Summary: Feeling useless to help was the worst thing she could think of, but Valerie wasn't going to just sit there and do nothing.
Characters: Valerie and Dash
Written: July 2015
Note: This is set after chapter 61 of Spectacular Specter.

Chapter 61.5B

Valerie stretched as she stepped out of the Nasty Burger. It was nice having the chance to get out of her aunt and uncle's place and spend some time with her friends. She encouraged them to talk about whatever was going on with them, like they normally would, to help keep her mind off her father. She was worried sick about his health, but she could nothing to help him get better, a fact which frustrated her to no end. She hated having to sit back and do nothing.

Hearing her friends talk didn't help distract her mind as much as she hoped. Valerie barely heard anything they said. She kept flashing back to right before she joined up with them. Danny Fenton was Phantom! She shot glances toward the table where Danny sat with his friends until they all got up and left. It was unbelievable. If someone came up and told her Danny was Phantom, she would call them crazy. Danny was a dorky little klutz but a genuinely decent guy. She tried to imagine him at the Nasty Burger the night Poindexter went crazy, but she just couldn't put him in Phantom's place. She couldn't picture him standing up to disarm the other teenager so the police could enter and get everyone to safety and the medical team get to Kwan after he was shot. They seemed like two completely different people. But she had to wonder: which was the real him and which was the act?

"Hey, Valerie!" Dash caught up to her after she left the Nasty Burger.

"What is it, Dash?" Valerie frowned as she tugged on the strap of her bag. "I should really get back before it gets dark out. You know, stupid curfew and all." She rolled her eyes.

"Ah, right." Dash looked away, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Well, I know they've been saying that what happened was all Phantom's fault. And well," he turned back to her, his lips pressing thing, "it's none of my business if you want to hate him or blame him. But I thought you should see something."

An eyebrow arched upward as Valerie watched the jock fumble with his phone. What did Dash have planned? He flipped the screen toward her as a video played. She watched it, silently taking in everything said by the costumed person on screen. It didn't differ much from what Phantom had told her only a few hours earlier. It came as no big surprise to her that Dash was eager to trust in Phantom's story. He could try to hide it, but Dash was a huge fan of the ghostly hero. She smiled inwardly when she heard Dash saying they needed evidence before going public with the story. Some might consider him just another dumb jock, but Dash had some smart points.

"You are such a fan boy," Valerie said teasingly after the video finished.

Dash's cheeks tinged pink. "I'm not! I mean - Look. Obviously, you don't have to believe anything he says. I wouldn't blame you for holding a grudge. You were there and all." He shrugged. "But I just thought you should hear things from him."

Valerie shook her head. "Thanks. I have some ideas about finding out what really happened."

Dash grinned crookedly. "You have your dad's detective skills. I'm sure you'll find the truth in no time." He patted her on the shoulder then turned to head to his car.

Valerie watched him go, thinking he put too much faith in her abilities. Then she shook her head. This was one mystery she had to solve. With that determination in mind, she walked around to the back of the Nasty Burger. As she turned the corner, her phone buzzed with an incoming text message. She pulled her phone out to check it. Panic surged through her when she read the short message from Kwan. He wouldn't send an SOS if something seriously bad wasn't happening. She could only think of one reason for such a message: ghosts.

Valerie jumped on top of the dumpster behind the Nasty Burger. Then she grabbed hold of the drain pipe and scaled up to the roof. When she was at the top, she hurriedly changed into her suit. She left her rifle stowed away on the rooftop when she arrived at the Nasty Burger so no one would find it. Before she put on her helmet, she stopped to consider something. Pulling out her phone, she typed a message to Danny. If ghosts were involved, Phantom should definitely be there.

[Phantom. Masters. NOW!]

Once that was done, she stuffed her phone back into her bag. She yanked on the helmet then tossed her bag over her shoulder. The hover board unfolded when she dropped it before her. Jumping onto it, she sped off toward the Masters' house. Her heart quickened, the pounding beat filling her ears. What was happening there? Was anyone badly injured? What kind of ghost would she face off against? The questions flew through her mind, and she pushed the hover board to go faster.

When she arrived, Valerie crashed through the big picture window in the front room of the house. She winced at the damage as she hopped off the hover board. She felt about it, but if her friends were in danger, she couldn't fret over a little destruction to the house. The hover board folded up again. She grabbed it then jogged out of the front room.

"Hello?" Valerie called out, walking down the unfamiliar hall. If she had the time to stop and look around, she would have marveled over grandness of the house. The emptiness of the home, however, was eerie. Where was everyone? No one had responded to her call.

A crash came from somewhere below her. Valerie yanked open every door she could find, searching for the one leading into the basement. How many doors did this place have? Her frustration grew until she opened a door to find stairs leading down behind it. She raced down the stairs, her hand reaching for the rifle. When she hit the bottom of the stairs, she found a chaotic scene before her. Impressive equipment and inventions filled the laboratory, but much of it was now smashed up with parts dangling by wires nearly about to snap and glass shards scattered over the floor.

Valerie scanned the room for her friends. When she glanced to her left, she stumbled back to avoid the fist she saw flying at her head. Instinctively, she thrust a fist right under the arm, striking the armpit and earning a gasp from her attacker. Then she pivoted and brought up her knee to slam it into the person's chest. She didn't even think, running purely on years of practicing karate. She twisted again, spinning herself behind her assailant as she readied her hand to strike at the back of their neck.

"Stop!"

Her hand halted an inch from the person's neck when she heard the furious shout. Valerie blinked as she glanced toward the source, finding a ragged looking man with his silvery hair loose from a ponytail and his clothes scorch marked and torn. He had taken quite the beating before her arrival.

"Look out!" This time, the shout came from a familiar source.

Valerie snapped her head around, and her eyes widened frightfully as a bright green ball of energy rushed toward her.

Author's Note: Sorry this is late! Life kind of dragged me away for the day. orz

Tetractys: Everything's gone crazy! D:

YumiStar: Vlad's messes up. Everyone pays for it. orz

Guest: Madness! Madness everywhere!

Silver Axe: So many questions! Hopefully we'll get some answers soon!