A/N: So, the last chapter was SUPER SHORT! But it got a TON of reviews. It's amazing what you can inspire in 220 word (220 excluding A/N and title…) It was a bit of a "Wham Chapter", wasn't it? Next chapter, we'll be finding out who/what the voice is. Some of you are close, some of you are way off.

Pokeshadow55: The story is a little dark (at least in comparison to the original cartoon), but the characters aren't dark. I think…does that make sense? They have their moments, but it's less…darkness…and more…acceptance. Acceptance of the good and bad and knowing that the path they're on is the one they chose.

ShadowDragon357: I see what you did there…

KuriMaster13, KodiakWolfe13, The Talent, and Moon's Meow: Yeah. It just felt so wrong to put it with something else. I'd written a little bit of Tuck and Val's piece after that and…it just didn't work for me. :D

Chapter #24: Unusual Self

"There it is!" Valerie gasps, pointing at the large shadow on the horizon.

"Yeah, I see it," Tucker grunts, "Radio the mainland and tell them our coordinates. We shouldn't go in without backup, especially if Danny's been depowered."

"Yeah," she slips the headset over her ears and begins to fiddle with the radio.

They drift a little closer, remaining wary of the smaller ship alongside. Tucker pulls a PDA – Allison – from his pocket, and begins to tap away, finding the familiar wavelength of the Fenton Phones. He places his own on his ears, "Sam? Danny? Hello, anyone?"

A curse tumbles through the static, "Tucker? Is that you?"

"Yeah," he laughs, "I was serious about those photos."

"Tuck, they have Danny and they're torturing him–"

"I've heard the story," he interrupts, "local ghost. Tell me more about our seafaring friends. You can still talk with him telepathically, right?"

"I think he's unconscious right now…they…" he can hear her swallow thickly, "They were using a serum made from blood blossoms to torture him. Oh, and just so you know…everyone on the ship knows about Danny's…condition."

"Wow…how'd your mom take it?"

"She didn't die."

"That's pretty good," he nods, "But we can't save Danny in time for it to matter if we don't know anything about our enemies."

"The leader is a man named Yulian Kovich. He's the only one I know the full name of. The others are just referred to as Ross, Ramirez, and Burgess."

"Got it," he types.

"Ross is American. I think he might've been a soldier, but he's…suffering. Ramirez is from somewhere in Central or South America that was warring with the cartel. Burgess is tech-savvy, so watch out for him."

"Yeah, I noticed," he laughs, moving towards the back as he types on Allison, "I think I'm going to be really grateful that I had the Fentons install a heavy-duty CPU and three monitors back here."

"And backup systems," Valerie adds.

"You…have a very dependable mayor, don't you?" an unfamiliar voice comments.

"He's seventeen," the unmistakable sneer of Pamela Manson cuts.

"Eighteen," Sam corrects, "It's late, but…Happy Birthday, Tuck."

"Thanks," he smirks, switching the monitors on, "Now…I found some info on our Russian friend. Captain Kovich isn't a pretty character, but he has a lot of friends."

"Danny said he plans to sell us."

"…how much can he get for a half-ghost?"

"Tuck…"

"I'm kidding," he laughs, "relax, Sam. This is normal for us, isn't it?"

"Yeah…hey, Tuck, Danny's been walling me out a lot recently. Do you know why?"

"No," he replies.

"That was pretty quick," she growls, "You didn't even have to think about it?"

"Nope," he answers, "Now, give me some time to sneak in…"

Everything falls silent, the only noise being the sound of tapping keys. Tucker's eyes dart between screens, a small smile fighting its way to his face. Valerie watches him with soft eyes, only listening halfheartedly to the rescue boats' chatter as they set out from the port.

"Tuck…there's something wrong…" Sam breathes.

"What–?"

A flash of light engulfs the pirates' little boat, and four figures appear on deck. Tucker pulls himself from his screen and snatches the binoculars from Valerie's hand.

"Danny…there's something wrong. It's like…static…"

Three of the four figures fall to their knees, and the third hovers ominously above. As Tuck raises the binoculars to his eyes, the floating figure turns his head to meet his eyes.

Danny's eyes burn red in the darkness, his black hair mussed by the ocean wind. His skin is ash grey, a darker bruise staining his jaw. His lips are drawn into a grin, showcasing sharp teeth. His lips begin to move, and Tucker can hear the words, a deep rumble, as though the halfa stands beside him.

"Well, well, Tucker, it's about time you made it to the party. A little too late to be fashionable though, don't you agree?"

"Tucker, what's going on?!" Sam shouts, out of breath.

"He…" he struggles, "Danny's out on the deck of the pirate ship. He just…appeared out of nowhere, but…Sam, he's…"

"He's what?!"

"He's not…his usual self," he swallows.

"I'd say," Valerie breathes, "Why are his eyes red?!"

"His eyes are what?!" Sam gasps.

"Red, Sam. Danny's eyes are red, and…he's looking a little different than normal."

"Is it…?"

"I don't know," he begins to pace, "It can't be him. Clockwork would've given us a heads-up on that one."

"…Danny had a dream about him recently. I got dragged into it, and when he threatened me, Danny got so angry…his eyes turned red–" she pauses, listening to some muffled comment from her father, "My dad said he sat straight up earlier and had red eyes."

"We don't exactly know what dictates ghostly eye color," Tucker states, "But I think something is definitely wrong."

"I'm almost to the deck," she pants, and he hears a door swing open. Through the binoculars, he can see her rush to the railing. Far below, Danny waves a finger to bind his three captives, and the boat begins to creep away from the cruise liner.

He can see Sam shouting from above. Danny's head whips to meet her, and he smiles cheerfully, his eyes still cold. He says something, something only Sam seems to hear, but remains fixed above the smaller boat, which is drifting slowly away.

Sam's lips curl into a sneer, and she takes a the line from one of the grappling hooks in hand, beginning to rappel down. However, she slips, and she begins to fall, her Fenton Phone falling to the water below. Within moments, she's in Danny's arms, his red eyes narrowed in what can only be described as annoyance. He lowers her to the boat before swooping to the front of the craft, ecto-energy gathering around his hand. He dives towards the water, leaving a glowing green streak in the air. With another gesture, it splits open, into a swirling green portal.

"I didn't know Danny could do that," Valerie breaths.

"I don't think Danny knew he could do that," Tucker swallows, "…get going! We need to follow them!" he hisses.

"Wait, Tucker!" Jeremy Manson shouts through the Fenton-Phone, "You can't just leave us here!"

He glances at the ship, which is halfway through the portal, and frowns. He then turns to Valerie, his eyes questioning.

"He's right, Tuck. If anyone can handle it, it's Sam. We need to keep an eye on the boat and make sure the rescue boats get here," she whispers.

He sighs, "We're not going anywhere, Mr. Manson," he assuages.

"What about Sammy?!" Pamela screeches.

"Even if he's not…his usual self, it seems Danny's still determined to protect her. She'll probably be fine."

"Probably?!"

"Look," he growls, "If I may speak freely, Mrs. Manson, I don't know exactly what's going on. It ticks me off, but I have to admit that. All I can tell you is that Danny – or whoever that is – went out of his way to catch her. But, please, excuse me for not being omniscient! I noticed something was wrong, I tracked your most likely location, and set up a search expedition in less than ten hours! So, please, I hope you'll also forgive me for being a little cranky!"

"Go Mayor Tuck!" Ida shouts in the background.

"Thank you, Grandma Manson," he sighs, "Now, we'll stay with you until the rescue boats get here, and what better way to pass the time than to listen to the whole story?"