Broken Hearts
Chapter Twelve
The Ghost of the Past- part one
"You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space."
~Johnny Cash~
Stone let all his fury into destroying the robot. His anger from accidently hitting Phantom in a spot that he knew could have caused serious damage, leftover anger from Terra's betrayal, anger at himself for playing along undercover too long was all put into it. He was upset from being half robot, and that he was some kind of freak that many people wanted him for his parts and the robot half. He was sad that he couldn't keep Phantom safe from all those times he was almost taken away from them for good. He was mad for giving the hybrid a hard time when he came looking for help.
He let everything out on his robot that had so many screw ups that it was annoying. He kept beating on the thing until his rings broke to reveal himself the real Cyborg of the Teen Titans. It still didn't feel good to beat the thing up. He knew it would hurt his team, but he had a feeling Phantom had caught on. The rest of the team didn't know what Blood was capable of, nor did they know what the ion amplifier could truly do in the hands of the bad guys. He knew, and he knew that Phantom had an idea. After all, the ghost's parents were inventors and created all sorts of weapons.
He looked over at his team and seen frightened and worried faces, but when he looked at Phantom's, he held in a smile. Phantom looked wore and tried, but he was still wearing a smirk. No one else noticed because they were too busy staring at Cyborg himself. Phantom dropped his shield and disappeared while sparks and hisses came from the now destroyed robot on the ground. Cyborg growled looking back at Blood quickly before his team.
"I knew it; the stinking gat bag is one of them," Gizmo shouted waving his arms and hands above his head with a red face.
"No," Blood stated as his platform floated down. He held up the ion amplifier with a twisted grin as Cyborg quickly let his robot eye figure out where Phantom was. He seen him by the shield with his hands on it prepared to destroy it. He was surprised that no one figured out he was gone. "He's one of us now."
"And I'm ready to prove it," Cyborg stated darkly. He noticed Phantom flinch slightly, but was still ready for anything. He needed to get his hands on the amplifier before Phantom could let his friends go.
"I had a feeling you'd say that," Blood stated with red eyes thinking he had control of Cyborg when he really couldn't because of his bionics. "This will amplify your power by magnitudes unimagined."
Cyborg lifted his wrist up and let his cannon form while Blood hooked the device on.
"Destroy them for me, and you will have your reward," Blood promised with a grin. Cyborg could make out the uncertainty in Phantom's face, and gave him a reassuring grin letting Robin finally figure it out.
"Cyborg, no," he stated plying along. He knew Phantom was behind them ready to take the shield down. He could feel the energy from the hybrid.
"Please," Starfire begged still in the dark.
"Come on, Buddy. We're your friends," Beastboy muttered looking at him sadly. He could feel Phantom as well and was wondering what was going on.
"Sorry but I have new friends," Cyborg stated noting that Phantom was getting antsy again. Phantom noticed that Blood and the other three villains had an evil smirk on their face waiting for Cy to destroy them as his cannon charged.
"Come on; don't do this," Phantom muttered noting that Cy's human eye was red. He needed it to change back to normal. He kept another shield over his friends just in case, but he wasn't sure it would hold. After the blow to his back, he knew he wouldn't be able to fight without the team.
"PSYCH," Cyborg suddenly yelled scaring Phantom into visibility and destroying the shield his friends were in. While Cyborg shot at the villains with the cannon. Blood redirected his shot to the ceiling causing the entire place to crumble and shake. Many of the villains started to leave the building so that they didn't get smashed.
"A foolish choice," Blood warned dangerously. "Very foolish."
"You could have been one of us," Jinx muttered looking at him sadly.
"I could have been a lot of things," Cyborg stated as she head towards the platform where Mammoth and Gizmo were waiting with the head master. She shook her head knowing how true those words were. She had the same decision at one time as well before all this had happened. Phantom walked up to him.
"Could have been worse," Phantom muttered with a slight wince.
"Sorry, man. Wasn't expecting Robin to fly across the room," Cyborg stated watching his friend with some worry. Phantom shrugged him off.
"Raven, get us out of here," Robin ordered with a smile knowing what he was going to do when they got home.
"Thought you would never ask," she stated as her magic surrounded them and teleported them back to the Tower.
Titans Tower 0900 Hours
"Sorry I had to play rough with you guys. I think Phantom caught it first before the rest of you," Cyborg stated looking at the ghost. "But when I found out what this thing could do, I had to make Brother Blood trust me."
"That's how I figured it out. I still had access to the screen when you cut out," Phantom muttered with a smile. He had taken some pain killers and was glad that they weren't bugging him about his back. It was bruised, but that was it.
"But half those HIVE kids were brain washed. Why not you?" Raven asked not understanding it.
"Because half my brain is electronic," Cyborg answered pointing to his head. "He may have been able to fool the man, but he couldn't fool the machine."
"Which means next time we face him, we have our own secret weapon," Robin stated with a smile putting his hand on Cy's shoulder. Phantom smiled along with the rest of the team.
"Goodbye, Stone," Cyborg whispered as he took off his rings and the holograph disappeared. No matter what, Cyborg missed his human looks. He wished that accident never happened, but then he was glad it did. He was glad he met the Titans and helped found them, and he was glad to have helped Phantom out. Speaking of, Phantom decided to pop back by and walk into his room.
"You okay?" Phantom asked wondering in. Cyborg noticed that the hybrid was tense, and stayed a distance away from him.
"Don't worry; I'm fine," Cyborg muttered looking down. "Are you?"
"I've had worse," Phantom mumbled. Cyborg slowly walked closer, but Phantom backed away.
"You sure," Cyborg pushed knowing Phantom probably didn't let any of them near him.
