed and said, "Why am I here? I haven't done anything wrong, and don't you dare pull that, 'it's because you're a ghost' excuse. It's not very valid since you guys don't know the difference between a good ghost and a bad one."
Agent C had to hold back a scoff, but he said, "My name is Chrome, but you can call me Agent C. You're here for several reasons, which I'm sure you can probably figure out on your own."
This time Danny scoffed, but he didn't hide it. Agent C cocked an eyebrow. Phantom acted like any other teenager, if his form indicated anything. Danny started to float off the ground and reclined mid-air. He finally said, "Well, this is kind of weird. I thought for sure that if you guys ever caught me, the first thing you would do was dissect me."
Agent C laughed. Danny glared at him and said, "Hey, don't laugh! From the way you guys are always hunting me, I had to figure that's what you wanted."
Chrome composed himself and said, "Oh, don't think you're getting out of anything involving testing. We just want to talk with you first, unless you'd prefer us to just skip the talking…"
Danny's eyes widened and he whipped his head towards the agent. He held up his hand and stammered, "NO! No, no let's go with the talking. Talking's nice."
Chrome smirked and said, "Good. We have some questions for you and we want to hear answers, truthful ones." He finished darkly.
Danny gulped, but nodded. Clearly, this was an agent who wasn't a fan. Ok, none of the GiW were fans of his, even if he saved them, but this guy really had it out for him. The agent's smile seemed to widen and rival Vlad's when he saw the hybrid's response.
"Good, let's begin with some easy ones," said Agent C. "When did you die?"
Danny pretended to think about it. He couldn't give them anything that would raise suspicions about him or lead to his secret. Finally he decided that things like this wouldn't give away anything important. So, he said, "fourteen… I was fourteen when I died." Hey, he wasn't lying. He was just not telling the whole truth.
Chrome nodded and continued, "Where did you die?"
"In a tunnel," Danny replied.
"How did you die?" the agent leaned forward on his seat. This could explain a lot about Phantom if he spilled the beans.
Danny looked at the agent with wide eyes. He stuttered, "h-h-how-how I died?"
The agent just nodded in response. Odd, how he could answer the other questions without skipping a beat, but froze when he actually had to talk about his own death.
"I-I-I don't want to talk about it," the half ghost said and looked away with what the agent could have sworn was pain. Well this was interesting. Was he reliving a memory?
The agent didn't push for an answer however. If he did, Phantom could go berserk on him and possibly break the shield. Instead, he continued to ask questions and Phantom answered most of them.
Chrome wrote down on a notepad he brought with him the things that Danny refused to talk about. It was odd what they were though. He didn't want to talk about his death, his fears, which ghosts he may be related to, the hardest ghost he ever faced, the list goes on.
Eventually, Agent C left the ghost boy to himself and left the room. As soon as he left, the shield disappeared. Danny lowered himself to the ground again and began to think.
"If I was able to fall asleep in this room and not revert back to my human self, then I have nothing to worry about for now. But I can't just wait for a rescue, I should try and figure a way out of this before I regret saving Skulker," he thought to himself. And so, he started plotting his escape.
Agent C walked out of the room with the folder and a full pad of paper covered in quick notes. It was surprisingly easy to get information out of Phantom. He thought it would be… harder. He was hoping to get some resistance so that he could punish the specter.
But no, Phantom was just like a teenager. He would obey at times when he was scared enough, but at others he would do what he wanted. When those times came, he'd be ready.
Operative K and O stared at each other then followed their boss down the hall to his office. Finally, Agent Chrome faced them outside his office and said, "Keep an eye on the security inside and outside the building as well as on Phantom. We don't want one of his famous 'disappearing' acts, and we definitely don't want one of his friends to help him."
"Yes sir!" the two agents said and hurried off. They wouldn't lose their only prisoner, especially since he was the only one they ever had.
As Chrome watched his men run off, he entered his office and smiled. "Well, Phantom. Let the games begin."
Skulker had entered the Ghost Zone late last night, and normally it would have taken him only a little over an hour to get to the portal Vlad had in Wisconsin, but he had been so freaked out that he had got turned around on his way.
By the time he reached the portal, it was already the next day. If he wanted to be accurate, he wasn't there till ten in the morning. That's the last time he lets himself get distracted while with a purpose. The whelp was counting on him, and so far he wasn't doing such a great job. Not to mention he would be the only one to capture and kill the child if he had anything to do with it.
Skulker could see the metal doors to the portal just a few feet in front of him. Sighing, he organized his thoughts so that he could tell Plasmius what had happened.
He arrived at the door about a minute later and knocked on it. When he got no response he punched it with his metal fist.
He did it again and heard a muffled swear of pastries on the other side. Then he waited.
Vlad had been in his lab after breakfast working on his designs for a space station. Ever since Daniel had showed him those pictures and images from space, he had though it to put his station there. He just needed to figure out some final calculations and adjustments before it could be built.
