Let's get right back to it, shall we? A quick refresher on where we are: Danny is reeling from discovering he has ice powers and was outed as such in front of Peter, Midtown is abuzz with rumors of a new ice hero, and Peter takes Danny to Roosevelt Island for practice with...*explosive* results. (Haaaaa)

General Notes

"This is dialogue."

"This is alternative dialogue, meaning whispered or spoken from a distance such as on the phone."

'This is thought.'

This and THIS and *this* are emphasis. The *this* emphasis is more along the lines of the snarky or sarcastic.

[This is digital text, such as notifications on a computer or smartphone. It also represents A.I. voices, such as Karen or F.R.I.D.A.Y./"Friday" (because I really don't feel like typing out the full acronym with periods every time she comes up).]

I do not own Danny Phantom nor Spider-Man.

Ch. 12 originally published: Friday, January 20, 2023

FIRE WITH FIRE

12 — Ruck

Roosevelt Island — Friday, September 30, 22:05

"Hot chocolate," Danny said. "Really hot, like—like boiling."

"Same," Peter added. "Chef's choice for temperature, though."

"Mmhm," was the waitress' unamused reply. She scribbled the order down on her notepad and left the boys to their own devices.

Danny warily eyed the rest of Granny Annie's patrons from the safety of their corner booth, waiting as Peter scrolled frantically on his phone. The ice wielder retreated further into his hoodie and slunk back, repressing a slight shiver. Danny listened to the bell above the door jingle continually under the ebb and flow of the customers. Diners chatted animatedly at their tables while still more gathered around the bar.

"Nothing trending yet," Peter finally informed, slapping his phone down on the tabletop.

"Give it a sec," Danny muttered sardonically.

"Just relax, okay? Nobody saw us. We just need to lay low here for a bit and then we're golden."

"What if we missed a camera though?" Danny whispered, leaning in. "What if Tony Stark—or even somebody half as intelligent—runs facial recognition on the subway's CCTV and recognizes us? We're sunk!"

"We didn't even get on in Sunnyside, and we kept our heads down the whole time," Peter said. "Even if we were seen at any point, that's still not gonna prove anything. It's circumstantial at best."

Danny scoffed. "Yeah, right after circumstantially finding us with the frozen wraith, or circumstantially seeing Jazz's car parked outside that bodega I froze. My only reprieve is that Mom and Dad have a date night and will be too distracted to go investigate."

"Danny, just chill. This place has the best hot chocolate; it'll help settle your nerves."

A distant siren cut through the jovial murmur of Granny Annie's, growing in volume until a single police cruiser blasted past the restaurant. Simultaneously, a breaking news bulletin flashed on the bar's television screens, and Peter's phone pinged with an alert.

The local picked up his device and gasped. "Whoa…that's a lot of ice."

Danny, seeing live helicopter footage of Roosevelt Island appear on TV, merely replied, "Shit."

Peter looked over his shoulder. "Shit."

"Shit," Danny repeated.

Their waitress arrived and distractedly placed two steaming mugs on the boys' table while her eyes were similarly glued to the TV screen. "Hey, that's down the street from us!" she exclaimed. Whipping off her apron as she sprinted for the exit, she shouted, "FRANK! I'M TAKING MY TEN!"

Several more wailing sirens assaulted the diners' ears, drowning out the tinkle of the bell as the waitress left. A fleet of police cars sped past, followed by half a dozen fire trucks, several all-white SUVs, and the sprinting waitress.

Danny took a fortifying sip of his cocoa and pressed the mug to his forehead, reveling in its soothing warmth.

"See?" Peter encouraged. "Everyone's so focused on the actual ice, no one will even notice us."

"Okay," Danny hesitantly agreed and lowered the mug to his mouth, "I guess we might have gotten away with it."

"Danny?" a surprised voice called from across the bar.

The boy in question choked on his next sip and looked across the room, eyes as wide as saucers. Smiling and waving upon recognition, Maddie Fenton slid out of her booth to come over.

"Oh my god, of course they came here!" Danny hissed hoarsely at Peter, disguising his panic with a toothy grin. "Hey, Mom! What are you doing here?"

"Date night!" she replied. "What are you two doing here? I thought Jazz said you were going to the movies?"

"Uh—"

"Nothing good was playing," Peter spoke up. "We just came here for some cocoa instead."

"Oh, okay," Maddie said. "Well, you boys are welcome to come join us if you want? I'm sure Jack would be happy to have you." She turned to check with his father, putting a giant television screen in her direct line of sight.

"NO!" Danny blurted out, recapturing his mom's attention. "I mean…no, that's okay." Checking to see if the news had gone to commercial yet, he added, "You guys should enjoy your date night. You don't want two lame high schoolers ruining the vibes!"

Maddie chuckled in her signature chipper way. "You could never ruin anything, Danny. The only thing that could ruin this is-"

"GHOST ICE!" Jack bellowed from their table, attracting several eyes as he pointed at a nearby TV. "Mads! Right here on Roosevelt Island!"

The woman gasped. "Thank god I brought my Fenton Fashion Battle Bag!" she shouted back, motioning to her oversized purse. While her husband scrambled to put some cash on the table, Maddie returned her attention to the boys. "Looks like it's go-time. You boys enjoy your cocoa!"

"Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton!" Peter called after the two adults as they rushed out of the restaurant, the chime of a bell heralding their departure from the establishment.

Danny leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. With a laborious breath, he muttered, "Well, as Scooby Doo would say: 'Ruck.' "

Agent O didn't bother knocking as he entered his superior's office. "Agent Alpha, a massive ectoplasmic energy spike was just detected on Roosevelt Island!" he informed. "Satellite imagery confirms the presence of a significant amount of ice. Several operatives are already en route."

"Finally a win," Alpha grumbled.

"Drs. Fenton are already in the vicinity," O added.

Alpha gasped. "How are they faster than we are?"

"Happenstance, sir," the subordinate confirmed. "The agents assigned to them suggest they are indulging in a 'date night' at a local eatery."

"And their means of transport-?"

"Already disabled, sir. That should buy us approximately seven to thirteen minutes. Any further modifications would be obvious sabotage."

"We'll work with what we've got," Alpha said. "Good work, O. I leave it to you to monitor the situation."

Agent O nodded. "Sir."

Danny's phone buzzed half an inch across the tabletop with an incoming text alert. He sat up and grabbed the device.

Tucker Foley: [*Oh no baby what is you doin* gif]

An accompanying photo of the Foleys' TV showed a live helicopter view of Roosevelt Island. Danny whimpered and let the phone slide back onto the tabletop with the conversation still open. "Would it be too much to ask for a single break at some point in my miserable life?"

Peter glanced at Danny's phone out of curiosity. "Wait, do your friends back home know about your powers too?"

"Well, yeah," Danny replied as if it were obvious. "I basically tell them everything." Seeing his tablemate begin to frown at the phone, Danny locked the screen and pocketed it.

"Oh. So you're only including me because…I was there when they activated."

Danny's embarrassed silence spoke volumes.

"Hey, I get it," Peter offered after a few awkward moments. "We don't know each other that well yet. I just…I dunno, I thought we'd been bonding." Seeing Danny's worried face, he backpedaled slightly. "Sorry. Well, I'm here to help however I can."

Danny guiltily uttered a "thanks" as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"So, look, I don't wanna accidentally out you, so who does know?"

Danny sighed and counted on his fingers as he listed, "You, Sam and Tuck back home, and Jazz."

"Do you wanna tell Ned?" Peter asked. "He's good with this kind of stuff."

"Nah, I don't know him well enough yet."

"Okay then, what about your parents? They could probably help with-"

"No way in hell am I telling my parents!" Danny interrupted. "Especially since they took samples of the ice back to the lab."

"Why?"

"Because they'll immediately jump to the wrong conclusions, because they're obsessed with ghosts."

"Wait, why?" Peter repeated, more confused.

"Because they're going to find ectoradiation in the ice!" Danny blurted without thinking. A single second after, his face took on a sickly pallor as dread pooled in his stomach.

Peter had clearly latched onto Danny's thoughtless admission. Puzzle pieces slowly slid into place. "They will?" he prodded.

Danny gulped. Feeling the dryness of his throat, he took another drink of hot chocolate.

"So, Danny," Peter quietly asked, "why does your ice have ghost energy?"

The exposed boy retreated from his friend's studious, fervent, patient curiosity.

"You never did say how you got your powers," Peter added.

Danny shut his eyes with a frown, slowly shaking his head in protest before burying his face in his hands.

Disappointment and frustration played across Peter's face before he directed a glare at his mug, toying absently with its handle. "First Aunt May not telling me what really happened to my parents, now you with these powers…" The teen sighed and took a drink of cocoa. "Nevermind."

Danny peeked out from behind his left hand. Gulping, he dropped his hands in his lap and stared at the upturned palms. "Okay. I've never had to explain this before, so maybe cut me some slack?"

Peter wordlessly furrowed his brow.

"It was in my parents' lab about a year ago," Danny said. Seeing a slight glimmer of hope in his friend's eyes, he continued, "How I got—how I think I got my powers. There was an accident, and…like, it just makes sense, right? After a lifetime of gradual exposure to chemicals, and my parents are ghost scientists, so…"

Peter did the mental math. "Ectoplasm."

"Exactly," Danny confirmed. "And so that's why I have–I'm part–that's why I'm–"

Peter hung on his every word.

Danny swallowed despite his mouth having gone dry again. He dropped his gaze and wilted. "Guess I can make ghost ice now," the boy admitted quietly.

A ghost of suspicion crossed Peter's face before dematerializing in favor of understanding. "I see."

Over the course of a long blink, Danny shook his head and reset his posture, reaching for his cocoa for comfort. "So, yeah, I think that's why my ice'll radiate ecto-energy. Ectoplasm works in weird ways. Ghosts usually have their own special abilities which all get powered by the same stuff, like ghost blood. I guess being exposed to ectoplasm for so long, it gave me my own abilities."

"Hold on, didn't you just say something about an accident?"

"Uh…yeah, I did, didn't I?" Danny admitted. "Um, so, I guess I got shocked this one time a while back? It must've been the catalyst after all the exposure."

