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Chapter 7: Back Home
Sam flopped herself down on her bed, staring morosely at her ceiling. Her cell phone lay next to her and her laptop on the desk by her bed. A screensaver depicting ghosts, vampires, and haunted houses was flashing across the screen. The clock by her read 6:00. Her curfew had been changed to five by her overreacting parents.
'Stupid furniture thieves,' she thought, scowling. 'Couldn't they pick another place to steal furniture from? You would think that my parents would let me stay out late since I'm friends with a half-ghost but no! They have to call me in even earlier!' Her curfew had been pulled back to nine after the whole Phantom incident when she'd deliberately tricked them and stayed in Amity Park to help her friend.
Sam rolled over on her stomach, staring at her laptop. She smiled rather wickedly. 'At least there's one thing I can do here at home.'
She grabbed it and set it on her bed. There was a webcam attached to it and she activated it, contacting Tucker. Danny wasn't available for some reason.
'Must be busy cleaning up the lab,' she figured. 'It was a mess when I left.'
Tucker appeared on her screen, his face taking up the entire space. "Sam?" he asked.
"Who else?" Sam retorted. "What did your folks say?"
"My curfew's been changed," Tucker reported, shrugging. "What about you?"
"I have to come in at five!" Sam grumbled. "You'd think that they'd at least let the sun set first before calling me in!"
"That's too bad," Tucker said sympathetically. "My curfew's been changed to seven."
"Lucky," Sam said enviously. "You weren't grounded after that, were you?"
"No. Like I said, my folks understood what I had to do," Tucker said. "It's too bad your folks didn't."
"I think it might have had something to do with the fact that the robot nearly electrocuted my mom at the hotel pool she was in," Sam said, smiling innocently.
Tucker laughed at that. "I guess she shouldn't have forced you to go in." He then became serious. "Hey, Sam, what do you think's been up with Danny lately?"
Sam sighed. "I don't know, Tucker. He's been moody lately, hasn't he?"
"I thought it was just me," Tucker admitted. "It's gotten worse after the ghosts stopped appearing, right?"
"That's weird, though," Sam said, crossing her legs and making herself comfortable. "Doesn't he usually complain about his busy schedule with ghosts?"
"I think he actually likes it," Tucker said, sounding scarily like Jazz. "He probably does feel annoyed on the surface about it but it's become such a daily routine that he's just accepted it. The lack of action probably threw him off."
"But he'd normally jump at a vacation!" Sam argued. "Besides, it just isn't Danny to actually wish for trouble."
"No, you're right," Tucker agreed. "It all started after Phantom escaped and nearly destroyed everything."
"You're right," Sam murmured, looking off into the distance. "But why?"
"We don't really know what went on between those two," Tucker pointed out. "Danny still hasn't given us all the details. Phantom could have said something that completely threw him off."
"But he said that Phantom didn't succeed!" Sam recalled Danny's earlier words. "He wouldn't actually lie to us, would he? He promised!" Her violet eyes flashed with indignation.
"Let's look at this from a different angle," Tucker said. "Maybe he was telling the truth about Phantom not getting to him. But what about a different ghost?"
"I'm listening."
"There are other ghosts out there that now know about Danny's evil future self," Tucker went on. "What if one of them managed to mess with Danny's head? There are a ton of ghosts with different abilities."
"But he hasn't left our sight since we came back!"
Tucker raised an eyebrow, waiting for Sam to realize what she was implying.
Sam understood a second later. "Ugh, no! Not like that, Tucker! Get your mind out of the gutter!"
"You were the one saying it," he muttered.
"I was saying that he hasn't actually done anything since everything wrapped up!" Sam struggled to find words. "Oh, you know what I mean!"
"I guess I do," Tucker agreed. "I just wanted to see you squirm for a moment."
Sam scowled briefly before resuming a worried expression. "Regardless, we haven't ever seen or heard of a ghost with the ability to mess with heads."
"There are tons of ghosts that we've never seen before," Tucker said. "Look at all the ghosts Danny recruited for the Disasteroid. We didn't see half of them before."
"Most of them were green blobs, Tucker."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a ghost that just messes with heads—or minds. 'Heads' sounds too weird…"
"Tucker!" Sam snapped.
"OK, OK! Back to the subject. Anyway, I'm saying that it could just as well be Desiree. You know that she grants wishes and a wish like this would be right up her alley."
"But wasn't Desiree sent off with the rest of the ghosts in the Specter Speeder?" Sam asked. "Besides, we were all under a truce of sorts when Phantom attacked. It'd be breaking it if she granted a wish like that."
"I know. I'm just saying that it could be Desiree," Tucker said. "It was only a possibility. It could just as well be Ember—you know that she has those freaky powers with that guitar of hers."
"Both possibilities are unlikely at this point of time," Sam said, sighing. "They were under the truce, remember?"