He was writing down a side note when he could have sworn he heard a faint tapping. He wouldn't have heard it if it hadn't been for his enhanced ghostly hearing. Thinking it might just be one of the maids, he returned to his work.
A second later, the tapping stopped but then became a loud metal ringing bang. Vlad jumped and fell out of his seat. In his moment of surprise, he swore, "Butter Biscuits!" When it happened again, Vlad growled and transformed into his ghost form. He floated over to his portal, charging a pink ecto-blast as he went. Whoever it was, they were about to learn the true meaning of pain.
Vlad opened the portal and raised his hand for an attack. His rage was soon snuffed out and replaced with surprise again. Skulker stood, well, floated before him. The hunter's smile had vanished and was replaced with his usual stern face as he watched Plasmius snuff out his energy.
Vlad smiled and said, "Well this is a surprise. Does this mean you retrieved the books?" he returned to his work bench and went to pick up the chair that had fallen over a few moments ago from Skulker's impulsiveness.
Skulker looked anywhere but at his employer. He really didn't want to be the one to tell Vlad about the whelp. Vlad was never one for the phrase 'don't shoot the messenger'.
Vlad raise an eyebrow at the hunter and said, "Is something wrong Skulker?" Vlad had always been able to read people and when they were hiding something.
The hunter sighed. Never a good sign. Skulker looked up at Plasmius and said, "Actually, I have some bad news. When I arrived in Amity Park, I had no troubles getting past the whelp when I headed to Axion labs. When I could find anything there, I went to white hunters' facility. Apparently, the whelp had followed me to the facility. Probably because his ghost sense went off the second time I passed his home."
Vlad stared at the hunter before he muttered, "Fudge! Did Daniel send you back into the Ghost Zone? Did he prevent you from getting the books?"
Skulker looked away and shook his head. "No," he said, "the whelp caught up to me and we made a deal. We currently have a truce until the books are returned to their owners. At least one."
Vlad watched the hunter closely. He was obviously uncomfortable about something, and was still hiding something. "It's good to know that you two were getting along, even if it was only for a short while. If that's it, I hardly see what the problem is."
Skulker gave the older hybrid a hard look. He said in a grim tone, "I didn't say that was everything Plasmius. Like I said, we were outside the hunters' building, but then we ran into some troubles."
Vlad stared at the hunter with his blood red eyes. They narrowed into slits with his rising anger as he said, "Double fudge! What could have happened out there that you and Daniel couldn't get the books?" When Skulker didn't answer, Plasmius' anger started to make the lights flicker as he demanded, "Skulker, What happened?"
Skulker took a wary step back and put his hands up in a surrendering pose. "Easy, Plasmius," he said, trying to calm the other ghost before the room exploded. "Just promise me that you won't do anything to harm me. I'm only trying to help the whelp."
Vlad's energy died at the mention of Danny needing help. "Skulker," he said carefully, "what… happened?"
Skulker let out another sigh. "We were attacked," he said bluntly. It was better to just say it than hold off any longer.
Vlad had to steady himself on the work bench. Daniel and Skulker had been attacked? He really hoped the hunter wasn't about to say what he thought the hunter was going to say. All he could do was mutter, "triple fudge."
Then, Skulker continued, "as soon as we made the deal, we were surrounded."
Vlad muttered, "Quadruple fudge," still too stunned to do any more than that. He was still processing what the hunter had said so far.
"As we fought of the hunters, we became more and more distant from each other. Eventually we we're defending ourselves more than attacking. One of the humans shot in my blind spot and I was about to be hit by it. The whelp saw it coming and teleported to my side. Unfortunately, when he pushed me out of the way, he couldn't escape the blast and was hit," the hunter said. It pained him to even say it, but it had to be done.
He watched for his employer's reaction, but it never came. He had a distant look in his eyes that said he was beyond shocked. So Skulker continued, "I had to leave or risk being captured too. The whelp would have wanted me to, but he needs help Plasmius. When they took him away, he was still in his ghost form, but I don't know how long he can stay like that. Especially when they might torture him."
That did it. Plasmius shot the hunter a look, coming out of his thoughts. His friend was right, Daniel needed help and he doubted it would come from his little friends. Vlad growled and said, "Oh, fudge buckets! Skulker, I'm going after him. If anything happens, I'll let you know."
And with that, Vlad dove into the portal. He had only one destination, and that was the Fenton's portal. Skulker watched and let out a sigh when he lost sight of him. The whelp didn't know how lucky he was to have Plasmius watching out for him. He just hoped that Plasmius could get to him in time. In the meantime, he had to return home. There were some things he had to take care of, and they couldn't wait. So Skulker flew into the Ghost Zone as well and headed to his island.
It was just after twelve when Agent C returned to the simulation room/ cell. Once again, they had turned on that stupid ghost shield, and it limited Danny's movements to some degree. He glared at Chrome with such intensity that Vlad would have been proud of.
