Edit: 6/5/18: Next wave of grammar fixes and wording tweaks or some scenes altered to avoid cliches. Took out AN question and answer sections.
On a side note, I'm publishing a series of drabbles and one shots soon for crossovers and other blurbs/plot bunnies that won't leave me alone. So, look for that if you're interested!
zzz- normal separation
ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)
Mental thoughts or distant speaking
"It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up."
~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
zzz
Amity Park. Next-Day. 7:01 AM.
He could hear the hissing in his ears, like a balloon losing air or a fire extinguisher spraying its solution. It drew him out of his dreamless sleep and put a frown on his face.
"What the?" Danny muttered aloud and slowly crawled out of bed. He slipped on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers, before fanning himself with his white singlet to cool off. Making his way over to the window of his room that faced the alleyway he looked out only to see two vandals spray painting something on the side of their house.
Danny clenched his teeth slightly, trying to reel in any bit of anger that wanted to show itself. There would be those people, he reasoned. He couldn't hope that everyone would love him or even want to tolerate him. As it was now though, Danny really wished he didn't have another Reality Gauntlet to use. This had been one of the reasons he'd braved through the trials of having his secret stay secret. Yes, some things would get better and a good deal of people would grow nicer from the new knowledge, but realistically just as many people would grow more vicious or hateful. Having the legal trial over with was only the first stepping stone.
Danny let out a deep breath before sinking into the floor. Suddenly his head popped out of the wall the two vandals were aiming at. His intangible but still visible head stared right at the two boys. "I'd appreciate you not painting graffiti on my home, thanks."
The two youngsters, that most likely were barely old enough to have much of their own opinion and were simply trying to be bold and push their boundaries, gasped in fright. Danny watched liquid stain their pants before they took off running and tripping over each other. "I'm not that scary…" Danny mumbled before appearing in the alleyway outside of the wall to get a glimpse of what they'd painted.
HALF-PERSON GET LOST
Danny sucked in a breath. Half-person? What does that mean? Is it supposed to be an attempt at a slur? Halfa is technically a slur already. Danny tried to ignore the silly words and yet somehow being called only half a person rather than half human ended up stinging a bit. He pressed a hand to the wall and turned the vandalized area intangible, watching the paint vaporize into the air and leaving the wall clean.
A moment later, Danny was back in his room, changing for the day. School wouldn't be starting until tomorrow and although his parents had offered to let them stay home a little longer, both he and Dani had felt that wouldn't help anything. If anything, he was worried more for when Jazz would return to college. She didn't have powers to ward off anyone that recognized her. He made his way over to his other window and peeked through the blinds to see a couple of news vans out front. They'd been parked there since yesterday and hadn't left with the rest of the crowds. At this rate, he was getting worried that he'd grow too afraid to go outside his home and if it wasn't for the inevitability of ghost attacks, Danny Fenton might have settled for that.
He let out a sigh and phased down into the lower part of the house to see his father furiously working on needlepoint in front of the TV screen. "Hey dad."
Jack looked up and pricked his finger on accident. The elder Fenton stuck the hurt appendage in his mouth and tried to talk with it there. "Hhey Dahnno."
Danny smiled and looked around. "Where's mom and Jazz?"
Jack pulled out his finger and looked back at his son. "Your mom went to get groceries and Jazzy went to talk to David at the Hudson's house, something about our rights and her wanting to have an idea of where we stood now." Jack furrowed his brows. "I gave them a Fenton Creepstick each."
"For the reporters and others?" Danny asked.
"Yeah… or that boy if he gets to comfy with my Princess."
Danny paused on his path to the fridge at that. "Huh?"
"Oh, you know, Danny. I can't trust that Hudson boy with her yet."
"Wait you think she likes him?" Danny asked as he commanded the hot dogs to heel and shut the fridge door. He walked towards his dad with a sandwich and a soda, eating it as he walked.
Jack huffed. "I'm getting the feeling…"
"Well at least he's several steps up from Johnny thirteen." Jack and Danny locked eyes before both shuddering. Distracted from the small talk, Danny glanced up at the TV.
"And back to the current headliner for the past several days, Ghosts and more specifically the Phantoms of Amity. How will the world governments deal with ghosts and are half-ghosts really a key to determining how morally sound a ghost can be. Here's Jason Miles our guest phycologist."
"Thanks Debby."
"We welcome you, Jason. We have in possession a small clip of the final and climatic events in the courtroom, during the trial against Daniel and Danielle Fenton, and we wanted your take on what occurred."
Danny watched with a slightly pale face as he was ripped in half in the footage. His free fist clenched tightly as he listened to what he'd said to Dani and Sam and he growled to himself when he saw Fenton strike Sam across the face.
"So then, what do you take from that, Mr. Miles? Was the boy's personality split? Is there any precedent with this type of personality study, minus the ghostly aspects?"
"Well, Debbie. Truth is there isn't much. The closest thing we have is Dissociative Identity Disorder or as most people call it, Multiple Personality Disorder. Mr. Fenton's behavior in the courtroom is similar to DID in many ways, however it supposedly isn't triggered until one of those specific weapons are used."