"We're debating a topic that we're not even sure is an issue," Tucker said, trying to comfort her. "Danny said he's fine. If there really is a problem he'll let us know eventually. He promised, right?"
Sam chewed her lip. "But promises can be broken."
"Not Danny's," Tucker said, making an attempt to lighten the mood. "You know how seriously he takes his promises."
"Not working, Tucker. Not working."
"OK, then…" Tucker searched for a different topic. "Why don't we talk this over with Danny tomorrow after school? We'll have a ton of time then."
"If no ghosts show up."
"I highly doubt that, Sam."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just finish our homework and get to bed."
Tucker glanced at something that wasn't on the screen. "You sure about that? According to my PDA, it'll only take us about an hour to finish, leaving us to go to bed at eight."
Sam hid her face in her hands. Sometimes her friend could be so aggravating. But at least his actions took her mind off Danny's strange behavior.
'Tomorrow,' she promised herself, reaching for her textbooks. 'We'll talk to him tomorrow.'
It was seven-thirty in the morning and bright when Sam and Tucker met at Danny's house. He wasn't outside, which didn't ring any alarms in their minds because they assumed that he was still getting ready. Sam rang the doorbell and waited for it to open.
"Why don't you just barge in the way we normally do?" Tucker asked. "It's not like they don't know us."
"It's polite, Tucker," was all Sam said as the door opened, revealing Jazz.
"Oh, hi, guys!" Jazz greeted them. "I thought you'd already be off with Danny."
"He's not here," Sam answered. "Is he still in his room?"
"If he is he's awfully quiet," Jazz said. "I can't hear a thing. Besides, I checked in there this morning and it was empty. Unless he's teasing me I don't think he's here."
"You mean he's not here at all?" Sam asked worriedly.
"He could've gone ahead," Jazz suggested, even though she didn't really believe that herself.
"You know he doesn't do that, Jazz," Tucker disagreed. "Are you positive he's not here?"
"I'm pretty sure," Jazz said, "but I could be wrong. Come on. We've got some time before you guys are late for school."
"You're not going, Jazz?"
"Nope. Day's off for the seniors and I can get to work on my college applications."
"I thought you already sent off about twenty of those," Tucker said, starting on the stairs to Danny's room.
"You can never have too many," Jazz said wisely, holding a finger up.
"Hey, Danny?" Sam had reached her boyfriend's door. "It's Sam. Open up, will you?" When no reply came she repeated her request again, a bit impatient. "Come on, Danny. We can go into the Ghost Zone after school. There's no need to"—she twisted the doorknob—"sulk!" But the moment she opened the door it was clear that no one was in the room. "Danny?"
"He's not here," Tucker observed, looking from under Sam's arm.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Sam snapped, whirling around to glare at Jazz. "Where is he?"
"I don't know!" she said defensively, putting her hands up. "Danny was here last night and stayed down in the lab to clean up."
"After that?" Sam demanded.
"Well, he didn't come up for dinner," Jazz murmured.
Sam squeezed her eyes shut before opening them, fire blazing in her amethyst eyes. "I can't believe it!" She had to fight not to raise her voice. Danny's parents were out for the day. "He went into the Ghost Zone by himself! That jerk just—"
"No, Sam, he didn't!" Jazz cut her off. "I made him promise not to go into the Ghost Zone alone. He keeps his promises!"
"Then where is he?"
"I have an idea," Tucker spoke up. "You guys arranged a system to tell each other when you're busy, right?" he asked Jazz.
"Yeah, we did," Jazz replied. "Are you saying that Danny might've left a note?"
"That's what I'm saying," Tucker said. "Is it downstairs on the fridge?"
Two minutes later, they were all huddled around a board stuck with dozens of pins that was hanging on the fridge. Sheets littered the surface and they were all searching for Danny's telltale handwriting.
"There's nothing here!" Sam cried, frustrated.
"But there's something under this notice for more fudge," Tucker said, pointing to one of Jack's notes.
Sam peeled Jack's note off and revealed Danny's familiar handwriting. It read: Hey, guys, I'm really sorry to tell you like this but I need to go out and clear my head. A lot's happened in the last few weeks and it's been getting to me. I figure that a day just flying around will help me put things in better perspective. Don't worry about me, all right? I'll come back soon.
"Well, that explains a lot," Jazz said, relieved. "I told you guys he wouldn't just up and break a promise like that, no matter how moody he's been lately."
"You've noticed, too?" Sam and Tucker said at the same time.
"Duh!" Jazz said. "He's my brother! What kind of sister would I be if I didn't notice his odd moods?"
"The same sister who never noticed ghosts existed until a hornet attacked the school?" Tucker suggested.
Jazz glared at Tucker. "Fine!" she allowed. "But I have been paying attention to him lately and he's been really moody. That's why I set you two on him."
There was silence for a few moments as Sam and Tucker absorbed this new information. Jazz looked at the clock.
"Agh!"
Her shriek of surprise sent both Sam and Tucker jumping two feet in the air.
