CHAPTER 34: THE NATIVITY, PART 3

Danny Fenton is without a soul, and without his powers.

Defeated at the hands of a being calling itself Demon Phantom, a malevolent ghost that was once him in another timeline, he was nearly killed just as his family was killed before his eyes, from his parents, to his older sister, and his pregnant wife. Dropped from a height impossible to survive, he somehow surmounted the impossible, landing in the abandoned city of Old Amity Park below.

Through cosmic coincidences facilitated by the hand of Clockwork, he had met with both the ghost of Jazz Fenton, his deceased sister, and Danielle Phantom, his long-lost female clone. Together, they had led him along his path to retrieve his soul and, in turn, receive his powers once again and fight back against Demon Phantom.

Their journey had taken them to a district of Old Amity Park called Eros, a place dedicated to worshiping all pleasures and sensations of the human body, primarily all that is relative to the concept of sex. In this city, they had sought out one specific ghost who had the power to recreate Danny's soul:

Desiree, the genie who could grant any man his heart's desire.

She is one of many foes and fiends that Danny has faced during his early days of superherodom, but long lost was the ghost from his attention, as were many in his famous rogues' gallery. But the history that they had shared as enemies are but one challenge that rest in the way of reaching her for help.

The greater challenge instead lies on gaining her attention in the place where they have located her:

A strip club, coincidentally a place where the entire point of the establishment is for their employees to draw attention to their customers.

"So, Desiree works in a ghost strip club. Not where I expected to find her, but I guess it's not the weirdest place in the world in comparison to what I've seen so far." Jazz said.

[Soundtrack Cue: KMFDM - Friede (Naive Album Remix)]

As the three journeyers entered the gentleman's club, the group was immediately met with loud, pounding music, combined with the sights of scantily clad female ghosts, all removing their clothes at the commission of their sex-crazed patrons. The performing ghosts all held extremely well features of beauty, but there was a certain 'incorrectness' that existed to their appearances, as if their appearances were artificial or fake.

In between the flashes of beauty and attractiveness the ghosts portrayed, there were glimpses of wrinkled skin, needle marks, blemished faces, and other signs of poor health and home life. In another flash, however, these imperfections were gone as quickly as they came; their ethereal forms changing back to their attractive selves once again.

"Is it just me, or do these girls have some kind of weird beer-goggles effect they can put on people? There's something that's just so... 'wrong' with the way they look. Like it's some kind of mask." Jazz said.

"Most of these girls are drug addicts or hookers that died on the streets. A life like that's just a one-note song: Get up, try to get a fix or money to survive, spend on what you need, then repeat. A lot of them never get the rest they want, they just end up like workers like these. Or occasionally a succubus, but they mostly roam about on their own." Danielle said.

To further surprise to Jazz through her inspection of the club, all the patrons were living humans, comprising the entirety of the customer base, while all the performers within were ghosts, none of them still living. The interactions between the clients and customers ranged from simple pole and lap dances to full sexual intercourse, but done without any removal of clothing necessary.

From acts of manual stimulation and fellatio to penetration, all sexual interactions were made with both parties fully clothed, leaving the human customers to be left with the aftermath in their pants. Nonetheless, neither the unsanitary display nor the public theater of such actions were of any bother to the other customers, cheering it all on instead.

"Why are none of the clients ghosts? They're all humans." Jazz said.

"Remember when you asked me what Ectophiliacs are?" Danielle asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well, here you are. What's the one concern that young, horny guys have when trying to get sex?"

"I don't know."

"Protection against diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Being dead, neither of those things can happen to you, so a new wave of perversion called Ectophilia was born."

"Is this legal?"

"No, but it is in Japan. And kind of legal in Nevada."

"But isn't this technically necrophilia?"

"No. Necrophilia's sex with a dead body. Ectophilia's sex with the person no longer in the body. It's a lot more intimate than sex between two living humans, so I've heard."

Moving past the conversation of the legality and mechanics of the afterlife of prostitutes and their post-death employment, the two continued to lead Danny on the search for Desiree, trying to disregard the loud music, pungent odors of sin, and the nude specters displaying their forms for the loud and obnoxious patrons.

Unfortunately, just as he was tempted once before, Danny, reduced back to the bare basics of his humanity, could not focus on anything save for the arousing images placed all around him. The circus of sexual imagery began making him react to the sights as any form of life would do, becoming aroused with the intent to spread its seed and propagate its species.

During his first few steps of life without a soul, there were still remnants of human memory that guided him along the path of monogamy, solemnly swearing himself to his wife years ago and keeping that vow by rejecting a session of free love during his time with pagan hippies.

Without a soul to carry such emotions across his brain and fully comprehend the emotions, the influence they still carried began to dwindle, leaving him susceptible to all the temptations around him. Trying to lure him with offers of pleasure and ecstasy, the undead harlots all enticed him with their ghostly bodies, each placing themselves in front of one another to seek his money.

"Hey, baby, I may not be able to find peace now that I'm dead, but I can give you 10 minutes of peace for just $10 dollars. How about it, sweet cheeks?" One performer offered.

"You look like the nerdy type. Ever see that scene in 'Ghostbusters' when Ray had that naughty dream with the ghost? Wanna do it for real?" Another performer asked.

"Hello, there. Care to see if I'm the real Monroe, Mr. President?" A different performer asked.

Keeping Danny on the path to the primary mission, Danielle and Jazz continued to lead him on, ignoring the offer of the undead strippers with disgust and annoyance.

But one of the offers left Jazz with some curiosity, leading her to ask Danielle to have her question answered.

"Hey, was that really Monroe?" Jazz asked.

"No, she's working in Vegas. That one used to be a Monroe impersonator. They're just as common as the Elvis impersonators all claiming to be the 'real' ghost of Elvis." Danielle said.

Moving past the others offering their ethereal bodies, the group took a seat at a table nearby a larger stage, planting themselves in wait for what they came for.

