The next video posted on Team Phantom's website was in a very different setting than what the world had seen before on this cross-country trip, the inside of a car. Tucker was smiling into the camera from the passenger's seat as trees blurred by in the windows behind him. "Hey everybody, it's finally happened, we are now officially on a road trip!"
From the backseat, Danny pumped his fist up in the air in excitement, "Woooo!"
The camera swung around to show Sam whose face was pinched in annoyance while watching the road, hands gripping the steering wheel. "Okay, you guys need to chill out a little. We are still on the run and the only difference now is that we need to worry about hitting deer."
Tucker pouted as he secured the camera onto the dashboard, "But Saaaaam, it's a road trip! We never get the time to take road trips."
"Yeah, fine it's a road trip, but I'm the only one with a driver's license here."
Danny piped in from the back. "I don't need a driver's licence, I can fly!"
Sam took a second to glance back in the rearview mirror, annoyance fading. "Alright fine ghost boy. What's your excuse Foley?"
"Hey!" Tucker sputtered. "I'll have you know my driving skills are much better applied in Mario Kart than real life, plus that's what I have you for isn't it?"
"Careful," Sam smirked. "If that's all I'm good for maybe I'll just leave you on the side of the road since you haven't contributed to our travel at all."
Danny giggled in the back as Tucker let out a scandalized gasp. "You can't leave me behind! I'm a vital part of the group and what would happen if the Losers in White got me?"
"Not my problem."
"Sam nooooo. I'm sorry, I don't just value you for your license, you know I respect your ass kicking skills!"
"Mmmm…" Sam didn't even glance at Tucker when he pleaded. "Fine, I guess you can stay."
Tucker let out a dramatic sigh of relief as he sunk back down into his seat, wiping the sweat from his brow. In the back Danny watched on, smiling, before leaning forward in his seat towards the activist. "Thank you for driving Sam! It was getting a little awkward carrying you guys around everywhere."
"It's all good Danny, I know you love to overwork yourself, but you need a break sometimes you know. Plus, this car is eco friendly."
"Yeah," Danny shrugged, "Fruitloop may be a little evil, but I guess he cares about his environmental impact."
Tucker raised his eyebrow from where he was fiddling with his PDA. "He's rich, he better be thinking about his environmental impact."
"He better." A dark look crossed Sam's face, promising pain if Plasmius was not mindful. "Anyways- wait." There was a song beginning to play on the car's speakers. "Tucker. Did you just put on Dancing Queen?"
Tucker blinked innocently as Danny perked up in the backseat. Sam muttered to herself, "Ancients, here we go."
"Ooh, you can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life!" Tucker and Danny harmonized beautifully as ABBA blasted at high volumes over the car speakers, Sam sighed loudly but there was a smile on her face.
"Ooh, see that girl." Danny pointed at Tucker.
"Watch that scene." Tucker pointed back.
Both boys leaned in together, holding onto Tucker's PDA in mimicry of a microphone. "Digging the dancing queen!"
Sam's smile remained on her face as she kept her gaze on the road, both boys now singing the instrumental of the song.
The clips cut to the camera being in Tucker's hands again, looking a little exasperated. There was a lack of Danny in the seats behind him. "I'm going to be honest I was not expecting this development." Tucker turned to face Sam, "I still can't believe you let him go up there."
Sam blew out a sigh that pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "How could I say no to those puppy dog eyes? Besides, if he falls off he'll float anyways."
Juggling the camera and the window button, Tucker raised his voice as the wind swooped into the car. "He said it's like flying but without the effort."
Held in the teenager's grasp, the camera was tilted out of the window to be level with the top of the car. Spread out, as if lounging on a hot rock in the sun, was Danny. His head resting on his arms, white hair blowing back as the car kept a steady pace through the countryside.
Tucker's voice broke through the noise of the wind. "You good up there buddy?"
Bright green eyes slowly blinked open as the ghost's head titled towards the camera, he gave a lazy thumbs up.
The camera was pulled back into the car as Tucker gave his wisdom. "Don't try this at home kids."
The next clip saw the camera mounted on top of the car's dashboard, Tucker and Sam in frame while Danny was still nowhere in sight. Tucker was gripping onto the side of the car as if his life depended on it. "Right so, we're being chased by the Guys in White now."
Sam's gaze jumped between the mirrors and the road as she held the steering wheel with a white knuckled grip. "Tucker, I could really use some tech support right now!"
"Right, right. Sorry!" The teenager pulled out his PDA, clicking frantically. The white vehicles gradually gaining on them in the rearview window were being hit with some blue tinged giant snowballs. A song began to play on the car speakers.
"Tucker…" Sam's eyes met his, "Are you playing Tokyo drift?!"
"You said you wanted tech support!"
"This is NOT what I meant!"
He threw up his hands in frustration, glasses knocked askew. "Well how was I supposed to know that Sam?!"
She turned to yell at him more. "I'M REVOKING YOUR AUX PRIVLEGES!"
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT! IT'S BLUETOOTH."
"Sam!" Their argument was interrupted by Danny's intangible head sticking through the roof. "Incoming on your right!"
The goth's head swung up to the rearview mirror and cursed as she spotted the GIW vehicle readying to ram. Turning the wheel left and pulling back the handbrake she gave one warning. "Hold on!"