"You guys are going to be late! It's already seven forty-five!" Jazz grabbed the two and pushed them outside. "Shoo! Danny will be back later so don't worry too much!"
"Impossible," Sam muttered.
Still, the two listened to Jazz and sprinted towards Caspar High. They were just hitting the steps when the first bell rang.
"Lunch?" Sam asked Tucker.
"Ugh…lunch," her friend agreed, panting heavily. "Gah…I'm gonna…go now, okay?" Tucker smiled reassuringly at Sam. "We'll see him later, Sam, all right?"
Sam looked grim but nodded firmly. "We will," she said decisively.
With three minutes left before the late bell rang, the two sped to their lockers, grabbed their books, and ran off into their classes, just sliding into their seats as the late bell rang. With that, classes began.
Sam looked up at the blue sky, trying to find any sign of her boyfriend. It was blue with the exception of the few clouds and birds. She sighed, depressed, and stared down at her salad, having absolutely no appetite.
Tucker noticed and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, smiling. Then, the two looked up, both searching the sky for a figure that they knew they wouldn't see.
"Mr. Foley, Miss Manson, would you two kindly explain as to why your friend isn't here today?" Mr. Lancer asked in a dry tone, flipping through a clipboard that held the students' names.
"Danny's been having a tough time, Mr. Lancer," Sam replied, trying to keep the ire out of her tone. "He took the day off to clear his head. I don't know when he'll be back."
"Will he be all right?" Valerie Gray, the second best ghost hunter after Danny, inquired, worried. She still had a cast on her left arm and right leg but was healing well. She had been out of school for the last so many weeks because of her injuries but had finally been well enough to come back just that day.
"He'll be fine," Tucker assured her, grinning slightly. However, in the back of his head he just knew that it would be a while until he knew for sure that Danny would be fine.
"I will be expecting you two to give Mr. Fenton his assignments as soon as he gets back," Mr. Lancer said sternly.
"Yes, sir," they said, looking at each other out of the corner of their eyes.
"Come on in, Tucker," Sam said, opening her door. "You're sure that you've got time here, right? The office isn't calling?"
Tucker shook his head and held up his PDA. "They know how to reach me. Besides, nothing important's going on anyway."
"You sure?" Sam didn't seem to believe him.
"Positive, Sam," Tucker said, irritated. "Let's just get going on our homework, all right? We want to be able to talk to Danny as soon as he gets back."
The two were working steadily on their homework by the time the clock reached five thirty. Tucker was still there because Sam had adamantly refused to kick him out by five simply because her parents insisted that a curfew was a curfew. She had reminded them that he was the mayor and obviously wasn't dangerous.
They were just checking over their pre-Calculus homework when Sam's cell phone rang. She reached over and saw it was Jazz calling. Raising an eyebrow questioningly, she flipped it open and was just about to say "hello" when a panicked voice immediately started talking.
"You've got to come over now! There's something really wrong!"
Sam tried to speak through Jazz's frantic pleas. "Wait; slow down, Jazz. What do you mean that there's something wrong? Is Danny—"
"It's Danny! He's still not here!"
"I know. He left a note—"
"Just come over! Try to make it fast!"
Before Sam could say anything else, Jazz had hung up. Obviously it was urgent if she had just hung up without giving Sam any room to argue.
"What's up?" Tucker asked.
"There's something up with Danny according to Jazz," Sam said, getting off her bed and opening a cabinet with bed sheets in it. "We've got to hurry. You go down, pretend nothing's up, and wish my parents a good night. I'll be escaping through the window."
Tucker packed up his books in record time and walked out. Sam was tying together sheets at a rapid pace. She heard her friend wishing her parents a good night by the time she tied the last sheet and attached it to her bed leg. Shimmying down in no time, she met her friend on the curb and they ran off to see what was up with Jazz.
This time they didn't bother knocking. They ran up and found Jazz in the kitchen, stark white and clutching a sheet of paper in her hands. The phone lay on the kitchen table.
"What's wrong, Jazz?" Sam asked, on one side of Jazz.
"What's that sheet of paper you're holding?" Tucker tried to see what it was.
"Danny's missing," was all Jazz said, sounding rather numb. "That note wasn't right."
"What do you mean the note wasn't right?" Sam said, beginning to panic.
"It was behind my dad's note for more fudge," Jazz continued, straightening the note she held in her hands, letting the two friends read what was written on it. "But look…look at the date."
Both of their hearts skipped a beat when they read the date on Jack's note. It was September 20th, a week before Danny had even attempted to enter the Ghost Zone. But then…where was Danny?
"How did you know?" Sam asked unsteadily.
"I thought something was wrong with the timing," Jazz explained, crumpling the note up and staring ahead blankly. "He didn't come down for dinner, which I already thought weird today. Also, there was a day about a week and a half ago when Danny went missing. You guys weren't here; Tucker was at the office for an emergency and you, Sam, had gone shopping with your parents. We never bothered to check the board and when Danny came back he had to explain what he did. I didn't remember until an hour ago. I've been panicking ever since and then thought to call you."
