For the Danny Phantom Invisobang 2023. Inspired by a pic colored by Weshney (on deviantArt and tumblr). Fic cross-posted on AO3 with pictures by Tytach (tumblr) and Dweeblet. The cover image here is by Tytach.
Cracks Spreading in Tinted Glass
Danny straightened up, letting the trash bag he was holding slip down to rest in the grass.
A calm breeze brushed across his back and ruffled his hair as he surveyed the sun-dappled sea of green before him.
A serene feeling swelled within him at the view.
The large area of grass stretched toward a two-story house, its beige siding lit up in the sun.
He'd helped achieve this.
Had picked up bits of shingles, and nails, and splintered boards. And now the place looked vastly different than it had only a few days ago.
Where once there was a blue tarp covering a gaping hole in the house, now there was glossy new siding and glittering shingles.
It was actually the builders who'd done most of the repairing—but Danny helped.
And though they might not have appreciated it when they were charging by the hour, he was sure the homeowner was grateful for it.
With a creak, the house's back door opened.
The elderly homeowner—a friendly but not very talkative man with wispy white hair that could rival Danny's own—peeked out the door and scanned the yard with wide eyes.
Danny picked up the trash bag and flew over, landing on the back porch.
"You didn't need to do all this," the man breathed, eyes still roving over the yard. "That debris wasn't even from the attack."
Danny shrugged one shoulder, a little embarrassed. "I know... But I wanted to."
A few weeks earlier, Danny had picked up the yard and cleaned up some bushes that'd been damaged in the ghost attack.
The debris he'd just finished picking up today had been what the builders had tossed over their shoulders while working on the roof.
"Is there anything else you need help with?" Danny asked. "Mowing the yard, or..." His eyes drifted upward, toward the porch ceiling and the second story he couldn't see. "Maybe something inside?"
"'Anything else'?" the man repeated, bushy eyebrows arching high up his forehead and forming creases. He said firmly, "The place hasn't looked this good in twenty years."
Then the man pursed his lips in a thoughtful expression. Eyes that held a soft and almost vulnerable look searched Danny's face. "...Thank you. I... really appreciate this."
Danny shrugged again, self-conscious about what he felt hadn't been a big deal, but smiled. "I'm happy to do it."
Danny flew several feet above the concrete pathway. The curving sidewalk meandered throughout the park, with occasional benches and lampposts on either side.
He glanced between treetops as branches rotated into view, looking for any that were broken.
Something glinted below him.
A piece of metal poking up from the ground.
He stretched an arm out and reached, surrounding the object in green energy, and tugged at it.
Dirt exploded from the ground as it gave way, and, as he brought it closer, more dirt rained down from what turned out to be a metal tube attached to a bent up box. It looked like a muffler off of a vehicle.
He added it to the pile of trash hovering behind him, and started moving again.
The rolling green hills away from the path were dotted with people and pets. Occasional trees grew here and there, and formed a solid boundary of greenery on the horizon. Behind the line of trees, skyscrapers rose into the air, with specks of traffic weaving between the buildings like glittering gnats.
People pointed up at Danny as he flew by, and some backed away. One person on a bench up ahead stared with a gaping mouth, before getting up and running.
Danny held back an amused snicker. If he saw a large pile of scrap about to float over his head, he'd probably move, too.
Most of what he was picking up didn't originate from the park itself. Yeah, there were some tree limbs and chunks of broken concrete from the park, but a lot of it was scrap metal, like car doors and crumpled ghost weapons.
During the ghost attack two months ago, Valerie and him had had a minor setback, and the police took it upon themselves to stop the ghost at the park before it could reach the heart of the city.
It hadn't worked. The officers were sent fleeing, abandoning their crushed weapons and vehicles as the ghost overpowered them.
Valerie and him had caught up not long afterward, though, and the ghost had been stopped.
Ghost attacks like that were pretty rare nowadays, but the city still knew what to do when one did happen. Although the property damage had been extensive, injuries had been low, and a lot of the rebuilding was already finished.
Danny curved off to follow a side path leading outside of the park.
With a turn in the path, trees parted to reveal the approaching recycling plant.
Sam would be proud of him.
She was currently in South America or somewhere—he couldn't remember for sure—on the front lines of a protest against deforestation.