Danny had been pacing before the agent had arrived. He didn't want them to get to the part where they 'tested' him. But when Agent C said they were going to start as soon as he entered the observation room, he started to panic a little inside.
He could withstand almost any kind of pain to a certain point, but if he lost all his energy, then he'd revert and expose himself. He couldn't let that happen. He prepared for the worst, but was relieved a second later.
Chrome's voice boomed over the intercom as he said, "we're going to see what you can do in battle, Phantom. We only really know your basic abilities. So give us a good show."
Danny chuckled and said, "If you think I'm going to reveal all of my tricks, you must be crazy. I'd only do that if I was about to die or something." He thought he was being smug, but then he regretted it.
Agent C smiled and said, "Well, if that's what it takes, then that's what we'll do. Oh, and don't let your guard down so easily."
Danny tilted his head and mumbled, "What's that supposed to mean?" unfortunately, he got his answer in the form of an ecto-ray nicking his right shoulder. Danny recoiled and looked at his now smoking shoulder. He face-palmed and said, "Oh, that's what that means."
Danny created a shield and prepared a blast of his own. He destroyed the automatic gun, but then more appeared. He continued like this until he was being shot from every angle. Now he was barely keeping a shield up.
Operative K and O were monitoring the hybrid's progress and the room's controls. Finally, Operative O said, "He's not too bright is he?"
Agent C chuckled and said, "Well isn't this what we wanted? For him to get to a point where he had to reveal all his secrets to us?"
Both operatives nodded and continued to look at their monitors. Chrome watched out the window at the hybrid and waited for him to do something new. And he got it.
Danny knew that the room was acting like the one Vlad had, and that it would only stop or change tactics when he destroyed all the guns or they decided to change the behaviour of the room. But he couldn't just stop fighting or he could seriously hurt himself. Finally, he decided that he had to go all out right now, if only to save his skin.
He created a duplicate and the two got back to back with the shield still up. Both had changed the energy running through their hands from neon green to and icy blue.
All three GiW waited, but it was Chrome who was waiting for the attack. They hadn't even known that Phantom could duplicate, but he had. Who knew what else he had hidden in that tiny body. The fact that he had suddenly changed the colour of his energy also intrigued them. Since when could ghosts change their energy's colour? Did that mean something?
The two Danny's released their shield and shot out the frozen energy at everything around them, instantly destroying the guns. The real Danny sighed out a breath he hadn't even noticed he was holding. He called back his duplicate and landed on the ground again. He wasn't tired or anything, he had learned long ago how to use as little energy as possible so that he didn't faint after a battle. But man was that hard.
Chrome was impressed. They were learning new abilities from this one ghost who was much younger than any ghost they had ever seen. The only one they bet could truly rival Phantom was the Wisconsin Ghost.
"Start the next program," Agent C said. He personally liked this one. It was meant as a sparring program in which the GiW had to use their weapons to defeat the enemy, but in this case, it would test Phantom's reflexes and exactly what he could do with his other powers. He had seen the tape of him playing with that same blue energy and making other shapes. If it could freeze things then he wanted to know more about it.
Danny finally caught his breath just as the room brought up moving targets. Danny looked around and smiled. He then cockily remark, "Hey, Chrome. If you wanted me to just hit moving targets then you should have sent in some of your men. I would have hurt them as bad as these things."
Chrome's eye twitched under his sunglasses and said into the mic, "Don't get familiar with me ghost boy. If you think this will be easy, let's see you do it without moving from that spot on the ground."
Danny just laughed and said, "You're so on."
Danny started to shoot with his normal green energy, forming it into beams, balls, and even fast flying disks, all without moving. Chrome got irritated and spoke to Danny again saying, "Now without you're green energy."
Danny frowned but complied anyways. He didn't want to show them everything, but they weren't leaving much room for that. He switched to his calmer blue energy and began firing again. It wasn't as effective as his green energy. His green energy could destroy the targets in one shot, but with his blue energy, he had to fire twice to even think about breaking them.
Chrome smiled. True, it wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but it was still a different energy. And from the looks of it, it was weaker than the ghost's usual energy. Interesting.
Agent C still wanted to see more of the freezing energy though, so he finally said, "Good, but let's see what you can do without that energy too."
He received an unsatisfied grunt from the hybrid, but Danny complied again. He wasn't one to let someone else win over him when it came to a challenge with his powers. Danny extinguished his blue flames and brought forth his ice powers again.
He knew he wouldn't be able to destroy the targets if he just froze them, so he did what he thought he should; he created a weapon with the ice. He made his favourite one; the scythe that resembled Clockwork's staff and had his DP logo along the blade.
He started swinging the weapon around with such skill; it looked like he had been doing it for years when in reality, it had only been several days. To the trained eye, he was actually quite sloppy. Now the only problem was, how was he going to reach the targets?