"Now what? We've got ourselves a table in a strip club full of the ghosts of dead hookers and junkies. Where's Desiree?" Jazz asked.

"She's coming, we just wait here until we get our chance. You guys want drinks? I'm getting a drink. Waiter!" Danielle called.

A waiter came to the call of Danielle, preparing himself to take her order.

"Strawberry daiquiri for me, Jazz, what do you want?" Danielle asked.

Danielle's sudden and apparent disregard to the mission made Jazz react in confusion, but nonetheless craved a drink herself, but opted for one without alcohol.

"Just coffee, cream and sugar. He'll have water." Jazz said.

Writing down their orders, the waiter departed to retrieve their drinks, leaving the group to return to their conversation again.

"All that we went through to get here, and you suddenly feel the need for a drink?" Jazz asked.

"I feel the need for a drink because of all that we went through to get here. I'm half-ghost, but I'm still human, you know." Danielle said.

"Shouldn't we be doing something to find Desiree? I mean, there is a super-powered ghost out there that killed me and my whole family, you know. Don't you think this situation requires a little urgency?"

"You don't see Desiree unless she wants you to see her, and nobody sees her until it's time for her show. We made good enough time to get here for her next one, it should start in just a minute. In the meantime, we should unwind while we have the chance. If this evil Danny ghost really is as powerful as you say, then I'd like to let myself loose while I still can. If he took you guys out, then I might not get another chance to enjoy myself, because I'll have my hands full helping you guys fight him."

The waiter returned with the group's drinks, laying their orders out before them to sip and enjoy. After hearing the point made by Danielle and putting into perspective the danger of Demon Phantom, Jazz's sip of coffee was made less usual, fearing of the battle that would inevitably take place.

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I should've had one of those daiquiris, too." Jazz said.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

The humor is enough to give them one more moment of levity against the impossible odds standing before them, but it does not last a long while, for what they came for would soon make itself seen to them. The music in the club came to a stop, putting all eyes within aimed straight at the stage, keeping a high anticipation for what they knew would come next.

Running up to the stage, an announcer called out what event was beginning, confirming what the patrons of the bar knew already.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boils and ghouls, for your viewing pleasure, the Whorehouse on Haunted Hill is pleased to present... The Seductress of Sultans... The Dazzler of the Desert... The Jewel of the Middle East... She can bring you whatever your heart desires, and she can do it for a single dollar bill at a time! No man or woman is her equal in power, and she rules supreme over all! So bow your heads, infidels and dogs, kneel and worship... at the feet.. of Desiree!" The announcer shouted.

The bar then erupted into a loud cry of applause, calling forth the aforementioned ghost to make her appearance. Danielle, Jazz, nor Danny joined in the applause, instead keeping their eyes fixed solely on the stage to see Desiree come out on the stage, investing far too great a trip to see their mission fail.

And show she does; stepping onto the stage in the covering of a cloak, Desiree's appearance greatly increased the applause given to her, the very sight of her adding to the excitement of the crowd even with the shroud covering most of her body. Standing in silence over the applause, Desiree allowed herself to enjoy every moment of it, taking in the admiration with pride and joy.

Damned to an afterlife of granting the desires of anyone's heart, she is pleased to feel her own desire for love and admiration felt at last, allowing herself a smile.

When the applause came to an end, she began waving the cloak all around like a cape, adding a sense of theatricality to the performance while giving but glimpses of her body to the crowd. The patrons continued to keep their eyes fixated on her and her alone, waiting for the moment of which her performance would finally begin.

And as the music began to start once again, their desires are granted.

[Soundtrack Cue: Ozzy Osbourne - Walk On Water (Demo Version)]

As the guitars in the music began to play, pyrotechnics began to shoot large flames out from the stage, to which Desiree dropped the cloak in response, bringing her performance to an official beginning. The first action of revealing herself to the crowd, allowing all to look on her well-endowed curves and healthy figure, kept even in death, led to another wave of loud applause.

Keeping her arms raised in the air, she began to sway her body back and forth, not allowing her limbs to obstruct any view of her body. Instead, she moved about and let her curvatures make themselves clearly seen, all to the delight of the crowd and bringing forth screaming cheers from all their mouths, now drooling at the tempting sight of her.

As if paying tribute to their god, the audience began throwing dollar bills onto the stage, all offering tithes for the displays of feminine perfection to continue. At the behest of the followers who offered their sacrifices, Desiree continued to dance, keeping her arms out to further display herself.

Swaying her hips back and forth in a belly dance of sultresses of the ancient Middle East, her curves and form swayed along with it, attracting the eyes of the audience and keeping them fixated on her every movement. It is no surprise that the female form can be seen as a temple for those to worship:

The mouth, which speaks out such sweet phrases and kisses so pleasing...

The breasts, which give nourishing milk and pleasure for both of those who touch them...

The womb, which gave 9 months of heaven and paradise and bliss for all lives, and tastes of that same paradise when used by a lover to make life anew.

Her temple is made use of to attract more followers, and it is used in full effect to bring plenty, but her work is not yet over.

Making her way to the pole in the center of the stage, approaching it with a sway in her walk, Desiree gently laid her hands across it, as if trying to invoke the image of a phallic symbol with the pole. Seeing her hands gently run up and down the length of the pole, caressing it by only her fingertips, the imagery is not lost on the crowd, who once again cheer at her handiwork.

Firmly gripping her hands across the pole, she began moving her body up and down it, dragging her hands across the pole along with it. After sliding her hands down the pole, she slowly made her way back up the pole, then allowing it between her breasts, pressing her hands against them and sliding them up and down once again.

The provocative imagery provided with the pole and her actions on it had brought forth to her many single-dollar bills, but the flow of money had come to an end with the smaller offerings depleted. Like Yahweh favoring the greater sacrifices of Abel rather than the poor fruits and crops of Cain, she continued to find herself one who would promise her greater offerings.

Jumping up on the pole, she began dancing across it, making it her instrument of theater for the pleasure for the audience. Her movements had continued to raise great acclaim out from the audience, but had only managed to pick a few who were willing to pay further for a greater show.

