Catalyst: A Story about Change
Author's Note: Sorry for the longish wait; 'tis explained at the bottom. Anyway...yeesh, you people without accounts are killin' me, killin' me! lol...some of you have written some very nice reviews to me, but I can't respond, so...
Thanks JJ - really appreciate your comment on my creativity! (bubbles with happiness)
Cardinal - You're onto something, lol...really onto something. I hope you'll keep reading to see where I take this. Methinks you'll like it!
rANDOM rEVIEWER - The other ghosts? I hadn't thought of that, really, though now I'll take it into consideration. However, I can honestly say that those sorts of issues won't really arise much in this story. Thanks for you comment on in characterness! Let me know if I keep it up! Or if I don't ...
Cassie - I'm really glad you did comment. Your review is one of the most original I've got. I love your analogies- a night at home with pasta and the X-Files is extremely flattering. And I may have to steal your comments for my story description. :)
Chapter 11: The Past Future
October 15th
He was starting to feel like a true ghost. At least, the sort of ghost most people thought of when the word came to mind. Incorporeal, invisible, just leaving a hint of coolness wherever he floated. He was incapable of communicating in a meaningful way with the living world, trapped between one reality and the next.
The next reality, of course, being the Fenton thermos, or something like it. And although this ghostlike state (how ironic) of silent separation had been forced at first, over time he began thinking of it as his own choice. He needed this time to think, calm down, and work through his past. Somehow Clockwork had known that.
Danny was currently floating in the human world, apparently somewhere in London, looking for a way back into the ghost zone. The strongest ghosts could find a weak place between the two dimensions when they felt like it, and with a little patience could stretch that spot enough to get through. It would spring back afterwards, however, which was why Danny had to search for it again on this side.
He'd come over looking for the date and time, and had found it at a small newspaper stand only a few hundred yards away, luckily. It was the 15th of October, which meant he'd been living like this for…nearly ten months.
There it is. He could feel the weakness a few feet above where he'd been looking; a tingling suggestion of ghostly energy.
Both worlds had a different flavor to them. The ghost zone had an icy energy that made the tips of his fingers tingle slightly, while the human world was warm like the sun, and had a feeling of movement to it the ghost zone didn't possess. It had the energy of hundreds of millions living, breathing people in it, after all.
A moment of concentration later and Danny had created a tiny opening, using energy carefully focused in his fingers. Another moment and he'd wisped through in his smokiest of forms, to the silent depths of the ghost zone.
So…two more months, and it would be a year of solitude. Did it feel that long? The first few months had been so hard, with his emotions going back and forth wildly, like an out of control pendulum.
Anger, remorse, depression, guilt and self loathing. It had been hard to hold it in, though on some level he'd been disgusted at himself for wanting to destroy mindlessly once again. But that had been his escape for years, and it wasn't something he could've given up overnight, not if he hadn't been forced to as he was.
After that initial period of instability he'd calmed down enough to really think, just as he had previously within the confines of the thermos. The violent urges had bottomed out, and unlike before, he'd had something to immediately focus on; the guilt he'd been feeling about Sam. At that point, he'd finally given in and followed Clockwork's advice. He'd analyzed his feelings, his past, and himself.
It had slowly paid off. Over the past months, he'd finally broken out of the cycle of emotional upheaval followed by mindless destruction. It was painful finally confronting the emotions he'd been repressing for so long through that violence, but truly…the moment he'd realized he wanted Sam, the moment he'd acknowledged that he was jealous of his past self for having all that he had lost, an irreversible change had taken place within him.
Danny wanted his family and friends! He wanted to laugh with them again, feel happy at their presence. He wanted to create and build relationships, not destroy them.
There were other things that came back to him as well. Hadn't he wanted to be an astronaut, long ago? And hadn't he considered it his duty to protect the people who couldn't protect themselves? These things used to mean a lot to him, and now that he was thinking about them again, he realized the desire and hope was still there, just buried deep down.
Danny drifted, a tiny smile on his face, as he thought of all the things he could do; all the good he needed to do to make up for his actions, even if that had been another time, another reality. He knew what he had done, and that was all that really mattered.
And of course there was Sam, who he loved. Who he didn't deserve to love, but there it was. He couldn't, and wouldn't try to change how he felt about her. It was so freeing, admitting that to himself. He was in love with Sam.
It was a deep sort of love. Even though he wanted a lot - to be with her, to see her smile, experience her laugh, to hold her close - when it came down to it, Sam's happiness came first, and if staying away made her happy, he'd do it, though it would be hard for him if that was her decision.