"Yeah, just sore," Phantom smiled trying to hide his growing fear. "You don't look great either. Only difference between you and me right now is that your pain looks internal, and mine is my back."
"I never got to finish high school because of this," Cyborg stated looking at his hands. "While I was at the HIVE, I actually felt normal."
"Normal? In a school of a bunch of villains?" Phantom put in with a smile. "I never got to finish high school either, but it wasn't because I was half ghost."
"Why?" Cyborg asked looking at the hybrid wondering what caused him to stop school.
"My friends and family were always there to help me when I missed class while trying to stop the ghosts from hurting anyone. When they died…" Phantom whispered looking down.
"Your human form is considered dead with them. I forgot about that part," Cyborg mumbled feeling guilty.
"I ran and kept my identity as Phantom since everyone knew he survived, but the only people who were really looking for him was the Guys in White and Masters," Phantom stated. "The only one who truly could have know what could have happened in that school is Masters, and that's only because he truly knew who I was."
"I lost my mom in the accident. There was nothing they could do to save her, but someone thought that using me as an experiment was okay," Cyborg stated. "I guess we have something in common there."
"You are thought to be dead as well?" Phantom asked hoping that maybe he truly wasn't alone. Cyborg nodded.
"I think so; I never really looked into it," Cyborg stated with a smile feeling slightly better that he wasn't alone either.
"Oh, Cyborg," Beastboy sang out popping his head into his room. Cyborg looked at Phantom's face and noticed the grin that he wore. He knew something bad was going to happen when Robin appeared and leaned against the door frame.
"You left the Titans," he stated with an evil grin. Raven appeared too with a wicked grin.
"That means you have to be initiation all over again," Raven smiled holding up a rubber chicken while Robin held up a pink dress. Cyborg looked at Phantom.
"Neither has Phantom," he pointed out hoping to get out of it.
"Oh no, you guys sent me to jail," Phantom stated pushing Cyborg out of the room with the rest following.
"Oh no, I'm not wearing…" Cyborg protested while his team encouraged him to continue. He grumbled the entire time. He dragged him out of the room while forcing him to wear the pink dress and tights. Phantom grinned brightly until Cyborg pinned him down and smeared lipstick over his face. The entire team laughed at the annoyed halfa until the grin he wore made them nervous.
"You want to play that way, Cy," Phantom chuckled turning intangible and diving into Cyborg's body again and making him do strange dance moves. Robin caught everything on video while Beastboy was trying to maintain his laughter. Raven smiled widely at her friends while Starfire clapped and laughed at everything going on and her friends.
Downtown Jump City 1200 Hours
"Hey grandpa," a blonde haired teenager greeted and gave his grandfather a hug. He had missed him over the past year, and after everything that had gone down in Amity Park, he wanted to get away. His parents went ahead and decided to move back closer to their hometown of Jump City. He had lost his best friend in the Amity Park School Fire and didn't know what else to do. He still had Paulina, but she was now living back in Mexico with her mother. She was broken hearted when her best friend died as well.
"Dash, look at you. You have grown up so much," Baxter smiled. Dash grinned.
"So how have you been?" Dash asked knowing that his grandpa was a judge in the city.
"Well, I just had a case involving your old town hero, Danny Phantom," he stated smiling at his grandson. Dash's eyes widen as he looked at his favorite person in the world. The one he always looked up to when he didn't know what to do.
"Phantom's here?" Dash asked with a small smile. He heard every nasty rumor about how it was the ghost's fault that the school was burned, but they only seemed to be in Amity. Everywhere else, they either didn't know about Phantom or believed that he was the hero. They didn't have anyone really telling them any different especially with how many young heroes had been popping up around the world. Dash knew that Phantom was the one who stopped the fire in its tracks, and he knew that the ghost was in there. The pain-filled scream that filled Amity's skies that night would forever haunt the survivors.
"Yes, he's now with the Titans. They are taking very good care of him since he was in very bad condition when they found him," Baxter stated as they headed to the park that was finally somewhat repaired. "He's also been helping them out after what had happened to their team a while back."
"Do you think I could talk to him?" Dash asked hoping that maybe his grandpa could get him a moment with his favorite hero. Dash looked out at the ocean where Titan's Tower proudly stood knowing that his hero was probably there.
"Probably not. He has had a lot of problems talking to people and is real nervous around anyone that he doesn't know," Grandpa Baxter stated. "I'm sure once he's better and not so shy, he would have no problem."
"He's shy?" Dash questioned remembering the cocky hero back in Amity.
"What you seen in Amity Park was a mask the hero put up to protect himself. Phantom isn't going to let anyone know who he really is," Baxter warned as they stopped at the park. "I have you enrolled into the school, but you won't be able to play football until next year."
"That's fine," Dash muttered looking down. "I don't know if I even want to anymore."
"That's your choice, and I'll respect anything you decide to do," Baxter stated putting his hand on his grandson's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Thanks," Dash whispered looking up. His gaze stopped on a black haired teen that looked way too familiar and way too thin. He got out and headed over to the small teen that was just slowly walking though the park with a gentle smile.
"Fenton?" Dash asked wondering if he may have had something slipped into his drink. The teen stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned to face the taller teen.
Danny had decided to take a walk through the park while the Titans did some training. They wanted him to be there, but he said that his back hurt, and that he just wanted to relax. They didn't push him. Suddenly he heard his name; and not his first but his last. He turned around and came face-to-face with Dash Baxter.
"Crap," Danny muttered backing away.
"No way," Dash whispered looking the teen up and down. "You were in that classroom, or did you use that stupid excuse to leave and not get caught in the blast." Dash accused stalking up to Danny, but the closer he got; the more burns around the young teen's neck and shoulders he could see.