When she came back, he would tell her about all the trash he'd been recycling during the past several weeks. He knew that would make her happy.
Actually, she'd probably gloat about finally teaching him something.
He flew toward the large black ironwork arch at the entrance. Intricately carved black vines wrapped around its posts, and leaves framed the words "The Sam Manson Recycling Center."
It was graceful but strong, and almost seemed to repel sunlight. Just like Sam herself.
The building beyond the gate, however, was built in the bright, modern style of the city. A huge cream-colored dome with several boxy extensions.
Large purple-tinted windows stretched high toward the domed top.
Danny touched down on the pavement near the building, keeping the scrap floating in the air behind him as he walked closer. His reflection came into view in the nearest window, given a rosy cast from the color of the glass.
He gave himself a grin.
His ghost form hadn't changed much over the years, but he didn't look like a fourteen-year-old, either. He was taller, for one thing, and more filled out. He thought he looked pretty good.
There was a little note screwed into the wall at the base of the window, gold lettering explaining that each window had been made using recycled glass.
He took his eyes off the window and turned toward the door. The name of Sam's recycling center was repeated in bold letters overhead, and, at eye level, a plaque beside the door read, "Reshaping the world for a better tomorrow."
Houses and curving streets slid by below as Danny flew over the outskirts.
This had been one of the hardest-hit parts of the city two months ago, with the houses having looked more like piles of firewood lining the streets. Because of that, Danny had been focusing most of his efforts here.
Every day, there'd been something else that needed to be done. Some other way to help. Even after the houses were rebuilt and the streets repaired, there was still more to do. He must've worked in dozens of gardens, and painted just as many houses. He'd helped re-post mailboxes, find busted underground water pipes, and plant trees.
However, today, it didn't look like there was much happening.
No one was outside, and there wasn't anything half-finished that he could spot.
Well...
Danny's gaze turned toward the large area of scaffolding up ahead.
...Besides the on-going construction on the very edge of the city.
Danny paused midair, and considered the distance. Then grinned mischievously.
With a burst of speed, he rocketed toward the construction site. Steel rods blurred toward him, and he swerved away just in time and spiraled around the construction cage. He ignored workers' startled shouts, and zipped over to the next area to do the same, looking for one person in particular.
She came into view as he reached the top of the third tower he searched, in the middle of attaching a large reflector blade. She stared over her shoulder at him with one of her 'I hate everything in my life right now' looks.
"Hey, Val," Danny said with a grin.
"What are you doing here again, Phantom? Go help somewhere else."
Danny put a hand over his heart and sighed theatrically, tipping backward in a pretend swoon. "Ten years together, and you still act like you don't want me around."
Valerie began to turn farther toward him. "Togeth—?"
The reflector blade slid downward and Valerie jerked around to raise it back up.
After adjusting the position of the blade, she looked over her shoulder at him again, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she searched his face. "We were never together."
"C'mon. Fighting together counts," Danny said with a grin. "We're a team."
Valerie sighed with a shake of her head. She turned back to the reflector blade and started tightening a bolt. Her tone was soft as she said, "Why are you here, Phantom? You know my answer about helping with the shield."
Danny knew Valerie felt personally responsible for the ghost shield's failure.
The one day the city had needed the ghost shield, it shorted out completely. And Valerie took it hard. It'd been her turn to do the routine inspection... and she'd missed something.
Afterward, Valerie had insisted on fixing the damage herself, with her team.
For the past two months, Danny had watched her slowly work her way around the perimeter of Amity Park, moving truckloads of metal and wiring to repair and upgrade each of the large towers, and assembling them even in the hot sun or during rain.
Danny hoped he could eventually convince her that it hadn't been her fault, and to accept his help.
Until then, he would continue to ask.
Of course, in the most annoying way possible.
He released a loud, exaggerated sigh. "There isn't much to do today. I'm bored. Are you sure I can't help? Just a little? I'm dying here."
Valerie shot him a flat look. "Go help in the Skylight." She jerked the wrench in her hand toward the cluster of skyscrapers off in the distance.
From here, the buildings appeared small and huddled together, and were tinted light blue from the distance.
He squinted his eyes for a moment, trying to make out the vehicles that he knew must've been flying around the buildings, but it was too hazy and distant to see them.