Besides, he knew he didn't have an icicle's chance in hell of ever having a relationship with her (and that he didn't deserve one) after what he'd done, though he did carry the hope that maybe she'd find it in her heart to at least forgive him.
Actually, Danny had been thinking of ways to make things up to her as best he could, and was becoming eager to put his plans into action. He also wanted look in on his family and Tucker, but was still making himself stay away. He didn't want to risk being detected by them, and he also wasn't completely sure he could hold back from revealing himself when in their presence.
Danny absently ran his hands through his hair, playing with the flame; it was a habit he'd developed over the years whenever he was bored or fidgety. How much longer would it be before he proved himself to Clockwork? He tried not to think about it, but now that nearly a year had gone by…what length of time would the Master of Time deem appropriately long for Danny's test, anyway? A year, two years? Maybe…a lifetime? What a horrible thought! Would Clockwork choose to wait until all of Danny's family and friends had lived their lives?
He didn't think he could stand that! But it had been over ten months already, and it would be such a good punishment. And besides, Clockwork was effectively immortal; it was hardly a wait for him…
Danny crossed his arms, brow furrowed in fear, and tried, but failed, to focus on something else. If he had to wait that long…no! He couldn't do it! He would end up breaking the deal, and be trapped forever…
"A penny for your thoughts." N…agh! Danny started violently, and turned invisible in an instant. No! This place was deserted, how had someone snuck up on him…? He turned frantically around, but couldn't see anyone.
A hand fell on his shoulder, and someone chuckled in his ear. "Hello, Danny." Only then did his ghost sense go off, and he looked over his shoulder to see Clockwork floating there. He looked about ten years old, right about the age when some boys become real twerps…
"What are you, crazy? You nearly made me jump out of my skin just then!" Danny moved back a little, regaining his personal space, and immediately wished he could take the words back. This was Clockwork he was talking to! He couldn't stop himself from coughing a little, however. He hadn't used his voice in months.
Clockwork chuckled again and shifted into an older form, perhaps mid thirties. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. I won't do it again." He paused, still smiling a little. "Have you been thinking things over?"
Danny crossed his arms, eyebrows raised. "What else was I supposed to do?" Apparently Clockwork had been hoping to get a rise out of him a moment ago, so no harm done…the jerk.
Clockwork responded. "Wreck havoc; go on a mindless rampage; blow up Amity Par…"
"Get thrown away for good, to slowly rot and go crazy over the years, trapped inside my own ghostly body…? Yeah…no thank you." They locked eyes for a moment, a strange confirmation of their mutual places in the universe passing between them. Feh. I'm not going to challenge you, Clockwork. I've learned my lesson.
Then Danny went on, and it was like the moment had never happened. "To answer your question, I was wondering how much longer you planned on making me wait." He smirked, thinking about how ironic his train of thoughts had been. He should've known Clockwork's timing would be perfect.
Clockwork didn't answer immediately, a half smile still playing on his lips. "I never said this would be easy. Waiting seldom is." Danny studied the other ghost for a moment. His expression was so hard to read; you could never tell what he wanted, or expected. But then, the Time Master already knew what would happen, didn't he? So it made sense he'd have developed the ultimate poker face.
He seemed to be waiting for Danny to say something, though. And Danny hadn't spent the last ten months twiddling his thumbs. He had questions, ones he thought the Time Master might know. But now that Clockwork was here, it was hard to know where to begin.
Something did come to him, however, and it was out of his mouth in an instant. "How's Sam doing? Is she alright?"
Clockwork pursed his lips a little. "That wasn't what you were going to ask me." This was true; she hadn't technically been on his list of ground breaking questions. But still. "Don't worry about her; she's doing alright. Sometime soon you'll be able to see for yourself."
Danny looked down, thinking. Alright, time to dig into the tough questions.
He went for the most terrifying one first. "I…have a soul." He paused. It wasn't quite a question, but…
"Yes. You have a soul." Phew. He'd thought so, he just needed to make sure.
"Right. But whose soul is it, exactly?" This was a little…okay, a lot more tricky. He waited for the Time Master to answer, but when he stayed silent, Danny went on to clarify exactly what he meant.
"Can a soul be split, or…merged with another soul? Do I actually have half a soul, since my human half is dead? Or am I sharing part of Vlad's soul?" Both of these possibilities were disturbing to him somehow, though he couldn't pinpoint why.
