Almost forgot the update today. Here's a challenge, can you figure out how I mixed in the Arrow style of writing?
Those who've reviewed, thank you. All mistakes are still mine. I do not own Arrow or Danny Phantom, otherwise I wouldn't be typing these stories up and we would have a return of DP.
On with the story...
Find that balance within you that keeps you alive.
Chap 3: Travel Guilt
Flying farther and faster than he ever has trying to get away from all the nightmares that he's dreamed of to this day. The ground began to come closer, because of the energy that was used to escape the facility and now the extra that he's using to fly farther away has drained him. He lands in the trees next to a small town. Sliding down the trunk of one of the trees he hugs himself as the tears continue to fall. He changes to his human form and walks down the mountain towards the city in question. His wounds from the scalpels already healed leaving only scars.
Exhaustion takes over as he stumbles down the hill to a parking area. There were no cars there as he walked toward a billboard, stumbling again on a loose rock. The sign said Black Hills with a map of the trials along with the local towns and cities. Looking at the surrounding cities, Rapid City was closest. Turning around he began to walk towards said city.
'My fault,' he thought. 'All my fault. If I told my parents before they caught me, they would've accepted me. The GIW wouldn't have come for me and Tucker and Sam would still be alive.' He stopped walking hanging his head in shame. 'I shouldn't have lost control like that.'
He continued to walk down the side of a road when the lights of an oncoming car came closer. "Hey kid, need a ride?" someone stated. Danny looked to the side to see a police officer looking at him. He felt the need to run, to get away from any kind of law enforcement.
"I'm just taking a walk towards Rapid City." Danny replied.
"I'm part of the task force there. It'll be quicker than walking." The officer stated, insisting on taking the teen.
Fearing what would happen if he declined, he sat in the front of the cruiser. "So kid, what's your name?" the officer asked accelerating down the road.
"Danny." He felt stupid, nearly smacking himself across the head for giving out his real name. He took a look at the officer, she had brown mid-back hair pulled back with a butterfly clip.
"You're not on the missing persons list." Danny froze suddenly wishing he declined the offer. "I'm only joking, usually when someone like you gets picked up it's because they were a runaway."
Danny listened as she continued to talk about why she was the one looking for them most of the time.
Ashton knew he wasn't on the missing persons list because she never seen him around the city. She took it upon herself to keep an eye out for the younger kids, just in case something happened. She was then assigned to look for the kids that ran away since she had the soft spot and the patience for them. When she saw the kid walking down the side of the road, he seemed lost; not really in a directional sense but more of a mental sense. When they locked eyes his were clouded like when a child saw something they really shouldn't have seen, and he was exhausted. Then he sat inside the cruiser she swore she caught a scar and slight coloring on his skin.
Coming back to the present she glanced over at him to see him nodding off. "So where are your parents?" she asked not only to wake him up but to see if she could figure out why he was out in the Black Hills alone.
"Th-they went on vacation and won't be back till the next week. I-I decided to take a walk getting lost in the forest." He stated keeping his voice down and not making any eye contact.
Ashton caught this and realized that he may not be a runaway from Rapid City, but from another close by. "Why didn't you drive up to Black Hills National Forest?"
"I wanted to walk and didn't plan on getting lost."
"For precaution, you can stay with me until tomorrow morning. You look exhausted."
Danny stared out at the window as they got closer to the city, it was around nine o'clock when his head hit the pillow seeing nothing else but black.
Ashton watched as he slept seeing the relaxed teen for the first time. She covered him up with a wool blanket before walking over to her desk where there was a file. This file had all the names of the kids that she had to look for, even ones in neighboring cities. She read each name and looked for a picture that looked similar to the boy in front of her. She found nothing even close.
Pulling up a search engine she uses constantly she typed in, Danny missing runaway, and the first article that popped up was something about a ghost boy being blamed. Curiosity struck when she began to read the article about a missing Daniel Fenton.
'15 year old still missing! Daniel Fenton, the son of Maddie and Jack Fenton, the two ghost hunters disappeared a week ago after school. His friends and family are distraught at the news. The ongoing investigation has no leads; although some blame is going towards the bullies while some blame the craziness of the parents. The parents blame the ghost boy Danny Phantom due to their biased opinions that all ghosts are evil.