"Does that mean he actually went into the Ghost Zone?" Sam demanded.
"He shouldn't have!" Jazz replied automatically. "He promised!"
"But promises can be broken," Sam persisted.
"But not Danny's! You know how strict he is with those!"
"He's been so moody lately, Jazz. There's no telling what he'll do lately!"
"Why don't we just go down into the lab and check it out?" Tucker said reasonably, breaking into the argument.
Neither of them answered. Sam turned on her heel and immediately ran down the stairs, Jazz only several inches behind her.
"Well," Tucker said quietly, entering the lab after the two, "it's obvious that Danny didn't manage to clean anything up."
"But he tried," Jazz added, pointing to a green rag that was lying on the floor next to a trashcan filled with broken beakers. "But what happened?"
"The Specter Speeder's still here," Sam said, looking at the vehicle. "And the portal's closed. There aren't any clues here."
Tucker could tell that this was leading somewhere. "And?" he said warily.
"We need to go into the Ghost Zone and see if we can find anything in there."
"But that's insanity!" Jazz instantly protested. "We have no way of protecting ourselves!"
"You were there when Danny used the Speeder's offensive capabilities in the Ghost Zone," Sam said. "It's got more than enough ammo for a while. We need to go in and see what we can find out before your parents come home and see that Danny's missing."
"But Danny wouldn't just go into the Ghost Zone," Jazz insisted. "He promised me and I know for a fact that he doesn't break promises easily."
"That's the key word there, Jazz. He doesn't break promises easily. What if he was forced to? We need to go in and find out what we can."
After thinking it through for a few seconds, Jazz agreed. "All right. But let's try not to get into anything too dangerous, please."
Sam smirked. "Honey, when you're traveling with us, everything's dangerous."
"You sounded seriously creepy there for a moment, Sam," Tucker muttered, climbing into the seat next to the driver's. "You're driving."
It wasn't three minutes until they were in the Ghost Zone and among the green surroundings. The dimension itself didn't surprise them. What shocked them was the stark emptiness of it. There wasn't a single sign of a ghost anywhere.
"Where are they all?" Sam guided the Specter Speeder through a group of ledges. "It's so weird that it's empty. You'd normally see the small ones flying around."
"You mean like that one?" Jazz asked, pointing straight ahead. "It looks pretty small to me."
Sam figuratively screeched the Speeder to a halt, causing everyone to fly into their seatbelts before settling down. "That's Skulker!"
Tucker peered at the small blob. "Without his suit? Wow. That's not a sight one normally sees."
"Which is odd," Sam said. "He might know what happened to Danny since he's obviously without his suit. Maybe he tried to capture him again."
Moving the shuttle so that it was parked right next to the ledge where Skulker was on, Sam unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the Speeder's door, hopping down on the ledge and looming ominously over Skulker.
"Hello," she said softly.
Skulker had already seen the Speeder and was now floating at eye level. He crossed his tiny green arms and tried to look defiant. "What do you want?" he asked squeakily.
"Where's your suit?" Tucker asked before Sam could get a word in. "Did someone wreck it or something?"
" 'Did someone wreck it'? 'Did someone wreck it'? I'll say!" Skulker shrieked, pumping his arms. "That insolent whelp completely fried my armor and left me without as much as a spare part to build a new one!"
"You've seen Danny?" Sam accused. "Where is he?"
"Well…I don't know," Skulker admitted.
"But you have to know! You just said he wrecked your suit!"
"I said he wrecked my suit, not that I know where he is," Skulker said, crossing his arms and trying to look menacing. It didn't work.
"What happened?" Jazz queried. "Danny didn't come into the Ghost Zone by himself, did he?"
"Why should I tell you?" Skulker glared at them.
"Maybe because if you don't I can easily trap you in the Fenton Thermos, string it up in the wind, and leave you in it for a month." Sam smiled sweetly at the ghost. "Or I can lock you up in the lab and leave you to the mercy of Danny's parents. Your pick."
Skulker noticeably gulped. "Fine. He didn't go into the Ghost Zone by himself. I went through the portal and found him in the lab. He was ready to fight!" he said defensively when Sam glared at him. "He even seemed happy to see me! I thought Plasmius would submit to me the day the ghost child would be happy to see me hunt him."
"Maybe he did," Tucker commented wryly.
"Shh!" Sam and Jazz scolded him, both staring at Skulker as the ghost continued his narrative.
"I shot him into the Ghost Zone but then he shot a hole in my suit with just one ghost ray! One!" Skulker seemed indignant at this fact. "Then he vanished, reappeared instantly behind me, and snatched me out from my control seat and fried my suit!"
Sam restrained herself from throttling the ghost; his self-centered shouting was getting on her nerves. "And what happened to Danny?"