By the time Danny again looked toward Valerie, she had her back to him, engrossed in her repairs, ignoring him completely.
So Danny decided to do as she suggested and leave her be for now.
Danny drifted with his hands behind his head, staring up at the night sky.
He was slowly circling the edge of Amity Park, watching for any ghosts trying to enter the city.
Or at least listening for any.
He usually didn't do nights alone like this, but he'd been taking Valerie's half of the patrol lately. With her working so hard on the shield on her own during the day, it was only fair that Danny took over keeping watch at night.
So, for now, it was only him.
Sam was away helping the rainforest, and Tucker was at a tech expo, so neither of them were available.
And Jazz was at an out-of-state university getting yet another degree. He couldn't resist an eye roll every time he thought about that. How many degrees did one person need? She would be an old lady before she ever got out of school.
He didn't mind having some time to himself, though. There would be plenty of time to catch up with everyone later. And they were only a flight away.
For now, he was happy to have these moments with the stars.
They were easier to see at the edge of Amity Park, away from the city lights. Here, surrounding the bright dust clouds of the Milky Way, were blue, red, and white twinkling dots that saturated the sky.
He couldn't remember seeing so many growing up. Maybe Sam's environmental efforts were paying off. Less light pollution covering the stars.
He slowly scanned the sky. There was Ursa Minor, or the Little Dipper, with Polaris the North Star sitting at the end of its handle. Close to that constellation was Cepheus, then Lacerta, and Pegasus...
Mist rushed up his throat—the uncomfortable feeling of his ghost sense—and he flipped upright and searched the darkness.
Johnny 13 was sitting in the air, the metal of the machine beneath him gleamed with ghostly light. He was relaxed, his head propped on one hand, watching bemusedly. Danny could faintly make out Johnny's Shadow hovering just behind his set of wheels.
"I just had to see it for myself," Johnny drawled with a smile.
Danny knew he wasn't talking about the stars.
Since the shield had gone offline, a lot of ghosts had been showing up just to sight-see in the city.
Where once they'd gotten bored of coming because of the upgrades to the shield, they now popped up to try their luck.
"I've worked hard repairing this city; I'm not going to just let you tear it back up." Danny shifted, prepared to attack if he needed to.
Johnny leaned back and laughed, with his Shadow joining in with a grin of its own. "You!"
Well, that was demoralizing. Danny pouted. "Hey, I can stop you on my own. I don't need Valerie for everything." Valerie and him had been working as a team for a long time, and he'd been perfectly fine letting her take the lead most of the time in their fights.
But he could still take ghosts like Johnny on by himself if he needed to.
Danny's growth as a ghost had leveled out from the exponential growth he'd experienced during the first year after the accident. His powers had been developing at a more leisurely pace since then. But, although he couldn't keep up with Valerie's constantly upgrading tech, he was comfortable with what he had.
Johnny laughed even harder and slapped a hand against his machine.
Danny frowned. Really? This was taking things too far.
Johnny glanced up and the laughter faded. He wiped his eyes and held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'm going," he assured Danny, barely managing to smother his amusement.
Danny relaxed a little, letting the building glow fade from his hands.
Johnny jerked his head to the side and ordered, "Shadow."
The two of them circled around, and Johnny glanced back at Danny for a moment as they rode out of town.
Danny sighed in relief. Another ghost to leave without a fight. He preferred it that way. Less likely to damage anything or wake anyone up, and it gave Danny more time with the stars.
Danny scanned the commercial businesses below him, looking for any that needed repairing.
The clean blue-gray buildings had protruding walls and extra corners, and although each was designed a little differently, they all looked alike.
Little yipping barks drew his attention and he turned his head to see several sand-colored puppies running through a door.
A woman stood in the doorway, one arm held out uselessly as the puppies fanned out in different directions. She looked left and right, seeming uncertain which direction to go.
Danny dived by, calling, "I'll take this way," and followed one of the puppies as it disappeared around a corner into a tight alley between buildings.
As Danny entered the shadows of the alley, little whines echoed up the walls, giving the place an eerie feeling.
Metallic thumps and scratching pointed Danny toward a dumpster. He looked around the corner of the dumpster and the puppy came into view, wagging its stumpy little tail while trying to climb up the side.
Danny scooped the puppy up from behind, his hand under its stomach.
