I do not own Danny Phantom.
Ransom Parrot and the Trap is Sprung
Danny shook the last of the green gunk out of his wet hair and sighed. Why is it always me? He shuffled over and joined Tucker by the courtyard benches. His father had insisted they be decontaminated and scrubbed clean. He was pretty sure a layer of skin had been scrubbed away in the process. Tucker adjusted his red beret and glanced at him.
"Well, I suppose it wasn't too bad," he commented. "Did your parents find the ghost?"
"No. I'm beginning to think someone pulled the alarm as a joke. Did you see how fast Lancer was on us? Geez," Danny grumbled, slouching down and lay in the soft grass. It was late afternoon and school had been let out early. But thanks to his dad's slip of the finger, he and his best friends had to stay behind while Valerie was loose on the streets. Terrific.
"I still don't get it. I mean, Sam and I are the ones at the most risk. You have super healing abilities! If anything, you should be the one to be allowed to ghost hunt."
Danny shrugged. "I may have super healing abilities, but all it takes is one super plasma blast to the chest, or one ghost blade through the stomach. Lancer just doesn't want to take the chance."
Tucker sighed. "Yeah. I wonder what's taking Sam so long."
As if on cue, Sam sauntered into view, an annoyed expression on her face. "Can we please go now? I need to get out of here before I flip out and go insane."
Danny and Tucker exchanged glances before obediently standing up and following the irate Sam. They had barely made it around the corner before a flying mass of bones crashed into Danny.
"Phantom! I've been looking everywhere for you! She's got Youngblood, and if you don't save him she's going to tear him apart!" Bones babbled hysterically.
Danny reached out and fastened a hand around the slim beak. He slowly got up and glanced around before releasing his hold. "Okay, calm down and talk low. Now, what's happening?"
"She got Youngblood and-"
Danny held out a hand. "Who's got Youngblood?"
"The crazy girl in red."
Tucker groaned. "Val-Er, the Red Huntress."
Bones nodded so fast it looked like his bony head would fall off his body-and it did. Sam face-palmed before gingerly picking the bouncing and still gabbering head up from the ground and fastening it back on its body.
"-if Phantom doesn't meet this Red Huntress in the field behind the warehouse she'll kill him! Well, not kill him, he's already dead, but tear him apart!"
"And she used you as a form of a ransom note," Danny sighed, biting his lower lip and glancing at the slowly darkening sky.
"She said you have to meet her at seven sharp!" Bones flapped his wings nervously.
Tucker snorted. "Well, she does have a nine o'clock curfew."
Sam punched him in the shoulder. "This is no times for jokes, Tuck." She paused as a flash of blue light caught in the corner of her eye. She glanced at Danny Phantom, who peeked around the corner. "D, someone could have seen that."
"But they didn't. Lancer and my parents are still in the gym and the Chemical Decontamination Squad left. It's just us." Danny floated a few feet in the air. "Well, are you going to lead me to the Red Huntress or what?"
"D, it could be a trap," Tucker whispered.
Danny smiled. "Relax. I've fallen for loads of traps before. How bad could this one be?"
"I really wish you hadn't said that," Sam mumbled. "Well, let's get going."
Danny shook his head. "No way. If Lancer does find out, he might be lenient if he finds out I didn't drag you guys off with me. Besides, I need you to make an excuse for my parents. Jazz left on her stupid Leadership Trip a few days ago and can't cover for me."
Sam and Tucker didn't like it, but they nodded anyway. "All right. Just be careful, Danny."
"Calm down guys. What could possibly go wrong?"
He took off, leaving behind a pair of worried friends.
Danny flew through the setting sky, following a very agitated parrot. Soon he found himself over the warehouse where Valerie wanted to meet him. He frowned. It's quiet. Too quiet. Like in those movies where you know something is going to go wrong but you don't know what.
He reached out and grabbed Bones by the tail, pulling him back. Placing a finger against his lips, he motioned for the skeletal bird to stay hidden and floated cautiously down and phased through the rickety roof.
Empty. Well, except for the small ghost child thrashing around in a ghost net. Danny swung down and easily sliced through the material. Yanking Youngblood out by his collar, he firmly clapped a hand over his mouth when the young ghost started squeaking.
"Get going!" he hissed.
But Youngblood wouldn't move. He was tugging on the hand covering his mouth and gesturing wildly. "I swear if you lick me..." He reared back and tossed Youngblood through the ceiling, shaking his head as he phased through.
Danny glanced around before slowly drifting towards the metal doors, frowning. Valerie was nowhere in sight. Weird. Suddenly something struck him upside the head and he went sailing through the air and landed on the concrete floor.
Head throbbing, he struggled to get up, only to be pinned to the floor.
"I've waited a long time for this Phantom. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner."
Something was wrapped around his waist and a nasty shock vibrated through his body before everything went black.
…
Sam leaned against the steps of Fenton Works. Tucker tossed a pebble up and down. Both stared at the darkening sky with worry.
"Danny should have been back by now," Tucker whispered.
Sam shook her head. "I knew it was a trap. C'mon Tuck, we gotta go see what's going on."
They both stood up, only to be knocked back down as Youngblood popped out of nowhere and sent them crashing back down on the porch stoop in shock.
"Guys! You gotta help me! Er, not me, but Phantom! The scary red lady has him and she's gonna suck him in the thermos and sell him to the nasty guys dressed in white for research or worse, destroy him!"
By this point Youngblood had Tucker by the front of his yellow sweater and was shaking him frantically. Bones circled above, silent for once, but just as agitated.
Sam and Tucker's eyes widened. "All right. I'm going to get a few supplies, and then you can lead us both to wherever the Red Huntress is holding Danny."
Sam was about to barrel through the front door but hesitated. It would look quite suspicious if Danny's parents caught her slipping a bagful of ghost hunting gear out of their lab. Jumping the porch railings, Sam darted around the side and jimmied the lock on the lab window. Slipping in, she shoved Fenton Blasters, the Fenton Fisher and grabbed two Fenton Jetpacks. Strapping one on quickly, she jumped out and slammed the window shut.
"Catch!" she called, tossing the other jetpack at Tucker. He caught it and strapped it on. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Sam turned to Youngblood.
"Let's go. Before it's too late."