Author's Notes: A little late, but here it comes. Chapter 2 is here. I'm glad you guys are enjoying this thus far. This chapter is going to be a bit more talking and introspective. I hope you guys don't get bored.
Lost and Found Chapter 2: Prodigal Daughter
Patience was indeed a virtue. Out of all the lessons he had learned over the years, that seemed to be one that kept coming back to Vlad Masters over and over again. Although he did sometimes 'speed things along', his more satisfying plans were ones that were executed with diligence and persistence. It had taken him twenty long years to take him where he was today: a multi-billionaire with more money than he can count.
Then again, there were times where he felt he was being a little bit too patient. One instance of this was, of course, his raison d'être, mainly his lovely Maddie. It had been twenty years and he still wasn't any closer to winning her over. True, by feigning friendship with the family, he was able to get close, often times visiting 'for old time's sake' just to see her gorgeous smile or that auburn hair that drove him mad with desire. But she still wasn't his and she was still in love with that bumbling idiot, Jack Fenton.
Jack was the second on his list of things that he was too patient on. That incompetent buffoon was still alive. How he could keep surviving his attacks, let alone his own idiocy, was beyond Vlad. Though his visits to the Fenton household were brightened by his seeing Maddie, they were more often than not soured by that grinning, forever hyper face. Vlad wasn't blind to the irony; Jack was the one who had stole practically everything from him: his face when he had been inflicted with ecto-acne after that accident, his status at school, and most importantly, Maddie. And yet at the same time, he had him to thank for the amazing power he now possessed. The same amazing powers that he used to build his empire, piece by stolen piece.
Of course, the situation that irritated him the most these past few years was none other than the oaf's offspring: Danny. He saw potential in him. Countless times he had tried to convince the boy that his way was the right way. He was the one who had over twenty years of experience with these gifts. He could teach the boy powers and techniques he probably never knew he had. The truth was, Danny should have been his son; that was one more thing Jack Fenton stole from him. Danny was the perfect offspring: not only was he spawned from Maddie's womb, but he was a half-ghost, like him. He should have been his to teach, his to guide, his to mold into a proper heir. Danny was wasted on that man.
He tried numerous times and failed to persuade the young halfa to join him. Unfortunately, each and every time, he was rejected. Vlad credited it to Danny's breeding: not only did he have the fire that he so adored in Maddie, but the idiotic thick headedness of his Father as well. The combination proved to go against Vlad's wishes as time and time again, Danny had not only rebuffed his advances, but many times managed to best him. The fact that he couldn't harvest that hidden potential infuriated him to no end. With the power he wielded and could wield and with Vlad's tutelage, he could become one of the most powerful entities in recent history. If there was one thing Vlad understood, it was power.
Instead, young Daniel decided to pursue a more heroic route. Vlad could never stomach such rubbish. Selfless heroics had little appeal without some sort of profit. True, the near celebrity hero worship was an interesting concept, but what was the point if you never used it for yourself? He could never understand how heroes could go out and use their powers and yet expect nothing in return. Power was meant to be used for your own gain; anything else was just nonsense. He couldn't see what Danny saw in that lifestyle he seemed to throw himself in almost obsessively. The more Vlad pushed to change Danny, the more Danny pushed back. Eventually, Vlad realized that he was a lost cause. If he had gotten to the boy sooner, maybe it would have been different, but Danny's stubbornness was too much of a hurdle. So if he couldn't have that Danny, why couldn't he make his own?
He sometimes wondered why he chose to try and clone Danny instead of just cloning himself. Despite the fact that Danny was Jack's son, he was also Maddie's as well. A clone of himself would just spawn from him; a clone of Danny would be far more pleasing, despite his tainted ancestry. Unfortunately, he ran into a number of snags, most daunting was the stability issue. No matter how much data he collected on the boy, no matter how many failed experiments, he still couldn't create a stable clone. The closest he ever came to perfection was Danielle. While the others were flawed both mentally and physically, Danielle was neither. Her only imperfection was the one all the clones shared: their eventual degradation.