It whined and pumped its legs uselessly, but then calmed down after a few seconds, and returned to wagging its tail. It gave a doggy smile and lolled its tongue.
Danny made a U-turn, making his way back out into the sunlight and trying to recall where he'd seen the others disappearing to.
Following his ears, he found one on the sidewalk with its front paws against a tree, yipping up at a disgruntled bird—its plumage fluffed up as it stared down from its nest.
Danny picked this one up in his other hand.
He started back to the building, and saw a third puppy quietly walking in circles and sniffing the sidewalk.
While trying to arrange them, he had to pull wandering puppies back toward him a few times before getting all three in his arms, their front paws dangling over his forearms and their tails thumping against his torso.
He hadn't paid enough attention to which building they'd come from, but now assumed it was the Veterinary Clinic, with a painting on the front window of a cat, dog, and rabbit sitting together.
One of the puppies started squirming, and kicked against him with its hind legs.
Someone opened the door, and Danny got into the building just as the puppy escaped his hold.
The person who'd opened the door—a man in scrubs—came over with a large pet carrier, and Danny carefully transferred the other two puppies to him.
He thanked Danny with a soft smile and walked through an inner door with the carrier.
Danny looked around.
It was a large open space, with walls painted a medium blue.
Directly in front of him was a vacant reception desk, and a softly ticking clock on the wall behind it.
To the left side was a large, murmuring aquarium, built into a partial wall. The bright florescent lights on the ceiling reflected long white strips on the side. Some big colorful fish drifted lazily through the water.
Beyond the partial wall with the aquarium was a narrow waiting area with a row of plastic chairs against the wall. One person sat there, staring and looking worried.
And, back toward the right side, past the reception desk, was the inner door.
While Danny was looking, a woman in a lab coat stepped through it.
She looked up from a clipboard and stopped mid-step. Her eyes widened and she put a hand over her heart. "Ph-Phantom!" she said breathlessly. "You're here. In our building." She released a nervous giggle.
Danny couldn't help a smirk. He and Valerie both had their fair share of fans, as well as admirers.
Just then the front door behind him buzzed.
There was a gasp, then a little boy ran around to face Danny. He craned his neck to look up at Danny with large innocent eyes. "My momma says you're helping now."
"Yeah," Danny said to the little fan with a grin, "I returned some runaway puppies."
The boy's mouth formed an 'O' of amazement.
Then the boy pointed up at Danny. "Can I touch your hair?"
"Billy!"
...His hair?
Danny turned toward the aquarium, where he could see a partial reflection.
His bright white hair fluttered for a moment in a sudden breeze.
Plunk.
From the corner of his eye, Danny saw the boy being hastily picked up. "I'm sorry!"
Plunk.
What was that sound?
"...I'm sure Phantom has things he needs to do."
There was a dark spot on the carpet, under the aquarium. A drop of water clung to the wooden trim bordering the aquarium. It fell with a twinkle.
Then hit the floor with a wet...
Plunk.
Danny's head turned to the woman holding the boy. "Yeah..." Then his eyes drifted down to the boy. "Sorry... I need to help repair the damage from the ghost attack."
Danny flew toward the busiest part of the city, careful to keep clear of the traffic lanes.
He could see why the area was called the Skylight.
Tall, gleaming skyscrapers rose up on all sides, and bridged walkways connected different buildings. Both vehicles and pedestrian traffic existed here, hundreds of feet in the air.
The damage had been superficial in this area, since the ghost had been stopped before reaching this far into the city. Because of that, Danny had been focusing his attention on other areas. But that didn't mean there weren't things that needed repair.
A skyscraper up ahead had several missing and broken windows. A hovering platform was near the top, holding two workers with brightly colored hardhats and vests.
Maybe Danny could help with some heavy lifting or fetching supplies.
As he approached, he could see they were maneuvering something between them. One was a broad-shouldered worker, his back to Danny, and, visible over that one's shoulder... A thin young man—he couldn't be much older than eighteen—who looked up and locked eyes with Danny.
The young worker stumbled back, as though he'd tripped, the large tinted window in his hands swinging up over his head. He staggered from the weight.
His back hit the railing on the far side and the platform rocked—then started tilting to that side like a sinking ship.