"It has to be Phantom! No other ghost has ever has any kind of contact with him." Mrs. Fenton reasoned, we asked her if she told her kids of her opinions. "Of course, we always tell them to stay away from all ghosts. Being teenagers they don't listen, now I just want my baby boy back."
We turned to the sister, Jasmine, who was with Daniel's friends Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley. All three of them looked straight at us and Jazz answered, "It wasn't Phantom." The two friends nodded.
As we asked the other citizens we took note that while other ghosts have been seen around town, Phantom himself hasn't been seen. The young teen is in our prayers.'
Ashton reread the article, everyone outside of Amity Park thought the whole thing was a hoax; an idea to get tourism going. She looked for the published date which was two years ago. She returned to the search bar only to find the same kid that was sleeping on the couch. "Why did you run?" she continued her search throughout the night finding another article on the Fenton's.
'FentonWorks has collapsed! In the middle of last night and explosion occurred, it was unusual being so late. FentonWorks was known to have some minor explosions seeing as the parents were scientists of the paranormal. However, last night's was louder than normal causing the neighbors to wake up and check them out. As they walked outside they come to see agents of the Guys in White fly off with something in their arms and seeing the building beside them in rubble. 911 was dialed and the bodies of Maddie and Jack Fenton were found. Jasmine was in college at this time and Daniel was pronounced dead. The funerals for all three will be held for next week.
No one is sure of why the GIW were there or what they were carrying, but most of the town now blames them for the deaths.'
Ashton kept an eye out for any new articles that will lend a helping hand in solving the once dead boy. Once the clock struck midnight did Ashley get off of the computer. She grabbed an old hoodie that was laying around from her nephew, it was plain grey. She then headed towards the safe that was hidden in her closet. She grabbed a few bills that counted up to one hundred, taking the money and the hoodie she laid them on the coffee table in front of the boy with a note attached. Looking back once more with a sad smile, she left for bed.
It was a peaceful night patrolling with his two best friends Sam and Tucker. "No ghosts tonight guys. You two can head home." Phantom said into the Fenton Phones.
"You sure?" Sam asked, following on her scooter with Tucker beside her.
"I'll be fine, go home."
"Alright, see ya man." Tucker stated turning down a street.
Phantom came lower to fly next to Sam. "You should go too." He said. Sam stopped and Phantom followed her movements.
"What if a ghost attacks?" concern filling her voice.
"Sam, I'll be fine." She nodded, Phantom took her hand giving it a squeeze of reassurance. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." Sam smiled.
"Lovebirds." Tucker whispered over the Fenton Phones.
"Tucker!" Sam yelled while Phantom just smiled seeing the light blush over her cheeks. She turned to see him staring at her. "Danny, you okay there?" Sam asked getting slightly weirded out, Phantom blinked and smiled.
"I'm f-fine. W-Why wouldn't I be?" Now it was Sam's turn to smile.
"Be careful, Danny." Sam left turning down her street.
Phantom finished up his patrol, already planning on what he was going to say to Sam tomorrow. He was about to return to his bed when a blue wisp floated out of his mouth warning him of the threat nearby. With a groan he flew higher to get a better look over his town to find the culprit. He felt the blast hit his back before he had time to turn around, losing some altitude he turned to regain his original height. "Skulker, can't this wait?" he asked the ghost.
"The hunt never ends ghost child." A blade flew out of his arm.
"An upgrade." Skulker only smiled.
He flew fast towards Phantom going for a swipe. Phantom dodged the first attack, getting some distance he shot an ecto-blast back at the hunter. Skulker's blade glowed, using it as a shield the blade absorbed the attack, then with a swipe his own attack was sent back. Confusion took over logic when Skulker attacked again, Phantom tried to dodge but got a shallow cut across his torso.
Phantom turned invisible and flew around Skulker leaving a clone in his original place. When Skulker attacked the clone, Phantom appeared behind him shooting a powerful ecto-blast forcing Skulker to hit the pavement, leaving a crater behind. Phantom landed on the outside of the crater looking for the hunter through the dust. "Can't you ever leave me alone?" Phantom asked.
"What would the fun in that be?"
"It's called a vacation."
