Chapter 12

Dark Danny continued on his rampage until his ghost sense went off and he instinctively fired a powerful ghost ray from his fist toward what happened to be a ticked off Box Ghost who was trying to attack him with a bunch of wooden crates, boxes, bubble wrap, and duct tape. He didn't hesitate to grab the stunned ghost.

"Well, well, well, I almost forgot how short and pudgy you were." He hissed. "Say, is this your hideout? Are there other old enemies of mine around? Are you going to at least say 'Beware' to me?" He asked again in a snarky tone then his ghost sense went off again. He turned his head to find a light bluish ghost ray which he quickly created a ghost shield in order to block it. Turned out that ghost ray was actually an ice beam and he had managed to block it in time to avoid it hitting him directly. He knew what it was like frozen in ghostly ice. Now that the modern Phantoms had this power he was going to be extra careful, but at least he knew of ways to counter it. Quickly he dropped the Box Ghost who took the opportunity to flee. He made three duplicates and split up in different directions to take on any ghost or ghost hybrid that shot at him.

"Well, well, well, Danielle, as I recall, we played 'Follow the Leader' into the past. Why not play 'Hide and Seek' in the present. Or better yet, 'Search and Destroy.'" One of the duplicates stated in a sinister tone as he headed off to search for her.

Danny remained invisible while he waited for duplicate or the original himself to float by. He was also wearing a scanning device used for picking up ecto signatures of invisible specters. Sure enough there was an invisible one next to the visible decoy waiting for a cheap shot. Quickly he took out the invisible one but the other flew straight toward his direction with glowing fists. Danny barely avoided him.

Danielle was able to capture one of the duplicates in the thermos but she had too close of a call when one of the duplicates almost pounced on her because he hid in a place where her scanning eyewear wasn't able to detect him. She was able to deflect him in time but lost her grasp on the thermos. Before he could grab it, she created a duplicate to freeze him in a block of ghostly ice and trap him for a few precious seconds and that allowed Danielle to obtain the thermos and move a safe distance away until he broke free with his flaming ghostly hair and pulsing hot ghost rays.

"Is that all you've got, girly?" He hissed in rage.

She returned his comment with a shot of ecto energy into his mouth.

"I hope you're hungry because you will be eating your own words Dark Danny!" She snapped back.

He resisted the urge to lunge at her. He couldn't risk getting sucked into the thermos that she had in her possession.

"You know I really hate being called 'Danny'. I haven't been called that in years and for good reason. When I'm from, people and ghosts alike just call me 'Phantom'." He growled as he fired more ecto shots at her. She didn't appear to be wearing one of Clockwork's time medallions, but he knew that she must be using something.

Meanwhile Danny was starting to falter when the enemy was not only able to block his attacks, but counter them as well by aiming his Danny's ghost rays back at him. How were Danielle and his future self cope with such an opponent. In his first big brawl with this future ghost, this evil Phantom was just toying with him. This time however, he wasn't taking that chance again and was determined to not only defeat this younger less experienced version of himself but to hold him captive and restrain him. He was having to deal with that older female Phantom that had proven to be quite an effective fighter.

Eventually he was able to overpower his younger alternate self without the other good Phantom to save or aid him, but before he could do serious damage a hot pink ecto blast hit him. Stunned for a second, he looked up at the attacker to discover that the shooter was apparently a younger female, about the current Danny's age and was wearing a high tech anti ghost battle suit.

"You're not trashing this town or any community on my watch ghost! She shouted as she fired another anti ghost ray at the Dark Phantom. Quickly he grabbed his younger alternate self to use as a shield but fortunately Danny had the sense and conciseness to turn intangible allowing the ecto blast to hit his evil self instead. Dark Danny roared in pain and in anger from being tricked. Danny took the opportunity to escape from his captor. However he couldn't help but think that he recognized her. The outfit maybe different but he was certain that whoever was wearing it was Valerie Gray, the teenage girl turned ghost fighter/hunter who harbored a great deal of resentment for ghosts. She definitely acted and sounded very familiar and possible used similar weapons and technology.

Without warning he lunged at her but he was careful to avoid any shots fired at him because he didn't know of what kind of technology or weapons she used, but he still had to neutralize her in some way. During his time Valerie was always a thorn at his side. He was so enraged that he didn't really notice his ghost sense going off. Once again his younger and less experienced self had bested him by pouncing on him from above while he was aiming for the Red Huntress. He was knocked quite a distance back while Valerie took aim and fired a ghost net at him but he managed to avoid it.

"Valerie, this ghost is bad news – Danny tried to warn.

"Aren't all ghosts bad news?" She questioned him with great suspicion.