As though in slow motion, the window slipped from the worker's hands, hit the edge of the railing, and bounced off. It arced through the air, light flashing across its surface as it flipped end-over-end.
With a thud, Danny shoved his hands against the bottom of the platform and pushed the failing side upward.
The young worker shouted and scrambled away, going as far as pressing himself against the railing on the opposite end.
Then the other worker blocked Danny's view of him.
The man's eyes did a quick zigzag to the side before focusing his worried expression toward Danny. "Phantom, you need to go after the window."
The window. Right.
Danny took his hands off of the bottom of the platform—which kept its balance—and dived in the direction he'd seen the window fall.
Thankfully, it'd happened to land on a pedestrian walkway not far from the platform, leaning up against a low wall. It didn't look like anyone had gotten injured from it falling.
People continued to walk by, curving around the window and Danny on their way.
To his left, on another busy walkway, a few people were holding signs. "Down with the mayor" and "We don't need the danger."
Some kind of protest.
Turning away from them, Danny picked the window up, using some telekinesis to keep it steady, and flew toward the metal rectangle he could see hovering above him.
As he passed the floor of the platform, and the workers came into view, the young one screamed and jumped back against the building. Then he inched along the wall of the building, feeling his way with his hands, before finding and entering through the empty window hole.
Danny continued to stare, until the other worker cleared his throat and stepped within Danny's line of sight.
"...He had a bad experience with a ghost," he mumbled in explanation, not looking directly at Danny.
Danny looked again toward the empty window hole.
Finally, he shifted the window to hand it over to the awaiting worker.
Looking down at the glass, for an instant he thought he saw something red—then the window flashed blindingly white from the sun. He blinked, and, though the light shifted, the red was gone.
The sunlight caught the edge of a crack in the glass, running diagonally up from the bottom corner.
Deep blue gave way to light slate, and even Venus, the brightest planet in the sky, faded from sight.
With the coming day, the night watch was over.
Danny curved away from the outer perimeter, flying over quiet houses and dewy lawns, through the shaded park with bird songs echoing through the air, by the school, and the school buses moving out to begin their routes.
Pinks filled the horizon as Fenton Works came into view. The brickwork had been rebuilt and the Ops Center and various equipment reattached after the ghost attack.
The small shape of Valerie flew from the roof, curving around and disappearing into the distance.
Valerie and her father now ran Fenton Works. Danny's parents had moved out a couple years ago, being empty-nesters since he and Jazz were both adults, with the idea of studying a haunted area out west.
Since Damon Gray had some experience with the equipment, they sold the house to him.
Danny continued on, looking for any rebuilding projects to help with this morning.
The small shops in the older part of town were opening for the day. Signs being flipped to 'open', merchandise being arranged in the windows, shutters being raised.
One store looked oddly quiet compared to the others. And the front door was standing open.
Danny landed on the sidewalk to take a closer look.
There was a sign tented on the sidewalk advertising a sale, and, beyond the large window, stocked shelves were visible inside.
The store must've opened early, is all.
He walked inside and looked around.
The register wasn't manned, but maybe they were in the back somewhere. He could hear box fans running, so the door was probably open for circulation.
An aisle of toys caught his eye.
One area was packed full of little Valerie action figures, as well as ones of various ghosts.
There was an empty space where the 'Phantom' price tag was—the section completely bare.
Same for a section labeled as a 'Red Protector and Phantom set'.
That was odd... Why would his toys be missing from the shelves?
...A delayed shipment?
Smiling, Danny picked up one of the Valerie action figures. She'd probably get a kick out of it.
He took it with him as he walked to the back of the store, searching for someone to check him out.
A door was cracked open, with the quiet murmur of a TV on the other side.
Peeking in, he saw a small room that was currently empty.
The news was airing on the TV.
"The mayor's approval ratings continue to drop as he states he has no current plan to reverse the controversial recovery decision made two months ago."
Danny stepped into the small room, drawn to the TV.
"A protest march is planned. Concerned citizens say they hope he will finally hear their pleas to remove the danger posed by—"
The TV was suddenly off. Cracks were visible across the newly-scorched screen.
He blinked, and realized his right arm was raised in the air.
Bewildered, he dropped the limb to his side and took a step back. The heel of his boot bumped against the opened door behind him, and it clicked shut.
