Last Thing I Remembered
By: Wilona Riva
Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't
Mystery Meat
"Okay, now explain everything to me again from the top," Walker barked at the half-ghost sitting sullenly on the hard bench in front of him.
Danny groaned. "Walker, it's after midnight. Can't we do this tomorrow?"
"Daniel Phantom!"
"Alright, alright. Sheesh!"
"Phantom." This time is was Bullet delivering the warning.
Phantom ran one through his hair nervously, and muttered a quick prayer to the heavens he didn't become an inmate himself after this latest discussion. Playing catch with Klemper, when all he had so far, were the very basic of ghost powers, and only rudiment knowledge on how to control them, just plain sucked at times.
"Sam and Tucker caught me sinking through the floor after Sam went on a tirade about her parents trying to dress her like 'a Barbie doll in tons of fru-fru cotton candy pink.'" He used air quotes to emphasize Sam's speech, eliciting a grin out of Walker.
"They yanked me into an empty classroom and started yelling at me for keeping secrets from them. Bullet appeared at that point and barely saved my bacon. Next day, everything seemed normal, except that Sam and Tucker seemed a bit skittish of me."
"And what else?" Walker pressed.
"Everything was fine, until I lost control again and started falling through the floor. Sam pulled me back up, and then down, because I started to float. Tucker took some pictures, I think, so I'll try and swipe 'em tonight, but I think he made backups for blackmail."
"That is wise," Bullet commented.
"Yeah," Danny muttered. "What no one knew was that Sam managed to get the school board to try and change the menu. This prompted the Lunch Lady's appearance during the first lunch shift."
"Uh-huh," Bullet confirmed that bit of news to the Warden, who scowled at the boy.
"I spent the better part of two days, fighting her, and dealing with Sam and Tucker's impromptu meat vs veggie debate. They got a whole host of people organized at the last second to show up at school. The whole debacle came to a head after the Lunch Lady kidnapped Sam and tried to shove meet down her throat. Here, you might want to let her out now."
Walker watched at Phantom rummaged in his school bag and pulled out a metal soup thermos and plunked it down on his desk. "What is this?"
"My parents' latest invention. They call it the 'Fenton Thermos'. It's designed as a capture and retain device for ghosts. It didn't work at first, but a bit of ecto-energy was all that was needed to get it working."
"And did it?"
"Yes, sir," Danny told him proudly. "She's inside. She almost killed me, but it was my father's quick timing that got me the thermos and here she is."
Walker looked at Bullet, who smirked at him. "Well, kid, you did really well, except for one thing."
Danny paled at that news. "Yes, sir?"
"In what way was she harming humans when you first engaged her?"
"Uh, she wasn't?"
"Exactly," Walker said, standing up and leaned over the desk. "Listen to me very carefully, Phantom. You do not fight ghosts unless they are harming the human pests. Am I clear?"
Danny winced at the verbal reprimand. "Yes, sir."
"Now get out of here, kid, and take this home to your mother, so she can be apprised to your fictional progress here within my shop. Consider yourself promoted to full-time status," Walker told him. "You've got guts, kid. Do better on that history exam next week, or you'll have the Clockwork Chronos breathing fire down both our necks again."
"Yes, sir!"