Clockwork smiled, finally responding. "No to both. The nature of the soul is understood by few people, Danny. It is, in essence, your true self. It has no form, no substance. It cannot be destroyed, or changed, or torn in half. That doesn't mean it isn't flexible; it can be shared between bodies, for instance. But in these cases, the soul is manifesting different qualities of the same self, and ultimately those two individuals are one and the same." He paused, and gave Danny a long searching look. "Would you like me to tell you what happened that day, Danny?"
He nodded silently, having already been given a lot to think about, and his eyes were glued to Clockwork as he continued.
"Your ghost and human halves were split. It was…a painful experience?"
"Yes. Very. It felt like I was on fire for a moment."
"No doubt you were very disoriented, and your brain felt somewhat addled?"
Danny frowned slightly. "Yes. I felt angrier than I ever had before. I remember I needed to do something, fast. And…I wanted revenge on Vlad. I knew he was responsible for what just happened. It wasn't…what I expected at all."
"So you repeated the procedure on him, separating his ghost and human halves. But then it occurred to you that you'd have to fight Plasmius, didn't it? So you overshadowed him."
Danny had thought through this memory so many times over the months, it was almost felt like he'd practiced for this conversation. "It was the only way to…win. And he was so disoriented, I knew I could overpower him, at least for a while." Danny looked away, remembering that rash action, and the pain that had followed. Being split apart had been fun compared to that…
"You have no idea what truly happened, I know, but…one ghost doesn't simply overshadow another, Danny. Only humans can be overshadowed."
Danny met his eyes briefly in understanding. "Thus the merge." Danny's brow furrowed as he thought about what Clockwork had said a moment ago. "But…you said a soul can't be changed, so our souls didn't merge, did they?"
"No. You kicked Vlad out, Danny. Essentially, you killed him, in that you forced his soul from his ghostly body, though it did have his human body to return to. That's partly why it was so painful. For a moment you were struggling for your life. If you had lost, you would've been 'killed'."
There was a suggestion of something more in Clockwork's tone, and suddenly things started falling into place in Danny's mind. "You said a soul can be shared between multiple bodies, so when I split, part of my soul was in…"
"No; your soul was simultaneously in both your human body and your ghost body. It wasn't split between the two. The soul can't be split. I know it's difficult to grasp, but there is a difference." He paused. "Continue."
Danny went on. "So what you're saying is after I kicked Vlad out of his ghost form, all of his soul went to his human body, and after I…when I killed my human self, all of my soul returned to my gh...me." He paused. That sentence just sounded bizarre. He let out a long breath of air, brushing off the feeling of weirdness, and crossed his arms. "So I'm me, and Vlad's Vlad, essentially."
Clockwork nodded slowly. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Yes, except…things aren't quite that simple, are they?"
No. They never were. He knew exactly what Clockwork was getting at. He wasn't the same person he'd been before that day. Things had changed fast, and substantially so.
Danny vocalized his thoughts. This was something else he'd mulled over during the long months, so he didn't have to search long for the right words.
"Clockwork, I…changed a lot in those few minutes. I went from clinically depressed to angry. Really angry. And it was like I was running on pure adrenaline, but with a leg cut off. I had to keep moving and attacking. I was in pain, but it wasn't…acknowledged. And later on, when I was more in my right mind…relatively speaking…I didn't have the same tendencies. Violence was practically a way of life; the "softer emotions", so to speak, hardly bothered me for long periods of time. And I think I must've gotten some of Vlad's habits, because I became more…manipulative." Danny smirked. "Occasionally I'd think ahead, before rushing in with fists flaring. Not often, though." He frowned. "And I was so angry. I was never not angry. It was just…different levels of that same emotion, always overshadowing everything." Danny stopped. Everything had been so out of control. Out of his own control.
As was his habit, Clockwork let the silence sit for a moment before responding. "What do you know about human psychology, Danny? The human mind? And how do you think a human body differs from the ghost body?"
Danny looked up into the endless green, thinking about it. "Well, I know some people think the ghost body is a representation of the soul, but that's obviously not right. Actually, I knew that was wrong ever since I got ghost powers. It's just a different kind of body, really."
"True. Ectoplasm is no more the substance of the soul than human blood is." Clockwork paused, eyes narrowed, and for a moment Danny was reminded of Mr. Lancer about to start a lecture. He had a feeling he wasn't far off.
"Every human has the potential to become a ghost, but that body is merely a reflection of their human one, albeit made from different, substantially more durable material." Clockwork paused at Danny's raised eyebrows. "Could your human body withstand the sort of beating your ghostly one could, Danny? It's also more versatile. You can focus energy into your palms, change your appearance with concentration, and change your body's level of corporeality."
