Breaking Dawn
A Danny Phantom Fanfic by Quill N. Inque
I do not own Danny Phantom.
"Endure. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point, isn't it? You can make the decisions no one else can make."-Alfred Pennyworth, "The Dark Knight" (2008)
Chapter 7: Of Frostbite and Fury
(A/N: My friends and readers…I have returned.)
Prologue
Somewhere, hours ago…
Danny Fenton's eyes opened as a hoarse, breathless gasp escaped his lips, and he sat up with a start as a curious, weightless feeling settled over his body. It was not unlike the sensation of floating in water and not at all unpleasant, and Danny felt his body spin slowly on some invisible axis as his vision cleared.
The first thing that came to the ghost boy's mind was that he had absolutely no idea where he was.
Wherever the young hero now found himself, it seemed to resemble the inner workings of a black hole as one might imagine such a thing. All around Danny was a black, swirling, fathomless miasma of inky swirls and eddies, and the scenery would have been unnerving and downright disturbing were it not for a curiously free and unfettered feeling that settled about the young man's shoulders. This place didn't…feel threatening at all. Though Danny could not explain it, he realized that here, he felt unburdened, unchained, and unfettered by the worries or day-to-day burdens of the outside world. This carefree emotion was so intoxicating that, the more Danny thought about it, the more he realized that some rebellious part of him did not ever want to leave.
And why should he go back, anyway? For the first time that he could remember since the beginning of Vlad's final plot, Danny felt safe and secure with every cell in his body whilst in this strange environment. He was, for once, utterly at peace.
A shadow, shapeless and as yet lacking form, stirred in the dark, and Danny's green eyes, far from panicked, turned calmly in the disturbance's direction. A soft, muted glow of vibrant energy momentarily tainted the twisting tendrils of inky blackness with streaks of verdant light, and moments later the familiar, comforting face of Clockwork, Master of Time, smiled quietly back at him.
"Hello, Danny," he murmured softly, a gentle, almost paternal expression on his ageless features.
"Am I dead?" the ghost boy asked, his voice neither worried nor frightened, but instead laced only with mild curiosity.
Clockwork's grin was wry as he turned from a young man to an infant in the space of a second. "Not exactly."
"Then where am I?"
"The Void," Clockwork replied quietly. "The space between spaces."
"Uh…"
"You might call it Purgatory, for lack of a better word," the Lord of the Time-Stream elaborated, "For you are neither in the realm of the living nor in the land of those who have already died. Time as a you know it has no meaning here; even as we stand here talking, what seems like seconds to you and I can be hours, days, or even years in the world of men."
"I kinda like it. Can I stay?" Danny's eyelids flickered with longing.
"Why would you want to do that?" the ghost asked, suddenly serious.
"I'm….tired, Clockwork," the young hero said, after a moment's thought. "I'm tired of everything; tired of fighting a battle I can't win, tired of everybody despising me for what I am, and tired of having to put up with people like Skryme and Barousse, who work to set the world against me. I don't want to go back to a world where everyone on the entire planet knows my secret, where I have to live in Vlad's shadow for the rest of my life."
"Your grievances are legitimate," Clockwork conceded. "And I will be the first to admit that you have suffered trials and overcome challenges far greater than men three times your age have faced. More than anyone else, you have earned the right to rest and the reward of forever sleep, but I fear I cannot give it to you…yet."
"What? Why?" Danny felt despair well in his heart.
The specter's hand tightened on Danny's shoulder. "It is not yet your time, child. Remember that I see what was, what is, and what may or may not come to pass, and I tell you now that your trials, your hardship and strife, shall not forever go unrewarded. It is in this, your darkest hour, that the world needs you to endure its hatred and scorn. You must stand strong in the face of adversity, for make no mistake: there are battles ahead for which the human race will need its greatest defender." Clockwork's face fell with sadness as he finished. "But if any of this is to take place, you need to go back, Danny. Back to your world and the life you so desire to leave behind. I fear that there is far too much left undone and unsaid for you to cross over now."
"I'm gonna be honest with you, Danny admitted, sighing heavily, "Part of me doesn't want to go back, not if I can't return to the way things were. I would give anything to undo what's happened to me."
"So would all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide," the Time Lord murmured. "What matters are the choices one makes, not when life is easy, but during the hours when one's days seem at their darkest. You face many such decisions even now: will you let what Vlad forced you to do mark you forever, or will you accept that you did what had to be done and cleanse yourself of the guilt that plagues you? Will you continue to defend the weak and helpless, or will you abandon them and leave the humans to their fate? Will you stand tall as mankind's champion? Will you let them stand alone?"
