BVQA: Well, turns out most of the ideas were 'same as Danny's'.
Dani: I resent that!
BVQA: Anyway, after banging my head against the wall several times I gave up on the theme song and decided to skip it a little. SORRY!
"Live television!" Dani shrieked. "Live television?"
"Dani, you're overreacting." Katey told her. For inexplicable reasons, Katey had been waiting for Dani outside the costuming area in case Dani got lost in the five steps it took to get to the filming room. Which was clearly labeled 'filming room' by a sign in black sharpie. How dumb did they think people could be?
"I'm not overreacting!" Dani shouted. "Live television! Live!"
"Yes, you've made that abundantly clear." Katey said, then caught the look in Dani's eyes. "Look, it won't actually be live. Since you're a kid, we decided we'd cheat a little. There's a small gap in the time it takes to beam a television signal all around the world-"
"World?" Dani squeaked. This wasn't helping. This was the opposite of helping.
"Yes, the world. Anyway, we're going to lengthen that gap a little- not too much of a difference, but plenty of time for us to cut to commercials if you need us to."
Dani really needed to start breathing again and so she did, trying very hard not to choke on the air she was taking in. She might not mess up that badly today. What a relief.
"Anyway, there's still a gap of time before we go semi-live, so if you wouldn't mind there's a crew of prompters waiting to talk to you in the filming room. . ." Katey gestured towards the door.
Dani took five steps forward. . .
. . .and her life spun out of control.
DANCE BREAK
Dani was having trouble sitting comfortably because of the pencil in her pocket that was poking her no matter where she sat. She couldn't exactly remember why she had a pencil in her pocket, but she had some other things to think about right then as she sat in a big, cushy, blue armchair and stared at the big, cushy, green armchair directly opposite. Dani had a theory going that media people were completely insane, and the filming room was a good basis of fact. Half of the room- the half that the cameras were currently pointing at- was decorated in blue, red, white, and black. The other half, while completely identical when it came to the furniture, was splattered with neon green, white, and black. The chair she was sitting in was mirrored- down to the last stitch- in exact green replica. Dani half expected a second her to be sitting over on the other side of the room.
And if she ever mastered her duplicating abilities, that was a distinct possibility.
"What's wrong? You look a bit freaked out." Katey asked Dani, strolling over. "You aren't still worried about the whole 'live television' thing, are you?"
Dani shook her head. "Too. Freaky. Why is the room like this?"
Katey smiled and perched next to Dani on a black armchair- mirrored on the other side by a white one. "Oh, we just thought it would be cool if when you were in human mode you'd sit over here, and when you were over there you'd be in ghost mode."
Dani nodded slowly. "Ok. . . still creepy, but now that I know why it's creepy I'm slightly less creeped out."
"Oh good! I helped!" Katey grinned. "We have a thingie set up so that if you 'go ghost' in the middle of a show, the cameras will fade in the other room with white light. We just single you out- like with a green-screen- and flip to the other side of the room and put the whole thing on pause while you walk over."
Dani hesitated. "Is it ok if I have no idea what you just said?"
Katey glanced back and forth, then whispered, "To tell you the truth, I don't know either."
Dani giggled, then saw bright lights switching on. She looked around wildly and was almost blinded.
"Oops, you gotta go." Katey said. "I'm supposed to introduce you first, then you come in."
Dani nodded hurriedly and stood to go. The pencil in her pocket was driving her insane, so as she stood she dropped it on a side table she passed on the way out.
Then the shouting started.
"We're live in three. . . two. . . one!"
Katey smiled broadly at the cameras and began. "Hi!" She said in a voice dripping with cheer. "I'm Katey. Some of you might recognize me from my 'life and times of modern heros' shows, but today I won't be talking about any superheros at all."
There was a loud groan from the speakers positioned just off camera. Dani figured it was like a laugh track, but less happy.
"Because," Katey continued, "One of them will be speaking to you! Everybody please welcome Danielle Phantom!"
Dani took a deep breath and stepped out into the spotlights. They immediately swarmed on her as she sat down in the blue armchair she'd just gotten out of, and she felt herself criticizing her every move. Even sitting down was a hassle- she wanted to curl up on the fluffy pillows but instead sat awkwardly with her legs crossed and hands folding themselves over and over in her lap.
The cheers were deafening. Even though Dani knew they weren't real and they were just coming from the speakers she couldn't help but blush. She lifted one of her hands in a sort of half-wave and someone cranked the volume on the speaker, showering her in approval. Dani was scared to talk until the noise had died down.
"Uh. . . hi. . . I'm Dani-with-an-i Fenton-Phantom. But I guess you already knew that. . ." There was a big, red, flashing light going off in her brain telling her that she should be panicking, but she was trying her hardest to ignore it. It was like trying to ignore an elephant sitting in the chair next to her.
"I. . . well, I don't exactly think I'm a superhero. . . I just think I'm a kid trying the best she can with what she's got."
Katey smiled encouragingly. "Well, that's very modest of you. Tell me, what does it feel like to-"
That was as far as Katey got before the GIW stormed in.
"Danielle Fenton-Phantom, you're under arrest!" Yelled the first agent.
"And this time we have a warrant!" The second one yelled. Dani was about to protest that she hadn't done anything when she felt a sting on her neck. She lifted her hand to her neck and pulled out a white dart. . .
And fell into blackness.