Danny smirked. "True; I guess it's just the stereotype I'm thinking of."
Clockwork went on. "Unlike the human body, however, the ghost is very strongly linked to a person's needs and wants. Therefore, if there isn't something powerful holding a person to their body, even after the flesh and blood form has ceased to function, their soul will simply move on. It's no accident that the ghost zone is practically empty in comparison to the human world. Few people are so attached as to cling onto their ghostly bodies in favor of moving on."
Danny frowned. "So…you're saying I'm extremely attached?"
"Yes, and no. Your case is unique in that you had years to grow accustomed to a ghostly body, and were in full control of it when your human half died." The obvious fact that he'd been using his ghostly body to kill off his human half went unspoken. "Also, you're much more powerful than most ghosts, due to the unnatural magnification of your ghostly half through exposure to the Fenton portal. Your ghost body was made as natural for you to use as your human body, despite the fact that you were still alive. This kind of thing has only happened to one other living human."
"Vlad Masters." They were silent for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts.
Clockwork went on. "Many people might spend a few moments in their ghostly body, or even a few days, before moving on. Most, however, are never aware they had a ghostly body waiting for them, and leave both bodies simultaneously. A few remain, however. Unfortunately, the longer a person maintains their ghostly existence, the more difficult it becomes for them to let go. Eventually, they become as strongly attached to it as a human body. At that point, only resolving their "unfinished business" will allow them to move on, unless they are forcefully evicted, as you did with Vlad."
Danny felt an icy fear move through him. There had to be a reason Clockwork was telling him this, right? He spoke up, his voice coming out tense. "So…is that what I'm supposed to do, then? Resolve things, and move on?" This wasn't what he wanted.
Danny looked off, continuing to think. Of course, maybe after years and years, he would finally let go? After everyone he knew had passed on? This thought made him feel deeply sad, and he pushed it away. He didn't want to float around, just observing. He wanted to live, and be a part of things, even if he was a ghost. He didn't feel dead!
Clockwork didn't answer immediately, instead watching Danny as he jumped through several different emotions. Discontent, sadness, pain, and a little anger and desperation. "Danny, your path isn't that of the typical ghost's, because you aren't a typical ghost, as I've just stated. I'm giving you a chance to live in the human world if you so choose."
"As a human?"
Clockwork nodded. "Why not? Several powerful ghosts do just that, since they are strong enough to disguise themselves as human."
Well, to some extent. But when you slept, you'd revert, so you could never have a truly normal life. Danny found himself wishing for more than this, even as Clockwork attempted to put aside his worries.
Clockwork went on, apparently not quite finished with the lecture. "You are also unusual in that you have your…youth, in a manner of speaking. Other ghosts, starting with a very weak ghostly form at the moment of death, take years to develop any real strength, so the ghosts who begin to compare to you in terms of powers are hundreds of years old, sometimes thousands." He smirked, and added, "There is a reason the Observers placed you under my personal care."
He wasn't following why this was important. "So I'm a young, sprightly ghost instead of an old geezer. Why does this matter?"
"You aren't out of touch with the human world. During the years of development, most ghosts are either confined to a particular haunt in the human world, or the ghost zone. Should they choose to enter the human world disguised as a human after they've gained enough power to do so, they are inevitably greeted with a foreign culture and people. Whatever they knew is usually outdated by a hundred years or more. You, however, will be right at home, and even have friends and family."
"I…see." Danny couldn't quite keep the twinkle out of his eyes. Well. Clockwork wasn't warning him off of his friends and family. In fact, he seemed to be doing just the opposite. This was a good thing…
The Time Master went on after a moment. "There is a reason I'm talking about the nature of the ghostly body, Danny. Understanding why your temperament changed so suddenly that day lies in understanding the nature of your human and ghost bodies and minds." Clockwork paused. "Your ghost and human halves were split. Then you merged with Vlad's ghost half."
Danny waited, knowing another explanation was on the way. What had happened then? He'd pushed out Vlad's soul, but what about the ghost body itself? What had he taken from it, besides the raw power?
Clockwork went on. "Even before the merge with Vlad's ghost, your were already a changed person, Danny."
Danny blinked. Had he been? Only a few moments had passed before his merge with Vlad, so the memory was blurry at best. As such, he hadn't spent much time thinking about it, other than acknowledging that he'd been in pain, and had immediately acted out against the person he saw as causing that pain. But his human half hadn't reacted that way at all, had it?