"Give me one reason why should I even tryhelping them anymore!" Danny exclaimed, his eyes brimming with tears as his bottled anguish and grief bubbled over. "They're afraid of me, Clockwork! They won't go near me, they won't listen to me, and they sure as hell don't like me! They tried to burn down my house, did you know that? How am I supposed to protect all of those people if they won't even accept who I am?"
"If you question yourself so, then Vlad has already won," Clockwork replied sagely. "The black seed of self-doubt and resentment is just the thing that your old enemy sought to sow in your heart. If you let it take root within, if you let thoughts of hate and malice cloud your judgment and color your actions, you will follow in Vlad's footsteps and fall into the depths of evil. Should this happen, you will ultimately become everything you swore to fight against…to the ruin of all."
"But no pressure or anything, right?" Danny retorted dryly.
Clockwork's smile grew wider. "Dear child, while it is true that what has happened to you may seem unfortunate, you must keep in mind always that everything which has come thus far to pass was meant to be. The truth can be a bitter pill to swallow at times, but the fact remains that it was always Vlad's destiny to expose you, just as it was always your fate to ultimately vanquish him."
"I think you kinda lost me there," Danny told him, utterly confused. "That makes absolutely no sense."
"One day it will, but now the time has come for you to return to those you care about," Clockwork advised him, his gentle tones beginning to fade as some unseen force began to draw Danny away. "Endure and find the strength that lies within your heart, because before your days have come to an end…you will change the world."
The black abyss was slowly replaced by the blinding red glow of a bright light shining through Danny's still-closed eyelids, and he felt himself being dragged downward through the rapidly vanishing, inky depths to his aching body…
Now…
Amity Park General Hospital
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
The high-pitched, steady shrill of the machine which recorded Danny's pulse caused his eyelids to twitch open before let out a groan. His vision half-focused, his senses swimming, Danny fought back a wave of nausea as he tried vainly to sit up in his bed. The young hero, understandably disoriented after his little jaunt in the netherworld, flopped back onto his pillow and quietly waited for his eyes to adjust to the bright, droning glare of the elongated, fluorescent bulbs that buzzed overhead.
It was immediately apparent that he was in the hospital for the second time in as many weeks. The now-fully healed scars on Danny's body, remnants of his fight with Vlad, could clearly be seen in all areas not covered by the hospital gown Danny now wore. An IV drip ran into his arm, and Danny felt the needle give a painful twinge as he tried to flex his elbow.
Something moved behind the curtain that sealed off Danny's hospital ward, and for a moment he smiled, anticipating the comforting presence of his family-
-Only to have happiness turn to horror as an unseen hand yanked the screen back to admit a most unwelcome horde of ravenous reporters, each hungry for an exclusive first-hand account of what had happened the night before. Their questions and inquiries formed an indecipherable roar as the flashes of myriad camera bulbs made spots burst in front of Danny's eyes, and he instinctively put a hand up to shield his vulnerable optical organs before a stern-looking, white-haired man in a spotless labcoat stormed into the room.
"Who gave you all permission to be in here?" Dr. Dourman, Danny's new physician, demanded. "This ward is off-limits to all non-personnel, save for family members of the patients! Unless any of you are of relation to this boy, which I doubt, then you had best clear out of my hospital before I call security! Then you can bethe news as you're all led away in handcuffs, rather than simply reporting it! Get out of here, this instant!"
The menacing figure of Thomas Brody materialized behind the medical practitioner. "You heard the man," he growled, fingering the taser on his belt. "And if I see you vultures come near Danny again, I won't be as charitable as he is."
The stun gun crackled menacingly, and Danny felt hugely relieved as he reached for his clothes, ripping out the IV tube as he did so. The doctor quite nearly fainted at this, and he rushed to Danny's side with a look of genuine concern on his face. "Now, now, let's have none of that," Dourman scolded. "I still have to run some tests to see if and how lowering your core temperature so drastically has affected the biorhythms of your body. And while we're on that particular topic, might I inquire as to what in the world were you thinking, lowering your body heat so rapidly? You could have killed yourself, for Christ's sake! Enhanced genes or no, as your healthcare provider I cannot and will not allow you to endanger your well-being all willy-nilly!"
"I only did that to stop my house from being burnt to cinders," Danny said, somewhat rankled at being chided thus. "And in any case, I'm fine. My ghost powers let me heal faster than normal people usually do."