"Ooohhh, that explains the glowing Lichtenberg pattern," Peter realized. "But why ice though?"

"I dunno?" Danny thought for a moment before suggesting, "Like, have you been through a midwestern winter?"

"Fair enough," Peter conceded with a snicker. "Not that New York is much better, as you'll find out pretty soon. So you don't think there was one specific event that triggered it?"

"Mmm, not that I can recall," Danny innocently denied from behind his cocoa.

"Weird. You'd think you would've seen the signs earlier."

Danny shrugged. "Sometimes this stuff just comes out of nowhere."

Peter searched his friend's face for a moment before half-smiling. "Thank you, Danny."

"For what?"

"Trusting me."

It took a moment for Danny to force a guilty smile.

The GIW had already put up barricades by the time the Fentons arrived. Maddie and Jack pulled out their identification as they approached.

"Dr. Madeline Fenton, ectologist," Maddie introduced herself. "We're here to-"

"-get in the way," the agent interrupted with a condescending sneer. "I have specific orders to prevent you from interfering with our investigation."

Jack frowned. "Now listen here, bub—"

Several black SUVs roaring up interrupted his protest. The unmarked vehicles parked just behind the GIW's white transports and spilled a dozen black-suited people into the bustling road. Immediately they began unloading their SUVs and eyeing the Four Freedoms Park entrance.

One in particular, a bearded and beleaguered man with the start of a beer belly, approached both the Fentons and the GIW agent keeping them back. With a sigh, the newcomer flashed a badge and said, "Agent Cleary, DODC. I'm gonna need everyone to evacuate the site so we can get to work."

"DODC?" Maddie repeated.

"Damage Control, ma'am."

"Yeah, I know who you are," she retorted. "I'm just wondering why you're here."

"Uh, Mr. Cleary," the GIW agent interjected, "I'm afraid this isn't your rodeo."

"Agent Cleary," he corrected. "Cleaning up after activity by enhanced individuals, whether it be authorized or not, is the DODC's area of expertise."

"Like superhero janitors," Jack quipped, earning him a bemused glare from Cleary and a harsh elbow from his wife.

"Sorry, Agent Cleary, but the ectoradiation recorded on-site means this is ghost-related activity and therefore the GIW's jurisdiction."

Crossing his arms and shifting his stance, Cleary asked, "What's your name, agent?"

"P."

"P?"

"Just P," the white-suited man reiterated.

"Listen here, *Just P.* If you want to declare inter-bureaucratic war, I don't think it'll end well for the Dorks in White. But, go right ahead." Cleary left the threat hanging in the air while his eyes slid over to watch something moving behind the antagonistic agent.

"Let me summon my superiors, sir," P gruffly offered. "I'm sure they can better explain the situation." Following Cleary's wandering gaze, he turned and immediately bristled "Get back here, Fenton! You don't have clearance!"

Chastised, Maddie slunk back to her husband's side. "Sorry, Agent P. I can see you have better things to do. Come on, Jack, we have a date to continue."

"But-?" Jack protested.

"Let's get out of their hair." Maddie looped her arm through her husband's and pulled him away, her free hand slipping into the Battle Bag.

With one final glance at the retreating couple, Cleary redirected his attention to the GIW agent still standing his ground. "Alright, fine, P," Cleary stressed, "I'll let you have this one." He turned away too, voice echoing back to the agent as he teased, "Have fun cleaning up that acre of ice once you're through."

Looking out Pepper's window, Tony picked a peanut from his cupped palm and tossed it in his mouth. "Talk to me, F.R.I.D.A.Y.," he said over the munching.

[I'm detecting significant amounts of low-level ectoradiation,] she responded. F.R.I.D.A.Y. pulled up a live feed of Four Freedoms Park on Tony's smart glasses. The feed, supplied by a cloaked drone monitoring the site, panned over to the retreating DODC fleet. [The GIW has claimed jurisdiction over the situation, so we can expect a self-aggrandizing statement within 24 hours.]

"Do we have anything on the perps?"

[If the GIW are to be believed, it's a ghost. However, a ghost would leave a more definitive energy signature, according to the Fentons' prior research.]

"Run through security footage in the park and the surrounding streets for the two hours leading up to the explosion." Tony turned and saw Pepper watching a live news report on her massive television. "Hey, Pep, mind if I borrow that?"

Without waiting for a reply, F.R.I.D.A.Y. took over the screen and began playback from several security cameras.

"Hey!" Pepper protested.

Tony tossed another peanut into his mouth as he watched and observed. The island had been fairly quiet leading up to the ice incident, so movement was few and far between.

"There," Tony barked with a snap of his fingers and a point at one of the feeds. The recordings froze apart from the top right video. Two shadowy figures skulked at the edge of the frame, noticeably skirting the camera's field of vision. "What do they look like close up?"

[The figures are too far off for my system to enhance the image.]

"I thought you were magic."

[*I* am, yes, but video compression errors and grain are scientific in nature.]

Pepper appeared at Tony's side and, caressing his arm, observed the video now playing on a loop. "They look pretty human. Could it be an enhanced? Not a ghost like the GIW probably assumes?"

"If they were human, they probably didn't fly in," Tony hinted.