Patrons willing to muster up the money had began to gather all around her, all attempting to win her favoritism and causing her to continue her dance, moving on to more emphasized moves. Taking the pole in one hand, Desiree slowly circled around it, turning to have her buttocks face her patrons, beginning to shake and sway it slowly to build anticipation among her patrons.

Soon, the patrons willing to pay had reduced down to a select few, beginning to dwindle by the second with each offer made. Keeping a careful eye on the offers made, Danielle waited for the number to dwindle down and a more definite number to be reached, not unlike observing an auction to snipe a bid.

Reaching into Danny's back pocket, Danielle snatched his wallet, rummaging through it to take out the cash.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Jazz asked.

"I'm pulling out his wallet for money, what's it look like I'm doing? I gave all of mine to the kids." Danielle said.

"What?! We are not going to participate in this! What makes you think I-"

"This is the only way we get her attention. We need to get her attention so we can talk to her alone. She's the only way we can get Danny his powers back, we have to make do with the channels available to us."

Pulling all the money out from the wallet, Danielle found a large wad of cash in it, reaching at least somewhere in the $2000s, giving a slight pause at the amount.

"Shit. You guys really are the richest people on Earth." Danielle commented.

"Never mind that, do you think it's enough?" Jazz asked.

"I don't know. Only one way to find out."

Bringing the group up to the front seats of the stage, the number of patrons had diminished down to one, becoming two only with the quick addition of Danielle and the others. Watching the other patron, appearing to be some manner of rich, sleazy gentleman with similar accomplices, offer a sum of $100 dollars, Danielle took to the money in the wallet to make her counteroffer.

Raising up two $100 bills, she countered the businessman's offer with a doubling of the price, immediately catching Desiree's attention. Having his own desires for Desiree, the businessman sought to increase the wager by tripling it, bringing out two further $100 bills and making his offer a total of $300.

Catching eye of the offer, Desiree looked back to Danielle and her group, seeking out another counteroffer to raise the stakes of the game. Taking yet another bill out from the pile, she added it to the pile, increasing her offer to Desiree a total of $400, making her the highest bidder in the game.

Looking back to the wealthy gentleman and his ilk, Desiree waited for his wager to increase, watching him pull out two more $100 bills, bringing the total to $500. Moving back to Danielle, she added another bill to the offer, making hers $600 and taking the lead once again.

Returning to the wealthy gentleman once more, she saw his offer increase to $700, making her turn to Danielle one last time for an offer.

"How much would you say this is, a few thousand?" Danielle asked.

"I think so. Danny's always been a big cash carrier. How much are you gonna offer next?

"All of it."

"All of it?! Are you crazy? What if we need money later?"

"We can get money later. If I don't get her now, we may never have another shot at this!"

Sensing that she had little more chances to outbid the others, Danielle took the full total of money and raised it up, displaying the full amount of cash to Desiree and completely trumping the competition. The action made Desiree instantly forget the other patrons, deciding to place her full attention on them instead.

Leaving the losing patrons behind in favor of her highest-paying patrons, she stepped up to Danielle and her group; the goddess now finally pleased with an acceptable sacrifice to gain her favor. Seeing two females among the group and one male, her instinct is to move towards the latter, believing him to be her primary client.

Danny Fenton is still without a soul or fully functional mind to contemplate what is happening, leaving him to sit idly by as the events unfold before him.

Stepping to the edge of the stage, Desiree knelt down to Danny, allowing herself to lay a touch on him while still keeping herself elevated on a position above him, ensuring her dominance was fully asserted. Even without her own addition of the subliminal gesture, her dominance over the situation would be made well and clear nonetheless, with Danny being left along for the ride.

Grabbing a nearby bottle of liquor off a table, Desiree laid a foot on Danny's head, proceeding to pour the liquor down her leg and trickle down onto him, simulating the feel of a shower descending on him like a gift from a god. Taking a drink of the liquor for herself, she leaned forward to Danny, putting her mouth near his and opening it, allowing the liquor to fall into his mouth.

Laying her next foot on the chair, positioning between his legs, she pressed her crotch against his face, continuing to assert herself as the dominant one in the dichotomy of worshiper and the one to be worshiped. The sight is one that brought enough offense to Jazz to make her turn her head, but Danny is unable to take his eyes off the show before him.

He took in the scent of her body placed up against his, giving off the sweet smell of pheromones to attract a mate that the living produce. Bound by forces outside of his own control, he began to find himself aroused at the show, feeling what was left of his senses of reasoning and emotion give way to pure sensory input.

Were he still consciously aware that he lost his wife and unborn child, he would be feeling enormous guilt about lusting over another woman after their deaths. Perhaps he is lucky to not have his conscious awareness of these facts back yet, lest he would never forgive himself for what he was now doing.

Lowering her foot from his head and onto the chair, Desiree began lowering herself onto the chair, slowly reaching her legs around it to put herself around her client and lower herself down onto him. Sitting on his lap, she then put her arms around him, wrapping all of her body around his to offer him the full feeling of a pure embrace and affection of a higher being.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

As the music came to an end, the lights came back on for the club, putting an end to the ambiance provided with her show. With the time for indulgence in the act clearly at an end, the crowd gave one final hurrah of applause, giving their appreciation for Desiree's show, seeing her work as nothing short of a miracle.

But placing herself at a position where she could see her patron's face more clearly, the lights ended all semblances of miracles or magic, bringing harsh reality to present itself with no objection or illusion to mistake its truth, including the truth she realized about this particular patron when she recognized his face:

"Danny Phantom?!" Desiree asked.

"Hello, Desiree." Danielle said.

Turning to Danielle's voice, Desiree looked back to her with a sense of danger in her eyes; the sight of Danny Phantom making her alert, but the recognition of Danielle bringing a familiarity which quenched much of the feeling of a threat. Unsure what to make of the situation, she removed herself from Danny, questioning the scenario further.