"No clue," Skulker said. "He vanished just like every other ghost here's been doing."
"What do you mean?" Sam demanded. "What's been going on?"
"Random portals have been opening up, sucking ghosts into them and they're never to be seen again," Skulker explained. "The first time a ghost disappeared was in your world and then it started happening more frequently, leading to everyone hiding here. But now here's not safe either."
The three looked around nervously, half expecting a portal to open up right then and there and suck them in.
"Relax," Skulker scoffed. "I'd say we're safe now. There's been a quiet interlude for the last so many hours for some strange reason."
"What else happened? You have to know where Danny went! You're the one that kicked him here!" Sam persisted.
"He grabbed me and started interrogating me the same way you three are doing." Skulker placed two fists on his nonexistent hips and studied the three. "Ember began chasing us but the whelp hid behind a door. The next thing we knew was that Ember had disappeared. I left him behind to look for her and when I turned around he was gone as well."
"You didn't notice anything?" Tucker asked, dismayed. "Anything at all?"
"Well, there was one thing…"
"What?" all three shouted.
"I thought I saw what seemed like a portal closing when I turned around. Perhaps the ghost child was sucked in." Skulker shrugged. "My apologies." But he didn't sound very sorry. "He might turn up sooner or later. Maybe with a limb missing or something or—hey!" He was cut off abruptly when the three spun around and jumped into the Speeder. "I was still talking!" he cried indignantly.
"Thanks, Skulker!" was all that was heard as the Speeder vanished.
"Stupid brats," Skulker muttered. He scowled. "If only I could find my hideout! Dratted portals!"
"Um, guys? The clock says it's six thirty."
"So?" Sam was flooring the Speeder, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.
"So it means my mom and dad are home," Jazz said.
"And?" They were just entering the Fenton Ghost Portal.
"We're in trouble," Jazz finished, sighing when she saw her parents in the lab.
"Great," Sam grumbled, hopping out.
"Hi, Mom; hi, Dad." Jazz grinned nervously, sidling closer to Sam. "How you doing?"
'Smooth,' Sam and Tucker thought.
Maddie's hood was down and her arms were folded across her chest; she was scowling ferociously. Jack wasn't smiling but he also wasn't frowning.
"Where have you been?" Maddie demanded. "No, scratch that. I just saw you coming back from the Ghost Zone. What on earth were you doing in there?"
"We have a good reason, Mrs. Fenton," Sam said, stepping forward.
"Was it to try out our new Specter Speeder?" Jack asked eagerly. He was jabbed in the side by his wife. "Ow!"
"Wait." Maddie had noticed their missing member. "Where's Danny? Isn't he always with you?"
All three shared rather guilty looks.
"Well," Tucker said reluctantly, "that's the thing. We don't know."
"How can you not know where he is?"
"He disappeared last night, Mom," Jazz tried to explain.
"Disappeared?"
"We know Skulker got to him…" That was Tucker.
"What? Danny's been captured?"
"No!" Sam shouted, cutting into the din. "Let us explain before assuming anything!"
"Make it quick," Maddie allowed. "I can't believe you three didn't say something sooner!"
"We just found out for sure about an hour ago. Look," Sam said, "Danny was cleaning down here when Skulker came. The two tussled in the Ghost Zone before Skulker ran off and Danny disappeared."
"That's it?" Maddie asked skeptically.
"That's the condensed version. But it's all we know."
"Danny wouldn't run away!" Jack proclaimed.
"He didn't," Tucker assured him. "There have been portals opening up and taking ghosts. Danny might have gotten caught in one. Skulker isn't sure himself even though he was the last person—or ghost—to have seen him."
"You mean like our ghost portal?" Jack guessed.
"Not like that," Tucker disagreed. "We're not sure what they are."
Maddie was pacing the lab agitatedly. "But how are we supposed to find him?"
"We've got time," Tucker tried to reassure her. "We'll find—"
"Time!" Sam suddenly shouted. "I know who we can see!"
"Clockwork?" Tucker said. "But why would we—"
"Think about it! He's got a portal in his castle, right? Plus, he's all-knowing! He's got to know where Danny is!"
"I don't trust him," Jazz protested. "How do we know he'll help us?"
"Hold on a moment," Maddie interrupted. "Is this Clockwork the same ghost who helped Danny with Phantom?"
"Yes," Jazz affirmed. "And I don't trust him. He could've kept Phantom trapped but instead let him go and wreck havoc here."
"For the good of all of us!" Sam argued.
"We nearly died, Sam! I don't call that 'for the good of all of us'!"
"He's helped Danny plenty of times before!"
"For his own agenda!"
"Stop it!" Tucker shouted, cutting both girls off. "Screaming and throwing accusations aren't going to help us find Danny at all! We need to decide on something now instead of debating about it or arguing!"
Sam and Jazz looked at their feet, abashed. Maddie and Jack had been following their argument with confusion since no one had told them much about Clockwork; they were now listening to Tucker.