[Checking MTA footage now for pairs, five to fifteen minutes before the figures were seen entering the park,] F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied. Camera feeds blurred together on the television screen while the AI conducted her search. [Okay, here we are, boss: eleven minutes earlier leaving the Roosevelt Island subway stop.]

F.R.I.D.A.Y. enlarged the CCTV footage of the turnstiles. A handful of people passed through, several in dark clothing. However, one pair in black hoodies stood out from the rest. Their heads remained shrouded in hoods and ducked from sight, so a facial ID was out of the question.

"Can we get anything from this?"

[The weight estimates will be off thanks to the bulky outerwear. However…] Some matrices triangulated over the figures and eventually blinked green. Several metrics, including height and weight estimates, popped up onscreen. Both were less than six feet tall and under 200 pounds.

"Let's start backtracking and find out which train they got off, and where they got on originally."

[Already have been, boss. They knew what they were doing. I traced them all the way back to Jackson Heights where they boarded the train after emerging from neighborhoods. Their faces remained obscured for the entire route.]

"I don't like how good they are at hiding identities," Tony commented.

"Most people usually don't feel comfortable calling press conferences to out themselves," Pepper quipped, sipping innocently from her drink when she met Tony's bemused eye.

There were few people in Avengers Tower when Jack and Maddie arrived at their lab. Even Happy had retreated to his Long Island City condo for the weekend. Still, the two scientists put on their lab coats over their date wear and went straight to work. They began by analyzing the evidence bag Maddie pulled from her pocket. Extracting a frozen dandelion, Maddie deposited it into a capsule-like machine and turned it on.

"I knew it," Jack cried as the test completed a few minutes later, confirming the ice's properties. "Ectoplasmic radiation, just like the ice on that wraith!"

"No positive ID on the signature though?"

"It's not strong enough to match with any known ghosts in the database," Jack confirmed. "Just barely enough to know it's there."

"Low-level ectoradiation, huh?" Maddie looked up from the machine and lazily spun to look out over Broadway. A distant billboard played a repeating WHIH news segment about Roosevelt Island.

Jack sighed and distracted himself with a forgotten gadget sitting out next to his workstation. "What kind of ghost leaves a signature that's not a signature?" he mused.

The billboard changed to show a blinding ad, reflecting the glimmer of realization dancing in Maddie's eyes. "A ghost that's not a ghost."

Jack scoffed a single laugh. "What?"

"Danny," she emphasized. "His signature. He and Peter are the common denominator here. They were there, both for the wraith in the locker room and on Roosevelt Island this evening!"

"Blocks away from the ice attack!" Jack denied.

"Drinking cocoa!" Maddie insisted. "Danny always drinks cocoa when he gets cold! I made it for him the other night when he woke up screaming because his room was freezing."

Her husband frowned. "You can't seriously be suggesting that Danno, our Danno, clumsy, awkward, shy Danno has ghost ice powers?"

Maddie crossed her arms. "Just check it against his file."

"But-"

"Do it."

With a defiant huff, Jack entered a command into the computer and leaned back on his stool. The device instantly dinged. He smirked and said, "There, you see? It's–oh. It's a, uh, perfect match."

Maddie let her own smirk shine through. "Toldya," she taunted with a playful punch to her husband's arm.

Jack pouted. "I hate when you're right."

"But it does mean you have a superpowered son."

The man brightened. "That's right! And think of all the ghosts he could catch with his ice! He's an even more capable ghost hunter than his old man!"

"I knew it, I knew that accident changed something!" Maddie said.

"It sure took a while for the powers to manifest. I wonder what took so long?"

"He said it was just a little shock that spooked him, but you know how he always downplays everything. Whatever happened, it was enough to be a catalyst for the ectoplasm to interact with his cells. Damnit, if only we had the tapes!"

"Too bad the EMP from the portal activation shut down the entire system."

"Yeah…" Maddie trailed off and returned her attention to the freshly restarted broadcast outside. "Why wouldn't he tell us, though? Doesn't he know we could help?"

"Poor kid's probably scared shitless," Jack guessed.

"Jack!" Maddie cried, indignant. "Language!"

"What? It's not like the kids are here to hear it," he defended. "He knows how much we hate ghosts. He probably thinks we'll think he is one."

"But he's not, though!" Maddie hesitated. "Right? He's just an 'enhanced,' as Tony would say."

"Exactly."

"So, do we tell him we know?" the mother asked. "The scientist in me wants to make sure he's okay and understands what's happening to him."

"I hate to say it because it means we have to wait," Jack grumbled, "but isn't the parenty thing to do letting him come to us when he's ready?"

"You're probably right, hun." Maddie approached and rested her chin on her husband's shoulder. They both stared at the test results for a few moments. "Doesn't mean we can't support him from the sidelines, though."

Jack smiled. "I like the way you think." He turned his head for a quick kiss to his wife's cheek.

The G.I.W.'s investigation went well into the night. Countless technicians perused the site with instruments and sample kits while higher-ranking agents supervised. As ectoradiation levels were noted and evidence was photographed, a cleanup crew shadowed the scientists, eager to begin the removal process.

