I do not own Danny Phantom.

Happy Halloween!

Valerie's Plan and an Ambushed Fruitloop

Valerie scowled, scanning her laptop for the downloaded blueprints of the Fenton Molecule Ripper. But she couldn't find them anywhere. Someone had hacked into her database and deleted her records. What was worse, when she went back to Fenton Works to borrow the blueprints again, they were all locked up in an indestructible vault that was ghost proof.

Valerie thumped her head on her computer desk. She had been hoping to use the Molecule Ripper to get Phantom out of the picture and then use the Ghost Bomber to take out the other ghosts in the Ghost Zone. Those other two ghosts had just been an inconvenience.

But she would just have to hope that Phantom was in the Ghost Zone when she put her ultimate plan into action.

As she plotted, the Amity Trio were doing some plotting of their own-plotting to ensure Valerie didn't go too far with her crazy obsession in eliminating all ghosts.

Danny, Sam and Tucker were crowded around a picnic table, studying Tucker's P.D.A for any signs of new Valerie plans.

"Got something!" Tucker cried and typed a few buttons. "She's researching the location of an abandoned warehouse thirty kilometres from the Guys in White Main Base." Tucker frowned. "Why would she be interested in an old warehouse?"

Danny's expression darkened. "I don't know, but we're going to find out."

Sam grinned excitedly. "Mission time?"

"Mission time," confirmed Danny. "Meet me at my house tonight. We're going to try to make it there before her."

…

It was dark and Valerie crouched in a clump of bushes surrounding the warehouse. She fiddled with her Tech-Watch 777 and after a moment she managed to shut down the security system. But it wouldn't work for long-someone was going to notice. She had only a few minutes to get in, and get out.

She hurried over to the grey, wooden, run down shack and pried the door open. There, in the middle of the room, was a slim silver missile. It was the size of a small car, easily movable if she hooked it up to her rocket sled and put the boosters on hyper-speed.

With quick movements, she attached the silver chains to the ends of her rocket sled and powered it up. She quickly looped the chains around the missile and she double-checked to make sure it would not activate on her during transport.

Valerie made it out mere seconds before Harrison arrived.

As she left, the trio were just arriving. Danny phased his friends through the roof and they crouched in the rafters. Tucker pointed below, where a GiW agent was speaking furiously into a walkie-talkie.

"Granite is going to have me fired and erased from the system if he finds out!" Harrison shouted. "We need to find that missile before whoever took it launches it into the Ghost Zone!" A brief pause. "No, it won't destroy our world, only theirs! I thought we went over this! Ugh, never mind. We need to monitor the Ghost Portals on Earth. But that's going to be a problem. There's only one steady portal, as natural portal openings are random and sporadic. Unfortunately, the only steady portal belongs to the Fentons, and they've banned us from their property…"

Danny turned to look at Sam and Tucker with horror on his face. "I can't believe it," he whispered. "Valerie's going to blow up the Ghost Zone!"

Tucker paled. "Dude...what are we going to do?"

Sam hesitated. "If...if you show Valerie that you're the Phantom, maybe she won't go through with it."

Danny shook his head. "No!" he said fiercely. "It won't work. Val's...she's lost it. She's gone off the deep end. And I just can't reveal my alter-ego to anyone. I can't risk it!"

"But all your enemies already know who you really are," Tucker pointed out.

"Actually, I'm not worried about those guys. I'm worried about them." Danny pointed to the GiW agent, who had angrily chucked the walkie-talkie across the room and was now storming out.

Sam sighed in worry. "Well...we'll just have to warn them."

Tucker frowned in thought. "Wait. Valerie can't use the Fenton Portal due to the DNA opening...so that means-"

"Vlad!" all three chorused in horror.

"Valerie gets her stuff from Vlad!" said Danny in panic. "She has to know that he has his own portal. The Guys in White might be oblivious, but she's not."

"Then let's get moving," said Sam.

Danny grabbed his friends, phased them back through the roof and shot through the night, in the direction of his home.

…

Vlad Plasmius was in his lab, working on his latest clone when a large bang rang out from upstairs.

"What in blazes?" he cried.