He turned to grab the knob, but something tugged at his shoulder, as though the back of his shirt had gotten caught in the door. But he wasn't wearing a loose shirt. He strained, trying to turn far enough to reach the knob.
Before remembering he could turn intangible, and he quickly flew away from the store.
He heard a familiar bell ring as he made his way over the old high school and its football field. Unlike when he'd been a student, the school was left untouched by the ghost attack.
Groups of kids fanned out across the grounds, some to sit under trees, others at outdoor tables, chattering as they started lunch.
He smiled and continued by, passing the cafes and fast food restaurants in the area. People were sitting outside with crinkled hamburger wrappers and soft drinks, and on the sidewalk carrying coffee cups and to-go bags.
His eye caught sight of a restaurant with a black tarp on one side, and orange cones blocking the entrance to the parking lot. A truck sat diagonally by the building, ignoring the marked parking spaces.
He hovered near the building to examine the tarp, imagining what was beneath the sunken-in area and how it could be fixed.
Then he landed in the parking lot.
The truck had its back doors open, and a pile of boards and tools was lying on the asphalt.
There was some distant clattering mixed with a murmur of conversation, and he looked around the corner of the building.
Four workers were beside an outdoor table, in the process of sitting down and getting out sandwiches. A fifth worker walked by them toward the building with a stack of two-by-fours under one arm.
"Hey, what are you doing working during lunch break?" one of the workers at the table asked. She was partway through fixing a messy bun, her hardhat on the table beside her. "C'mon, don't work off the clock."
The one with the two-by-fours turned his head as he kept walking, giving a little laugh. "Yeah, you don't need to tell me, just let me put these down real..." he said while sweeping his head back around. His smile faded as his eyes reached Danny.
The gaze seemed to linger for a moment.
And the worker ran into something. There was a crash and the boards fell from his arms.
Danny flew around the side to see what had happened.
His eyes landed on the glass doors of the restaurant, and, for a second, he thought he saw green.
But no, it was just the blue glass tinting his reflection. And beyond his likeness was the table with the workers and their food, distorted by the rippled texture of the glass.
One of the two doors hung at an angle, and there was a white circle of opaque glass, shattered but still holding.
Behind him, a worker said dismissively, "Don't worry about it, it was already damaged from before."
That meant... from the ghost attack.
Danny tensed. "...Maybe I could help?"
He stared at the discolored circle of glass.
How could something like that be repaired? Maybe he could melt the glass back together...? Would that work? Would it make it worse? Maybe he could at least rehang the door?
"What, with the door? We're waiting on a replacement. It's fine."
His eyes drifted to the fallen two-by-fours near his feet. "Maybe I could help carry the boards?"
"Phantom, it's our lunch break. There's nothing to help with now."
The door needed to be repaired.
The building needed to be repaired.
He slowly shook his head. "I need to help."
"Hey, look. You can't help here. Just... take a break."
He stared at the rippling reflection of the workers, pleading, "I need to help..."
It was quiet for a long moment, the workers shifting in the reflection. His hands started to shake.
"What if... you carry our tools and the rest of the boards around to this side? So we'll have less to do after lunch? And... pick up any dropped nails you can find?"
Danny closed his eyes, sighing in relief.
Over the years, skyscrapers had encroached on the space around City Hall, until now the building seemed out of place among giants.
From the sky, it looked like a gaping hole where a skyscraper should be. Only when Danny was close enough could he see the building, covered in shadow despite the sunny day.
After having been smashed by falling debris from a neighboring skyscraper during the ghost attack, it had been rebuilt just as it had been to preserve its history. But with the other buildings surrounding it, its tall ornate windows no longer served any purpose.
Even the street was empty of traffic today, only the skylane above was active, as though the building had been left in the past.
Right now, oddly enough, one side of City Hall was brick-red, and the other side white.
Danny circled around the building.
He didn't see anyone, but there was a long wooden plank on the front held up by ropes and pulleys. Two sealed paint cans sat on it, along with a paint tray, roller, and brush; all coated with white paint, and covered in plastic wrap.
The painter must have been taking a break.
Danny started to remove the plastic wrap—then glanced over each shoulder.
...No one would mind if he just... helped finish it up, right?
With a sly grin, he picked up the brush and started painting.