Agent O frowned disapprovingly at nothing in particular while monitoring the operation. "Once again, ecto-irradiated ice has materialized in New York," he thought aloud. "First the wraith at Midtown School, then the frozen, burnt-out bodega yesterday, and now this…"

"The radiation coming off the dispersed ice is minimal," K said. "While we were unable to tie it to a specific ectosignature, we can confirm it's a ghost."

"It's not one of ours?"

"Negative."

"Well, then." O adjusted his sunglasses and turned to face his colleague. "Prepare a statement. Tie it to the energy spikes and activity elsewhere if you can. We're talking a full-blown incursion here, and that means widespread fear and, ultimately, reliance on the G.I.W."

Sunnyside, Queens — Saturday, October 1, 09:20

"Good morning, Danny!" Maddie proclaimed with gusto.

Her son flinched in the kitchen archway, having not expected the sudden volume. He shuffled over to the coffee maker where his favorite mug sat waiting. "Uh, hi?"

Maddie continued whisking eggs. "Big night last night, huh?"

Danny wordlessly appraised her, suspicion coloring the squint of his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, with everything happening-"

Jack loudly cleared his throat in the living room. Danny glanced between his parents, unable to translate their silent exchange of meaningful glances.

"Look, Mom, I know I didn't have much of a social life before besides Sam and Tucker, but I wouldn't exactly call getting hot chocolate with our neighbor particularly exciting," Danny replied with a teasing lilt to his voice.

"Yeah, yeah," Maddie sassed back. She lovingly gripped his shoulders and searched for the right words. "But – you're growing, and blossoming, and I hope you know how proud we are of you as you embark on this journey…. Of adolescence. And become the man you're meant to be." A smile split her face, while tears threatened to make their presence known.

Several emotions crossed Danny's face: a furrowed brow, a guilty swallow, an awkward focus on his steaming mug, a sidelong glance at his father, and finally, a shy smile. "Thanks, Mom," he croaked.

After Maddie had returned her attention to breakfast, Danny slunk next to his sister who hovered in her bedroom doorway behind the couch. "Well, that was weird. They definitely know something," he mumbled, mug shielding his mouth from view before he took a sip.

"Might be worth visiting their lab to investigate."

"You might be right."

Next Door — 11:00

"Seriously, you were right there," Ned prodded. "You can't tell me anything?"

Peter shrugged. "Sorry, man, I got knocked in the head. The ice just came out of nowhere."

"UGH, I can't believe I'm out of school for two freaking days, and a wraith attacks you in the locker room, and then half of the East River gets frozen!"

"Well, next time, don't volunteer to help your grandma on a school day," Peter sassed.

"You know I can't say no to Lola."

"Anyway for number four, did you get-" A knock at the front door interrupted Peter. He called in response, "It's open!"

Danny let himself in, holding his textbook, notebook, and a mechanical pencil in one hand and his phone in the other. "Oh, hey, Ned, are you struggling in Spanish too?"

"Nah, I'm in French," the boy replied. "But I help Peter with history."

"Ha, so he's NOT a perfect genius!" Danny teased as he slid into a free chair at the Parkers' kitchen table.

Peter rolled his eyes. "If you call a B+ struggling."

"It is at Midtown. Damn," Danny murmured. He shook his head and took a fortifying breath as he searched through his textbook for the right page.

"You wanna know who's really struggling?" Ned asked and slapped his pen down. "Me. Because no one will tell me shit about what happened while I was out the last two days!"

"Because nobody knows what happened!" Peter insisted defensively.

Ned registered Danny's sudden hyper-focus on his work. "What about you, Danny? What did you see?"

Danny avoided eye contact. "Dude, I don't know what to tell you. I was in shock for most of it. A bunch of ice showed up out of nowhere and froze the wraith. Honest."

Ned squinted as he glanced between the other two boys present.

"Where were you anyway?" Danny asked. "You, like, never miss class."

Ned sighed, resigned to the lack of information. "I was helping my grandma with some prep for a FAHM event."

" 'Fam?' " Danny asked.

"October is Filipino American History Month," Ned explained. "Manila Monday is coming up. I tried to get them to call it Lumpia Lunes, but not everybody knows Tagalog and they want it to be a big event for non-Filipinos too. It used to be Adobo Sabado but the venue was already booked on Saturday."

"So, what's Manila Monday?"

"Oh, it's a big culture fair with food and crafts and music and stuff. You should totally come!"

"When is it?" Danny asked, opening his phone to the calendar app.

"…Monday," Ned sassed.

Danny deadpanned. "Obviously, but which Monday?"

"This Monday."

"Oh, yeah, I can come."

"I'm pretty sure Betty's gonna be there too to report on it for Midtown News," Peter said, then he added with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows, "You should text her and ask to go together."

"Oh, y-yeah, that's a good idea," Danny agreed, beet-red at Peter's expression. He frowned. "Shut up," the boy spat and began composing a text on his phone, pointedly ignoring Peter and Ned's giggles.

"Don't worry, Danny boy. We'll get you all kitted out with the hottest Filipino fashion so you can look fine as hell for Betty," Ned said.

Danny rolled his eyes.

May entered from her bedroom to get water. She instantly noticed their distraction and teased, "Aren't you guys supposed to *study* during a study session?"