Vlad phased up through the floor and came face to face with Valerie, the girl he had given the ghost hunting gear to. Valerie glanced up, expecting to see Masters. "Sorry, sir, but I need-"

Her face suddenly darkened.

"What did you do to Vlad Masters?" she cried in outrage, whipping out her ecto-gun and blasting him with it.

Before the first shot struck, Vlad wondered if this is what people meant by cruel irony.

The trio arrived a few minutes after Valerie. Sam and Tucker raced up the pathway leading to Vlad's mansion. "Are we sure this is going to work?" panted Tucker. "I mean, the ghosts in the Zone don't have a penchant for listening to Danny."

"They know him. They know he wouldn't just make something up like this. If they value their afterlives, they'll leave," said Sam firmly.

"Good thing the Fentons have the Spectre Jet. It makes for fast sailing. Don't know why we couldn't take the Speeder through the Zone, though."

"Danny didn't want us in risk of getting blasted. You know him."

"This mask is killing me," said Tucker, pulling on the black ski mask that covered his face.

Sam rolled her eyes. "We can't go in as us. That'll oust Danny for sure."

"I still think it'd go much easier if Danny showed Valerie who Phantom really is," Tucker muttered as he approached the large white door.

Sam sighed, shoving him out of the way and pumping the handle, flinging the door open. "It's Danny's secret, so we have no say in whether he gets to share it or not. Let's just-"

They froze in the foyer. Glass, plastic and wood littered the hallways, as well as ectoplasm. Sam groaned. "Looks like the Red Huntress is here."

A noise that sounded a lot like an explosion racked the mansion. Plaster began falling from the ceiling. Tucker tackled Sam out of the way.

"What is she doing?" he cried.

Sam got up, shaken. "I don't know, but we're too late! We have to get out of here!"

The walls were beginning to cave in and the roof would not be far behind. They were about to bolt when Tucker noticed something in the next room.

"Sam!"

Sam followed Tucker's gaze and hesitated. Vlad was out cold, under a pile of debris. His cat was sniffing him, meowing in concern.

Sam groaned. "The Fruitloop better appreciate this."

They rushed into the adjoining room and grabbed the mayor by the arms, dragging him out. Tucker whistled and the cat instantly jumped onto his back.

"Smart cat," remarked Sam.

They made it to safety a split second before the entire mansion caved, a large cloud of dust rushing towards them.

Tucker coughed, waving his hand in front of his face. "Is it over?"

Sam glanced at the mess of Vlad's mansion. "I hope he had insurance."

She looked around. Valerie was nowhere in sight.

"I don't get it. She goes to borrow his portal, but she blows up his mansion?" Tucker asked.

Sam thought for a moment. "My guess is she came to find Masters, but instead found Plasmius. She freaked and started shooting at him. Somehow, one of the blasts made it to his lab, and there was a chemical reaction of sorts."

Tucker nodded. "Makes sense, I guess. But we were sent here to stall Valerie." He wiggled the tranquilizer dart in front of Sam's face. "Since the stupid missile is indestructible, it's still active."

"And so is Valerie," Sam finished grimly. "But with one portal out of commission, do you really think she'll use Danny's?"

Tucker could only shrug. "With Valerie? Who knows?"

Vlad moaned in pain, his eyes fluttering open. "Wh-what happened?" he asked hoarsely.

Sam pointed to the smoking heap of wood and glass and plaster. "Your house took a hit. I hope you paid it off."

Vlad groaned before closing his eyes, his head sagging to the side. Sam sighed. "Tucker, call Jazz and tell her to prep the Spectre Speeder. I'm calling the ambulance."

Tucker nodded, dialling Jazz's number on his cell. "Is he gonna be ok?"

Sam bent down and checked his pulse. "Yeah. He's just in shock because his house collapsed."

She straightened up and glanced off into the distance. Danny was right. Valerie had indeed lost it in her quest to rid the world of ghosts. Her first casualty had nearly been Vlad himself.

A smile curled across her pale face. Vlad had given the girl the armour, and he had nearly met his death at hands of his own creations.

"I wonder if Vlad noted the irony of this situation," Sam wondered aloud.

I certainly did, dear girl, Vlad thought before blackness overtook his mind again.