If Danny had simply let him taken that sample, he wouldn't have been in this predicament. Now, not only was he no closer to finding a way to make his clones complete, he had lost his most successful one. Danielle had betrayed him at the worst possible moment, causing the destruction of his lab in the Rockies and setting him back months. It was ironic now that she was the missing piece that he needed to finally succeed. He needed to find the reason why she had lasted so long. While the other clones merely lived weeks, she had lived beyond that by a full year. Even though she was severely weakened, from what he'd seen of surveillance, it was an amazing feat. If he could deduce what factor allowed her to survive, he may be able to replicate it and extended the time of life.
That's why his current endeavor was so important. Even as he sat there in den of his personal condo in Amity Park, his plan to retrieve his prodigal daughter was already in effect. He would have preferred to use his usual associate, Skulker, for this but that ghost, as well as many others, seemed to have disappeared during the past several weeks. Vlad had a hunch that it had something to do with that fire ghost that was wreaking havoc before Danny and the Teen Titans intervened.
Instead, he had to use one of his own creations. Doing so was a colossal gamble, especially considering where the girl was last seen heading to: Jump City. This close to Danny meant that he would probably interfere and rescue his so called cousin. His plan wouldn't be in total ruins, however; in fact there was a chance he could salvage it all, though it involved some sacrifice. If Danny found Dani, being the heroic character he was, the first thing he would do is to go to his parents for help. That would involve the young halfa to confess to his parents of his dual nature, if he hadn't done so already in the past year. It also would involve the boy telling them how she came into existence; in other words telling them about Vlad. That would mean that Maddie would know. Something told him that she wouldn't see his actions towards Danny and Dani in a positive light.
The scenario would essentially flush twenty years of effort down the drain, but at the same time create a golden opportunity. The Fentons would no doubt find a solution to Danielle's problem, making her whole. He knew Maddie's determination would see to that. Once she was complete, it would be just a matter of extracting her from the Fenton household. Mind you, it would not be an easy feat; not only would he face Daniel, but Jack and Maddie as well. But in the end, he would have the samples he would need in order to create his own son. And who knew? He might even keep the girl as a daughter, if she knew what was good for her, of course.
All he needed to do now was wait.
DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP
"Danielle?" Danny Phantom uttered as he looked on at his long lost 'cousin'. The last time he had seen her was over a year ago, when she helped him escape from his arch-enemy, Vlad Plasmius. Afterwards, the girl simply disappeared. He had always wondered what had happened to her, especially with the type of condition she had. He never had admitted to anyone, but he always regretted not being able to help her with her problem. And now here she was.
He first noticed that she was different; she had grown the past year. She was definitely taller than what he had remembered and her ponytail was now longer. The rest of her appearance wasn't as positive. If he wasn't mistaken, the clothes she was wearing now were the exact ones she wore back when they had first met: the tattered edges and faded colors showed their age, as well as the fact that they no longer fit her well. She also seemed thinner, almost frail. Her skin was paler than even his was when he was in ghost mode. Also, the young wide eyed wonder and spunkiness that usually shone from her eyes wasn't quite as bright as he remembered.
Danielle could feel a mix of relief and joy bubble up within her. She did it: she finally found him! A smile sprung from her lips as she let her enthusiasm take over. Despite the fatigue that racked her body, she bolted, wrapping her arms around his torso. "Danny!" her muffled voice called out as she stuffed her face into his spandex. She held onto the only family she knew, as if for dear life. Somewhere in between seeing him and embracing him, tears began to stream down her face and sobs shook her delicate form. Danny placed a hand upon her head, stroking it gently. He looked up to Raven, who had a probing yet patient look on her face. She obviously wanted to know who this girl was, but was willing to wait before asking.
He went on full alert once he realized that Danielle's grip suddenly became loose. Looking down, he found that the girl had fallen unconscious, though that's not what got his full attention. His eyes widened as he saw an ever-growing pool of ectoplasm forming under her feet. Danny looked back at Raven, his expression pleading, "Raven," he said in a desperate tone, "You have to try something. Please…" she complied silently, encasing her hands with the blue glow of her healing magic.