Danny looked at one of the nearer targets, but it was still out of reach. He couldn't use his levitation powers; he wasn't about to show them every trick he knew. But how could he get to the targets? He wasn't allowed to leave the spot.
Then he thought of something that made a huge ear-to-ear grin appear on his face. All three GiW men looked at the young hybrid, utterly confused. What was he so happy about? They just made this practically impossible for him.
Danny summoned forth more of his ice energy, and a few seconds later, there was a chain attached to the end of his scythe. He began to swing the chain around his head and the scythe followed the movement. Within a minute, all but one target was sliced in half and destroyed.
The final target appeared at the very centre of the ceiling and Danny's chained scythe wouldn't reach it if he swung it. So Danny did the only thing he could. Actually, he really needed to let off some steam. These germ-a-phobic idiots were grinding on his last nerve. He threw his icy weapon up at the target and it and the scythe exploded into fragments.
He was sick of being here, and he couldn't figure a way out. He really hoped that Skulker or his friends were coming for him; otherwise, he could kick his half-life goodbye. "Come on guys," he mumbled so no one could hear him, "hurry up."
Suddenly, Agent C's voice came into the room and he said, "That's all we'll do for now Phantom. But we'll be back later."
"Great," Danny grumbled.
Team Phantom had travelled for almost two hours since their departure. Without Danny, they had a hard time finding their way around the unfamiliar area. They eventually arrived at the hunter's island, but not before the same hunter had eaten them there.
Skulker had arrived an hour before them, but when his sensors said that something had intruded on his territory, he got mad. No one can onto his land without permission and got away with it. Well, almost no one. It was time for a hunt.
Meanwhile, Team Phantom had flown over to a clearing on the far side of the island to try and avoid the hunter; at least in the beginning.
When Jazz landed the Speeder, the two other teens were loading up on weapons. They were even going to bring TJ to be their warning system.
Soon enough, the three teens and dog jumped out of the Speeder and started walking in the direction of the hunter's abode. Sam kept a firm grip on the dog leash while Jazz and Tucker each had a weapon ready for use if they were attacked.
They had learned early one from Danny and now their own experiences that the island was booby-trapped and that one bad move could result in a spike in the foot. TJ warned them part of the time but Tucker had had several close calls of his own.
*click*
Sam whipped around in time to see a glowing red dot behind them. She immediately yelled, "Duck!" While she tackled TJ to the ground, Jazz and Tucker dropped and put their hands over their heads. A second later, twenty stun darts flew over them and struck the area in front of them.
Some of the darts had hit the surrounding foliage while the rest hit the ground. After the firing ceased, the group got up and saw the damage. "Thanks, Sam," Tucker said, turning to his friend with a relieved look on his face.
"Um, guys," Jazz interrupted. She was looking ahead of them, and didn't like the looks of it. Sam and Tucker looked up and were about to ask what was wrong when they saw it; Skulker's home. "We should be careful guys. We don't know what Skulker's set up for intruders."
The team moved forward, but didn't come across any more traps. It was weird; they thought there would be more around his home. As they approached, TJ whimpered and tried to pull away. Sam didn't even need the dog to do that, she was feeling uneasy about this too. It was too easy.
As they entered the house, Sam couldn't hold in her thoughts in any longer. "Guys, I hate to say this, but something's off. TJ and I both feel it. Doesn't it seem…" she trailed off.
"Too easy?" the other two said.
Sam nodded as they took in the interior of the lair. There was almost nothing in the first room. Just a few couches and chairs. "Maybe, Skulker just doesn't need that much since he's a hunter," Tucker said hopefully. He didn't like the vibes he was getting off this place either.
They moved further into the room, but when they heard another click, they looked around frantically for any incoming darts, snares and other traps. When nothing appeared, they let out a sigh. They must be hearing things.
Suddenly, a glowing net came out of the ceiling and captured all off them within it. In a tangle of limbs, Team Phantom shouted and made their protests. Even TJ was barking up a storm.
"I think we should have listened to Sam and TJ," Jazz said. "I'm starting to think this isn't Skulker's house."
"Really, what was your first clue?" Both Sam and Tucker said in monotone. Somehow, they knew that this was going to happen eventually.
Seconds later, Skulker appeared and was shocked to see who it was. "The whelp's helpers? Why are they here? Shouldn't they be heading to the White Hunters' facility?" the hunter thought to himself.
Finally, Skulker asked, "What are you pups doing here?"
TJ growled at the hunter and Jazz said, "We're looking for Danny. He went missing, and we saw you out last night in Amity Park. What were you doing there, and how does it involve Danny?" Jazz was ticked and she wanted answers.
Skulker watched the red head and Dalmatian closely. "What makes you think that I know something about the whelp? And what I do in Amity Park is my own business," the metallic ghost said.
"Don't even try worming your way out of this, Skulker. I know you were near Danny last night… ok, TJ knows. He can smell Danny on you," Jazz retorted. "Oh, and since Amity is our home, I think it is our business when you do something in our town."