"Danielle? What are you doing here again? With Danny Phantom?" Desiree asked.

"It's a long story, but the short version is that we need your help. Danny's not here to fight you, and he's sure as hell not here to screw you, either. There's something bad going on that only you can help us with, and we need it now." Danielle explained.

The shortened explanation of events past are barely enough to satisfy the uneasiness of Desiree, but there is truth enough in it to keep her attention and curiosity, making her contemplate her options in dealing with the unusual scenario and unexpected people put before her.

Ultimately, her curiosity prevailed and stayed, kept back only by a sense of caution with all boons asked of her, proceeding to grant the group a private audience.

"Alright, follow me." Desiree said.

Leading the group away from the stage and out of the main area of the club, Desiree walked them to the back of the club, leading them to the back room for performers to prepare for and change between shows. Bringing them into her own personal room, she led them inside and locked the door behind, ensuring their privacy would be kept in the matter.

Now that Desiree has been found, all that remains is to convince her for help, and hope that what help she can offer will have an effect.


Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America, is the cradle and central nervous system of all politics in the country, housing all 3 branches of government. One of said branches is synonymously associated with the building that housed every leader of the county, past, present and future:

The White House.

Currently, it holds its 47th resident, President Tucker Foley. Beginning with humble roots as the mayor of Amity Park, becoming its youngest mayor and the youngest mayor in the entire country, he has eventually risen the political career ladder all the way to the presidency with the assistance of Danny Phantom.

Despite being a controversial president with his immaturity being very apparent, a result of his own unfulfilled needs for romance and sex as a teenager never fulfilled, he still proved himself to be quite responsible and liked figure in the world of politics, becoming the world leader in defense against threats of the undead and unknown.

Though it was through the help of his best friend who got him his current political position, said best friend has been making choices of action very uncharacteristic to himself; a fact that has not gone unnoticed by President Foley. He has made his own plans to address the strange occurrences of his friend, summoning Valerie Gray to see to the matter on his behalf.

Unbeknownst to him, she and her team has already been killed in action after uncovering a greater plot brewing at Fenton Works and what has become of the Fentons, but all that information is still out of his reach at the moment. For now, he can only keep his attention on the current matters he has to see to as president, one of those matters being his re-election campaign.

Rewatching his last debate with his opponent, Ellis Robertson, he went over strategy with his advisors to decide what footage to use.

"Suppose you want to suppress parents' ability to pass on traditions to their kids? You'd impose bans on the fundamentals of the family unit? Don't you see that's a clear violation of the freedoms of speech and religion?" Ellis Robertson asked.

"If by 'passing on traditions' you mean 'indoctrinating children', then, yes, I would impose a ban, and it would not be a violation of the First Amendment. Americans have the freedom to express their own beliefs however they want, but they don't have the right to frighten or intimidate others into believing what they do." President Foley explained.

"And are you aware that not every religious parent is abusive? Or is that a stereotype you like playing up to divide Americans further and vilify a now minority group in this country?"

"If you're telling a child that they had better believe what you do, or they'll suffer in punishment for all eternity, I'd say that's a clear sign of abuse, and a clear violation of freedom of speech.

"We've confirmed through our discovery of the Ghost Zone that these threats, if I grant you they can be called that, are idle. Surely you wouldn't consider that to be as serious as someone putting a gun to your head?"

"If someone were to yell 'fire' in a movie theater when there is no panic, do you arrest that person for trying to incite panic and disturb the peace, or would you seriously argue that his actions are freedom of speech? Just because the threat isn't actually real doesn't mean it cannot be perceived as real, especially to those too young to know that. The intention of the act is clear, and the desired result of fear is what they want. We know this leads to several mental health problems ranging from depression and anxiety up to increasing risk of schizophrenia, and these illnesses are being passed onto children."

"The people who share these beliefs do indeed believe the threats themselves, though. It isn't as if they do this out of evil or spite; they genuinely believe in the information they are given, and they spread it because they genuinely believe that they are doing the right thing for it. Parents are not inherently vindictive to their children, they only want what's best for them, and almost all would agree that they'd like to raise children their own way."

"If someone thinks something is real when it isn't, even after the attempts of education provided to them, that's the fault of the individual. If I were to lose my election and claim it was stolen from me, then have my claim disproved in a court of law, and I still refused to accept it, that would be an issue with me, and that would not give me the right to spread the misinformation to others and perpetuate that which is not true, even if I was completely convinced I was right. Objective reality will always be objective reality, and there is no amount of books or speeches that could change that."

The advisors put a pause to the video playback, stopping for a conversation with President Foley about the footage.

"This is really good stuff, sir. The whole 'think of the children' panic works every time with middle America. It was more than effective for the Republicans with the gay and trans communities, and it should work just as well here." One advisor said.

"We should definitely play up the violations of the First Amendement more; there's no word that turns Americans off to any concept other than 'unconstitutional'. The ALCU would probably take up a huge workload of new cases on just the implications of the last speech you made." Another advisor said.

"Maybe we can also try to play an angle that Ellis Robertson is a religion apologist. His face, a few lines of his regarding any given religion, say, Christianity, pull out a few of the unsavory passages about slavery or rape, and, boom, Ellis Robertson is an advocate for racism and rape being perpetuated in this country." A different advisor said.

President Foley listened along to the suggestions given by his advisors, nodding along in agreement with the advice given.

"Okay, okay, I like those approaches. Get with our ad guys and start making some TV spots, I want full advertisements by the end of the work week." President Foley said.

"Yes, sir." The advisors said in unison.

Concluding his meeting with his political advisors, President Foley excused himself from the Oval Office to move into the Cabinet Room, finding his cabinet members waiting for him over further discussions over the direction of the country. Seating himself at a table with his other cabinet members, President Foley brought the meeting to order, giving his greeting to all present.

"Okay, sorry for that wait, last minute re-election stuff. Talk to me, how's the country doing so far?" President Foley asked.

