A/N: I'm sorry this is late! I have no good excuses but it does happen to be twice the length of my normal chapters so enjoy!
Warning: This chapter contains some "disturbing" things. Read at your own risk.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom
"Dad... Please don't do this."
I cried as dad drug the scalpel down my chest. Ectoplasm bloomed across my bare skin and suit, staining everything a sickly green. I saw a tear roll out from under dad's goggles and down his face.
"Dad?" I just barely whispered.
"Why?" He whispered even quieter than I had. "Why are you making me do this?" His voice broke. Dad's hand twitched making the scalpel knick me hard. But I didn't care. I was more concerned about what was happening with him. "Please, don't make me do this." More tears streamed down his face.
He threw the scalpel, leaving it embedded in the wall. There was a moment of complete silence. I was too focused on the scalpel to see the black fist sailing towards my knee. The pain was intense and a guttural scream escaped my throat. I heard a gasp from the back of the room. No doubt, it was mom. I tensed when dad raised his fist again. Another involuntary scream escaped me as it came crashing down onto my other knee. It broke, just like the one before it did. Walking was no longer an option. Whimpers of pain echoed though the lab and tears poured out of my eyes. Dad stalked forward with robotic movements, a hand clamping over my throat. His fist was brought back again as I stared at his goggles with wide, fear-filled eyes. All I saw in return was a hard-set line of a mouth and tears running down dad's face. I stayed, staring at him, as black whizzed past my head and collided with my shoulder. There was no scream just pain, both physical and emotional. All I did was stare at him. I wish I could have seen his eyes, seen what was behind those goggles. Maybe then, I could've understood.
Why did he sound like he was regretting this? Why did he sound like this wasn't a choice? Why was he crying? Surely if he had accepted me, he wouldn't be doing this. Had he not accepted me for what I was? Or maybe, this wasn't a choice. My mind was foggy from the pain but somewhere in me, I knew dad would've accepted me for what I was. So why was he doing this? Unless, this really wasn't a choice. Dad is being overshadowed I thought to myself. Pain in my other shoulder brought me back to reality. The broken bones in my knees and shoulders throbbed. I realized what he had been doing. Whoever was overshadowing dad was making me powerless to fight back and made dad watch as his body was used to do it. I knew just the fruitloop who would do such a thing too.
"Ha," I tried to speak but it just came out as choked air. Dad's hand was still clamped on my throat. The stars in my vision spoke to that. How to I get out of this so I can say something? Ghost powers, duh, I mentally slapped myself. I phased trough dad's hand, lifting my head. My shoulders complained. I looked straight into my dad's goggles with my eyes glaring a furious ectoplasmic green.
"Get out of my dad Plasmius. Now," I demanded, venom oozing from every word. A slow clap started behind me.
"Good job on figuring it out Daniel. Perhaps if you had figured that out sooner you wouldn't be so broken," Vlad feigned innocence and sympathy.
"As soon as I'm off this table you're dead," I spat as he came into my field of view. He was in ghost form.
"You and what powers? Your father rendered you incapable of fighting. Not to mention without function of your arms you really can't shoot ectoblasts effectively. All you can do are the basics: intangibility, invisibility, and flight. So you can dodge. I'm so scared! Can't you just see me quaking in my boots?" He taunted.
"What about my wail? Did you think about that ya fruitloop?" I quipped back.
"Oh, why don't we just take care of that now?" He smiled sadistically. "Jack?" Dad stuffed a gag in my mouth, slamming my head back down on the table.
"Mph!" I tried to protest.
"Hear that? No quips, no wail," Vlad stood by my side now. "Actually, I have a different idea."
His smile widened as he pulled out a pair of glowing medical scissors. Intangibly he inserted them into my throat. There was an erosive pain in my throat for a moment, and then it dulled down. Vlad put the scissors back in his pocket. He removed the gag. I tried to speak, but I couldn't. I physically could not speak. My eyes were completely wide with fear. He cut my vocal chords. I was literally powerless, utterly and completely powerless. Like he said, all I could do was dodge. Tears welled in my eyes again.
"Aw look at that. Poor powerless Daniel, terrified and in a room with ghost hunters. All because you tried spill your little secret. If you had just taken my advice from the start and joined me, perhaps you wouldn't be in this situation now," Vlad punched me in the stomach. I coughed and started crying harder. I shook my head violently. Why, I didn't know but I just kept doing it. Every part of me was lit up either in pain or fear. The shaking seemed to help.