"So, it's not just some type of DID?"
"No, if it was it wouldn't be dependent on a weapon to give control to another personality."
"So, what does this mean?"
"It means that we may have to rethink many important theories concerning mental illness and personality and how they form."
Danny huffed. Well at least something good could come out of this stuff… maybe… maybe things could get- No. Don't say anything Danny or you'll jinx it. Danny shook his head before speaking, "Hey dad?"
"Yeah, Danno?" Jack asked as he weaved more thread into the circular piece. Danny looked down and noticed this piece was a large picture of the whole family, Dani included with both half-ghosts' Phantom forms floating above. Danny couldn't stop the warm smile that crept onto his face.
"I was just going to tell you I was going into the Ghost Zone. I need to visit Pandora. She was worried about Danielle and I and I also needed to try and practice my lightning control if she had the time."
Jack nodded. "You want me or Ellie to come?"
"Nah, I'll be fine, let Dani rest some more." Danny glanced up towards Danielle's room, hoping she was having a decent sleep.
"Take a Fenton phone, okay? I want to know if my boy needs a little help!"
Danny chuckled. "Alright, alright."
With that, Danny finished his small meal and headed down into the lab. He felt the air leave his lungs and wet ectoplasm splatter across his upper chest and face before he struck the ground, hard.
"Cujo, stop that!"
Cujo merely whined. Danny blinked, noticing that Cujo, even in his puppy form had actually… grown? It was small and barely noticeable, but Danny could see it. Another lick to under his chin and Danny chuckled against his will.
"Quit it you ham!" Danny finally spoke and shoved the dog from his chest and leaned up. The ghost dog, having changed size from about a small terrier to young schnauzer, moved back and sat panting. Danny smirked. "Wanna come with me, pal?"
He got an excited bark in return. It seemed the ghost dog had truly missed his family. Danny and Cujo moved towards the portal as white light changed Fenton into Phantom. A DNA scan and an authorization code later and the duo were sailing into the green expanse of the Infinite Realms.
zzz
Manson residence. 7:25 AM.
Sam lay in her large bed staring at the words in the large dark book she was trying and failing to get interested in. Tucker had called her a few minutes ago to talk about changes, more specifically his work on changing everyone's phone numbers, emails, social media pages, etc. He'd already done so for their emails and media pages. He'd even set up a Phantom page on HeadNovel as to better divert messages and emails from fans and critics alike. Now he was working on cellphone numbers for most of the families involved and during that time there wasn't an easy way to communicate. Tucker had informed her that Danny had called Tucker's new number and told him he was visiting Pandora and that Tucker would alert Sam and the others if Danny called needing any help. Sam was happy to know Danny was visiting Pandora since he probably needed the release of being in the Zone and separating himself from the Human world for a little bit; she was also happy that Cujo had gone with him.
With a sigh, Sam let her book fall with her arm against the soft bed, annoyed that she couldn't focus. "Perfect." Sam snarked. She snapped the book closed and leaned up to better look out her window. She couldn't help but wonder how different things would be from now on. Would things get better or worse? Would things hit a plateau of awkward coexistence and then never improve? She hoped not.
She marched over to her computer and sat, curious about the Phantom page Tucker had made. Her fingers gliding across the keyboard, Sam managed to login and look over the page as one of the moderators. Slowly her brow started to furrow.
He's just so mysterious.
Ew really? You'd sleep with a dead guy?
Do you think he's like a vampire in those romance movies?
No, he's a corpse.
A corpse doesn't have a heartbeat, dummy!
Such an intelligent response.
Marry me!
I love you, Danny!
Eh he's a freak.
Sam grumbled and cracked her knuckles. "Whelp, time to breaks some hearts and dish out punishment." She began her work, only to notice a specific phone number taped to the side of her computer. It was Mr. Fundoo. She really needed to talk to Danny and call the man soon.
461 Elm St. Emerston. Gray Residence. 8:44 AM.
"They really are looking at every angle of this…" Damon murmured.
Valerie paused from slowly sipping on a drink and moved over to where her dad was watching the news. She frowned at how the stations were displaying her friend's life to the masses, but it wasn't exactly unexpected.
"Yeah. I guess they're just afraid."
Damon nodded as Valerie turned to walk towards her room to start make-up work for school tomorrow.
"Do you think I'm at fault for what happened to Danny at D.C.? What if we hadn't been able to put Fenton and Phantom back together?"
"Dad it definitely wasn't. You didn't know about ghosts not all being evil and you had no way of knowing that Danny was half-ghost or anything similar. Vlad's been playing us from the start, you and me both. Danny and I aren't even positive that he wasn't somehow the cause of Cujo's original rampage."
Damon smiled at his daughter before they shared a brief hug. Valerie turned and walked into her room. A moment later, the phone rang. Damon's brow went up. Not many people should have their number yet. He picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey there Mister Gray, it's Tucker."