Skulker smirked. These humans really did have good detective skills, but they were searching in the wrong places. And they even brought resources to help them in their search. "If you're insinuating that I've done something to the pup, then I'm afraid you'd be horribly wrong."
Sam finally turned around and faced the hunter. "Oh, don't even try it Skulker. I saw you last night. It can't be a coincident that I see you and then Danny goes missing the next morning."
Skulker watched the Goth with more interest than he would have earlier. Her eyes were glowing again, but Skulker had never seen it before. Skulker didn't know what he should do; should he tell them that the whelp was in trouble and was being saved already, or should he say nothing? If he didn't say anything, they wouldn't leave him alone, that was a given. But if he did the other option, they would barge into Plasmius' place without a second thought. No, he couldn't do that. But what about a half-lie?
Tucker was beginning to feel uneasy in the silence, and he didn't like the way that Skulker was staring at Sam. What was so-? "Oh my god!" Tucker said. Everyone turned to look at him as he continued, "Sam, your eyes are glowing again! But then… where's that-"
A second later, a raven cawed and appeared on one of the couch's arm rests, its eyes glowing a bright violet. Sam looked at it, as did everyone else. Finally it said, "I can't leave you people alone for more than a day, can I?"
Sam growled, "Oh, like you know what's going on."
Skulker looked from the bird to the four beings in the net. What in the Ghost Zone was going on here? Who was this bird and what was its connection to them; or more specifically, with the younger girl?
In the meantime, Jazz had been slowly breaking the net away. Eventually, it couldn't hold them up any longer and they fell to the ground with a loud thump. As everyone tried to get to their feet, the raven flew over to and landed on Sam's shoulder. Skulker was surprised to say the least.
Ignoring his many questions, the hunter said, "Hmmm, no wonder the whelp keeps you around. Maybe I should hunt you as well."
Of course, all three teens shuddered at the thought. They didn't know, but that was Skulker's way of saying that he liked them and was impressed. "Thanks, but no thanks," Jazz said. "We just want to know where Danny is, and then we'll get out of your home."
Skulker's eyes widened in disbelief before he broke out into hysterics. That was the funniest thing he had heard all day. When he finally calmed down, he said, "This isn't my home whelp. This is a fake, a trap for anyone who tries to sneak up on me on my turf. My home is further off to the north."
Sam smirked and said, "Well I hate to say it, but-"
"Yeah, yeah, you told us so," Tucker chimed in. he was trying to get his bearings since TJ had been the one to fall on him.
"Well, anyways, we want answers Skulker. We didn't come here to fight," Jazz said.
The hunter looked at the teens and sighed; time for a half-lie. "Yes, I was in Amity Park. Like I told the whelp when he followed me, I'm just trying to complete my mission. And before you ask, I won't tell you. You can ask the whelp yourself when you find him. But that's why I probably smell like him. The last I saw him; he was outside the White Hunters' building. That's all I'm going to say. Now get off my island!"
Sam, Tucker and Jazz exchanged a conserned look before they made their way to the door. But then Skulker spoke again, "I think I deserve at least one question answered however."
The three teens exchanged another look before Sam said, "Depends, what's the question?"
Skulker smirked, "nothing much really. I want to know why you suddenly have glowing eyes and a talking raven."
Sam stared back at the hunter, but decided to just tell him. It wasn't like it could stay a secret forever in the Ghost Zone with the way news travels here. "If you must know, I recently found out I have magic/ghostly powered abilities. But I'm not, repeat NOT, half ghost."
And with that the small group left. Skulker waited till they left and then he said to the air, "Well you're still a rare specimen. Perhaps I should consider just hunting the whelp and his friends. It could make things easier."
Meanwhile, Team Phantom made their way back to the Speeder. If what the hunter said was true, then Danny was caught by the GiW. If Skulker knew this, would he really have just left Danny there? That answer would have to wait; Danny needed them.
Without a second thought, the group got back into the Speeder and headed for home. Danny had been missing for too long, and who knew what those creeps where doing to him!
Jazz looked at her brother's friends, but then returned to driving. She then said, "Don't worry guys, we'll get him back."
Sam was down and the raven, along with her glowing eyes, had faded away again. Tucker sighed and said, "If he's not there, we'll resort to plan B; the Boo-merang. But so far, it hasn't even picked up on his trail."
All three teens sighed, but prepared for their upcoming battle.
It was about four in the afternoon now, and for the most part they had left Danny alone to his thoughts. He still could find a way out of the room other than the door that they entered and left from, but that wasn't an option. They kept putting that shield on over him before they entered.
He knew they'd be coming soon, and he doubt there was anything else that they wanted to do other than experiment on him. If it came to that, then he would really need to find an escape before his secret was revealed. The last session had drained him somewhat and he had refused to rest for fear of them coming in while he was out.
Suddenly, he heard the faint sound of moving parts and quickly looked around the room. He was currently floating in the middle of the room, but he couldn't see anything coming at him. So where was it coming from?