As he neared one of the tall windows, he thought he heard someone say Valerie's name.
Leaning over to look inside, he could see a meeting was taking place.
Valerie jumped to her feet, glaring toward the podium and the benches around her. "Oh, sure. All of you have been perfectly fine with this for the past two months, but now you're telling me to figure it out."
"He's a stick of dynamite!" the man at the podium said. "It only takes one spark! Surely you see the danger. The voters... There have been incidents already."
"Yeah, and I was against this from the start—you think I wanted a monster on a leash?"
"Then do something about it!"
"Like what?" Valerie demanded.
Someone else spoke. "That other ghost. Surely you can—"
"No. I can't. He never offered a way to contact him, and you"—she looked around the room—"never asked. He could be anywhere in that Ghost Zone. This is what you get for making a deal with a ghost."
"You're the Red Protector!" the man at the podium sputtered. "Get him out of the city!"
"And then what? The boundary expansion isn't finished yet. Those towers won't be operational until it's complete."
Expansion? A deal...? What...
The sound of an approaching crowd caught his attention.
They came into view from around the corner, marching and holding signs.
A woman in the lead holding a megaphone guided the crowd in a chant.
"Down with the mayor—we don't need the danger! Down with the mayor—we don't need the danger!"
As they neared him, the crowd let out a wave of angry shouts.
Danny now recognized the woman with the megaphone as Paulina, her face twisted in rage as fiery teal eyes met his.
The expression didn't change after looking his way. Maybe... she wasn't looking at him after all.
She lifted the megaphone to her mouth, its sound distorting the shouted words. "We don't want you here!"
Another mass of shouts from the crowd, fisted hands thrown up in agreement.
This was... for the mayor? Maybe they hadn't seen Danny at all.
Even with the megaphone, Paulina's next words were barely heard above the roar of the crowd. And he couldn't figure out what they meant.
"...All you've done! ...our homes and families! Gone! ...taken from us! ...years of...! Papá!" Angry tears spilled down her cheeks, her face bright red.
He could only stare in confusion.
...Paulina wouldn't look at him that way. She was one of his biggest fans. Always had been.
She reached down, picked up a brown glass bottle from the ground.
Then it was spinning end-over-end through the air.
It whipped past his ear with a deep reverberating whistle. And the sound of shattering glass surrounded him.
He staggered from the window, knees hitting asphalt.
Scenes flickered through his mind almost too fast to keep up.
His hands flew up to grip his head.
Memories that didn't make sense. Never happened.
A different world; a darker world. One where Sam and Tucker were dead, his family was dead. He was dead.
The new memories seemed more vivid than the originals, more real.
The originals felt faded and flimsy in comparison, as shallow as painted glass.
As though there was nothing beyond the surface.
But that couldn't be true. Of course his real memories were there!
Of course his family was alive! Jazz was at an out-of-state university getting yet another degree. She came to visit on breaks. His parents decided to study a haunted area out west.
He could remember the day they sold Fenton Works—he knew he could! He'd been... he'd been...
Staring at the 'sold' addition hanging from the for-sale sign through the limousine window. The sky was overcast, and the dark tint of the glass made it appear nearly night. He watched as the wind jerked at the small sold sign. It looked almost as though it was fighting to break free of its attached chain and soar into the coming storm, leaving everything behind.
The front door opened and Vlad stepped out, followed by the other two. They shook hands on the front steps while Vlad said something Danny couldn't hear.
(He was in a daze as he said a few end-of-sale pleasantries on autopilot, barely knowing what words were coming out of his mouth.)
Valerie turned her head toward the limo, her eyes seeming to search for him behind the dark windows. Her hair danced wildly behind her in the wind. Her eyebrows were drawn inward, her eyes bright. Despite moving to a new house, she didn't look happy.
No! That hadn't happened!
Danny dug his fingers deeper into his scalp, eyes squeezed tightly shut.
There was a crunching, gritting sound behind him; footsteps. "What's going on out here?!"
It sounded like...
His boots had crunched through the broken glass littering the empty street, the shards grinding beneath his rubber soles.
Multiple warning sirens filled the air.
He laughed as he surveyed the sea of destruction before him.
A prideful feeling swelled within him at the view.
He'd achieved this!
Every building in sight was empty and warped—all uninhabitable husks.