"Oh, hello there, Tucker. Can I help you?"
"Yes sir. I got a call from some guys at Axion who wanted to talk to you. I'm going to patch you through."
"Oh, alright then."
There was a pause and Damon tried to briefly figure out any reason they would call.
"Hello? Mister Gray?"
"Yes, this is he. May I ask who's speaking?"
"This is Mrs. Diana from Axion-"
"Oh, right! Hello there Diana. What can I do for you?"
"Well we need you to come in for a meeting tomorrow regarding all the new developments in the news recently. You see a good deal of the upper management are being questioned about how much they knew about Mr. Masters and his illegal business dealings. I mean I don't think they knew anything about him being a gho- Ah-regardless, you're being looked at for a possible head for the company. It's being separated from VladCo. and we need new leadership."
Damon's eyes widened.
"You were brought up as being fairly eligible for the position of CEO. You've managed your division well and even helped defend it from a ghost attack earlier this year. You also have a good working relationship with the Fentons."
"You- I mean-" Damon coughed to clear his voice and make it stop trembling. "Of course. I'll be there. What time?"
On the other side of a bedroom door, Valerie sunk to the floor in shock. She grasped the carpeted floor of her room in her hands tightly as tears started to bubble up in her eyes uncontrollably.
She didn't know if this was good karma or fate; Valerie didn't know for sure how much she believed those types of things, but she was, for whatever reason, really happy to have buried the hatchet with Danny and made friends with the others. Something told her that if she hadn't had the chance to do those things first, this gift would've ruined her. She would've become a self-absorbed, selfish and irresponsible human being.
Maybe, just maybe she would hug that dumb green dog next time she saw him.
FentonWorks. 9:22 AM.
"Ash!" Dani yelped and stealthily leapt from her bedroom window before floating down to the tiny and fenced backyard of FentonWorks. She flushed a bit. "And Jace."
Jace deadpanned before he rolled his eyes; he didn't say a word though as Ash and Dani embraced.
"I'm glad everything turned out, Dani. You're okay, right?" Ash questioned.
Dani nodded slowly. "It was scary and demeaning but they didn't necessarily treat us… terribly."
"Really? I'm glad they treated you well." Ash express, his hazel eyes serious. Dani then turned and gave Jace a hug.
"Thanks for worrying, Jace. I didn't forget you."
Jace smiled softly and his eyelids drooped over his gold eyes, as he let his sarcasm fade for the time being. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"
The two parted as Jace predictably combed back his brown hair.
"Still a perfectionist," Ash stated as a slight tease.
Both boys paused when they saw the troubled look on Dani's face
"Dani, what's wrong?" Ash asked as Jace looked over her form in a studying manner.
"Everyone in the world knows I'm a clone now…" She paused. "And… and you guys too. You aren't… you aren't upset, right?"
Jace and Ash glanced at each other before Ash shrugged and Jace smiled.
"Honestly we didn't have much time to think about it. We were kind of too busy trying to help our best friend," Ash answered.
Dani slowly started to smile. "You guys mean it?"
"Would you rather us run away screaming?" Jace asked.
"Yeah I mean it's not your fault on how you were born and if anyone else has a problem with it then they have a problem with more than just you," Ash expressed.
"He means your family, Danny's friends and us and any fans you may have," Jace explained.
Dani gave the two another brief hug as a group. "Thanks."
"So you want to work on homework together or hang out?" Ash asked.
"Sure! Danny's away in the Ghost Zone at the moment so dad's the only one home right now."
"The Ghost Zone… will we ever get to see it?" Ash pressed.
"Maybe if everything calms down some. It can be dangerous and we're all a little distracted right now."
"No rush," Jace chuckled nervously.
Dani nodded and grabbed the two before phasing them all into the house. "Hey dad, Ash and Jace are visiting for a bit."
"Okay pumpkin." Jack waved to the three as they ran up the stairs and returned to working on his needlepoint, but not after having a contemplative look come to his face. "I need to make a Creepstick for Ellie too…"
Greek Acropolis. Ghost Zone. 8:03 AM.
It both worried and soothed him that he felt so at peace in the Ghost Zone. It was an inhuman pull, an unnatural wish to be immersed in the vast green and inhale the ether. The feeling would ebb away eventually though and be replaced by something more human like hunger or drowsiness.
Danny took in a breath of ether and did a single loop during flight. "Is it just me or does Pandora's palace always seem to be the farther away every time?"
Cujo just sailed alongside him, tongue hanging out of his mouth.
"Thought that'd be your answer." Danny chuckled to himself as he finally started to see the gleaming of white marble in the distance. Wrapped tightly around a large mountain of dark greenish-gray rock and surrounded by a massive field of grassy mazes, Pandora's Greek acropolis stretched out before his eyes. Danny flew down, past the mazes to where two armored soldiers were stationed at the entrance to the city. "Hey there, fellas!"
One looked down and nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw who'd spoken to him. "Alkaios! Look, it's Phantom!"
