Abnormal Wednesday

-V-

"Join the protest!" shouted Paulina over the crowd. "Down with Red back with Phantom."

Despite the horrible chanting the queen bee of Casper High was gathering a crowd.

"Fight back! Rise up. Lets show Huntress there is only one hero of Amity Park."

I grit my teeth squeezing the life out of my carton of milk, causing the liquid to spill through my fingers and run onto my tray. I'm sure I would find that annoying later but I think killing a milk carton was better then attacking another student.

"Red Huntress has our hero. Let's rise and-

"Oh please!" the sarcastic cry shot the cheerleader's voice out of the water. "Are you really that dumb?"

The owner of the voice took the opportunity to jump up on another table high above the crowd. "Do you honestly believe that Red Huntress has what it takes to hold Phantom against his will for two weeks!?" Sam Manson spoke above the crowd in a loud voice. She didn't scream like Paulina had, but spoke with a booming voice filled with emotion without being overloaded. This was a girl who had experience speaking in front of and rallying crowds.

"She has to have him." Paulena screeched back mostly just to be heard. I stared on in awe, the milky massacre on my tray forgotten.

"By what logic did you come to that conclusion?" Sam asked critically. "Red Huntress and Phantom have been working together for months now. Phantom gave Red Huntress his own ghost hunting equipment. I know you have a crush on the ghost boy but just because he starts hanging out with a girl doesn't give you the right to turn hoards of people against her."

Paulina turned red from embarrassment. I was astonished to see some members of the crowd actually start to shift, expression wavering. It was no secret Paulina had an obsessive crush on Danny Phantom. "Well where else would Phantom go?"

Sam shook her head rolling her eyes. "I don't know. Maybe a ghost kidnapped him. Maybe he is visiting someone he cares about. Or maybe he decided that with Red Huntress in town he could finally take a much needed break." Sam spread her arms wide above the crowd. "No one knows where Phantom runs off to. The ghost has always been a mystory and always will be. Maybe he has been kidnapped and maybe not, the fact is we don't know and we have no way of knowing. So unless you get some actual evidence that Red Huntress has taken Phantom hostage keep your wild speculations to yourself! Some of us want to eat our lunch without your screeching."

Argument made, Sam jumped from the table top. The crowd parted for her as she made her way to Tucker who handed her her lunch bag. Paulina attempted to go back to rallying the crowd but people had lost interest. Anyone who stayed, stayed for her looks not her words.

I couldn't keep the smile off of my face so I focused on my food. The scene playing over and over again behind my eyes as I committed it to memory. I had been dying for someone to knock some sense into people for days and actually having it happen was therapeutic.

"Can we sit with you?" came a familiar voice.

I looked up to see Sam and Tucker standing on the other side of the table. I didn't even hesitate to answer. "Yes you can!"

The two took their seats. "Thanks. It's hard to tell who it's safe to sit with after one of Sam's outbursts." Tucker teased burning a joking elbow to the ribs.

"I just can't take there stupidity." Sam said frustratedly.

"Your not the only one." I said. "and thank you for knocking some sense into them." I could not convey how grateful I truly was.

"Don't mention it. I just w-word people would use there brain a bit more." Sam said a bit too casually.

I froze when I heard her literally say 'w-word'. Looking up I locked eyes with Sam's sly eyes.

"Especially when there are so many other things to be worried about." Tucker continued the thought as he munched on his chicken sandwich. "Like how this table just changed from a rectangle to a circle while we were sitting around it." Tucker looked up and kept talking as if he hadn't just revealed he was Scribe. "Have you spotted any other changes since we last spoke?"

I blinked at the two stunned for a good minute before their words caught up and I glanced around to ensure no one was listening. "A couple, the windows changed, some of the students suddenly became goth, geek or popular for no reason. And I am pretty sure some classrooms have been added to Casper High."

"Are you talking about the art hall?" asked Sam. I nodded.

"I noticed that too." Said Tucker. "and I didn't find much in our ghost files. How about you Sam?"

Said goth shifted uncomfortably. "There are lots of creatures in myths that have powers that could manifest like this but none of this seems to make sense, I mean-" Sam gestured around her. "No one just does something this massive without a purpose and there doesn't seem to be a purpose behind this."

"But you have an idea." Tucker prodded slightly.

She threw her friend a look and then glanced at me before sighing. "Jazz and I talked it over and…" I leaned in closer. "We think Phantom is doing it by accident."

What?

Tucker didn't look much better but he spoke first. "Why do you say that? He's nowhere near Amity."

"There are just too many similarities between what was happening with him and what is happening to the town. Jazz brought up how sometimes ghosts can become physically bonded to things they are emotionally attached to. It's possible that Phantom is changing Amity Park without even knowing it."

"But Phantom's not that powerful." I jumped in.