"Dash, what are you doing here?" Danny questioned narrowing his eyes and looking around. There weren't very many people, but when he noticed an older man step out of a car and look at Dash confused; he understood. Judge Baxter was related to Dash Baxter. His bad luck would always get him into trouble.
"I'm staying with my grandpa," Dash responded harshly.
"Dash, who is this?" the man asked walking up to the boys. He looked at the teen up and down before a grin appeared on his face. "They said you looked different when you changed."
"What? Who said that?" Danny asked narrowing his eyes at the judge.
"I work with the government. I read your entire case, and that included your file from the Guys in White. They just didn't know who you were," the judge explained while looking at his grandson who was completely confused. Danny let a small smile appear. "I had to know everything in order to make a fair decision."
"Figures, but how did you…?" Danny questioned looking the man in the eye.
"Your eyes may be different colors, but they hold the same pain," he answered. "Come on, Dash, let's continue our walk. It's nice to see you walking around, Phantom."
"Thanks," Danny smiled and vanished causing Dash to freeze.
"What?" Dash exclaimed looking at his grandfather completely lost on how his classmate was alive and disappeared like that.
"I'm guessing you knew him more in that form than his ghost," the elder stated. "I remember every case and every person I have sentenced to jail and even some that given that second chance outside in the world. You knew him as human, while I know him as the ghost that had his case dismissed because the prosecutor knew that there was truly nothing done wrong."
"Fenton is Phantom?" Dash asked stupidly as he walked along next to his second favorite person in the world. Fenton was now first even though he was considered dead. Fenton had his respect for the things he has and hasn't done. Dash couldn't bring himself to do anything about it either.
"Apparently, but I would keep that a secret. We don't need him getting into any more trouble than he already is," the elder stated as they continued their walk in silence. They day was chilled, but Dash could only think about what had just happened and now he understood what his grandfather said about Phantom always wearing a mask. Because the kid he knew as Fenton was just that as well, another mask he wore to protect himself.
Titans Tower 1500 Hours
"Has anyone seen Danny?" Robin asked walking into the living area where the team was resting and playing games.
"No, Friend Danny said he was going to be taking the walk in the park," Starfire informed watching Beastboy and Cyborg try to beat Phantom's high score together. They missed it by a little less than two hundred points. "He might still be there."
"Who might still be where?" Phantom asked walking into the room causing Robin to tense. He sighed and looked back at the ghost.
"You have incredible timing," he muttered glaring at the hybrid. Phantom grinned cheekily.
"I do my best," he responded and headed for the kitchen to grab an apple. Robin shook his head and headed to the couch to see if he could help Cyborg beat Phantom's score.
"I don't get it; how'd he get that high if he didn't beat that monster?" Cyborg mumbled going though the game. Phantom walked over to him grabbed the controller hit three buttons as a power up appeared giving him an extra life and an extra two hundred points.
"Like that," Phantom muttered and walked away leaving Cy's mouth hanging open. Robin chuckled. "I have several power ups and secret codes from my friend."
"I have to meet him!" Beastboy exclaimed grinning at Phantom only to realize what he meant. Phantom's face fell as he stared at the ground.
"She always beat me and Tucker," he whispered turning away from them heading out. Beastboy looked at Robin.
"Dude, why didn't we meet him before the school was destroyed? His girlfriend sounds freaking awesome," he muttered putting his controller down and going into the kitchen hoping to find something to snack on. Cyborg muttered something about Phantom cheating and then decided to see if he could beat Phantom's score now. He didn't really want to think about what Phantom had said. He didn't want to feel pain at the moment. He wanted to relax after a hard day of training.
"She was Goth. I know I would have liked her," Raven muttered wishing the same thing. Phantom seemed to fit right in because somehow they all had something that reminded him of his two best friends.
"Tucker liked tech," Cyborg muttered too, pausing the game. "He told us loads about his friends and family, but there's still something he really hasn't explained much of."
"He hasn't really explained all his old enemies," Robin muttered knowing that wasn't it. There was more to it, and he knew it. He felt like there was something that had been there, but he couldn't remember what he wanted to ask before.
"He did give us a drive that had them on it. He created it while in recovery," Cyborg stated opening up that file. The first ghost to pop up with the Box Ghost, and the Titans really didn't care about him since Phantom had told them that he was worse than Dr. Light.
"I feel like there's more to this," Robin stated as he looked though. Phantom had even put Plasmius in there, but he still felt like the ghost was holding out on them. "Something he's been skirting around since he got here."
"When we were taken on that reality trip thingy, he said something about a destroyed world," Cyborg stated going over that in his head. Robin had wanted to ask that.
"Oh yeah," Robin smiled snapping his fingers. "That's when he explained his status as a hybrid, but we never pushed the second part because we didn't know how much we could trust him, or how he would trust us. We know tons about his life, but we don't really know him. He has yet to open up completely."
"Think he would tell us now?" Beastboy asked looking at the leader who was still going though the files.
"I'm not sure," Robin mumbled. "I'm pretty sure it's a painful memory, but he promised he would tell us everything as time went on."
"He's still opening up," Raven stated. "Every day I see a new part of his old personality come out. Some days he's that closed off, tense ghost we all met while others he's just a teen that has taken on the world."
Red light flared though the room causing Phantom to suddenly appeared in a green light. He looked up at the screen and seen several dots. He looked at Robin's dark face.
"It's the Guys in White, or at least what's left of them. I talked to some of my contacts for confirmation about them. After they over spent the budget in buying some tech, the Government got rid of them. They were a useless part that cost more than they were worth."
