Chapter Twenty-One: Dr. Wilson
The next day, Danny and Phantom stepped out of the elevator with Jack right behind them. The sun was bearing down on them and Danny had to shield his eyes to see the van they were going to climb into for the trip. The only windows were the windshield, the passenger-side and driver-side. The rest of the van had no windows to speak of.
The Guys in White walked over to them and held out a folded outfit to Danny. "Change on the way. Get in the back and stay there." He shot Phantom a cold look, which Phantom returned with a glare.
They climbed into the back and the Guys in White shut the door, trapping them inside with only a small overhead light to allow them to see. Danny unbuttoned his shirt and set it to the side, Phantom and Jack seeing his still-healing wounds only a moment before he pulled on the plain, white t-shirt. Then he removed the blood-stained pants and pulled on the blue jeans, followed by the socks and shoes supplied.
"What do you think you'll be up against?" Phantom asked.
"Not sure." Danny admitted. "All I know is that I gotta win against it." His hands gripped his knees.
"You'll be fine." Phantom nodded. "And if it gets too bad, I'll jump in and help you." He placed his hand on Danny's, smiling reassuringly.
"That's okay, right?" Danny looked at Jack. "After all, you don't want me dead…"
Jack nodded. "I expected he would do that, which is why I have him untethered. You won't jump in until it's clear he's going to lose though, understood?"
"Yeah." Phantom nodded, gripping Danny's hand tighter.
The van bumped around a bit as it drove, and Danny wished he'd asked for his cell-phone before they left. They attempted conversation, but the air just felt too tense for it and he settled with laying his head on Phantom's shoulder, the ghost's arm around him. Jack watched them quietly before taking to his notepad.
Sometime later, they finally felt the engine cut off and the doors were opening for them to get out. Jack got out first, nodding to Danny and Phantom to climb out. They slowly did, looking around them.
It looked like some kind of arena, with an observation deck high above and a small square area in the center. Phantom squeezed Danny's hand tightly as they walked through it, following the Guy in White.
"This is where we test different subjects against each other." One of them explained. "I'll hand you off to Dr. Wilson." He gestured to a bleach-blonde-haired man in a labcoat and walked off to the observation deck.
"Welcome, young Daniel Fenton." The man smiled as he walked over to them, extending a hand which Danny took. "And you must be Phantom, yes? I've heard of you." He nodded to him, shaking Danny's hand.
"I bet." Phantom muttered. "Guys in White won't leave off me."
"Well, you are quite the specimen." He smiled, releasing Danny's hand. "I am Dr. Ethan Wilson. Danny—may I call you Danny?"
"Yes, I usually go by that." Danny nodded.
"Alright, then. Danny, how are you feeling about the upcoming battle? Excited? Apprehensive? Scared? Perhaps angry?"
"Uhm…a mix of the first three, I guess?" Danny replied.
"And how does Phantom feel about it?" Dr. Wilson looked at him.
"Pissed." Phantom said flatly.
"How like a ghost; blunt and to the point." Dr. Wilson nodded. Phantom seemed infuriated by that comment, but Danny took his hand and shook his head silently. "Danny, what kind of foe do you think you're up against?"
"A strong one?" Danny shrugged. "All I know is that I gotta beat it."
"Alright. We're going to be putting a wristband on you that will monitor your vitals. If we feel that they are getting to close to critical, we'll pull your enemy out." Dr. Wilson motioned for them to follow. "Come, this way."
Jack followed the two boys, listening quietly. They entered a room that had a table on it, which Danny was gestured towards. "What's this?"
"We're just going to examine his vitals before we start." Dr. Wilson explained. "Danny, please take off your shirt."
Danny did so and lay down on the table. Dr. Wilson looked over his old wounds, determined that Danny didn't react unless you directly touched them, then moved on to checking his vitals. Phantom stood back, looking like he was ready to lunge the moment Danny cried out in pain.
"You're looking pretty good, better than some others we've brought in here. Some scientists can be just brutal with their specimens." He looked at Jack. "Does your being his father have anything to do with your gentleness?"
"He's the only one of his kind; I can't hurt him too badly or he'll die before I have all I want from him." Jack replied. Phantom scowled, but didn't move.
"I see." Dr. Wilson looked back at Danny. "Mmhm…yes, you're in very good condition, aside from the recent wounds. You'll be fine." He patted his chest and then slipped a wristband onto Danny's arm, pushing a button on it that caused it to tighten a little. "It shouldn't hurt; it's just like a blood-pressure machine, hm?"
"Yeah." Danny nodded.
Dr. Wilson nodded. "Sit up, Danny."
Danny sat up, wondering what was next. Dr. Wilson started to squeeze his arms and shoulders, knocking on his chest a few times before he pulled up his jeans and knocked on his knees, squeezing his legs. "Uhm…what's the point of this?"
"I'm seeing how strong you are physically." Dr. Wilson explained. "I was wondering how much of your strength was physical and how much was pure adrenaline." He smiled. "I read the report on your fight against the boar; VERY nice."
"Oh." Danny nodded, remembering that fight.
"Alright, you can hop down and pull on your shirt. We'll give you a meal before your fight and then send you in when your opponent is ready." Dr. Wilson nodded.
"When will that be?" Danny asked.
"I'm not sure." Dr. Wilson shrugged. "I've just been assigned to you, Danny. Some other doctor is working with your opponent."
"Oh." Danny nodded. "I thought you were the guy in charge."
"No, I'm not." Dr. Wilson shook his head. "I'm only here as a doctor, the guy in charge is someone else."
Phantom frowned, looking towards the door. "Will we get to meet him?"
"Perhaps." Dr. Wilson nodded to Jack. "Your boy's all ready to go. I'll go get his meal and then it's just the waiting game."
Jack nodded. "Thank you." He watched him go, then looked at Danny. "Don't lose. We both know that Phantom would tear apart anyone that beat you, fair or no."
Danny nodded, looking at Phantom. He wasn't going to deny what they all knew was completely true.