Both turned to me. "He's becoming that powerful. That's why he left." Sam said

Tucker nodded. "We were all worried about the damage Phantom's crash course might cause so he went to hide out in the Zone until he gets it under control."

"That makes sense, I guess." I said my old beliefs about Phantom unwillingly coming to the surface. I thought about how in the beginning of my career I was sure that he purposely caused as much damage as he could. In those times there was nothing the ghost could do that I would see as good. I was so blinded by rage, sorrow and bitterness. Looking back it was terrifying to think about, to realize what I was, what I could have easily become, and to now know how wrong I was.

"But what is happening with Phantom? And how does it line up with what is happening with Amity Park?" Trying to Ignore my emotional whirlwind of conflicting emotions, and thoughts trying to stay on track.

The two exchanged looks obviously deciding how much to tell. Even now not trusting me fully. With the thoughts of the past that had been rushing through my head previously I couldn't bring myself to be upset as I normally would have been. "It's not normal for ghosts to get the level of power Phantom is growing into, and those that do rairly develop them all at once." Sam started.

"Power of that magnitude often comes with… side effects." Tucker continued. "Phantom was getting more and more confused."

"He was so out of it the last time we saw him that-" Sam stopped herself her expressen pained at the memory. " Jazz and Danny decided to stay with him in the Zone until he gets better." Sam finished melancholy.

A lump formed in my throat. I wouldn't call Phantom my friend or anything but we had come to rely on and trust one another. And I have never seen Sam so heart wrenchingly worried "How is he?" I asked.

Both Sam and Tucker's expressions were enough to give me an idea. "He's gotten better but still really confused and no one knows for sure how to help him." Sam said.

"So what do we do?" a feeling of abandonment and worry washed through me making me feel almost vulnerable. Sure I had been hunting alone since the beginning and I had been protecting Amity Park for the last couple weeks but now it seemed real.

I never knew were Phantom was, but he always appeared whenever I needed him. I guess I just got used to the idea that even if I didn't see him, he was still somewhere nearby ready to jump in and save the day if need be. Now I was learning he wasn't. The training wheels had been pulled off and I was completely alone.

Sam shrugged. "All we can really do is keep an eye on things. I say we stop by Fenton Works after school; they usually have something that can help. If nothing else all of their equipment is ghost proof so there is a lesser chance of it changing while we're working on it."

"But how will we get in?" I asked. "Danny and Jazz are in the Ghost Zone."

Sam smiled. "Tucker and I have had keys to their house since we were 11."

Tucker shared the grin. "The Fentons have us take care of the house, check on their weapons, and even take care of some of their experiments whenever they leave town. So we know our way around everything Fenton."

I smiled with my new comrades the feeling of abandonment fading slightly.

Then the bell rang and we had to go separate ways. I might as well have skipped the last two periods. I couldn't concentrate on anything. My thoughts and emotions were a mess. I had met the hunters face to face. They were my age. Phantom was unwell, hidden away in the Ghost Zone. We had an idea on what was going on. I wasn't alone.

-V-

The Fentons had more equipment than I thought. Just like they said, Tucker and Sam knew their way around the lab, weapons vault, opscenter and other crazy areas. It shouldn't be surprising they had been friends with Danny for years and after they became friends with Phantom they no doubt started paying more attention. It was brilliant really. No one would suspect the children of ghost hunters and their closest friends to be allied with a ghost. And yet somehow, someway Phantom had done just that.

Some old paranoia surfaced and I wondered briefly if it was a precalculated move, maybe with some ulterior motive. I shook my head wiping the thoughts from my mind. After working through my issues, that had been building up since my Mom left, I had been able to look at things rationally. With that came the obvious realization that if Phantom had wanted to take over Amity Park, hurt me, or any other unsavory goal, he would have done it by now. No teenager, let alone a ghost, had enough self control or planning to not make some sort of move after everything that had happened in the last few years.

With that inner battle won I returned to my job of shifting through the digital files of the Fenton's inventions looking for anything that could be useful. Tucker was running a scanner trying to see if he could detect the changes. Sam was digging through the prototypes and anything the Fenton parents had forgotten to put in their system.

A shout hit the air. I jumped out of my chair falling into a defensive stance, hand going to my nearest ghost weapon. Sam rushed in just as serious. The room had changed, became smaller, less cluttered with equipment I didn't remember seeing minutes before but the biggest thing that was out of place was the techno geek that was currently scrambling off the ground pulling his chair up right while refocusing on the screen before him utterly gobsmacked.

"What the heck was that!" Tucker screamed before typing furiously at the computer.

Sam and I moved to look over his shoulder. The tape rewound and played in slow motion. It looked like an explosion on the screen. Causing the whole scanner to wash white before returning. But when the picture returned it was different, the map of Amity Park was different.