"Then why are they here now?" Phantom asked with a slight temor.
"I'm not sure. They aren't supposed to really be here," Robin stated looking at the ground as four agents crashed through the window. Robin didn't even move as they surrounded Phantom. "But there is nothing I can do…"
"NO," Phantom screamed blasting out of the room.
Phantom shot up from the floor shaking. He was trying to catch his breath as his door was slammed open.
"Phantom?" Robin asked walking closer to his friend carefully. "I heard you scream. Are you okay?"
"I'm…fine," Phantom mumbled standing up on jello like legs. He leaned on his bed to help balance himself.
"Was it a nightmare?" Robin asked gently putting his hand on Phantom's shoulder. He wondered why nightmares would now start attacking the hybrid. Nothing really bad happened recently that would cause something like that. Phantom tensed and jerked away. "Danny, it's okay. Whatever happened, its okay. You're safe here."
"I know," Phantom muttered seeming to try convince himself of that fact.
"Wanna talk about it?" Robin asked thinking it was something that had to do with the school.
"Not really," Phantom stuttered looking away. Robin watched the ghost wondering if he should drop it or have him explain it. He really wasn't sure.
"Are you sure? Because if you're not going to tell me about your nightmare, think you can tell me about that destroyed world you brought up when you were split?" Robin asked hoping the ghost would tell him one or the other. He was more interested in the destroyed world part than his nightmare.
"Both are nightmares," Phantom stated backing away from the boy wonder. Robin sat on his bed and waited.
"You're still hiding things from us. You promised you would tell us everything," Robin reminded with a gentle smile. He knew how to work around Phantom enough to know that a smirk and his usual interrogation voice would only cause his friend to close up faster than anything else.
"In time," Phantom whispered. "It's something my friends knew about because they were there. If I could, I wouldn't have explained any of it to them."
"We're your friends now," Robin pointed out. "We don't want you to keep things from us."
"I don't even want to remember it, but I do," Phantom muttered walking across his room so that he was as far away from Robin as he could get. His nightmares were not helping him finish recovering, and he had no idea what brought them on. Last time it was Raven that sold him out, and this time it was Robin who didn't seem to care. However, at least he knew Robin cared otherwise Robin wouldn't be pushing him. "I've told you guys about most of everything else. Some of things I'll probably forget or even not remember, but why can't that be good enough?"
"Because after what happened with Terra, I don't want to take that chance," Robin stated sternly.
"You still have doubts about me," Phantom muttered looking at the pictures of his family on the wall.
"I trust you, but I don't want you to turn out like she did," Robin explained walking over to him.
"I would never turn out like her," Phantom whispered looking up at Robin. "If anything was to happen and I did turn to the evil side. It would be so much worse than what she or Slade could have ever thought of."
"How would you know?" Robin asked wondering if this was a good idea. Phantom at least told him part of something.
"Because I was sent ten years into the future," Phantom whispered looking down.
"So was Starfire, only she was twenty years and nothing was wrong besides our team being split apart and no longer together," Robin informed. "She learned that time isn't set in stone and that it can changed."
"Yeah, except the future I was sent to was an option of what could have happened if I used my powers for myself," Phantom muttered. "I lost my family and friends the first time. If it wasn't for Clockwork, I wouldn't have the second chance."
"So time really can be changed around?" Robin asked looking at his friend.
"Time isn't set in stone, but Clockwork, at first, was sent to kill me," Phantom explained looking at Robin. "I've done some pretty stupid stuff before, but when I couldn't study for a big test and accidently ended up with the answers, I almost caused the death of everyone I loved."
"You realize the Titans wouldn't let you get out of control," Robin stated with a smirk with his arms crossed. Phantom looked at him.
"When I was sent ten years in the future, the only city left was Amity Park," he explained. "That's only because they had my family's technology." Robin uncrossed his arms with his mouth open. "There is a lot that has to happen to me in order for that to happen. That's one reason why I went to find you guys when the school was destroyed. I needed something to get away from Amity. Since I was already considered dead, no one would be looking for me, and I wouldn't have to hide Fenton as much if his face wasn't plastered everywhere. I could hide behind my human face without anyone thinking anything of it."
"Do you know what happened to us then?" Robin asked wondering if he should have even brought it up. He figured that at least a few of the cities that had super heroes would have survived, but he never would think that someone like Phantom could destroy the world like that. There would always be someone to stop them. He guessed he was right. Someone did stop him and is still trying to prevent that from ever happening.
"No, but I do know that'll never happen. I'll kill myself before I let that monster out," Phantom promised looking at Robin with determination.
"So you've seen the future and then stopped it in its tracks?" Robin restated trying to see the friend he knew now to something that would destroy the world, and he couldn't do it. There was no way he could see Phantom do something like that. Phantom was too loyal and kind hearted for something to that extreme.
"With the fact that a lot of people were calling for my head," Phantom added looking up at the pictures again. "As time goes on with me here, I don't worry about it much. There's really a lot that has to happen before that monster could get out. I trust you guys."
"You've been forcing yourself to trust us," Robin pointed out looking at the hybrid with a smile trying to lighten the darkened atmosphere. "I noticed that much."
"Okay, I'm getting to where I'm not forcing myself to as much," Phantom smiled slightly.
"I know that too. Otherwise you wouldn't have continued your story," Robin pointed out. "At least I know you are fighting to prevent becoming a villain."
"Can't call him a villain," Phantom whispered looking down. "That would say he wasn't hard to beat and he never succeeded. He succeeded in destroying not just the Human realm, but the Ghost Zone as well."
"You've been calling him a monster," Robin stated looking at the pictures.