As Danny lay the girl down on the pavement, Raven went to work, placing her hand upon the girl's chest. She wasn't even sure what was wrong with her, or whether her powers would even be of any help, but she had to try. As she cast her spell, she could feel that this girl was very much like Danny, which led to the conclusion that she was also half-ghost. At the same time, she could sense that something was terribly wrong. Her body, for lack of a better term, was falling apart at the seams. She knew that even if her powers could do something to help, it was just a Band-Aid. Something permanent would need to be done to save this girl's life, something that was quite frankly out of her league.
Danny watched carefully as his girlfriend went to work on his cousin. Surprisingly enough, it actually had a positive effect; the pool of ectoplasm was slowly but surely receding. After a few moments there were no traces of the liquid and the girl was looking much better than before; her skin looked healthier and her breathing was more relaxed. Raven stood up from her kneeling position and took a look at Danny, a look of doubt in her face.
"That's all I can do," she answered the unspoken question he wanted to ask, "Whatever is wrong with her, I can't heal it completely." The halfa nodded, accepting her diagnosis. Kneeling, he gingerly picked up the unconscious girl, a resolute expression etched onto his face.
"We'll have to get to the Tower as soon as possible," he said sternly, "Mom and Dad should be able to do something." His voice was full of hope; he couldn't let any doubt cross his mind. His feet left the ground as he began his ascent.
"Danny," Raven interrupted, her curiosity finally getting the better of her, "Who is she?" The halfa paused and pondered for a split second before finally answering.
"She's family," he replied matter-of-factly. The lower half of his body fading into a spectral trail, Danny flew faster than Raven had ever seen him, back to Titan's Tower. She followed suit, though found it difficult to keep up. Pulling out her communicator, the sorceress immediately dialed up the main Titan's channel.
"This is Raven, calling the tower. I need the medical bay prepped and ready for wounded. I repeat, prepare for wounded. I also need the Fentons to be ready."
"Raven this is Robin. What the heck is going on?"
"We'll explain once we get there," she explained, "Just be ready for incoming."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
"I don't understand," Maddie Fenton stated as she entered the medical bay. Her husband followed after, mirroring his wife's concerned look. The recipient of her comment, Cyborg, was the third one to cross the threshold. "Is Danny hurt?"
"Raven didn't say, Mrs. F." Cyborg replied as he looked over all the equipment at one of the beds, "She just said to be ready for anything." He made some final adjustments to the sensors before nodding in approval, "Alright, everything is set."
"Starfire to Cyborg," the comm. in the wall called out, "Cyborg, come in. This is Starfire, calling from the roof. I can see friend Phantom now; he seems unharmed."
"What about Raven," Cyborg asked thoughtfully, "Is she with him?"
"She is following, yes," she confirmed, "Though for some reason, they seem to have a guest. Phantom is carrying someone with him; a young girl." The Fentons expressions seemed to grow even more confused.
"Why bring someone here?" Cyborg queried, "I'm sure the ER could do a better job than we can on civilians."
"I'm sure he has his reasons," Maddie said, confident of her son's judgment. Before they could comment further, Danny phased through the ceiling of the room, landing gently beside the bed. Gingerly, as if handling fragile china, he placed the unconscious girl onto the sheets. He took a final look at the girl before turning towards Cyborg.
"You're going to have to monitor her ecto-plasmic energy levels. Make sure they don't dip too low. And Mom?" he asked as he changed his focus, "I need you to do an IV like you did to me a few weeks ago."
"Hold on; are you saying she's like you?" Cyborg asked in confusion. Before Danny could respond, Jazz chose that moment to enter the room, worry running rampant all over her face. Starfire, Robin and Beast Boy were right behind her.
"Danny?" she sputtered as she scanned the room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted her brother and then gave a puzzled gaze at the current occupant of one of the beds, "What's going on, Danny? Who is that?"
"Listen, I know you guys have a lot of questions," the half-ghost replied, "And I promise I'll explain everything to you; but right now, I just want to make sure she's alright before we do anything else." As if on cue, Raven arrived, entering through the room as Danny did minutes earlier. The empathic Titan landed on the other side of the bed wordlessly, her hand quickly igniting with her magic. Placing it on Danielle's chest, she closed her eyes and focused her energies as the glow spread out from her hands until it encompassed the girl's body. The room remained silent for a few moments before she finally pulled her hand back and spoke for the first time since arriving.