He paused at a single window that had somehow survived his Wail. His reflection came into view, and he gave himself a grin. He could see the power radiating from his shoulders. The energy he held at his disposal. His ghostly glow.
He grinned wider, and shot a Ghost Ray.
Shrapnel exploded outward.
The explosion was quick, but the sound of sizzling wood lingered. The singed hole through the house left no sign of there having ever been a window.
No. This wasn't him. This wasn't him.
It couldn't be him.
He only wanted to help. ...He was the hero.
"What did you do?!" Valerie's accusing voice screamed nearby. The tone changed. "Phantom?"
Even as he clung to his original memories, they grew faint like a dream.
...A dream. Like a ghost he had last seen when...
His back had been aching from his bowed posture, held in a sitting position on the floor by thick chains crisscrossing his back and shoulders and anchoring to the cold tiles. The back of his hands rested against the floor behind him, wrists handcuffed tightly together.
He heard a noise. The metal squeak of a doorknob turning.
He strained to lift his head high enough to glare across the dim room at the door.
Clockwork drifted through the doorway and then moved to the side, motioning for someone else to enter.
Nocturn's and Ember's eyes landed on him immediately.
Dan bared as many teeth as possible and focused his glare on Nocturn's coolly appraising gaze.
But Nocturn showed no reaction. "A waking dream..." he mused, "intriguing. Though the duration is beyond my current power."
"I guess that's where I come in."
Dan shifted his gaze to Ember, narrowing his eyes at her and her sadistic grin.
Even as he boiled with rage at them all, he felt a smug pleasure at the slight gravelly quality to her voice.
She reached around her bulky frame to turn a knob on her guitar. "A little boost to make it last. I'll even throw in some mind control so he stays on-task: the need to help fix anything he's damaged from those rampages of his."
"Phantom." That was Valerie's voice.
She hadn't been there.
"Phantom, look at me."
He kept his hands on his head.
Real and fake memories continued to swirl.
Clockwork had done this to him.
Then he clenched his teeth in anger. Clockwork had done this to him!
He had been helping the humans for the past two months! Undoing everything he'd achieved!
Everything had been fake!
He'd been made a fool of! Begging to help repair his own destruction. Ghosts coming to gawk at him. Valerie stealing his land right from under his nose.
There could be no greater humiliation than this!
"Phantom!"
Dan lifted his eyes to glare up at Valerie through blurred vision, hoping to get across all his hatred.
She cursed and pulled out a bazooka, training the barrel on him.
He blinked and tears fell, momentarily clearing his vision, sliding down his cheeks. It felt like his friends and family had just been freshly torn from him all over again.
...He had done this to himself so he would stop feeling that searing pain.
He wasn't supposed to feel it as a ghost.
He no longer had a heart.
But he could still feel a horrible squeezing tightness in his chest.
...Why did the world always take things from him?
His friends and family.
His achievements.
And even the lie.
He blinked again, and blankly roved his eyes across Valerie's alarmed face, looking for some kind of answer.
The false memories might've faded, but the past two months still happened.
The naïve puppet, each word and action nothing but humiliation.
The rage he felt at everything that he had been forced to do, at all the times he'd been laughed at without realizing it; but also the pain of losing everyone all over again stabbing at him from inside.
What was he supposed to do with this?
What should he think right now?
He blinked again.
He slowly took in his surroundings.
Valerie was holding a charged bazooka at him, her face set with determination.
A crowd stood behind her in a semi-circle. A crowd ready to attack.
Based on their expressions, even with bare hands, if need be.
...And a faint sound of police sirens growing louder.
The military would be on their way.
He was trapped. With nothing ahead of him but a losing battle.
With rage and grief and mortification so strong he could barely think beyond it.
And then he remembered... he had a portal ability.
He focused, stretching a portal into existence behind his back, and let it grow to swallow him.
Author's Note:
The idea was to have the fic read two different ways, and inspire people to reread it after reaching the end in order to see a different version (and the complete fic). I added little hidden things all over the place by using double meanings. ...I'm not sure if I achieved what I was trying for, but the fic is supposed to be more complete after a second read.
Thanks to everyone who helped me with the fic on the the Invisobang discord server.
There's pictures and links on the AO3 version, under the username AsjJohnson