Chapter Seventy-One: Recruit
"Daniel Fenton, welcome back to the arena." The man he hadn't seen the face of said calmly. "I'm told you asked to have your ghost powers accessible for this?"
"Yes." Danny nodded. "I can't show you how strong I am if I'm held back by restraints." He looked up at him. "Besides, it'll give you a chance to study my ghost powers."
"We've already seen what Danny Phantom is capa—"
"I have different powers." Danny interrupted him.
There was silence, and then he saw a few men crowd together up above. Then Danny saw the sunroofs close and lights came on to light up the arena. "Very well. If you try to escape, then you will be re-captured and punished." The man replied.
Danny nodded, his eyes flashing green as ecto-blasts flared up in his hands. "Bring them in."
Dani watched from the sidelines, restrained by a Wraith Wrangler, as a power-looking enemy that resembled an ant with features of a human woman came in. Danny started to fight it, using the ecto-blasts in his fists to strengthen his attack power without blasting them. The creature fell back and then got up again, hissing wildly as it charged at him again.
"You remember me, don't you?" Danny said as he lifted into the air. "Well, I'm not so easy to defeat now!" He dodged an attack and then sent out an ecto-blast. The creature attacked him and he hissed when it slashed at his chest, ecto-blood slipping to the floor.
"Danny!" Dani cried.
"I'm fine!" He rose above where the creature could reach, forming ecto-blasts and putting them together to form the ball. He could see the men around taking notes as he used this yet-unseen ability. It took longer than it did in the Ghost Zone, but the ball grew as it collected ecto-energy. Then he pushed it into his chest, letting the Guys in White see as it healed him. His power restored and his wounds recovered, he lowered and begin to punch and kick it again, finally knocking the creature out. Then she was pulled out and Danny directed to wait outside the square as they called in the next one.
"That was a new ability." The man said calmly. "I didn't know ghosts could heal themselves like that."
"Neither did I until I learned it." Danny watched as his next foe was brought in, this one bigger and nastier looking than the one before.
The bell rang and he rushed at the creature, ecto-blasts in his hands and blasting around the creature to make it draw back and panic. It slashed at him and Danny ducked low, seeming to deliberately enter its embrace. Then a bright light flashed and the creature was blown back, wounded but still alive. He let out a snarl and ran at him, but he flew above and created the ecto-ball again.
'If I use the ecto-ball attack with this one so weak, it'll die.' He thought. 'Better save that for the next one.' He waited for it to grow and then absorbed it, diving at the creature with ecto-blasts in his hands. As few ecto-charged punches and the next contestant was down.
Once again, he was sent outside of the square while he waited. He walked over to Dani and smiled. "How you doing?"
"I'm fine! How are you doing?" She asked, frowning. "You worried me!"
"I healed." He shrugged. "So far, none of them can fly."
"Daniel Fenton." He heard his name called and went into the ring. He noticed cage bars coming up and closing at the top and chuckled. "Spoke too soon, huh?"
Sure enough, the next one was what looked like, well, a chimera. It was a lion, but it had eagle wings and a snake tail and as it was pushed inside the open cage door he saw fire coming from its mouth.
"Oh, fun." He nodded. "Finally, a real challenge!" He grinned and flew up, looking down at it.
The bell rang and the creature flew up, slashed at him with its claws. He pulled up a weak shield to block it and hit it with an ecto-blast before flying down, forming an ecto-ball as he went back up, the Chimera following suit, blowing fire at him. It was fast, but he was faster. He stopped near the top and as it approached he fired the ecto-ball at it. "Eat this, kitty!"
The Chimera hit the ground and for a moment he thought that was it. Then it got up, shook off its daze, and flew up at him again. He formed ecto-blasts in his fists and punched it when it came close, knocking it back. "Down, kitty! Back!" He said, grinning as he fought it off. Then he curled up close to get it get closer and then spread out, hitting it with a green blast from inside his body. That seemed to be it for the beast, who lowered down and bowed its head in respect of the one who defeated it. Danny lowered down in front of it and gently pet its head. "Aw, you're not a bad kitty. Just misunderstood."