"Φάντασμα? Πότε? Που?" (Phantom? When? Where?) Alkaios muttered drowsily as he obviously shook himself from trance rest.
"At ease. English please for our guest. Lady Pandora hasn't taught him Greek yet," the first soldier, Kleitos, responded to his comrade's surprise.
"I came to visit Pandora."
-Bark!
"Of course. Come in!"
Danny nodded as they let him by. He flew through the city, getting waves and greetings from citizens that noticed him. Before long, Danny and Cujo found themselves in the large palace entrance hall, only to find it eerily quiet. He listened carefully and picked up the sound of voices coming from the war room. Danny lifted from the floor to not make as much sound when he approached.
"Populo tuo retulisti multae creaturae tenebris est?" (So, your people have reported sightings of the dark creatures as well?)
"Ita vero. Sha'yala vidit multam coluber. Et tales solent in regno nostro, nisi ater putrefacta carne." (It is true. Sha'yala saw a large snake. We are used to such creatures in our realm, but not ones black as rotted flesh.)
Danny steeled his features, wondering if Pandora and the mystery guest was talking about Malus or something. He floated through the door and spoke, "Pandora? Quid agis?" (Pandora? What's going on?)
Pandora in her powerful and intimidating glory, turned to his voice and smiled brightly when she saw who had spoken. "Oh, hello there Daniel! I'm so glad to see you in good health. I heard from Frostbite what had happened…"
Danny smiled at her only to then notice the other ghost in the room. He wasn't quite as tall as Pandora but did indeed tower over even the tallest of humans. He was cloaked in swaths of colored clothing layered up to his waist and covering one side of his chest, shoulder and left arm. A shinning gold decoration wrapped around his upper right arm and he wore a blue and gold uraeus on his head, nested in long dark hair. Pharaoh was the word that came to Danny's mind, but he was more focused on the beak that rested above the man's lips and below his sharp narrow golden eyes as well as the soft downy feathers that covered the exposed part of his chest. This ghost was some kind of bird-man hybrid.
"Uhh…" Danny blanked.
"Hello young Phantom. I have heard many things about you from Pandora and Frostbite."
Danny blinked. "Oh. Good I hope?"
The ghost started to laugh. "Yes, good things. Forgive me for my rudeness. I am Tykr'aal, but most humans know me as Ra."
Flashes of history lessons from middle school filled Danny's head. "Wait, do you mean like Ra the god, Ra from Ancient Egypt, Ra?"
Tykr'aal chuckled. "Yes, though I am no god. I am much like Pandora here or Frostbite. I was a guardian to the people of Egypt for a long time. Now me and my people rest in our realm."
"Tykr'aal is a master of Pyrokinesis like Hakan. He is a trusted ally of mine," Pandora offered.
"That's really neat."
"You are welcome to visit whenever you like, young Phantom. I'd also like to see what Hakan has managed to impart upon you. I know he can be a bit of a hardhead about things."
"If I didn't know any better, Tykr'aal, I would think you were trying to take over Daniel's tutoring for his hot core."
"Hmph. I wouldn't say that. I just know some things about fire that Hakan would be less likely to teach him."
Danny chuckled softly as he watched the two ghosts interact.
"I'd love to visit it. What's your realm like?"
Tykr'aal turned and nodded to Danny. "It is mostly like the 'Ancient Eygpt' that you think of. A multitude of people walk about, some mere specters, others were able to come into their own as a powerful ghost with control over the sun or fire, as most would see it. My brothers and sisters make up the rest of the Pantheon and have other powers not related to fire necessarily."
"Wow that's really amazing." Danny paused when he realized something. "Wait, what were you guys talking about before I came in?"
Pandora sighed. "We are concerned about some strange happenings."
"My wife, Sha'yala saw a dark blackened snake with soulless eyes near the border of our realm, but my daughter Sek'haal and her warriors chased them off. They are known as Raet and Sekhmet by humans if that is important."
Danny furrowed his brows and looked at Pandora. "Do you think it is Malus?" He noticed Tykr'aal stiffen at the name and look at Pandora.
"Malus? He has returned?"
"I was about to mention it. Yes. He has indeed returned."
"So that is why you sent the key to us. Very well, we will guard it and make sure he has no idea it is ours. That would be an extra worry we couldn't handle."
"We think… though the Observants are hesitant to say much… that he has possibly taken over Pariah. That is why he is sending out the dark beasts to search for a way out of the Sarcophagus."
Danny saw Tykr'aal's eyes harden. "Well he'll be staying there."
"Dark beasts?" Danny asked.
Pandora turned to him. "Creatures similar to the one that… that you encountered. The dark Ectopuses? Only these are purely a part of Malus' being and not corrupted souls."
Tykr'aal looked at him. "Wait. He survived an encounter with one? We are forced to fight from a distance. One touch and a human withers and a ghost turns darkened like tar."
Pandora smiled. "He is special. The Half-ghosts are special indeed."
Tykr'aal hummed. "I see now." Danny watched him rub softly on the red fabric near his shoulder before nodding. "I guess I will take my leave. I will try to prepare my people for the danger ahead."