"Well, sir, the church tax has been increased as you ordered, and it has already shut down about 12% of religious institutions in the country at the rate it was before. The money's mostly been allocated to local public schools, as well as state medicaid and medicare programs." The Secretary of the Treasury said.

"And we've already auctioned off many of the old buildings and land. We've invested some of the land acquired to build cheap housing for residents instead." The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development said.

"Very good. Never let it be said that government can't do good things for people. Just so long as it keeps them happy enough to come back and vote for us instead of the other guy." President Foley said.

"Sir, there's also been the issue of many of these religious factions beginning to turn to gang tactics and violence to propagate their faiths. The ghosts that attacked you at the stadium in Amity Park not too long ago was already claimed responsibility for by an anti-government Christian nationalist group. Perhaps we should implement some kind of special training for law enforcement on how to deal with these groups?" The Secretary of Homeland Security asked.

"What's there to specially train for? They're criminals, they need to be arrested."

"Reports have come out that these group obtain contraband weapons and technology on the level of Fenton Works, mostly homebrew and improvised weapons. It might take a bit more effort than what we're putting in."

"Then channel some more funding for police forces to handle it. Buy them some more goods from Fenton Works, bigger toys to play with. They'll be armed enough to solve the problem."

"And the funding for the proposal, sir?"

"Just take it out of the medicare and school funds, they don't need it."

The crass and dispassionate comment from the president disheartened all the Secretaries in the room, none taking kindly to the idea of the poor and middle class of America being taken from them much-needed community resources. Nonetheless, with him as their superior, none were given a choice in the matter, reluctantly agreeing to the president's plan.

"...Yes, sir." The Secretary of Homeland Security said.

"Good. Now, that leads me my next question: How do we try to nip these religious terrorists in the bud that are popping up overseas? I have to keep up the image that I keep the American people safe." President Foley said.

"So far, the threat they've posed before has been significantly decreased to almost zero levels. We've got virtually all of the countries who were working on their own Danny Phantom projects ceasing activity on such research, sticking to the agreement made at the United Nations." The Secretary of State said.

"Our intelligence communities have verified these reports, showing no signs of further projects developing any time soon." The Secretary of Defense said.

"Your approval ratings seem to have gone up since the meeting, with the majority of the country saying you made the country far safer again. So far, we're in the green again." The Vice President said.

"Good, good. Nothing on the fact that Danny Phantom basically gave the entire world a death threat, right?" President Foley asked.

"No, sir. In fact, the country seemed to associate his attitude and actions with some form, and I'm quoting one of the news outlets: 'American defiance against cultist hivemindedness'. Though not everyone would word it in that way, the rest of the country shared a similar feeling in polls when asked." The Secretary of State said.

"Heh. Well, at least that's one thing I can give Danny some credit for."

President Foley paused in his speech for a split-second in contemplation of a thought, soon turning his pause into a full stop of inner dialogue within himself. The maniacal act of bravado and a display of apparent incest at the aforementioned event had brought him a political gift for his campaign, but the act itself was far too removed from his own image of Danny that he is unsure how to see his friend anymore.

Once again, his desire to see their broken friendship repair itself has changed his line of thinking, and, all of a sudden, he is not so concerned with his re-election anymore.

"Uh, sir? Are you alright?" The Vice President asked.

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah, I, uh, had a change of thought. Listen, what I just said about funneling money away from the schools and welfare? Scrap that. I want their budgets doubled by the end of the year, and I want a total retraining of our police force to de-escalate situations of domestic terrorism rather than increase militarization. Maybe we need to focus on providing better for the American people so they won't go into these dangerous cults and down bad paths in life." President Foley said.

Hearing him change his political stance in mere seconds from the moment he spoke it, the cabinet members looked to each other with a collective uncertainty, but that uncertainty only lasted for a moment, for not only were any willing to question their commander-in-chief, but also were not willing to protest good policy for their constituents.

"Y-Yes, sir, of course, sir." The Secretary of the Treasury said.

"And I also want more programs in school dedicated to STEM research and critical thinking. If our kids are gonna be the future, we gotta make sure they're prepared to do it right." President Foley said.

"Why, yes, sir, I agree. I'll get right on that." The Secretary of Education said.

"Uh, sir, are you feeling alright? You're starting to sound like that Ellis Robertson guy. Since when did you start adopting lefty ideas from your own opponent?" The Vice President asked.

"Well, I gotta admit, the guy does have some good financial policies, and I think they might be able to help people. We've been focusing so much on promises about what we're gonna do in the future, that we haven't focused enough on what we're gonna do here and now." President Foley said.

"So? I thought we were the people who were supposed to sell ourselves as the people keeping America safe?"

"I used to be a kid on the streets helping my best friend keeping people safe, and it wasn't all just about fighting ghosts. It was about helping people. Little people, the ones who need it. Maybe it hit me in these past few days, but better late than never. I'd rather make what changes I can while I still can. After all, I'm not gonna be in the White House forever. Hell, I'm not gonna live forever."

President Foley's statement on his own life and legacy was a strong one, but just as he had finished his sentence, however, he was given the first sign that his end was coming quicker than he realized. The sound of a jet engine began to loudly fill the air, catching the attention of all present in the Cabinet Room.

Not used to the sound of a jet engine growing so ominously close to a house of political power, Secret Servicemen began to surround President Foley to protect him. But the president, having been expecting the sound, urged the Servicemen to lower their guard and weapons.

"No, no, everybody be cool. It's just General Valerie Gray. I sent her off on a little personal favor earlier, that's her coming back now." President Foley said.

"General Gray? Sir, I didn't have any awareness of this leave." The Secretary of Defense said.

"It was something I wanted off the books. Don't worry, it's no biggie, I just wanted her to pay Danny a little check-up. I'll make sure she explains everything for everybody, we should have nothing but good news coming from her." President Foley said.

How wrong that President Foley is about his presumption regarding Valerie Gray, for she has been dead long enough for no more of her influence to be found in her body. Instead, what influence remains in it is that of Demon Phantom, controlling the body by possessing it through a copy of his spectral form.