"If nothing else, at least let me take your temperature," the physician insisted. "If your core has not heated sufficiently, any more undue stress and anxiety could send you into shock."
"Okay, but try to hurry," Danny sighed, opening his mouth to accommodate the thermometer as his parents, sister and friends took the place of the now-vanished media. The mercury within the instrument reflected within the doctor's spotless glasses, and he clucked his tongue with surprised satisfaction as he put the tool away.
"Hmmm."
"Was that a good 'hmmm' or a bad 'hmmm'?" the young hero asked, a little nervous despite himself.
Dourman consulted his notes unnecessarily as he began to warm to his subject. "Though your average temperature is lower than that of a normal teenager due to your…unique genetics, I will admit that my previous prognosis a moment ago was incorrect. Your body heat has indeed risen drastically since you were admitted the previous evening, far exceeding the normal capabilities of someone within your age group. It is my professional opinion that the ectoplasm which has altered your DNA has somehow strengthened allof your bodily systems, as well as increasing your overall physical endurance. The fact that anyone can survive so much alteration to one's genetic structure is positively astounding! To be honest, I would like to run some more tests in order to learn a little bit more about how on Earth your ghost and human halves maintain the proper homeostasis to keep you alive. But it seems that professional curiosity will have to wait for another time, since I get the feeling you are eager to leave."
"It's a school day," the halfa muttered. "But compared to that, I'd take being poked and prodded with needlesanytime."
"You don't have to go, Danny," Jazz reminded him. "We won't make you, and Lancer will understand if you tell him what happened."
"I won't be intimidated by the guys who attacked our home last night," Danny shook his head firmly as he reached for his clothes. "If I hide now, they'll know they've gotten to me, that they've frightened me away. I want to show them and everybody else that we won't lie down that easily. Speaking of which, how bad was the damage, anyway?"
Maddie Fenton's eyes were sad as tears threatened to spill over onto her cheeks. "See for yourself…"
Minutes later….
The Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle slowed to a crawl as it passed the street on which Fentonworks was located. Danny's hands pressed against the passenger's side window, leaving fingerprints on the glass as he took in the full scale of the defacement of his home.
Almost every window on Fentonworks' ground level had been shattered or broken. These had been covered with blue tarps to keep out the elements, but the gaping holes where the windows had once been whole were no less poignant in their unspoken message of hate. The side walls, so lovingly built of cheery red brick and mortar, reeked of sulfur due to the dozens of eggs that had been shattered against them. The white-ish spatters of egg yolk smeared the semi-damp spray paint which had been used to scrawl scurrilous graffiti and obscenities upon the home Danny held dear, and the rude messages of glaring red and green gave no doubt as to the defacers' intention.
Inside, though Danny could not see it, the situation was even worse. Amidst the swarms of beat cops and FBI agents that painstakingly collected evidence from last evening's assault, Maddie Fenton's beloved kitchen lay in heaping ruins. Black scorch-marks streaked the walls where the flames had licked hungrily at the paint, and many cooking utensils and other kitchenware had been completely destroyed or ruined in the blazing heat. Melted ice from Danny's impromptu method of extinguishing the fire created puddles of chilling water that splashed underfoot and soaked the carpet, threatening to spawn mold in the wallpaper as it dripped from the ceiling.
Danny's fist clenched in silent rage, and he closed his eyes tightly as his vision went red with fury. Though his anger was justified, he could notafford to lose his self-control now, of all times. To do so would only prove his detractors correct, and Danny had no intention of doing that. Obviously many were expecting the ghost child to hunt down those responsible and beat them to a bloody pulp, which Danny was quite capable of doing, but some fiercely determined corner of the young man's heart refused to yield to such petty temptation.
Those men, though they did not deserve it, would be spared the wrath that simmered in Danny's veins. The court system would handle everything once the assailants were caught, and Danny would go nowhere near them so as not to risk accusations of intending bodily harm.
He would provehis enemies wrong, if only for the sole purpose and pleasure of spiting them.
"Where are Sam and Tucker?" Danny asked. "Are they safe? Are they all right?"
"We're right behind you, doofus," Sam's teasing voice in Danny's ear caused him to turn around, and he was gratified to see his friends seated in the row behind him.
"Were you guys targeted, as well?" Danny asked quietly.
"It was pretty quiet over at my place," Tucker admitted. "There wasn't really anything unusual, apart from the raccoon that keeps getting into the garbage."
"I wish I could say the same. Some hooligans tried to break into myhouse," Sam's grin was vengeful, "but after Mom and Dad set Hercules on them, they cleared out pretty quick."