"Good," Tucker said in a softer tone once he knew he had their attention. "You guys are listening. My opinion is that we should go see Clockwork."
"But—" Jazz started.
"He doesn't have any reason to deny us answers," Tucker said immediately. "Sure, he'll be cryptic but that's about it."
"Thank you," Sam breathed.
"All right," Jazz said, defeated. "We'll go."
"Will you two stay here?" Tucker asked Jazz's parents.
Maddie instantly frowned in protest. "Now listen here, young man." She was firing up for a rant that only mothers could pull off. "Under no circumstances are any of you going in there alone."
"With all due respect, Mrs. Fenton," Sam said, "but have you ever actually been in the Ghost Zone excluding when Amity Park was dumped in it?"
"Well, no," Maddie admitted. "But it's still—"
"We'll be fine, Mom," Jazz said. "We know how to handle ourselves."
"Come on, Maddie," Jack said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Even though I really wanna go in there and whoop some ghost butt"—everyone smiled at that—"you have to admit that they've been at this longer than we have."
"We promise to keep in touch," Tucker added.
Maddie looked torn; she bit her lip. "Oh, all right," she conceded, sighing. "But you three had better keep in close communications with us!" she threatened.
"We promise," all three replied dutifully, smiling at each other.
Ten minutes later, they were all outfitted with headphones and flying through the Ghost Zone. Tucker had programmed the navigator to find Clockwork's castle, the coordinates of which he had gotten the last time they'd left it.
"Unless it flies around and changes locations," he had said, "the navigator should lead us straight to it."
They didn't meet a single ghost on the way, only seeing empty rock ledges and purple doors. It was seriously disturbing. Not much later and they were flying up to the castle's front door.
"That was too easy," Jazz said, stepping onto the stones. "Shouldn't it have been harder?"
"He's expecting us," Sam said simply, just walking through the doors.
"Kids? Have you gotten there?" It was Maddie.
"We're here, Mom," Jazz said reassuringly. "We'll let you know if anything bad happens, all right? Just try and keep quiet for now."
"Okay. Be careful."
"Don't let those ghosts get the better of you!" That was Jack.
"Sure, Mr. F," Tucker said, grinning at the other two.
"I think this is the room," Sam called, waving the other two over to a large room with a green orb in the center.
"You think?" Tucker walked up to the swirly greens in the orb. "This is the same room we fought Clockwork in the first time, remember?"
"And when we talked to him weeks ago," Sam recalled, looking around.
"But where is he?" Jazz turned in a full circle. "I don't see him!"
"Look," Sam breathed, pointing to the orb. "It's…showing us pictures."
And indeed it was…
There was an older Danny just lying on a bed in a dark room. He had dark shadows under his eyes and his figure was rugged, toned with both muscles and scars. He looked incredibly tired and weary, both emotionally and physically. A blue wisp of air escaped his lips and he sighed, getting slowly to his feet.
"Dratted ghosts," he mumbled. When he transformed into his ghostly persona, the glow was weak and his green eyes dull.
He encountered a bigger version of Skulker. He had huge guns and even sharp spears attached to the suit.
"Hello, whelp," the new version of Skulker said. "Pleased to see me?"
"Hardly," Danny said. "What are you doing here already? I thought I put you in the Ghost Zone just yesterday."
"True. You did. But I came back."
Danny said nothing to that. Instead, he merely fired up a ghost ray and created a large hole in Skulker's shoulder plate. The ghost retaliated by firing a gun at the halfa. Danny vanished from the spot and reappeared behind Skulker, punching the ghost into a building.
"You done yet?" Danny said, raising an eyebrow.
"Hardly," Skulker sneered. "You're pathetic. How long has it been since you've given anyone a decent fight?"
"I dunno. Yesterday, maybe?"
"Years! How can you ever measure up to anything?"
Danny said nothing to that; he merely lowered his head and stared at the ground. "Perhaps you're right," he finally said. "But despite that, it's still my duty to rid Amity Park of pests like you."
"You've changed," Skulker said as if stating a fact. "You changed years ago."
A barely noticeable wince crossed Danny's face. "I know." Then, he blasted Skulker once more and sucked him into a thermos.
When the scene disappeared, all three stared at each other in horror.
"He wasn't even himself!" Sam said, horrified. "He looked so…so…"
"Depressed!" Jazz finished. "But how could that be?"
"Skulker said he changed years ago," Tucker said. "How far in the future do you think that was?"
"I have no clue," Jazz whispered, still staring at the screen. "But it looks like he was in his twenties."
"There's something else coming up," Sam pointed out.
The screen was changing once more, showing another future.
"Hey, Danny!" Sam was laughing in the park, calling to a tall black-haired man hiding behind a tree. "I see you!"
"No, you don't!" was the childish reply. The man that was Danny vanished from view.