"Even that doesn't show how evil he was," Phantom mumbled taking a small step back.
"You said that a lot has to happen in order for him to come out," Robin started. "What all has to happen?"
"The first thing that happened was that my entire family and my friends died," Phantom whispered making Robin tense. He now knew why Phantom was looking for them. He was afraid that he would still turn that way, and he wanted someone to stop him before anything bad really did happen. "Fenton was the only survivor and then I was sent to live with Masters. Where he tried to take out my pain, but instead he took out my ghost half which took out his and merged with it. That's the part that actually created the monster, and why I ran. Masters knows who I am and would do anything to get his hands on me."
"At least I know how to protect you," Robin stated elbowing Phantom to get his attention. "You came here to avoid that, and I'm glad you did. Now, let's go to the living room where we can all go and get something to eat."
"Alright," Phantom smiled following Robin out of the room.
Amity Park Casper High 0900 Hours
"After several weeks of reconstruction and looking, the school is finally being rebuilt. We have with us today, Mr. Lancer," the reporter stated looking at the middle aged and slightly overweight man. He had lost a lot of weight after the school was destroyed from the stress of losing so many students. "Mr. Lancer, what do you think will happen now?"
"Life goes on. Many of my normal students were in that classroom, and so many had potential. I wish it never happened. I won't be teaching here, but something tells me, that if Phantom hadn't stopped the fire, many more lives would have been lost. They found thirty two students after Phantom stopped the fire and stabilized what was left of the building. Wherever he is, I hope he knows that if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here," Lancer explained. He was moving to Jump City where rumors said that the ghost was now living with the Titans. He wanted to be where Phantom was because he no longer felt safe in Amity. He wanted be near his hero. Around the one who gave him hope.
"Many people believe that the former mayor was the one responsible for not enforcing safety laws," the reporter asked. "What do you think?"
"I think it's also partly the school's fault for not following them, but Masters had enough money to help them get organized and get them back up to the safety standards. So yes, I believe that mayor was partly responsible," Lancer answered.
"Thank you," the reporter stated and continued on talking about something else. Lancer looked back at the memorial where hundreds of names were printed on it. Four were at the top.
Daniel Fenton; Jazz Fenton; Jack Fenton; Maddie Fenton
Lancer knew that entire family was no longer in Amity, but something was telling him that Danny wasn't dead. He may have been hurt, but he was out in the world somewhere. He felt horrible for getting the young boy in trouble so often. He was always looking sick and like he had a rough night, but Lancer didn't know what to do in order to help. Tomorrow he planned on leaving for Jump City and maybe getting back to a somewhat normal life.
Masters Mansion Wisconsin 1100 Hours
"Great," Master growled pacing around his secret lab. There was no way he could get to Phantom easily now. He was now an official member of the Titans and thanks to the stupidity of the Guys in White, his clone destabilized. He started pacing. If the Titans knew about his secret, then he couldn't use Masters against them. No doubt Phantom told them about his ghost half. He needed a pawn, and Valerie sounded right for the picking. However she was still recovering from the explosion. He sighed. He didn't mean for the school to go up, but he did want to kill Jack that day. It wasn't planned, but an accident. Now that they are gone, he was starting to feel guilty. However, the need to find Phantom and make him his was great, and he put all of the guilt aside.
He was either going to destroy Phantom or make him his son. Plans and formulas started racing though his head as he planned his next several moves. He still needed to fill his obsession. He called Valerie and told her where Phantom was, and what he had done in a message. He told her what he believed happened in the school which was that Phantom was there and was trying to destroy the Fentons. He was sure she would go after him then. That would give him more time to think of a plan to take Phantom for himself.
Elmerton 1400 Hours
"Valerie?" her dad asked looking at his daughter who was just glaring at the phone. "Are you alright?"
"Masters says that Phantom was the one that blew up the school," Valerie mumbled darkly. Her father suddenly started ranting about how the ghost probably was blamed just so Masters could deal with the pain and then about how Phantom saved everyone and then go and work with the Titans. He hated Masters, but there was truly nothing he could really do. "That was the only truth in the call then."
"What?" her dad stopped and looked at her confused.
"Phantom is with the Titans. Good for him, I think that having someone to stand by him is good," Valerie stated slowly standing. "He didn't destroy the school. He stopped the fire, and I think Masters had something to do with it. He's always trying to kill Jack."
"He wants you to go after Phantom. Why would he call when you are recovering?" he questioned looking at his daughter worriedly.
"I have to warn Phantom," she stated getting her suit. "I know he was close to several people in that room. I don't want Masters knowing that I know what he did."
"Valerie," her dad pleaded not wanting her to go.
"I'm not letting him get hurt again. He was in that school, and I trust him not to hurt me. Once I get there, I'll be safer. Masters won't be able to come after me then," Valerie explained. "Please, Dad. Phantom won't let anything happen to me. Masters will know I know if I don't go at all."
"Just be careful," he sighed. He knew Phantom would protect his daughter. He always had been, but he never said anything. "Tell him thank you for me."
"Why?" Valerie asked ready to fly.
"Because I know he was protecting you from the beginning," he smiled giving her a couple hundred dollars. "For food until you get there. When you get there, please call so I know that you are safe."
"I will, I promise," Valerie stated taking off.
Panama 1400 Hours
"Mama," Paulina asked looking for her mother. She found her in the bedroom. "I want to go home."
"We are home, my girl," her mother stated.
"I want to be where Phantom is. I don't feel safe," she whined. It was the truth through. Ever since Phantom had left, Amity felt dangerous. She wanted the Ghost Boy back. She may have had a creepy crush on him, but she respected him for all the work he put in to protect Amity. She never truly realized how much he did until she lost her best friend. Star, there was no saving her. She was in the classroom that blew up.