Tucker screamed as the car took a sharp turn and drifted around a corner.
A short video was posted online which had a local perspective of the incident.
The frame swung up from the ground in unsteady hands. It focused down the field lined road from where the observer stood on a gravel driveway. "Now I was just minding my business, what the hell is that?"
A strangely glowing green lit car was speeding down the road, multiple larger white vehicles following close behind. Strange bangs filled the air with noise.
"Why does that car look like it's got some scifi shield technology!?"
As the vehicles rapidly approached, some things came more clearly into view. "Is that a person?!" On top of the shielded vehicle stood a figure dressed in black with stark white hair, impossibly standing upright on a speeding car, arm held aloft with a green glow maintaining the shield.
The video zoomed in, focusing on movement on one of the white trucks. "Holy shit that's a bazooka." The man in a white suit steadied the weapon before firing, the shot collided with the vehicle's green shield and exploded. The chase carried on.
As the cars sped ever closer, a stray shot took out a nearby mailbox, the shot hit with a clang and left the metal melting in a puddle of green acidic liquid. The person filming yelped and tumbled backwards, jostling the phone in the process.
When the car chase finally shot by the driveway, the figure with white hair yelled out an apologetic "Sorry!" as their car sped away. White flashes of vehicles quickly followed them, shouting all the way.
The trio of teenagers sat in the car in silence, the road behind them clear of cars. In the backseat, Danny's hair was blown back, and soot was on his face.
Tucker blinked in thought before turning to face Sam. "Where the hell did you learn how to drift a car?"
Sam didn't raise her eyes from the road before responding, "Grandma."
"Ooooh."
Along the chaotic road trip, another video was posted. It started facing a gas station employee whispering into the mic. "I know its unethical to record other people without permission, but like come one, they just showed up at my work. Are you kidding?"
The camera flipped and was pointed outside through a window, at one of the gas pumps a car was parked. A black-haired girl dressed in a gothic outfit was messing with the pump, while chatting with the two boys stretching out their legs beside her.
"I've had some pretty strange people coming in at 11pm on a Thursday, but this is really something else." The camera shook as the boys started walking towards the door, it was quickly getting stashed behind the counter and propped up to continue filming the inside of the building.
The bell rang and in through the door walked the wanted criminal Danny Fenton and his accomplice Tucker Foley. The half ghost fugitive gave a wave to the employee, "Hi!"
Beside him Tucker gave a "Hey."
The gas station employee's voice wobbled nervously from behind the camera, "Good evening…"
The two teenagers beelined towards the slushies, gathering three cups between them. Danny began to fill his cup with the obnoxiously bright green drink. Tucker raised a brow "Green apple Danny, really?"
"Hey! It's a pretty colour… plus I ran out of my snack ectoplasm." Despite his protests, the halfa soon admitted defeat and filled the rest of his cup with the blue.
Tucker smirked from where he was filling his own cup. Danny stuck his tongue out at him.
Once their drinks were constructed, they excitedly went through the candy isle, amassing an impressive amount in their arms before arriving to the counter. Right in front of the camera. Up close there was a flush to Danny's cheeks, some black soot clinging to his face and hair. Tucker had one earphone in, periodically glancing down to the PDA held in his hands.
From behind the counter, the employee was valiantly pretending everything was normal and he wasn't knowingly scanning the 12 chocolate bars of a wanted fugitive. Continuing to scan their items, he cleared his throat. "So uh… you guys actually haven't committed a bunch of crimes?"
Danny shook his head "Nope! Except for evading a whole bunch of federal agents, and maybe trespassing-" he was cut off as Tucker elbowed him.
"Cool, that's uh good." He read their total and accepted the cash from Tucker. While rummaging through the cash register, he asked one other question. "What does it feel like to fly?"
The half ghost opened his mouth, but Tucker got there first. "Terrifying, this guy doesn't usually drop people, but it's always a little nerve wracking. The wind bites at you and you're cold a lot of the time. Although admittedly it can have some pretty nice views."
Danny nudged Tucker in the side, not looking super annoyed by the comments as he turned back towards the counter. "Flying feels… free. No matter what's going on, once I'm in the air I'm completely weightless, in control. It feels like I belong in the sky, like it's always there to welcome me when I return." The halfa shrugged, back to sipping on his slushie while they gathered their goodies from the counter.
The two boys finally began to exit the store, Tucker went out the door with slushies and candy in his arms. "Thanks for the help! Have a nice night."
Behind the camera, the employee whispered out a belated "Holy shit."
Danny, who was halfway out the door, looked back smiling. He winked.
As the door finally closed, bell ringing out as the teens made their way back to Sam, the employee let his head fall against the counter with a thud.
AN:
Heyyy… It's been a while, and I am actually so sorry about that.
Shout out to the person I told this would be out like a month ago (you know who you are), I'm especially apologetic for that. I am more active on Archive of Our Own but this is where I originally started posting this story and I really do appreciate everyone reading here! I'm glad people actually enjoy this story.
(I uh don't have an excuse for not updating besides the fact that uni was absolutely kicking my ass and I can never stay focused on one project ever in my life. Oh also One Piece, I blame One Piece.)
I'm hyped about where the story is leading up to, I have big plans that have been living in my head for literally 4 years. Let's just say next chapter we will be back in Amity Park…