"No fair!" Sam shouted, pouting as she saw the empty space where her boyfriend had been. "You can turn invisible and I can't!"
"Quiet, Sam," Danny suddenly hissed into her ear. "There's a ghost."
Sam whirled and grabbed her friend by the forearms. "Do you need help?"
"No. I've got it." In a bright flash of light, Danny Phantom phased out of her grip and flew upward.
He faced off against an upgraded version of Technus. This one sported a weird white afro and had huge round sunglasses.
"Still haven't upgraded, Technus?" Danny called out, smirking. His white aura was slowly changing to green.
"Foolish child! Today is the today that you shall bow to Technus, ghost master of science, technology, computers, and gadgetry!"
"Wow. That's gotta be a really short introduction for you," Danny remarked, his mouth curling into a sneer. He vanished and reappeared behind Technus. "Got anything else to add to that?" he whispered into Technus's ear.
Before the ghost could do anything, Danny had fired a powerful ecto-blast and thrown Technus into the park, creating a decently sized mini-crater. Then he flew, flying so fast that he was a mere blur, coming to a stop above Technus only two seconds later.
"Too fast for you?" Danny taunted, his fists flaring. "I have to say I'm disappointed."
"Don't let your guard down!" Technus suddenly flew up, a hand drawing back for a punch.
"I didn't. You did." Danny twisted out of the way, grabbed Technus's arm, and pulled it behind the ghost's back, ignoring his struggles. "Nice try. But you should know by now that you can't trick me."
"Release me!"
"I'm sorry? You're asking me to release you? Please tell me, what reason do I have to release a ghost like you? I already gave you all fair warning as to what happens when someone tries to fight me. Or have you already forgotten about what happened to Skulker?"
Technus's green skin lost all its color. Whatever had happened to Skulker must've been bad. "Release me at once!" His struggles became frantic.
"I don't think so." Danny did something that caused Technus to glow. "You engaged me and have to pay the consequences. I'd say it was nice knowing you but then I'd be lying."
A green orb formed in Technus's middle and exploded outwards, forming a shockwave that passed harmlessly through the half-ghost. The ghost of technology was gone. Danny merely brushed his hands off before landing on the ground. Sam ran up to him, pale-faced and shocked.
"What did you just do, Danny?"
"The same thing I did to Skulker, Sam. What else?" Danny turned to her, his hands on his hips.
"But…you know what that means!"
"I know. He won't be bothering us anymore. I gave them a warning, Sam. They chose not to listen."
"You warned them with Skulker's remains! This…this isn't like you, Danny! What happened to the Danny I became friends with?"
Danny's eyes suddenly flashed. "He changed, Sam! I changed! You can't expect me to be the same naïve fourteen-year-old that became a half-ghost! What happened to the girl I became friends with? The strong, independent girl who would do anything to defy the rules?"
Sam was shaking her head. "Not anything, Danny, not anything. That was never me. And you were never naïve."
Danny gave a harsh laugh. "Never? I'd say not."
"You promised, Danny! You promised that you wouldn't use that power anymore on ghosts! Why did you go back on your word? The Danny I know wouldn't—"
"I can't keep my promises, Sam!" Danny shouted. "I'm trying but it's impossible! Do you want the ghosts to overrun Amity Park?"
"No!"
"Then what do you want me to do? Just stand by and take it?"
"Not that either! We've been doing this for years without ever destroying them! Can't we just continue?"
Danny's eyes hardened. "Tried and done that. You know it never works. They just keep coming back."
"And you keep fighting back! Violence like this isn't the answer! You're strong! Strong enough to keep them in the Ghost Zone instead of just annihilating their existence!"
"Stop it!" Green energy shot out of Danny's eyes and hit Sam in the chest, blasting her backwards and into a tree. She didn't move to get up.
Seconds passed by and the energy flaring around Danny died. He stepped back and stared at his hands in horror. "No, no, no," he kept muttering. "No! Sam!"
He transformed back and rushed to her. "No, Sam! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! Come back to me! Please! Sam!"
This time no one said a word as the future vanished into green smoke. They were all speechless at what they had just seen. Sam gulped heavily and turned to her friends, her eyes wide with shock.
"What…was that?" she managed to whisper.
"Two possible futures out of many that your friend is flicking between," a deep voice answered for them. "Young Danny does have the talent at shrouding his future."
"Clockwork!" Jazz marched up to the ghost, an old man. "What did those futures mean for my brother? Why was he horribly depressed in one and then completely sociopathic in the other?"
"Your friend is facing an inner battle," Clockwork said, shifting to a child. "This inner battle has the potential to take him on several paths, two of those that you have just viewed."
"Where is Danny?" Sam demanded, standing by Jazz. "He's been missing since last night!"
"Your friend is safe," Clockwork replied. "You have no need to worry."
"Why wouldn't we have a need to worry? Danny is missing and we've just seen two futures that show my little brother in a negative light! How can we not be worried?" Jazz jabbed the child in the chest. She automatically took a step back once Clockwork morphed into an adult.