"Many kingdoms have been informed. Clockwork instructed us to be careful with how quickly we spread this information. Mass panic here or in the human realm wouldn't help."
"Most definitely. Thank your old friend." Tykr'aal turned and nodded to Danny again. "A pleasure to meet you and I hope you do come visit us some time. Our kingdom lies northwest beyond Pariah's Keep. The River of Repulsion can be found past there, follow it and you should be able to find us. To soothe Seti, the monster in the river, say 'Insidiaberis calcaneo dicit Ra'. Good day to you, Danny Phantom."
Tykr'aal turned to an open window and Danny watched in surprise as his more human-like head turned into a falcon's. More feathers spread over his green looking skin and great wings sprouted from his back, before all the feathers caught alight with brilliant yellow fire. Tykr'aal soared into the air and through the window, out into the green expanse with a loud cry.
Danny blinked in awe before Pandora's laughter snapped him out of it. "He is modest at least. Though he is no god, he is no slouch. He is thankful to you and your friends by the way, for taking care of Hotep-Ra. He was a rebellious servant that tried to take over Tykr'aal's whole realm. He started his own realm with the scepter and your friend and hoped to build an army large enough to take over and annex Tykr'aal's already existing realm. After your intervention Hotep-Ra's manufactured realm deteriorated from the Zone. Tykr'aal took the scepter from the museum and locked it away. It's not as strong as his own scepter, but avoiding any future rebellions is nice."
Danny understood and what the museum didn't know wouldn't hurt them too badly. It was for the best after all. "Wow. Well I'm glad that's over too then."
Pandora nodded. "So, what do I owe this pleasant visit?"
"I was a bit stressed out and thought that now that I was done with the trial, I could come for some lightning tutelage. Unless you're too busy-"
"Never too busy for that! I would be delighted. Come, let's head to the Arena." Pandora turned and gracefully moved off, Danny and Cujo walking behind her.
Clockwork's Lair. 8:02 AM.
It seemed like he was doing this more and more, watching everyone else as time passed and not finding peace for himself. What though would give him peace? All he knew was how to destroy. Dan watched from the rafters as a vision swirled in Clockwork's time pieces. Danny was sitting in his room, making ice sculptures several weeks in the past before his secret had been revealed. What could Dan make other than starting a fire place? He snorted at his own self-depreciating joke. Even with such thoughts, he wasn't jealous of Danny. He had made his choice. He just didn't understand what Clockwork was trying to tell him with all of this.
Clockwork looked over his shoulder when he heard the soft snort. "Still just sitting around and brooding, are we?"
Dan growled as an answer, before suddenly he found himself falling.
-SMACK
Dan groaned in discomfort from his sudden fall. He gritted his teeth as he started shout, "What the-"
"Your intangibility failed it seems. Your condition isn't improving."
Dan growled again but was cut off when he actually saw and noticed his form flicker out of view with invisibility. He looked up to see the most sorrowful look on Clockwork he'd ever seen. Pity oozed from his stance and his eyes, normally so intimidating in their bright red, looked so forlorn.
"Stop that."
"Stop what, Dan?"
"Looking at me like I'm something to pity like a pathetic lost little child!"
But you are. Clockwork internalized. "I cannot control what I feel, Dan. It's silly for you to ask that of me. You need to feed yourself. You need to find motivation to do something, else you will disappear soon."
Dan narrowed his red eyes as he lifted himself from the ground and beat his cape to rid it of dust. "How soon?"
"Two days. You have to find something to give you purpose before then. Even if its odd jobs or strange requests. The best choice would be for you to actually try to reach out and find a solid and true obsession. Odd little spurts of motivation won't sustain you forever, only prolong your destruction."
Dan felt his gloves tighten as his fists clenched.
"I assume you have a lot to think about?"
Dan didn't answer for a moment. "What would it matter? What would it truly matter if I just disappeared?"
Clockwork hummed. "Nothing. It wouldn't change much of anything. At least if you mean in the biggest picture. There is something you must think about though. The presence of something can be impactful, but so can the absence of something." Clockwork floated marginally closer. "What do you want to be remembered for? What do you want your existence to mean? Those questions, only you can answer them."
Dan eyes were hard and unwavering. Clockwork sighed, knowing the Observants would be furious with him for what he did next.
"Go to Walker's Prison. Look up some of the criminals on the most wanted list. They are the only ones that actually deserve his form of justice."
Dan rose a brow at the suggestion. "Are you telling me to go catch criminals?"
"It's merely a suggestion. Honestly I'm not sure your stable enough anymore to fight properly…"
Dan flashed his teeth in frustration.
Clockwork turned to look back at his time windows. "Just do this one thing for me. Please."
Dan paused, confused by the tone of Clockwork's voice.
"Avoid anything that seems unnatural. Black colored creatures with soulless eyes-"
"Does that have something to do with that Malus guy you've been blabbering on about?"
"Yes. I waited until a certain event before I considered releasing you. You cannot fight him as you are. That is the only thing I ask of you."