He soon got his answer when a giant claw came from behind him and shot out a pink beam. It hit him in the back and he started to fall to the ground. The claw was big enough to grab him around the stomach and it pulled him towards the ground below him.
A table formed from the floor and the claw held his stunned body on it while ecto-enhanced cuffs wrapped around his wrists and ankles. When he finally had enough senses in him, he realised what had just happened.
Agent C entered the room with a tray of glowing objects and a bunch of devices which the hybrid was sure weren't going to be fun to deal with.
Danny mumbled, "Man, I hate it when I'm right."
Chrome apparently didn't hear him. He was too busy with the glowing objects to really pay attention. Danny turned his head and nearly gasped at what he saw. On the table was a bunch of objects that could have only come from the Ghost Zone; I mean, what other objects that were glowing come from?
Among them he saw things like discarded pieces of metal, tuffs of animal fur, and… the books! All three in perfect condition! How did the Guys in White get their hands on them? Skulker had been right; the books did end up here. "Wow that made me sick just thinking about it. Since when is Skulker right about something before me?" Danny thought.
Danny watched as the man switched from the objects to the devices. He grabbed a needle and turned to Danny. The young hybrids eyes widened when he saw it. He really, really, really hated needles, and he didn't like the look of Agent C with it. "Heh, heh. I… I hope you're not planning to do what I think you are," Danny said, and his features turned into a worried frown.
Chrome looked down at Danny and said with a smirk, "Well, I wouldn't to be in your position. And if you mean, am I going to do this," and he stabbed Danny right where his core would be, "then yes, yes I am."
Danny grunted with discomfort, but he wasn't about to scream. He wasn't going to give the ghost hunter the satisfaction of his pain. Unfortunately, it didn't stop there. Agent C pulled on the other end of the needle and it started pulling out a clear liquid from his core. It was glowing and was slightly green in colour, but at first glance it was clear.
"Hmmm, interesting. I haven't met a ghost with this kind of energy yet. Usually it's something more colourful, like neon green or electric blue," Chrome said, but it could barely be heard over Danny's screams of pain. So much for not doing that.
The agent pulled the full needle out and Danny had a green stain of ectoplasm on his jumpsuit, covering part of his DP symbol. As the agent turned and put the needle on the tray again, he heard Danny panting. He looked back at him and said, "Since when do ghosts need to breathe? Or is this all an act?"
Danny glared and gasped, "ghosts… feel pain… too… you know." This just earned a smirk from the man as he returned to picking out his next torture device.
He did several things like take hair and blood samples, which Danny hated because he didn't want to be cut open. But every time he fought against his restraints, Agent C pressed a button that sent several volts of electricity into the young hybrid's system. It was worse than when Plasmius did it! Mostly because it would stop one moment, but then continue the next!
Some of the instruments Danny recognized as simple x-rays and analysis machines, but there was one that he didn't know what it did. It had a strange black liquid in it that he knew wasn't oil since it glowed slightly. Something about it he didn't like and he knew to never doubt his instinct; this thing was dangerous.
Chrome went through all the other devices, some of them cutting Danny pretty badly. Soon the floor was covered in a green liquid and Danny was gasping for air. He was losing too much blood and could possibly pass out before the man left the room.
Suddenly, two white rings appeared at his waist and he gasped. This had happened five times already since he had been stabbed by the needle. Every time, he forced the rings to fizzle out and stop moving apart. If this continued, his secret, and his life, would be over soon!
Chrome watched for the sixth time as the rings appeared and disappeared from the hybrid's waist. What on earth were those rings? Were they another power he hadn't showed them, or was it something totally different? He had to know.
When Danny had recovered somewhat from the efforts, he looked back at the mysterious machine with the black glowing liquid. It was the only thing left, and he was sure he would dread every moment of it later.
Chrome caught the hybrid's gaze and followed it to the machine. He smiled. He had never been able to use this machine since there hadn't been any ghosts they could capture. Not even the Box Ghost could be caught.
He looked back at Danny and said, "You know Phantom, this is a device that we rarely get to use. Do you know what it does?"
Danny was drained and couldn't think very clearly, but he heard the question and instinctually shook his head no. He had never seen anything like it. Not even his parents had anything that resembled it. Chrome's smile widened and he said like it was obvious, "since I haven't used this device in a while, I can only tell you the possible outcomes for when we use it. See that black liquid? Well, we're going to insert some of it into your core."
Danny's eyes would have widened if they weren't looking so distant at the moment. Agent C continued, "That way, you and the machine will be connected in some way. Now, either the liquid will make your core go into shock, or it will excite your core and we'll see what kind of core it really is. But I'm pretty sure both ways could easily kill you. So, let's give it a try."