"Honey, your father is trying to find him," her mother promised. "He already said he might have, he just has to find a place for us."
"Where?" Paulina asked giddy.
"He is in Jump City, with the Teen Titans," she answered.
"HE WORKS WITH OTHER HEROES!" Paulina screamed so excited. Her mother shook her head and continued knitting.
Titans Tower 1900 Hours
"Friend Phantom?" Starfire asked walking out on the roof seeing her friend standing on the edge looking out at the city. He turned around and gave her a small smile.
"Hey, Star," he greeted. He turned back around and faced the city. His cloak blew gently behind him in the breeze.
"It is beautiful, is it not?" Star questioned wanting to know more about her friend.
"Yeah," Phantom mumbled. "You okay?"
"Robin told us what you told him," she whispered looking at him. Phantom looked down ashamed. "I cannot see you that way. You are much too loyal and…kind."
"Thanks," Phantom mumbled looking up at her. She beamed back at him and then wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He tensed up and tried to back away. "Starfire."
"I'm so sorry," she whispered pulling him close, but she was careful not to hurt him. He shook one last time before she let go. "You will always be our friend. We won't let anything happen to you."
"Thanks," Phantom whispered looking down and then back out at the city. Starfire looked out and watched as the sky darkened.
"We should go inside. Robin ordered the pizza for tonight," Starfire informed with a smile. Phantom smiled at her and looked back at the door.
"I'm guessing you were the one who was supposed to come get me," Phantom smiled as they headed down. Starfire smiled and led the way. When they arrived, Robin was in front of a computer that had an entry form. Phantom looked at them confused.
"We need your information in order for you to become an official member and be able to work outside the city with other Titans," Robin explained. Phantom slowly made his way up the computer. "Because Fenton is believed to be dead, you can stay as Phantom now. But we have to have you in the system so people don't question too much."
"To work with other Titans?" Phantom whispered looking back at the screen. Until now Phantom had just been there to get help and stay hidden, but now they wanted him to play a much bigger role in the Teen Titans, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for such a responsibility. Robin smiled at him.
"You won't have to work with them right away, but this is for future missions and assignments that may come up," Robin explained seeing a look of fear pass over the hybrid's face. "We only need the info for our system. The only ones with the clearance to look at it is me and Cyborg. Everyone else will only get a picture and your name. They need to at least know who you are and maybe even give them access to part of the list of your powers. They need to know just in case they are in trouble with ghosts or need help if they find someone with similar powers."
"So this would be if someone other Titans needed my help somewhere else," Phantom whispered looking up at the leader. Robin smiled and typed in a code in the computer which caused the screen to black for a moment until some of the info they already had on the ghost appeared.
"You only need to fill in the blanks," Robin explained as he pulled up a chair. Beastboy and Cyborg headed for the TV while Raven and Starfire left to pick up the pizza. Phantom took in a deep breath before looking at the first blank.
Date of birth and city in which you were born.
Robin carefully watched as Phantom typed in his date of birth and the city of Amity Park.
"You lived in Amity all your life?" Robin asked surprised. Usually people changed places at least a couple times in their lifetime. Phantom smiled slightly.
"No. We actually lived in Florida for a few years before moving back to Amity Park," Phantom explained as he moved on to the next question. Robin read over his shoulder making Phantom feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Do you really have to watch me fill it out?" Phantom asked with a nervous tone. Robin laughed at the frightened look the ghost held.
"I have to make sure that you fill everything out and what is already filled out is correct," Robin informed as a question of if he finished high school or not came up. Phantom looked at him before answering no. Robin looked down knowing the reason. A window popped up making Phantom jump a little. "It's okay. I have to put in a code since the computer won't let you be official unless you have an education. But you can't go to school since you are thought to be dead anyway. Surprisingly there are a lot of Titans your position."
"That's comforting," Phantom mumbled as the computer locked the question and moved on. Robin smiled reassuringly at the ghost as he finished.
"It didn't kill you and there really wasn't that much anyway," Robin reassured as he stood up. Suddenly alarms went off telling them that there was someone on the island. Cyborg pulled the video feed which made Phantom's heart stop. For there, standing in front of the Tower's doors was the Red Huntress.
Valerie took in a deep breath as her nerves went into overdrive. This was it; it was time to meet Phantom after everything that had happened. After all the pain that had transpired in Amity Park. She took a step when the door opened to reveal a teen around her age with black hair and a mask. She immediately recognized the leader of the Titans.
"I figured Phantom wouldn't have answered," she sighed as she disarmed her suit. "But I need to talk to him."
"Why should I let you after everything that has happened?" Robin questioned watching her carefully. Phantom had told them little about her, but Robin knew that she could pose a threat to him. Especially since Phantom wasn't in any condition to fight back at the moment.
"There are some things that I need him to know," she answered looking at him with desperation. "I need to talk to him. I don't want to hurt him." Robin opened the door and let her in.
"We'll be watching," the boy wonder warned while they entered the conference room. He opened a door, and Phantom slowly walked in. Valerie noticed that the confidence and cockiness that she was so use to was gone. Instead there was someone standing there that seemed hollowed out and was slowly being filled back in by a mature young man who had been broken and was slowly starting to heal.
"Phantom?" Valerie whispered unsure if that was really the ghost. Phantom flinched and ducked his head. She slowly walked up to him and realized just how bad the ghost was. He looked up at her and took a step back. Valerie let her tears fall as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. He stiffened and stayed completely still as Robin relaxed the fighting stance he had taken. He let a smile come to his face as he noticed Phantom was terrified.