As President Foley stepped to the window to observe the approaching body of Valerie Gray, he observed it flying his way, still standing atop its glider just as the late Valerie Gray had done many times before. The sight is one that would have give President Foley relief, if not for two factors that were significantly different:

One, she was flying towards the White House far too fast for a landing...

...and, two, a missile was being prepared to fire under the glider.

Just as feared from the president by the sight, the missile had fired out from the glider, making its way to the window.

"MR. PRESIDENT, GET DOWN!" The Servicemen screamed.

Bum-rushing their leader without a thought or care for their own lives, the Servicemen tackled President Foley to the ground, sending him far away from the range of the missile. Likewise, the cabinet members all ducked for their own lives as well, all hoping to be spared from the blast of the missile.

A loud and ear-shattering explosion befalls upon the room with the impact of the missile, detonating against the wall and completely blowing it apart. In the blast, all were slain except for President Foley, a handful of Servicemen, and the Secretary of Defense, leaving only a handful narrowly avoiding death within seconds of reaction time.

And with only seconds before another attack, President Foley is quickly swept back up by his Servicemen and Secretary of Defense, all rushing him to a secure bunker.

"This way, Mr. President. Gray's been compromised somehow. We've got to get you to the ectoranium bunker." The Secretary of Defense said.

"But what good is ectoranium against Valerie? That's supposed to keep out ghosts; we're not being attacked by a ghost! We're being attacked by something worse!" President Foley panted.

Looming over the open window blown out by the missile, the body of Valerie Gray carefully kept its eyes on the departing President Foley, catching ear of his concerns over their attacker. The controlling force of the body knows that he is only partially correct that it is Valerie attacking them...

...but his comment of the controlling force being 'something worse' registers as a compliment to him, exciting him enough to turn this hunt into a game.

[Soundtrack Cue: KMFDM - Stray Bullet]

Flying down the halls of the White House, the body of Valerie Gray began making its way throughout the many ins and outs of the historic building; the whining and burning of the turbines of its glider echoing across the halls and spinning around the area, leaving her exact whereabouts a mystery.

The all-encompassing feeling of the threat keeps the Servicemen on edge, readying themselves for wherever and whenever the threat would show itself. Having pulled their weapons since the first strike and keeping them tight in hand, they are more than prepared battle...

...but whether they can actually hope to win against a one-person army is an impossible game to win.

The Secretary of Defense, the most fit to deal with combat situations, moved to the front to lead the group, guiding them along as fast as he could to escort the president to the ectoranium-laced bunker. Like the Servicemen, he, too, is unsure that he can actually hope to win, but his own military training makes this concern one of the lowest on his list, putting success front and center.

"Keep a tight formation around the President, get a perimeter set up around us! I want eyes on every corner and guns up at all times, watch every hall, nook, and cranny! Mr. President, I apologize, but we're going to have to move a little fast." The Secretary of Defense said.

"No sweat, man, just get me safe." President Foley said.

As the president and Secretary rushed down the halls, the Sevicemen holding tightly behind, the group continued to the bunker, all keeping watchful eyes for the incoming threat of Valerie Gray. As her glider's turbines fired loudly enough in the White House to create a loudness that echoed through every hall, there was no way to predict her presence, making vigilance key in their mission.

Their vigilance is given its first test when the sound of a strange clinking sound echoed through the halls, instantly stopping them in their tracks. Guesses immediately made themselves clear as to what the sounds were from, and their guesses were quickly confirmed by the sight of two grenades landing in front of the Secretary of Defense and President Foley.

While President Foley immediately ducked away from the grenades, two Secret Servicemen immediately jumped on the grenades, covering them with their bodies. Muffled blasts came out from their bodies; their efforts suppressing the blasts, made at the cost of sacrificing themselves to save their president.

Never before had President Foley seen his men give their lives in his service before, even when he knows that is their duty, but what he saw will still greatly haunt him.

The remaining Servicemen surrounded President Foley, following closely behind the Secretary of Defense as the group continued to move towards safety. As the group tried to move forward, several shots came from an adjacent hallway, hitting two Servicemen, prompting the group to stop and use an alternate route.

Already beginning to lose multiple bodies to put between the threat and president, the likelihood of success began to lower for the group, making it a concern once again for the Secretary of Defense. Taking to a radio commandeered from a Serviceman, he began to call for backup, requiring more assistance in protecting the commander-in-chief.

"This is SecDef, the White House is under attack, where the hell's our backup?!" The Secretary of Defense shouted.


Different corners of the White House showed multiple groups of extra Secret Servicemen, local law enforcement, and members of multiple military branches began making their way to President Foley, all offering their services in whatever way they could in saving him against his assassination attempt. The call to action is short and leaves little for preparation, but they are nonetheless dedicated to their call of duty.

But the body of Valerie Gray has been kept well-toned and trained with muscle memory for any kind of attack by its former user, and it is well prepared to handle what is ahead of it, especially when put in the hands of Demon Phantom. During her lifetime, Valerie Gray was one of the best soldiers the country had ever seen, leading an entire military branch on her own by making her body a weapon.

Now, overtaken by Demon Phantom, her body has become the most dangerous threat to ever step within the White House. Strafing down different halls of the White House, the body sook out the incoming support, putting itself to work on eliminating them from its task.

Receiving incoming fire from military men and S.W.A.T. teams galore, the body of Valerie Gray began degrading to a state of Swiss cheese with the bullets taken in, bleeding out from every new orfice punctured into it. While such an intake of lead would be more than enough to put anyone to a quick death, it has no effect on what is already dead, leaving the body to continue on the task set for itself.

Taking in fire from the enemies before it, the body of Valerie Gray began firing back with the arsenal built into its glider, unleashing bullets back on them in kind. Though armed with tools meant to hunt and eliminate ghosts, her arsenal still contained enough weapons to use against the living, and it is put to use even after her death.

