"Are you sure about this, master of time?" asked an observer, one of the two who had brought the container.
The cloaked spirit allowed a quick smile. "I am."
The other quickly protested, "if He escapes, you will be held responsible-"
The master of time held up a hand to silence the one eyed being. "I know. Now, please, if you would, observe the door."
The two ghosts faded out of the room, leaving Clockwork alone. He sighed, and went to the thermos, gingerly picking it up, and placing it into the slot where it would let go. He had a moment to consider his decision. And then he pressed the release button.
"MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed a indistinguishable figure, white smoke cloaking him. As it faded, it revealed a tall, muscular form. He had almost white, blue hair that acted like flames, and wore a black and white jumpsuit, with the DP emblem on it, as well as a tattered cape that fluttered behind him. His eyes were red, and rather menacing, as something akin to eyeliner surrounded them. His laughter faded into coughing. He was weakened, as the cage shocked him, and he cried out in pain. "What is the meaning of this!?" he asked, in his deep voice.
Clockwork, ever smiling, gazed at Dan. "Dan Phantom... It's been a century. A blink of an eye, in my time. But for you? I can only imagine how long it felt."
The muscular man's eyes widened, before they narrowed. "Why'd you release me?" he asked, cutting to the chase.
"I am a timeless being, being the master of time," explained Clockwork, with a weary smile. "It gets rather dull, knowing everything that will ever happen. Except... You. An anomaly, a paradox. You can't exist, because the events that transpired to create you never happened. Yet... You are here, and I cannot see your future."
Dan crossed his arms. He was fascinated by the concept, with his Plasimus mind, but kept quiet. When Clockwork didn't continue, he wondered if he had missed something. "So what?" he almost spat.
The master of time's eye narrowed. "I have an offer for you. A second chance. I see all timelines, all possibilities, and I can put you back into a version of your 14 year old self. You can be Danny Phantom once more."
Dan scoffed. Was he joking? He would have thought that Clockwork was, but his tone was grave, and serious. He meant every word that he spoke. "What's in it for you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A surprise. As stated earlier, I cannot see your future. Which means... Your actions will be a nice surprise for me. A change of pace. That, and the observers wanted you destroyed. It's always nice to spite them," he explained with a soft, mischievous smirk.
Dan Phantom considered it. A second chance... "What if I refuse?"
"Well, I suppose those observers won't be spited, after all." Clockwork said, smile dropping.
The fusion ghost growled. So there was no real choice at all. He could have a second chance, be Danny Phantom again... Or he could be destroyed. He frowned, realizing something. "You said something about alternate timelines... What will happen to the one I replace?"
"That one, he died anyway. He could not take the stress anymore..." Clockwork said softly, sadly.
Dan rolled his eyes. "Tell me more of these realities..." He was stalling, and the two of them knew it, through a quick exchange of glances.
"There are an infinite number of realities, an infinite number of ways your story could have gone. In some, you die before you even get your ghost powers." Clockwork tapped his staff to the portal that showed reality, to show a not breathing, not moving Danny on the lab floor, in his hazmat suit, with his best friends beside him. This received a yawn from the prisoner.
"Others, you become the ghost king, and rule over both realms." Another tap, and it showed Danny with the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage on his person. To this, Dan looked curious.
"Many, you marry Sam, and in some, you instead have a liking for... Others." A quick succession of taps, showing wedding scenes between Danny and Sam, Danny and Tucker, Danny and Valerie, Danny and Vlad... The list went on, and it elicited a confused look from Dan.
"Quite a few, you protect Amity Park for your entire life, and afterlife." An image of Danny Phantom, fighting evil ghosts still. Dan rolled his eyes.
"And here is yours, Dan." It was black. There was nothing there, not a speck of anything.
The captive ghost frowned. "There's nothing there..."
"That's because it doesn't exist. It never happened. You never happened. Now, you see why I am so curious. Here, here is the one I might send you to." A tap, and it revealed a Danny Fenton, in bed, crying. "He suffers from depression, and extreme stress. In the end, he takes his own life. A sad fate, many timelines share. But you can do better. Better than he did, and better than you did before." Clockwork smiled.
Dan took to staring, something like caring in his eyes, before his look hardened. "And again, if I don't?"
The spirit of time's look hardened as well. "Then, I will have no choice but to send you to your own timeline, and close it off forever. You will be a prisoner to a world that doesn't exist."
Dan growled, and muttered, "Fine. I'll take you up on your offer."
The master of time nodded, his smile returning. "Good." A tap of his staff to the cage, and it phased out of existence. He held Dan's shoulder, and then the two of them vanished, as well.