"The tendencies you associated more strongly with each form were pulled with that form when you were split apart, Danny. Think on what you did and thought in both forms, and that will give you an idea of what was different between the two. Essentially, however, the ghost half was harsher, and more violent. It was all action, and had a strong sense of justice, though that was quickly twisted into vengeance. Your human half had a higher concentration of the softer emotions; the depression was still strongly present, but also his tendency towards love and compassion was much more developed, though it didn't have time to be expressed."
They were both silent for a moment, as Danny thought over what Clockwork had just said. This gave clarity to those few moments. And it partly explained his transformation. He'd felt less sadness, and more anger for a perfectly logical reason. When had he ever felt sad in his ghost form, back when he'd still been half human? He'd felt worried, tense, angry, it was true. But sadness had mostly been reserved for his human half.
Clockwork went on, apparently deciding Danny could mull later. "Then there was the merge with Vlad. As you may have noticed, some things came more naturally to you after that merge, such as your ability to split your form. However, you don't possess Vlad's memories. Correct me if I'm wrong?"
Danny blinked. That would've been…incredibly weird. "No. If I did, I probably would've developed split personalities by now." He shuddered. "He was obsessed with my Mom, after all." Gross.
"Yet you did take on some of his physical characteristics. Because you were the possessor, instead of the possessed, your personality, memories, and physical characteristics are dominant. If you observe, you are identical to your present self, except in what you might call the purely "ghostly" characteristics. Humans don't have fangs, pointed ears, or blue skin, and so in these superficial ways, Vlad's influence made itself known. And the merge boosted your power, of course."
"So my body isn't a strict split down the middle? I'm mostly my original ghost form?" He narrowed his eyes, trying to make this make sense.
"Yes. You dominated that merge in every way. Your body, mind, and soul took control, and this is reflected in your physical form. If Vlad had dominated, his body might've taken on your skin tone and hair color, perhaps. Something like that. But overall he would've looked and acted like Vlad Plasmius."
"I see. But, I do have some of his mental characteristics, don't I? I'm a little more inclined toward trickery than I was before, and I…hesitate a little more before jumping into things than I used to."
Danny's brow furrowed as something else occurred to him, his mind circling around the muddled memories surrounding the merge. "And…it was Vlad's influence, in part, that led to me killing my human half, wasn't it? For those few short moments, his ghost wanted revenge, just like I'd wanted revenge on him for tearing out my ghost…but it was almost like an echo of what he would've felt if he'd won control during the merge, temporarily imposed on me. And I obviously wouldn't attack myself, so…I attacked my…self." He shuddered, and tried to stop the macabre scene from playing in front of his mind's eye.
He shook his head to clear it, and looked up at Clockwork. "I never really completely understood why I did that. Why I killed my other self. It was…," his eyes narrowed, "animalistic." He was pretty sure that was the most out of control, the lowest, he'd ever been.
Danny turned to the side, looking into the distance, and as he continued speaking he felt like he was letting out one of his darkest secrets. He was, actually, but the words needed to be said. To someone. Sometime.
"I had nightmares about it for years afterwards. It was one of the few things that I…couldn't successfully suppress. That experience was…that was the second worst experience of my life." The first was losing everyone I cared about.
Danny laughed, a single bark, and looked up at the sky. His speaking voice was suddenly harsh, and filled with a subtle anguish. "I'd never killed anyone before that, you know. I never thought I would! And…," he laughed again, a horrible sound. "And the first person I killed was me! How likely is that, huh Clockwork? And after that, everything just went…dooown the draaain." It was as though a deep wound had reopened, and the blood was oozing out through his words.
"It was so fast in real life, just an ecto-blast. He was…," a crazy smile plastered itself onto his face, the smile of a man in a great deal of pain, "...only human. But in my nightmares it was so slow. He would come back, and it didn't matter how dead he should've been…," Danny shuddered at the memories. His other self would talk to him. His other corpse-like self.
Clockwork had to think he was crazy by now, but he couldn't stop the words. And if he didn't keep smiling this crazy smile, he'd start crying and he'd never stop. "And when I was awake, sometimes I used to think I saw my human self, and I'd just start blowing things up…starting with the place he'd been. It was so much worse, thinking he wasn't dead, just half dead…it's crazy, I know…"
He let out something between a bark and a sigh, and ran his hands through his hair, still looking up at the sky. He needed to stop talking before Clockwork decided this was all a big mistake and it was time to go back in the thermos after all and that he was a freakish soulless monster and that there were too many things wrong with him that would never be right again...!