"Hercules?" Danny asked.
"Our English mastiff," Sam snickered. "They just barely reached the fence in time."
"That doesn't matter. The only reason they targeted you was because you're my girlfriend," Danny grated his words out through clenched teeth before his tone turned morose. "Your parents blame me for that, don't they?"
"Grandma and I will set them straight," Sam assured him. "And when they've calmed down a little, we'll both talk to them about...us."
"Touching," Agent Brody drawled from his seat across the aisle, "But right now we've got bigger things to deal with than your love life, Fenton. First off, who are these guys? And why would they start coming after you now? It's been over a month since the disaster over in Europe; they could have done this beforeyou'd even gotten back to the States. The house was still empty then."
"I think they wanted to send you message, little brother," Jazz said thoughtfully, her psychiatric training coming to the fore.
"Any chance that Skryme's involved?" Danny inquired.
"It's possible, but I checked on that lead already," Brody sighed. "Skryme's alibi is iron-clad; he's been in D.C. for over a month now and has barely left his desk. He wasn't there in person, that much I now know, and even if Skryme organized the attack, he's covered his tracks well. Everything on his employment record is squeaky clean, and his cyber-trail has been erased too. We can't confirm any correspondence between Skryme and these hate groups just yet, I'm afraid."
"I bet Tuck could trace it," Danny interjected.
"Nice try, kid, but frankly, I doubt that," Brody sighed. "The e-mails have all been spiked. They're untraceable."
"Spiked? Oh, please," Tucker snorted confidently. "Trust me, if it's been sent, I can trace it, and if it's got a central processor, I can hack it. This geek's got mad skills."
"Hacking is illegal, boy," Brody glared at him. "But for Danny's sake, I'll make an exception because I suck at computers and good tech support is worth its weight in Ben Franklins. Go ahead and do your thing, Foley, but at least keep it to a minimum when I'm around, okay?"
"Got it," Tucker agreed nervously.
Danny fell silent as his father, seated in the driver's side, turned the enormous vehicle into a spare parking space and turned the ignition off.
A great sigh made the young hero's shoulders rise and fall with considerable force, and he wearily grabbed his backpack as his erstwhile friends exited the vehicle on either side of him.
Danny quite without warning grabbed Sam's hand, pulled her close and kissed her right on the lips. He didn't care who saw; he needed Sam with him now more than he ever had in the past. It was Sam who was the light that shone behind the dark curtain that had descended upon him, and her body was soft and supple, like a small tree, as he pulled her in close to him. The Goth's mouth was warm on Danny's own as he deepened the embrace, her arms instinctively wrapping languidly around his neck, and Sam's eyes closed blissfully as she relished the feeling of Danny's heartbeat thundering against her ribs. The girl's cheeks turned a bright shade of puce as the two finally broke away in order to breathe, and Danny's grin was crooked as his love-struck gaze met Sam's.
"Thanks," he said finally, panting a little. "I needed that."
"Me too," Sam murmured, her blush deepening as she pulled a stray lock of hair away from her violet eyes.
"You sure you're well enough to go to class today, man?" Tucker asked, clearing his throat politely. "I mean, you were in the hospital."
"I'm all right, Tuck," Danny insisted. "Try not worry about me too much, okay?"
"You and I both know that it's way too late for that," Sam smirked sardonically.
"Let's just get to class," the young hero sighed. "The sooner this day is over with, the sooner we can-"
Any further speech was cut off as horror spawned a lump in Danny's throat, and Sam's whole frame shook with anger at the sight that greeted them just outside the grounds of Casper High. Two booths, adorned with a strange logo depicting a shaft of light emerging for a single cloud, had been set up near the entrance and exit to the school. These were laden with small paper brochures and mini-books, and a large banner strung above the two proprietors proclaimed that the stands were offering "Truth pamphlets" to any "young people who wish to become Enlightened." Many of the small papers depicted the halfa in a variety of menacing and villainous poses, and Danny's entire form seethed with fury as Dash Baxter walked up to greet them, a smirk on his face.
"Read it and weep, Fen-turd," he sneered, slapping a copy of one of the pamphlets into Danny's chest with far more force than was necessary without breaking step. The jock's raucous laughter could be heard as his back receded, and the ghost boy's cheeks drained of color as he opened the brochure's folds:
The Society of Light is dedicated to educating the public and our nation's young people on the truth about half-ghost hybrids such as Mr. Fenton, who claim to be protectors but are only capable of destruction. The Society announces its official formation today, and with this instructional pamphlet, it shall send the Light to every home in every major city of the United States.