"What just happened?" Sam asked

"I think…" Tucker broke off awkwardly in his typing. "Before only little things were being changed one at at time. Now it looks like everything changed at once."

"What do you mean everything?" I asked coming closer my eyes roaming over the unfamiliar map. My stomach sinking.

"I mean all of Amity, possibly the world has just been changed."

"But that's not- he's not-" I shook my head looking around the room. Sure I had noticed the changes before and I was freaked out before but now I was really scared. The world was changing and we were the only ones who knew.

"Valerie calm down." Sam spoke seriously, turning to face me, grabbing my shoulders. My near panicking eyes immediately met hers. "It is going to be okay Valerie. One way or another we are going to fix this."

"How can you guys be so calm?" I whispered. "The world is literally changing and we are the only chance to stop it and your just chill."

The goth's lips twitched. And she continued just as serious with unresolving confidence "I know it looks hopeless but it's not. Tucker and I know what we are doing and if push comes to shove we have friends that can help."

"Friends that can put the world back the way it was before?" I asked sceptical.

Sam nodded with a knowing look. "Well I'm sure I can talk one of our friends into taking us back in time for a do over if we screw things up too much."

I eyed Sam. "Are you being serious right now?"

Sam only smiled slyly. "Maybe."

"I got it!" cried Tucker. "The 'explosion' happened on corner of…5 and Maple Boulevard."

"There is no Maple Boulevard. Or any Boulevard, not in Amity Park." I said coming closer to look at the map.

"Well there is now." Tucker said typing. "I am downloading the new map into your suit. We need you to go see if you can find why the 'explosion' originated from there."

It wasn't much but it was the only lead we had and it beat sitting here and looking through blueprints "Alright I'll-"

I was cut off when another explosion flared. "Ahh!" Tucker screamed again, before huffing and returning to his typing furiously.

"Go Valerie, we've got things here." Sam took over orders with the geek zeroed in on tec.

I ran out of the door ducking into the alley glancing around to ensure I was alone before triggering my suit. I was off, flying through the air, down the streets. I quickly discovered something.

"Tucker!" I called over my mike. "My new map isn't lining up with anything."

"Everything's changed again." Came the geek's voice in my ear. "What is even worse is that the explosion came from the other side of town."

"What does that mean?" I asked confused.

"Ahhh!" both Tucker and I screamed as the world changed around me. One minute I was flying full throttle through the open sky, the next I was crashing into someone's dresser smashing it to splinters, cloths and knick knacks flying everywhere. Thank goodness my suit was built for this.

"And now it did it again." Tucker said frustrated.

I deactivated my board shifting to pull myself from the rubble "Yah I kind of figured." I said back. Looking around I groaned. "You have got to be kidding me." On the walls were Danny Phantom posters, pictures. Sitting cross legged on a bed was Paulina crowded around by her fellow A-listers all holding scissors, glue, pencils and markers working diligently on what appeared to be photos of me. This had to be the absolute worst luck. Spotting a window, I raced towards it eager to get away from my haters before they recovered from there shock.

"The last eruption happened right here at Fentonworks!"

My stomach went cold. "I'm coming back-" I said. Jumping out of the window free falling for a story before my board expands again stopping my fall. I could hear faint shouts and screams as I did so but ignored my Ex-friends in favor of my current partners.

"No Red. You stay on target." Came Sam's voice firm and unyielding.

"But what about you?"

"We will be fine." Sam said calmly. "We have all of the Fentonworks equipment, we have Phantom's ghost files, and we have as much hunting experience as you. We can take care of ourselves but Amity Park can't. And the way things are escalating cannot be good"

"You need to check the location of the first explosion" came Tucker, said mind obviously focused on something else. "Any information is good information at this point."

"How am I supposed to find it? The world is different now. This map is useless." I said looking across town at the foreign skyline.

"I'm updating your map now and inserting dots where the past explosions were. See if you can find anything." Tucker said back.

"What about the one at Fentonworks?"

"I will investigate that one." Came Sam's voice right as the new map popped up. "But it may take a while. Finding something strange in normal Fentonworks is hard enough. An altered version of Fentonworks is going to be impossible."

I hum my agreement, turning to the closest dot on the map. A bleep showed up on my scanner that a ghost was near but I ignored it for now, I had bigger problems and no one was screaming. The current location of the first 'explosion' was a nearly deserted road that I had never heard of. That was as far as Tucker was able to narrow it down. I flew back and forth across the spot hopelessly trying to find something out of place. "Alright, I'm here. What am I looking for?" I asked looking around for anything out of place.

"Um-" came Tucker's voice not really instilling me with confidence. "Is it any where you recognize? Is there anything recognizable?"