Danny laughed his miserable bark, and covered his face with his hands, rubbing it, and tried to calm himself. He wasn't going to cry in front of this guy. The only good thing about feeling so miserable, was that he finally didn't feel the urge to destroy, to attack. After all these years, finally, finally, he was no longer ruled by his anger!
If only he could've broken out of it sooner, if only someone had stopped him before he'd destroyed his innocence a hundred times over, and been the cause of so much pain and suffering. He hadn't even been in control of himself! For a moment Danny thought he would cry.
A calm voice broke through his inner turmoil, and after a moment Danny slowly lowered his hands, looking down at them. "You were not in your right mind, Danny. Your mind was like a shattered glass for those few minutes, and all the different fragments were pulling at you simultaneously. Your mind was literally reforming itself. Tragically, that act was what completed your transformation into the person you became." Danny's gaze went to the swirling depths below his feet. It was childish not to meet Clockwork's eyes, but he felt bloody and exposed, raw and defeated by his own past.
Clockwork went on, ignoring Danny's emotional state. "Unfortunately, when you split from your human half, your softer emotions were already dampened considerably. When you joined with Vlad's ghost, who had a similar dichotomy of habits, your negative tendencies were only strengthened further, Danny. And for a few minutes, you were acting purely instinctively." Clockwork's voice was deadpan; no anger, no disgust. Instead it was just a steady, somber flow, and Danny had to thank him for that.
He went on, an added note of seriousness pushing through, and Danny found himself finally tuning back in completely, his emotions slowly settling back down. "But by now you should've realized that any time you lose your temper, any time you become angry, you suffer a loss of control over your actions, and that loss only enhances bad habits that right now, you are far from eradicating. Remaining calm, and thus in control of yourself, should always be on your mind. Situations that incite anger should be avoided, and habits should be built that require and encourage a calm state of mind. Like the alcoholic that must avoid even a drop of liquor, you must avoid violence, and anger. This is essential for your happiness, Danny."
Two pairs of red eyes met and held for a few moments, and once again an acknowledgement of something, some truth, seemed to pass between them.
Danny finally looked away. "Actually, I think I already knew that. Out with the old, in with the new." He let out a long, slow sigh, and it was a few moments before he spoke again. Okay, you've had your little emotional interlude. Time to buck up. And strangely, the previous out poring did seem to have got something out of system, because he felt a little lighter now, almost like he'd emptied out all the emotional baggage, at least temporarily.
And he actually turned around and gave Clockwork a genuine smile. "In fact, I've already been making some plans." And some promises. He paused, the smile slowly falling away. "Does this conversation mean I have my freedom now? I can show myself, and 'effect the time stream'?"
Clockwork remained silent for a moment, a look in his eyes that had always struck Danny as slightly malevolent. Danny narrowed his eyes at him, a suspicion rising fast.
Danny rolled his eyes after a moment and put his hands behind his head, feeling frustrated. "Aww, it doesn't, does it? I know that look. You don't want to answer because I'm not going to like what you have to say, right?"
At least the Time Master didn't smirk, and had the grace to look somewhat sorry for him. "Soon, Danny, very soon. Just be a little more patient. Think over what I've told you; I've given you a lot to reflect on. It won't be as long a wait this time, I promise. And afterwards, you will truly be free to do as you please. I'll even help you for a little while." He paused, then added, "Here's one more word of wisdom for you to ponder over, Danny. Time and space don't apply to a soul as they do to material things." And with those words Clockwork gave him a smile, and raised his staff. "I'll be seeing you…later." In the blink of an eye he was gone, and Danny was once again alone with his thoughts in the silent depths of the ghost zone.
Wisconsin, October 19th
It had taken four more grueling days, but she'd finally given in and started using the playpen, the stubborn girl. Vlad sighed and leaned back in satisfaction. He was sitting at his lab computer doing research and keeping an eye on Samantha at the same time. The smell of Earl Grey tea lingered in the air.
Samantha. She was such a strong person…he couldn't help but admire her. And she'd seen right through him, too.
He sighed, watching her as she slept. Nathaniel, who was also out like a light, lay in the pen nearby. Watching her steady breathing was calming to him somehow, and helped him to think. And it was also a triumph. She was finally using the damn thing! Lately he'd spent more than his fair share of time down here in the lab, just waiting for this moment.