"She's stable for now," she stated, "Whatever happened to her before has slowed, but it's still happening…whatever it is."
"I was just about to get to that," he replied. He took a reluctant breath as he prepared himself for an explanation. He had hoped he could explain to his parents the various intricacies of his complicated life over a longer period of time. Unfortunately, Dani didn't have that time. If his parents were going to save her, they would have to know her story…the whole story. And that included his cousin's origins. He closed his eyes and let out the breath he had been holding, feeling the weight of eight pairs of eyes upon him. He opened them again and started his explanation. "This," he started, pointing at the sleeping form, "is Danielle. And she is sort of my clone."
"She's your what?!" Jazz exclaimed her eyes wide with shock, "Since when do you have a clone? And why haven't you told me about her before this?"
"And aren't clones supposed to look exactly alike or something?" Beast Boy interjected inquisitively.
"She pretty much appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as quickly. At the time, I didn't think you needed to know, Jazz. But that's not the issue here."
"So, she's like you? A half ghost?" Maddie asked, trying to get a handle of the situation.
He nodded, "More or less, yes. She's a halfa, except she isn't exactly complete. She's unstable; essentially, she's falling apart. If we don't find a way to fix her, she'll end up as a puddle of ectoplasm. Trust me, I've seen it before." Danny took another big breath before continuing, "Her condition is actually a result of how she was created and who created her."
"The first thing I have to explain to everyone is that as far as I know, I wasn't the first half-ghost hybrid. There was one before me; as a matter of fact, he was the one who created Danielle in the first place."
"Wait, he was the one?!" Jazz interrupted once again, knowing whom Danny was referring to, "I knew he was a certifiable nut job, but to as far as to clone you…"
"Jazz," Danny stopped her sternly, "The identity of the person in question is going to effect a lot of people in this room, so I'd appreciate it if you'd let me explain everything." This, along with the look that he gave her, proved to silence his sister, her face full of understanding. The others, being out of the loop, looked perplexed by the exchange. He turned towards his parents, "Mom, Dad, I actually wanted to explain all of this to you later, but it looks like I don't have a choice in the matter. I just want you to know that no matter how… unpleasant this sounds, that I'm telling you guys the truth."
"Of course we believe you, Danny!" Jack assured. Maddie gave similar words of trust. Danny sighed, suspecting they'd be singing a different tune after he told them everything.
"Do you guys remember the experiment you worked on back in college?"
"You mean our experimental prototype ghost portal?" Maddie recalled, "The one we worked on with Vlad? What about it, sweetie?"
"And you guys remembered what happened to the experiment?"
"I remember that like it was yesterday!" Jack answered, "We tried out the portal, but it malfunctioned and discharged right into Vladdy's face. Gave him a bad case of ecto-acne to boot."
"Unfortunately, it gave Vlad a little bit more than ecto-acne," the halfa replied. Maddie's eyes went wide with realization.
"You're telling me that Vlad Masters is half ghost?!" she relayed her suspicions. Danny simply nodded.
"Hold on; are we talking about THE Vlad Masters?" Cyborg interjected, somewhat excitedly, " The same Vlad Masters who rivals both Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor in green? The guy who tried to buy the Packers three times in the last five years?"
"That's the one," Danny confirmed.
"I don't get it," Jack declared, his voice heavy with uncertainty, "Why wouldn't Vlad tell us that he was a half-ghost? He's our friend."
"Not exactly…" Danny replied, "I don't know how to tell you this, Dad, so I'm just going to have to say it: Vlad isn't your friend; as a matter of fact, he has never forgiven you for the accident."
"But…but…" Jack Fenton's face was full of turmoil as he tried to assimilate the news, "But he said that he forgave me for that…"
"I'm sorry about this, Dad, but that's the truth. He hates you. The accident is only part of it, though. He blames you for stealing Mom away from him."
"He thinks what?" Maddie asked indignantly. "I knew he had a crush on me back in college, but that's completely preposterous! I never even liked Vlad that way."