The cage door opened and the Chimera was led out by scientists. Then the cage bars lowered and Danny went out of the square to wait.
'How are you doing?' He heard Dan's voice in his head.
'Kicking butt in the arena. Dani's freaking out every time I get hurt, even though I heal right away.' Danny thought in reply.
'Well, do you need help or not?' Dan asked.
'Right now, no. I'm impressing the big guy, so I might actually get to meet him.' Danny thought.
'What's the point of that?' Dan asked.
'Maybe I can get the Guys in White to stop hunting ghosts so relentlessly.' Danny thought, then went in as his name was called again.
"Ghosts are incredible." The man up above muttered, watching Danny fight below. "We could lose so many less men if we had this kind of power on our forces."
"Ghosts are also dangerous. Daniel Fenton is a special case." The dark-skinned man beside him said. "And we've seen Danny Phantom do terrible things before."
"Yes, I've like to ask him about that. Considering his other actions, those terrible things seem just…odd." He looked at the clipboard he had been handed. "Ghosts are just like humans."
"Oh, please. You're going to believe what a ghost is saying?" The dark-skinned man sighed.
"He could've attacked us and fled at any moment." The man looked at him. "Maybe we do need to give them a chance to talk before we shoot."
"Thousands could die if we did that! He's a ghost!" The dark-skinned man insisted.
The man sighed. "Operative K." He looked at him. "Who is the one giving orders here?"
Operative K swallowed nervously. "Forgive me, sir."
"If he beats the next three, bring him to my office to meet with me." The man said, then pushed the button to speak into the microphone. "That's enough, let him up now."
Danny got off the guy he had been pummeling and the mutated man ran back to his door. Danny looked at his bloodstained hands before he walked out of the square. 'Interesting.' The man thought, watching as he took off his bandages and let them fall to the floor, leaving his arms bare. Then he formed a little ecto-ball and let it grow before putting it in, the bandages forming on his arms around and the blood on his hands vanishing.
"Sir, we're ready for the next one." A woman said, walking up.
"Good." He pushed the button for the microphone. "Daniel Fenton."
Like a trained soldier ("dog" was too degrading for this powerful creature), Danny stepped back into the square and faced the next opponent. Yes, it would be a real shame to kill this boy. And if what he said about ghosts was right…
Well, it wouldn't hurt to have a few ghosts in their arsenal.
"Daniel Fenton." Operative K forced a smile as he approached the ghost teen. "Our leader wishes to speak with you privately. Your…friend…will be taken back to your room to wait for you. It is my pleasure to personally escort you to our leader."
"I love you too, Operative K." Danny rolled his eyes. "Seriously, let's not pretend we like each other. That gets annoying and slows things down."
"Thank. God." Operative K groaned. "He told me to act like I actually LIKE you. Well, come on." He started to lead him out, then halted. "You remembered my name?"
"Not a hard name to remember." Danny said, walking past him.
"I expected you to float." Operative K remarked.
"I like walking. Flying isn't for indoors, it's for outside in the free air." Danny said, looking over his shoulder and giving Dani a reassuring smile.
"Hm. Well, at least you have manners." Operative K grumbled. "After reading what Dr. Miller wrote as he talked with you earlier he's…" He sighed. "You'll hear it from him."
They got onto an elevator and went up a floor, getting out when it arrived. Then he was led to a metal door and pushed a red button next to a keypad. "The boy, sir."
"Ah, good." The door unlocked and slid open into the wall and Operative K motioned for Danny to enter. He did, cautiously, and then turned around quickly when the door slid shut and locked. "It's alright; I just want us to have some privacy." The man at the desk behind him said calmly. "Daniel Fenton, correct?"
"…'Danny'. Just call me 'Danny'." Danny turned and walked over to the desk, glancing at the chair the man was gesturing to. He lifted into the air and flew onto it, sitting down. He noticed that as he sat in it, it moved to the side a bit. "Whoa, a spinning office chair!" He grinned.
"Yes, well, I'd prefer if you didn't spin it." The man said calmly. "I am Stuart Brownstone. You may call me 'Stuart' or 'Mr. Brownstone', whichever you prefer."