"As I said before, they are merely two possibilities. Two dark possibilities that your friend may head down," Clockwork said.
"But why would Danny have futures like that?" Tucker asked. "I thought that was fixed with the capture of his future self! He's not getting out again, is he?"
"Only time can tell whether or not he will escape again. His capture merely closed the door on one future," Clockwork said, floating over to the orb. "It did, however, open the door to countless others. Danny faces questions that make him doubt himself. He needs to face his fears before he can ever truly become the hero he wishes to be."
"You still haven't told us where Danny is!" Sam accused.
Clockwork raised an eyebrow, his face impassive.
Sam sighed, reading what the older ghost was telling her. "You're saying that it's not time for us to know, right? So all you'll say is that he's safe?"
Clockwork nodded, smiling slightly in his old form.
"But what about the ghosts?" Tucker queried. "They're disappearing, too! What's up with the portals?"
"The worlds are merging," Clockwork said.
"What's that mean?" Jazz demanded.
"It's being taken care of" was all Clockwork said in answer.
"And what about Danny? You can't just say that he's being taken care of, too!"
"Your brother will be fine," Clockwork repeated. "He will come back safely."
"When?"
"Who knows?" Clockwork shrugged in child form.
"You do," all of them said simultaneously.
"Perhaps I do," Clockwork said. "Regardless, there's nothing for you three to worry about."
"You mean that there's nothing we can do," Sam corrected.
Clockwork inclined his head as an adult.
"All right. We'll go now," Tucker said, holding his friends back. "Thanks for your help."
"Of course." Clockwork watched them leave.
Several minutes later, two ghosts with only one eyeball apiece floated in. They had capes on and no mouths. These were the Observants, the ghosts that constantly annoyed Clockwork.
"Clockwork," one of them said, "why did they see those two futures?"
"You know that it is against the law for humans to view the future!" the second scolded.
"They had to see indirectly what is running through their friend's head," Clockwork said, shifting to a child. "No harm will come from this."
"And what of your charge?" Observant #1 asked. "Is it safe for him in their world?"
"Perfectly safe," Clockwork reassured them. "It is exactly where he needs to be at the moment."
"Says who?" Observant #2 said.
"Perhaps no one," Clockwork said, shrugging. "After all, who can tell what paths the future takes?"
"Do not jest, Clockwork," Observant #1 commanded. "What have you seen in the boy's future?"
"Absolutely nothing that perhaps you two aren't aware of," Clockwork answered smoothly, an adult now. "Everything is as it should be. Now, will you two care to observe the door?"
"What of his future self?" Observant #2 asked, ignoring Clockwork's order. "Did you lie?"
"Now why would I do that?" Clockwork twisted the clock on his staff.
Knowing that their questions would likely not be answered, the Observants floated out, leaving Clockwork to his means. The ghost master of time turned to his time portal, the green clouds clearing to show Danny Phantom fighting a flying rock star with five teens on the ground, watching.
"Everything is as it should be," Clockwork intoned, smiling mysteriously. "Young Danny Phantom is exactly where he needs to be."
"So we still don't know where Danny is but Clockwork says there's no need to worry. And if he says that, I can say that we shouldn't worry," Sam finished, sighing as she leaned back in the couch she was currently occupying.
"We're not supposed to worry?" Maddie cried disbelievingly.
"I know." Sam shrugged. "We'll still worry."
"Danny will be fine, Maddie," Jack said reassuringly, holding Maddie close to his side. "The boy's a Fenton!"
"Mr. Fenton's got a point this time," Tucker pointed out. "Danny's a tough fighter, Mrs. Fenton. He'll manage wherever he is."
"I hope you're right, Tucker," Maddie murmured, stress lines on her forehead. "I really hope you're right."
"At least the ghosts won't worry us," Sam said brightly, smiling falsely.
Everyone stared at her.
"I was joking," Sam said, aggrieved. "Just…never mind. Let's just worry in peace."
She looked at the ring on her left hand that Danny had given her. 'Please, Danny. Be safe. For us.'
'Come back soon.'
Thanks to x-whitemagic58-X, Waterdog, starr1095, Copa-Phantom, musiclover9419, Shiva the Sarcastic, Marie Ravenclaw, SpartanCommander, Ryoko the demon fox, yumi2482, Piece of Toast, stick fight3, NitPicker Nerd beginer, DGirl101, love-toushi, Dragon260, deadlydaisy8o8, Ms. Unlucky, iamnuff, kirara the great, Ndasuunye, and ChopSuzi for reviewing the last chapter!
NitPicker Nerd beginer: Interesting. Thanks for the input. I was just writing off the top of my head. Perhaps I'll have Raven correct Mr. Robinson's speech later on. I didn't think of the Justice League because I'm just using the cartoon. Aside from that, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
love-toushi: Suspense!