Dan shifted behind Clockwork and the Time Master herd the rustling of fabric. When Clockwork looked over his shoulder, the ghost was gone.
Clockwork only smiled to himself.
Walker's Prison. Ghost Zone. 8:18 AM.
"Make sure the generators are functioning properly!"
"Yes sir!"
"And make sure someone gets on rebuilding the gallows!"
"Roger!"
Walker grumbled as he marched across the purplish grass in the courtyard. It had been a while since Phantom's escape and Walker was still mighty peeved about the whole thing. He didn't care if the recent rumors floating around the Ghost Zone were true, he wanted to make Phantom pay. The Observants were behind him as well, regardless.
"Walker!"
Walker whipped his head up at the absolute fear in several of his guards' voices, only to be completely gob smacked by what he saw in the air, floating down.
"Hello Walker. Never thought I'd see your face again-" Dan cut himself off and looked around, noticing some of the damage that had yet to be repaired. "Another jailbreak? You must really suck at your job."
Walker clenched his teeth as he tried to figure out what was going on. Was that really, Phantom? No… It just, it couldn't be. "Who are you!?"
Dan paused from her surveying and gave the warden a maddened smile. "Why, I'm Danny Phantom… or well I was at some point. Details on how that works aside, I came here from Clockwork's to ask something."
Walker heard the name Clockwork and stiffened. He'd heard the Observants mention him before, so there really was a Time Keeper, it wasn't a myth and so that meant… "You're not from our time, are you? You're not our Phantom."
"Well darn, it seems you've seen right through my smokescreen," Dan mocked before flashing from view and suddenly being in front of Walker. His smile stretched that much farther. He couldn't believe how much energy he was feeling, all because he'd decided to come here and had a goal in mind? It was almost intoxicating. He grasped Walker's front and lifted him right off the ground above his flaming head. "So now that the tough talking and flexing of egos is out of the way, are you ready to listen to me?"
Walker grunted in frustration.
"Now now, that was always a problem of yours. Your pride is just overwhelming."
Walker narrowed his eyes.
"You needing a bounty hunter?"
At that, Walker felt one brow rise against his will. "Pardon?"
"Let's get hypothetical here. Say there's a ghost with nothing better to do and he happens to have a lot and I mean A LOT of misplaced aggression that needs to be let out. Give me your worst, your monsters, your slime balls. I want a challenge after all."
Walker furrowed his brows. "What's in it for you?"
"Pleasure from seeing another being fear for their existence? Come on now. Heck, making money for beating the absolute hell out of someone? Why didn't I think of that?"
Walker looked into Dan's red eyes and he could see the gleam there. He grunted. "Fine. I'll get you someone from the most wanted files." Dan nodded in satisfaction and put the ghost down. Before he could blink, Walker and several of his goons had whipped out their batons and restrained him. Dan howled in absolute rage.
"I don't do deals with scum like you."
Dan felt his fire grow and his rage increase. "Oh, but torture isn't below you, hm?" Dan hissed, thinking to when Walker had Danny and his class captured in the Prison not long ago.
Walker faltered at Dan's knowledge but only outwardly growled. "You don't-"
"I saw everything. I know you broke the rules, Walker, halfa or not. If you don't let me go now, then you will regret it. I could bring this Prison to the ground. I'm not afraid to use my Wail like Danny-boy is."
Walker froze, not sure what to do.
"Time's UP!" Dan roared and disappeared from the binds in a plume of humanoid-shaped, red-eyed smoke. He reformed right in front of Walker and smashed his green glowing fist into Walker's gut. Dan could feel the ectoplasm in the specter's stomach, crack, hiss, and whiplash against the force Dan's own ectoplasm was supplying; he could almost hear the ghost's core screaming in surprise at the sudden danger.
Walker crashed into the wall before slumping down onto his knees. He didn't even get the chance to get up before a clawed hand grasped his entire face and lifted him into the air again. Walker caught sight of his men trussed up against poles or plastered to the walls or ground with green glowing binds and goo. "Those people who say there's power in numbers never met me." Walker looked down the best he could into the eyes of his attacker and saw red angry cracks snaking down from his flaming inferno of hair. The whites of his eyes had turned black and his irises could almost not be seen. "This is the last call. Are you going to get me a poor shmuck to maim and drag back here or am I going to have to take all my frustration out on you, little man?"
Walker growled a bit, but then spoke, "Bottom left drawer in my office. Take your pick."
Dan grinned and Walker saw a duplicate peel off of the ghost effortlessly. Dan finally spoke again when the duplicate returned to his form, leaving the paper in Dan's unoccupied right hand. "Brynjar the Berserker, huh? Sounds like a meat-head to me. Until next time."
He was gone before Walker hit the ground. The warden was pale, even if it wasn't visible on his skull-like face. He slowly picked himself up and dusted himself off. What would he do about this new Phantom? Should he let him bring in wanted criminals and actually pay him? Walker slowed his speeding thoughts. Brynjar the Berserker? He really had reached for his dusty pile of wanted posters that he'd almost given up on. Those ghosts in that pile were barely reasonable and some of them were more monster than man.