Returning the fire in kind, the enemies before the body of Valerie Gray fell to the ground dead, losing their lives in the same manner they sought to take the life of their own target before them. Lined up to attack their target, they fall just as quick from the onslaught of bullets, but soon began to run and escape as their own deaths would soon become inevitable.

Moving out of the halls to take cover against the incoming glider, the body of Valerie Gray jumped off the airborne vehicle, taking to its handgun and ectoranium knife to fight against the remaining targets. Allowing the glider to fly ahead and pursue what enemies still fled, the body took to its work on the ground.

Rolling out of the way of incoming small-arms fire, the body of Valerie Gray fired back with its handgun, befalling multiple enemies with every pull of the trigger. Rushing down the hallways in a run-and-gun fashion, it took down many enemies still bravely standing against their target, standing unopposed and unstoppable.

When its ectoplasmic handgun was depleted of energy, the body tossed it towards the nearest enemy, making them instinctively catching it. The small, involuntary mistake of a response had cost them their life, receiving an ectoranium knife to the throat, followed by several slashes to the gut.

Leaving the enemy to fall to the ground with their guts hanging out and blood coming out from their neck, the body of Valerie Gray moved on to the next enemies still remaining, continuing to slash away with the ectoranium knife, cutting away at human flesh and the soul behind it alike.

Carving through enemy after enemy, withstanding bullets flying through itself, the body of Valerie Gray finally stood victorious over the enemy forces, leaving little else standing between it and its primary target. Summoning back its glider, it hopped back on to fly back after President Foley, carrying the full intention of ending him.

But still remaining in its path were more military and law enforcement, opening fire on it, and prompting the appropriate response.


"This is SecDef, where the hell's my backup?! Hello?! Hello?!" The Secretary of Defense shouted.

There was no response for the Secretary of Defense over the radio, only hearing screams, gunshots, and death rattles all across the channel. Left with only the realization that no backup was available, he tosses aside the useless radio, placing his focus on the primary task of saving President Foley once again.

Still having no information to the whereabouts of the threat of the body of Valerie Gray, options for the group began to run low as to where a safe route could be found. Upon trying to take an alternate route to the bunker using a different hallway, the group began to move through an open walkway; a choice made with little other option presenting itself, but causing them to be at risk for danger.

And the danger suddenly presented itself when the corpse of Valerie Gray, still riding on her hoverboard, flew down from the other end of the hallway, opening fire on the group. Most of the group fell to the ground for safety, but Several Servicemen were hit, leaving only a few to get away, with President Foley still safe among them and the Secretary of Defense leading the way.

"Area not secure, we need to move back to the office!" The Secretary of Defense said.

At the orders of the Secretary of Defense, the group began moving back to the Oval Office, having no choice but to retreat to a smaller area for a last stand. Their journey back is fortunately quicker than their attempt to leave the building, but the act is ultimately no different than a hunter trapping its prey for an easy kill.

When arriving back to the Oval Office, several Servicemen were left behind the door to keep out the hostile Valerie Gray. Organizing the remaining servicemen to keep the area defended and the president safe, the Secretary of Defense set up a defensive perimeter around the door to ensure their lives would be put to use in protecting him.

"Nothing gets past this door, you men stay here!" The Secretary of Defense said.

Setting up his last line of defense, the Secretary of Defense led President Foley back inside the Oval Office, leaving only the two and a small number of other Servicemen remaining inside. Taking to a hidden panel in the wall to open a weapons cache, the survivors began arming themselves with the stashed weapons within and surrounded President Foley, all doing what they still could to protect him.

President Foley still does not know why what he believes to be Valerie Gray wants to take his life; the reality of the situation out of his reach and instilling in him a false hope.

"I don't get it, why the hell is Valerie against us? She was one of the most loyal people I've ever had!" President Foley panicked.

"If Danny Phantom's been up to some nefarious plan as you suggest, he might have compromised her somehow. How and why we'll worry about later, we have the present to worry about now." The Secretary of Defense said.


The Secret Servicemen outside the Oval Office are not prepared nor qualified to take on the most dangerous soldier in the all United States military, but they are all obligated to follow through the task all the same. Not a single soul within was free from anxiety and believed to be unready to handle the coming threat, having nothing to fight this seemingly unstoppable soldier with but handguns and other small arms.

The odds seem very much against them, but they have no choice but to play, and play to win.

In a moment that met their anxieties with the one fear that they were afraid to face, the body Valerie Gray made itself quickly acknowledged by the group, flying in on its hoverboard, taking a moment before attacking to let the Servicemen observe and accept their coming doom.

Drawing out a reloaded ectoplasmic handgun and ectoranium knife, it brought the doom forth.


[Soundtrack Cue Pause]

Inside the Oval Office, multiple screams and gunshots, along with the occasional slash and slice, were heard from the other room, giving those still alive enough audible evidence to imagine what their coming fates would soon be like. The sounds are gruesome to hear as the images they try to picture around them are, making them pity the poor souls who were forced to give their lives to fight.

Seconds later, the screams and the gunfire came to a stop, keeping everything uncomfortably silent for a good minute, building an uneasy tension in the room.

"What happened? Did they get her?" President Foley asked.

"I wouldn't bet on that just yet, sir." The Secretary of Defense asked.

Proving the Secretary of Defense's hunch correct, the door to the Oval Office exploded, blasting the door to pieces and causing a smoky haze to enter the room, limiting the visibility of those within. Managing to pick themselves up from the floor, the Servicemen got up and readied themselves with their weapons in hand, all aiming to fire back on the body of Valerie Gray.

It is a fight they are expecting, but were all given was a slaughter.

[Soundtrack Cue Resume]

The body of Valerie Gray, taking advantage of its gymnastic skills and rigorous military training, effortlessly killed her way through the cabinet members still using only a small ectoplasmic handgun and ectoranium knife. Shooting and slicing away, swiftly and gracefully taking down everybody in the way of its target, it quickly turned the several guards within the room into dead bodies lying on the ground.