Danny was very turned off by her stubbornness. After all he was just trying to help and this came just after they had rescued the younger/present Danielle. Was she trying to test him?

"I trying to stop this monster and save all the citizens just like you." He answered. He tried to explain further but the enemy attacked again. While inside a ghost shield he realized in horror that he and Danielle were separated for quite some time. Quickly he tried to contact her with the modified Fenton Phones.

"Dani, can you hear me? Where are you? Did you stop those duplicates?" He asked in a worried tone. He couldn't wait to listened to a response because the enemy was attacking again.

Meanwhile Danielle was fighting what she believed was the main/original ghost rather than another duplicate. Even though she had produced three other duplicates, he was still quite a challenge and he had successfully separated her from the other Danny was able to counter or avoid all of her attacks. Still there was more in store.

"I knew that you couldn't really be a new ghost fighting hero. You had to come from somewhere. You were so much like Danny, I thought that you two had to be siblings but Mom and Dad didn't have any more kids after me. It would be unlikely that a cousin or an adopted sister could be that much like my original self. You appear to be too old to be his daughter; that is if he has any kids. And Vlad told me plenty." The Dark Phantom proudly announced.

"You can't take what Vlad says seriously. You should know that because he's part of you. He's a lying, cheating, and manipulative fake in so many ways. I'm not surprised that you took on his worst traits and aggrandized them into making yourself a bigger villain than he ever was." She shot back.

"Deny it all you want, it won't change your origins. You nothing more than a failed cloning attempt. A female Danny Phantom. I can't believe that Cheesehead got that desperate and sunk that low." He cackled evilly. "It makes sense now. I didn't even know that the science and technology of biological engineering had gotten to be so advanced. Who knew that being stuck in the thermos so long could cause time to pass you by?" He added with a sinister tone as launched a massive ghost ray Danielle quickly conjured up an icy shield to disable her enemy and restrict the amount of damage it could cause. He then gave her the slip by creating a portal to the Ghost Zone and thus escaping once again.

Upset and hearing her predecessor's calls for a reply. She assured him that she survived but he was able to escape her and that she was rushing to his aid. It didn't take long at all for her to arrive there and for good reason; the fight was starting to get bad on the teens' part. He was able to capture Valerie in ghostly cords and resisting some sort of suspended animation power on him. It worked on humans and some ghosts but this ghost hybrid was apparently highly resistant to it. Sensing his ghost sense going off he created a portal to escape the other Phantom and rejoin the original back in the Ghost Zone. Just as he left Klemper floated by asking if anyone wanted to be his friend. Just Dani arrived to find Danny and Valerie released from the ghostly constructs.

"Are you two all right? We can't get separated like that again." Danielle inquired.

"Did that ghost just leave because he's afraid of Klemper?" Valerie asked slightly amused especially watching Klemper try to shower Danielle with affection. Valerie was surprisingly cool from her near death experience.

"No, I think he retreated because he was certain that Danielle was coming to save us and stop him, but Klemper arrived first." Danny answered. "Did you not see the him escape into the Ghost Zone?"

"Um doesn't he need a portal for that?" Valerie asked.

"He can create his own if he needs or wants to." Danny replied.

Suddenly Guys in White agents started to surround the teens and the older (future) ghost heroine and demanded that they surrender to which Danielle convinced Klemper to go hug the agents because they wanted to be his friends. Fortunately Klemper was very gullible and easy to persuade and thus gave the Guys in White surprise when a large and overly friendly ghost tried to give them a bear hug but accidentally breathed his icy breathe on the agents giving both the Phantoms and the Red Huntress the distraction they needed to flee.

Dawn was starting to break and they saw firefighters putting out the blazing buildings that the enemy had started and news media reporting the incident. Later while watching the news came to their knowledge that Mayor Masters was unaccounted for and possibly missing. Even more it was suggested disregard the mayor's original remarks that the city was in no real danger and that Danny Phantom was to blame for all this. Many took up the suggestion that Amity Park should be evacuated and so should other nearby communities as a precaution. Even more a number of members of the public had dubbed the vicious menace as Dan Phantom to help tell the difference between him and the heroic Danny Phantom that Amity Park became known for.

Vlad kept desperately searching for a way out of the Ghost Zone but it all seemed to be futile. Even asking for other ghosts proved to be of little help. It seemed that his personal portal was turned off or worse damaged, dismantled, or possibly destroyed. It was easier to buy another mansion rather than build another functioning portal. He was unable to locate the Fentons' portal. Was something wrong with it? Suddenly swarms of ghosts began to flee in fright from an enemy that bore Danny Phantom symbol except he was a lot taller, tougher, more muscular, wore a cape, and had fangs, pale green skin, red eyes, and fiery hair.