"Walker, are you alright sir?" Bullet asked, being the first and possibly the only one of Walker's goons able to free himself.
"Just fine." Walker growled slightly.
"What should we do about this, darker Phantom?"
"Nothing for now. I'm fairly certain Brynjar will take care of him."
"Brynjar?" Bullet asked, befuddled. "That Phantom will be sludge by the time that beast is done with him."
"That's what I'm counting on."
The Arena. Ghost Zone. 8:21 AM.
"It's different than ice or fire. Ice feels like you're trying to control your breath or the air. Fire feels like rushing water. Controlling lightning is more like the beating of drums. It is a commanding stance you must use and feel."
Danny watched in surprise as Pandora whipped out her large spear, locking herself in a stiff position before blue crackling lightning erupted from the point and launched into the sky.
"Wow. Okay, should I try?" Danny asked. Pandora nodded and stepped aside.
Danny focused, drawing his hot core to the front, before snapping a hand out in front of him. A crackling of energy appeared and jolted out only to fizzle out with a couple sharp pops. "Wha?"
Danny felt his ears and face grow hot when Pandora's barely stifled laughter registered in his ears. "Pandora!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Great One, but… PFFFT AHAHAHA!" Pandora suddenly erupted into an echoing bellow of a laugh. "It's not you Daniel, it's just how the electricity looked and sounded and then the 'pop'."
Danny gave a sly smile. "I guess it was a little underwhelming…" Danny looked down at his hands. "I thought I had the knack of it-"
Pandora halted the disheartened Phantom. "Stop right there, young one. Firstly, Walker helped charge your electricity in that encounter and secondly, where have you been the last several weeks?"
"I-"
"Not in a place that facilitated your powers, right?"
Danny paused and felt himself relax.
"That's what I thought." Pandora shifted her weight. "You simply need some help. This is not something to be ashamed of."
Danny nodded. "Right… Right." He glanced over and saw Cujo in monster dog form playfully chasing a poor servant that was a satyr.
"Okay, let's try again. You must be more assertive. Demand the lightning come out of you. Do not give the lightning a choice!" Pandora boomed, bringing Danny back to the matter at hand.
Danny narrowed his eyes and tensed his body in preparation. "Okay, here we go."
FentonWorks. 11:00 AM.
Danny and Dani flinched and looked at the front door, drawing their family's attention before a knock came against the wood.
The Fentons were just about to settle down to dinner, the first dinner they'd had together for several weeks. Jazz would be returning to her campus tomorrow and Danny and Danielle would be going back to school.
"I'll get it." Maddie expressed and moved towards the door slowly. She opened the door to come face to face with a couple of black suited men.
"Mrs. Fenton?" The first one asked showing an FBI badge. "We need to come in and have a talk with your family, specifically your two unique children."
Danny and Dani gave each other a sideways glance but didn't get worried quite yet.
"Well, yes. Come in I suppose." Maddie sighed and let the two men come in.
Jack coughed. "Uh, can I get you gentlemen something?"
"No thanks." They nodded to Danny and Danielle, the younger girl showing her nervousness just a tad bit more than her brother. "Daniel and Danielle Fenton, I'm assuming you've come to the conclusion that things are going to be different, correct?"
Danny let out a breath. "It would be foolish to think different, but what kind of different do you mean?"
One of the men held out a folder. "Alongside being a human as the courts concluded, you and your sister are also weapons. I mean no disrespect in that statement, however, we need to discuss some particulars with you and your family. They're matters of national security as well as your international status. Other nations are getting, antsy to say the least."
Danny paused and took the folder from the man. "What's this?"
"A comprehensive invitation to the White House. In about a week's time, we'll need to you come and have talks with some very important people. If you can, we also need to talk with some of your ghostly allies, preferably the ones that appeared in court."
Danny swallowed. "I understand. I can get a couple of the same ones, but Wulf and Technus probably won't come back for now. I can get another replacement or two possibly. They're in command of some large regions in the Zone."
"That should be fine." The men turned and walked towards the door. One stopped and nodded to the family. "Have a good day." Then they were gone.
"Well…" Danny started as his eyes trailed over the presidential seal. "This will either turn out great or terribly… Hopefully this is good news."
Danny felt his dad's hand rest on his shoulder. "We'll be there right beside you this time, Danno, Pumpkin." He finished looking at his little girl.
"I think I'll call David…" Jazz murmured mostly to herself, looking to be in great thought as she walked off to the phone.
Danny grunted. "I guess I need to go and talk to Tykr'aal sooner than I thought."
Far Frozen. Ghost Zone. 11:12 AM.
"Are you sure, Frostbite, sir?" The smaller yeti asked. He held a small disk in his hand, it's center was made of a reddish stone material.
"Yes, I've been studying the substance that his boils secrete and while I don't know everything about them, the destabilization is caused by something similar to the prion proteins found in some instances of mortal disease."