Not that Vlad hadn't kept busy. He'd spent a lot of time mulling over what he'd learned from their little encounter. She'd known more about Double D (now dubbed Dark Daniel) than she'd told him. She'd also left out how he got here, and how she knew he was from the future in the first place, although he could connect more dots than perhaps she supposed.
The glitch in the video was an obvious clue. He'd never seen that sort of malfunction before, and after listening to Samantha he knew why.
There was nothing wrong. Time had actually stood still, at least for that video camera. Clearly, Daniel and his doppelganger had finished their confrontation outside of the fourth dimension.
It was an amazing, intriguing concept, and he'd immediately started doing research on the subject. Research aside, however, he was already certain of a few things Samantha had left out of her explanation that had to be true, simply through the logic of deduction.
Firstly, the future she had mentioned was not, in fact, their future. It had to be an alternate timeline, or perhaps, if there was only one timeline at any given time, it simply no longer existed. Either way, it was obvious that the present Daniel was not going to turn into the Dark Daniel who attacked Samantha. Daniel and his friends would hardly be carrying on their lives as they were if they'd met this person and still thought this could come about.
No; they'd probably be running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. Vlad smirked to himself at the thought.
Instead, the only crisis in Daniel's life was his best friend gone missing, so that settled it in his mind. Dark Daniel was from an alternate reality, from some undefined point in the future, though he doubted it was a thousand years, as Samantha had suggested. Actually, he suspected she knew and had pretended ignorance.
Ah well. He liked a good puzzle. And the next piece lay in finding out whether Dark Daniel had transported himself here somehow, or whether someone else had done it for him. Or perhaps…to him. There was no reason to assume he'd come here voluntarily.
Vlad was inclined towards the latter; that someone else had brought him here. Just before the glitch in the video, he'd looked over Dark Daniel carefully for any sign of a time travel device, watching for a motion, a sound, anything he might've done to trigger a stop in time. There was both no visible evidence of such a device, and Dark Daniel hadn't done anything out of the ordinary either.
It was fairly clear, then, that someone else had stopped the fight. (On a side note, he was almost positive they hadn't fought. If they had, Daniel would've mentioned it to his friends. An almost fight he could deal with on his own, but an out and out battle with his future self would've been too much for the boy to keep to himself.)
So between checking on Samantha and Nathaniel, Vlad had been doing research on this mysterious third person. Were they from the future? He hadn't seen hide nor hair of Dark Daniel for months, so perhaps they could've returned to that alternate future?
This didn't seem to fly, however. For one, if whatever had caused that alternate future had been prevented in the here and now, Dark Daniel and this stranger would have no place to return to. At least not a future that had room in it for them.
This suggested that this mysterious other person was probably not from the future. This person had obviously saved Daniel's bacon more than once from his stronger, more experienced future self. Yet if they had the present time to look over like a history book from their perspective in the future, why allow Daniel to come in contact with his future self in the first place? And the boy's reaction to Dark Daniel had been so strong that Vlad knew something had happened earlier, presumably out of time, between the two.
Why allow this to happen, if you were from the future? He didn't pretend to understand the nuances of time travel, but it didn't add up somehow. Why allow the changes they did? The attack on Samantha, for instance, was an irrevocable change in this reality. A new human being had been created out of it, after all.
The motives of this time traveler were vague at best. They seemed interested in protecting Daniel, but his friends were fair game, apparently. And Vlad couldn't help thinking there was something deeper going on here, though he couldn't begin to fathom what. As such, that line of thought had to be put on hold until further data presented itself.
There were other things to contemplate, such as the method of time travel. Who was to say it was future technology, for instance? Why not a ghost power of some sort? Many ghosts developed a very specialized power, such as Desiree, who could grant wishes, or Technus, who had control over electronic and mechanical things. Even the Box Ghost had control over, well…boxes.
Perhaps there was a ghost, presumably very powerful, who could control the fourth dimension to some extent? And for whatever reason, they had a connection to Daniel and his evil counterpart.
In any case, this was what Vlad had been primarily researching. If this third person was a ghost with power over time, he could search for him in the ghost zone (which he'd sent Skulker to do) and research ghostly phenomenon that mentioned anomalies in time. He had books and books on ghosts and ghost history, but had never before thought to look through them for signs of a ghost with power over time. With this new focus, he was certain he'd find something, if this ghost existed.
This would be pointless, of course, if it was someone from the future who was using very advanced technology. But there was no way to research things that hadn't been built yet, or people who didn't exist yet, so he wasn't going to bother trying.