"Valerie," Phantom whispered realizing that she wasn't trying to kill him. Valerie pulled back slightly and rested her hands on the ghost's shoulder.
"I was so worried that I would never find you," Valerie whispered seeing the cornered look Phantom gave her. "I'm sorry that I didn't see this before the school fire."
"Why are you here?" Phantom asked with a slight shake racing though his body. Valerie looked down afraid that he wouldn't help her.
"Vlad still thinks I hate you. He still thinks I blame you for everything when if it weren't for you at the school, I would have died. I was one of the last students to get out after you froze the fire," Valerie explained with a small smile. "I figured that if I stayed Masters would try to hurt me or worse. I don't want to end up as another pawn in his game."
"He sent you here to attack me," Phantom whispered taking a step back away from her. She went to reach out for he when he shook his head. "Please don't."
"Are you okay?" Valerie asked worriedly. She noticed that Phantom didn't want her near him. She didn't want him to feel like she was going to hurt him.
"No, I'm not okay, and I'm not entirely sure I ever will be," he answered looking up at her. "But I haven't given up yet."
"You were injured in the fire weren't you?" Valerie asked looking down at the ground as Phantom closed the cloak that wrapped around him.
"Yeah," he mumbled as remembered pain flared through his body. "I'm guessing Plasmius is planning something if you came here, and you have an idea of what it is."
"He wanted me to destroy you, but I think he just wanted a distraction. He knew I was injured in that fire," Valerie explained looking at the young hybrid in front of her. She realized his hostility at the mayor and hers as well that had shown up when she found out about him. Suddenly she understood a bit about why Phantom had always been hostile towards the former mayor. "You knew who he was the entire time."
"Yes, but he threatened me to never tell his secret," Phantom whispered getting a look from Robin since he knew the real threat that the villain used against him. Valerie wanted so badly to hug him again knowing that this would be one of the few times they might actually get the chance to act like friends.
"What are we going to do now?" she asked as Phantom took a couple steps back.
"I don't know," he whispered wanting to disappear and let Robin handle her.
"Phantom, this is your bad guy," Robin stated watching the fear that passed over the hybrid's face. "We'll all be here to back you up, but it's your decision."
"I don't suppose I could stay here?" Valerie asked looking at the leader. "I really don't want to go anywhere else, and I'm afraid of Masters finding me in a hotel."
"Yes, I'll have a room," Robin stated. "Phantom, why don't you give her a small tour?"
"Is that an order?" Phantom asked hoping to get out of it. He wanted to disappear, and Robin knew that. He needed Phantom to get over the fear of people. Disappearing when he got uncomfortable wasn't helping much.
"Yes, Valerie, make sure he follows it," Robin smirked getting a glare from the hybrid. Valerie let a laugh out as Phantom motioned for her to follow.
"He lets the person who spent most of his time in the infirmary give the tour. I get lost going to my own room half the time," Phantom mumbled as he headed down a hallway. Valerie looked at him wondering what all happened.
"How do you keep getting lost going to your own room?" Valerie asked with a small smile. Phantom sighed.
"I can only get places around here from the infirmary. I've spent so much time in there that it seems like my room half the time. When I first came here, I was so bad off that I was lucky I didn't just die. I was so thin and weak," Phantom explained with his voice low. Valerie really watched his walk and how careful he was. He was grounded, and it sent chills down her spine at how much the ghost had changed.
"What happened?" Valerie asked as they came up to the training room. Phantom sighed trying to remember how to get around the stupid tower.
"When I left Amity, I had nothing. No money for food; no one to help me. Everyone that cared about me died in that explosion. I had nothing," Phantom whispered. He motioned to the room they stopped at and looked up at her and then back at the room where the record of the day was glowing brightly in the darkness. "This is the training room where the current holder of the record in the course is Cyborg. I have yet to do it, but I'm not hundred percent yet either."
"Why leave then?" Valerie asked with worry in her voice. Phantom had been out on his own without anyone there to care for him and it worried her.
"I had nothing, and I was so unstable at the time that I was worried someone would take advantage of me. I hate feeling helpless, so I just figured that disappearing would be best. It wasn't the best choice, but the outcome at least didn't leave me dead in some alleyway," Phantom whispered looking at her. "I didn't realize how close I had truly come to that either until my body shut down. The Titans thought I had died when my body just needed to restart and reset the wounds. I still have healing to do, but most of it is from the past."
"You're healing mentally," Valerie concluded. "So, do they label you as a crazy?"
"Yeah," Phantom smiled feeling slightly more comfortable since she wasn't trying hurt him. Valerie gave a breathless laugh.
"You still have that annoying sense of humor?" she asked hoping to get something more than fear or pained answers from the young ghost.
"Probably, but it has yet to show up," Phantom smiled meeting her eyes. Valerie looked deep in them seeing that the old care free hero was still there, but he was buried and burdened by the pain of the past year.
"I'm sure when the Titans see it, they'll have to do a double check to make sure its actually you," Valerie pointed out as they came up to the infirmary.
"This is my second room, or everyone else calls it the infirmary," Phantom smiled. Valerie noticed that most of it was damaged and many different parts of it were being redone and repaired.
"What happened?" she asked looking at the ghost wondering if he knew. Phantom backed away from her.
"Even here my past haunts me. It's a wound that's much too early for me to talk about," Phantom whispered heading out. Valerie took one last look before running after the ghost.
"Hey, where you going? You're supposed to be giving me the tour," she stated putting her hand on his shoulder to stop him. Instead he flipped out and shot back down the hallway with wide eyes. "Phantom!" Valerie called after him making sure to keep him in her sights when he entered a room and the door closed. She ran up to it and listened carefully for anything.