Agent Chrome moved over to the device and pulled out what looked like a needle gun. Within the cylinder-like capsule was a dose of the black liquid. Danny saw it and tried to move but he was already so worn out that even the slightest movement caused him pain. A second later, the barrel to the gun was placed against his chest. It was cold and he could have sworn that it had stabbed him. Chrome got down to Danny's ear and whispered, "I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer, you demon."
Danny felt more than heard the gun go off. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would, but he watched as the liquid seeped into his core. Danny would have been relieved that there was no pain, but that just signalled something in his brain; setting off warning signs everywhere.
The young hybrid watched as the evil agent pulled away with the gun and moved back over to the machine. Something that Danny had totally missed was that at the top of it was a ball that looked like the one that belonged at the end of Technus' staff. Chrome turned to face Danny and smiled before he said, "I hope you had fun in your after-life, Phantom. Because you're about to lose It." and he turned on the machine.
As the machine hummed to life, the ball on top began to spark and send out tendrils of electricity; all of which were being attracted to Danny's body. The hybrid's eyes widened as he felt the liquid in his core begin to go erratic as the electricity consumed his form.
It was horrible! The worst feeling he had ever had. Worse than if you combined the damage that Pariah Dark, Vortex, and even Vlad could produce all together. He felt like his whole body was on fire, but he was going to freeze over. At this rate, he was afraid that his body would turn to goo if he didn't do something, anything to stop it.
Danny did the only thing he could do at the moment; he screamed. He screamed so much he didn't even realise what was going on around him.
Vlad had arrived at the GiW facility just after four. He had to do several things before he could find Daniel.
He had to know if Daniel was really here.
He would have to destroy and deactivate the security and all evidence concerning the younger hybrid so the men could find any clue as to who he really was.
He had to rescue Daniel; with brute force if needed.
He would also need to get rid of any guards if he was ever hoping to get the boy out of there in one piece.
Vlad floated in through the front doors and became invisible. He travelled down a white corridor and found an office marked 'Thomas Chrome, head agent.' He knew Thomas. He was the man in charge of this branch of the Giw that came to Amity after he put that bounty on Daniel's head. He never did get rid of that. He was also fairly sure that this man had a grudge against Phantom for something to do with the Pariah Dark incident. Probably just hated that a ghost did his job better than him.
Vlad walked in and found a desk covered with papers concerning the young hybrid and a computer with file after file of the same thing. And Vlad thought ghosts were obsessive. The older hybrid got to work looking through the files and papers. Most of them said the same things he found in his own research, so he burned them out of existence with his energy. The same went with what was on the computer, except he deleted the information and any back-up copies.
He found out that this computer also had direct access to the building's security system and promptly shut it down. All recordings were disposed of and now all that was left was to find Daniel. He didn't need any more proof than what had been in this room to know that his younger counter-part was in the building somewhere.
Just as he was about to leave the room to go searching, he saw something that caught his eye. It was a photograph. Plasmius picked up the photo and gasped. It was the books! They were here somewhere too. "Well," Plasmius said, "looks like Skulker was right after all. That ghost must have come too close to this place and those dolts fired on him."
Vlad stashed the photo and the papers that went with it in his jumpsuit and floated out of the room. The Vlad said, "Now to find-", But he didn't get finish his sentence.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A huge scream erupted and echoed throughout the building. Vlad had to turn intangible to avoid falling debris as it continued. "Daniel!" Vlad shouted, and flew after the sound. The closer he got the more certain he was that it was Danny. But it wasn't the boys Ghostly Wail, as he put it. Otherwise the sound would have brought the place down minutes ago.
Vlad found a room marked 'simulation room/ cell' and flew in past the busted door. "Daniel's wail definitely can't do that," he thought and then he froze. Danny was screaming his head off and he could see why. A machine was doing something to him but Danny probably couldn't even see the damage to the room.
There were scorch marks everywhere and more were being made by exploding balls of green energy. Danny's eyes where glowing so bright, that the only colour that could be seen was green. It almost looked like his eyes had become a solid green because of it.
Near the far wall was a man that Vlad recognized as Chrome. His suit was burnt and he looked like he was trying to figure out what they hell was happening. "What the hell!" the man yelled. "This wasn't supposed to happen; it was supposed to kill him!"
Vlad flew over to the man and barked, "What did you do? Do you have any idea what you've just done?!"
Thomas Chrome stared at Plasmius in utter shock. How did a ghost penetrate their defences? But that didn't matter at the moment, right now; he had to stop Phantom from destroying all of them.
"I injected that liquid into Phantom's core and after I turned on the machine everything started to explode. The only things not getting destroyed in here are you, Phantom, those ghost books, and the machine," said the agent.
Vlad stared at the man and said, "Well then shut. It. OFF!" Vlad looked back at the younger hybrid, which was still out of control. Wait, did he say books? Vlad looked at the tray and saw the three books that they had all been looking for. One of them, a book with a big green gem in the centre and smaller green ones surrounding it in the pattern of a sun, was glowing extremely bright and the centre gem was almost neon, emerald green.