"Unfortunately, he doesn't necessarily see it like that. Vlad is pretty much obsessed with "winning" you back and just as obsessed with revenge on Dad. Half the ghosts I fought when I first got my powers were sent by Vlad to try and kill Dad."
"Does he have a ghost form, like you do?" Maddie asked, "And have we met it before?" She had a hint of what the answers to both questions were.
"Yes to both questions," Danny responded, "He calls himself Plasmius, though you guys know him as the Wisconsin Ghost."
"Vlad is the Wisconsin Ghost?!" Jack was now clearly in distress. His mind couldn't fathom the fact that the man he thought was his best friend was anything but. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. I found out about him during your college reunion a year and a half ago. Unfortunately, that's when he found out about me as well. He's been trying to recruit me ever since. He thinks that he should be the one to teach me about my ghost powers. He also wanted me to reject you, Dad. I think he sees me as the son he never had. When he got the message that I wasn't going to say yes, no matter how much he tried, he decided that if he couldn't persuade me, he was going to just clone me instead."
"So that's why he created Danielle?" Jazz asked, "The question is, why he made her a girl, if he just wanted another you?"
"He had…issues," Danny began to clarify, "There were other clones, but they came out less than perfect. Most of them were mindless, mutated versions of me that were highly unstable; they all eventually ended up melting away. Danielle was different somehow, though. She wasn't mindless like the others and she seems to have lasted longer. She still has the same problem, though: she's unstable. That's why I need your help. If anyone can find a way to stabilize her, it'd be you guys."
Maddie nodded grimly, though internally she was flattered by her son's praise. "Do you have any idea why she's the way she is? I'm going to need as much data as possible in order to see what we can do for her."
"Vlad said something about needing a sample of my DNA while I was in midmorph. He seemed to think that it would stabilize his clone, which is why he tried to get it from me the hard way. He used Danielle and the other clones to distract and capture me. After I made her realize that he was just using her, she helped me escape. Please, if you can do anything…"
"Don't you worry, sweetie," Maddie interrupted, giving him a warm, motherly smile, "Your father and I will do our best." She walked over and gave her son a reassuring hug, hoping to ease his troubled mind. "If we're going to do this, we're going to need tissue samples of both you and Danielle, as well as a scan of both your ectoplasmic signatures. Jack, I'm going to need you to…Jack?" She sighed as she found him still frozen with the same expression of disbelief. "Jack, I know this is hard for you. You thought Vlad was your friend and I'm sorry if you feel betrayed, but Danielle needs us right now. We have to find a way to save her life."
Maddie watched as he finally focused on her, his eyes slightly glassed over. She wasn't sure if her words broke through the cloud of confusion that probably obscured his senses. He finally seemed to shake it off, a little of his usual energetic self returning. Standing up, the burly man's seemed to light up. "I'll go get some equipment from the RV!" he declared before heading out. Smiling, Maddie began to do preparations of her own.
"I'm sure Mom and Dad will be able to do something, Danny," Jazz assured, "Just give them a little time."
"Unfortunately, time is what I'm worried about," he sighed, "She might not have a lot of it left."
"Jazz is right," Raven cut in, "Worry isn't going to get you anywhere. All you can do is have faith in your parents."
"I hope so," he replied, a small sliver of hope echoing in his voice. He gave a faint smile as he stole another glance at his sleeping 'cousin'.
"Come on," the sorceress commanded as she grabbed his arm, "I don't think you've eaten yet this morning. How about we go eat some breakfast?"
"Or lunch," Jazz commented as she pointed at the wall clock. "I think I'll join you guys." The trio soon left the room, followed by Starfire and Robin. Starfire's eyes were wet with compassion after hearing the poor girl's sad story. Determined to give some sort of assistance, the alien decided that some of her Tamaranian cooking would be just the thing to cheer the girl up.
The last people in the room were Cyborg, who was helping Mrs. Fenton with equipment and Beast Boy, who had inched his way closer to the bed. The changeling felt sorry for the girl and the bad lot she had been given. He also couldn't help but feel that this new girl was actually sort of, kind of cute. All plans of food, video games and comics were now gone from his mind as he took a seat next to the bed and hoped that she'd be alright.