Chapter Twenty-Five: Last Will

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker ran into the room. It was clear from the tears on their faces that they'd heard the news. Valerie was at the door, not sure how to approach him. She too had tears slipping down her cheeks, grieving before he was gone.

"Danny…" Sam looked at him sadly. "I wish…I wish I could do something."

"Sam…" Danny whispered. "Outside town…mangled factory…lab underneath. Phantom's there."

"Phantom? In a lab?" Sam started. Wait, if Phantom was in a lab and Danny was in the hospital… "Who did this to you?" She whispered.

"…Guys in White." Danny glanced away. "They found out…while we were out. Threatened dad to…secrecy. M-Made him…give tools to help."

"That's horrible…" Tucker shook his head. "S-So, you want us to free him?"

"A handprint is needed to open it…but, with your PDA you can open his box." Danny whispered. "Please. Set him free."

"Danny…" Sam held on tightly to him. "I-I never told you…I-I lo—"

"I know." He whispered, smiling sadly. "I love you too. I'm sorry…I never got the guts to tell you until now."

Sam started to cry harder, kissing him over and over. Tucker stood back, watching with tears slipping down his cheeks.

The minutes seemed to drag by, and finally Danny asked to talk to his father alone. They nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him. A bit later, Jack came in and shut the door, walking over to his bed. His lips were pursed, as if he wasn't sure how to feel.

"I'm…I'm sorry…I wasn't able to help you...with bettering mankind." Danny whispered. "I'm sorry…I wasn't the son you wanted. That I was s-stupid in school…that I kept s-secrets…"

Jack placed his hand on Danny's, silently listening to him.

"Y-You may've…stopped seeing me as your s-son…" Danny whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks. "But, I…I never stopped…calling you 'dad'. I-I never…stopped seeing you as my dad. Y-You'll…always be my dad…always." He shifted his hand to hold Jack's. "A-And I…I love you. I love you, daddy. I love you."

Jack stared at him and then placed his other hand on Danny's cheek. "…You played the part well. Even if you became a monster…you still played the part of my son well."

"I love you…" Danny's eyes started to close. "I love you, daddy…"

"Danny?" Jack started, frowning as Danny's head lolled into his hand. "Danny? Are you awake?" No reply. The machine started to give a flat-line, and hhe got up to let the doctors try to save him.

'I love you, daddy…' The last thought that Phantom heard before it was completely silent. Perhaps it was him trying to tell Phantom to forgive him because he loved him, but Phantom would have none of that. He could never forgive the man who had tortured and abused his own son in the worst way, leading to his death.

He tried to use his powers, but only a little fizzle came out. He tried again and more fizzle. Then he felt a sharp pain in his head, his heart and his core and let out a scream of agony and despair, knowing what it meant. He was alone. So alone. So desperately, horribly alone, and Danny was gone, gone, gone, GONE! He let out a scream that was a hundred times more powerful than his usual Ghostly Wail, and it tore the box and the ceiling apart. Tears pouring down his cheeks, he flew into the open sky and then flew off a random direction. He couldn't go to Amity Park. Not now. He would try to KILL Jack Fenton if he went there, but he knew that as he was he couldn't fight him.

He flew on and on, never stopping until he collided into something white and red. His vision was blurry, and he felt something grab his arms as he tried to move away, a blue face in front of his.

"What's the matter, little badger?" The familiar voice of Plasmius asked. "Why are you crying so badly?"

"H-He killed him!" Phantom cried. "He KILLED Danny!"

"Who did?! What are you talking about?!" Plasmius cried.

He was about to say, but remembered his promise to not tell Vlad or Plasmius about who had done it to them. "G-Guys in White." Phantom collapsed into the older half-ghost's arms, sobbing into his shirt.

Plasmius frowned and wrapped his cape around the sobbing ghost-boy, turning and flying back to his mansion. Maybe once he'd had some rest he would be more forthcoming.

"Is this the place?" Tucker asked as he and Sam got out of the car in front of the mangled factory. While the others made funeral arrangements, they set about doing his last will. They headed inside and activated the elevator. They went down it, looking around as they stepped out.

They checked every room, which showed signs of recent life and activity. But, Phantom wasn't in any of these. Finally, they went to the last room at the end and walked in.

The place was trashed. The box he must've been trapped in was torn open from within, and everything had the evidence of a powerful Ghostly Wail. Sam walked over and looked at the table that still had Danny's blood on it, the chains that had more of the same, and the box that, until recently, must've held a very distressed Phantom.

"We have to find him." Tucker said, looking at her. "Before he does something really bad."

"Phantom…" Sam looked down sadly. He must've been so lonely, trapped in this place the week Danny was in the hospital. "Where did you go?"