"Yes, May," Peter groaned and returned his attention to the history text.

After a beat, Ned scoffed. "I'd probably be able to study better if I knew what the hell is going on," he grumbled to himself.

May glanced over from the sink, eyeing a squirmy Danny. "Sometimes life is weird, Ned. You just gotta deal with it and accept maybe there's some stuff you don't need to know," she commented. With a full glass in hand and a wry smile at her nervous neighbor, May crossed back towards her room and added, "At least not yet."

Danny frowned in confusion.

"Not knowing life's mysteries sucks," Ned complained.

The boys returned their attention to their respective homework assignments. It took mere seconds for their focus to fade once more.

"Hey, what are you guys doing after this? Wanna go do something?" Danny asked, bouncing his pencil off the barely-started Spanish worksheet.

"Sorry, I've got more Manila Monday prep," Ned replied.

Danny looked hopefully at his neighbor. "Peter?"

"Well…I was going to go visit my uncle's grave later and just…clear my head, you know?" Peter hesitated. "These wraiths bring up a lot of…well."

Danny nodded. "Y-yeah, I get it. Sorry."

"Don't be." Peter glared at his book. Almost under his breath he added, "Wasn't your fault."

The ghost boy looked him up and down, searching for an explanation in lieu of an elaboration. Apparently he wasn't the only one at the table haunted by past trauma.

As sunset fell, early hints of a bitter autumn cold swirled around Peter. He took a shuddering breath, grateful for the built-in heater which hugged his body beneath his street clothes. Peter stood, hands clasped in his hoodie's kangaroo pocket, and soaked in every detail of Benjamin Parker's gravestone hidden deep within the bowels of Calvary cemetery. He had long since memorized every contour, every engraved letter, every flaw in the granite.

"I'm doing better." Peter shrugged. "We both are, but you gotta try, you know? It's hard when I feel like no one trusts or respects me. Mr. Stark barely listens before it's too late, Happy thinks I'm just a stupid kid, May won't tell me what happened to my parents… Hell, she won't even tell me what happened with you, though you and I both know I know more about what happened than she does," he finished with a wry smile and humorless huff.

Peter looked away at the Manhattan skyline just peeking over the hill. He sighed. "And now Danny—poor guy doesn't even know what he's getting into, how when you get powers, trouble just sort of finds you and if you ignore it—" He cut off with a pained wince. "Well. Here we are. I wish he'd let me in. I guess to him I'm just his stupid neighbor, but I can help him! Even more than I already am, if only he knew who I really was.

"But what was that you used to say? 'Trust goes both ways' or something? I dunno." Peter looked back to his uncle's marker and, after a moment's hesitation, stepped closer to rest a hand on its corner. The stone sapped the heat from his hand, yet the teen found warmth in the sensation. It was as if he were giving a small amount of life force back to Ben, if only for a moment. Something to allow his uncle to comfort him momentarily. "Thanks for listening to me complain all the time. Hopefully one of these days, I can come here with good news again."

The boy's front pocket vibrated against his left thigh, threatening to disperse the spell. When his phone continued to buzz, Peter realized it was an incoming call and not a text to ignore till later. He reluctantly pulled himself away from stone, breaking his connection to Ben and dropping him back to reality.

Incoming Call From: Suit Lady

Perplexed, Peter answered the call. "Karen?"

[I'm really sorry to interrupt, Peter,] the A.I. replied earnestly, [but there's a situation developing nearby.]

"Alright, pull it up in the mask and I'll head over." Peter pocketed his phone and, jumping up and down, shook out his arms. "Okay, time to go be a hero. I love you, Ben."

Stashing his clothes between a bush and the historic groundskeeper's cottage, Spider-Man leaped and swung his way along Newton Creek into an industrial area of Brooklyn. Area53 Adventure Park ran the length of an entire block with an imposing parking structure looming behind it. The masked hero landed on the adventure park's roof and looked down through one of the skylights.

Bedlam unfolded below as several people crowded a small boy who was stuck on the zipline just below Peter's position. Several more watched from a distance as the child suffered a panic attack too far out of anyone's reach to be rescued. Still more people in laser tag gear crowded the exit and heaved breaths of fresh air coming from the open door.

"What's going on, Karen?" Spider-Man asked.

[An ongoing 9-1-1 call indicates the child suffered a panic attack near the laser tag arena, and his flailing killed the zipline's momentum. Moments later, several more people evacuated the arena itself. It seems there's fear of a mass hysteria outbreak.]

"Well, that's not suspicious," the hero drawled. He snuck inside and clambered along the rafters until he found himself above the trapped boy. He webbed a beam and, trailing the web between his feet, inched his way upside down into the boy's line of sight. "Hey, buddy!" Spider-Man said gently.

The boy's reply was a newly panicked screech. "Monster! Monster! Another monster!"

"No, hey, come on!" Peter soothed. He flopped to hang right side up from a single arm. "I'm just a guy under here. See? Look." He pulled a corner of his mask just high enough to expose a sliver of his neck.

The boy calmed, though that allowed tears to flow full force. "Please make it go away," he begged wetly.