"What are you..." Vlad trailed off. I didn't care. Instead, I imagined what was going on around me as I continued shaking my head. Jazz was in the back, probably analyzing everything, figuring out my brain. Sam was probably crying, too shocked to do anything. Tucker was likely just dumbfounded and scared out of his mind, clutching a PDA. Mom was going to be just like Sam. Dad was probably still standing next to me, fighting Vlad's overshadowing. Vlad. He was just going to be standing there, thinking this was all a fun game. A voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Vlad, let my son go and get out of me," dad said in monotone. I stopped shaking my head.
"Or what? What can you do? I'm in control of you body. The only reason you can speak or see what's happening is because I allow it. Your will isn't strong enough to force me out," Vlad huffed.
"GET OUT!" Dad shouted furiously. An ectoblast hit Vlad square in the forehead. He stumbled back.
"Leave my family alone Vlad," mom said coldly. She stood, her aim steady even though she was crying.
"Maddie I-" Another blast hit his chest, making him stumble again. Mom walked forward.
"Let my son go and get out of my husband's body," she advanced, gun nearly on his forehead now.
"Maddie let's not do anything drastic here. Let's talk about this," Vlad tried to reason, unease slipping into his voice.
"You love me right Vlad?" Mom asked, grabbing his collar. "That means you'd do anything for me right?" She pulled him closer, their faces almost touching.
"Of course I love you. I have since our college days. And I would do anything within reason for you," he smiled.
"Then let my family and their friends go," she drew out every word, lacing them with a venom I hadn't ever seen.
"I simply can't do that my love. You see this is all part of a plan to-"
"To what? Make my son join you by traumatizing him? To kill my husband and make me your own? I don't think so Vlad. You are a pathetic piece of ectoplasmic scum that I once called my friend. My son is a hero. To the town and to me. If you ever hurt my boy again or so much as touch a single hair on his head, you will feel a mother's wrath like no other. I will hunt you down and destroy you. Let my family and their friends go or I will destroy you now ghost," Mom held the ecto-gun to Vlad's head.
"Maddie I only-" he tried to defend.
"Now," she nearly shouted.
"Fine. But this is not the last you'll see of me," Vlad stated. "I will finish getting my revenge." A duplicate flew out of Dad and back to Vlad. He then flew out of mom's grip as dad collapsed on the ground.
"Jazz, take care of your father. Tucker, help her. Sam, come here with me so we can take care of Danny," Mom commanded.
Everyone ran to there respective places. Sam and mom started to undo my restraints. When they were done, they gently helped me sit up. My arms hung limp at my sides and I couldn't move anything below my knees. This was a result of the broken bones. Ectoplasm ran down my chest as I sat up. I had forgotten that incision was even there. It was deep too. Sam set my arms in my lap as I started to rock back and forth. I kept looking around like a deer in the headlights. Then I caught dad's eye. It sent a cold panic through me. I rocked harder. My shoulders and knees complained and my chest started bleeding more but the pain was background noise now. I wanted to whimper and cry but Vlad insured I couldn't do that for a while.
"Sweetie I need you to stop rocking. You're aggravating your injuries. Shhh Shhh. There there. It's going to be okay. We'll take you home and patch you up and you'll get lots of rest," Mom set a hand on my back as I slowed down my rocking. I kept moving though. It helped. She rubbed circles on my back helping me calm down.
"How do you wanna get out of here? If you can still fly we can help you to the car," she suggested. I shook my head no. "How do you wanna leave then?" Mom asked.
Thermos I mouthed to her. It sounded crazy to me too.
"Thermos? Why would you want to do that?"
Dad I mouthed again. I couldn't face him right now.
"Are you sure honey? We can find a different way to get you home if you'd like," she was trying to talk me out of it. I shook my head. Mom sighed. She pulled the Fenton thermos off of her belt and made sure it was empty. Uncapping it, she aimed it at me. I waited for the unpleasant sucking feeling but it never came. She just stood there, unable to press the button. Please I pleaded with her.
"I can't. Someone else do it," she said to the heavy air. There were a few tense moments of awkward looks before a voice piped up.
"I guess I'll do it," Tucker was the volunteer. Thank you I mouthed to him. "I'm only doing this because I'm your best friend and I care about you. You're gonna owe me," he joked. I smiled a little in return. This made him relax a little as he took the thermos from mom. He aimed.
"See you on the flipside man," Tuck said as he pressed the button. I nodded as the blue beam engulfed me and the sucking feeling began. In less then a second I was completely in the thermos. The only light left inside of it was my ghostly glow as Tucker capped it. Then I was just left with silence and my thoughts. There were two sharp taps to the side of the thermos. Team Phantom had come up with a code incase I ever needed to be transported by thermos for some reason. Two taps was Sam. I was in safe hands.