"So, ghosts aren't affected by it?"
"Not full ghosts, Ice claw." Frostbite took the disc and placed it on the unconscious Vlad Masters' chest. The red stone lit up and both yetis backed away from the heat.
"He was already so hot though, sir."
"Yes, but this is our only possible form of treatment. Hopefully the heat will destroy the prions."
"Where did they come from and why doesn't the Great One suffer from such an aliment?"
"I can only hypothesis that it has something to do with how the two Halfas gained their powers. I'm unsure, but my running theory is that the change of using Diet Cola along with the actual energy from the portal caused both, his ghost powers to mutate correctly but also for some other leftover proteins to turn into prions. These strange prions can function in the high energy environment of a Halfa's body and go dormant for periods of time."
Ice claw hummed. "Mortal afflictions are strange…"
"Indeed, my friend they are. All we can do now is hope that he will outlast the prions," Frostbite expressed with a sigh. The two walked off, leaving Vlad in the room on his own.
The man groaned slightly in his sleep, flexing his arms in an attempt to move them up and take away the heat on his chest, but those arms and his legs were strapped down.
GIvE uP VLaDiMIr. It'S tIme tO Let Go.
A red wisp escaped from Vlad's clenched teeth for the first time in his time as a half-ghost as he wrenched his head away from the voice instinctually.
ooo
He was in darkness, surrounded by nothingness. Infrequently he would hear a whispered scream or a cry of some strange animal.
WhAT's ThE pOinT? ThEy wOn't Lov- YOu. WhaT do yoU haVe tO lOSe?
Vlad gasped and looked around futilely for the owner of the voice. Finally, he shrieked out in surprise when his vision was filled with blood red eyes, a flash of scales, and light reflecting off of something black and sharp above those eyes.
"What in the name of-?!" Vlad exclaimed and cried out when the being charged him and something like a sheet of darkness rushed through his body, leaving him unbelievably cold.
GiVE uP. gIvE iN.
Vlad clenched his teeth and looked up again only to again gasp in horror. Staring at him was his ghost form. It was staring at him forlornly before it reached out and grabbed his wrist slowly. A human hand didn't tighten around his arm though, a clawed hand, rough and completely unlike human skin was there instead.
Vlad let out a pure scream of terror.
ooo
In the medical room holding Vlad, the only sounds coming from within were undignified whimpers and the rustling of fabric coming from the once billionaire.
In the corner of the room, a strange shadow lingered there, shaped strangely human and stretched almost to the ceiling. It flickered and shifted, but never moved enough to look like anything more than a shadow. If one looked closely enough, one could see something like bat-like wings stretched out behind its back. Every now and then red eyes would lock onto Masters' form before blinking out.
Deep in the Zone. Ghost Zone. 11:55 AM.
"This is getting annoying. How will I find this fool?" Dan grumbled, soaring and dipping gracefully through the Zone. He glanced back down at the wanted poster. "Brynjar the Berserker. A nomad that scours the Zone looking for powerful enemies to battle, searching for a good End. Very powerful and dangerous. He is cursed by his forgettable death. He is said to have slain the great Frost Serpent near the Dead Sea Region. Beware his berserker mode as his strength, skill, and durability become legendary in the heat of battle." Dan snorted. "What is this, some kind of folk-tale?"
Dan looked up to fly over an isle with a tree on it. He phased the poster back into his body as a frown adorned his face. He focused harder, trying to stretch his ghost sense out to find his prey. Surely his sense was more acute and had a wider range than some icy warrior, so he was confident that he would get the benefit of stealth. Before long, Dan started pick up some different pings. None of them seemed to be interesting except for one that felt of ice, the iron like smell of blood, and rum.
A grin stretched across Dan's face as red fled from his nose. "Bingo." With little effort, Dan's speed increased and he took off in the direction of the feeling. He glanced over when he saw the strange sight of a line of reddish brown on the majorly green horizon. "Huh, am I really that close to the red haze?" He huffed. "I hope Walker gives me extra for travel expenses." He joked.
So there. Things are slowly starting to get pieced back together after the Trial. Dan finally gets to adventure outside Clockwork's Lair and Vlad is haunted by a strange creature...
What'd you guys think of Tykr'aal? He's been going under several visual redesigns for the last few months. I personally like how he turned out. At first, he and his people were going to be random and generic 'star' people who looked like living comets and were different colors of fire, but then I started wanting to give them a better backstory and the idea of doing some kind of more in-detail Eygpt Region struck me. Believe me I've had a few really cool ideas for other Regions in the Ghost Zone. You might have noticed a mention of one in this chapter. Then there's also the Hazes of different colors. More on them later though they will be more interesting in Crossover stories I'm planning for in the future.
Thank you all so much for your support and wonderful wonderful reviews! I thank you all so much :) If I accidentally missed a question by either not PMing you or answering here, let me know so I can PM you or mention you (guests) in the next chapter :)
God bless and Best wishes to all of you! Happy Holidays too!
~NoSignal