While the Society stringently denies any responsibility for the attack on Mr. Fenton's home and admits that such measures may seem drastic to some, it nevertheless applauds the actions of ordinary citizens who have taken steps to assure the safety of their own families and loved ones. The methods may have been extreme, but the cause and motivation for the defacement of the half-breed's domicile was legitimate. We must all remember that such steps can, at times, be necessary to ensure a greater good for the future of humanity, but nevertheless the Society promises the public that it does and will continue to exercise stringent control and authority over its members to prevent any needles destruction of public or private property.
Danny felt his cheeks heat up with humiliation, and Tucker had to physically restrain Sam from strangling the two distributors as her eyes glazed over with fury. The paper made a crinkling sound as the ghost boy crumpled it into a ball and crushed it contemptuously underneath his foot.
"Don't do it, Sam," Danny said wearily. "They're not worth it, and if we even lookat them the wrong way they'll find some excuse to have me arrested."
"You can't just lie down and take this crap!" Sam exclaimed incredulously. "They're probably lying, Danny, and on top of that, they're making a point of rubbing the fact of that lie in your face!"
"Yeah," the halfa replied, a melancholy smile on his face. "I know."
"Don't be so down, kid," the hulking form of Brody seemed to materialize suddenly behind the boy as he drained a cup of Hawaiian dark roast. "You're forgetting that there is one thing that can be salvaged from this big mess."
"What's that?" Tucker asked skeptically, trying to hide his consternation that the agent could sneak up so quietly and so stealthily.
"Don't you think it's odd," Brody continued casually, "that these folks went public less than twenty-four hours after the attack? And that they specifically mentioned the incident and denied any involvement, despite the fact that no one seemed to be asking any unwanted questions?"
"It does seem strange, now that you mention it," Sam admitted.
"Exactly," Brody finished, the fierce smile on his face reminiscent of a ravenous wolf on the trail of its prey.
"And that means we've found our first suspect. You kids better go on to class before the bell rings; but while you go to school, I think I've got a few calls to make. I'll let you know what I find out this afternoon."
"You want us to find you after classes let out, then?" Jazz asked.
"Nope," Brody shook his head, his hand already reaching for the phone in his pocket as he turned to go. "I'll come and find you."
The venerable agent disappeared inside his vehicle, and Sam's grin was wry as she turned to Danny. "I'm half-convinced that he meant to sound kinda creepy just now."
"Probably," Danny shuddered, as memories of his days on the lam returned in a rush. "And what's even scarier is that I actually believe him. I know firsthand that it's almost impossible to elude someone like Brody for long."
"It's not Brody they should worry about. I'm gonna beat the crap out those guys," Sam vowed, her pace quickening as the trio moved towards Casper High's front entrance.
"Well, when you do," Danny's grin was wider than a peeled banana as he tenderly kissed her again. "I hope I'm there to see it."
A/N: Yes, it is true, my friends! By the grace of God, I am able to now continue work on my story, but before I go any further I wish to express my undying gratitude to you all for your patience during my absence. I thus reward your understanding with this nice, long chapter as a personal gesture of appreciation! ^^ Also, a special thanks goes out to all of you who sent me letters wishing me good fortune on my journey, and with a grateful heart I swear to you now that I shall indeed return to the schedule to which you have all become accustomed. Updates will now be posted in a consistent and predictable manner, barring unforeseen complications. I shall endeavor to inform you of these if they should arise, but thankfully I do not see any in the immediate future. I usually update every two days or thereabouts, so don't let the suspense get to you; it won't be that long before you guys hear from me again! ^^ I again thank you, ALL OF YOU, for your kindness and understanding during my absence, and it is with great joy that I officially, and with great fanfare, take "Breaking Dawn" off of hiatus! God bless you all, and rest assured that the new chapter WILL be up either Tuesday, June 7th, or Wednesday, June 8th! ^^
I am, and shall forever be,
Your humble servant,
-Quill N. Inque
P.S. To any of my dear readers who reviewed the chapter six and are therefore not able to review this one, I would enormously appreciate it if you would PM me your reviews. I implore you, don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of this chapter; whether in a public review or in a private conversation, I ALWAYS want to hear what each of you have to say. I treasure the valuable feedback and advice you all have thus far given me, and only by listening to the readers can an author improve his skills. So drop me a line, okay? YOUR OPINION COUNTS. ^^