Besides, he had a feeling this was a ghost's work. It was all too…quirky to be part of the machinations of a normal human being, since clearly this person was manipulating Dark Daniel as they pleased, allowing him to encounter Daniel, then drawing him away again. Allowing him to attack Samantha.
Vlad sighed and looked over at her sleeping form. What were their motives? Why allow this to happen? His eyes wandered toward the pen. He didn't have competition for the child, did h…!
Vlad sat up suddenly, his previous train of thought practically forgotten. The child was…Nathaniel had transformed! And Samantha was sleeping through it! Did this mean he was the first to see it like this, since he was almost certain it hadn't transformed as of yet…
The baby was a very pale blue, much lighter than its father. Vlad zoomed the camera in, eager to get a closer look. Ah. He'd thought so. His ears were pointed as well. There was no way to tell about the eyes, since he was sleeping, and his teeth weren't in yet, so whether he'd have fangs was anybody's guess.
Still, it was somehow amazing, finally seeing the proof of the parentage with his own eyes. Even after all these years of being a halfa and being around ghosts, the sight of this particular ghost child was…utterly captivating.
Well. Vlad actually did have proof of the parentage through the DNA tests he'd run a few weeks ago, but seeing the child transform still felt like the ultimate confirmation of its halfa nature.
Vlad leaned slowly back again, eyes never leaving Nathaniel's ghostly form. Actually, the results from the DNA test had been rather intriguing, and Vlad found himself thinking back over them again.
He'd run the tests right here in his lab, using samples from Daniel, Samantha, and the baby. Samantha, as he'd expected, matched Nathaniel fifty percent. Daniel, however, only matched forty-five percent, making him almost the father (which was technically a scientific impossibility). It leant credence to the theory that Dark Daniel had indeed merged with lesser ghosts over time, thus altering his DNA and appearance.
This illustrated why Vlad had never thought to gain power that way, even though he'd known for years that this was a method often used by the more powerful ghosts. He'd get a boost of strength equal to that of the lesser ghost, but he'd also be getting echoes of their physical form and, possibly, of their personality as well. There were some places he wasn't willing to go; some things he wasn't going to give up. His own body and mind, exactly as they were now, were two of them.
Vlad wondered about how many of the events leading to the creation of Dark Daniel Samantha really knew about. How had his ghost and human halves been ripped apart, exactly? And why had Daniel's ghost half, under any circumstances, killed his human half? And had it been cold blooded murder, or some tragic accident? Something must've been horribly wrong.
Although, Vlad did wonder if Samantha had been entirely truthful about what she had told him. It just…wasn't something Daniel would do! Yet even in the video Dark Daniel had said he'd already killed Daniel, though Samantha could've twisted what he'd said somehow, taken it out of context.
Vlad blinked as Nathaniel transformed back, and one again his previous thoughts fell by the wayside. It wasn't as though asking those questions could lead anywhere at the moment anyway, and Nathaniel's transformation was much more interesting (and less disturbing). Vlad hadn't been focusing a moment ago, but there had definitely been a flash of light…
He began extracting the last several minutes of video file into a separate folder on his computer. He'd missed the first transformation entirely, and wanted to go over both several times. A particularly important question Vlad intended to answer through studying Nathaniel was what differences, if any, there were between a naturally born halfa and an artificially created one (such as himself and Daniel), and an obvious thing to compare would be the transformation.
Author's Notes:
Hee, hee. I'm sorry this took so long! I had to re-write it when it turned into a twenty page discourse given by Clockwork. But now I have stuff organized in my head better for later chapters, and a few things already written up too. Let's just say I originally had waaaay to much information stuffed into this one chapter. So anyway…Please review! I'd love to hear what you think:)
Other little tidbits…Can you say Technus 2.0? Why did his physical appearance change, exactly? A possible explanation is that he absorbed a few weaker (and better looking) ghosts. :P Just a thought. Also, this doesn't come out in the chapter, but another reason Vlad isn't willing to attempt a merge is because he's a halfa. Because of his human body, a merge might not even be possible- and he has no basis for comparison. He could just end up getting possessed. (Not likely though.)
One more thing that didn't get covered in the chapter. (Actually, there are lot's of things, but that's neither here nor there.) Dark Danny mentions sleeping- as a ghost this is a very different thing; they don't need nearly as much. But they do sleep, and when they do they revert to their natural form- unless the sleep is extremely shallow.
Okay! Thank yea! Come again! I hope you liked the noodles! (behehehehe…smfortle)