"Okay…Mr. Brownstone." Danny scooted the chair closer to the desk. "So, you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yes. Your abilities are astounding, and you implied that ghosts are just like humans. I wanted to know, do you think there is a possibility that we could persuade one to join the Guys in White?" Stuart asked.
Danny looked thoughtful. "Uh…I dunno, you guys have been pretty abusive to ghosts."
"Would you be willing to?"
"Buah?!" Danny jolted in his seat. "Me?"
"Yes." Stuart smiled. "You, Danny. Would you be willing to join the Guys in White?"
"Well, I dunno…" Danny sighed. "I'm only 16. And I'm still going to school…"
"Ghosts go to school?" Stuart looked surprised.
"Well, of sorts. I'm being trained on how to use my powers more efficiently by one of the other ghosts and Ghostwriter, the ghost librarian, is teaching me all the bookwork." Danny nodded. "What did you think ghosts did, run around scaring people all day? That's only the guys with too much time on their hands."
Stuart chuckled. "Well, this has been insightful. A library, even. This is most fascinating; the more I hear of the Ghost Zone the more it doesn't seem much different from Earth."
"It's really not. Well, aside from there being no streets. There's even a prison there which I had the misfortune of being out in once." He sighed.
"How did that happen?" Stuart asked.
"Stupidest thing. I accidentally knocked my dad's anniversary gift to my mom into the Ghost Zone while cleaning up the lab while he was away, and had to go in after it. Apparently I broke a lot of different laws and was sentenced to 1000 years." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I then proceeded to lead the biggest prison-breakout since the Ghost Zone Prison first came to be, and escaped. I haven't yet asked him what my dying did to the sentences, but last I heard Phantom was par—oops." He covered his mouth. "Crap, didn't wanna mention him."
"It's fine. Everything you say to me is said in confidence. My walls are soundproof and I won't write down anything you didn't want to mention." Stuart assured him.
"Phew. Anyways, there's a prison, a club, a library, nearly every different powerful ghost has got a lair, a King, – though he hasn't been leading – and many other places I don't even know." Danny smiled. "And they all live there, and really Skulker only leaves to find rare, exotic things and keep them in his lair. Usually those are ghosts he chases down, not people. And Ember McLain, well, when she's not using her mind-control she's really nice to sit and listen to! Some of them are troublemakers, like Technus, but a few knocks in the head and a chuck back to the Ghost Zone and he's going back home."
Stuart listened intently. "Amazing. Ghosts really are more than we give them credit for." He pulled out a card from his drawer and handed it to him. "Tell you want. Why don't you finish your education, and when you're done you can contact me in a few years and we'll discuss you possibly joining the Guys in White then."
Danny took the card, which had Stuart's name, rank, and number on it. "I'll think about it." He nodded. "It may be a few years, but I'll think about it."
"Good." Stuart stood up. "Then, you and your friend have my permission to leave at any time. Keep in touch, Danny." He held out a hand.
Danny flew off the chair and shook his hand, lowering to the floor again as he did. "Thanks for your time, Mr. Brownstone."
"No hard feelings about the earlier electrocution test?" Stuart asked.
"That was nothing compared to what the ghosts hit me with." Danny waved it off.
Stuart nodded, then picked up the phone. "Ms. Maxwell, please have young Dani escorted to the exit and her belt removed. Daniel Fenton will be joining her shortly." He then hung up and opened the door. "Operative K, please escort Danny to the exit."
"Yes, sir." Operative K saluted, then motioned for Danny to follow him.
"Bye, Mr. Brownstone!" Danny said as he left with Operative K.
"For the record, even if you DO work with us, I still hate you." Operative K said as Danny and Dani lifted into the air to fly away.
"I love you too, Operative K." Danny said teasingly, and then he and Dani flew off. 'Everything's fine, we're coming home.'
'I want you to fill us in, my head is fuzzy and I didn't see what happened.' Dan replied.
"Whose fault is that?" Danny muttered.
"Hm?" Dani looked at him.
"No, nothing." Danny grinned and then they sped up, racing back home.