Starting with the Serviceman closest to it, the body, concealed by the smoke, slit his throat with its knife, taking his body as a human shield to gun down two more secretaries before disposing its shield. Taking a grenade and tossing it across the room, the body of Valerie killed several more Servicemen with a single explosion, greatly reducing the number of bodies to move through.

Dropping its empty handgun and swapping it for another ectoranium knife, the body of Valerie sliced through Servicemen, jumping into the air off of their now dead bodies to push forward. Diving her blades into two more Servicemen, the body of Valerie managed to finish the last of the guard off, leaving two Servicemen and the Secretary of Defense standing between it and President Foley.

Taking the knives by their handles, the body Valerie threw its knives into the two Servicemen, landing them directly into their heads. The Secretary of Defense responded by unloading a handgun directly into the body of Valerie Gray, but it responded by continuing to approach forward and throwing a punch to his throat, breaking his trachea.

Letting the final obstacle fall dead, the body of Valerie was nw left without any opposition to President Foley, leaving its user more than able to take his life at its leisure.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

Stumbling back in fear of the approaching enemy, President Foley quickly scanned his surroundings for a means to defend himself from the imminent death that no one could save him from. Quickly spotting a handgun on the floor, he picked it up and aimed it directly at the head of the body of Valerie, hoping that his trial would succeed where his guards had failed.

Though survival instincts made the action of pulling the trigger all the more important to consummate, his past with Valerie made him still hesitate.

"Valerie! Stop!" President Foley shouted.

The plea did not have any effect on the body of Valerie Gray; still did it move towards him with the intent to kill.

"I said stop! Valerie, don't make me do this!" President Foley shouted.

Once again, his demand did not stop the body of Valerie Gray; still did it move towards him with the intent to kill.

Recognizing the threat as ready to kill him, President Foley met the threat in likewise response, pulling the trigger of the handgun and sending a bullet flying through the head of Valerie Gray's body. Where before the bullets that went through it made little to no effect, the headshot had finally borne fruit.

As the bullet passed through the brain of Valerie Gray's body, the area of the brain affecting motor control was destroyed, making movement of the body now impossible to keep up by relying on the physiology of the human body. Struggling to keep itself moving forward, the body began to stumble and sway in attempt to move towards him...

...but the body could ultimately no longer carry on its task so easily with the brain injured to prevent the job from being done, leaving it to fall to the ground.

Finally gaining a sliver of safety from the deadly attack he was forced to suffer through, President Foley dropped the handgun, allowing himself to take a deep breath. What began as a deep breath to calm himself was followed by falling to his hands and knees, the stress of the attack taking its toll on his body and forcing the need for recovery.

While allowing himself to breathe and relax, President Foley crawled up to the body of Valerie Gray, preparing to remove the helmet from its nanosuit to see the face and ensure that his shot had saved him. Deactivating the helmet from its place on Valerie Gray's head, the face was revealed, the result of which sent President Foley jumping back in disgust.

Gone was her face and all skin atop her head, leaving only muscle and eyes left in place from the previous battle with Demon Phantom. Not being present for the past events, President Foley can only guess as to what happened to her that could have caused such a gruesome degloving, but it only leaves further question in his mind:

"Man... How the hell did you manage to kill us all with no face? You couldn't be alive after that. And it had to hurt like a bitch if you did." President Foley thought aloud.

Still under the control of Demon Phantom, the head of Valerie Gray turned and faced President Foley to respond.

"Oh, I assure you, Valerie Gray's long dead, and it did hurt when I ripped her face off." Valerie's body said.

Watching a presumably dead body speak to him without a face, President Foley gives off the only human reaction of jumping back and screaming, stumbling against his desk in terror. What brings him further terror is what else becomes of the body, not watching it rise from the ground, but something else rise from it.

Having completed its work with the body of Valerie Gray, Demon Phantom stood up from the body, presenting himself to President Foley in a proper meeting of face-to-face without a facade to protect his identity. As many others have done before, the president mistakes the future ghost for his present doppelganger, hoping to invoke mercy from the apparition.

"D-Danny? What the hell have you done?!" President Foley trembled.

"Tucker, Tucker, Tucker. Still always the last to the party. Well, I suppose my little game has lasted long enough. I am not Danny Phantom, and the one you've been talking to since his little house-call has been me. Demon Phantom. His better half." Demon Phantom said.

"So, the- the alternate future thing? It was you he was talking about? It was you?"

"Ding-ding. So you do catch on after all."

"But... But what did you do with Danny?"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha... Stupid Tucker, never figures it out until the last second. He's dead. I killed him and ate his soul."

Still trembling in fear, Tucker Foley stumbled back from Demon Phantom, listening to his cold chuckle.

"But don't be mistaken, Tucker. I still remember a lot of the old times we used to share together. Like going off to the arcade, talking about girls, or watching cheesy horror B-movies. Do you remember the one of the rules of those old horror movies?" Demon Phantom asked.

Leaning into the ear of President Foley, Demon Phantom whispered into the cowering commander-in-chief the answer to his question in a sinister voice.

"The black guy always dies." Demon Phantom whispered.

Swinging his hand to the neck of President Foley, Demon Phantom lopped his head off with one swift chop, beheading the leader of the country and sending his head to tumble to the ground. The body soon followed with its lost part, collapsing to the floor with no brain to order it to stand up.

Left to die without any means of fighting back, President Foley's final thoughts are not that he is dying or the pain he is in...

...but how he has failed his best friend, and he carries that regret to his grave.

Tucker Foley is dead.

Having accomplished his goal of eliminating the President of the United States, Demon Phantom took a look around the White House, thinking of how to further exploit the death to his own ends. Inspiration struck him in an instant of thought, giving him the idea to gain more time for his own goal of destroying the world.

And the way to go about it gave him a smile of anticipation.

"Well, as most presidents would say: 'Never let a good crisis go to waste'." Demon Phantom said.