On the other side of the door, she could hear the faint sobs of the young teen. She gently knocked on the door.
"Phantom," she whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you, can I come in?" She really hoped that this was his room and not the bathroom, but she really didn't care. All that she knew was that her friend was in distress. She took a step forward which made the door open.
"I can't lock it. Robin took that off when I hid in here last time," Phantom mumbled looking up at her from his position on the bed. Valerie looked around the room amazed at how much detail was put in it.
Phantom was sitting on the edge with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them to keep them close. His cloak was wrapped around his from making him look like a pile of blankets with a head.
"Wow, the Titans went all out for you," Valerie stated looking around the room until she noticed the picture frame with the Fentons, Sam, and Tucker. Valerie walked up to it when Phantom suddenly appeared and threw a blanket over it.
"Sorry, but that's private," he stated with a guarded look daring her to say anything. Valerie took a couple steps back to respect his privacy, but she wondered why in the world he would have the Ghost Hunters who constantly wanted to rip him apart in his room.
"You still have to finish the tour," she reminded wanting to get him distracted. Phantom turned away from her and wrapped his arms around his chest.
"Well, this is my room," he whispered looking over his shoulder with a small smile. Valerie gave a small laugh.
"I figured that out, but what about the others. Where are they?" she questioned walking over to his bed and sitting on it.
"Probably in the living room," Phantom mumbled looking up at the blanket covered frame before also sitting on the other side of the bed.
"You hide in here most of the time then?" Valerie asked knowing that Phantom probably felt like an outsider most of the time here with the heroes.
"Only if I'm uncomfortable. This is the first time anyone has been in here when I get like this," Phantom informed. Valerie turned to look at him closer. She noticed the hunched form slightly shaking from stress and fear.
"I'm sorry I never took the time to really get to know you," Valerie whispered looking down at the black sheet. "Know the enemy, I guess I never truly took that to heart. I thought that ghosts were only evil. I never took the time to really look at what you had done instead of what everyone else said."
"It's okay. At least you're not attacking me now," Phantom whispered looking up at her. "I should probably take you to see everyone else. Robin might be checking the cameras to make sure I'm actually doing what I was told."
"Yeah, Robin might wonder why you haven't gotten to the rest of the team," Valerie informed.
"He would figure out. He knows me well enough to just look at me and get what happened," Phantom mumbled as he stood up and headed for the door. Valerie followed him out. They headed farther up in the Tower before coming to a set of automatic opening doors.
"I BEAT PHANTOM'S SCORE, BOOYAH!" Cyborg cheered as they entered. Phantom just stopped at the door and blinked a couple times. Valerie hid a chuckle seeing the Titan dancing around the room.
"I'll get it back," Phantom grinned making the Titan stop in the middle of his dance. "Where is everyone else?"
"I don't know. Robin came in here and asked something from Raven. Starfire took off to do something, and Beastboy is asleep over there," Cyborg explained pointing to the other end of the couch where Beastboy was spread out. "Who's that?"
"Cyborg, this is Valerie. Valerie, this is Cyborg," Phantom introduced motioning to them. Valerie held out her hand.
"Hey," she smiled seeing the uncomfortable look Phantom had. Cyborg shook her hand.
"Well, at least we are able to make Phantom uncomfortable," Cyborg pointed out adding to the hybrid's embarrassment. Valerie let a chuckle escape as Phantom slipped away from the two and headed to the couch. He picked up the control and restarted the game for his name. Cyborg walked over to watch while Valerie stood behind the couch and watched as Phantom took back the reign of high score.
"How much time did you play while the rest of the normal kids were in school?" Valerie asked shaking her head at the two boys. Phantom froze and just stared at the screen. Cyborg looked at the girl with a small smile knowing she just put Phantom on the spot and that he never told her his secret.
"I don't think he wants to talk about that, but I bet he didn't just sit around and play video games all day like we do half the time," Cyborg informed. "Some things you have to work for his trust before you'll understand everything."
"Valerie, please don't bring up my past," Phantom whispered taking in a deep breath as memories of hanging out with Sam and Tucker flooded his mind. The controller in his hand fell as he wrapped his arms around himself trying to keep himself steady. His entire body was trembling.
"I'm sorry," Valerie whispered jumping over the back and sitting next to the ghost. She gently wrapped her arms around in a hug hoping that it would help. Cyborg went to say something when Phantom relaxed a little.
"Man, Starfire usually is the only one who can get away with that," Cyborg stated blinking at them. Valerie pulled back a little and looked at the hybrid who was just staring at the ground.
"Are you okay?" Valerie asked seeing the slight tremble in Phantom's body.
"I think so," he whispered as pain flashed though his mind.
Ghost Zone 0600 Hours
"I've found you, Prey," Skulker grinned as he watched a small clip of the ghost in the city of Jump. He sharpened his blade as he replayed the clip over and over again. "I'll get you, Ghost Child. And when I do, your pelt will rest at the foot of my bed."
"Skulker, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING!? We HAVE a DATE, and you COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT IT," Ember screamed slamming the door open. Her hair burned big and bright with her anger.
"I was busy," he mumbled as Ember glared at him. He growled silently. "I'm sorry."
"Good because we will be going out tonight," Ember informed grabbing him from his work.
Danny: Well now you don't have to be mad
Me: I have like at the time in the world at the moment, and I have just been...well, doing nothing...XD
Danny: Lazy butt
Me: Yeah...well now you get more of the plot, and don't forget to review...if you already did, you can actually log out and leave it that way...it's not going to eat you, I promise.