Skulker flew up getting out of Phantom's range, he wasn't fast enough. He was hit with another one of Phantom's ecto-blast, smashing into another crater. Phantom smiled as Skulker was trapped into the thermos, clipping the thermos to his belt he turned around to fly home. Only to be caught in surprise to see a barrel of an ecto-gun, the whirling of the charging and then black.
When he reawaken he tried to move his arms and legs only not to be able to. He craned his head up to see his wrists in glowing shackles, his ankles were the same. "What's going on?"
"It's time to see what makes you different, Phantom." Said his mom to the side with a scalpel in hand.
Danny shot up from where he was and froze not recognizing where he was at first. Then the night before flashed back, the tears were pushed back this time. He turned his head to see a note on top of money and a hoodie.
'Danny, please take these so I know you have at least something to live off of. This better be gone when I get back, only if you choose to leave.
-Ashton'
Danny didn't know if he really should take the money or not. Instead he took $80 and some of the change, pulling on the hoodie he left out the door.
When he got out he continued to walk down the street with the moon still out. He sat by a bus stop and waited. 'If anyone found out who I am, I would be sent to Vlad. I won't let Him happen. All of these problems started with my powers, if I don't use them then nothing else should happen.' Danny thought walking out of the city, unknown to himself he started heading towards the northwest.
When he got to the South Dakota border did he finally use the money that Ashton left him to take. Grabbing a bus map he got on the one that went west the farthest, which was Suncoast City in Montana.
Due to the fact the Danny refused to never use his powers again, he wouldn't want to go back to Amity Park. He looked up at the mini movie screens that was playing; Dead Teacher IV was on. He tuned it out reminding him of Sam and Tucker. 'After all this time, I never got to tell Sam the truth.' He saw all the heads on the bus turn to the screens as the movie was interrupted by the news channel.
'Breaking News! Last night there was an explosion of light blue and green lights that sounded from the middle of Nebraska. Authorities checked it out that night to find a Guys in White facility. 75 agents have been found dead along with two teenagers that have been identified as Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley. Swat teams have recently found out that the facility did hold Amity Park's ghostly hero Danny Phantom. Not much has been said of why they had Phantom.
The facility was covered in ice last night that was slowly melted away. We do not know the whereabouts of Phantom, or if he really is a hero.'
'I'm not a hero. I lost control too easily, causing the deaths of 77 people. Two of which were my best friends.' The bus arrived at Suncoast City with rain and cold with it. Danny didn't mind either since having an ice core makes him resistant to extreme temperatures. He walked to the edge of the city once again repeating his actions from earlier. This time he fell asleep though.
"I'm your son!" Danny yelled to the ceiling above him.
"No ghost is a son of mine. Now where is my son, Danny?" Phantom began to cry unable to bring reason to his parents. "Interesting; producing tears to make lies more believable."
"I'm not lying! I'm a halfa; a half human and half ghost hybrid." Phantom finally yelled his best kept secret. "I'm your son!"
"Lies, nothing can live between life and death. It's scientifically impossible!" she walked away then came back with his father in tow. "Honey, would you like to do the honors?" Jack began to cut from his collar bone down. Both adults ignoring the screams.
"Hey, kid wake up." Danny woke up shying away from the man's figure. "We're at Starling City and I'm not taking you any farther."
Danny understood, getting up from where he was and walked off the bus. Walking around he became aware of all the buildings that were crumbling and falling apart. He walked into an alleyway and relaxed on a crate.
It was morning when he realized that he slept defenseless in an alleyway. 'Idiot, that's one way to get yourself killed.' He thought walking out into the open, heading into the nicer part of the city. He needed to get different clothes, he was still in the same ones that he had at Amity Park. Besides he still has sixty on him; his stomach growled. 'Guess I'll add food onto that list. Too bad there isn't a Nasty Burger here.'
Important! I have chapters already written, and they seem to be going a different direction than planned. So fair warning there will be eventual (minor) DxS by the end of the story. I'm up to chapter 12, who knows how long this will be.
Not so important! CHALLENGE! After reading the chapter who can tell me how I managed to recreate the style of Arrow through to Danny?
Reward: I'll give you a hint about the next chapter! (Without giving everything away)