"I will, I promise, but first I need to get you down, okay?" Seeing the boy's nod, Peter smiled under the mask. "Okay. Karen, trampoline web." He fired his available web shooter below them and created a safety net below them in case something went wrong.

"Who's Karen?"

"Uh, a friend who helps me save people!" Spider-Man said. "Wanna say hi?"

The boy hesitated. "Hi, Karen."

"She says 'hi' back. And I'm Spider-Man. What's your name?"

"Zac with no H because H's are ew."

Spider-Man giggled as he started inspecting the harness for a release. "Are they, now?"

" 's what Mom always says, anyway," Zac mumbled.

"She's so right, though. H's are ew. Aha!" The hero attached a new web to the zipline track and repositioned himself closer to Zac. "Ok, little dude, I'm going to release the harness, so I need you to give me a big ol' hug, okay? Hold on tight."

Zac nodded and wrapped his arms around Peter's shoulders. The elder boy clicked the release on the harness and immediately embraced Zac for extra safety. He let them gradually descend to the web below and squatted, allowing Zac to get his own footing on the net. The spectators gave a small cheer as Zac's mom tumbled from the crowd and pulled her son into a tight hug.

Spider-Man webbed the harness and yanked so it would have enough momentum to lazily return to the start of the zipline. He backflipped off the net, mostly because he could, and found several eyes had fallen onto him, including Zac's mom.

"Thank you so much, Spider Guy," she said. "I don't know how long it would've taken them to get him down normally."

"His name's Spider-Man, Mom!" Zac corrected, earning a chorus of chuckles from the crowd.

The hero huffed a laugh and held out a fist for Zac to bump. "Okay, Zac, stay safe, eat your veggies, all that craaaaa-ud," he quickly covered. "And don't let this put you off swinging! It's a great way to get around," he finished with a wink of his mask's lens. Spider-Man turned to the crowds. "So, does anyone know anything about a monster?"

"They probably do," someone commented.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea, giving Peter an uninterrupted view of the laser taggers over by the door. With one final glance at Zac, he strode over. "What's up, guys?"

"Whatever you do, don't go in the laser tag arena!" the closest player warned.

"Idiot, he's a literal superhero!" his friend sassed. "If anyone's gonna monster hunt, it's Mr. Spandex over here."

"He's just a child! Look how short he is, *idiot.*"

"Hey, I take offense to that; I'm at least average." Spider-Man huffed and did his best to ignore the comments otherwise. "What kind of monster are we talking about here? Aliens? Mutant lizards? Giant pile of sentient sand?"

"Dementors," the patron hissed.

Peter's blood ran cold. He gulped. "Wraiths."

The masked hero held his head high and strode purposefully across to the abandoned laser tag arena; enough bravado, and perhaps no one would notice the shivers echoing through his limbs.

The space felt cavernous and hollow, yet somehow off-putting and oppressive. Unlike most laser tag locales, it was a large, open space with few hides. A handful of stacks of palettes and inflatable military machinery peppered the floor amongst the orderly columns supporting the roof overhead. It was dimly lit, though some theater lighting cast interesting patterns or colors throughout. Their patterns wavered because of…something. But most hauntingly, all sound died as soon as Peter entered. Not even his footsteps echoed beyond.

Vacuum.

Fear spiked in Peter's body as dread overtook him. His steps became less sure, his breathing more shallow. The warning, the wrongness tickling his senses became a scream, a plea to flee instead of fight.

But he was a hero.

A hero who needed to scream.

Peter blinked, unsure when the fifty wraiths had entered, but they hovered silently overhead, nearly blocking out the ceiling in their multitude. They didn't move, as if they were part of the decor, as if they hadn't noticed him.

Peter exhaled.

The nearest wraith turned.

Yelping, Spider-Man dove for cover, shattering the tranquility which had overtaken the vacant space. "Taser web!" he barked. The heads-up display in his mask confirmed the web shooter setting and whined with electrical charges. He took one fortifying breath and leaped into action. Arcing over his shelter, the teen shot several of the nearest wraiths, feeling a slight elevation of his soul as they disintegrated into smoke. As the shooters recharged, he preemptively webbed several more wraiths together as they circled like vultures.

Unfortunately, the beasts experienced a moment of intelligence. The nearest one became intangible, letting its web drift harmlessly to the ground below. And then its neighbor did the same, and another, and another. A forlorn gape shadowed Peter's face below the mask. He tossed a few web grenades amongst the freed wraiths as he took shelter in an upper corner. However, they had already learned; and though they were momentarily clumped and dropped to the floor, they quickly phased free once more.

"I suddenly like this a lot less now…"

"Ditto!" came a shockingly close reply.

Peter spasmed upon seeing Danny Phantom's head stuck partway through the wall next to him. The ghost phased completely through and pocketed a device, setting his hands alight with unearthly green energy. His glowing eyes danced around, appraising the rest of the arena.

"I'm so glad you're here," Spider-Man admitted. "They just started phasing out of my webs, and my tasers take a second to recharge."

"Don't worry, I'll get this one; you can take care of the next excessively large group of wraiths we come across."

Phantom darted off and made quick work of the remaining ghosts. Worried, Peter took the opportunity to stare down at his web shooters. "But how? My webs can't even touch them."