I looked closer at the cobblestone street, the kerosene lamp posts, and the old and weathered wooden benches. "No. it looks old. Like from another time."

"Does it match the rest of the town, and if not where does it end?"

"No, pretty much all of the town is old."

The world changed again. There was no flash, no sound, no nothing, just blink and suddenly I was inside an abandoned warehouse."Valerie did you see anything there when the explosion happened? A portal, flash, anything?"

"No, nothing." I said looking around, creeped out, almost feeling like I had been swallowed by a whale.

"Did your location change with the explosion?" came Tucker's voice.

"Yep." I said. Uncertainty soured in my stomach.

Tucker huffed. "What about you Sam? Any luck?"

"Not really, it's a big house and like Valerie said it seems like everything has changed again."

"Okay." Tucker sighed. "Look around a bit, see if anything didn't change from the last explosion. If you don't find anything, go to a different explosion location, lets see if we can find a pattern."

Turning on my lights I began my search to see if anything here looked familiar.

I was almost to the edge of where the the old street had ended and houses began; where before when I heard something. A moaning, whining sound.

"Hello?" I called. "Is anyone here?"

A flash of light caught my attention in the far corner. Hitting the boosters I rocketed over to the light.

"Phantom!" I cried kneeling down next to the ghost. Worry and relief crushed me with the opposing blows. The relief at seeing him was knocked away with the worry at the sight of a lot of ectoplasm leaking out of a serious looking injury on his abdomen. "What happened?"

"Nothing." I heard him murmur quietly. Not looking at me instead hiding his radioactive green eyes behind his white bangs.

"I thought you were with Jazz and Danny in the Ghost Zone?" I asked baffled and frazzled.

"Huh?" he asked looking confused, finally looking up. His eyes the dimmest I had ever seen them.

Sam and Tucker's words came back to me. Phantom was confused. I didn't have time to deal with that right now. My eyes fell to the injury. "Never mind. What do we do about that?" I said gesturing at the wound. "Do ghosts have hospitals or something?"

"No, no hospitals!" Danny moved as if he was going to try to get up.

"Okay!" I said without really thinking past getting him to stop moving. "Where do I take you then?"

"Sam-" he murmured deliriously leaning back against the boxes.

I moved as gently as I could. Phantom didn't seem to have a problem muscling through pain but I saw him flinch several times as I pulled him onto my sled. I flew out of the warehouse. Even if this would change with the next "explosion" I was not going to take that chance.

"Sam!" I called over my mike, looking down at the ghost while flying as fast as I dared with such a fragile passenger. "Phantom's hurt."

"No, he's not." Came Sam's very confused reply. "Yes, he is" I said perhaps a bit too harshly."He is bleeding out of on my board. He said you would know what to do."

"That can't be right." Sam said back in disbelief.

"And why not?" gritting my teeth frustrated. The fleeting thought of the hell Paulina would rise if she saw this, coming to mind randomly.

"It can't be right because I am watching Danny do his homework in his room right now."

I blinked confused.

"… Valerie did you find him at the sight of the first explosion?" asked Tucker. I almost jumped, forgetting that he was on the line too.

"Yeah."

"And Sam you found Danny at the sight of the fourth explosion?"

"Wait, so you think-" Sam started.

"The Danny's are the source, their entrances must have caused the explosions." Tucker concluded.

The world changed around me again and suddenly I was floundering both literally and figuratively.

"Are your Danny's still there?" Tucker asked.

"Didn't even notice the computer he was typing on disappeared." Sam said sounding defeated.

"Guess he really did give Lancer that raise." Tucker murmured.

"Yeah, um, guys, what does Danny appearing in his room have to do with Phantom bleeding out on my board?"

Sam cursed silently as Tucker resumed typing.

A flash of betrayal stabled me. "Your keeping something from me. Something important?"

"Valerie listen-"

"No! I understood it before but the world is literally changing. I have a right- Ah" Suddenly a flash of white caught my attention at my feet. As soon as it appeared it disappeared. Suddenly it wasn't Phantom, the ghost boy that was sprayed on my board but Danny Fenton.

"What is it?"called Sam. "Is it Phantom?"

"He transformed didn't he?" Tucker spoke over the line.

I think I made some kind of sound but I'm not sure what.

"Listen to me Valerie." Tucker's voice came over the line. The seriousness in his tone was enough to bring me back to myself. "You need to get him back here. Danny can't last nearly as long in human form injured as he can in ghost form." I went on autopilot aiming towards Fentonworks. Thank God the sign was so visible even when everything changed. "We will explain as much as we can when he's not dying."

In shock and probably suspended disbelief I flew towards the newly refurbished Fentonworks.

-)(-

My computer didn't die at all while editing this…

Now I am suspicious

...

AAAAANNNNNDDDD it just died. I was right.

I do not own 'Danny Phantom'