Chrome was about to try and disarm the machine when a ball of energy exploded in front of him sending him into the wall, where he lay unconscious. Vlad raced to the machine and gave it a once over. It was damaged badly, and there was no way to shut it off now. But a few capsules of that black liquid still survived the explosion.
Tucking some of them away to be analysed, Vlad lifted a glowing pink hand and destroyed the machine. This was what was hurting Daniel, so if wasn't around anymore, then he should stop feeling its' effects. Too bad that didn't really work. Danny continued to scream in pain as he continued to feel the effects of the electrified liquid.
Vlad went to the hybrid's side and yelled in a worried tone, "Daniel! Cheese logs, why are you still being affected?"
He looked at Danny more closely and saw that there was actually a charge running through him as well as he had several wounds; all of which were severe and still bleeding out ectoplasm like no tomorrow. The charge he could get rid of, but the wounds were a different story. Vlad felt like he was having déjà vu of the time that Walker had put Daniel down to an inch of his life.
Vlad took a deep breath and placed his hand on top of the younger hybrid's chest, and he felt the charge and ectoplasm form around his gloved hand. He then began to pull the electricity out and within seconds, Danny was panting, his eyes slick with tears; still having that distant look in his eyes. Vlad fire the excess energy at a wall and looked at the boy before him.
He looked so fragile, so scared of what might happen next. Danny whimpered but made no other sound. Vlad cringed. This was not the boy he had come to know and care for. "Shh, it'll be alright my boy. I'm here. Just hold on a little longer little badger," Vlad said, his voice wavering. He wasn't sure if he was trying to sooth the teenager or himself.
Danny looked up at Vlad, and the older hybrid saw that his eyes were a dull, moss green instead of their usual bright emerald ones. Danny didn't know who was there, but the voice sounded reassuring and it had called him, "my boy." Vlad frowned at the boy's distant stare. These people would pay dearly for this. Danny opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. He tried again and Vlad heard him faintly say, "D-d-dad?"
Vlad stared at the boy like he was an alien. Was Daniel so out of it that he couldn't tell who was before him? Danny closed his eyes and Vlad's widened. "No, Daniel! You have to stay conscious, at least for a little while longer. It's not safe to do that here!" Vlad said.
Danny opened them again and tried to stay awake. He didn't know why, but the voice was right; now was not the time. Vlad sighed and said, "Hold on tight, Daniel. And whatever you do, don't close your eyes."
Vlad looked at the teenager and picked him up bridal style. He didn't want to hurt the boy in any way that could worsen his condition. Vlad glanced at the books and conjured up a duplicate. The duplicate grabbed all three books and teleported out of the building to wait for the real Vlad. Vlad looked at Danny and said, "Hold your breath, Daniel. You know what's going to happen."
In the next instant, Vlad had teleported out of the building and next to his duplicate. He looked back down at Danny and saw that he was gulping in air. He must have held his breath and was still having trouble breathing. Vlad sighed in reflief but gasped as he saw two white rings appear and spread apart. Danny couldn't stop them anymore and he reverted to his human half.
The result was almost instantaneous. Danny's wounds continued to bleed and his clothing started to have blood red spots appear all over. Vlad's eyes widened as he watched. Danny's eyes had closed and his breathing was shaky at best. Vlad cursed and shot towards Wisconsin. "Please, stay with me, little badger," he begged the unconscious teen as he zoomed through the air. He just hoped that Daniel didn't have a near-death experience like he had several months ago when he stayed with him.
Phantom: OMG! Poor Danny. Having to withstand all that pain… but I think he just got something out of it.
Trainer: I have no idea what you're going on about, but what about Team Phantom? What happened to them?
Phantom: sorry, you'll have to wait. I know this seems to be a two part chapter but it's not! So please deal with it honourably.
Trainer: but I want to know.
Phantom: what's the magic word?
Trainer: NOW!
Phantom: um… no, no it's not. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter, I certainly did. But I want to tell you about something that's been happening for a while now; ever since I got back into DP.
I'm slightly more sleep deprived, get chills at the most inconvenient times, and acting very sarcastic. But at other times, I'm composed, serious, but also manipulative. And then recently I started thinking in rhymes for one reason or another. But I think that last one is because of my English class; we're doing a unit on poetry. Can you guys guess what's happened?
Trainer: yeah, you're acting like characters out of Danny Phantom! You've been Danny, Vlad and Ghost Writer. And I think we've joked about you acting like Clockwork once in a while.
Phantom: True. Oh god, I hope I don't start acting like my least fav. characters. Box Ghost, Klemper, Lunch Lady… please tell me I'm not acting like any of the ghost animals.
Trainer: no, you're good. But just keep it up; it makes your writing for the characters' better.
Phantom: thanks. So I hope you guys enjoyed and if you did, please, write a review! We love to hear from you guys. And to those of you who are constantly reviewing us, I say thank you on our behalf.
Trainer: see you guys later!