"The benefit of being able to shoot ecto-goo out of your hands!" Phantom shouted from across the arena.

An idea took hold in Peter's mind. "Hey, Karen," he whispered, "the Fentons work on this kind of stuff, right? Can you please ask Mr. Stark to set up a meeting with them this week? I bet they could help me."

[On it.]

Phantom blasted the final wraith and, catching his breath, paused for a moment with his arm extended. He relaxed his position and gently drifted down into the massive cloud of black smoke choking the arena floor. Swirling the dissipating vapor as he went, the ghost meandered back over to where Spider-Man stood and landed in front of him. "Thanks for the assist back there."

"Not sure how much I helped," Spider-Man replied with an embarrassed laugh.

"Well, I'm sure you took out a few first and kept them focused on you and not the civilians." The ghost produced a device from his pocket and held it up for him to see. "I've been tracking these bastards all over the city. I'm starting to think they might be coming from West Queens or Brooklyn."

Peter frowned when Karen's system identified it. "Hey, that's the Fentons' ghost tracker!"

"They weren't using it," Phantom dismissed with a shrug.

"Did you steal it?"

"They weren't using it!" the ghost repeated much more defensively. "I don't see anyone else making an active effort to stop these wraiths, so does it really matter if I step up?"

"What about the G.I.W.?"

"Pfft, those idiots are lucky if they have less than six figures of collateral damage when they go for coffee." The device beeped and drew Phantom's attention away from Peter. "Ope, looks like some more just popped up in the East Village. Gotta jet!"

As the ghost turned to leave, Spider-Man thought of something. "Oh, wait! Phantom?"

The floating teen paused midair and looked back. "What's up, Spidey?"

Spider-Man looked around the space and rubbed his hands together. "I've got this—I mean, I think there's a new enhanced on the scene who has ectoplasm-based ice powers, and-" His rambling ceased when Phantom's eyes locked onto his lenses. A figurative and literal chill paralyzed Peter in place.

"What do you know about that?" Phantom accused, expression suspicious but voice unsure.

Backpedaling, Spider-Man attempted a nonchalant shrug. "I mean, it's kinda obvious with Roosevelt Island, right? Plus I was close by when that bodega froze over. And the ice that trapped that wraith in the Midtown locker room that it couldn't phase out of. It's probably made of ghost stuff too."

Phantom searched Spider-Man's mask but saw no hints of the panic beneath. After several agonizingly tense moments, He retreated slightly. "What about it?"

"I just thought if you met, you might be able to help him learn how to use his powers?"

" 'Him?' "

Peter gulped. "Him, her, it; I dunno, whoever it is."

"Oh." The chill retreated as the ghost did. "Well, uh, I guess I can keep an eye out, but it's sort of his business, you know? It would be nice if he didn't have someone peripheral to the Avengers breathing down his neck, and subsequently real Avengers too."

"Hey, I'm not *peripheral!*" Spider-Man whined.

Phantom quirked a brow. "Sure. Anyway, I've got more people to save. Tompkins Square Park if you feel like coming along for the ride. See ya!"

And with that, he was gone.

It took a moment for Peter to regain his senses. "Is it just me, or was something off about him?"

[Danny Phantom appeared to be equally in distress, if his mannerisms and elevated heart rate meant anything.]

"Wait…heart rate?"

This chapter's Easter Eggs and references:

- Grannie Annie's - a real bar on Roosevelt Island which has major vibes. Another location I visited back in December 2021

- Ruck - As we all know, Scooby regularly replaces consonants with R. So I'm pretty sure you can deduce which four-letter word ending in -uck he meant to say :p

- Agent Cleary - seen a few times throughout the MCU, most recently as the guy interrogating team spidey in Far From Home and showing a minor good side in Miss Marvel

- Agent P - Guys, believe it or not, I'm so into Easter Eggs that I sometimes drop in references by ACCIDENT as well. I have never watched a single minute of Phineas and Ferb in my entire life. Not because I don't think it's a good show! Just because I've never felt particularly driven to watch it. Maybe one of these days.

- FAHM - it's a real thing, I checked. By the way, are any of my readers Filipino/have Filipino heritage/speak Filipino? I'm doing as much research as I can, but I'd love to get an *insider* perspective so I write the Manila Monday stuff well. Plus Google translate can only take you so far lol ya feel me?

- Area53 - a real place in Brooklyn. They've got climbing stuff, laser tag, a zipline, and a paintball arena. Looks freaking awesome and I might have to go there someday.

- "Zac with no H because H's are ew" - a reference to Sara with no H, both because I know one who's very particular about it lol and also because it was a Jimmy Fallon sketch

- "What kind of monster are we talking about here? Aliens? Mutant lizards? Giant pile of sentient sand?" - I am of course referring to the Battle of New York, Dr. Connors/the Lizard, and the Sandman

- "Ope" - Yep you read that correctly: Danny is in fact from the Midwest.

Heeeey, peeps... yeah, it's been a while, so all I can say is thank you for your patience! Life is slowly getting better, but I can't promise there won't be further delays going forward. All I ask is that you have some patience for this poor writer struggling to find the time and drive for his passion project. :)

Stay classy, Phandom!